Vietnam - back to Ho Chi Minh City

We left the Mekong Delta after lunch and returned to Ho Chi Minh City in time to see the Post Office and Notre Dame Cathedral.  The transfer time in the minibus was another 2 hours. 

another contender for the heaviest load on a single motorbike.  Note the child sitting on the verge having a drink.  The face masks are partly for the pollution and partly for the dust.

I couldn't help but observe the interesting/different approach to wires and street selling.  Note the washing hanging in the balcony

The impression I got during the transit times from one point of interest to another point of interest was of a very vibrant country where everyone appears to be going somewhere, and all at the same time.  This was probably because we were the ones going somewhere as well, but even in the cities, walking down the streets, the buzz of activity, the throng of people walking around the parked scooters, pedestrians meandering in and out of the slowly moving traffic and the invisible pavement (invisible by way of the pavement in the city becomes an impromptu extension of al-fresco dining or street selling), or weaving in and out of the the street-food stalls and diners, as well as the incessant traffic sounds, certainly made you feel - in a very visceral blood pulsing way - that you were truly alive. 

typical countryside  - bananas, rice fields, and I think our guide thought the raised vines were likely to be watermelon.

Our guide pointed out the graves in the middle of the countryside - the deceased would choose to be buried in their rice field - as a way of ensuring the family connection to that piece of land.  The state 'owns' all the land, but families lease the land (can't remember if it's 50 or 70 years), and then reapply when the lease is up.  By burying family members on the land they ensure that other families are less inclined to expand, and over development in the countryside is less likely.  It also ties the next generation to the land, but this becoming less of a bind, as the lure of better paid jobs in the city or overseas (Taipan) is quite powerful.

I'd not seen this before - the numbers count down to the change of colour of the traffic light - to indicate how much time is left until the light changes - so the red arrow turn left has 49 seconds to wait.  The green light has 45 seconds before it turns red.

this absolutely is the WINNER!  I like the counterbalance over the front wheel and between the driver's legs...

Back in Ho Chi Minh City, and the typical street scene looks something like this:

So we were shown the absolutely lovely central Post Office - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saigon_Central_Post_Office, which had recently been painted on its exterior...

this statue must be post war - communist propaganda or Vietnamese patriotism?

Built 1886-1891 when the area was under French colonial rule and was called French IndoChine.  A little earlier they'd built (1863-1880) the cathedral - Notre Dame Basilica, which is still in use and survived the War - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saigon_Notre-Dame_Basilica

our group and Notre Dame

Another hot and exhausting day.  The children and J went back to the hotel to cool down.  Simon, R and myself then went onto the War Remnants Museum (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_Remnants_Museum)  which I'll continue with next time.

Night y'all.  Kat