Welcome to Viet Nam

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Hi everyone,

Well, we've arrived in Viet Nam. Stop #4 (already!) on this world tour. Time flies when you're having fun!!!!

Quote for the day: "Too much of a good thing is.........well........wonderful!"

And that's how we are all feeling. Wonderful!

The pictures you will see today are a bit different, because Viet Nam is unlike anything I've ever seen! We left Hong Kong by way of a private terminal (again); very nice! They had cappucino, coffee, tea, chocolates, etc. waiting for us as Customs checked our paperwork. Lovely touch! We left Hong Kong around the noon hour, and as we approached Viet Nam, turned our watches back an hour again. We flew over the South China sea and some of the islands below were quite beautiful. It was the birthday of one of our fabulous crew members, so that was properly celebrated.

When we arrived in Viet Nam, the heat/humidity hit us as we gathered our baggage. We were greeted in traditional Vietnamese style by beautiful young ladies in traditional dress. That was a nice touch. We loaded the buses and headed to our hotel. (Hotel Equatorial) The rooms are very nice indeed; the pool is spectacular as is the Fitness Center! Hooray! Once baggage arrived and we were somewhat settled in, we headed back on the bus for a quick tour of the city. We stopped at the Main Post Office (beautiful), the Notre Dame Cathedral, the Binh Tay market and then just worked our way back to the hotel so that we could beat the prime time traffic jam. Yeah right.......wait till you see the pictures! And this wasn't even the daily major traffic jam. That alone was entertaining! To see scooters, motorcycles, cars, buses, bicycles, .....all moving along, crossing in front of each other, families of 4 on scooters carrying groceries, etc. Unbelievable chaos and noise! This is totally unlike Hong Kong. What a sight!

We had some quiet time before getting ready for dinner. Then, it was a Bonsai dinner cruise on the Saigon river. Quite enjoyable!~ I'm certainly getting over my fear and discomfort of being on/near water!!!! It was a very pleasant evening with great food, lovely music and fun new friends! Tomorrow, a full day of touring/boating on the Mekong Delta.

For now, welcome to Ho Chi Minh city (formerly Saigon) where millions of people live and work every day!

More later,

Happy Pat

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Photos

A cappucino and chocolate treat at the airport
We were taken to a private business terminal again, for departure from Hong Kong. Thought you might like to see the kind of service we are getting. I love it!

Flying over South China sea
Beautiful view of some of the islands!

Flying into Viet Nam
The country side changes quite a bit.

More countryside
I wanted you to see different perspectives from the sky

Another view from the sky
Interesting lay of the land.

Ho Chi Minh city
And here we are!

Bin Tay market
These are tough working conditions!

Very talented young man
He's creating awesome art with the shells from duck eggs. Incredible.

Our greeting at the airport
How beautiful are they??!!!

Main Post Office
Beautiful architecture

Inside main post office
Got some great postcards in here!

Opera House
Part of our tour of the downtown area

On the bus to the hotel
Leona is modelling the hat we were given

Street vendors
They are everywhere!

Traffic jam, you think?
The driving experience is unreal!

Don't ever complain again.....
about driving in rush hour traffic in Canada! We have NO idea! Look closely at these pictures and you will see drivers going every which way!

They're everywhere!
Quite the experience to watch them.

Bonsai dinner cruise
My friends

Quite the food selection
Great food; lots of choices

The happy gang
We had fun tonight!

Music too!
A live band and great tunes

Dinner cruise
Lots of boats on the water

Beautiful trees
Glad I'm not doing the trimming!

Comments

[Louise]

Loving the Blog!
Pat, I just relish the daily news from you. Thanks for your dedication to the project. The Jacket will look stunning - great visualizing! Take care and keep blogging. Love, Louise.

[Evelyn]

The Constant Learner
Pat, although today is a stat for our business, I'm in the office today and it was well worth the drive just to get caught up on your adventures. I think I told you my brother, Rob, just toured Vietnam the last time he came home and he had wonderful stories to tell about his tours. He shared the same picture of the post office that you did. Thank you for continuing to share your adventures with us so we can learn about other cultures with you. It is hard to believe you've been travelling for one week already. Enjoy the day!

[Dawn P.]

Leona
My dad thinks he may curl with Leona. His name is Dan Gaudet - he's the new "young" fellow curling in the seniors league. He says hello and says now he knows why he hasn't seen her at the rink in a while! I had lunch with Betty Screpnek and she was amazed by your story! I have passed along the blog link. She says you are truly an inspiration!

[HappYanski]

Viet Nam is not like I though...
Hi Pat, I still have a "préjugé" that Viet Nam is like destroyed, poor and sad because of the war in the 60's and 70's. There is an article in one of Quebec's actuality magazine that says Viet Nam is waking up and rebuilding since at least 10 years! Thanks for sharing these pictures and memories because it will change my view of this country. Maybe one day i will go too! Have a nice day!

[Irene]

Enjoying the journey!
What a trip, it's so good that we can hear about it as you go along and the pictures are fantastic. Enjoy!

[marg]

being there
great fun every morning seeing the photos and getting the news - keep smilin' and enjoy the moment

[Lynn and Aiden]

Doesn't this trip just continue to reinforce the knowledge that we are all the same and are all sharing in this human experience. The pictures are wonderful and are showing us that the world is indeed a beautiful place. Different but still the same! Miss you

[Gary and Sue]

Your doin it in style gal
Wow really impressive. This journal is out of sight. First time I've had the chance to look. I hope you get it published when you get back. Liked the komona in Japan. Really looks like the holiday of a lifetime. You take care and we will keep watchin. All the best Gary Sue Mat and Nic

[Diann Vail]

Viet Nam
Hi Pat - this travel blog is fantastic - we are right there with you. I've sent the connection to my cousin in Kentucky who is going to join you and your gang on the rest of the tour. Say 'hi' to Eileen.... It's cold today and rainy - glad you are having a blast. Juyeon went to a rock concert last night so I haven't yet seen her today. Photos are great - keep it all coming! Love ya - Diann

[Lisa R]

for Tina with love
Hi mom! Sounds like you're having the time of your life! Hope all is well with you and your new friends. I've been a bit behind on the blog but now caught up. It's fantastic! Thank Pat for sharing, it's nice to get to know her too! All is well here, we've been very busy cheering all of Toronto's sports teams. I've been waiting for info on Vietnam, I'd love to go next year when we do Aus. Take good care, Lisa, Kelly, Coco and Roman

[Diann Vail]

red pants??
Pat - you order those pants to go with the jacket. I'll send you my MC # if you need it - don't miss this opportunity.... my treat for you... YOu need them made from the same bolt of fabric or the color won't be exact. Let me know how I can send my MC # for you to use.... I'm not sure if this note will be seen by everyone... Keep the photos and blogs coming - we're enjoying them.. Love ya - Diann

[Marilyn]

Much to be grateful for ...
Yes traffic and working conditions are probably some of the many things we need to appreciate more. Sad it takes going away to realize it. We should all be so thankful and complain less. Glad the experience is so stimulating. Thanks for sending the photos. Want to know if you had any 'mystery' food.

[Tanya Zeppilli]

Hi Pat!!!
I'm Remo and Diane Zeppilli's daughter. I just logged on to your site tonight and LOVED your journal entries and pictures. I can't wait to show my two kids. They have been asking lots of questions about the trip their grand-parents are taking and this way I can show them some of what you lucky people are experiencing! Can't wait to read and see more! Say "Hi" to my parents if you can and tell them the kids keep asking how many days 'till they return!! Regards, Tanya Z.