Month: February 2026

Hi, my name is Don and I have FOMO.

                        Hi Don!

It’s been six hours and thirty-five minutes since my last excursion…..

                        Oh man….. you’re sick, finished, there’s no hope for you! You may as well just give up and go to try and find another add-on excursion; there’s not another regular one ‘til tomorrow!

                        That’s how the regularly scheduled 12-Step program for those of us with FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) usually starts because no one offers any support because no one really wants to get cured!

                        When we first looked at the Itinerary for this trip we thought, “Gee, there’s an awful lot of ‘Free Time’ that seems to be scheduled in here.”  What we didn’t know is that we needed to read between the lines and where it says:

             ‘Your Tour Guide may have some suggestions for you during this time period’, we should have inserted, ‘Your Tour Guide will schedule another Local Event, prepare the transportation, and arrange for a meal during this supposed Down Time that you may have been looking forward to…. of course, your participation is COMPLETELY optional.”

                                                FOMO!!!

            And off we go on another adventure that can only be arranged (or even fathomed) by someone who has roots in their community. In our case, Phil has these roots sinewed into the very fiber and soul of his tour regions and this is exactly what we were looking for.

                        For example.

                        The other night we set out on a local ‘Tour’ that needed to be accomplished by using one of those larger, little golf carts, the ones that can hold about eight or so, depending on how ‘friendly’ the group has become! The plan was to get on the river, go upstream to town where all of these festive boats ply the waters using tons of hanging lanterns as decorations as they cruise past the equally festive shoreline. I am hoping that some photos can exemplify, (hopefully) about, at least 10% of what we saw because it’s impossible to show you this stuff for real! Then we were to be dropped off somewhat near the restaurant that would be dinner for the night. The ‘somewhat’ ensured that we would be able to amble through the local Night Market before arriving at our waterfront restaurant. Timing is everything because the mask of darkness is essential to the sights of this nightly spectacle.

                        Off we went, it’s about 75 degrees or so, very comfortable for whizzing around on the cart. The reason that we need the cart is that soon we found our way onto roads that no bus could ever negotiate…. these ‘paths’ wind in, and around, bayou-type environments that are the basis for the topography around the river. Agriculture is on everyone’s doorstep, as they all have gardens in one form or another, some for sustenance, some for business.

                        Peanuts are one of the favorite crops that are grown here. I did not know, nor had I ever given any thought to the fact that peanuts are a root-type plant…. The little guys spend their developing lives underground until they get harvested and mature into the ultimate alliance with some grapes…..peanut butter!

                        We screeched to a halt (metaphorically) in front of a rather imposing-looking home way down by the water. Imposing because it is both tall and relatively new. This area is a crazy juxtaposition of homes/shacks/hovels that are quite comfortable existing as neighbors to themselves, no judgment offered, nor taken….. at least in public. This is because the usually well-to-do have one of those state-affiliated connections that helps pave the way for some of the perks of life around here. In this case we were standing in the front of the home of Phil’s ‘Grandmother’  As it turns out, wherever we go in this thousand-plus mile long country, we meet up with one of Phil’s ‘relatives’. “This is my sister, (cousin, aunt, uncle)”, etc. has become a hallmark of an introduction, always given with a knowing smile. We now get it. The truth is that Phil has such a disarming and charming way about him that you can tell that the relationships that he has cultivated along these Vietnamese backroads of life, are genuine. The Locals feel very at ease with him, and this is obviously to our advantage as that cultivation of friendships is easily passed along to us, his troop of travelers. We gain access and insight into the daily lives, and past histories of, these genuinely forthcoming folks.

                        ‘Grandma’ is 93-years old and as cute as button. She lives in this home that her son built for her as he cannot be around as much as he would like to help take care of her. The other reason that she has this place is her husband’s affiliation with the VC (Viet Cong) that underground organization here in South Vietnam whose sole purpose was to irradicate our soldiers and those of the South Vietnamese Army, from these very soils. Remember, this is still a Communist-based government that won their civil war. ( I wonder where we’d be if, in our own case, the South had defeated the North back during our Civil War in 1860’s?)

                        “To the victors belongs the spoils” could not be a more apropos statement in this case. From respect, to pensions, and special favors, the current government seeks to keep a separation of, and exultation of, that victory. She and her family are the benefactors of that position. But that was over sixty years ago and as we all know, unless a coup or other more immediate result/action takes place, these wheels of history turn at their own pace, but turn they do. I will tell you that the feeling that I get while here is that those wheels are moving a little faster now, lubricated by the once hated term of ‘capitalism’. That Red Capitalism that I spoke about previously is very, very much alive and the population can feel its effects. These feelings are the seeds of change that get planted and cultivated just like the peanut plants that are sitting underground under our feet. Who’d have ever thought that a group of Americans would be welcomed into a country that we once fought to have defeated or at least divided.

                        Our visit concluded, we scrambled (a relative term as we all are in that seniorly-challenged age group) back into our chariot and continued on. As we got closer to a point where we would rendezvous with our boat, we chanced upon a man with the cutest little water buffalo. Well, at least he looked kinda cute, I’m sure that his mom thought so, and apparently so did Phil. Always on the lookout for another experience for us Phil, called out to the man who was ‘working’ the young cutie around a small patch of land. We were encouraged to join the man and beast for introductions. The guy and his wife thought it was a hoot as they encouraged us to climb upon the critter to have photos taken. The lady even took off her typical conical hat and placed it on the ladies for this photo op. Their smiles and obvious enjoyment of our smiles and enjoyment were all the payment that was needed to help forge a meaningful relationship between our two cultures.

                        This is where the fun part of the evening started. Abandoning our wheeled vehicle, we trudged through the bayou on a well-worn path that led us to a questionable facsimile of what could be very loosely termed a ‘dock.’ Clambering aboard we were introduced to the ‘Skipper” for our less than Three-Hour Tour. It was still light out, but the sun had set as the Plan was unfolding on the waters in front of our bow.

Apparently, it is a custom to have a shot of whiskey, or in this case we ended up with a local Vodka which had a very nice flavor to it. This was my first introduction to Vodka, and it went rather well. …. but I will not be ruining any good Coca-Colas with additions of this libation. The usual toasts were given, and then consumed, with a few more added just to make sure that the boat, and fun, were underway.

In the distance, those lights that I referred to before were getting more and more distinct as we approached them, kind of sneaking in the back door of the party. That coveted cover of darkness was soon complete, insuring our acceptance into the Fleet of Fantasy. This was not the captains first cruise as we soon found ourselves surrounded by a squadron of incoming vessels that looked like a version of the swirling Teacups’ s at Disneyland. Each ‘saucer’ had its own coxswain, and it was worth it just to see us try and get aboard a vessel with no keel, no determinable center of gravity, and an incredibly shallow freeboard. These baskets are traditionally used down here to hold the gathered fish, or fronds, or whatever of what it is that is being harvested at the time.

