REVISITING BANGKOK

DAY 11--BANGKOK

We left the port and rode a bus for two hours into Bangkok.  The "red shirts" were protesting but we only saw them in the distancce.  The city did business as usual.  We arrrived at the beautiful Shangri-la Hotel.  Our room on the 13th (didn't think hotels had 13th floors!) floor was exquisite.  There was a huge window seat that overlooked the Chao Phyra River so we could watch all the river traffic.  Our former maid, Wen Pen, came with her son to see us.  We had a nice Thai lunch together and I gave her a photo book of our days in Bangkok with her.  She loved the book.  Then John and I took a "long boat" ride.  We went down the river and then into the klongs where many Thais still live on the river.  We have always loved taking this ride.  We met our friend Khu-nhu for dinner.First, we went to the Oriental Hotel and had a drink by the river.  John and I love this spot. Khu- nuh has changed her name to Tanya and  always has new ideas for projects.  She is a journalist and very good at it.  She once gave me a book on Thai Puppets which she wrote.  I, also, gave her a photo book as we taught school together here.  She couldn't believe we were ever that young!  P.S.  I will be adding more pictures early in the morning.  It is taking too long to upload them now.

Today is a day for walking, exercise class, a lecture on Thailand and relaxing. It is a good day, too, to post a few extra pictures of Saigon. Women wear masks to protect themselves from pollution and the sun. They wear gloves to keep their hands white because white skin is preferred by men. The number of scooters and bikes on the road can not be exaggerated so here are a few pictures that give the idea. At the pool today, one of the pool staff sprayed water on the legs of those who wanted it. We, also, are given cold towels quite often and, of course, anything we want to eat or drink.

DAY 9--MORE SAIGON

The river picture was taken from the observation deck as we left Saigon on the Mekong River.  It was a peaceful ride to the China Sea.  The other pictures were from our  night before outing Today John and I relaxed by the pool but we did go

 to a show because we were awake at 9:30 p.m.

A DAY AND NIGHT IN SAIGON

DAY 8--SAIGON
We walked at 6AM, our usual time, and watched the sun rise as we journeyed up the Mekong River. The pilot boat had to guide us part of the way. It took about 2 hours to go up river from the China Sea to Saigon. We saw boats of every kind; it was a beautiful sight. Our tour today was “Highlights of Saigon.” We were on Bus 4 so all day our excellent guide called out “Number 4” and we fell in behind him.

Here were the highlights:

--The President’s Palace, now called the Unification Palace. We saw the bunkers underneath where the

South Vietnamese conducted the War.

--The former U.S. Embassy where the famous picture of the helicopter pulling people to safety was taken.

--The Saigon Museum with impressive ancient sculpture.

--The water puppet show set to music.

--Another pedi-cab ride but more treacherous than the one in Nha Trang

--A trip to a lacquer factory with gorgeous things but I resisted.

--A photo op at Notre Dame Cathedral built by the French.

--A walk through the Chinese Market. There were more goods together than we have ever seen and the

market went forever.

Our guide was a baby during the Vietnam War. He said that his father was an officer in the South Vietnamese Navy. After the war he was sent to a re-education camp for 2 years to become a communist!

Trivia Fact: Vietnam is the second largest exporter of rice and coffee.

Our day ended with “An Evening in Saigon..” We watched a Vietnamese dancing show on a hotel rooftop overlooking the city and then had a delicious Vietnamese meal at a nearby restaurant.

A DAY IN NHA TRANG

DAY 7--NHA TRANG

We did our usual walk on the track and fruit for breakfast routine. A couple we sat with said they do the same but then they shower and go for their real breakfast. We don’t. We had a pedi-cab ride through Nha Trang today. We were given recorders to hear the guide’s comments but they never worked. It didn’t matter. The beaches of Nha Trang are beautiful with azure blue water. The weird thing is that no one was swimming even though it was a hot day. Nha Trang was where our troops came for R & R. We bought a few small pictures in a local market but every stall sold the same thing. Food is very plentiful throughout Vietnam.

At night we had a “hall party.” The staff served wine and cheese in the hallls so we could meet our neighbors. It was a jolly and varied group. Next door to us is a couple from Ireland. He is a retired thoracic surgeon.who has to be pushed by his wife to exercise!

DAY 6--AT SEA


We walked the track in very windy conditions but we didn’t get blown away. The rest of the day was spent sunning and reading. We went to the fancy restaurant with the couple whose blog we had followed. They are on the world cruise. Then we heard a terrific singer who was once a Miss America runner-up. The nightly entertainment is top notch. We met a couple who is taking their 46th cruise! John had two lounge chairs delivered to our deck so we can sit or lie down and watch the ocean. Pretty nice!

DAY 5--HANOI


Our bus ride to Hanoi took 3 ½ hours but we stopped once for the “happy room.” as our North Vietnam guide called it. Also, at this rest stop was a gigantic store with many things to buy. Young people sat at tables doing intricate embroidery. Looking out the window at the countryside and small towns was fascinating. Most of the land is used for growing rice. Every rice paddy had bent over workers in their coolie(sp?) hats pulling weeds, fertilizing and tending the crop. The fields are bright green. In the small towns I saw no evidence of any trash cans or recycling. Trash disposal is wherever you want to throw it. Where is Al Gore? Each town had many small stores selling mostly the same things--food, drinks, plastic items and t-shirts. The peopls sit in front of their stores on plastic chairs talking and passing the baby around. Babies are held at all times because the road comes right up to the stores--no sidewalks. The generations live together in tall, skinny houses. The store is on the ground floor, the grandparents have the next level and when the children marry a floor is built for them. The houses have a Chinese look to them and are brightly painted but only in the front. The sides are grey concrete. Some are quite ritzy; others are not.

When we arrived in Hanoi motor scooters flooded the roads. There were some fancy cars on the road but mostly work trucks, buses, bikes and scooters, scooters, scooters. We went to the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum but didn’t go inside. The line to get in was at least ten blocks long. Ho Chi Minh is revered by the North Vietnamese just as Lincoln is for us. Our guide really gave a pep talk to us about their ”great” former leader. Our visit to the Hanoi Hilton, on the other hand, left him rather speechless. The part of the prison where John McCann and our other POW’s were held was left for last. First we had to see other parts of the prison which we didn’t care about. When we finally got to the section with artifacts of the pilots --guess what?--the guide said there was no time and he hurried everyone back to the bus. We did see a few pictures of our pilots decorating a Christmas tree and as the text said “enjoying themselves and reading letters from home. There was McCain”s flight suit on display, the bed he slept in(springs and a grass mat on top) and a look inside a cell. The explanations of the war were anti-American(shocker!). All on our buses were insulted and felt the trip to Hanoi was not worth it except for the look at the interesting countryside.