The next stop was the former South Vietnamese Presidential Palace, now called Reunification Hall or Independence Palace. It was here on April 30,1975 the North Vietnamese burst through the gates in tanks, signaling the end of the Vietnam War.

We had to climb many steps inside and it was stifling hot in the  unairconditioned building. At 95 degrees, I was close to becoming overwhelmed by the heat. Inside were reception and dining rooms, the President’s private quarters and in the basement the old American made telecommunications equipment and strategic military maps still in place.

Regardless of how hot and tired we were we had one more stop before lunch. This was at the History Museum with a collection of artifacts illustrating the evolution of the cultures of Vietnam. We did find a small gift shop where we were able to buy soft drinks which we quickly drank down in several gulps.

It was now time for lunch and we were all more than ready, more from the need to rest in air conditioning rather than from hunger. We had lunch at a very nice five star restaurant with a buffet of Vietnamese delicacies.

When we went to the Happy Room we noticed a Smoking Room. We saw these at the Tokyo Airport and other places in Asia. If the cigarettes don’t kill you, the second hand smoke surely will!

Next we stopped at a lacquer ware workshop to see how they make the beautiful lacquer based paintings and other objects. They actually use pieces of egg shells to color the paintings.

Finally to finish the day we drove by the beautiful Notre Dame Cathedral dating back to the 19th century and stopped at the post office with its lovely architecture.

On the drive today Tony shared with us some of his thoughts on Vietnam. He said the government is very corrupt with lots of bribes. The people have to work very hard for an average salary of equivalent to $200 a month. The suicide rate among young people is very high. Alcohol and drug problems are widespread. He said there is a very large discrepancy between those who are wealthy and those who have nothing. While Vietnam has McDonald’s and Starbucks and KFC, most of the people have no money to pay for such things. There is no Social Security, no Medicare. He said the Vietnamese people love Americans and he named all the U.S. presidents who have visited and how many times they have visited. Around two thirds of the Vietnamese people living today have been born since the war was over in 1975.

The lights here have timers to tell you when they are going to change.

After an hour drive back to the ship we were once again greeted with the much appreciated cold towels and lemonade. We rested for an hour before going out on the deck to see a special Vietnamese dragon dance put on for us by a group of thirty young men. A sort of thank you for visiting, please come back again farewell. After their performances they sat patiently on the pavement and waited for us to leave. The ship was delayed almost thirty minutes leaving as we waiting to clear Vietnam customs. As we finally began to pull away from the dock, the young men jumped up and began to dance again and wave goodbye. A lovely farewell to our first stop in Vietnam.

Yes, we got lost in Saigon but I will get to that shortly. Our next port stop was Ho Chi Minh City, formerly called Saigon, Vietnam. It was renamed by the Communists in 1976 but is still called Saigon by most people who live there. It is located on the Saigon River, a few miles from the South China Sea. A city of over 13 million people, it is the largest city in Vietnam and one of the fastest growing cities in Asia. From Singapore we had sailed up and then back down the Gulf of Thailand. We were now sailing in the South China Sea around Vietnam.

Today we had an excursion booked to Saigon, an hour drive from where the ship was docked. It was an early day with our guide meeting us at the pier at 7:30 A.M. We had to have a Vietnam visa which we were able to get on the ship. We were then given a “landing card” which we had to carry with us whenever we went off the ship in Vietnam. Vietnamese custom officials were waiting to stamp our landing card as we left the ship. 

Just like in Bangkok, Saigon has crazy traffic, in particular the motor scooters/cycles that zoom haphazardly through the streets.

Our guide told us we were lucky because it was the week of “Tet”, the Vietnamese New Year and therefore lots of people were out of town for the holiday which meant less traffic.

Our guide for today was named Tony. Even though he said he had been a tour guide for 27 years, he lacked in our opinion basic tour guide skills. Sidney, our Bangkok guide, gave us his cell phone number when we first boarded the bus so we could call him if we got separated from the group. Tony did not. Sidney wore a tall colorful hat that was easy to see in a crowd. Tony carried a small tan sign on a short stick, hard to see and follow. Sidney assigned each person on his bus a number and he would periodically stop and call out each number to see if everyone was present. Tony did not. Sidney walked at tourist speed. Tony did everything in one speed, fast. 

