Hanoi was very busy and different from other places. Many. More government buildings, many more stores and many more communist symbols. A real contrast. It seems to be laissez faire communism. We went to the Palace of Learning which was the first university, HoChiMin's Mauseleum, the main government square, the Preidential Palace and the prison where John McCain was held, otherwise known as the Hanoi Hilton. We are pretty exhausted. Now for the almost four hour ride back to the ship.
Sunday, November 29, 2015
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To Hanoiit
It's almost a four hour trip each way to Hanoi. Hope we don't miss the ship. They drive like Florida here. Need I say more? The standard of living is higher than I thought. They have to pay to go to school. That is sad. The men look like they sit around all day.
Ha Long Bay Vietnam
This place is beautiful with limestone mountains rising from the water and beautiful caves. We took two boats plus the ship tender to get to the caves where we had to climb to the top of the mountain to get to the magnificent caves. I don't know how but we did it. I will post photos when possible. We then cruised around the bay on our private boat and saw beautiful formations and local floating fishing villages plus a beautiful and very elegant hotel right in the middle of the bay. I am really surprised by all the modern construction and that everyone seems so nice. I expected hostility and bitterness but see nothing but courtesy and politeness and a genuine feeling of wanting to get to know us. Everyone is very helpful. I don't really see any evidence of communism except the further north we go the more hammer and sycle signs and some political posters. They are building lots of luxury western hotels and we have seen pizza places and ice cream places and Italian restaurants. Not American. Just their own version of things.
Tomorrow we are headed for Hanoi, the capital and stronghold of their communist ideals. It should be interesting and different from the rest of the country I would assume. We have been eating and drinking off the ship but we are not dead yet.
Hoi An Vietnam
We finally docked in DaNang after a roller coaster sail last night. This is in central Vietnam near the former Da Nang American air base and the DMZ. There was heavy bombing here ind the Viet Cong hid in caves here. Most of the construction is new with beautiful and modern western hotels like Hyatt and Hilton. We visited Marble Mountain which is a Buddihst shrine. It was lovely and peaceful. We also visited the famous China Beach on the way to Hoi An, the old city. It had a very strong Chinese influence and quaint and narrow streets. Loads of folks trying to sell you something and loads of tourists. We went into an old Chinese house and an old Chinese temple. It's really funny since they really don't get along with or even like the Chinese. We also went into Da Nang city where we went into the museum where the guys were just thrilled and couldn't wait to leave. Then we had a treat..a rickshaw ride around the city. It was fun. I don't know how those old guys do it. We passed the former CIA HEADQUARTERS which is now a government building. Everyone is very friendly. They are mad at the Chinese over the man made islands they are building offshore near here and not at us. The captain says the waves won't be bad tonight and negligible by ten tonight. We are now on the way to Halong Bay which is supposed to be magnificent. We should arrive by noon tomorrow and will overnight there before proceeding to Hong Kong.
Greetings from the Gulf of Tonkin on a cloudy day. I am sure that some of these names are sounding familiar to some of you who remember the Vietnam War. Later this morning we will be going through Halong Bay, where we will anchor overnight. This is purported to be one of the most beautiful places on earth. The seas are a bit calmer so maybe the tendering won't be an issue since I do have that tendency to fall off boats every now and then. We will have our guide waiting for the daily adventure. So far, the guides have been great and the cars very comfortable and with good air conditioning. As we proceed further north it should begin to cool off.
As far as the ship is concerned, I like Journey better as far as staff, entertainment and activities. The food could be better too. They try to jazz it up too much. Half the time I don't know what I am eating. The stewards are great but in general I like Journey better. Americans are a minority as far as passengers. Mostly Aussies, Brits and a mixture of many others. Everyone is nice but we really don't mix much except for the Aussies. Our tours are all private and we are off the ship as soon as it docks and don't return till departure time. We are usually so hot and exhausted that we don't have the energy to socialize.
Tomorrow we will be spending the entire day in Hanoi. We have to meet the guide at seven to get there in time for the full day. This should be interesting since this is where I think the heart of communism is. This is the capital of the country.
Friday, November 27, 2015
Saigon/Ho Chi Minh City. Day One
We were picked up by our private guide and driver and driven down to the Mekong Delta area, about one and a half hours away from Saigon. We stopped along the way to visit a temple of all religions, mostly Eastern. I was very surprised that they have religion here at all. The country is 97 per cent Buddhist. And I thought they were all communist.
