Today began with another message informing us that in order to keep their facilities in top condition, it would be necessary to perform maintenance on the hot water system. So from 9:30 to 11:30am, there would be not be any hot water available. As long as they don’t shut down all of the water, especially in the bathrooms, we don’t mind. We figured that with so many passengers on tours today, this was the best time to disrupt service.
The Amsterdam was docked up the river by the time we woke up. An unremarkable pier, we were tied up at the Tan Cang Cai Container Terminal, one place we have never been on past grand voyages. Basically, most all of the piers up this river look the same. Except today, this is such a busy working port, that we were not allowed to walk anywhere, except the immediate dock around the ship. A shuttle was offered to the port gate, where if we wished, we could summon a taxi to take us anywhere.
Like we stated yesterday, we have been to Saigon several times, and have left no stone unturned. And to be honest, due to the Vietnam War we remember well, some of those stones are best left unturned. Barbara H, our port lecturer, had warned folks that the sites in the city related to that war, are shown through the eyes of the people here. We saw this first hand when we visited the museum in the Independence Hall with graphic war photos. Once was enough, as many of our well-traveled friends agreed. By the way, many of those friends stayed on the ship like us today.
Anyway, here are some facts about the country of Vietnam. The capital of the country is Hanoi, and the population in 2012 was 87 million Vietnamese-speaking people. This slender nation is home to two different areas. The north is tight-lipped natives that live in Hanoi, while Ho Chi Minh City has a go-go-go feel to it. Limestone cliffs and hill tribe villages are in the north, white sandy beaches are in the middle, while rice paddy fields are in the south. Truly a diverse country.
The best time to visit is March and April, and September to November. Items to eat are pho, a noodle soup, banh cuon, steamed rice with minced pork, and goi cuon, a summer spring roll. Their favorite drink is bia hoi, or local draft beer.
Trademarks are conical hats, cyclos, ao dai, the beautiful silk-like traditional dresses, and scooter gridlocks.
There were seven tours offered here. One overland left for Angkor Wat & Saigon for a few days for the price of $2500. The remainder of the excursions were 4 to 9 ½ hours for the price of $60 to $150. The least pricey were a transfer to Ho Chi Minh, and a short tours to Vung Tau, a seaside resort, or Ba Ria, a rural township. The rest were city tours of former Saigon, all of which we have taken. One final trip took the folks to see the Cu Chi Tunnels from the Vietnam War era. We have never seen these hidden tunnels, but know friends that have. Although no one can go down the rabbit-hole shafts these days, there are places where they go through the underground meeting rooms, kitchens, hospitals, and sleeping and eating areas. It is not for those with claustrophobia. That would be one of us for sure. Another aspect of this tour that stopped us from taking it, has to be the three hour ride each way to get there and back.
Or you could negotiate your own tour with van and taxi drivers at the gate. Or if you planned well ahead of this trip, many tours could be booked independently and on your own. These seem to turn out to be the best for some. The only trick is to get back to the ship before the all aboard time, or they will not wait. So far, we have heard of no one being left behind.
There were not many folks in the dining room for breakfast, since the tours left shortly after our docking time of 7 or 8am. Today there would be no lunch service in here, so our waiters said they would get much needed free time after emergency drills to do laundry and get some extra sleep. Unless they pooled together to take a van to a nearby town at an inflated price, they opted to stay onboard.
We opted to pay a visit to the three tents that had been set up shore side with vendors selling Vietnamese treasures. There was an ample supply of purses of all sizes, some jewelry, like pearls and jade pieces (probably not real), t-shirts, lacquerware, and little trinkets of all kinds. They did have a pile of Vietnamese cards and envelopes, but what we could buy in Saigon like 10 for $2, they wanted $2 each for them. No deal there. We did show some interest in two sets of three-piece lacquer plates. The vendor immediately said – no bargaining. Set prices. Really? We said if we buy 2 sets, can we get a better price? And the answer was maybe yes. So she did bargain, as long as no one else heard us doing this, she agreed. This would not happen later in the day. So we ended up spending 550,000 Vietnamese dong, or $25 USD. The US dollar is widely accepted here, and probably preferred.
