"Treasures of Cruising the World" with Bill & Mary Ann: Report # 69 Phu My (Ho Chi Minh), Vietnam March 9, 2016 Wednesday Sunny & 95 degrees 32 Pictures Part #1 of 2

Sent: Wednesday, March 9, 2016 2:27:30 PM
Subject: Report # 69 Phu My (Ho Chi Minh), Vietnam March 9, 2016 Wednesday Sunny & 95 degrees 32 Pictures Part #1 of 2

Well, here we are in the exciting port of Phu My, Vietnam. OK, it's not exciting because there really is nothing here to see except perhaps a working pier, a muddy river, and hot and muggy weather. It is not totally sunny, nor is it 95 degrees. But it is smog-like muggy and pretty hot. If it wasn't for a slight breeze, it would be uncomfortable. We ran into Don M, our longtime world cruise buddy, who said we are docked in a different area than we usually are. It beats us, because we have never paid much attention to this port, because we always left it. He was disappointed because we are normally across from a bank on the other side of the river, where a prison is located. He said part of his day would be spent watching the activity of the prison grounds, such as when the guards take out groups of prisoners for their daily exercise and smoking break. See what we have missed?

No luck to see such sights today, because we are docked between container and river ships, with a few factories that line the road. We know this because we took a walk after breakfast to see what was behind all of the containers. The dock area is massive here, with many trucks and containers being loaded on local river ships. All that we could see at the gate, was the road that led out of here. We remember driving through empty fields with a few rubber trees and possibly some rice fields on the long ride to Ho Chi Minh. Lining the road this morning, were several taxis waiting for folks to hire them. Barbara H said that if you hired a taxi driver here, you should plan to keep them for the day, especially if you have the big city in mind. Many of these drivers live in Vung Tau, and drive the one hour ride to transport folks for the day in Ho Chi Minh. So if you plan a transfer to the city, they will expect to be hired for the day, or they don't want your business. We are sure the fares are reasonably cheap, although have never done a private transfer.

A weird thing happened with picture –taking on the pier this morning. Photos taken near the ship came out crystal clear, while the rest of the photos were blurred, unusable. Was this something deliberate, done for mysterious reasons for security for instance? The camera is new, and the settings were the same. It's not like there is anything sensitive to security in these river ports, but something changed the quality of every single photo taken from the ship to the road near the gate. Maybe it is something we will never know.

Anyway, Phu My is the gateway to Ho Chi Minh, formerly Saigon, one of the grand cities of Asia. Located 22 miles up the river, the Amsterdam docked here in a very active port. Four of the ship's tours were for Ho Chi Minh. Two of the 8 hour tours drove for two hours, minimum, to reach the famous Post Office, City Museum, Bitexaco Financial Tower, the Ben Thanh Market, Notre Dame Cathedral, and the Presidential Palace. Add time for a Vietnamese lunch, and these tours ran from $135 to $150 per person.

Another different type of all day excursion went to the big city, but was a cooking tour. Passengers would be taken on a shopping spree for fresh produce, then continue to the Vietnam Culinary Cooking Center for a demo of local cooking. You can learn how to use chopsticks, proper dining etiquette, and enjoy the delicious cuisine. This would set you back $140 per person.

The fourth all day trip was a 3 hour ride to the Cu Chi Tunnels for $115 per person. Here you would see underground mazes and tunnels, accessed by incredibly tight holes where the Viet Cong soldiers hid like moles during the Vietnam war in the 1960's. We have good friends that have taken this tour, and said it was all too graphic, claustrophobic, and surreal. Lunch was also included with this tour. It came with a stern warning however: Expect the portrayal given by the guides and printed materials to be at odds with American sentiment. The toll on lives on both sides was horrendous, so if you would be bothered (understatement), DON'T GO. That's enough for us, as we did experience the same feeling while touring the Reunification Hall in Ho Chi Minh many years ago. At that time, we had not be forewarned, and were taken by surprise, although we should have known what was coming. The photos in the museum on the bottom floor were shocking to say the least. Although all sides suffered, only the effects on the locals were displayed. In this case, you hope that history never repeats itself in this country. Other places in the world, it continues….

Shorter tours included a stop at Ba Ria to see Buddhist temples, a 100 year old Vietnamese home, a rice paper and rice wine factory. This may have been OK, since it was only 3 ½ hours. Maybe next time. The fee was $50 per person.

