8th Nov - Tan Chau and Chau Doc

This morning Denise and I selected different excursions.  I was going to the Tra Su Forest and Bird Sanctuary and Denise was going to the fish farm.  The bird sanctuary was quite a long way and it was going to be a 5.5 hour trip altogether, so I left the ship early at 8am.  The trip involved quite a few different modes of transport.  Initially there was a 45 minute speedboat ride, then we transferred to a bus for another 45 minute drive. Within the bird sanctuary itself there were 2 more different kinds of boats.  We saw quite a few birds, but I was even more impressed with the beautiful scenery.  To be honest the Mekong itself is quite industrialized and rather polluted, but once we got on the bus and went inland we were surrounded by greenery and beautiful mountains.

I returned to the ship around 1.30pm, only to find that Denise had slept through half the morning and missed her trip to the fish farm.

After such a long trip in the morning, I spent my afternoon relaxing by the pool as the ship sailed downriver towards the border with Cambodia.  We reached the border mid-afternoon and Scenic took care of arranging our Cambodian visas.  Whilst it's possible to get an e-visa for Cambodia on-line, that method is only good for certain entry points into the country - and the border crossing on the Mekong is not one of those entry points.  So you just have to get one on the spot as the cruise ship arrives.  The cruise company have obviously got a routine for doing this now, and took care of everything for us.


In the evening we were treated to a Lion Dance by some of the local children and then the Farewell to Vietnam Gala dinner.  Most of the crew on board are Cambodian, and were happy to be crossing over into their home country.

We ended the evening in the bar as usual, where 3 of the excursion staff put on a version of "Liar's Club" for us. Lots of fun was had by all.

7th Nov - Cai Be and Sa Dec

This morning's excursion was a sampan ride to Cai Be where we had morning tea at a French Colonial house.  We were entertained with traditional music while we ate and drank.  The food included banana rice pancakes, fruits - and that traditional Vietnamese tea time treat: Oreo cookies. 

Perhaps more interesting than the set piece of the morning tea, was the sampan ride to and from Cai Be.  Seeing the way the people on the river live:  doing their washing in the river, living in houses that are often little more than tin sheds on stilts.  It's amazing how virtually everything is done on the water - there are floating gas stations, boats that serve as floating hotels for the local honeymooners, motorcycle ferries - you name it.

Motorcycle ferry

Floating gas station

Sa Dec

After a buffet lunch our afternoon excursion was to the "wet market" at Sa Dec.  I'm sorry, but I've got to say this was the most disgusting thing I've ever seen in my life.  Other people said they'd seen markets in other Asian countries that were worse, but the cages of rats and the skinned frogs that were still alive were just gross.  One of the guys in our group stopped to take a short video of the skinned frogs that were feebly moving and the woman at the stall actually started poking the frogs to make them move more for him!  Anyhow, if there are any more excursions to food markets I think I'll give them a miss.


We were back on board at 5.30pm for our gin o'clock evening on the sun deck while sailing down river towards Chau Doc. There were 38 different kinds of gin to choose from.  I started with an Canadian gin that I'd never heard of, and then moved on to the gin cocktails.  Dinner was French themed and very nice.  Sadly after dinner I was just so out of it that all I could do was head back to my suite and collapse.  Hopefully I'll have more energy tomorrow.

All Aboard the Scenic Sprit - 6th Nov

After a morning's meet and greet with our Scenic rep in the Ballroom, we all went out for lunch at a local restaurant.  There are only 64 guests on this cruise, so it's easy to make friends. Most are Australians, which is unsurprising given that Scenic is an Australian company, and this part of the world is a lot close to Australia than it is to North America or Europe.  There's also a fair number of Brits, and a few lonely Canadians.  So far I haven't spotted a single American though.

The road out of HCMC

After lunch we boarded the bus and set off to My Tho to board the ship.  It was a 2 hour journey on the bus - most of which was spent getting out of HCMC  - which is a sprawling city with a population of 12-13 million people.










Once we got out of the city it was fascinating to see the locals working in the rice paddies.  The deceased relatives of the family that owns the land are buried in a corner of the paddy set aside for that purpose - that way their ancestors are always with them.

  We arrived at the ship around 4pm. Scenic Spirit is a new ship and very posh.

Our suite is pretty amazing and our butler, Sok, is making sure we have everything we need.

The Lounge Bar

Once I had unpacked I went exploring while Denise took a nap.  With only 64 passengers, it's not a big ship, but it has everything you could ask for. On the deck below us we have a laundry room - which I'm going to need to use pretty soon.  Our cabin is next to the Library, and on the same floor as Reception and the Crystal Dining Room.  On the deck above is the Spirit Lounge and bar. Tea and Coffee are available there 24 hours and there's a good selection of sandwiches and snacks to be had if you're feeling peckish.  Above that is the pool deck - the pool is small, but the area looks like a tropical oasis and is very beautiful - most beautiful of all is the pool bar!  Finally there's the sun deck, with plenty of loungers and a short walking track.

