November
1 - Sunday - Little Sister, Temple, Petrus Ky and the Group in the alley
2 - Monday - Walk about, as they say in Oz
3 - Tuesday - Seminary and Hospital
4 - Wednesday - Lazy day
5 - Thursday - Grilled Mouse?????
6 - Friday - Missed connections
7 - Saturday - The ride to Dalat
8 - Sunday - Visit to the palace – new friend
9 - Monday - Art Center, Pagoda and Temple
10 - Tuesday - The tour of Dalat
11 - Wednesday - Dalat to Nha Trang
12 - Thursday - Nha Trang Day One
13 - Friday - Nha Trang Day Two
14 - Saturday - Nha Trang to Dalat
15 - Sunday - Sunday in Dalat
16 - Monday - Ethnic history
17 - Tuesday - Old Books
18 - Wednesday - Antiques
19 - Thursday - Beautiful little girls
20 - Friday - Thu Duc
21 - Saturday - Day Off
22 - Sunday - Little Sister
23 - Monday - Metro
24 - Tuesday - Anh Linh, Hien and Yen
25 - Wednesday - Rain
26 - Thursday - CIA - Lunch with Angles - Beautiful little girl
27 - Friday - Han - CIA - French Infantry
28 - Saturday - Han - Thanh
29 - Sunday - Suoi Tien
30 - Monday - Jim & Eilene and the Park

December
1 - Tuesday - Zoo and Seminary
2 - Wednesday - Back to the cemeteries
3 - Thursday - Dam Sen - Meeting the In-laws
4 - Friday - Meeeting Thomas - Frog Porridge
5 - Saturday - Some days things just do not work out
6 - Sunday - My Tho
7 - Monday - Can Tho
8 - Tuesday -
9 - Wednesday - Yen may be going to school
10 - Thursday - Saigon Children's Charities
11 - Friday - Christina Nobel - the Soccer Win
12 - Saturday -
13 - Sunday - Dinner with the family
14 - Monday - Issues - School for the blind - We whipped Singapore
15 - Tuesday - John - Thomas - Thanh's Work
16 - Wednesday - Saigon - Taipei - Newark
After the trip - Some things that I observed and did not enter in the journal - I will get to this in the next few days

Then we went out to an area that was once the 199th Infantry. This area is at the intersection of Rt 1 and the railroad. The area is overgrown and walled in. There are a lot of walls in Vietnam. Walls are around most homes and almost all businesses. Often there is a wall around large empty tracts of land, where things will presumably be built at some future time.

Our third area of interest was the ammo dump. For this we used Google Earth and a map. Google Earth are images from satellite. This is a big help unfortunately the images are at least 6 years old. Still at the Eastern tip of the Northern point of Long Binh, where the ammo dump was, Google Earth shows us an industrial park and beyond it is the ammo dump complete with the bunkers built in their three sided shape. The industrial park now stretches two fold beyond the point it was at when Google Earth’s photos were taken. The ammo dump was however a very large area. At the end of the industrial park there is a wall. Only 3 or 4 feet at most points. Brush and trees have grown up in this area and it is not possible to get a good picture of the lay of the land. The wall is old and has 5 courses of barbed wire on top. We supposed that this is meant to keep people out of an area that may contain unexploded ordinance. We followed the wall as far as we could until it ran into the wall of a company. Just before reaching the Eastern end we found a raised earth area that looked much like a bunker from the ammo dump. We could not see how far the sides ran since they ran away from us and we were looking at the back of the bunker.

Our next effort was to see if anything remained of the 90th Replacement Depot. This was at the Northern of Long Binh but outside the triangle which roughly defined the Post. Here we used some old photos and an old map. The 90th repo depo was mostly wood and wood does not last in Vietnam. We found no trace of it.

Andreas wanted to find the Amphitheater. We got into the Eastern side of the post which was largely developed ad housing and business. We came to an intersection which was to the North and West of the Theater. As we stood on the road, looking to our East we saw a large depression cut out of he side of the hill. I am sure we have found this.

Lastly we went to see the South Side of USARV which I photographed so nicely in 2006. As we drove down he road I recognized the house where our driver had parked in 2006 and I walked up to the road and photographed. As we approached a gate which I also recognized as being past USARV I realized that the factory was not there in 2006 and it now Entirely blocked our view of the buildings. This was a big disappointment. In 2006 I found this view very exciting and I had hoped to share it with Andreas.

I will set up a page for Long Binh 2009 and I hope anyone who was there will be able to answer some questions we have.

One thing that is important. I did not mention our drivers name, or anything to identify him, because we were taking photos that we were not supposed to be taking and sometimes we were in sensitive areas. We did not climb any fences or break into anyplace however the Security people are very strict about such things.

I will try to get every photo I take, each day, up on my Phanfare account an you can see them at henrybechtold.phanfare.com Today’s photos are already up.

I had forgotten to mention that in the middle of the day we stopped for lunch. Our driver suggested a noodle restaurant that had a very good reputation locally. We looked and looked but could not find it. Our driver asked and found that the family moved to the US and the restaurant had closed. There is always a restaurant close by in Vietnam. Ours was very nice and food here is served family style which is very nice and everyone gets to try everything. We had several fish dishes, one pork and one eel. They were served with a bowl of rice, real not instant, and a variety of sauces.

It was dark when we returned to Saigon and I downloaded my photos to Phanfare, wrote this and I am off to bed. I will get the Long Binh page up tomorrow, with photos.

My little brother came and we went to the coffee house on the corner and discussed the project. We now have an outline, which we discussed and then John told me he had some work to do and would I like to come along. First we went to a complex where we met Mr Oh who is an Executive Producer and his assistant. Mr Oh is a man who seems very confident yet open and friendly, Mr Oh and my little brother were working on a show called Vietnam Super Star Contest. Mr Oh is Korean and my little brother Vietnamese so they speak in English. Mr Oh’s assistant will sometime translate on a point where they wish there be no miss understandings. We all went to lunch at a very nice restaurant which serves Vietnamese cuisine. The meal was great. After lunch we went to a place by the river called Bien Quoi. It is a very nice resort and they plan to find lodging for contestants there. While they did much business with the company I wandered the grounds taking many photos which are all on my Phanfare page at henrybechtold.phanfare.com

After Binh Quoi we dropped Mr Oh and his assistant off at their office . We say good bye and I told Mr Oh that it was a very interesting day and I was glad to meet him. Mr Oh said that I was their VIP. Little Brother asked if I wished to go get a massage. Massage is a word that can have some bad connotations here but he meant a real massage and we went to the Royal Massage Parlor and got a foot massage which is begins at your head and covers your arms, legs, back and feet. My masseuses was a beautiful, delicate, young lady. Half way through the massage I closed my eyes and could imagine her name was Brünnhilde and that she could bench press 400 pounds and though it got rather violent at times it really did feel good afterwards and I was ready to fall asleep in the cab.

Back home I looked at my email and started my journal. I must thank my Brother-in-law and my sister for the early Christmas gift of this laptop with wireless connection. Instead of sitting in a very uncomfortable chair in an internet parlor I can sit at my desk and just lay back and fall asleep from time to time. That is why this has taken so long tonight.

Around 7:00 I went out and walked around the block looking for a hoagie which I brought back. Loan and her family were in the living room of the hotel and she invited me in to eat with them. Loan’s daughter has a degree in Computer Sciences. We have been discussing the Vietnamese language and some of the things she has told me may make it better to understand it. She said she will help me with Vietnamese if I help her with her English. We discuss how words work and how they are often abused and miss used. In the weeks ahead we will work on this when we have time and she assures me I will be speaking Vietnamese before long. We will see.

I am now off to bed. It was a very good day.

One of the buildings in Andreas’ photos was being disassembled as we arrived and was gone except for the last two frames. A few more days and we would have missed it all together. Things are changing fast. There were many buildings around TSN and they disappear every day. Still others are in Military use and photos are not allowed.

I think our best find was the barracks known as “Dodge City”. This building is in very bad shape. There is extensive rust and the building has not been maintained. Usually there is a guard out front of everything and no one gets in. Here there was a tunnel through the building to the interior. This building is in the shape of a very large rectangle and the tunnel lead to the interior where I saw a young lady in uniform. She waived and I waived then I motioned her to come as I entered. We asked if we could photograph the interior of the courtyard and she seemed to not have that authority so she spoke to another and he to another. By now we were all in side and could view the entire courtyard which was worse than the outside. Finally a man made a determination that we could not take photos. We spoke to him a while and he said that the building was being used as a warehouse for Vietnam Airlines. He also said it was to be torn down next year and at hearing this I said this is history and it will be gone and no one will know. At this he made a very unprecedented move and said we could take photographs. I was very excites and we both took some, thanked him and withdrew.

Next to Dodge City was the AG Processing Center. This building was in a state of reconstruction and did not appear to be a Steel frame, Sheet metal covered building that the US was known to put up so we are not positive that it is the original or if the new construction is over the frame and the sheet metal has been removed. I does fit the original foot print on the maps. The front was largely off and as I looked in I mentioned that somewhere in the US there were men who could say I lived or worked in that room. In it’s present state it’s ultimate fate is not known to us.

The pool is in beautiful shape with crystal clear water and the tennis courts are well maintained. Some farther buildings were not in an area where we could see them.

I will get a TSN page up soon however, all of today’s photos are on www.henrybechtold.phanfare.com already.

About this time my phone rang, the phone Miss Dung had given me, and like everything else in her life it did not work well. I could call out and hear and be heard, the phone rang but I could not answer it. As the crowd tried, in turn, to answer it I saw Miss Dung coming up the street, pointing angrily at her phone. I ponted at mine and shook it and she realized that it was not working. She came to tell me she was finished work and ready to visit my little sister. My little sister, Mai, is an English teacher and could translate for us. Miss Dung and I can communicate pretty well except when it is important to communicate very correctly. When Dung and I have differences she usually gets to a point where she does not wish to discuss and say Khong Hieu, “Not Understand”, and I say, Em khong muon hieu, “you do not want to understand”, and usually one of us decides that we do not want to see the another ever again and we go off for a few days. Then, with nothing resolved, we bump into one another and all is well for a time. I think I could write a book about Miss Dung. In face Billy Joel wrote a song called “she’s always a woman to me” and as I listened to it I thought, Billy Joel knows Miss Dung, he must, how else could he have written it.

I had called Miss Mai a few days ago and she said we could meet Sunday afternoon. We arrived and as we pulled up in front of her house she was at her computer and looked out the door. We made eye contact and both smiled. I have been writing to Mai for almost a year and now we were meeting. Mai recently met a man from the United States and was married. I had hoped to meet her husband as well however on the 19th of October as I was leaving the US to come here, he was leaving here to return to the US. We probably passed somewhere over the north Pacific.

Mai is typical of my friends here. Very hard working, intelligent, supports herself and cares for family members who need caring for. She has friends and neighbors whom she can count on and who count on her. And as it is with my friends here there is no touch, except a handshake. I am one who really like hugging and touching but here in Vietnam it is not proper between men and women and so when we met Mai reached out for a hand shake and I was very happy with that. Mai has a very nice home in a building of about 4 stories. The building is one of the stereotypical ones here. It covers a block and has a large courtyard inside. We chatted for a while and Mai mentioned a café, Sozo, on a street near my hotel. I had heard about it but never been there and Mai suggested we go there one day. I said how about now and off we went. Sozo is American owned and operated with the profits going to help those in need. We had a nice lunch and Mai asked me to dinner next Sunday.

Mai an I left Sozo and she asked where my hotel was. I said up this way and she asked if it went through to Pham Ngu Lao. I said it did so we walked up the alley and I pointed out my hotel. We said goodbye till Sunday and I went in to write in my journal and get ready for the arrival of my little brother. I took time to talk to Loan and her daughter, who run the hotel. We always have good discussions on every subject from politics and religion to food and people.

My little brother called around 4 and said he was tied up and asked if I could get a cab and come to his office. I did and as we arrived he was waiting out front. His son came out and we were off to another destination. He had mentioned Binh Quoi, which is where we visited days before to set up the dinner for the girls of VSS Contest that Mr Oh was producing. At Binh Quoi I was introduced to three Korean business men who were with the company that was sponsoring the contest. I also met a man from the ministry of culture and another from UNESCO. It was very interesting. The VSS Contest is the Vietnam Super Star Contest. Thousands of young ladies from all over Vietnam competed to be the big winner of Vietnam Super Star. There is a prize of $50,000 USD and I am sure this will help almost any career. Huts with thatch roofs was the motif here. We sat in a large pavilion by the Saigon River. Discussing how beautiful and romantic it was. When all was ready we went to a small hut and entered. There inside were the 20 finalists. The 20 most beautiful, talented and educated girls in Vietnam. To simply say they were beautiful would be a great understatement. In heaven there are Angels who would kill to be this pretty. There were some speeches, much applause and we were off to the dinner. Our table was the middle of the pavilion and the young ladies were around us on all sides except the side towards a lovely pond with a boat and water lilies. As we were with the girls in the buffet line they were all so polite and friendly. I would not have to judge this contest however two stood out. One who was so bubbly and returned to the pavilion several times with plates so full that I wondered at her slim figure. Another was my height and I immediately thought of statutes by Lladro. The food was everywhere. Buffet tables here and there and a kettle of Pho in one location. At others there were grills, barbeques, kettles, skillets and all manner of local food.

Afterwards we drove back to my hotel. I could feel myself drifting off. My little brothers son noticed and thought it was funny. I arrived at my hotel and Loan and her daughter and I talked about the contest, the beautiful young ladies and the the beautiful restaurant.

And so the day which began in the gritty shops of Cholon ended up in a Garden of Eden surrounded by beautiful young ladies, with a group of men of wealth and power..... and me.

Wandering through the back streets away from center city and the tourists reveals many interesting things. A store front shop about 10 feet wide with an engine lather that ran the length of the building and only left an aisle big enough to operate the machine. Another store front with two plastic mold injecting machines pumping out pieces. A beautiful old apothecary with wood drawers and shelves from floor to ceiling and wall to wall filled with herbs and other things and a counter with horns and other unrecognizable things. Mosque and Temples and Pagodas. At a school were dealers selling snacks to excited students. Snacks much different from home and probably a lot healthier.

I wandered Cholon for about 5 hours and took the bus home. The bus has been a wonderful discovery. For 3,000VND, 18 cents, I can get anywhere in the city fairly quickly. Cheaper than a man on a cycle and much cheaper than a cab. I spent the afternoon working with Loan and her daughter on Vietnamese and English. I also phoned George and My Bich and I will meet them on Wednesday morning. I am really tired tonight and will probably sleep well tonight. Not really a whirlwind day. Sorry about that, but they can not all be like yesterday.

I then wandered the alley and went to a large market like those we have at home. They have everything I needed laid out on large clean shelves with air conditioning. After that I went to the market at one of the ends of the alley. Here everything is different. There are many stalls, each with a vendor who gets up early and comes to the market. Sets up and spends the day selling and talking with one another and with customers. The people are friendly and when I arrive home I tell Loan the price I paid and she tells me I have paid the same as local people pay in most cases. This market is like a small Ben Than but even though it is only 10 blocks from Bet Thanh there are no tourists and that makes such a difference.

