It was yet another sleepless night. Despite the weariness, I still can't sleep. Not sure if it was due to change in hotel, the sound of the window blinds tapping against the wall, or other factors. It resulted in me waking up early.
It was 8am and after refreshing ourselves, we made our way to the level 9 to indulge in our complimentary breakfast. We were still in our sleepwear.
We headed out to the alfresco seating after we placed our order, wanting to soak in the last few moments in the city.
There were two sets available and I opt for Scrambled Egg with Butter Toast and Homemade Yoghurt. I took a strawberry milk from the fridge. The scrambled egg was skillfully prepared, boasted a creamy texture and lightly seasoned with spice. The yoghurt watery and smooth.
After the breakfast, we headed back to our room to prepare ourselves out for last shopping at 9am.
We went back to Ben Thanh Market as I still need to buy some souvenirs back for my friends and colleagues. The market was full of shops from food stall to clothing, bags and tourist souvenirs, I got 3 packets of pouches at 300,000VND (or S$17.14) and a bracelet for my mother at 100,000VND (or S$5.71).
As it was only 9.50am by the time we left Ben Thanh Market, Linda wanted to go back to the Watson store at Bitexco Financial Tower to see if they have replenished the stock for hair serum which turned out to be fruitless. We embarked on a 20 minutes walk to the destination.
I stopped by at this bakery shop to get a bread for my lunch as Linda wanted to have cup noodle in our hotel room for lunch. I preferred to try their local food rather than opt for the familiar convenience of cup noodles. It will be her third cup noodles during this trip while I only had once.
We returned back to hotel at 10.30am. I had a short rest before packing up my bag to leave Ho Chi Minh City. While I love travelling, I already missed home especially my comfortable bed. I need a good sleep for speedy recovery, not a good feeling to feel sick during travel.
I got a coconut slice bread at 15,000VND (or S$0.86), the coconut flakes within the bread gave a delicate sweetness to the overall flavour.
My baggage was a backpack and hand carry cooler bag for a 4d3n trip. Four days are sufficient to experience the city without straining the budget, given most of the things are quite affordable here except for tourist trap. Despite visible poverty, Ho Chi Minh City is still a safe city to visit.
We took a Grab ride back to Tan Son Nhat International Airport which cost 195,000VND (or S$11.14) for 35 minutes drive. The security guard stationed at the roadside outside our hotel added a warm touch to our stay. He will wave at us when we came back and helped us open the door when we boarded the car.
On our way to the airport, I noticed that as we moved further down, the area seemed to be more well developed than District 1. The presence of more office buildings, lesser roadside stalls and more upscale housing gave a contrast to the scene in District 1.
We reached Tan Son Nhat International Airport at about 12.30pm for our flight at 2.55pm. After checking in, we walked around the airport browsing through last minute buy. I bought two small pack of snacks for my grandmother at 148,000VND (or S$8.46). The things at airport were very expensive.
I got a bottle of mineral water from one of the shops at the waiting area at 40,000VND (or S$2.29).
Our plane got delayed by 50 minutes, so we decided to open up our snack to munch on. I had Nabati Raspberry Waffle that I gotten from 7-Eleven the other day at only 9,000VND (or S$0.51).
Excitement coursed through me when the airplane ascended at about 3.45pm, revealing the cityscape through the window seat. The pilot informed us that the flying time back would take about 1 hour 40 minutes. Goodbye, Ho Chi Minh City.
When there was no entertainment on plane, the thing I like to do was gazing out of the airplane window, looking at the passing clouds gliding below us. Flying in late afternoon also means there were ample amount of sunlight filtering in.
The familiar view of Singapore came into sight, we touched down at 6.25pm local time, one hour ahead of Vietnam.
Travel memories are more memorable than other memories. When I did not travel for a long time, I lost the desire to travel. However, once the momentum started, my travel buds are being reignited. You will see me starting to travel more for now onwards.
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