THAILAND; LAOS; VIETNAM; SINGAPORE
29 January – 1 March 2011

We planned a trip to Thailand, Laos, Viet Nam and Singapore. We used Cox & Kings, a tour company, for the Laos and Viet Nam portions. This was private travel with them booking the hotels and some meals. They also provided us with a private car, driver, and guide in each place.
On Saturday 29 January, we flew AA from DFW to LAX. We spent the night in the Airport Marriott Hotel on the concierge level and stayed there over Sunday. We were on Cathay Pacific 881 which departed LAX as 12:05 a.m. on Monday 31 January for Hong Kong. We arrived in Hong Kong later than scheduled on Tuesday morning. The flight was 16 hours. Upon arrival in Hong Kong, we made our way through the terminal to Cathay Pacific 731 departing at 9:10 a.m. This trek, of course, required another pass through Security. We lost an hour in flight and arrived in Bangkok on schedule at 11:00 a.m. After entering the terminal, we went to information and were directed to the departure gate for Thai Airways 110. We found a place to get boarding passes and then had to go through Immigration which took about 15 minutes. Then we immediately had to go through Security before making our way to the gate. We arrived there about noon. Boarding the flight was a new experience. We boarded buses which drove at least half way around the terminal and let us off. We then climbed several sets of stairs on a tower to enter jet ways to board the plane. This was a big plane and it took a while. Still, we departed about the scheduled 12:55 p.m. and arrived in Chiang Mai about 2:00. We made our way to the baggage claim area for international baggage and picked up our two bags. After walking through Customs, we met the lady from the Four Seasons Resort, and she called for the car. Upon arrival at the hotel, we were greeted and served juice. After completing the necessary paperwork, we were driven to rice terrace room 1702; it was the same one we had in 2009 and the one we requested. The purpose of this stay in Thailand was to adjust to the different time zone and be ready for the remainder of the trip. We stayed here from 1 February to 6 February. The Four Seasons Resort in Chiang Mai, Thailand consists of many separate buildings constructed in a Thai style and distributed around a series of terraces holding rice paddies. These terraces rise from an amoeba-shaped pond and hold rice in various stages of growth.

On one side of the pond is a yoga pavilion and at one end are a rice barn and two more Thai-style buildings used for private meals; all are constructed of wood.

The lobby and Sala Mai Rim are located in the main building with an adjacent library and an arcade with high-end shops. The lobby is on the high side of the terraces and the Terraces restaurant and swimming pool are also on the upper end. There is a big spirit house containing the Elephant God outside the lobby.

Rooms are in buildings that hold three or four units and are in an irregular placement around one side of the terraces. [There are rooms with no view of the terraces.] Our room is the farthest from the lobby and our sala the best one for viewing.

A sala is a covered porch and ours is about 12 feet square and connected to our room via a boardwalk about 20 feet long and four feet wide. It is elevated on piers about 5 or 6 feet above the ground. Because of the shade, the mild temperatures, and the breeze; we really enjoy relaxing on the sala.

There are two water buffalo at the hotel; one is black and the other so white it looks albino. They are cosseted and petted by two handlers. The buffalo spend time in the rice paddies gorging themselves and then standing or lying in the shade about 20 yards from our room. The handlers bring bundles of hay for them; bathe them; clean up after them.

Today there is a third water buffalo, another black one. He gorges in the rice paddies and wallows in the mud. Our room is about 20 feet by 18 feet with a king size bed and a sitting area. The bathroom is huge with double sinks; a wall of closets, and separate tub, shower, and toilet. The garden tub sits in a glass alcove within a walled garden which had a Hindu statue centering the wall; it is lighted at night. Both the toilet room and the shower have glass walls looking into the garden.

The gardens of the resort are excellently maintained by an army of men and women in blue rice-farmer uniforms. They rake leaves and trim foliage for hours on end. The leaves from teak trees are huge and when dead crash loudly to the ground. Flowers bloom profusely in a rainbow of colors. All around the resort are large pots filled with water which have flowers floating in them; a gardener makes daily rounds placing the flowers in precise designs so that the pots appear kaleidoscopic.

We wandered the grounds for a while and made some photos. We had reservations in Terrace restaurant at 6:30 and walked the longer way around the back of the rice terraces to reach it. We had a great table on the corner with a wonderful view. We watched as it grew dark and the distant mountains faded to black. The hanging paper lanterns glowed whiter as did the many orange lights from the tiki torches interspersed among the terraces and along the walk ways. Their reflections in the various water features added to the effect. Tonight, as every night, a chorus of frogs serenaded us. Rather than being annoying, it is calming. Perhaps because of the frogs, but even with all the water there are very few mosquitoes. We went for a longer walk through the scenic and serene grounds; some of the residences here are really grand. The band played its usual rhythmic beat around five o’clock; today it lasted longer than the normal five minutes. That building is decorated with banners today and is prepared for a private meal to be served there this evening.
On our last 'Lotus Eater" day, we spent most of the warm afternoon on the sala. We watched as a farmer hitched a water buffalo to a plow/harrow and tilled a couple of rice paddies. The time in Chiang Mai has been most relaxing, but we’re somewhat acclimated to this time zone and ready to see more of Southeast Asia.

Sunday 6 February –We called for someone to get the luggage at noon; the car transfer to the airport was scheduled for 12:30. After about a half hour’s drive, we reached the airport. Along the highway a profusion of multi-colored bougainvillea bushes about 4 feet tall filled the median. The nicest thing about Thailand is the people. They possess an inner serenity and assurance and an innate physical grace. They smile, bow their heads, make the wah, and greet your spirit each time they meet you. We checked in for Lao Airways flight 645. They threw us a curve and said rolling carry-on bags wouldn’t fit into the overhead bins and we would need to check them. We quickly put essentials in a fold up bag which we had in an outside pocket to one of the larger pieces of luggage. We left check in and passed through Immigration and arrived in the departure lounge. When boarding began, we passed through a doorway and went down an escalator; the stairs had a “Beware Your Step” sign at the top. Then we boarded a bus and were driven to a Lao Airways plane on the tarmac. It was propeller driven and held about 120 passengers. We boarded via a rear stairway. We left a few minutes earlier than the scheduled 3:00. During the flight a box meal of ham sandwich, cake, and drink was served. The smooth flight took us over extremely mountainous terrain.

LAOS

We landed in Luang Prabang at 4:00. Once in the terminal we joined the line for “Visa on Arrival” and submitted our completed forms and passports at one window and then picked them up with the visas inside at another; the cost was $72 for both visas. We then went to Immigration where the passports and visas were stamped. After claiming our luggage and having the baggage tags checked by an attendant, we exited the airport. Just outside the terminal, we met Phom, our guide. He and our driver loaded our luggage and we drove to our hotel, La Residence Phou Vao. We checked into room 406 and were shown to the room which has a view over the pool area surrounded by lush greenery leading the eye to the distant mountains. The hotel is a nice one set back from the main road in a large garden. It looks like an old colonial villa. The lobby is high and open. Our room is reached via a wooden staircase that winds to the second floor. We walk across an open porch and down a hallway before stepping up into a vestibule to enter our room which is a Mountain Pool View Room. Once inside the closet is on the right and the bathroom with its huge tub on the left. The bedroom itself contains a couch; a mosquito net draped king-sized bed; 2 night stands; desk; coffee table; minibar; chest. It is about 12 by 18 feet. Double sliding glass doors lead onto a porch containing two chaise lounges, which are wooden platforms topped by a small mattress and a wedge-shaped pillow. The wooden floor creaks and groans with every step making the room noisy. There are several lamps but the room seems dark and the bathroom even darker. Were it not for an opening about 4 by 8 feet in the wall between the bedroom and bathroom, the single vanity would really be dark.

