The Patriot Files

100_0002_2

frisco-kid — Wed, 21 Dec 2005 23:37:20 -0800

by: frisco-kid

Description: After a 13hr. flight on Asiana Airlines we arrive at the Seoul, Korea Airport. We have a 13hr. lay-over. We planned that so we could look around Korea a little bit. Always looking for adventure :). Before we arrived, another passenger told us that the airline would comp us a room. When we landed we checked it out, and it was a true story; room, transportation to and from the airport, and a lunch. What a deal. After processing us into Korea, they put us on a bus and take us to a hotel in Inchon, which is where the airport actually is. It's a small, but adequate room, and it's nice to have a place to relax after the long flight. It's still early, so we take a nap. LET THE ADVENTURE BEGIN!

100_0003_2

frisco-kid — Wed, 21 Dec 2005 23:19:45 -0800

by: frisco-kid

Description: we decided to check out the neighborhood around the hotel. It was about 40F and a wind blowing. Glad I never got sent to Korea.

100_0005_2

frisco-kid — Wed, 21 Dec 2005 23:14:08 -0800

by: frisco-kid

Description: Ran into these young Korean sailors who Kath talked into posing for her.

100_0008_2

frisco-kid — Wed, 21 Dec 2005 23:12:04 -0800

by: frisco-kid

Description: It was pretty quiet in this part of Inchon on a Sunday morning.

100_0009_2

frisco-kid — Wed, 21 Dec 2005 23:09:52 -0800

by: frisco-kid

Description: We ducked into a Dunkin' Donut for a hot chocolate to warm up a bit. This American couple showed up while we were there. Well, he's from Alaska and she's Russian. They had a long lay-over, also. They were headed for Thailand for their honeymoon.

100_0010

frisco-kid — Wed, 21 Dec 2005 23:02:46 -0800

by: frisco-kid

Description: After lunch at the hotel [on the airline], we booked a short tour from the hotel. The first place they took us was to the local fish market. This was the first fish we saw. Okay,....it's not real :).

100_0011

frisco-kid — Wed, 21 Dec 2005 22:59:18 -0800

by: frisco-kid

Description: It was definately cool down by the water.

100_0012

frisco-kid — Wed, 21 Dec 2005 22:55:26 -0800

by: frisco-kid

Description: Dried fish. Most asian market places are alive with activity and color.

100_0013_2

frisco-kid — Wed, 21 Dec 2005 22:52:47 -0800

by: frisco-kid

Description: Most of the shellfish, crabs, smaller fish, etc., were kept alive. I love fresh seafood.

100_0017_2

frisco-kid — Wed, 21 Dec 2005 22:47:37 -0800

by: frisco-kid

Description: Fish wasn't the only thing available at the market.

100_0021_2

frisco-kid — Wed, 21 Dec 2005 22:45:53 -0800

by: frisco-kid

Description: After leaving the fish market we were taken to a Buddhist monastary in the nearby hills.

100_0022

frisco-kid — Wed, 21 Dec 2005 22:42:33 -0800

by: frisco-kid

Description: A very peaceful place.

100_0023_2

frisco-kid — Wed, 21 Dec 2005 22:40:49 -0800

by: frisco-kid

Description: And beautiful.

100_0026_2

frisco-kid — Wed, 21 Dec 2005 22:38:05 -0800

by: frisco-kid

Description: I can't imagine the time involved in this. After leaving the monastary we return to the hotel, get our luggage, and return to the airport. We do a 5hr. flight to Saigon, getting in at 11:00PM.

100_0041_2

frisco-kid — Wed, 21 Dec 2005 01:06:41 -0800

by: frisco-kid

Description: Coming and going, we stayed at the Duxton Hotel on busy Nguyen Hue Street. A classy, five-star hotel.

100_0042_2

frisco-kid — Wed, 21 Dec 2005 00:59:23 -0800

by: frisco-kid

Description: Saigon is a beautiful city with wide, tree lined boulevards, high rise buildings, and lots of parks. A surprisingly clean city. A lot different from when I saw it in Fall '66. Then it was choked with refugees from the countryside fleeing the war; many of them living on the streets. The city had all of the sanitation problems, begging, hustling, crime, disease, and despare that comes with over-crowding in a city in a war zone. It was great to see it in peace time. I could understand how it was once called "The Paris of the Orient."

100_0035

frisco-kid — Wed, 21 Dec 2005 00:42:32 -0800

by: frisco-kid

Description: What's a crosswalk? Hell, what's a traffic lane?

05

frisco-kid — Wed, 21 Dec 2005 00:26:23 -0800

by: frisco-kid

Description: The highlight of the trip for me was going to be going to the Mekong Delta. I had never been south of Saigon before. A lot of The Delta is criss crossed with rivers, canals, and channels. It looked as flat as a pool table, with thick vegetation right down to the waters edge. Gimpy, Brice, you boys that fought down this way sure earned your combat pay. From Saigon, we were headed for Cantho, passing through Mytho and Vinh Long. Takes a kick-ass paratrooper to vacation in The Mekong :).

06

frisco-kid — Wed, 21 Dec 2005 00:04:00 -0800

by: frisco-kid

Description: You can't hardly go 5mi. in any direction in the Mekong without crossing a bridge.

