July 28 Last day in Vietnam

This morning we had a relaxing tour schedule visiting the local Chau Doc fishing village, their local pagoda and market. We were happy that the tour was over as we are now officially suffering from tour fatigue!

We intended to swim the afternoon away but they had painted the pool deck and the pool was closed until 3! Instead we availed ourselves with the pool table and ping pong as we watched the clock! Eventually, we and the other guests at the hotel managed to make it into the pool (with a bit of paint stuck to us ;)

Tomorrow at 6:30, we will be on our way to Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

July 27 Chau Doc

This morning we took in the floating market, by boat of course, and were impressed with the size of the fleet trading in wholesale quantities of fruits and vegatable. Also among the family size trawlers were the larger sand and gravel barges and the ever-present tourist boats and the beverage-vending boats that float alongside like barnacles! Along the shores of the river were the shanty villages of the areas poorest people built on wooden stilts and completely immersed in water. Incredible is the dimension of survival instinct in those inhabitants.

The under-100 km trip to Chau Doc was uneventful (other than the fact it had to be negotiated at 40 km per hour) and included the usual truck-stop bathroom break and bartering for beer and drinks!

The local Victoria hotel is quaint and we’ve decided to take a break from our touring schedule to enjoy the few hours of sun.

July 26 Can Tho, Mekong River Delta

Ryan: Bonjour, aujourd’hui nous sommes allees sur un petite voyage autour du ‘Mekong Delta’. Notre guide, Hieu, a prepare notre tour, car il etait nee a ce ville. Premierement, nous sommes allees dans un gros bateau pour rendre juste a l’ile Unicorne et on a gouter tous les fruits locale: papaya, banane, fruit du dragon, litchi, et quelques autre fruits pendant ecoutant la musique traditionelle. Prochainement, nous sommes allees sur une autre bateau pour rendre jusq’au l’ile du Tortue. En arrivant, nous sommes manger less petit pieces de ‘friandise du coco’ (coconut). Aussi, on a bu un boisson d’un melange de: le miel, le sucre et un peu de the de feuilles vert. Dernierement, nous sommes aller jusq’au hotel Victoria en voiture. Papa, Brendan et moi ont reserve une heure pour jouer au tennis. On a joue pour la bonne partie du l’heure avant d’aller au piscine. A 7:30 p.m., notre guide et ma famille, nous sommes aller au restaurant europeen. On a raconter deux familles de Holland et on a parler ensemble pour un long temps. Dernierement, c’etait 10:30 quand on est aller au lit.
Joe: Our trip to Can Tho was somewhat longer than expected. One year ago, the Japan-financed suspension bridge that spans the Mekong river collapsed after 6-years in construction, killing 75 workers. The bridge and a sister concrete span are still incomplete and will be at least another 2 years with work having been completely stopped during the investigation (our guide suggested that the concrete may have malformed during the intense raining at the time of the collapse). Without the bridges, the route is very circuituous and involves a river ferry that includes a wait of more than one-hour making for a remarkably long 120 km journey. Upon arrival we were treated to the beautiful Victoria Can Tho with its fantastic swimming pool, comfortable adjoining rooms, tennis court and ping-pong. Somehow we manged to pack them all in and enjoy a great dinner at the Nam Pho restaurant where we met two families travelling from Holland. The 5 daughters, Ryan and Brendan chatted up a storm that included digressions into Hollywood models like Naomi Kirk and soccer greats like Gus Hiddink, manager of Chelsea FC and currently the manager of the Rusian National World team. The dad of three of the girls, Tony, and Gus are long time friends. I love the people part of travel and oh, the 5-star hotel part :)

July 25 Cu Chi Tunnels

The headline of the Vietnam News this morning was “ Vietnam To Raise Poverty Line”. Unbelievably, it was being raised from $8 US a month to $19 US a month ($25 for those who live in the city).