Monday 7 February – We didn’t sleep well; there’s an insomniac rooster within earshot. We got ready for our half day tour. Located at the confluence of the Mekong and the Nam Khan Rivers, Luang Prabang was once the country’s capital and is the largest city in northern Laos; it has more the feel of a small town than a city. Phom was here at 9:00 and we were off. In the distance we could see the golden Stupa Vat Luang shining in the morning sun. We chose not to climb the three-hundred-plus steps up the mountain for a closer look.

The first temple on our tour was Vat Visoun which is also the site of an impressive stupa known as That Makmo. The locals call it “the watermelon stupa” as the top looks like half a watermelon.

Nearby is Vat Aham, dedicated to ancestors. At every Buddhist temple it is necessary to remove shoes and hats before entering.

Phom, who spent 14 years as a Buddhist monk, gave excellent explanations. We learned that the walls of the temple are constructed with a bamboo lath over which is a plaster made by boiling water buffalo hides, sugar cane and sand until they form the plaster. This was almost a lost art until UNESCO stepped in to fund training; without this material, the structures cannot be repaired successfully. We then drove to visit a number of temples which lined the area. Here we saw Vat Sene and Vat Xieng Thong, which locals consider the most beautiful temple.
In each of these places we saw beautiful and intricately carved wooden panels which had been gilded; some phase of the Buddha’s life was depicted. Some buildings had painted gables with scenes from the life of the Buddha. We saw a number of monks and novices and there was a school in one of the temple complexes. At one complex a building housed the funerary vehicle of the last Laotian king; it was a masterpiece of intricately and ornately carved wood gilded to perfection.

Glass imported from Japan formed mosaics on the walls.

One chapel contained similar mosaics on its exterior while another had a huge tree of life mosaic on the rear wall.

We went to Vat Phra Kaew where the royals worshiped.

Some have hundreds of small golden images of the Buddha affixed to the walls to commemorate donations; it’s very much like the small crutches and other offerings seen in some Christian churches as offerings of thanksgiving. We saw the mighty Mekong River before driving a little way out of town to Nongxay Village where we saw paper being made by hand. Then we went to a silk weaving workshop. Here we saw the worms being fed; the process of spinning; the natural elements used to create the dyes; the dyed threads; the weaving on the looms. We also saw bamboo trays of sticky rice drying in the sun. It was about noon when we returned to the hotel.

Tuesday 8 February – What a long day! We got up at 5:20 and got ready to leave at 6:00. We wanted to see the alms giving for the Buddhist monks. The tour company arranged for us to have offerings of sweets and sticky rice. Phom sat us up on a sidewalk with a carpet and small stools. We took off our shoes, tied sashes around our torsos and got ready to participate. A broken line of barefooted monks clad in egg-yolk-yellow robes passed by. Each opened his bowl, in reality a one-quart metal pot on a shoulder strap, We put in either a wrapped candy or a glob of sticky rice. The ceremony began when the temple bell sounded about 6:20 and was over by 7:00. We had heard it was “touristy” but Phom placed us in a location that was not. We were very interested and wondered how we would exist if all we had to eat for a day was food given to us---without our asking.

From there we returned to the hotel for breakfast and then left again at 8:00.

We drove to the river and took a boat north on the Mekong River toward the Pak Ou Caves. A portion of the river was misty and reminded us of the Li River in China. Along the way we saw people fishing both with rods and with nets. Along the shore there are vegetable plots which will be flooded during the rainy season. About half way there we stopped at Ban Hanghai, a village where Lao-Lao whiskey is distilled. There is 55 proof which is bottled with snakes, scorpions, and even bear’s feet inside the bottles and is used like Viagra. There is a nice Buddhist temple complex near the village center. The village also makes cotton cloth and we walked through a market there before reboarding the riverboat.

We drove to the river and took a boat north on the Mekong River toward the Pak Ou Caves. A portion of the river was misty and reminded us of the Li River in China. Along the way we saw people fishing both with rods and with nets. Along the shore there are vegetable plots which will be flooded during the rainy season. About half way there we stopped at Ban Hanghai, a village where Lao-Lao whiskey is distilled. There is 55 proof which is bottled with snakes, scorpions, and even bear’s feet inside the bottles and is used like Viagra. There is a nice Buddhist temple complex near the village center. The village also makes cotton cloth and we walked through a market there before reboarding the riverboat.

We arrived at Pak Ou Caves about 10:15 and trudged up a lot of steps to the caves which contain about 4000 Buddhas. They were put here during wartime to protect them and have been left and venerated. They are of all materials and sizes. On the outer wall the various high water levels are marked.

About 11:15 we reboarded the boat for the ride back to Luang Pragang. We noticed several people using baskets to pan for gold. A herd of water buffalo clustered at the water’s edge in another spot. We arrived back in town about 12:15 and returned to the hotel for lunch.

At 2:00 we left the hotel and drove south about 30 minutes into the countryside to visit Khoung Si Waterfall. Here we saw clear, azure pools of water perfect for swimming. We began near the bottom and saw several small waterfalls which formed pools. We continued walking uphill until we reached the bottom of the falls itself. Water tumbles about 80 meters down the mountainside forming a beautiful pool. After making several photos, we walked back to the van and headed back into Luang Prabang.

We stopped on the way at Ban Naown, a minority village. This Naon village was relocated by the government from the area at the top of the falls. Here we wandered through a fairly dirty and unkempt settlement geared to selling to tourists. Then we drove back to town and arrived about 5:00. We enjoyed seeing the countryside and the rice farms. We saw hundreds of children heading home from school; the schools look crowded and ineffective. The entire area looks impoverished. Once back at the hotel, we relaxed until 6:30 when Phom reappeared to take us to the night market. We enjoyed seeing the various goods on display; all the shoppers were tourists. We returned to the hotel about 7:30.

Wednesday 9 February –At 8:30 we met Phom and the guide from The Elephant Village. We drove from the hotel and took the main highway from Luang Prabang to Vientiane, the capital; it looks more like a farm-to-market road. We learned that it takes 4 days to get to Vientiane by bus. We drove for about 10 minutes down this paved road and then turned onto a dirt road; it was rutted, pot holed, and rough. We can’t imagine how it could be traversed in the rainy season. About 20 minutes later we arrived at The Elephant Village which has 13 cow elephants.

