Phu My, Viet Nam: We
were awake at 4, in spite of the later bedtime last night. At 6 am (6pm at home) we had a
great zoom call with Shari & Terry, Wes & Sarah, Rosemarie and Bill,
& Bruce. Seems that all is well at home. Then ready for a 7:00 meetup to go
ashore. We were in the theatre a few minutes before 7, only to discover that
departures had been moved up. We were rushed through and off the ship into a
bus. The problem was that the gangway had been deemed unsafe and was going to
be moved – so they rushed as many people across it as possible? Hmm. Someone
asked, “Did someone fall off it?” Happily, the answer was “no”. We had to wait
awhile anyway, since a few people in our group hadn’t gotten off before they
closed the gangplank. Once we were on our way, we began to learn how the
ordinary people of this southern area of Viet Nam live. The main mode of
transportation is the motorbike or scooter, referred to by locals as a Honda,
no matter who manufactured it. We saw them all over Viet Nam, of course,
transporting individuals, whole families and all kinds of goods. Many streets
and roads are too small to accommodate anything larger and they’re economical.
Public transit exists but is very inefficient. Our first stop of the day was a
large pagoda
An oversized golf
cart-type vehicle loaded with kids, continuously circled the grounds, with
chanting, and a lot of grinning and waving. It was a lovely, warm experience.
We drove along streets lined by small businesses. The electricity grid is vey visible
and somewhat alarming-looking, but apparently it works. Our next stop was a
different kind of temple.
This one is a local religion that combines elements
of Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism and Christianity (specifically, Catholicism).
Next we visited a rice wine distillery. It has been run by the same family for
many years and now includes the young grandchildren of the owner. We saw the
whole process --- cooking the rice, then cooling it. Loading it into huge wheeled
containers to ferment, and then distilling it over
open fires, before bottling
it. There were no free samples, apparently at the request of the cruise line,
but some people bought bottles of the wine. We enjoyed a snack of pineapple,
tiny bananas and water; next, we visited a rice-paper making business, in the home of the lady who creates it. Rice paper can be eaten alone, or used to wrap
food like spring rolls, etc. 
We next visited a house that was built about 150
years ago and is now home to the 7th generation of the same family.
Most Vietnamese do not follow a religion, but nearly all do worship their
ancestors. They have altars in their homes and celebrate the anniversaries of
the deaths of ancestors. At every stop, we encountered vendors offering many
different types of goods – tee shirts, “silk” scarves and robes, fridge
magnets, bags, etc. In fact, we saw the same ones several times, as they
followed us about on their “Hondas”. Our final stop was a large shopping
centre. We wandered around a modern supermarket that resembled those at home.
The distinguishing feature for locals is the set and fixed prices. No haggling.
This is apparently being encouraged by the government, though local markets are
still more common. Back onboard the ship, we enjoyed a leisurely lunch and a
restful afternoon. These excursions, walking around in the heat and humidity, often
on very rough sidewalks or paths, are tiring. A few people are sporting
injuries from falls, but we’ve avoided problems. We were seated on the upper
level of the dining room for dinner, which felt rather posh, and then we took
in another magic show in the theatre. Amusing, but still not really my thing.
Wow that was a busy morning. Glad to hear you are both doing okay with all the walking and steps.
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