Our Indochina
Adventure

Today begins our next adventure. We we were up and dressed by 4:30 and ready to hit the airport at 5am. We checked out of the hotel, grabbed some coffee and we were off. We parked in Long-term Parking and the shuttle came quickly and low and behold who was in the front seat but Gayle and Frank, our neighbors and friends. We made it to the United Airlines counter and checked in and stood in the 25 minute security line with the Singletary's. Once we were cleared, Hugh grabbed some coffee and a Panini and we boarded 10minutes later. We taxied out and were told we had a 10 minute hold because of weather in Chicago. We then pulled off the taxi way and were told we had a little longer delay. Fifteen minutes later were taken back to the gate. We were glad we had roll aboard luggage only and were able to get them easily even though they had been gate checked. I used my cell to call United and with the help of Sophea we were rerouted to DC, Tokyo, and Bangkok and will arrive an hour later than scheduled. I notified Vantage of the change and we bought the mascara I had forgotten to pack and had breakfast at Starbucks (thanks Ann). Our flight boarded and we were off at 10:30. We had an easy flight to Dulles where we had to run to catch our flight to Tokyo. This flight was not full and we had 3 seats for 2 people and lots of leg room (gotta love Economy Plus on a 777). With movies (250 to choose from), recorded books, my Kindle, and of course my diary, I settled in for the long haul. We were very blessed in this leg of the journey to be in PLUS seats. For the duration we slept, ate, drank, watched movies, and read. Sleeping was more difficult than it should have been because of the excellent service offering snacks, water, meals, etc. We finally arrived in Tokyo in time to go through security and get back on our flight for Bangkok. Just 8 more hours and I'll see a bed. Well the service on this flight was good also and again we had 3 seats (GOD is good). We slept, ate, walked, etc until finally our journey ended. I beat the system at Bejeweled. Landing documents filled out and in hand, we grabbed our carry-ons and 28 hours after we started we were on our way. We cleared immigration and met our tour manager Chakkrit (Chris) outside luggage claim. There are 16 people and every one of them is a seasoned traveler. We had a leg up as we only had carry-ons but soon everyone had their luggage and we boarded our bus for the Novatel with room keys in hand. We went straight to our rooms for our 4 hours sleep.

We were showered, dressed, and at breakfast at 6 am. We then met Chris and filled out VISA forms for Laos before departing for the airport. We boarded our bus and made our way to the airport while Chris explained to us the boarding procedure. We checked in, cleared customs, and waited for our flight which was delayed for 30 minutes. We spent the time getting acquainted and checking emails. Bonds started to form and you could see groups forming. We were boarded onto a 6-bladed prop plane and our flight took 2 hours. We had wonderful service on Bangkok Airways and the Thai stewardesses were lovely. A lovely custom you do not see in the US is still the rule here. We were served a full meal complete with beer or wine and it was delicious. The time passed quickly and we were soon in Luang Prabang. The airport was very small but efficient. We obtained our VISA’s, turned in our arrival cards, and soon had our passports back in hand. We claimed our luggage and boarded our minivans. This is a UNESCO Heritage site and there are no buses allowed. We arrived at the Villa Malay and were greeted with cool towels and hibiscus juice. We had a short briefing and then we climbed the stairs to our room. We got organized quickly but our safe would not work. The gentleman sent to fix the safe did not speak English but we think he is replacing the batteries. Safe fixed, small camera’s in hand we began our exploration. We walked past homes and shops on our street including 2 outdoor barbershops. We turned on to the main street and past shop after shop, restaurant after restaurant, and lots of adventure travel stores. Elephant riding is evidently big here as are elephant training classes. We checked out massage prices and then turned toward the Khan River (smaller river) and walked along it for several blocks. We saw crew boats and lots of restaurants overlooking the lovely river.

