We’re Coming Home!!!

Day Twenty-three: 3/5 – Travel: S to EUG
Title: We’re coming home!!!

This final installment of the Asian Adventure 2008 blog is being written to you roughly from Hawaii. The plane has individual TV screens and I currently have it set on the “map”. We aren’t flying directly over Hawaii but in terms longitude we are just about equivalent to Lihue. This flight has approximately 3:30 hours to go.

I am pretty excited to be coming home. I have a lot of work to catch up on and strangely I am looking forward to it. I actually have quite a list of things I am looking forward to. Below please find my Top 10 Most Missed List:

10. Trustworthy and Good Tasting Milk- The milk in Asia is sketchy because one never knows if it is pasteurized. If one does decide to drink it, he or she has a 50% chance of it tasting nasty.

9. My Bed- Most of the beds we slept in were surprisingly comfortable. However, my bed is super comfortable. I look forward to reacquainting myself with it for a very long time.

8. My Closet- I am pretty sick of the clothes I have been wearing for three plus weeks. I look forward to having a little more variety in choice, particularly in the footwear department.

7. Non-Asian Inspired Food- I really like Asian food but I’m ready for some Mexican, Italian, or American. For those of you like our guide Dat, who feel there is no “American” cuisine, what I’m really saying is I want some Mucho, pizza and a burger.

6. A Max of Two Showers per Day- In the hot and humid climate of South East Asia, I felt like I needed a shower every time I stepped outside. I won’t miss that “not-so-fresh” feeling.

5. Driving- I like to go where I want, when I want. I also like to drive fast. Busses in traffic aren’t too conducive to that… even if they are Mercedes.

4. Fountain Sodas with Ice (and potable water in general)- The bottomless soda is non-existent in Asia. I can’t wait to get a bottomless soda with a mountain of ice. A really cold beverage of the non-alcoholic variety sounds pretty awesome right about now. For that matter, so does getting water in my mouth while showering or using tap water to brush my teeth.

3. Sonicare Toothbrush- I used a new toothbrush on this trip and it sucked. The bristles kept getting stuck in my braces and ripping away from the brush. I can’t wait to use my electronic toothbrush to get my teeth super clean without leaving any bristles behind!

2. My Own Space- I love my daddy. We got along very well for spending 98% of the last 23 days together. However, I am looking forward to having my own space. In particular I will enjoy having a dry bathroom sink edge and a quiet environment. I don’t know if there is a man in the world that makes more noise than my father.

1. TNC- The number one thing I missed most while gone was the Thursday Night Crew! This includes honorary member Bailey Stokes, and specifically Mom and Mia. Of course it also includes founding members Joel, D-Nelly, R2 and J2 (even though half the J2 wasn’t a founding member). I even missed baby Smitty! I am also very thankful that baby Smitty didn’t decide to come early because I wouldn’t want to miss that for the world.

I want to close this final installment by thanking you all for reading the blog and sending me emails. Traveling for an extended period of time serves as a great reminder that the people in my life are what I cherish most in this world. Each one of you is very special to me and I hope you know how much I appreciate your friendship. Thanks for all of the emails and updates from home. I hope you enjoyed reading the blog as much as I enjoyed writing it. I haven’t even begun the slideshow yet, but if you’d like to see it when it is completed just let me know. If you live in town, we can get together to watch it. If you are elsewhere, I’d be happy to drop a DVD in the mail.

Until the next adventure!

God Bless,

Katy

We Spent Many Million Dong today

Day Twenty-two: 3/4 – Saigon Day #3
Title: We spent many million Dong today

Today was our last full day in Asia. Dad and I scheduled a “free” final day because we knew that we would want to do some shopping. I think that the shopping may have been better in Thailand, but I wasn’t allowed to grow my bags during the first week of the trip.

