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| Ric practicing Tai Chi with a local group |
This was free day. We started again with a swim and Tai Chi. This was our last day in Vietnam, and the HCMC District 1 Wushu Tai Chi group presented Ric with some photos taken the previous day.
We were getting more used to the way of now and decided to catch motorcycles for transport rather than the more expensive taxis to Cho Ben Thanh for a shopping expedition – a much larger and nicer market than in Hanoi, but not as cheap.
On the way back to the hotel we had ice cream at Kem bach Don (not as good as Fanny’s) but the free iced green tea was very welcome. Ric also bought four reproductions of revolutionary posters printed on rice paper. It was a mid-day check-out of the hotel, then more shopping where we bought ‘iPod’ copies for the girls.
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| Dragon staircase sculpture |
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| Topiary |
Later we caught motorbikes to & from the History Museum to see the botanical gardens, zoo and water puppets.
The botanical gardens and zoo are not on the same scale as in Sydney, but were interesting nonetheless. We were impressed by the architecture and topiary as much as anything else.
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Water puppets - a woman tries to catch
her ducks |
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| The puppeteers at the end of the show |
The
water puppet show was amazing: "The puppets are made out of wood and then lacquered. The shows are performed in a waist-deep pool. A large rod supports the puppet under the water and is used by the puppeteers, who are normally hidden behind a screen, to control them.
Thus the puppets appear to be moving over the water. When the rice fields would flood, the villagers would entertain each other using this form of puppet play."
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| Frances relaxing by the pool |
We spent the rest of the afternoon at the hotel pool before heading off to the airport and home.