Situated high on the banks of the Nam Khan River, this is a sanctuary which caters to tourists by offering elephant rides. The elephants, sporting howdahs which looked like benches, were eating pineapple leaves when we arrived. We were the first customers of the day and soon climbed steps to a platform from which to board the elephant. After being seated in the howdah, a stick notched to fit over each arm was placed across in front of us to serve as a safety bar. Our mahout was named Sakhorn and the elephant was Mae Khammang; she was fifty years old. Perched easily atop the elephant’s head, Sakhorn kicked and verbally urged her forward. She was most reluctant to move and continued munching on the pineapple foliage which she had grabbed in her trunk before her breakfast was so rudely interrupted. We lumbered slowly along a dirt pat and began a steep descent toward the river; each step appeared to be an effort and she required a lot of encouragement. We reached the water’s edge and entered the river where Mae Khammang waded across to a sand bar. During the wading, Sakhorn sang some Laotian songs for us; he has an excellent voice. At one point a long-tailed speedboat went by with a load of passengers heading toward the waterfall. At the sand bar, Sakhorn got off and made photos of us atop the elephant.

Then he remounted and we slowly made our way down the length of the sand bar and reentered the water. She waded to the river bank and we slowly climbed the hill. We were on the outskirts of a village and headed uphill via a dirt road when a small truck appeared in front of us headed downhill. Quickly Mae Khammang wheeled around and began running downhill despite Sakhorn’s best physical and verbal efforts to stop her. When we reached a point past the driveway which was the truck’s destination, she finally stopped. The truck turned into the driveway and we turned around and headed back uphill. Mae Khammang doesn’t like trucks. We plodded through the village seeing the school and several houses as we made our way back to The Elephant Village itself. After we dismounted at the same place we mounted, we fed her three bunches of bananas. Then we walked through the area and sat in wicker chairs under a bamboo canopy on the river’s edge. From here we could see the farms across the river; fishermen in long boats tending nets; boats carrying people to Tad Se Waterfall; elephants and riders wading.

Our guide told us that the waterfall does not flow this late in the dry season and that the surrounding forest “is not very beautiful in dry season.” We opted not to go and just enjoyed the view and the pleasant breeze. About 11:00 we ate lunch. We left and backtracked over the rough roads. On the way back, we stopped at Ban Phanom, a weaving village. We saw the weaving in progress in a back room and fabrics for sale in the front. We arrived back at the hotel about 1:00 and spent the remainder of the afternoon relaxing.

Thursday 10 February –We left at 9:00 for a morning of touring: local market; National Museum/Royal Palace; Ethnology Museum. As we walked through the local market, Phom explained to us some of the various fruits and vegetables we saw. We also saw displays of rice and spices, especially chili peppers. This is a poor country and they eat all parts of the animal; the butchering area contained dishpans full of fresh blood for sale; the fish were live and freshly caught. It is also possible to buy fried rat or small birds complete with feathers. In some areas the food was being cooked and sold to those without time to prepare it themselves.

From there we walked to the National Museum housed in the former Royal Palace.

This is a French colonial style building on the exterior but with a Lao interior; it was remodeled in 1930. The main area contains a Reception Hall with murals of Thai life by a French artist. The main area contains a golden throne for use with the Buddhist New Year. In the Throne Room, painted red and decorated with glass murals in 1963, is another golden throne for the king. We saw the royal bedrooms and dining room as well as displays of gifts to the royals. We also saw many religious items, some of them removed when the That Makmo stupa cracked. One item is solid gold and reputed to contain a bone from the Buddha. This building also houses the Prabang Buddha image crafted in Sri Lanka in the first century and brought to Laos in the 1500s. A new temple to house this image is under construction on the grounds and scheduled to be completed in March. It is elaborately decorated in gold leaf and is in the Lao temple style. Right now, it contains the pedestal use the image as well as the ornate wooden canopy used when the image is processed. When the building is completed, the Prabang Buddha will be “invited” to occupy it.

We walked from there to the Ethnology Center and Museum where we looked at the displays of traditional tribal dress. There were also some exhibits that showed various lifestyles. Although it was small, it was worth the visit.

We then stopped at Ho Xiang, another temple which had a huge naga on the stairs.

Then we returned to the hotel a few minutes after 11:00. We checked out and left the hotel at 2:00. Upon arrival at the airport at 2:30, we checked in for our flight to Hanoi on Lao Airways 313 leaving at 4:40. We went through a very lax security screening and Immigration before arriving in the international departure lounge. We waited there until boarding about 3:30. When they loaded the luggage, it was done by hand as a man in the cart hands each piece to a man in the cargo bay; our four were the last ones loaded. The hour-long flight was a fairly smooth one over more rough, mountainous terrain. A box meal of cake and a ham and cheese sandwich and drinks were served. The flight was almost completely full.

VIET NAM

Upon arrival at 5:40, we deplaned and entered the terminal where we went through Immigration. The officer stamped our visas multiple times. Then we went to baggage claim and waited for the luggage.By the time we had the bags and exited to meet Lily, our guide, it was 6:20. The ride to the hotel was almost an hour long; Lily gave a commentary but it was dark and we couldn’t see much. We did determine that Hanoi is a fast-paced city charging into the 21st century. Upon arrival at the Metropole hotel, we were met and carried to the room to check in. We have access to the club level. Then we returned to the room to sort and to pack what we need for tomorrow’s one-night excursion because we leave at 8:00 tomorrow morning for Ha Long Bay and return here on Saturday night.

HA LONG BAY

Friday 11 February – We awoke about 6:00, dressed, and went to breakfast on the club level. After breakfast we returned to the room to finalize packing. Then I went back to the club level to check out and someone came to get the two pieces of luggage to store until our return. We left the room and arrived in the lobby about 7:45; Lily was already there. We changed $20 into 390,000 dong. We left the hotel a few minutes after 8:00 and drove out of Hanoi on a fairly new freeway. We drove beside and then crossed the Red River. Many banana trees, which they grow for the leaves, grew in the river bottom. On the edge of Hanoi we saw some more run-down houses and people living more hand--to-mouth. The traditional home here is three stories tall but narrow because in typical Chinese style multi-generations live in the same house. Traffic is composed of at least three times as many motor motorbikes as cars. The more rural the area, the more bicycles we saw. Anything that can be loaded and balanced can be transported on a motorbike or bicycle: furniture; boxes; bales; baskets of goods; rubbish; live pigs; live chickens; families.

We saw several cemeteries with fairly substantial tombstones. According to Lily, graves are located in a wet area according the principles of fung shui. Bodies are placed in the grave until they decompose. Then someone is hired to exhume the bones and clean them before they are placed in a box and placed in the mountainous area where the deceased was born. Acres and acres of rice paddies lined the highway. By and large, the women grow the rice and many spend the day stooping to complete the work. They wear rubber boots and gloves to avoid water snakes and leeches. While the scene was picturesque, it seemed odd that a nation which exports over 6 million tons of rice annually does not mechanize the growing process. About half way to Ha Long Bay, we stopped at a government-operated handicrafts place. As we were turning from the highway into the driveway, a girl on a motor motorbike rammed the rear panel of our van. Both she and her motorbike hit the pavement. Our driver seemed more concerned about the scratch on the vehicle than any injuries the girl might have. Evidently she had none as her motorbike was soon upright and she headed on down the road. The only explanation given: “He had his signal on and she had no driving license.” The goods for sale there were made by handicapped people in a Vietnamese version of a “sheltered workshop.” Shops in the towns we drove through sold all the essentials for daily life including coffins. One town we drove through was in a coal mining region and everything was covered with black dust. It was between 10:30 and 11:00 and secondary school’s morning session which began at 7:00 was over. Secondary students attend a morning and an afternoon session with about an hour and a half in between during which they go home for lunch. Hundreds of students dressed in white tops and blue pants rode bicycles along the edge of the highway as they headed home. It was about 11:45 when we arrived in Ha Long Bay. We checked in for the Jasmine and then waited about 15 minutes until time to board a launch to take us to the junk.

