I thought this was going to be a bad day. The phone went dead. I thought the computer died. I had nothing planed and the computer and phone thing took the edge off the day. Huong arrived early and took a nap. I think it was a statement on my dragging her to too many places yesterday. I let her sleep and I went down to the phone store and they looked the phone over. They said it got too dead and could not recharge. They put it on a better charger and it was up in a few moments but I had to leave it charge all day.

I have been seeing things that look like badminton rackets with 4 layers around and I thought they were part of some kind of electronic game. Last night while using the internet downstairs the lady from the hotel had one and ran it under the desks and around the furniture. I heard a crackling sound and when she came near the desks I saw the sparkling. It turns out that these are bug zappers and all I could see and hear was a flashing and crackling as it disposed of all the little gnats that were around. I was thinking how wonderful this would be when the gnats are out at home.

Huong woke up and said she wanted to have lunch near her home. Off we went, picking her son up, and we went to a Chinese restaurant. It is out of the tourist area and it was nice and cheap. After that Huong asked where I wanted to go today. I said that I wanted to visit the Nuclear Reactor that the USA built for Vietnam during the American war. The reactor sits 300 feet off the road amid nicely planted and trimmed gardens. As with most everything Military or Government there was a guard, who would not smile, and said there was to be no picture taking even from the road. I asked a few questions through Huong. We are told the reactor has not been in service for a long time but it was still hot. We could only tour the facility with an escort but he was not sure how you get one so it was good to see it if only from a distance. The driver drove off slowly and the guard returned to his seat with his back to us. I got a few good photos. I will get more later.

Although we were told the reactor had not been in service for a long time I have also read that after the fall of Saigon the Reactor was rebuilt by the Russians using highly enriched HUU fuel which can produce bombs. A joint US, Russian and IAEC group have removed the rods and returned them to Russia. We are reading that the Reactor is running with the new rods that can not be used for bombs. Vietnam is cooperating in the international effort in exchange for being able to build new Nuclear Plants in the future.

Next I wanted to see the ARVN Academy where soldiers became officers during the American war, as it is known here. As you look in through the gate you see a row of large old houses, built in the old French style, on either side of the road which ran up and over a hill so there was not much to see. At the first gate we were met by a very nice guard and things were looking up for a photo from the gate. Then the second officer came. He was the one with the AK–47 and he did not smile at all. It is not that I am really concerned about the automatic weapons which are probably empty. The thing that concerns me is an accident with an automatic weapon. We often remain and talk, and sometimes get a minimal photo but if the guard seems agitated I just smile and say “thank you” and “Good Bye”. As we walk away the guard with the AK-47 turned and walked back to the guard house. The first guard, the nice one, looked at us and I smiled and waved. He smiled and then turned to follow the second officer. I mark this one up to an individual effort at better international relations. We went to two other entrances with the same results. We were in a Cab and the next day Huong teaches I will get a motorbike and go over there and get some photos from the side streets.

Then something I have wanted for years. Dalat University is a wonderful example of French Indochine Architecture. I have been all around it and got some great photos, including photos of the athletic field whose concrete bleachers are now gone. I could not get inside until now. I told Huong that I wanted to get inside to take some photos. As it turns out Dalat University is where she went to college. We stopped at the gate and they were hesitant but she told them this was her school and she wanted to show her husband the college. It worked, we were in. The grounds are beautiful and all but a few buildings were original. Most of the paint is faded, many broken windows and the interior woodwork in some places is very rough. Still it is beautiful. Huong showed me the Science Building, the Infirmary and in the Math Building I took a photo of Huong in the seat she occupied as a student, when she was a girl. It turned out to be a very interesting day.

The computer is not so lucky. It may have been the loose and connection sparking or a surge when the town got it’s power back but I am afraid the mother board is damaged. I picked up a little notebook which has all I need, for now, but it is old software and something new for me to get used to.

Huong called and said she did not have to teach and that she wanted to take me somewhere. Since there is so much to see here anywhere we go is great and usually new. I went to her house and she and her son were at a nearby restaurant. Since I knew we would be walking I did not want to eat anything. We stopped and she talked to a cab driver but seemed unhappy with what he had to say so we were off on foot. We were a little East of center city and we walked through streets with many old French buildings. I am sometimes surprised how many French buildings are here though many are in great disrepair. Many sat empty or were used by people who did not care for them. Many are being destroyed for roads or more hotels. Something which I thing is taking away the small mountain town feel of Dalat and Vietnam in general.

Dalat is a mountain city and, as such you can not walk far without going up or down a hill. Today though I thought we went up all of the hills and did not get to go down any. We were looking for the Zoo however Huong was unsure of the way. I kept suggesting we ask someone, but you know how women are when they think they know where something is and refuse to ask for directions. After wandering the hills we saw some large buildings which, it turns out, were the residence of Madam Nhu. You remember her if you grew up in the 60’s. She put Marie Antoinette to shame with her political incorrectness. In the end her husband was executed and she took the family money and ran off to France, where she lives today, we are told. We could not tour the house because it is National Archive building number 3. Some of the many items are a collection of 35,000 wood blocks for printing. For a fee of 10,000 VND (60 cents) a guide came and showed us the pool in front of Madam Ngu’s Home. She entertained a lot and the pool was heated once but now is not. Our guide said it was rebuilt for display. She showed us the guest house and other buildings. There were a lot of photos of the party faithful. There were also many printings from the wood blocks and handmade maps. Some are the maps I have collected over the years. That was an exciting find.

Vietnam is so filled with contradiction. At the Nuclear Reactor I was not allowed to take a photo through the fence, from the road, and here we are allowed to pick up these wood blocks that are hundreds of years old. One thing we notice is that the Chinese characters, which are very intricate all must be cut backwards to be printed frontwards. This is interesting because the characters pay so much attention to the slightest back stroke or the width at the top or bottom of a stroke. We saw the refrigerator of Madam Ngu and her personal bomb shelter. Just two rooms away was her sister’s bomb shelter.

In another room are photos of the war, including the tank going through the gate at the presidential palace, the little girl, Phan Thi Kim Phuc, running from the napalm, the helicopter in the yard of the embassy and others. There was a photo of General Vo Nguyen Giap and we discussed Dien Bien Phu. General Giap is still alive. We are told he is 100 but his health is not good. I also noticed that May 8th was coming close (anniversary of the fall of Dien Bien Phu). She was surprised that a westerner knew who General Giap was and all about Dien Bien Phu. I think she was surprised because so many Vietnamese do not know their history. They are told what the state wants them to believe and they generally miss trust the state. Knowing some history of Vietnam helps make friends and open doors. I think it is probably this way everywhere.

Once outside the buildings there are some very beautiful gardens. The center piece of the garden is a pond shaped like Vietnam with an ornament in the north that looks like the pagoda of the Golden Tortoise which is in Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi and there is a series of stepping stones in the center at the 17th parallel. I asked the guide that since the country was reunited shouldn’t the stones be removed, she laughed.

After that we wandered, looking for the zoo. We stopped for some ice tea and I am not sure if Huong was tired or we were just too far from the zoo. We came back and Huong went home for a nap. I went to the computer store and got the problem of getting on to WIFI fixed, went to the café, finished one day of my Journal and answered some email.

As I finished a day of my Journal I called Huong and she arrived with a friend. Houng and her friend had ice cream and we chatted for a while and then Huong and I walked by the lake and at the end I was only a few blocks from the hotel and she was only a few blocks, the other direction, from her home.

I am here at the café uploading photos to www.henrybechtold.phanfare.com and they should be up soon.

I spent most of the day trying to understand my new computer.

After breakfast we went to the bus stop for a ride to the zoo. A sign told us we could take the 01, 02, or 03 bus as they all stopped at the Zoo. We could not take the 04, 05, or 06 bus because they went in other directions. The first bus along was a number 7 bus. If you remember which busses we could and could not take, you are right there was no number 7 bus. The 01, 02 and 03 come every 10 minutes, so the sign says. 40 minutes a Sprinter came by. These are really cool but they are the ones who have most of the accidents because they have to get where they are going fast and full of passengers. They are called Sprinters because the 12 passenger Mercedes Van is called a sprinter and these are those or that size. They have a driver and a hawker who is, at best gregarious and at worst pushy. They pull up to a bus stop and ask if anyone is going to where they are going. If someone does not immediately say they are going somewhere else he starts his talk about how they are faster and more comfortable and no one knows when the bus will come along. He actually takes people by the arm and almost drags them in. One young lady did not want to come on our adventure and he talked to her and took her arm but she would not be moved and he gave up. I looked almost like she was being accosted.

From Dalat down to the Zoo the roads are not too bad however Huong took the opportunity to teach me the French word for precipice as she looked down the hillside.

We arrive at the zoo safe and sound and go in. We go to the right down a ling hill and end up where Elephant and Ostrich rides are. Huong wants nothing to do with feeding the Elephants, riding the Elephants or even standing near them. After some coaxing she Feeds a cane stick to one then lets me have a photo and runs away. We wander all over and the grounds are very nice however we notice that there are no animals except the two we already saw. There are some fiberglass ones but other than that nothing.

Back on the bus and we ride to a place and Huong gets off. Her son and I look at one another and get off also. We are in the middle of nowhere and I ask why. She says there is a pagoda. We both tell her Dalat is the way the bus was taking us but she say the Pagoda is only a kilometer this way and points down the hill. I can see a Kilometer down the valley and walking downhill is not so bad, I wanted the exercise anyway. Unfortunately the Pagoda was several Kilometers away and once at the bottom of the hill we started up the other side. A nice thing about being in the middle of nowhere is that much of what we are seeing looks much like it must have looked like on in 1968 and even in 1928. I was surprised to have survive the hike and found that this was Truc Lam Pagoda, the pagoda where Dylan posed with all the ladies when we were here in 2006. The complex is much larger and very nice. Many nice gardens, an area of Bonsai one of which had a trunk 5 or 6 feet around and only a few little branches at the top. Dalat is a honeymoon destination and many young couples are taking photos. There are tours where a driver takes you to places and a photographer takes the photos.

Last time we were here Susan, Dylan and I took the Cable car. We went down and just as we arrived we are told the cable car is closed from 11:30 until 1:30 while everyone takes lunch. As we walk away a man calls to us and apparently he has overridden the young lady and we get a really nice ride back to town.

Back in town Huong’s son Louie goes off and Huong and I go to the hotel and have cheese sandwiches. Huong brought a loaf of bread like in the US. Square and sliced. We still have some Swiss and some Brie. The cheese was a big hit with Huong. One other thing that was a big hit with Huong was the Bubble tubes. I got a bunch at the dollar store. You pull the long wand out and wave it to get really big bubbles. When we have been out all day we sometimes get take out and have it in the hotel. She loves to make bubbles out the window and watch people react as they come down. The cheese sandwiches finished Huong is off and I want to see what is going on behind the market where the bug truck took the crane yesterday morning.

I see that the gate is open but by time I get down there it is closed. This is a prime example of things not working just so something else can. I walk on the street above the market and find that where the construction is going on the old stores up there are being knocked down. Whatever is being built looks like it will go all the way up to that street as well. A few buildings are knocked down enough I can get through and from the back take some photos of the construction. While in the building I notice a pile of tiles that have been pulled down. I pick up a couple of different designs. There was an old French toilet that had come out of the floor and is in great shape. Susan will be happy to know that I left it there. I am doing better about picking up things and bringing them home.

I brought some Hoagies to the hotel and Huong came by. We had the hoagies and were watching TV News. I saw a man spraying the livestock. I asked Huong what he was spraying. She said it is DDT to kill infections. Then we see him in the market spraying the live chickens and ducks. The spray is going everywhere, all over people and nearby produce. They probably trust DDT because it is made in the USA. We also saw the government built a house for a poor family then made a big production about handing it over to them. Just like everywhere where everyone pats one another on the back for one act of helping and then we can go back to ignoring the problems of the many. Sorry about the soapbox.

We stop along the way for breakfast and have a great soup which Huong adds peppers to and some hot sauce. She has been telling me she has stomach pains. There may be a relationship to the pains and the amount of hot sauce and peppers she uses.

After breakfast we take a cab to the church which was not really that far. Of course it was up a long hill. For some reason Huong insists on staying outside rather than coming in to the service which is t beginning. The first 3 rows are children and the singing is responsive and it is beautiful. The building has about a 40 foot roof which is very steep, all wood, the walls are concrete and block, the floor is tile and the room is filled by the singing. I have always thought that Vietnamese is a very musical language.

After the service we go around the church where the offices are. Huong asks if there is a priest or sister who speaks English. We are taken to a place I have always wanted to see, which is off limits, and are introduced to a sister who has considerably more English than I have Vietnamese. However like Huong and I often do, we sat and wrote to one another. The orphanage at the church is for Deaf children only. My interest in an orphanage is that for some days now, in the evening, I have seen girls who look to be in their preteen’s or early teens with babies or young children. I have been told they live on the streets and have siblings and their parents can not afford them or children of their own and were then rejected. They make a living begging but they are in danger and might as well have a bullseye on their coats. After some discussion I am told there is an SOS school in Dalat. We thank the sister and leave.

Across the street from the church is a massive Hospital. Just last trip only a small section was under construction and there were many old buildings on the property. Now only a small group of the old buildings remain and the new Hospital covers most of the grounds. Still only a small section of the new buildings are in service.

Huong is now tired and wants to go home and take a nap. She goes home and I get a motorbike to the SOS Village. Unfortunately on Sunday everyone who speaks English is off. The Lady who is there has some English and tells me to come tomorrow.

At the village I met the secretary, Miss Ly, who showed me around. There are 14 houses in the Village in Dalat and each can have 10 children and one mother. The grounds and buildings are beautifully landscaped with trees and flowers everywhere. The houses are beautiful and clean. The Director is required to live in the Village. There are also 4 aunts who live there and are always ready to help when a mother is ill or must be away. Right now there are 108 children in residence and another 132 who are away at college or married and loving away. It is a beautiful way to live for these children. From age 3 to 5 there is a preschool across the street. From 6 to 18 there is a school next door which was started by SOS Village. After 18 there is college.

After the tour of the Village I ride back towards city center. We rode down a street the was all old French homes that were either abandoned or had add ons and were being used like stores or warehouse. I went onto one of the empty houses and all the fixtures had been removed. Nothing had been broken or torn out just removed and probably recycled into other homes or businesses. These homes have probably been empty for a long time still the wood is dry but strong. Few windows are broken. This is a small house by comparison to the some others like the homes at Ana Mandara.

We rode around the Nuclear Reactor again looking for places to get some photos of the unusual out buildings. From the front we see a building about 100 feet to each side of the Reactor. Each building follows the curve of the Reactor. The unusual buildings are to the rear and we can only see the tops and a tower that looks like a rocket plunged into the ground and left the tail sticking out. The buildings to the rear go down a hill away from the Reactor and are surrounded by a dense forest.

It is funny that as I circle the grounds of the Reactor there are homes and businesses that back up to the Reactor compound and I wonder if they know what is in their back yards. As in other places I ask, by means of gesturing and showing my camera and I am usually allowed in so I can go to the back or upstairs so I can take photos out the back window.

So many places here are hard to photograph. So many secrets. In the USA we can tour Military installations. Tom, Raven and I spent a day in the War College at Carlile, PA and I have spent man wonderful days in the National and the Library of Congress. Here it is not so. Curiousity has been extinguished and is hard to rekindle.

Huong tells me she loves books and misses the family library. After the fall of the south the police came and took all books. They were not selective, all books were gone. I wonder if they are still in warehouses somewhere. I would love to get into that building.

After the Reactor we went looking for the military installation that was the West Point of the ARVN. We got lost and I decided that since the meter was running

With breakfast done we went looking for a cab to see the large Gold Buddha that is on a hill North of center city Dalat. I always get Mai Linh cabs exclusively. They are always honest. Huong, who does not use cabs, wanted to take another cab so I gave in. Our fare was double and because of her innocence the cab driver was able to talk his way out of it. If you need a cab just dial 38383838 and you get an honest cab from Mai Linh.

Our first stop is the Van Hanh Pagoda. The Buddha is at least 50 feet high and the temple complex is beautiful. The hill top is covered with gardens. There are many gift shops. One sells driftwood that has been polished and carved. They also have stone that looks like driftwood or beryl. As the water carves out the limestone caves it looks like some breaks off and here it is. One garden has a dragon in a pond. There are several ponds with potted plants in the water and water lilies. Some of the gardens are planted and some are the potted plants arrayed in beautiful patterns of color, Height and texture. Bonsai is everywhere. Some containers are 4 and even a few 6 feet across. One even had the pot break away and now you can see the tangle of roots that were in the pot.

The Pagoda itself is also beautiful. The columns are dragons made of concrete and inlaid with fragments of china and glass. The many statues are made of concrete or wood. Many are painted beautifully. There is a main alter and a smaller one on each size. In another room behind the alter are three more alters. Everything is so bright and beautiful. The Gold Buddha sits on a platform that is the size of a small house.

I had almost gotten used to Monks with cell phones when I noticed three monks at a desk at the entrance to the Pagoda. They were at a lap tom which I assumed had Pagoda records or Buddhist writings. Instead the two were watching the third playing a game where you build villages and cities.

I had wanted to take Huong to the park where all the flowers are but something lost in translation. We ended up on top of a hill at the Valley of Love. Huongs son, Louie, liked this and probably better than the Pagoda or the flower park. After some coaxing Huong went on the bumper cars. After a few laps she was getting the hang of it. She was looking at me and heading for the wall as I pointed and said turn the wheel. She looked around and saw the wall coming close she turned the switch that shut off the motor. Still she hit the wall. The attendant pushed her back and turned the switch back on. He moved the wheel back and forth and I think, in the end, she had fun.

As we entered the park there was an old army jeep that said US ARMY on the side and USAF on the bumper. At the back of the amusement park was a row of M151’s all marked US Army or USMC and a Russian truck.

At the back of the park we found the reason why the Valley of Love was n top of the hill. The Valley was, in fact, behind the amusement park. The Valley was beautiful. There was a large lake with beautiful clean green water. From the hill we could see down into the water. There were swan peddle boats. Down the hillside were gardens. Sculptures and foot bridges were everywhere.

As the men worked some women went around picking up everything that could not be used as fill. Styrofoam, wood, cardboard and also selecting everything recyclable.

I wandered the top of the hill above the market expecting to find something French and grand at that but only small homes. Some little more than shacks. I am sure there must have been a lookout in the American war but nothing remains.

I have spent a few hours in the café hoping to get photos up but they will have to wait for Saigon. And now I am off to wander, to end up at Huong’s at 11:00 to have lunch with her and Louie, her son.

We are at a restaurant near her home. It is a Chinese restaurant and much of the food is very familiar to that at the Chinese restaurant at home. I am told that food is going up along with everything else here. Still three of us can get dinner with drinks and more than anyone could need for under $5.00 USD. Desert is usually not served with meals here unless you are in a tourist area or Western hotel.

Walking back into the city center we pass a gas station. A motor bike is on the other side of the pumps and a little girl and I make eye contact and begin waving. As we walk we are each reaching to see one another. The more we have to move to see one another the more she smiles.

I had asked Huong about the theater on the hill above the Market so we walked up and found that it is only used during the festivals. I would have liked to seen the inside. There was a merchant in the stairwell whto the outside and one in the exit from the theater. Neither one was open for us to peek in.

I also asked her about a Library. She took me to a bookstore. I do not think there are libraries in Dalat. I will have to look in Saigon.

I returned to the street above the market and Huong asked a mechanic if I could borrow a screw driver to take a house number sign down from one of the buildings that is being torn down. He was as dumbfounded as the wreckers as to why someone would want the sign but he was nice enough to lend me the screw driver and I was able to get one more sigh.

Coming back Huong stopped and we bought some treat. It was rice that was naturally purple and the lady put it on a roll then added a smear of something that like mayonnaise, a table spoon of something white like cream, some salt, some nuts and some coconut. She put the roll in a bag and gave it a squeeze to mix everything. With the amount of salt I thought it would be too much but the combination was really good.

