Arrive in Vietnam - 27 September

Our time in Vietnam started at 4:00 this morning with the local pilot joined our ship for the journey up the Mekong River. I managed to miss all of this during my peaceful slumber but made an effort (a very painful one) at 6:30 am to go up to the bow of the ship and see the sights of Vietnam. First impression – stinking hot for such an early time. Second impression – very muddy water and lots of vegetation on the shore. It was fascinating to see the traffic on the river too.

Around 8:00 we pulled into the dock and were greeted by a group of women holding up a sign. Sort of reminiscent of our arrival in Kobe - minus the brass band, the dignitaries and the crowds waiting for us – but other than that, very similar. I had had enough of the steamy heat and escaped inside for a quick breakfast. I had intentions of taking a shower but we cleared customs very quickly thanks to the fact that the customs officers had joined us in Hong Kong and had spent the last two days processing the paperwork. I like their efficiency! I had to get my paperwork for going on shore before I could take a shower but then decided that immediate disembarkation was highly over rated and crawled back into bed.

My travel buddies from Japan, Alexis and Lara, were heading into the Ho Chi Minh (aka Saigon) after lunch so I met up with them for the shuttle bus into the city. We were joined by another faculty member and Lara’s husband who had just flown into the country at 3:00 am that morning. He was a wee bit tired but a good sport about exploring the city with us.

It was a ten minute ride into the center of the city and we arrived just in time for the skies to dump copious quantities of water on us. Our timing needed some serious work! We quickly bought some ponchos. Mine was blue and made me look like a blueberry blob. Fortunately, only one photo exists of me in this ensemble and it will never make its way to this blog!

We made our way to an indoor market and were immediately overwhelmed by the sights and smells of the place. It was a market for everything! Clothes, fabric, leather, wood, food, toiletries and so much more. We walked around for about ½ hour but there were too many of us to do an effective shopping. We also wandered into the food area which was a lesson in all of the extremely gross things that the Vietnamese people like to eat. Gak! I don’t think I’m going to do so well here.

After walking around a bit, we abandoned the market and stumbled upon the Visitor’s Center and loaded up on money, maps, restaurant recommendations, and tailor information. We decided to split into two groups with Lara and her husband going off on their own. They were married only three weeks before Lara left for this voyage and they have very limited time together until December. We arranged to meet for dinner later.

Alexis, Patty (the faculty member) and I headed off for a tailor’s shop. The two women wanted to get some cocktail dresses custom made for them while they were in port. We spent about ½ hour in the shop – they selected fabrics and a design and I shopped for gifts. It was the perfect arrangement. Afterwards, we gratefully found a café right next to a post office (very efficient) and enjoyed an hour of drinks and snacks which were very much needed since my crank-o-meter was getting into the red zone. We did a bit more browsing while killing time before dinner and then Lara and her husband, Steve, at the appointed place.

We had intended to try out the restaurant the visitor’s center recommendation but they were full and had no seats for us. Out came the tour guide books and we deduced that there was a place only a block away that would be good. We easily found it thanks to Steve’s great sense of direction. We were led up to the third level of the restaurant and found ourselves all alone when the only other occupants of the room left. Was it something we said? The food was pretty good but only because the menu had pictures and we had a fighting chance of figuring out what we wanted to eat.

With our belly’s stuffed full we decided to head back to the bus shuttle and the ship. It was a satisfying day without being totally exhausting. What a concept! I need to try that more often.