We are staying in District 1 which is close to the action and home to many of the city's historic and important buildings. Great news for us as our 2.5 mile morning walk had us checking out Notre Dame Cathedral, the Reunification Palace and the Opera House. We also walked through the grounds of a children's hospital where there were hoards of people outside doing arts and crafts with the kids and the US Embassy guarded by a young lad with a machine gun in case you wanted two attempt to climb the wall topped with razor wire. We were on a mission so we didn't stop to explore much but we "know" where some of the sights are that are within walking distance so we'll explore them thoroughly over the next few days. There seems to be shows at the Opera House most days we are in town so we want to check it out on the weekend.
Early in the morning most everyone out and about was Vietnamese so every cyclo driver we saw was trying to give us a ride. We explained we were walking "on purpose" and they told us to come back when we needed a ride. Kenny suspected they would follow us and wait for us to change our minds but they were very gracious and just sent their buddies. Lol.
Tet (Chinese New Year) is February 18/19 so there are some decorations up and more coming. Will have to bring the camera on tomorrow's walk but it's clearly going to be spectacular.
On the way back to the hotel we passed a gourmet food shop that sells wine so we bought a nice Australian Cab Sav for later and Ken had a coffee at Highland's Coffee. Highland's seems to be the Vietnamese equivalent of Starbucks. Ken pronounced the coffee as excellent (I don't touch the stuff) so I'll bet that becomes a regular part of our routine.
Back to the room to shower and get ready for a quick bite in the hotel before a few hours of lounging by the pool. The pool is on the roof so there are great views of the city through the haze.
We didn't want to overdo the sun so there was time for a nap before cleaning up for dinner. Pretty lazy so we stayed close to the hotel. The Soeul House was full so we decided to give it a try. A bit of an adventurous choice as it turned out and none of the staff inside spoke English so that made it moe interesting. We chickened out a bit on the food and had a beef noodle dish and dumplings. Before that food arrived, a wide array of small plates arrived.
Being an adventurous eater, I gave them all a try but could only entice Ken to try the beef dish on the left up front. I really enjoyed the amuse bouche but we weren't so lucky with our choices for main dishes. The gelatinous noodles which were the base of a tasty beef, egg and veggies combo were especially unappealing. The meat and veggies dumplings were pretty good but I doubt we will go back for another round.
We walked back a different route and identified more spots to explore during the day. One shop in particular, Born in Saigon, had a display of the most beautiful leather shoes and accessories. My friend Allen, a shoemanitarian from Nashville, should be here to rescue these homeless shoes. Lol.
We also found a spot close by for our fish pedicure. More on that tomorrow. Good night from Vietnam.
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