Sometimes you just have a feeling, and you should act on these intuitions. In Vietnam, there were three ports: Ho Chi Minh City (aka Saigon); DaNang; and HaLong. We decided to skip going to Ho Chi Minh City on the feeling we wouldn’t have that good of a time. Smart move on our part. First, it was 90 degrees and 90% humidity. It was a bus ride of over an hour each way to and from the port, and most excursions dwelt on “The American War” which I remember way too well. That was a painful time for most Americans, and was very divisive. I didn’t want to relive it. Everyone who went to this stop either got sick or were totally wiped when they returned.
By contrast, I was so very excited about DaNang. Vietnam is the textile industry of the world now. I was so eager to buy fabric, and to buy a silk robe. I researched where to buy fabric, so we hired a taxi driver to take us to a specific street where the Vietnamese woman buy fabric. Not an English speaker in sight.
The first shop I entered the shop keeper tried to rip me off - naming a price for a meter of fabric which was twice the price I expected it to be. When she refused to budge on her ridiculous price, I went all “Pretty Woman” on her - “YOU just made a big mistake. This was going to be a BIG, BIG sale.” I had the taxi driver translate for me. Then, I went across the street to another shop, and the taxi guy told the shop person to quote me a reasonable price, and I’d pay it without bargaining. Well, by the time I finished buying fabric, I’d spent $4million (yes, million) dong. It was enough to fill a medium sized suitcase. I paid three to five dollars a yard and spent $170 American dollars. The taxi driver earned a tidy tip as well as a commission from the shop keeper. Everyone was very happy!
We were only in DaNang for five hours, so my other pictures are out the window of the taxi.
People carry everything on these little motor bikes, but this one was the strangest I saw.
Vietnam is filled with small fishing boats. In fact, the Vietnamese Coast Guard has to physically clear them out of the shipping channel. We were late into port because they wouldn’t move!
Here’s the famous Dragon Bridge - which we crossed
And, these are today’s fishing boats waiting for dark since they light the boats and the fish/squid are attracted to the lights. As they approach the lighted boat, they are scooped up into nets.
We were also excited about HaLong Bay. This is a World UNESCO Heritage Site. It is a unique geological formation in the sea. Here are some of the pictures. I’ve only seen something similar off the coast of Oregon
This is one of my favorite pictures - taken just as the sun was coming up. Notice how murky it is. Well, that’s pollution. My asthma really kicked up in Vietnam. The air quality was horrible.
Here are a representative group of pictures which include the boat and the sights.
 |
| Light for nighttime |
 |
| Interior of tour boat |
 |
| Temple |
 |
| Lighthouse |
No comments:
Post a Comment