It has been a long day and a whirlwind tour of Ho Chi Minh City, previously (and still) known as Saigon. The day began with breakfast in the rooftop cafe here at the Elios Hotel. In addition to french bread (which is always my favorite) there were lots of varieties of weird foods including fish spring rolls, curried chicken, several kinds of tossed salads, dragon fruit, oh the list could go on and on. After breakfast we met up with our driver for the day, Kiet. Kiet was hired by Superstar Jason to drive us around town. We also carried a cell phone provided by Jason so that we could keep in touch and ask questions as needed.
Our first stop was in the center of town at the post office and Notre Dame Cathedral. The post office is an old building very typical of the french colonial architecture of this area. Notre Dame is a cathedral built in the 1800's and it is the center of Catholicism here in the city. Although it has been significantly restored, we think that we may have been in the post office in 1991 when we came through Viet Nam to get our visas to get into Cambodia. The hall that we went to had a huge photo of Uncle Ho (Ho Chi Minh) hanging prominently in the middle and the post office has just such a photo. Even though it has been 17 years since we have been here, I think that we expected to feel some kind of familiarity with aspects of the city but that really hasn't happened. There has been revolutionary change over these past almost two decades.
We made a photo stop at the Reunification Hall. This large building was formerly the center of the South Vietnam government, but when Saigon fell in 1975 tanks rolled through the gate as a show of power and victory. The tanks still sit in the front yard but the building has now been restored as a sign of unity in Vietnam.
Next up was the War Remembrance Museum. Jason had warned us that some Americans find this museum to be troubling but we all wanted to go. Kaley & Leanne had lots of questions about what various aspects of the museum meant and we realized that they had been taught very little in school about the Vietnam War. Truth be told, Marcy and I as young children of the 60's don't remember much either. The most troubling of displays included photos and preserved specimins of children who had been born severely defective due to agent orange that their parents had been exposed to.
Almost as disturbing to all of us was a temporary exhibit of artwork from the children of Vietnam. They had been asked to submit art about the damage done by war and their hopes for peace. While some of the art was hopeful and bright and showed children of all races together in peace, other artwork clearly testified to the United States as the source of war and suffering. Several of the pictures showed airplanes dropping bombs from the sky and in each case the planes were labeled "USA." We wondered whether this is the image that this generation of children have of the U.S., perhaps because of what they have seen on TV in relation to the war in Iraq, or is it that they have continued to be taught in school that the United States is not to be trusted. Uncle Ho is still an active presence here it seems, even in the midst of blossoming consumerism and a growing economy.
In a room with photography dedicated to photographers and journalists who had died in the war, there were also photos and stories of Americans who had died in the line of protesting the war. One photo was of a man named Norman Morrison, a graduate of Pittsburgh Seminary where I work. Back in the 60's he set himself on fire at a protest in DC. I had first heard of him some years ago when a reporter doing a story on war protests had called for information on him. It was surprising to see his photo and his role as almost a hero here in the war museum in Saigon.
I think we were glad that we went to the museum because it did give us much to consider and talk about, but it was both sad and concerning to see a fairly biased perspective delivered in such a graphic way.
Since there's nothing like lunch to cheer up the tourist blahs, we headed for a restaurant that Jason had reccomended called Quan An Ngon (I think...) It was a lovely open air setting surrounded on the sides by people making a variety of traditional foods. It was almost as if the street food vendors had been brought inside to a clean environment to prepare the traditional foods. We ate some really strange things. Of all of us, Leanne is the most adventurous with her eating, and in fact puts me and Kaley to shame! She had some kind of weird soup. The people at the next table took great delight in helping her to mix in the herbs and vegetables.
After lunch we visited China town including an old pagoda and the market. As always the market was a bit overwhelming. Next on the agenda was another ice cream stop (we all love ice cream!) and after that a visit to another market. The Saigon Square Market is full of knock-off handbags, and familiar labels of clothes like Hollister and Abercrombie. The prices were cheap, but the quality didn't look so good. The handbags, however, were more than they are in NYC so that didn't seem to make much sense.