Once aboard, we got a welcome drink and briefing and were then shown to cabin 204, a deluxe one with a balcony. We unpacked and then went up to the top deck to make some pictures as we sailed out of the harbor.

We stayed up there until time for the seafood buffet at 1:00. After lunch we sat on the balcony some and then went back to the top deck.

At 3:00 we arrived at Cua Van fishing village.

We took a launch to a floating building where we boarded a sampan for an hour’s ride around the village. It consists of floating houses; each has a boat. The village looks poor but the ladies rowing the sampans dressed nicely. We saw the school, the temple, and a grocery boat.

Some houses have generators and have TVs.

These sampans are constructed of woven bamboo and tarred to make them waterproof. They look sort of like bathtubs as they’re rounded on the bottoms and on the ends; there is no point. Propulsion is by a pair of long oars with a very narrow blade.

It was overcast; the wind blew; we were cold. We left the sampan, reboarded the launch, and returned to the junk where we relaxed in the room.

Dinner tonight at 7:00 was a special one in Tien Ong Cave. We were unimpressed with the cave, but that’s us and caves. The food was pretty good but as soon as dinner was over we returned to the junk.

Saturday 12 February –It was misting rain with a light fog and a stiff wind made it feel cold outside. Although we had sailed around all morning it was too misty to really appreciate the scenery. Yesterday’s partial sunshine made for much better viewing.

We boarded the launch and went ashore in drizzle. Lily and the driver were there waiting and we were off about 11:15. The van felt nice and warm. Because it drizzled all the way back to Hanoi, we were glad we had seen the scenery yesterday. About half way through the journey, we stopped at another handicrafts place operated by the same company as the one yesterday but on the opposite side of the road. Driving in Vietnam is a treacherous skill. Motorbikes and bicycles occupy the far right side of the road. Trucks, buses, vans, and cars traverse the other lane. Drivers tailgate and then pass as soon as there’s a brief opening and immediately cut in front of the vehicle. There is a cacophony of horns indicating: I am passing you; do not pull out in front of me; move over; get out of my way. Buses have claxon horns. It’s a nightmare for westerners, and it’s better to just sit back and not worry. We returned to Hanoi about 2:30. Upon arrival at the Metropole, we were shown to room 744 on the club level; the stored luggage was already there when we checked in.

HANOI

Sunday 13 February – We had an all-day-tour of Hanoi. Since Lily had warned us about pick pockets and not to carry camera bags, this required a little rearranging. At 9:00, we met Lily in the hotel lobby and were soon on our way. Our first stop of the Ho Chi Minh Complex containing his mausoleum; the presidential palace; two houses he occupied; his private hospital; his museum. It was in the mid-50s and drizzling rain when we got there. The line to visit the wax effigy of Ho Chi Minh on display in the mausoleum stretched around the block but we only wanted to see the outside. According to Lily, the vast majority of Vietnamese do not know that they’re not seeing the real body which is kept in a vault below the wax one.

After making some photos of the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, we walked through gardens and beside the yellow Presidential Palace built by the French and now used for diplomatic receptions. Then we saw the 3 automobiles which had belonged to Ho Chi Minh as well as the small house where he first lived on these grounds. Then we saw the Thai-style wooden house where he spent his last years.

Between these two structures is a huge pond filled with koi. Nearby, Lily showed us the hospital where Ho Chi Minh stayed when ill; she said he was paralyzed for the last two years of his life. The entrance to a bomb shelter is also near the Thai-style house. From there we walked to the One Pillar Pagoda. Originally built by a Vietnamese emperor in the 11th century with a huge tree trunk as its base, It was burned by the French in 1954. It has since been rebuilt on a concrete pillar and has a strangely delicate air.

Across the way is the Ho Chi Minh Museum, a huge gray stone structure said to resemble a lotus blossom. It was 10:00 and time for the changing of the guard as we walked back to the car; the line to enter the mausoleum was even longer than it had been earlier. We then drove to the Museum of Ethnology. Inside are extensive displays relating to the many ethnic groups which compose Vietnam. We enjoyed the well-labeled and well-lighted exhibits and thought it well worth the hour we spent inside. Our next stop was Vin Mieu or the Temple of Literature. This is an amazing complex dating from 1070 and founded to honor Confucius. It served as a center for higher learning and features five courtyards, one of which holds hundred-year-old bonsai trees. In one are stone steles mounted on giant turtle pedestals. Inscriptions on the steles contain the names and brief personal data of scholars who passed examinations here and achieved the rank of Mandarin. While the centerpiece is the Altar of Confucius, there are also other buildings including a drum tower and a bell tower. The newest construction is a recent one used as an exhibition hall. Because it is very close to the Chinese New Year, the complex was crowded with parents and students seeking good luck on examinations.

By the time we left, it was noon and time for lunch at the Wild Lotus restaurant. This was included and we could order ala carte. We chose a set menu called “Spice Routes Journey." After this delicious meal, we were stuffed when we left the restaurant.Then we went to a Taoist Temple. We crossed Hoan Kiem Lake on The Huc or Sunbeam Bridge. We saw Thap Rua or Turtle Tower sitting in the middle of the lake. On the island is Don Ngoc Son or Jade Mountain Temple, built in the Chinese style and dedicated to the spirits of the soil, medicine, and literature; as well as to the general who defeated the Mongols in the 13th century. Many people were here making offerings of incense and of fake paper money which is then burned. We saw the preserved giant turtle which died in the lake in 1968 and weighed 500 kilos.

By then it was time for our cyclo ride through the Old Quarter. This was a pleasant and stress-free ride during which we saw first-hand how the people interact in daily life. We learned during this ride why so many motorbike and bicycle riders wear face masks; air pollutants abound. Our peddlers were skillful and we never felt threatened or in danger by the motorbikes, cars, and buses speeding around us. We were also reminded how low Asians live to the ground, a trait so unlike Western thought and culture. Curbside cafes have very low tables and even lower stools and adults use them with no problems even though they look like children’s furniture to us. The ride ended at the hotel about 3:45.

Monday 14 February – We had a day at leisure and needed to spend it resting. At 6:00 we met Lily in the lobby and got ready to go see the Water Puppets. Once at the Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre, we had seats 17 and 18 on the stage left end of the front row. The show began at 6:30 and lasted about 50 minutes. The puppeteers work behind a curtain and stand in water. The puppets are operated on the water’s surface and manipulated using long sticks under the water. Ritual drumming began the show and there was a live band and live vocals throughout. Several scenarios were played out: planting rice; picking coconuts; village guardian god procession; carp turned into dragon. Although it was somewhat “touristy,” we enjoyed it. After the show we were driven to La Verticale, a French restaurant, for dinner.

Tuesday 15 February – It was a very short night and we were both up and awake when the call came at 3:30. We quickly dressed, locked the luggage, and headed for the lobby. Lily was already there as were the breakfast boxes. We left the hotel about 3:55 and headed for the airport, a 45 minute drive. It’s shocking how much traffic was on the road at that early hour. In one area, we saw many more bicycles with rear side baskets filled to overflowing and learned the wholesale fresh fruit market in full operation. In another area, hundreds of buses, which begin operating at 5:30, were parked and waiting. At the airport, Lily checked us in for VN 241 leaving at 6:10 for Hue. We dozed a little but the flight was only 55 minutes long, so it didn’t help much. Upon arrival in Hue, we finally got our checked bags and left the terminal.

HUE

Once outside, we met Thong, our guide for this portion of the trip. We got into the van and headed into the city itself. We decided to stop and have something to eat at Mandarin Café. We left there at 8:45 and began our tour. Hue is a cultural treasure and former imperial capital in Central Viet Nam. Our first stop was the Citadel and then we entered The Forbidden City itself. Vietnamese emperors of the Nguyen dynasty emulated the Chinese. What we saw was either ruins or reconstructions of the early 19th century area. It was almost completely destroyed by the French in the 1940s and the North Vietnamese Army in the 1960s when 10,000 people died. The concept of the area which is 300 meters square was familiar to us as we had been to Beijing. Thong gave excellent explanations as we walked around the entire area.

At one point we stopped in the restored theater and saw a musical production with traditional dancing; everyone was in costume. Unfortunately, we kept nodding off because we were so sleepy.

One highlight was the temple erected to worship the spirits of the dead emperors; ten of them had altars complete with pictures.

Nine massive cannons and several massive bronze cauldrons are also located here. We met the driver and exited the Citadel.

Then we drove along the banks of the Perfume River to Thien Mu Pagoda, erected by an ancient emperor on the site where he was visited by a Holy Buddhist Woman from Heaven who gave him and joss stick and told him where to build the capital city of Hue. Here we climbed a hill and walked through the complex. There is a school here for monks and some novices are as young as 8 or 10; unlike Laos and Thailand, they are monks for life. We entered the temple here and looked at the several golden statues of Buddha.

After leaving the area, we walked to the banks of the Perfume River and took a dragon-boat down river to a landing within walking distance of La Residence Hotel & Spa. The driver met us at the hotel with our luggage and we were welcomed with a refreshing towel and drink before being shown to room 612. We put things in the room and then met Thong again at 1:05. We drove to Y Thao Garden where we had lunch.

After lunch we drove about 10 km out of town to see some tombs. The first was of Emperor Khai Dinh built in the early 20th century. It is white marble so blackened by pollution you can’t be sure, and the most ostentatious conglomeration of European and Asian architecture we’ve ever seen. We climbed up multiple stairways of dozens of steps to get to the top. The interior contains elaborate mosaics in fantastic patterns and the sepulcher itself is a massive caved and inlaid block.

From here we drove a few short kilometers to the tomb of Emperor Tu Duc erected in the 19th century. This harmonious and serene Asian-style complex enthralled us. We enjoyed the thought and care taken to create an entire area that pleased the mind and the body. We thought his epitaph stone of 20 tons impressive and the sepulcher itself a pleasing design. This was evidently designed by an educated man in tune with himself and his culture. There couldn’t have been more contrast between two structures. By then it was time to return to the hotel.

Wednesday 16 February - We checked out and met Thong at 9:30. We drove out of Hue in a southeasterly direction toward Hoi An. Along the roadside were ramshackle houses where the people seemed to barely make a living. Just in the edge of the city we narrowly avoided hitting a motorbike that cut directly in front of us and drove completely across the highway. We drove along the coast and toward the mountains. There are several mountain passes here and the highway was built by the Americans during the Viet Nam War. When there were ancient kings in Hue, it took them four days to traverse this path; now a tunnel provides a short cut. We took the scenic route over the mountains and drove a curving road which has a few hairpin turns. As we reached the lowest pass, a bobtail truck hauling gasoline passed us in a curve and meeting traffic. We passed Southeast Asia’s largest fish farm which covered 25 hectares and cultivated perch. In one area the houses didn’t look Asian at all but looked more like Victorian or Eastlake style bungalows with some oriental details. They could have been built in the western world in the late 19th or early 20th century. Acres of rice paddies lined the road for miles. Here, too, the back-breaking manual labor tends the crop. Because of low temperatures last month, the rice died and replanting was in progress. We learned to tell which fields grow sticky rice as they are the ones with the scraps of plastic and fabric waving in the breeze to frighten away the sparrows; birds do not bother other varieties. In contrast to the north, most fields were tended by bare-footed men. A French-built watchtower and gun emplacements from the 20th century crown the highest point. This is known as Hai Van or Ocean Cloud Pass. We stopped here and made some photos. The beach far below looked pristine. We then started down and at one point passed a sign warning “No Stop Ping.” We didn’t. When we reached the bottom we drove along a boulevard along the coast until we reached Danang.

DA NANG

Our first stop there was the Cham Museum built by the French in the early 20th century to preserve sculptures of the Cham culture. The Cham people came from India and their carvings reflect their Hindu and Buddhist beliefs. They are very much like the ones at Anghor Wat.

After the museum we went to Marble Mountain. This was a big mistake. We climbed some 200 very steep and uneven steps to see a less than spectacular temple and cave. It was definitely not worth the climb, but the guide seemed shocked when we told him.

HOI AN

Since lunch was on-our-own, we agreed to Thong’s suggestion of a set Vietnamese menu and went to Hoi An Garden next. We sat outside in a courtyard under a shade tree and enjoyed a delicious meal. After lunch we went to Thang Loi, an embroidery factory. Here they make silk cloth and also do cotton embroidery. There were about 100 young women doing the embroidery. Then we were escorted through the shop selling silk clothing and on to the workshop making paper lanterns and another carving wood. Fishing boats are different here. Although we did see sampans like the ones in Ha Long By, we saw more round boats. These coracles are made of woven bamboo and tarred for waterproofing; they look like big baskets. We left old town Hoi An and drove back to Nam Hai Resort where we checked into villa 4090. This luxury resort occupies a huge area on China Beach.

Thursday 17 February –At 9:30 we left the resort and drove toward Hoi An. We crossed a bridge on the river and saw a fishing village complete with boats and some houseboats on the right. We then turned left and drove down a narrow road through vegetable plots to a workshop where silk lanterns are made. After seeing the process, we each tried our hand at making one. Even with assistance, it’s not easy. They gave us the ones we made for souvenirs. What else would they do with them? We then drove to the old town of Hoi An and began our walking tour. This city is located on the banks of the Thu Bon River and was an important trading port from the 16th to the 18th century. The Japanese, Chinese, and Europeans came here until the river silted up and made navigation impossible for large boats. Although cars are banned, motorbikes are not. We wandered down a few streets and looked into some shops. We ducked into a performance of traditional music and dance and saw the last number. It looked very Chinese to us. Tranh Theu Tay Tren Lua Xq Hoi An – Art House does silk embroidery. We saw quite a few pictures, most of them huge, and some were double-sided. Eight or ten young ladies were stitching while we were there.

We then continued down the street and stopped at House of Tan Ky, an authentic 18th century house combining Japanese, Chinese, and Vietnamese architectural elements. Although it has no windows, an interior courtyard admits light and air. Inside, marks on the wall indicate the water level when the river outside the back door floods; in 2009 there were two meters of water inside the house. When flooding occurs, a trap door in the ceiling is used to lift all possessions to the second floor.