Our first stop was at the Bitexco Financial Tower, which at 68 floors is one of the tallest buildings in Vietnam. In fact it was the tallest until 2011. Tony took us in there to use the Happy Room which evidently in Asia is how all the tour guides refer to the restroom.

Next up was a walk through a large open air pedestrian mall where large crowds had gathered for the annual flower festival in celebration of Tet, a Vietnamese festival. We were enthralled with all the sights and sounds around us, stopping often to take pictures. At some point we became aware that not only did we not see Tony, we didn’t see anyone in our group of 30 up ahead. Just behind us was a couple from Canada we had met at breakfast the day before. Like us, they also had become separated from our group. It was like our guide and group had simply disappeared. The four of decided to continue walking down the very crowded mall and hopefully catch up with our group. We walked all the way to the end of the mall with no sign of Tony or our group.

Above is the City Hall building. Did I mention there was bright sunshine and it was 95 degrees? At this point our options and bodies were fading fast. The guide might leave two people behind, but would he leave four? Bill, forever the Eagle Scout, suggested we make our way back to the Bitexco Tower where we had gotten off the bus. It was a gamble because police usually do not let buses linger on busy streets and it was entirely possible the bus had moved to a different pickup location, but we had no other option. We hurried to the Bitexco Tower and were immensely relieved to see our bus. We learned that halfway down the mall Tony had taken a left turn down a narrow side street back to the bus. An efficient tour guide would have stopped at that turn and taken a head count. But not Tony. He didn’t know we were missing until everyone was back on the bus. And what did Tony say when we got back to the bus? He shook his head at us and told us we must stay together. It wasn’t like we ducked into McDonald’s for ice cream or went off on our own on purpose. At the next stop he told everyone to stay together. One of the others in the group mumbled to him, “Maybe we could if you wouldn’t walk so fast.” So very true! 

Here is a Happy New Year can of Coke.

Here is where the US Embassy was located during the war.

We pulled up to our restaurant located in a hotel. Inside was a very nice air conditioned Thai restaurant where a private buffet lunch awaited us. They had a choice of beer or soft drink and the traditional Thai food was delicious. Just what our hot thirsty group needed! Bill had his first dragon fruit, a tropical fruit he said was similar to a kiwi but without much taste.

After cooling off and being fed and hydrated, we were all ready to head by bus to Wat Suthat or Big Buddha. This is one of the oldest and most important temples in Bangkok. The Big Buddha is 68 feet tall. While we were visiting they were having a service and we tried to not be obtrusive.

Above is King Rama VIII Monument.

By this point the heat was unbearable and putting our shoes off and on was getting old. It seemed every time I took my shoes off my feet were more swollen, making it harder and harder to get my shoes back on.

We were all ready when it was time to get back on the bus and ride the two hours back to the ship.  The bus driver met us at the door with cool towelettes which was much appreciated. The bus was cool and we were tired so we didn’t mind the two hour ride back to the ship.

Many officials current and previous have their pictures posted on the highways. This one we believe is the current King and Queen of Thailand.

Along the way back we could glimpses of everyday life such as clothes hanging to dry on balconies.

When we arrived back to the ship Holland America staff again greeted us with cold towels and cold lemonade. Yes, it was that hot!

It was time to tell Sidney farewell and thanks for a fun day in Bangkok! 

That evening the ship’s entertainment was a native Thailand dance performance.

Our cruise is continuing North, so stay tune.

After our very hot visit to Koh Samui, Thailand, the next day was even hotter and busier as we visited Bangkok, the capital of Thailand. A city of over 15 million people, it is a place of stunning gem studded temples, golden Buddha statues, floating markets, long tail boats, klongs (canals) and friendly people. There are over 400 temples in Bangkok. 

We had an excursion booked for this day. We had an early start since it is a 2 hour drive from the Port of Laem Chabang, where the ship was docked, into Bangkok. We were very fortunate it was a Sunday and therefore the traffic was not as bad as it could have been.

