To those that have been trying to follow the blog, I have not been able to keep it up to date due to a couple of inconveniences....
1. The internet has not been great, especially for uploading pics
2. We have been kept very busy. with little free time and what free time we had was spent resting
3. The resting was needed because the heat (38 - 40C) and humidity just saps the strength right out of us.
For my own records, I will be completing it when I get home.
Wednesday, March 20, 2019
Sunday, March 17, 2019
Tuesday, March 12
This morning we boarded coach buses (a much more civilized form of transportation) for a trip to the War Remnants Museum, which was once known as the Museum of American War Crimes.The Museum consist of several themed rooms, in several buildings, with period military equipment placed within a walled yard. The military equipment includes a UH-1 "Huey" helicopter, an F-5A fighter, a BLU-82 "Daisy Cutter" bomb, M48 Patton tank, an A-1 Skyraider attack bomber, and an A-37 Dragonfly attack bomber. There are a number of pieces of unexploded ordnance stored in the corner of the yard, with their charges and/or fuses removed.
It was rather shocking and disturbing to see the atrocities committed during the Viet Nam War, not to mention the number of lives lost.
Our next stop was at the Reunification Palace which is a landmark in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.It was the home and workplace of the President of South Vietnam during the Vietnam War. It was the site of the end of the Vietnam War during the Fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975, when a North Vietnamese Army tank crashed through its gates.
The palace is like a time capsule frozen in 1975. You can see two of the original tanks used in the capture of the palace parked in the grounds. It has lush gardens, secret rooms. antique furniture and a command bunker. It is still used to host important occasions in Hi Chi Minh, including APEC summits.
The Palace has five levels. The basement features tunnels, a war room and telecommunications centre. The war command centre has original maps on its walls. Period telecommunications equipment are also on display. The Palace's rooftop terrace is fitted with a heliport.
Receptions for as many as 500 guests were held in this Conference Hall. It is also used for the installation of each new cabinet
We then went to XU Restaurant for our "Farewell to Saigon lunch".
The first course was Cream of Mushroom soup, Heart of Palm salad with prawns. Next came grilled honey pork ribs with sweet potato and cauliflower, grilled Grant Gourami fish with Sate, vegetables Mango salad and cocoanut sauce.
The dessert tasting consisted of 3 samples : Pandan Pannacotta , Chocolate brownie, and Vietnamese flan cake. All of which were delicious!To top it off, they brought out wafer cookies in dry ice. They showed us to put it into our mouth and bite it then breathe out. Looked like we were smoking! We had lots of laughs!
After lunch, we collected our carry-on luggage and boarded the coach for the 2 hour drive to Scenic Spirit. Finally!
Once on board, we found our cabin and unpacked. Then went up to the Sun Deck for the sail-away. We will be going from My Tho to Cai Be.
Of course, there was a champagne reception The Spirit is a 68 passenger ship built for the Mekong. Every cabin is a 2 room balcony suite. There is also a pool which is long enough for swimming short laps!
We have our own personal butler who is always available for anything we may want. He restocks the mini bar whenever we take anything out. I believe the word is "spoiled". Not complaining!
The adventure continues.
Thursday, March 14, 2019
Monday, March 11
We had a wake-up call at 6:00am in order to have breakfast and be ready to board the coach bus for the tour of the Cu Chi Tunnels.
En route, we learned that the population of Saigon is 13 million, with about 260 people per square mile. South Viet Nam has 2 seasons : Hot and Hotter, while North Viet Nam has 4 seasons. The country is 70% mountainous.
The tunnels of Củ Chi are an immense network of connecting tunnels located in the Củ Chi District of Ho Chi Minh City(Saigon), Vietnam, and are part of a much larger network of tunnels that underlie much of the country. The Củ Chi tunnels were the location of several military campaigns during the Vietnam War, and were the Viet Cong's base of operations for the Tết Offensive in 1968. The 75-mile (121 km)-long complex of tunnels at Củ Chi has been preserved by the government of Vietnam,[3] and turned into a war memorial park with two different tunnel display sites, Ben Dinh and Ben Duoc. The tunnels are a popular tourist attraction, and visitors are invited to crawl around in the safer parts of the tunnel system. The Ben Duoc site contains part of the original tunnel system, while the Ben Dinh site, closer to Saigon, has tunnel reconstructions and some tunnels have been made larger to accommodate tourists. In both sites low-power lights have been installed in the tunnels to make traveling through them easier, and both sites have displays of the different types of booby traps that were used.
Rosemarie & I went down into one tunnel to experience what it was like, and went about 40 feet. It was very small! We were glad to get out!
Then we were back on the coach & went to Chateau Restaurant for lunch.
We were treated to beverage of coconut water in a coconut!
