Vietnam

March 22-26, 2009 Vietnam

Xin chao! Hello and welcome to thriving HCMC (Ho Chi Minh City), remembered as Saigon. Waking early, we watched the sun rise as we motored up the Saigon River for two hours into the port area. Boats of all kinds were everywhere! Out in the ocean off Cambodia, we saw tiny basket bowl boats fishing. These coracles are paddled with a figure eight stroke, setting nets, and they are carried out to sea on larger boats. In the river were slim fishing boats dragging a net on two poles behind them, speedboats, junks, hovering ferries, and many scow-like boats with painted red prows and eyes looking forward. There were dozens of huge freighters, and rafts loaded with dirt and sand. Rafts carrying palm fronds looked like moving haystacks! Tugboats, pilot boats, and family boats loaded with watermelons and greens for the market passed by. Several boys jumped off their boat and swam in the river. A dog ran back and forth on the deck, and the father watched as the boys climbed up the anchor rope. We enjoyed watching the river activity and the water hyacinths float up and down with the tide.
The streets were just as interesting. There are four million motorcycles in HCMC, plus cars and buses, bicycles and rickshaw bikes. Helmets are now required by law, and many riders also wear masks. We spent a lot of time in downtown District One of the city, and crossing the streets was an adventure! Look for a slight lull, step deliberately into the street, not pausing, but keeping a steady pace. If you are crossing with others, go in a straight line parallel to the traffic. Look ahead with determination, but be watching traffic at the same time. And, as Wendy says, “Watch your toes!”
The water puppeteers who performed for us actually stand in the pond behind bamboo screens and move the puppets. (I actually had a puppet model at home from Ted & Ginny, so I recognized the characters.) The art originated in the 11th century in rice paddies in northern Vietnam where the art has been perfected.
Thien Hau Pagoda and another Cao Dai temple were colorful. The religion combines all major religions with native Vietnamese spirits, and it is the third largest religion in Vietnam. They believe in one God, the soul, and the use of mediums. In Thien Hau, I lit a spiral incense for Lee’s healing. It will burn for a month.
Ben Thanh and a smaller market were interesting. Lots of vegetables, meats, fruits, clothes, chopstick sets, live fish, coffee, jewelry, and pushy ladies grabbing us to sell blouses and shoes. We also shopped in upscale places, and I had an outfit tailored for me.
I visited Ket Doan Primary School with some university students from the ship. The children were all asking for our autograph, and I realized that I needed to write a sentence for each one so that they could hear me read it and practice speaking. Some of them were shy, and some bravely spoke English to me. During recess, they could go to booths set up in the play courtyard and buy drinks, soup, and toys. They seemed to have money for this. The boys played with a weighted, feathered toy that they kicked like a hacky-sack.
Our favorite day was a trip to the Mekong Delta. We passed rice paddies and fish ponds, but many had been drained and were being developed into modern business buildings and apartments. We traveled on a boat on the Mekong River, and then visited two islands. We rode in canoe boats through the canals, bumping along the narrow waterways in the jungle. We held a python, and Les tried wine with a snake soaking in it.
Now we have two days in the China Sea. We’ll be in Hong Kong on Sunday.

Thailand

March 15-19, 2009 Thailand
Picture us speeding along the river and canals in Bangkok. We rode in a longboat, a narrow craft with a huge V8 engine mounted in the stern and a long shaft hanging behind into the water propelling us forward. We passed temples glittering with gold and gray rot-wood pilings holding up homes with flowers and many chimes in their windows. We saw children jumping into the canal and mothers bathing their babies in big clay pots. Catfish bubbled at the surface beside a temple, and we were given bread to feed their frenzy. A small boat pulled up to ours. A lady in a straw hat had it heaped with souvenirs for sale, and we bought a little model of her boat. Our longboat driver honked at canal corners, turning into another canal with floating lotus flowers. Back on the choppy, boat-busy river, we stopped at Wat Arun and climbed steep steps to the top of its pyramid shape. It was decorated with stone statues, tiles, and pieces of china from a shipment the king had once received damaged.
We stayed at the Baiyoke Sky Hotel in Bangkok for one night. Les and I were on the 38th floor, but Matthew & Aniseh were up on the 61st. Barrett loved the turquoise blue outdoor swimming pool on the 20th floor. We ate at a fruit bar: durian (which smells horrible and tastes delicious), dragon fruit, yellow watermelon, coconuts with straws, marina plums, pomelo, rambutan, mangos, assorted juices and candied fruits and more! Les and Matthew bought suits and shirts that were made to order in one day. We went to Suan Lum Night Market. Different kinds of colored lights for sale enchanted the evening! Our birthday dinner for Matthew was at the fancy Shangri-la, overlooking the river. We were entertained by Thai dancers in glittering costumes of birds, fish, or crowns of gold.
March and April are the summer season in Thailand. The air is steamy. Our port, Laem Chabang, is located away from towns in an industrial area. The port is amazingly neat with huge cranes loading ships efficiently, one container every thirty seconds!
Les and I went to Sriracha Tiger Farm one day. There were circus shows with tigers, crocodiles, and pigs , but it was also a place where the Thais are breeding and saving the tigers. In one room there were at least 20 baby tigers in separate cages. We paid extra to hold a baby tiger briefly. Baby tiger fur defines soft!
Finally we visited Pattaya Elephant Village. Here the Thai people keep some working elephants that are not used for work any more. They also have breeding programs. The elephants come right up to people, and we fed them bunches of bananas. Their trunks have a slightly slimy tip or finger. A dozen of us were allowed to ride the elephants into the water for a bath. The elephants’ heads are whiskery, and their ears are rubbery. It was amazing – I was laughing all the way! Les, Barrett and Wendy also got to ride the elephants. Climbing up on an elephant is somewhat tricky!
Matthew gave a talk at Bangkok University and performed some of his music with a few students. The Thai students participated in the MICE Squeak piece.

