Taiwan

Thursday, April 7, 2011
Dave and I and John and Carol left Taiwan for Hawaii about 3:00 PM on Wednesday, April 6th by way of a three hour flight to Tokyo. After a 2 ½ hour wait in that airport we took a seven and a half hour flight to Honolulu trying to get comfortable and sleep the time away. Having crossed the International Date Line we got to Honolulu in time to catch an 11:00 AM flight to Maui on the same day we left and even earlier in the day than when we left Taiwan. Once we found out the ship would no longer be visiting Japan and we would be spending two extra days at sea the other three mentioned above wanted to jump ship and head for Hawaii to spend more time here. So here we are at our condo a week and a half earlier than we had planned. It will be nice to get rested before John’s kids arrive in another week. We have already had a night’s sleep and been to the Gazebo for breakfast this morning.

On Monday, April 4th our ship pulled into Keelung, Taiwan not too far from Taipei. Taiwan’s official name is Republic of China but they prefer to be called Taiwan so as not to get confused with The People’s Republic of China. Our guide said the weather here changes like a step mother’s face. It was raining when we arrived and the forecast was rain for our entire visit but we lucked out and the next day was cloudy but not raining. She said it rains about 200 inches a year and they get very little snow. They depend on rain to grow rice and say that water brings money. I was surprised at how lush and green the country is. Very pretty! About 2/3 of the island is covered by mountains so there isn’t a lot of livable land and most of the people live on the west coast. The east side is covered by mountains and that coast feels about 200 earthquakes a year. The east side also gets damage from typhoons. She said the country is shaped like a sweet potato.

There are about 3 million people living in Taipei and about 6 million if you take in the area surrounding the city. I don’t remember the total population of Taiwan. We took a tour the day we arrived that first took us to Taipei 101, the second tallest building in the world. It has 101floors and it towers over everything in Taipei. It was built from 1997 to 2004. A taller building has been built in Dubai so Taiwan lost out on the distinction of having the tallest. We rode the world’s fastest elevator from the 5th floor to the 89th floor in only 37 seconds or about 60 miles per hour. It took 45 seconds to go back down. The world’s largest wind damper is enclosed in this building to help with swaying from wind and earthquakes. The damper weighs 660 metric tons. The first six floors of this building contain a shopping center filled with very expensive shops. It is so clean and new and looks like it belongs in New York City. The rest of the building houses offices.

Next we went to see the Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall and Liberty Square. The people of Taiwan love this man and the memorial hall is huge. They have his complete office housed in a museum just as the way it was the day he died along with two of his old Cadillac’s, one of which is bullet proof. There is a wax figure of him sitting at his desk where he is supposed to look like the age of his death of 89 years. I think the figure looked too good for 89 years. The memorial is open each day from 9 to 6 and they have guards standing at the base of a huge figure of him during those hours. We saw the changing of the guards which was quite interesting. The guards stand completely still for 50 minutes at a time without even blinking an eye. Amazing!

Next we went to see one of the oldest and most famous of Taipei’s temples called Lung-Shan or “Dragon Mountain.” The temple is a mixture of Taoism and Buddhism. When entering a temple they always go through the entrance with a dragon which brings luck and happiness and leave out the exit of the tiger. You should never enter through the mouth of a tiger. People coming to pray at the temple bring offerings of flowers or fruit. They leave the flowers but take the fruit blessed by the gods back home to share with family and friends. The worshippers all burn incense to take their prayers by way of smoke to the gods.

The day we arrived in Taiwan was children’s day and the next day, April 5th, was tomb sweeping day, so most people were off work and celebrating the holidays. People go to the cemetery to clean their ancestor’s graves and leave paper money for them as they believe the ancestors need money and everything they needed in real life for the afterlife. We saw people burning paper money on a corner in the city believing the smoke will deliver the money to their ancestors. Most people are cremated these days as land is too expensive and precious to bury bodies.

After this we went to a Mongolian Barbecue where we selected ingredients from a wide array of uncooked meats, vegetables, seasonings and spices. As you watch, the food you chose is quickly fried on hot iron plates. There was a pot of broth in the middle of our table which we could add vegetables or meat to that was very tasty. The food tasted great and I’m glad I was done eating before someone saw a rat run down one of the walls nearby. Makes one wonder what kind of meat we ate. The restaurant was pretty dirty and my feet stuck to the floor in a few spots.