Our next adventure was for dinner. We chose to do the Vespa Tour, which consisted of travelling (as a passenger, thank goodness) on a Vespa scooter around the city to visit a few restaurants for typical Vietnamese food.
We went for a wild ride thru the city to the first restaurant where we enjoyed crab legs, mussels, noodles and frogs legs (tastes like chicken).
I had to hold on tightly while the driver scooted around the traffic!
Then it was off to the next stop, Banh Xeo, where we were treated to Vietnamese pancakes. They are huge, thin pancakes filled with noodles and vegetables.
At the last food stop, we made beef & vegetable rolls, wrapped in rice paper. What fun! We also had deep fried spring rolls.
We were back on the Vespas to end the evening at a Vietnamese coffee shop which included ice cream and entertainment.
Photos will be added later!
En route, we learned that the population of Saigon is 13 million, with about 260 people per square mile. South Viet Nam has 2 seasons : Hot and Hotter, while North Viet Nam has 4 seasons. The country is 70% mountainous.
The tunnels of Củ Chi are an immense network of connecting tunnels located in the Củ Chi District of Ho Chi Minh City(Saigon), Vietnam, and are part of a much larger network of tunnels that underlie much of the country. The Củ Chi tunnels were the location of several military campaigns during the Vietnam War, and were the Viet Cong's base of operations for the Tết Offensive in 1968. The 75-mile (121 km)-long complex of tunnels at Củ Chi has been preserved by the government of Vietnam,[3] and turned into a war memorial park with two different tunnel display sites, Ben Dinh and Ben Duoc. The tunnels are a popular tourist attraction, and visitors are invited to crawl around in the safer parts of the tunnel system. The Ben Duoc site contains part of the original tunnel system, while the Ben Dinh site, closer to Saigon, has tunnel reconstructions and some tunnels have been made larger to accommodate tourists. In both sites low-power lights have been installed in the tunnels to make traveling through them easier, and both sites have displays of the different types of booby traps that were used.
Rosemarie & I went down into one tunnel to experience what it was like, and went about 40 feet. It was very small! We were glad to get out!
Then we were back on the coach & went to Chateau Restaurant for lunch. 
We were treated to beverage of coconut water in a coconut!
Our next adventure was for dinner. We chose to do the Vespa Tour, which consisted of travelling (as a passenger, thank goodness) on a Vespa scooter around the city to visit a few restaurants for typical Vietnamese food.
We went for a wild ride thru the city to the first restaurant where we enjoyed crab legs, mussels, noodles and frogs legs (tastes like chicken).
I had to hold on tightly while the driver scooted around the traffic!
Then it was off to the next stop, Banh Xeo, where we were treated to Vietnamese pancakes. They are huge, thin pancakes filled with noodles and vegetables.
At the last food stop, we made beef & vegetable rolls, wrapped in rice paper. What fun! We also had deep fried spring rolls.
We were back on the Vespas to end the evening at a Vietnamese coffee shop which included ice cream and entertainment.
Photos will be added later!
Wednesday, March 13, 2019
Treasures of the Mekong River Cruise, March 2019
This trip has been 2 years in the making and it has finally arrived!
We drove to our son's in Mississauga March 8. Good drive, clear & sunny!
At 9:45 he took us to the airport where we met up with Rosemarie & Cookie. Breezed thru check-in and checked luggage.
Saturday, April 9, 2019, 12:10AM started boarding. Finally took off on a 15 1/2 hour flight to Hong Kong.
When looking at the route, we flew over North Bay, heading for the North Pole.
We arrived in Hong Kong at 6:00 Sunday morning, local time (12 hours time difference)
After a 2 hour layover, we were on our way to Ho Chi Minh City on a short 2.5 hour flight!
Touched down at 9:45am, with another time change, back 1 hour.
It was incredible to see the dense population!
On arrival, once we collected our luggage, we found the Scenic rep who took us to the Park Hyatt Saigon Hotel. Whew! It is 30C!
The hotel is a 5 star luxury hotel where we had a complimentary drink in the Park Lounge, where they have afternoon tea.
We unpacked some clothes and had a refreshing shower.
Met up with Rosemarie's brother, Hamid and his wife, Carol and went for a walk around. Traffic is crazy! Scooters dodging in & out everywhere!
And so the adventure begins!
However, the wifi is very slow. It takes about 20 minutes to upload a photo! That is what is slowing me down in posting!
We drove to our son's in Mississauga March 8. Good drive, clear & sunny!
At 9:45 he took us to the airport where we met up with Rosemarie & Cookie. Breezed thru check-in and checked luggage.Saturday, April 9, 2019, 12:10AM started boarding. Finally took off on a 15 1/2 hour flight to Hong Kong.
When looking at the route, we flew over North Bay, heading for the North Pole.We arrived in Hong Kong at 6:00 Sunday morning, local time (12 hours time difference)
After a 2 hour layover, we were on our way to Ho Chi Minh City on a short 2.5 hour flight!
