Inside the terminal we were in there was amazing orchid displays and gardens.
We walked around filling in time until our boarding time at 7 am. I tasted Singapore's national cake, Pandan cake or Chiffon cake. A couple of the ingredients are coconut milk and Pandan leaf. It was very nice.
This time we were in economy, and every one was bused to the plane. Apparently this happens a bit as there are not enough gates for direct boarding. Being on the bus, was standing room only for some, and there were a few trips made with passengers.
Arrival in Vietnam was 2 hrs, exciting times to begin.
When we got inside the terminal, we were confronted with wondering if we needed to fill out the forms that every one else seemed to be completing. Up to the counter we go, thinking we had all the paperwork we needed. How wrong we were. Apparently, we needed a letter of approval that we thought we had. So with much tooing and froing from men in green uniforms, (military) and airport staff, we finally got an emergency visa, after a substantial fee was paid. I will let you draw your own conclusions on that. Options were, 1 we get flown back to Singapore and get a visa issued there, or stay and pay. So we waited, and I had a meltdown, but survived. It is very daunting to be in a country were there is basic understanding and spoken English. But alas we progressed. After we got through another scanning of luggage we got to see outside. People, buses, taxis, and scooters. A taxi was booked, and we waited, and then escorted to the appropriate place by a young lady until the taxi arrived.
Oh my, how very different Ho Chi Min was to Singapore. One was organised, clean and almost relaxed, and here was the dead opposite. Crazy, insane scary, and that was only in the taxi ride to the motel. Bob's hand and legs may never be the same. All car drivers know the precise length and width of their cars. Scooters and cars missing each other by millimeters. But amazingly, no one got agro, hit or mamed.
It was 12.30 by the time we got to check into our motel, the GK Central. What a relief. And the room was good. Air con worked, the view was ordinary, but not a brick wall. Down below, the street was a hub of scooters, cars, and constant beeping. So after some chill time we decided to take a walk.
This is not for the faint hearted. It is like, who dares, wins. One does not hesitate, one holds breath and goes. These folks riding the scooters on the roads are scary to watch. They text while riding, they weave in and out and around. Men and women, all sizes and shapes. And then the loads they have onboard. Nothing like the road rules in Australia. In fact there are no rules. Even when the lights change red, some scooters will go on foot path and cross. But at least there are traffic lights. The footpaths are basically for parking of scooters. Pedestrians have to maneuver around them.
Our concierge told us that there were no police.
So our next adventure was to find food. We were starving. We found a place and had some lunch. Back to the room to soak up some more air cond.
We went back out in the afternoon and explored the area a little more. Found somewhere to convert our Aussie dollar to Dong. Then onto the markets.
Wow, wow and wow. Big is an understatement, so many things from bling to materials, food, clothes, decorative things, suitcases, bags, fruit. So so much.
As you walk past each stall, they try to get you to look, ask you what your looking for. Even if you look sideways at them, they pounce. An amazing experience.
When we were having out evening meal, we sat and watched the traffic glide by, if that is the right way to describe it, and Bob noticed whole families in the scooters. Dad, child, mum, child. Finally we went back to room to retire. It had been a roller coaster of a day. Emotionally and mentally. What will tomorrow bring.
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