                        They are somewhat unique to Hoi An, the city that we’re presently in, and they had their roots set down in the French Colonial era as the locals argued that they were not boats (which were taxable under French rule) but were simply baskets. Genius! These are still made the traditional way with strips of woven bamboo, but instead of being sealed with water buffalo dung, are sealed with a resin of sorts. The guys that pilot these baskets are quite skilled at spinning them around (hastening and heightening any lingering effects of our libationious toasts) and dancing around the edges which makes them sway and dip back and forth.

                        Dramamine anyone? 😊

                        No worries! No ‘ralphing’ occurred as the rides did not last long enough to garner the effects of the descripted motions. Safely back aboard we continued up the river to the sounds of ABBA  blaring out of some loudspeakers. I believe that some more Toasts to ABBA were given, and then consumed, because some dance-like behavior broke out amongst the crew and passengers.

We were soon safely woven into that rainbow like fabric of lanterns and lights that was now surrounding us. We were an integral part of the scene that was visible from the equally festive shoreline!

Up, and then back down the river we sailed until we arrived at our destination of the public dock, a few feet away from the equally festive Night Market. A stroll through this collection of live fish, cut produce, fried locals (food!) and ubiquitous chachkies, eventually led us to our Dinner Destination.

                        There is a very real part of us that longs for a good cheeseburger and fries as the steady diet of the local cuisine is taking its toll on us. It’s not that the local food is not good, its that we are trying in vain not to eat the seven-course extravaganza that gets spread out in front of us with acute regularity.

I could say that “It’s all the same”, but it is, in fact, not!  While the spring rolls, summer rolls, pork/bacon lollipop type things, bok choy-based salads, calamari, really good rice, and various beef and chicken dishes all have a familiar resemblance to previous editions, it seems that each place we go has its own iterations of the same. This makes us always say, “This is really good!’ and then the ensuing comparisons start being bantered about as each meal has its own advocate amongst us.

Translation: It just keeps getting better and better as we go along.  

            It was just a short amble to where our patient golf cart was waiting for us, and we arrived back across the river to our hotel just in time to make that night’s meeting of FOMO’s Anonymous.

                                    Everyone happily attended.

And then promptly signed up for the next unscheduled excursion.

Having never traveled with a Group before, all of this is a new experience for us. I cannot compare what, and how, we are experiencing with Overseas Adventure Travel with any other Tour group available.

                        I also cannot imagine that it could get any better! I guess if we had hired Personal Tourer just for Paula and me, it might be a little better, but then, a lot of the fun is being with these wonderful like-minded folks that only number fifteen in total.

                        The key to any group experience is the group leader. This person is at the same time a Class Mother, Chief Negotiator, Personal Shopper, Logistics Wizard, and all -around nice person, the kind that you want to be friends with, in a sincere sort of way.

                        Harold and Sherry have been expounding on the attributes of O.A.T. ever since we met them over three years ago. They have been trying to get us to join them on numerous trips that they have been on since our first meeting back then. We looked at Tuscany and Umbria, it looked nice, but we were hesitant….. I thought that we may be able to undertake this venture ourselves and we certainly could! Airfare, an Airbnb, car rental, it is all very possible and common, and yes, less expensive. I forget how much the possible difference was, but it doesn’t matter because we never pulled the trigger on that one…..yet!

                        As far as I can see, the biggest difference is the fact that we wouldn’t get Phil or one of his O.A.T. sidekicks. We wondered about this…. Phil is GOOD, very good at what he does. But in reality, just how good is he? So, I went to our source for all things travel related, especially O.A.T……. Sherry and Harold.

                        “Ok, you guys, you got us into this thing, and we still have that O.A.T. trip in April to Poland and the Baltics, just how good is Phil? How do the other Tour Leaders stack up against him? Because as far as we are concerned, he borders on Divine, but we do understand that he is our first encounter with an O.A.T. Tour Leader, so spill the beans, what can we expect?”

                        Sherry and Harold looked at each other, then back at us, smiled a knowing smile, and said….. “Phil is good, one of the best we’ve had, but he is also what you can expect from the Leader of any of the Groups from O.A.T.”

                        That in itself is a big enough statement, but when you consider that they have been on thirty-three(!) other O.A.T. tours over the last twenty or so years, then their message takes on a different tone and starts to resemble a Gospel-like aura to go along with the Leader Divinity that I just assigned to Phil.

                        This missive has its genesis in the fact that I need to catch up a bit and roll some days together, one of them being an interim fly-day. Vietnam is really long, a little over a thousand miles in total and when the objective is to cover as much as possible, increase the meaningful times and decrease the “sit on the bus” times, then traveling by air becomes a necessity. That means that Phil needs to shepherd (there’s another apropos Biblical inference 😊) all of us through a foreign airport several times as we need to take three internal flights even before exiting this country. We don’t even have our own copies of our Boarding Passes until they get distributed to us upon arrival. And when faced once more with the Line At The Counter, which is even longer than usual because the Tet holiday (Lunar New Year) is coming up quickly and everyone is traveling home….(think Thanksgiving or Christmas) and get this…. remember all those giant taped-up cardboard boxes that we encountered in Tokyo? Well, now we get to add in giant flowering trees (peach blossoms, etc.) that seem to be somewhat essential to a significant celebration. Yup, they get to come along for the flight also! It looks like a veritable forest of little Ents (if you are a Tolkien fan!) are flying to Gondor for vacation!

                        “But what to our wondering eyes should appear but a newly opened counter, with Phil there to steer…”.

                        Hey, I’m not askin! What happens in Hanoi, stays in Hanoi!  The next thing we know we’re all seated by the gate with Phil when he says, “Wait here.” He returned shortly with an armful of snacks that looked like they were purchased by a kid with a hundred-dollar bill before going on a road trip!

                        Well, they were, and we are, so let the snacking begin!

                        Arrivals at our hotels cannot go any smoother and the mantra of “Don’t worry, Phil has this all under control, just go up to the lobby and I’ll be there shortly” cannot ring truer, (he speaks in the Third Person) especially when somehow when we arrive at the lobby Phil is already there, luggage is on its way to our rooms and instructions for the morrow are being disseminated to us.

                        “Hey! Weren’t you just down by the bus and…..” as my voice trails off and Phil just smiles and says, “Have a goodly night’s rest Mr. Don, see you at breakfast”

                        And like the good little kids that we are, trundle ourselves upstairs and try to fall asleep…….. but all those snacks!

                        Anyway…… sorry for the digression, but I just had to sing a few verses of the Psalms of Phil, for obvious reasons! Here now, for your further viewing pleasures are a bunch of Photos that will highlight these past few days and give you another glimpse of what we are experiencing. I really hope that you enjoy them.

In no particular order…..

That’s it for now, lots of photos to come later!

In case you were wondering if this type of Immersive Experience disallows some “usual” aspects of traveling, like stopping at those Tourist Traps disguised as Bathroom Breaks…… you would happily be mistaken!

            The caveat is that we only stop at the really good (expensive!) ones!