Dalat is the place to go for honeymooners. After our snack we went down by the lake and sat, watching people till it got dark. Now I am back in my room and I think I will blow a few bubbles then go to sleep. I started blowing bubbles last week and we watch the reaction of the people. When Huong is here she ducks down so no one will know where the bubbles came from. Children love them. Women like them and men ignore them and sometimes step aside so as not to be touched by them.

The truck moves on to another place and unloads another side or two. In one place all the heads are unloaded. It is the age of specialization. Interestingly the sides all have their skin on and it remains on each cut. The hides are not taken before butchering.

I filmed most of this from my room. Later I went down into the market and filmed more of the activities, indoors and out. Some of the vendors were real hams and others thought it was so funny that I was filming them. A few were a little embarrassed and I tried not to film those who did not want their picture taken.

And then the day got really great. A few days ago I hired an old man and his motorbike and we rode around so I could take photos. Huong does not like looking for history but she does like museums and the flower park. When she teaches I take the opportunity to go looking. While out at the Nuclear Reactor, with the old man, we ran onto a lady on a motor bike. She offered to drive me around so I took her name and number. She was in an area that I wanted to see and I thought she might know places better. She was also short enough that I can shoot over her easily. I asked Huong to call her and tell her that I would give her 100,000VND ($6.00) to drive me around from 8:00 till 3:00 while Huong taught. Apparently I had gotten the phone number and name mixed up and Huong could not get through so she said she called the man.

I was a little disappointed until we got to her house. She had said the man because she did not know brother-in-law at the moment. This was looking up because her brother–in-law has very good English. At her house I see her brother-in-law with his motorbike and a helmet. Then it gets better. He hands me the helmet and shows me the starter. Then bike is running and Huong asks, “You can drive”? Since I am very honest and straightforward I say “we will see”. He tells me there are 4 forward and it is an automatic. I put it in first and go down the block, into the intersection, through a traffic circle and I am off. Huong lives at the Western side of city center and I go West from there so I can try my skill in less traffic.

If you remember that when walking you look for a break in traffic then just walk across the street and do not pay attention to the traffic. Keeping a steady pace and not looking at on coming traffic allows drivers to decide whether to go in front or back of you. If you watch them, you may try to anticipate them and then accidents happen. Now I am driving so the shoe is on the other foot. Now I have to assume that they will remain at a constant speed and direction and it is up to me to not hit them. Also the faster motorbikes will assume that I am going at a constant speed and direction. I am getting the hang of it and all is going well.

First I decide to go Northwest to find an airstrip that was built in the War. I have seen it on Google Earth. I do not know if any buildings remain but there are some possibilities. As I use the map I am also wandering because the map is not completely accurate and major roads do not always have name signs. The first road I wander up leads me to a quarry. I show the guard the map and point to the airfield. He smiles and motions down the road I just came up and around to the East. I thank him and I am off. The next road comes to s fork and between the forks is a large gate and a path up a hill. This requires some investigation. Going up the path a ways I see stairs going far up to the top of the hill and at the top a building. The path goes around the hillside and climbs until I am at the top. It is a Pagoda that is all but forgotten. There no modern signs and the only sign that anyone has been here is a small amount of incense and at the foot of one of the tombs. The entire top of the hill is very natural and clean and mostly undisturbed.

Back down the hill I take the next probable road and in no time I find the cemetery of the Heroes. Riding up the path I come to a gate and a courtyard in front of a small building. A long flight of stairs go up to the monument at the top of the hill. It is tall and stone and the center on all sides is red. Behind and to the right are the graves.

Back out to the main road my next expedition takes me nowhere but it takes a long time to get there. The paved road turns to unmaintained road then to gravel and finally to dirt. As I ride through undeveloped forest I think this is how soldiers found it in the 60’s and 70’s. It is probably as the French found it and much as the native people saw it. It is beautiful and peaceful but it is not going where I want to be so I turn back and go up the next road that looks promising.

Third time is the charm, or in this case, fourth time is the charm. I turn up a road and after a while I can see I am on a plateau and the road is straight. I think the runway is behind these houses. Turning down a side street I can see the control tower. In a few moments I am on the asphalt. The runway stretches far to the west and some distance to the East. The tower is set back from the runway next to a large paved area. There is a small building that looks like a Pizza Hut at the far end of the paved area. I do not know if it is from the period of the tower. I drive down the runway and get a few photos of the end of the runway with the number 28 in large letters. To the North is a taxiway that runs the length of the runway. I follow it to the end and over to the runway. The hills are just as a pilot would have seen them but the build up is something that they would not have seen. The airfield is surrounded by green houses. Near the East end of the runway are some old buildings that probably predate the runway and a large French mansion which is not a company. In the 60’s there was a much more pronounced feeling of being in the middle of no where.

After taking some photos I go to the control tower and find a family living in it. She is friendly but he is cautious. I hold up my camera and ask if I can go up to take some photos. The woman smiles and says yes. She takes me around to the other side where the steps begin and I climb to the top. The second floor of the tower is locked but the third, with the windows, is empty except for a desk. The windows lean out at the top to reflect glare. The window to the door, in the rear, is broken and I can get my camera in to see what the controllers would see. I love finding these bits of history. For a moment I thought of climbing the ladder to the roof but the ladder is rusty and I do not want to test it.

I have found the Airfield and it is only 11:00. Huong is expecting me for dinner at 3:00. I still have the bike for 4 more hours. My next5 stop is the old French buildings to the Northeast of town. We were there before but were turned away. I had not thought to take a few photos before asking. I got some nice photos of the French buildings but could not get to a location to take photos of the buildings over the hill. I went through a construction because Google Earth shower the site around where I could take photos of the insignias and the scrambled eggs on the hat visor. Some even smiled. The old French buildings were in use but in need of repairs that they were just not getting. I do not know what it was back then or what it is now but it is very interesting.

I have seen bits and pieces of the VN officers college. I was hoping to get a better look but the facility is surrounded by a large forest. I did get a few photos here and there but I think I can get closer.

I still have over an hour but it is beginning to rain, for the first time in my trip. I head back to town and go down an interesting street that I have been down before. The French architecture is everywhere but here and there are areas of the large homes that let me know that this was no outpost but a substantial community. Some of the houses have been used as commercial buildings and a few seem to be homes however there are a dozen that have been left empty. They were striped of doors and windows and in one even the second floor joists were removed along with the stairway up. I hope to get into more of these and get some photos, especially the larger ones.

The rain is coming down hard now so I head back and stop at a gas station to fuel up but also to get out of the rain under the large roof of the gas station.

I make it back to Huong’s soaked to the bone and chilly. I am early but she has dinner ready and she and Louie and I enjoy it. Hot food on a cold day. I go to the hotel after dinner and get a hot shower and dry clothes. I do my journal for a while and fall asleep quickly.

That finished we were sitting on the steps of the theater watching the people go by when Louie called and told Huong he was looking for her. She was a little upset because she did not know where he was. As we sat there looking around Louie walked down the sidewalk across the street. I think he was feeling a little left out. He loves to go with us but he really does not like the places we go. He does not like walking but I am trying to walk a lot while here and Huong walks everywhere. He was bored to death at the Pagoda and the Flower Park. However off we go and he seems happy to be there. I had been to the Flower Park when Huong was working and I knew she would like it also. We walked around the lake to the park. On the way we passed some cameras where a TV show was being made. The director was looking at a pair of monitors. I looked over his shoulder. His wife and an assistant were both spoke English well and we talked. A car showed up and the director went to talk with the people in the car. When he came back I had my camera out and he smiled so I took his photo. Everyone laughed and he looked serious again and said something short and gruff which was probably something like “Get back to work”.

A little farther along we met a man who smiled and started talking to Huong. I asked who he was and said she did not know. “the man said ‘38 39’ and something about a sign. It clicked, he must have been at the place where I got the house number signs which were 38 and 39. I am glad I waived to him even though I did not know why at the time.

Huong liked the Flower Park but Louie was bored. There were many photographers in the park. When we stopped for a drink the photographers were gathering just below us. One took a photo of me so I took one of him. The other photographers all liked this. They were a nice group.

After the Flower Park we went for lunch but the place I wanted to stop at was not open. We found another place and had some Bun Bo Hue which is simply beef stew with some added spices. Huong is going to cook again tomorrow and I am going to get a look at the preparations.

After lunch Huong and I wanted to take a walk bu the lake but Louie had enough walking.

This week we went to the church near the Eiffel Tower. The church has it’s name only in Vietnamese, Nha Tho Chanh Tao. Huong tells me it is the Church of the Chicken. She tells me to look to the steeple. There on top of the Cross is a chicken. I am not sure why this is but there is a Chicken Village.

The Church is quite large, with a high vaulted ceiling which is buttressed. The doors are large and there are nice stained glass windows. We arrive a little late and the Church is packed with many outside the front door. The responsive chants are beautiful and also the singing. As Church ends the adults leave and the front door is closed. The children, sitting in groups with a Sister are being led out to a wing that must be the Sunday School.

We walk down the street towards Huong’s house. There are many buildings which are police and government for the City, Province and National. We stop to get some sandwiches for later. After a nice walk we arrive at Huong’s house and She and Louie and I go to her favorite restaurant for lunch. We wander around town for a while and Huong goes home.

I walk back up to where the buildings are being torn down. Some ladies are going through the rubble and I ask one for a hammer, which she happens to have. I take the numbers for 33 and 43 down.

I have been up and down this side of the hill above the market and found nothing, no path or stairway to anything old. Google Earth shows me that there is something big and old but I did not see it. This time I decide to go around the hill keeping to the left. Eventually I find a long and winding road which climbs up the back of the hill.

If I said that every other building in Dalat is a Hotel it would be an understatement in the city center. However I am beyond the Hotels and now on a road that looks like the country. Though it is in the midst of the city it is isolated and there are many trees and underbrush. Along the down side of the hill I see some of the old French houses. Some are small and a few are very large. On the upside of the hill I see a newer building. If it is a house it is quite large. Beyond this building, on the upside, is a large, old, drab building. Steps go up to a portico and a sprawling building complex. In the rear of this building is a tall mast with many transceivers mounted on it. At the end of the road is a gate and gate house. There is a side gate and it is open. I walk in and begin taking photos when two men on motorbikes, but without guns, come down the path and motion me away. I go out and around a corner until I hear them leave then go back to taking photos. I do not know what this complex is but in the Days of the French this was the home of someone with real wealth and power. It is beautiful sitting up there and I wish I could go in and take photos. I really wish someone would document these Historical building.

On the way down the hill I meet a lady who was sweeping her driveway as I went up the hill. She lives in one of the big houses. Her house is very nicely maintained. She says hello and we stop and talk for a while. She is a teacher of Math. I ask why everything is closed and we can not see these buildings. She laughs and says that she can not see these places either. We are standing next to a nise little complex with house, garage, some outbuildings and gardens. She said someone lived in it until a year ago then they left and it was left empty. She said that one of the big homes has 4 families living in it. Hers is large and it is a single family home. I asked if they worked for the government. She said yes. I asked what her husband does and she said he is a police officer. The building that I had noticed coming in is a police headquarters and the young men playing volleyball in the courtyard are police officers. It seems like the hill is police.

On the way back to the hotel I run into a man who used to work for the US during the war. We chat for a while and now I am back at the hotel doing my Journal.

After breakfast I walk North through the town and found myself in an area that I had not been before. I bought a hat which was only $1.25 and I had been worrying about my red nose.

There are two very small delicate looking women who apparently are in the salvage business. They have a motorbike which looks like it has been salvaged. They also have a box of nails and an old pedestal hair dryer which they are disassembling and packing on the motor bike. After considerable effort the Motorbike was laden with their recycle and the lady on the motorbike was off in one direction and the second lady picked up her yoke and baskets and was off in the other direction.

About this time there was a crash and I turned to see two motorbikes going down. Two girls om a motorbike ran into the back of a man who seemed a little upset, the man carefully inspected his motorbike for damage and found nothing serious so both motorbikes drove away.

I passed the new section of the University of Dalat and the Golf Course which was established in 1922. Shortly I am passing the Nuclear Reactor and I continue to a new building just past the reactor. It looks much like a Pagoda in Saigon. There is a 10 story tower but instead of Dragons there is a cross on the top. It is a Catholic Church. It looks like it is still under construction and there does not seem that anyone is there.

Walking back to town I see very dark clouds to the East and I am hoping they are missing us but I got caught in the rain two days ago and it was a soaker. At the flower park I get a cab back to the hotel. I walk in and go upstairs, as I look out the window. The rain has begun to come down. Just in time.

My journal is caught up and I go to the market for some Apples, cheese and bread. Huong will be here soon for dinner.

Huong is teaching so we meet for breakfast. I told her that I had gone to the place that we asked about the other day. She also wanted to try it. This gave me an opportunity to find out the ingredient was that I liked so much. I did like it but I was hoping it was not brains or pancreas or something like that. As it turned out I was right when I thought it was something made with dough. It was a giant crab cake which she cut up and gave some in each bowl. When we finished breakfast Huong went up to the Academy and I went southeast.

On my way to a French section and the Palace number 2 I met two members of Easy Rider Vietnam. This is a group that can show you around town, to see the sights near by or ride you anywhere in the country. They are very knowledgeable and everyone I have met was an interesting person. The two I met today were both men would could not find work, after the fall because of their political affiliation during the war. I had mentioned I wanted to get close to the old ARVN Military Academy and one of the men, as it turns out, said he graduated from the Academy. He tells me that he spent two years in a reeducation camp. I asked if he had a certificate to show he completed his reeducation. He said yes. I asked if he had it framed and hanging on his wall. He smiled, recognized my sarchasm and said “no, I do not”. I asked if he did keep it and he said “yes”. We discussed the political atmosphere in Vietnam, Dalat, and the USA. We discussed the fate of so much of the old French architecture and why everything Political, Military or Police is off limits.

I wanted to stop by Bao Dai’s Palace number 2. It is now a hotel. You can stay in a room in the palace or one of the buildings on the estate for as little as $35 USD. You can sleep in the Emperors bed for 180,000 Dong which is a little under $100 USD. I picked up a brochure because if I win the lottery Raven can sleep in the Empress’ room and I will take the Emperor’s room.

After the palace I continued east. At one point I look to a Hilltop behind the Museums of the ethnic Minorities and I see a very large French home. Going through the museum grounds I get to the house. It is very large. Three stories and covers the hill top. I look towards the lake and the house has a commanding view. Before the Museum was built it also had a view of the University of Dalat, the rail road station and so much more. Then a surprise. The house on the hill behind the market is clearly visible from here. If I only had a long lens.

After the Museum I am going down a small street and I hear “Hello” or more like “HELLO!”. I look and in a small shop a woman, a girl and a boy are eating lunch. I say hello and the girl gets up and comes to the sidewalk. She asks where I am from and I say the United States. I ask where she is from and she says. “I am from Vietnam”. She has the most beautiful smile and I ask if I can take her picture. She says “wait”, runs back into the shop and puts her chopsticks down. Returning to the sidewalk with a smile that would brighten the darkest of days and innocence is radiating from her. I have said it before but the term “beautiful little girl” is redundant.

I look at my map and find a way from the Museum to the road with the old, empty French homes. Going down this road I find that every other building is old French. Some empty and some in use, Some fixed up and some in disrepair. One appears to be empty and a padlock is on the front door. Around the side the basement door is open and ajar. It is dark so I take a photo and look to see that there are no holes and what the stairs look like. I go up the stairs, which do not look real good but I step only on the edge near the wall. Upstairs I am in a hallway, near the front door, when I hear footsteps. I pay only enough attention to the two men to say hello. They say hello and unlock one of the doors. In this hallway which includes the stairwell every door is locked with a padlock. The house has 4 apartments on each floor. Since the men were so friendly I followed them through the maze of rooms, out of the old house, into the addition, which is much newer. The men are now well ahead of me and it seems a little like Alice following the White Rabbit, which led Alice no where that she wanted to be so I returned to the main house and back and out.

About this time the phone rang and it Huong who said today is Her Fathers Commemoration day the family is gathering for a meal. I find my way out of the back streets and alleys to a main street and there is an Mai Linh Taxi, Remember that Mai Linh are the taxi to use and you are not likely to have a problem with an over active meter. The cab driver is resting but he takes me to Huong’s front door. The family is just arriving. four of her sisters and her brother live in Dalat and all are here along with one Nephew who attends the University of Dalat and speaks English well. Huong’s son is also there along with two Brothers-in-law. I notice one thing that is just like at home. There is much more food than is necessary. Huong mentions that it is her brother who has done the cooking. Everything is delicious. There is a gelatinous soup that has pork, shrimp, quails eggs, shallots and other vegetables. There is a dish of chicken pieces friend in a hot sauce on a bed of fried shallots, There is pork, chicken and another soup and rice. Huong’s brother, Nephew and son speak English. Her brother speaks English best of all. The cleanup is left to the Aunts who recruit the Nephew who seems happy to help.

In the living room a brother-in-law has his camera hooked up t0 the TV and some are watching family photos. We look at the old photos and they ask me to tell who is who. In some of the old photos the younger girls have boy’s haircuts and this makes it hard to tell. Huong has a photo of the family when she was 8 and another when she is 16. When that photo was taken I was in Vietnam in the 572 Trans Company. So many in Vietnam have no old photos. They were lost in one move or another.

Back in my room I am typing my journal and will meet Huong for Ice Cream at the Café Viet Hung at 8:00.

Over Ice Cream Huong and I are discussing the abandoned houses of the French. She tells me that some are abandoned because they are haunted. She says people move in then move out because they hear things or something brushes against them in the night. I told her and she looked at me like I should not dismiss ghosts so quickly and I apologies.

I would like to meet the two members of Easy Rider Vietnam, I wish I had met them earlier. I know I would have gotten closer to the Military Academy. Unfortunately they are not where they were yesterday.

I am now hear the street with the old houses that are empty. Most have writing that says Danger but there are other words that I can not understand so I ignore the warnings. Some of the houses have Had their doors and windows removed so access is easy. Most have the sinks, toilets and showers removed.

One house has everything removed even the roof and rafters, it is just a stone frame of a house. I come to a home that has intrigued me. It looks large and has several out buildings in front, along the side and behind. I take photos of the out buildings and come into the house from the rear entrance. I am amazed that two thirds of the first floor is one room. There are some smaller rooms on the West side of the house. Perhaps an office or small meeting room. The stairs up are wide and I come up to one very large room just as on the first floor. Again there are smaller rooms on the west side and one small room in the front west corner. The house must have very grand at one time. Behind the house are rooms and offices and a large kitchen. The gate to this house was locked but there was no fence between it and the house to the east.

Next in the row is another interesting house. The front is glass from side to side and ceiling to floor. Both ends of this large front room are also glass with a door on each side. I first go to the outbuildings that are behind this house. As I am taking photos a beautiful little head appears in the window of the house and says hello. I say Hello and realize that even though the front had no signs of anyone present there must be someone living there. I move around the outside of the house and decide not to intrude. The little girl comes running out of the house and follows me around. Soon her mother is out and invites me in. She appears to live in one room in the back of the main house with a little kitchen and bathroom. There are two rooms on the east side that have new doors with locks on them. In the center of the house is a spiral stairway. The second floor was all paneled in a dark wood with beautiful grain but much of it has been taken from the building. Where the wood had been taken the very large beams and heavy frame of the roof were revealed. I was about to leave when the woman called me to her room and pointed out the hinges of some built in cabinets. I am not sure if she was pointing out the brass hinges or the fact that cabinets were built in. I smiled and took a few photos of the cabinets. As I was leaving the three of us were in the front glass room. I thanked her and wanted to take a photo of her and her daughter. She did not want her photo taken and stepped aside. I took another photo of her daughter. As I walked down the driveway they were both on the porch waving. I waived and as I went down the street I looked back every once in a while and the little girl was still there and I would wave and she would wave.

There is a street running parallel to this one and the houses there have been restored. Also many new buildings have been built in the French style. These are part of another hotel complex.

I get a cab to the bus terminal and buy my ticket for Saigon. I get the first seat by the door. I like to see where we are going. I am told the shuttle will pick me up at the hotel at 10:00 in the morning.

