Friday, October 7, 2016
Wednesday, June 29, 2016
Sunday, February 7, 2016
Upper Mekong Delta Feb. 5. Drove to Saigon
Pictures coming later.
Out of hotel at 8:00 one hour drive to sampan ride in river. We were to go up and down tributaries. But the water was to low so we went up and down the large.river. Miles of fish hatcheries. Growing pink tilapia. I have been thinking about not eating tilapia anymore. Because of the growing conditions. But this did not look bad. The water flowed and was a large river. The people live on the water. They will leave their kids with grandparents if possible. So they can go to school. Dogs ,were with them. Laundry drying . And taller round "garbage pails" that were out houses. The stuff goes into the river. Duy calls the public bathrooms, Happy Rooms. Since I have traveled to some poor countries, I have experience with bathrooms. These are not bad. All real toilets. Usually toilet paper and free.
Lunch was good and authentic food.
The roads are packed with people. Going home for Chinese New Year. The vacation begins today. 3-4 people on a scooter. The women are completely covered to protect from tanning. Mask, jacket, gloves, hat. It is over 90 degrees. HOT!
Duy says, they are used to dressing that way. Not everyone is covered but many. Duy says his wife also covers all. But he is able to buy her lightweight clothing. Such as safari clothing. She does not want a tan!
Out of hotel at 8:00 one hour drive to sampan ride in river. We were to go up and down tributaries. But the water was to low so we went up and down the large.river. Miles of fish hatcheries. Growing pink tilapia. I have been thinking about not eating tilapia anymore. Because of the growing conditions. But this did not look bad. The water flowed and was a large river. The people live on the water. They will leave their kids with grandparents if possible. So they can go to school. Dogs ,were with them. Laundry drying . And taller round "garbage pails" that were out houses. The stuff goes into the river. Duy calls the public bathrooms, Happy Rooms. Since I have traveled to some poor countries, I have experience with bathrooms. These are not bad. All real toilets. Usually toilet paper and free.
Lunch was good and authentic food.
The roads are packed with people. Going home for Chinese New Year. The vacation begins today. 3-4 people on a scooter. The women are completely covered to protect from tanning. Mask, jacket, gloves, hat. It is over 90 degrees. HOT!
Duy says, they are used to dressing that way. Not everyone is covered but many. Duy says his wife also covers all. But he is able to buy her lightweight clothing. Such as safari clothing. She does not want a tan!
Wednesday, February 3, 2016
MeKong Delta Feb.5
I can not post the pictures. Will do that when back in the USA.
Hotel Victoria.
Sampan ride to see river life of fisherman and farmers.
The river is polluted. We rode for a hour each way. Saw the Floating Markets. It is disappearing as people can now buy products easier on land. The people live on the bigger boats and buy and sell. Boats selling all fruits, vegetables, meats, noodles bowls eating. Everything you see on land. Very interesting and we are thinking a highlight of the trip.
Got on the Sampras at 6:30. Off at 8:30. Breakfast and then free time until 12:00. I not not happy with all the free time. We are at a hotel where we can not really walk anywhere. People are swimming. Jack is playing bridge. Then when it is the heat of the day we will be touring and walking.
Hotel Victoria.
Sampan ride to see river life of fisherman and farmers.
The river is polluted. We rode for a hour each way. Saw the Floating Markets. It is disappearing as people can now buy products easier on land. The people live on the bigger boats and buy and sell. Boats selling all fruits, vegetables, meats, noodles bowls eating. Everything you see on land. Very interesting and we are thinking a highlight of the trip.
Got on the Sampras at 6:30. Off at 8:30. Breakfast and then free time until 12:00. I not not happy with all the free time. We are at a hotel where we can not really walk anywhere. People are swimming. Jack is playing bridge. Then when it is the heat of the day we will be touring and walking.
Location:Vietnam
Travel day to MuKong Delta Feb 3
I will post pictures later. In this blog.
Now we have the hot weather. No more complaining about cold. The temperature will be in the 90s every day.
One hour flight to Saigon and then a four hour bus ride to MeKong.
The plane was late in departing. Then we had to fly around the airport to land. So we are two hours behind schedule. Stop for lunch
after 1 1/2 hours. A different Odyssey tour was eating and going north as we go south. Some of the people had Hot Pot for lunch. It could have feed four people instead of the two people they said. You get hot soup with a burner on the table. Rice noodles and a huge dish of vegetables. All put in and it cooks. Jack and I had a chicken soup and a shrimp soup. And beef kabobs. Someone had spring rolls which were good. Our meal cost $14 including drinks.
