Good Morning Vietnam!

Wednesday, November 3rd - Monday November 8th

Around 4am this morning we left the South China Sea and headed up the Mekong River to our next destination, Ho Chi Minh City.   Many of us managed to get on deck to see the sun rise and watch as our ship passed through the Vietnamese lowlands and navigated the many turns of the river.

On the way we passed numerous  small fishing boats and for those of you who know Charleston, there was even a bridge that looked surprisingly familiar.  For many of the life learners, this  sail up river was a time of reflection  as you  couldn't help but think of the war  and the many soldiers who lost their lives here.

I spent the first day seeing a bit of Ho Chi Minh City,  or what many of the locals still refer to as Saigon.  Unlike other ports, logistics here were simple.  Vietnamese passport control was almost non-existent,  and the ship ran a shuttle from the port to downtown.  Oh if the other ports were only so easy.

Thanks to the influence of the French, Ho Chi Minh is an inviting city with wide streets and lots of trees.   But oh the traffic!   This is motorbike city....they're everywhere, they come at you in all directions, and everyone seems to ride them.  Getting to work, delivering packages, families out for a ride ( I actually saw 4 on one bike).   My favorite was seeing the girls dressed up for a night  on the town, chatting away with their dates as if they were sitting in a cafe.

 I  visited the War Remnants Museum  to get a view on the "American War" from the Vietnamese perspective.  And later I checked out the main market where they have food stalls and you can shop for anything from fresh produce to housewares and clothing.  You still need to bargain, but good news here is the vendors are a lot less aggressive than we saw in India.    Later in the day I headed to the airport for a flight to Danang and then on to Hoi An.

HOI-AN

Thursday, November 4th - Saturday, November 6th

You've probably never heard of Hoi An, but if you ever make it to Vietnam put this on your list of places to visit.  From the 16th to 18th centuries, this was Vietnam's most important port and trading post.  It might have become Hong Kong if only the river hadn't filled with silt.  I was looking to find a bit of old Vietnam and I found it in Hoi An.

Today, this ancient town is a UNESCO World Heritage site and the influence of those early Japanese and Chinese traders is evident everywhere.  No high rises here.  The narrow streets are lined with low tile roofed houses and Chinese style shops with elaborately carved facades and pillars.  There's even a beautiful Japanese style bridge.

I visited a number of temples, assembly halls and homes, including one where a descendant of the original owner showed me around and offered  tea. The coiled cones in the photo above are offerings which slowly burn...much like the candles you would light in a Catholic Church.  I got to experience village life, meet the locals, visit a few tailors (everyone seems to have clothes made when they come to Vietnam) and eat some of the best food I've had on the trip.  Can you believe they even make a Beef Brisket Noodle Soup?

I also got to experience monsoon season.  It rained the entire time I was there.  Not heavy downpours, just a constant steady rain, day and night.  The only shoes I wore were my flip flops, and  I finally got to use that rain poncho Barbara brought  us for New Orleans.  But while the rain may have curtailed bike riding and limited  my photo opportunities, it didn't affect  my ability to see Hoi An in action.

My hotel was right on the river and every morning you could hear  the motors of small fishing boats returning with their catch. Women--young and old--sold their produce in the central market and residents continued to play the local game of chance.  Even  late in the evening you'd see a few women sitting under small umbrellas with candles lit, selling their wares.

At night Hoi An becomes almost magical  as doorways are lit with the most beautiful orange lanterns.  Large animal sculptures in the river are illuminated.  Even the  footbridge crossing the small river is  lit with its own huge orange lanterns.  But probably most special was the spirituality of Hoi An. In the early evening, no  matter where you went,  stores and homes alike had incense burning and offerings to the gods.

 

Ho Chi Minh City

Sunday, November 7th

I returned to Ho Chi Minh Saturday night and finally saw an end to the rain.  On Sunday I took a cooking class  where they actually allowed each of us to prepare our own meals.  I learned how to make spring rolls, a banama blossom salad and fried rice.  I even managed to survive all the chopping without severing any fingers.  Can't wait to demonstrate my culinary skills when I return

Finally, I close with a very sad note from our voyage.   One of our students died onboard ship on Saturday evening.  An investigation is still taking place as to what happened, but as I'm sure you can imagine, our shipboard community is devastated. Andre was a 20 year old student from southern California.  He spoke five languages and his family was both Muslim and Greek.   We are so fortunate to have Desmond Tutu on board who gave a very simple, yet very moving talk. 

With that I'll ask the Goddess of the Sea to protect us as our journey continues.