We continued on to the Delta with a running commentary by our guide and constant horn blowing by our driver. There we boarded a small boat which navigated to the opposite side of the river. This river is enormous. We landed on an island where we saw people making canny out of coconuts. We then boarded a smaller boat, a sampan, which rose low in the water and took a ride through the jungle where the Viet Kong hung out. It was creepy. After that we took a donkey cart ride, went to a honey tasting, bees and all, and then listened to a performance by the locals. My ears are still ringing from the atonal Asian screeching they call music. After that it was another boat ride followed by the long car ride back to Saigon in awful traffic. Exhausting.
Day Two was spent in Saigon. We visited the Palace of Reunification, the Musuem of American Atrocities which was upsetting, to say the least. Then it was on to a synagogue of all things, followed by a ride to Chinatown and a fabulous Chinese temple which was filled with worshippers and incense. Our last stop was the central market which totally overwhelmed me. I could hardly breathe it was so crowded with aggressive sellers and hundreds of shoppers. Everyone was touching you and I don't like that. So we returned to the ship feeling that we had our fill of Saigon and learned a lot about it. It is not communist but the guide says they have no freedom of speech. They really do believe that America should not have been there. They are capitalists in Saigon. I don't know about the rest of the country as yet but I sincerely doubt it. The south seems to be more open. I think things will tighten up the farther north we go. We also haven't gotten to the pretty part yet. Just a big smoggy city surrounded by rice paddies with ancestor worship alters everywhere. Very interesting. So far, it is a land of contrasts.
Good Morning from the South China Sea, where the Chinese are building artificial islands and the waves are gigantic. We have been rocking and rolling since last night. Barf bags are placed strategically throughout the vessel and it is impossible to walk a straight line. There are many green faces this morning. Nevertheless, the laundry room is busy. It's those same old biddies that have nothing else to do other than tie up all the machines so no one else can do their laundry. Jerry beat them this time by running past them to get a machine. My hero!
They are having a Black Friday sale but I don't have the patience to go right now. It's too crowded and too expensive. I am saving my pennies for Hong Kong where I will shop for a new camera and the the Stanley Market and the Ladies Market for bargains.
The captain just informed us that the waves are fourteen feet high. I could have told him that by just looking out of my window. The sea looks angry. It is dark grey with lots of whitecaps beside the waves. I am fine. Jerry is wearing his patch. Most others are looking not so hot. A big wave just broke over deck five. We are outside on deck five and I just got all wet! Guess it's time to go in.
We will be in DaNang tomorrow but going on an excursion to Hoi An which is purported to be phenomenal.
5:30 pm. Seas rougher than ever. All activities cancelled! So right. Now the South China Sea is not my favorite place. It is the remnants of a typhoon or so I hear. One of our group has been in bed all day. Even the band is seasick. I wonder what dinner will be like, says the woman with the cast iron stomach.
So after a miserable night of tossing and turning - I mean the ship-and thinking I would be fish food, we finally docked in Da Nang where it is raining. We will be getting off shortly for a trip to Hoi An, one of the highlights of the trip.
Thursday, November 26, 2015
Saigon/Ho Chi Minh City
Same place, two names. It is the financial capital of Vietnam, right on the banks of the Saigon River. Ver busy. Filled with eleven million people and seven million scooters. Will be in contact soon.
Sunday, November 22, 2015
Goodbye Bangkok
This will be the last blog for a few day since there will be no service in Vietnam. We have a guide for the entire time onshore in Vietnam so we should be fine.
Yesterday we were at the Floating Market and the Railroad Market. Their wares are spread out all over the place and when they hear a train coming they pack it up quick and run like hell. This is no easy task since these stalls contain every manner of food and clothing imaginable. This includes slithering snakes and creepy crawlies. It is very easy to get grossed out if you look too closely. But our guide kept feeding us and I'm not dead yet. Speaking of snakes, we saw a giant one yesterday which did scare the crap out of me.
Today we were in the big city. Downtown Bangkok is just like any other big city around the world with loads of smog and traffic and people. Even though they don't celebrate Christmas they have a humongous Christmas tree I the central shopping area.