            Take our trip to Ha Long Bay for example. Ha Long Bay is situated northeast of Hanoi, just past Hai Phong (Yes, that Haiphong, the one we used to pummel because it is such an important harbor). On our way there, located in a setting that was chosen specifically for its strategic location of BPB (Bladder Point Breaking) we found a service that we were happy to support. Inside this spotless facility we observed an organization that works with some folks over here that have many, and varied, disabilities. This is an Artist’s Colony of a different color, one that helps house those that don’t have homes to begin with, then training ensues, and when the new artist is ready, they start making these incredibly beautiful and detailed silk “paintings”. Upstairs here is a very nice restaurant, obviously catering to larger groups, but anyone can drop by either upstairs or down. The artists are of varying degrees of expertise, and their works are priced accordingly, with the amount of time to complete each one listed on the back along with other pertinent info. Luckily this type of purchase is easily transported as rolling up a fabric entity is rather easy to do!

                        Our destination was arrived at about two hours later, the seaside town of Tuan Chau. This town is the epitome of something that is very observable around here and that is the varying state(s) of construction and neglect that can be found sitting side by each, enough times to warrant a why….. boom and bust occupy the same block, with economics obviously the key factors here. One would think that a project would get finished before another one started but not here! I guess that having some government intervention in these projects is not helping their situation.

When we arrived here, we greeted by an empty harbor/marina as all of the other boats (which, we as yet, did not know that they existed) had already departed for the same location that would be ours, the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Halong Bay. This archipelago is located directly off of the coast here and can be reached in under an hour, even in a plodding-along type “junk” that would be our overnight home here. The etymology of the word “junk” is long, Portuguese, and has absolutely nothing to do with the seaworthiness of said vessel!

                        One of the things that O.A.T. does well is source places to stay that appeal to us Westerners. Let’s face it….. while we love getting to see and interact and meet with all sorts of people, we are not interested in finding various stages of clean facilities either to take a shower in or sleep for the night. I can speak for many of us, and I know for a fact that if we wanted to have a “questionable hostel” experience then we would, but we don’t!  So, having an organization that has decades of experience honed by thousands of opinions and comments from their clients, well…. that just helps to make the future travels that much more of what we are looking for. This was evidenced by the boat that was ours for the day/night. The size was perfect, just enough staterooms for a group our size, which made it private. The bathrooms on board were three times the size of what we’ve found on Cruises, and the talented Staff was versed in all of the duties that they needed to switch hats for, from basic seaman to chef/mechanic, to Cabin Steward and navigator.

                        I do have to admit that the varying stages of inclement weather has started to affect us. Some nice bright blue skies would be the perfect tonic, but that elixir will have to wait because it won’t happen on this voyage. We were surrounded by murky mist which looks kind of interesting as these monothetic shapes materialize out of the distance, but it does not come close to what we could have experienced if the weather had been nicer!

                        Now for what you’ve all been waiting for…. This trips edition of Tectonic Effects We Have Known… aka, Oh No! Not that again!

No worries, this one’s easy!

                                    Critters Croak.

                                    Fall to the bottom.

                                    Solidify.

                                    Make limestone.

                                    Water levels rise and fall.

                                    Erode.

                                    Humans come in the future to gawk at the results!

            Now, that wasn’t so bad now was it? 😊

I will need to resort to my pinch-hitting ally, the Internet, in order to supply you with what this place looks like normally, but you will still get the mysteriously inviting pics that represent what we experienced also.

Back in port the next day at noon and then off to head to the airport and the central Vietnam city of Hue where more adventures await! Don’t forget to check in and get your Boarding Pass as the next few days promise better weather down there!

Yesterday we spent a rainy day in the homes and businesses of some of the people that live on an island in the Cau Nguyet River. This village, Tho Ha, has been the rice paper making center of the Hanoi region for the last thousand years and has just recently lost its ranking to mechanization. But we all know that the good stuff is still made by hand!

            We started with a visit to a local Veteran’s Cemetery which even in the rain was preparing for the upcoming big Lunar New Year holiday…. this will be the Year of the Horse. This cemetery enjoys all of the respect and admiration that a Veteran’s Cemetery should….if you fought for the North Vietnam army. If you were from the South, then even now your family suffers from your inclusion in that Army. So much for unification and letting the past roll into one history for the story to be told from all sides, but we do know that the aphorism “History is written by the victors” is true until (here comes the other side, attributed by some to Mr. Churchill) “Until the lion (prey) learns how to write, every story will glorify the hunter,” highlighting that the silenced (the “losers”) often have their stories buried. And we do know how good a Communist government is at burying the opposing sides of their positions.

            I’m not sure of where this will go today as at the end of the day, we plan to visit the infamous Hanoi “Hilton”, the century-old French prison, turned POW camp in downtown Hanoi.

                        We shall see.

            Back to the earlier part of the day.

            We needed to take a ferry ride across the river which lasted an interminable 😊 two minutes! I am constantly amazed at what transpires in countries that do not have the resources to enforce any kind of safety measures. Most of the time absolutely nothing but then we have all seen the videos of “Construction Gone Bad” and nine times out of ten they are from countries with little or no safety parameters in place. Our voyage was perfectly safe.

            We were greeted on the other side by the “chief” of the village, a low-ranking Party Member at whose home we would learn how to make the rice paper, then enjoy a lunch made from what we had just produced. But first we went off to visit the local “moonshine” operation! This little family-run business was quite busy when we arrived, and yes, there were samples to be had! Whiskey here does not seem to be quite as potent as some of our own homegrown stuff, but then that opinion is coming from someone who has never been inebriated even once in his life! (I needed to rely on some of the more “seasoned” members of our group for an accurate positioning of said moonshine).

            After imbibing we walked down a few alleyways and entered the front of Mr. Viet’s home where the family still makes these rice paper round things, (think tortillas). We watched the very simple but effective Rube Goldberg type machine in action and were then invited to try it out for ourselves….. with modest success. We then proceeded to make our own Spring Rolls with some nifty ingredients. (Think rolling big cigars).

            After a discussion period of Q&A with Mr. Viet he treated us to an impromptu concert with some of the instruments that were hanging on his wall…. the instruments are about as authentically ethnic as they could get. Mr. Viet was a member of the Viet Cong (VC) during the war and I’m fairly sure that subject was going to be on our agenda when someone from our group asked about those musical instruments and then all bets were off as the conversation went in a different direction. It was all very innocent, I got the impression from his personality and demeanor that had we been able to have that planned discussion, it would have been incredibly interesting.

            Lunch was served right after that and Mr. Viet and his wife sat with us as we thoroughly enjoyed our homemade vittles and accompanying accoutrements. This probably was the best meal that we’ve had, as the meals keep outdoing themselves as we go along! But even the first meal was great!

                        Lunch finished, Happy Room visited, we then marched back out of the alleyways and boarded the ferry for another unassuming voyage across the 100 yards or so of the river. Back on the bus we followed course and as Senior Citizens used this opportunity to nap. It was still drearily raining.

                        Upon our arrival back in Hanoi some of us elected to stay on the bus and continue to the Hanoi “Hilton”, the rest returned to the hotel. To be clear, the Hanoi “Hilton” was never a hotel. That moniker was hung on this facility by our very own members of our Armed Forces, a good, snappy use of fortuitous alliteration that I ever heard!