Quang Dong or Cantonese Assembly Hall was our second historic stop. Built in 1786, the building and altar are dedicated to Quan Cong. Seafarers come here to worship Thien Hau, the goddess of the sea. Behind the ornate and colorful temple, are gardens containing a large sculpture of dragons and another of goats.

Our next stop was the Japanese Covered Bridge built in 1593 by the east-bank Japanese traders as a link with Chinese traders on the eastern side of the river. A small Vietnamese temple was built into the northern section of the bridge in 1719. Doors at each end of the bridge were closed at night or any other time no trading was permitted.

Our last site was the House of Phung Hung in the Chinese quarter. The same family has occupied it for 8 generations since its construction in 1780. As we entered there was a blessing service in progress as prayers and offerings were made to the ancestors. Then a young lady took us through and explained the architecture and style of life. Upstairs we saw the trap door in the floor used to lift possessions from below during floods; there was 1 meter of water in 2009. Here, too, was the family altar to ancestors as well as a religious one. Unlike the House of Tan Ky, this house has no open atrium but it does have a side window upstairs and openings leading to a second floor balcony overlooking the street.

Then we walked the couple of blocks to the river and along the river to the market. After a walk through the market, we continued for a few blocks to Brother’s Café for lunch. Then we were driven back to the resort to relax until 6:30 when we are being picked up for dinner at the Full Moon Restaurant. We drove through a very dark city to the restaurant. It is very evident that electricity costs a lot here as few buildings were lighted. At the restaurant we were shown to a table at the edge of the patio with a river view. We arrived back at the resort before 8:00. One of the main news stories concerns the sinking of a tourist junk in Halong Bay early this morning. Eleven people drowned when a plank came loose and the boat quickly filled with water and sank. It was very similar to the one we were on just last week.

Friday 18 February – We enjoyed our day of leisure. It’s warm but totally overcast. Not exactly a beach day. Our one-bedroom villa at The Tan Hai Resort is a stand-alone building. There are several in a row but they are angled both for privacy and to provide a beach view. The building is about 18 feet wide by 65 feet long, not counting the porch which is about 10 feet deep.

Entrance is from the long side with the 15 feet deep bathroom to the left. ImmediEntrance is from the long side with the 15 feet deep bathroom to the left. Immediately across on the opposite wall is the minibar area. The bathroom area is across one end and has separate sinks. Behind one sink is a closet and the shower; behind the other is another closet and the toilet. There is also an outside shower inside a walled garden.

The room is centered by a platform. At the end nearest the door is a low storage area and a place to sit. On the opposite side of this platform is the sunken bathtub. About midway of the platform there is one step down. This is the area filled by the bed and the TV.

The desk sits behind the headboard of the bed; there is no chair but there is a kneehole created because your butt is on the edge of the upper platform. The entire platform area is draped with white muslin ceiling-to-floor curtains which are pulled each night at turn-down; they also light citronella candles then. However, with AC on, we have no bugs inside.

About 3 feet past the foot of the bed there are four steps down to the seating area comprised of a large built in couch. This faces large doors which open to the porch and provide a partial view of the ocean. On the porch are two large lounges which provide a nice place to relax in the shade.

The shoreline is about 100 yards from the edge of the porch.

By noon the sky was only partly cloudy and it was mostly sunny when we went to lunch about one o’clock. We ate outside under an umbrella in the shade and enjoyed the cool breeze coming off the water. There was a swimming pool behind us and another beside us. We took the three o’clock shuttle bus into Hoi An and walked the old town for a while. It was not as crowded as yesterday, and we were told it had to do with yesterday being the 14th day of the Lunar New Year. We looked into various shops.

Then we walked back to the shuttle bus stop. It was about 4:45 and the shuttle ran at 5:30. On the ride back, we enjoyed visiting with the driver as we were the only passengers. He said, “The English drive on the left and the Americans drive on the right. Vietnamese drive in the middle.”

NHA TRANG

Saturday 19 February –At 8:00, we left the resort and headed for the airport in DaNang. All along the waterfront are resort developments in various stages of construction from just posting the “Coming Soon” sign to completion. It must be an “If we build it they will come” philosophy. We can’t imagine where all the financing is coming from and who will buy the properties as they’re way out of reach of all but a very, very few Vietnamese. We arrived at the airport about 8:30 as it did not take the hour we were told it would. We checked in from VN 353 scheduled to depart for Nha Trang at 10:20. That gave us a while to sit in the lounge. The flight boarded on time. This prop plane had smaller overhead bins than the last Vietnam Air plane we flew. The flight was smooth and we landed about 11:45. Once we got the luggage, we went outside and met the driver for our transfer to Six Senses Resort Ninh Van Bay. We headed for town and drove into it and through it. The driver managed to keep the vehicle between the curbs by straddling the dashed center line. At least it was a divided highway. The water is a beautiful turquoise and fishing boats abound. We saw several kinds of boats and lots of fishermen mending and folding nets. We drove hell-for-leather for about an hour and came to a stop at a nondescript boat dock where we and our luggage were loaded onto a launch for the 20 minute ride across the bay to the resort. At the resort we set our watches ahead one hour as they operate on that time to provide the guests more daylight. Once ashore at the pier in the resort, we were greeted and then taken by “Sugar,” our personal butler, by golf cart to Beach Villa 12. This is an unusual two-story structure of bamboo, wood and concrete set off from the main trail and reached by a sandy path. Immediately inside the door is the stairway which leads to the second story and the open-air living room. It is roofed, but it open on the side toward the water and has bamboo panels forming the other three walls. It contains the minibar and a huge bed for lounging.

Downstairs the bathroom is to the right of the door. It is open air and has a huge wooden tub and an outdoor shower as well as separate vanities and a closet.

The bedroom is on the opposite side of the stairway. It contains a king-sized bed, TV, and desk. There is a box bay window with a twin bed size mattress filling it.

Outside is a covered porch with two wooden chaise lounges and a huge umbrella. There is also a private plunge pool.

A sandy path through greenery leads to the beach. Privacy is obtained by the use of a bamboo fence and lots of shrubbery.

Sunday 20 February – We had a day of leisure.

Monday 21 February –Sugar and the bellmen arrived at 6:45. We were driven to the reception area where breakfast was served in the pool dining area. We left the resort at 7:00 for a private transfer across the lake and to the airport. It was 6:20 real time when we landed. Our luggage was loaded into a vehicle and we were off to the airport. It was a different driver but with similar driving skills. There was more traffic in the downtown area. We were put out at the airport at 7:25. We checked in for VN 453 scheduled to leave for Ho Chi Minh City at 9:10 from gate one. We went through Passport Control [why?] and Security and then sat in the gate area to await departure. The flight was a turn-around and we saw it land.

HO CHI MINH CITY / SAIGON

We boarded a little late but the flight took 50 minutes and it was 10:00 when we touched down in Ho Chi Minh City. We eventually collected the luggage and then made our way outside where we met Minh, our guide. He called for the car and we loaded up and drove into the city with Minh providing commentary and pointing out points of interest. We had a brief walking tour of the city center which included the Notre Dame Cathedral; Eiffel Designed Post Office; City Hall; Opera House; Rex Hotel; etc. Minh pointed out the building from which the choppers took off during the evacuation in the last days of the Viet Nam War.