We sat with Robyn and Jen, 2 Australian ladies, for the Welcome dinner.  The food has a bit of an Asian twist, so it's not my favourite - but I can appreciate the artistry that's gone into it.  Denise was feeling a bit under the weather, so she went back to the cabin for an early night, while Robyn, Jen and I headed for the the lounge bar one deck up.  We were the first ones there and the last to leave, and we put away a few cocktails in the meantime.  All in all it was a great first night aboard - and I'm looking forward to our first day of excursions tomorrow.

The Adventures of Denise and Ruth in HCMC

Today we had no guided tours and decided to set forth and explore Ho Chi Minh City by ourselves. This is not as easy as it sounds - as just crossing the road around here is a major undertaking.  The traffic ignores red lights, and you just have to stroll out into the middle of the unending stream of motorbikes and trust that they'll go around you - which they do - but it's still a bit of a hair-raising experience.  Denise found it particularly stressful.

The view from the window of the Eon Heli Bar

Our eventual destination was the Bitexco Tower - the tallest building in HCMC.  You can pay to go up to the viewing platform (it's 300,0000 Dongs) or you can go to the Eon Heli Bar on the 52nd floor (which is actually higher than the viewing platform) and buy a cocktail for about 260000 Dongs and get the view for free.  No prizes for guessing which option we chose. 






We took a taxi back to the hotel after our liquid lunch, as the day was hot and the road crossing experiences had taken a lot out of us.  We spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing by the pool, and the evening repacking our bags, as we're leaving for the ship tomorrow.  


HCMC has been a unique experience, but it is still a big city with all the mod cons.  As we sail down the Mekong we'll be heading into the more rural areas, and it will be interesting to see what we'll find there.

Ho Chi Minh City

Today was our first full day in the city formerly known as Saigon (and now known as Ho Chi Minh City). 

We were awake early due to not having adjusted to the time difference yet.  So we went down to breakfast at 6am. It was an amazing buffet with wonderful pastries - must be the French influence here.  The fruit selection included Jack fruit - which I had never seen before, let alone tried. 


After breakfast we headed out by taxi to the Museum of Vietnamese History.  It wasn't a very large museum, which was good, because we are still adjusting to the time zone and aren't exactly bursting with energy.  The museum included a statue of Ho Chi Minh, the first prime minister of Vietnam- and the city's name sake




When we got back to the hotel we relaxed in the lounge for a very welcome coffee break, before setting out once again in the afternoon on a half day guided tour of the city.



The half day tour was certainly jam packed.  We started out at the War Museum.  There was an impressive collection of US planes, helicopters and tanks in the courtyard.  Inside most of the exhibits were collections of photos, many of which were extremely graphic.  I'm not a squeamish person, but even I was shocked at some of them, and I can't say I'd want to see them again.

After the War Museum, we visited the Jade Emperor Pagoda to see the various Buddhist shrines, and then on to the Post Office (a beautiful French colonial building), the Church of Notre Dame and the Reunification Palace.   The pace was frenetic, the weather was extremely hot and humid, and by the end of it all Denise and I were exhausted. So it's another early night for us. 

Mekong River Cruise

Another vacation - this time to Vietnam and Cambodia.  My very first trip to Asia.

Vietnam is pretty much half way round the world from Ottawa - so it doesn't matter which direction you fly in  - you won't get there any faster. I left Ottawa on Wednesday night - and finally got to Ho Chi Minh City (S S Saigon) at lunchtime on Saturday.

Since I was doing the holiday with Denise, I decided to fly East from Ottawa and stop off at Heathrow, so that we could meet up there and do the rest of the journey together.  I stayed overnight at a hotel in Heathrow in order to have a bit of a rest before we had to catch our early morning flight to Singapore the following day.
The flight from Heathrow to Singapore is 13 hours and I was dreading it.  But I ended up with a spare seat next to me, so I had plenty of room, and the service on Singapore Airlines was excellent.  Other airlines offer you orange juice or a diet coke, Singapore Airlines offers you a Singapore Sling; it just about made the 13 hours bearable. Then we had to hang out at Changi airport for 3.5 hours before catching our flight on to Ho Chi Minh City.

Our Scenic rep met us at arrivals in HCMC and we had a 20 minute mini bus ride to the Park Hyatt here in the centre of the city.  The ride itself was quite an eye-opener.  People riding motorbikes everywhere -  quite a few of the bikes had 3 people on them,  and the kids weren't even wearing helmets.  The bikes just weave in and out between cars and squeeze into non-existent spaces. I think most of the bikers must have a death wish.  Apparently it's not that unusual to see 5 people riding on one scooter! 

The hotel is very posh, and very nice.  We are exhausted right now and will probably have a nap, but afterwards we plan to check out the hotel pool and the French/Vietnamese restaurant.

Tomorrow we are booked on a half day coach tour of the city.

Pumpkinferno

Every year Upper Canada Village does a nightly display of carved pumpkins during October.
There are some truly amazing pieces of art.
Here are some from this year: