Miss Saigon?

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Ten years is a long time.

Ten years ago today was my first day as a legally separated woman with the prospects of a different life ahead of me. With that came responsibility, fear, and a bit of excitement. New beginnings are tough but lead into so many fascinating opportunities. If you had asked me if I ever thought I would be drinking a mojito and listening to a salsa band on the rooftop of the Caravelle Hotel in Saigon ten years later, I likely would have laughed at you. Partly because of the Saigon bit, but perhaps even more at the absurdity of the Cuban and Vietnamese mixed metaphors!

Ten years ago, Tiana was only a decade old. On Sunday, she will turn twenty and I will try to find a way to participate in the celebration of that milestone, between commitments she will have with her friends. We are through the teen years, thankfully, relatively unscathed. I am very proud of the person she is becoming. She and I have together and separately had some amazing travel experiences over the past ten years and I think for both of us, these have helped to shape us and inform our way of thinking about the world. From painting the school together in the garbage dump in Guatemala City to looking for a home in the south of France (dreams, dreams...), we have trudged through the years in our own style.

Today was spent travelling to My Tho on the Mekong Delta. The easiest way to do this was through a tour, again cheap and cheerful. For $10 US, we had a round-trip bus trip (2 hours each way) to the Delta, as well as a variety of boats to transport us around once we got there. The boats got progressively smaller as we made our way through increasingly small waterways. This is the Vietnam of the picture books. We did the cheesy things, too - visited a bee farm, had a boa constrictor put around our necks, saw how coconut candy is made and had the opportunity to see what Vietnamese fish farming looks like (for you PETA types, I don't think I will get into it!). We had a slow paced lunch and time to read before making our way back to the city.

Tomorrow is my last day in Saigon. Katherine will find ways to entertain herself for two more days after I go. I started out disliking this city but have managed to find some charm in it. Thuy, of our hotel, is a highlight (when have you ever come home from a long day out to the offer of a foot rub from the front desk? Katherine got that offer!). The traffic is horrific (ask me of Patrick's story, a 35 year old Dutch man we met who saw a man killed in an accident in front of him), the honking persistent, but it is quiet for us at night and we have always felt safe. Home is looking pretty good right about now, and the bustle of Christmas that awaits, but this has been a memorable trip, made the better by a good pal to share it with and the people of Vietnam.

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Comments

[Lynne]

Final blog from Vietnam
We look forward to your safe return home, Nancy! I, too, cannot believe 10 years have passed so quickly. But I don't believe you have "trudged" through the years...I believe you have lightly danced through them - in style! See you soon --- Lynne