Next I went into the park for a while and talked to people I met there. The park is a beehive of activity and men are building paper mountains in the lake, I very large bamboo swing, many stages from large ones with canopies and frames for lighting to smaller ones with rainbows at the back of each. Hundreds of strings of mini lights drape and hang from every tree. What ever is to happen will be big and I am told it will be in a few days.

Even with all this construction there are badminton games all over the park and many circles of men women and children playing a game where they kick a small ball with feathers to one another. Children are riding bicycles and playing on the unattended stages.

I made contact with Oanh, whom I met through my website. She came over tonight and we went to the coffee house at the corner of De Tham street and the park. We went upstairs and had something cool and a snack while over looking all the activity going on in the park. I like the second floor here because we are away from the street level traffic and the view is so nice. This place often has many people with lap tops using their WIFI however this year my hotel has WIFI so I leave my laptop set up on a table and can type and if am tired I can nap and if I wake up in the early morning I can write. I am close to my window on the alley and the other day I looked up at my window and thought it was a wonderful place to write.

I made some calls to see people in the morning. One was Christina Nobel, of the Christina Nobel Children’s Fund. Unfortunately she went to England before I arrived and they do not know when she will be back. Still I am here another 6 weeks so perhaps we will meet. I also contacted Mr Bich, who went with me to see the little girl I sponsored through Pearl S Buck in 2001. We will meet tomorrow. I also called George whom met through my website and we will also meet tomorrow. I contacted Miss Yen whom I met when I was here in 2001. She is the friend of the mother of a penpal. Now it is off to bed, as it is late and there is much to do tomorrow.

After that I went to meet George. I had met George, initially, through my website. I have a section of Vietnam past and present and George also as a website with a past and present section in it. In his site are also many photos of Vietnam during his stay here. George came from Germany and worked here as an engineer. He has been living here for 25 years and has been working as an engineer with many people in the government. This experience is unique and has given me much insight into the workings of the political system. It lets me see the people in government here as people and not just as a block which operates as one although much here must pass through many up the chain oc command before anything is accomplished. I have seen much change from 1969 until no and also much change from 2001 until now. George has seen this change from a much closer prospective and it was wonderful to talk with him about it. George has a website at http://george69.acc.de/George/main.php/v/George01/

I had visited the Christina Nobel Foundation before however this year I have just finished “Bridge across my sorrows”, which is her life story and I had hoped to meet her. Unfortunately she went to England a few weeks ago and her staff is not sure when she will be back. Still I have six weeks left and I hope she will be back and I may meet her. I much recommend her book “Bridge across my sorrow”. It is a wonderful story of a truly remarkable life.

The activity in the park continues and things are taking shape for what ever the celebration is coming. The food stands are completely in some places and already selling. My Little sister from Long Binh days and I went over to look and to at the park and have a snack.

So ends another day of exploration and learning.

A few days ago my Little brother said we would start filming Friday and asked me where I wished to start and to write what I wished to say. This was a little intimidating but I began and it just flowed out and I think it is pretty good. We will see how it goes.

With that behind me I went to the park to find all the work complete and the park was filled with people. The lights were on and they were all blue and white. There were stages with classical dancing and music. There were small stages where children climbed and played. Food booths were everywhere and there were things that I had seen in many places but were now here all together. There were some wonderful games for children. In one place was a bamboo rail with a railing so children could walk much like a balance beam. In another place was a large swing. Where several children could swing at once. In still another was a fenced in area which had a clay pot hanging at ne end and a young person was hooded with a pumpkin mask and given a stick. Then the person inched their way down and took a swing at the pot. Everyone cheered at each person who hit the pot.

Well, we start filming tomorrow and it still seems very surrealistic.

The excitement in the park was still high. The celebration is for the Sea Games. In this case Sea is an acronym for “South East Asia”. This is the third Sea Games and athletes from Saudi Arabia and East are here. The crowd is not like last night since it rained this afternoon and I think that may have kept them away. On the main stage was a big band that was really good. As last night food was everywhere. Mostly Vietnamese dishes, we had Pho which was good, however there were hot dogs, on a stick not a roll. The big surprise in the food area were the skewers of either Ostrich or Alligator. I was very surprised by these.

We will see what tomorrow brings.

After lunch we walked around the area of Mai’s home and she showed me the Pagoda near her home. As we approached we heard music. A drum was beating faster and louder as we approached and a gong was ringing. Mai said that the Buddhist were celebrating as they do on the first of each month. We went in and the music was so beautiful. After a while Mai asked if I would get a cab or a cycle and I said I would walk back to my hotel. I like wandering through areas of the cities. Mai walked with me for a while then pointed me in the right direction. As it happens I went past and area that I had wanted to photograph.

Just North of the area that was once Petrus Ky University there is an area that was large homes on a beautifully landscaped compound. I am not sure who lives there. I had once heard that they were homes for visiting dignitaries. I got a lot of very nice photographs through the fence.

As I moved around the block looking for other vantage points I came on a group of men sitting and drinking beer and ice tea. They called me over and we had such a wonderful time talking even though we did not have but a few words of a common language. We talked and laughed for two hours. There were two 11 year old girls who knew a fair amount of English and helped us out a lot. We discovered that Thai and I were both 63 years old and we were both in the service in 1968. I was in the US Army and he was Viet Cong. At that time we laughed and shook hands. We spoke of Tet of 68 as a time they attacked all over South Vietnam. As we talked people passed by and joined in the conversation. A man pushing a trash cart stopped on his way to the trash collection point and then again on his way back. An old lady leading a blind friend and selling lottery tickets stopped in for a while. After a time I excused myself and continued around the mansions to complete my photos.

A block farther I was at, what was once, Petrus Ky University. It is now a high school and a college. My friend Miss Hue taught Chemistry at the University of Natural Science, which is also there on the grounds. I found a few of the old Petrus Ky Buildings. I found many other things. Many people who actually wanted to be photographed. People who stopped what they were doing and posed. Shy children who also posed. It was really nice.

I have been told they exhist but never seen one. However today, up by the high school, was a restaurat that sold dog. I noticed the case was filled with unusual looking cuts of meat and when I looked up at the sign above the door there was a picture of two dogs romping in a field.

After returning from the day I rested up a little and then went to the park. There were a few things I wanted to try. I first had a skewer of Ostrich and a skewer of Crocodile. I am told that both are being raised here in Vietnam. While in the park, as everything else closed up, there was a rock band. They were quite good and the drummer had a very energetic solo. Unfortunately I have noticed that applause is very reserved here. Even a performance which has the audience excited will draw little applause and an encore is something I have not seen here.

I decided to walk back and look for some French Buildings in the area. I first ran into a man from Nebraska who was vacationing in Vietnam. I found the compound of the Pasture Institute which was on the map of Saigon from 1945 when it was also the Pasture Institute. I photographed from the outside and since I am ever the optimist went to the gate and walked in as if I belonged there. I asked the guard if I may enter and he smiled and motioned me in. This was exciting since it does not happen that often and because the buildings and grounds were in such beautiful shape. As it is with most places here, there were few people anywhere. I wandered and photographed and finally went into some of the buildings and their insides were as beautiful as their outsides.

After the Pasture Institute I went to a traffic circle at Tran Cao Van and Pham Ngoc Thach. My map of 1945 and Google show a few old buildings. One is no the original however there are several that were part of the Saigon Water Authority from 1945 to the present. Behind the old Water Authority Building is a surprise. There is a 3 or 4 story building whose top floor is a very large water tower. It s a beautiful old Yellow French building and a fascinating old water tower. Behind that is a 5 story building skeleton that is quite old. Vines are growing up the frame and the concrete is aged and maybe no longer structurally as strong as it should be. As I continued on there were more old houses and businesses. Often a business is a combination of an old building that has been updated.

Shortly after the traffic circle I was looking in on a construction project where I met a man from New Zealand. He also was on vacation. New Zealand, like most of Europe, has mandatory minimum vacation times and he now does a lot of traveling. We talked for some time and walked down to Ben Thanh Market where he went in and I went on back to the hotel. I down loaded my days worth of Photos and uploaded them to Phanfare. Now I do not have to worry about loosing prints or negatives. They are all safe at the end of each day and available to anyone who goes to www.henrybechtold.phanfare.com

Miss Dung showed up this evening with her son Toan. We went to the park and had dinner while watching the entertainment on stage. The acts were very good and there were singers, jugglers, a contortionist and even comedians. Later Toan went home and Miss Dung told me she worries about Toan. He gets involved in the rising violence and perhaps even drugs. There is nothing I can do and little she can do. Vietnam is picking up many Western trends and not all are good.

Back in the alley I had breakfast. At Ut’s restaurant and went to catch the bus downtown. The bus is a great savings since you can ride anywhere the bus goes for 3,000 VND. This is approximately 17 cents. When I go to see Mr Bich I will take the 19 bus and it will be 17 cents to Thu Duc which is about 12 miles North of Saigon on Rt 1, on the way to Long Binh, Bien Hoa. I have been using the bus a lot these last two trips. There are seldom Westerners on the bus. There was no bus so I started walking and ended up walking to the river at the foot of Nguyen Hue and went to the Ba Son Shipyard. I had hoped to get inside but I can not even send them an email without telling them the address of my pop server. Not knowing what this is hampers my ability to tell them. As it turns out a building next to the shipyard was demolished and the wall knocked down to access motor cycle parking. I went in and hoped to look into the yard. As it turns out there is another wall and it is a little to high to look over. Perhaps I will get a small ladder next week. I could see many beautiful old buildings. After taking a few photos I walked up the street to a large compound that is a school, church, and convent. I was told I could come back after school was out.

Next, up the street is a Seminary where I was welcomed in and I spent over an hour roaming the grounds. The offices were beautiful as was the church. The school and dorms were very large. The grounds were well maintained, in gardens mostly. There was a quiet over the grounds and buildings. Some class rooms had a light on or just a small sound to know someone was in there. Almost at the end I ran into Nguyen Xuan Hai. Hai is in his first year a the seminary and told me he had 6 years to go till he would be a priest and he would then move to where he was needed in Vietnam. Hai is a very gentle, soft spoken young man. He asked if he could write to me and I was quite thrilled to have him ask. He wishes to have someone to practice social skills with. Even tough a lot of people think I am anti social I will try to not let him down.

Having photographed the Seminary I walked back towards the center of the town and found myself in the Hospital which has many old buildings. I was having a wonderful time avoiding the security guards and enjoying the smiles of the young Nurses and attendants. The compound of the hospital has many beautiful old French buildings. Most have been restored but some old ones remain. I walked back to town center and got the bus back to the hotel.

It is early so I walk to the park. The celebration of the SEA Indoor Games is still in full swing. In he park I meet Gai and Nhi who are University students and are looking for someone to practice English with. Their English is really very good but we spend some time chatting and then go to see the Traditional Music and the children’s area. The girls see some friends and introduce me to them. They are such happy people, them and their friends.

After a while we part company and I decide to try some corn on the cob. It is roasted over a charcoal fire and then some sauce is spooned on. It looks like butter with chives but it tastes like soy oil and chives. I am looking for a table when I see a young man and wife and their son and as I motion to the spot on the table the man invites me to join them. We chat and watch the show, which is very good.

And so the day ends

Some things have happened that I forgot to mention. I was at the movie theatre on Pasture street. The theatre is being torn down and soon it will be gone. It used to be the Casino in the early days of the French. There was the ever present guard whose only job is to keep people out and though the guard wanted me to go I was getting along very well with the salvagers who were bringing out scrap metal. They were nice enough to open the gates farther and allow me a few shots into the building. As I watched Mr Nhut came up on his motor bike and ran over to greet me. Mr Nhut is a very nice man whom I have known since 2001 and my first trip. Later we went up the block to the Rex and talked for a while.

I should know better, however I went to the park tonight and did not take my camera. I had it earlier and got a shot of the Mice grilling on the BBQ at one stand. This is a celebration that coincides with the 3rd Annual SEA Indoor Games. The logo is a rooster and a slogan “For a rising Asia”. As with everything here there is a mix of things that always makes me wonder. Much Vietnamese food but also hotdogs cooked in oil and served on a stick.

There are games for the children. One is a balance beam with a railing, another is an area where there are boards laid out and a blob of clay on each. Children and their parents take a piece of clay and work it then they can take the clay with them. In one area were board games on tables and people came in and played them. Here is very little feeling that things are for children and so not for teens. Teens often join in the most naïve games or just sitting at a table coloring pages from a coloring book. Stuffed animals are not considered childish. One of my friends showed me her High School photo where she was holding a stuffed bear.

I thought that the food was really good, at the celebrtin in the park, and mostly Vietnamese except for the hot dogs. This last night I was very surprised to find grilled mouse. I noticed the size of the meat grilling and the man doing the grilling was smiling but a friend I was with was pulling at my arm and frowning. Later I noticed a sign advertising grilled mouse.

I was taking photos of the stage and it’s lighting and sound system when I ran into Thuy who worked at the festival. We wandered around the park together talking about many things like where we were from and what I was doing in Vietnam. She mentioned hotels were cheaper out where she lives in Binh Tan. I did not really wish to be that far out but she invited me to meet her family and see the local hotels so I got her address and we agreed that I would be out at 9:00 next morning, which is today. I took the bus which has saved me a lot of money that I would have spent on cabs or men on motorbikes. I arrived at just after 9:00 however no one knew the address she wrote or her name. Several friendly people helped and finally said we should go to the police station but even they did not know the address or her name. I went back to the hotel and found Thuy sitting in the restaurant across the alley. She said she had been there for 4 hours. I got out my notebook and pointed to her writing that I should come to her house at 9:00 and she was a little embarrassed at her error. We went and got the bus and having only wasted 3,000 VND or 17 cents, on the first trip, we were off. We were on a different bus and I thought the route different. When we arrived we found she forgot to write the street name in and when I went earlier I was in the wrong ward which just hapened to have a street with the name of her ward so I got to see even more of the city than I had planned.

The festival in the park is over. Yesterday was the last day and by this evening almost all trace of the stages, booths and displays were gone. An army of men were now taking down, what seemed to be, hundreds of thousands of lights. While sitting in the park two young men approach. They are obviously excited and a little shy. Each has a notebook in which are sentences they have written. In each sentence is a blank to be filled in. They explain that this is an assignment from their teacher. They ask if they may ask me some questions. I am happy to do this and they ask “Where are you from?” I tell them I am from the United States. They discuss the answer and like it so they write “United States“ in the first blank. When they finish they have a short paragraph written in which they thank me for my help and wish me a pleasant stay in Vietnam. The innocence among most of the youth here is such a beautiful thing to see.

On the other hand I am beginning to see a darker side here that I have been told about by Rich and others here in Saigon. Thuy and I went to dinner tonight. She wanted to go down De Tham and cross Tran Hung Dao. The other side of Tran Hung Dao is someplace I have seldom gone. I only remember crossing it to take a short cut to the Ben Nghe Canal. As we walked a young man was breaking a piece of glass that had been placed in the gutter as trash. He broke off a small piece, about a 4 inch triangle and held it in his hand. He was with 3 friends and when a second group of young men came across the street he held the piece of glass to one of the other groups chest and was talking very angrily at him. We stopped and looked. Thuy was pulling at my arm to go and a man behind us pointed away down the street. We left the area and I do not know he outcome of the incounter.