We arrived at the Park Hyatt Hotel about 11:45 and checked into room 505. About 12:30, we met Minh again and drove to Quan An Ngon, a Vietnamese restaurant, for lunch. We had never seen anything like it as the various foods on the menu are cooked at stations around the restaurant; we walked with Minh and he told us what each was and made a list of what we wanted. In effect, we made a big U and returned to our table. Minh ate with us and it was an interesting meal: spring roll and noodles over greens in a bowl; barbecued shrimp skewered; fried shrimp batter served with vegetables and rice paper to make your own spring rolls; pork served the same way; coconut ice cream. Minh had some noodle soup as well as the food we couldn’t eat. Local business people and lots of tourists filled the tables. After lunch, we drove to China Town where we visited the Thien Hau Pagoda, dedicated to the goddess of the sea. This beautiful and ornate building is several hundred years old. Vast amounts of incense were burning and the smoke was ascending to heaven.

After leaving the pagoda, we walked some through the area and saw some of the traditional Chinese medicines before getting back in the car. We then drove to Ben Thanh Market, the largest in the city. We made one round inside before leaving. This is a market for tourists as locals shop elsewhere. We then returned to the hotel to relax until time for dinner in Square One in the hotel at 7:00.
Tuesday 22 February –We met Minh at 8:00 and were soon on our way to the Mekong Delta. We enjoyed seeing the portion of the city we drove through and enjoyed driving through the countryside. Family graves are located in the rice paddies and are elaborately carved stone structures covering the buried body. It seemed to us that they consume quite a bit of arable land. Occasionally we saw a Catholic Church built by the French; it seems ludicrous to erect a European style structure in Asia but they did it. We did make a rest stop and arrived about 10:30. Upon arrival at the North Branch of the Mekong River, we left the vehicle and boarded the Cai Be Princess boat. We were treated royally and provided with wicker chaise lounges as well as fruit and tea.

We first saw the floating market but it was almost over by the time we arrived; farmers advertize the produce they sell by tying some of it atop a long pole attached to the boat.

We then began to sail the river and its tributaries enjoying seeing the various types of boats and their cargoes. Along the banks we saw houses as well as some workshops. In some, women made roof thatch out of water coconut leaves. We saw sawmills and huge kilns for baking bricks. In one village, squealing hogs were being carried ashore; later we met a boatload of hogs heading in that direction.

We saw lots of rice being ferried. At one dock, a line of men hoisting sacks of rice onto their shoulders and carrying them ashore; in contrast, about a half mile further along we saw the same process using a conveyer belt. Other buildings were specialized such as the ones which only sold wooden coffins or the ones selling the huge earthenware jars which each house uses to hold fresh water.

River water is café a lait in color and used for everything from bathing to washing to cooking to drinking. In some places plastic pipes leads from the river into the house. The problem is the pollution in the river: industrial waste; sewage; rubbish. There were also a few shops that were the local general store.

We made a few stops. At one we walked to an Ba Duc Ancient House in the same family for 7 generations; they now operate a small hotel. We walked through the main house and the gardens which contain a family graveyard.

Then we reboarded the boat and traveled a little farther before visiting a handicrafts village where we saw the making of coconut candy

and popped rice.

We reboarded and cruised to our last stop which was Le Longanier Restaurant where we had a set menu for lunch: Minh ate with us. After lunch we walked for about a quarter hour through the village to rendezvous with the vehicle and driver. We headed back for HCMC using the same roads as earlier. We enjoyed Minh’s commentary and his explanations. He tells us that in Viet Nam only 3 things are free: sunlight; rain; air. They have to pay for everything else. We arrived back at the hotel about 4:30 and relaxed until meeting Minh at 6:45 for dinner in Au Manoir de Khai, a French restaurant.

Wednesday 23 February –We met Minh at 8:00 and were on our way. Traffic is unimaginably congested. Attempting to describe how passenger cars; buses; vans; trucks; motorbikes; bicycles blend and move is an impossible task. There are at least 3 times as many motorbikes as other vehicles and they dart everywhere at all times. Still, traffic moved and we never stopped.

Shops along the road sold construction supplies; meals; groceries; hardware; furniture; ceramic; plants; woodcarvings; statuary. It was 9:15 before we ever left the city limits but traffic has thinned some for the last half hour. We made a rest stop before very long and were soon back on the road. Because the driver had family in that area, we stopped once because some people had walked to the edge of the highway to speak with him. Then we were on our way again. About 11:00, we arrived in Tay Nihn. Here we visited the center of the Cao Dai religion which was founded in 1926. It combines element of Buddhism, Christianity, Taoism, and Confucianism. Here we entered their house of worship and saw a portion of their noon service.

The building is a huge stepped hall in oriental style. Window fretwork includes lotuses and the hall itself is supported by huge painted and sculpted pillars. At one end is a statue of the guardian and at the other is the representation of their god, a world with an all-seeing eye. The building is stepped so that the end with the eye is higher than any other portion.

Women enter the building on the left and men on the right. We entered and walked around taking photos while Minh explained. There were members who directed us and let us know what was and what was not permitted. We have never been treated with more courtesy, grace, and respect in any place of worship.

While we waited until time for us to go into the balcony for the service, we sat on the floor at the back among a group of men, some of whom talked to us in what little English they knew and others through Minh as a translator.

When the time came, we climbed the staircase to the balcony which runs completely around the building and stood about half way down the right side to watch. During the service, all women wear white robes with sashes or head covering denoting rank. Most men wear white but some wear yellow, blue, or read and miter-like headdresses. During the service one man periodically strikes a bell and a group sings a ritual song. It was unique.

After leaving the service, we left the town and headed through the countryside. We stopped in a coffeeshop and ate the snack Minh brought sitting at a table under a shade tree. Then we were off and driving through farming country: rice; green beans; red beans; peanuts; corn; okra. We also saw quite a few beef cattle which look like Red Brahma. We saw many rubber plantation with the trees planted in such straight rows and so evenly spaced that we could see diagonal rows. At one point, we took a short cut that required folding in the side mirrors on the vehicle and Minh getting out and directing as we drove between two concrete pillars marking a culvert. Finally, we arrived at a handicrafts village but it wasn’t as expected. It was more of a museum type exhibit with only a few crafts people working. We saw some embroiderers and wood carvers. We saw women weaving rattan, paper, and bamboo while some people did marquetry with wood veneers. We were there about an hour but it was very hot and we aborted to return to the city. We took a farm-to-market-type road a long way before ever reaching real traffic. We were surprised at one point to see small dairies with Holstein cattle. We threaded our way back through traffic and arrived at the hotel about 5:00. We went to the room to shower and change and then met Minh at 6:30 for dinner at Le Camargue Restaurant.

Thursday 24 February – We met Minh at 8:00 for our tour. We drove through rush hour traffic to the Bach Dang Quay on the Saigon River and rode a ferry across to Thu Thiem. The contrast between life on different sides of the river is amazing. The people who live in Thu Thiem are much poorer than those across the river and are scratching for every morsel they eat. We saw a very small local market selling vegetables and meats. Nearby was a shop selling some packaged foodstuffs, but it wasn’t doing much business. One lady had a cart which she was filling with anything she could find to sell or recycle. Minh told us that a tunnel under the river will be completed this year and when it is all these people will be relocated. One shopkeeper told him that they will be unable to buy another place for the price they’re being paid. Sad. We rode the ferry back across and met the driver.