India

March 5 – 6, 2009 Chennai, India
Varnakkam! That greeting is in Tamil, the primary language of the Tamil Nadu state in India where we spent our time. Our first and last days we spent in Chennai. Matthew had a concert at SRM University, Engineering College, and there were 400 people in attendance. The rest of us took off with our guide, Bala, for a City Orientation Tour. It was geared for English tourists, so we went to two churches and former British buildings. A Tamil Hindu temple to Shiva was colorful – the religion is complex, and the architecture reflects this with multiple carvings of gods, animals, and stories in many pastel colors. We drove by a long beach where all the small pointed-bow fishing boats were resting. They go out fishing at night and come home to this beach littered with nets and trash. Laundry is also spread on the beach to dry. Their homes are small: some are concrete apartment rooms, and some are grass huts. The best part of the tour was visiting Bala’s home. Her husband and a small granddaughter welcomed us into their quiet, large concrete home shaded by a variety of trees. By then, Barrett was napping on the bus with Les in attendance.
Wendy and I attended a Welcome Reception at night. We were given jasmine necklaces, and our hands were decorated with henna. Some of our students formed friendships with the Indian students present. We sampled Indian food, bought skirts, and watch two enthralling dancers.
The ship’s crew had prepared extensively for the pollution and dirt of the Chennai port: cardboard clad the entrance halls, but carpet at the bottom of the gangway was soon black with grime and if you touched the handrail, your fingers came away black. The deck furniture was all wrapped in plastic. When we went out the second morning, the first thing Barrett did was step in a crack full of greasy tar! Still we walked to the port gate and rode a “tuk-tuk” (a motorcycle driven carriage) into a large shopping center. By then we were all wearing identical black footprint designs on our clothes as we wandered, bought some books, and had a cup of delicious Indian coffee. The “tuk-tuk” ride was the best, but among our swervings, we almost collided with a cow!


March 6 – 9, 2009 Night Train, Nagercoil, Night Train

Les and I left in the late afternoon with two girls and my writing professor for the train depot. We boarded a night train for Nagercoil. Our guide, Prem Kala, met us at the train station and got us situated in the air-cooled sleeper car. Les and I shared a curtained room with a young family: we were on the bottom bunks, and they, on the top. They got off in the middle of the night, and another family moved in.
We understood that Nagercoil was a farming village, but, Incredible India!, the village was 350,000 or more and the farmers were owners of a rubber plantation and cotton factory as well as founders of a K-12 school! Their home was inside a guarded wall with gardens, trees, potted herbs and flowers, and a collection of birds and animals. We all slept in a cool room with a bathroom attached, and we were treated to delicious Indian cooking, sometimes served on banana leaves. We tried to eat the Indian style with our right hand fingers.
Our host family was gracious, true ambassadors. Their elder son is in college in California, and Vikram was home studying for exams before his specialization in the last two years of high school. Kumar took us to visit his rubber plantation and the family cotton mill where they produce thread for fabric manufacturing. We also visited Sri Sarada Ayurvedic Hospital, clinic, herbal garden, and production pharmacy where they concoct healing oils and pills.
Kumar’s wife, Latha, arranged a visit to Pioneer School where the students sang, danced, and designed rangoli (pictured). These are circular designs done with rice flour and then filled in with brilliantly colored flour. We each gave a short introduction. I showed them my photos, and they asked for our autographs.
Latha took us to Kanyakumari at the southern tip of India. Three seas meet there, and you can see waves coming into the beach from all three directions – the Bay of Bengal, the Indian Ocean, and the Arabian Sea. At Gandhi’s memorial there is a hole in the roof where the light shines directly down only on his birthday.
Our guide Prem Kala went with us to a coconut fiber mat factory. At a movie theatre owned by the family, we watched half of a Bollywood movie, “1977” (pictured). Colorful characters danced on the beach. Martial fighting was followed immediately by music video scenes with the stars dancing in multiple sexy costumes. We had three guides accompany us for shopping. Les was going for a shirt, and I smile when I think of him with the seven of us plus seven store employees all observing or fussing around “helping” him try on shirts. One of his “ultimate Indian experiences.” We traipsed around barefoot (all but Les who had another “ultimate Indian experience,”) in a Padmanabhapuram palace filled with intricate wood carvings and mirror-black floors , and a temple for snake worship where milk and turmeric were poured over stone snake heads. (Stink!)
Our hosts sat with us and talked about life in America and India. None of us were ready to get back on the night train because of their kind hospitality.


March 9, 2009 Chennai, India

Wendy and I went out alone on the last day in India. We had some struggles with our “tuk-tuk” drivers. One wanted to keep changing our agreed price, resulting in our having him let us off. The next one stopped on a busy off-ramp and climbed over a wall. His brother ran over and hopped in with him, and then our trouble began because Brother spoke English and wanted to take us places not on our agreed destination. We made it to the City Center mall in a round-about way, not stopping at any of his selected locations. Loaded with groceries, bangles and gifts, we engaged another “tuk-tuk.” At the port gate, we got a bicycle rickshaw with no motor. Laughing and talking, Wendy said, “Do you need some help?” No sooner did I say, “He doesn’t understand,” than he hopped off and offered his seat to Wendy. She pedaled us all the way back to the ship with him walking alongside. We had everyone smiling and waving at the scene that so crazily defied the illegal but lingering caste system.