Hieu had us up at 6 am to begin our trek to the Cu Chi Tunnels, 60 km outside of Saigon. I remember hearing about the tunnels from Jack Livingstone. He had said that it was one of the higlights to their trip to Vietnam. We now agree with Jack as it was a highlight for us, too. The whole concept of building and living in the tunnels (250 km stretching from the South Vietnamese capital to the Cambodian border) and devising plethora of instruments of torture was (though extremely sad) fascinating. The resourcefulness of the Vietcong villagers who took over the Cu Chi area was incredible. American soldiers were soundly defeated each time that they approached the area as they had no idea that they were to be ambushed by a guerrilla army taking advantage of a complex underground labyrinth. In addition, the Vietcong devised at least ten different types of booby traps to which the Americans would fall victim. These were covered with leaves and were virtually unseen until you were swallowed up into the ground and speared by sharpened bamboo sticks and foot-long pointed metal nails. The boys and Joe took turns descending into a tiny hole in the ground (and got totally filthy in the process) that demonstrated how the Vietcong submerged themselves into the tunnel. Once in place with the ‘trap door’ over their heads which was covered with leaves, they were practically invisible. Their hiding places were completely camouflaged. The network, parts of which was several stories deep included innumerable trap doors, constructed living areas, storage facilities, weapons factories, field hospitals, command centers, and kitchens. Their were even hidden, flooded sections that could be used to escape (or enter) to the river.

Joe and the boys also crawled though the tunnels. I started to but then took a pass. Small, dark, confined, and dank – too much for me. It was hard to believe that some of the Vietcong made their lives there for up to twenty-one years. The resilience and sheer will-power to win the war at all costs was phenomenal to behold. The toll on the Vietcong guerrillas was also great. Only about 6000 of the 16, 000 who fought in the tunnels survived the war. Thousands of civilians, in addition, were killed.

Our second and last stop of the day was to the Cao Dai Holy See. The temple, founded in 1926, is in the village of Long Hoa and is simply spectacular. We, along with hundreds of other tourists observed the noon prayer service from atop a balcony. The sect embraces all religions and followers, though wearing different coloured clothing according to their affiliation, worship in unison. Haunting traditional music is played as the over four-hundred strong enter into the temple and it is an amazing sight to behold. Although we travelled for two hours each way over the potholed roads and only stayed a one-half hour, it was worth it (at least I felt that it was worth it… Joe wasn’t so sure!).

July 24 Saigon and It's a Small World After All

Our first stop today was the Reunification Palace. The building, once the symbol of the South Vietnamese government, is preserved almost as it was on April, 1975 when the Republic of Vietnam, which hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese and 58,183 Americans had died trying to save, ceased to exist. It was here that the first communist tanks to arrive in Saigon charged on the morning of April 30, 1975. In a dramatic scene recorded by photojournalists and shown around the world, a soldier ran into the building and up the stairs to unfurl a VC flag from the fourth floor balcony. General Minh, who had become head of state only 43 hours before, waited with his improvised cabinet, addressed the Viet Cong officer who entered the room. “I have been waiting since early this morning to transfer power to you,” Minh said. “There is no question of your transferring the power,” replied the officer. “You can’t give up what you do not have.” It was a powerful experience being there where the end of the Vietnam war took place. In the photo of the rooftop, you can see a helicopter and location of the 2 bombs that landed on the palace enabling the quick occupation of the palace on that eventful date.

The Vietnam War Crime Museum was difficult to experience. It is filled with graphic images (and substantial propaganda). Hieu gave us an hour and we solemnly took in the pictures and stories of the war – use of chemical weapons and their aftermath, use of napom bombing of villages and summarily executed villagers. After growing up with the American perspective, it was fascinating to hear the Vietnamese perspective of the war. On our way out we saw the tiger cages that were used to contain prisoners. Every type of torture (from extracting finger-nails to holding rags over the prisoners mouth and gradually soaking it with more and more water until the victim could no longer breathe) was explained. Very gruesome and sad beyond belief.

Later, on our way to Chinatown, we stopped at the Thien Hau Pagoda. Although we’ve visited several on our trip (and that is an understatement!) we had never lit incense sticks. We bought some and decided to present them to the god of good health. We quietly said our private prayers and then planted them into the smouldering base filled with sand.

In the evening the boys decided to enjoy the amenities of the hotel while Deb and Joe toured the Ben Thanh market. We were impressed with the quantity of Adidas dri-fit products at very low prices. Of course there were the usual Rolex, Abercrombie and Polo knock-offs for sale.

