The beauty of being anywhere in Asia is that it is relatively easy to get away for a quick weekend. So I spent the past weekend in Ho Chi Minh (Saigon to some).
HCM is very different to Hanoi. Whilst holding on to some old world charm, it still feels more like a developing city than Hanoi does. It probably has something with some of the ghastly high rises that are starting to dot the skyline.
I stayed at the Caravelle - in a great location right opposite the Opera House at the end of one of the main streets, Dong Khoi. www.caravellehotel.com
The centre of the city is very compact and it is extremeley easy to get around on foot. Alternatively, a ride on the back of a motorbike to pretty much anywhere is only USD1 for the adventurous.
There are 7 million people in HCM - and apparently 3 million scooters/motorbikes are registered! And it would not be HCM without them. It is quite easy to lose a few hours sitting at a cafe watching them whiz by - many with 4 people on them and, of course, on many of them delicately placed little wicker chairs for the tiny ones to perch on. What's more, every sidewalk has 'valets' to hand out tickets to the scooter owners so they can park their bikes - a very efficient system. Even crossing the road is quite civilized - you walk around them and they drive (whizz) around you... somehow it all works.
Meeting up with Mr Cole, we wandered the streets visiting all the major sites - Reunification Palace, the Post Office with it's amazing ceiling and original Indocina maps on the walls, Ben Thanh Market and the Opera House. Of course after only an hour and a half we were already dripping in sweat, so it was time for a pit stop and a water.
By now you will know the theme of much of my travelling is food and this weekend has been no different. The first morning was a leisurely room services brekkie (having arrived at 2am) - which was followed by a nice mocktail at about 11am at Saigon Saigon - nice open air bar at the Caravelle.
www.caravellehotel.com/en/1/11/3/products.aspx
Dinner was at Temple Club - a lovely terrace serving Vietnamese and other Asian cuisine; the fresh Vietnamese rolls weren't the bst I have ever had but of course I ate them! www.travel.nytimes.com/travel/guides/asia/vietnam/ho-chi-minh-city/52821/temple-club/restaurant-detail.html. Dinner was followed by dessert downstairs at Fanny's - a very famous ice cream restuarant chain in Vietnam. www.fanny.com.vn/
Day 2 (and 3 for that matter) saw us at Jaspas for brekkie - as great little cafe/bar frequented by many and Aussie and many a local for a raft of brekkie treats. Definitely a place you would hang out at your local caf if you were an expat living in HCM. www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g293925-d1059078-r33058411-Jaspas_Restaurant-Ho_Chi_Minh_City.html
I couldn't resist a rice paper roll cafe called Wrap and Roll :-). The food was not super, but still ok and each time I walked past it was packed with locals - so it cannot have been that bad. www.vnnavi.com/restaurants/wraproll/en_index.html
2 Lom San, the Martini Bar at the Park Hyatt (across the road from the Caravelle), is just stunning. A gorgeous bar which gets packed the later the hour gets - of course I was there early and stuck to a delicious mocktail :-).
www.saigon.park.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/entertainment/lounges/index.jsp#29402015
We stumbled upon Xu on Sunday night - and what a treat! A stunning place with absolutely divine food. Big space inside with a bar downstairs and restaurant upstairs. We had the most amazing prawn tempura followed by scallops with bacon and then tiny one mouthful desserts which were delicious! www.xusaigon.com/
My final food stop was AGAIN for some Vietnamese rice paper rolls, this time just around the corner at Mojo, the cafe at the Sheraton. These weren't bad (just seems that everywhere here the rice paper is not as fresh and soft as I have had before) and it is in a great spot to watch all those bikes whiz by. www.starwoodhotels.com/sheraton/property/dining/index.html?propertyID=1449
Suffice to say that everything is quite cheap in Vietnam so you don't need to spend much cash at all to enjoy a few days here.
So..... when I wasn't eating I was laying by the pool, in the gym, doing a bit of work or having a little snooze. Amazing how 3 days can feel like a week when you relax and not worry too much about being a tourist.
Time to go back to the real world again. But no complaints - I am very lucky to be able to visit so many amazing places.
