To Saigon

After lunch on January 7, we boarded our bus for Ho Chi Minh City, more commonly called Saigon.  Our driver was much better than the previous one, and we didn't spend the entire trip holding our collective breath in fear for our lives, thank goodness.  

There were some interesting sights along the way.

 

We admired this moto driver's ingenious method for transporting tires,

  

and this one's ability to keep his moto and refrigerator upright.

 

 

 

The vehicle below is the Vietnamese version of a wheelchair for outdoor travel.  It is propelled by pumping the steering column forward and backward, and moves along quite briskly.
 

About halfway to Saigon we stopped to stretch our legs and let off passengers .  These half-grown pups in the parking lot treated us to a world-class dog tussel while we waited.

Upon arriving in Saigon, we had our third "Oh No!" hotel experience.  Despite having been assured that our hotel was "3 stars," and the best available, we found that we had been booked into an upper floor of a backpacker's hostel with no windows and no elevator.  Being certified "old farts,"  we were unwilling to rough it for a third night.  Fortunately John found a very nice hotel just across the street...and for only $40 per night.  We happily gave up our deposit and moved into the New Pearl Hotel where we spent the next three nights there while we explored the city.