Up today at 6:45 rested and ready to go. After showers we headed to breakfast. We were joined by Laurie from MA and had a lovely, long breakfast. We met Lou and Chris and soon found ourselves at the Royal Palace National Museum. We first went into Wat Xien Thong. Wat Xieng Thong is one of the most important of Lao monasteries and remains a significant monument to the spirit of religion, royalty, and traditional style of a fascinating city. There are over twenty structures on the grounds including shrines, pavilions, and residences, in addition to its gardens of various flowers, ornamental shrubs, and trees. Many of the structures are notable, in addition to the magnificent sim, several deserve special attention. This was a beautiful building to see even though we had to remove our shoes, sunglasses, and hats. Next we visited the palace which was built in 1904 during the French colonial era for King Sisavang Vong and his family. The site for the palace was chosen so that official visitors to Luang Prabang could disembark from their river voyages directly below the palace and be received there. After the death of King Sisavang Vong, the crown Prince Savang Vatthana and his family were the last to occupy the grounds. In 1975 the monarchy was overthrown by the communists and the Royal Family were taken to re-education camps. The palace was then converted into a national museum. We were not able to take pictures here and our cameras were locked up until our visit was complete. As we entered we saw the three-headed elephant sheltered by the sacred white parasol, the symbol of the Lao monarchy above the door. On the right are the King’s reception rooms. The walls are covered with murals depicting scenes from traditional Lao lifestyles. The throne room walls were glass mosaics and very lovely. From the museum we went to the main street and ate at the Tamnak Lao Restaurant. We were served soup, fish, chicken, rice, etc. These meals are very large but very delicious. After our filling lunch we went to visit Wat Visoun. Here we saw a very large Buddha statue surrounded by many other statues. This Wat’s stupa was built in the sixteenth century. There were vendors on the grounds which I thought was very strange. From the Wat we walked through a market area where we saw a pharmacy which had all types of meds just on the shelves no prescription needed. We also walked through a village and Lou showed us some local food such as rice crackers lying in the sun before being fried. We also saw local home’s outdoor kitchens. The kitchen is kept outside the home to prevent fire even today. Lou showed us how to make sticky rice which is their staple food. It is a long process and one I am sure I would not want to repeat each day. After the village tour we were hot and tired and soon found ourselves back at the Villa Malay for a free afternoon. Hugh and I went to the pool to cool off and it was very cold. We sat in the sun to dry off and then went to the room for Hugh to rest and me to read. Later in the evening we walked downtown and found a great massage place and both of us had 1 hour foot massages for $12 for both including tip. It was a wonderful experience and we vowed we would return. It was dinner time and we settled on a small pizza to split and it was still more than we could eat. We wandered through the night market and purchased a small print. We then headed back to the hotel to read and process pictures but found ourselves to be too sleepy to stay up. We were in bed and resting comfortably under our mosquito netting by 10. A Great day!!!

Today we were up early and had a delicious breakfast with some of our new friends from Nebraska. After dining we went to Wat Sibounheung to interact with monks. The monk that answered our questions was 30 years old and had been a monk since he was 12. He is now the abbot of the Wat. We were told the 3 most common reasons for becoming a monk are education, merit passage for a dead relative, and religious calling. There is no set limit to how long you are in service for 1 week to a lifetime. This is the day we learned the most about Buddhism and I still do not understand it. We were amazed at how interactive and dependent the monks are with the community. They eat 2 meals a day provided by the people in the villages and towns. Tomorrow we will get to see this for ourselves. There seems to be a lot of flexibility in the order especially from region to region.

Today is a day to which we have been looking forward. Today we get to go into the town and feed the monks along with all the villagers. We have heard so much about the Buddhist traditions that this will be a new learning experience. We were up at 5:30am and dressed quickly. The vans left at 6 and soon we were in front of one of the many wats. We had kneeling rugs, shawls, and bamboo pots of sticky rice for each of us. Lou had made all the preparations and it was a lot of hard work for our-sized group. The women were told we had to kneel but the men could stand and still be respectful. Most everyone kneeled and soon our group joined in. We were instructed to make walnut sized rice balls and give one to each monk as they passed. Hugh was hesitant about this and only took pictures until about half way through and then he really got into the act. Soon there was a long orange line of monks and each carried a black rice pot with a lid. They came so fast that we had a hard time making the rice balls fast enough. There were hundreds of them, all shapes, heights, and ages. This was an exciting view into the culture. The locals will also take lunch for the monks. The monks do not eat after lunch but only have water, milk, or tea. The monks never look at or acknowledge those making the donations- this confers maximum blessings on the donors and provides maximum face saving for the monks, who are not seen as begging. The monks even make their own donations, dropping excess food into the bowls of poor village children who collect it for their families. The whole procession is over in about 35 minutes and since the monks pass in silence the whole experience had an otherworld feel.

