Working for a living...

Food is something that we take for granted in our life. To my recollection there has never been a day in my life when there was any doubt whether or not I would have food. I suppose that food, shelter and clothing are the main reasons people work for a living. We, and most of you, are among the privileged few in the world that have a steady income, and, wait for it, also have a steady income AFTER you quit working! [Farmers do not fall into that privileged category].

Most people in the privileged part of the world can predict, within a few dollars, the amount of money that they will 'earn' in a week, fortnight, month or year. That is not the case for most people in the world, including the 85,000,000 people in Viet Nam.

Today we went ashore in a port in Viet Nam, the closest city being Vung Tau. [See map photo].


I suspect that today of all the hundreds of people that we saw or came into contact with, only a tiny fraction had a predictable salary. The rest have to get out and scramble and hustle and peddle, and do it well or there is no income. No income means no food, there is no social safety net here.

We took the shuttle into town, [supplied by the ship]. The drop off place was the 'Palace Hotel', centrally located in this bustling little clean city. Within minutes of the bus pulling in, there were about 20 cleanly dressed young men trying to catch our eye to offer tours or taxi rides. After we got away from them we were approached by pedal-car drivers.


After escaping them we then found ourselves being hounded by women who patrol the streets on scooters, two on a bike, loaded with huge bags of silk garments for sale.



We sought sanctuary in a store to gather our composure. We had a meal later in the day, in an Italian restaurant, run by an Italian. A persistent gentleman stayed at the open window most of the meal tempting us with goodies from his seemingly bottomless sack of goods to peddle, he has to eat too.


I for one realize that this is their work, competitive, endless and completely unpredictable. How fortunate we are. Later in the day we engaged the scooter crowd and did our bargaining right there in the street.


We had discussed ahead of time what we wanted from them and in a matter of minutes everybody was smiles and they departed, sort of, some followed us down the street as we headed for the bus. Once at the bus, there was another lot lined up along the side of the bus holding and draping their wares to potential buyers who occasionally negotiate and then buy through an open bus window. The pedlars cannot give up as long as there is a chance of a sale, after all they have to eat!


End of my lesson on cultural differences.

Our mission today was to get pack-sacks that we can use as carry-on luggage for our domestic flights in India next week. We figure that there will be enough things to deal with on the planes and the trains without suitcases to bog us down. Would anybody like to do a packing list for us for two nights on a train and three nights at a game lodge in India?

COMMENT: Some time ago I published a picture of "Canadian Grain Fed Beef" 12oz, $210 dollars. Please note that is Hong Kong dollars, [C$27.00.] Pleased that they recognize good beef.

Where Are They Today?

Day 61 - Phu My, Viet Nam.

Adventures and Sentimental Journeys...

As you are likely aware, this ship is absolutely full of people, each of which have an interesting story to tell. Tonight I will ramble on with three such tales that I find interesting.

First Story. Early in the cruise we shared a canoe with a couple, [Fred and Luvis will do for now], coming back from the Panama Indian Village. They are somewhat shy but very adorable and interesting to be with. She is a retired teacher and he worked for the aircraft industry. Some time ago Luvis went to a 50th class reunion where she found that one of her school chums was in the travel industry. [I suppose that they had thought about some serious travelling but never got it off the ground.] Presto, a World Cruise comes to fruition. When the 'Shore Excursion Booklet' [that is the booklet showing all the trips that you can book through the ship while in various ports] came around, they discussed some with her chum. Presto, they have three 'overland', [that means off the ship for a few or several days] trips under way. The first was from Manila to Peking and the Great Wall and The Forbidden City, catching up with the ship in Hong Kong  several days later.

They were justifiably somewhat apprehensive about this first trip. Firstly, you are really on your own when you do this sort of thing, the ship has absolutely no obligation to help you get you out of a mess, unlike a 'ship's tour'. Secondly in most cases you are completely unfamiliar with the language and customs, to say nothing of food and hygiene etc. We saw them being met in Manila by their contact, [that was a good sign!]

A few days later I saw Fred in the Lido at breakfast and he had a grin from ear to ear, I spotted it from the other side of the room. In a nutshell, the trip was flawless, over the top. He cannot say enough about the trip, Peking, The Forbidden City and the Great Wall. We had them up to our cabin that night and he bought his computer and showed pictures that they took that were spectacular. Have you ever seen some pictures of the crowds on the wall? Some of their shots are National Geographic quality. The guide got them there and to to Forbidden City when it was virtually deserted.