Next we were off to see the night market and snake alley where we saw large snakes in tanks and food stalls selling snake dishes. There were several foot massage parlors along this street. Carol and John each had ½ hour foot massages for $15 each. Our tour today went from 1:30 to 11:00 PM and we packed a lot in that amount of time.

The following day we took a tour to the villages of Sanshia and Yingge. We thought they would be little charming towns in the country but found them to be just like other big cities. Again we visited another temple known for its intricately carved stone and bronze columns and statues. There are going to be 156 stone pillars in this temple when finished. Each pillar takes three years to complete so it will be a while before all are done. I find the temples to be very interesting but think I have seen enough to last me for quite some time. After the temple visit, we walked through the narrow winding streets with brick buildings at least a century old. All kinds of pots were bubbling with unknown foods along the way and we tried horn shaped breads that the town is known for.

Next we visited the village of Yingge which is the pottery center of Taiwan. We visited a museum where 1000 year old ceramic pots are displayed. Next we had a chance to shop for pottery along a cute street where there were plenty of tea sets, pots, vases, etc. to be had. Then we went back to the ship to finish packing for our journey to Hawaii the next morning.

My next blog will be about life aboard the MV Explorer.

Beijing

Sunday, April 3, 2011
On Tuesday, March 29, I woke up well rested in our hotel in Beijing in time to have breakfast and head out for another long day of touring. Laura had a stomach problem during the night and wanted to stay in the room to rest for the day which turned out to be a good idea. Two things she really wanted to see on this trip around the world was The Taj Mahal and The Great Wall of China. She had already seen the Taj and I really wanted her to see the Great Wall too. We had another day before that was scheduled for us to see on our itinerary.

This morning we went to visit Tiananmen Square which is considered the “Window of China” according to our guide. He said it is the largest public square in the world and can hold a million people. Looking over the square from the Tiananmen Gate is a portrait of Chairman Mao which our guide said everyone still admires. This is where the balcony is located where he proclaimed the founding of the People’s Republic of China. On the left side of the balcony it is written in Chinese “Long Life of Peoples Republic of China” and on the right side it says “Reunification of Whole World People”. It was very crowded in the square with tourists from all over the world but mostly from China.

The Forbidden City or Imperial Palace is located right behind the square so that was our next adventure. It has been home to 24 emperors from 1420 to 1924. The palace covers 170 acres and has 8700 rooms. It is estimated that 8000 to 10,000 people lived here including 3000 concubines, 1000 eunuchs, maids and family. The Forbidden City is very well maintained and was repainted for the Olympics. The colors are vibrant. Yellow was the color reserved for only the emperor. Red means happiness and blue means heaven.

By the time we finished walking through Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City it was time for lunch. This time our guide took us to the Hutong area of Beijing where we got into trishaws for a ride through the narrow streets of this area. Thirty of us were dropped off two by two at a little house that is over 300 years old. The family that lives here now is the fourth generation of this family. The husband and his wife are the only ones living in this house as their daughter is married and has moved to her husband’s house. The furniture they normally had in the living area had been pushed to the walls to make room for 5 large round tables set up with little plastic stools around them for us to sit and enjoy the lunch. There must have been a bathroom and bedroom but we didn’t see them. The house was very tiny and was very crowded with all of us in there. We had a great experience and will always remember the hospitality of this unique family. The husband is an artist and had a studio set up for him to do his painting. One of the students on the trip with us bought one of the paintings. There was a very small kitchen where the wife and daughter (she came over to help her mother out) had prepared the meal. It was the best meal we had while in China (at least 10 different dishes). Home cooked is always best, isn’t it? Once lunch was over the wife and daughter gave us a demonstration on how to make dumplings. We learned that Chinese dumplings are traditional Chinese food and is essential during holidays in northern China. Members of families often get together on New Year’s Eve to make dumplings. Sometimes they hide a coin in one of the dumplings. The person who finds the coin is supposed to have good fortune in the New Year.

Next we were picked up again by our trishaw and driver and taken back to the bus and we then went to see the Bird Nest Stadium used in the Olympics. It was an amazing site to see and so much fun to realize we were really standing in the place we had all seen on TV. The swimming cube was across the parking lot but we didn’t have time to go in and look at that. I understand there is a great water park inside. That would have been fun to see. Instead we visited a government owned silk factory where we were shown cocoons of both single and double type. Few enjoyed this stop and wished we were still back looking over the Olympic stadium and swimming cube. But this was a government tour company we were dealing with and they wanted us to buy some of the very expensive items in their store. A lot of us went out to the bus to wait for our ride to dinner where we had Beijing duck for dinner. Nice dinner with all the dishes laid out on the lazy susan again but too much food.

