Update on Uyen

As most of you know, I have filed papers for Uyen to receive a Visa. It's a very tedious
and long process with our government. I sent the original information to Homeland Security back in June. They finally approved it and forwarded the petition to the US Consculate in Saigon. Sometime after they receive it, they will contact Uyen and set an appointment for a interview. After the interview and after review of all the paperwork I sent, they will hopefuly approve and give her the Visa. I plan to bring her to Seattle soon after she received the Visa.

Uyen, seeing me off at the Saigon Airport

Going Home- Reluctantly

I think I said in last the post last March that I had died and gone to heaven. Well. I'm the living example that a body can die and go to heaven twice ! I am waiting at the boarding area in Taipei, and will comment on a few things about my journey. First, real men don't ask directions so, when we travel around Saigon, I ask Uyen and she see's to it that we get to our destination . I mentioned that I extended my trip by one day when I found out that Uyen didn't have to report to work until Thurs. Turns out that I am very lucky that she was able to take two weeks of holiday to be with me. Well, my hotel was over booked and I was invited to stay at Aunt Hue's house, complete with another home cooked meal. OK pinch me one more time! More pic's when I'm at my desk in Seattle,

Around Saigon

Chinese emporer prior to the French occupation.

Dinner with Uyen's brother and aunt. Her sister would join us later.

Government offices. In front is a huge statue of Ho Chi Minh

Notre Dame Cathedral

Siagon Opera House. Very close to my hotel.




In the last few days that I have on this glorious trip, I have taken some shots of a few places that I missed on my first trip, along with pics of dinner with Aunt Hue, brother Duy, and sister Loan. I extended my stay another day when I found out that Uyen doesn't have to be back to work until Thursday. I have a long layover in Taiwan on Wednesday and will have time to wrap this log up.

Various comments and pics

We arrived in Saigon on Friday afternoon to a down pour of rain. Taxi to my hotel, and time to catch up on the blog. Dinner at my favorite VN restaurant and a reasonably early bed time. I plan to take Uyen 's aunt and brother to a bufett dinner at the Carevelle Hotel. I remember this from my visit last March. A unbelievable selection of meat, seafood, salads, and deserts. My blog is close to being caught up, and I have to say it's fun producing it. More to come!

See you next time Phu Quoc.

Last shot before leaving for the airport.

Uyen navigating the ruts. Remember, it's still the rainy season.

Our journey to the North end of the island ended at this fishing village. Uyen was driving and insisted that I walk across this bridge since she is not experienced driving with a 200 lb gorilla behind her.

Found a little fishing village with a long pier. We drove out for a photo op. Is that Dennis Hopper? Or is it Peter Fonda? Wait!! It is Peter Fonda looking for his sister.

The pot you see is fired with aromatic wood covered with a thin grill. Prawns marinated in oil and chili are grilled at our table. How bout that coconut milk drink that Uyen has on her right!

OK, no more depressing stuff. We happened to drive to a seaside picnic / restaurant on the beach. Each cabana had a table and hammock.

Guard tower, I wonder if the Vietnamese had their version of Col. Clink

Inside the prisoners sleeping area.

The cage behind me is all barbed wire and when disciplinary action was taken, the prisoner had to crawl in to the round portion. Couldn't stand or lay down.

We happened upon a restored prisoner of war camp that had very few descriptions in English. I assume that the VN army in the South were holding Viet Cong.

This is the local high school gang. I'm not sure if they are bloods or crips.

I have not mentioned before that people are interned above ground much like New Orleans. The difference here is, that you will find burial sites in all kinds of random spots. How bout this for a internment with a view!

Continuing our trek South, we passed this shanty which is right on the beach. These people are fishermen and will live here until development pushes them out.

Stopped for lunch on our trip South. This shot is taken from our table were the cook is taking delivery of fresh squid, fish, and produce from a delivery lady. That's our bike on the left.

Time to hit the road. In more ways than one.

OK, here we go, renting a new motor bike for for a whopping $10 a day! Today we travel South, tomorrow to the North.

We are crossing a bridge to the central part of town. Notice the motor bikes on the left? I actually drove across that and other bridges on our rented bike.

Photos from Phu Quoc

I have spoken a lot about this wonderful place, so now you can see some of it. We had dinner on our last night at a place managed by a Aussie couple. I asked about all of the open land around the beaches and he indicated that most of the prime land has already been purchased by developers. He said that Phu Qouc is like Bali was forty years ago. Five star resorts are planned and this quiet little paradise won't be the same in about ten years. If you get a chance to visit, do it sooner rather than later. I hope to return real soon.

Pictures At Last !