Tomorrow they leave for the second trip to Cambodia. Which once again, is a big mystery to them and their knowledge of what to see and expect is somewhat sparse. They have been seated at dinner at a table for two since leaving Fort Lauderdale. The couple next to them, whom they got along famously with, went home when the lady slipped and broke her hip a week ago. The 'replacement' couple was from South America and do not speak English. Bummer. But...the last two nights one of the Guest Speakers has been seated at that table. Guess what she is an expert on? Viet Nam and Cambodia! Big grins on their faces again. We will find out how this adventure goes after we see them after Singapore.

Second Story. Some time ago we met a couple from Texas. Ronnie and Irene. Cattle people, good old fashioned folks that you would not expect to be on a world cruise. He is always in jeans and looks sharp in them, tall and slim, Texas drawl etc. We bumped into Irene again in Fremantle, Australia while having a beer ashore after a very long day. It turns out that Irene met Ronnie 37 years ago. Guess where? In Brunei! [We were due to visit there in a few days.] She was born in Scotland and the daughter of a British Army Gurkha officer. She, a young Scottish lass was visiting her Dad in Brunei, which at that time was under British control. Ronnie was working in the oil fields. 'Daddy' did not approve of the relationship but love won out and here they are, visiting their place of chance meeting on a world cruise. Touching.

Third Story. There is a family of three on board, an elderly couple and their adult son who has taken leave from his job to be with his Mom and Dad on this trip. Ryan, the son, helped me and countless others with computer issues early on. His knowledge of anything technical is beyond description, and has likely saved a few from attempting suicide due to computer frustrations.

In Manila his Dad took him around and showed his son where his Mom and Dad met at a US Airforce base. Tomorrow, in Saigon, [now Ho Chi Min City], the Dad is taking Mom and Ryan to places that he was involved in while on his tour of duty here. Priceless.

End of Story Time.

The 'American War' as it is known here, went from about 1965 to 1975. The country went into a spiral for some time but has now pulled out of it and things are looking up. The country has been at war in some form or another for about 100 years we were told, Chinese, Japanese, French and the the USA. The people, though poor by any standards are happy to be 'at peace'. Corruption rules but the economy is moving along nicely. Lots of new building and investments helping them along.

Things are cheap. Really cheap, so cheap you wonder if it is real. There are 16,000 Dong to our dollar. American money is freely accepted and welcomed.

The skill of the craftsmen here is beyond belief. Marble, wood, stone, fabrics, you name it and these people have been doing it for centuries. We visited a factory two days ago, really a craft co-operative. The conditions were good by some standards but the work was unbelievable. There were young girls at tables doing fancy work stitchery, one piece caught my eye and I asked the cost. C$190. The piece was not completed and would take six weeks to finish. The girl must be making a couple of dollars a day for that to be sold at that price. The skill of this little worker was beyond my comprehension. 





The same with the marble workers. Pieces that were absolutely flawless done by workers that once again make a dollar or two a day making works of art to grace the homes of the upper class. No wonder we have revolutions and tyrants to keep this system in place.

Where Are They Today?

Day 60 - At sea in the South China Sea.

Moe's day in Da Nang, Viet Nam...

You have to be at least 50 and interested in world events to remember Da Nang when it was in the very large American Air base here, [we saw the bunkers today], that was shelled by the VC. Do you remember the 'VC', or Viet Cong, they were the bad guys?

Anyhow, that was then and this is now. The Cutler's and Robins went off on their own again today, renting a taxi at the pier, our day was great, like other great days. As a matter of interest our taxi driver has 'an American father'.

When we got back from our time ashore I napped for a bit then phoned Moe. She had a marvellous day, taking a Ship's Tour, 'Rural Traditions', getting out of the city and into rural Viet Nam, spending most of the time strolling through a small village, dirt roads and all. She took over 200 pictures and was elated. Apparently the group disturbed a pre-school class of youngsters as they were having their morning nap! Everybody is a grandparent on the ship and we always enjoy youngsters, the smaller the better. Today I am just going to show you a smattering of Moe's day in Da Nang, Viet Nam, without commentary. [The hat was one of her modest purchases, along with six Buddhas!]