On Wednesday, March 30, Laura was feeling better. She got up, dressed and had breakfast. She was a little weak but had slept most of the day before and all night long. She was a good sport still feeling a little weak and hopped on the bus with the rest of us for another long day of touring with the Great Wall ahead of us. On the way to the wall we stopped at the Beijing International Kong-fu School. Another name for Kong-fu is kung-fu or martial arts. It is sometimes called meditation of energy. This school has 250 girl students and about 900 students in total but we didn’t see any girls. They come from all around China and also different countries and live at the school for 3 to 5 years until they graduate. They have one student who has been there 7 years. Some students from this school performed at the Olympics in 2008. I didn’t know that kung-fu was developed by Buddhist monks in temples long ago as a form of meditation. It is a sport that uses both brawn and brain. The men and women are able to direct all their energy to the part of the body where they need it. The men are very strong but don’t have the look of a body builder with huge muscles. In fact, most of the men weren’t very big at all. But what body power they have. We watched an amazing show. One of the men was able to jump rope lying flat on his back. The master of the school took a long piece of rebar and held one end at his neck while three or four other men at the other end held the bar still. After making some loud strange noise the master began to wrap the bar around his neck one time after the other. What an amazing feat. He unwrapped the bar the same way. I asked our guide what a student would do with a degree in Kong-fu and he said that would either compete and perform or go back to where they came from to teach.

After lunch and a stop at a government owned and expensive jade shop, we finally made our way to the Great Wall. We learned that the first sections of the wall were built as early as the fifth century BC. It wasn’t until 221 BC that the various sections of the Wall were linked up. At one time the wall stretched 4700 miles across mountain tops from the China Sea NW to the Gobi Desert on the other side of China. Today only 1/3 is left. It really is a wonder of the world. We went to a different section of wall than Dave and I went to in 1997. This time there was a cable car to take us up even though there was still quite a walk up very steep and uneven steps to reach the top of the actual wall. It is an amazing view from the top to see the wall snaking across the mountain tops. Carol, John, Joe and I walked on the wall and up and down steps for an hour before riding an alpine slide back to the bottom. The rest of the group took the cable car back down.

After another lazy susan dinner we went to a fantastic Chinese acrobatic show. The women who do contortions are amazing and are always my favorite part of the show. The positions they take look impossible. Their mothers must start putting them in these poses when they are babies and never stop. The last act was eleven ladies riding around the stage on one bicycle stacked up on top of each other. It was a great show to top off the long day of touring.

The next day, March 31, we headed back to the airport for a flight to Shanghai where our ship was now waiting for us. After 6 days and 5 nights in hotels it was great to get back to our home on the ship. This night I woke up with an upset stomach and didn’t feel very good for a few days. It must have been the same bug that Laura caught. Now I’m as good as new again.

Tony who was our tour guide belongs to the Communist Party and he works for a government owned tour company. He doesn’t have a choice in changing any of the itinerary such as skipping the jade or silk shops that we might have enjoyed missing. Here are some facts about China he hold us.

- China’s total population is about 1.3 billion.

- Between 18 and 19 million people live in Beijing and there are 12 million bicycles in the city.
(I felt like we saw hardly any bicycles compared to when we visited in 1997. Maybe the tour didn’t take us to areas of the real Beijing.)

- There are 4 ½ million private cars and there are 200 miles of subways around the city. If a person wants to buy a car they first have to register with the government and then wait in line until their time comes up as only 20,000 cars are permitted to be sold each month.

- The city of Beijing has sunny days but no clear days and we sure did notice the pollution.

- It is against the law to gamble in China and there are no casinos.

- Beijing is the cultural and political center of China

- Shanghai is the financial center

- Burials aren’t allowed. Cremation has been the law since 1949

- The people are not encouraged to buy motor scooters as they are too dangerous.

- Four inventions of China are: 1. Paper 2. Gun Powder 3. Printing 4. Compass

Tony said this is an example of how fast things have been changing in China. In each of the following years this is what the people have wanted.