One thing that I am amazed at is that some, in the market, have only one or two things to sell and not much of that. One older lady has a basket that is more like a shallow bowl, 18 inches across which has some red, dried beans in it. I am surprised that she earns a living with it. Also some of the young men and ladies in the square, at night, have a few trinkets that they sell. A ball or top that lights up. Still it is nice to see them working at something good.

She goes to school and I go with her as far as the taxi. In Vietnam it is not proper to touch between men and women. I cannot kiss her goodbye or even hug her. I touch her shoulder but she cannot even do that. I love this culture but a little touch is very nice sometimes.

Hung is off and I return to the hotel get my things and wait for the ride to the bus terminal. In Vietnam, on the long distance buses, the ride includes being picked up at you hotel before and taken to you hotel after the trip. At least that is the way it is on the Phuong Trang buses.

On the bus the ride is nice. There is much to see. We quickly pass the zoo and the road which Huong, Louie and I walked to the Pagoda. Once we pass the remnants of the railroad which used to run up to Dalat. An occasional bridge with a grade on either side much more gradual than the road. At several points we see the jungle that is little changed from the time when hotels in Dalat claimed good Tiger hunting. Along the road we stop for a break in a place we have stopped many times. The mountains rise around us and on top of one a rick stands out looking much like a whale breaching. I take a photo of it each time we stop. Down the road farther we begin to see evidence of the extensive rubber plantations that once covered much of French Indochina and provided the world with rubber.

We pass a place that I have noticed on previous trips. There are very large boulders. Some are three stories tall and have boulders on top of boulders, sometimes three high. On one pile of boulders there is a large Buddha sitting peacefully. There is a Temple on the grounds. So many things I hope to see on one trip or another.

We arrive in Saigon, on De Tham Street, at around 7:00 PM. I am amazed how tiring it can be to sit for 8 hours and do nothing. I check in at the hotel. It is good to see Loan again. Both of her children now have jobs and only work at the hotel part time. This is another really nice family and I recommend the Hotel Thuan Duc highly. It is very lean and Loan and her children are always helpful. I arrive and announce “I am home Mom. My favorite room 101 is ready for me.

I go out and walk around seeing a few friends from previous trips and then it is back to the hotel and to bed. I fall asleep very easily.

The PayPal at Saigon Children’s Charities had not been working for a long time so I went to SCC to pay my bill and to see the people there again. Unfortunately when I arrived no one was there. Maybe it was because it was Good Friday however I was greeted by a single non English speaking man who said only “Monday”. So I will return.

With no one home at SCC I walked towards the center of town, Nguyen Hue and Le Loi. As I approach the Rex Hotel I look across the street and see that the Eden building is now just a memory. So much of old Saigon is disappearing to make way for the new Saigon. I liked the old Saigon. The Eden building is famous to many who have never been there or heard it’s name. In the movie “The Quiet American” Thomas’ friend, Miss Phuong, liked to go to the milk bar with her friends and have ice cream. This milk bar was still in the Eden build on the Southeast corner closest to the Opera House. Jim and Eilene Duty went there one day. I have been there many times and I really like the feel of the place.

Now I am at the Tax Store and I pick up a few essentials. Laughing Cow cheese cost less than $2 in Dalat and about $2.50 here however back home where it is made it costs between $3 and $5. I do not know how it is that after shipping half way around the world it can cost so much less. Many products are like that here.

My shopping done I get the bus back to De Tham Street and walk to the alley. De Tham, which used to be the back pack tourist area is now filling with night clubs which cater to those that like loud music and alcohol till late in the night. Why travel at all?

I took a nap and Thanh showed up. We went to dinner and ice cream but she did not want to walk in the park. I like the park but they say it is not safe. Too many pick pockets. If I go to the park in the evening I leave everything home and I do not have to worry about pick pockets.

We go back to the hotel and chat for a while and Thanh calls Hong. Hong is a teacher and a very nice person. She has often translated for me. It just so happens that a student has canceled and she is free so she comes and we all have a fun time chatting. Soon Thanh has to leave and shortly Hong leaves.

Along the way we pass three Lexus dealers, one BMW dealer and a Mercedes Dealer. The economy here is just like the USA. It is bad for many but not all.

I arrive at Dam Sen Park and call Thanh who arrives quickly. We ride to her house. Across a small canal and down a dirt road that parallels the Green/Gray water of the canal. Then Left into a narrow street lined by two buildings that each have 10 or so door and window sets each of which is a home to someone or some family.

Thanh works out of her house but still reports to a boss. She has a small press with a die in it that cuts out one inch discs of leather. She has a supply of leather scraps and baskets full of discs. She has made French friends for me and she begins working the press, punching out the little discs. We are watching a DVD that looked like a pirate movie. It started with a man running down the beach, chased by a man and three men who looked like a comedy relief. Soon the real pirates showed up and took over but they were just as silly. Finally the pirate ship is on stage and they are singers singing modern songs. A combination of bubble gum and rap. A little bizzre.

A little girl came by. This is a poor area but the little girl goes to school and her English is pretty good. We worked on her English work book for a while then played games on Thanh’s cell phone. She was so much fun.

After a while I took a little walk. We are way out of the tourists areas but even so there are high rise apartments going up within a few hundred yards. As I walk out the alley I see other homes with the same punching machines. The entire alley seems to be involved in making shoes, both leather and rubber. At one building there are people working outside. A woman is gluing cut outs of shoe souls to a sheet of rubber then cutting them out. A man who has come over to me invites me inside and indicates that I may take photos. My photo taking is seen as funny by most and mildly annoying by others but the man must have some influence in this. There is a young boy operating a press that is crushing the glued pieces together. Many are working in the assembling of the shoes. All are talking and seem to be having a good time. The air is thick with adhesive and the few fans are pointed to keep people cool rather than ventilate the building.

The farther I go from the tourist areas the more I enjoy it. I walk out to the main street and walk for a while. Most are friendly and outgoing. A few are reserved but everyone is nice.

At the end of the alley three men are using very long handled rakes to pull trash and debris from the canal which is not a burgundy/Gray. They seem happy I their work and call out to chat. One of the men has some English and the other two are happy that we can talk a little. Real people.

Returning to Thanh’s house I meet her coming out of the alley. She says we are finished and ready to go. We walk to Dam Sen which is the end of the bus route, or in this case the beginning. The ride back is a little longer than a cab but the savings is worth it, and besides you meet people on the bus. Sometimes just a nice smile and sometimes someone who wishes to practice their English or just chat.

We are in the hotel watching Tom and Jerry, one of Thanh’s favorites. Soon we will go to dinner.

This morning Thanh arrived early and we went to breakfast and then to Notre Dame Cathedral for the Easter Mass. The sermon was in English by an Irish priest. The Cathedral looked very different filled. There were many westerners with cameras but also many who may very well be regulars. Thanh was surprised that I knew so many of the responses but they are very similar to Lutheran. The Cathedral has a flat screen TV on each column, five on each side with the words to some of the liturgy and the scripturally correct but shorter Lord’s Prayer. The service was enjoyable however some concessions were made to Asian culture. Instead of a bell ringing there was a gong that was struck three times at points of the service.

After the service we went to Anh Linh to talk to Sister Cam Thuy. The girls are away for the weekend so we will see them tomorrow.

Thanh had to go home and work this evening and night so she left early. I went to the park and ran into a woman who I knew from last trip. She sells in the park and I asked her about Yen. Yen is the little girl who wanted to go to school but her father held her ransom till he got a motorbike. He claimed her begging was what fed him but if he had a motorbike she could go to school. A few months after I returned home a friend in Saigon said she would pay half the motorbike if I paid the other half. I sent two hundred and we bought a second hand motorbike. The father lost it to gambling debts and said she could not go to school because he needed her to beg. Now the tide has changed. I found the father who said he wanted her to go to school now. I took this with a grain os salt but went with him out to Tan Binh District, out near the airport, and as we approached the house Yen saw me and ran out to meet me. She jumped up and hugged me and I thought we are home. Then we find that though the father wants her in school Yen does not want to go to school. A family member is called to act as interpreter and we chat. The father used to hit Yen and always yelled at her when she did not beg well enough. Through the interpreter the father said Yen now goes all the way to the park and can not be found for several days. My concerns are why they can not find her and has she found that she can earn more that girls with a degree and has someone convinced her that this is where she belongs. I explain to the lady who translates that we are concerned about her future and think no good will come of her being in the park. The woman translating thinks this is the best opportunity Yen has. Yen is being badgered now unmercifully by her father and I tell the interpreter that this is not good and all I want Yen to do is think about this. As I leave I tell Yen to just think about school and I give her my card and the Hotel card. We will see what happens.

Back at the hotel, alone, I go to ABC Bakery and get some comfort food planning to settle in for the night. On the way back a rather rat has appeared and a man is kicking the rat across the street. He is playing soccer with it until it gets jammed under the wheel of a taxi. The driver is absent so the man pushes the taxi out of the way and goes after the rat again. Tourists are passing and do not seem to notice. People are cheering the man on. I would probably have thought it cruel were it not for the absurdity of it.

We went to Anh Linh School to see the girls. There was some pressure in this visit. Chau had a rough time last year but is now happy in school. The new director of Bridges2Learning, A group, in the USA, which raises money to fund Anh Linh school, had written to me about her first visit to Anh Linh. She said that she met a group of beautiful girls there who call themselves “Henry’s Girls”. She said they refer to themselves as that and the staff refers to them as that. It added a little pressure to things.

The meeting went well as we met first with Chau and Tram. As always Chau has a reserved “Mona Lisa” smile and Tram is just beaming and smiling from ear to ear. During Tet Tram sang and danced and really enjoyed it. Tram wants to be a teacher and I think she will do well at it. Chau does smile from ear to ear at times but returns to the more quiet smile. Chau wants to be an airline hostess.

After they return to class I look around the school. They have a new building with dormitories, class rooms and a big kitchen. Several ladies are cooking and putting lunch out. The new building is very clean. On the first floor there is no front wall and the building opens to a courtyard in front of the school. We have a time to wait until Thao Ly arrives. Sister Cam Thuy tells us that Thao Ly wears the white Ao Dai of the 6th grade and up but she walks like a boy.

Suddenly Sister Cam Thuy motions towards the gate and we see Thao Ly. She also sees us and is smiling and excited and runs to me with a big hug. It is so good to see her and know she is safe and going to school. Thanh is almost as happy as I am to see the girls. She has been wanting to come since I arrived in Saigon

Thanh comes from an area where the people from the country go to seek a better life in the big city. Thanh has a home in a strip of homes that are all 9 by 10 and face another row that is separated by a walkway about 5 feet wide. Her house is very clean and she has many conveniences like a refrigerator, TV, DVD player. She has her own stove, sink and bathroom with shower. On the alley that her house is on is a cottage industry shoe factory that I mentioned the other day.

Next we go to visit Miss Oanh. Miss Oanh has worked hard and now has a new house which includes a beauty parlor which generates income for her. She wishes to open a beauty parlor in Cam Ranh Bay and has a friend who will manage it for her. She also goes to school and works for the Catholic Church full time. We have a very nice visit and once again Thanh likes visiting Miss Oanh. We decide to meet for lunch at the Highland Coffee House tomorrow.

We stop at Saigon Children’s Charities to say hello and pay the balance of my Christmas card bill from last year. It is a group that is in my “favorite links” and I like to use their Christmas Cards which are printed from paintings by the students.

Thanh is Buddhist but she is so excited to be going to see Xuan Hai that I ask her if she wants to become Catholic. Xuan Hai is finishing his second year in the seminary. Next year he has the opportunity to travel abroad and hopes to come to the USA. ilke we wait to see him we look at the gardens. There is a pool with stepping stones in it and Thanh walks on them and in a rare moment she actually wishes to be photographed. I take a few photos and show them to her. She likes them. I then dip my hand in the water, make the sign of the cross on her forehead and tell her that she is now Catholic. She laughs but is a little uneasy so I tell her she is still Buddhist and not to worry. We have a nice chat with Xuan Hai then He and a friend go to the zoo with us. We walk around and see all the animals then go to Highland Coffee House for lunch. It was a nice time.

Than had been driving and claimed that I was a difficult balance to counter so I decided to drive. I think I did rather well. She did not think I did so well. We did, however, have a fun day.

There are times I make mistakes that she loves to tell everyone about. I bought a map. The lady asked 50,000 and I countered with 20,000 then the lady said 30,000. I do not want to get the price as low as is possible and I do automatically get the good price from people I deal with all the time, and I do not want to pay the most every time. I do not like the 200,000 bills because they look a lot like the 10,000 notes. Now that I got the map for 30,000 I gave the lady a 20,000 and a 200,000 which I thought was a 10,000. Later I went to pay for dinner and Thanh looked and said that I had another 200,000 before. Then her eyes lit up and she said the map. She wanted to go find the lady and straighten it out, but I said no, it is done. She really wanted to get the money back but I told her that I never thought that money was that important, that is why I don’t have any. She laughed and settled for telling everyone that we met how I had paid 220,000 for the map. We refer to it as my very expensive map.

Thanh was off to work all night so we could do things during the day.

As I was writing my journal Loans Daughter knocked and said that someone was down stairs. It was Tuyen who stopped by to chat. Tuyeh was little brothers secretary and assistant but little brother is a wheeler dealer and Tuyen was lost in the shuffle. Tuyen plays 6 different instruments and offers her services as a translator of Vietnamese, French and English. She has a website that is in my “Favorite Links” page. She is intelligent and talented and, most of all she has a good family so she will be all right no mater how the economy and the work pans out. Tuyen is gentle even by Vietnamese standards. She is a delightful person to know and talk to. We have a nice time with Loan as she works at the hotel paperwork. At 10:00 PM Tuyen leaves and Loan is off to the police to turn in her daily reports and I am off to bed.

It is off to Miss Oanh’s house for lunch and as always there is more food than people. There are some wonderful things and a favorite of mine is the small cubes of pork in a very flavorful sauce. Rice is always plentiful and the sauce from the pork works great with the rice.

After lunch Oanh, Thanh and I sit around on the floor and chat. Lunch was too much and Thanh and I return to the hotel. Thanh is playing video games and I am doing my journal but we both fall asleep for a couple of hours.

An interesting occurrence on the bus this morning on the way to Thanh’s house and again on the way from Oanh’s house back to Pham Ngu Lao. A man got on the bus. He had a bus company patch on his shoulder and he went to the conductor, tool her ticket book and looked at the last ticket number. He then went from the front of the bus to the rear and checked everyone’s ticket.

Spent a lot of time wandering in the afternoon.

I really sleep good here. Must be the warm moist air.

I walked to Le Loi and Nguyen Hue and went into the tax store. It fascinates me that people vacation want to buy Rolex watches and expensive luggage and jewelry. The Tax store was a lot like Ben Thanh market until it was cleaned up some years ago but now the beautiful waterfall, which is now working, is hidden by a stage that was built for something but now just sits full of clothing racks which block the beautiful water fall.

Walking down to the river I notice more new construction. In one place a hotel has built behind a large old French building and incorporated the original building in the hotel. It made for a beautiful lobby and a touch of the old grandeur of Saigon. Now there is a 55 story building at the foot of Nguyen Hue that is really ugly. Silver and shiny and with a disc sticking out of the building at about the 40th story that is far too big for the building.

I had heard much about the tunnel that was going to connect district one to district two which s just across the river. I saw no evidence of it however the new bridge over the Ben Nghi canal is finished and open and also the Ben Nghi canal is open. It had been filled in to build the bridge but now flows. Also while it was drained the sides were made of concrete and stone. The mud flats are now gone as are the homes that jutted out into the canal on stilts. To get the

Wandering back up to Ben Thanh I walk through. The market is much like it has been for years. The live poultry sellers are gone and their section at the Northwest corner of the market is now taken by egg sellers. Ben Thanh was just a stop on the way to 22 Ly Tu Truong street. This is the old building where many Americans lived including people in the CIA. It is where the famous photo of the helicopter removing Americans as the city was falling. I had a photo from the 5th story of the building across the street which was under construction but I could only get up to the 5th floor. To get the correct angle it was necessary to get to the 7th or 8th floor. The building across the street is now compete and occupied. I had hoped to get up and get the photo from the correct floor however the stores only go to the 3rd floor and the offices cannot be visited. This is very Vietnamese. Business are off limits unless they want to talk to you.

Walking back to the hotel I had hoped to see Yen in the park but she was not there. Her father was also not there and I realize that I should have gotten her phone number when I saw her.

I went down and sat on the step to have iced tea and wait for my Nephew’s, wife’s, sister to arrive. As I wait people come and go in the alley. It is nice to meet new people. Ha will help answer some questions about the Amusement park called Dia Nam. We hear it is very large and I think the girls will like it a lot. Ha arrives along with her mother and everything is straightened out for the trip. Ha tells us a car to the park is little more than the bus and since one of the girls has motion sickness it will be easier for her in the car. While we are talking another man who is staying at the hotel comes in and notices that we have a map of the bus lines. We talk for a while and I told him where I got it. The bus is a real money saver because it cost so much more for a taxi. We also decide to get together for dinner on the Sunday before I leave Vietnam. This will be fun.

I arrived at Thanh’s home and found her and her neighbors in the many activities that supported the small shoe factory near the beginning of the alley. Today Thanh was down the alley surrounded by piles old rubber and leather sheets which had shoe soles cut out of them, She was using a pair of scissors to cut out the pieces that could have the one inch circles cut out of them and sorting the scraps into piles by size. Soon the scraps will be used to make the little discs and then there will be the scraps of the scraps which get put into bags, weighed and sent off somewhere by motorbike. Along the alley are people recycling shopping bags and there is even a place where there is a mountain of glass which sparkles like gems. There is very little that goes to waste here.

A lady comes down the alley and gives Thanh a small plastic bag filled with something off white. Thanh tells me to bite the bag and I do but the taste is a little overly sweet and a little sour. Thanh goes to her house, gets a cup and ice and the drink is a little better cold.

At lunch time Thanh takes a break and cooks lunch for us and a few others. She has white rice and fried rice. She has boiled cucumbers and fish and shrimp, each in a wonderful sauce, She also boiled greens and has a soup that tastes a lot like spinach.

After lunch I came back to the hotel to find that Ha had made reservations for us at Dia Nam and all we need now is transportation. Ha also helped us there as she suggested that instead of the bus we ask a taxi to turn off the meter and give us the ride to Dai Nam for 400,000. Thanh came for dinner and we went to Kim Café in De Tham street. It was a nice meal and there are a few sauces that I taste in many dishes that I would like to learn how to make. After dinner we walk on De Tham street and immediately spot a Linh Taxi. I ask the man if he will take us to Dai Nam on Saturday morning at 8:00 and he agrees but asks 500,000. Everything is going up and I do not want to miss this for $6 USD. We have an arrangement with the driver to take us to Anh Linh, pick up the girls and drive us the 40 Km to Dia Nam.

We also have two more girls going. I do not know if I mentioned it but this is a holiday weekend and two girls would be left alone and one is an 11 year old orphan. Don’t tell Susan about this or she will think I am going to sponsor another girl. However if you wish to sponsor a child, boy or girl, it is very easy. All you have to do is go to my “favorite links” page and look for “Bridges 2 Learning”. There is a link and you can get started on something very beautiful. I had once said that I cannot save the world but I can help a few children and maybe one of them will save the world.

Or as Ghandi said... It is the action, not the fruit of the action, that is important. You have to do the right thing. It may not be in your power, may not be in your time, that there will be any fruit. But that doesn't mean you stop doing the right thing. You may never know what results come from your action. But if you do nothing, there will be no result.

I forgot to mention that on the way back from Thanh’s house I noticed some real OHSA violations. At the top of a 5 story building there is a woman standing on a 12 inch board on 5 stories of scaffold, her heals are over the edge and she is reaching up and back with a piece of sandpaper sanding the trim. She has no harness and no safety netting. In another location a woman is on the 4th floor balcony, sitting on the railing washing windows, again no harness.

On the bright side I found the Porsche dealer and the Rolls Royce dealer. A few years ago Alan Mossman said that a friend of his was bringing in more Rolls Royces.

I had a chance to talk to another guest who has been coming here for some years and we compared a few notes. It was very enjoyable talking.