Where Are They Today?

Day 59 - Da Nang, Viet Nam.

Halong Bay, Viet Nam...

The name will likely not mean anything except if you have been here, or, you may recognize some of the pictures. It is located in North Viet Nam, just below Hanoi, on the Gulf of Tonkin. It is a small town, not a city as we know them. Several resort hotels line the beach drive and the main industry appears to be tourism. Not many Europeans or North Americans here, but tourists from all over Asia. We are very close to the Chinese border up here. I have no idea where all the people we saw today are from. Of course we saw some familiar faces throughout the day, but not that many when you consider the amount of tourists here.

About 500 from the ship had booked the one and only tour, a cruise around the islands that this place is famous for, then a scramble into a very well presented limestone cave. We only had seven hours here so it was to be a short day. Moe opted for the ships tour rather than hunt out a boat on our own like the Robin's and Jim had planned to do.

Gail's brother passed away yesterday back in California, and Gail wanted time to talk to family etc., so she spent her time in and around the internet sites here. Her brother was very seriously ill, and has been so for four months. His passing although sad, was not unexpected.

We were off the ship smartly, and into the hands of a young man who is the front man for tours. Soon seven of us are in a taxi that should hold five on the way to the pier. There awaiting us was organized confusion as the boats jockeyed for position in the overcrowded little bay.







Soon we seven had the boat to ourselves and were out tootling around the islands. Miracles never cease. The crew consisted of a captain, barman [?] and a sort of guide, whose main objective was to sell us trinkets. The cruise was very relaxing and pleasant, the boat was clean but Spartan. I never did find out if the toilet flushed, although it was clean.

We stopped off at a floating raft arrangement where a man and his family run a live 'fish' store. The catch is kept alive in nets in the raft and people come and pick out their choice and then take it back to their, boat, raft, home, store or whatever and cook and eat it.




We were given the option of picking out something and the lady who sells the trinkets would cook it for us. One fellow had five large prawns that she cooked and bought up for him on deck. To me this is asking for stomach problems, or worse. The water here is polluted, you can just feel it. Their stomachs are used to it and I am sure they wash the dishes in the water. Again as in Bali there are no sanitary sewers on these boats and rafts.




Next the caves, great fun. About 100 steps up the cliff face and inside presto magico, a fairy-like cavern that is illuminated by coloured lights. The cave is what they call 'dead', no more drips going on inside it.



Back down the cliff-face to our boat that has jostled into position and some more touring as we make our way back to the pier. The group, minus one, walked back to the ship's tender pier, [we were anchored today], browsed a bit at the market that was now set up. No purchases today other than a few minor little items.

Next to the restaurant for some nourishment, by now it is two. I for one head to the cabin to rest! I am skipping dinner tonight I will grab a bite somewhere later. The ship sailed around 3.45 to a great sunset. As luck would have it we awoke in the morning to a sunrise on our side of the ship and lucked out for the sunset as well.


Looking forward to a good sleep tonight. Da Nang tomorrow, that will be a long day!

Where Are They Today?

Day 58 - Halong Bay, Viet Nam.

Doug's Ramblings...

* I have not written about the Tai Chi on the ship to date, I think. The instructress got off in Hong Kong. As you may or may not know we had a wonderful Australian couple on board two years ago, Robert and Bronwyn Newton. Robert took ill prior to the cruise and Holland America had to fill the void, quickly. I took their classes and only missed a few because of illness. This time her style was just not for me, but it kept me interested, I missed more than a few.

Today we met our new instructor. He is from northern California and has earned his living teaching Tai Chi for over 30 years, age about 53? In only 45 minutes this morning I can see that the class will be well attended the rest of the voyage. Richard, that is his name, has mastered the art of teaching, even to a class of over 75 middle aged old fogeys. No doubt the class will dwindle down somewhat and there are some who will not attend because Robert and Bronwyn are not on board.

The end result is that I/we are looking forward to some graceful and healthful Tai Chi for the next 55 days.

* Regarding the shirt situation: Fellette was ironing one of my new shirts today when a lady complimented her on it. [Colour obviously.] Her husband had a new suit made in HK, she said it is a lovely suit and her husband said 'you can bury me in it!'

