E-mail Kathryn sent Friday, September 28, 2001, from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
GOOD MORNING from VIETNAM!!!!!!!!!
Can I just tell you that this country has LOVED making a buck or two off that slogan that Robin Williams put out there years ago! Tourist t-shirts EVERYWHERE are just screaming the slogan at you! We arrived in Ho Chi Min City early this afternoon. On our way up the Saigon River around 11:00 we had a barbeque out on the Promenade Deck on the back of the boat. It felt like 4th of July festivities, but strangely, when I looked around for the typical fireworks or cheesy parades, I saw a river full of small fishermen's boats and little men wearing rice hats waving enthusiastically at us!!! We must have been quite the sight cruisin up that river in our S.S. Universe Explorer with 650 American Kids clicking away at the countryside with their cameras and chomping their ribs, burgers and icecream over the side! It felt a little strange, but it was definetly one of those experiences that will happen only once in a lifetime.
My roomate Lihi, our friend Rebecca and I took off into the City as soon as we were allowed off the boat. We went in a shuttle bus that took us the 20 minutes into "downtown" and ooed and awed at the kamakazi ciclo drivers and the masses of little mopeds weaving in and out of traffic, not seeming to care if they were on the right side of the street or not. As soon as we piled off the bus, about 50 ciclo drivers (ciclos are basically bikes with a big seat on the front which are sort of like a one person taxi)surrounded us and tried to convince us that we were in need of their services. Although I do want to get a ride while I'm here, today was not the day.
We weaved in and out of tailor shops, jewelry stores, and nicknack shops, and finally ended up in a huge indoor market. We shopped till we dropped, and I came out with a variety of gifts and souvenirs that cost me well under $20 total! You gotta love a good bargain! The one thing I wasn't able to get that I wanted was some fabric for quality sewing once I got back home. The material they have here is absolutely gorgeous, I may just have to bite the bullet and pay over $5 for something!!!! Tomorrow I have another free day in Ho Chi Min, and then I head off to the Mekong Delta for 2 days. The Mekong Delta is apparently the river they are going up in Apocalypse Now, if any of you have seen it, you will now where I am, but I for one, have never seen the movie or the place, so I don't know how to describe it to you. My impression is that it is sort of Rainforesty and I'll have the chance to try a variety of sketchy Vietnamese dishes like bugs and such, so I'll fill you in later about that. The last day in Vietnam I will be going to the Cu Chi tunnels that were used by the Vietkong in the War. I'm very excited for those, and hopefully dudley will be able to tromp a little bit underground with me!!!! Well, I hope all is well, and I can't thank you guys enough for all the great emails I am getting! I love knowing what you are up to!!!! So, keep em coming! Lots of love!!! Love Kat
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