Night At The Big C

There is an indoor Mall near our hotel called the Big C. It is 4 stories of groceries, clothes, housewares and electronics, with a food court at the top. Like malls around the world it was filled with kids mostly. We went to the top and enjoyed Vietnamese "Margaritas" at the food court bar.

Helen was not happy when she had to seal her purse in a bag before entering the electronics and house wears area. This was taken after we left the electronics area at the bar.

Sunrise in Hue

Due to a wacky body clock we were up very early this morning.

Then we went to get coffee and breakfast. Vietnamese coffee is small and strong served with sugar, condensed milk and can be hot or iced. Notice the small cup.

Tan Son Nhat Hotel

While in Saigon we are staying at the Tan Son Nhat hotel. It housed the southern government and military leaders before the fall of Saigon. Then the new government took over. It is a nice place to stay and close to the airport. Here is what the Hotel Guest Book has to say.

(click image to zoom)

And this is how they mow the Tan Son Nhat lawn. Weed whackers and brooms. Ever hear about anyone sweeping up the cut grass? Know any lawn mower salesmen?

First Visit with Dad in 35 Years

Today we had breakfast with Helen's Father and Brother. Helen has not seen her Dad in 35 years! He speaks some English so that is good, he keeps telling us we are number 1. You could tell he was happy to see Helen. He told her she looks young and white.

Luggage

Big Suitcases


There is no getting around it. When traveling to Vietnam, Big suitcases, are the order of the day, about 150 pounds of them. The irony is that the smaller black bag (front) is the only one with a suit in it. It also contains a bottle of good tequila, vacupacked (above), the one liqueur you can't get in Vietnam . However, limes and salt are readily available. (Update: We recently spotted a bottle of Sauza Gold at a mall bar in Hue, but could not find out where it came from.) The big black case has vacupacked grapes and other assorted fruit. You know light stuff. Helen would like to add that the journey actually started at the end of May despite the title of the blog.