Vung Tau tour is a 4 hour excursion to see the seaside village resort with a popular beach. We have been there several years ago, and found it to be similar to the sites we saw in Da Nang, only on a smaller scale. Their claim to fame is a 100 foot statue of Jesus, reminding us of Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. There are more red and blue fishing boats there, as well as the woven wicker boats. And as you might expect, there are dozens of souvenirs shops, cafes, and a white villa to visit on the hillside. Not a bad way to spend a half day, and the price was reasonable at $60 pp.

For those that only needed a bus ride to Ho Chi Minh, they offered a transfer for $60 per person that gave you about 4 hours in town, with a round trip ride for 4 to 5 hours. Barb and Martha took advantage of this ride so they could go out to lunch, get free wifi, and probably do some fun shopping. Bet they have fun, and will be "talked out" by the time they get back.

Our four times into Ho Chi Minh rekindled a few memories. First and foremost in our minds was the long drive. Our very first trip we took was the best, since we were blessed with a wonderful, young guide who spoke wonderful English, and was wise beyond his years. He spoke all about the history of his country, explaining Communism, and what it was like living here. He had us riveted from the port all the way to the "Pearl of the Far East" as Saigon was described. Some of what we learned was that the official name of the city Saigon, was changed to Ho Chi Minh in 1976. Over half of the 8 million city folk are younger than 35, and most all of them drive motorcycles. You take your life in your hands trying to cross an eight lane road in town.

We remember our stop at the Notre Dame Cathedral, which was closed to the public that day due to weddings taking place. In fact, every time we have been there, we have seen one bridal party after another taking photos outside the impressive Catholic cathedral. Directly across the street is the Post Office, designed and built by Gustave Eiffel, creator of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, among other buildings. We bought the nicest handmade cards right through the window of our waiting bus, bargaining the whole time. People in the bus handed us their dollars as we continued to buy more and more. Sure made the vendors happy, and where else can you find painted cards and envelopes five for one dollar or less?

We were not too thrilled with the fish soup for lunch, seeing bones floating between the fish heads with their eyes looking at us. Little too exotic for us. That time, we shared with a couple of folks that ate most everything we didn't, including more.

The water puppet show was a hoot. We crowded into tiny chairs and bench seats made for small people, and watched a comical performance with a shallow pond as the setting for the water puppets. Fellows behind a curtain manipulated the puppets of dragons, fishes, water fairies, and farmers as they told a story familiar to the locals. Our travel agency had the same 9 hour tour available today.

One overland tour group left the ship today also. It was the 3 day, 2 night trip to Anghor Wat, Saigon, and Phnom Penh Adventure. This trip was a bit more expensive, since it cost $2900 per person to go. These folks will be back to the ship in Sihanoukville, Cambodia.

Back on the ship, we went to lunch at 12:30pm, finding the dining room full of folks. Guess we were not alone in staying home today. Our biggest job was turning in the landing cards we received a few days ago. They had been stamped in both Vietnamese stops. Even though we simply walked the pier, the guard stamped these cards in his little shed near the gangway. And since we were not going to be leaving the ship again, we dropped them off at the front desk by 4pm.

All aboard was at 5:30pm, and we were already outside on deck nine, watching the steady flow of buses arriving back from their tours. Most all of the people looked exhausted. We heard that it had been wicked hot in town. At least, on the river, we had a constant breeze blowing. It was fascinating watching the containers being loaded on the riverboats. Hard to believe, but each long boat held forty-eight containers. These boats must be home to the captains that drive them, because we spotted clothing drying in the aft of the boat, along with several potted plants on the back deck. We were joined by several friends as the ship dropped the ropes, and headed back down the river. The sun had set by then, and darkness fell upon us quickly. All we would see now, were the lights of the shoreline and the river boats until we got to the sea once again.

All of us were present at dinner. Barb and Martha had taken the transfer to Ho Chi Minh, as well as Greg and Heo, who met a friend that lives there. Bonnie and Paul made their way to the city and visited every major site, while Leslie and Handler had stayed on the ship like we did. We had different entrees, which were the rack of pork and the Yankee pot roast, which was great with a baked potato. One of us had crème brulee and the other, sugar-free jello. Both were just fine.

The show tonight was new to us…..the MacDonald Brothers, who sang and played Scottish music with multi-instrumental instruments. Much different from the everyday performers.

We got a letter today warning us that the water in our cabin would not be available from midnight to 6am tomorrow morning. Routinely, they have to shut down a portion of the system for service and maintenance. Every section gets a turn. It is always done once on a long voyage such as this one. The time span is usually much shorter than they advertise. We just need to remember to run the faucet for one minute to make sure the discoloration is gone. You bet we will.

One more day at sea tomorrow as we head towards Cambodia.

Bill & Mary Ann

Some lost photos of Victoria Harbour during our Hong Kong stay