Time To Wrap This Up

   Patti and I got home a week ago today, tired but very satisfied with our trip. We had a marvelous time in Vietnam and Cambodia. Not only did we meet some very nice fellow travelers, but we found the Vietnamese and Cambodian people to be very warm and friendly. I apologize for not being able to update the blog while I was traveling. It turns out, much to my dismay, that I had downloaded too many Prime videos onto my laptop, a fact and a lesson I did not learn until I got home. The result was that my computer's memory was at its limit, so I left my laptop home. When I blogged on my phone, I discovered that I could not access the blog readers group I had created on my gmail account, so I formed a group on Whats App and kept people on Whats App up to date. Since I know not all of you use Whats App, some were left out, and for that I apologize. When I got home, with the help of Campbell Business Solutions, I was able to free up space on my laptop by deleting the Prime videos and clearing my email cache. In case you are wondering why I downloaded Prime videos, I did it because sometimes the entertainment offerings on flights do not float my boat, so I watch downloaded videos instead. Lesson learned: delete downloaded videos to free up memory.

  What follows will be sort of a highlights tour of the remainder of our trip. We visited Sa Dec, famous for a love story between a Frenchman and a Vietnamese woman. We visited the house where the French family lived, and old French colonial house on the river. Our guide, Tony (Vietnamese name An Tuan) told us the story had a tragic ending and that there is a famous movie about their story, but darned if I can remember the name of the movie. We visited the open air market in San Dec where fresh produce, meat, and fish was available for sale. In larger cities such as Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, there are larger markets where people shop. In the rural areas, open air markets are where the people shop. To be honest, I doubt that I would trust the meat or fish because of the flies. Going to market is a staple of rural Vietnamese living. Tony told us it is not unusual to greet another person by saying have you been to market today rather than saying good morning. In the afternoon we walked through a village and also went to a location where Vietnamese sweets are made. We saw a demonstration of producing popped rice, like popcorn except that it is made with rice. After the excursion, we returned to the ship. That evening, we were entertained onboard by traditional Vietnamese musicians and actors.

  We disembarked on the 18th and boarded busses. Prior to going to Ho Chi Minh City, we visited the Cu Chi Tunnel site. The Viet Cong were very skillful guerrilla fighters who had sprawling tunnel complexes all over what was South Vietnam where they lived and from which they would emerge at night. The complexes were equipped with kitchens, operating rooms, conference rooms, very clever ventilation systems, and living quarters. Multiple trap doors that blended with the ground provided access to and from the tunnels so if the VC were engaged by either American or South Vietnamese troops, they could easily escape underground. Some American forces would utilize smaller American soldiers as tunnel rats if the entrance to a tunnel complex was located. I don't the know what the life expectancy of a tunnel rat was. I chose not to enter the tunnel complex as we were told we'd need to stoop as we traversed through the tunnel system. Those in our group who did enter the tunnel confirmed the need to stoop and also said it was dark. Besides the tunnels there were various booby traps on display. If a soldier triggered a booby trap, he would fall into a pit filled with devices with metal spikes on which he would be impaled. The booby traps were ingenious and deadly. Nothing was triggered in me, but a couple of Air Force veterans who had served in the Middle East told me they needed to get away from the live fire rifle range that was about halfway through the tour. I understood completely. After the Cu Chi tour, we boarded our busses, and after a lunch stop, proceeded to Ho Chi Minh City.

  In Ho Chi Minh City we checked into our hotel, that was another five star hotel. Viking takes excellent care of its passengers. We were walking distance from the Opera House where we attended an amazing performance by Vietnamese acrobats and musicians. It is hard to explain, but the acrobats utilized baskets both small and large as well as long bamboo poles and completely dazzled us with their skill and athleticism. After the performance, we returned to our hotel and the most overwhelming seafood buffet we have ever experienced. It was late for us to eat and we fully intended to just eat light. So much for the best laid plans. I think we had at least seconds as well as dessert(s). I gravitated to the sashimi and sushi and smoked salmon while Patti went for the lobster tail and other delicacies. To say we overate would be gross understatement. It was delicious.  

  The next day, we toured Ho Chi Minh City by bus. When I was in Vietnam, I never got to Saigon, so I have no basis for comparison. It is a huge modern city with multiple high rises and more being constructed. I shot a video of Saigon from our hotel room and shared it with a friend of mine who was billeted in a hotel in Saigon during his tour in Vietnam. He was amazed at the change. I believe about 12 million people live in Saigon/Ho Chi Minh City and traffic congestion during the day and evening hours is par for the course. We visited a shop where lacquer artwork is produced and sold as well as the presidential palace. Part of the tour was of the bunker at the palace where much of the war was planned and updated. The presidential palace fell to the North Vietnamese in 1975 as the last American helicopter departed from what had been the CIA headquarters in Saigon. The country was reunited in 1976. Much has changed in Vietnam in 50 years.

  That night, we had our farewell dinner in Ho Chi Minh City. Depending on when peoples' flights departed determined what time they would be transported to the airport. Some left the hotel as early as 3:00 am. We caught a break. Since we were flying to Chu Lai and departing from the domestic terminal, we had a 9:00 am departure. Our luck was even better because our guide Tony was flying back to Hanoi, so he accompanied us to the airport and made sure we got checked in and settled. We really appreciated all of his help. We lifted off from Saigon on our way to Chu Lai and the last leg, a return to where I was stationed 55 years ago.