23rd March 2010
…in more ways than one! We elected to take it easy today and just get used to Saigon. We started the morning with a trip to the market round the corner for some fruit and yoghurt for breakfast, then onto the larger market down the road for a wander about.
You feel quiet conspicuous wandering through the tiny pathways between the stalls. We’re in an area where you don’t see many westerners, so we stick out like a sore thumb, and the alleyways really are tiny.
Our next job today was to post a gift home to Matthew, so off we went to the main post office. The building was constructed when Vietnam was part of French Indochina in the early 20th century and has a Gothic architectural style. On both sides of the entrance there are statues symbolizing the contributions of the post office’s staff in the wartime and present day.
It was designed and constructed by the famous architect Gustave Eiffel in harmony with the surrounding area. Outside there are two statues dedicated to the contributions of post office staff during the war. Today, the building is a tourist attraction full of people just marvelling at the huge central hall, with polished wooden phone booths lining one side.
We were expecting to be besieged by queues and bureacracy but were pleasantly surprised to be able to walk straight up to the international packages window, fill in a few forms while the clerk packed our goods then off to another counter to pay. The whole process only took about 10 minutes.
Across the road from the post office is Saigon’s only brick built building, the Notre Dame Basilica. This neo-Romanesque Church was built with bricks and tiles imported from France, and is located at the beautiful Paris Square in the center of the city. The Virgin Mary statue, is also within the small garden, in front of the cathedral. The Park is a popular area for brides and grooms to have their photos taken.
After a morning walking around the vibrant district 1 with the continual drone of mopeds and cacophony of horns sounding we were glad to get back to the sanctuary of Karen’s flat for some simple but lovely salad and French bread from the French bakery around the corner.
We are becoming quite good at crossing the road, you simply watch for a slowing in the traffic, step out and walk at a steady pace across the road. As if by magic, the bikes seem to miss you!
When Karen got in from work, we sat and discussed our onward plans with her, so we now have a better idea of where we’re heading. We needed to book some tours both in the Mekong Delta and in North Vietnam in Halong Bay, based on recommendations from Karen. With a rough itinerary mapped out, we would like to extend our month long tourist visa for another month, which we can apparently do now we are here in country. To help us, Karen took us to her friendly tourist operator, Tam. Just a small office in a side street, but he was able to tell us about the visa situation (we need to wait until Hanoi) and give us prices and information about some tours.
Business over, it was time for some retail therapy at the tailor shop. Karen has had quite a few items made over the time she’s been here in Saigon so we had waited until now to treat ourselves to some custom made clothes. Good job too - such a choice, not only of type of clothing and styles, but material also.
I’ve ordered an Ao Dai, which is a traditional Vietnamese two-piece garment made of fabric. A full-length dress worn over loose silk trousers reaching all the way to the ground which splits into a front and back panel from the waist down. I’ve made a few adjustments, opting for linen trousers and short sleeves. I’ve also ordered a silk dress, very simple with a chinese collar. Ed has ordered a cashmere suit. All the clothes will be ready later in the week, so hopefully we’ll like them.