On one trip to Dalat I was talking and I mentioned that I did not see spiders, ants or flies and only a few rats. Rich said that it was probably because of the rose colored glass I wear. At the time I conceded that it was probably so. Now the glasses are gone. It is a bit of a disappointment. Still I see many of the young men in the park, with notebooks and only this one encounter across Tran Hung Dao and the young men in the park make me very happy and hopeful.

I purchased a ticket to Dalat for Saturday morning and will be up there for 4 or 5 days. There is always something in Dalat that I have not seen before. I understand that all 3 of Bao Dai’s palaces are now open and there is much else.

Dung is someone I met through my website. She was a reporter in Hanoi and asked if she could use my Cao Dai Photos in a story she was writing for a magazine. She had been in Vung Tau for the week and was returning to Saigon today. She sent a number of letters saying we should meet today for lunch. She even mentioned that she worked near Dong Khoi street. Unfortunately she did not mention a time or place or give her phone number. Around 11:00 I sent an email with my phone number and said I was going to Dung Khoi and would wait for her call. Unfortunately, again, she then wrote an email telling me the time and place and her phone number. So we missed. I wanted to talk to her because she has been involved in the effort to educate the ladies of the evening in Vietnam as to the dangers of STD. Having talked to many in the park I am amazed at how much most of them do not know. Dung says there are many discussions about what to do but little is done and the problem is far more serious than the government wishes to acknowledge. One girl in the park, whom I spoke to, thought rinsing with water could prevent STD’s, however she knew she should not share a toothbrush. So, whoever runs the campaign for good oral health is doing a much better job than those trying to circulate information about STD’s. We will get together when I return to Saigon.

Later I went up to 3/2 street to visit Miss Oanh. She works for the Catholic Church near her house. She is just building a new four story house on 3/2 street. It looks like it will be a really nice house but right now it is full of dust from top to bottom. I look at construction here and I realize that they have no OSHA. I see scaffolding that looks like it is held up by wishful thinking and nothing more.

In the days of the emperor one could only visit Dalat with his permission. Though I imagine his permission came through underlings who handled such things. Bao Dai had three palaces here and I have only seen one. I am told that we can now see the other two.

I sleep off and on during the trip. I was up early and I am a little tired but the scenery is so beautiful. I am seated next to a lady who is also sleeping most of the trip. At a rest stop she buys Bui, much like a palmetto. Back on the bus she shares it with me. She has no English but occasionally points things out to me as we ride. This trip used to be in a much smaller bus which bumped and wound it’s way up narrow roads into the hills. Now the busses are much larger and the roads are being widened. This is a little more difficult in the hills because of the shear drop in some places. The road is being widened for about 15 or 20 miles and it looks like it is all being worked on at once. Or at lease it has all been started at once. Mile after mile the mountain side is being cut away ant the other side is having rock dumped down. Retaining walls are building are being built. Gutters are being built of stone. There are places we detour through creek beds as bridges are being rebuilt. Still there is no activity in many areas and in others there is activity like bees on a hive. Equipment is being used that is very old and looks like it needs retirement still it works and this is not a culture that throws tings away just because they are rusty, bent or a few parts are missing. Things are repaired over and over and in the end are salvaged and recycled.

We arrive in Dalat. Our first view is the lake. I remembered seeing Dalat 10 years ago before the hotel boom. It was a quiet town on a hill. Building is now everywhere and though it has slowed as they are running out of places to build still there is the occasional new construction around the town. I wonder how the Vets who were here 40 years ago would see it. Then it really must have been a small town on a hill. The bus ride was $8.00USD for the 8 hour drive and at the end the bus company has a fleet of vans which take you to your door. What service. I forget the name of my hotel but tell the driver that it is next to the big marker in the center of town. He does not understand. I write Cho, Market in Vietnamese, but still he does not recognize it. He makes a phone call and pulls into a hotel. Not the right one. A man comes out and asks if I wish a room and I tell him I already have a hotel but can not remember the name. He gives me a sales pitch for his hotel but I tell him I am sorry but I already have plans to meet people at my hotel. I tell him it is next to the main market and he says Thanh Binh. I immediately recognize the name and say Thanh Binh. The driver smiles, I thank the hotel man and we are off to Thanh Binh.

At the hotel the same lady who was here last year is still at the desk. I ask for a room on the first floor and she gives me one on the third. I see the key and ask for one on the first. She says that the first floor is too noisy. I tell her that I like the noise and she smiles and gives me the key to 105. Before I stayed in 104 and that was real nice but this was even better.105 is on the corner and faces the main square in front and the market on the side. The room is surrounded by a small veranda which regulates temperature. It is beautiful and mid priced at $12USD. By mid priced I am leaving out places like the Empress and the other western hotels.

Settled in my room I call Hoang. I met Hoang through my website and this is why everyone should have a website about their interest. One has a chance to meet anyone in the world who shares that interests. Hoang is a teacher and an artist. She writes Zen Poetry and says her painting is also Zen. She showed me a painting of Lillys underwater and told me the poem that inspired the painting. She was teaching till three and said she would arrive at four and I should rest till then. Four o’clock and she arrived at the hotel, we met, and we took a walk around the lake, a five Kilometer walk, then to a restaurant she had been wanting to try. We had a very nice meal then walked to her home to meet her family. They live in a small house in the western part of town. They were all so nice and inviting.

It has been a very long and busy day. Back at the hotel the room is cool and the perfect sleeping weather

Walking around I met Dennis who is a member of Easy Riders. Dennis takes people on tours around the city or out into the central highlands. He is very pleasant and we talk for a while and he offers a tour on the outskirts of Dalat. I told him I would speak to Huong and if she had no plans for tomorrow I would call him and we would go.

Since the hotel was full and Huong was teaching I asked Dennis to take me to a few places out and around Dalat that are not on most tourist trails. First were the palaces of Emperor Bao Dai. I had been to palace number 2 several times but I was hoping to see palace one and two. We arrived at palace number 3 which looks much more modern in it’s design. We rode up to the gate and Dennis waited outside as I went in to a gate house which said reception. I asked the lady what the rooms went for. She said about $50.USD. This is to sleep in the bedroom of the Emperor, in the Summer Palace. Well beyond what we would call a bargain and what I would call a give away. If Susan had been here we would have stayed but for just me on a tight budget it was a bit extravagant. I asked if I could go up and see it. I was told no because there were guests in the rooms. I asked if I could see it from the outside and the lady said "for five minutes" Luckily I had no watch so I went up and looked around outside then went in. A lady was sitting in the living room watching TV with her back to the door. I got a few quiet interior shots before she noticed. She got up and as she came to me I started asking questions before she could tell me it is off limits. We chatted and asked if I could take some photos and she allowed it. The first floor was beautiful and I was so in awe of it I forgot to slip into the basement for a few quick shots. I asked if I could go upstairs and she said “guests”. I asked if there as one empty room and she said full si I thanked her and left.

Next we rode to the first Palace and when we got to the gate a man said I could not go in. I lead him outside and took him to the sign that said “Welcome to the first Palace of the Emperor” and I underscored the word welcome. He smiled and said I could go in and take photos outside but the palace was closed. There were five sets of newlyweds and photographers inside so I walked off the drive so as not to get in the photos. I did stop behind the photographers to take a photo of them working.

First on the grounds was a building that might have been servants quarters and it was in bad shape. The roof was badly in need of repair however since the walls and floors are all concrete they were not so bad. Next was the palace and I was happy to see a good roof and even the windows were clean so I know someone was caring for it. The grounds and covered with gardens and out back is a large platform wit a series of pools next to it that probably had fish and plants. Near the pool is a three car garage. One bay has a pit to work on the Emperors cars. Attached is a small series of rooms probably for the chauffer. Near the palace is a guard bunker probably for the time of the American war.

The ride from palace to palace took us along a ridge that had big old French homes, Dennis tells me these were in fact old French and after the French war they were used by the Americans and then to those in favor with the government when the Americans left. I took many photos.

It was near the time Hoang said she would be back from school so we went to the bus depot and bought my ticket for Nha Trang, for the 11th, so I get a good seat on the bus.

Returning to the hotel I ask Dennis what I owe him and he says whatever you think it was worth. I really do not like this specially on this trip because money is tight. Normally I would have given him 300,000 which is about 16 USD but money is tight and I know that is more than necessary and even so if he usually gets more I would not want him to feel I did not appreciate. This is why I say to get this straightened out ahead of time. He had told me the day tomorrow, if we go, will be 20USD so I kept the pressure on for a price. Finally since he would not budge I said, come on and we went to the restaurant by the hotel. I bought him coffee nad I had a dragon fruit shake. I had wanted strawberry but the waiter pointed to the strawberry shake and slid his hand across the menu at an angle then called out the Vietnamese of Dragon fruit instead of strawberry. Who would have noticed. Still there are things a lot worse than dragon fruit which is actually not that bad, it was just not strawberry. Anyway we sat, drank and I asked him what he usually received and he said 150,000VND and it was settled.

School is out and Huong has arrived, She wants to take me to an art center. We call a cab and drive out of town to find that the art center has closed early for repairs. Huong is upset but I ask if they will be open tomorrow and they assure us they will be open at 8:00 tomorrow morning. We return to Dalat and I ask Huong to pick a restaurant. Who knows the best restaurant than one who lives there. We went to a small place which sells Pho. We have a large bowl with much salad and tea for about $1USD. The Pho is broth, noodles, sliced chicken, various greens, onion and cashews. It is a great meal. On the way back we stopped at a gallery that makes artwork by sewing colored thread on silk. I have been to this gallery before and some of this work is like a photograph. As close as you get it looks like a photo with all the shades and tints. Some are mounted to be seen from both sides. They are on white translucent silk. The picture is the same from each side except that it is reverse. We were taken in to see the girls work and across the room, from each girl, is a sketch or photo of what each girl is working on. I have no ability to see and transfer such subtle colors and hues. All I can do is see the finished work and marvel at it.

We return to the street to plan our next adventure. Looking at our guide I point out the Ethnic Minorities Museum. This is a large building and outside are large signs showing many exhibits. Unfortunately the museum is closed today. Huong suggests a Pagoda and Temple. When we arrive I recognize it from 2003 when Tom and I were here. Much work is being done. Pagodas and Temples seldom look run down or dirty. As we enter the Temple we find a beautifully decorated building. All done in ceramic fragments. There are scenes of dragons, Buddhas, and all manner of animals. Every wall, railing ceiling and stairway are covered. All are shiny and beautiful.

Huong is tired so we drop her off and I return to my hotel. We will have dinner later.

After the Silk Factory we stopped at an individual home and wander around. This family had an enclosure of ducks and wild pigs which were about 2 foot long. IN indoor pens were the larger pigs we know from the US. We are told they can grow to 200 kilos. There are babies with them. In the back is a still for making rice wine. The farmer makes the 140 proof wine for the pigs. He says they drink and sleep and grow.

Our last stop of the day was Crazy House. I have been there on every trip because it is a work in progress and each trip finds more wonderful things that have been added. At this point it is time for Huong to teach so her guide takes her home to get ready and my guide drops me off at the hotel. I go to the WIFI to have a watermelon shake and check my emails

Tomorrow is Nha Trang.If you remember I said there is always something new to see in Dalat. It is probably true of Saigon, Vietnam in general and the rest of the world as well. However I find so much so close to Dalat and the weather is great for being outside. Not too hot, as long as I remember my hat, and cool at night for sleeping.

I mistook what Huong had said yesterday and I thought she was teaching till 3 o’clock today. Instead she meant she would teach starting at 3 o’clock. Fortunately she called early to ask what we were doing today. I called Dennis to tell him there would be 2 for the tour today. Dennis had, in the meantime, got a 5 day tour to Hoi An so he sent two of his friends to do our tour. Huong arrived and we were off. I checked the itinerary and all the places were ones I had not seen except for Crazy House, which is a work in progress and always worth another look.

Our first stop was the Dragon Pagoda. There are many Churches, Temples and Pagodas in Dalat. Also a number of Pagodas that have large dragons wandering the grounds; This one had a Dragon about 100 feet long that wound around a garden then came up out of the pool to show his head. The temple is beautifully colored with many Dragons. Our guide draws our attention to 4 Characters along the entrance that are part of Buddhist stories. First is the Monkey man who is a comical character. Second is a princely character who does not like to work. Third is a man who works hard and gets things done. Last is a man who is a pig and our guide did not know much about him. In every Temple and Pagoda is, on the left, a drum, and, on the right, a gong. They have a beautiful sound when played.

Next we went to a vegetable farm. The valley was filled with houses that lined a narrow street and behind each a long garden, down the valley and up the other side to another house on another narrow street. There is cauliflower, strawberries, onions, many greens. On other farms everything you can imagine is grown. Almost everything grows year round here.

Continuing on our tour we stop at a flower farm. Our guide tells us that most of the flowers originally came from Holland and were brought by the French. In Dalat most flowers are grown in Bamboo frame, plastic covered greenhouses to protect them from the heavy rains. We look around and notice how, just as everything else in Vietnam, things are so labor intensive. Labor is cheap. A girl as a small 3 sided box and she lays the flowers in the box to get them all straight and neat. Then she bands them and piles them. A young man is placing plastic around the bloom of individual flowers and banding them in groups.

We stop by a coffee field and our guide tells of the various kinds of coffee grown in Vietnam. All along the road we see coffee out on tarps drying in the sun.

We stop at a bridge. Our guides and others like to have passengers walk across and pick them up on the other side. The bridge is made of reinforcing bar and has 3 inch square openings which are hard on cycle tires. We cross the bridge and Huong is holding my hand with both of hers. I look at her and she is looking up and talking about the clouds. I find she does not feel comfortable on the open bridge.

Elephant falls is beautiful but requires a long climb down what Vietnamese like to call steps. Steps here do not conform to any building or safety code. He steps are cement on the rocks and sometime they are close and flat and sometimes they are far, obscure or slanting towards the drop. We went down pretty far but Huong did reached a point where she did not want to go on and since we got some great photos we came up. There were some women weaving and we were offered tea so we rested before going to a pagoda next door. This Pagoda had a Buddha that was around 30 feet high and sitting on a hillside looking out over the valley.

At this point we stopped for lunch and it was a big selection that 4 of us could not finish. I did notice that our guides and Huong did finish off the rice and the greens, both very popular here. I have often dined with friends and noticed they often ordered more greens.

Our next stop was the one I most wanted to see. There are silk processing plants all over Vietnam, some state of the art however this is the last one using the technology from over a hundred years ago. The machinery was antique. As we entered we saw the cocoons waiting in trays. A woman would put them in warm water and then lift the loose end of the thread to a machine which would unwind the cocoons onto a large spool sometimes pulling more than one thread. Next they were resoled to have one thread continuous. In the final operation the shop and 5 old looms that were weaving cloth from the threads.. Every machine in the place is a work of art. If you have ever had an introduction to computers class you would recognize these looms with their cards which opened the

The trip down to Nha Trang is only 4 hours and the road is not under widening so it is a lot smoother than going up to Dalat from Saigon. The scenery is beautiful and for a while we are running parallel to the railroad which used to run down to Cam Ranh Bay a long time ago. After a while the rails are gone however we see the long flat narrow areas that once carried the tracks and once in a while a bridge or tunnel under the road from those days past.

