We arrived in Saigon late Tuesday, June 8th. We're staying at the Renaissance Riverside Hotel Saigon for 4 nights. We are able to stay here using Marriott reward points. It's on the Saigon River and near other popular tourist sites.
We found a nearby hotel restaurant where we enjoyed pancakes, omelet, fried eggs, fruit, and bacon for breakfast. The coffee was good too! We're avoiding eating at our hotel since breakfast is $19 plus beverages per person.
We've kept in touch with a cyclo driver, Luan, from our first adoption trip in June 2001. He's now driving a scooter since they began to phase the cyclos out of the city. I rode with Luan to the train station by scooter to buy train tickets for later in our trip while Sandy took the kids swimming at the rooftop pool.
Later, the kids enjoyed their first cyclo ride to the Rex Hotel where we had pho ga (traditional chicken noodle soup) for lunch. We had stayed at the Rex for our two adoption trips for Ivy. Luan also gave them each a scooter ride around the small park across from the Rex where there is a statue of Ho Chi Minh. I've noticed that everyone is wearing helmets and I believe that this is the law. I didn't think of it when Luan offered them the short ride around the park even though I had worn one earlier to the train station...
Wow, what an amazing trip! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteWhat a precious memory to give to your girls and how neat for them to go back and see where they were adopted and where they were from.
Hallie says hello to Ivy and she misses seeing her :)
Kate Wilson
(Hallie Wilson's mom)
Hi Kate, I just found your comment. Ivy isn't feeling very well right now and it made her feel better to know that Hallie was thinking of her!
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