Our welcome to Vietnam (everyone wears these rice hats).
A view down the River while the ship was docked.
March 25, 2012
I went with Gabby to the Ben Thanh market. This is a huge building that is filled with many vendors selling much of the same items. You have to go from place to place trying to barter, which is exhausting and makes for a long day. We had to learn how to cross the streets packed full with scooters. You just have to inch out and keep going, don't hesitate, stop or back up, they navigate a path around you. It is quite thrilling. Gabby and I wanted to get some lunch, and so we took these bicycle things (not sure what they are called). When we got off, they got into a fight with us about paying. We negotiated a price in the beginning and then when you get off they hassled us for more when they see you have more money with you. There were a lot of issues in this port with people got locked into their taxi cabs until they gave the cab drivers all of their money. One guy got drugs put into his drinks and he went crazy angry and got into a lot of fights and then got arrested and broke the handcuffs- He did not get kicked off the voyage, but was not allowed to get off of the ship in Vietnam. Another guy drove a scoter and broke his femur in 2 places. (Okay- enough about the interesting facts of topic on the ship about Vietnam extravaganza's...) After lunch Gabby and I went to get some groceries.
Riding the cycling bike contraption!
March 26, 2012
On our drive to Tay Ninh, the headquarters of Viet Nam's most interesting indigenous religions, Caodaism, our tour bus got pulled over by the police. Our guide and drivers acted like this was no big deal! They said they just had to give the police some coffee - it was basically a bribe. If they didn't, they would have to go through the government with the ticket. I am not sure if the bus did something wrong in the first place to get pulled over or if they just pull people over randomly! Anyways, Caodaism is the product of an attempt to create the ideal religion through the fusion of the secular and religious philosophies of the East and West. The result is a colorful mixture that includes elements of Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Hinduism, native Vietnamese spirits, Christianity and Islam. The main tenets of Caodaism include belief in one God, the existence of the soul, and the use of mediums to communicate with the spiritual world. The Great Temple is one of the most striking structures in all of Asia, with its rococo extravagance. We observed a portion of the 1200 service. This was one of the most interesting experiences, a place where people were worshiping, but yet a tourist attraction all at the same. There were natives that were guiding us to take pictures of certain things, but yelling at us that we could not take pictures of others. We walked around the temple before the service and then went to the balcony to observe. This was interesting because just as many people were watching as were worshipping.
Taking your shoes off on the street.
The Rococo style.
After lunch, we departed for Tay Ninh to go to the Cu Chi, famous for its 200- kilometer network of underground tunnels. These tunnels were created and used by the Viet Cong forces during wars against both the French and Americans. From the mid-1940s onward, the tunnels were used as a base from which the Viet Cong could launch strategic attacks and then seemingly disappear into thin air. The tunnels had well-hidden entrances and thick roofs, which were capable of withstanding the weight of tanks and the impact of bombs. Unknowingly, the Americans even built a base camp on top of an existing tunnel network and suffered extensive casualties before they discovered their mistake.
A bathroom stop along the way!
Getting into a tunnel
A trap for animals.
March 27, 2012
I took the shuttle that SAS provided from the ship to the Rex hotel. They had free wi-fi there, and so I was able to use internet. Then I went to the market for some more shopping. Today was just a day of relaxing. It is apparently very easy to get married in Vietnam, and so there were a few couples that tied the not! They did this as a joke, but they have started dated on the ship and got married. The marriage does not count in the US unless they turn the marriage certificate over to the US Embassy, which they do not plan on doing.
March 28, 2012
The Mekong Delta was an area of marshlands and forest. Gradually marshlands were reclaimed, and a canal network was built for the cultivation of rice, fish, soybeans, maize, peanuts, tobacco and melons. The My Tho area is famous for its coconut palms and fruit orchards (mangoes, longans, bananas and citrus fruits). The boat trip took us to to one of the islands in the Mekong Delta to see a traditional farmer's home and fruit
Scooters!
Rive at the market.
The lady on the left is holding elephant ear fish. They are cleaning meat.
Fish in the market that are still alive. After this, I became so disgusted and had to plug my nose because the stench in the streets was overbearing.
The fruit that is white with black seeds and a pink pealing in the Dragon Fruit that I tried.
The canoe ride in the canals with the ladies rowing us.
The bigger boats we took to the islands.
The coconut factory - Heather this reminded me of making taffy at Christmas time!
The fish that was served for eating.
Enjoying some coconut water on the ride back to our tour bus.
This is a very small percentage of what a street would look like (taken from the tour bus). I was not brave enough to take a picture walking on the streets because people had gotten their camera snatched from them when scooters drive past them.
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