We arrive at the coast at Cam Rahn Bay and head North along the sea. At Cam Ranh Bay we can see many of the old Cam Ranh Bay buildings from the time of the Americans.

As we approach Nha Trang we see that much of the coast is carved up into sections along the sea, presumably for the international hotels. The hotel boom has slowed but it is by no means over.

We are in the bus station and I get a cab to a friends house. Her name is Vo Thi The which is pronounced Tay. This is the first time I have been able to stay in a private home. Still the police need to be notified and they will need to check my passport and visa. My friends son-in-law is British and a friend of his is also staying though they are away for a few days. We get hold of the police late and they say that I can not stay but since it is late I can stay one night and then get a hotel tomorrow. Still it is nice The gives me her room and sleeps in the guest room.

For dinner she takes me to a restaurant that she likes. I am always asked what kind of food I like and I always say what ever you like. We are at a store front restaurant that sells seafood. We are sitting on the sidewalk in very little chairs at little plastic tables. It is so nice. Just like the best restaurants we have at the curb a bucket of water with limes in it for washing our hands when we are done and a bucket of clear water to rinse. We have a wonderful rice and seafood soup followed by a dozen grilled shrimp and then a half dozen crabs. Everything is perfect and we are given a big bowl of limes and something that looks like seaweed to wash our hands. I guess we are special and do not have to use the communal bucket. A bargain at under $20 USD

First things first. She takes me to the hotel. This is the off season so my hotel, on the beach, with a balcony looking over the ocean is $10 USD. It is the anniversary of the death of The’s Father so she goes to her mother’s home and spends time praying with her. Later I go to a point of land that had many large boulders in the water and on the peninsula. It is here that I run into another of those groups of happy people who want to make friends with strangers. I have gone to a refreshment stand to get some tea and find a young lady selling post cards. Two men who work n the grounds. A lady tour guide. A security Guard and a police officer who is stationed there. I took their photos including the police officer who was smiling but said no after I had taken his photo. We drank tea and chatted about many things. The lady selling postcards also had little whistles which worked with a slide. She played Happy Birthday and one of the men also pretended to play an imaginary whistle while whistling. Even the police man was smiling, a rare occurrence. Then the tour guide took me to see the building on the point which had been moved there from Hue. It was a series of three buildings in a “c” shape which were all open rooms and filled with different artists working. There was also a newly wed couple and their photographer. A fascinating aspect of the buildings is that none of the walls touched the ground. Only the pillars touched the ground and the walls hung on the pillars.

I went to the market to get a new hat since I lost my old one. I also got a little suntan lotion. The market was a smaller less central market but it was quite large. As I walked through so many people wanted to have their photo taken and also to invite me to buy everything under the sun.

Walking back from the market I came down a street where a crew was working on a building. A rope through a pulley was used to get supplies to the second floor where they were working. The man on top saw me and made a muscle and pointed at me and to the rope. I pulled a few loads up and asked if that was all. The man on the second floor said Yes, Thank you. I said It was nothing in Vietnamese and they all laughed and repeated It was nothing to one another. Then they posed, I took photos and said goodbye and was on my way.

It was a hot day, we are not in Dalat anymore. Just down the street from the construction project as a boy who looked like he was eight with a small stand and an umbrella. He was selling soda and juice so I stopped and had an orange juice, with a lot of ice.

After returning to the hotel I walked down the beach. It hah been empty all morning except for the occasional person with a net out in the water which like Danang did not get very deep for quite a while. However as I walked school was letting out. There is a large school right on the beach and the children flowed out like flood. Peace signs everywhere and a lot of posing and silliness. They moved up and down the street and onto the beach. Singles, couples and groups. In one location 6 girls were playing a game where one who lost had to go out in front of the others and act out a song the others were singing. Then they would run our and get behind two boys who were walking up the beach and duck walk behind the boys. They all laughed and the boys laughed. It was idyllic. The girls even once ran to me and each touched me ever so gently and politely and then turned and ran back preventing one of the girls from touching me. She fought to get through but did not and the others got back to the rock they had been sitting on, so I think she lost and had to dance to the song.

Farther on a man was out in the water pulling in a net. His wife sat on the shore watching their son play in the water. When the man came in they called the boy whose pockets were full of sand which he was trying to wash out. When he was done he raced up the beach and I took a photo. The father smiled and I showed him the photo. He smiled again.

A larger group of girls was in a relay race. The first of each group ran to the water and picked up a handful then raced back to pour it in a bottle. The group included cheerleaders who jumped up and down. Everyone was excited. Finally the judge said one group had won and everyone celebrated equally.

There were volleyball games with no nets. Badminton is big here and many groups sitting and talking. Two girls came by and posed so I took their photo and showed it to them. One girl did not like it so I said once more. The one girl did not like it again. She had a big smile and she did not like that it showed every tooth. I took two more but she did not like any. Her friend told her it would not change so they went down the beach. I took a photo as they walked away and they turned and saw so they posed and I took another and they raced back. The one was happier this time. The big smile was still there but the distance made it not so obvious.

Coming back to the hotel I stopped and got an orange juice and ice at the corner. They had put their tables away so they asked me into the living room. A music show was on and there was dancing. An incredibly beautifully little girl was in front of the TV dancing very fast and looking very serious.

The off season is wonderful. I do not know why anyone would travel in the season.

I have been interested in Alaxander Yersin who was a friend and protégé of Louis Pasture. The name Pasture and Yersin are both well known here. After the fall many street names which had French names changed however Yersin and Pasture remain. There is a Pasture Institute in Nha Trang and one in Saigon and probably more. Yersin was born in Switzerland of French parents and went to medical school before returning to France. Nha Trang was the home of Yersn and I had wanted to see his house unfortunately it was closer to the beach and was lost in a typhoon in 1975. There is a museum with many of his personal effects and I did go there.

The Cham history is also in Nha Trang. There is a large Cham Temple and I spent some time there. There were a few newly weds with photographers. Most people stopped to pray at the alters through out the buildings. Outside was a group of dancers and musicians who preformed so beautifully. As always I took many photos and I will make web pages when I get home but there is so little time now. There is one girl who was in a wheelchair and looked as though she might be having chemo therapy. She was one of those people who looks so beautiful because you can feel her innocence and gentility. I took her photo and we chatted for a few moments. Though neither of us understood the other I think we both enjoyed the chat.

There is a large Buddha on a hill top and I went there. It was 150 steps up to a platform with a 30 meter Buddha. In his Lotus base is a temple. Around the base are rows and rows of walls with remains of the departed who had been cremated. The walk down was even better than the walk up since I could look down into the various buildings. There is a school there on the grounds. At the enterance eto the grounds is a statue of Thích Quảng Ðức, the monk who immolated himself in Saigon in 1963. The immolation is believed to have brought down the regime of Ngo Dinh Diem. The photo of his death and the article each won Pulitzer Prizes. Thích Quảng Ðức was later re-cremated though it was said his heart did not burn and this was seen as a sign of his compassion. On the evening of his immolation thousands claimed to have seen the image of Buddha in the sky and they reported that Buddha was crying. His car is on display at the Ho Chi Minh City Museum.

As I continue around the base I take every opportunity to go into shops and properties that boarder the base. At two separate places I wander into wood working shops. Much equipment and many people cutting, nailing, painting and sanding all manner of furniture. Everyone is happy and smiles for photos and I have to be careful to not leave anyone out. Digital is great. Even those who do not want their photo taken like being asked. At on point I ask a hotel if I may go upstairs and take a photo out the back. The receptionist says yes and as I go up the stairs I collect a following of cleaning girls all wanting to see what is going on. At the top floor the back room is unoccupied and as I go in and open a window the girls, wanting to be helpful open the other windows. I make sure to take a few photos out of each window and thank them all for their help.

It is almost 11:00 and The(Tay) will be at the hotel soon.

The ocean here is clear, like Danang except for a cloudy area near the shore. We are north of the river and the western tourist area seems to not have this. The bottom here is also a lot like Danang except there are areas strewn with large boulders. There are also boulders, some 20 foot across. It is very scenic. As promised The(Tay) arrives at the hotel with a bathing suit. I forgot mine in Saigon so I just wear slacks and we head for the water. The water is warm and we have a lot of fun, however The(Tay) does not swim so we stay about chest deep and enjoy the water, the sun and the other bathers. The(Tay) talks to one lady who teaches swimming. The(Tay) takes my slacks back to her house to dry them for the trip and arrives in time to have an orange juice at the restaurant next door to the hotel before the van arrives to take me to the bus. We say goodbye and it is off to Phuong Trang bus station.

I have the front seat, on the Passenger side to myself and the ride begins smooth enough. We are not on the same road we were on when we came down from Dalat. Soon we begin to move into the hills. It becomes operant that this will not be a smooth trip. The road had been essentially a one lane road with just enough shoulder that two busses could pass assuming they were moving slowly. Now the construction is building a 4 to 11 lane road depending on where you happen to look at it. Construction was begun all along the road with nothing completed. For most of the construction there is no equipment or personnel working. In places the road is one lane over a ravine with about 1 foot on each sine and I am not sure that I would drive a bus that heavy over this earthen structure. The dust is so think in places that we can not10 feet ahead and the driver slows to a crawl, which was good for the 2 little boys on bicycles that appear in front of us as the dust settles. I am sure there was 20 miles of this.

Finally the construction is behind us and we begin to speed up. We are climbing into the high hills now and the road winds along hillsides and turns back on it’s self as we climb into the Central Highlands. The road had been widened here a few years ago. In many places widening simply meant cutting away the mountain side and dumping it down the ravine side. The problem here is that rains wash away both the upper side and the lower side. We find many slides and cave ins where a section of the road had slid down into the ravine. Despite the construction and delays we arrive in Dalat almost to the minute on schedule.

Huong lives a block from the depot. I go to her house and we walk to the hotel. I drop everything on the bed and we go for coffee. She can see that I am tired so she goes home and I go back to the hotel.

After long and tiring day and it is easy to fall asleep

Hope comes in amazing places sometimes. As I walked away from the bookstore I was not really looking for a cab. I just wanted to walk back to the hotel. As I walked a group of three young people passed me and the one girl said hello. I said hello and stopped. She stopped and we talked. The other two came back and they said they had just been to church. We spoke of English and Vietnamese, and about church. They were a delightful group and I felt good for having met them.

I walked into town and finally was on the street that comes to the lake near the hotel. A girl said hello and I said hello. We talked as we walked. She said she liked practicing her English and that she was on her way to church. She invited me in but I had an appointment to meet Huong for dinner.

Upstairs comes a surprise. There is a large section of early French items, which is nice but not Ethnic. Also a section that might have been called “look what the French and Americans did while they were here, and I can only hope the ordinance has been rendered inactive.

There is also a large display of banners each with a photo of a party faithful and a few paragraphs of what he did and will be remembered. Also interesting but also not in keeping with the theme of Ethnic History.

We spent the afternoon resting by sitting around the coffee shop. Finally it was time for the bus. We went to the terminal, said good bye and I was off to Saigon. As we headed down we were on the same road we came up earlier. The construction was bad but not as bad as the road up from Nha Trang. I was seated next to a very nice young man and we got on well even with no common language. There was one obnoxious man who was trying to annoy everyone. However he was far enough back that he was easy to avoid.

We made good time and went through Bien Hoa around 10:00 PM and ended up in Saigon around 10:45. I had phoned Loan that I would be in by midnight and my room was ready. My Ice tray had been filled and frozen in the kitchen so I even had ice. I did not pack but rather just set everything down and fell into bed.

Ralph suggested lunch and we went to Bobby Brewers which is where my nephew Chris and I had breakfast when we were here in 2006. I met Paul who owns this Bobby Brewer franchise and others who came and went as we had lunch. After lunch Ralph was picked up by is assistant and I was only a short walk from my hotel.

I managed to let my journal get behind a few days and now I can not remember what happened the rest of the day.

As I wandered away I passed a school and looked in. Classes had not begun and I toke some photos of the children playing. Some parents were at the wall and gate also watching their children. A mother saw me take photos and smiled.

I wandered the Antique street and saw so many things I would like to buy. So many beautiful old French and Chinese things. I went into a furniture store and they had shelves and cabinets and even those old platforms that were beds, There was a young lady there and we talked about furniture. She said she had a warehouse full and I could come and look if I wished. We exchanged business cards. After I left she emailed me and said she would like to be friends. Quite a few students want to talk and practice their English so I thought nothing of it. I asked when she finished work and she said 5:30 so I suggested that we go to the warehouse at 4:30 and we could go to dinner after. She liked the idea. She suggested that we meet at the shop and go to the warehouse together. The warehouse was one of the old buildings down by the docks that I had once been shooed away from when looking in on one of my wanderings. It is very near the old Saigon Port building that I lived in for a month in 1969. We went in and the place was packed with furniture stacked 5 and 6 high. Many old platform beds and smaller platforms. Dressers, bureaus, cabinets, book cases and everything else you can imagine. Some of the shelves held items like bronze turtles and reticulated brass fish that appeared to swim. It was like a kid being turned loose in a candy shop. I took many photos though some are filled with the dust that hung in the air.

After a while we left and she said she wanted to change before dinner so I did some more wandering and went back to the hotel and waited. She arrived on time at 7:00 and we went to the coffee shop on Pham Ngu Lao. She said she had never been there before and she had spaghetti. We had the most wonderful time talking about everything and working on our English and Vietnamese. As I looked at her she was so innocent and smiled so beautifully and she had a wonderful laugh. She wrote to thank me for dinner and said "I'm happy have dinner last night with you, this is the first time i had wonderful time, thank you".

I went to the park where everyone was out. Much badminton and much of that kicking of the little accordion with feathers. I am amazed how people can let it go behind them and kick it backwards without seeing it.

I was first given a tour of the new school. Last year it was on the way up and now it is in place. It is a beautiful building. The teachers are wonderful and there is a very good environment at the school. I look in on a class and Chau and Tram are there. Chau immediately smiles from ear to ear but , as always, Chau has a Mona Lisa Smile. Very understated and very beautiful. Thao Ly is in the sewing room. Her classes are in the afternoon. At lunch they all come to the lunch room. I have a chance to see the rehearsal of the celebration of National Teacher Day.

During lunch and as they practice I have a wonderful opportunity to take photos of so many of them. Some are so shy and some are such hams. Some are so beautiful and some are just so beautiful because they have no attributes that people associate with beauty. I look at them and have a hard time imagining that some of them were very abused and others are abandoned. I would like to gather them all up and take them home.

After lunch and the play I have a chance to talk to Chau, Tram and Thao Ly. In Sister Cam Thuy’s office I think there is a feeling much like being called into the principals office. I tell Sister Cam that it is nice that the girls are so quiet and well behaved. Her expression of surprise triggers one of Chau’s big smiles.

We make arrangements for sister Cam Thuy to take the girls to get their glasses and she will then tell me the price. She has also given permission for me to take them to the water park.

After the morning at the school I came back and Miss Dung had stopped by and wanted me to see her home. First I had to stop by a center city club called The Factory Bar where a pen pal said she was working and bars are generally not a good place for a young lady to be working. She is between semesters having quit to accept a scholarship to Malaysia which fell through due to a $3,000 fee she can not afford. We arrived at the club and she was not working and since this was to be her last two days I felt a little better.