But the biggest surprise of all was bumping into friends from Ottawa! Scott, Kristen, Joshua, Erica and Madeleine who had moved from Ottawa’s Glebe 4 years ago to pursue their adventures and careers in Australia just happened to be vacationing in Vietnam. We couldn’t believe it when we met them.The Disney song, “It’s a Small World After All” rushed into our heads). We caught up on news (how much the kids have grown, how the family size has multiplied, where they have been working, travelling and of course stories of our mutual friend Mike Coulson) over beers at the local open-air restaurant before their train departure to Hoi An (an 18-hour over-nighter). It was a wonderful occasion and we parted promising to keep in touch upon their return to Ottawa in September.

July 23 Saigon - Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam

We had a respite from the rain this morning and we took advantage by playing tennis and taking a quick dip in the pool. At 11 we headed to Saigon (HCMC – Ho Chi Minh City). Our driver and guide are anxious to get back to Saigon. Our guide, Hieu, is engaged and is besotted with his girlfriend, Tran. Our driver actually has two wives, one is Saigon and one in the Mekong Delta. When asked whether the wives know about each other he emphatically responded, “Never!” We can be judgemental about things like but there is a story as to how his dual life came about. Although headquartered in Saigon when first married, he was sent to the Mekong delta for two years while in the army. There he met another woman. When she got pregnant, he married her as well. Becoming a driver after the war gave him the perfect excuse to constantly travel from one location to the other. He has children with both wives and supports both families. When I heard this side of the story I was sympathetic… that is, I must say, until Hieu revealed that he also has a girlfriend in Dalat, with whom he stays whenever visiting there.

En route, we passed the local “red-light district”. A stretch of 2km along the highway with tents and hammocks for the girls to display their wares where the truckers can stop, inspect, even have a nap before heading into the rubber-tree forest to seal the deal. Although illegal, the local police seem to tolerate it. When asked why they do it amongst the rubber trees instead of in the trucks as they do in NA, Hieu explained that it is considered unlucky to do it in the trucks. Those that do, according to superstition, will meet many accidents in the lifetime. We couldn’t help joking that we thought that the easy access to latex was the reason they did it in the rubber trees!

Our 4-hour trip went quite well until the traffic jams in Saigon stretched it a further hour. As we approached downtown we encountered traffic that would not budge. 4-lanes at a dead stop with the only sign of movement being the scooters and motorcycles darting in an out. The reason seemed to be construction of 3 massive towers and a new road plus paving of the main road all at the same time! We had a look around and could see that top real estate goes for US$1000 per month. One can only imagine that will inflate and escalate in the future (the average employee salary here is currently US$200 per month).

Upon arrival at the hotel, we were pleasantly surprised to find that we are in NYC - Asia style! Huge hotels and buildings, restaurants by the dozens on each block mixed with local shops and Asian-style delis. We popped into a couple of the hotel's clubs to check out the entertainment. All first-class and all American! Things are looking up. Temporarily, we are no longer home-sick ;)

July 22 Mui Ne - Starting to get homesick

We’re on on way to Mui Ne, famed for its sand dunes! We hope to go sliding today on the dunes and have a swim in the sea. We’ll be staying at a resort just for one night and then will be on our way to Saigon.

We are all starting to crave various things to eat back home – especially Brendan who has had a limited diet. I miss popcorn the most. Ryan misses Subway and Brendan misses the Ruby Inn. Joe is missing steak (too risky to eat in Asia) and crispy bacon. In Saigon we hope to get our hands on some English books and magazines and maybe take in a movie. A small taste of home will go a long way at this time for us as sometimes life in Asia is overwhelming at times… for example, one time I was walking down the street in Taiwan and saw two women sitting at the side of the road just beginning to eat their lunch from Styrofoam containers. One of the women was holding a small bag of goldfish in water. She put down her lunch and opened the bag of goldfish. She then poured water out of the bag onto her lunch!!! I know that the Asians love their fish sauce but for goodness sake!!! I nearly gagged! Although this was the image that disturbed me the most, there have been others that have certainly made an impression.

A few days ago there was a huge scandal here in Vietnam – the goat penis meat was tainted!! Asians are know for eating every part of anything that walks or swims. Walking through the markets can be a gut-wrenching experience. We have now gotten used to seeing all these bits (duck hearts, eels, snakes, frogs stuffed with mystery meats, etc.) but none of us have gotten use to the foul smelling meats, dried fish, fish sauces, etc.

