Viet Nam is a lovely country with resourceful, tough, hard working people who have fought hard for their independence. It was another difficult port for many when we see first hand the destruction that war brings to a country. These people have endured some intense hardships and I admire their tenacity at fighting and defeating many countries for their independence. When you think about it they stood up and fought to be free from French colonization initially, the Chinese, then the Americans and defeated us all! Many people were affected by a variety of sights which brought the reality of war to light such as; the images of the war at the museums, crawling into the Cu Chi tunnels where the Viet Kong lived and brought down Saigon in ’75 and the after effects of Agent Orange observed at an orphanage where disabled children live. Disturbing to say the least.
Viet Nam did not feel like a communist country, we were free to travel and explore as we wished but I hear it has changed a lot from twenty years ago. The Vietnamese people are very persistent and so small! I did feel gigantic next to them, many are not much taller than 4’6” or so.
I woke up at 6 am the day we arrived to look out my window to see green water, not the normal blue waves of the oceans and seas. I went out on deck into the humid and balmy air and saw that we were traveling up the Saigon river as we made our way to Ho Chi Minh City, or Saigon. On the banks were small fishing boats carrying one or two people with cone shaped hats. Our huge wake rocked their small boats and pushed them into the shore, our boat was nearly as big as the river.
I thought I would just stay in Saigon but realized it was another big city and would prefer a quieter area. It was quite hot and I’m still nervous about getting caught in the heat so Erika, Scott and I decided to fly to Hoi An, a small city near the coast known for China Beach where the military first landed in Viet Nam.
Hoi An is a wonderful Heritage City where most people are fisherman, cooks or tailors for all the tourists. We check into a nice hotel with a pool on a river close to town. Erika and I decide to get massages at the hotel- she goes for the full body, I am thinking reflexology on my feet sounds nice, while Scott is off having a beer and relaxing at the bar. At the spa, I am led up a stairway to a dimly lit room and a very little man says he is going to give me the foot massage- I arrive in the room and get on the table- first thing I notice is there is an air conditioner- please turn it on is my first request! He speaks very little English and I am not fluent in Vietnamese so there is a lot of pointing going on, Ahhh nice cool air, a man touching and squeezing my feet- all is well. He finishes the feet and points for me to sit up, “All done” he says and now leads me to another room where there are round pebbles and a path to a wooden basin- ahh, just like Malaysia I think, “take shower, take off dress” he says – OK, lots of nice lotions and salts all around with candles and dim lights- I am very relaxed and happy. I climb into the dark wood tub and am enjoying all the sea salts and warm water, think to myself I may not want to sit down in here as there have been many before me so I am squatting in the tub enjoying the water and lotions. I look down after a few minutes and see a dark thing in the water, I look a little closer and there is a dark furry thing swimming his heart out closer and closer to me- I scream and jump out of the tub, the man comes running in and says something in Vietnamese, I am naked grabbing for a towel and pointing in the tub. He gets in the tub and picks up a furry mouse by the tail, puts his hand with the mouse behind his back and says “OK, now all ready for you”. I break out laughing so hard and say no thank you, all done- my relaxing mood has come to an abrupt end and I can feel my heart pounding- laughing all the way to the bar I find Erika and Scott to tell them about my massage experience. We enjoy a good laugh and decide to get some dinner.
Just outside our hotel we see we can catch a ride to town on the back of a scooter for 1 dollar and use the service many times to get back and forth to town- the big Americans on the back of these scooters with little Vietnamese men and women driving, it is a comical sight- a photo above!
We head out on the scooters with a breeze in our face the entire time winding in and out of alleys as we make our way to the restaurant, looking into peoples houses and passing them by on the sidewalks eating dinner with their families- it is all open air- no AC anywhere and no one is breaking a sweat but us! We have a fabulous time in a big old house converted into a restaurant eating, drinking and talking about everything that has happened that day.
Viet Nam is a wonderful country with lovely people. A favorite memory is walking through the open market with all the produce, fish and meats for sale. The colors were gorgeous and everyone working hard at selling their products. It was crowded and hot but full of lively conversation and a treat to observe their lifestyle. I leave feeling happy to have explored a bit with friends and on my own and have learned to deal with the climate better than the last few ports. Looking forward to the cooler ports next!
We are now in Hong Kong and I am off to Beijing in the morning for 3 days.
Wishing you all the best,
Love
Margareta
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