day 6

Saturday, May 12th

Today was definitely our most tourist-y day so far. We saw a number of historical and important sites in Ho Chi Minh City!

First, we went to the Reunification Palace. The current palace is the second one to stand in that location - the original was destroyed during the Vietnam War. It is the former presidential palace of the South Vietnamese government. The building is very beautiful! After we saw the palace, we went to the Notre Dame Cathedral and the Saigon Central Post Office. Both show very strong French influence, which was interesting to see. Unfortunately we did not get to go inside the cathedral - I would have liked a chance to see the stained glass! The post office is the biggest in Vietnam, though we didn't really explore it too much, since there was a gift shop pretty much right as soon as you walked through the doors. We haven't really had much time for getting gifts up til now, so everyone was drawn to the potential souvenirs and presents for friends and family. After that, we went to a pagoda which was home to a Buddhist temple. The architecture was amazingly intricate. We had to take off our shoes to go inside, and we put sticks of incense in a giant pot. It was interesting, especially because I have never been to any religious places apart from churches and synagogues.

When we were done with touring, we went back to the hotel for a bit (and took a swim which felt amazing due to how hot it was outside), and then our Vietnamese friends took us to Bến Thành Market. It was great having them with us to help, because they typically overcharge foreigners and they helped us by bargaining in Vietnamese. The market was almost overwhelming, with vendors saying "T-shirt for you miss?" "Bracelet for you miss" every two steps. I may have to go back to get more, but unfortunately I am bad at bargaining so I will probably have to pay a lot more :(

Next, we went to a karaoke bar for dinner. The food was delicious, and I had fun singing - so much fun that I hardly had a voice the next day! Not a lot of people were singing, so Eric and Ricky probably spent the most time with the mics, followed by me. I was glad we had a private room, because even though I have been singing since I was four, my voice started going early and I probably sounded horrible.

We ended the night by going to Lush, a club owned by Glass Egg Digital Media, which we will visit later in the trip. It was the first time I have ever been to a club, so it was a little overwhelming, but it was fun!

(sorry about the late post)