Another things that we struggle with is the propensity for the Vietnamese to pick their noses. In fact, many men grow their pinky finger nail to use it expressly for that purpose. I don’t have a problem with this, but I do have a problem when this activity becomes a public event. For example, when we met our new guide we were thrilled to learn that he supervises the other guides in Vietnam. He told us how he expects all his guides to dress professionally and be well-groomed. “When you are working, you are working,” he said. I knew at this point that we likely had Vietnam’s best – bilingual, takes pride in appearance, knowledgeable… the consummate professional. Not ten minutes later he started into his nose. Not with one finger, but two – one in each nostril… deep! He managed to extract a good-sized ribbon of mucus before wiping it (on his newspaper? the seat? his clothes? I don’t want to know). He then took out a small pocket-mirror and examined his efforts! I thought about calling him on it right away but I didn’t want things to get off on the wrong foot as he was to be our guide for the next ten days. Instead, I waited until the next day when he began to indulge and immediately handed him a pack of Kleenex when he reached for his nose. There has been no nose-picking since – thank goodness!

Yesterday at our breakfast buffet a Vietnamese woman extracted some masticated food from her mouth and deposited it on a plate with two serving utensil!. As I am losing my patience I pointed at it, contorted my face into a look of disgust and shook my finger at her. Another time a woman sneezed without covering his mouth right into a soup station at the buffet. Neither of the servers behind reacted in any way whatsoever! Yet another time we had finished a beautiful dinner and took Brendan to the kitchen to thank them for keeping him safe. There were the two cooks squatted on turned over pails cutting their toenails! At one restaurant in Sapa a Vietnamese woman from reception took me down to the kitchen to where they conduct cooking classes. A young, barefoot boy (likely the dishwasher) was up squatting on the cooking counter.

Bathrooms can be quite a challenge. We’ve all learned how to squat and we all bring toilet paper with us whenever we go. The hose and bucket method is, of course, most common. I have no problem with that. What I find difficult, however, is going into restaurants where there is no soap in the bathroom. In very upscale restaurants you’ll often find toilet paper, yet no soap (and if they’re not providing it for the customers I think that you can assume that they are not using it themselves).

En route to Mui Ne, we stopped to sand sled on the prehistoric dunes along the China Sea in Southern Vietnam. A form of charity, the children rent to the tourists plastic super sliders on which you are free to sled down. Well needless to say, it was underwhelming with the plastic in contact with the 35-degree sand. Even on pure verticals, there was so much friction, it was harder to stay on the sled than to slide down. The boys took to leaping down the dunes.

Just as we arrived at our terrific resort, the Seashore, the heavens opened. We have been fortunate to miss much of the rain in Vietnam. Both Saigon and Hanoi have been flooded while we have been travelling between them. Interestingly, just a few meters out to sea, the weather is clear. Hmm.

Deb went for a walk on the beach while the boys and I played pool. They are really getting good! We all jumped into the pool until, a half-an-hour later, lightening and thunder made us seek refuge.

We ate dinner at another resort that had an English-speaking chef (from South Africa). It was like night and day! The resort was called the Sailing Club. It was fantastic and Brendan-safe. We would be so much happier in Vietnam if we could find more French- or English-speaking restaurants. Remarkably, we have been staying at nice 4-star resorts and these 2 languages are not prevalent.

July 21 Dalat Crazy House

A morning tour through Dalat had us visiting Crazy House, named after its owner building a ‘natural retreat from concrete’. We then went on to the Last King’s Palace (art deco opulence by a king that was detested by Vietnamese as modern Bourgeoisie – he did not speak Vietnamese language and was Roman Catholic) and then on to the local Pagoda, which includes a fantastic roller coaster ride down to the waterfalls.

We are definitely in the 3rd world here. No education for the children (the only schools are private schools), French and English are no longer taught because of the Communist doctrine to avoid French and American culture. Rural children have no choice but to take to the streets hustling for money or working in a factory or field. All of the money made will go to the family. Parents would lose this needed income if they sent any of their 11 kids to school. We hope that this message is not lost on the boys!

July 20 Dalat Karaoke

Today we’re making our way to Dalat in the central highlands. We quickly learned that our new guide, Huie, speaks excellent French. Joe and I were thrilled that we would be having ten days of immersion (Huie will be with us for the remainder of our trip in Vietnam). After the drive, we settled in for a trip to the market and an evening of karaoke! The kids enjoyed it immensely and crooned with abandon. Brendan danced up a storm. He has a wild personality that only the family gets to see. We couldn’t believe his moves and don’t know where he got them!