1970’s - Watch - Bike - Sewing Machine
1980’s - Washing Machine - Refrigerator - Color TV
1990’s – Cell Phone – Air conditioning – Home Video
2000’s – Computer – Car – Private House
2011 – Travel (Europe-Paris, Germany, Italy) – Health – Education

I can’t believe how far China has come since we visited in 1997. There are high rises everywhere and the roads are filling up with cars. The people have smiles are their faces and are living a better life. There has been lots of progress and they are trying to reduce the gap between the rich and poor.

Xian

Saturday, April 2, 2011

Wow! What a busy, fun and interesting trip I had from Hong Kong to Shanghai. We docked in Hong Kong at 8:00 AM on Saturday, March 26 and left for the airport at 11:30 AM to fly to Xian to begin our tour. Dave stayed on the ship in Hong Kong and sailed to Shanghai along with Dick and Linda who had traveled around China a few years ago. Dave and I had been to China in 1997 and he thought he had seen enough of China back then even though we hadn’t seen the soldiers in Xian. But I wanted to see the terra cotta soldiers and this was the only way I was going to get to see them so off I went with the rest of the family.

We arrived in Xian just in time to enjoy a dim sum dinner at the De Fa Chang Dumpling Restaurant. We had every kind of dumpling imaginable filled with various meats, vegetables and seasonings. Some were steamed, boiled, pan fried, deep fried or roasted. We had some stuffed with duck that were shaped like ducks and another shaped like and stuffed with chicken. Cute but not the food we are accustomed to or a taste to our liking. By the time we finished dinner it was time for bed and we were glad to get to the Xian Jianguo Hotel where we would spend two nights in very comfortable beds.

The next morning on March 27 we went to see the terra cotta soldiers I wanted to see. They were discovered by peasants digging a well in 1974. One of the peasants in the gift shop discovered the site and would autograph a book if you bought it. I bought the book and have a picture of him with me after he signed my book. It was an amazing site to see and very hard to explain. You really have to see it for yourself as is true with so much of what we have seen on this whole SAS trip. There are an estimated 8000 terra cotta soldiers and the figures are arranged in typical battle formation in 11 columns comprised of officers, soldiers holding spears and swords and others steering horse-drawn chariots. Each figure is 5’ 10” tall and each head has been individually modeled with unique facial expressions. The emperor thought this army would protect him and his family in the afterlife. We saw open archeological pits filled with rubble and it is amazing how they have been able to piece the soldiers, horses, etc. back together. This definitely was a highlight of my trip to China.

Next we visited an orphanage that is run by a non government organization. It was started in 1994 and the staff of 110 cares for around 470 children age 2 to 16. Many of the children come from families who have divorced and abandoned their children or have parents who are in prison. We got to see where the children live and who their “love mother” (paid caregiver) is. They were so excited to see us and put on a fun performance. Next a lot of our students went on stage and played leap frog, duck-duck grey duck, tag, etc. and a fun time was had by all. The children who don’t have special needs go to local schools during the day. When kids go off to high school and college, they come back to the orphanage for holidays and the summer break as they consider it their home. It is evident there is a lot of love at this place. Once the children reach 16 many of them work at the orphanage and look after younger children.

After having another typical Chinese lunch at a local restaurant we went to the Tang Dynasty Art Museum where we saw beautiful artwork and had a chance to try our hand at calligraphy. John and Carol bought a picture of horses that I think will look great in their house. Some bought pictures of the animal from the year in which they were born. Dave and I had learned on our last trip to China that I was born in the year of the rooster and he was born in the year of the rat. We were told at that time that the rooster and rat aren’t compatible. I told the guide this time the dates of our birthdays and found that Dave was born in the year of the rat but I was born in the year of the monkey. This is all based on the lunar year and I was told that if I had been born a week later I would have been born in the year of the rooster but in fact I was born in the year of the monkey. I guess the monkey and rat are compatible so that can put our minds at ease.

After the art museum there wasn’t even time to freshen up at the hotel before we were taken to the Tang Dynasty Dinner Show. This show was very entertaining. Lots of old musical instruments that are rarely seen or played anymore and girls in beautiful costumes entertained us. It was another packed day and it was good to hit the pillow when we returned to the hotel.

The next morning was March 28 and after breakfast and checking out of the hotel we headed to the Xian City Wall which is the most complete city wall that has survived in China. After climbing to the top Carol, John, Joe and I rented bicycles and toured around part of the wall. It was fun riding the bike for some exercise and seeing the city along the way. You could also hire a rickshaw or golf cart to take you around.

