Arriving in HCMC

Met Melb group of Vietnam Ozquesters at the Airport and then Qued for over 1 hr just to check in- crazy amount of people! So none of us got to choose seats or sit together, except by freak chance, me and Erica were next to each other, in the emergency exit- plenty of leg room and company for me!!!

Had the best view of Vietnam and remember being blown away by how beautiful our world is.

Had to climb out of the airoplain and into a bus- which to us to the domestic terminal! Waited around for our bags- till all these people started leaving and we relised we'd been taken to the wrong terminal!

Crazy drive to our hotel- bikes everywhere- you seriously have to see it because it's beyond imagination and photos don't do the crazyness and noise justice! (photo of the view from our hotel window) It was 88 steps up to our hotel room and elevater- soon learnt not to forget something in your room!

They eat lots of noodles in water- with other additives to taste- called Pho (pronounced 'fur' for us aussies) which is fine, utill you have in all day every day and it becomes very annoying!

After a nights sleep, we had a days tour of Ho Chi Minh City. 1st stop the Notra Dame cathedral- looked just like a cathedral in europe except I have never seen so many fairy and neon lights in a church before- Mary has never glowed so much since she was pregnant!

Next was the war museaum and was interesting to see the war from a Vietnamese or more communist view rather than the more American view portrayed in most movies etc. Lots of graphic photos but still so far removed from reality until you experience it.

This is what I wrote in my diary on the 28/1/2007

'HCMC is very interesting. Some smells a very over whelming and some very nice. Constant sound of many horns. People do everything on the footpath- eat, nap, sell everything and have it all set out on tarps- means that people have to walk all over the road. People drive on the wrong side of the road and on the footpath. Kids walk around trying to sell gum. Some beggers, but apparently only about 50% are legit.- so were told it's best not to give money to any. Dogs everywhere, but they just ignore you and most are free to run around but some are tied or in cages. People just dump their rubbish and some sweep it into the gutters then people come along wheeling a big rubbish bin and collect some rubbish. The city is still very dirty in some areas.

Most houses are painted all kinds of bright and pastel colours and there are fairy lights everywhere. Not meant to put toilet paper in the toilet as it may clog their system, so instead use a bin. Rich and poor just mingle, no segregation, however you can tell the richer area or government buildings as they are clean and the foot paths are clean and relatively empty. Everything seems very laid back- except on the roads! Everyone is very friendly and we get quite a lot of attention. Whole families ride on bikes and they carry just about everything they can on them- very dangerouse by our standards- and hardly any bike helmets. Everyone seems to have very new and nice phones/ motor bikes- but they are cheap and many in HCMC.'