Zoo Day

The whole day was a zoo but I literally started my day at the zoo. The animals looked better treated then I expected. There were lots of families with little children and schools on field trips.  There was also young solders being trained to march with large weapons on their shoulders. (excuse the bad photo, I was shooting from the hip.) However, the solders were about as threatening as the school children.

We left Saigon on an hour bus trip to the boat.  There was a new toll road that Japan helped Vietnam to build that made our journey much smoother and faster.  We took a quick stop at an odd little church where they seemed to believe there is one God in many reincarnations.  Jesus was there with many other deities.

After boarding the boat and settling in, we took a trip to a floating market.  We saw candies being made from coconut and rice.  We drank snake rice wine (which made white lightning taste like fine wine) and I got to pose with a live Burmese Python.  We got back to the boat around sunset.

The boat is very nice and offers everything you could want.  Our room is plenty big enough and the crew is eager to please.  Our captain is from Germany and the rest of the crew is local but they all can speak English.  

I was out like a light after dinner and missed the evening movie.

 

Traffic in Saigon

Ho Chi Minh City, or Saigon as it is still called by the locals, is a beautiful city. It has wide streets, trees, parks and it is very clean.  There are 9 million people who live in Saigon and 4.5 million motor bikes (like Vespas and small engine bikes, not motorcycles.)  The way people drive over here made me scared to get in a bus at first but by the end of the day, I think I understand it a little better.  

Cars and Buses have right of way. They beep their horns to say, “hello, I am here, don’t bump me.” if someone else is a little too close.  They beep their horns a lot but it never seems rude or mean.  I did not see an accident or anyone using their cell phone while driving (and everyone has an iPhone here too.)

The bus will pull out on to the street while 10 motor bikes are just about to pass by.  The motor bikes are expected to slow and change course.  They are like a river.  If you throw a boulder in their way, they just flow around it.  They go on the sidewalk, they move in front of other motor bikes, some may even go over the lines into a lane of oncoming traffic. All are acceptable ways for motor bikes to deal with cars, buses and pedestrians that pull in front of them. Crossing the street for the first time scared many of the people in my travel group but I was okay.  They are going at a slow enough speed that they maneuver around pedestrians.  

So, if you are ever in Saigon and must cross the street, here is how you do it. Wait until no cars or buses are coming and just a few motor bikes are coming. Then step out far enough for them to see you, walk at a brisk pace (don’t run or stop) and expect the motor bikes to drive around you, they will not stop either.

There are normally 2-3 people per motor bike.  I have a couple of photos of children riding in front of the seat of the motor bikes.  There are motor bike taxis run by old men who have retired from their main job but are still able to drive.  The guide said that is a hard job because of the air quality and that these men do not live as long.  Helmets seem to be optional but most wear them.  

Saigon City tour

I will add photos to these posts when I can but I wanted to get my memories written down before they fade.

On Tuesday, February 25,  we spent the day touring Saigon.  We went to the Reunification Palace, a Chinese Buddhist temple (Thien Hau), and a huge local market.

The Reunification Palace is really the place that the President lived before Communism took over.  They sealed all the rooms as they were when the President lived there. Now it is just a museum for tourist walk around, look into the rooms and imagine the life of the president in the 60s.  Kinda like Monticello, only the palace looks more like the Kennedy Center and all the furniture is covered in gold colored cloth.  The first lady was a looker and she was loved by her people like we loved Jackie O.  I think the tour guide said after the war, she and the president relocated to California and then divorced.

The Buddhist temple was very smoky.  They burn incense to send their prayers and good wishes to the spirits, who were your ancestors  (I am oversimplifying of course.) If you wish to be blessed by the spirits, you could buy incense from the temple and light it. Some incense would burn for 7 days.  They would write the prayer on the incense hanger and as it burned, your prayer would be heard by the spirits.   They also had live birds you could buy and set free who would take your prayers to the spirits.  I bought one and as I released it, I prayed that this bird would never be caught again.

The local market was so overwhelming that I just followed the tour guide around.  Imagine a huge indoor farmers market the size of a city block that has hundreds of 10 by 10 stalls, very narrow walkways and an odd smell.  It was so big that there were 14 entrances.  All the outer edge booths were run by the government. The prices are set and the staff wear uniforms and name tags.  The inner booths are run by independent owners who (according to our guide) make up a price based on how rich you look. However, I saw some booths with price tags and no one seemed to charge over the government store prices.  There may be some propaganda there against free market but the people seem happy running their own shops.

We are jet lagged and are going to skip dinner to sleep.

In the air

This is the longest flight of my life, 14 hours and 30 minutes. We flew over the Great Lakes,  up over Toronto, and I slept over most of Canada.  When I opened the window again, it was like the world had been drained of color.  Over Alaska, we had some turbulence that made me question the logic of a big metal flying machine full of very fragile beings.

When we got out over the Pacific Ocean, our ride finally settled down.  I looked down at the water it was like I was looking up at the sky on a bright summer day.  It was so clear and peaceful.

We lost a day as we came over the international date line but it will be waiting for us when we come back. We are flying over the Baring Sea as I type this and I can see Russia from my seat.

Korean Air has been pleasant to fly on. The flight was not full, so dad and I got 3 seats to ourselves.

They gave us a toothbrush, toothpaste, and funny paper thin slippers. There are movies to watch, tunes provided and I have knit almost half a sock.  That all said my legs and butt are tired of sitting and I am ready to get off this plane.

Prep Days

I have been preparing for my trip to see Cambodia and Vietnam for almost a year now. My father called me from out of the blue in mid May 2013 and said, "I would like to go to Vietnam but I don't want to go alone. Will you go with me?"  My father is a Vietnam vet and I knew this trip would be hard for him, so I said, "Let me talk to Hubby and I will give you an answer soon."  Hubby agreed to watch the boys and keep house, my mom agreed to watch the boys when hubby has to work overnights so I could go. Dad bought the tickets through a tour group and we were set. We would be flying out February 23, 2014 and would be gone 17 days.

It didn't seem real at first. I mean, I got the passport, shots and other things that must be done way in advance but it never seemed like it would actually happen. It was so far away.  It was not until December that I even became concerned that I wouldn't have enough leave from work. Then I got concerned about how my children would cope with me being gone.  My husband just said tonight that I am the key to making everything run smoothly in this house.

So, to prepare:

• I made 15 crockpot freezer meals (our favorite is the orange chicken)
• I made a schedule of who had the kids on what days/nights (they are 5 and 8 years old)
• I wrote a note to their teachers to notify them of my travel and emergency contact changes.
• I did extra laundry, dishes and such so the house is less dirty when I leave then usual.
• Made the boys a calender that they can use to cross off the days till I return.
• Planned my knitting projects
• Started a new blog
• Bought trail mix for the flight

What I should do to prepare but have not yet:

• Pack
• Choose items for carry on
• Use my Learn to speak Vietnamese CDs   
• Pack my children for their weekend away with my parents in law

I have one more day.  I can do this. (Well, not learn to speak Vietnamese but the packing part and the getting ready to leave my family part.)