Day 2 in Pho Land

Started day 2 with pigeon feeding at 7:00am outside the cathedral and the post office. 

First pigeon feeding experience in Vietnam

Too busy eating, they didn't notice. Too busy feeding, I didn't notice. When the lens was on us. 

Birds flocking to the square for breakfast

First a few came 

Then more came after news of new feeders travel to the rest of the pigeons. Indeed, they are the pioneers of communication. 

One of them monopolising the grains and beans on my palm 

A bright orange pigeon. Have you seen it before?

Some were smarter to go to the source

Saigon Notre-Dame Cathedral

Family shot

After feeding the birds, we crossed the road to tour the post office for a bit. 

The Central Post Office

So do the pigeons get their assignments here? 

The day had barely begun. This explained the emptiness of the post office. 

I hope I did manage to send a postcard from there. :)

It was time for breakfast so we headed back to the hotel. On the way back, we saw a vendor selling banh mi, a local sandwich similar to Subway format - you get to choose your meat and other vegetables to go with your bun. 

The prep of our banh mi 

Banh Mi attack!

Our pre-breakfast

Too lazy to go into the compound of the Independence Palace so just took a shot from the outside. 

The Independence Palace 

Eggs and bacon 

Tan Dinh Catholic Church 

The pink church

The pink church, taxi and me 

Had a personalised home-cooked meal for lunch. This is undoubtedly the best meal of the entire trip. Thanks to Van and her family for their kind hospitality!

Vietnamese salad 

Beef broth with bun

And several other dishes. I am stuffed. We chilled a while and then the rain started. Thank God it wasn't a heavy one as I have yet to buy another umbrella. 

A cute girl and me

Later...

Finally managed to get an umbrella and an ao dai top - something I cannot get in Malaysia. Sorry, no pictures available. :P

Dinner at Thanh Vien, serving traditional Vietnamese cuisine. 

The interior

Something like lor bak wrapped with lettuce, basil leaf and fish leaf. 

Barbecued prawns with some vegetables and flour pancake. 

Sweet prawns cooked in coconut water

Unique, but it does take some getting used to. It's an eye-opening experience for me. 

Second day passed by as swiftly as the first. Best experience? It has got to be the pigeon feeding activity today. 

Looking forward to another wonderful experience at HCMC tomorrow. 

By the way, day 2 is over. Still has not tasted pho.