Good morning Vietnam!

Good morning Vietnam! That was how Thien our guide greeted us when we boarded the bus for Phan Thiet. This very slim, attractive young man (36 years old but looks twenty!)was with us through the next three days as we travelled the four and a half journey by road from Saigon to Phan Thiet and our coastal resort in the village of Mui Ne.

It sounds as though the drive must be a long one in kilometres but it is only 200 kms in all. The slowness is caused by the length of time we took to get out of the city of Saigon, weaving our way through the hundreds of tightly packed motor bikes, mopeds and even the occasional brave cyclist. The 'riders' are evenly divided between the sexes and all wear helmets or the wide cone shaped hats we became used to seeing on newsreels during the Vietnam (or American as the Vietnamese prefer to call it)war. The women wear masks which hide three quarters of their faces, the eyes barely peeping above, long sleeves and looses trouses or very short skirts. Fairness is desireable among oriental women and the masks are to avoid the darkening rays of the sun and the inhalation of fumes and infections. Even very old women, walking and carrying rods across their shoulders with baskets at each end, wear these masks for protection.

Eventually after about two hours of travelling we drove into relatively rural areas with hills, Mango and Australian flame trees and gardens blooming with hibiscus, frangipani and beauganvillia and ultimately as we neared our destination Dragonfruit farms. Dragonfruit plants are like weeping cacti, all the 2 inch wide cactus type branches surrounding the thick stem and reaching for the ground. They are only two or three feet high. The flesh is white with tiny black edible seeds and has a delicate flavour which easily becomes bland if the fruit is not fresh.

It is a joyful moment to catch a sudden glimpse of the sea in the distance even though we have been sailing upon it for months! Somehow where it laps and caresses the shore it is made even more beautiful no matter what its mood. This was certainly the case when we drove into the Romana Resort and Spa in Mui Ne. Our rooms were airy and comfortable with small balconies overlooking the swimming pool and beach.

We were here for three days and two nights of supposed relaxation. However, when I heard the plans for the following day I wondered if the word relaxation had been slipped out of the itinerary. We were to drive over sand dunes in old Russian Jeeps and eat out later in a Vietnamese restaurant. The return time to the hotel was billed at 12.30 but, as we say in Scotland, 'Ah ha'ed ma dootes!' (I had my doubts!) I decided immediately to stay beside the tempting and very large swimming pool, enjoying a cooling sea breeze under a wide umbrella. I have reached the delicious age of being able to do whatever I like short of harm and suicide!

So...while George, who was leading this trip and had no choice, and 15 students went off to experience the dunes and the excellent restaurant the following day I stayed behind and relaxed. I was right in my prediction and it was 4.30 pm and not 12.30 when they returned.

I met and chatted with a delightful couple while I lay there on my comfortable chaise longue, the breeze cooling my wet body (aaah!) and reading a great book. (Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese...excellent!) Anh and Bill Wise were from the States, she Vietnamese and he, quite a few years older, from Michigan originally. They had met on a plane a year ago and been married for only a few months. She has lived in the States for three years with her daughter who owns L'il Tokyo, a Japanese restaurant in Myrtle Beach. Until she met Bill Anh had spoken little English and it still does not come easily to her. She is small, pretty and very sweet, he a gentle and friendly man...probably in his late sixties. They had been given these days at the Spa as a fiftieth birthday present for Anh from her daughter and Australian son-in-law who live in Saigon. She proudly showed me a photograph of her new, 3 week old, grandson. Anh also helped me explain what I wanted for lunch to the non-English speaking but very willing waiters who served us our food where we lay...luxury! Since marrying Anh, Bill has sold up his home of thirty years in Florida and moved to Myrtle Beach. While she was swimming he said to me 'She is a wonderful woman and her children treat me like a King! They venerate their elders in Vietnam!' He also told me that his friends had warned him that Anh was marrying him for his money, so he told them, 'Well she can have it all, I don't care because I love her!' I had no doubts at all that this was truly a love match, their attentiveness and delight in each other's company was plain for all to see. Interestingly Bill is a Vietnam veteran.

When the others returned from their 'relaxing' day they plunged straight into the pool and, although they had enjoyed their experiences, most told me that they had been envying my choice to stay behind! It is a powerful heat here in Vietnam for those unaccustomed to it...I had no occasion to regret my decision.

Our meals at the resort were fabulous: decorative and colourful and extremely tasty. The squid were amazing...not at all 'chewy' and most fragrantly flavoured. Lemongrass and sesame are both used generously. Salads were delicious and the fruit drinks loaded with banana, mango, guava and pineapple... scrumptious. I found I was craving fruit as I do whenever I am too long denied it. Melon and canned fruit just doesn't cut it for me. I probably overloaded on all that sugar but it was well worth it.

We drove through a huge storm on our way back to the ship last night. We had all had a truly relaxing morning round the pool followed by a delicious lunch before setting off for Saigon at 1 pm. We didn't reach the ship until 7.30 pm! Thunder growled and lightening, both sheet and fork, lit and cracked the skies which were dark and ominous between flashes. The drivers of motor bikes on both sides of us, attempting to get home no doubt, were covered, both rider and passenger, with huge waterproof capes. The rain was drenching and blinding them nevertheless and many stopped by the roadside. It all suddenly ceased just in time for us to climb the second deck (not the 5th thank the Lord!) gangway into our 'safe house' the Explorer! We ended our day with cheese burgers and french fries on the 7th deck...ex-SASers will appreciate that we had missed dinner!

Our guide Thien proved to be mine of information and spoke wonderful English. I shall speak more of what we lerned from him in a later blog. Our driver had to drop us off and then turn round and drive to Na Trang to pick up another group of tourists. We flew to Na Trang last year and the drive would take him TEN HOURS! That is being dangerously overworked. Life is not easy for the average Vietnamese, they work extremely hard for low wages and my impression is that major funding provided by the Government in Hanoi goes to North Vietnam whereas the south is expected to make up the loss by catering to Tourism. Everywhere we have visited Corruption in high places is spoken of as the root cause of hardship. The people in the South however have not lost their capacity for friendship and generosity and they have made us feel most welcome.