Homeward bound

It was early to bed and a short night when we got the wake-up call from the front desk. We left the hotel at 3:30 for the short ride to HCMC Airport where we departed at 6:00 a.m. for Hong Kong. We lucked out and got in business class on a newly reconfigured 747-400 with business class now having seats that flatten down to 180 degrees as in first class with each seat having a 17-inch screen in front of each person. In a little over two hours we arrived in Hong Kong where the city was obscured by a thick haze. Hong Kong’s airport is new and very modern as are the new airports in Ho Chi Minh, Bangkok, Beijing and Shanghai.

After a two-hour wait in HK we were called to board our flight to SFO. Unfortunately we were assigned two seats on row 60, at the very rear end of the 747, but luckily the plane narrows at this end and we had two seats on the right side with four in the middle and two more on the left side. The twelve-hour flight was o.k. but sitting at this end, the plane is noisy and it vibrates in rough air. With lavatories directly behind our row, we were subjected to a lot of conversation where people congregated to visit and in some cases, to exercise. The upside of having to sit in that area was the flight did not cost us anything.

Again this year we had two days of our anniversary as we did last year coming back from Thailand, thanks to crossing the International Date Line.

Shirley met us at SFO and we dropped her off at her home and drove on down to Los Gatos and spent the evening and night at Eldon’s house. Eldon has a visitor, David Goss who is an American friend that lives and teaches English in Hanoi, Vietnam. We shared our Vietnam pictures and saw Eldon and Carolyn’s pictures of their recent trip to Europe and the Mediterranean.

At 4:00 a.m. the next morning we left Los Gatos and drove the 10 hours back to Havasu and spent the next two days decompressing and getting over jet lag.

Overall we thoroughly enjoyed our time in Vietnam, even without getting very far from Ho Chi Minh. Our original plan was to go directly to HCMC and then going north as far as Da Nang and Hue but that plan was cancelled when we were forced to go through Tokyo and Bangkok on our way to Vietnam. As usual we did enjoy spending two days and nights in Bangkok and got to ride in a Vietnam Airways plane to HCMC in the daytime where we saw the great Mekong Delta from the air.

To anyone interested in seeing a developing Communist country where tourism is welcomed and prices are still reasonable we would recommend Vietnam. At no time did we feel uncomfortable or unsafe as people there are friendly, like Americans and make you feel at ease. Of course it is a shock when you first arrive and find yourself in the midst of four million motorbikes that congest the streets and highways. Vietnam has a population of 80,000,000 people; HCMC has 8,500,000 people and 4,000,000 motorbikes.

The end is near

This is our last day in Vietnam. We took a cab to Chinatown this morning. It was about a 20 minute cab ride and the cab driver was only moderately crazy! We made it with out hitting anyone and there was one very close call. He dropped us off at a huge market that was under cover but consisted of many individual stalls. Here they sold meat, fish, vegetables, dried fish, noodles, pans to cook in, clothes to wear and about anything else you could possibly think of to buy. One thing different from any open market that we have been in anywhere in the world that sells meat and fish, was this one did not smell. They had a whole row of food stalls that sold food already prepared.. We had just finished breakfast so we didn’t partake of that. We walked around looking at everything for a while and then walked out on the streets nearby. It is so hard to walk on the sidewalks because they not only drive their scooters on the sidewalk they park them in huge groups. To get around them you must step out into the street therefore running the risk of being hit by another scooter or bicycle. When we were leaving, Everett tripped on the handle of a cart they use for moving merchandise and landed on his knees on the ground. Luckily he did not get hurt.

We will walk down to the night market this evening although we really do not want to add anything more to our luggage. We have to leave the hotel a 3:30 AM so we will make it an early night.

Wow, I think we have learned so much about Vietnam on this trip; its people and its history. Never once did we feel like we were in a Communist country. There seems to be a bustling free enterprise system that is thriving. The people in the markets just about drive you away with their ambitious selling techniques. For some reason, they think if they put an article of clothing in your face you are more inclined to buy it. Of course there is a lot of competition in such a large building with all the merchants selling the same products. “Madame” sees to be their favorite word.

