We left the hotel at around noon for the war museum. We were instantly hounded by several Cyclo drivers. I think the drivers see Jared and assume he has trouble walking (which, granted, he did - he did not wear his gloves and got tired after walking only a few blocks). We walked around the city until it started to pour.
The rain forced us into a near-by restaurant which was very pricey, but populated solely by Vietnamese folks. Here I had both one of the best coffees of my life (if not the best), and the best spring roll of my life. The food was excellent.
After our surprisingly amazing lunch, we headed for the war remnants museum. The museum was hard to take, but very nicely executed. There were different rooms dedicated to different exhibits - including an exhibit dedicated to the world protests against the American War, and exhibit honoring those war photographers who lost their lives during the war, a room detailing war crimes, and a room detailing the effects of Agent Orange. The Agent Orange room was particularly hard since the genetic effects of this drug are still apparent in Vietnam. Babies born as late as 2000 have shown adverse effects because of that drug. And while Dow and Monsanto have paid large sums to American who have had cancer/birth defects because of the drug, not one penny has been paid to the Vietnamese victims. Shame on them.
The museum is surrounded by American tanks, fighter planes and helicopters that the VC shot down.
I wasn't the only Westerner who had to take several breaks to get through the museum. It was hard to look at, but I'm glad I did it.
After the museum we walked around the city a bit until Jared got too tired. On our city walk we saw the people's palace (which I was told I could not take a picture of) and the museum. We then retired to the hotel for a little break before heading out to the REX HOTEL. One of the "must dos" in Saigon is to sit on a high up rooftop deck, have a drink and enjoy the view. The german girls from the beach recommended the Rex Hotel. While it didn't have the highest rooftop deck, it sure had the kitschy-est! A giant rotating crown, birdcage lanterns, and fake elephants adorn the bar. The drinks here were pricey even by Western standards, but you are paying for the view. We got to the bar just in time; as soon as we entered, it started to downpour. We drank our drinks (had a spat which resulted in Jared retreating to his fucking blackberry which he has been on this entire trip) and then headed home.
Tomorrow (9/2) is Vietnam Independence Day. We're lucky to spend a bit of the independence day here, although we've been told not to expect much besides shops being closed. The real place to be during independence day is Hai Noi (in the north, of course). The south has a very different feel - much more western and much less communist.
For tomorrow: Independence Day, long bus to P.P, tuk-tuk tour, amusement park, gambling and more (the Cambodians do know how to party).....
