A Bit of a Reflection & then on to Ha Long Bay

Dennis~
Viet Nam isn't what I thought it was going to be. The towns I remember were much smaller. Maybe I idealized what the villages were like. When we went into villages in '66-'67, the people seemed curious about us and not so much afraid, as anxious. Families seemed happy, even in the poorest villages with dirt floor houses.

Now many people here don't seem to know about the war with the Americans. It really seems in the past. They may be conscious of it in the way my generation is conscious of World War I. The Vietnamese have been through so many wars, this one means no more or no less than any of the others. Two million people starved to death in the war with France because they were forced to plant rubber trees and coffee instead of rice. Only since planning this trip have I found out about the war and its causes. I see that for the younger generation here and at home it is a historical event that has little meaning now.

Dennis & Cindy~
Ha Long Bay

On Board Ship In Ha Long Bay

The boat, the accommodations, the food, the service were excellent. The staff on the boat provided us with everything you could want, including a great bartender! The scenery was spectacular. Karsts rise up out of the mist and encircle the boats. Yes, boats--the bay is FULL of them, both day trippers and overnighters. Go for the overnight trip!

Our Cabin

Sunny, our G Adventure guide and part of the staff

A Bit of Company

You've never heard Karaoke until you hear it echoing over water. OMG or as we now say, OMB (Oh My Buddha!). It sounded so good we thought we might try it on Front Nine. Imagine the sounds echoing up and down the street--oldies sung by the young at heart!

Sing, Sing a Song...

We swam, we boated into a cavern, we caved, we climbed.

Climb to the Top

Dennis~ (I want no part of this tale...cm)
Yea, had a bit of a problem here. Climbed to the top of an atoll to get a better view of the bay. Going up was good.

Up or Down?

View from the Top

Down? Not so much. Half way down a rumbling in my stomach started, well actually in my pants. "Can I make it? There's gotta be a toilet at the bottom!" Almost made it! But then -- a "shart." I ran as fast as I could and finally hit the beach at the bottom in full stride, running into the water in my trunks with my underwear still on. Smiling and nodding at the Golden Girls from Ireland who are part of our group. "Can't stop to chat, just can't wait to get into that water."

Out of my way. Gotta get in the Water!

Long sigh...a part of me still lies at the bottom of the South China Sea. Get my "drift"? Hope no one else did.

So Refreshing!

Our Final Visit to the War Remnant Museum

The War Remnant Museum
I sit drawing on the outside patio of the War Remnant Museum while Dennis is finishing looking at the exhibits on the middle floor. Drawing forces my eyes to focus on the lines, shapes, sometimes the shadows.The War Remnant Museum forces you to look back and the pictures from the past are not attractive, they are horrific. Whatever you did, wherever you were during the the US involvement in Vietnam, it's impossible to free yourself from the sins of those years. If you escaped the worst of it, you feel guilty. If you participated in it, you feel guilty. If you protested, you feel guilty because it wasn't enough and the end didn't come quickly enough.

Is this the lesson then? You have to stand up, you have to be counted, you have to persist? Perhaps it is but it brings little comfort to you or to those around you or to those living 10,000 miles away. How do we escape the past? What present deeds can assuage it?

To view the exhibits, we began on the top floor and worked our way down to the ground level. the top floor contained a photography exhibit given to the Vietnamese by the state of Kentucky. It features photographs taken by photographers on all sides of the war. Some went on to become award winning photo journalists, some disappeared on the trail into Cambodia, some were killed in action. They represented all sides of the conflict and many were from nations that were not involved in the war.

Three photographs struck a chord with both of us. The photograph of the child left behind by his family with the Vietnamese marines marching past in the background. How did this happen? What happened to this little one?

The photograph of the family seen between the pant legs of a soldier. What kind of terror were they experiencing?

The photograph of the 11th Cavalry disembarking at Vung Tau. This was Dennis' regiment. This is where they disembarked. What were these young men thinking? What were they expecting? What happened to them?

The USA is experiencing difficult times right now. The hope we see is that the Vietnamese people forgive. I doubt that they forget but they forgive. President Obama made a great impression on them in November, 2017 when he visited Vietnam and they accepted him with trust. As long as our government continues in the direction he set, they will welcome us.

Dennis' thoughts~
The pictures of the children were the most difficult to see. A little boy, about one year old, left behind to sit in the dirt while Vietnamese soldiers walked past him. The photographer wrote that he was "abandoned" but what parent could/would abandon their child? I believe they were killed. This little one was one of so many whose lives were cut short or altered irreparably by a war they had no control over. The same can be said for millions of civilians and soldiers on both sides of this war. Must it always be the foot soldier or innocent bystander who pays the price while those in power remain unscathed and prosper? We must hold them accountable, if not us, who?

I've found after talking with many Vietnamese, that they've moved past the war. I have not spoken to anyone who shows any animosity toward former U. S. Soldiers. They did what they were told to do and so did we. Horrible things were done on both sides. I'm moving on too. Hanoi, Hue, Danang, Hoi An await...