In Vietnam, every young man has compulsory military service for 1 ½ years that must be completed between the ages of 18 and 27. That is, unless they pay a fee to get out of doing it. Our second guide told us he paid up and avoided the military.

The scooter riders must get a driver’s license that requires a taking a test that apparently consists of driving your scooter over a pained “figure 8” three times without getting off the lines or putting your feet down. Getting a license to drive a car is much more difficult. When I look at all these scooters and think of what it would be like if they were cars all I can see is gridlock. I know we have gone on and on about the traffic but it honestly is something you must see to believe..

The people seem to be content living under Communism. It doesn’t really seem to affect their daily lives. They sometime mention that the government is corrupt but with the same attitude they might say “it’s really hot outside”. You don’t really like it but there is nothing you can do about it so you don’t worry yourself about it, seems to be their attitude. Our guides told us how much progress has been made here, particularly in the last 10 years since the US renewed relationship with Vietnam and tourism has bloomed. Tourism is the largest industry and then the export of rice and oil. Oil is produced here but the first refinery will not be completed for another year so crude oil is shipped out and refined and imported back for domestic use.

Prices here are really good on most things. Everett and I both got our hair cut at nice salon and it cost us $6 for both of us (not each) and we each had a bottle of water too. Food is really reasonable but our hotel is not all that cheap. It is a small hotel that was built in the last few years. It is really nice and has all the amenities of the big hotels but with a lot more charm. The breakfast is quite extensive too. We would recommend it to anyone staying in HCMC.

The people are taller than the previous generations because of better diets. One of guides told us that a meal consisted of rice with 3 to 4 ounces of meat to feed the whole a family. Until recently the cows were used as beasts of burden to plow the fields and not as milk cows. There are very few dairy products in their diets even now. They use condensed milk in their coffee. There is more prosperity and as a result their diets are improving.

There is so much more, so much I can’t even remember it all right now, but it will come back to me.

We pretty much feel like we have seen HCMC and its nearby attractions and look forward to seeing different areas of the country someday. We have read and been told by people visiting here that the areas north in Hue and Da Nang are some of the prettiest places in the world. We had planned on visiting those areas but because of our detour to Bangkok, our time did not allow us to make the trip north.

Unless a major change occurs we should make our flights tomorrow with no problem. It even looks good for business class. Keep your fingers crossed. We should be back in the U.S. Thursday morning.

City Sights

HCMC 14 October

This morning we decided to visit some of the historic sites from the Vietnam War. We walked to the Reunification Palace, a beautiful building built by the French at the time that they ruled here. It was built as a presidential Palace for the French governor. France forced the Vietnamese into being a French colony in the mid 1800’s. In 1975 the US was defeated by the Viet Cong and was forced to leave Vietnam. The communist north overcame all resistance of the south and the allies, and formed the reunification of the whole country. At the Reunification Palace all the formalities were held and the two parts of the country became one under communist control.

The Palace is a beautiful, large, four story building sitting in a large park with gorgeous trees, lawns and flowers. We visited the president’s and vice president’s formal quarters where they entertained heads of states and conducted state of affairs for South Vietnam. In the basement were many rooms that contained the communications center during the war and the old radio and teletype equipment are still on display. The walls in the hallways contain hundreds of pictures of visiting dignitaries from various countries during the time the US was involved here.

