Last Day in Saigon

Wednesday. After breakfast, checked email and lots of stuff from R so made an effort to make sure all my bills get paid. By the time I finished, most of the morning was gone. Set off towards the river, past the Majestic hotel and then it began to rain. Lemongrass seemed a convenient place to get out of the rain and get some late lunch. After lunch, walked up past the Continental Hotel and the Opera House until the rain drove me into a shopping mall. At ground level, all the expensive brands but in the basement useful shops like supermarket and furniture. Liked the designer safes!

Hotel Majestic

Opera House in the Rain

Zorok Beer in Lemongrass.
Interesting name but tastes the same. 

Hotel Continental 

Designer Safe for your Valuables

After the rain abated, headed back to the hotel, had a shower, checked out, hotel car to the station($7 for quite long trip through heavy traffic)  and the best that can be said for the station is that it is functional and utilitarian. Hardly a Gateway to Asia.

Unlovely Ga Sai Gon

Not this Train!

Once the gate to the platform was opened, soon found my berth in a 4 berth compartment which was initially unoccupied. Before we left it filled up by an old woman in the berth above mine, who I never saw again and a young family, mum, dad and  two children who occupy the opposite two berths. The children are very friendly, especially the little girl who is very curious about the strange foreigner. Obviously Vietnamese children aren't taught to fear strange men in the way British children are. Or am I being fooled by the paranoia of the British Press? I have some of my biscuits which I share with the children and some chocolate, which I don't. Eventually found the trolley where the lovely lady sold me two cold Heinekens. Happiness is a cold beer! 

The Train now leaving Platform 3 is the 1900 for Hanoi

Cosy Compartment

Set off by a plastic flower arrangement

 

Happiness is a Cold Heineken.
 Paradise is Two! 

Tight Squeeze past the lady with the trolley

Initially worried I wouldn't  get much sleep since the children are quite noisy. But they and their parents go to bed before 9. I watched  half of the "Unbearable Lightness of Being", a book I read years ago but never got round to seeing the film,  before the battery on my laptop expired.