                        I am going to dive in here and try my best to stay as apolitical as possible on a totally, highly political subject. There is nothing more polarizing than the subject of the Vietnam War, or Communism vs Freedom(?), or Socialism vs Capitalism, and what is, and where does, Fascism enter this picture?

All great questions, that (on a different platform would be great to have meaningful discussions over and about) are valid, but this forum is not that one. I’ll leave it at I’m glad (in that weird sort of way) that I went, but I was uncomfortable being there, but only for the POW aspect of this place. Its long history is as entwined with Colonial Vietnam’s as anything that they have and remembering that these were an oppressed and subjugated people for generations and generations puts some perspective on the past sixty-plus years that included the Vietnam War.

    

     

                        Context: The Vietnamese peoples had been subjugated for over a thousand years by various waves of conquerors including the Chinese, Japanese, and most recently, the French during the Colonial Period (when the Countries of Europe were trying their best to outdo each other.) They wanted their freedom and who wouldn’t? Ho Chi Minh wrote to President Truman to ask for help in getting France out of his country. Truman, valuing our alliance with France over Vietnam’s, said “No”. Ho Chi Minh then approached China/Russia who eventually agreed. This put the Number One Fear (Communism) on the doorstep of another emerging country (Vietnam) which in the 1950’s and 60’s, was the primary concern for the USA and our allies.

 And all Vietnam wanted was their independence.

So here I am at the Hanoi “Hilton” viewing the cells and facilities erected by the French in the late 1800’s. The exhibits show how the French used their torture techniques on the local folks who defied their laws, etc. male and female alike. Then we moved to the next obvious timeline and that would be the POW era. These exhibits showed photos of US service men playing volleyball, making Christmas trees, getting medical care, and the like. All of which is true, but we also know that it shows (in true propaganda/communist regime type form) only a small sliver of the story. Even up to today, most citizens only know what is allowed to be known and that is the “Approved Edition” of their history. Are the Vietnamese folks better off under this present government than they were under the French……

 Or during the War?

Or when they were just emerging and there was far more influence from China and Russia?

I’d venture a probable ‘Yes’! They are better off now, at least from my observations. They do emphasize “Red Capitalism”, which is thriving! And I can see where “Westernization” is creeping (and allowed) into some daily aspects of their lives.

I did not leave the Hanoi “Hilton” feeling good, actually rather empty as there was no way to even attempt to correct (?) any of the information that was given inside without trying to convince the other person that all we wanted to do was stop the advancement of countries like China and Russia from taking over so much of the world that our way of life would eventually be threatened by sheer numbers.

            In a way I’m glad that it was raining because it matched my mood.

            So, I’ll move on, change gears a bit and thank you for getting this far…..

The Question of the Century seems to be…. Why Vietnam?

The answer, or answers, to that question are as many and varied as the folks who ask us.

We could be humorous and reply with the quote British explorer George Mallory said in 1924 before attempting to climb Mt. Everest…. “Because it’s there” but that may end the conversation without gaining any insight into the answers.

            Maybe I should start by flipping this around…. why does someone ask that question to begin with?

                        If we were traveling to say, maybe ….Florida, would the first response be to ask, “Why Florida?”

                        Maybe, maybe not.

            I will hazard a guess that the question stems from our involvement back in the 60’s in the military conflict that tore our country into mostly two factions, for and against.

                                    That war was a long time ago, sixty years or so puts us in the ballpark of the timeline.

                        The caveat to this is it all depends on one’s perspective and that perspective is as true to each person as their own being is. I have two brothers-in-law who served in Vietnam, and I would never presume to tell them how they should feel about returning to Vietnam.

                        So, do you want the real answer?

                        If you’ve gotten this far without clicking the X at the top right of the Page, then you deserve an answer.

                        “Because it’s there!”

                        Only kidding! In reality, Harold and Sherry said that they were looking at this particular trip with Overseas Adventure Travel and wondered if we’d like to come along. To be honest, I hesitated. I had never had in my brain an incredible desire to visit this part of the world. Then it happened….

                                    This is the “Dangerous” part of traveling…..

                                    Meaning that we did some research.

And found lots of things to like about this trip!

We watched the video of this trip by O.A.T. and saw what looked like a fascinating glimpse into the lives and customs of a people that have their own stories to tell, their own version of the local diaspora, their own ways of clinging to their culture before it disappears. Especially when we throw in our visits to the Hill Country tribes at the beginning of this trip. Maybe a good “home grown” example would be our own Native American tribes and their quest for recognition and longevity in their own right. The more we watched the trip unfold before us and listened to the comments of the Travelers that had been on this Itinerary, the more we wanted to say “Yes”! Plus we got to travel again with H&S with whom we had so much fun with on the World Cruise!

                        So we said that one little word, Yes!

                        We’ve been here a Grand Total of about ten days and we’re already totally sure that we made the best decision!

                        Traveling anywhere and experiencing whatever it is that brought you to that location is reason enough for travel.

 Always wanted to see the Eiffel Tower?

Go  to Paris!

Always wanted to experience the crystal-clear waters of the South Seas?

Go to Tahiti!

These, and the rest of the millions of places on this planet, are reason enough to go and see them. We have elected to dive in just a little deeper and get to know the folks that live on the planet with us.

I’m baaaaack…… 😊

Sorry for the hiatus but that’s what happens when we travel to places without any Internet Access. We were out on an overnight foray into the incredible scenery of Ha Long Bay, a rather otherworldly location. More on that in a few days as I endeavor to catch up with this. The other related issue is actually having the time to put everything together as there is almost zero downtime on this trip! No “Sea Days” as we affectionally call a day without any Ports or Excursions when Cruising. On this trip its Go! Go! Go! (and then some!)

                        So, here goes as I pretend that I’m just proceeding along on schedule as that is the way that this was written, and I’m too tired to change it!

  +++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Yesterday was another installment in the ongoing series, A Day in the Life of….. a program that O.A.T. brings to every Trip that they run. This is probably their signature feature when it comes to the immersion aspect of this style of travel.

It was another rainy day which made this indoor activity all the better. Travel we did to another riverside village, one that has been around for….. you guessed it…. about a thousand years. Their skills at ceramics have made the villagers of Bat Trang quite famous in this world of pottery. When Mr. Obama made a visit to Vietnam, it was an item from this village that was chosen to be the ceremonial gift to be given to him. This is quite an honor and secured Bat Trang’s status in the world of ceramics.

Back to the ceramics……

 Making vessels and figures out of clay and then firing them to achieve that “Ceramic” level, has been around ever since a guy accidently dropped his clay figurine into his wife’s cooking fire and received a ranting scolding over it. That was until the fire died down and his “Mistake” was able to be retrieved from the flames and eventually cooled down enough to hold. It was at that moment that he became a hero because he, and only he, now knew the secrets of this art. His wife became the envy of everyone on Triceratops Boulevard because her pottery collection had turned into beautiful artistic items. Mr. Caveman was out of the doghouse, sold some of his bestest pieces and bought his wife a new Bronto Benz 500SL to tool around the village in.