An afternoon monsoon came up while we are in the market so we decided to call it a day and head back to the hotel for a rest. We were ready for a break from asian cuisine this evening so we sought out a french restaurant for dinner. Leanne once again seemed to enjoy her food the most, enjoying a plate of almost raw tuna steak with some other weird stuff. After dinner we decided to divide and conquer with Mike and Leanne coming back to the hotel, Marcy & Deb looking for a foot massage, and me and Kaley hitting the market for a little more shopping. (Surprise, surprise.) We didn't find much but she did pick up a pair of shoes.
Ho Chi Minh City is a busy busy busy place with lots of restaurants, lots of shopping, lots of activity, etc., etc. The people are friendly, but in comparison to my last trip to Cambodia, they are far more reserved. In the shops or restaurants you really need to seek out help or you are ignored. I'm not sure if it is because we are western in appearance, or if it is because we are western in appearanace and traveling with Khmer girls, but for whatever reason, I'm missing the approachability of the Cambodian people that I experienced in the past. I'm hoping that it is still there when we make our trip tomorrow!
Speaking of our trip, Hilary and Julie should arrive later tonight to complete our band of travelers. We will leave the hotel at 8:30 am in a van bound for Cambodia. I had originally booked with another company but Superstar Jason our tour guide offered to find us a van at a slighly lower price. His motto for his business and life is "EIP - Everything is Possible." It's a good way to look at things, isn't it?
I know that tomorrow will be a very interesting day. We will drive for about 3 hours before we reach the border. Then we will have to carry all of our bags, go through exit procedures for Vietnam and entrance procedures for Cambodia while on foot. Then on the other side of the border, we will be met by my friend Yoen and a new friend named Thon. They will both be helping us for the next few days. I'm really looking forward to seeing Yoen. He earned a spot in our hearts when he took such good care of us during our 2005 trip.
En route we will be stopping in Svay Rieng province, a rural farm province and small village, for Hilary to have her first meeting with her biological sisters. After a visit there, we will need to move along in order to make Phnom Penh by night. Hopefully all of these connections will go smoothly! Time for some sleep before our long day!
Lisa & Crew
Our first stop was in the center of town at the post office and Notre Dame Cathedral. The post office is an old building very typical of the french colonial architecture of this area. Notre Dame is a cathedral built in the 1800's and it is the center of Catholicism here in the city. Although it has been significantly restored, we think that we may have been in the post office in 1991 when we came through Viet Nam to get our visas to get into Cambodia. The hall that we went to had a huge photo of Uncle Ho (Ho Chi Minh) hanging prominently in the middle and the post office has just such a photo. Even though it has been 17 years since we have been here, I think that we expected to feel some kind of familiarity with aspects of the city but that really hasn't happened. There has been revolutionary change over these past almost two decades.
We made a photo stop at the Reunification Hall. This large building was formerly the center of the South Vietnam government, but when Saigon fell in 1975 tanks rolled through the gate as a show of power and victory. The tanks still sit in the front yard but the building has now been restored as a sign of unity in Vietnam.
Next up was the War Remembrance Museum. Jason had warned us that some Americans find this museum to be troubling but we all wanted to go. Kaley & Leanne had lots of questions about what various aspects of the museum meant and we realized that they had been taught very little in school about the Vietnam War. Truth be told, Marcy and I as young children of the 60's don't remember much either. The most troubling of displays included photos and preserved specimins of children who had been born severely defective due to agent orange that their parents had been exposed to.
Almost as disturbing to all of us was a temporary exhibit of artwork from the children of Vietnam. They had been asked to submit art about the damage done by war and their hopes for peace. While some of the art was hopeful and bright and showed children of all races together in peace, other artwork clearly testified to the United States as the source of war and suffering. Several of the pictures showed airplanes dropping bombs from the sky and in each case the planes were labeled "USA." We wondered whether this is the image that this generation of children have of the U.S., perhaps because of what they have seen on TV in relation to the war in Iraq, or is it that they have continued to be taught in school that the United States is not to be trusted. Uncle Ho is still an active presence here it seems, even in the midst of blossoming consumerism and a growing economy.