A button came of one of my pair of pants so I took them down the alley to where a woman is who has a sewing machine and a lot of fabric. She sewed it back on and when I asked her how much and she just waived it off. I have other work I need done so I will stop back and see her.

On the way back to the hotel I met Stilwell. He first came to Vietnam in 1962. Close to the beginning. He came of a troop ship and went onto the beach at Chu Lai. He said that the first morning in Vietnam he woke to see the horizon was nothing but US Ships. He spends a lot of time here where his pension and Social Security will go a long way.

I dropped off my pants, at the hotel, and went to the park. I was just hoping that Yen would be there. I met some of the regulars in the park but no Yen. Yen is a heartbreaker.

At the south end of the park a large stage is being erected for the weekend celebration. It has something to do with independence day, I am pretty sure. May 8 is the actual date of independence and soon after on May 19 is Ho Chi Minh and Tania Bechtold’s birthday, I do not think the average Vietnamese knows that it is Tania’s birthday but the two have much in common.

On stage the dancers are practicing and after are given the yellow shirt they will wear.

A man was walking with me and we started to talk. He said he could loose weight here. I said I had already lost 10 kilograms. A lady we were passing said something and I stopped to talk with her. She is from Germany and was visiting her son in Hanoi but came down to see Saigon. As we chatted we discussed Vietnam and the US and Germany. Some interesting things we had noticed like the way Vietnamese peel fruit and vegetables by peeling away and in the US and Germany we peel towards us. I told her that I keep a 20 liter bottle of water in the room and keep the ice tray full since I only like cold water. She said that Americans do not like warm water. I am not sure of that but I only like it cold. Today is her last day and she said she had to go and give up her room. I said that sounded sadder than checking out, to think of giving up your room.

Tomorrow and Sunday will be big days so I did not do much today. I did walk in the park this afternoon and the park behind reunification hall, which used to be the presidential palace. I had hoped to see Yen but no luck again. Coming back from the other park I passed the cheese store which had a dozen kinds of cheese and the price was rather good so I got some Swiss, Edam and another cheese which only said smoked and that it was from Holland. The three cheeses were $6.00 so it was not bad for about a pound of cheese. I was happy to find the cheese store again and I noticed the numbers on the cheese as 31, 34 and 28 so I asked if this was 31,000, about $2 each. It was and I said I want one of those and one of those and one of those. One of the girls working there began to laugh and the more I talked the more she laughed, so I kept talking and she kept laughing.

Coming back through the park on Pham Ngu Lao I ran into Be Hai. I see her at least once on each trip. She is the girl who I think has Cerebral Palsy. She is very nice and very gentle and a real con artist. Each trip we have dinner once and she borrows 300,000 to buy more books to sell. She has not ever actually paid me back and it is not important. She also promises to not ask again but I know she will. Sometimes when we first meet she will ask me if I am angry with her and I reassure her that I am never angry with her. She eats her fish and string beans but says she does not like carrots, potatoes, tomatoes or lettuce.

Back at the hotel I write my journal and hope to get to bed early for the trip tomorrow.

We arrive at Anh Linh a little early but the girls are ready. They pile into the taxi and we fill it to capacity. There are 7 girls, Thanh and I. The trip starts with the girls chattering, giggling and laughing. Little girls laughing is such beautiful music. After a while some are napping. We stop twice for Thanh to take Chau into a rest stop. Chau has motion sickness but she made the trip very well.

Our first sight of Dai Nam was a giant gate at the side of the road. We turned in and followed a long, high wall to the back. The wall is, in fact, the Dai Nam Hotel which Wraps along one side and across the back of the park. Every once in a while there is an entrance with a sign “Hotel 1, Hotel 2, and so forth. They are all the same Hotel which is very large. The taxi stops at the main hotel entrance.

At the desk we find that there is no evidence of our reservation and the hotel is fully booked. When I decided to take the girls here I did not realize that this was a holiday weekend. It is the off season and I thought the park would be relatively empty. We are not sure whether the reservation was made in the caller’s name or the name of a friend who spoke better English who called us to tell us to check in early upon arrival. However we are without a room in a vacation area on a holiday weekend.

Thanh asks for the name of another Hotel and calls to reserve a room there. We get a taxi to the second hotel and find it booked also. Standing by the side of the road we have the option of hiking up and down the road with the girls, or. The Girls are tired and hungry so we stop to eat and Thanh goes by motorbike to look for a hotel. We have noodles, which was the joint consensus of the girls, and Thanh is off. Before we are finished Thanh calls and I give the phone to Chau who says that Thanh has found us a hotel. Chau is relaying rates and room particulars and I tell her to take it. Chau says the room only has one bed. I said take it I will sleep on the floor. At this point I would be happy with a closet with a lock so we can put our things away and get to the park.

The man who drove Thanh returns to make sure that we find the hotel. Chau and the man talk to the Taxi driver and we are soon at the hotel. Thanh has done us very well. The hotel is new and unoccupied. It is very clean and the rooms are nice. Thanh has taken three rooms and the cost is only 1,400,000 ($80 USD) Two rooms have side by doors so I tell the girls to decide which room they wish to be in and we take the Third room.

The girls settle in and decide they would like to take a nap until 2:00 then go to the park. This is fine with me. I picked up a map of the park at Hotel Dai Nam and give it to Chau and ask her, to decide where we will go first.

At 2:00 the girls emerge and we go to the park. The entrance is huge everything is huge. Large monuments and a cavernous food court. We enter and walk for some distance till we arrive at the History Mountain. It is a large man made mountain with historic sites and writings. In one area there is a temple in a very high cavern. In front is a pond with large colorful fish. I am taking many photos and Thanh is also with her phone. As we walk we go in and out of the mountain and outside there are many small temples and ponds. Inside there are many directions to go and many stairways to enter other areas of the cave.

At the end of the mountain we are near a very large temple. There is no photography in the temple so I have only the one photo that triggered the girls telling me that there was no photography in the temple. The girls all showed much interest and respect and several, including Thanh, stopped and prayed at some of the alters. Thao Ly pointed out that one of the alters is for Ho Chi Minh. To enter the temple you must put covers on your shoes. As we exit and take off the covers and we are at a table which has teapots, glasses and a hot water dispenser. Some of the girls make tea and serve it to me and to the other girls. It is really nice the way the girls work together. From the back of the temple we notice there is a pagoda high in the mountain.

As we stood on the outside of the temple it began to rain. I told the girls that if they wish to go swimming that it does not matter if we get wet so out into the rain we went. We stamped in the puddles and kicked water all over one another Thao Ly and Thuy held their hands out and ran through the rain yelling. We arrived at the pool as many were leaving. We changed and went into the water. Thuy Em said “I like water” so I said “toi thich ngoc”. We laughed and had a lot of fun. The pool is a wave pool. All the girls swim well and love the water. The exception is Ha who is small and younger than the others. She did go out, hanging on the tube Thanh Thuy was using. Once the waves got a little big and she was afraid so I pulled them back where Ha felt more safe. I noticed that whenever I saw Thanh Thuy she was holding Ha’s hand. She has almost adopted her as a sister. Another way the girls work together and look out for one another. We splashed and enjoyed the waves. By time we were done it was getting late and the girls wanted to go back to the hotel, shower and rest before dinner.

It is dark when we get back to the hotel and the dirt road is now a mud road due to the rain. We have fun negotiating the puddles. The girls laugh a lot. After showers and a short rest, I think it was a rest although there was a lot of laughing and jumping around next door, I asked where the girls wanted to go for dinner.

We walk back out the driveway, negotiating the puddles in the dark, and walk down the street. They pick one of the restaurants and we go in and have noodles. Thao Ly ask everyone what they want and helps the waitress/cook prepare the meals and serves them. Meanwhile Nhung is polishing all the spoons and chopsticks and others are making sure that we have what we need at our table like Tea, enough glasses, and napkins. Once again working together. The meal is good and a lot of fun.

After dinner we go down the street to a place where they make drinks from fruit and ice. I have the iced tea that I have come to like a lot. We talk and the girls sing songs as we sit by the road on this beautiful evening. The girls are tired but I hear them carrying on for a while. I meant to do my journal but can only stay awake long enough to put some notes together and I fall asleep till 6:00 AM.

Left to Right - Ha, Thuy, Thao Ly, Tram, Nhung, Chau, Thuy Em

The girls had said they wanted to go to breakfast at 7:00 then go to the park. I was up at 6:00 and noticed that there was no noise at all coming from either of the girls rooms. I waited until 7:30 and they were stirring by then and knocked on our door. We went out the road which was dirt again, having dried in the night. At the end of the drive we walked again to the restaurants and I asked the girls where they wished to eat. They picked the same restaurant we ate at last night. As we walked to it one of the girls noticed a scorpion walking into another restaurant and I asked if they would like to eat here and they laughed and said no. I think this was the first scorpion I have ever seen walking around.

We go to the restaurant we ate at last night and, once again, the girls pitch in and help get the food to everyone. Dinner or breakfast is seldom noticeably different here. What you like is probably what you will have for either meal. There is almost always tea. Sometimes with ice and sometimes hot. We have another enjoyable meal together.

We are such a short distance from Dai Nam that we walk. As we walk we tend to stretch out with me in front and the others stretching out far enough for me to be concerned and I do not think I have counted to seven so many times before. I sometimes count in Vietnamese and the girls like that. After seven they often continue until they lose interest.

We walk to the train and take it as far as it goes. This deposits us in an area near the Theme Park. We are walking towards the train to the zoo and it takes us into the Theme Park. The first thing I see is a roller coaster. Last trip to Soui Tien it was hard to convince Chau to ride the Ferris Wheel. I was surprised that when I asked if anyone wanted to go on the roller coaster that Chau was the first to raise a hand and say yes excitedly. Chau asked if I would go with her so I did. We had four more but two backed out. So it was Chau, Thuy Em and I. The coaster is one that does not look very big but there are two consecutive loops and two consecutive rolls. It banged us around a little but it was over in no time. We all felt a little dizzy but we were all happy. Then as we sat at the end of the ride Thao Ly and Nhung came and they also liked the ride. As we left the roller coaster there was one of those swing rides where people sit in the swings and the ride spins and goes up. With the swings down every one decided to go on the ride, even Ha. Ha looked very serious but when the ride came back down and she was off she was all smiles. We then walked to the train to the zoo.

Arriving at the zoo we went in and followed the loop that takes you by all the animals. Near the beginning we went through a cave like building that had birds, snakes, and lizards. As we came back out everyone was a little hungry. We stopped by some vendors and the girls each chose something then, in Vietnamese style everyone ate from everything. It is fun and gives you a taste of many things.

I had a coke to settle my stomach and sampled some of the things which were snacks mostly. We were sitting by a moat that was filled with fish. I dropped a small piece of a fruit that tasted much like an apple and a fish came up and ate it. I then went and bought some discs of a bread that was all crust. I crumbled some and dropped it in. The fish it. I the swarmed and some of the girls came over to look. Thuy Em was one to come so I gave her some of the bread and she enjoyed feeding the fish. I also noticed Ha had come over and liked the fish so I bought some more and she stood and crumbled small pieces and was so excited to see the fish come up and scramble for the crumbs she was dropping. I think she enjoyed this more than anything. She smiled so much there as we finished the snacks.

We continued around the zoo and came to some tanks with seats on the sides. In the tanks were fish who ate the dead skin off your feet as you sat there. Only Nhung joined me and every time a fish was on her feet she would move and it was gone. I must say it was a very unusual feeling.

We continues past the White Tigers, the Tigers, the Lions and Bears. Nearing the end of the zoo the girls were getting tired and I asked if they would like to go swimming. They discussed it and decided not to go. They then decided that we should go see the 4D movie. It was a 3D movie with effects in the theater. If you were splashed a mist would blow in your face. Sometimes a blast of air would hit you and once in a while the seats would drop back about 4 inches then slowly come back up just to drop again. At times the theater floor would vibrate if there was thunder or we were riding down a bumpy track. As we entered the theater I knew we would get separated so took Ha’s hand because I knew that the crowd pushing would separate them and I did not want Ha to be alone. It was good that I did because Thanh Thuy was holding Ha’s other hand and they did get pushed apart. As Ha and I sat down I did notice that Thanh Thuy did come behind our last row seats and looked to see that Ha was not alone. I nodded to her and she was ok that Ha was all right. At first Ha would not put on the 3D glasses or she would pull them down her nose to look over them. Finally she had them up and I knew she was uneasy so I put my hand in hers and soon she was squeezing it rather hard for someone her size. At times it became uncomfortable so I would try to reposition my hand but if I did she squeezed all the harder. I as happy that I could comfort her but when we went out to the lobby she went right to Thanh Thuy.

I asked if they wanted to go somewhere else or back to Saigon and they agreed that they wanted to go home. We walked out of the park and a large taxi was waiting. We got in and said Saigon. Leaving the park the driver wanted the windows up so the air conditioning could be on but I explained that Chau suffers from motion sickness and the window was left with her head on the door. As we drove 4 slept most of the way home and once again we see how they are a family. In the back Tram sat with two heads on her shoulders and smiling all the time. Finally Thao Ly was laying across Trams lap. In our seat Chau fell asleep but we left the window pen. Ha sat on Thanh Thuy’s lap and looked rather woozy. Thanh Thuy asked the driver for a bag and the driver and he is prepared. He hands he a few and in no time Ha is sick. Thanh Thuy has a tissue to wipe her mouth and the bag is tied and goes out the window to be cleaned up with the trash.

The ride home does not seem so long. Maybe going home is like that. We arrive and leave the girls with Sister Cam Thuy. I am now at the hotel with my journal and tomorrow we are off to Qui Nhon where I have never been and Loan at the hotel has some places to see there. Loan is just back from Qui Nhon where her husband manages another of their hotels.

Something that I forgot to mention yesterday is that as we sat having the fruit drinks in the evening after dinner I looked at Ha and she seemed to look like a little empress. Her posture and just the way she held her arms and hands looked very regal.

Now for some of the things that make Westerners crazy here. One is that taxi drivers slow down to 4 miles an hour in 4th gear and do not down shift so the engine and transmission have that groaning sound. Tom hated this and constantly told the driver to down shift. It probably bothered Tom because he is a mechanic and does not like to see machinery tortured.

Another thing is that there are no lines for anything. Everyone crowds around and bombards the cashier with hands full of money all calling out what they want and none waiting for anyone or anything. Another part of this is that cashiers, security people and others never try to get things organized. When the train stopped two men tried to climb on the train before anyone could get off so now no one could get off. It was ok though because the crowd pushed the men off the train as they exited.

A few years ago an American heard me trying to say something in Vietnamese and thought I knew the language. He told me he had said something to a Vietnamese man and was expecting to get a reply that he might expect in the west and he wanted me to straighten the man out. I told him this is their country and if you come here you have to fit in and not make them fit in to our culture. The man was not happy with the answer but then he was probably not happy anyway

If you are overweight many people here will point and laugh. They think overweight is a sign of prosperity but they also think it is funny and have no reservation about voicing it. A good thing to remember is “Yum Yow” (Phonetically). People will say “Mop Wah” which is “very fat” even Vietnamese who are well overweight will say it. If the person saying Mop Wah is overweight then reply yum yow which means “same as you” and people will laugh, and the person who said mop wah will also laugh. It does not bother people here to have it pointed out. When Tom and I were at the CORA Store in Long Binh there was one of those traveling scales that we see here a lot. As we waited to get on the scale a crowd gathered and when the display lit up announcing our weight there was an outburst of applause and old ladies wanted to rub our stomachs because to rub Buddha’s stomach brings good luck and it also appears that it is good luck to rub a Buddha-like stomach. I have often noticed a woman, especially an older one looking at my stomach anxiously so I will excuse myself from who ever I am talking to and turn to the lady and say “OK”. She will smile, rub my stomach and be on their way quite happy. It is a public service that I provide.

Monday
2 May
The day we did not go to Qui Nhon

The day did not begin well. I woke and got ready to go to Qui Nhon. Thanh was to be here at 10:00 so we could have breakfast and get to the airport by 1:00 for the 2:20 flight. She was not here at 10:00 or 11:00 so I called and she said something about the police, her motorbike, and a fine and I think she was trying to tell me that her motorbike had been impounded. She said she was on her way but she was not here at 12:00 and was not answering her phone. It was getting close to time so I canceled the tickets so as not to lose the fare. She showed up after 1:00 and I told her I canceled the tickets and tried to explain having to be at the airport early for security but she did not understand and she was inconsolable. It was important that I see her home town and visit her aging Grandmother. I had wanted to do this as well as see Qui Nhon, a place I had never visited. She cried for a long time and wanted to go home but I convinced her to stay and after a time she calmed down and would not tell me why she was crying but did say she was sorry that she was not here at 10:00. I told her it was not important, I got the money back and we can buy tickets for tomorrow. Now she was much calmer but unfortunately a short time after we ordered the tickets we got a call that the flights for tomorrow were both booked. The lady said she would get us tickets for Wednesday and that will give us 3 days there. This made her happier and after a while she went home and said she would be back tomorrow at 9:00. I teased her and said be back at 9:00, not 9:30, not 9:01, 9:00. She laughed and said she would. I walked to the park with her and she went into the police garage and came out with her motorbike. She stopped to say good bye and off she went.

The day was pretty much gone by then. So I took only 60,000 and went to the park. I talked to a few people and watched those playing badminton or the game where they kick the small feathered piece to one another. I am sitting and a girl hits the badminton piece right over my hear. He mother comes over to get it and says “I am sorry”. I said “Khong co chi”, don’t mention it. The lady returns to the game and tells her daughter that I said “khong co chi”. I was told the park had gotten bad with pickpockets and drug addicts. I can avoid the pick pockets bu going out at night with only a small amount of money and no wallet, watch, telephone, or camera. I have seen no evidence of the drug addicts.

As it gets dark I go down one alley and out on the De Tham Street. The street is busy and people are everywhere when I hear a little voice and see Be Hai sitting and having a drink that looks like coffee. She had bought some more books with the money I had given her. She asks me if I want a book. I tell her I am almost out of money. She says “give me your change and I will give you a book”. I looked and my change and it did equal 50,000 and I bought the book of stories of the war as told by Vietnamese who were there. We talked for a while and she asked what I was doing. I told her some friend and I are going to Dam Sen tomorrow to swim and I asked her if she wanted to go. She asked when and I said 9:00 and she said it was too early. She had to get back to selling and I went to the hotel to write and go to bed.

Tuesday
3 May
Oanh - Roll Royce - Ba Hai

Thanh arrived at 9:00 this morning. Yesterday she had called Oanh and we all planned to go to Dam Sen Park. Today Oanh was busy in the afternoon so instead of Dam Sen we went to her home this morning. Oanh had just arrived as we got there and we sat inside, had soda and chatted. Thanh is a very good cook and she went to the market to get some things. She returned to cook us lunch. We had Rice, Pork, A vegetable and dish of mixed vegetables with shrimp. She knows I like shrimp and has it when ever she cooks. Also at the meal was Oanh’s brother who said very little but smiles a lot.

On our way to Oanh’s house Thanh let me drive her motorbike. It is easier for her to ride than to have to counter my weight while driving. However she was very critical of my driving even though I did not even come close to hitting anyone. At Oanh’s house Thanh recounted the ride in every harrowing detail, which were all greatly exaggerated. I assured Oanh that I had a motorcycle license and that I have ridden a motorcycle before. Oanh asked to see the license and I told her that it was in the hotel. In words of less syllables she said she did not believe it.

As we drove up Pham Ngu Lao street, on our way to Oanh’s house I saw my first Rolls Royce actually on the road.

Miss Oanh has done very well for herself. She just built a nice new 4 story home and a 4 story building next door which is rented out and gives her income. Miss Oanh works for the Catholic Church and also is very involved in charity work. She regularly takes food and other supplies to the elderly and to homes for children in need.

After lunch Thanh had to attend to the problem from yesterday that involved her motorbike. She allowed me to drive back to the hotel and then left for a few hours.

When I met Be Hai last night I noticed how bad her teeth are becoming. I bought her some tooth paste and a brush and we will go find her tonight. There is a dental clinic and we will see how much it will cost for her to have her teeth cleaned and a check up. Also they can tell her the importance of brushing. Most Vietnamese know this and I often see people brushing on the street. I hope we can do that for her.