On the bus for three more hours. Duy arranged for his guitar to be delivered to the bus. He is playing Guitar music for us. He lives in Saigon with wife, daughter 8 yrs and 15 month son. Wife teaches English at the University. He used to also teach. They come from the mountains where he was quite poor.
Sights on the drive. It is the upcoming Chinese New Year. Duy and family will fly home after he is done with this tour. The entire country is decorated like our New Year and Xmas. They also celebrate Xmas because they like to have fun. No religion involved. People go home to their families in the country for the holiday. They moved to the cities to make a better living. You can see people traveling with luggage. Babies between the parents. Often standing up. No helmets. Sleeping in arms of mother. It is so dangerous. In this area of country, there are coffee stops with hammocks. So people can rest as they drink. We passed warehouses with thousands of pounds of rice ready to be shipped out. Miles of rice fields with family cemeteries in them. You are no longer allowed to bury relatives there. This is a poor country. Litter everywhere. Litter in the rivers. All over the streets. People selling things everywhere. All kinds of business. We went over a long bridge. Families were stopped to rest and eat. Very dangerous situation.
Now we have the hot weather. No more complaining about cold. The temperature will be in the 90s every day.
One hour flight to Saigon and then a four hour bus ride to MeKong.
The plane was late in departing. Then we had to fly around the airport to land. So we are two hours behind schedule. Stop for lunch
after 1 1/2 hours. A different Odyssey tour was eating and going north as we go south. Some of the people had Hot Pot for lunch. It could have feed four people instead of the two people they said. You get hot soup with a burner on the table. Rice noodles and a huge dish of vegetables. All put in and it cooks. Jack and I had a chicken soup and a shrimp soup. And beef kabobs. Someone had spring rolls which were good. Our meal cost $14 including drinks.
On the bus for three more hours. Duy arranged for his guitar to be delivered to the bus. He is playing Guitar music for us. He lives in Saigon with wife, daughter 8 yrs and 15 month son. Wife teaches English at the University. He used to also teach. They come from the mountains where he was quite poor.
Sights on the drive. It is the upcoming Chinese New Year. Duy and family will fly home after he is done with this tour. The entire country is decorated like our New Year and Xmas. They also celebrate Xmas because they like to have fun. No religion involved. People go home to their families in the country for the holiday. They moved to the cities to make a better living. You can see people traveling with luggage. Babies between the parents. Often standing up. No helmets. Sleeping in arms of mother. It is so dangerous. In this area of country, there are coffee stops with hammocks. So people can rest as they drink. We passed warehouses with thousands of pounds of rice ready to be shipped out. Miles of rice fields with family cemeteries in them. You are no longer allowed to bury relatives there. This is a poor country. Litter everywhere. Litter in the rivers. All over the streets. People selling things everywhere. All kinds of business. We went over a long bridge. Families were stopped to rest and eat. Very dangerous situation.
Hue city. Feb. 1
Dinner was at Les Jardins De la Carambole. Very good except that the steak pieces were tough. It was in a cream gravy. With many mushrooms. The Resturant was filled with all tourist. Duy was not pleased with the beef and told the owners. He has promised us good meat. There was also fish offered. From now,on, I will only order the fish if we have a choise. We had a musical group of six people play for,us. They used the Vietnamese instruments. The group were,pleased,that they only sang for 1/2 hour. I was afraid it would last the entire dinner.
Salad with mini eggs. Citrus dressing
Sea bass
Tough beef with gravy. We made a big mistake ordering this. Duy was mad as this was not good.
Chocolate cake with coconut ice cream
Citadel - Imperial Citadel. Housing the Forbidden Purple city when the emperors once lived. house of the kings from 1800-1946. Very much like the Forbidden City on China.
Rickshaw rides in the rain.
People on motor scooters. Notice how their ponchos cover the scooter.
Walk thur a market. Same as in India, Morroco but seemed even more noisy, crowded and dirty. Also the rain was coming thur the roof. All the floors were wet. The smells from the meats and spices terrible. It is overload in sensory
experience.
Organ meats. They eat every part of an animal.
The face masks that everyone wears. After our rickshaw ride, I can see one reason to wear it. The fumes from the gasoline was terrible. But in reality, the mask does not keep,that out. They also wear it to keep from getting tans on their bodies.