08

frisco-kid — Tue, 20 Dec 2005 23:57:07 -0800

by: frisco-kid

Description: The roads in the Mekong were pretty nice. This is a new bridge.

09

frisco-kid — Tue, 20 Dec 2005 23:54:29 -0800

by: frisco-kid

Description: A memorial in Vinh Long to the VC dead. Gimpy, Brice, and those other 9th ID boys are probably responsible for a big share of them.

011

frisco-kid — Tue, 20 Dec 2005 23:49:59 -0800

by: frisco-kid

Description: At one point, we had to take a vehicle ferry across the Hau River.

101_0110

frisco-kid — Tue, 20 Dec 2005 23:33:13 -0800

by: frisco-kid

Description: The Victoria Hotel in Can Tho was probably the nicest place we stayed at on the trip.

1 comment

101_0107

frisco-kid — Tue, 20 Dec 2005 23:27:40 -0800

by: frisco-kid

Description: Sunset from our room.

100_0097_2

frisco-kid — Tue, 20 Dec 2005 23:26:05 -0800

by: frisco-kid

Description: The lobby.

100_0085_2

frisco-kid — Tue, 20 Dec 2005 23:22:23 -0800

by: frisco-kid

Description: Our room.

100_0087_2

frisco-kid — Tue, 20 Dec 2005 23:21:05 -0800

by: frisco-kid

Description: The lobby lounge.

100_0089_2

frisco-kid — Tue, 20 Dec 2005 23:19:45 -0800

by: frisco-kid

Description: Looking at the hotel from the river.

100_0093_2

frisco-kid — Tue, 20 Dec 2005 23:18:34 -0800

by: frisco-kid

Description: Waiting for the water taxi.

100_0090_2

frisco-kid — Tue, 20 Dec 2005 23:17:41 -0800

by: frisco-kid

Description: The walkway to the river.

101_0125

frisco-kid — Tue, 20 Dec 2005 23:16:02 -0800

by: frisco-kid

Description: The Can Tho River.

101_0102

frisco-kid — Tue, 20 Dec 2005 23:12:39 -0800

by: frisco-kid

Description: On the water taxi from the hotel to the town of Can Tho.

101_0115

frisco-kid — Tue, 20 Dec 2005 23:06:46 -0800

by: frisco-kid

Description: A river tour boat had been arranged to carry just us and our guide from Saigon. A young lady named Tinh was our local guide. The girl in the back with the baby is the wife of the boat owner-driver. This was all set up for us from Saigon.

101_0111

frisco-kid — Tue, 20 Dec 2005 22:58:20 -0800

by: frisco-kid

Description: A floating restaurant in Can Tho.

101_0116

frisco-kid — Tue, 20 Dec 2005 22:55:45 -0800

by: frisco-kid

Description: We picked up some cold drinks from these guys.

101_0124

frisco-kid — Tue, 20 Dec 2005 22:50:33 -0800

by: frisco-kid

Description: "You buy sandwich, lady?"

101_0141

frisco-kid — Tue, 20 Dec 2005 22:46:38 -0800

by: frisco-kid

Description: It's a family business.

101_0119

frisco-kid — Tue, 20 Dec 2005 22:43:13 -0800

by: frisco-kid

Description: The poles on the bow of the boats shows what that particular boat sells.

101_0123

frisco-kid — Tue, 20 Dec 2005 22:41:47 -0800

by: frisco-kid

Description: River commerce.

101_0118

frisco-kid — Tue, 20 Dec 2005 22:35:36 -0800

by: frisco-kid

Description: A vegetable "store" complete with scale.

101_0113

frisco-kid — Tue, 20 Dec 2005 22:33:33 -0800

by: frisco-kid

Description: Morning on the river.

101_0126

frisco-kid — Tue, 20 Dec 2005 22:27:46 -0800

by: frisco-kid

Description: Headed for work :).

101_0127

frisco-kid — Tue, 20 Dec 2005 22:23:57 -0800

by: frisco-kid

Description: Laundry day.

101_0132

frisco-kid — Tue, 20 Dec 2005 22:22:14 -0800

by: frisco-kid

Description: Heading home from shopping.

101_0137

frisco-kid — Tue, 20 Dec 2005 22:20:52 -0800

by: frisco-kid

Description: Exclusively women powered these oar boats.

101_0133

frisco-kid — Tue, 20 Dec 2005 22:11:14 -0800

by: frisco-kid

Description: one of the dozens of side canals off of the river.

101_0135

frisco-kid — Tue, 20 Dec 2005 22:06:48 -0800

by: frisco-kid

Description: Setting fish nets in an eddy.

101_0144

frisco-kid — Tue, 20 Dec 2005 21:59:10 -0800

by: frisco-kid

Description: Let'er buck!

101_0161

frisco-kid — Tue, 20 Dec 2005 21:55:28 -0800

by: frisco-kid

Description: We go ashore for a light snack and tea.

101_0157

frisco-kid — Tue, 20 Dec 2005 21:53:12 -0800

by: frisco-kid

Description: We sample some of the local fruit.