Ho Chi Minh City Day 61 18/11/2014

And it really was a long night!  Children crying, shouting, phones ringing, music playing, doors slamming - neither of us slept much and were not feeling particularly sociable with our companions!  We were both glad to arrive into Ho Chi Minh City (still prefer to call it Saigon, as per the locals, as that conjurs more exotic images) and disembark.  The sun had just come up and the city was starting to come alive for the day.  We opted for a taxi ride to the hotel, which stopped on route at a small shop to pump the front tyre up!  We were at our hotel, the An An 2, by 6am waking up the night staff (we'd had to change from the Beautiful Saigon 3 after we decided to stay an additional night in Hoi An).  Our greeting at the hotel was not quite up to what we'd become accustomed to in Vietnam - no welcome drink, map, ideas on where to go/what to see, where to eat/drink.  At least they didn't comment on Simon's passport photo as they'd done in Hue with the receptionist saying he looked older and uglier than his photo!  Don't think she meant to be quite so offensive although Simon claimed she had a Yorkshire sense of hunour!. Our room was free so tired, we took up offer of checking in at 50% of the day rate and went promptly to bed for a few hours.  Slightly defeated the point of the overnight train but too be honest some times needs must.  We got up again about 10000 and feeling refreshed we headed out for brunch to a nearby cafe and then set about sorting our plans for the next few days.  It's amazing how much time it takes to book travel, hotels etc and whilst the internet is a great source of information you really can easily get lost in information overload.  We went in search of a tour agency recommended in Lonely Planet but it wasn't where it was suppose to be and looks like it's moved or closed due to road works so we headed back nearer our hotel.  The roads here are crazy just like everywhere else in Vietnam.  Getting across them is an achievement in it's own right.  Once you start crossing you shouldn't stop, even though mopeds, bikes, cars, buses etc all appear to be heading straight for you, and never ever step backwards.   Oh and don't be confused by the green man or assume traffic goes in the expected direction.  We're planning to get a combination of bus and boat to Siem Reap in Cambodia via Phnom Penh and Battambang.  We booked tickets for the first leg at a tour operator and then decided to spend a couple of days here visiting the Mekong Delta and Cu Chi Tunnels.  The weather is clear blue skies and very hot so after sorting these we went back to the hotel to check a few things out online and benefit from the air conditioning!  We'd spotted a Mexican restaurant just round the corner from where we're staying and headed there in the evening for an excellent meal and checked out our preference for Saigon red v green beer.