We were met at the bus by Sidney, our Thai guide. He spoke very good English though at times we had to listen closely to understand him. In the pictures Sidney is the one in the strange hat. He wore it so he would stand out in crowds and we could find him easily. It worked! Thank heavens the bus was air conditioned with free WiFi. 

Halfway to Bangkok we stopped at a rest area so people could use the “Happy Room” (bathroom) as Sidney put it. As we got off the bus the driver had a roll of toilet paper for us to tear off pieces. At that point I was apprehensive about what to expect but the bathroom was similar to what we have in the United States, just without toilet paper. There was a sink with running water but no soap or paper towels. 

Earlier that morning from windows on the ship it looked like the air was heavy with smog. The closer we got to Bangkok, the worse the pollution became and Sidney said if people had masks they should wear them. Bill and I were the only ones on the bus with masks. (We had packed them back home.) The only problem was it was another day of extreme heat and humidity and having the mask across our nose and mouth only made us hotter. 

We first visited the Rat Ratchanadda (Metal Castle). At 116 feet tall with 37 spires, it is a Buddhist temple, the only metal castle in Thailand and one of only three in the world. 

We had been well informed on temple etiquette the day before at a port talk. Knees and shoulders must be covered so no shorts or sleeveless shirts are allowed. We knew we would have to remove our shoes so before leaving Arizona we visited the Dollar Tree and bought some cheap footies and socks that we could wear and discard. We were also told to bring a bag to carry our shoes with us. If you left your shoes outside mischievous children might take them and want candy or money to return them.

Next up was back on the bus to Wat Pho temple. The shoes came off once again. Because it was Sunday the temple was very crowded and with the heat it was claustrophobic and stifling inside. There were many signs warning of pickpockets.

Wat Pho temple man Buddha is the massive 150 foot Reclining Buddha.

Asia is known for crazy drivers and very dangerous traffic. People on motor scooters zoom through the streets and care less about traffic laws and lights. We had to cross one busy intersection and Sidney led the way. It was still scary. Sidney told us once you start to cross whatever you do don’t stop if you get scared. If you stop you may get hit. Just keep going and the motor scooters will swerve around you. We made it! 

By this time our group was very hot and we were all wilting rapidly. Time for lunch! But how to get there? Sidney put us in groups of two into tuk tuks, which are rickshaws pulled by motorcycles. It was an exciting, exhilarating, crazy ride through the streets of Bangkok with cars, trucks and motorcycles weaving and swerving around us. My favorite part of the day! We were very glad we had our masks since the exhaust fumes were overwhelming.

Sidney said there are three seasons in Thailand–hot, hotter and hottest. We were visiting during the winter, or hot season. I cannot imagine what the hottest season would feel like!

Two many pictures for one blog so continue to blog part 2.

Our first full day on the ship was a most welcomed day at sea.  We were still suffering from jet lag and were slightly dehydrated from the oppressive heat in Singapore. So it was a quiet relaxing day on the ship. We went to two lectures on upcoming port stops as well as a talk on temple etiquette since we would be visiting many temples in the coming days.

The next day was our first port stop at Ko Samui, Thailand. This was a tender port, meaning we had to take a small boat from ship to shore. When we opened our cabin curtains we could see seven small boats waiting to take passengers ashore. Several excursions were offered but we decided to just walk around the small town. Shore excursions on this cruise are an additional charge per person.

In no hurry to go ashore we enjoyed a delicious breakfast and then went downstairs to get a boat tender number. Sometimes if the seas are rough it can be very difficult getting on and off the boat as well as a rocky crossing.  Today the water was calm and the twenty minute ride across the Gulf of Thailand to Ko Samui was very enjoyable.

Ko Samui is a 95 square mile island 440 miles south of Bangkok. Two million coconuts are shipped from here to Bangkok every month. It is Thailand’s third largest island. The island was developed back in the 1980’s by a backpacker crowd. Today it has a population of 62,000 and 1.5 million tourists per year visit the island.

We walked around taking in the sights and sounds of island life. Notice the scooter below with three riders and the elephant pants on display.

It is not unusual to see shoes lined up outside houses and stores. The Thai people believe that the feet are the dirtiest part of the body and therefore leave their shoes outside.