Farewell to Vung Tau

It's about 5:00 PM on Sunday in Vung Tau, Vietnam and our ten day stay is drawing to a close. Tomorrow morning we'll take a ferry back to Ho Chi Minh City. It's about an hour and a half trip. We'll be in Saigon for one evening and then on Tuesday, 2/21 we fly to Hanoi. Just want to briefly recap our time in Vung Tau.

First and foremost, the Vietnamese people are wonderful. Even though most don't speak English, we've still been able to communicate using hand signals, facial expressions, sign language, drawing pictures, and if that fails, we of course just talk louder. I believe because of us (what's this us, kemosabe?), many Vietnamese think most Americans are hard of hearing.

Regarding Cindy? She's a rock star here. A number of times at the beach and on the street, well dressed ladies have approached her, camera in hand, asking if they could have a picture taken with her. They were all smiles and laughing. Some wanted to touch her "silver" hair. We thought, that must be it. Not many people here have gray hair so it's uncommon. In any event, she loved it! Lady Gaga Mosca!

We also rented a motorbike for a day. I could write pages about this. When I went to rent it, Cindy told me to get the insurance. The guy spoke no English so after we both concluded that I wanted to rent a bike, he took my $6.00 for the day, gave me the key, and sent me on my way. Didn't ask for a license, a passport-- nothing. We never got to discussing insurance.

Next we're on the street in a town of 450,000 people with no traffic laws--no stop lights or stop signs, people going in all directions with you and against you, on the road, on the sidewalk and everyone with their hands on their horns---bikes, cars, trucks, buses, To say I was scared shitless says nothing. I think I filled my pants within three blocks of renting the motorbike. Good thing the bike had storage under the seat for helmets and underpants! Most of the time on the motorbike was not spent looking at the scenery but with watching my life flash before my eyes.

The food here has almost always been fantastic. We've found only one exception to the rule, the Haven Lounge which we visited last night.

Cindy's review: The graciousness of the people make it difficult to write a bad word even about a restaurant that is horrible. However, be warned--do not go to the Haven Lounge on Tran Phu to eat. Have a drink, if you would like to see a spectacular view of the South China Sea but do not eat there. In the space of an hour, we saw four rats and a dog poop on the floor. Granted, it's a walled outdoor terrace setting but really? The dog, cute though he was, apparently belongs there and is free to come up to your table and sit longingly waiting for a tidbit.

The wine was okay, the Long Island Iced Tea, an unusual version but drinkable. The seafood fried spring rolls must have been the frozen food version and the charcuterie on a cutting board was peculiar-- very tiny pieces of cheese (actually quite good), two pieces of sausage cut into halves, capers, gherkins, pickled onions, tiny bits of ham. As we sat nibbling, a "squirrel" ran across the floor, oh, but he had a very long skinny tail. Not a squirrel. During the course of our nibbling three more skinny tailed "squirrels" ran by and for a bit more entertainment the cute little dog went over to the adjoining section of the bar and took a dump. Yum! Not a place, I'd go back to but how do you give a place a minus one star when the people who served you were so lovely? You don't want them to lose their jobs. This place was designed to serve foreigners, especially Australians. Perhaps it is even owned by an Australian. Who knows? At any rate I cannot recommend this spot, view or no view.

Cindy has found a way to stick with Weight Watchers but I don't think it's program approved.

That's it for now. Will write from Hanoi with additional adventures. Later--

A Glorious Day

What a glorious day--we did not spend hours looking for a length of rope for hanging our laundry (which we did do the day before yesterday). We found a bungee cord that was rejected by Mr. Schulz. He wants a rope! He found one tonight in the street and a passer-by told him he might find rope in the next street over. Mind you, they do not share a common language.

Clothesline Possibilities

We went to the beach today!

We were out of the apartment by 9:00 AM and walked down Tran Phu for about 1 and 1/2 miles to a --are you ready?-- Mexican Restaurant! I had a chicken enchilada which was delicious. Dennis had a chicken burrito which was not. Nevertheless the restaurant had a lovely staff and beautifully clean bathrooms.

We took a taxi, a real taxi to the Imperial Hotel where you can rent chairs with large gorgeous towels for $10.00 per person and order beers! Wonderful!

Take what you need...

At the beach I was a star. Several ladies wanted to have their pictures taken with me. Why you ask? Beats me--the white hair (which seems to be unusual here), a chubby lady, a great cover up from Bloomington Clothing Company?

A star...What?!

Dennis swam in the South China Sea so he can cross that off his bucket list. I went into the pool.

South China Sea

Emerging from the sea

The pool

The end of the day found us at David's Italian Restaurante having caprese salad and pizza. Yum!! We met the owner who is from Florence. Lovely man, lovely staff, lovely food!!