Next we went to the Great Mosque located in Luajue Lane which is the best known Islamic Mosque in Xian. It was built in 742 AD and has been restored many times since. It was amazing to see how much Chinese influence was incorporated at this mosque. It looked more like a Chinese temple to me. There are 80,000 Muslim people living in Xian and once again the people here are all able to get along.

Xian is an agricultural area where a lot of wheat is grown. They make dumplings and noodles out of wheat. The summers are very hot and humid. Many of the farmers land are being taken away from them and big high rises are being built to house these people. The farmers don’t know what to do with themselves in these buildings. They are used to having work and land around them. They are given an apartment in exchange for their land. Old buildings are also being torn down for more high rises. I can hardly believe how many high rises we saw as we drove along with wash hanging off every balcony or pole out the window.

This area is rich in natural gas and coal and is moving from a developing country to a modern one. We were told by our guide there is a huge difference between the rich and poor and the people need better health care, social security, etc. I was surprised the guide would tell us this because she works for the Communist tour group that led our group. When I was at the hotel I could get on the internet with no problem and update the USA Newspaper and download my email but couldn’t connect to the Geezers blog. Blogs and Facebook are no nos in this country which I’m sure you are aware of.

I can sure see a huge difference in China since we were here 14 years ago though. There are 8 million people living in Xian and more and more students are going to college. But we were told a lot of the college graduates can’t find work once they finish so they have continue to live with their parents. The economy seems to be booming so I don’t understand why it would be so hard to find work.

Next we returned to the airport for our flight to Beijing. We had another Chinese lunch served at a round table with lazy susan in the middle for passing all the dishes around. The food all tastes the same after awhile. I’m ready for some “good” American Chinese food! Then we checked into the Holiday Inn Downtown Temple of Heaven where we would spend the next 3 nights.

Vietnam

Wednesday, March 23, 2011 – Vietnam
We arrived in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam on Saturday, March 19 and it is not the same place we visited 14 years ago. On our first visit in 1997 most everyone rode a bike and wore traditional Vietnamese clothes. There weren’t any high rise buildings and the economy wasn’t good. I talked to another person who told me it isn’t the same as when he visited just three years ago. The economy is booming and people are now riding motor bikes and some ride in cars and very few are on bicycles. However, you still see ladies with a stick across their back and a basket of vegetables or whatever to sell hanging from each end. There are ten million people living in this town and there are seven million motor bikes. When you park a motor bike on the sidewalk you need to pay someone to watch it for you so it doesn’t get ripped off. It costs about 35 cents to have someone watch your bike for one or two hours. Restaurants have a person outside watching for their customers.

When you walk across the street you start walking keeping the same pace and don’t stop until you reach the other side. There are cycles, cars, buses and cars weaving all around you. We were told whatever you do don’t slow down or stop in the middle of the street. That is when accidents happen. I got to the point where I couldn’t look to the right or left but just straight ahead to avoid seeing what was coming at me.

I’ve noticed most people in Vietnam now wear western type clothes. I did see some traditional clothes on airline workers, school children, and people working in hotels. Today I saw two ladies getting on cycles with traditional garb for the first time since we arrived in Vietnam. It looks quite strange to see women dressed up with high heels, masks on their faces and helmets riding motor bikes. Our guide said the women wear face masks primarily to prevent them from getting sunburned. Women think the whiter their skin is the more beautiful they are. We didn’t see much sun but many ladies still wore face masks. I think a bigger reason for wearing the mask may be to protect them from pollution although the exhaust from motor bikes doesn’t seem to be too bad. They also wear the mask to keep the wind off their faces. When we were in Vietnam last time they carried everything from fruits and vegetables to cardboard boxes, eggs, chickens, etc. on bicycles. Now they carry it all on motor bikes. In a few more years there probably will be more cars as the economy keeps improving but I don’t think they have the infrastructure to handle the traffic.

We had a guide show us around Ho Chi Minh City on the Saturday we arrived. We visited a history museum where we saw a water puppet performance where the stage is a pool of water. We’ve seen water puppet shows before and this one wasn’t very good. Next we went to see the former Presidential Palace where everything has been left much as it was on April 30, 1975 when North Vietnamese military tanks crashed through the front gates and overthrew the South Vietnamese government. It felt very strange walking through the halls of this building remembering living through this time of history.

