Today we were in Nha Trang, Vietnam. We woke up around 5:00 am and it was raining and thundering. We figured we were ok because we were still 3 hours away from port. We were on a private tour today (non ship tour). There were 3 groups of 18 and we were in group #3. We all met in the casino at 7:30 am. They were supposed to start tender operations at 8:00 am and the ship was arranging a special one for our group so that we didn't' have to go get tender tickets. There was a huge lag time and we didn't know what was going on. We were soon told there was a tropical storm outside that was affecting the tenders.
After going through Vietnam immigration and having our landing card stamped we finally got on a tender around 9:00 am. It was so hot and steamy in there. I was just glad it wasn't a long ride. Only about 15 minutes.
We went to several places today -- mostly trying to get us to buy something. We started out at the embroidery factory. They had beautiful work there. I thought we were just going there to see the process and watch them embroidery. Then a lot of people started buying pictures. Someone said they got one for $10. I would have liked to have had one but I was afraid I would have a hard time getting it home and then if I got it home I don't know where I would hang it.
We then went to the Orphanage. They let us out at the corner and we walked down this muddy road with kids following us trying to get us to buy things from them. When we got to the orphanage we were told that most of the orphans had gone to the beach on a field trip. There were about 5 or 6 little kids there taking their nap that they let us see. Also one of the monks brought out a little child and put it in Mary P's lap. I wasn't able to get a good picture of them, I just hope Pat got one.
We then went and saw some ladies make straw mats. A lady in our group even got down and tried it. She said it was hard work. Once again they were trying to get us to buy. The price was right -- $2 for little one or $5 for big one but I didn't know what I would do with it when I got it home.
We then went to an old house for a tour and then had a bite to eat on the outside patio. They served us fresh fruit and tea or sold us soft drinks or beer for $1. It was a nice break to get out of the heat because they had a fan in there.
They the took us to see ladies making conical hats. They were selling them for $2, but once again I had no idea how in the world I would get it home. Somebody said put it in your suitcase and fill it with things but I would be afraid it would get crushed courtesy of the airlines.
They took us to a factory to see how rice paper was made. It was so hot and dirty in there and I don't think I ever want to eat rice paper. This was being done by women and they had coats on. I don't see how they could stand it.
The women were the ones doing all the work. They get up around 4:00 am to start work and go to bed early. The men get naps in the daytime and the women don't.
We went to lunch at a restaurant on the river. The stuff I ate was good but I was selective in what i ate.
Along the way we stopped at the Big White Buddha for pictures and then later stopped at a temple where I chose to stay on the bus because I was worn out at that point.
There was one last stop at the market. It was a madhouse and maybe even scarier than the one we went to in Hong Kong. This one had people riding scooters through there. You had to be careful or you might get run over. They made no noise so you couldn't hear them coming up behind you.
I don't think there were any traffic signals or stop signs. It is a free for all. As our bus driver came to an intersection, he honked the horn to warn people he was coming through. There didn't seem to be any lanes. People were all over the place.. If we got behind a vehicle that was going too slow our driver just honked at them to get them to pull over. It wasn't unusual for multiple people to ride on one scooter. I saw a family of 3 -- Mom, Dad and little baby laying down asleep.
We were on one of the last tenders back to the ship. All aboard was 5:00 pm where we are now sailing to Phu My, Vietnam. We have a private tour booked where we are going to Saigon. It is 2 hours away from the port but there are only the 4 of us so we will get to do more of what we want to see without waiting on others.
We were exhausted when we got back to the ship and also starved. We cleaned up for dinner and once in the dining room we ate everything in sight whether it was good or not. We rushed through dinner so we could go see the 7:00 pm show. It was an Australian singer that was pretty good. It was all we could do to stay awake during the show. On the way back to the room we started hearing noises that sounded like wind whistling. When I got into my room I realized it is storming outside. It is lightning and thundering really loud. I hope we can still stop at Phu My tomorrow.
Oh well, I am tired so off to bed I go
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