Crystal Hotel Ho Chi Minh City

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... in saigon we went on a walk round the city which took us to the cathedral and the war remnants museum: quite possibly the most depressing place i have ever been but very interesting and included some brilliant photography and some planes and tanks from the war.

on the seccond day we went on a trip to a cau dai temple (a weird religion that seems to have mashed together a host of other religions into one), interesting but probally not ...

SHOP BAO CAO SU CHẮC NHƯ BẮP - SAFE SEX - SHOP BAO CAO SU CHUYÊN NGHIỆP NHẤT TẠI HCM

Website: www.chacnhubap.com

Shop bao cao su Chắc như bắp chuyên cung cấp đủ loại bao cao su, gel bôi trơn, thuốc bôi, xịt giúp nam giới lâu ra, vòng rung, vòng ...

... and it was really quite upsetting. The museum displays artilery and tiger cages used during the war. Also lots of photos of the victims of war, the effect of Agent Orange..truely horrific.

We caught up with an old work mate, Keith Gorman for dinner from my 3 days. I hadn't seen Keith in 6 years so was great to catch up.

Next stop Mekong Delta for 2 nights and crossing into Cambodia on a boat!

... without a wait and stamped within 30 seconds. I felt like skipping across the border with joy as it had been a nightmare getting that visa.

I got a taxi to my hotel and immediately had a smile on my face. Having been to many Indian cities I was used to a crazy traffic situation but this has to match if not beat the madness of Delhi. Of course there are a few traffic lights but why use them when you might as well just drive across the ...

... banana and a baguette, in the lobby and while I was eating I overheard a couple making decisions about how and where to travel in Northern Vietnam. I added a little help that soon turned me into their tour guide. I was glad to help them. It turns out, she is a doctor, so she returned the favor in helping diagnose me, another opinion never hurts. Her guess was Giardia.
It was sprinkling outside by the time I took off to the doctor. I found a moto and he took me all the way ...

... Chi Minh where the Mekong river empties into the sea. It contains a variety of small towns and cities and many tourists take a one, two or three day tour of the region, departing from HCM. Immediately after our arrival in the Mekong I met two girls from Chicago. They had recently graduated from law school and taken the bar exam and had decided to celebrate with a two week vacation to Thailand and Vietnam. They served as yet another example of American culture and our emphasis on work ...

... in and took the open tour bus. The buses aren't bad, but they never have a toilet and the AC almost never works. The buses take more pit stops than any bus I've ever been on adding HOURS onto your bus trip. This is the most painful on overnight buses when the driver stops at 2am for 2 hours to hang out with his friends. We have had some horrible overnight bus experiences with super uncomfy beds or sleeper seats to sleep on. We just paid for ...

... in line, maybe he was waiting for his family? So, i politely said "excuse me... are you waiting?" with a modest gesture towards to the line. Well, if you could believe the absolute look of disgust he gave me for having the nerve to bother him. He looked at me with utter disdain, and moved forward towards the bag checkers and through the gate. Finally.

Phu Quoc island had torrential rain and thunderstorms the three days I was there. But, I will say, the people on the island and ...

... the whole meal was $13. One of
the dishes they are known for is crunchy rice that is cooked in a clay
pot. One waiter stands at one end of the room, breaks the pot to get
the rice out, and throws the rice across the room to another waiter,
who catches it on a plate. I only saw them drop it once, out of the 6
or 7 times I saw the performance. Then they drizzle the rice with fish
sauce and spices ...