I was pretty excited about the shopping day until I woke up. As I blogged yesterday we went to a nice restaurant last nice. They served my Diet Coke with ice. I drank it because it was nice to have something genuinely cold. That was a bad idea. I woke up a couple times in the night and the morning was not particularly fun either. I was really disappointed about this, not only because it delayed shopping but also because I had big plans for a big breakfast. I had been really good the whole trip only eating eggs and fruit for breakfast. I was planning a final morning splurge with waffles and pastries. Eventually my drugs kicked in and I could leave the hotel… but it took a while.

You all will be very impressed to know that I only purchased one Nike item during our entire trip. It was a t-shirt. I didn’t buy a single pair of shoes. I am pretty proud of myself ;~> I won’t bore you with all of the other stuff we bought but I’ll be happy to show it to you when we get back TOMORROW!

Katy :~>

PS Here is the Dr. P. fun fact of the day. Our day of shopping made me wonder what was the most expensive thing dad had ever purchased. I excluded land, home, and car purchases. Dad had to think about this and finally decided that it was the piano he bought himself as a 50th birthday present. I now know what it cost… but “I’ll never tell” (insert scary Brittney Murphy voice here).

AK 47's

Day Twenty-one: 3/3 – Saigon Day #2
Title: AK 47’s

The first item on today’s itinerary was a trip to the Cu Chi Tunnels. The tunnels are located roughly 70 km outside of downtown Saigon. Saigon traffic is insane, so it took us a little under two hours to drive that distance.

The first Cu Chi Tunnel was built in 1948 as a way to hide from French attacks. At this time the tunnels covered 17 km. During the Vietnam War the tunnels were greatly expanded. Currently it is estimated that they cover over 250 km.

The park surrounding the tunnels was very interesting. There were ample displays showing the guerilla war tactics that the Vietnamese used against the Americans. They were really quite brilliant in their simplicity and resourcefulness. The Vietcong recycled much of what the US used against them and used all of their natural resources to perfection. I can’t begin to imagine what it would have been like to be on either side of this battle. The poor US servicemen were destined to fall into the traps set by the Vietcong. The Vietcong were living in tunnels, many of which were literally narrower than my shoulders. And this says nothing of the fact the tunnels were pitch black, filled with endless insects, and lacked adequate bathroom facilities. Dad and I climbed through roughly 50 meters of tunnel. I think that was probably enough to last a lifetime.

The darkness and depth of the tunnels is very hard to appreciate without venturing inside them. The underground community was set up with meeting rooms, workshops, and kitchens, all connected by an intricate pattern of tunnels. There are three levels of tunnels. The deepest of which is roughly 30 feet below ground. It is absolutely crazy to think that all of these tunnels were dug by hand. To read more about the history of the tunnels click this link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cu_Chi_Tunnels.

My favorite part of our Cu Chi Tunnel visit may have been the shooting range. When you first enter the tunnel grounds you hear a lot of gunfire. I was wondering if this was for affect or if live rounds were actually being shot somewhere. It turns out that there is a firing range on the tunnel grounds. I have always wanted to shoot a gun but I have never had the opportunity, until today. I shot five rounds out of an AK47. I am not a very good shot. The gun was set up on a wall that was a little too high for me. I had to shoot from tiptoes. I am confident that’s why my aim wasn’t better ;~> If any of you who are reading this go skeet shooting, I’d love to join you sometime.

On our way back to town from the Cu Chi Tunnel we stopped at “Handicapped Handicrafts”. Evidently the use of Agent Orange during the Vietnam War has caused a significant number of birth defects in the last 30 years. Many of the people’s defects are such that traditional employment would be very difficult. Someone (I am not sure if it is private or government run) started a factory where the Agent Orange victims can work, live, and find purpose for their lives.

After returning to downtown Saigon we went to lunch. We ate a restaurant called Pho 24. Pho noodles are like the national noodle of Vietnam. I don’t think that they taste any different from any other type of Asian noodle. I actually have found Vietnamese food to be a little bland, especially compared to the amazing Thai food we had two short weeks ago.

