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Saigon Opera House - (Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam)

Constructed in 1897 by the French, performances were held at the theatre up until World War II. In 1944, the Opera House was damaged through Allied air raids against the occupying Japanese Imperial Army. It wasn't until 1975, after the fall of Saigon, that the Opera House again became a functioning theatre.

Below: Photo of The Saigon Opera House in 1960:

Visitors to Saigon who are attending the theatre will want to stay at the Caravelle Hotel, which is directly across the street from the Opera House. The Caravelle, where I'm currently staying, is a wonderful hotel with outstanding staff and accommodations. On nights when performances take place at the Opera House, the hotel is alive with guests dressed in their finest.  

Below: The Caravelle Hotel (background) serves as a great place for theatregoers to stay

Below: The interior of the Opera House puts French Goth architecture on display.

Below: The Opera House before buildings such as the Caravelle hotel had been contsructed around it.

Travel Pic of the Week - Bill Clinton hanging with Porn Stars (Monaco Grand Prix)

This picture is courtesy of Barstool Sports but I've chosen it for my travel pic of the week because, well . . . I won't ever be able to take a picture like this no matter how many thousands of miles I travel.

As the former President who had his little Whitehouse fling with Monica Lewinsky and survived the entire escapade both personally and professionally, you'd think the guy might keep a low profile with the ladies. Nope, not a chance. Instead, this week he is attending the Monaco Formula 1 Grand Prix. I attended the 2011 Singapore Grand Prix and can vouch things can get a bit out of hand. Put Clinton and strippers together at an F1 event and this should be expected !

You can't put it any better than David Portnoy of Barstool . . .

How can you not love this dude? Like if he was allowed to run for President again I feel like he’d win 99% of the vote. Guy just dominates life.

 

Saigon Central Post Office and Ho Chi Minh City Hall - Saigon, Vietnam

 When you control the mail, you control  . . . information!   - Newman (Seinfeld)

So it should go without saying that if the post office has such great power, they should also have a building worthy of that power. To do that, you hire one of the world's greatest architects, the Frenchman Gustave Eiffel. If his last name sounds familiar, it should, as he designed 2 things you may have heard of . . . The  Eiffel Tower and the Statue of Liberty.

Below: The Post office by night

 That's exactly what Vietnam did, when they commissioned him to design Saigon's Central Post Office at the end of the 19th century. A stunning example of Gothic architecture, it still functions as the city's main post office to this day.

Below: The grand interior of the Central Post Office

And not to be outdone, another French architect by the name of P. Gardes’s designed the equally beautiful City Hall. Completed in 1908, you can only view this building from the outside as only civil servants are allowed inside.

Below: Since the conclusion of the Vietnam/American war around 1975, Saigon City Hall was renamed Ho Chi Minh City Hall in tribute to Vietnam's famed leader.  

Below: A statue honoring Ho Chi Minh outside City Hall

Our Lost Tourist of the Week - (Saigon, Vietnam)

Ok, even though this guy probably lives in Saigon, he's still my Lost Tourist of the Week award winner. The reason being is who else still rocks a Seattle Super Sonics polo jersey!  And with such style too, probably getting texts on his Razor phone from Shawn Kemp or The Glove (Gary Payton). I give this guy bonus style points for not being pressured into using a smart phone.  The Sonics may have relocated to become the Oklahoma City Thunder, but here in heart of Vietnam, the dream lives on. 

Below: The rare sighting of a Seattle Supersonics fan.  Captured at breakfast in the Caravelle Hotel, Saigon.  He is sporting the logo of the Sonics from 1995-2001.   

Below: Sonics great Shawn Kemp. He played in the NBA for 14 season and was a 6 time all-star.  His best season came in '95-'96 when his Sonics to the NBA finals where they fell to Jordan's Bulls.

Below:  I just liked this picture . . .

      

The Facebook IPO Roadshow - (From New York to Singapore)

I was having coffee on Sunday morning at one of Singapore's famous food centers, Lau Pa Sat, while reading The Straits Times (Singapore's daily newspaper).  I came across a very interesting article about what will easily become the largest IPO in history for any internet company. Being that the Facebook Roadshow (a presentation by an issuer of securities to potential buyers) kicks off this week in New York City, I wanted to share some interesting highlights of the article with my readers . . .

Below: Lau Pa Sat, one of Singapore's famous Hawker centers which is on the 1000 Places to See Before you Die list.