Wednesday
4 May
Qui Nhon - Day One

Boat full of students arrives at warf in Qui Nhon.

I was a little nervous about making the plane so Thanh stayed last night and we were up at 3:30. The plane was at 6:00 and they wanted us at the airport an hour early. Even thought I like to go somewhere and see what happens and do not mind being cut off for a time and not knowing where I will end up, when there is an airplane involved, and I know it will not wait and I cannot relax till we take off. You can always get another motorbike or the next bus or a taxi but a plane is different.

We had to take a taxi since the buses do not run this early. As we rode the taxi went down many streets that had very little traffic. Still people were out, as they are at all hours. Food carts were cooking and serving and a few people rode up and down the streets. In places many slept on their motorbikes or on the street.

The flight was on time, short and everything went well. Arriving at Qui Nhon we find ourselves a long taxi ride from town. As we leave the terminal there are a legion of Taxi drivers all standing across the parking lot behind a line that I suppose keeps them from parking where the busses load and unload. I spot a woman driver and I ask Thanh to call her. All the way to Qui Nhon city Thanh talks to the driver. She is in her element here and she loves being home. We will visit her aging grandmother and other family. Her Mother died earlier this year and her Father died when she was 6. Her brothers and sisters are scattered to the wind and she seems to not have much contact with them.

The Taxi Driver drops us off at Hotel Lan Anh 01, 102 Xuan Dieu. We are across the street from the beach. Our room is on the third floor facing the Ocean. I would have rather been on the first floor facing the ocean but we just dropped in and this is a very nice room. The bath room is modern and the room is very clean. The beds have blankets that have fluffy bunnies and a greeting “Happy Time For You”. Now you won’t find a welcome like that at a Hilton or a Scanticon.

In the lobby we were greeted by Barbara of Barbara’s Kiwi Café. Barbara came to Qui Nhon from New Zealand in 1995 and runs the café which serves meals and also can connect you with tours or give you information.

After settling in at the hotel our first stop is the shop of an Aunt of Thanh’s. She sells fruit and snacks from a little shop. As we sit there an old friend of Thanh’s, from her school days, stops and chats for a while. Next to the shop is the school where Thanh attended from 1990 until 1999.

Thanh leaves with an Uncle to do the paperwork to get her passport. If she can manage a visa she will be visiting the USA next year. While Thanh and her Uncle are at the Police station I wander down the street and notice boats down a side street. The side street leads down to the harbor. The harbor is very large and Ocean going ships are tied up at the dock and well as many fishing boats and some passenger boats. One boat coming in has its deck covered with children in school uniforms. The boat has not yet touched the side of the warf when the boys begin to jump to the top step of the warf. As they jump and Land safely on the warf most say “Hello”. They all seem so happy. The girls are a little more cautious and wait till the boat bumps then step down to a lower, safer step. There is so much to see and photograph. The docks, the loading and unloading, the fishing boats taking on ice. The small boats are all blue, red and yellow. I hear my name called and Thanh and her Uncle have returned and come to find me.

Next we ride to the Uncles Home where he and Thanh finish filling out some forms. A large dinner is prepared and something special is happening. They are celebrating because some family members were in a bus that ran off the road and went down a hillside. All the family members escaped with no injuries and the celebration is one of thanksgiving. The table is moved to the door and set with flowers, tea cups, and drinks glasses. The Uncle is saying prayers and putting water in the cups and glasses. Later he throws the water on a plant outside and fills the cups and glasses with tea. Much food is brought to the table. Three or four ducks and soups. Paper prayers and play money are arranged then burned. The smoke will carry the prayers and money up to heaven where the ancestor will receive them. Incense is burned and finally rice is taken from the table and thrown into the street. Everyone her understands this so none of the passers-by is upset to have rice in their hair.

Dinner is now removed from the table and taken back to the kitchen where it is finished then brought back to the living room and set on the floor. Everyone gathers around and the meal begins. Everything is so good. I am having my first beer in years because everyone with a beer toasts. Someone says “mot, hai, ba, Yooo” but you have to have a beer to participate.

The meal was great and after there are a few more things Thanh and her Uncle have to do so I return to the hotel, get on my shorts and head for the beach. The water here is not so crystal clear as we found in Nha Trang, DaNang or Hoi An but it is nice and after you get to the sand bar it is much cleaner after that. On the sand bar I meet two young men who are raking for clams which are only 3/8th of an inch across. Thanh tells me these are sold for 5,000 per kilo. That’s 30 cents for over 2 pounds, a lot of work for such a small pay. After an hour of swimming I return to the hotel for a nap.

Soon Thanh returned from the Police and she and I went swimming. Thanh swims like a fish and loves the water but she will not go past the sandbar. For a while we sit on the bar and play with the children there. They are all so much fun and since Thanh is scooping up the little clams soon all the children are doing the same. We have a good time playing and swimming.

After an hour or so we go back to the hotel and change for a ride to Thanh’s Grandmother. Thanh wishes to give her Grandmother 1,000,000 VND. I saw this coming so I planned we would spend 4,000,000 in Qui Nhon and when we arrived I gave Thanh 3,500,000 and told her “this is what we have, so spend it where you want but there is no more”. This removed me from the equation, which is what I wanted because I do not know who gets what. I know about this because a former co-worker and our Pharmacist are both Vietnamese and they would like to go back more often but it cost then between $10,000 and $20,000 USD. It is not a responsibility but rather an honor to help family. It is one of the things that keeps families strong.

We meet at the Uncles house and take a taxi to the Grandmother’s house which is only a short way down the coast. Grandmother also does not speak and English so I can say Hello and ask about her health in Vietnamese but that is about it. Still it is amazing how a few words will make people happy and allow for a small exchange. Once again we have a meal. I will not continue to lose weight at this rate. One new thing at this meal are eggs and they make me suspicious. I take one and everyone is looking at me and smiling. I am sure this is a fertile egg. I hand it to Thanh and she puts it in an egg cup and smacks the top with a small spoon. Through the hole I can see I am right. She opens it up and gives me some. It is actually not bad, it tastes mostly like the yolk of a hard boiled egg. Only one other Aunt eats one. There is also a little girl who comes and talks to me. She knows no English but I know “what” in Vietnamese. She comes and talks and talks then I say “What”, in Vietnamese, and she thinks it is the funniest thing. She runs away and laughs and laughs, hiding behind her Mother. She left her doll with us and the doll has a zipper up her back so I put a 10,000 note in it and zipped it back up. Someday she will find it and wonder.

Back at the hotel one Aunt has come with us and she and Thanh and I sit on the patio of Barbara’s Kiwi Café and have Cokes and chat. I am left out of the chatting but I can pick up a thread of the conversation from time to time. It is late and I am tired so I excuse myself and go to bed. I am not tired enough yet to fall asleep so I do my journal and soon Thanh comes up and goes to sleep and now that my journal is done I will also get to sleep. Well, as soon as I clear off the other bed.

Thursday
5 May
Qui Nhon - Leprosy Village - Crystal clear water

Thanh with a rock she found on Stone Egg Beach.

Thanh had stayed up late talking with friends and we had done so much during the day she had trouble getting up this morning. She finally dragged herself out of bed and into the shower about 9:00. She had several places that she wanted me to see.

First we went to a place that the last Empress thought was the most beautiful beach. The beach and the surrounding shore line are filled with boulders that have been worn smooth by the water and sand. The boulders are 20 feet across and some are only a few feet across. Some have been stacked by nature and many are so small that Thanh wanted to take one home as a souvenir. The one she selected was 10 inches across and she had trouble carrying it. I told her it was noticeable.

After that we went to a village where people suffering from Leprosy live. We had wanted to see the children but find that they are taken each day to a school across town and would not be back until later. We were also told by a sign at the gate there were tours but we could not find any sign of them. The grounds are very large and there are many old buildings and a few newer ones. Most look as though they are not maintained and some are in disrepair. The grounds are filled with flowering trees and gardens everywhere. We stopped by a school for the children of those who live here. These children appear to be healthy. As we pass each room the students stand and say good morning. In one class they say good morning teacher and their teacher smiles. As we pass another building older people smile and wave this is a hospital and we stop to talk to the nurse who has little English but Thanh asks about a tour and they say there are none right now. I do not know if there are more in the season. We run a very nice lady who tells us something of the place. Her English is so good that I ask her why the ceremony at Thanh’s house yesterday. She talks to Thanh and tells me why. I updated it in yesterday’s entry. There is a long tree lined street that runs along the ocean. The beach is beautiful but several people tell us that you cannot swim there or you will catch Leprosy. I seriously doubt this but Thanh is convinced and we do not pursue it.

It is near noon and Thanh takes me to a beach a little south of Qui Nhon City. There is a beach and a restaurant with some changing rooms. The water here has none of the trash that the main beach has. The water is crystal clear and there are small waves. We have a wonderful time swimming. I brought my goggles this time but forgot my bathing suit so I cut the legs off the oldest pair of pants I have. We meet Sarah from London who is traveling and enjoying Vietnam.

Returning to the hotel we wash out our bathing suits and go to her Uncles house. While we are there Thanh orders us something to eat. A boy comes with a tray of 20 little dishes. They are three inches across and about an inch deep. There is something white and steamed in the bottom with toppings and two sauces, both of which begin with fish sauce. They are so delicious that I ask Thanh where they are made. She says just around the corner and I go with my camera to take photos. I take photos and then go buy a notebook and ask a young lady eating to write dome the ingredients and the steaming time. I now have the recipe. I will write it at the bottom of today so I do not loose it. The great thing about these is that they cost 14,000 for 20, which is about 75 cents. The are wonderful treats.

I am back at the hotel and Thanh has gone off to see the doctor for a headache she has had.

Thanh also has another problem. She had her pocket picked and lost over a million VND. Now we both have a cultural problem. Thanh see this as her disappointing me and will not look me in the eye. She will not believe that I am not angry at her and she sees my not being angry as not caring about her. These things must be handled delicately.

After the doctor Thanh returns and asks to have dinner with her family and friends. We walk down the road along the beach and arrive at a small family restaurant. As always the food just keeps coming and coming. We start with rice paper and fill it with greens, cucumber, a crispy cracker and I think fried onions. For this there was a peanut sauce. Followed by the spiral shelled mollusks, and the baby Squid salad. Squid can be like eating rubber if it is not cooked right. This Squid was done right and was not at all rubbery. Finally there was pork. It seems like pork is in most things here. There was plenty of beer for those who like beer. I had a coke. When I get back to Saigon I must really work on the coke thing.

Friday
6 May
Return to Saigon

We had to get up early to make the plane. We did not get a lot of sleep last night as the lost money problem became complicated and Thanh spent a lot of time on the balcony crying. She also feels bad about her friend who died a few weeks ago and the fact that she wanted me to come to the home of the womans family and I misunderstood and thought they were going back to the Uncles house where we had gone when she said "A friends house" and she wanted me there but I went to the hotel instead. At one point she was leaning farther over the balcony wall than I was comfortable with, so I could not sleep either. About 1:00AM I convinced her to come in and lay down and see if she could sleep. She was feeling better in the morning and she has said she will move back to Qui Nhon after I leave Vietnam and live there which is good because she has family there.

The lady who brought us from the airport gave Thanh her phone number and Thanh liked talking to the lady so she called her to take us back to the airport. It was a long ride and Thanh talked to the lady almost the whole way. Thanh was at times a little distant as the recent events have not completely resolved themselves.

Arriving at the airport I notice the name and realize why it was such a long ride. The airport is Phu Cat. I do not know it Qui Nhon had an airport or not but it now uses Phu Cat. We go through security and they spot liquids in our carry-ons. Thanh has 3 quarts of fish sauce and some coconut oil. Security makes her put it in a Styrofoam container and go back and have it sent as luggage.

We are sitting in the waiting area when Thanh realizes that I did not put my Coca Cola in the Styrofoam and go back through the check in. She asks why and I tell her that they were making such a fuss over her fish sauce that I just walked away and no one noticed. She was a little upset that she had to go through all that but she was a little amused at how easily I wandered off and no one noticed.

Once again the flight was uneventful. It sometimes surprises me how we have trouble communicating and sometimes we understand. On the plane Thanh put her seat back and I pressed the button and let it come back up. I told her it has to be straight for take off. She looked a little puzzled so I told her it is in case we crash. She laughed.

Back in Saigon we get a cab and arrive at Pham Ngu Lao. At the hotel we see loan and talk for a few minutes. Loan is from Qui Nhon also and has just returned from a trip last week. We go to the room and take a nap for a few hours. Thanh goes home and I go with her to get her motorbike from the police garage. When she comes up I ask her to give me a ride to the market. She is off and I pick up a few things. As the trip comes closer to the end the money also comes to an end. Funny how that always seems to happen. Back in the park a man comes by and says “parlez vous français”. I reply “no”. He says “American?”. I say “Yes”. We smile and I say “Ces’t la Vie”. The man laughs and says “Ces’t la vie” and continues on. I like even these little encounters that seem to go no where but in fact do go somewhere.

I put away my goodies and write in my journal. I may walk around a little. But I need some sleep tonight.

I used to get upset when my trip was half over and I am closer to the end than the beginning but not anymore. I still have a list of things I want to do next time but I am not so upset. Maybe because so many things are stable now. And especially this trip since I will not be back for two years unless I win the lottery. My next trip Raven will be coming. She is looking forward to it and so am I.

Saturday
7 May
Anh Linh School

I had told Chau that I would come to see her Saturday and she said to come at 8:00AM. I expected to stop in and say hello but after we chatted for a while we went in and the Chau and Thao Ly were working on their sewing. Also there was Nhung and Ha from the trip to Dai Nam and a few other girls. As we talked they decided they wanted to meke me a shirt. Sister Cam Thuy came in and talked to them. She showed me some blue striped cloth and asked if I would like the shirt made out of it. I said “no, I wanted this” and I pointed to the light blue of the Anh Linh School uniforms. I told her I wanted a patch that said “Anh Linh School” over the pocket and the girls were all so happy.

One of the girls has taken a partially deflated balloon and a broken one and tied the broken one around the middle of the partially deflated one, colored the broken one to look like a cape and drew a face on the top of the now partitioned balloon. She gives it to me and I notice that if I rub it’s bottom it squeaks. They all laugh and the girl who made it is happy that I like it. It sits on the table next to me during lunch.

They began to take measurements and stop to giggle after each one that was so much larger than anything they were used to. Thao Ly took the lead and began to lay out the shirt. The teacher was always looking on. Thao Ly handed the pockets to Chau and each of the other girls got a part. It was so much fun to see them all so happy working on a project for me.

After a time Chau asked if I would join them for lunch. I said I would be happy and once again they were all so happy. They continued to work until 11:00 and then It was time to go to the dining room where the meal was already on the table. It was pork, green beans, soup and rice. Everything was delicious and they were all so happy that I liked the meal. Thao Ly remembered my walrus impression from last trip so she ran to the kitchen and brought back two chopsticks. She, Chau and Tram sat and waited with great expectations. The others did not know what to expect. Since there were no adults around, I took the two chopsticks, placed them in my mouth so they hung down, clapped my hands and barked like a walrus. They all thought it was great entertainment. A certain amount of silliness is good from time to time, so long as no adults are around.

Chau had asked me to email her the photos from Dai Nam. Today I took them on a stick since I think it would make for a big slow email. After lunch we all ran up to the computer. The stick is inserted and everyone has a good time looking at the photos. Most of the girls wander off and it is just me and “Henry’s Girls”. We look at old photos that Chau, Cham and Thao Ly have. Chau goes and brings me two pencil drawings that she has done for me. She also brings me a painting that she did. I remember seeing her holding the painting on the website of Bridges to Learning, which is the organization, in the United States which raises money for Anh Linh School. Now I find that the painting is of me. This day just gets better and better. Tram has given me a small globe filled with little stars.

Sister Cam Thuy came in and tells me there is a camping trip in the 16th of May and Chau asks if I will go with her. I am so happy about this and all of a sudden the other girls tell me I can wear the shirt they are making. There is also a celebration after finals, on the 25th, The day before I leave and I will have to get to that as well. Everyone is doing well in school and all will be promoted. Next year Chau will wear the white Ao Dai of the older girls.

It was raining so I called a taxi so that Chau’s artwork would not get wet.

Back at the hotel I leave my treasures and get the 11 bus to Dam Sen and Thanh’s house. I tell her I was invited to a birthday party and I want her to come. Unfortunately we get to the restaurant and we are told there is no one there who answers the mane of my friend.

Back at the hotel we call Miss Hong who is usually off on Sunday but is off today instead. She arrives and we have some cake that Thanh selected over at ABC Bakery. We discuss the problem of Qui Nhon. It is good to have a translator in times like these. I think things are better now.

Sunday
8 May
Hong, Thanh Dam Sen - Be Hai

It was Sunday and I forgot so I missed Church. It is nice to see the different churches, mostly Catholic, here in Vietnam. They are very friendly and open to strangers. The music is so nice and I am often surprised how much of the service I can recognize by the music.

I had wanted to get some sewing done but, in the alley, some of the businesses are closed on Sunday.

I get the bus, which has been a lifesaver. There are so many places that I can reach for 4,000 VND (20 cents). A great savings over a Taxi or even a motorbike. This reminds me that I have not seen Bob for a while. He is usually at the end of the alley especially in the morning. I like talking to him.

Bus 11 runs from the terminal at Ben Thanh, along the upper side of the park and out to Dam Sen. This is almost and hour in the bus or half an hour by taxi or motorbike. I take this to the end of the line which is a few blocks from Thanh’s house. Today I will go to see Thanh and Hong will come and the three of us will go to Dam Sen and swim.

I am a little early and Thanh is working so Thanh introduces me to her landlord, at his house. He owns about 25 units of housing and probably does very well for himself. After introducing me Thanh returns to finish her work and tells me she will come when Hong arrives. Her landlord has no English and I have little Vietnamese but we have tea and time so we chat. He shows me the family alter and tells me which are his parents and which are his wife’s. He is 66 and she is 65. I tell him I am 64. He introduces some of his sons as they come and go. Each one as he comes in and sees me bows. I think it is to show respect to their father’s guest. One of the son’s is Quyen who is a representative with Winalite which sells Sanitary napkins world wide through a multi level plan. I think he wants me involved. When Hong arrives we can talk to his parents.

At the entrance there is a place where jets of water shoot up out of the tiled courtyard. People, old and young, are getting wet while some of the jets shut off and others start up. Unlike most pools I have been in here this pool is chlorinated and I like it better than the usual salineated pools.

The three of us like swimming. There is a place in one of the pools where you can hold a bar and slide along a line to be dropped into the water. Thanh surprises us and takes the slide. I hear people in the pool telling one another that it is a girl. Until now only boys have tried the cable. There are cheers when she drops in.

We swim until the pool closes. After a shower and change we walk back to Thanh’s house. Along the walk we stop and Thanh and Hong by some fresh groceries.

Back at Thanh’s house Thanh and Hong prepare dinner. Thanh is a very good cook. When she visits the US next year I am hoping she will cook for us often. The preparation is interrupted by a fight in the alley. No one is actually hit but there is much yelling and shoving. A few of the men have been drinking and someone said something. After a while the land lord comes and apologizes for the disturbance. I tell him I like a little cabaret with dinner. I do not his Vietnamese and he does not understand my English anymore than before but there is a manner of communication.

Everyone was calling it a fight but it was rather mild and no one was hurt. As everything calms down and Thanh and Hong return to preparing dinner.

The meal is good and others come and sit in the doorway as we eat. They chat for a while and leave. The land lord comes and sits for a while. He talks a lot and Thanh says he talks too much.

After dinner I plan to take the bus back to the hotel. However at 7:45 it is noticed that it is Sunday and the buses stop running at 5:00 not 8:00. Thanh volunteers to ride me back to the hotel. As we go she notices a different bus and says I can get it at the next stop but I rather ride. She is out of gas and we stop to fill up. Back at the alley to the hotel we say good night. Hong has come with us and we all say goodnight. Than is off and Hong is also off to her house after we agree to go swimming next week, but a little earlier.

