It's 3:30 AM, Saturday, February 11th. I'm sitting in the lobby of the Spring Hotel in Saigon (Friday afternoon in Bloomington, IN). I awoke a few minutes ago, thinking about our day yesterday and wanted to share some thoughts with you. Cindy's sleeping and I didn't want to wake her which is why I'm in the lobby. The night clerk's sleeping on the floor some ten feet away and the doorman is probably wondering why that "nut" is sitting in reception, looking around, writing and not in bed. They're both dressed formally in white shirts and ties and always accommodating. Great guys.
I'll move on to keep this somewhat short and readable to hopefully hold your interest. Yesterday was spent walking the city--taking in all the wonderful sights and smells and watching, listening , and talking to everyday Vietnamese about how they spend their lives. We watched moms and dads drop their kids off at school across the street from the hotel. Many times there were four on a motorbike with the kids sandwiched between the parents, eager for school and laughing. They're "just like" the kids and parents in many other parts of the world. It was wonderful to watch.
After lunch we visited the War Remnant Museum. It was crowded with people from many different cultures. There was so much to see, hear, and read. In two hours we could only cover one floor of the three story structure. I think it should be viewed that way, in pieces. Photographers from throughout the world, showed in graphic details (with written commentary in Vietnamese and English) what happened on the battlefields and in the villages; how lives were lost and changed forever. It was tough to see. We'll be back in Saigon in about ten days. We're planning to return to the museum and view the remainder of the floors. I'll share more thoughts at that time.
Around five in the afternoon we were out in front of the hotel waiting to be picked for our "foodie" tour of Ho Chi Minh City. We were to experience Vietnamese food and culture the way people who live here do. I could write pages about this adventure but to keep it short, just a few highlights. We paid to have a video made so you can come over and see it sometime. Two beautiful young ladies weighing at most 100 pounds showed up on motorbikes and off we went. Cindy behind one driver and me behind the other. We became one of millions of motorbikes flying along the streets, inches apart, careening in and out of traffic, holding on and trying to keep our asses on the bikes. It was no less exciting than skydiving. We met ten other people, each on the backs of ten other bikes and literally flew through the streets and sidewalks of Saigon. We ate and drank all kinds of traditional (and non) foods in six different parts of the city: soups, stews, fish, fowl, beef, goat, frog (with and without skins) and the ever famous duck eggs boiled with the embryos just prior to hatching still in the egg. Neither Cindy nor I had the willpower (read guts) to try that.
After five hours of nonstop eating, drinking,* laughing, talking, and screaming through the streets we were dropped off back at our hotel. The girls and guide were great (all spoke English) and could not have been nicer, better, more entertaining, or knowledgeable about their city. We can't wait to see the video and share it with you. Cindy's hoping that the crane used to get her on and off the bike won't be visible.
Tomorrow it's south to Vung Tau on the South China Sea. This is where I enetered Vietnam in 1966 and where I later went for in country R & R. We'll be here for ten days, then back to Saigon and north to Hanoi. Stay with us, great to have you along.
*Beleive it or not, Cindy and I drank water to be sure we didn't fall off.
PS from Cindy~the contrast between present day Vietnam and the past is startling. The stark photographs at the museum contrasted with the "foodie" tour are difficult to reconcile. This is a country that has endured so much and is so much older than our own. Dennis and I were in two very different places in 1966-1967 both mentally and physically. That museum is in our heads and that past will continue to haunt this trip but the present will continue to amaze us.
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