Walk back to the hotel.
You pay to park the scooter. People put their scooters in their business and in the houses.
Hundreds, thousands of schooters.
Salad with mini eggs. Citrus dressing
Sea bass
Tough beef with gravy. We made a big mistake ordering this. Duy was mad as this was not good.
Chocolate cake with coconut ice cream
Citadel - Imperial Citadel. Housing the Forbidden Purple city when the emperors once lived. house of the kings from 1800-1946. Very much like the Forbidden City on China.
Rickshaw rides in the rain.
People on motor scooters. Notice how their ponchos cover the scooter.
Walk thur a market. Same as in India, Morroco but seemed even more noisy, crowded and dirty. Also the rain was coming thur the roof. All the floors were wet. The smells from the meats and spices terrible. It is overload in sensory
experience.
Organ meats. They eat every part of an animal.
The face masks that everyone wears. After our rickshaw ride, I can see one reason to wear it. The fumes from the gasoline was terrible. But in reality, the mask does not keep,that out. They also wear it to keep from getting tans on their bodies.
Walk back to the hotel.
You pay to park the scooter. People put their scooters in their business and in the houses.
Hundreds, thousands of schooters.
Location:Đường Lê Lợi,,Vietnam
Hue City. February 2
Our hotel is 100 years old. Very colonial and lovely. Buffet breakfast is fair. That is comparing to the past hotels. Strange shower. There is a drain in the shower and one under the sink. All the water ran out of the shower and int the floor of the bathroom and down that drain. Also it was a hand held shower. This is a five star hotel. Just older with quirks. It is empty of people. There are a few tour groups but still empty. Duy says that touring is down in the country.
One hour cruise on sampan boat along Perfume Rive. It is an all day rain and cold. So the cruise was an activity. We could not see out the windows very well. But at the end we arrived at the Thien Mu Pagoda. A Buddhist Monastery. City's oldest and important monuments. 7 story octagonal tower. Walk through many buildings. Bonsai plants everywhere.
Tomb of Minh Mang (1840) reminds me of the in China. Walk through pavilions, reception hall lakes courtyard.s. Ming died one year after it was begun building. It is built in the design of a persons body. He is buried in the head. Gate was locked after he was buried. Helpers was killed and there is no idea where the burial sight can be. He had 140 children with many concubines. 5 probably conceived in one night. The monks would keep a record of all the Kings actives. Even the ones at night. They arranged which concubines would be available for the night.
Lunch at the very large Resturant. Few people dining. Duy says in the summer these Resturants would be filled. We were served a noodle dish that Duy said was not Vietnamese food. He was angry and told the owners. Beautiful foods.
Dessert was passion fruit which is tasteless. And a rice cake or thing which was too strange.
We were too wet and cold and did not tour the final two king tombs in the later afternoon. It was 2:00 after lunch. 18 of the 24 in the group went back to the hotel. We have had rain and cold for 7 out of the 9 days. The only places where we have heat is in our hotel room. The lobby, Resturant and touring are all in the cold.
Jack had a massage and I had a somewhat facial for $7 each. Then we gave them $3 tips.
Dinner was at a nice place that only had tourist. I had a noodle soup. Which is what I am eating mostly. Jack had an egg roll that was spicy. And pizza which was a mistake. I eat the soup and vegetarian meals. Same issues of eating meat here and in China. The meat is not good. Filled with fat and bones. The beef dish had fat and gristle and little real meat in it. They have a different idea of what is good. In the chicken. They chop it all up. Eat all parts. Consider the wings best because of the flavor. We feel,the wings are too fatty. We walked to the Resturant. I feel very safe in this country. People are quiet and not pushy. Very polite. People were eating all over the area. Looked like eating places where set up on any grassy area. Everyone sitting on low stools and smoking and talking. The motor scooters parked all over the side walks. You take your life in your hands trying to cross a street.
One hour cruise on sampan boat along Perfume Rive. It is an all day rain and cold. So the cruise was an activity. We could not see out the windows very well. But at the end we arrived at the Thien Mu Pagoda. A Buddhist Monastery. City's oldest and important monuments. 7 story octagonal tower. Walk through many buildings. Bonsai plants everywhere.