Yum! Homemade sausage

Limoncello

Back "on-line"

Ok...I'm back online. I think after sleeping about 12 hours yesterday (5 - 10 PM & then 12:00 - 6:30 AM) I'm in sync with local time and off US time. Yeah!! Felt like I was in a fog there for awhile. Well, we've learned a few more valuable lessons today. Let me share (like we could stop him. cm): We had a few cups of coffee this morning from the lady who lives two floors up and sells coffee as a sideline. I walk up to floor 12 (we're on 10), order my coffee and she delivers it to our apartment 15 minutes later. It's good but looks like chocolate milk. It's made with sweetened condensed milk and coffee that's 250 octane! With the sugar and caffeine, I'm wired and ready to run a marathon, well to walk down the street and pick up a jug of water, anyway.

Lesson One:
A maximum of one cup of this high grade coffee in the morn--two cups? Verboten! On to the second adventure: after the coffee rush and shower, it's about noon and time for lunch.

We walk up the road about a 1/2 mile and there is a restaurant on the ocean that advertises seafood. Got to be good, right? It's on the South China Sea by god! Well maybe not by god. Vietnam is a communist country (he says with a non-religious wink). Well, it was not good, it was fantastic! Shrimp sautéed in garlic with pumpkin flowers, seafood spring rolls that would cause Anthony Bourdain to admit defeat.

Cay Bang Restaurant

But here's the kicker. No wine by the glass, only by the bottle. What a dilemma. After Cindy and I consulted for 7 seconds, we decided on a bottle.
Lesson Two:
After having 250 ocatane sweetened coffee for breakfast DO NOT have a bottle of wine (that you buy based on the cheapest price) with lunch. After lunch we dragged our sorry asses back the 1/2 mile to our apartment and called it a day (at 2:00 PM).

No way is that the finger, not in her sleep...

Will have to content ourselves with wine by the glass only for lunch...oh yeah on a side note, I gave the waitress our credit card for the bill. She nor anyone else in the restaurant spoke English but they did take credit cards. Two minutes later, she came back with my card and gave me her cell phone. I laughed and gave it back to her. She smiled and stuck it in my ear. I thought, "who would call me in Vietnam? I don't know anyone here." I'm quick on the uptake, right? Well, it was the cashier who did speak English. She was very pleasant and just wanted me to know that there was an additional 2 % charge for using a credit card. End result? The $30.00 lunch was going to cost me another $1.60. "Is that okay, sir?"
"Thank you, yes. That's fine. Thank you."

I don't get it. I travel. I'm sophisticated. After all I'm from Indiana.

More adventures to come. Stay with us~

Everyday People

Giving Dennis a break, Cindy writes (don't moan and groan it won't have as much humor but he does agree):
Ho Chi Minh City and Vung Tau--
Encounters with everyday people:

The XO Tour staff are fantastic young people who shared their lives and perspectives with us. Housing is very expensive so many generations live together and privacy is limited. Along the Saigon River there is a section that has lounge chairs, umbrellas, and much foliage where young people can go to have some privacy, not as we were assured, for very intimate acts, but for everyday things like, "give me a big kiss," (you know a little necking but without the benefit of the back seat of a car) "your mother is driving me crazy," etc. With an average monthly income of between $130.00 - $250.00 and housing costs high, it's difficult to move out. We saw many upscale housing high rise apartments with darkened windows because inflation is so high (23%) the wealthy invest in property but the property remains vacant.

XO Tour Staff cooking for us

A man selling cold coconut milk, helping us to find the War Remnants Museum: He walked us across the street, let Dennis hold his load so that he could see how heavy it was, took us to the corner and showed us the museum. We bought two drinks.

Delicious!

A man in Vung Tau who bought us a couple of beers: retired from Toronto, Canada returning home once or twice a year. He understood immediately that Dennis had been here before as a soldier and wanted us to enjoy Vietnam. Amazing.

A man who worked for the embassy of Australia in the early 70's returning as we are--met he and his wife on a tour for returning vets, though these were primarily from Australia. We visited a pagoda that was a memorial to Vietnamese veterans who fought in the area. We also spent a bit of time at a memorial for the Australians who fought in this area. Glen, our tour guide had many stories from the veterans of Australia who have come back to the area to remember fallen comrades. And he has his own story--he met his wife here, they married, they have a business and in addition to sharing the story of Australia's involvement with the USA in Vietnam, he shared a bit of the story of the expats from Australia.

A memorial to the fallen Vietnamese

A memorial to the fallen Australians

The grocery store owner who saved the grapes that we bought but didn't take with us yesterday--he tried to catch us but we got into the taxi too quickly. When we went back today for more groceries, he had them for us.

At our favorite grocery store

Laura's Cafe: we ordered gin and tonics. The young lady brought us two iced teas. Dennis went to investigate, not like a Terry Bradshaw clone but politely. The teas were complimentary to drink while we waited for the gin and tonics to be made and brought to us. How incredible is that?

This is what makes our traveling so compelling, this is why we love it: getting to know the world through the people. What wonderful opportunities we've had and how fortunate we are. We are so grateful.