We then drove to Xa Loi Pagoda built in the 1950s and went inside to look. It’s the one from which the monk who immolated himself in the 1960s left. We then drove back to the hotel arriving about 9:30.

About 10:00 we called for the bellman and went to the lobby to check out. We then joined a huge traffic crush as we tried to make our way to the airport. The drive only took about 30 minutes but half that time was spent going only a few blocks. Once at the airport, we went inside to check in for Singapore Airlines flight 173 scheduled to leave at 1:10. After passing through Immigration and Security, we waited in the lounge until 12:30. By the time we reached the gate, the flight was boarding and we walked right on to seats 15 A & C. The flight was only a little more than an hour long and the crew served drinks and lunch.

SINGAPORE

Singapore is an hour ahead of Ho Chi Minh City, so we arrived at 3:53. After deplaning, we walked a long way through the terminal to the Arrivals Hall where we had to complete an entry form for each of us. Then we passed through Immigration and made our way to baggage claim. After getting the luggage, we changed $100 US into $124.60 SD. We joined the line for a taxi and rode into town. The drive took about 30 minutes. We arrived at the Four Seasons Hotel and were shown to room 1910.

Friday 25 February –After changing $400 into 492 SD, we left the hotel about 9:30 and walked over to Ion Centre and the MRT Station. Once there we paid 68 SD for two three-day passes. Then we rode the red line from Orchard Station to Dhoby Ghaut Station where we changed to the purple line and rode that to Farrer Park Station. We got off in Little India and began walking. We made photos at the Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple, dedicated to Lord Vishnu dating from 1855. Then we walked until we came to Mustafa Centre, a department store. We went inside and looked around its overwhelming displays of merchandise. We stayed lost most of the time and couldn’t figure out how people found their way around. The store sells everything: clothing; groceries; hardware; electronics; watches; jewelry; cameras. It has its own foreign money exchange and is open 24/7.

From there we continued window shopping down Serangoon Road passing Masjid Angullia Mosque and Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple until we reached Little India Arcade.

We went inside The Verge shopping center and enjoyed the air conditioning while looking for a place to eat but didn’t find one. We let there and walked a couple of blocks to Prince of Wales, a backpacker’s pub. From there we walked over to Tekka Centre but found it and its merchandise of very poor quality. We avoided the wet market as much as possible because of the intense spicy and fishy odors. We made our way back toward Mustafa Centre. We stopped and bought some packaged ice cream along the way. We were both dripping wet and the people around us were dry. Go figure. As we reached the center, noon Friday prayers were over at the mosque and there were dozens of men in that area. We wandered inside the store until we found the textile department. After leaving Mustafa Centre, we made our way back to the Farrer Park Station and retraced our route to the hotel. This time the cars were fuller of passengers and many were young Asians engrossed with smart phones, I Pads, I Pods, or some other electronic gadget. We returned to the room at 4:30 and we had had a productive, if somewhat exhausting, day

Saturday 26 February –We walked over to the MRT at the Orchard Station and took that line to Dhoby Ghaut Station where we changed to the circle line. We rode that to the Promenade Station and then walked some five to ten minutes to The Singapore Flyer, huge Ferris wheel like structure. We finally found the ticket booth and paid the 59 SD to ride. We stood in line only a few minutes before boarding the pod. The ride on the world’s largest wheel of this type takes about 30 minutes and gives a bird’s eye view of the area. We found it interesting but not enthralling. It was neat to see all the ships outside the harbor and to see the soccer field and the tall buildings. After leaving, we retraced out route toward the MRT station. It was about 11:30 when we boarded the train and rode to Paya Lebar Station where we changed to the green line. It was about noon and this line has some above ground trains and was much more crowded. We disembarked at Bugis Station and walked down Victoria to Arab Street. Once on that street we walked down one side and back up the other looking at all the textiles, carpets, etc. that were for sale. We saw only one shop selling baskets. We walked back to the MRT and rode the green line to City Hall Station where we changed to the red line. We then got off at Orchard and looked around some in Ion Centre before going back to the hotel.

Monday 28 February –About 9:45 we gathered things and headed for Chinatown. Since our passes had expired and the ticket office was not opening until 10:30 ---30 minutes late, we bought one-way tickets at the machine for 2.30 SD each. Then we took the red line from Orchard to Douby Ghaut and changed to the purple line which we took to Chinatown. After getting off, we went up and looked around a little. People’s Park Complex, a huge multi-level building selling everything in a market-like setting, wasn’t fully open as it was not eleven o’clock. All along the main street men were taking down the huge red lanterns left from Chinese New Year. We finally asked directions and crossed the boulevard [New Bridge Road and Eu Tong Sen Street] via a pedestrian bridge and came down on Pagoda Street.

We walked up the street looking into all the small shops and fending off the tailors. We bought 2 t-shirts and some post cards. After passing Masjid Jamae (Chulia), we came to Sri Mariamman Temple.

We walked the block to Temple Street and wandered down it for a while. Then we walked over to Smith Street and admired the jade jewelry and carvings in Li-Hong Jade. We walked back over to Pagoda Street and headed back down. At The Olde Cuban, we stopped for smoothies We continued on down the street before taking the escalator down to the Chinatown Station of the MRT. After buying two more one-way tickets, we retraced our route to Orchard. Once at Orchard, we turned in the two tourist passes and received a total of 20 SD refund; that made the passes cost a total of 48 SD which isn’t bad for 3 days of riding the MRT. Then we went to a machine and turned in the 4 standard ticket cards we had purchased and received a total of 4 SD refund. That means that it was really just 1.30 SD each way for the morning’s adventure. When we arrived back in the room it was almost 2:00
Tuesday 1 March We called for a bellman a few minutes after 8:30 and followed him to the lobby. The car for the airport transfer was waiting and we left as soon as we checked out. The uneventful drive to the airport took a little over 30 minutes. We checked in for Cathay Pacific 714 scheduled to depart at 11:25, checked the luggage through to DFW, and went to the lounge to wait. We boarded the flight which left late and were served lunch on our way to Hong Kong. After landing later than the scheduled 3:10---there's an hour time difference---we made our way through the airport for our next flight. By the time we rode a train and went through Security, we only had enough time to get a drink in the lounge and use the restroom before boarding. Cathay Pacific 882 departed at 4:25. We settled into our seats and got ready for the 12+ hour flight to LAX. A meal was served and we settled down for a nice rest on the fully-reclining seat. Just east of Japan, we hit turbulence strong enough to shake us awake and we shook for a while. The entire flight was fairly rough and the captain announced several times for the flight attendants to be seated. We landed at LAX about 1:00 and deplaned. We went through Immigration and then waited a long time at Baggage Claim. Ours were among the last bags to come off but there was a lot of baggage to come off. We don't believe we ever saw as many boxes on a carousel before. After claiming the luggage and going through Customs, we exited that terminal and rolled the bags to Terminal 4 where we left them with American Airlines. Then we checked in for the flight and waited in the Admiral's Club until time to board. The flight departed at 4:50 as scheduled and was very smooth. We landed at DFW about 9:35 instead of the scheduled 9:50; it was about 10:30 when we arrived home.