Today was a special day where we got to sleep in. The people who did not do the pre-trip arrived late last night. At breakfast we saw new faces with very tired eyes. Breakfast at this hotel is fabulous and we lingered meeting new friends and sharing our Laos adventures. We met our guides. Our new tour manager for the green bus is Mr. Hai. We had a short briefing and everyone introduced themselves. I was amazed at how many frequent Vantage travelers there were, some with over 10 trips. We are a very diversified group, California, to Carolina with Nebraska and Michigan, Virginia, Florida, Connecticut, and NY thrown in. Today we toured the Grand Palace with a lot of other people.

After a good night’s rest and a delicious breakfast we headed 47miles outside Bangkok to the ancient capital of Ayutthaya. On the way Udom gave us a history lesson and Hai entertained us as only Hai can. Our first stop was the Bang Pa-In summer palace. The palace dates back to the seventeenth century, pre-dating the establishment of Bangkok as the capitol, although it did fall into disuse for a long period. The palace is very European in design. The buildings are laid out along an artificial ornamental pond. In what was formerly the public area of the palace, the lake is a long rectangular pool, lined with formal plantings. When we arrived some people got golf carts because of the heat and all the walking. Before we even entered we were making pictures of the adorable children there on a school trip. Our first stop was the Royal Residence which was very European in style and also very livable but not the residence favored by the King. Perhaps the most interesting building in the inner complex is the Chinese style residence built in China and gifted to King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) by the Chinese Chamber of Commerce in 1889. You must remove your shoes to enter and enjoy the ebony and red lacquer interior. This is the residence the king preferred. We enjoyed seeing the large topiaries on the lawns and also the king’s Asian style observatory. We drove further away from Bangkok to the first Thai capital Ayutthaya. Our first stop was Wat Mahathat built in the 14th century. These temples were made of brick and once the area was overrun by the Burmese the Thai’s never came back. This is a very picturesque spot and the most photographed area is a Buddha head in the tree roots. The grounds are covered with stupa that are crumbling and many headless Buddha’s.

Today was an early day. We were excited about embarking on our trip to Cambodia and Angkor Wat. After breakfast we put our suitcases out and boarded our buses for the Royal Lapidary or gem cutting school. We arrive so early that the gem cutting operation had not opened and we had a little time to shop. Way out of my budget but some very pretty pieces. After the shopping we went to the Vimanmek Mansion. Built by King Rama V, this palace is the largest teak structure in the world featuring a unique blend of Victorian and delicate Thai architecture. It was only used for a few years before it fell into disuse and was practically forgotten until the early eighties. It was rediscovered by Her Majesty the Queen and turned into a museum reflecting the Thai heritage from the dramatic reign of King Rama V. Photography was only allowed outside and proper dress was required including long pants, and no tank tops. A lot in our group had to don the sarongs that they offered.