Mother and daughter

Photo from entry to home. Uncle on left. Father with grandchild, Uyen, mother, Aunt, Grandma, big sister, little sister and me. Remember, everyone is smaller than me so that makes me look bigger than I really am!

Four generation picture. Older sister on left with baby, mother, Uyen, Aunt Hue, younger sister, & grandmother

Sitting down for Sunday dinner with Uyen's family. Directly across from me is grandmother. On grandmothers right is Uyen's mother. Grandpa is on the far right.

The bad news is, I'm not in Phu Quoc but the good news is I think I can now up-load some shots taken over the last few days since the speed in my Siagon hotel is much better.

Easy Rider in Vietnam

After our morning swim yesterday, we set off on our motorcycle to explore the south end of the island. Uyen's only mode of transportation is by motor bike but she let me drive most of the way. What an experience driving among these people! I had everything totally under control until two bike pulled out from a side alley and I had to dump the bike to keep from hitting them. Just a couple scrapes. Traveling through the small villages was a blast. These people are dirt poor and happy. We happened upon a prisoner of war camp that was closed in 1968. There were very few descriptive signs in English, but I got the clear impression that it was to hold the Viet Cong prisoners. Pictures of that will follow along with all the others. Last evening consisted of another swimming lesson,(she can float on her back for three minutes!). Today, we travel to the North end and buy the way, did I say that Phu Quoc lies directly South of Cambodia? I think there is a golf course up there and I plan to apply for a teaching pro position. I thought about selling fishing tackle but all they use are cane poles or nets. Just kidding, although the thought has crossed my mind a few times.

The paridise island of Phu Quoc

Monday morning, we took a hour flight to Phu Quoc, pronounced "fu wuk". The resort picked us up and we immediately went for a swim. Later we found a terrific local Vietnamese diner and chowed down on seafood. This is the seafood capitol of Vietnam especially known for their shrimp and squid of which I have already consumed vast quantities. Tuesday morning found us back in the South China Sea teaching Uyen how to swim. Then a stroll into the village for more seafood. The island reminds me a little like Maui except that Phu Quoc is such a better value. We rented a new motor bike for $10 a day and plan to explore the entire island over the next few days. Every day just keeps on getting better and better. Sorry that the pictures have to wait until we get back to Saigon because the wireless at this hotel just can't handle the uploads. Well, I'm going top "Get my motor Runnin" and head out on the highway. Later

Meet The Family

Early Sunday morning Uyen's aunt picked me up for a drive to the province of Dong Nai. On the way we picked up her uncle. The trip of only 100km, (about 80 miles), took close to three hours. We arrived at the small village that Uyen's,parents, sister,and grandmother live. Uyen's aunt speaks very good English and translated what turned out to be about a forty minute conversation with mother and father. After that, we sat down with the whole family for Sunday dinner. Uyen's family moved to Dong Nai from central Vietnam after the war ended, or as the commies would put it, "Liberation". There is a strong Christian presence with churchs everywere. The churchs we passed that were holding service were packed to overflowing. I took a number of photos but the low speed connection I have, is having problems up-loading the shots so, I may have to wait till we get back to Saigon on Thursday to do that. I am writing from our hotel in Phu Quoc and we have just returned from a long swim in the warm S. China Sea and a walk to the town for breakfast. This is absolute paradise!

Catching Up

A couple things have caused me to get a little behind on posting comments. First is , I'm having so much fun and so little time to sit at the laptop. Second, I have some issues with the internet when I have had the time. Sunday morning Uyen and I joined her aunt and uncle for a three hour drive NE o fSaigon to a province called Dong Nai to meet her family for lunch. Uyen's Aunt Hue speaks great English and was mt lifeline when meeting Uyen's parents. We had a very nice conversation and after that sat down for lunch. Some family photos follow shortly.

Saturday

We are going to try a get tickets to the opera tonight. Uyen has never seen an opera or an orchestra for that matter. For those of you that are reading this, remember that the latest post shows up first, so you need to scroll down and work your way up.

Mekong River Delta

On the bus ride home, Uyen took this shot. The tour today starten at 8:30 AM and we returned back to Saigon at around 6:30PM. Our tour guide said that there are about 10 million people in Saigon and I swear I saw most of them on our ride back. The tour included lunch and cost a wopping $16 for both of us!

Uyen thought we were going a little slow,so she picked up a paddle and helped.

The row boat ride was one of the highlights of the day

After visiting the bee farm, we walked through the forest to this canal were we boarded these row boats. I think this is the area that John Kerry self inflicted his wound on his swift boat.

Our taxi driver, Homer

We took a walk through the dense forest to a small village and boarded horse drawn taxi's for a one mile ride to a bee farm. Tha's Uyen with the hat.