Back on the ship, we headed for the Seaview pool, and did find quite a few folks there. Surprisingly, there was a stiff breeze blowing across the deck, keeping us rather comfortable in the heat. Watching the river activity was very interesting, as locals were dredging mud and sand from elsewhere, and distributing it on the banks of the river. It appeared that this was their method of land reclamation. The bilges of many old boats were being flushed with sea water to pump the sludge through a series of pipes to the fill area. A few young workers were knee-deep in this mud, keeping the ends of the pipes clear, so they would not block up. This went on from daybreak to sunset. Hard and tedious work for this team of guys onshore, but we don’t see it as a bad thing, like some passengers do. These young locals are learning a trade, and starting from the bottom. It is keeping them employed, making money, so that is a good thing. So far machinery has not replaced the job these locals can perform. And in time, perhaps these young fellows will own their own boats to do this job.
Nearby, there were a series of never-ending dock cranes used for loading or unloading cargo ships. The pier was loaded with containers being moved by huge conveyors, while 16 wheeler big rigs hauled the goods away. While this was happening onshore, on the river were typical local fishing boats of all sizes. Some were casting nets that were being passed over with much larger vessels. Don’t know how these nets were not ripped to shreds. Some older-style wooden boats had nets that scooped the water for smaller fish like shrimps perhaps.
The only birds we spotted were egrets or cranes, flying in and around the river banks and nearby mangroves. Come to think of it, we have not seen the flying fish on our way here, so there would be a limited supply of food for the sea birds. A few days ago, we did watch while three white boobys followed us for a while. Then they were gone.
If the Sapphire Princess was anywhere in the vicinity we were docked, we sure did not see it. The only vessel docked in front of us was a tanker.
Lunch for us was around 3pm in the Lido with sandwiches from the pizza/sandwich bar. By then, some of the tour groups were back onboard, and also doing the same thing. Normally, clean-up from the onslaught of earlier diners is taking place, such as re-setting the tables, sanitizing all chairs and counter tops, and vacuuming. Our number one complaint here is the fact that the clean plastic glasses are not turned over, and can be contaminated during the afternoon. It has been suggested numerous times by the repeat passengers that this practice be done, but it has not happened. They have really come a long way to keep this venue sanitary in the last few years. Going a bit further can make a difference in the health of the guests and crew alike.
Around 4:30pm, we made one last swoop through the tents on the dock. There were a few nice small embroidered bags that would work for over-sized sunglasses, and earlier in the day, every bag that size was $5, or less if you bought more than one. With too many guests from returning shore excursion buses filling these tables, the vendors were over-whelmed, and not even there to quote pricing. Many of our friends were trying to negotiate a sale, but gave up. The same purses that we could have bought earlier in the day for $5, were suddenly $25. Hmmmm, with that, many of us put the items down and left to go back on the ship.
The landing cards we needed to have stamped had to be turned in once onboard. Boxes were at the gangway once we went through the security check.
The Phu My sail away was held at a very windy Seaview pool deck at 5:30pm. The best little crispy veggie spring rolls were passed around several times. Of course, drinks of the day were pushed, although few of these world cruisers buy them. The ship turned around and headed down the river to the ocean, passing a slew of cargo terminals for miles. The more interesting vessels were the Vietnamese fishing boats and the familiar red and blue wooden boats. They passed us all the way down the river, even in the dark. Many of these boats are used for night fishing with lights to attract the fish. We never did see another cruise ship leaving.
Dinner time found all present, and sharing their tales of the day. Listening to all, we could have about repeated word for word every experience they had when touring nearby Vung Tau or Ho Chi Minh City. The only difference we heard was from Allan and Sandra, who had gone on their own to Vung Tau. They reported that the roads there had been widen and paved, even decorated with blooming flower pots all the way. Much improved from what we remember from ten years ago. So the tourist’s dollars have helped in this area.
There was a comedian, Rikki Jay, on stage tonight. He was fast, funny, and he was calorie-free. Fewer folks in the second show, probably because the clocks had to be set ahead tonight, to be on Singapore time. Gosh we hate going forward, and so does the crew.
One more day at sea, then we will be two whole days in Singapore. One of the best stops on this trip for us.
Bill & Mary Ann
Docked at Tan Cang Cai Mep Container Terminal in Phu My
Local river and ocean ships
Mangroves surrounding the riverbanks
Local tugs
Will assist us later today
Typical crane for loading cargo ships
The long empty pier