Psyco Vet Recons The Delta

[b3196]

Curtis
That reminds me of an old joke
What do walruses and Tupperware have in common?
They both like tight seals
Bob K

[frisco-kid]

I don't have a chance to respond in a couple of days and you guys start trashing my post. I haven't had a chance to spend any time on the internet lately. The hotel on Phu Quoc Island only had a few and they were always occupied.

Okay, we left Rach Gia on the jet boat. It was packed solid. There were four seats on one side of the boat and three on the other. We sat in the second row from the bow. Met a couple of Brits and Germans on the ride. Seems like I run into Germans about everywhere I travel. Those people must get 6mos. vacation a year . Anyway, the boat trip took about 2 1/2hrs.. A pretty smooth trip, considering we went through a pretty good rain storm.

When we docked at the southern end of the island, there was a taxi driver waiting for us. The trip has been well co-ordinated all the way. The main road on the island runs up the west side, and is only paved about as far as the last beach hotel. I use "paved" loosely. I've been on bigger bicycle paths that were paved better. Lots of chuck holes and muddy spots. When you first get off of the ferry, you go through a scroungy little ville that looks like it sprang up over night. Once you pass through that, the countryside is pretty pleasant. I was surprised how mountainous the island is. Just before we got to our hotel we passed through the biggest town on the island, Duong Dong. A pretty tidy town with a large market in it. The island is famous for it's fresh seafood and the pepper farms, but also plenty of produce grown here. It takes us about 30min. to get to the hotel.

When we get to the Saigon Hotel and check in, we're taken to our room. We pass the beautiful pool area with a poolside bar. We have a bungalow with french doors going out to a small balcony that overlooks the beach. The room is of adequate size and tastefully furnished. After a nice lunch in a covered outdoor dining area directly across fom our room, we change into our swim suits, we head for the beach, pick out a couple of lounge chairs under a cabana, and start catching some rays and taking dips in the bath-water-warm Gulf of Thailand. We stay on the beach until sunset [Phu Quoc Island is about the only place in VN that the sun sets over an ocean] hoping to get a beautiful picture, but it isn't going to happen. About an hour before, it clouded-up and rained. The clouds didn't move out in time for a great shot. It was adequate, but not great.

We return to the room, take a shower, relax a bit, and head out to the main dining room for dinner. We have a great meal out on the balcony, watching the lights of the fishing boats that are night fishing.

Going to close for now. I'm typing this from Mui Ne, where we arrived today. I'll fill in the blanks tomorrow.

The Adventure Continues.

[exlrrp]

Originally posted by Gimpy Don't worry my friend.................I already told LT to save me a parking place (preferably a 'handicap' spot real close to the living quarters!) up on PSYCO-MTN next spring.

Looks like you'll finally get to sample some of the worlds greatest Bar-B-Que (my special Gimpys' famous Redneck Ragin Cajun Asian Bar-B-Que Pork Tenderloin) after all! Just ask the LT and Sid about it if you don't beleive me.

But, I still want Tom to post some of those pics on this forum so I can at least get a 'sample' of what he's-a bringing to my glorious 'homeland' up yonder on the mountain!

GImp
This makes my day because I"M goiong to be there, rain snow or hurricane and I REALLY want to meet you. NOThing going to happen to you while I'm there, yr too valuable for this country!

TOM!!
GET Some, old pal!
I can just SEE you standing there in yr paratrooper hat grinning down the commies AGAIN! How I"d liked to have been standing there (right behind you!)
Now as you know well, when yr boy finds a heap of commies in his midst he always goes for the Sports Icon hats. No sense aggravating some really mean people if youre surrounded by them with no gun, I always say. Thats why I made a good lrrp I guess, the shoot in the back lifestyle was more my metier than pillbox eradication. LEAve the pillbox charging to the Marines, I always say too, they just love doing it.
FIGht with what you have untill relieved, old Bud, Say HI to KAth
Stay good
James

[Gimpy]

Tom, thanks for the 'update'!..............Can't wait to see some pics and hear more about your trip. You talking about the good seafood and other good eats reminds me of how well we ate when I was 'up river' at An Nhut Tan.