Oh what an exciting day!! We are up early and soon after breakfast we began our journey to Angkor Wat, one of the highlights of our whole trip. We arrived at the entrance and had to have our pictures made for our passes. There is quite a line already although we are there very early. Everyone is trying to beat the heat. Our first glimpse was breathtaking as we expected. The temples of Angkor, built by the Khmer civilization between 802 and 1220 AD, represent one of humankind's most astonishing and enduring architectural achievements. From Angkor the Khmer kings ruled over a vast domain that reached from Vietnam to China to the Bay of Bengal. The structures we saw at Angkor today, more than 100 stone temples in all, are the surviving remains of a grand religious, social and administrative metropolis whose other buildings - palaces, public buildings, and houses - were built of wood and have long since decayed and disappeared. Angkor Wat, built during the early years of the 12th century by Suryavaram II, honors the Hindu god Vishnu. We walked all around these structures, climbing and making photos. It was hot and the light was so bright we feared we would not get the ideal shot. The upper area was open and we planned to climb the steps to the top but the guard would not let me go because my shirt did not have sleeves even though I had a large scarf to go around my shoulders. Hugh went up and made some pictures but the general consensus was that I saw more from exploring the outer walls. Hugh at Angkor WatClose to time to head to the bus we walked along the market and Hugh got the royal treatment. It was scorching hot and a young lady offered him a $1 beer, a shady place to sit, a fan to blow on him directly, and an ever steady stream of vendors selling their wares. After she brought him the Angkor Beer, she decided to charge only fifty cents for it. Hugh loved every minute of it and even bought T-shirts. From Angkor Wat we travelled downtown and ate at the Champey Restaurant. It was a lovely place with great food, good service, and air conditioning. We went back to the hotel during the hottest hours of the afternoon and at 2:30 headed out to Angkor Thom. Angkor Thom means “the great city” in Khmer. It was founded in the 12 century as a Buddhist city and is famed for its grand temples. This city was built in a nearly perfect square and is surrounded by an 8m high wall and is further protected by a 100m moat. There are 5 gates decorated with stone elephant trunks and the causeway across the moat is flanked with statues of 54 gods on the left and 54 demons on the right. We went in the south gate which is the best-restored. We walked past giant bas-relief’s of everyday life and then to the Bayon temple.

After our adventures yesterday it was nice to have a quieter day today. After breakfast we went to a local dance school where they teach the traditional Apsara Dance. The whole morning was fun as we got to see the classrooms and watch the instructors as they worked with the different ages. The girls were so graceful and the boys were energetic and having fun. They gave a performance for us and we found out that the children come from the villages and are chosen for their undeveloped talent. They have to be able to ride a bike to their home after school. The show was great and we even had some audience participation. This was something not to be missed.

It was a sleep later morning and we got our suitcases out before breakfast. Today we were off to Kampong Cham to board the Saigon Pandaw. Breakfast finished we identified our bags, met our group, and boarded the buses for our 5 hour ride. Hai kept us entertained and Sophea gave us history and cultural facts about Cambodia. Half way to our destination we stopped for a happy stop and of course our group found some shopping. We had our box lunches but we were not very hungry.

We were up bright and early this morning and had coffee on the sun deck before heading to breakfast. We were under sail and headed upriver to a hilly portion of Kampong Cham and some ancient temples. We docked and climbed up a mountain to the Temple Hanchey complex. Wat Hanchey is an ancient hilltop pagoda dating from the 8th century from where one can enjoy some of the best views of the Mekong River. It was a hot, humid day but this was forgotten when we saw the views. This complex has temples form the seventh, eighth, and eleventh centuries and even some very modern ones of today. The Wat is very brightly painted with Apsara at each corner. This temple and several others remind me of a carnival. The ancient brick temple from the seventh century has multicolored brick and is in remarkably good condition; although there is some crumbling. The temple from the 11th century was one we could walk into. This was a huge complex and is overrun with children begging. We had been warned not to give anything to them so we didn’t even though it was hard. There were restaurants here and a children’s play area. From one area you could see farm fields with pagodas in them and people working. There were also lotus fields. From this area we walked down 310 steps of varying depth and height, turned right down a dusty road and back to our boat. Back on board they took our shoes to clean which is the ritual and we headed to the cabin to cool off. Soon we made our way on top to hydrate at the bar and enjoy the view before lunch. My head was pounding so I rested through lunch and after he ate, Hugh joined me in the cabin. We had an hour before our next adventure. On our way to our temple stop we made a quick visit to a market to purchase pencils and paper for the children at the village we will visit later.

Today we had no morning schedule. This is the first day of our trip that we can rest and enjoy lovely scenery without climbing mountains or enduring heat and humidity. We spent the whole morning on the covered top deck talking, reading, and making pictures of the changing scenery. At 11 I went to the talk about Cambodian education and marriage parties. It was interesting but a bit depressing. Although there is mandatory education it is not enforced and about 40% of the children attend no school. There is a 45% divorce rate and domestic violence is a big problem. It was then time for lunch. Today we ate healthy, just soup and salad, and even went without dessert. Back on the sun deck the view was changing. We were traveling through the narrowest part of the Mekong. From our vantage point we could see floating villages, stilt homes, and mountains. Then we truned to Starboard and proceeded up the Tonle Sap River for a while.