At one of the port talks it was suggested buying a pair of “elephant pants” which are made of a very comfortable lightweight fabric, making them very comfortable to wear in hot climates. They are called elephant pants because they have elephant images on them. We could go in any shop and say “elephant pants” and they knew exactly what we wanted. We settled on a nice pair for 180 Baht ($5.91 US) 

The cruise ship had recommended several places to get an authentic Thai lunch. We went to Lucky’s where Bill had a huge plate of Chicken Pad Thai, a Tiger beer and I had a soft drink. Total bill was 155 Baht ($5.00 US) 

Our last stop was to try and find some Coke and bottled water to take back to the ship. The ship provides iced tea, coffee and lemonade free of charge. But you have to pay an exorbitant price for soft drinks and bottled water. We found a little store where we saw bottles of Coke and Nestles bottled water still wrapped in the warehouse shipped plastic wrap. We bought twelve bottles of Coke and three bottles of Nestles water for 160 Baht ($5.26 US) which was about what we would pay for two Cokes on the ship! 

The weather was just as hot and oppressive as it had been in Singapore. When we got to the pier some Holland America staff were waiting with cold face towels, cold lemonade and popsicles. Yes, it was that hot! 

We were happy to see no line for the tender boat and we quickly made our way back to the ship. 

Our air conditioned cabin never felt so good! 

After sleeping at the hotel for about four hours we were ready to explore Singapore. We only had one full day before we were to board the ship. 

We had a great breakfast at the hotel and decided the best way to get a quick overview of Singapore was to use their Hop On Hop Off buses.

First a few tidbits about Singapore, which means “City of Lions”. It is 88 miles from the equator and the 20th smallest country in the world. Singapore is very clean and very safe. If you pick a flower from a public area, jaywalk, spit on the street or fail to flush a public toilet you can be fined, but we were told these are rarely enforced. Chewing gum is not allowed and if you bring chewing gum into the country you can be charged with smuggling gum on the black market. On our tourist card it said in big letters that bringing drugs into the country is punishable by death. All of these fines and laws may seem overboard or even ridiculous, but in Singapore you see no homeless sleeping on the streets, no panhandlers, no trash and no crime. It simply is not tolerated. When the country gained independence in 1965 it was a country of slums without a proper infrastructure. Today, despite its small size it has one of the strongest economies in the world. It is a leader in trade, shipping and finance. 

However, it is also a very expensive place to live. It is especially expensive and difficult to own a car. In order to encourage public transportation they have a lottery system to get a permit to own a car. The lottery system is a Certificate of Entitlement which only gives you a legal right to own a car for ten years. After ten years you have to re-enter the lottery system. Once you are lucky enough to be allowed to own a car you have high registration fees and excise taxes, road taxes, motor insurance fees, high parking fees and high gasoline prices. And don’t forget high maintenance costs. It costs $2,000 Singapore dollars ($1,485 American dollars) just to get a driver’s license!

We spent the day riding the buses, hopping on and off at various stops. The heat and humidity was oppressive. It was truly terrible. We were glad to find a Hard Rock Cafe  where we had a great lunch and Bill purchased a Hard Rock Cafe Singapore T shirt to add to his Hard Rock Cafe T shirt collection. It was so nice to get into the air conditioning.

Remember I said there is no trash in Singapore. The Hop On Hop Off bus driver came to the upper deck of the bus to give a passenger his change. The driver noticed some trash an inconsiderate tourist had left behind. He was visibly upset and went downstairs to get a broom and dustpan to get it up. All this while we were sitting on the side of a busy street! 

We were able to see the US Embassy.

After dinner we walked down to the river not far from our hotel and had a lovely evening cruise on the Singapore River where we enjoyed some of the lights.

This is their old Parliament building.This is their space ship Supreme Court Building.

In order to see Singapore in depth you really need at least five to seven days. So many places we passed by but didn’t have time to experience. Here are some photos from our time there.

If you notice the large rat figurines, it is because they will be celebrating the Chinese New Year on January 25th and it is the Year of the Rat. We even found a Methodist Church.

Next up Thailand.