After lunch we took a “cyclo” tour from the Central Market to the Chinese Market. A “cyclo” is basically a tricycle with a big old chair in the front of it. Riding around in this thing was quite an experience. There is no place for a bike (or cyclo) to ride other than in the street. As I’ve previously mentioned the traffic in Saigon is crazy. Traffic laws are mere suggestions and accidents aren’t the exception but rather the rule. I thought I was going to lose a limb at least a few times on the ride. I took a short video on my still camera. I haven’t watched it yet but I imagine it will be able to convey the experience much better than I ever could.

After wondering around the Chinatown market for a few minutes we took our van back to the hotel. I am still fighting a bit of whatever cold or allergies I’ve developed, so I took a short nap before cleaning up for dinner.

Dinner tonight was within walking distance of the hotel. We went to a rather fancy place called “Mandarin”. Evidently it is one of Condoleeza Rice’s favorite watering holes in Saigon. There were pictures of her and the restaurant’s employees all over the walls. Our meal was fairly good but I resented the fact that a Diet Coke cost $3.50. I know Joel would ask, “Why didn’t you just have water?” Well you can’t drink tap water here and a bottle of water was the same price. I did my best to drink slowly. I drank only two twelve-ounce cans during the two-hour dinner.

One downer in regards to dinner was that it was our last evening with the Purdon’s. They are off to visit to one of their kids in Santa Barbara tomorrow. Dad and I really enjoyed getting to know them over the last two weeks. I am so thankful that they were such cool people because this trip really could have been miserable if we didn’t like them.

Saying farewell to the Purdon’s got me thinking about goodbyes in general. This brings us to our Dr. P. fun fact of the day. Dad thinks the hardest goodbye he ever had to say was when his father’s casket sunk into the ground. Dad says, “It is so final. You can’t say ONE MORE WORD.” He says his father’s priest was some comfort. Dad remembers the priest saying, “ ‘Death is the ultimate mystery’ and for some reason I (dad) found that comforting.”

After dinner we walked back to the hotel and said our goodbyes to John P. and Sigrid. I now have a standing invitation to visit Ontario, Canada, so I may have to make the trip I’ve been wanting to take to Toronto sooner rather than later. Dad and I went for a quick walk to pick up some groceries and then went back to the room for good. I am currently writing this from my bed and my eyes are getting very heavy. I think I’m going to call it a night. Tomorrow’s blog will likely be short because dad and I plan to spend the whole day shopping. If there are any last shopping requests please send them over ASAP and I’ll do my best to get what you want.

I miss you all and am looking forward to seeing you soon.

Katy

Siestas are a Good Thing

Day Twenty: 3/2 – Saigon City Tour
Title: Siestas are a good thing

Today on the schedule was a city tour of Saigon and its biggest sites. We met the Purdon’s in the lobby at 9 am. Shortly thereafter we were met by our guide, Dat. Dat is crazy. I think he has a serious case of ADD or something. His English is great but he is all over the place. I actually like the fact that his pace is much faster than every other tour guide we’ve ever had. However, I think he may be wearing a little thin on the old people.

Our first stop of the day was the Saigon History Museum. This museum was more enjoyable because, as previously stated, Dat moves quickly. I think that Jon P. and Sigrid actually liked the pace. Dad, on the other hand, probably wished he had all day to spend there. I’m trying to remember the coolest thing we saw, but I was pretty darn tired, so I can’t really come up with anything worth noting.

At 10 we attended a water puppet show inside the museum. It was actually kind of cool. I have never seen this advertised anywhere else in the world, so I think it may be a Vietnamese thing. There was a stage, which was basically a pool with a few set elements. In the back of the pool there was a pagoda looking thing with curtains. The puppets would come in and out from behind the curtains. Each puppet is connected to a long green pole. The poles have strings attached to them, which allow for the finer movements of each puppet. If you picture a marionette, attached to a pole, being manipulated in and out of water, then you’ll have a fairly accurate picture of a Vietnamese water puppet show.