Today we were up early. Hugh accompanied some new friends to a doctor’s office for an eye appointment. The water taxi left at 6:30. I had coffee on the sun deck before joining friends for breakfast. Our group left the boat at 8 for our cyclo ride around the city. My driver was Hueng and he spoke very little English. Traffic was a driver’s worst nightmare and being in a rickshaw gave us a ground level view. The drivers seemed to have no issues with the cars, motorbikes, and rickshaws all trying to go in different directions from the same lane while negotiating a traffic circle. Hueng pointed things out to me and if I raised my camera he would jockey for space so I had a great photo op. We arrived safely at our first stop and Hueng assured me “I wait for you. Number 107, OK?” The Royal Palace here is as grand as the one in Bangkok but with many less pagodas and tourists. We visited the throne room where the coronations take place and saw King Sihanok’s palace where he and his family were held prisoners during the Khmer rouge regime. King Sihamoni resides there now. The grounds were beautiful. We also visited the Silver Pagoda with its silver floor tiles, and 250lb gold Buddha with a 25 carat diamond in its headdress and a 20 carat diamond in each of its arms. No shoes were allowed and no shorts or tank tops. It was very warm and some of the buildings were small and crowded. We continued our cyclo ride and Hueng was waiting for me. Our next stop was the National Museum which was dedicated by King Sisowath in 1920. Over 5000 objects are on display including Angkorian era statues, lingas, and other artifacts, most notably the legendary statue of the ‘Leper King.’ Though the emphasis is on Angkorian artifacts, there is also a good collection of pieces from later periods, including a special exhibition of post-Angkorian Buddha figures. The building was open to the outside and there was a lovely center courtyard. No pictures could be taken here so Hugh did not get to enjoy it. When we came out of the museum Hueng was nowhere to be found. The other drivers were calling him and after a little while we found him across the street in the shade. He said he was keeping the cyclo cool for me. We continued our tour around the city and we saw the Independence Monument, the wonderful French architecture of the city, and beautiful parks with topiaries and statuary. After going down Embassy row we battled the ever increasing traffic (closed my eyes at some points). We made it back to the pier and I said my goodbyes to Hueng and tipped him well for a job well done. On board the Pandaw I found Hugh in our cabin and he had just returned from his adventure. He will tell you all about it in his travel tips section. After cooling off in our cabin we headed to lunch.

Slept in this morning and everyone is moving at their own speed this river day. After breakfast we adjourned to the sundeck where reading, sleeping, and talking were the activities of the day. At 9 a.m we had a lotus flower folding class and Chris was our interpreter and helper. He was quite good at this and we made a beautiful arrangement for the bar. Question of the day, can we buy lotus flowers in our local florist???

After breakfast today we boarded a small boat to take us through the floating fishing villages. People here raise carp and catfish under their floating homes. The one we stopped at was a third generation business. There was a very strong smell-not fishy- which they explained was from their fish food making process. Fish bones, heads, etc plus rice are boiled and dried. The fish looked healthy and it was a compact and productive operation. We reboarded our small boat for our trip up a Mekong tributary which was bustling with aqua farms, rice fields, and boats moving up and down the waterway. We made a stop at a rice field that was ready to harvest and it looked golden in color. At this stop we also saw graves-the Chinese in this area bury the body or the ashes and mark the grave with colorful pagodas. Our next stop was a very busy village at the foot of Sam Mountain.

Today we were up early and out on deck for tea before breakfast. Our daily adventure began as we travelled to Sadec by small boat. When we arrived we saw a main street filled with a bustling market. The locals were out in full force buying fish, ducks, poultry, and every kind of fruit and veggie you could imagine. In the stalls the women were doing the selling and the kids were running around. Old men were lying about in hammocks or playing games. Yang told us the younger men are working in the fields. The second part of the market was the commercial part and everything was bundled in large packages. Trucks and carts were there being loaded to take the merchandise to villages for resale or to be sold to restaurants. This was the Vietnamese Costco. Our next stop was the home of the Chinese “lover” of Margaret Duras who wrote the romantic novel “L’Amant. Here we had tea and candied ginger while we heard the history.