Our next stop was at the War Remembrance Museum. This was an extremely emotional experience as we saw more than 20 US tanks, artillery pieces and airplanes and helicopters that had been captured or abandoned at the end of the conflict. The walls inside the building were covered with hundreds of enlarged photos of the horrors of the war. One wall was dedicated to war correspondents that covered that war and lost their lives here. Another wall showed pictures of the fighting and another showed the terrible suffering of civilian women and children. Of course everything shown was slanted with a distinct prejudice against the allies. The pictures of the G.I.’s, wounded and killed were again a stark reminder of the horrors of war. We have appreciated their dedication in going into such a war, even if they did not believe in the purpose of being here. Many of the pictures showed the G.I.’s hunkered down in trenches with beards that had not been shaved in days. Understanding the weather here with temperatures in the high 90’s and humidity as high you wonder how they survived in such conditions.

Underground

Monday Oct. 13

This morning we were picked up by the tour company van and we were the only two passengers headed to Cu Chi Tunnels. This was the third day that we used Buffalo Tours, and we have found them to be “first class” with new Mercedes and Toyota vans. The guides all speak English and are very familiar with the area.

We reached the tunnels in about one and a half hours. On the way we passed many rice fields and rubber tree plantations. The country is very tropical with rich vegetation. We made a stop at a government run work shop where handicapped veterans and others produced the most beautiful lacquer ware. We were shown all the steps taken in producing the large variety of items, some of which were priced in the thousands of US dollars. It is interesting to note that US dollars are the preferred currency here and we had to convert out Vietnamese dong back to US dollars, having converted a large amount to dong upon our arrival. We found no resentment to Americans here and people are extremely friendly. You get no feeling that you are visiting a communist country. When the war ended in 1975 the population of Vietnam was about 40 million and now it is 80 million. Well over 70 % of the population is under 30 years of age.

The tunnels were dug about 50 years ago as a means of hiding out from, and waging guerilla warfare against the French and later against the Americans. The Viet Cong and their wives lived in the tunnels for months and years, even giving birth to babies down there. The tunnels were dug in three levels as deep as 30 feet below the surface. They are low and narrow—possibly 4 feet high and 30 inches wide. Bunkers were dug along the way where people lived and improvised weapons to use against the foreigners. The soil is a mixture of sand and clay and with the moisture present, the tunnel became as hard as cement and no supports are needed. We saw many “booby traps” that were used against the enemy. We did get to go down and through about 100 feet of a tunnel that could cause a person to get claustrophobia. Pam was able to walk stooped over but I had to crawl on my hands and knees with my shoulders touching both sides of the tunnel. The tunnels are not lighted so the guerillas used flash lights and kerosene lamps. The bunkers were usually about 20 feet by 20 feet and about six feet high. Here they lived, slept, cooked their meals and made weapons and ammunition. At a rest area on the tour we were given refreshments of green tea and tapioca and we were told that tapioca that grows in the area was the food staple of the tunnel dwelling V.C. Tapioca was cooked and tasted something like sweet potato with similar texture.

It was an experience that we enjoyed immensely and it gave us a better understanding of the horrors of war and the great danger our military personnel faced in the thick jungle where snipers could be hiding, unseen, and near by.

The weather here is extremely hot and humid and after being outside in the tunnel area for an hour, we were completely wet with perspiration.

We arrived back in HCMC about 1:00 p.m. and we still can’t get over the number of motor-scooters on the streets and highways. We were told that the population of HCMC is 8.5 million and the number of motor scooters is 4 million. You would not believe the scene here with up to four people on those little scooters and many carrying tons of products as they weave in and out of traffic. It is extremely difficult for the average person here to own a car and it seems that only the wealthy and taxicab owners drive cars here. Of course hundreds of minivans and busses crowd the streets. Large trucks seem to operate at night so that helps the traffic a lot during the day. Large trucks are brought in from Japan and Korea but many used trucks have come from the US, particularly cab-overs that were formerly owned by large US trucking companies before deregulation allowed conventional-type of trucks that are now used in the US.

Cu Chi Tunnels

Monday Oct. 13

This morning we were picked up by the tour company van and we were the only two passengers headed to Cu Chi Tunnels. This was the third day that we used Buffalo Tours, and we have found them to be “first class” with new Mercedes and Toyota vans. The guides all speak English and are very familiar with the area.

