Our last night in HCMC

Hello friends! This will, I think, be our last post. We left off in My Tho, avoiding the monsoon. Well, the weather improved, and although it was a sleepy little place, we did indeed find something to occupy us. Our favorite pastime, eating and drinking!

We went to the "best hotel in town" to enjoy beers at their bar. The beers were cold, but the hotel could take a lesson in decorating from a few of our friends. The location was great, right on the river, but maybe white painted cement walls and really bright lights aren't such a great idea when there are open windows and a lot of bugs out.

Dinner was a tiny hole in the wall that is "in the book" (this means it is in the Lonely Planet guide to Vietnam, and Mark will hunt it down like a dog! It's good that he has an amazing compass in his head and a talent for reading maps, because the Lonely Planet guys are not always too accurate!) The food was a local specialty, a type of soup that was decorated with plenty of fresh greens - delish! Then to the locals hang out - outdoors (with much more pleasant garden setting and lighting than the best hotel) for a little after dinner libation, followed by the jewel in the crown: the new jazz bar (with no live music, sadly) where I enjoyed iced Vietnamese coffee with Bailey's for just under $1.00! It was a wonderful way to end the day.

After breakfast at the market the next day (where we were the only tourists, I swear - the way they laughed and pointed when we ordered breakfast you'd think they'd never seen foreigners before!) we joined another tour to visit some of the islands in the Mekong near My Tho. The weather was trying very hard to be sunny, and my spirits were up.

We boarded the boat with about 10 other tourists, and lazily meandered up (or was it down?) the river. The Mekong is the 12th longest rivers in the world, starting in Tibet and winding it's way through China, Burma, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam before dumping into the China Sea.

Our tour included a stop to try assorted fruits from an orchard (a tasty selection of dragon fruit, jack fruit, longans, pineapple, and papaya) with an accompanying live traditional band. I don't think we'll buy the cd anytime soon, but it was enjoyable for the 15 minutes that it lasted.

We also took a horsecart ride across the small island. Poor little creatures. Having to haul around 5 or 6 big non-Vietnamese people must be hard on them.

Then we got on a very little boat where a skinny little old Vietnamese lady paddled 6 of us around for 15 minutes or so. We went down a very narrow channel that was very green and jungle like. I was watching for monkeys and snakes, but none appeared.

Finally, to the coconut candy making plant. Easy recipe: 50% coconut milk, 25% rice syrup, and 25% cane sugar. Boil it up until it turns into carmel. Very tasty! We bought some (of course) and also bought some banana candies. We tried "banana wine" which wasn't half bad, but Mark wouldn't let me buy any. Tasted kind of like whiskey.

Back on the bus for the 2 hour drive back to Ho Chi Minh City. It was fun to be back in the hubbub - traffic honking, loads of motorcycles, and many many choices of places to eat and drink. We strolled down backpacker alley looking for trinkets to pick up for those of you we left at home to keep the Canadian economy thriving, but in the end, really haven't bought much. Did buy a painting, well comissioned it actually. It should be dry just before we head for the airport tomorrow! I'm not sure that I mentioned that they are amazin copy artists here. Does anyone need a Mona Lisa for their living room? Speak now, or forever hold your peace!

We went to the Temple Club for dinner last night, but sadly they were fully booked. We did stop for a drink or two in their lovely bar though, and quite enjoyed the atmosphere. By the time we left, our second choice restaurant was closing (it was only 9:30 but the Communists keep a lid on late night partying) and so we ended up at the night market. Food is never in short supply here!

Today we spent most of the day wandering the ritzy part of town, looking for a meaningful souvenir for moi. I did see a lovely leather purse, but in the end, it was not quite right. I also saw a lovely CK watch that was $400.00, which was a little pricey for an impulse buy. Something may turn up yet, or maybe it won't. It really doesn't matter. I do have my eye on a cute dress across the street.....

We tried to do some cultural stuff today too, like visit the Reunification Palace. But, like the last time we were in town, it was closed. Apparently there are some dignitaries in town using the place, which would explain the police motorcycles escorting black Mercedes sedans around town. We did manage to go to Pho Binh, which was a noodle shop that was the secret headquarters of the Viet Cong in Saigon during the "American War" as they call it here. For lunch we headed around the corner to the best Banh Xeo place (a kind of crepe/omlette stuffed with veggies and shrimp - it's in the book!). We would have taken a picture but we were so hungry we gobbled it up instead.

Oh, I almost forgot. I have discovered my new favorite thing here. Custard Apple juice!!! It it AMAZING!! I was feeling reckless when we returned to the jazz restaurant in My Tho yesterday morning, so I just pointed at the name of a drink on the menu and waited to see what would arrive. Man, did I point in the right direction! Yum yum yum. My only regret is that I didn't discover it earlier.

Must go. It's getting late in the day, and I need a shower before I have my sundowner at the Sheraton!

See you all soon! We arrive back in Lotus Land Monday afternoon and hit the ground running. Thanks for coming along on our trip!

Cheers,
M and m