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As we left The Deck restaurant, there was a side exit which passed through a large patio with a full bar and a huge deck, and I assumed this is where the restaurant gets its name. Back at our hotel, Pete and I stop by the bar for a nightcap, a couple of manhattans. It was a nice way to wind down the evening, after a long day of touring Ho Chi Minh City.

The next day we had a tour of a cathedral and the old Central Post Office of Saigon. The cathedral was pretty awesome for a country which I thought was primarily Buddhist.

The pattern of the floor tiles was one of those patterns that plays tricks with your eyes.

The stained glass windows were beautiful, and the very high ceiling gave you the feeling that this was a house of God.

Religion is something that doesn’t get talked about very much, because you are either religious, or you’re not. There doesn’t seem to be a middle road. Pete often reminds me of what his Uncle Eddie once told him, that no matter what you think about anything, there will always be a large contingent who will agree with you 100%, and another large contingent who will say you are totally wrong. Which makes me think that it is often best to just keep my own opinions to myself. ;o)

There was a young couple who had just gotten married, and were on a photo shoot with their photographer. They looked radiantly happy. Their whole life is still ahead of them. Ah, the innocence of youth. May their path be a kind one.

Leaving the cathedral behind, Tin leads the way to the old Saigon Central Post Office.

It was quite a beautiful structure, and inside we were in for quite a surprise. It was built during the time when Vietnam was part of French Indochina in the late 19th century. It was constructed between 1886-1891 and is now a tourist attraction.

It is like a huge shopping mall, but it is quite different from the sort of malls you find in the United States. It was very cramped, and moving about was quite an effort. Most of the shops were lining narrow corridors off to the sides.

There is quite a nice painting of Ho Chi Minh dominating all of one wall behind the large counter which I presume was where Post Office business was conducted in the past. Everything under the sun seemed to be for sale here.

Pete is trying to decide which ball cap suits him best. There were so many, I think he gave up on trying to decide which one.

From the Post Office, Tin leads us to some sort of shrine which was a place where you could buy various incense to burn. The burning of incense is supposed to create a sense of peace and well-being because of it’s aromatherapeutic properties.

The shrine had evidently been here for centuries. It seemed out of place among the many more modern buildings.

The Post Office can be seen from the shrine’s courtyard. It was very ornately decorated with figures of dragons & people.

Coils of long burning incense were for purchase, just in case you wanted to add to the aromatherapeutic experience.

The smoke became so think at times that one had to walk away. This garden & pond presented a very serene setting.

Tin inspects, then purchases one of the long burning incense coils, and then lights the end. I don’t know how long it will go.

You certainly get the total aromatherapeutic effect here. It was a very interesting visit in deed.

Our lunch at PHṒ? 2000 was outstanding. I love sweet basil, and they gave us a lot. The 333 beer wasn’t bad either.

Pete takes a selfie of us. Everyone was enjoying the meal, and the camaraderie and relaxation after a lot of walking.

The big claim to fame for this restaurant, other than the fantastic dishes they purvey, was the monumental visit of Bill Clinton when he ate here in November of 2000, on his visit to Vietnam.

It has a simple diner type atmosphere, but the food is wonderful, especially if you are into hot and spicy. Great flavors.

Next up will be Saigon at night, our hotel there, and our flight to Bangkok for a 3-night Post-Extension of our Mekong experience. Our first adventure in Bangkok was a “longtail" boat tour. It takes your breath away.