Days 55 and 56 Phu My and Nha Trang

What a difference a day makes! Yesterday we could not get an internet connection for the first time on our trip. This actually worked to Viet Nam's advantage, since our report from Phu My (the port city for Saigon) would have painted a bleak picture. I found little in Phu My to recommend it to anyone. Maybe it was still suffering from the napalm or the after effects of agent orange. We took the shuttle bus from the ship to the local market and experienced the sights, sounds and smells of Viet Nam. The fact that we spent about 45 minutes there before we decided to retreat to the comforts of the ship should give you an accurate perspective on the overall attractiveness of this locale. I can still smell the fish odor as I write this blog.

Today we spent the day in Nha Trang which while still on the edge of civilization was a beautiful location with a lot to recommend it. Our tour took us to a elementary school where we were surrounded by a variety of doe eyed little children each one cuter than the last. After a brief run thru a small market with all kinds of produce, meat and fish in the open air we visited a rice paddy to see the farmers in action. There we were treated to a group of women who were hoeing the ground while a man behind a yoke of water buffalo worked to flatten the ground they were turning over. We were up close and personal with the water buffalo for the first time. Scenes like this are slowly being replaced with mechanized equipment so it was an opportunity to see rice farming in the old traditional style.

Nha Trang has a wonderful beach which we drove along for about two or three miles. We tried to catch a cab to take us there after our morning tour but the taxi drivers could not get their act together so we decided to return to the ship.

I was able to speak with another passenger who did make it to the beach and found it to be lovely....except for the locals.

The locals. Both during our tour this morning and at the market yesterday and as the other passenger found at the beach everywhere you go you are surrounded by a seeming cloud of local people trying to sell anything they can. They hover like black flies and never seem to understand you don't want to buy anything. They even followed the bus this morning from stop to stop hoping to find a buyer for their wares. They sell post cards, sun glasses, lacquered boxes, fans, polo shirts, paintings, hats, and almost anything else you can think of. They make it very unpleasant to stand still for any length of time, just like mosquitoes.

Nha Trang is a beautiful little corner of the world and were it not for the pestering would be a great place to come and relax and enjoy.
On a personal note: today Chris and I celebrated our 38th wedding anniversary and sadly one year ago today my Mother passed away. As for the pictures previously posted, Yes, those are elephants on my pants. You are not allowed to go into the temples if your knees are showing or I would have shown them the trunk!!!

Tomorrow a sea day.



Chris -Viet Named - As Paul noted, yesterday we returned to Phu My, and actually for the first time saw the city of Phu My. I was glad we went back only because there actually was some beauty to this port city. They had some planting along the road and some flowering bushes. Having said that, it mirrored it's neighbors in filth and squalor. Today was another story. I loved Nha Trang, not in the way you love Singapore, but in the dream of Viet Nam actually being the reality. I always pictured Viet Nam, on the positive side, as beautiful rice patty fields, lush vegetation and in the distance mountains....and that's what we saw today. The flowers, trees and mountains were gorgeous. I loved riding through the countryside.

About the locals: when I was looking out the window when riding on the bus, the people on motor bikes would try and sell you their wares, right from the bike. I thought, how does THAT work? Then, I saw they follow you all day and I actually COULD have bought something from my bus seat!

One disappointment ... I didn't get to ride on a basket fishing boat, like I'd hoped. They are round and looks like they seat 4 people, kinda looks like something Moses would have been found floating in. My Mom always said that it was good to leave something to come back for. :)