We then went to Miss Dung’s home. Her home is always in a lower income area. This time she was near last years home i n the south of Cholon. We looked at her home and then wandered around the neighborhood. She was hungry so we ate in the street. We had rice and chicken. The chicken was cooked over charcoal and flavored just as we have back home. It was very good.

We walked on to Mr Bich’s home. He has a nice home there which he only goes to on weekends. Since he works in Saigon he lives there during the week. We chatted and then he suggested that we go to lunch. We walked back to Suoi Tien where there was a nice restaurant.

After lunch we walk to the Ho Chi Minh City Cemetery. A very large and well planted and maintained cemetery. Some very large, very Socialistic Statues.

During lunch we had discussed the National Military Cemetery which was for the ARVN during the war. There was a tomb of the unknown soldier on a hill there and a statue called the Mourning Soldier out by the street. Everyone who served in the area of Long Binh and traveled to Saigon has a photo of the statue. After the fall the soldier in the tomb was removed and the tomb desecrated. The statue of the mourning Soldier was removed and the cemetery was put off limits. A sign warned that “This is where the puppet soldiers paid for their crimes”. The sign is gone and it is no longer off limits however it is hard to find. The tomb is obscured by trees so you have to look for a hill and no the tomb. As you travel south from the traffic circle at the southwest corner of Long Binh, at Big C, formerly CORA, you cross the Cogido bridge and pass the Di An Cutoff and shortly you will see a hill on the right. You must slow down so you can see down a road to the left. The road is at an angle and you will see a stone gate with openings. Behind that are steps up the hill and at the top is the tomb. The stone coffin is gone and there is a tile floor. In the room is a table which is an alter. The building is in disrepair. The entire hill is overgrown and it is obvious that it is left there for hat ever reason but not maintained and is probably a sore spot to the party to this day. Being Socialists I am sure they do not want rallying places.

We walk down the back steps and find a water treatment plant. I know there was a cemetery there but we are puzzled. My Bich asks the gate guards about a cemetery and they point around the plant back a road. We follow the road and find an entrance but no monument. We enter and I am taking photos when I see Mr Bich waving tome. There is a man who says we much talk to the officer. Inside the entrance building is a man with a book and he is talking to Mr Bich and writing. I am asked if I have a camera and I say yes. He writes this in the book but allows me to keep my camera. We thank the man, give him the appropriate bow and we enter. I am taking many photos and I notice that one man is following us. A group of workers are on the path and beyond them I see the monument. It is tall but hidden from the outside by the trees. Up at the monument the boy who was with the group is leading me on and pointing out things. The monument is huge but everything here was trimmed and nicely cared for in 1968. We walk back ot the entrance and since the officer is now with us I take the card out of my camera nad snap a few photos in case he wishes to erase them. He was friendly all the time and we left with a thank you and no animosity.

Some of the graves are now being cleaned up and others have no one left to tend to them. A Pagoda has been built on the side of the hill. This is clearly not on the tours and you must know where it is to get here. A few individuals knew where it was and seemed happy that I wanted to find it. Mr Bich had heard of it but he and the cab driver did not know where it was and were surprised that I did. Mr Bich asked how I saw it from the road and I told him I knew were to look.

Anyway I have all my friends whose lives are not in turmoil. New people to meet and new places to go. Still….

The park was busy today. I heard the scream of little gas engines and went in that direction. Five men had remote control race cars and were racing on a course defined by motorbike tires. Many people gathered to watch. It was a lot of fun. Some children were wide eyed at the site and everyone was having a good time.

A family came to the park with two young children. The boys were playing soccer and one kicked the ball at his little brother. Unfortunately the ball hit the little boy where Things usually hit boys on “Americas Funniest Home Videos”. The boy had his hands out and technically he did catch the ball but if hit with force sufficient to cause pain and the little boy, realizing that he was hurt, dropped the ball and began to cry. Unfortunately, as he cried, everyone else began to laugh, even his mother, who tried to comfort him, but did not stop laughing.

There was a little girl on a big bicycle. Her seat was about eight inches lower than the bicycles seat and s she stood on the peddles. She moved quite fast and it was interesting to see her fly through the park. I was amazed that she did not have an accident but she seemed to have good control over the bike.

Two young people who were playing badminton came over and talked for a while. They asked where I was from and they knew that Pennsylvania was next to Ohio. They were a delightful pair and I had a good time talking to them.

I was sitting there singing, which I usually do. And a man sitting next to me asked my name. When I told him he said “you know Thuy, She said you sing in the park”. I said “yes, I now her, she stole my telephone”. He said that she told him that too. She also told him that she wanted to bring it back. I said I had not seen her for a few days. And that I had been away for a couple of weeks. He said she mentioned that I had been to her house and met her mother and son. I said that was before she stole my telephone. The mans name was Hoa and we talked for a while. His family had been on the wrong side, during the war, and so he was on the outs with the powers that be. He took tourists places on his motorbike and we discussed the many places we had each been. He had gone to university for Biology but a degree does not do much for you when there are many people and few jobs. He said if I ever need a driver he would be there.

I stopped by the ABC Bakery and bought dinner. I got a Bear Claw that was filled, not with jelly or Cinnamon and sugar. But with bacon and cheese. I also got a puff pastry that was filed with ham and cheese. Very different.

Back at the hotel Loan’s son translated the sign at the ARVN Cemetery. It was an announcement that if you wished to come in and find a grave, or fix it up, or remove a body please see the management. I took the day off today. I just wandered and sat in the park a lot. Miss Dung has been miserable lately and we said goodbye forever again and I feel awful, like I am abandoning her but she needs help paying her rent and I just do not have it so she said she would go back to her former profession and I said there is nothing I can do. So that was that. No kindness ever goes unpunished.

Anyway I have all my friends whose lives are not in turmoil. New people to meet and new places to go. Still….

The park was busy today. I heard the scream of little gas engines and went in that direction. Five men had remote control race cars and were racing on a course defined by motorbike tires. Many people gathered to watch. It was a lot of fun. Some children were wide eyed at the site and everyone was having a good time.

A family came to the park with two young children. The boys were playing soccer and one kicked the ball at his little brother. Unfortunately the ball hit the little boy where Things usually hit boys on “Americas Funniest Home Videos”. The boy had his hands out and technically he did catch the ball but if hit with force sufficient to cause pain and the little boy, realizing that he was hurt, dropped the ball and began to cry. Unfortunately, as he cried, everyone else began to laugh, even his mother, who tried to comfort him, but did not stop laughing.

There was a little girl on a big bicycle. Her seat was about eight inches lower than the bicycles seat and s she stood on the peddles. She moved quite fast and it was interesting to see her fly through the park. I was amazed that she did not have an accident but she seemed to have good control over the bike.

Two young people who were playing badminton came over and talked for a while. They asked where I was from and they knew that Pennsylvania was next to Ohio. They were a delightful pair and I had a good time talking to them.

I was sitting there singing, which I usually do. And a man sitting next to me asked my name. When I told him he said “you know Thuy, She said you sing in the park”. I said “yes, I know her, she stole my telephone”. He said that she told him that too. She also told him that she wanted to bring it back. I said I had not seen her for a few days. And that I had been away for a couple of weeks. He said she mentioned that I had been to her house and met her mother and son. I said that was before she stole my telephone. The mans name was Hoa and we talked for a while. His family had been on the wrong side, during the war, and so he was on the outs with the powers that be. He took tourists places on his motorbike and we discussed the many places we had each been. He had gone to university for Biology but a degree does not do much for you when there are many people and few jobs. He said if I ever need a driver he would be there.

I stopped by the ABC Bakery and bought dinner. I got a Bear Claw that was filled, not with jelly or Cinnamon and sugar. But with bacon and cheese. I also got a puff pastry that was filed with ham and cheese. Very different.

Back at the hotel Loan’s son translated the sign at the ARVN Cemetery. It was an announcement that if you wished to come in and find a grave, or fix it up, or remove a body please see the management.

I arrived and Mai and I had a chance to talk before the others arrived. Mai and her student, Miss Thu, whom I met before here, were cooking. They made Spring Rolls and other wraps which can not remember the name of. We had a very relaxed lunch and chatted about all of our experiences and thoughts about Vietnam and Vietnamese food.

One of the things that we discussed was the cooking of an American Thanksgiving. Roast turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, corn on the cob, cranberry sauce and Candied sweet potatoes. I hope we can do this one. I think we are already pretty close to thanksgiving.

I mentioned that I wanted to take the girls from Anh Linh to the water park, Suie Tien, and I would like to have a female to accompany us since other friends have said I, a Westerner, should not be seen with young Vietnamese girls since someone might think something was wrong and we could have trouble. In the past I have just picked them up and off we went however things are changing and if people really are concerned about the childrens safety then a finding a chaperone is a small price to pay. As it turns out I might have 4 chaperones since all the women expressed a desire to go to Suie Tien. This could be a lot of fun. I reminded everyone to bring a bathing suit as I did not want to hear, “I can’t swim, I don’t have a bathing suit.”

When we had finished Miss Thu volunteered to drive Mai’s American friend home and Hong volunteered to drive me home. We had discussed a market that was very large called Metro, which is German owned. On the way home Hong offered to take me there. Tomorrow she will pick me up and we will have a nice afternoon seeing something new in Vietnam.

During lunch Mai took some photos and I gave her my camera but one look at the screen and it was clear that my camera no longer worked. After returning to Pham Ngu Lao I went to the electronics store and got a new one. This camera worked well for a long time so I bought the same camera. The difference is that the new one is 10 Megapixels and the old was one or two. So we will see the difference.

On my way to replace my camera I noticed that “A Christmas Carroll” was being staged by an American European Theater group. Since everything was in English I am thinking the play will also be in English.

It was not late so I went to the park and ran into Hoa again. He is the man I sat and talked with the other day.

Everything here is recycled. There was a man with a bicycle. On the back was a wooden box with a drawer. He had some used Bic disposable lighters. He would take the top of the lighter apart and squirt a liquid from a Raid Insecticide can into the lighter. Then he reassembled the lighter and showed me that it lit and smiled.

I went out to the place I had told Hong that I would be waiting. I was early but that was good because so was she. Hong is petite and I am not. To carry extra weight on a motorbike changes your balance a lot so Hong really worked to get us there and back. And we did get there and back safely, thanks to her skill.

The store, Metro, is huge. It looks a lot like a Cosco, or a Sam’s Club. Just as everywhere in Vietnam I was told not to take photos so I do not have that many of them. First thing I noticed was a Large Christmas Tree and a Christmas section. Some beautiful little voices were singing “Joy to the World” with a beautiful Vietnamese accent. As we walked down the aisles we found just about everything you would find in the US and a few others. There was an aisle with power tools. There was even an aisle with pet food. The wine and spirits section was very big. Aisle after aisle of everything we would find back home. A few different brands but essentially the same. Many brands the same Heintz and others.

The meat section was a room about 30 by 30 feet and the room was refrigerated. As you entered there was a coat rack full of parkas for those who needed them. I was looking around and Hong said she would wait outside. Several Vietnamese ladies were looking at the meat and shivering. Many different bacons and hot dogs and sausages. There was a large seafood section which had many of the fish, prawn, and eels in tanks with water running. Crabs were on tables.

The produce section was large, clean, and there was a selection from everywhere. Washington State Apples were represented by several verities. Checkout was interesting in that there no bags, not free, not for sale, no bags. Hong went back to the produce section and got a few of the bag there. The shopping carts were also something interesting. Much like ours but all four wheels rotated so people were finding it hard to pull them, or pushing them with one hand.

As with everything else in Vietnam I was told “no photographs”. Socialists are so paranoid.

When we returned I asked Hong if she would like coffee or something to eat. We went to Highland coffee, which is a very nice place at the corner of Pham Ngu Lao and De Tham. I like to go upstairs and sit by the window that faces the park. We had something to eat and drink and looked out at the park and all the people in it.

After Hong left I went to the hotel to put away the things I bought. Then I went to the park. Loan, from the hotel, disappears into he park every evening to meet her friends to exercise. I just happened to be there at that time tonight and there was a lady on a platform leading exercise and 200 ladies around her were following her to popular music from some large speakers. Also people down through the park, along pathways were also facing the platform and following along. It looked like the end of a Bollywood movie when everyone dances together after the film has ended.

First I went to the Anh Linh School and talked to Sister Cam Thuy. I had sent her a letter that I wanted to take the girls to Suoi Tien, a water park north of Saigon in Thu Duc. I do not always get replies in a timely fashion. However I know Sister Cam Thuy is busy, and I have the greatest appreciation and respect for the work she does with the children. We talked for a while and Sister told me that Chau and Thao Ly could go but Tram has been bad in school and she did not want her to g. Sister also mentioned that she hoped I would respect her decision. I assured her that I will always respect her decision and wishes. I was planning to take the girls to Dam Sen, a water park in the West of Saigon another Sunday and hopefully Tram will be able to go then.

Hien, a penpal, sent a Yahoo messenger that she was free and we decided to have coffee at the Highland Coffee House. We set it for 12:00. I arrived back from Anh Linh and was about 30 minutes early so I sat in the park for 15 minutes and went into the coffee shop and went upstairs. I got us a table by the window, which I like so we can talk and look out the window and see the world pass by. At 12:00 I got a call and it was Hien who asked if I was wearing a blue shirt. I looked around and down across the street she was there waving. She had brought a friend named Hao, which means good. They had coffee and I had club soda and lime, which is very good, it cuts through a thirst and I only use a little sugar. We chatted about many things like language and places we had all been. Hien and Hao are both so pleasant. Hien is looking or work now as her last job ended and she had hoped to go to college in Singapore however that fell through.

The lady from the furniture store wrote and we decided to go to dinner. She lives out in Bin Thanh District, which is where Tan Son Nhut Airport is. A coincidence is that when Andreas and I went to TSN one of the buildings we took photos of is on her street and another is just around the corner. We drove past her house and I took a photo of the building across the street. I found a man with a motorbike who drove me out there. He said he knew right where the address was but he got lost 3 times and we covered a lot of extra ground. I had left early and got there right on time. Yen came out and we went to a large building only a quarter mile from her home. The building looked out over TSN and there was a food court on the sixth floor. The food court had many separate food servers with a wide variety of foods Eastern and Western. I had the Peking Duck and it was good. We had a wonderful time talking and singing through dinner. After dinner we decided to see a movie. There is a movie theater on the 13th floor. We went up and bought tickets. When you buy tickets there is a screen that faces the ticket seller and one that faces you. He asks if you wish to pick a seat and Yen said no so the man asked if he could choose a nice seat for us. The screen showed the floor plan of the theater and he selected two seats that were half way up and in the center. The show started at 9:30 and it was only 8:30 so we sat in the lobby which was a Hiland Coffee Shop and a counter like a movie here. I asked Yen if she wanted anything and said I would like a Coke. She said she would like one also. I bought two large Cokes for a little over a dollar each. Popcorn was just under a dollar. 9:30 was close so we went in. We were the only two in the theater. As the show began two others came in. The movie we saw was Christmas Carroll and I thought it was good. Yen thought it was scary. I kept telling her there was a happy ending however that is in the last 5 minutes and she sat on the edge of her seat the rest of the film. The show over we go into the lobby and we are ready to leave. As Yen presses the elevator button the lights go out. We wait a short while and are finally are shown the stairs. The stair doors are locked so we are shown the fire escape door and we climb down 13 floors of fire escape. Yen is uneasy on the open fire escape but we make it down all 13 floors. We get a cab and I drop her off and then tell the cab driver Pham Ngu Lao and we are on our way home. Another nice evening and the total was under $25 USD.

