Sorry for the delay in writing but this has been such a whirlwind adventure that I honestly didn't know where to begin.
It seems like forever ago that we left the islands in Thailand and my excitement of becoming a diver soon faded into a different emotion at the War Museum in Ho Chi Min City.
I felt the cries of millions and the pain and suffering of everyone that was and continues to be affected by that war. A woman we met was so affected that when we introduced ourselves to her, she didn't want to admit she was American and said she was from Canada, even though she was from Queens. How you think you can fake that accent is beyond me but "you wanna make sumpin of it, eh?"
But what struck me was that she was embarrassed. I was filled with sadness. Sadness for a war I did not understand and for all of the people who suffered because of it. I am only embarrassed by that which I do not know about our history. Perhaps I should pick up a book.
Next was Hoi An and a whole different reality. This place is so beautiful that there are resorts going up all along the shore and I can understand why,
the sand is soft and white and the South China Sea is warm and inviting.
Well at least my geography is getting better. I remember when I was first putting this trip together and I mentioned to Howie where I was thinking of going, he said, "Vicki get a map!" :).
Hoi An is all about the shopping so that part was more hellish for me. They are so desirous of you buying their wares that they accost you to get you into their store. Me, I ran and didn't look back.
So I went to the beach. Ah that's my kind of place, a pool bar.
The driving here is insane and there are no rules except don't hit anything. Well I suppose I wanted to be an exception to that rule because I was hit by a motorcycle. I was bicycling along
and it just ran into me. Talk about feeling invisible. I went flying but was lucky enough to just have some scrapes, cuts and nicely colored bruises.
After Hoi An, we took a sleeper bus to Hue.
When I got on the bus, I didn't know what to do but basically you just lay down and enjoy the ride. It was quite civilized and comfortable.
Hue felt a little less chaotic and since it was the imperial capital of Vietnam from the 18th century until early in the 20th century, there are lots of sites to see so...........
When one door closes, look at the possibilities!
Peaceful contemplation and beauty fit for an Emperor.
Say hello to my little friends :)
Perhaps that is enough site seeing for one day
Our final destination in Vietnam was Hanoi where crossing the street was literally an obstacle course, one step forward, two to the side, duck, and jump. So we needed professional site seers just to navigate the course.
We decided on Hanoikids.org where kids or better yet, young adults, take you around the city and in exchange you help them with their English. It was wonderful to see the city through their eyes and hear their take on the world. They were amazing and it was the best part of the trip!
Until tomorrow.......
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
It seems like forever ago that we left the islands in Thailand and my excitement of becoming a diver soon faded into a different emotion at the War Museum in Ho Chi Min City.
I felt the cries of millions and the pain and suffering of everyone that was and continues to be affected by that war. A woman we met was so affected that when we introduced ourselves to her, she didn't want to admit she was American and said she was from Canada, even though she was from Queens. How you think you can fake that accent is beyond me but "you wanna make sumpin of it, eh?"
But what struck me was that she was embarrassed. I was filled with sadness. Sadness for a war I did not understand and for all of the people who suffered because of it. I am only embarrassed by that which I do not know about our history. Perhaps I should pick up a book.
Next was Hoi An and a whole different reality. This place is so beautiful that there are resorts going up all along the shore and I can understand why,
the sand is soft and white and the South China Sea is warm and inviting.
Well at least my geography is getting better. I remember when I was first putting this trip together and I mentioned to Howie where I was thinking of going, he said, "Vicki get a map!" :).
Hoi An is all about the shopping so that part was more hellish for me. They are so desirous of you buying their wares that they accost you to get you into their store. Me, I ran and didn't look back.
So I went to the beach. Ah that's my kind of place, a pool bar.
The driving here is insane and there are no rules except don't hit anything. Well I suppose I wanted to be an exception to that rule because I was hit by a motorcycle. I was bicycling along
and it just ran into me. Talk about feeling invisible. I went flying but was lucky enough to just have some scrapes, cuts and nicely colored bruises.
After Hoi An, we took a sleeper bus to Hue.
When I got on the bus, I didn't know what to do but basically you just lay down and enjoy the ride. It was quite civilized and comfortable.
Hue felt a little less chaotic and since it was the imperial capital of Vietnam from the 18th century until early in the 20th century, there are lots of sites to see so...........
When one door closes, look at the possibilities!
Peaceful contemplation and beauty fit for an Emperor.
Say hello to my little friends :)
Perhaps that is enough site seeing for one day
Our final destination in Vietnam was Hanoi where crossing the street was literally an obstacle course, one step forward, two to the side, duck, and jump. So we needed professional site seers just to navigate the course.
We decided on Hanoikids.org where kids or better yet, young adults, take you around the city and in exchange you help them with their English. It was wonderful to see the city through their eyes and hear their take on the world. They were amazing and it was the best part of the trip!
Until tomorrow.......
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
