Fine Arts Museum (Jan. 27, 2015)

Today I got up after a great sleep, and showered, then got ready, went downstairs and had my included breakfast. It was coffee with milk and sugar, and a bowl of noodles which suited me fine. I met Van, another guy staying in the hostel, down at breakfast. He’s a Vietnamese man, who fled the country in the 70’s, on his own, and ended up in Canada. He’s lived all over Canada, but presently resides in Toronto, so that’s cool. He is now a Canadian citizen and needs a Visa to come here, as I do. He is about 55-60 years old, and very interesting. I told him I was going to the Ho Chi Minh City Museum of Fine Arts and he said that he had not seen that yet. I invited him to come along, and off we went. It was great because he knew the way around the city a lot better than I did, so I didn’t have to refer to the map all the time, just followed him. The museum was really cool and we saw art from all the eras, including modern art, Vietnamese artists, and much more. It was a great outing. 

Either Sun God or Longevity God

Van and me at the Art Museum

View from terrace at Museum

Sun God and Moon Goddess

Courtyard at Musuem

Protective Lion

Modern art painting I liked

Another one I liked

After the museum, we went for a walk and got something to eat. It was so great that he speaks Vietnamese and could ask for things, directions and costs. We ended up getting a kebab type sandwich and taking it to the park across the street to sit by the lake and eat. It was lovely, with a cool breeze blowing and people walking by. Van showed me where to catch the bus to go to the airport, and said he would walk there with me tomorrow to be sure I found it ok. That is fantastic because it is very expensive to take a taxi to the airport and since there is a public bus that goes directly there, I would prefer to see the sights along the way and save the money.

Looking to the left in the park

Looking to the right in the park

Looking into the trees from the park

Alley down to my hostel

 Then we walked to a supermarket that I had heard about, and marked on the map. I wanted to see if I could get some more sunscreen for Bali, as it’s usually hard to find and expensive. I still have a large tube left from buying it in Pnom Penh, but think I will probably use that up quite fast, and wanted to get some more. Anyway, we found the place, and I did find some 50 SPF sunscreen for a decent price. I bought that plus some munchies for my trip tomorrow. Then we walked back, sat again in the park and had a glass of sugarcane juice, talked and enjoyed the weather. We went back to the hostel for a little rest, and I blogged, while Van watched a movie on his computer.

Van and me eating dinner

Street view from pub

Another street view from pub

Apartments above the stores across from pub

Later, we went out for some dinner, then for a beer on the street, and then Van got his guitar from the hostel and played for a long time in a nearby park. It was great and a totally enjoyable evening. Tomorrow, I take off for Bali in the evening. More news later.