Hong and I have talked about many things and one was the nuclear reactor in Dalat. Hong was inside it. She has a degree in Chemical Engineering and worked in a related area. Because of her families involvement in the war she has limits placed on her career and once felt that she had failed in life. As we chatted this trip she tells me that she is satisfied with her life and this makes me very happy because after the Chemical Engineering failed she got a degree in Information Technology and managed a website. When that ended she got a degree in international relations and now teaches English to a group of very lucky students. She is so pleasant and always has a smile. I am lucky to have her for a friend and she is someone who I met almost by accident. I had a friend who invited me to lunch one day and Hong also came.

It is 8:30 when I get back and I stop at the hotel to get the toothpaste and brush that I bought for Be Hai. I stop at the desk and talk to Loan for a while. She is always interesting and I sometimes call her Mom because she is such a help and always points out when she thinks that someone I meet is not goods to associate with. She sometimes calls me the Big Flower because I attract Butterflies. In Vietnam it is not a compliment to liken a woman to a butterfly. Where such an association, in the USA, is at worst saying they are frivolous, here it is to say one goes from one relationship to another with little feeling. I had likened Huong, in Dalat to one, and she was very upset.

I went out and walked up De Tham and down the next alley over where all the westerners who drink too much hang out. I was a little concerned that Be Hai might be upset if I point out her teeth look like they need a good cleaning but it needs to be done. I finally found her at a coffee stand that I had met her at earlier in the trip. I sat down and said hello and how is business and then I told her that when we met before I noticed that her teeth needed a good cleaning. She tried to respond while holding her mouth shut. She is usually a little hard to understand but this made it difficult. I asked her if she brushed her teeth. She said no. I asked her would she brush her teeth if she had a tooth brush and toothpaste. She said “yes”. I pulled the toothpaste and tooth brush out of my pocket and gave it to her. I was glad to see that she was smiling and happy to get it. She said Thank you and I said “do not sell this, it is for your beauty and your health”. She smiled and I said good night.

Back at hotel Thuan Duc I talk to Loan and tomorrow she will show me the Dental Clinic. I had seen it close by but could not find it again. Loan says that many Vietnamese who live overseas will visit the dentist when they are here because it is so much cheaper. Hopefully we can get her in and get her teeth cleaned and a check up. Maybe we can catch this early and avoid trouble.

Back at the room again and I catch up on my journal and upload my photos of today to www.henrybechtold.Phanfare.com

Monday
9 May

I did not sleep much last night. Too much on my mind. This morning I woke late and just watched TV for a while. I took some shirts down as Loan said she would have the sleeves sewn on them. I had cut them short and they needed to be finished.

I knew I had seen a dental clinic but forgot where it was. Loan told me and she said many Vietnamese from overseas use the Vietnamese dental clinics because they are much cheaper. I walked up past the market and across the traffic circle. There was the clinic. I went in and asked how much it would be for a teeth cleaning and check up for Be Hai. I was told it would be between $5.00 and $30.00. I think this is rasonable but she will probably be closer to $30.00. I had no problem giving her the tooth brush and toothpaste so I think she will go. She has a beautiful smile but it is hard to catch on camera. She smiles quickly then returns to a relaxed look.

I had lunch in my favorite restaurant which is in the alley. I had a nice meal of sausage, rice, green beans, cucumbers, tomatoes, a bowl of soup and ice tea. There are refills on the rice, soup and tea. The cost is 25,000 VND ($1.25 USD). The food is good and the people are so nice. There is a woman who helps the lady and today her two daughters were helping. They do not look like sisters at all but they were wearing the same t-shirts with cute little Ducks on them. I wanted to take a photo but they were real shy and ran and hid in the back.

I went to sit in the park to kill some time till Thanh arrived. As I sat a young man came and asked if he could practice his English. I like talking to people that I meet so he sat and we chatted for an hour or so. We talked of many things, about Vietnam and the United States. His name is Quoc and he was surprised that after he told me his name I spelled it correctly. Quoc is a student at the University of Technology and will be a Chemical Engineer. He is looking forward to finishing and going home to Hue to work. He is very bright and talking to him is very enjoyable.

As we talk one of the older ladies in the park stopped by and was offering nail care. I knew her well and had seen her often. She also knows Yen, the young lady that we want to get into school. She said her father had been hitting her in the park and Yen was crying. Her father had sent her home just before the lady came to see us. I asked the lady to send Yen to Hotel Thuan Duc if she sees her. She said she would and I asked her to find Yen’s phone number for me. After all that I felt obligated to get my toe nails done. As she worked on them I asked her to make them pink. She laughed and did a nice job on my nails. Quoc said we can get Yen into school if she wants without the fathers permission and that the lady knows how to do it. This may be a help if the father wants a bribe again.

Also while Quoc and I continued talking a man came and talked to me. He said he had a sister going to the United Stated to attend Penn State to study nursing. And could I come to his home and talk to her. There are many men from the Philippines who have sisters that are going to study nursing in the USA who want men to come and talk to their sister. There are no Vietnamese men or Korean, or Japanese men, just Philippines. I can not help but think something is up but I do not know what it is. Years ago I went with a man to talk to his sister. She was a delightful young lady and we talked of many things but nothing that made me think she wanted to know about the school and nothing about college life or Philadelphia. The man took me in a taxi and when it was over he paid the taxi and sent me home. I told Quoc that when these men come and talk to me I want to hold my pockets shut but I do not know what is up unless this is a giant coincidence.

Quoc and I talked and it was time to go to the hotel and wait for Thanh to arrive.

When Thanh came she brought sandwiches. And we ate them at the Hotel before going out to see what was happening. Thanh likes to watch Tom and Jerry if they are on. Thanh went with us to Dai Nam to chaperone the girls but I often think she is much a little girl herself.

Tuesday
10 May
Working with Thanh

Thanh working in her house

This morning I went to Thanh’s house and actually worked. I used the punch to stamp out the little circles of leather or Vinyl that Thanh gets paid by the Kilo to produce. I also cut the mats of leather or Vinyl to eliminate the small scrap and leave manageable size pieces to use in the punch. All was going well till after lunch. Thanh cooked and served a great meal of pork, vegetables and rice. Then we went back to work and I cut my finger with the scissors. Thanh panicked and said I could not use the scissors anymore. I went back to the punch and she watched me like a hawk. Then she decided that I could cut off a finger and said I could not do that either. I asked what I could do and she said I should take a nap. I did not want a nap so I pouted for a while and when it did not work I went home.

Back at the hotel I checked my email and firmed up some of the lunches, dinners and meetings that I had hoped for. Last trip I missed seeing some people because time just ran out. I will have dinner with my niece, Cathy, my Daughter Yen, not the little one, the but the middle one, and I will get to meet with Paul Finnis who is director of Saigon Children’s Charities. Still a few missing but we are on track.

Since the bus was headed towards Ben Thanh Market and I needed the Ao Dai for Raven I went to the next to the last stop, since it was on the same side of the circle as the market. As I got off the bus a film crew was working in front of a store. I watched then went down the street to Ben Thanh Market. I went in and to the first stall with Ao Dais. A very nice lady asked if she could help me and help is just what I needed. I wanted a red Ao Dai with a pattern to hide possible stains. I also saw a nice dark green pattern on light green that I thought looked nice. I was looking for purple but did not see any. I will ask when I go back.

Coming back from Ben Thanh I met one of the older women who does nails in the park. She said Yen had been there but was gone. Then I ran into Yen’s father and he lead me to the hotel where I hoped we would find Yen. I am not sure why he came to the hotel but Loan translated and I asked him if he wanted Yen to go to school and he said yes. We are pretty sure that Yen also wants to go now. I told him to come back tomorrow, with Yen, and we would go to school and talk to Sister Cam Thuy. So we have hope. He asked for money again and I told him we did that once and you only get one chance. I think he understood because after that he said he would bring her. I told him that she would be in school till she graduated and she would learn a trade and if she stayed in the park her future was pretty much known. I am cautiously optimistic.

Finally I went out to get something small for dinner. I ran into Be Hai and when I told her that I would like to take her to the dentist she is actually excited and happy about it. She has one tooth that is dark and when I told her that the dentist would clean her teeth and check them out she asked if he could clean them all. I told her that he would clean them all and examine them all. I told her to come to the hotel the day after tomorrow and she asked why not tomorrow. I told her there was already something else I had to do. She gave me her phone number and asked me to call her so she would be here on time. Hopefully we have two positives today.

Wednesday
11 May
Yen is a no show - Cung Thi Phuong Quyen Link

I was up around 7:00 because Yen’s Father had said he would bring her between 8:00 and 9:00 this morning. I was actually surprised that they did not show up. Expectations are the seeds of disappointment. I wrote that one day when I was disappointed about something or other.

I waited until 10:00 just in case they were late but at 10:00 I went to Pham Ngu Lao and walked around the park. One of the older ladies who does nails was there and said that Yen was usually in the park around 3:00 if she was coming.

As I looked around the park I saw another of the ladies who works in the park but does not do nails. As we chatted, with no common language, a young man came by and wanted to practice his English. The three of us sat and chatted. This gave me the opportunity to ask the lady more about herself since the young man could translate and also practice his English at the same time. The lady was named Quang and was from Hanoi. I asked if she was married and to my surprise she is married and has two boys. I asked why she was in Saigon. She said she was 300,000,000 VND in Debt and could not pay and people wanted to hurt her. This is 14,559.57 USD. She was very nice but said what needed to be said at the time it needed to be said. A crowd had gathered and some of them looked a little rough. One slender young lady was 5 months pregnant and her English was very good. An older woman was pointing at her stomach and saying “you give money for baby”. I said “it is not my baby”. The old lady frowned but the young lady saw the humor.

Something was going on down the park and the group moved down there, except for the pregnant girl. There was pushing and shoving and a lot of yelling. The first lady came back and sat across from us. She was crying. A woman had stolen her money and ID Card. It was only 200,000 VND but the ID Card is something you cannot be without in Vietnam especially if you are living where you are not registered. Some of the others were yelling at the lady but the pregnant one said they were friends.

The pregnant girl is Cung Thi Phuong Quyen Link. When she told me that I said that I had never heard the name Link in Vietnam before. She said her mother made it up. She is 26 and from Hue where she had family. I said she should be in Hue and not in Saigon. Nothing good happens to girls alone in Saigon. She said she wanted to go back to Hue but the bus is 700,000 and she was saving money to go. Now she is living with an old lady in Thu Duc. She comes into the city, to the park, on the bus. She was in her predicament because she had a boyfriend from Hanoi who came south to seek his fortune. After she became pregnant he told her that he had a wife in Hanoi and he left.

Have you ever noticed that there are people in this life whom you can feel something about at first. Some just give you a good feeling. Something in their eyes and you know this is a really nice person. Link was one of these. There was a brightness and a gentleness about her. She was a bundle of contradiction from her little round tummy to her tatoo. I saw it under her shirt and pushed her sleeve up. It is a cross, very ornate. I asked her why she did that. She said she had been depressed and a friend did it for her. I asked if she felt better after having it done and she smiled and said “No”.

We had talked for a while and I asked her if she was hungry. She said yes and we walked back up to 219 Pham Ngu Lao, down the alley to the little restaurant that I like so much. We picked out what we wanted and went in and sat down. She has beautiful bright eyes and such a gentle manner. We ate lunch and chatted. I said the two girls had cute matching shirts on but when I tried to take their photo yesterday they ran and hid. She said that the one girl had said that to her. She had pushed all the sausage to a small bowl and I thought she did not like it, and I was hoping that she did not pick it just because I did. She said it would make a good dinner with some rice. I had pushed mine to the side because I like it best and saved it for last. I asked for a box and put hers in the box and also put mine in the box. I asked her if she wanted more but she said she was full. I handed her the box and we left. We sat in the park and talked but I had to go so I said I would see her again and she said I hope so. She said she was happy to meet me and I was certainly happy to meet her. We said that we would see one another again but I am not sure of that. I watched her walk away. She turned once and smiled.

It was almost 1:00 and Thanh said she would be here at 1:00. She arrived around 3:00 which was about normal for Thanh. She said she had visited her doctor and she had to go back at 6:00 again. Her doctor is now treating her for insomnia with IV‘s of saline. I told her this was not good and she should not go again. She kept try to explain why it was but in Medicine it is hard for us to get a point across so she called Oanh and told her what to tell me. Luckily Oanh also told her that this is not good. By time she left she said she would not go to that doctor again. I asked her to talk to Hong whose sister is an OB/Gyn. She said she would. She left at 6:00 and said she would be back at 12:00 tomorrow. Knowing her tardiness I told her if she is here after 1:00 she should go to the Dental Clinic since I will be there at 1:00 with Ba Hai.

I walked around the park once to see if Yen was there but she was not. Walking down De Than street I see Ba Hai coming. A man walking towards her seems to use his arm to shove her rather hard. She spins and is now facing away from me. As I come up behind her I put my hand on her shoulder. She turns around and does not look angry. Instead she looks sad. I tell her it is all right and she smiles. I remind her of our dental appointment and she seems really happy. I stopped at ABC Bakery and got two of the meat pastries and went to my room where I wrote this entry and will probably stay till bed time.

The TV here is pretty bad. The Discovery channel has gone downhill and the movies that come from the USA are mostly violence and anger. We did get Alice in Wonderland with Johnny Depp and an interesting Peter Pan. We have had a few good ones but the majority are really poor. Bad TV makes for good sleeping.

Thursday
12 May
Bob - Be Hai and the Dentist

1960's Willis in auto showroom near the super market.

Nothing is planned this morning so I went to the market. Everything is so much cheaper if you buy it there rather than on the street. Also I can buy Coke Light which is a no sugar Coke. On my way to the store I passed an auto dealership. There in the window with all the lexus and BMW’s was a Willis Wagoneer from somewhere long ago, 1960’s, maybe 1950’s. It was very clean and a beautiful car.

At the end of the alley I met Bob who was there when I left 18 months ago. Bob said business is not so good. He has a wife and two Daughters, 8 and 16. I like Bob, he is nice and I think very honest.

Thanh arrived at 12:18 which is a record of only being 18 minutes late. She brought some things rolled up in rice paper which is a little chewy. We had these in Qui Nhon with a peanut sauce. They were very good.

Today is the day that Ba Hai and I are going to the Dentist. Thanh does not want to go so she remains behind in the hotel as I go to De Tham Street to look for Ba Hai. There was no problem finding her. As soon as I arrived I saw her walking down the street. She seemed happy and we walked to the corner, got in a taxi and rode up the street to the Dental Clinic. We were half an hour early and sat in front of the clinic. Ba Hai went and bought us ice teas. The clinic opened a little early and we went in. The lady behind the desk was helpful and very sympathetic to us and Ba Hai’s situation. Ba Hai knew nothing about Dental Hygiene. I asked the lady to have the person who cleaned her teeth tell her how to brush her teeth. The check up was only $30, including the x-ray. Then the bad news, what I had thought was plaque was actually cavities. Her teeth had not been cared for in a long time. Ba Hai is the girl with Cerebral Palsy, I believe, and lives with her Grandmother. The one lady behind the counter always looked sympathetically at Ba Hai and at one point said to me, “she is very poor”. I said she was. I made arrangements to send money by Western Union each month and the lady behind the desk said she would pick up the money at Western Union and would call Ba Hai to come in and have some work done as I can afford it.

It was raining as we came out of the clinic and since we had only three blocks to go and since the ride up was only 10,000 we took a taxi. It was not a Mai Linh Taxi. We arrived 5 blocks later, due to one way streets, and the meter said 82,500. As we argued about it, sitting perfectly still, the meter jumped to 84,000. I gave him 30,000, which I thought was a little high. He argued so I told him there was a police station half a block back and we could ask the police to check his meter. He complained more but we got out and he stopped complaining.

Returning to the hotel Thanh said she wanted to visit a friend and was off. I wanted to get some Diet Coke so I was off in a different direction. On our way down the alley we ran into my first “Little Sister” who worked at Long Binh when I was there in 1968.

Bringing my Coke back I am now writing this entry and awaiting Thanh and dinner. As I write Thanh has returned and dinner is hoagies. Wonderful hoagies with Pork paste, hot peppers, Fish Sauce, Mayo and meat, greens, Cilantro and Pickled Diacon Radishes and Carrot.

Friday
13 May
Little Sister - Dinner with Cathy at the Rex

Fountain at Le Loi and Nguyen Hue - Looking down from the Rex.

Many days start off with little direction and end up really nice. I did have a dinner date with my niece Cathy and her brother. And I had planned to visit my little sister, Nhan.

Yesterday as Thanh and I were walking down the alley I met Nhan from a few years ago. I had not seen her for a while and I did not know why. Nhan said I should come see her home so this morning I got up and went down the alley to her friend who gave the motorcycle driver instructions which I thought were to her home, maybe an address. As it turns out the directions were to go to District 7 and ask for Duong Thi Nhan. There are about half a dozen last names in Vietnam that cover almost all the population, and even first names are seldom very unique. We arrived in District 7 and asked for Duong Thi Nhan. Not surprisingly we were directed to the wrong house and the wrong Duong Thi Nhan. Since the driver had not gotten an address we had to ride back to the friend near hotel Thuan Duc and ask for an address and phone number.

The driver then thought he should get double the fare for his inability to get good directions. Now we had an address and a phone number so we went back to District 7 and there at the address was Nhan sitting on the curb. We had been one street over.

Nhan took me back a maze of alleys to her house which was very nice. Some of her friends came in and we chatted for a while. She then took me around to where another group of her friends were gathered playing cards, for money. The friends were all nice and some spoke English. I say good bye to her friends and we go back to her house to have some Pho. We chatted some more and I went back to Hotel Thuan Duc.

On the way back the motorbike had a low tire so the driver pulled in and got some air. Next door was a motorbike wash with four bikes getting washed simultaneously. There was a lady next to the Bike Wash who was making drinks from fruit. She had on a Philips 66 sweatshirt that had the name Sparky over the right pocket. She said it was not her name, which I had guessed. She was so happy that I took a photo and everyone around seemed happy.

The tire filled and we are off. Unfortunately it turned out that the low pressure was a small leak around an old patch. A few blocks later the tire was low again. We stop and the tube is pulled out of the tire and a new patch is applied. In the mean time I can take some photos in an out of the way area of the city.

Back in the hotel I have a nice rest before going to meet Cathy and Her brother.

On the way to the Rex I stop to pick up a few things. It rained while I was in the hotel and it is still drizzling. It has cooled off a lot and the air is now dryer and milder.

At the Rex there is a big surprise. The building has undergone a massive renovation and the entire lobby, which was mostly warm wood, is now cold stone. Everything is beige and off white. The corner coffee shop is now a group of small stores selling Channel, Rolex and other high end items. The old façade is gone and everything is plain white concrete with large windows. The stores are staffed by people in black while everything in the stores is white. I think it is fashionable but in reality it is very cold and empty.

At 6:30 Cathy and her brother arrive. Cathy is always smiling. She comes to me with her arms out and hugs. It is a hug that is not as close as it might be but I have to tell her it has surprised me. I mention that I have known her for 10 years and we have never even shaken hands.

I ask her which restaurant she would like to eat at. She decides the roof. I like that one myself. Cathy’s brother and I have the crab cakes and Cathy has the duck. Everything at the Rex is delicious. During dinner a man comes to the band stand and introduces himself. He is the man who sang 18 months ago. We discuss the things that never change and the things that have changed so much. Everyone in Cathy’s family is doing well. Her father is still a security guard and still does the cooking and cares for a house full of plants and birds. Cathy’s mother has retired and her friend Miss Yen’s mother has died a year ago and Miss Yen has been busy traveling to her home town to help with her mother’s affairs and they do not see her so much. Cathy’s brother learned English from the Spice Girls but now likes Lady Gaga. The music tonight puts him to sleep, he says. As we talk the music changes and a Philippine group sings. I think this group was in the coffee shop last trip. The roof restaurant has not changed, thankfully. There is also an inside restaurant across from the roof which has also not changed. That restaurant has a stage and Traditional Vietnamese music and dance are preformed.

The roof has a wonderful breeze tonight and the view is of the heart of Saigon. I told Cathy that when I die my sister will bring my ashes and put them in the fountain at Nguyen Hue and Le Loi. The fountain has the lights working and now they are green. It is a beautiful sight.