Our perimeter was set up on semi-circles on both sides of the river with each side having two super-duper-reinforced bunkers right down to almost the rivers edge. Each rilfe squad had to 'rotate' river bunker 'watch' every few nights and it was a BLAST--------LITERALLY!............All four bunkers were issued at least two boxes of grenades with the orders to throw at least a couple every few minutes into the river (we couldn't deviate any more than 5 minutes between chunks).


This was to prevent VC from swiming (or floating) up close to our nearby boat dock and placing charges or any type of explosives on or near the docks and small boats we kept there, and to of course to prevent them from getting inside our perimeter.

Needless to say everybody hated this duty, of course there wasn't much chance of any sleep at all when in or near THESE bunkers!

But every morning we took our 'confiscated' fish nets and 'fished out' some of the BIGGEST damn fresh-water prawns that the world has EVER seen!..........Some of these suckers were 12 to 14 inches long and weighed up to as much as a POUND! Also got many, many other types of fresh fish and an occasional dead VC as well.....

Needless to say...............we ate DAMN GOOD while in An Nhut Tan!

PS----------James.............Lookin forward to finally meetin up with YOU as well my friend. You been one of MY 'heros' for some time now!

Same...same for Bob, Curtis and of course "Gracie" as well!

[frisco-kid]

on Phu Quoc Island, we decide to hire a driver and go explore some of the island. We get a car, driver, and guide for $40 for the day. We head for the north end of the island. Like I said, the paved road gives out soon, and it's red dirt [what a surprise :re: ] road the rest of the day. We can't make very good time sometimes, but that's cool with us. As we turn away from the beach areas, we start to climb. The terrain starts to change from open country and farm land, to rain forest and jungle. The guide tells us it's not uncommon to see monkeys on the island. Just about the whole interior is government property and can't be used for living on, logging, hunting, etc.. Practically the whole place is a preserve. One of the few truly protected places in the country, I'm guessing. The guide tells us it's patrolled extensively. At one point, we get out of the car and hike up a trail into the jungle about 1/4 of a mile. Just like back in the day in The Highlands, except it's a nice wide path. No need to worry about booby traps, either. There was no fighting on this island. The only VC and NVA on it were being held at the POW camp at the far north end of the island.

When we get to the NW corner of the island, we turn off to take a road to a small fishing village. From here, if we look to the north, we can see Cambodia about 5mi. away across the channel. If we look due west 5mi., we can see a small island that belongs to Thailand.

While there, we go to the local cafe and have some refreshments [Tiger Beer for me]. Kath discovers that the place also sells jewelry made from the local pearls. She spends about an hour looking at and trying on jewelry. She winds up bying something for about everyone she knows. She buys 5 necklaces and half a dozen sets of earrings for about $25. Some quality stuff. She's happier than a pig in mud.

We leave there, and drive about 20min. to an outdoor cafe on the very north end of the island. The place has a small zoo with some monkeys, snakes, a monitor lizard big enough to eat small dogs, and a lemur. We check out the menu, and order a plate of roasted prawns. I order another beer, and Kath gets a fresh squeezed orange juice. When they bring us the prawns, it about a dozen of them 6"-8" long! Probably caught the night before. We also get some rice on the side. The meal cost us the equivelent of about 4 bucks.

While we were eating our meal, there was a party going a couple of tables away. About a dozen people. Some of the people leave before we finish our meal, but about half of them stay. As we are paying our bill and getting ready to leave, one of the waiters brings me a beer and says it's from the other table. They then ask us to join them. As it turns out, they are all grade school teachers. They all can speak a little bit of English in varying degrees. They want to try out there English and learn more about us. On both return trips to Nam, I've found this to be the norm. Most of the people are very friendly and hospitable. The commies in Rach Gia are, by far, the minority. We're able to talk our way out of the party after about 30min., and start heading back south. By the time we get back to the hotel, we've been gone about 6hrs.. A great time.

