frisco-kid
Mon December 5, 2005 1:31am
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102_0286
We stayed at the Novotel Hotel in Dalat. A five-star hotel with a french-colonial atmosphere. Had the most comfortable bed of the whole trip.
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frisco-kid
Mon December 5, 2005 10:10am
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100_0017
There is alot of beautiful archetecture with french influence in Dalat. The french first started building the city about 100yrs. ago. At 5,000' elevation, it was an ideal spot to escape the heat of Saigon so they started building chateaus and resort hotels. It continues to be a resort town. Many of the rich Vietnamese honeymoon here.
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frisco-kid
Mon December 5, 2005 10:15am
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100_0008
With the wind in your face.
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frisco-kid
Mon December 5, 2005 11:05am
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100_0025
Dalat was probably my favorite place of the whole trip. I think some of it was the weather. In the low 50's-mid 60's, it was a refreshing break from the humidity and heat of Saigon and the Mekong, and the wind and heat of the beaches. Pretty much light jacket/sweatshirt weather, it was alot like home now.
It has a whole different atmosphere from other cities in Vietnam. The pace is a little slower; the shop keepers aren't as aggressive; no street beggars; the orphan kids selling post cards take no for an answer the first time; as a westerner walking through it's streets, you don't turn too many heads or cause traffic jams. You don't feel stared at all the time. A pretty laid back place. It has a flourishing artist community with alot of picture galleries and many local crafts for sale. You can enjoy a good cheeseburger and beer at a sidewalk cafe and watch the people meander by without being disturbed.
Being a mountain community was a plus for me. While I enjoy a day or two at the beach, I've always enjoyed the mountains more. Lived in higher elevations most of my adult life. If I were to live in Nam, Dalat would be where I lived.
The girl in the picture is making a portrait, taken from the photo, entirely by hand embroidering with silk thread. We visited the factory and gallery of this famous local handicraft. Some of the pieces of art were breath-taking, many of them taking close to a year to complete.
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frisco-kid
Sat December 10, 2005 7:35pm
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3
Don't see too many of these guys anymore. Most of the farming is done by tractor now. There were 3 of them along the road when I approached them, but 2 ran off. This one stood his ground with lowered head, daring me to come alittle closer. I didn't press it. As I remember, they didn't like G.I.s much. Heard several stories of guys being charged.
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frisco-kid
Sat December 10, 2005 7:47pm
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8
The new road to Dalat. Before, when you went to Dalat from Mui Ne, you had to drive up Hwy. 1 all the way to Phan Rang before turning west into The Highlands. Our guide and driver had heard that there was a new turn-off to Dalat, so we took it. A nice paved road with a wide shoulder and new paint lines.
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frisco-kid
Sun December 11, 2005 4:36pm
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100_0057
As I've said on many occassions, Catholicism is alive and well in VN. There's alot of Catholics in the Communist Party there. You can see this as you drive by huge mansions with catholic statuary on the balcony, or a catholic shrine in the courtyard. This is a not-too-subtle catholic shrine at a gas station that we stopped at. The gas stations are privately owned, but the government comtrols the flow and the price. Most of these stations sit on a good sized piece of real estate, with the owners usually huge house next door to it.
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frisco-kid
Tue December 13, 2005 6:13pm
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102_0212
After our walk on the beach we returned to the outdoor cafe area to pay our bill and leave. Before we could do so, the waiter brought us 2 beers and told us it was from the other party that was near by. They then asked us to join them. They were a group of school teachers that had been partying since before we got there. They all spoke a little bit of english, but some better than others. They were all eager to try it out on us. I could see that they weren't ever going to let my beer glass become empty, so I was able to convince them that we had to go. It could have turned into hours.
This is one of my favorite things to do when traveling in a foreign country; to get up close and personal with the locals. Other foreign travelers, also. You find out how much we're all pretty much alike, while getting an education about how unique we all are, also. It was a good time.
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frisco-kid
Mon December 19, 2005 3:59pm
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012
On our second day on the island, we hired a car, drever, and guide to show us the north end of the island. The road leaves alot to be desired, but I guess it's slated to be improved. The government wants to make it one of the premier tourist destinations in the country. The first place we made a stop at was a pepper farm, something the island is noted for. I bought a half kilo of both black and green pepper for my grinder, and to share with friends and relatives who are into fresh ground pepper like me.
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frisco-kid
Mon December 19, 2005 4:46pm
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101_0170
To get to Phu Quoc Island, we had to go Rach Gia from Can Tho. We spent the night there so we could catch a boat to the island the following morning. We had a choice of a ferry [6hrs.] with all the poorer people, chickens, and pigs; or a jet boat [2 1/2hrs.] with the poor people in a hurry, most of the tourists, and I didn't see any livestock aboard.
Rach Gia is a small seaport town with a picturesque waterfront where you can eat a fresh seafood dinner for a couple bucks. The hotel we stayed at was adequate, with clean rooms, air conditioning, and a street view.
We found the town to be the least friendly that we stayed at, though. There are alot of Cambodian commies there, and we got several obviously unfriendly looks and glares. Me walking around with my U.S. PARATROOPER hat with a bounce in my step and a grin on my face, probably didn't win alot of hearts and minds though. Some people just take themselves way too serious  .
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frisco-kid
Tue December 20, 2005 10:35pm
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101_0118
A vegetable "store" complete with scale.
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frisco-kid
Tue December 20, 2005 11:06pm
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101_0115
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.
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frisco-kid
Wed December 21, 2005 12:04am
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06
You can't hardly go 5mi. in any direction in the Mekong without crossing a bridge.
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frisco-kid
Wed December 21, 2005 12:26am
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05
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 .
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frisco-kid
Wed December 21, 2005 12:59am
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100_0042_2
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."
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