Next we visited Thien Hau Pagoda which is known for coiled incense which burn for as long as a month. Buddhists pray here for something they want like a good life, health or whatever they might have on their mind. They light incense and write their wishes on pieces of paper and burn fake money. They believe the smoke is the equalizer between here and the other world.

The men worship their ancestors. They worship at temples twice a month on the first and fifteenth. We learned from our guide that people are buried twice. The first time they are buried in a coffin and then four or five years later they dig the body up and clean the bones and then rebury the bones in a ceramic container. This is the way it has been done for many years and the older generation still wants to be buried this way. Our guide said the younger generation believes in cremation and the older people say they don’t want to be burned. But the old practice is going to change because 60% of the population is between 25 and 35 years old and they don’t think like the old generation.

The Vietnamese people prefer to have boy children. Only men are allowed to pray for ancestors so if you don’t have a boy there won’t be anyone to take care of you when you are old and pray for you when you are dead. The law is you can only have two children. If you work for the government and have more than two children you would be fired.

In the past most marriages were arranged and this is still the case in the country or agricultural areas. But in the cities most marriages are between people who have fallen in love and then get their parent’s permission to marry. In the past the Vietnamese have been very superstitious and have gone to a fortune teller to find out what day and time to get married. Each family has an altar in their home to keep the good spirits around and bring them prosperity. Every store, hotel and business has one too for the same reasons.

Our guide said Vietnamese people eat dogs, cats, rats and snakes. He said they would never eat their own pet dog but would be glad to eat their neighbors. He also said they wouldn’t eat a rat from the city but would eat those from rice fields or coconut groves. I guess he thought those would be better tasting. He said we didn’t need to worry that we were eating dog at a restaurant, as dog meat would be more expensive than other meat. I put these thoughts out of my mind when eating in Vietnam and really enjoyed all the food I had. They eat very healthy food – lots of fish, vegetables, fruit, noodles and soup broth. We were told the older generation likes to eat at home and they eat rice three times a day. But again the younger generation would rather eat out in restaurants. I wonder how big these people will get if they start eating western type food and are no longer riding bikes like they used to.

On Monday morning we left the ship at 4:15 AM for a trip to Hanoi and Ha Long Bay which is in the northern part of Vietnam. Ha Noi is the capital of Vietnam and is the second largest city. It has very interesting housing. They are taxed on the width of their homes so the people build very narrow and long houses rising up three and four levels. Extended families live together having a business on the first floor and the older generation living on the next and then the younger families living above that. The houses are painted and finished nicely in the front often times with French architecture influence. Most of the time another house will be built right alongside another so they leave one long side unpainted cement without any windows. There is a water tank on top of each house. Every day the city pumps water to the houses twice a day – once between 6 and 9 AM and then again between 4 or 5 to 9 PM.

Being a communist country there are loud speakers on many corners where news, weather and propaganda are played three times a day. Our guide said one of these speakers is outside his home and the speaker wakes him up every day at 5:00 AM. He said sometimes they play music over these speakers but it isn’t music anyone wants to listen to.

We went to the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum and shrine. His body has been embalmed and kept there for 40 years. There was a line several blocks long to view the body. Some of us didn’t want to wait in the line so opted out. But those who went in said he looked like a wax figure. A little girl from our ship said the body glowed. Vietnam used to send the body to Russia from September to December each year to have it refurbished but now they close the mausoleum to tourists and do the work themselves. They consider Ho Chi Minh the father of their country.

The next day we had a four hour bus ride that passed by rice fields and lots of farming country. We saw lots of people doing back breaking work in the fields. Along the roads and between rice paddies there were cows and water buffalo grazing. Our destination was Ha Long Bay where we took a four hour boat ride through beautiful islands. We made a stop at a cave that they called Palace in Heaven. It was a big beautiful cave lit with colorful lights. What a wonder nature is! We had a great lunch on board and even got to shop as we cruised along. Small boats with beautiful fruit displays and mothers holding their small children kept pulling up to our boat trying to get us to buy. It was a wonderful experience and the views are indescribable.

In the evening we were treated to another great Vietnamese meal in Hanoi and then on to another water puppet show. This one was much better than the one we saw in Ho Chi Minh City or Saigon. The puppets were colorful and gave the history of Vietnam. The music was live with women and men dressed in colorful traditional clothes and playing traditional instruments.

We had a wonderful time in Vietnam and now we need to rest up for two days to get ready for China.