January 26th, Last Day in Vietnam

This is what out last meal on our last day in Vietnam ended with. I'm not counting the grab and go breakfast at the hotel at 4 am the next morning. This group of desserts tasted as nice as it they looked. Of course, I love chocolate, so the brownie and ice cream were my favorite. 

Do you think food tastes better when it is presented in a beautiful way? I am starting to think so. Just look at the plate below. So lovely and so good!

This random park scene is not so random to me. My Aunt Doris was a surgical nurse in the US Army and served in Vietnam. This park is the site of the 3rd Army Field Hospital in Saigon and where she was during the late 1960's. The building as you can see is gone now.

Our last excursion was to the site of some infamous tunnels used by the NVA to retreat to when hiding from our troops. Some members of the group went a short distance through the tunnels but I didn't. There were enough displays above ground to satisfy my curiosity.

The next morning as I said earlier, we left for the airport. Flying for the next 24 hours was hard but we made it. Saigon to Tokyo to Denver to Phoenix. The first thing I did when I got home was brew a pot of Earl Grey Tea, decaffeinated of course. 

Back with more again soon.

Take care and stay cozy!

January 25th, A Day in Saigon

What is it about city skylines that always gets our attention? I took one on arrival and one at night from our Sofitel Hotel room on the 15th floor.

This huge chair was great for looking out over the city. The birdcages has small lights in them and could be used for night lights. I thought that was cool. I put the hotel sign in here to help me remember. The elephant was part of the outside decor at the entrance to the lobby.

Next two are scenes from our walking tour of downtown. One is of a government building and the next is just one of the many ways the city and surrounding countryside was getting all dressed up for the New Year celebrations in February.

We, our group and about a million, not really, school children toured the former presidential palace. We say conference rooms, offices and personal living spaces. 

Lunch was at a noodle soup shop made famous because Bill Clinton ate there in 2000. We and I am sure he had a nice lunch of Pho.

This evening, before another wonderful family style dinner, we saw a water puppet show. The mechanics of the show were fascinating. 

The sad part for me anyway was that not understanding the language we couldn't follow the stories being told. It would have been nice to have a program explaining each scene.

So, there it is, a day in Saigon.

Back with more again soon.

Take care and stay cozy!

From Can Tho to Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City)

This was a travel day. We started out on a boat that took us to a place on the river to have a snack of local fruit and some live music. We found some magnets while there and they now have a place on our fridge. We also saw the area where our guide's family lived from the water and made a stop at a candy and rice paper factory that he said was run by his cousins.

Lunch was elephant ear fish as a main course. The fish was brought to the table whole and standing upright. Our waitress broke down the fish and used it to make rice paper rolls for all of us. Can I just say it was delicious? Too repetitive? Sorry, not sorry. We all know now why I am not a food critic. I don't know enough adjectives but once again I want you to know that one of the best parts of this trip was the food.

Back with more again soon.

Take care and stay cozy!