Well our cruise has come to an end and today we put our bags out before 7 and had our breakfast. After a quick check of the cabin we claimed our luggage and watched it get loaded before we boarded our bus for Saigon. We waved goodbye to our Pandaw crew and knew we would miss their friendly hospitality. It was a funny feeling seeing our luggage leave before us but we were reassured that it would be in our hotel in Saigon. The trip was only 1.5 hours with our only happy stop at our hotel in Saigon. The road was a little bumpy so we just looked at the scenery and listened to Yang’s commentary. We identified our luggage at the hotel and made our happy stop before changing to a new bus. Our first Saigon stop was at the Reunification Palace, formerly the palace for the President of South Viet Nam. It was here that the American led war ended on April 30, 1975, when the North Viet Nam Army invaded the Palace forcing the president to resign. We visited the conference rooms, the Presidential receiving room, the telecommunications center, and the residential quarters. The two tanks parked outside are the ones that ended the war when they crashed through the gates. Our next stop was our home visit for lunch. This was definitely a middle class home with 4 stories and 4 bedrooms and 3 baths. The grandmother and the owner had prepared a lovely lunch and the 3 year old daughter entertained us with all the pictures from her childhood. After lunch we were able to look around the house and the only thing I saw that was missing was the air conditioning. From the luncheon we went to a lacquer factory near our hotel. We looked around but there was not a lot of purchasing from our group. The items were beautiful but the prices were high. Hugh bought us cold cokes and we waited in the air conditioned showroom until time to board the bus.

Today was a big day for us. We were headed out of Saigon to the Cu Chi Tunnels built first to fight the French and used by the Viet Cong during the Viet Nam War. We had a huge breakfast (lunch will be late), donned our sunscreen and bug repellent, and boarded the bus at 8. It was 1.5 hour drive and we could tell from the heat coming through the glass of the bus that it was another hot day. We had been told there are only 3 kinds of days here, hot, hotter, and damn hot. The tunnels we went to were the fartherest from Saigon but allowed us to avoid the masses of tourists. When we arrived we were truly in the jungle. We were some of the first to arrive so we were able to take our time. We saw a USA Huey helicopter and some Russian Migs at the entrance. We were assigned a guide and it was strange to look around and see that everyone working there wore dark green uniforms and Uncle Ho rubber sandals. We watched a black and white propaganda video and you would have thought that these were the sweetest, kindest villagers ever and we were the big bad aggressors. We had been warned of the one-sidedness of the film. We were able to go into the tunnels and even for me, a real short-stuff, it was a close fit. For the Viet Cong, life in the tunnels was difficult. Air, food, and water were scarce and the tunnels were infested with ants, poisonous centipedes, scorpions, spiders and vermin. Most of the time, guerrillas would spend the day in the tunnels working or resting and come out only at night to scavenge for supplies, tend their crops or engage the enemy in battle. Sometimes, during periods of heavy bombing or American troop movement, they would be forced to remain underground for many days at a time. Sickness was rampant among the people living in the tunnels, especially malaria, which was the second largest cause of death next to battle wounds. We saw the hospital, recovery area, and the command center. At one point we had bats flying around our heads.

Today we slept in a bit and had our luggage out early. At breakfast we found out that our homeward bound friends who had not signed up for the Hanoi extension trip were stuck at the airport because their flight was cancelled. They had been up since 2 a.m. for their 5:55 flight; the same flight we will be on in 5 days, Yuk! We went back to our room and read, edited pictures, checked emails. In the lobby we identified bags for storage and loaded luggage for Hanoi. Soon we were off to the airport. We checked in as a group and had time to edit pictures, shop, and just wait before our flight. The flight was uneventful and we got the full meal deal again. We arrived in Hanoi at 3 pm and it was grey and communist looking. It reminded us of our first trip to Beijing. It was easy to get luggage once the plane was unloaded and we actually had to show our baggage claim to get out. In this Communist country Hugh was amused at the giant TV screen outside the airport showing the status of the world’s stock markets.

