Bray had a slow start today while Roni went to get a baguette and drink for brekkie. Even after eating Bray relaxed in bed until after 10am - recovering from the 'sleeper bus effect' of yesterday!
We hit the pavements again today, with the addition of parks, squirrels & butterflies - first to the Independance/Reunification Palace...which was closed for lunch until 1pm. It was around 12 so we went and got some rice and chicken for an early lunch to pass the time.
Back to the palace - preserved very much as it was when independance was reached in April of 1975. We explored all four floors and the two basement levels with interest!
Around the corner to the War Remnants Museum after this. There are a number of themed rooms in this museum and a seperate building modelling the imprisonment system under the Ngo Dinh Diem and Nguyen Van Theiu governments - 'tiger cages', torture information and other inhuman aspects.
We went to the main building after this...First, the photographic exhibition 'Requiem' which is largely made up of work by press photographers who died in the conflict...regardless of nationality or political viewpoint (134 photographers of different nationalities). A real range of subject matter and perspective on the war in Vietnam.
There was also a room focussed on the reconstruction of post-war Vietnam, one on international support for ending the war in Vietnam and a historical facts room.
The photographic exhibits on the effects of napalm, dioxin and the atrocities were too much for us. Roni studied history and so has seen a lot of these/similar images and man's inhumanity to man gets overwhelming. We didn't go through the entirety of the place as Roni would have lost it.
A warm walk home then time to change/cool off before going in search of Michelle (fellow teacher from Nelson College who has just started a job in HCMC). She was at ANZ but didn't have a map of our area so we found her instead :-) Then dinnertime - ended up at the same place as last night and helped Michelle ease into some Vietnamese food! Was great to have fast paced English conversation for a change!!
A quick and overpriced coffee at Highland Coffee (the Starbucks of Viet Nam) then we hailed a cab to return Michelle to District 2. We live in District 1...she's had some interesting cab rides in HCMC but we got a text and this one was a goodie! :-)
Now we're at home getting ready to label some photos while we relax...
