Saigon

Arriving is Saigon was a welcome return to big city life. However, unlike Hanoi, Saigon was not completely destroyed in the various wars, so much of the French grandeur remains.

There are wide boulevards and spacious grounds around the monuments. Plus there is a cosmopolitan feel to the city. Perhaps because there are so many other foreigners here, but also because there are Vietnamese from other parts of the country here as well.

We had a walking tour of the downtown core; Opera House, the Post Office, Reunification Palace, and the War Remnant Museum were the highlights.

I was astounded by the opulence of the post office. In Canada, most of our post offices have been closed down and you now have to scrounge around in the back of a pharmacy to do manage your postal services. I guess it is a reflection of the importance we place on services.

I had to return to the post office in the afternoon to send a parcel to my aunt in England. I have finally had enough of carrying around so much stuff. I have sent on my cold weather clothes. I have been able to get my bag down to a more respectable 17.9 kg. I am still hoping to cut that back a bit more, but for now I am pleased to be a bit lighter.

When I arrived at the post office with my box, I was ushered to a window for International parcels. They gentleman behind the counter asked if I wanted air mail or sea mail and when I told him I wanted sea mail he produced 6forms for me to fill in (I wonder how many you need for air mail). Each form is different but they all require the exact same information. Thankfully, I had been through this before in Hanoi, so I was prepared. Once I got my paperwork done, he opened my box and started to remove everything, carefully checking it against one of the forms. I had spent about 20 mins packing the box in my hotel room and was certain we'd never get it all back in. However, his skill far surpassed mine, as he quickly repacked everything and even managed to gain an bit of space at the top. Then he began to tape shut the box with official looking blue tape. He closed all the seams first, the he switched to white tape and covered the entire box. I mean, it was now almost hermetically sealed. it is going to take at least 30 mins to get into that thing. The white tape made for an nice background for the paperwork. I was then shuttled down a few wickets to pay. In the end, it cost about $40 US, plus a 20,000 Dong ($1.30 US) packaging fee.

Saigon is a fantastic city and I wish I could have had a bit longer there. I really only saw the core and I am guessing there is a tremendous amount more. Actually, I think you say that about the whole country. Vietnam will definitely go on the list of places I would be happy to come back to.

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