Day 14: Saigon highlights tour, Toscana Italian dinner.
We're a smaller ship, so we park on a river bank next to downtown Saigon.
We are issued this paper for when we get lost.
This is the Ben Thanh Market.
It's huge and crowded, even though we are in the shoulder season.
They have everything from home goods...
...to clothes and fabrics...
...to mushrooms and seafood.
There are several sections that are cooking up lunch...
...but this seems mainly for the people that work there, and maybe a few locals.
Here's a section with luggage and backpacks.
The scooters are everywhere, including ones like the lower right doing deliveries.
Our next stop is the Giac Lam Buddhist Temple.
Here are graves of the previous masters.
A statue of the Buddha.
This is called a Buddha flower.
Inside the temple it is very ornately carved.
Wade looking at the statuary.
Statues dedicated to various previous masters of the temple.
Our tour guide showing the main Buddha statue inside the temple.
The monks are preparing for lunch (vegetarian of course).
This statue was unusual for lighting up.
Another Guan Yin set in a beautiful garden.
Back through the city, where the Christmas unicorn season is in full swing.
Our next stop is Independence Palace, also known as Reunification Hall.
On the left, a Chinese replica of the Russian tank on the right.
Our tour guide explaining some of the history.
An informal meeting hall...
...and a formal dining room.
A command headquarters with various troop maps.
This is all beautifully lacquered wood carvings.
A small garden in the center of the bedroom wing.
Downstairs in the bunker at a command center.
The state of the art 1970's information center...
...and corresponding communications portals.
Down through the tunnels we go.
The next stop is a lacquerware factory where they show us how the goods are made.
We bought a small Buddha wall hanging.
Another stop for a variety of things. This is the iconic building where the last helicopter
lifted off during the evactuation.
This is Notre Dame Cathedral of Saigon, but it is under renovation.
Across the street is the iconic Central Post Office, built by the French in 1886-1891.
Inside are shops and a still-working post office, including a picture of Ho Chi Minh.
A map of Saigon over old telephone booths.
These are international students from a local college that asked Wade questions to help practice
their English skills.
Driving around, we see more iconic buildings such as the Rex Hotel...
...and the City Hall building.
That night, we had our other fancy dinner, and Italian feast at Restaurant Toscana on the ship.
They start with a cart of various olive oils and balsamic vinegars to go with the bread course.
The lovely couple.
The view from our table over the river.
Kimberly started with a stuffed artichoke salad.
Wade started with a spinach salad with Kalamata olives and goat cheese.
Kimberly's first plate was a fabulous Parmaggiano-Reggiano gnocchi.
Wade's first plate was a cioppino-style seafood over linguine.
Kimberly had a fabulous steak over polenta, with gorgonzola sauce and a red wine jus.
Wade had suckling pig, done with a super-crispy skin on top.
Our dessert menu...
...and the quintet of dessert bites we tried.
This is acutally from Day 15, when we went back to the market and bought Wade some shorts and shirts.