A side note: Our guide was a 53yr. old man named Tong. During the war, he was an ARVN Lt. in Nha Trang. Said he was just a paper pusher. When the commies took over he was, of course, sent to prison for a time, and then to a "re-education" camp. He only did 2 1/2 yrs. instead of the required 5, so he was relegatted to never rising much above a poverty level. Because he could speak English, he was able to get into the tourist industry. His wife also works as a cook somewhere. He has 2 sons that lives on the island with there own families, and 2 daughters that he is putting through college in Saigon. They both are learning English, and also plan on getting into the tourist industry in some capacity. It's one of the fastest growing industries in the country. After paying for his daughter's educations, living expenses, etc., not alot left for Tong and his wife. I wish him well. He was a genuinely nice man.

After getting back to the hotel, we change clothes and head for the beach. Looks like we might get that sunset picture after all. We have an enjoyable evening, and pack our bags to leave the hotel in the morning.

The next morning we check out, and head for the airport. We're taking about a 45min. flight back to Saigon. When we arrive, our car and guide are waiting for us. Didn't miss a beat. We load up and head directly for Mui Ne. I'll tell more about that leg of the trip later.

Living Large In The Nam.

[Packo]

Frisco....keep those cards and letters coming! Your trip seems just fantastic and is a great read here on the Pfiles!

You go bro!

Pack

[exlrrp]

Originally posted by Paco Frisco....keep those cards and letters coming! Your trip seems just fantastic and is a great read here on the Pfiles!

You go bro!

Pack

Tom (Friscotom)
What Charleston Tom said!!
thank you so much for the great letters and posts.You make it all seem real. Hope your taking a bunch of pictures and look forward to seeing you next Saturday
HI TO KATH ALSO
Stay good
James

[MORTARDUDE]

Have a great trip !!

Larry

[frisco-kid]

The ride to Mui Ne takes us through Bien Hoa and points west. It's pretty much uneventful, but the traffic is heavy and we don't make real good time. Just west of Bien Hoa we pass through a town that I am able to to see 5-6 Catholic church steeples. I remember this town the last time I passed through it with James and company. There are also many shops specializing in Catholic statuary. As I've said before, the Catholic church is alive and well here.

We get to Phan Thiet at about 5:00PM. Back in the day, I did a small operation [maybe 8-10 days] in the mountains west of here. Mui Ne is a suburb of Phan Thiet. We check into the Bamboo Village Hotel and, once again, we get the first class welcome. We're taken to our room and find it quite pleasant. In the theme of the place it's a similated bamboo hut, but has all the amenities. A nice king sized bed, furnishings made out of bamboo, an adequate bathroom, and french doors going out on our own little patio. We don't see the water as well as we would have liked but, because of the landscaping, many of the units don't. We can sure hear it though, and it's crashing.

We go down to the beachside restaurant to think about dinner and there's surf coming part way up the path and steps leading down to the beach! The high tide is well above normal and the waves are stacking up to about 6-8ft. tall. Come to find out, this has been going on for about a week. First, there was a large tropical storm to the north that killed a few people, and then a hurricane in the Phillipines. We go to sleep that night lulled by the crashing surf.

The next morning, after breakfast, we go down on the beach. It's a beehive of activity, what with people filling sand bags, retrieving and spreading tarps, and back hoes working to protect the banks from anymore erosion than has already occured. I have some good pictures. It's low tide, but the surf is still big. I jump in to do some body surfing. James, the surf is like Ocean Beach at the Cliff House but about 30 degrees warmer. It's great! Most of you didn't know I was a surfer dude in high school when The Beach Boys and Jan and Dean were just starting out . I do about 45min. in the the surf, and come out with rubbery legs. I head for the pool where Kath has retreated to. An excellent place to do some serious bikini watching. While at the pool, we meet some of the other visitors. Several Germans [the damned Germans are EVERYWHERE], and a couple of Russians. All younger than us, and very interesting to talk to. That's one of the best things about traveling abroad for me; interacting with people from other places. You find out that we are all pretty much the same, wanting the same things out of life and trying to enjoy it to the best of our means. That night, we have dinner at an excellent Italian restaurant directly across the road from the hotel. A German woman traveling Asia by herself joins us.