We were up with our wake-up call and when we drew the curtains we could not see a thing. There was a thick fog blanketing the city with a mild drizzle. So very different than the bright sun we have had for the last 3 weeks. After breakfast we travelled to the Ethnology Museum of Viet Nam. This is the place to go if you are interested in learning more about the 53 ethnic minorities populating Viet Nam. Viet Nam’s different ethnic groups, their history, and customs are explained in photos, videos, and displays of clothing and daily implements. We saw some precious children on a field trip and the little girls were wearing pink hats. Out back are a number of re-creations of the village homes, from a low Cham house to the towering Banhar communal home that was being renovated.

HAPPY ST. PATTY’S DAY EVERYONE Our wake-up call came at 5:30 today and again when we opened the curtains the sky is grey and there is drizzle. Today we boarded our bus at 7 for a 3.5 hour trip to Halong Bay, one of the highpoints of the trip. The weather was continuing to be a problem, but we were all optimistic. The ride was easy and we made a happy stop half way at the Dai Nghia Humanity Center. Here we could see crafts being made including beautiful silk painting. This province in cooperation with the Red Cross employs disabled people who are trained to carry on traditional crafts. The show room was huge and this was a stop where we had to wait on people. When we arrived in Halong Bay the weather was horrible and there was so much fog you could barely see the lake. Our boat ride was delayed. We drove for another happy stop and then onto an island that produces coal. This was a much cleaner town than we saw earlier where coal residue covering the street was several inches deep. In the other town people were sweeping it up and making briquettes to sell for boiling water. We stopped at the market here and they were selling everything for everyday life plus knockoff purses and luggage. Hugh bought some hot chili sauce. We then made our way back to the harbor. We waited until after 1 and then they allowed us on the boat for lunch. We had a nice meal but unfortunately while we were eating the fog worsened. People shopped in the makeshift gift shop and the boat owners were happy as we made some major headway in clearing out their merchandise. Everyone bought postcards on the boat and by 3:30 we were on our way back to Hanoi a very disappointed group.

This morning we put our bags out before heading to breakfast. Guess what, it is still grey and drizzling. After breakfast the bags were loaded and we made our last stop in Hanoi before heading to the airport. We arrived early at the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and after Hai got our tickets he got us in a special queue so that our wait would not be too long. There was a diplomatic group that got preference over us. There were soldiers everywhere as we waited to enter the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. It’s a macabre experience to file through the room with his embalmed body in a glass case. You are not allowed to stop or take pictures; you could not even take in a backpack or a purse. The guards here take their jobs seriously. From the mausoleum we made our way to the Presidential Palace which is not open to the public. Uncle Ho, as he is affectionately called in Viet Nam, refused to live in the palace and lived mostly in the servants building until a small stilt house was built for him.

Oh my, was my only thought when the phone rang at 2 a.m. We put our bags out before showering and dressing. We arrived in the lobby and joined the group munching on breakfast boxes and sweet rolls. We were off to the airport at 3:15 and we got our bags, said goodbye to Hai, and checked in. We cleared immigration and made it to the gate. This time we would check our luggage whereas we had carried it on the plane on the way here. We had to wait a bit but unlike our last group our plane left on time. There is not much to say about this day or 2, or whatever. We made it to Hong Kong, cleared security again, boarded a plane, and 18.5 hours later we arrived in Chicago. We were glad to get back to the United States but by the time we cleared passport control and US Customs we were sorely missing the uniformly-pleasant helpful people we had dealt with in Indochina. We cleared US customs and then had something to eat before boarding our next flight to Charlotte. We arrived late in the evening. As we walked to the luggage carousel our luggage came around and we were soon on the bus to long term parking. Fee paid we drove in silence hoping we would make it to our bed. Once we were home we took the suitcases out and hit the bed reflecting that we had now visited 79 countries and already have big trips planned for more. See you some time tomorrow. /susan