Our next stop was the Reunification Palace. It was a your typical stately complex filled with gigantic rooms. I’m certain the tacky yellow dining room could have seated fifty at its table. The interior was dated. It was like a time capsule straight out of the sixties and seventies. Evidently they have left the Palace in its original operating state for the historical effect. The coolest part of the building was probably the basement. It too was left unchanged from the sixties and seventies. At this time the basement was used as the war room or war command center. I would not have wanted to spend any more time in that basement than we did. It was a little claustrophobic down there.

The French influence can still be felt in much of Saigon. For instance, many of the government run museums and buildings take a one and half hour break from 11:30 to 1. We finished touring the Palace around 11:30, so we decided to take a break for lunch before visiting the Vietnam War Museum in the afternoon.

The Vietnam War Museum was quite an interesting place. I’m sure all of you who lived through the war remember the sites quite well. I, on the other hand, had not seen many of the actual pictures taken from the war. The pictures filled me with emotions. The emotions ranged from sorrow, anger and grief to adrenaline, happiness and pride. The museum had a definite overall anti-American sentiment. I don’t know enough about the history to know if this was justified. I look forward to researching the subject so that I can have an informed opinion on the matter going forward.
After the museum we went back to the hotel to freshen up for dinner. Originally the itinerary had us going to a traditional Vietnamese restaurant with traditional Vietnamese music. I told dad that it was fine if he wanted to go to this but I had no interest. I didn’t really want to listen to any more cows die. It turns out that dad, John P. and Sigrid all wanted to bag the traditional dinner, so we asked Dat if he could change our reservation. After a couple more rounds of vetoes, he found the perfect place. Upon initial inspection the place seemed slightly sketchy because it was totally tucked in off of an alleyway. Sigrid had specifically requested that we have an air-conditioned room to eat in. They had set our original table up outside so they had to find us a new spot. We ended up sitting in a conference like room upstairs with just the four of us. It was really quite pleasant. The food was a set menu with eight courses. Each course was very good and the fried bananas for dessert were the best that dad and I have had during our time in Asia.

After dinner we returned to the hotel and called it a fairly early night. Dad had said that he wanted to go for a walk but he fell asleep before that happened. Speaking of sleep…

The longest Dr. P. ever went without sleep was 40 hours. He can’t remember if this occurred during residency or med school but he remembers it happening. He says during his training he often had to work 36-hour shifts with little to no rest. In the event that he did get to lie down it was only for 20 minutes or so. He says, however, that he would awaken from these naps refreshed and ready to go. It saddens him that today, at 65 years of age, 20 minutes sleep no longer cuts it.

I am tired and going to call it a night. Day 20 is in the books. Home is a mere three days away and it is sounding pretty darn good. I’ll write again tomorrow.

Katy

Is it Possible that I am Sad the Boat Trip is Over?

Day Nineteen: 3/1 – RV Tonle Pandaw Day #8 and transfer to Saigon
Title: Is it possible that I am sad the boat trip is over?

Do you want to hear (read) something crazy? I think that I am actually a little bit sad the boat trip is ending. As you all know I was extremely nervous about this trip. Going in I thought I was going to be stuck on a boat filled with old people, for nine days, without diet soda and in a 100sq foot cabin with dad. Turns out the trip was only eight days, the people were old but not super old ;~), the boat had diet soda and the cabin was actually comfortable.

I have spent a lot of time thinking about what made this trip a 1,001 times better than the cruise in China. There are a lot of possibilities, including the things mentioned above, like diet soda. The boat was also way cleaner and didn’t smell. However, if I could only pick one variable, it would be the people. Both the passengers and the crew were downright enjoyable. Out of the 43 passengers on board there were really only four that I tried to avoid (OP, WOP, Napoleon and his wife). I truly enjoyed everyone else. I think there are likely a few reasons for this.

This cruise was more “active” than the one in China, so I think the passengers were generally in better health than those on the Yang-Tze. To afford a trip like this a person (or person’s dad ;~) must have some level of financial independence. Generally speaking, financially secure people have worked hard at their careers and often done interesting things. I think that was very much true for the passengers on this boat. Additionally, on the whole, the people on the cruise had very good senses of humor. That makes all the difference in the world. Finally, Nicole specifically made a huge difference as well. While she was not the hot young man I was hoping for, she was a lot of fun. Having another English speaking person on the boat in the 20-30 demo made ALL the difference in the world.

