We sailed into Saigon around 11 a.m. today. I had already decided that I was not going out in the heat. One of our friends on the ship had an all day excursion planned but his wife but she didn't want to face the heat today either. So he invited Ronnie to go with him and that worked out great for everyone.
Since I don't need to share the internet today, I'm enjoying a lazy day on the ship and I'm also catching up on blog posts. It's a very quiet day onboard. The Terrace Cafe where we usually have lunch was almost empty at noon, as many are out enjoying their first day in Saigon. In addition to half or full day excursions, many are away on an "overland" to Angkor Wat.
One thing I haven't mentioned and wasn't even aware of until after we had been on the ship for awhile is that there are numerous opportunities to do overland tours during this cruise. That basically means that one can go off ship for several days to visit places that are not on our itinerary. They are booked through the ship so all arrangements are taken care of, including any and all travel which may involve flights as well as hotels, tours, etc while away. Other recent overland trips were to the Taj Mahal and Kathmandu.
Anyway, I'm spending a lazy day doing exactly what I please and a nap is coming up soon! But first I'm just posting some random photos that I took in Chan May. No particular theme, just photos I thought might be worth posting. Many are "bus window" photos so excuse any quality issues. Also, I have to reduce the size (read quality) in order to upload them via the ship internet.
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poor quality but lots of rice fields with workers and water buffalo
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Buddhist cemetery
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head stones for sale nearby
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no surprise to see spirit houses in Vietnam too
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where there's a will...
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women drivers covered except for their eyes (many here wear masks)
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scooters can carry a lot of stuff!
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more scooters than cars
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it's mangosteen season!
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rambutan, lychee (unsure of red one)
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a heavy bearing pomelo tree
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notice the machine that squeezes juice from ribbon cane
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our cabin steward's 41st birthday
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huge (artificial) lotus blossoms in river commemorate Buddha's birthday
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river boat on Perfume River
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reflection of lily pad at Royal Palace
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Bharberts: thanks for explaining the longer inland excursions. I was wondering if there was a way to see more than coastal towns. Seems a shame to see many port cities and miss some other sites.
ReplyDeleteI think your red fruit might be rose apples. You can check out photos. We had these occasionally in Hawaii in Asian markets. I don't know the name that is Asian. If there is a Philippine steward or crew member, they could probably confirm. Viet Nam is known in Asia as a country with many delicious fruits. I had rose apples in Singapore. A friend went with me to the Asian market and we bought one of everything...including a durian. We sat in a park and peeled and ate a bit of them all. By the time I finished, there was a crowd all around me laughing and watching me taste them. I would eat a bite or two, then offer the rest to my spectators. It was great fun for us all.
My brother used to say that Hwy 1, the road from Ho Chi Minh City to the North was always packed with motorcycle and scooter traffic, and everyone from 80 year old Mamasan to 10 year olds would ride them.
You really amaze me with your photos. Even the bus photos are so good we would not know it!
Glad Ronnie found a buddy for the excursion. Keeping up with men is hard for our short legs.
Thank you! That's what they were - rose apples! At dinner they offered a variety of tropical fruits and I tried several (rambutans, rose apples, passion fruit, something shaped similar to a peach but had a soft orange flesh several large brown seeds). We often have passion fruit, dragon fruit (white and dark pink), mangoes and papaya on the ship in addition to the fruits and melons we have at home, but only in the last week or so are we getting mangosteens and these others. Funny story about your eating the fruit in the park - I'd be eating durian outdoors too (if I was going to eat it - ha!) Ronnie had a very enjoyable day and he took a lot of photos for me. Hopefully I can share a few of his later. Yes, there are a number of opportunities to see more than just the port cities, but of course those are extra $$! But I've never heard any complaints about these "overlands" and folks always come back saying what a great trip it was, how nice the hotels were, etc. Thanks for comments on photos, but you don't get to see all the rejects! ;)
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