Ho Chi Minh City to Cambodia-part one

After docking around noon on March 17th, we were whisked away to The Reverie, our hotel in Ho Chi Minh City.  Had a couple hours to relax and enjoy the heated toilet with wash and dry options, followed by the pool and just general gawking at the opulence.  It’s how I picture Trump Tower must be, tasteless decadence. 

Toto control panel

Cleaned up for a pedicab ride to the water puppet show and dinner.  I put on a dress and regretted that I didn’t have another hand, one to hold my dress down and two to cling white-knuckled to the sides of the pedicab.  Everyone else in the group thought it was great, but if you’ve ever had me as a passenger, you know I can be a bit skittish.

They ran out of pedicabs when it came to Bob’s turn, so our guide just pulled over a random scooter and asked the driver if he’d mind giving Bob a lift to the show.  I’m sure it was just as hair-raising as my trip, but he covered a lot more ground.  The random citizen gave Bob a mini-tour of the city. 

The water puppet show, a much-visited tourist attraction was good, but should have had subtitles.  Water puppet shows began hundreds of years ago as evening entertainment after work in villages on the rice paddies, .  The themes are usually rural in nature.  Water is used as a stage.  Puppeteers are hidden behind a screen as they operate puppets on long sticks beneath the water.  The choreography is elaborate.  Meanwhile, musicians and singers tell the stories. 

Following the show we drive to a local restaurant and walk a few blocks in the “red light district” to get there.  I didn’t have the bad taste to take this picture.  Somebody airdropped it to me.

The restaurant was beautiful, but dinner was just okay.  In addition to our group that was headed to Cambodia, there were other groups that were doing an overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.  We were all scattered amongst different restaurants.  I heard that others fared better than we in terms of restaurant choices. 

After dinner we had a drink at the hotel’s outdoor café and watched the Saturday night crowds in the street.  Crossing the street presented too much of a challenge.  The few traffic lights there are, are ignored.  Instead, we walked around the block, but after Bob had to fend off several offers of shoe shines, we decided to go back and turn in.  Lesson:  wear sandals.

View from our room

View from our room

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.  I guess that’s why very few of the breakfast items resembled anything we would consider breakfast.  I passed on the century egg.

A fond goodbye to the now beloved Toto and off to the airport for the trip to Cambodia.  At the airport we were shuffled and buffeted through line after line and finally squeezed onto a Small Planet Airlines (they take the name literally)  plane for the trip to Siem Reap.