Facebook IPO Facts (courtesy of the Straits Times and Bloomberg):

- The value of the IPO is estimated at $76 -$95 billion USD (About S$119 billion Singapore Dollars). That puts the price range of it's shares somewhere between $28-$35 USD

- To put that in perspective, Google's IPO raised $1.9 billion USD (a difference of $93 billion!!)

-  Facebook has over 900 million users. If it were a country it would be the 3rd largest country in world behind China (1.34 billion people) and India (1.17 billion people)

- The most number of Facebook users is found in the U.S. (157 million) then India (45.9 m), Brazil (45 m), Indonesia (42 m) and Mexico (33 m)

- $15 billion . . . the stock value that Mark Zuckerberg will after the IPO. He will own 57 % of Facebook.

- $2 billion . . . The value of Eduardo Saverin's stake in Facebook after the IPO. Saverin lives in Singapore and is a regular at many of the cities most exclusive clubs (read more here)

Below: Eduardo Savierin at a social gathering in Singapore. He's reportedly dating Miss Singapore 2009 and helping to manager her new cosmetics line "Rachel K Cosmetics"

- 2 billion . . . The value of Sean Parker's stake in Facebook. Parker was one of the original financial backers of Facebook and founder of Napster and Spotify.

- Despite all the IPO hype, according to the Wall Street Journal, Facebook's growth slowed by 6% from last quarter. There is also doubt around whether ads on Facebook will actually lead people to buy products.

Below: The cast of 2010's blockbuster "The Social Network" staring Andrew Garfield (as Mark Zuckerberg), Jesse Eisenberg (as Eduaro Saverin) and Justin Timerlake (as Sean Parker).

 Below: A comparison of the actors from "The Social Network" and their real-life counterparts.

Our Lost Tourist of the Week - (Singapore)

I'm not really sure what happens in a person’s mind when they travel but it seems like they often forget how to act like a normal part of society. From what they wear to what they decide to take pictures in front of to why they feel the need to get their luggage from the over head compartment before we're even off the runway. The tourist is a creature that has been around for hundreds of years but yet so little is understood. And I'm not about to try and explain it here, I've just decided to capture pictures of them for entertainment purposes!

Below: I encountered this pair of worldly travelers while on my way back from Starbucks yesterday.  They were strolling along Marina Bay in Singapore taking in the sites. Perhaps the only reason I thought the woman was dressed normal was because her husband was dressed, well . . . like this. 

I mean what excatly has gone through this guy's head before he left the hotel today. "Ok, socks - check. Shoes - check. Boxer shorts - check. Hat that matches my wife's hat - check.  Pants . . . Ah well, screw it, it's hot out."  

Travel Pictures of the Week: Share a Coke Campaign - (Australia)

In one of the coolest advertising campaigns I've seen by a company, Coke-a-Cola launched it's "Share a Coke" campaign in Australia back in September 2011. I first saw the new-look bottles when I traveled to Sydney this past January.  I thought it was so different that I ended up snapping loads of pictures of coke bottles all over Sydney. Perhaps store management wasn't so impressed when I would just open their refrigerator, take pictures and leave. But I just told them, "relax, have a coke." 

Coke had no idea that this campaign would be such a success. The company was trying to take their marketing to a more personal level and they did just that. They began by producing cans and bottles with 150 of the most popular Australian names such as Jack, William, Jess and Isabella.

The company also launched an App on Facebook which, according to an article on Treifs.com "lets users customize the Coke cans with the names of their choice and share the drink virtually. The response has been tremendous. In fact, 62,000 virtual cokes were created out of which 56,000 were shared. The company reported a 92% increase in the number of posts on its Facebook page with 29,000 posts about the campaign itself."

My Walk to Work - (Silom area of Bangkok, Thailand)

We're introducing a new feature this week on 999places which is "My walk to work." From the Great Wall of China to diving with Great White sharks, I've been fortunate to see some truly spectacular things around the world. However what is often the most fascinating is simply my walk to and from the client's office in whatever country I happen to be working. It's during the morning and evening commute that you get a true feeling for what life is like for the people who call a city home. 

Below: Goolge map of my route from Lebua State Tower hotel to the office on the banks of the Chao Phraya River

This first installment of "My Walk to Work" takes us to the Silom area of Bangkok. I've become a a big fan of Wikitravel.org so I'll let them explain the area of Silom:

Silom is the closest Bangkok gets to Wall Street, with glistening skyscrapers all boasting the names of financial institutions. After nightfall the character of the place changes considerably though: the small sois between Silom Road and Surawong Road come alive with people out for a good time, including the infamous den of sleaze that is Patpong. The former trade quarter Bang Rak is also covered here. It is home to many of Bangkok's top luxury hotels, including the Oriental.