            The End.

Or something like that, history is cloudy on this subject as it may have actually been a Jaguar Jurassic that he gave her.

            Anyway, the Craze for Glaze had begun and peeps all over the world eventually learned how to make beautiful ceramics for fun and profit!

            The highlight of our visit yesterday was not the ceramics retail shops that we visited, nor the hands-on Make-a-Pot experience that were provided, although that was a hoot (more on that later). The best part of yesterday was a visit with Mr. Huy, whose family, one of the most prominent, and successful ones in the Region, were the victims of the 1954 Land Reform laws enacted at that time. These were the perfect Robin Hood scenarios of taking from the rich and giving to the poor…… oops!  I mean State! Because that’s where it all eventually ended up after it was redistributed to the poor, it was eventually taken back and added to the Collective. So, back in the day, when all of this reform started, anyone that had any success, no matter how good they actually were, was considered to be a blockage standing in the way of the goals of the communist ways that were infiltrating the government. If you were a landlord, even a good one, you were branded as an evil person and promptly stripped of your holdings. This sparked huge issues, so much that the government stopped all of it after about two years, and issued forms of apologies, and payments(?) for the land. Mr. Huy’s family received the equivalent of $130.00 for $30,000,000.00 worth of confiscated land. How reassuring.

                        But being the cool-headed intelligent folks that they were, they knew that biding their time, making smart decisions, and playing the game would be far better for them than fighting a futile fight. As time went on, the family grew again in stature, was able to spend judiciously some of their wealth that they had hidden from the government without drawing attention to themselves. The result is that now, the same family, is back in their ancestral home (where we were visiting) although portions of it had already been “distributed” to others. The family employs over two hundred workers in their ceramics studios, and Mr. Huy wore a jacket with the American Flag sewn onto one of the shoulders. This would not have been possible not too long ago. They are not bitter, they are thankful that they are still a family, that no one had been executed as many, many landlords were, and now decades later, are still together. They admit that they are one of the lucky ones.

                        And yes, we had some whiskey when we arrived!

I have to admit that it is fascinating traveling in a communist country that allows us to ask questions of its citizens and they can answer with honesty…. (when they know that they are in truly a safe place and with safe people). Phil has had many an aside with us, clueing us in, and at the same time letting us know that he could be in serious trouble if the wrong person were able to hear him tell us something. Unfortunate but still fascinating.

            After our frank discussions with Mr. Huy, back out into the rain and narrow alleyway went eventually ending up in Mr. Hiep’s workshop     and factory. It was here that we learned more about the actual process of making clay into incredibly gorgeous pieces of art. We had quickly stopped in another showroom at the beginning of our tour in order to use their Happy Room, in exchange for spending some time in their showroom. The prices were fair; some items were procured and on we went to that first stop at Mr. Huy’s home. But it was there that we had the opportunity to examine these masterpieces up front and personal and wonder how they are made.

Our questions were answered here at Mr. Hiep’s factory. He took us step by step through the process from the location where the clay was obtained (sixty feet underground) to the final glazing and firing after they were hand -painted by some very talented and trained artisans. This is the process that has been handed down from generation to generation here in the tiny village of Bat Trang. And we could tell that the village was successful just by the way things were kept up. They had the money to reinvest in their village; the streets and alleys were paved with tiles made by Mr. Huy’s family and it was much cleaner than most of the other villages that we had visited up to that point.

                        Then the fun began as we were led into a large room that had an obvious purpose to it ….. there all lined up against the walls were a series of small stools with turning wheels right in front of them accompanied by small bowls of water. We were instructed to choose a location and then Mr. Hiep proceed to create for us various shapes of vessels and plates from a single blob of clay that he continually worked in front of us. We watched as his trained hands transformed the clay and moved it from an initial cup to a final shallow bowl.

                        We were then given our own Plop and asked to make something of it, learning that here would be First, Second, and “Unique” prize given in those respective categories. I wish that we had more time as my Plop ended up resembling a warped alien’s flying saucer. Some of our group obviously had some previous pottery experience as their creations looked more like the pieces in Mr. Hiep’s showroom. These folks are no longer with the group as they have been conscripted and are now working in the “factory”.

I am glad that mine turned out so miserably!

                        As this was now several days ago and these days are running full speed into each other, I cannot remember what happened after we left this little village. It was raining so I’m quite sure it would have been an indoor activity. Probably it was the day the Paula took a cooking lesson and learned how to make their famous broth, Pho, which eventually can become any kind of soup that you’d like.

Harold, Sherry, and I decided to get some surprisingly good pizza at local joint just down the road which in addition to a fairly good pie, provided some of the best selections of 60’s and early 70’s good ol’ American Rock n’ Roll.

 If someone had told me that someday I’d be eating pizza in downtown Hanoi and listening to Jimi Hendrix’s cover of Bob Dylan’s All Long the Watchtower, well, you finish that sentence because I’m at a loss for words.

I’m not even close to figuring out where this one should start as yesterday was one of those days that was so jam-packed with a myriad of sensory-overload experiences that it could be considered a once-in-a-lifetime event.

                        But I will try.

            Analogies are good tools to use to describe something that the other party has not experienced, so they need a reference point to focus on….. I think that I’ve got a good one…….

“Roger that Blue Angel One, executing maneuver on my mark.”

            “Three, two, one, Mark!”

“Roll on … three, two, one, Mark!”

            “Hey! Bogies! Bogies! Bogies!”

“Keep on target Blue Angel Five!”

            “They’re coming right at me… Evasive maneuverers… NOW!

            “This is  Blue Angel One… stay on target, I repeat , stay on target!”

            This is Blue Angel Eleven, I can’t hold them off either!”

            “Steady there BA Eleven…. Keep in formation and that’s an order!”

            “Roger that BA Leader…. Executing Evasives, still in formation!”

            So, now that I have your attention, I will endeavor to explain….last night we all went on a Motorbike “Foodie” and Downtown Tour courtesy of a wonderful business called Backstreet Tours by Motorbikes (of Hanoi). This was akin to riding with a motorcycle gang. Without the knives and chains. My introductory analogy stays true….. imagine being in formation, flying as a group of precision aircraft while having five thousand other aircraft executing their own individual and group maneuvers while coming at you from all directions and you still needed to stay in your formation…. mostly.

                        And…. our “Pilots” were about twenty-two years of age, which when you think about it, is probably perfect. We each had our own piloted motorbike, my pilot was “Dave” and I am quite sure that was not his actual name, but they do know who their clients are! We spent over four hours touring and stopping at planned intervals to sample either tasty treats or desirable drinks with a few neighborhood stories thrown in for additional flavor. We even stopped in and visited the ringleader’s grandmother’s best friend who at 86 still lives alone because she doesn’t want anyone ragging on her about the cigarettes and liquor! Go Grandma! More on this a little later.