After dinner we go down to the ground floor. We were with another couple coming up and Cathy’s brother had to get out because of the weight limit. Going down he noted that the weight problem did not exist and I told him I knew it was the other couple.

As we leave we cross Le Loi and Cathy and her brother go to the Tax Store garage while I go into the Tax Store to pick up some Diet Coke which is cheaper at the super market in the Tax Store. I walk back to the hotel but when I get to Ben Thanh market I get a motorbike because I have my camera, phone and money as well as the bag of Coke and the pickpockets are everywhere in the park these days.

It was a good day and my journal is up to date.

Saturday
14 May
Errands and the park

Funeral on Pham Ngo Lao. Remember Funeral begins with Fun

Today there was nothing planned except to run a few errands. I was out and wanted to walk. Bob was at the end of the alley and I decided to use him because he is so nice and we often talk but I use the bus so much to save money. This morning I asked him where I could get some photos printed from the stick. He said the closest was Nguyen Hue. I had hoped for one closer but I knew the ones there from when I used film. I asked him how much and he said you decide. I really do not like this because I do not have enough to be generous but I also do not want to give too little. I told Bob that I wanted him to say a price and maybe we will have to haggle but he should say. Then he said, OK you do not have to pay. I said I have to pay something and he said, “No, you have a good heart.” So Bob drove me to the Photo shop and waited till I was done and drove me back. It was really nice. Now I will have to make sure I use him for something a little longer.

I had time to kill so I went to the park. I ran into Yen who hid from me at first. I did not want her to think I was disappointed that she did not want to go to school, even though I was very disappointed. She looked good. She had school pants on and said she would be going to the neighborhood school. I hope she does, we will see. I met a few of the regulars in the park and talked till it was time to go back to the photo shop and pick up my photos.

As I headed towards Bob there were four students who stopped me and told me they had an exercise to stop and westerner, who spoke English and ask some questions. The group was well organized. One young man was writing everything down in a notebook. The girl seemed to be organizing and keeping things on course and the last young man helped the questioner. They were all so adorable and when they were finished they all thanked me and bowed as we parted. Such nice young people.

The photos took half an hour but when a half hour was up Bob had found some business so I took the bus. The bus has become has become very indispensable to me. 4,000VND can get me anywhere in the city, even out to Dam Sen or Suoi Tien which is in Thu Duc. After the Photo shop I walked through the Antique area so I could give a photo to a lady that I took a photo of 2 years ago. I thought I had the right shop but did not see her. A lady in the next shop wanted to see the photo and recognized her neighbor. The lady in the photo had not come to work today but her husband was there so I gave it to him. He brightened up and seemed happy to have the photo.

I was just to the East of Ben Thanh Market traffic circle so I walked to the park and through it. Again I met some of the regulars and stopped to talk. There is an interesting stricter to the people in the park. There seems to be groups that work together. In the case of the pregnant one the other day, others would point at her and say “give her money for baby”. Some live together and though one cannot believe everything one says there are others who will support what they say or speak very derogatively about someone not in their group. So one cannot automatically believe the bad either. I was told the pregnant one was such a nice girl and also that she was a thief and cocaine addict. It seems to be a world of saying what needs to be said at the time it needs to be said and I am not sure they even know where the truth lies or if it has any importance. Almost like the world of advertising.

I went up to the supermarket to buy soap and stopped at the market to buy tomatoes. I passed two stands where tomatoes were 10,000 per kilo and stopped at the third where I had bought them for 8,000 and they still were. Not an appreciable savings but it is nice to deal with people who do not raise prices for strangers.

At the hotel my new 20 liter bottle of water had arrived. I have been trying to drink more water. I only like it cold so I have made about a ton of ice.

Dinner was from ABC Bakery and after I left all my possessions in the hotel and went into the park. I like having to not worry about pickpockets. More of the regulars were in the park and there was a man with a strong French accent. He asked if I spoke French and I said I did not but he had good English and we talk as we walked. He spoke of living in Minnesota and he was helped along by a young Vietnamese lady whom he introduced as his niece who was sent along to help him and look after him. The young lady smiled continuously. He is on his pension and loves to travel. After a time we parted and I returned to the hotel for the evening. Just outside the alley a canopy had been set up and a band was playing funeral music. The relatives were noticeable by their white over clothes attire.

Back home for the night Thanh called to say hello, she is in Qui Nhon finishing work on her passport. Little sister, Nhan, called to say she would be here first thing in the morning. Huong, from Dalat called to say hello and ask how I was. It is interesting that some people I only see for a few hours every year or so and yet we make the effort to see that these get togethers happen.

Sunday
15 May
Little Sister - Park - Swimming with Hong - Dinner with Daughter

The girls in the park who can not speak.

This morning my Little Sister arrived and we talked about Long Binh in 1968. We were there at the same time but never met. Our paths might have crossed at one time or another.

I have nothing to do till 3:00 when Hong will arrive and we can go swimming. Much is going on in the park. For a while I sit and soon a few people show up and sit with me and chat. One is a 24 year old Vietnamese man who was born in Vietnam but moved to Germany when he was young. Later he moved to France where he lives today. His name is Philips Ngo. He has traveled much and has had an interesting life. We discuss comparative rook by a religion and I mention a book by a Vietnamese Buddhist Monk who is now living in France. The monk wrote the book “Living Buddha, Living Christ” which points out that we can be good Buddhist and good Christian and there is no conflict. He has also read the book. Philips is a psychotherapist who has worked with several groups and has given me some websites which I have not checked out yet.

There is drama in the park also. I meet a Thai woman who also works in the park. We talked for a while. It is interesting how everyone in the park talks about everyone else in the park. Someone comes and begins a heated exchange with the Thai woman. A young man with her shoves the Thai woman. A young woman who has been following at a distance motions to me to come to her. As I walk she takes my hand and leads me to another bench. Soon the women who were arguing begin again and the Thai woman begins to leave. The woman who was arguing with her follows and soon they are pulling hair and banging one another against a tree. This is more violence than I have seen here before.

The girl who lead me out of the fight is another interesting one. She claims to be 21 but she looks 15. I ask to see her ID but she says she left it home. Her name is Trang an she is from Vinh Long. She says she has been working in the park for three years. She can not speak but hears well and knows English to read and write. I do not like to give money to people who ask for it but sometimes I take them to lunch. They get a meal, I get insight and I know the money did not go to something or someone bad. I asked the girl if she want to go to lunch and she said yes. I asked her where and she started walking towards some carts at the corner of the park. We pass the carts and the street and find ourselves in front of Kentucky Fried Chicken. She orders French Fries and a Pepsi and we go back to the park. We eat at a bench and talk about the people passing by. Her friend comes and talks with us. Her friend is named Kieu and is also from Vinh Long, also works in the park, also cannot speak and is 22. The two of them are so abused and yet after talking for a while they are both so happy. They are also so innocent. They smile for a photo and are so pleasant. After talking for a while we go our separate ways.

I rest for a while in the hotel and at 3:00 Hong arrives. We are going swimming at a pool that she goes to. To get there we ride her motorcycle. It is hard for her to balance with me on the back so she decides that I can drive and she will sit on the back. She is apprehensive about this but we are off and I am having no trouble. The traffic is really bad, which is normal. People come from nowhere and do not look as they move in front of us. People swerve and occasionally there is a driver who dodges in and out of traffic. As we enter one busy traffic circle I tell Hong that she might want to close her eyes but, of course, she does not. We arrive unscathed. The pool has a grandstand that is very large and made of concrete. The pool has 10 lanes and is 50 meters long. The 5 far lanes are for women and the close 5 lanes are for men. Since it is Sunday we can only swim for one hour. The people at the pool are not happy that I do not have a proper swimsuit but they call a meeting and discuss it then decide that It is OK this time. We wait our turn and a whistle blows. The pool empties and it is our turn. We have our hour of doing laps and another whistle blows. The next group is waiting to come into the pool.

After the pool we have some rice noodles at a noodle restaurant that Hong says has been there since the end of the war and maybe before. She tells me that she went to college nearby and remembers having noodles there. After a delicious meal we are back on the mortorbike and back out into traffic. Hong is more confidant with my driving and actually tells me that she does not worry about my driving. I think she instinctively reacts to the bad drivers and when she is not driving she worries that I may not see them.

I have some time to wait until my daughter arrives. Every relationship has a title. I have one Daughter, two Nieces, two Little Sisters and at Anh Linh School I am Granddad to “Henry’s Girls”. I go through the alley to Pham Ngu Lao street and wait for Yen, My Daughter. She had decided on that title. I am waiting with two men who have motor bikes. They are looking at the girls that pass amd making comments. Yen arrives and has her sister Bich, pronounces Bic, like Wolfgang Bic, of Bic Pen fame. We get a taxi to the Rex anad go to the roof. I love sitting on the roof in a table at the edge so we can look down 5 stories to see what is going on in the street below. This evening there are a few floats on the street followed by many motorbikes. Yen says that the floats are to celebrate the next two days of Buddhist Celebration. A new fad here is the lighted toys that are shot into the air and then fall with a propeller that slows their descent and spins them as they flash light. We saw them in Dalat and now on the roof of the Rex we look out and these toys come up to the 5th floor before falling back. There is a beautiful breeze. With all the changes to the Rex the roof and the indoor restaurant just inside from the roof are unchanged, thank goodness. We can also look out and see the construction where the Eden Building used to stand. I will miss the ice cream parlor that was in the movie, the Quiet American. The building was a landmark but it fell victim to progress or at least to greed.

I had the crab cakes the other night so I have the duck tonight. Both are really good. Yen has the crab cakes and Bich has the Spaghetti. No one wants desert.

A group played that has 4 guitars, a keyboard, and a bongo. The music was very good.

A short Taxi ride back to Thuan Duc separates us from the world of the tourists and business people that stay at the Rex. I like to visit the Rex but you cannot see Vietnam from the Rex. There are a few remnants of the past. The two restaurants and the Elephants on the roof that flank the stage. They are from a time when the guests of the Rex might have the train up to Dalat for a few days of tiger hunting. The lobby is gone now, all the beautiful woodwork. The pool is still on the roof of the 6th floor and two stories above that is the tennis court with a 15 foot high chain link fence around it. Still I wonder how many balls get over it.

My Daughter an her sister.

And yes, every photo Yen has sent of Bich she smiles like that. Bich is in 10th grade and very shy. I had wondered what was wrong with her teeth that she smiles with her mouth closed but I now see that she has beautiful, bright, perfectly aligned teeth.

Monday
16 May
Lunch with Hoa - Little Rose Warm Shelter - Anh Linh

All I have scheduled today is to have lunch with Hoa. I met Hoa in 2001 when she was a little girl selling post cards and fans in the park in front of the Opera House. She was one of those cute little kids that you could not help but buy something from. There was one year that I did not see her at all and most trips I spend only a small amount of time with her but still I can send her $300 and she will get it to the children that I want to give the money to. In the case of the girls at Anh Linh she takes them shopping or asks what they want and buys it for them. This was her idea when Sister Cam Thuy asked Lloyd and I to not give them much money because if they have it they get lazy and do not do the work that is required of them to earn money at the school. I really do not interfere with Sister Cam Thuy who does such a wonderful job of helping the girls. Also we do not want the girls to get used to taking money from Western men or any men for that matter. Better that they work and earn.

I used Bob to get to the Rex and over paid a little because I like him and do not use motorbikes that much since the buses are so much cheaper.

I arrived a little early and took some photos of the Rex. Much still remains of the old Rex. Hoa wanted to meet in the park across from the Rex. The park is very nice and I used the time until she arrived to take photos of the people taking photos. A bus arrives and the passengers pile out and move in mass to the park, clicking away. In 10 minutes they are back in the bus and gone. A few good photos but not much interaction with people.

Hoa arrives and we go into the Rex. The Rex has six restaurants including the one on the roof. I ask which she wants to go to and she picks the roof. I was afraid that it might be a little hot in the sunlight but Hoa picks a seat under the partial roof. The menu is the same as the dinner so I try the Grilled Prawns and rice which were just so good, just as the other dishes all were. We note the changes to the Saigon skyline. Most notable to Hoa is the now missing Eden Building. This had been Hoa’s home most of her life. Many residents owned the units and were told to move out and given an arbitrary settlement and had to move far away where they could buy a replacement home. Hoa is now out in Go Vap, which is about as far out as you can be in Saigon. Then I find an interesting thing. The residents went to City Hall and stood with signs to protest against the treatment. Nothing was done to help them but it is surprising that someone has picketed City Hall in Saigon. Socialist generally do not like social action or pressure from the masses. Things may be changing.

We go down to the sidewalk in front of what used to be the Eden Building to see Them. Them is a friend of Hoa’s family and still sells soda, water and conical hats. Raven wanted a new hat but they are delicate and hard to carry on the airplane. I can get them in Philadelphia however Miss Them has them in the sizes of Raven’s dolls so I went to buy some. When we arrive I can tell Them remembers me. For those who had not been here in previous trips, when they filmed the Quiet American they moved the merchants out of the park. Because of this inconvenience they used the merchants as extras. Them’s part was when the blast happened in front of the Opera House. She lay down in the street and pretended to be dead. I had told her she is the only movie star I know personally and I always introduce her like that.

Hoa’s mother is also with Them and Hoa has called Mr. Nhut. Nhut is also a very nice person and has looked after the girls in the time before they were in Anh Linh School. His daughter is one of the children that Hoa makes a red pocket for and Mr. Nhut appreciates it. Today Mr. Nhut is not happy. He has purchased a new motorbike but has no license plate. He is being the run around by the police and he has no tag on his bike but must drive to earn a living. There is one two word phrase that he is using and I point it out each time he uses it. The ladies think it is funny that I know what he is saying.

Hoa has suggested that the Tax store will sell the Ao Dai cheaper than Ben Thanh Market. I go through the Tax Store and the Ao Dai are much cheaper so I pick up one for Raven in purple. I think she will like it. I am also looking for one for an Ao Dai for an 18 inch doll but have not found one yet.

Returning to the hotel I walk through the park but no one I know is there. I have a rest for a short time but I get up and go to the Little Rose Warm Shelter which is part of Ho Chi Minh City Children’s Fund. I often talk to the girls who work in the park and I have noticed they have no good information about STD’s. I took it as a project to write a pamphlet and get it printed so it could be distributed and all the girls would have access to the information. I had it checked by my Doctor for accuracy. Then it was translated by Hong’s sister who has been an OB/Gyn in Saigon for 30 years. Finally it was read by an OB/Gyn who has an office in Doylestown, PA who read it to make sure it was translated correctly, as I wrote it. It was a labor of love and I worked hard at it. I have been in touch with Nguyen Kim Thien from Little Rose Warm Shelter for over a year. I had once talked to her about helping me to help a friend find a better life. We had also discussed a brochure to inform the girls in the park about the dangers of STD’s. She has just read it, smiles, looks at me and says, It’s boring. I said it is not entertainment, it is information. She said if it is not interesting people will not read it. She said it needs pictures. I said it is a subject that is hard to provide pictures about besides the pictures might scare them. She smiles and says “good, it is a different culture than in the United States”. She has made corrections and removed half of the text, which I had thought was all essential. I have no printer or translator so I ask if her assistant will retype the copy for me. Her assistant and her both agree. I do not need to be right, just so long as this moves forward. I have tested the brochure and one girl said “thank you” another asked if she could keep it and I said “yes, please share it with your friends. So for now the brochure is in transition and hopefully it will move forward.

Little Rose Warm Shelter is just down the street from Anh Linh School. On the way up the street I stop to ask the times for the camping trip with Chau and the time of the graduation. While I am there I am asked to try on the shirt they are making for me. This is really exciting. I now have two favorite shirts. One my daughter, Tania, gave me and it says “not all who wander are lost”. Now I have my Anh Linh School Shirt which is also a favorite.

At Anh Linh I have a chance to say hello to Ha, Nhung and Thuy. Ha was so shy and retiring at first but now she comes to me and smiles a beautiful smile. The girls are all so wonderful and becoming such beautiful young ladies.

Tuesday
17 May
Day with Bob

Lunch at the little restaurant in the alley

I could not sleep last night so I had a chance to work on my journal. Thanh was in Qui Nhon, getting her Passport, and will return today at 9:00 AM. I planned to meet the bus however I did not set the alarm because I knew that would wake in plenty of time to shower and get the one block to De Tham Street to meet her. The bus, as it turns out, was 4 hours early and arrived at 5:00 AM. Thanh was off. Picked up her bag and was at Thuan Duc before 6:00. It was a nice surprise.

Another nice surprise is that Thanh has brought with her, form Qui Nhon, a regional favorite called Banh Beo. I had these when I was there and liked them so much I photographed the process and had someone write down the ingredients so I can make them at home.

I went to the US Consulate to see if there was anything I could do on our end to help Thanh get her visa. She came back from Qui Nhon with her passport and now we need a visa. You notice I did not say “all we need now is a visa”. As I understand the Passport is the easy part. The visa is something else.

Bob took me to the Consulate and waited to bring me back. When we arrived back at the hotel he did not want to take any money but I said “for gas”. I went to the hotel for a while then walked in the park. I met the girl from Thailand and we talked. She was hungry so we went to my favorite restaurant and each had the $1.25 meal which includes refills on the tea, soup, rice and probably even meat if you asked. After lunch we went back to the park and talked. After a while I said I had to go and as we left a young man was watching us and smiling more than the occasion required so said “it’s not what you think”. He laughed but the Thai girl did not understand and asked what it was. I said your top is too low and your shorts are too high so he thought. . . She said “Oh Really” which she said a lot.

On a whim I called Bob and asked if he was busy. He said no and came in 10 minutes. I said let’s go to Than Binh and have coffee. It is a place that I have heard of and wanted to see. He thought it was a bit far for coffee but we were off. At the club we went in, looked around and seeing nothing of the reputation we sat and had coffee and a milk shake. There were TV’s all over and we watched the show where contestants had to run an obstacle course and usually fell into water, mud or muddy water. When we finished we came back and Bob did not want any money so I offered for gas and he did not want that either so I said. If you come back at 10:00 we can go to dinner. He liked the idea and said 10:00. I said “I will be here”

These late nights are taking their toll on me so I took a nap and a shower.

I was out at the end of the alley early but forgot to make a call so I returned and just after I made the call Bob called and he was at the end of the alley. I went out and we went back to Tan Binh. Back to the Club Soho which I thought had a bad reputation but found it a very tame place. There was a family and the rest of the people were engrossed in their Laptops. The cook had gone home at 9:00 so we did not get dinner. It was late and we were hungry so we stopped off at a place Bob knew. We were a mile from the airport and deep in the non western area. The restaurant Bob picked was a place that he said a lot of Swiss, Austrians and Americans go to. I am not sure how they found it unless they had someone like Bob to show them.

After we ate we were back on the streets and there were no Westerners till we were back at Pham Ngu Lao. It is so interesting to be in an area like this. As we stop at lights people smile, some look suspiciously at me then I smile of nod and they do also. People say hello and often it is their only English word. Even at 11:00 PM the streets are packed. Many people are eating. Many are sitting in clubs watching TV’s on walls or talking with friends.

Bob and I are going to district 11 to a place that has a really bad reputation. He wants to go tomorrow but Thanh is coming so we will have to wait till she is not here so we can have a guy’s night out.

Back at Thuan Duc the doors are locked and Nhuyt has to get up and open them. I am sure Mom will have something to about the hour of my return.

Wednesday
18 May

It was a slow day today. I went to the Embassy to get some presents for my grandchildren and then it was back to the hotel. I am afraid I did not take notes and do not remember the incidental things that happened today.

I did stop by the Dental clinic because I sent an email to make sure I had the right address to send money for Ba Hai’s teeth. As it turns out I had used a five zero instead of an “SO”. I think all is well now and I will try again.

I meet Bob at the end of the alley and he drove me to the US Consulate. I saw some backpacks that the kids might like. The Consulate guards are Vietnamese who have no weapon. There is also a Vietnamese Military guard who carries an AK47. As I was lining up his photo a man in a uniform came over and said “No Photos”. I said “This is the US Consulate and I am a US Citizen, they will not mind. I am sure he understood and I took the photo.