Hong arrived. She had sent me a list of orphanages and institutions for children and the elderly. Unfortunately there had been a few cases of H1N1 and so the school panicked and it is closed to visitors. Hong had suggested showing up instead of calling first because they will not be prepared if we just show up and we will see a more realistic view of the place. It sounded good in theory.

We returned to the hotel and Hong came in and we looked at my photos and the internet to discuss many things form history. Hong’s Father had been a reserve Captain in the ARVN reserves. After Tet of 1968 he was activated and because of this he was sent to a reeducation camp for two years. Hong has his certificate of having completed his reeducation. Her Father survived the camp and died only 5 years ago. She looked at my photos of the National Military Cemetery and was surprised by it’s existence and that it was so neglected and forgotten. Hong also looked at my photos of the Ho Chi Minh City Cemetery. I took a few photos of a group of stones that were larger than the others. They belonged to the party higher ranking. She recognized the names as street names and also read small histories of each member. Now I will have to go photograph the rest of the stones since each has a little piece of history. I a not sure if the history is correct or how the party wanted it to be however it is still interesting.

As we were getting soaked Hong told me that each year a few children are electrocuted by leakage from those poles with all the wires piled on like a spider’s web.

The rain kept almost everyone out of the park in the evening except a few die hards playing badminton and the game of kicking the little feathered accordion.

Next I went across the street. All the buildings on that side of the street were gone and a huge new building was under construction. Thought I knew it was all but impossible to get in and take photos. I went just inside the gate far enough to attract attention but not so far that anyone would panic and throw me out. A man came over and luckily he spoke English well. I told him that at the end of the American war a famous photo was taken of the roof of the building across the street. There was a helicopter evacuating personnel from CIA HQ. I asked if I could go up to the 5th floor and take a photo across the street of the roof of the other building. The man said “No”. I explained that this was history and I would not take any photos of his building. He said I needed permission of the building owners. These are 8 and 9 figure guys that do not hang out at the Highland Coffee Shop or in the park near me. There were several men sitting at a table looking important and I said could I ask them, they look important and the man said “No”. There was a container by the entrance that served as an office and I said is there anyone in there I could ask and the man said “No”. I said is there anyone here I can ask and the man said “I am chief of security”. I said “I can ask you”, “May I go to the 5th floor and take a photo of the building across the street. I will not take any photo of your building”. The man said “No photos of my building?” I said “No”. I do not know if I wore him down or that it was just that we were having a bit of fun with it by this time but he said “OK” and walked into the site. I was right behind. We walked up an unfinished stairways to the 5th floor and I went to the edge of the floor and took 3 photos, turned off my camera, put it back in my pocket and came back to where he was and we went down the stairs and to the gate. I thanked him and shook his hand and I was off. There was a song once that said that “People are people where ever you go” and I had just met two very nice ones.

I walked around for a wile and went to the tax store. Dung Duong and I had planned to have lunch today at 12:00. I met Dung through my website when she wrote a magazine article about the Cao Dai Temple in Tay Ninh and wanted permission to use my photos of the Temple with her articel. She was a Newspaper reporter in Hanoi but moved to Saigon when she was married because her husband lived and worked here. I was to meet her at her work. Interestingly enough she works for a company which among it’s many talents manages construction sites and just happens to manage the site that I just took my photos from. I was early and went into the Riverside hotel, sat in the air conditioning and had a club soda and lime. It came to $5.00 USD and I was reassured in my choice of hotels. At 12:00 I went to her building and went up to her office. I announced myself and as I waited I looked at a bookshelf of pamphlets describing buildings and malls that they were constructing or managing. Dung is in research and I asked what that was. She said she works on statistics concerning the economy. Dung had brought a colleague of hers named Tam. We went to a restaurant that served Pho, the national dish which is a broth and noodles with greens and a meat. We chatted about many things from why there is no one in Vietnam that will allow you to take a photo of anything. She said that is not true and I said I could not take a photo of the construction site that your company manages and she was surprised. She said she did not know why that was. Tam told me I could get some good photos from the 9th floor restaurant of the Caravell hotel. We discussed ladies of the evening because she used to be a reporter in Hanoi and we had discussed this before. We talked about where we had traveled to and things we have seen. It was a wonderful lunch. After we left I walked up to the Caravell and they returned to work. I have been meeting such wonderful, interesting, nice people on this trip.

I walked up to the Caravell and sure enough the view of the city from the 9th floor of the Caravell is very nice so I took some photos. The Caravell, as well as the other International hotels all have shops with everything from Versachi to Louis Vriton. I probably spelled those wrong but that shows you how many times I shop in places like that. Not to get on my soap box or anything but if a hand bag costs more than it costs to sponsor a child in a school or orphanage for several years I do not see the value or sense. While on the 9th floor of the Caravell I looked over at the Eden building which is between the Rex and the Opera house. It is where Hoa lives. Hoa used to sell post cards as a child and is now grown and married and has a son. At lunch the ladies mentioned that the Eden is planned for demolishment and a high rise will be built there. I said that I did not like the idea of a sky scraper being that close to city hall as it will change of the look of downtown. They also felt that way but the economy is the strongest in the world right now and there is money to be made.

After the Caravell I walked down the street in front of the Eden and saw Hoa’s Mother and Them. Them is the only movie star I know. She thinks it is a little overstated but likes it none the less. During the filing of the Quiet American there was a scene where a bomb goes off in front of the Opera House. During the scene they did not want to see street sellers in the background because many sold things that were not sold back then. They asked these people to leave the street and because they would lose money they used them in the film. Them played a person who was killed in the blast and had to lay in the street and look dead. Hoa was not there and her mother and Them do not speak enough English to understand so I did not ask them if they knew anything about their building being raised.

Down the street the movie theater at Pasture is now all but gone. The fence around the site was unlocked so I went in and took some photos of what was left but it was almost nothing. In the days of the French this and the corner building next to it was the Casino. While I was inside a man appeared from no where and I knew it was time to go. I picked up a brick that was unlike the modern bricks that have been used since the French left and asked if I could have it. He nodded and I left.

I went past Ben Thanh Market and into the park. I was almost to the end when I met a student named Han. I had met him before and he wanted to practice his English which was very good. He is studying communications and wants to teach communications after graduation. We talked for a while when this beautiful little girl came and sat on the curb across from us. I took several photos of her and Han asked why I took many photos. I said because she is a beautiful little girl and Han said she is poor, does not go to school and has no family and she sleeps in the park. I said she is still a beautiful little girl. He said “no”. I said Uncle Ho said “children are the future of Vietnam”. Han said “not her”. I said “yes, even her”. He said “What about me?” I said “you are the future of Vietnam and so is she”. He said “she does not go to school”. I said “Maybe you should take her home and buy her nice clothes and feed her and see that she goes to school". Han said “NO”. Han has two older sisters. I said “ you could have a little sister”. Han said “what about the other students” and I said “they should all take a homeless child home and care for them”. I said “do you know what will happen to your little sister if she stays in the park”? Han said “it will not be good”. I said that she will not grow up to be a doctor. This went on for a while and we really tested Han’s English once I got him to say more than “NO”. After a while he got a phone call and had to leave. It was a lot of fun.

I went back to the hotel and got a cold shower to bring my temperature down then did some of my Journal. It was getting close to 5 and I wondered if there was any point to going back to CIA HQ. I thought that since I started this I should go. I went out, got a motorbike and went to the address. I got off the bike and as I approached the building the guard was already on his feet and as I entered he pointed to some chairs and said wait. In a moment he was back with Nguyen Ho who is the building manager. Ho speaks English very well and we all headed for the elevator and I knew we were going to the roof. At 6 the door opened and we went out on to the roof and I knew we were going to see that little structure. I turned and there it was. The window was the same, the door, the window above the door and both of the men were pointing at the roof. The security guard motioned to the side where he gestured a stair and that was indeed where the stairway was. The structure is actually the top of the elevator and that is why it sits above a slightly larger structure. I love this it is a piece of history and I got to be there and touch it. I took photos of the structure and others off the roof. Both men were happy to be helping me find things. We went back to the lobby and sat there talking about everything from how long I was here now to how long I was here then and where I was then and what I did. There was a man sitting near us and I noticed him. He had a patch over his right eye. He could hear us but he was not talking with us. When we discussed Tet of 1968 he came over and sat with us and Ho said he was an ARVN soldier during Tet of 1968 and that is where he lost his eye. He handed me his cell phone and the photo on the phone was the photo of the helicopter on the roof. We talked at great length about Vietnam and war and how nice peace is. The security guard started back to his desk and I got up. Ho said come back some time and we will walk around. I said I am doing nothing tomorrow and he said meet me here at 4:00 and we will talk. It was very exciting. New people and we were all here 40 years ago in one place or another.

I walked back through the park. It was near dark and there are several pavilions in the Eastern section of the park. In three there was music and dancing and I think instruction also. A nice end to a nice day.

Now I am writing this and the rain is pouring down. I arrived back at the hotel just as the rain started. It is getting cool now.

I did not do much today however I did go over to the old CIA and meet with Ho. There were a few others there and we talked for a while. It occurred to me that others must have been here since they all knew the routine right away. Ho said that they did have many visitors because this was an important part of American history. Ho and I walked around the area and out to the old US Embassy. I asked why the building was torn down, “was it because the new government did not like being reminded?” Ho smiled and said “I think so”. I told him how I could not take photos in the school that was the old French Infantry barracks and he did not believe me. We walked in and a guard stopped us and told us we could not go in or take photos. Ho was surprised. A new road divided the old French Infantry barracks compound and on the other side is another of the old barracks. These are large buildings and the largest was demolished when the road was cut through as it straddled the path of the new road. On the other side we walked in and no one was there to stop us so I wandered and took many photos including some of students who were happy to pose. I got quite a few photos even inside.

We walked by the hospital and some nice old French buildings. We came to a sidewalk restaurant and had Scallops baked on the half shell. They were wonderful and we had a chance to talk more. The two orders of scallops, salad, his beer and my ice teas were less than $3 USD. This is due to the fact that Westerners do not eat here. Things are still affordable for most Vietnamese.

I came back through the park, had dinner and here I am. I am finding some fascinating insights here. Han is very excitable and he actively seeks out people to practice his English with. He is a lot of fun to talk to and is also fascinating in his actions. We meet in the park again today, it seems that he is always there in the mornings. Today we walked around the park twice and then he said “let’s walk down to the Saigon River. I am not sure why but that is where he wanted to walk. So off we went down Ham Ngai Street towards the river. As we walked I looked at everything and took many photos. As we walked down the street I saw a large model of a development in the window of a building. The development was quite extensive. I said to Han, ”let’s go in and see where it is”. Han made a quick grab for my arm but I slipped away. He was saying “No, No, No, No”. In his excited way and looking very worried. I went in and a young lady said “May I help you”. I said I was just wondering where it was. She said “Vinh Long”. I wen out and Han was still looking worried. I said “the development is in Vinh Long”. Han dropped his worried look and said “I am from Vinh Long”. I said I knew that” and he looked for the briefest moment at the model then he pulled me down the street. It is probably having been raised in this socialist environment but I notice that many people, when asked simple questions, like what do they do there, have no idea, even though it is in their back yard. No interest, no desire to explore. We continued down the street and in the block of the river there was a building going up. The gate was closed but not locked and I said “Let’s see what they are doing in there”. Can you guess what Han said. “No, No, No, No” and he made a grab for my arm but I slipped away, opened the gate and looked in. A security guard came to the gate and Han began quickly explaining something, in Vietnamese, while pulling on my arm. We were walking down the street along the river and I said “Let’s take the ferry over to district”. Han looked worried but said “Then we can go back to the park?” I said “yes”. The ferry cost 500 VND each which was 55 cents for the two of us. On the crossing I took many photos and Han did not worry since we were on the ferry. Although he did worry a little when I pointer to a steel door in the floor, grabbed it and said “let’s see what is down here”. As we got off the ferry he said he had never been to district two and that it was a very poor district. There is no bridge across the river until Newport which is on the North side of Saigon. There was a row of old neglected buildings along the river and I began taking photos. Han was getting used to it by now and said nothing, until I put my arm through an opening and took some photos. One of the photos was of a man approaching the gate and Han started to worry. Just as we were looking at the photo and Han was beginning to worry the man opened the gate and said something that started Han explaining something very quickly as he pulled me away from the door. He thought it funny that people wanted to have their photo taken, even though he also liked having his taken. Back at the park Han was saying hello to everyone who passed. Then he would tell me that She in an MC on a TV station and He works here and He works there. Han must be a celebrity in the park. He is very outgoing and we have been exercising his English quite a bit.

I also met Thanh in the park and we have been working on my Vietnamese a lot. The park is full of interesting. Many students hang out there to practice English and many others to practice other things.

I also met Thanh in the park and we have been working on my Vietnamese a lot. The park is full of interesting. Many students hang out there to practice English and many others to practice other things.

I had dinner down by the market and in the maze of booths was a stand that was frying donuts. Soft ones with sugar dusting just like on donut day at home.

At Suoi Tien I purchase tickets and we go up the long staircase. At the top we can see down into Suoi Tien. Music is playing and many tiny gentle voices are singing a song that has the words Suoi Tien in it. I asked Loan what Suoi Tien means and she said it was just a name. She said it is a place where Angels swim in waterfalls and I said “is that what it means?” but her daughter and son said no, it is just a name and Loan said “It is just what I think of”. I was really hoping that it did mean “a place where Angels swim in waterfalls”. However it does not matter because I was bringing my own band of Angels.

A fascinating thing about amusement parks here is that while in the USA, a place recognized around the world for religious tolerance and freedom, where people are trying to have anything religious removed from everywhere. Here Buddha is a big part of everything. There are many statues in the park of Buddha and other figures from Buddhism and Hinduism. There are Pagodas in the park and the girls stop to pray in them. It is part of the fabric of family and existence here in this “God less Socialist society”. Fascinating.

We found many of the places we visited last year. One was the building that had displays of hell. It was scary but Chau and Thao Ly came in. Like last year Tram did not want anything to do with it and she still does not so she waits a the exit for us. Last year Chau held my hand and hurried me along while smiling weakly to show me she was not afraid. This year it was Thanh, who is 26, who I found holding my hand, hurrying me along and smiling to show me she was not afraid. I would pull her over to a display and if something jumped out she would scream then laugh because she had screamed. We went on a Ferris Wheel, however Chau sat that one out.

We went through the Crocodile pond on the elevated walkway and looked at the many Crocodiles. At a place near the end was a pavilion where you could rent a pole with a string and a piece of meat and feed the crocodiles. The poles were 10 cents so I got 20 and the girls went through them all. Tram used a few then watched but Chau and Thao Ly hung in to the end. Sometimes they would put the pole down and when a Crocodile snapped they would pull the pole back so fast that the meat on the string would fly around and people would scurry to get out of the way. It was a fun thing.

