Saturday, May 24, 2008
Final Day
During the past two weeks I have reflected many times that this might have been my second trip to Viet Nam. I wondered what it would have been like through the eyes of an eighteen year just out of high school, not yet having the opportunity to go to college due to the draft, but the war instead. The difficultly of understanding the reasons thirty nine years ago and still asking the same question of why?
We have learned so much about the people of Viet Nam and the culture of their country. I have had to opportunity to share this experience with your daughters and sons. They are the future for our country as we move forward to a peaceful world.
Together we have gotten to know our travel guide Quynh and all hope to return again to his wonderful country. We will never be able to thank him enough for this memorable experience. Ben
We have learned so much about the people of Viet Nam and the culture of their country. I have had to opportunity to share this experience with your daughters and sons. They are the future for our country as we move forward to a peaceful world.
Together we have gotten to know our travel guide Quynh and all hope to return again to his wonderful country. We will never be able to thank him enough for this memorable experience. Ben
Day 15 Mekong Delta
After sleeping on mosquito netted cots listening to the river boats all night we rose and prepared for the journey back to Saigon. After breakfast we boarded our boat to visit two more places before eventually returning to our bus. First we stopped at one of the biggest island nurseries to see the different types of plants available. We were able to see many different fruits growing. The owner’s family provided tea and fruit samples to try. We also had some of the owner’s own home brewed rice wine. When he heard us toasting, we are a noisy bunch, he decided to join us and brought more wine samples out. The man is 88 years old and looks like Uncle Ho himself (Ho Chi Minh). He allowed us to take his picture. We then made one last boat stop before the bus. We traveled to a local clay factory where anything from bricks to pots are made by hand with only the minimal amount of machinery and molds assist them. The kilns look like giant bee hives. Almost everything that required heat was fueled by rice husks or coconut shells. The Mekong River is very large. Our air conditioned bus was a welcome sight. Along the ride back to Ho Chi Minh City we enjoyed another wonderful roadside lunch. An early arrival to town allowed us to run out and do some last minute shopping. Tonight is our last dinner together. Tomorrow we head for Hong Kong and go our separate ways. Catherine
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