                        Our day started almost in the same manner except at a much slower pace as instead of having a zoomy motorbike, we had a plodding rickshaw, but then all rickshaws are plodding by nature. One to a seat, our drivers pedaled us around the old city for about an hour. It was a great way to experience the morning street rituals at a pace that let us actually observe them. My only mistake was not to adjust my shutter speed to account for some movement, so some may seem a little fuzzy, but capture them I did! In order not to look like the obvious tourists that I was, I just kept the camera on my lap and pointed in a general direction and clicked the shutter. The results are below.

                        After that experience we hastened over to Ho Chi Minh’s mausoleum.  Have you ever been fortunate enough to visit Disney World with someone who requires a wheelchair (real or fake) and been whisked to the front of the line, bypassing those others that have been in line for a really long time?

                        That is what it was like yesterday when we pulled up to a secret entrance, Phil handed the armed guard our “paperwork” (Isn’t always “Paper’s please? I need to see your papers!”) we were scrutinized as if we were entering the military nuclear research facility with nefarious notions. Our group even had some stuff (a flashlight!) confiscated for the duration. We were then ushered (escorted) basically to the front of the line and instructed how to line up (two by two) in order to proceed into the Mausoleum. Ho Chi Minh lies in state inside, Honor Guards surrounding him and the procession moves on hour after hour during the morning of every day.  This would be really good place to delve into a political discussion with the obvious differences between two idealistic political philosophies being bantered back and forth but we’re not going there now. We are the guests of a country who has been through as much as we have except they are over a thousand years old and just claimed their independence back in 1975 when the war ended.

                        It is interesting to listen to Phil, who may be one of the nicest people on our planet, explain the national stands on politics, positive and negative, defending and criticizing his country’s stance on such.

                        Oops! I said that we weren’t going there!

            On to our next stop and that would be the home of Mr. Liem, the only Water Puppet wrangler left in Vietnam. We needed to wind our way through some back-alley ways in order to get to his front door.

This tradition goes back a thousand or so years and is quite fascinating! His family has been in this business for generations and their handiwork is world-renowned. We visited him and his wife in their home where they have a small water stage set up. They entertain small groups such as ours and sometimes they also the bring their show on the road for schools and the like. The performance was about as unique an occasion that we have ever seen, and after being audience members we were invited to try our hands at manipulating the puppets. It was not easy!

            Oh! And I purchased one of the Dragon Heads from him, duly signed and everything!

                        After another outstanding lunch at a small local café, we headed back to the hotel for about an hour of downtime before we met our Chariots of Fire scooter brigade. This is where the fun starts and since I was not sure of how I was going to hold on and my pants du jour had shallow, non-zippered pockets, I did not even bring my phone for photos. Anything that you see here from now on was borrowed (stolen) from someone else on this excursion!

Our first stop was to the first coffee shop in Hanoi, which happens to be the originator of that Egg Coffee (chocolate!) that we had the other day. It was even better than the first one! We went on to tour some of the neighborhoods, meet Grandma,

get some cool history lessons and ended up sitting inches (almost!) from the train tracks that carry the trains from Saigon to Hanoi. It’s called Train Street and its even crazier than the motorbikes! The tracks are lined on either side with retail and cafes, and the draw is the fact that they set up on both sides of the tracks REALLY close to the trains as they come through.

We were fortunate to be able to catch two trains, one from each direction! After that we went on to one of the streets that has tons of restaurants and their outdoor street dining complete with motorbikes whizzing by your back, but thankfully no cars!

By the time David dropped me and the rest of us off at the hotel (about 10:30) we just about had it as we had been going non-stop all day!

And Bus Call was at 8:15 this morning!

Today we’re going to learn some new Vietnamese words:

                        Quần thể danh thắng Tràng An tại Ninh Bình.

        Roughly translated it means:

 The Trang An Scenic Complex in Ninh Binh

This place was our primary destination yesterday and is a Two-Time Holder of a UNESCO World Heritage Designation….. one for its anthropological history and another for its geologic and natural significance.

It is located almost on the coastline, but more specifically in the Red River Delta area. The Red River is the one that we kinda followed over the days that we spent up in the Hill Country. Now we are at its terminus along with the ancestors of the folks that have inhabited, and farmed, this area for over 30,000 years… hence its UNESCO designation.

        The top activity here is a sampan ride through the caves of Tam Coc located in the delta and these caverns are strewn about this limestone filled location. The 2017 movie, Kong: Skull Island was filmed here and with good reason. The towering cliffs, giant cave and otherwise dramatic landscape make quite the “filmed on location” location! The serrated-type landscape of Ninh Binh is a character in itself. Often referred to as “Ha Long among the rice paddies,” (we’re going to visit the Ha Long Bay soon, so you’ll understand the comparison.) This cinematic (no CGI!) sweep of fertile countryside is the home to that aforementioned pocket of limestone formations springing out of the earth like some huge fortresses. Tam Coc is the flooded cave system that is part of the larger Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex. The unpredictable sequence of rolling hills and mountains is evened off by the flowing bends of the Ngo Dong River. It was on this river that our sampan ride was given.

        The ride was about an hour long and was provided by a young lady who spoke no English but was able to make her wishes known, like when I needed to move just a little in order to counter our listing to starboard. Interestingly, most of the rowers used their legs to propel us along, not their arms. We still can’t figure out how they kept their feet attached to the oars!

Into the caves we go!

This was another time when I would have killed for some blue skies and sunlight because there is just no way to confer to you the massive scale of some of these towering monoliths that this area is so famous for. Scale is everything and I’m afraid that these photos do it no justice. I am sorry.

We went from the sampans to a Buddhist Temple. here are some pics….

                Our lunch was at a charming, family-run B&B tucked out in the rice paddies. Friendly does not even come close to describing the people around here!

                As an aside, this adventure was not on the Itinerary as it was supposed to be a free day to do what you pleased. But Phil organized this whole thing because he wants us to have as complete an experience as we can possibly have.

                We may not survive this pace.

        On the way back we encountered the usual traffic which was of the usual volume which makes it unusually exciting for us bus riders as we watch the scooters and trucks vie for the same coveted position in the line of vehicles that moves like so many slithering snakes headed for the same destination. And then we come to an intersection! This is all good because fourteen senior citizens the need to visit the Happy Room were kept entertained, which helped to take our minds off of our bloated bladders.

                Not sure about tomorrow, some rain is forecast and I think we’re going to try and do one of those “Foodie Scooter Tours” which will put us right there in the middle of that terrifying turmoil….. maybe I’ll try and figure out how to show you a video!

Yesterday was a mini-discovery day as half of it was consumed by our travel back to Hanoi to start the “main” portion of our trip.  O.A.T. usually builds trips with “Pre” and “Post” trips that sandwich the main one. These additions are normally four to five days long and are designed to enhance the experience that O.A.T. endeavors to provide. As this is our first experience with this organization, I cannot comment with a “them vs “us” point of view except to say that if our trip ended today, we would be more than satisfied with what has been accomplished so far!