We reached the tunnels in about one and a half hours. On the way we passed many rice fields and rubber tree plantations. The country is very tropical with rich vegetation. We made a stop at a government run work shop where handicapped veterans and others produced the most beautiful lacquer ware. We were shown all the steps taken in producing the large variety of items, some of which were priced in the thousands of US dollars. It is interesting to note that US dollars are the preferred currency here and we had to convert out Vietnamese dong back to US dollars, having converted a large amount to dong upon our arrival. We found no resentment to Americans here and people are extremely friendly. You get no feeling that you are visiting a communist country. When the war ended in 1975 the population of Vietnam was about 40 million and now it is 80 million. Well over 70 % of the population is under 30 years of age.

The tunnels were dug about 50 years ago as a means of hiding out from, and waging guerilla warfare against the French and later against the Americans. The Viet Cong and their wives lived in the tunnels for months and years, even giving birth to babies down there. The tunnels were dug in three levels as deep as 30 feet below the surface. They are low and narrow—possibly 4 feet high and 30 inches wide. Bunkers were dug along the way where people lived and improvised weapons to use against the foreigners. The soil is a mixture of sand and clay and with the moisture present, the tunnel became as hard as cement and no supports are needed. We saw many “booby traps” that were used against the enemy. We did get to go down and through about 100 feet of a tunnel that could cause a person to get claustrophobia. Pam was able to walk stooped over but I had to crawl on my hands and knees with my shoulders touching both sides of the tunnel. The tunnels are not lighted so the guerillas used flash lights and kerosene lamps. The bunkers were usually about 20 feet by 20 feet and about six feet high. Here they lived, slept, cooked their meals and made weapons and ammunition. At a rest area on the tour we were given refreshments of green tea and tapioca and we were told that tapioca that grows in the area was the food staple of the tunnel dwelling V.C. Tapioca was cooked and tasted something like sweet potato with similar texture.

It was an experience that we enjoyed immensely and it gave us a better understanding of the horrors of war and the great danger our military personnel faced in the thick jungle where snipers could be hiding, unseen, and near by.

The weather here is extremely hot and humid and after being outside in the tunnel area for an hour, we were completely wet with perspiration.

We arrived back in HCMC about 1:00 p.m. and we still can’t get over the number of motor-scooters on the streets and highways. We were told that the population of HCMC is 8.5 million and the number of motor scooters is 4 million. You would not believe the scene here with up to four people on those little scooters and many carrying tons of products as they weave in and out of traffic. It is extremely difficult for the average person here to own a car and it seems that only the wealthy and taxicab owners drive cars here. Of course hundreds of minivans and busses crowd the streets. Large trucks seem to operate at night so that helps the traffic a lot during the day. Large trucks are brought in from Japan and Korea but many used trucks have come from the US, particularly cab-overs that were formerly owned by large US trucking companies before deregulation allowed conventional-type of trucks that are now used in the US.

The River

Saturday night we went on a dinner cruise on the Saigon River. They have them in Bangkok too but we have never taken one in all the times we have been there. We took a cab to the appointed pier for the cruise on a Junk that left at 7:30 P.M. We had a welcome drink that I think was pepto bismal but I am just going by the taste. Some kind of fruit and cream thing I guess. Everything went up hill from there. As we cruised up the river, or down; I have no idea, but we had a nice buffet with lots of seafood and Asian dishes. The entertainment was really quite good. The girls, dressed in colorful, native costumes sang songs and did dances from their history. Later, one of the singers and the keyboard player entertained us until we returned to the dock and back to our hotel.

The next morning we were picked up in the morning for a trip to the Mekong Delta. We went by minibus with only two other people. We spent an hour or so meandering through the waterways and one of the main tributaries of the Mekong. We stopped at the floating market and that was a real surprise. It was as different from the one in Bangkok as night and day. The one in Bangkok is aimed at the tourist and they sell all sorts of touristy things. This floating market was aimed at the local people and produce was the main thing that was sold. The people on the boats bring their produce to the river and stay on their boats for a week or so until it’s all sold. I should explain that the Mekong Delta spreads over 400,000 square kilometers and thousands of islands are located here. The locals living in the delta travel by boat to school, to shop or to work, if their job is located on a different island.