Mai suggested lunch so we went to a place that served rice and meat or a noodle soup. After lunch we went to the Circus area. The Circus was a monkey act, a magician and a second monkey act. The girls liked it and Chau petted the monkey, even though she remembered how bad it smelled last year. We were early for the show so we walked around the zoo that was part of the Circus area. In the center of the zoo is an aquarium that is about 12 by 40 feet and has some fish that are over 5 feet long. There were many monkeys and the area smelled bad. Bad smells are not an Asian thing. The girls got out wipes and held them over their faces so as not to smell as much. After the show it was time for Mai to leave since she had to teach that afternoon.

Thanh, the girls and I continued on the see the Dolphin show. Tram and Thao Ly went ahead past the show and I was told they were going to the restroom and we should go in. We were early and the girls had time to get back so I asked if they would come in and Mai said no. A short while later I went out and Tram and Thao Ly were sitting on a bench across from the entrance. Here is another interesting Vietnamese thing. Most people here do not want to disturb or inconvenience people they perceive to be important. I motioned for them to come and I said “do you want to come in?” They smiled and shook their heads so I gave them money and said go buy tickets. They did and were soon inside. The show was just starting and the first thing was a seal act. The seal solved math problems by blowing in a horn the number of the answer. A lady had come to Chau and asked her for numbers. Chau picked 5 + 5 anad 5 X 2. They held up the sign with Chau’s numbers and the seal got it right. Chau was especially happy with that one.

The Dolphins came out and they were jumping so much that the girls were very excited. At one point they walked across the pool on their tails and ended up right in front of us. They jumped through high hoops and a burning hoop. They jumped and hit balls that were suspended high above the pool. The trainers threw balls into the pool and the dolphins hit them with their tails sending them over our heads and up to the top of the arena. The pool came about 4 feet above the pavement and the sides were glass so the girls could see them as they swim by. The show was a huge success with the girls and when it ended we went out and bought snow cones. We passed a few more scary houses and by this time none of the girls wanted to go in. It was getting late so we headed for the exit. We stopped at a souvenir stand and the girls all wanted a watch so I bought them each one. It was a long ride back to town but once again we all survived.

Back at Anh Linh the girls went in and I spoke to Sister Cam Thuy. I told her that the water park was closed and I would like to take them to Dam Sen another weekend. Sister said they had enough and they were missing things that they needed here at Anh Linh. I asked Sister if she could tell them the trip would depend on their behavior and I think she weakened a little. I would not go against her but I am hoping she will allow the trip.

We returned to Pham Ngu Lao and had dinner then sat around watching TV and doing my journal until it was time for Thanh to go to work.

A really good day.

As we left the shop Tham was out selling hats and I mentioned that she is the only movie star that I have met. I told them how she had been used as a victim of the bomb in front of the Opera House.

Jim and Eilene had mentioned that they wanted to see Ben Thanh Market so we walked down and saw some of the sights along the way. At Ben Thanh we went through the fisn and meat section, in the rear of the market. We visited the produce and the food court. On the way out we went through the main market. I asked if they wished to see a $12 hotel. We walked through the park and came to 219 Pham Ngu Lao. They came up and looked at the room. It as not the Caravell but it is also not the Caravell prices, and it is a little closer to the real Vietnam.

Back in the park there was much work and excitement. The stage that was there during the celebration of the SEA Indoor Games is being built again only bigger. All the food booths are being built again. It looks like we are in for more celebration. I was told that Thanh Thao will be here. I have many of her CD’s and VCD’s and I love her singing. Now all we have to know is when.

I went out to the end off the alley to wait for Thanh. While I was there I met a motorbike driver whom I see almost every morning and we talked. He introduced me to a lady who was coming by and told me she was half American and Half Vietnamese. She said she was bourn in 1963. She said life after the fall was not good to her. She was mostly a house cleaner at low wages. She asked for money because she was hungry. I do not like giving money to individuals so I invited her to lunch and we went down the alley to Ut’s restaurant and I ordered and she also ordered and we chatted through lunch.

I went back out to the end of the alley and waited for Thanh. When she arrived we went to the Zoo. .I Bought some sugar cane that a lady was selling to feed to the Elephants and Thanh was so excited when the Elephant took it from her hand. One smaller Elephant wanted some but he could not reach and it was necessary to throw it to him and let him pick it up. Thanh wanted to hand it to him so she walked around the pen till she found a place where he could reach and handed it to him. Thanh is so gentle and unassuming. The other displays were nice and we enjoyed them. Thanh especially liked the otters. The zoo has many tall trees and is mostly shaded. There was a cool breeze and it was a very nice day. We had ice cream and at times I felt a lot like I was taking my granddaughter to the zoo.

I had also wanted to go to the National History Museum which is next to the zoo. However we were at the zoo longer than I thought and I wanted to stop by Saint Josephs Seminary. Hai, the young man I had met earlier, had written and said he would like to talk to me again. We arrived at the Seminary it was a little confusing to find Hai. The people thought we wanted to see a student at the school, also run by the church. At last we found someone who located Hai and we had a nice time talking and walking around the grounds. We spent some time in the church and Hai was telling us that it was built by the French as was the rest of the Seminary and school. As we sat in the church he showed us the various books they use. One was a hymnal and as I looked at it I said I probably know some of these songs but not the Vietnamese words. Hai began to sing “Silent Night” in Vietnamese and I began to sing it in English. He stopped and I stopped and he asked me to continue. He asked if it was popular in America and I said it was very popular especially around Christmas. We went through the museum and there were many things that were fascinating. There were two carts and an old Citreon. Inside wer any cases of antiques. Much pottery and many old oil lamps and lanterns. Many of the lanterns would not look out of place in the Lancaster County Farm Museum. Once again showing that utilitarian is universal. Things made to work best her often work best there. We had a very nice time and I think Thanh did also however she was tired and we said good bye and left.

For some reason Thanh, who likes eating Vietnamese, on the street wanted to get something at the ABC Bakery which is very Western. She had a hot dog and another pastry wrapped item and I had some pizza and a pastry that was filled with bacon. ABC is an interesting mix of East and West. We took dinner back to the hotel and watched TV. Soon it was time for Thanh to go. I walked her out of the alley and she found a motor cycle to take her home and to work. She said she would return in the morning around 10:00.

Jim sent an email and said that he and Eilene had gone to the CIA Building and while there they were discussing how many people think the famous photo is the US Embassy Jim told Eilene that “Henry and I were discussing that the other day” Their guide asked “Do you know Henry” and Jim said “Henry Bechtold” and the guide said “Yes, I took him to get some photographs”. As Jim noted “Small World”

Thanh arrived and we were off to Ben Thanh bus station. We took the bus to Bien Hoa since that would drop us off at the HCM City Cemetery and we would not have to walk up from Thu Duc or get a cab. As we waited in the bus people came in and out selling all manner of snacks, drinks and news papers. A lady on crutches worked her way up the steps and crawled down the aisle with a hat out. I asked Thanh if I should give her anything. It is hard to tell who has slipped through the rather large cracks in the system and who is faking. Thanh and Hong both think she is sincere in her telling how her legs were broken and she needs an operation that she can not afford. I ask Thanh how much and she says 5,000 or 10,000. The woman came to me and I gave her 50,000, less than $3. The woman said she was so happy at my outpouring that she stopped and prayed for me. She then turned and told everyone how much I had given her and how happy it had made her that someone cared that much for her. She got off the bus and everyone who sells anything was on the bus trying not to look at me. Here she had gone out and was telling everyone how happy she was that I had cared so much about her.

Every time the bus stopped for a short time people swarm in the bus to sell. Just before Thu Duc a man with a microphone and speaker stepped on and began describing the benefits of owning some jewelry that had to do with Buddhism

We got off the bus at HCM City Cemetery. When we went in Hong noticed the elevation of the party members above the other people who were all equal in the eyes of Communism. Even though Vietnam is Socialist it is still run by the Communist Party and should be following the rules of Communism, one would think. I love history so I photographed every stone. Hong likes history and read some of them. Thanh had no interest in history at all so she sat under a tree in a shady place. The photos are all up on my Phanfare if you happen to read Vietnamese you can know a little about who is who and why streets have the names they do.

Next was a trip to the National Military Cemetery. We drove up to the Di An cutoff, made a u-turn and came back South. The cab driver said he had family buried there but he did not know exactly where it was, if it did exist. We drove slowly and shortly I spotted it. We drove back to the hill and the arch that was all but hidden. I told Hong we were here. I asked Thanh if she wished to come climb up to the Tomb but she had her fill of history and decided to stay with the air conditioning. Hong and I climbed the hill and looked at the place that was the tomb. Now an empty room except for a small table that served as an alter. We came back down and drove around to the cemetery. The large monument is no longer visible from outside the cemetery since the trees had grown up. As you walk in to the cemetery there is an office where all visitors must check in and the officer writes a small paragraph about you for the record. The officer recognized me and I was able to say Ông có Khỏe không (How are you). He was impressed and smiled and shook my hand. The paperwork work went fast and easy. We walked out of the office and I motioned up the path and Hong and Thanh got their first look at the monument. Second time back and the Officer and the assistant still followed us and still were nice. We walked to the monument, through it and beyond to the back of the cemetery. This is not the original back but something had been build on the back portion and a wall had been constructed. We wandered around and occasionally found interesting graves that had been rebuilt since the ease up on the cemetery. The officer told Hong that the government has decided this is a historic site and should be preserved. Years of neglect are being repaired by a small staff of not under funded and under equipped people. The decision that this is of historic importance is based on the returning Vietnamese interest in it. We have wandered and are a little turned around so I said we must go this way. The assistant said this way and motioned us the other way. This means he wanted us to see something or not see something. I continued my way for a short distance to see if it was something we were being steered away from and it did not look like that so we turned and followed him. He was parked and sitting on his motorbike a ways down the path. As we walked down we saw some stone borders enclosing a larger area than most of the graves. The assistant was parked near two areas like the ones we noticed and there were graves surrounded by stone enclosures with flower pots filled with what looked like aloe. The officer was there now and pointed to the graves. I asked Hong who they were. The officer spoke to Hong and Hong said they were Generals. There were 7 however 5 had been removed by their families. It was very interesting and I wondered why the families removed them and why the other families did not remove theirs. The assistant said if we followed him we could see something interesting. Thanh suggested a tip for the officer and his assistant. I asked how much an she said 100,000, less than $6 so I gave the officer 200,000 and he rode to were the assistant was and gave him half. We walked to where the assistant was and he pointed to a grave. We went over and looked. Many graves in Vietnam have a porcelain photo of the person on them. The photo on this one was of the Morning Soldier Statue. We wondered if the statue was buried here or is the man who posed for it but finally the words gave us the answer. I do not know si but Chiến Vô Danh is “War Unknown”. The dates are Hy Sinh (sacrificed) 7 – 6 – 68 and An Táng (buried) 16 – 6 – 68. We have found the final resting place of the Unknown Soldier who was removed from the tomb. We have found some wonderful things here and it just proves that if you talk to people and are persistent and be willing to follow a little you can find all manner of things.

It is a long ride back to Saigon but Hong and I are happy with what we have found and Thanh is happy that we are going home. I ask if everyone wants to go to dinner and they are ready so I ask where and Thanh suggests the vegetarian restaurant that we saw on the way to the bus in the morning. I have to go get more money since I do not carry a lot when I am out. I tell Thanh and Hong that they do not need to come to the hotel just to go back and they wait at the restaurant. When I return I fond they are gone and the security tell me that the entire restaurant has been reserved for a wedding. Just then Hong calls to tell me they are back on Pham Ngu Lao. I arrive and Thanh suggests the Highland Coffee house nad Hong also likes it so we all go in and have a nice dinner. Hong and I have Seafood Spaghetti and Thanh has a rice dish.

Hong has decided that she wants to help a child and since I have meet Yen, in the park, I think it would be nice if we could work on Yen. Her photo is on my home page with Han. We have been looking for her in the park and some of the others in the park know she is brought to the park by her father to sell gum, though I have never seen her with gum. I have seen her with the Expats who spend their time drinking in the alley on the other side of De Tham from my hotel. I see her often being touched more than men drinking should be touching a little girl and I think there may be good reason to work for her. I have given Hong the phone number of Sister Cam Thuy so she can call and see what Anh Linh School may be able to do for her.

After dinner Hong must go to teach and Thanh and I go to the hotel to watch TV and update my journal until it is time for Thanh to go to work. I walk out to the end of the alley with Thanh and notice the park is almost ready for the celebration that will start tomorrow. In the park a boy with, probably Cerebral Palsy, is being wheeled around in a wheel chair. He looks over as he passes and smiles. His hand is out so I take it and hold it for a moment as he passes and he smiles so much. It is a day when I think all I have to do is show up and someone will be happy. I need a day like this once in a while to balance the days when it seems there is nothing I can do. There is a marching band on one of the streets that crosses the park and in the park there are booths for all kinds of food. The celebration is about international foods. This should be good.

Dam Sen is large and we were not sure where we were going so we wandered some more. Occasionally we would stop and ask for the water park. Always someone would point in the general direction that we were going. Finally we could hear children laughing and screaming and the sound of much water moving. The entrance of the water park section of Dam Sen allowed us to see hundreds of children, mostly elementary school age. Running in every direction. Most of the boys had water guns and were shooting everyone. Other children, clothed adults, park workers and lifeguards. No one was spared. First inside the entrance is a children’s pool. At it’s deepest it is a foot deep and has many things to climb on and slide down. Everywhere are nozzles spraying water in all directions. Some are a fine mist others spray a heavy stream. Past this are some slides. Thanh did not want to go down but I coaxed her and we went up. At the top is a sign that says “NO JEANS”. The person at the top interpreted this to mean no long pants and the suit Thanh had bought had long pants. So she was spared the slide. We walked back down and soon found the wave pool. The wave pool is huge and as the name implies it is full of waves that are about 3 feet high at the deep end. There are so many little children that you must walk a curvy path to the deep end. About 30 feet out is a tape and a man keeping the little children out of the deeper end. As I walk over and around children there are “Hellos” coming from all over. I always return them because for some it is the only word hey know in English and for others it reinforces them in the knowledge that their English really works. I must have said hello a thousand times today.

In the deep end came another surprise. Thanh swims like a fish. Through the water and under it. The water is cool the company delightful. She is tired of the water early and we get out but I lead her to the river. It circles the wave pool and a large area of tables and chairs. I think she is tired of it but as she looks at the children in the river she smiles and in we go. I think there are more children than water. The water is moving along at a good pace. Children are floating. running and tumbling past. Most are yelling hello and shooting their water guns. One asks “What is you name” and I answer “Henry, What is yours”. He replies “Chí”. I was floating face down and Chi climbed on my back. Together we floated half way around the river till his friends called to him and they were getting out. Chi was so small and often fell of and just tumbled in the water. Every once in a while there was a jet of water that pushed us along. We made one circle and got out. Thanh wanted to leave so we went back to the entrance but before going to the locker we went into the kids pool. It was packed. We went to a stair that went to a slide. Water was spraying from overhead and it was cool. I loved it, Thanh liked it. There is a longer slide at one end of the pool and a stream of little children poured out of it and ran around up the stairs and down the slide. The flow of children was just like the flow of water everywhere and if you crossed the stream of children they separated and flowed back together just like the water. Many of the children were in School Uniforms instead of bathing suits. Probably good for keeping track of which are yours and where they are.