            Our local trek yesterday brought us to another Black Hmong village and its regional grammar school. Most of the kids here stay for the week as the daily commute (as much as six hours each way) would not be practical. This school is one that O.A.T. visits whenever one of these excursions is planned as lots of paperwork and permissions are need from the government to gain access to this experience. We brought several cases of ‘goodies’ with us, mostly food oriented including some fun snacky-type items that the kids would want. These were accepted with all of the gratitude that one would expect from this extremely polite and thankful indigenous community.

            While we were there we met with the Principal of the school and gained some insight into their daily routines. Questions ran from learning experiences and conduct expectations to teacher and student ratios (20 to 1). After our meeting with the Principal we were turned over to a fourth-grade class who were as charming as could be.

Interestingly, when we entered the very organized classroom a teacher was not present, but the children were all sitting nicely at their desks awaiting our arrival. Mei and Phil obviously took over and the kids responded with the usual amount of giggling and shyness that one would expect. Their smiles were genuine however and their voices strong when a song was asked for and granted. On the other hand, when WE were asked to provide song for them, our response was not as powerful as we were utterly unprepared for this moment! I totally felt like we’re back in Camp as the song that was suggested (and performed) was “If You’re Happy and You Know It” which we all obviously knew, complete with the appropriate hand and foot actions. The kids got a hoot out of it 😊.

            We had arrived in the village a little early so that we could walk around like we had done the previous days. Our destination was the home a local family, but when we arrived there we found that they were politely refusing company by placing a (small) live branch of a tree at the entrance to their home. The reasons for this are usually health-related, or something private is going on with the family, but that put an end to that particular visit.

            As an aside here, (as I write this) I wish that I had taken a photo of that small branch posted by their front door. It would have illustrated what it looked like although I’m sure you can envision it. Sometimes I feel like we are intruders into a closed society and I feel that gawking and photo taking is somewhat of a unpolite way of visiting. Maybe I’m wrong but I feel like a genuine smile given to a resident is all that is needed to help keep everyone’s composure intact and I would rather err on that side. Trying NOT to be the Tourist takes some dedication, even to the point of not taking an innocuous photo. In this case, taking a photo of a branch outside of a home would have (in hindsight) been just fine, but if I’m not inclined to whip out my camera all the time, well…. this is what happens, or on this case, doesn’t happen!

                        So…. undaunted by this small setback, Phil and Mei found a nice fellow whose home was just up the path. He enthusiastically agreed to having us enter his home, and his wife was just a tad surprised to find all of this out upon our entering but took it all in stride, at least while we were there! The usual family questions were offered, asked, and answered and when an interesting musical instrument was spied hanging on the wall, Phil requested an impromptu concert which was granted with quite the shy enthusiasm. He played for us both inside and then outside as the second song had some fancy dance-work attached to it and required a little more room. We left him grinning like a little kid! This is another hallmark of an excursion with an O.A.T. guide, they are always on the lookout for an opportunity to engage their clients with something special and local. The cry of “Stop the bus!” is one of their favorite sayings!

                        Along these lines of what O.A.T. has affected the local region with is a particular nomenclature, especially two topics and they’re fun. The first is the necessary “Bathroom” scenario, which obviously needs to be planned for, especially taking into account that “Senior” age bracket that we are in. Years ago, they decided that using the usual names, for this most vital topic was not only boring, but depending on where someone was coming from, may be uncomfortable. So…. the term Happy Room was decided on and now used with all the grinning that one would expect from this topic. Lo and behold, we arrive at local places and inside we find signs that do not say “Toilet”, etc. but Happy Room.  It brings a smile to ones face for more reasons than one!

                        The other term that emanated from O.A.T. and their meetings with their Local Guides and Group Leaders is “Sticky Rice”. This is used to indicate that the person that you can hear in your personal earpiece needs their group to gather closely around them. It was particularly cute when uttered by Mei who had the most delightful accent and inflection when it came to speaking her English with us. Now it is used by everyone to bring their groups together.

                        I mentioned that yesterday was the end of our Pre-Trip. That means that the Main Trip starts today and we have just one person joining us. Her name is Mary and we will need to all be welcoming as she is the New Kid in the class and we all know how that can be! Finding a spot at the lunch table will be the first item of the day! Some of the group will be departing after the Main Trip, most others (including us) will be jumping on the Post Trip to Cambodia and Ankor Wat. Hopefully we will be able to keep the playground antics to minimum!

Yesterday was another great day spent mostly with another one of the Hill Tribes, the Black Hmong. While these folk are only a few miles away from the previous day’s village of the Red Dao, they speak entirely different languages. The only common language is that of Viet, the national language. I’m sure that you can spot one of the other differences between them and that would be how Black became part of their names….. just check out the traditional clothing.

            This was another three hours spent walking the roads and trails that link the sections of their home village, Ta Van

            We were met at our drop-off point by a group of several of the women who would accompany us for the entire time and became an integral part of this experience while patiently waiting for the opportunity to sell us some of the embroidery that they had created. This is one of the areas that we must be careful in, that of trying to help a local economy (which is one of the missions) and being assured that the goods acquired are authentic. Nothing worse than getting that beautiful piece and discovering the “Made in Jersey City” label concealed inside! So far, this practice of being “patient” has been successful on all fronts. One of the things that Phil and Mei have stressed is that while supporting the locals is good, wait until the end and they will give us time (and help us bargain). This allows us to concentrate on the program at hand and learn as much as possible without constant distractions. The ladies that accompanied us knew their time would come and so instead of pestering us all the time, they engaged us in as much conversation as they could and made friends with us. We learned about them, their kids and anything else that would be of a conversational topic.  This seems to be a policy of O.A.T. and it is a nice compromise for both sides and it also seems that the locals know this and do not hound the O.A.T. groups as much as they may another. It is as if they have been trained over the years to do it the way that the Tour Leaders want and just be patient. Just an observational theory.

            Our hotel is way up top in Sapa (or Sa Pa, as the outside world has taken to combining the names of places such as, Sai Gon [Saigon] or Viet Nam [Vietnam], making them just one word.) where the day dawned with incredibly blue skies and abundant sunshine. A far cry from the day ‘s before experience of wet and dreary cloud filled foggy treks. The big, billowing clouds pouring over the mountains to our south was quite a sight!      

                        Unfortunately for us, these clouds continued their tumble-down and firmly ensconced themselves in the very area that we were going to, the valley floor. Oh well.

                        This Trek was strategically designed so that our initial drop-off point was nicely placed at an elevation that was higher than our pick-up location (mostly!) having the Group (whose average age is probably 75…. don’t we all look good 😊) being able to avoid doing their best Sir Edmund Hillary impersonations!

                        The rice paddies were in several levels of preparation for planting, mostly all dormant for the next few weeks. The frequency of water buffalo sightings were significantly higher than the previous days. Kept unchecked, these big guys will wreak havoc anywhere they can but are quite the necessity when it comes to farming and sustenance.

                        Halfway through our trek we stopped at a nice outdoor café which had what are termed as “Happy Rooms” or Western style bathrooms. I’m not sure who came up with that term, but I will endeavor to find out! Here we had a sit-down with one of the ladies that had been accompanying us from the start. She was “interviewed” by Mei who not only can speak her own Red Dao language, but also the Black Hmong, Viet, English (superb!) and Chinese. This was an eye-opening experience centered mostly around arranged marriages, “kidnapped” girls, human trafficking, and the modern ways that are changing some of their customs.