Interesting music but if they had CD's available, I don't think I would buy one.

. Back on the river boat, we are cruising to our next stop to see a performance of traditional Vietnamese music.

We were served lunch then of to see more of the island

Our first stop at the island was to visit a factory that manufactures all kinds products from coconut wood. This ie Uyen crossing a small wooden bridge.




















Sorry about being a little behind. had some internet issues last night. Friday we traveled by bus to Mekong City, then we boarded a small tour boat and headed accross the Mekong River to a island that is known for it's many coconut trees. Here are some pics and comments.

Couple quiet days before fireworks start

Yesterday and today were somewhat subdued but terrific fun. Had lunch yesterday with Tam's family and dinner last night with Uyen and her Aunt, Hue Thieu, at a wonderful seafood restaurant called Ngoc Suong, that we visited last time I was here. Today,Uyen and I had lunch and shopped for a little coffee maker. The coffee in Vietnam is so strong and I can't handle caffein so I brought my own from home. I continue to be amazed at the wonderful flavers in the Vietnamese food. Tonight is Chinese food with Uyen's friend Linh who is pictured in a earlier post. Now...starting in the morning the shutter on my camera will start heating up. We leave early for a tour of the Mekong Delta. I'm ready to get out of town and see some new sites. Sunday we travel to Dong Nai to visit Uyen's family. Aunt Hue will ride up with us and be my interpreter. Next Monday through Thursday should be the highlight. A beautiful resort island called Phu Quoc. We take a 45 min. flight early Monday. Can't wait! Stay tuned.

Eighteen Hours later

Arrived VN on time, to a newly built airport terminal. Cleared customs and retreived my bags in lightning time. This is a sign of what is yet to come! Uyen and a friend picked me up and took another infamous taxi ride to downtown Saigon. The more I watch the way people drive in this country the more I think it would work for other countries. Everybody has a place to go, and respects all others around them. Stop signs, forget it. Traffic lights, whats that? U turn? Anytime and anywere you want. In March , I said this was orginized chaos. I am now a truebeliever that it works, and may even entertain renting a moterbike and cruising the highway. Uyen's bike is to small for two people, so we may rent a larger one and I will let her drive! Lot's of commentary, no pic's? The reason is that most everything I saw today has already been posted except this pic of Uyen wearning the traditional Ouyie dress. Stay tuned.

Here I Go Again

I am at my office at 10:00 PM wrapping a few things up. At around 11:30 a cab will pick me up and go to the airport for my 1:50 AM departure to Taipei, Taiwan. I will have a two hour layover and then a three hour flight to Saigon. Uyen and friends plan to pick me up at the airport. I hope now that I can sleep on this flight as well as I did on the trip last March. I plan to post lot's of photos. Also for those of you that can access Google Earth, try looking up an island called Phu Quoc. We plan to travel there for about six days.

Goodbye Vietnam..For Now

Well, here we are waiting in Taipei for our connection. The painting behind Bill, seemed very fitting, given the fact that he carried a cute pink bag. I was concerned that he would be hit on by some studs. He finally put the bag away. Whew ! What a savage ! In the next few day's, I will try to wrap up this wonderful experience into as few words as possible. Stay Tuned !

Taipei Airport..is there a Starbuck's here ?

Here is the gang that saw us off at the Saigon Airport. Some hugs and some tears,and we were off to Taipei. Oh, buy the way, we were upgraded to first class on the first leg. The ladies are preparing me to go out and harvest some rice for lunch.

Bill with our favorite hotel crew. They took great care of us!

One day left..Do I have to go home?

Today is Thursday and we return home Friday afternoon. We plan to join the family this evening for a going away party. I really hate to see this end. It has been without a doubt, the most exciting two weeks I have ever had. I will come back in a heartbeat. I plan to download the pictures from Bill's camera and will post a number of his shots. Chao

Winding Down

Is this living large or what! Great buffet at The Caravelle Hotel. More info below.

Assorted snails and clams that they steam or grill for you.

I have never seen a buffet like this in my life! Here is a whole lamb. The buffet also offered sashimi, sushi, four different types of clams and snails, oysters raw and baked, three different crabs, the largest shrimp I have ever seen, rack of lamb, baked tenderloin, Peking Duck, 25 different salads, and a great assortment of deserts. Our second to the last night in paradise, so we decided to splurge and have dinner at The Caravelle Hotel, which is one of the five star hotels in downtown Saigon.

The four of us stopped by the huge market again, to wheel and deal on various things. Rolex's sell for $24.

After another home cooked lunch at Ha's house, the three sisters and a few of the kids kick back and talk or take a nap. Their dinner table folds up and is moved away to make room. The boys sleep here on the floor at night.