February 21, 2023

The worst of times and the best of times is how I feel about my day in Vietnam. I woke at midnight when I received a text that my soul brother Norm had lost his battle with cancer. Norm was so special to me we loved each other. In fact he taught me about love not with words but actions. He and Julie’s love for each other was incredible to experience and made me believe it actually exists. After I got the news I walked on deck for hours reflecting on all of the ways that Norm had impacted my life and cried. The song that played in my head was “How will I live without you”. I feel so much pain for Julie and the struggle that she will have finding a way to live without him.  I am so blessed that I had Norm in my life even if the time was so short.

I had to make a decision on going on my planned adventure but the thought of being alone on ship was harder than going ashore so I went. Norm had wanted to come to Vietnam as a young man to serve our county so I chose to experience it in his honor.

I was blessed with an incredible experience in a county that is trying to redefine itself as a county and not a war.

We boarded the busses at 7:00am for the long drive into Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). It was about 2 hours of heavy traffic with lots of scooters zipping about to get to the city center marina where we boarded speedboats that would take us up the Mekong Delta.

The river in the city is so polluted with trash that every few minutes the driver had to stop the boat to clear the propeller but when we were speeding along it was so much fun. The view along the riverbanks of the local life with the skyscrapers of the city in the background provided a view of what life really is in Vietnam.

Soon we got beyond the city into the countryside where the river is cleaner and the green of the riverbank was incredibly beautiful.   The crew on our boat provided lots of local fruit for us to try as we cruised up the river enjoying the view.

After we had been cruising for about two hours we pulled up to a rickety dock and went on a visit to a local farmer. In South Vietnam the family home passes to the youngest son and this farmer was the seventh son. The home was modest but clean and the fields were full of lime trees and rice. Limes are more profitable than rice!!  They bury their family in their backyard.

The family had a pet snake, Lucy that they were really proud of and offer to let us do pictures with it.   That was a “Hell no” from me!!!

We walked for a bit though the fields and then got back on our speedboat for a visit to a local market. This is the market that the locals go to for their daily provisions. The sight of raw meat in the hot sun covered with flies was enough for me to be very happy that I am vegan!

Back on the boat to head to our lunch that was prepared in a local restaurant. The kitchen was tiny but the food they provided was the best that I have had since I started this trip. The whiskey tasking was fun. The restaurant owner brews three different flavors in large vats. I am sure it was powerful enough to kill any bacteria that the food had.

Our last adventure before we headed back was a ride on a sampan (wooden canoe). Getting into the canoe, which was narrower than a kayak without tipping it, was a challenge but the ride up the river was magical. Then we pulled up to yet another rickety dock with steep steps. When I went to stand up I was really happy for all the squats that I do!!!

We got back into the speedboats for our journey back to the city.

Then back on the buses to fight traffic back to the ship. We got back as the sun was setting and the crew was waiting patiently to pull in the gangplank. Yes, my group was the last onboard once again.

A magical day experiencing Vietnam!!!