We spent 4 1/2 hours on a tour of HCM on the back of Vespas. They stopped frequently at sights around the city, both touristy and non touristy places. It was also nice to get away from the craziness a bit and see the calmer parts of HCM.
It's definitely a big Asian city...but with a history that's hard not to find intriguing.
We received an email the night before that the guides would pick us up at 8, then take us to Cafe Zoom to begin the tour. I assumed a shuttle would pick us up, giving me a little more time to wrap my mind around the motorbike thing. I assumed wrong.
First stop was this park. Look closely because aside from the bazillion motorbikes parked, you can also see bird cages hanging all over. On weekends, locals ride to the park with their birds. While they sit and have coffee, the birds sing to each other. It's like a play date for people and their pet birds.
Buddhist temple in the same park
Statue of the man who burned himself alive to protest the French oppression. Happened on that street corner, where the statue is located.
Crraaazzzy motorbike madness
Beautiful fresh flower market. My mom would LOVE this place. It'd be hard not to buy here everyday if you lived here. And so cheap!
Huge bouquet of 20+ roses was $3 USD. Just a little bit of a mark up in stores! The same bouquet would be over $100 in Singapore.
The streets of the flower and pottery markets
Loved this building. As we were standing across from it, a very sweet Vietnamese woman came over a shook our hands. She then pointed to the building, which was her home. Old world charm.
Our tour guide drove Adam. Kind, spirited man.
Went to an herbal pharmacy. The leaves in my hand were given to me by our tour guide to "help man" (said with a laugh). This is a family blog, so I'll leave it at that.
Herbs to treat stomach illness, liver problems, you name it.
Heading out of the busy city center. I liked this building- still has French inspired architecture.
Our tour group. The girl next to Adam is a teacher at a British school here in HCM. She and her husband brought their visitors on the tour. Very nice people.
Reunification Palace. President of South Vietnam used to live there. It's now a museum.
Notre Dame Cathedral. Right in the heart of the city.
Post office
City Hall
Observation deck on top where "Five o'clock Follies" took place during the war. The building now houses high end shopping.
Statue of Ho Chi Minh
Tour coming to an end. The masks would really be a must if you were on a motorbike all the time. The fumes and exhaust would be a bit much every day.
My goal is to get a Starbucks in every country we visit. This is the one and only Starbucks here :)
This day turned out to be one of my all time favorites. I had a big "I can't believe that life has brought me here, on a motorbike in Vietnam" moment as Adam and I fist-bumped as our bikes passed each other on a bridge into the city. (Yes, that's how close you ride). Truth be told, I could have fist-bumped 100 other people as well. That said, being on a bike is surprisingly WAY more relaxing than walking on the streets. There are constant horns (not out of anger, just presence) and traffic is everywhere. When you're riding, you definitely realize there is an order and flow. These people know what they are doing and I felt safe the entire time.
Feeling thankful and blessed for sure after experiences like this!
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