We also stopped at one place and saw how they made rice and banana crackers. They were flat like a thin tortilla. We bought some made from bananas. Surprisingly, there was no high pressure, sales pitch. We also saw a man making puffed rice in a huge wok and others making cookie type things much like a rice crispy treat but with a slight taste of ginger. We also saw others making coconut candies that are cut by hand, and since they are sticky, they are wrapped in rice paper (that you eat with the candy) and then wrapped with waxed paper, overall. We were supposed to see how they make rice paper but they weren’t making any that day. Later on the boat tour we saw how bricks are made. A kiln is fired with the hulls that come off the rice. After the rice hulls are burned the ash is used as fertilizer in their gardens. They don’t waste anything. We noticed that all the work at the brick yard as at most other projects is done manually with little or no power equipment. The people are poor and lead a very simple life. They don’t make much money but they have most of their needs met by nature. The vegetation is very lush and many varieties of fruits and vegetables are grown. The river provides fish and people have their own chickens and ducks. The guide told us, that unfortunately the most children raised along the Delta do not go to school. Some young people from the cities come to the delta on their school break in the summer and volunteer to teach the kids to read and write.

Many people left the delta and came to Saigon during the war because most of the fighting was done in the jungles and in the rural areas including the delta. From the 50’s until 1975 it just wasn’t safe along the river. First, came the war with the French and then the Americans who didn’t leave until the mid 1970’s. There are 85 million people in Vietnam and 8 ½ million of them live in Ho Chi Minh City, formally knows as Saigon.

We had a nice lunch and then returned to town in horrible traffic. I guess a lot of the people who come to HCMC to work go home on Sunday to visit their families in the delta. As we were coming back into the city thousands of people on motor scooters were also returning home, making the highway look like the start of the N.Y Marathon-scooters instead of runners. The whole family, mother, father and one or two kids would all be on one scooter. There were even a few mothers with infants in their arms. It was scary. Surprisingly we have only seen one accident since arriving.

holey moley

I am not sure if my literary skills are up to describing our arrival in Ho Chi Minh. We arrived from Bangkok sometime after 3 PM Friday afternoon. By the time we took care of the all the official requirements it was about 4:00 or so. We went outside and negotiated for a cab and off we went. Off we went for the ride of our lives. There were at least a zillion motor scooters on the road. No exaggeration, there were hundreds at every intersection and thousands in each city block. It is impossible to describe the scene. Some with one person and some with two and some with 2 adults and one or two kids all driving like there was no tomorrow. Many mothers had infants that were one year or less standing in front of them and another behind them. There were cars and cabs and buses all honking and cutting in and out and driving in any lane no matter which side had been designated for them originally. It was amazing to see little toddlers calmly eating a snack while sitting in front of their parent who was cutting in and out of traffic. I almost forgot that mixed into all this, were bicycles and pedi-cabs too. Pedi-cabs are bicycles with a seat in front of the handle bars where the basket would normally be located. At least they drive on the right side of the road. We finally arrived at our hotel without killing someone or being killed. We are hoping that this was Friday night rush hour traffic and tomorrow it may be possible for us to cross the street. This makes Bangkok seem calm and Cairo seem quiet.

The immigration process was unique too. We set up our visa on line before we left home and had a paper printed out that we brought with us. We were also to bring two small passport type photos. When we arrived we went to the appropriate window where they gave us a full sized sheet of paper to fill out. After we filled it our and paid our fee they stapled one picture to the form and gave it to us. Passport control didn’t want it, so we took it with us. We didn’t need the other photo. The hotel wanted our passports which they keep until we check out. They didn’t want the paper either. Maybe if we are stopped for something or get killed in traffic it would identify us. Who knows?