-Wikitravel.org

My walk to work in pictures . . .

Below: Leaving my hotel, Lebua at State Tower and heading down Charoengkrung Rd in Silom

Below: mmmmmmm. . . . some sort of fried doughnut looking things.

Below: I'm convinced the world's best pineapples come from Thailand and the Philippines

Below: Just outside the client's office is a food center where we often eat. Street vendors begin setting up their goods for sale as well.

Below: Local vendors prepare breakfast food for sale and set up make-shift cafe's on the city streets.

Below: Bangkok is famous for their Tuk Tuks. This three-wheeled mode of transportation competes with taxi's to bring people around the city. A must-try if you're visiting!

Below: Most of the food found in local restaurnats comes directly from street vendors like you see below.

Below: The entrance to the client office which is guarded by two golden lions!

Celebrating Songkran: The Thai New Year - (Bangkok, Thailand)

One of the top 3 weekends of my entire life . . . That's how I would sum up the chaos and party atmosphere I’ve just been through in Bangkok. 

(Below: Video I took showing the party on Khaosan Road!)

 

    Every April 13th-15th Thailand celebrates their traditional New Year. This epic party (and that's exactly what it is) lasts anywhere from 3 to 6 days depending on what part of Thailand you’re in.  I happened to be in Bangkok and the celebrations went from Friday to Monday. I only participated on Friday and Sunday. Otherwise I might not have survived the festivities. But I can tell you one thing . . .  I’m somehow going to make attending this an annual event. That’s how much fun it was.  

    Songkran's traditions originated with the New Year being a time to pray, visit friends and family and pay respect to the monks and elders. Over time a tradition developed where water was thrown onto people to bring them good fortune in the New Year. Today, that practice has evolved into people running around the streets with water guns and standing on the sides of roads with hoses spraying down passerby’s. Even people in Taxi's are not safe. Everyone is in high spirits and it makes for the greatest nationwide celebration I’ve ever seen.

(Below: While leaving the bar, I was a victim of an ambush by little leg grabbers)

 What you need to know:

1)  Expect to get totally soaked if you are in Thailand during the Songkran celebrations. I saw people leaving the hotel wearing nice clothes and they came back covered in water. So dress accordingly

2) For the best Songkran party in Bangkok, you need to visit Khaosan Road.  It's easily where the most fun is. I would even say don't waste your time partying in other parts of the city. This place is wild. I recommend finding one of the great bars along the road and getting a seat outside. Then order yourself a tower of beer and start blasting people with water. You'll never want to leave.

3) Vendors sell water for 5THB all over the city (seen below) so it's easier if you get change before you leave the hotel to pay the vendors with. Otherwise they won't be able to break large bills for you and you'll be out of water before you know it . . . and then you're in trouble!

(Below: This is what Khaosan Road looks like during the day's waterfights and parties)

(Below: Why buy just 3 cans when you can have a tower!)

(Below: This is the Soy Cowboy area of Bangkok. We'll just say that whatever trouble you might be looking for can all be found here on this road!)

(Below: Just your standard watergun fight over some beers somewhere along Khaosan Raod)

(Below: Oh, I've found the problem right here. There wasn't enough beer in my watergun)

Chao Phraya River Boat Tour - (Bangkok, Thailand)

For one of the most eye-opening experiences you'll ever take, I suggest a boat tour along the Chao Phraya River. We took a 2 hour tour along this river that cuts through the heart of Bangkok and it was truly something I won't ever forget. 

You get a real understanding for what life is like here in Bangkok and across much of Thailand. All the potential beauty of the city is on display but you're also exposed to the poverty and pollution that can be found throughout this amazing kingdom. As I rode along the waterways around the city, I realized this planet we live on needs serious help from us. The amount of pollution found in the rivers was beyond anything I've ever seen and it was sad. But it also was extremely motivating to start changing the way you interact with the environment on a daily basis.

What you need to know:

- The river is 231 iles long. it runs from the central plains of Thailand, through Bangkok and then spills into the Gulf of Thailand.

- If you want a private boat tour of the river it'll probably run you about 300-500 THB per person. It all depends on how long you want to stand there negotiating. We left out of the Silom area near the Shangri-la Hotel. A public tour is around 50-100 THB/person

 - You can take one hour, two hour or three hour tours.  I recommend the two hour tour. It's long enough to see everything but not too long. 

Enjoy the Pics below of the cruise along the Chao Phraya River!