Tomb of Minh Mang (1840) reminds me of the in China. Walk through pavilions, reception hall lakes courtyard.s. Ming died one year after it was begun building. It is built in the design of a persons body. He is buried in the head. Gate was locked after he was buried. Helpers was killed and there is no idea where the burial sight can be. He had 140 children with many concubines. 5 probably conceived in one night. The monks would keep a record of all the Kings actives. Even the ones at night. They arranged which concubines would be available for the night.
Lunch at the very large Resturant. Few people dining. Duy says in the summer these Resturants would be filled. We were served a noodle dish that Duy said was not Vietnamese food. He was angry and told the owners. Beautiful foods.
Dessert was passion fruit which is tasteless. And a rice cake or thing which was too strange.
We were too wet and cold and did not tour the final two king tombs in the later afternoon. It was 2:00 after lunch. 18 of the 24 in the group went back to the hotel. We have had rain and cold for 7 out of the 9 days. The only places where we have heat is in our hotel room. The lobby, Resturant and touring are all in the cold.
Jack had a massage and I had a somewhat facial for $7 each. Then we gave them $3 tips.
Dinner was at a nice place that only had tourist. I had a noodle soup. Which is what I am eating mostly. Jack had an egg roll that was spicy. And pizza which was a mistake. I eat the soup and vegetarian meals. Same issues of eating meat here and in China. The meat is not good. Filled with fat and bones. The beef dish had fat and gristle and little real meat in it. They have a different idea of what is good. In the chicken. They chop it all up. Eat all parts. Consider the wings best because of the flavor. We feel,the wings are too fatty. We walked to the Resturant. I feel very safe in this country. People are quiet and not pushy. Very polite. People were eating all over the area. Looked like eating places where set up on any grassy area. Everyone sitting on low stools and smoking and talking. The motor scooters parked all over the side walks. You take your life in your hands trying to cross a street.
Location:Hotel Saigon Morin
Tuesday, February 2, 2016
Dinners
We had a lunch that was a cooking school. Great fun.
Lu Lu is the head chef and instructor. It was in a large Resturant. They had a cook book you could buy for $32 of a very small one for $5.
Different meals
Spring rolls.
Shrimp in a sweet sauce.
Noodle dish. Duy was mad about this. Said it is not Vietnamese. And he felt we were served a leftover.
A fish paste in a banana leaf.
Some kind of chicken
Eggplant
Creamed soup.
Mushroom stuffed chicken thigh. Mashed potato. We were at a French Resturant .
Chocolate cake. They eat few dessert. They are not sweet.
Vegetable soup
Rice, pork and some vegetable.
Jack with his apron.
Lu Lu is the head chef and instructor. Age 39. Worked at restaurant for 24 years
She was SO pretty, and sweet.
Shrimp, vegetable rolled in rice paper
All the spices to marinate chicken.
We made a pancake. Bamboo shots. Greens.
Lemon grass ice cream for dessert.
The chicken.
Dinner at a French Restaurant
Les Jardins De La Carambole.
Salad. Notice the very small eggs.
Sea trout
Tough to chew beef in cream sauce with mashed potato. Duy was mad about this meal. Promised us good meat and it was tough. Really tough. It is difficult to get decent good meat in Vietnam.
First chocolate of trip. Cake and vanilla ice cream.
Lu Lu is the head chef and instructor. It was in a large Resturant. They had a cook book you could buy for $32 of a very small one for $5.
Different meals
Spring rolls.
Shrimp in a sweet sauce.
Noodle dish. Duy was mad about this. Said it is not Vietnamese. And he felt we were served a leftover.
A fish paste in a banana leaf.
Some kind of chicken
Eggplant
Creamed soup.
Mushroom stuffed chicken thigh. Mashed potato. We were at a French Resturant .
Chocolate cake. They eat few dessert. They are not sweet.
Vegetable soup
Rice, pork and some vegetable.
Jack with his apron.
Lu Lu is the head chef and instructor. Age 39. Worked at restaurant for 24 years
She was SO pretty, and sweet.
Shrimp, vegetable rolled in rice paper
All the spices to marinate chicken.
We made a pancake. Bamboo shots. Greens.
Lemon grass ice cream for dessert.
The chicken.
Dinner at a French Restaurant
Les Jardins De La Carambole.
Salad. Notice the very small eggs.
Sea trout
Tough to chew beef in cream sauce with mashed potato. Duy was mad about this meal. Promised us good meat and it was tough. Really tough. It is difficult to get decent good meat in Vietnam.
First chocolate of trip. Cake and vanilla ice cream.
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