The Pandaw portion of this adventure ended with a final two-hour bus ride. The water levels were such that the boat couldn’t sail to downtown Saigon, so we had to settle for the bus transfer. Upon arrival in downtown we were left at a centrally located hotel. The final goodbyes amongst the English-speaking passengers took place there. Those of us who weren’t staying at that hotel were met by new guides and taken to our individual hotels. Shockingly… I sincerely hope to see many of our fellow passengers again.

We arrived at our Saigon hotel (The Legend) around 11 am. Our room wasn’t ready yet so we decided to take a stroll around town and look for some lunch. Once again we are sharing a tour itinerary with John P. and Sigrid, so we went to lunch with them.

Across the street from the place we chose to have lunch there was an Internet café. I hadn’t been on the net in five days and I needed a fix. Dad decided, after we had paid the bill, that he wanted dessert. I took that as a sign that I was supposed to go get on-line. I ran across the street to quickly check email while the old folks finished up.

Checking email was REALLY great. Like seriously great. It is probably sad how much I miss the Internet when I don’t have it for five days. I feel totally disconnected from the world. George Bush could have been assassinated while we were on the boat and I wouldn’t have known the difference. I don’t like being that disconnected. I also don’t like going weeks at a time without seeing attractive men in my age demo. I am not sure what I liked better about the going to the café… the fact that I got to reconnect with the world or the fact that were at least ten different young men that came and went while I was there. Regardless it was a good time.

After I finished up computing dad and I walked back to the hotel. I was pretty darn tired and starting to get sick. My skin, eyes, and sinuses were super irritated. Dad believed this irritation was caused by the pollution in the air. I don’t know if he was right but I do know that I was kind of miserable. I took a three-hour nap upon our return to the hotel. I also used Afrin, Rhinocort, eye drops and lotion. Needless to say I felt some better when I woke up.

After nap time dad and I took another walk around the city. We wanted to acclimate ourselves to the Saigon and get some dinner. We strolled for a half-hour or so before we wandered in to a shopping mall. Traditionally shopping malls in Asia are weird and this was no exception. They are almost all built with many floors (which makes sense since space is very limited) but the strangest part is the collection of stores. This one was pretty random. It had a few clothing stores, a book store, multiple toy stores (lots of Mickey Mouse), multiple furniture stores, a kitchen store, a supermarket and a silk flower store. It wasn’t a Care Four but if you put it all together you would get something similar to Wal-Mart with higher end furniture and better food. Maybe it would be like Target ;~>

For dinner we ate in a place with a vast menu and a colorful red interior. I was getting pretty sick of Asian food, so I decided that cheese pizza would be an excellent choice for dinner. In actuality it was surprisingly good. Dad had some type of Vietnamese something or other that he “oohed” and “ahhed” over for a long time. My favorite thing on the menu, which I did not order, was the Mickey Mouse Sundae. Mickey really is an extremely popular fellow over here.

After dinner dad and I walked the streets of Saigon for a solid hour. We saw all kinds of crazy stuff. I think in all of the traveling I have done, utter disregard for traffic laws may be the greatest here in Saigon. There are scooters EVERYWHERE and they just go when they feel like it. There are few traffic signals and those that are in place are not really respected. Crossing the street is quite exciting. You feel like the frog in the old school video game “Froger”. Speaking of games…

It is time for the Dr. P. fun fact of the day. The first game dad ever remembers playing was Chinese checkers. He used to play it at Auntie Peg’s Holiday House. This was a summer home for underprivileged kids (that in itself is kind of funny… dad had his first tux when he was six… he was not underprivileged… at least not financially). Barbara and John would get sent there every year for two weeks when their parents went to the Pocono’s for vacation. According to dad those two weeks were a highlight of every year.

I am still feeling a little crappy and I am definitely tired. I am going to call it a night but I’ll be sure to write again soon. I miss you all.

Katy