Lounging ALL the way to Hong Kong, Ho Chi Minh and Danang

[Flyfrequently]

Wrapping up Tuesday:
A brief stop in the Lounge for a taste of afternoon tea and a lemonade

Mulling over whether to do the panoramic night bus.
As rain was forecast and both feeling pretty reflective about our outing today at War Remnants Museum, opted for Club Millésime and overdue Messenger contact with the family.
(posted in the Travel Mistake thread about Surfer Flyfrequently missing her connecting flight yesterday. She is heading to a surf comp, so felt obliged to check in - all good eventually, Virgin stumped up for a night at Moxy)



Time to wind down in Club Millésime for the evening.
They have changed how they do things since June, no two substantial items from their Menu, just "buffet-style".

Pumpkin soup, penne pasta, and a very mini quiche.
Staff are very attentive

 

[Flyfrequently]

Wednesday :
Our usual practice when we arrive at a new destination is to get the Hop on Hop off bus on day 1, do the loop and get our bearings.
Pre trip, I bookmark a few places of interest and then make a plan.
With Grab being so cheap, we ditched the idea of the Bus from a cost and convenience point of view.
Now with our list of things to do, Wednesday was sorted, though I did delegate the task to Mr Flyfrequently of researching Google Maps to work out where to first, last and in-between.

I love flowers and markets, so off to the Flower Markets we go.
It is just a small laneway with a few shops and displays.


If you were expecting something like the Melbourne Wholesale Flower Market you would be extremely disappointed!!
But it was lovely to have the scent of fresh flowers in the air otherwise filled with exhaust fumes.

About 2 minutes after I took this photo, a very strong gust of wind blew their display over, I did feel sorry for the staff as they scrambled to salvage their orders.
Of course, the wind dropped and the heavens opened and where was my trusty Reject Shop poncho?

back at the hotel - oh well, it's only water!!!

Next stop, Saigon Skydeck

Another Grab and 10 minutes later at our destination. This was one of our favourite moments as we approached the ticket desk, the attendant proactively said " 2 Seniors"?
Went to produce ID and he smiled, shook his head and said no, not necessary. Tickets were ~$10 saving of $5 each.

Great views of HCMC

And for one who doesn't do heights at all well, this was ok.
The staff were very engaging and happy to point out the landmarks.
Got sucked in to buying the greenscreen photo but at less than $10, was worth it considering we saved on our admission - and a lovely reminder of our Senior moment.


Next Grab to Majestic Hotel overlooking Saigon River.
The hotel is stunning inside and reflects it's 100 year history and charm.

Hotel Majestic (Saigon) - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

Raining again, so ditched the Ben Thanh Markets for an afternoon at the Reunification Palace, the site of the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975 marking the end of the Vietnam War.

The rooftop features a Huey helicopter as a reminder of the final evacuations.

Booked a Grab back to the hotel even though it is only 900 metres away. Reckon it was the best ~ 2 bucks we spent all day.
After a quick refresh, headed to the Lounge and then downstairs to dinner at ST25 by Koto (know one, teach one) for some Vietnamese soul food, similar to Miss Mi Melbourne.
One of the chefs, Tommy Pham is from Sydney and was on Masterschef a few years ago

After a relaxing and enjoyable dinner, up to the rooftop area and check out the Saigon Skydeck at night.