After many years of seeing pictures of the Mekong River during the war, it was quite a thrill to take a cruise along it and to visit the Mekong Delta. We thought of the soldiers who fought there - and died there.
Our trip was far more peaceful and had several parts: First a boat ride, then a horse drawn cart and finally, a canoe (fortunately, with some one else doing the rowing). The area was fascinating and exotic.
After a chance to rest up when we got back, a group of us went out to dinner at a Vietnamese restaurant called "Fo 2000", which is famous because Bill Clinton ate there when visiting Vietnam. As expected, quantity was not a problem. Quality wasn't too bad either. Of course, dodging hundreds of scooters at each intersection was, like always, a challenge. At one point we watched part of some national celebration and a soldier or police officer tried to get traffic to stop for us - they treated him with no more respect than they did us.
In fact, very unlike Russia and somewhat unlike China, there is no feeling of repression here. People seem to be able to say what they wish - and frequently do so.
Also, two members of our group, David and Deb Sachs,were quoted in the Vietnam news. Here (hopefully) is a link:
Tomorrow we leave for Siem Riep, Cambodia.
That poor horse...
ReplyDelete