World Sojourn 2014: Da Nang, Vietnam

We are heading south and the weather is getting warmer and more humid. We have been blessed with calm seas. It is so calm, that we hardly even know that we are on a ship. Yesterday was a sea day, so that means work. Many of our bridge players left in Hong Kong and we got some replacements, but not enough to fill up the 13 tables we were getting before. We are now getting seven or eight tables and it is a much quieter and calmer game. We have even shifted some of our players around to keeping a marriage intact and for experienced players to mentor newbies.

Michael has recovered from his illness and incarceration. It seems that G.I. distress is going around the ship. Since he is fully functional, he was given escort duty to a UNESCO world heritage site city called Hoi An. I received escort duty for a bus transfer to Hoi An; a transfer means there is no tour, just transportation to and from the site. So we packed our handy-dandy walkie-talkies in preparation for meeting in Hoi An during our respective excursions. We both went here last year and thoroughly enjoyed our time discovering the beauty and the mystery of this town. In addition, I had a hole burning in my pocket with money to spend on purchasing some really neat souvenirs to bring home. But alas, there is always a story.

Michael's tour was a half hour earlier than mine so he left before me. I walked down the ship's stair gangway, which was about two stories tall, headed to the guard booth to have my landing card stamped, and then proceeded to go toward my bus. On the way to the bus, I was told to go see John. Why on earth was I directed to see the ship's assistant tour manager? As I walked up to him, I was handed another escort form and informed I was on a different tour. Apparently, they needed an escort on a tour versus a transfer; somebody must have canceled at the very last minute.

Needless to say, I was not pleased with this assignment as I had my heart set on going to Hoi An. I managed to find some folks that I know who were going on the transfer bus and asked them to tell Michael, if they should run into him, what had happened. I was not prepared to be on a tour; I wasn't wearing my yellow Seabourn tour shirt, which I hate, and I did not have my camera. Fortunately, I had my trusty iPhone with me, so the pictures aren't great but at least I have some. Oh well, when one is handed lemons one must make lemonade.

So off we go, using my trusty iPhone to snap some photos. Our guide spoke English very well, but the accent made it very difficult to understand him; I got about one out of every four words and then I just gave up trying to listen because it was just too much work. We left the port and headed over the bridge to Da Nang city center. Our first stop was to the market, and that gave me hope of maybe finding something to buy. But that was not to be. This market contained fruit, vegetables, meat and poultry, and a few other assorted household type items. We were fast marched through the market and I barely had time to snap a few photos.

We exited the market and crossed a few streets and arrived at an embroidery factory. What I saw was more of a gallery rather than a factory. This gallery had air-conditioning and there was one woman sitting in the front window embroidering with some very fine silk. The hostesses were dressed very nicely and one could tell that we were there so that we would hopefully purchase some of the pictures. I have to say this was the most impressive stop on the tour as the pictures that were created using these beautiful dyed silk threads were incredible. Portraits, garden scenes, anything that can be painted was literally painted with the silk embroidery. The art was breathtaking. If I had $10,000 or so laying around, I would seriously consider buying one of these pieces of art.

Back on the bus we go for about a two minute ride to the Cham museum. Off and on the bus all day long--and you know how much I love the bus steps. I am not a fan of museums, and this one falls into that category. The Cham Museum was established in 1936 to house the relics of the powerful Hindu culture that once ruled central Vietnam, and has the largest collection of Cham sandstone sculptures in the world, with works ranging from the 4th to 14th centuries. Today, Buddhism is the dominant religion.

Onward we march to the next stop--Marble Mountain, comprised of five hills that represent the five elements of the universe: water, wood, fire, metal and earth. Here are the marble factories, one right after the other. If you need a marble fish or table or elephant or whatever, this is the place to find it or commission it. All work is done by hand. We saw several men down in a pit working with hammer and chisel to carve the marble. I find it amazing how you can take a big hunk of rock and create something so intricate and beautiful from it. We also saw women doing the final polish on a piece of marble using water and a stick of marble. They wet the marble down with water and then using the small stick of marble, rub and rub and rub it until it becomes smooth and shiny. For a dollar, you could have the privilege of rubbing the marble and having your picture taken. This was a wonderful stop, and one could spend a long time gazing at some of the beautiful works of art. However there were about one Vietnamese girl for each Seabourn passenger following you around as you looked at stuff; I wish that they understood that most Westerners do not like this type of sales tactic.

Wouldn't this beautiful vase look right at home in your entryway

We then had a ridiculously long 45 minute stop at the Sandy Beach Resort on Marble Beach, which is known to the people in the United States as China Beach. Most people incorrectly think that China Beach is so named because it's on the South China Sea. In fact, and going back many generations, the local people would bury their dead on the beach along with much of their treasured china. During the Vietnam War, this beach became a favorite of American servicemen, and as they dug in the beach they discovered all kinds of pieces of china. Thus, it became known as China Beach. There are many high-end resorts along the 25 mile long beach, and it is a favorite spot of the Chinese to come here for R&R. There has been much development going on in Vietnam, and one can see that with all the big hotels. A beautiful promenade runs along the beach side; however, on the other side of the street you will find weed strewn vacant lots and ramshackle buildings of one sort or another.

And our final stop was to the Quan Am Pagoda, the oldest pagoda in the city. We drove up the mountain on a tortuously steep and twisty road. Having a window seat was not a great idea. This pagoda lies at the base of the 200 foot tall female Buddha that you can see for many miles. The picture above of China Beach shows some mountains in the background, and the Buddha is poised in the middle of that mountain. Unfortunately due to the haze and the lack of a good camera, you cannot see the Buddha on the mountain in this picture. It is the tallest Buddha statue in all of Vietnam. I did not go into the pagoda because by this time I was getting hot and tired and I've seen enough pagodas that I didn't need to go see this one. I know, I sound a little jaded; but geewhiz give a gal break.

This reclining female Buddha was probably about 20 feet long

MICHAEL

Today, I escorted an excursion to Hoa Chau and to ancient Hoi An. I had been to Hoi An last year, but thought it would be fun to repeat the excursion. We began with a 30 minute drive to Hoa Chau village. On the way, I was once again taken with the speed at which this country is evolving. It's absolutely amazing.

The settlement of Hoa Chau, nestled among endless ricefields, is quite beautiful. The village is very traditional, and we saw everything from residences to markets to cemeteries, etc. The only thing that was a downer was to learn that this particular village was controlled by the Viet Cong during the war. The high point of the visit was a stop at a local school to mingle with the kindergarten students. The children sang for us, and even repeated a number of phrases in English that they had learned specifically for our meeting.

It was now off to the old town of Hoi An, which is a UNESCO world heritage site. We had a guided walking tour which included the Hoi An Museum, a Buddhist temple, various stores, an old home where we had tea, and a factory where we saw the production of various silk products. Most interesting was watching the silkworms themselves. It was then time to return to the ship.