I arrived back at the hotel at 2:00. Thanh said she would arrive at 3:00. I was early just in case she was early, silly me. She arrived on time at 4:00. She likes visiting Xuan Hai and I Iike taking her. Xuan Hai has finished his second year in the seminary, in Saigon and my sister has sent $50.00 to help him with books. We deliver the $50.00 and look around. The seminarians have one hour each day to exercise. There are volleyball games, Badminton, and table tennis. A crew is planting and trimming trees, bushes and shrubs. Xuan Hai has only an hour and then he is off nad we are on our way to the Taxi.

Back at Pham Ngu LaoThanh chooses ABC Bakery for dinner. We each buy 2 meat pastries and have dinner. Unfortunately she has bought one for me. I chose the two I moreand one fwanted and now have an extra. This happens all the time in Vietnam. I have lost 22 pounds and now I think it will come back because my friends see I have lost weight and they do not want me to waste away. I am really not in danger of wasting away. The same happens with Coke. My friends know I do not want to drink Coke and I have switched to Diet Coke. They will order and when the Coke arrives I will point out that I did not want a Coke but Diet Coke and they will say “same same”.

After watching television for a while Thanh decides to go buy some sandwiches. She comes back with one for her and one for me. I eat one then she decides that she is not hungry and I should eat the other. I suggest that in the future she buy one and split it. She agrees and cuts the sandwich in half giving me one half and keeping the other half. This is a no win situation.

Thursday
19 May
SCC, Yen, Ham Tan

I got three days behind because I went up to Ham Tan. Thanh had invited me to visit her father’s tomb and I felt honored to be asked.

The day started with a visit to Paul Finnis who is the director of Saigon Children’s Charities. There is a link to them on my Favorite Links. Paul has been in SE Asia for a number of years and it was really nice to talk to him about what is going on in Vietnam. It was also an opportunity to pitch my idea of a brochure to inform the girls in the park about the dangers of STD and prevention.

After that I went to the store and killed time till we went up to Go Vap to Visit my Daughter, Yen. I met Yen last trip and we went to dinner a few times and a movie. The movie was interesting. The theater was on the 13th floor of a building close to TSN Airport. We had dinner and went up to the theater. As we left the movie and approached the elevator the power went out and we had to go down 13 stories of fire escape. Still it was better than being in an elevator. Yen has 2 sisters, a brother and a mother. They live in Go Vap near TSN Airport. It was nice to meet the family and see her house.

We had a really nice dinner but had to run to catch the last bus to Ham Tan. The bus was an old Mercedes with bumpy seats. The ride was 4 hours and deposited us in Ham Tan at 1:00 Am in an empty town. Thanh called and a cousin who came to lead us to the house. Everyone was awakened and I was given the upstairs bedroom while Thanh had a hammock in the living room. It was warm but nice. I was really glad to get out of the van.

Friday
20 May
Ham Tan Day 1

First morning in Ham Tan and Thanh has the day planned. We will visit friends, eat with relatives, go swimming then have dinner with family again.

We visited with her Step Mother and several Aunts. As we walked down the street she would stop and talk to people. Everyone was so happy to see her and she was so happy. She would tell me this one went to school with her and this one was a friend from where she worked and I was so happy to see her happy. Ham Tan is not visited much by tourists, it is backwards in this respect and we must be careful because people will talk. In the afternoon, before lunch we talked with her sister in her home. We were both tired and as we talked everyone lay down and some nap. Later we heard some had started talking in the neighborhood. Even though the family lay in the living room someone saw that Thanh and I were within a few feet of each other and even though there was no touching it was cause for gossip. The things that go on in the town amaze me but some have nothing better to do than make gossip.

After lunch we go to a beach which is beautiful. The only problem is the ever present litter which is a Vietnamese thing. Unfortunately, unlike Saigon, there is no one on the beach to clean it up and it blows into the most beautiful clear water. We walk in and the water is chest deep in 15 feet. It is warm but refreshing. After a while we have another meal. I do not know why these people are so thin. The food must be healthier here although I am seeing sugar and a lot of salt used here. Thanh has told everyone here that I like Coke. Everywhere I go there is a Coke waiting and no one knows about diet Coke here. This is not working out well.

There is time when all the Aunts are talking and since no one knows English I slip away and walk down to the ocean where it meets the river. There are so many fishing boats, all tied together. Almost all are blue with red and white trim but a few, as in other places, are green and white. The smell is at once good and also awful. The dock and boats with the run off from processing mingle. The people are fun and with almost no common language we have little trouble communicating.

It is almost time for bed so we go back to the house. The house is new and modern, with semi indoor plumbing. As in many single homes here the bath and kitchen are built on the back of the home. Often the bath has a tin roof or no roof at all. This house has a tin roof but the ends are open from chest high up. Because of this Thanh comes up to remind me that after my shower I should lock the bathroom door from the inside so no one can break into the house. The door I am locking is light aluminum and glass.

Saturday
21 May
Ham Tan Day 2

Awake the second day and we will visit the tomb of her Father. We have breakfast and motor bikes come. We ride a short distance and we are at the cemetery. The cemetery looks small from the road but goes back and wraps around some rice fields for a long distance. Many of the tombs have a cross on them. More common are the swastikas, which are a pre Hitler symbol that predates Buddhism. We locate the tombs and the family clean them off and begin placing food and prayers, printed on light paper. The incense are lit and handed out. Each member takes some and goes from tomb to tomb offering prayers and placing the incense on each tomb. Finally the prayers are lit on fire and the smoke will carry the prayers up to heaven. Thanh is especially effected by this more than the others but none seem to notice. Thanh is especially upset after visiting her sister’s tomb and her Father’s tomb. Between tombs is a small one and I ask about it. They have left incense but do not know if it is a boy or girl and they only know it is not Awake the second day and we will visit the tomb of her Father. We have breakfast and motor bikes come. We ride a short distance and we are at the cemetery. The cemetery looks small from the road but goes back and wraps around some rice fields for a long distance. Many of the tombs have a cross on them. More common are the swastikas, which are a pre Hitler symbol that predates Buddhism. We locate the tombs and the family clean them off and begin placing food and prayers, printed on light paper. The incense are lit and handed out. Each member takes some and goes from tomb to tomb offering prayers and placing the incense on each tomb. Finally the prayers are lit on fire and the smoke will carry the prayers up to heaven. Thanh is especially effected by this more than the others but none seem to notice. Thanh is especially upset after visiting her sister’s tomb and her Father’s tomb. Between tombs is a small one and I ask about it. They have left incense but do not know if it is a boy or girl and they only know it is not a relative. In among their family is a rim of concrete and no one knows who may be there.

Back at the house there is more food again and we are off to visit. We are at a house that we went to yesterday. Many friends live near this house and we go from house to house. Sometimes when the women are chattering I can slip away and stop where people say to come in. Using gestures and a few words of Vietnamese I am having a good time. At one house I am told that I am very beautiful and people like to touch my nose which they also think is beautiful. Clearly do not get a lot of Western visitors.

There are little children everywhere and often they want me to sing. They like my singing, not surprising because traditional Vietnamese and Asian music in general is a little squeaky and often off key, as we see it. The children are so much fun. One looks like Dylan but I am out of battery and there are none to be found in Ham Tan. Thanh informs me that we are going to take the larger bus back to Saigon. This is good news. I wish that I had the camera ready for the trip back because we pass so many interesting things. Miles of rice paddies then buildings that cover acres where some thing or another is made. All surrounded by walls and having large gates.

In the larger bus the ride goes much faster and easier. Soon we are in Saigon again and off to Ben Thanh bus terminal.

Thanh is going home and I am off to buy batteries so as not to miss anything else. In De Than street I meet Ba Hai and she asks when we will go to the dentist again. Imagine a child who wants to go to the dentist. I tell her that when I get home I will send some money and they will call her and she will go and get dental work done.

And now a shower and bed.

Sunday
22 May
Lunch with Ky's Family

The day started early when Thanh arrived at 8:00. She woke me up and I got a shower and dressed and when I returned to the room she was asleep so I went out and talked to Bob for a while. I stopped by ABC Bakery and got breakfast. Thanh was still asleep when I returned so I worked on my journal for a while and went down to talk to Loan.

At 10:00 Hong showed up right on time and we went to have lunch with My Nephew’s, wife’s, Sister and Mother. We set off for their house without directions because we were all their before and we all thought one of us really knew where it was. Unfortunately we were all a little off so we wandered around the area where we were sure it was. We were closing in on it when we all realized that none of us was correct. We knew a point close to the house but lacked a detailed knowledge of it’s location.

We began at ran Hung Dao and Nguyen Van Cu because we all know one place that someone stayed at that was near the house. Along the way people would point out an area where many Chinese lived and where a family that sounded like them lived. We ended up at an intersection of alleys where the houses all looked the style of the house we were looking for. Finally Thanh and I went a direction we thought was right and Hong stood in the intersection like a book mark or beacon to give us a reference point. I walked about 100 feet and there was the house. We were happy as children who had won a treasure hunt.

Ky’s Mother and sister knew all three of us and were happy to see us and we were 15 minutes early. We explained the mixup and were soon off to the restaurant that Ky’s Mother and Sister selected. The restaurant is air conditioned and is actually chilly. Everyone makes a selection and in Vietnamese style all dishes are brought to a lazy Susan in the center of the table where all may sample all dishes. It is a wonderful idea. We have Glazed Pork, Chicken, Squid and Mushrooms, Frog and for desert Lemon sauce in pie crust and Watermelon.

I have been given some things to take back for Ky.

Hong, Thanh and I get a taxi back to the hotel and have a wonderful time of relaxing and talking. Miss Hong is very intelligent and is always interesting. She tells me much of Vietnamese culture.

After a few hours Miss Hong goes home to prepare for a class. She teaches English in her home. We had intended to go swimming this morning but Miss Hong could not make it. This is election day and she had to go twice in separate places. I still have to ask her about that.

Thanh and I just hang out and rest and watch TV. Around 6:00 we go to the noodle place at the end of the alley. I never ate there before but it turned out to be as good as it looked.

At the restaurant today I was told something I heard in Ham Tan and other places. I was told I eat Vietnamese food well. It is not that I did not make a mess or used chopsticks well it is that I tried and liked different things. If you do not like something you just say “I do not know how to eat that” and it will not be put on your plate. I have been asked “Can you eat this?” and I simply say yes to, try it.

In Qui Nhon Thanh brought some fertile eggs and I thought I would have some trouble with them but she opened one and scooped some out and gave it to me. I took the spoonful and it tastes like egg yolk. A little fuzzy but much like egg yolk.

I must get to bed early because tomorrow begins at 5:00 at Anh Linh School. Chau and I are going camping.

Monday
23 May
Campimg with Chau, and Anh Linh

Chau and Me
To Henry's Girls I am Grandad

The day began at 4:30 when I heard an alarm somewhere in the darkness behind me. I wanted to know what it was but I just could not open my eyes. I heard the noise again and realized I had to do something so I opened my eyes and reached for my telephone. I knew this was the day Chau had invited me to go camping with her. I was up and showered and out to find a motor bike to take me to Anh Linh School. I was to arrive at 6:00 for the trip but I arrived early at 5:30. There was no sign of life but soon children began to gather outside the gate. Soon someone comes to open the gate and we all pile in. In Vietnam people do not file in and they do not stand in line. Everyone pushes and soon everyone is in. They do not push as in the USA with shoving and impatience but rather just push gentle until all are in.

The first adult I meet is a teacher named Mr Tu. I remember Mr Tu from my last visit. Next I see Cham who brings me the shirt they made for me. It is blue, as the uniforms at Anh Linh School, and has an “Anh Linh” patch over the left pocket. The shirt is a perfect fit and it is now one of my two favorite shirts. The other is a shirt that my Daughter gave me which says “All who wander are not lost”.

We are sitting in 10 rows. Each one is a team with a flag and a flag bearer at the beginning of each row. At about 6:00 the busses arrive and we march to the alley and to the street. We pile into the busses. Each seat has three children and the teachers and staff all stand. The busses pull out and everyone is happy. We are in the last of three busses. As we move down the road we pass bus number two and everyone is waving and cheering. Next we pass bus number one and there is more waving and cheering.

The drive does not seem too long and I think we are Northwest of Saigon. We come to a long narrow street and the busses back down the street. When we get off the busses we walk down the street to the river. A boat arrives and we are taken to the camp in groups.

At the camp each group is given two tarps. One is a tent and the other is a ground cover. The children pitch in and the tent is up in no time. We have a little free time and I take many photos. Soon we are again in lines to play games. Some I know and some I do not. I know Simon Says but they use a different word so it is a little hard to follow him. Instead I look across at the girl there and hope she gets it right. If you get it wrong the penalty is to go to the middle of the circle and when enough are there they are given instructions to do silly things like walk like a Duck.

In another game we hold hands and stretch out as long as we can. We are also allowed to hold out our hat and the next person can hold that to give more distance. We can also take off our belts and in my cast we have gained a great advantage. I hold one end of my belt and Chau is at the other and we have gained the distance of two small children. Our team won this game.

We get balloons, blow them up and use a rubber band to fasten it to out leg. The object is to run around, step on other peoples balloon and pop it while not getting your balloon popped. Mine went in no time. I think I was a target.

After a few more games we hear the winners of each contest. Then break for lunch. At the individual campsites there campfires being build and food being prepared. Our group has two fires going and is cooking Chicken, Green beans and Tomato soup that rivals Emma Roberson’s Tomato soup. Rice is hard to cook over a fire so a lady who cooks for the camp sites does the rice and brings it down. Lunch is delicious.

After lunch is a little free time and I go around taking photos and visiting with the staff including Sister Cam Thuy who is one of my heroes. Far above any “self made” person or corporate executive. Sister tells me that after lunch we will have the groups follow clues to get more clues and collect pieces of a puzzle. When they have the pieces they can read a note which will lead them to a prize. He prize is a watermelon buried in a pile of sand. Just as we are to begin it begins to rain, and rain, and rain. The camp is under a few inches of water. It is in our tent and all over. The ground here is a combination of clay and sand and when it is wet it is slippery. Many children are running and falling. Many are covered with mud and some seem to be working at it.

The activities continue as if nothing is happening and even the teachers are getting wet. Each station has clews and some are from Vietnamese or Buddhist stories. I find one teacher up a tree giving his clue to the students. At the end of the hunt is a large pile of sand and each group finds a watermelon. There is much cheering and the melon is carried triumphantly back to the area of the group and divided up.

It is almost time to go and I look around at a scene of devastation. Everything is wet and muddy. Flip flops are floating on the parade ground. Pots and pans are everywhere and personal belongings are strewn about. Sister Cam Thuy blows a whistle and makes some announcements and in a few moments children and staff are running all over picking and packing. In 29 minutes everything is with the teachers at the parade ground and we are all in lines with our groups.

The boat arrives and ferries us all back to the mainland and the waiting busses. The ride back is much quieter than the ride up and many are asleep. At Anh Linh there is a madhouse. Parents are waiting for children and everyone is getting last minute snacks and and collecting their belongings.

This is one of the most fun day days I have had in a long time. Many of the students have made comment about my shirt and my going to school at Anh Linh. I think the children had all the more fun because of the rain. I am now tired and I will go home and sleep well tonight.

Chau Cooking
Chau is in the center stiring the pot.

Tuesday
24 May
Quiet day

These last few days I have a lot of little things to do. Thanh and I went to see Oanh. Thanh has become close to Oanh and Oanh likes Thanh. She is a little less formal than other of my friends however she lets Thanh know when she has said something out of place.

We went to the market and saw all the great things. The market near Oanh is farther out and tourists do not come there. It has a different look than the closer in markets. Oanh and Thanh bought things for lunch. I was a little apprehensive when Oanh stopped and was looking at some large Squid. I found some sox I wanted to get for Susan and Raven. The sox are like mittens so you can wear them with flip flops. These were very popular in Dalat where they have cooler weather. Still I do see them in Saigon from time to time. I cannot tell you how many mornings I get up and it is hot already and Thanh will show up wearing a sweatshirt. Often Hong and Oanh will wear sweaters.

Back at the house Thanh and Oanh are preparing the lunch. Squid has a light taste that picks up the flavor of what it is cooked with and it has a nice texture if it is cooked right. Thanh and Oanh are both good cooks.

We have a delicious meal and nice talk after that Thanh and I come back to the hotel. In the evening we have some meat pastries from ABC Bakery. Thanh has come to like it a lot.

It is a rather uneventful day and tomorrow will be like it. Just tying up a lot of loose ends.

Wednesday
25 May

Thursday
26 May
Coming Home

Sorry this took so long and I also owe you a few of the last days where nothing much happened. I arrived home and found my computer dead. My brother-in-law is working on it and I hope to get the missing days journal and photos up as soon as I can.

Thanh wanted to come to the Airport with me this morning and I really wanted her to come so she stayed last night. I woke early and got my shower. While Thanh showered I did my last minute packing and cleaned up notes and memos to make sure I got everything.

Thanh and I sat on the floor between the refrigerator and the bed and talked. I met Thanh 18 months ago on my last trip. We have become close and Thanh has talked to Raven and Kerri, my granddaughters, on the internet several times. Thanh invited me to visit the tomb of her Father which I felt was an honor and she also invited me to meet her family up in Qui Nhon and Ham Tan which I also felt was an honor.

I was packed and paid the last $10 of my bill for laundry and water and Thanh asked me if I wanted to go to breakfast. By this time I had 3 US Dollars and some US quarters so I told her I was out of money. We laughed about the way my vacations and money end at the exact same time. Thanh bought me breakfast at my favorite restaurant out near the end of the alley.

We walked to the end of the alley and across to the park, to sit for a few moments. Coming back we met Bob and said goodbye. Thanh said something to Bob and he came and took one of the bags. We all walked to the street again and hailed a cab.

At the airport we had a bottle of orange juice and sat and talked some more. Thanh folded some currency into a boat, Shirt and pants and a flower. Two hours before the flight I went in and put my bags in and got my boarding pass. The lady said “It is your Birthday” and I said yes. She said “Happy Birthday” and I thanked her. I also told her that it was not only my Birthday today but tomorrow, when I get off the plane in Newark; it will be my Birthday Again. I asked for an aisle seat. The aisle seats were all taken on the short flight to Taipei but I got an aisle seat from Taipei to Newark however I had an inside seat from Saigon to Taipei.

After getting all the paperwork done and leaving my bags I went back out and we talked some more. We noticed the time passing and soon it was time to go. We said goodbye and I went in. I went through security and customs and down to the waiting area at gate 19,

As I sat there the girl from check in came down and had such a nice smile. When she saw me she came over and asked to see my boarding pass. I gave it to her and she gave me the one she had in her hand. She said that since it was my birthday she upgraded me to deluxe class and I had a nice aisle seat to Taipei.

The time has arrived and we board the plane. I am always sad to leave Vietnam. I feel like Oscar Wilde said “Home is that place where you can always go and they have to take you in”. When I am in Vietnam there is so much to do that I really do not miss home. I know this upsets Susan sometimes.

We are pushed back and taxi to the run way. After a brief pause we are moving down the runway. We lift up and watch the city get smaller. Soon it is lost beneath the clouds. We land in Taipei and the layover is short. We are back on the plane and I am in row 70 of 71. I have an inside aisle seat and the seat next to me is empty. The seat I am in is much larger than when I arrived two months ago so I assume that I have lost some weight since I came on a Boeing 777 and am leaving on a Boeing 777.

Though we are told that there is turbulence several times it is not noticeable. We have two meals and the movies are good so I look at the “Sky Compass” only a few times. Once we were over the mid Pacific, then Washington, and Wyoming or the Dakotas and the next time I look we are beginning our descent into Newark. We watch the ground come up and next we can see the individual buildings and the traffic. As the wheels touch the runway we are home and the trip is over. It is like the period on a sentence. There is a finality to it and I know it will be another year till I am back. Susan keeps expecting that this trip will get Vietnam out of my system but it is not going to happen. I know that these trips cause a financial drain and she has to do all the things that I do around the house but Vietnam will never be out of my system.