We were awake early due to not having adjusted to the time difference yet. So we went down to breakfast at 6am. It was an amazing buffet with wonderful pastries - must be the French influence here. The fruit selection included Jack fruit - which I had never seen before, let alone tried.
After breakfast we headed out by taxi to the Museum of Vietnamese History. It wasn't a very large museum, which was good, because we are still adjusting to the time zone and aren't exactly bursting with energy. The museum included a statue of Ho Chi Minh, the first prime minister of Vietnam- and the city's name sake
When we got back to the hotel we relaxed in the lounge for a very welcome coffee break, before setting out once again in the afternoon on a half day guided tour of the city.
The half day tour was certainly jam packed. We started out at the War Museum. There was an impressive collection of US planes, helicopters and tanks in the courtyard. Inside most of the exhibits were collections of photos, many of which were extremely graphic. I'm not a squeamish person, but even I was shocked at some of them, and I can't say I'd want to see them again.
After the War Museum, we visited the Jade Emperor Pagoda to see the various Buddhist shrines, and then on to the Post Office (a beautiful French colonial building), the Church of Notre Dame and the Reunification Palace. The pace was frenetic, the weather was extremely hot and humid, and by the end of it all Denise and I were exhausted. So it's another early night for us.
Was the Jack fruit any good?
ReplyDeleteIt is very nice indeed. Wrigley's won't say what the recipe for Juicy Fruit is - but a lot of people think it tastes like Jack fruit, and I agree.
ReplyDelete