We took a ride in a tuk tuk which is like a scooter with a back seat for two people. It darts in and out of traffic and is noisy. Each one is decorated and happily painted. It was fun except for the fact that we were dropped off in the wrong place and had no clue where we were and had almost no local money left. I did some serious cursing under my breath since everyone is so happy and smiling here that I didn't want to get arrested. Or sent to a mental institution. The local money is called bat like the baseball bat. It is worth about thirty two to our dollar.
We didn't
See any evidence of the sex industry. I think they try to keep it very hidden to the general tourist. I think if one asks discreetly one can find such activities. I am really glad we did not come across any of it. We did however see some of the hospitals dedicated to medical tourism. They look state-of-the-art. They are immaculate and the staffs are extremely well trained in all the top countries. The recuperation facilities are all in five star hotels on the beach. The costs are extremely cheap.
The 95 per cent majority is Bhuddist and there are shrines everywhere. People go into malls to cool off since it is very hot. About 90 today with high humidity. This is their winter. The summers go up to 115 or so. Maybe they are so mellow because it is too hot and humid to get angry. Not worth the effort. So it is goodbye to Thailand. We are about to leave for a three hour trip down the river to the Gulf of Thailand.
Saturday, November 21, 2015
Bangkok
It was quite a day. I woke up early to see the sunrise as we sailed up the river to get to the city. It was well worth it. We met our private guide and driver and piled into a brand new suv with great air conditioning. It is beastly hot and humid. Our first stop was the massive ornate and beautiful Royal Palace. It is a huge complex guarded by gun toting soldiers. It was crowded beyond belief and everyone had umbrellas to protect themselves from the sun. If I didn't have sun glasses on I wouldn't have any eyes left. Anyway it was an amazing sight and so very overwhelming. I have never seen so much gold. Our guide was an expert, both on information and navigating us through the unbelievable crowds.
We then proceeded to the river by our car with the guide feeing us all manner of local foods. We jumped, literally, into a small local boat and took a long ride down the local canals to see old Bangkok. It was totally fascinating. We saw all the old architecture and many Buddhist temples. The water was rough on the main river but the canals were calm. We had a hell of a time getting out of that boat. I now have a huge gash on my leg as a souvenir.
Our last stop of the day was a local mall which was overwhelming. Our guide led us expertly around and translated for us. Otherwise we would have been totally lost.
Tonight we spent an amazing evening in the ancient city enjoying a wonderful local.show and enjoyed food and drink and fireworks. We concluded by placing a basket of flowers in the river to float peacefully away. The Thai people are lovely and gentle souls and we are being treated with kindness and respect.
Thursday, November 19, 2015
Ko Samui
We spent the day at Chaweng Beach where I had a one- hour coconut oil massage for nine dollars. It was wonderful. So was the beach itself and the warm water. The Thai people are kind and gentle souls. There are Buddahs everywhere and the streets of this small island are lined with little shines and offerings mostly of foods.
We are back on the ship now preparing to set sail for Bangkok. I am so relaxed from the massage that I can barely stay awake. We will be sailing in the Gulf of Thailand and going up through the main river to the heart of Bangkok. Because we are a small ship we can go up the river and see some magnificent scenery.
Thailand
We are heading for one of Thailand's legendary beaches. It is very hot. There is a typhoon out there somewhere. Not near here or so they say.
Azamara Quest In the Singapore Straights
This is one of the most crowded sea lanes in the world with all manner of sea going vessels. It is set out in an invisible grid with some magic control center who knows where directing all the sea traffic. The weather is hot and muggy with clouds. The ship has 613 passengers. It is laid back and quiet. No crowds. No annoying announcements. Just calm seas and a lovely atmosphere. We awoke early and did our exercise for the day. Today that meant the track. It was a great workout in preparation for a relaxing day. Just having a sea day is great after running around Singapore like lunatics.
The food is excellent. Very tasty, interesting and not enormous portions. The wine last night was outstanding. I will beg them for it every night. Santa Elena Pinot Grigio. Our cabin is not too small with a huge window and it is very quiet. The thing I love about this ship is that they don't make announcements and if they have to they don't beam them into the cabins. So if the ship is sinking I will probably sleep right through it. Oh yes, no children aboard.