Now we just need to figure out what we are going to do with our time left. We lost so much time getting here that we will have to curtail some of our more lofty plans. We will go to a travel agent in the morning and try to set up a trip to the Cu Chi tunnels made up of over 200 miles of tunnels and chambers below the city, that were hand dug and used in the French War in 1940’s and the American War in the 1960-1970’s. (Or as we called it, the Vietnam War.) We also want to take a boat ride on Mekong Delta.

Day 1 or 2 or 3 or whatever day this is

We were lucky enough to get on to Business Class for our flight from San Francisco to Narita. We had a four hour wait in Tokyo before the flight to Bangkok. We were one of the first standbys called. We didn’t get business but did get “economy plus” which is slightly more roomy than the regular economy seats. When we were seated we were talking with each other how Carla’s seniority really helped us. The man next to me said what seniority are you flying on and we said 1987. He said I’m 1956. Wow! He retired in 1990 after working as the head mechanic in San Francisco. He had then moved back to the east coast to retire. If 1956 seniority couldn’t get Business Class we didn’t feel too bad. The flight is nearly six hours long and so tiring. We would doze and then wake up because your neck or leg or back were killing you.

We obviously didn’t have any hotel reservations so we stopped by the hotel desk at the BKK airport to see about finding a room. It was 11 PM by then and we didn’t want to be walking the streets dragging our suitcases behind us. The attendant called the Nana Hotel, (Carla and Jayna will remember that hotel), and they were totally booked. She did find us a room that cost more than the Nana but was not unreasonable, so we booked it. The Ambassador is actually a nice hotel. By the time we got checked in it was after midnight but our bodies didn’t believe it. We had our second wind so we hiked down to the Dynasty and had rice soup. Yum!!!! We had a wild and crazy Tuk Tuk ride back to the hotel. It was 2 PM by the time we got to bed. We woke up at 6AM because our internal clocks are still on US west coast time. We will have to work today to stay awake until tonight, having had no more that a short nap to get ourselves in this time zone.

We leave tomorrow afternoon for Vietnam. So we are looking forward to a new adventure.

Best laid plans

We didn’t make our flight yesterday to Hong Kong as the plane was completely full. We had planned to spend a night and day in Hong Kong and then go on to Vietnam. When we checked on today’s flights we found that our chances weren’t much better of getting on than yesterday. So after some research we decided to fly to Bangkok via Narita and then buy a ticket to Ho Chi Minh. The first flight to Narita leaves about half and hour before the flight to Hong Kong and there is another flight to Narita. So by hook or crook we should get somewhere today. Hopefully!

We had a nice dinner with Katie and Fernando in San Francisco Sunday night at an Indian restaurant. I did one of my graceful “fall down in the street” maneuvers and hurt my toes, knees, elbow and hand. I am totally disgusted with myself .

Yesterday morning Everett’s sister Shirley took us to the airport and then had to come back and pick us up a few hours later. Then she had to take us back again this morning. We will spent the night with then last night.

It was disappointing not getting on but we didn’t really lose a day as we started out a day earlier than we had originally planned. We have a pretty good chance of getting to Japan but we may get stuck there tonight. I checked into buying a ticket from there to Vietnam but it was way more that we are willing to spend.

Ahh… the adventure of travel. We will keep you informed.
UPDATE: We are in Japan and hope to go on to Bangkok tonight. If it looks too bad we may try Singapore

Getting ready for Vietnam

Since we never had a blog before this is an experiment to find out how it works. We will be leaving in a couple of weeks for Vietnam and I guess it would be easier to keep a travel journal this way that just sending emails. We shall see.

The visa process has been greatly improved to get into Vietnam. No need to send in your passport and hope to get it back in time or at all. We just went on line and sent in a request with a small fee. In a few days we received a letter via email that we will use to get our visa when we arrive in Ho Chi Minh City.