Touched down at 9:45am, with another time change, back 1 hour.
It was incredible to see the dense population!
On arrival, once we collected our luggage, we found the Scenic rep who took us to the Park Hyatt Saigon Hotel. Whew! It is 30C!
The hotel is a 5 star luxury hotel where we had a complimentary drink in the Park Lounge, where they have afternoon tea.
We unpacked some clothes and had a refreshing shower.
Met up with Rosemarie's brother, Hamid and his wife, Carol and went for a walk around. Traffic is crazy! Scooters dodging in & out everywhere!And so the adventure begins!
However, the wifi is very slow. It takes about 20 minutes to upload a photo! That is what is slowing me down in posting!
Friday, October 26, 2018
Friday, October 26.
12.9C first thing this morning. The fireplace certainly helps!
We got packed up and went to dump, only to find that we don't have a dump on our site! Closed up, hooked up and moved to the site next door to dump. However, it was apparently VERY slow, so decided to forget it & move on.
Finally got on the road at 9:55 with a temp of 55F and cloudy skies. Shortly we entered Tennessee and light drizzle was upon us. 4
Continuing through rain, mist and clouds we crossed into Kentucky and arrived at Dad's Bluegrass Campground. The rain fortunately let up in order to allow us to get set up.
At 8:00 it is 11.5C, so will have to winterize soon 😒
Now to decide where our next stop will be........
We got packed up and went to dump, only to find that we don't have a dump on our site! Closed up, hooked up and moved to the site next door to dump. However, it was apparently VERY slow, so decided to forget it & move on.
Finally got on the road at 9:55 with a temp of 55F and cloudy skies. Shortly we entered Tennessee and light drizzle was upon us. 4
Continuing through rain, mist and clouds we crossed into Kentucky and arrived at Dad's Bluegrass Campground. The rain fortunately let up in order to allow us to get set up.
At 8:00 it is 11.5C, so will have to winterize soon 😒
Now to decide where our next stop will be........
Thursday, October 25, 2018, Heading north
Light rain started at 2:30am.
By 6:30, it had become a steady, heavy rain.
Since the rain continued, we packed up the inside to be ready if and when it stopped. Of course, I used the time to go to the office to update on the wi-fi. Had to cross rivers of water to get there!
The rain eased up by 8:45, so we hooked up.
At 9:20, we pulled out under light rain and a pleasant 73F
We had rain off & on throughout the day and it was still raining when we arrived at the Memphis South RV Park & Campground in Coldwater, Mississippi. Amazing that we had good wi-fi out in the middle of nowhere!
Moving further north tomorrow as the temperature goes down!
By 6:30, it had become a steady, heavy rain.
Since the rain continued, we packed up the inside to be ready if and when it stopped. Of course, I used the time to go to the office to update on the wi-fi. Had to cross rivers of water to get there!
The rain eased up by 8:45, so we hooked up.
At 9:20, we pulled out under light rain and a pleasant 73F
We had rain off & on throughout the day and it was still raining when we arrived at the Memphis South RV Park & Campground in Coldwater, Mississippi. Amazing that we had good wi-fi out in the middle of nowhere!
Moving further north tomorrow as the temperature goes down!
Day 34, October 24, Farewells
Most were departing today for various destinations, but before leaving, we were provided with a "send-off" continental breakfast in the park restaurant. There were many hugs and safe travel wishes all around the room. It was a bittersweet time since we had made so many new friends.
After breakfast, we went to the Dodge dealer for an oil change on the truck. Stopped at a Walgreens to pick up a couple of 64 GB flash drives so I can get copies of the pics that our 'official/non-official' photographer took.
Since we are staying until tomorrow, I decided to do laundry.
At 5:45, we went to the "Lighthouse", the park restaurant along with a dozen others for a final dinner.
Marcel enjoyed an 11-ounce rib-eye with a loaded baked potato, washed down with a Yuengling beer.
My dinner was the "Salty Pig", which consisted of pulled pork on French bread and fried oysters. Delicious!
Then it was time to pack up in preparation for departure tomorrow morning.
After breakfast, we went to the Dodge dealer for an oil change on the truck. Stopped at a Walgreens to pick up a couple of 64 GB flash drives so I can get copies of the pics that our 'official/non-official' photographer took.
Since we are staying until tomorrow, I decided to do laundry.
At 5:45, we went to the "Lighthouse", the park restaurant along with a dozen others for a final dinner.
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Marcel enjoyed an 11-ounce rib-eye with a loaded baked potato, washed down with a Yuengling beer.
My dinner was the "Salty Pig", which consisted of pulled pork on French bread and fried oysters. Delicious!
Then it was time to pack up in preparation for departure tomorrow morning.
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