We are moving along at seventeen knots in extremely calm seas. The captain calls himself The Voice From th Bridge. A good sense of humor. Shortly we will attend a lecture on Thailand, our first port stop. So far, I have only positive things to say. We were very impressed with Singapore and so far with this cruise. We are also happy to be sailing with good friends Lorelle and Jeff. We look forward to a wonderful
Thursday November 19,2015
We are now sailing in the South China Sea twelve miles off the coast of Maylasia on our way to Thailand We should be there tomorrow morning. Tonight we met the captain and officers. We had an amazing dinner in one of the specialty restaurants. Outstanding!
Tuesday, November 17, 2015
Monday, November 16, 2015
Singapore
Seems like everyone here is wearing a headscarf. I guess iris mainly the Indonesians. Everyone else dresses normally. Business people wear suits. I don't know how they do it in this heat. Being here for a few days has peaked my curiosity about what it what it was like during colonial times. I guess if you weren't British it must have really sucked. Anyway, everyone seems to want to better themselves a there are no beggars or graffiti anywhere. The residents are pleasant and helpful. I think we have seen it all in the few days we have been here and it has been a very pleasant experience.
Singapore
We went to Sentosa today. It is an island close to Singapore. It has Universal Studios, Resorts International and many other resorts and hotels, not to mention beautiful beaches. Still hot and humid. I think this is a pretty wealthy and organized society. Lots of rules but everyone seems ok with that. As far as we can see, the entire country is one giant high end mall. I have never seen so many upper end stores located in such a small area. Two giant Tiffany stores on one block. Countless others all over the place. There must be a lot of off shore money floating around.
Sunday, November 15, 2015
Sightseeing in Singapore
We still have major jet lag and are a bit disoriented but we managed to navigate the subway system successfully. We were on the sightseeing bus all day.
The entire city is not that big but it is quite interesting. There are distinct neighborhoods such as Chinatown Little India and the government areas. Shopping malls are everywhere and so are outdoor flea markets and food stalls. The smells of ethnic foods are everywhere. The subway is very crowded but clean and efficient. Everyone speaks English. It seems to be an important financial hub. New construction is everywhere and it is quite magnificent. The majority of the population is Chinese with Indian and Malaysian following behind but not closely. The standard of living is amazingly high. I feel perfectly safe here even late at night in the subway.
Today we are going to the exclusive beach area called Sentosa. It has been beastly hot and humid. I certainly can see why they just laid around here before air conditioning.
Yesterday I went to Raffles Hotel, which was on my bucket list. I was transported back to the Colonial era and loved every minute of it. What a trip! As you know, it is the home of the Singapore Sling, that crazy drink that I love. I could just imagine all those Colonial Brits hovering over the Long Bar at Raffles slugging them down, one after another. Very nostalgic.
Saturday, November 14, 2015
Food
So far, I am loving the food. Last night we had dim sum. We really weren't sure exactly what we were eating but it was delicious and we didn't get sick. So far, so good. As usual, we are consuming gallons of water which is safe to drink in hotels and restaurants.
Singapore
We have been riding the subways today. It is immaculate and easy to get around. We went to the Marina district for dinner. It was dim sum and delicious.
Everyone here is on the phone. Millions of them. It is very interesting city. A real melting pot with everyone getting along.
Jerry got up at 4:30 today. I got up at six. It is tour day so we know where we want to go back to. It is a pretty amazing place. It kind of reminds me of an adult Disneyland.
Friday, November 13, 2015
Singapore
Here at last after twenty-four hours of travel. It is hot as hell and humid. Just like home. We got our room early and will shower and go out sightseeing. Everyone speaks English and it is very clean. If you break the law here you are screwed. Jerry almost did when he moved his luggage cart passed the limit line. I caught him just in time.
Enroute to Singapore
We are on the last leg of the flight to Singapore. This part of the flight is twelve hours. I will be a gelatinous mass of exhaustion by the time we get there. The good thing is that they keep feeding us and plying us with liquors. The flight from Ft. Lauderdale to NY was very turbulent and Jerry lost his cookies. He managed to cure himself with a half-pound bar of Swiss chocolate at the duty free shop so he is all better now. This plane has a very sophisticated media system and I am listening to meditation music after meditating and falling asleep. The flight attendant woke me up with a Singapre Sling. I will be addicted to them by the time we arrive in Singapore.
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