While we are talking about tailors let me give a few thoughts on the subject if I may.... Tailor-made clothes cost more than off-the- rack clothes. Period. Except when you are in Asia and have them made in places like Shanghai, Singapore, Thailand and Hong Kong. There, they are more economical than medium grade clothes bought off the rack at home.

Some people do not need nor want the 'hassle' of tailor-made. Some people only look half decent in tailor-made clothes. Some just feel better in tailor-made clothes. Some just want tailor-made clothes for bragging rights. I am not sure where I fit in except that I have only had a few good fitting shirts in my life off the rack. They are now almost all worn out or stained. It just feels good to be in clothes that feel good, and hopefully fit right. This feeling I expect will soon pass and I will be soon in my ill-fitting good old clothes that are out of style, do not fit well but sure feel good. So there you go, all you need to know about tailor-made clothes.

* We met a couple on board about two months ago, [gadzooks that sounds awful.] Luvis and Fred. In Manila they left the ship and went on a private tour to Peking. Obviously they were a bit apprehensive about the trip, as it was not a ship's tour and they were basically on their own. I saw Fred at breakfast this morning and he had a grin from ear to ear. I invited him & Luvis and his Mac to our room for a drink before dinner. [They do not drink, so it was a talk.] If you rate things, they had a 10. What a wonderful time they had, the pictures are exceptional and the sky was Adobe blue! The tour was slick as a whistle and pictures and stories to die for. We all have pre-conceived images of things and places in our minds. Get rid of them and open your mind to the real world out there. China has never been on the top of my hit parade of places to see, but then again, never was Africa!

China is getting ready for the Olympics and all stops are pulled out to present a good face to the world. By Fred and Luvis' account the world will not be disappointed. Mind you there is Peking and then there is China. There are 18,000,000 million people in Peking, but another 1,282,000,000 that we do not see too much of, so, how can we form an opinion on China? They were told that Peking has 1/3 of the building cranes in the world at the present time. New cars are coming onto the road at the rate of over 3000 a DAY. That is over a million a year IN PEKING alone!

Too much information and no doubt some of it a bit biased. Make no mistakes however, China is to be dealt with sooner or later.

* We are close to Viet Nam now and as I write this and we are passing close by fishing boats and small coastal freighters. The boat in the picture had crew with coolie hats on, they had shouted what I think were greetings to us as we sailed past them. All around us at the present time are large floats that are really channel markers. What a job to navigate this thing through the channel to the coast of Viet Nam. God bless the people on the ship's bridge tonight. The view from the cabin at dark is one of very bright lights on ships that I believe are to attract fish to their net system that lurks below. Fellette said a few minutes ago "it is a wonder there are any fish left in the sea" Who is to judge? Not us.




* We visited a shop in Hong Kong yesterday, a very high class shop, the door was opened for us by a uniformed security man. [Yes, we do that sort of thing!] In there they have Chinese art and carvings etc, all very pricey and of exceptional quality. The carvings got my attention. The Chinese mastered the art of caring ivory probably thousands of years ago. The work and detail is really beyond belief, and some pieces sell for over C$100,000. These pieces are still being carved today by craftsmen in areas in the country that have done this for centuries. interestingly enough the name of the artist DOES NO GO ON THE PIECE. One wonders if the ancient system of China is still at work today. Can you imagine a world class artist not signing his work???? There are many layers or levels of middlemen in Asian dealings. That $100,000 piece of the pie will be divided amongst many well to do Chinese 'businessmen'.

* Regarding my use of adjectives, descriptive words and superlatives... A trip like this is an exceptional experience, whether it be for the first or the 10th time around. I cannot find enough words to adequately express the wonderment that unfolds before us, every single day of the trip. People, sights, sounds, experiences, emotions or whatever. I may use too many of the same words, over and over. Excuse me please. Possibly if I had of spent a few years at a university majoring in English I could better express myself.

Also, I will use words like Peking or Bombay. I may not use the 'new' and politically correct spelling of places like Beijing or Mumbai. I live in Vancouver, not Wancouver!

Where Are They Today?

Day 57 - At sea in the Gulf of Tonkin, heading for Viet Nam.