Time flies when you're on a Ship

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Just like everyone said, this trip has flown since we left
South Africa. I can’t believe we have just left Vietnam and
that we’ll be in Hong Kong tomorrow. Vietnam was a pleasant
port. It hardly compares in beauty, generosity, culture and
just sheer coolness to Myanmar, but it definitely had its own
charms.

Our Vietnam experience began early in the morning when the
ship started up the three-hour journey by river to Saigon,
now known as Ho Chi Minh City. The passage was narrow and
the turns were sharp, and I understand now why Captain Jeremy
said this was his favorite port, he actually gets to do
something! On the first day I was signed up for a free trip
to the Ben Than Market, but it ended up not really being a
trip and I went on my own. The market was hot and stuffy and
it soon became apparent what everyone would be buying, knock
off North Face, Polo and Lacoste shirts as well as cheap t-
shirts. I roamed around for a bit and then met up with
Yukari and Kirstyn. We roamed some more and then headed to
Mandarin Restaurant for our 7pm dinner reservations. There
we met Nicole and Lauren who had spent the afternoon at a
tailor getting dresses made. The restaurant was really nice
and I felt totally underdressed in my sweaty and nasty
clothes. I changed into one of the new shirts I had been
forced to buy in the market and all was well. The food and
atmosphere at Mandarin was great. There was a live string
quartet and we enjoyed course after course of wonderful
Vietnamese food. In the end we all decided our $140 bill was
well worth it.

The next day I went on a trip to a Cao Dai Temple and to the
Cu Chi Tunnels. Caodaism is a religion made up of aspects
from many other religions including Buddhism, Hinduism,
Taoism, Confucianism, Christianity and Islam. The temple
structure itself was quite amazing both in size and in the
intricate colored decorations. We went up to the balcony and
were able to observe the noon mass, which was a real treat.
We then went to lunch, which wasn’t good enough to be worth
mentioning. Later we went to the Cu Chi Tunnels, which were
built and used by the Viet Cong during both the wars with the
French and Americans. The tunnel systems were quite amazing
and were definitely designed for the small Vietnamese build.
We had a chance to crawl through the enlarged “tourist”
tunnels, which was cool but also a bit frightening. I can’t
imagine having to spend any amount of time trapped in such a
small space. Some people went into a smaller, longer and
deeper tunnel, but I passed on the experience. The day was
rainy and gloomy and when we finally got back to the boat I
stayed there. It was a really long day, most of which was
spent on the bus.

Vietnam was definitely our shopping port. Lauren and I
spent a nice relaxing day bartering and buying. Way back in
Brazil I was afraid to barter, but now I am a pro. I have
the technique down, and by in large the best tactic if you
aren’t getting your price is to just walk away. It is going
to be weird to go home where everything is a fixed price. I
am going to be at Target trying to get a deal on film
processing. I can see it now, the dazed and confused clerk
will just stare at me as I plead my case saying I have 20
rolls to be developed, and telling them that everyone is
going digital and they need my service. In the end I won’t
be offered any discount and will end up walking away, much to
the clerk’s relief. One thing I have definitely gotten used
to on this trip is sweating. In the last three ports the
weather has been so foreign to us American folk. The
Vietnamese women walk around with every inch of their bodies
covered as I die in my airy linen shirt and rolled up pants,
trying to fit in. I’ve resolved myself to the fact that you
can’t be worried about what you look like when you’re
sweating. I am going to be so thrilled to see snow! Lauren
and I found a cheap Internet café in a mall and spent a good
part of the afternoon there and at the coffee shop close by.
Vietnamese drip coffee is the best! After sitting there for
a few hours I felt so much more comfortable, I wasn’t sweaty
and gross anymore and we both agreed we could wear these
clothes again the next day. That sounds disgusting, and it
is, but it has become a reality for this trip. With our
water restrictions we haven’t had laundry since the second
day we were in India. I wash clothes in my sink when I can,
but it isn’t easy. Before going back to the ship we went to
an Italian restaurant for pizza. Slowly but surely pizza has
been going downhill in these ports, but I guess it is to be
expected. That isn’t to say that it was a bad meal, but I am
really missing my yummy New Yorker pizza. I had bought a
big “Eastpack” duffle to accommodate for all of the extra
stuff I would be bringing home with me. I didn’t need a high
quality one, and I didn’t get one. We put most of the stuff
we had bought that day in it and I carried it around on my
back. It stayed together well until I stepped on the shuttle
bus to go back to the ship. One of the plastic clips broke,
but I was able to tie it up pretty well. I wasn’t too upset,
it will be fine and I guess that’s what I get for only paying
$3.

