On the Road Again

Two days ago we flew from Luang Prabang (Laos) to Saigon (Vietnam). We changed planes in Phnom Penh (Cambodia). The airport was clean and accommated English-speaking tourists.

Notice the "Monument Book & Toys" behind out group

In English!

Arriving in the afternoon in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City since 1975, but still commonly called Saigon), we visited the statue of Ho Chi Minh. "Uncle Ho", as he is called, was the Vietnamese communist revolutionary leader and latter prime minister and president of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam.

"Smile"

Our tour group is learning the customs of Asia. For instance, one must have a picture in front of every important monument or place visited. Americans can be identified because they just photograph the place, without getting in the pictures themselves.

Andy and Francine give it a try

There are 5 1/2 million motor bikes in Saigon. Still pictures do not capture the motorbikes, car and buses negotiating intersections without traffic signals. Hopefully video of this intricate dance of getting there will be posted later.

On your mark, get set, GO!

Style and fashion on a motorcycle

Best ice cream place in this district; just a few blocks from Baskin-Robbins.  Surely one of those cyclists will stop for a cool cone!

How do you cross the street, you ask, if traffic is continual but stop lights are uncommon.

There is the wonderful story of the woman who paid $0.50 for a taxi ride in Saigon. Know to dislike using taxi-cabs, she was asked why she had gotten a cab. She replied that she was afraid to cross the street, so she hired a cab to cross from one side of the road to the other!

Here's how you cross. Find a group of people, brunch together and cross en masse--slowly, bravely, confidently but never stopping. If you stop it confuses the  bikes and drivers that are dodging around you. They have your movements timed...

Wearing flowery, wooden antlers might increase your visual profile. Thanks Bill for the demo!

Next to Uncle Ho's statue was the Rex Hotel and the Rooftop Bar which was a well-known hangout spot for military officials and war correspondents during the Vietnam War from 1961-1975.

The Rooftop Bar is our tour's introduction to the Vietnam War, up close and personal.