Nah Trang, Viet Nam

This was a coastal city where we spent 3 lovely days touring more temples, sites with views,and an aquarium,eating great meals, and a day of swimming off a boat. It was vacation (within a vacation for me). We were with a great group of students and another faculty couple and a life long learner who was a real trouper. As I type this we are fast approaching Chennai, India. If I don't finish off Viet Nam before tomorrow morning, I know I probably never will. I am just scratching the surface of VietNam in this blog, but the book Catfish and Mandala by Andrew Pham is deepening my understanding. Now for pictures, hope the band-width forces are with me!

From Dan: South China Sea Sunset (out of order)

From Dan: Bay of Bengal Sunrise

From Dan: Simply Sublime

Saigon or Ho Chi Minh City

Either name for the city is acceptable here. Most people that live here call it Saigon, because that's what they grew up with, no offense to "Uncle Ho". The city is abuzz with motor scooters, horns honking, peddlers, and "side walk cafes". We had a great time walking around the city, first learning how to cross the street in this mayhem, then trying to capture it on video. We had coffee at the Rex Hotel, which is where the journalists and generals stayed during the American War. We also went to the Museum of War Remembrance, which is a testament, along with Pearl Harbor and Hiroshima, to the devastating waste that is war. Back out on the street the people are friendly, seem happy, and definitely now how to cook and eat. They say most of the population is under 35 years old. They sure seem optimistic about the future. Now to tackle some pictures...

On the river entering Saigon

For some reason the blog won't let me put the pictures in the order they were taken as we sailed inland up the river at sunrise. It was a lovely 4 hour journey with civilization slowly, gradually emerging, as the sun and the fishermen rose. The river winds back and forth, you begin to see structures on the horizon, closer with each bend, until finally you are in the middle of a very busy river with an even busier city beyond. The first picture shows how the boats like to optimize their cargo for each trip. Danny took lots of pictures of these low riders, and this was lowest of them all. We never saw one sink, but we didn't get to follow this one ...I'll start another post for the city, because because by my count this one is already over 6,000 words.

Sunrise at Nah Trang, Viet Nam, March 1, 2010