The next day we went on a day trip to the Mekong Delta, a
river region about 2 hours from Saigon. The day consisted
mainly of various boat rides on various sized boats through
the tributaries of the delta to different little islands
where we tried many native snacks and fruits. My favorite
stop was at a coconut candy-making factory where we got to
sample the warm gooey candy right after it came out of the
fire. It was a relaxing day and I was glad to get out of the
city. We had lunch at a nice resort/ restaurant place, which
looked much better than the food tasted. That night I went
out with Bailey to use the Internet phone. It had been a few
ports since I had time or it was economical to call and I was
really glad to do so here. I think Vietnam is the place
where everyone is seeing the reality of the end of this
trip. In some ways I am really ready to go home, but in
others I’m not.

On the last day I went out again to call home early in the
morning and then we went to the museum of War Remnants. This
place was pretty much a hole in the wall, but it was really
eye opening. The focus of the displays was photographs of
people who had been affected by bombs, Agent Orange and the
hands of the Americans themselves. I guess I had been
oblivious to what really went on. Many people ask about the
War in Vietnam and what it is like here. For the most part,
the Vietnamese have put it all behind them; it is the
Americans who keep bringing it up. I was walking around the
museum, looking at pictures when I came across a small group
of people in front of me. I pretended to be focused on what
I was looking at on the wall, but I was more interested in
their conversation. These men were Vietnam War vets and were
reminiscing about their days spent in the Mekong and other
areas of the country. It was such a surreal experience. My
friends and I were talking after and were wondering if we
were going to have to go to Iraq and to a museum there years
later to hear about what really happened. I hope not.
Seeing this place made me want peace even more.

As we were walking back to the market area we came across a
foot massage place. I have always been interested in
reflexology and was planning on getting a massage in Hong
Kong. I figured I didn’t have anything else going on this
afternoon and it was only $5 for an hour, so my friends went
on their way and I had a wonderful massage. I met up with
them again at the tailor where Lauren and Nicole got their
dresses. We went out and had some food and then went back to
the ship. Vietnam was a great experience. All throughout
this trip I have been able to do away with generalizations
I’ve had. I went from thinking of Asia as just one big place
to dividing off a section as being Southeast Asia. Now I can
dwindle that generalization down even more. It feels to me
as if the world is getting smaller and smaller.

Well now it is off to Hong Kong, one of my most anticipated
ports. Most of the ship will be traveling to Beijing,
China. I am excited to explore and experience the second to
last country we will visit. Wow.

Till next time…peace.
The butterfly traveler

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Comments

[Eric C. Anderson]

:)
Ashley, I am glad you are having a good time. I want to be there when you try to barter with someone back here in the states :) I hope you enjoy the rest of your trip and cant wait to see you. I am going back to ohio on dec 17 and staying till the 30th. hopefully i will get to see you.

[kari]

Fellow SASer
Hey there- I was wondering when I would find an SASer on this blog. I sailed on the milinium voyage (F99) and it was, till this day, the best experience of my life. It is where I set my goal to travel to all 7 continents and where travel became not just something to do but a way of life for me. Since SAS I made it to my 7th continent and have traveled to 40 countries. I truely hope you get everything out of SAS you can... enjoy, "it will all be over so fast" (that is a line frmo a song my friend Carol wrote about our voyage)