Well, the journey has begun! We buttoned up the RV, packed our bags and left Yuma headed to Los Angeles. It was cheaper to rent a car from Yuma to Los Angeles rather than pay for airport parking for a 34+ day adventure which includes a thirty day Asian cruise. 

It was a rather long five hour drive to Los Angeles and even though it was a Sunday afternoon, we had lots of traffic around Long Beach. After a quick dinner we turned in the rental car and walked the short distance back to the hotel. I wondered if we would be able to sleep because of anticipation of the long flights the next day, but we were so tired we quickly fell asleep.

The next morning we took the 7:00 A.M. hotel shuttle, a short ride since the hotel is a mile from the airport. 

When we printed our boarding passes we were very happy to see we were TSA pre-approved, meaning a shorter line at the airport and we could leave our shoes on. We flew ANA which is a Japanese airline. Our first flight was a twelve hour flight from LA to Tokyo. We then had a three hour layover followed by a seven hour flight from Tokyo to Singapore. When we checked in at the ANA desk we learned we had a free upgrade to Business Class from Tokyo to Singapore and free access to the Star Alliance Lounge at each airport. We were thrilled. 

After breezing through security we headed to the Lounge. Wow! We hadn’t eaten breakfast and Bill had a big plate of scrambled eggs, sausage, hash browns, orange juice and coffee, all included with the Lounge pass. With comfortable chairs and a quiet relaxing environment, we were very content until time to board the plane. 

A twelve hour flight is never easy but we were well prepared with compression socks to prevent deep vein thrombosis, a potentially deadly condition, as well as books on tape and plenty of snacks. We had booked Premium Economy seats which are a little more pricey than economy but gives you more legroom, very important on long flights. The time went by fairly quickly with some naps, a large selection of onboard movies to choose from and plenty of food and snacks. The airline offered a selection of Asian and Western dishes to choose from. The Japanese flight attendants were friendly, kind, helpful and very soft spoken. 

After an uneventful flight we landed in Tokyo and once again went to the Star Alliance Lounge with our complimentary pass. The layover went by quickly and we then boarded the flight to Singapore in our upgraded Business Class seats. All we can say is WOW! Our seats were like individual pods with a lot of legroom. Best of all the seat fully reclined into a bed. We were given a mattress for the bed (a new mesh mattress in a plastic bag) as well as a great pillow and duvet style blanket. As soon as we took off I made my bed and went to sleep, waking up six hours later, with an hour left in the flight. The flight attendants saw I was awake and remembering I had missed dinner they immediately asked if I wanted something to eat or drink. Bill had stayed awake long enough to have dinner and two glasses of complimentary red wine. He was still sleeping when I woke up and woke up a half hour before landing. It will be hard to go back to those premium economy seats on the flight home! Here are a couple pictures from the flight brochure of the pod beds.

We landed at 1:00 A.M. local time in Singapore. From the time we left the hotel in Los Angeles to the time we landed in Singapore was just under 24 hours and we skipped an entire day when we crossed the International Date Line. The free upgrade to Business Class was certainly a blessing that made the trip easier.

The Singapore Airport is beautiful and if it hadn’t been the middle of the airport we would have liked to explore the airport more. Here are a few pictures we quickly snapped on the way to baggage claim.

After collecting our bags we went through immigration. The immigration officials were very friendly.  They stamped our passports, fingerprinted our thumbs digitally, gave us candy and sent us on our way with a cheery “Enjoy your visit to Singapore!”

We walked downstairs to public transportation and got the 24 hour city shuttle which took us to our hotel for $9 Singapore dollars which is $6.67 American dollars each. Knowing we would be arriving after midnight, all this had been researched ahead of time. 

We arrived at the hotel at few minutes after 3:00 A.M. We had notified the hotel of our late arrival and our room was waiting for us. 

After napping until 8:00 A.M. we had nice breakfast at the hotel and then hit the streets to explore Singapore. 

We are not sure what our Internet will be like over the next month but we will post to the blog when we can. We are dedicated to blogging about this trip, but it may take awhile getting all the blogs done. 

Next time we will have plenty of pictures from Singapore. 

Singapore, WOW!