                        I’ll do my best to sum it all up.

            Arranged marriages are still normal and require dowries.

            “Kidnapped” means that a girl is taken by surprise and held with the boys family for a random amount of time where she becomes part of that family whether she likes it or not, sometimes has sex with the boy and/or father/brother whether she likes it or not and can at the end of that period can decide not stay with that family. It’s far more complicated than that but it would require me writing a Term Paper on it for you.

            There is human trafficking that goes on, I got the impression that while it is still here, the instances are decreasing. This may be because young folks are deciding that they do not want to stay around and they leave for what may be thought as a better life elsewhere. Media exposure to other ways of life seems to be the chief reason why that decision is made.

            On the brighter side, education has made incredible strides as compared to just a half generation ago and the percentage of young people attaining higher and higher levels of education is rising steadily.

            All of this was quite sobering. Knowledge is power and thinking that it will just go away is not the answer. As these folks have discovered, schooling is ultimately good for them and raises their quality of life albeit a slower pace than some would like to see. We will be visiting a school today so I will have more info on that subject in the future.

                        We arrived back in Sapa for lunch and our group went their various ways, some up to the top of the local mountain Mt. Fansipan (over 10,000 ft) others back to the hotel, and Paula and I went with Mei on a visit to the local market which is a cross between a giant produce/meats/and fish store and a souk. The girls wandered around while I stayed at one of the stalls, borrowed a stool from them, and in payment for the stool I helped them shuck whole walnuts and harvest the meats inside. Very light conversation ensued.

                        Sometimes I feel like we’re all at Camp, Phil is Camp Counselor… we have our Daily Program, and instead of Bug Juice at our meals we get the local whiskey! It is fun and interesting to watch Phil and Mei (and even those Black Hmong ladies) watch over us. We are obviously in their care and it make sense for them to protect us, but it is still amusing in a way watching as we cross the street (which borders on another art form here) to keeping to a side of the road so the scooters can scare the life out of you, to helping us old codgers up and down from time to time. Some of it is just pure self-preservation …. “Nobody dies on our watch!” but the rest is that we are definitely their elders and that is all that matters here in Vietnam….. the land of treating senior folk with the utmost and sincere respect.

Yesterday was a REALLY big day!

We got married!

            Well….. kinda/sorta …

                        More on that a little later

            Our goal for the day was a town way up north, close to the Chinese border. The town is Sapa and we will be here for a few days. It is a “resort” town, far up in the hills. We are to meet some of the Hill Tribes up here, who are vastly different from the folks we met the other day. These Tribes have their own languages, some based on Mandarin, but they cannot communicate with each other as they are still so different. That shows how far back the heritage of these people goes, back when they migrated from further into ancient China. For practical reasons, they do speak the local Viet language, but their local dialects are still identifiable with this region.

            On our way up there we stopped at a local cinnamon farm. One of the aspects of traveling with O.A.T. is their desire and capability of bringing us into the lives and business of the local population where we get to sit and converse, not just breeze through and end up at the gift shop. And the size (small) of our group allows us to get off the beaten path, you know, the one that the large tour busses follow. Our bus is this cute thing that holds maybe twenty-four but we’re only fourteen so we are all quite comfortable 😊.

            Being the big drinker that I am I was pleasantly surprised to experience a tradition of having a shot of whiskey (be it rice, grain, or apricot (?) at our introductions! Along with the accompanying toast of “Zoo!” (Cheers! Salut! Prost! etc.) I can guarantee you that I have consumed more liquor in the past few days than I have probably had in a few years! (Maybe that helps explain the beginning of this Post!)

            Back to the cinnamon…. so, cinnamon comes from the bark of the tree, and it needs not be a hundred years old to produce it. Six or seven years old is just fine so sustainable growth is quite easy…. At least the sustainable part, you still have to farm it and that takes laborious labor! We drove for gazillions of miles surrounded by cinnamon forests. That is good because cinnamon is my favorite spice and now, I don’t have to worry about it going away!

            After the cinnamon farm we drove about another hour to the border city of Lao Cai where we had a delicious lunch and visited the Crossing. Here we could see China on the other side of the Nam Thi River. Here we watched members of the P.S.A.C.V. (Professional Smugglers Association of China and Vietnam) whisk their ill-gotten booty across the border with nary a whimper of protest. The reason for this dates back to Biblical Times when Noah and his crew bought off the guards on Mount Ararat in order to get the animals off the Ark without the proper permits and vaccinations. Today we call it Graft and Corruption. But you can pick up a microwave for a song!

                        We exited the Walmart of Border Crossings and headed out to our destination, Sapa, elevation 5,413 feet. We needed to climb up one of the windy roads that never seem to end or stop having curves. This is no deterrent for our illustrious bus driver (or any of the other drivers for that matter) as passing routinely goes on whether you can see around the blind curve hovering above the precipitous drop-off……. or not. Passing slower vehicles and hugging the rails is quite normal and it all seems to go just fine until the roads get too small for our “smaller” bus. We finally had to transfer to a cozier van/bus in order to proceed.

Here is where we met out Local Guide Mei (May). She is from the Ta Phin village, one of the Red Dao People. This is another part of the puzzle that O.A.T. puts into place…. Local Guides. It would be like a group of foreign tourists coming over to the USA and I was their Tour Leader (our Phil), but we were going to spend a day in Brooklyn. Now I’ve been to Brooklyn, but wouldn’t it be better to have Vinny hop on with us and bada bing! really show us his homeland? “Hey! I’m walkin’ here!

You betcha!

                        We arrived at the point where our new driver needed to put the vehicle in reverse and back up probably a quarter of a mile on a muddy, non-paved road because there was no room up above to turn around. Did I forget to mention the weather? Well, it was damp and foggy…. really foggy! And this maneuver needed to be done precisely so we did not get all verklempt and get stuck. As an aside, maybe it was a good thing that it was foggy because we could not see over the side of the cliffs that we were navigating and see down into the abyss below.

Maybe.

            We arrived at Mei’s home to meet her family and have some (hic!) more whiskey. This is when the fun started…. it was all quite innocent I can assure you. The conversation revolved around growing up here, the arranged marriages, dowries, and just general living. Mei had on traditional clothing as did her mom and relatives. We were informed that the girl needs to be able to make her own wedding dress and when we asked to see it, it was proudly brought out for all of us to admire.

The embroidery was just magnificent, and the patterns are traditional from family to family. Mei offered for the women to try on her headdress and the ladies in our group jumped at the chance for this fun photo-op. I got up from my stool when it was Paula’s turn and took a few pictures of her and that’s all I remember. The next thing I know is having Mei putting the male version of the headdress on me, wrapping it around my head and then leading me over by Paula. We were instructed to do some bowing in several directions (to ancestors and the like) and then to each other. Next thing I know Mei pronounces us married.

                                    I swear that’s how it happened.