Ho Chi Minh City, (Saigon) Vietnam Day 2 of 2

Saigon day two. We got up early again. We had reserved a private van for the day.

Yesterday our hiking shoes were filthy and covered with sand and mud from the national park with the tunnels and the muddy paths. Today they were spotless and looked like new. Our butler, Ian, had cleaned both Bobbi’s and mine. I’m going to miss that. I wonder if I can train our slave to come over and do that? I doubt it. She won’t even wash my cars while I’m gone.

We got a nice new Ford 16 passenger van just for the four of us. It is a model we do not get in the US and is assembled in Vietnam, we were told by our guide. It had very comfortable seats and a raised roof like the custom ones added to vans in the US for disabled people.

First we went downtown to the shopping area by the Rex hotel. This is where the shuttle from the ship would take us. We drove through that area and then Chinatown. Chinatown is the most heavily populated area in the country. We went by the big market and on to a Hindu Temple. It had a large court yard and pens with some small animals, birds and turtles. There were ornate archways to walk under as we walked to the front door of the temple. Inside there were dozens of sticks of incense burning, giving off a lot of smoke, and choking me. Further in there were several large figures or statues. People were chanting and bowing to these figures, or maybe they were almost passing out from all the smoke and stench. Our guide showed us another room or two and we left. I know I will now smell like smoldering cow dung forever.

Next we were taken to a lacquer factory. I think the factory part was a put on to make us think we were getting a bargain. There were many beautiful things there. Tables and chairs, big folding screens, wooden plaques with many different designs, boxes, jewelry boxes with mirrors, and on and on. There was not nearly enough room to create all this stuff even though they had a few people pretending to go about the many steps to create this lacquer ware. The next problem was the prices they wanted for this stuff. Astronomical. I am sure they were lower back home at Bloomies. We accepted the gifts of paper fans they handed us upon entering the place but bought nothing.

Next it was on to the two most exclusive silk shops in town. Now I was in trouble. They had beautiful stuff. I just sat on a chair while Bobbi laid waste to my bank account on three levels of this first store. After loading up on bags full of beautiful stuff I never knew I needed, it was on to silk store number two, next door. This one at least had a big comfortable couch to sit on while I bid my hard earned dollars farewell. Now I had even more bags full of stuff I never knew I needed so badly.

We had driven some pretty far distances and seen many interesting and amazing sights today. Just seeing the thousands of people crowding the streets with bicycles and motor bikes amazes me no mater how many times I see it. It was now past noon and we had enough and decided to return to the ship for lunch. While all our guides were good, this one was the best. His English was the most understandable and his information the best. He really pulled no punches about their commie government.

There is a waiting list for Mercedes Benz cars even though the taxes are 150% on all vehicles. Only the government employees can afford them. School is free for all citizens under their system, not. Public school classes run from 50 to 60 students per class and are four hours per day and six days per week. To get this free schooling you must make donations. The required donations come irregularly and the amounts get higher and higher. It is much better to send children to a private school. Classes are only 30 students and five days per week. Here you know what the cost will be. He too complains of the tremendous amount of corruption in their government and does not believe it will be long before the people will rise up against this government.

I forgot to mention, yesterday, the bus driver got a ticket for going 5 kilometers over the speed limit. That’s about 2 and ½ miles over. There is no judge in the States that wouldn’t through that ticket out. Speedometers and radar equipment is just not that accurate. It was an obvious attempt to collect a bribe. Our guide explained how hard it was to get a job as a police man. The police were all very rich. They drove fancy cars and lived in the best houses.

I really liked seeing this country and would go back to visit again. No way I could ever live here.

Silk Stuff Sherm Out.

(Posted on behalf of Sherman Rootberg)