In a room with photography dedicated to photographers and journalists who had died in the war, there were also photos and stories of Americans who had died in the line of protesting the war. One photo was of a man named Norman Morrison, a graduate of Pittsburgh Seminary where I work. Back in the 60's he set himself on fire at a protest in DC. I had first heard of him some years ago when a reporter doing a story on war protests had called for information on him. It was surprising to see his photo and his role as almost a hero here in the war museum in Saigon.
I think we were glad that we went to the museum because it did give us much to consider and talk about, but it was both sad and concerning to see a fairly biased perspective delivered in such a graphic way.
Since there's nothing like lunch to cheer up the tourist blahs, we headed for a restaurant that Jason had reccomended called Quan An Ngon (I think...) It was a lovely open air setting surrounded on the sides by people making a variety of traditional foods. It was almost as if the street food vendors had been brought inside to a clean environment to prepare the traditional foods. We ate some really strange things. Of all of us, Leanne is the most adventurous with her eating, and in fact puts me and Kaley to shame! She had some kind of weird soup. The people at the next table took great delight in helping her to mix in the herbs and vegetables.
After lunch we visited China town including an old pagoda and the market. As always the market was a bit overwhelming. Next on the agenda was another ice cream stop (we all love ice cream!) and after that a visit to another market. The Saigon Square Market is full of knock-off handbags, and familiar labels of clothes like Hollister and Abercrombie. The prices were cheap, but the quality didn't look so good. The handbags, however, were more than they are in NYC so that didn't seem to make much sense.
An afternoon monsoon came up while we are in the market so we decided to call it a day and head back to the hotel for a rest. We were ready for a break from asian cuisine this evening so we sought out a french restaurant for dinner. Leanne once again seemed to enjoy her food the most, enjoying a plate of almost raw tuna steak with some other weird stuff. After dinner we decided to divide and conquer with Mike and Leanne coming back to the hotel, Marcy & Deb looking for a foot massage, and me and Kaley hitting the market for a little more shopping. (Surprise, surprise.) We didn't find much but she did pick up a pair of shoes.
Ho Chi Minh City is a busy busy busy place with lots of restaurants, lots of shopping, lots of activity, etc., etc. The people are friendly, but in comparison to my last trip to Cambodia, they are far more reserved. In the shops or restaurants you really need to seek out help or you are ignored. I'm not sure if it is because we are western in appearance, or if it is because we are western in appearanace and traveling with Khmer girls, but for whatever reason, I'm missing the approachability of the Cambodian people that I experienced in the past. I'm hoping that it is still there when we make our trip tomorrow!
Speaking of our trip, Hilary and Julie should arrive later tonight to complete our band of travelers. We will leave the hotel at 8:30 am in a van bound for Cambodia. I had originally booked with another company but Superstar Jason our tour guide offered to find us a van at a slighly lower price. His motto for his business and life is "EIP - Everything is Possible." It's a good way to look at things, isn't it?
I know that tomorrow will be a very interesting day. We will drive for about 3 hours before we reach the border. Then we will have to carry all of our bags, go through exit procedures for Vietnam and entrance procedures for Cambodia while on foot. Then on the other side of the border, we will be met by my friend Yoen and a new friend named Thon. They will both be helping us for the next few days. I'm really looking forward to seeing Yoen. He earned a spot in our hearts when he took such good care of us during our 2005 trip.
En route we will be stopping in Svay Rieng province, a rural farm province and small village, for Hilary to have her first meeting with her biological sisters. After a visit there, we will need to move along in order to make Phnom Penh by night. Hopefully all of these connections will go smoothly! Time for some sleep before our long day!
Lisa & Crew
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