The next morning I get up early. We're going to head out for Dalat at about 10:00AM, so I decide to get in a good walk on the beach to check out the devastation. I head north first, and the damage only extends down about 4 resorts. The further north you go, the more protected the beach is by a penninsula that is a natural shelter for the local fishing fleet [remember this, James?]. I turn around and head south. ALOT more damage. Toppled over cabanas and trees. So much beach has been washed away, you have to look up to see level area that the resorts sit on. What is normally 2-4 steps down to the beach is now a 3-8ft. drop off. James, I walked down to the Palmira and it got hit pretty hard. I took pictures of our villa from the beach. You won't believe it.

I head back to the room to get ready to to check out. Our van, driver, and guide are right on time, as usual. We head out for Dalat, another leg of the adventure that I'll tell about later. Quite a trip. I'm typing this from Dalat, by the way.

Back In The Central Highlands,

[frisco-kid]

We leave Mui Ne and start heading north. Instead of having to go all the way to Phan Rang [101st basecamp back in the day] and pick up the road to Dalat, our driver says they have made a new, more direct road from the coast. We catch it, and it's a beautifully paved 2 lane road with a nice, wide shoulder. Just like in the states. We take the road for quite a ways, following close to the coastal sand dunes, then turning inland across some of the arrid desert country, complete with cactus, common to the area south of Phan Rang. We soon leave the desert and start up the foothills of the Central Highlands. Pretty soon we're in the coffee plantation and tea country that the Highlands are famous for. VN is the 2nd largest coffee producing country in the world, having made it very profitable to rip-off the Montagnards of their ancestral lands. At one point, we pass a village of unfinished concrete slab crackerbox houses. The place is pretty much devoid of vegetation. Our guide tells us that this was to be a relocation place [smacked of reservation to me] for some of the tribes of Montagnards. The 'Yards refused to relocate and the project was dropped. Now it's just occupied by some vegetation growing inside the concrete walls, a few squatters, and the wind.

As we continue to climb, what isn't coffee is the thick, almost impenetrable, jungle that I remember humping and cussing. We also run out of pavement :ek: . The road is still under construction and we pass, and are passed by, several dump trucks. We also pass a couple quarries with rock crushers making the rock and gravel for the road bed. Kath says she's getting a little car sick, what with the bouncing added to the already winding road. At one point, we get to a hairpin turn uphill that has just had a few loads of granite rock and gravel on it. It hasn't been compacted very well yet, and our front wheel drive van has trouble going through it, almost bogging down. We have to back off of it to more firm footing. The driver and guide then get out and start to remove some of the bigger, looser, pieces of rock to make a path with more traction for the van. After about 10min. the driver decides to go for it. We barely make up and beyond the turn to more firm gravel. What's a trip to Nam without a little adventure to it. We soon make the summit of the pass and find the pavement that has been being laid from the other direction up the pass. We have clear sailing, and soon start seeing the alpine forests that tell us we're nearing Dalat. Didn't know there were pine forests in the Highlands, did ya? I remember being surprised the first time I saw them in '68 when escorting convoys to the area.

We are soon overlooking Dalat, and a beautiful city it is. The centerpiece of the town is a man-made lake. The city dates back to 1905, when the French started to make it a resort town to escape the heat of Saigon. At 5,000ft., it's quite a bit cooler than Mui Ne. We're glad that we had brought jackets for our time spent in Korea. They get used here, also. The weather reminds me alot of San Francisco; in the low 60's during the day with a wind blowing off some of the fog hanging on some of the higher mountains surrounding the town. I love it. At night it probably drops down into the mid 50's. Just right to have a room window open and throw an extra blanket on the bed for coziness. I'll post somemore about our exploring the city later.

"Cooling" it in The Highlands,