We went to the locker and changed. We forgot towels.

Arriving back in Pham Ngu Lao we went to the hotel to rest and watch TV while I did my photos and journal. Around 6:00 we went to see Mai, my little sister. She went with us to visit my Nephew’s wife’s family and invite them to dinner. Mai came because Ky, my nephew’s wife’s, mother does not speak English. We picked up Mai and found something to be aware of in Saigon. A cab with an intentionally bad meter. The ride usually cost around 30 or 40 thousand dong but this time the meter was at 60 when we were three blocks away and as we stopped I noticed it was 120,000. I just handed he driver 120,000 but I noticed Thanh did not get out of the cab and she was talking sternly to the driver, When she emerged she handed me 40,000 dong. As she talked I recognized the words Chan Sat, (Police). We told Mai about the incident and she said that we should always get the cab number and then call the police. Once before I was warned to use only MaiLinh cabs. They are all over and known for regulating their drivers. Mai also recommended Vinasun, not to be confused with Vinasom. Lessons learned.

We arrive at Ky’s Mothers house and find her home. She recognizes me at once. We have a nice chat and decide on next Sunday for dinner. That is so everyone can be there. Mai is also free and that is a good thing. I can count on her translation and I always worry about that when I meet important people like family and do not want misunderstandings.

I ask where Mai would like to eat and she picks a pho place near her home. It is a nice meal and after that we drop Mai off. And head back to Pham Ngu Lao. The celebration is in full swing. On the stage is a singer and dancers. I took man photos but the distance and the back lighting were enough that the photos will only give you an idea about the show. The singing was great and the music was loud. The MC came out and said thank you for coming to our opening ceremony and before he could finish his speech there was a stamped for the exits. Thanh and I walked around and decided that we would have dinner here tomorrow. Soon it was time for Thanh to go to work and we walked to the corner. She said goodbye and crossed the street and got a motorbike for the ride home. I walked after her and as she got on the bike she looked back to where I had been. She looked a long while as the driver got ready. As he was ready to go I tapped her on the shoulder and she turned and smiled. Then she was off. I watched as she rode away and returned to the hotel. Walking through the park I stopped and the Singapore booth. There was a man who talked to me as we looked at the crabs. He said the restaurant hand picks each crab and since this was a promotion in the park they were only $15 USD. What had really caught my attention ws the sign that said Frog Porridge. I have to try that tomorrow.

I was up and out and went to the park. So many of the photos from last night did not come out well so I went to take the ones I could in the daylight. I wandered and met a chef at the Singapore pavilion. A lady was cooking frog porridge and we talked about it. I said it sounds intriguing. He said stop back when we open at 11:00.

I returned to the hotel and soon Thanh arrived. We went to the park and wandered together. Near 12:00 we returned to the hotel to wait for Thomas.

He arrived and I mentioned that we could go to Highland Coffee Shop, or if he was feeling adventurous there is an international food festival in the park and we could go get some Frog Porridge. He liked the idea of the Frog Porridge and so we went to the park. I had a wonderful time talking to Thomas about his magazine and his life here and all the things we find exciting about Vietnam, the country, the culture and the people. Thomas knows many interesting people and I hope we will get together again. The Frog Porridge was Porridge and a separate cup of Frog in a very Vietnamese sauce of soya and spices. I may have it again tomorrow.

Thanh was not a part of the discussion and had wandered off. After Thomas left I wandered and soon found Thanh or rather Thanh found me. We walked around and found an artist and Thanh, who is so camera shy, agreed to sit for the drawing. The artist was good and after drawing he wrote his name, her name, and put his stamp on it. The sketch is really nice.

Next we went to the area of the stage and a contest to bake the best pizza was in full swing. There were two contestants who made pizza and a panel of chefs to judge. When the pizzas were done each judge got a piece and the rest were given to the crowd that had gathered.

We returned to the hotel and I did my journal and photos and Thanh watched TV. There is a popular show here. It is Japanese and is dubbed in Vietnamese. The characters are all in Traditional Japanese costume and made up to be like some of the characters in Buddhist stories.

We pass rice paddies. In the fields are tombs. Our guide tells us that often family members are buried in the area of their fields. Sometimes in a place that an individual used to like resting at noon. This is so the deceased will be comfortable in their surroundings. Along the road a wedding procession comes by us walking on the side of the road.

At My Tho we got on a boat and crossed the branch of the Mekong, past the home of the coconut religion. In case you did not read last year the coconut religion was started by a Frenchman who ate coconut, dressed in coconut fiber clothes and worshiped coconuts. It was a quirky religion which ran into a snag a the end of the war. The French man and his followers believed one could only worship naked. Naked and Socialism do not mix and the religion had to do some adapting however it did survive. We land and make our way, as in years past, through an ever enlarging assortment of Souvenir stands. Thanh has purchased a miniature back pack to hook on to her back pack strap. We walk to a restaurant where our lunch is waiting. For the 5th year in a row now there s an Elephant Ear fish, fried and standing in an upright so it looks like it is swimming down the table. It is a very nice meal made even nicer by the fact that we have a really nice group of fellow travelers. There is a couple from Singapore, one from Europe and the rest from Vietnam. Every one has been taking photos of one another during the day. As we eat there is a beautiful little girl standing in the opening of the hedge and it is obvious that she has been told not to come in. She is holding tubes made of banana leaves and something is in them but I do not know what. Near the end of the meal I go to the gate and ask how much. The girl says 50,000 VND so I buy one group of 5 tubes and return to the group. The lady from Singapore asks where I got the snacks. She went and bought 5 also. When she returned I asked how much and she said the girl asked 20,000 but she gave her 25,000. Westerners always pay more, at least till people know you and you are a repeat customer but this was 30,000 extra. As we left another couple wanted some. As we walked down the path I spotted the girls bike with the rice snacks on the handle bar. The girl was sitting behind the tree. When she got up she smiled and waived at me. Thanh asked the girl how much and the girl said 20,000 so Thanh took 5, gave them to the couple and handed the girl the 20,000. Thanh then asked the girl why it was 20,000 for everyone except 50,000 for me. The girl looked guilty and explained that she had sold some of the rice snacks but lost the money just before she met me so she asked me for 20,000 plus the 30,000 she lost and now she was even. I said it was ok since it went to a good cause. We all laughed and the girl smiled.

Next we went to a pavilion where we heard some traditional delta music and had some fruits that grow in the delta. We had been to this pavilion in years past. When we left we went down a path and boarded small boats that wound their way through a maze of canals. Boats had always been the mode of transportation here and most have eyes painted on the front. There are different explanations why the eyes are there and this trip we were told it was to scare away the crocodiles which were plentiful till the US poisoned the river and made them extinct in the area. It was also pointed out to us that some boats have no eyes and this is because they are fishing boats and the owners do not want to scare the fish away.

We are back on the bus and travel to a rest area. Those who are on the 1 day trip stay on the bus and Thanh and I get off and wait for a second bus going to Can Tho. This is when it is really great to have a person who speaks the language along. Our tour guide has give Thanh the phone number of the tour guide who is coming to pick us up. As we leave the bus everyone is waving and saying good bye. We are outside and I look at the driver. I have a photo of everyone except him so I push at the window and he gets up and unlatches it. I show him the camera and he sits in the drivers seat and smiles. Now I have him as well. Everyone is happy and all are waving as the bus leaves. This was a great group and a great group is so much fun when traveling. We have a cold tea and Thanh calls the other tour guide. In 15 minutes they are here and the guide calls Thanh and tells her the bus color and number. We are off to Can Tho. We arrive at the hotel and are assigned rooms. Thanh and I go to dinner at a small restaurant which has wonderful Peking Duck. It is a local restaurant and very reasonable. There is a curious item on the menu, Grilled Rat. Please pass the rat, Hey mom that was great rat. Rat tastes just like chicken, well everything else does. I’ll pass I had rat for lunch.

The ride back to Saigon was about 4 hours. Most on the people on the bus slept. I watched the scenery and dozed from time to time.

We tour the facility and I am once again impressed how groups like LRWS do so much with so little. The facility is clean and the girls nave nice rooms and besides their lessons they have music and group activities.

I return to the hotel and as I near the alley I see Miss Hong on her motorbike. She is waiting for Yen and her father to go to Anh Linh School where we are hoping that Yen and her Father will want her to go, receive an education and job training. They are off and I am here to write my Journal which is a few days behind due to our Mekong trip. I am typing and the phone rings. It is Hong. Yen does not want to stay at the school. She wants to go but to come home with her Father every night. Her Father says he can not afford that. They are in the park. I arrive to find them having a lunch donated by a civic minded merchant. I talk to Yen and her Father and we decide that id Sister Cam Thuy can hold some money and give the Father a bus ticket every day I will send her the money for the tickets. It will be less then $12USD per month and Yen goes to school and hopefully not to the place where the men who drink too much go. As it turns out there was an incident, in Yen’s young past, where a man gave Yen a soda and took her to a public rest room. A police detective saw the man take her and knew the man to be a pedophile so he went in and arrested the man. Fortunate for Yen but we can not always expect a police man to be around. Hong and Yen and Father are off and on their way to Anh Linh again and we hope for the best. Of course we live in hope.

An Update...
Miss Hong has called and informed me that Sister Cam Thuy has a better solution to the problem. Move the Father closer to Anh Linh. See what happens when you expect things to improve. They do.

While there I had a chance to talk with Scott Gelsthorpe who is in charge of the annual Cyclo race. Scott is from England and is here as a volunteer. The Cyclo race is in March and on our 2006 trip we either just missed it or were elsewhere in the country. Also in the office was Kimberly Brennan who is as Vietnamese looking as one can be. However she grew up near Chicago and has no accent at all. We talked and found she was adopted in the early 70’s and taken to the USA. Having been adopted we compared notes.

Christmas Cards in hand I was off to Christina Noble Foundation. I arrived at noon break and everyone was away from the office so I was asked to come back later. I went back to the hotel and put my Cards away. I meant to add to my journal however I fell asleep. It’s that noon day thing here.

Thanh arrived and was very upset. By time everything was straightened out it was late in the day so I will get to Christina Nobel Children’s Foundation tomorrow early.

I did have a nice time seeing the facility though I had visited there before.

Another beautiful little girl in the park. She was moving all over the park finding plastic bottles, cans, news paper, and any thing of recycle value. She sits near me and smiles. She sits about 10 feet away and I do not encourage her to move closer since it will be good for her to keep a safe distance from men in the park. She has no English. A bus pulls in along the curb and she runs to the door. The passengers leave the bus and a man comes out with a bag of trash. He smiles at the little girl and hands it to her. She smiles and takes the bag. She brings it back and sets it by a tree and begins to sort things. There a few water bottles and she empties them into her own bottle. When it is full she pours the rest out. There is a bottle of red liquid and she sniffs at it. She is about to taste it and I go over and take the bottle and read the label. It is an electrolyte drink, mostly sugar and artificial color but it will not kill her so I hand it back and say “it is OK” and smile. I do not know if she knows what OK means but I think the smile let her know it was not something bad. She tastes it and makes a face then laughs. As she sifts through the bag she finds some packaged wet towels and she smells each. Finally she smells one that meets with her approval and she washes her face with it. She is at once joyful and pathetic. She is learning a strong work ethic that hopefully will keep her from the dangers of the park.

In the evening the streets were filled with motorbikes, as usual however something was different. Groups of 100 motorbikes passed by, mostly young people, and most carrying large Vietnamese. I thought it was something political however Thanh informed me that the Vietnamese soccer team had won something, which she could not explain. Sometimes the groups would slow down backing up traffic then running ahead fast with their flags waving behind them. It was a really spectacular site. The enthusiasm is very high.

I have very few photos for the last two days since I did not want to take photos in the schools while they were in session.

Susan tells me I am being scheduled for work next Friday. It is hard to believe the time is almost past. Just as well the money is all but gone and so is the time. This is typical when I travel.

The evening went better. I picked up m “little sister” Mai, and we went to the home of my Nepew’s, wife’s family and took them to dinner. We went to a place that specialized in Pho and had a nice meal, I invited my little sister because only my Nieces’s sister speaks English. She speaks English Vietnamese and Chinese. She teaches Chinese. Mai was able to translate but spent more time talking and less time translating. Still everyone had fun.

The morning was consumed with this second effort. Returning to the hotel Hong was there. I forgot that she had wanted to take me to a school for the blind. Thanh was off to work and Hong and I went to the school. I will get the name and more information and enter it here later however I have already packed papers away for the trip. One of the things that I found very interesting at the school was that so many of the students were so at ease with their lack of sight. Some actually moved the playground equipment quite fast. The equipment was on a concrete ledge which made it even more precarious. In the class rooms students worked on projects. There were 200 students served by the school. We met teachers, the Principal and a teacher who had received his master’s degree in Philadelphia. One of the teachers told us that some of the children could see a little. Others had other problems. Some students lived there and others were picked up by parents each day. On pair of students were twins and the one had some sight.

Returning to the hotel Hong and I looked at some recent photos and it was time for her to go to teach. I worked on my journal and some letters that Hong would translate for our friend. Later Hong returned with a gift. It is a lovely inlaid portrait of the characters of Happiness, Prosperity, and Longevity. Hong had originally been impressed that I, a foreigner, was sponsoring children and she was doing nothing. She is the one who did the work, with only a little direction, in getting Yen into school.

I went out to a small dinner and walked around. It appears that Vietnam has beaten Singapore in Soccer and just like a few days ago when Vietnam beat Cambodia the streets were alive. More motorbikes than the worst of rush hour. Most carrying large Vietnam flags and making as much noise as possible. People are shouting, beating on pots and anything else that will make noise. Megaphones and a little boy next to me is blowing into a thing the size of a beverage can that is made out of rubber and sounds like a horn. He is showing no signs of running out of air soon. Once again the excitement level is off the charts. All over are people selling flags and banners. People are waving flags and wearing them as capes.

Much to do tomorrow so I am off to bed.

Our Pilot and crew have just come by in 2 columns looking much like a ceremonial precession. Everyone in a place that denotes their seniority. Very Asian.

Some of the high points were the national Military Cemetery which is hidden away in Thu Duc in a quiet back road, if anything in Vietnam can be called Quiet. Seeing a lot more of Long Binh but finding the access is only due to so much development as Long Binh Post disappears in to history. Much old French Architecture found and more to be documented. The Old CIA and the people there who were so nice as to take me up to the roof and look at the site of the old Photo.

There is so much that I did not get into my journal simply due to days that were full till I went back to the hotel and sat on the edge of my bed doing my Journal, thanks to WIFI, and just falling back in the bed and going to sleep. I will try to get more in the next few days.

I think I sometimes upset Susan because I do not get homesick. I think like Oscar Wilde said. “Home is that place that you can always go and they have to take you in.” Susan is like my anchor and though she sometimes wonders if I will come home or not I always do. My feelings about Vietnam have given me a better understanding of addiction. A need for something that takes on a life of it’s own. Something we allow ourselves not to control. As I planned this trip Susan said “I thought you had gotten Vietnam out of your system. I told her that is not going to happen.

My writing style changes the later it gets so I think it would be good to stop now.