Day 1 of our tour of southeast Asia has been wonderful. Our flight left Ninoy Aquino on time at 6:50 landing in Ho Chi Minh City at 8:30. After securing a visa and making it through customs we were at our hotel, Sabah Saigon Boutique Hotel, by 9:45. We were a little disappointed that our room wasn't ready, because we all could have used a little rest, especially Rosemary. But we used the lack of a room as an opportunity to start our exploration early.First on the list...food. We walked down the street and found a hole-in-the-wall restaurant, ordered some spring rolls, thai stir fried noodles with shrimp, coconut water, and a mango shake, all of which were pretty delicious especially considering our final bill was less than $10. The Thai Stir Fry was full of shrimp some of which were too much for this guy to handle.
With full bellies and eager legs we started walking. Our aim was the Independence Palace (Reunification Palace), unfortunately our path was anything but direct. After asking directions, by that I mean pointing to a map, four times we finally started in the righ direction. We stumbled upon a gem of Saigon, Cong Vien Van Hoa Park. We read about the park before our arrival, and we were hoping to make it there, but it wasn't a "must see". It is now. Not only did it provide reflief from the debilitating heat, it allowed Rosemary to run around at the amazing playground. 
The Reunification Palace left a lot to be desired. It is an impressive compound, but it there is little that highlights it's historical significance. We spent some time touring the grounds, but ended up heading back to our hotel after a short while.
After a nap, and some much needed refueling, we headed back out. Our destination was Me Linh Square and the Saigon River watefront. The river is impressive and a number of barges floated by as we walked along. From there, we walked up the newly completed Nguyen Hue Street towards the People's Committee Building. The city really came to life as we approached the beautiful building. The sun was setting, the skyscrapers were being lit up, and the glutony of people crowded around. There's a nice statue of "Uncle Ho" at the end of the promenade just before the People's Committee Building. 
We finished our first day with dinner at Nha Hong Ngon not far from where we were. I wasn't very impressed with what we ordered (vietnamese pancakes, spinach stir fried), but the atmosphere was excellent and the menu is extensive.
Day 2 was spent enjoying the spiritual side of Ho Chi Minh. We started off at Giac Lam pagoda (120,000 dong taxi). There wasn't much to see in the 7 story stupa, but the pagoda was filled with relics, altars and intricate carvings. We were also lucky enough to witness some traditional singing/chanting, and Rosemary received a blessing from one of the monks. This was our first experience with a Buddhist pagoda and the spiritual presence was easily felt. It was very much like entering one of the many renaissance churches in Europe, but with much less pomp and flare.
From Giac Lam, we went to Cholon, the chinatown of HCMC.
After Rosemary's epic 4 hour nap, we walked across the street for a little dinner. We planned on splitting a meal, but didn't communicate this well enough and ended up each getting a plate of grilled pork, rice, fried egg and tofu. The meal was pretty good and our iced coffees were absolutely delicious. Total bill for this was 130, 000 vnd. After dinner, we took a taxi down to the Ben Than Market to see how it looked in the evening. It was filled with locals and tourists alike shopping at the many outdoor stalls. Each stall had an aggressive salesperson coveting your dollars and we were persuaded to buy a souvenir t-shirt for Rosemary and some 3-D cards for shipping. The real souvenir was the energy that was emanating from the market. We decided to walk home, and enjoyed the stroll through the park. We stopped to play at the park playground, and Rosemary mixed it up with all the local children. In the park, people were using the exercise equipment, enjoying dance classes, chatting in benches, and playing some crazy foot-ball game.
Day 3 began with tour of the Ben Than Market. I was a bit overwhelmed with the amount of crap being sold there. It really wasn't crap, but I just hate seeing all of that stuff for sale. There's really nothing to do, but buy something or get harassed for not buying something. Not to mention, I was in a full sweat carrying Rosemary on my back. The coffee, dried fruit/nut, and dried shrimp sellers were the most impressive. But you could get anything the heart desires at that market from a hand-tailored suit to a cheap souvenir doll. It is a must see, but the highlight of my time was sitting down and enjoying a shake.
From the market, we headed to the War Remnants Museum, previously known as the war crimes museum. Talk about a dose of reality. I was reminded of how horrible war is and how many innocent lives are affected by it. The museum focused mainly on the US atrocities committed in Viet Nam beginning with its support of the French during their colonization of the country. It may be the first museum that I've been to that is so anti-American. I really don't know what the justification for our involvement in the war was, and it is hard to imagine a cause that justified the atrocities committed.
We left the museum, had a wonderful lunch, consisting of a Bahn Mi and pineapple fried rice (with two iced milk coffees of course), and made our way to the Jade Pagoda. The massive statues at the pagoda are imposing and impressive, while the wood carved panels depicting the 10 halls of hell are awe-inspiring. The detail and intricacy of these panels is beyond compare. What strikes me most about the pagodas I've visited, especially this one, is how active they are. Each pagoda has been filled with worshippers and others just milling about. They are homes to a vibrant and diverse community of people.
We decided to splurge a bit on our last night and a had a drink and some appetizer at the Chill bar on the 26th floor of the AB Tower. Spectacular view of the never ending city and some tasty drinks to boot.
This is how must of us felt at the end of each day. HCMC (Saigon) was much bigger and better than we had imagined.
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