Ha Long Bay

Time for a junk cruise!!!!

That doesn't come out right, does it?

Instead of making the 3-hour each way trip into Hanoi (frankly, we had had enough overland trips for one cruise) we decided to say closer to the ship and try a cruise aboard a traditional Chinese-style junk through the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Ha Long Bay.



Even though it was overcast, and the renowned sparkling water wasn't, it was still beautiful.

It was rather chilly, and the interior of the junk was warm and cozy.



An adorable fruit seller helping mom.



A bit different water village than we saw a few days earlier.... a bit more upscale.



Anyone need a floating ATM?

The bay is lined with beautiful caves to be explored.



Crystal cruisers filled many junks...and Lianne got a photo of me photographing her.



All good fun.



Look!  I have a junk!!





Yes, she DOES!!!



These amazing islands have been carved over the centuries.  Many have names.
These are called the Fighting Cocks.




And it was terribly reassuring to know that our girl Serenity was not too far away.

Da Nang and China Beach

I never thought that Vietnam would be so beautiful.

We took a morning excursion to see some of the area.  Our first stop was the Cham Museum which houses ancient sculpture and artifacts.

My friend Ganesh, the remover of obstacles, was well represented.



As was Lord Shiva.



We then headed into the city center, where we had time to visit the Han Marketplace.



The selections were overwhelming!



That's a LOT of mangos she has!



Next, we visited the famous Vietnamese embroidery house, XQ Workshop.



If you know me, you know I am passionate about my needlesports.  The work these talented artisans stitch is utterly amazing.



I could have watched them all day.



But we were onto our next stop...Marble Mountain.



Lots of inspiration for carving here!



When attempting to leave the marble factory, our bus broke down, and we had to wait a bit for one of the other buses to come fetch us.   We were really happy to arrive to THIS



when we arrived at  China Beach.



I HAD to stick my toes in the South China Sea.



Do you blame me??

Sea Days

I've said it before...."sea days" are my favorite days when cruising with Crystal Cruises.  Crystal has fascinating lecturers, talented artists teaching classes, music lessons, dance lessons...and just a whole lot of lazing around if that's what you want.

"My" art teacher, Julie Warren Conn was along for this segment.  Here's what I made THIS time.



I think "Bird" goes quite well with "Clyde"...so well, in fact, I may change the name to "Bonnie".


French night means Grand Marnier Souffle.



Give Bill a glass of wine and he has a story to tell.



Love the way Crystal Serenity slices through the water.



Prego's Beef Carpaccio.



Hi Rafal!



Happy boy going home in a few days!!!

Suzanne took art class with me...here's her "Smurf"



Peaceful.



The last sea day's art show.



"Bird" "Bonnie" all polished up.





Caviar....YUM!



Calm.



But  NEVER  boring!!!

Saigon--no--HoChiMinhCity!!!!!

Never can remember the name of this place!

We took it easy on our second day in Saigon Ho Chi Minh City...just hopped on the shuttle bus and got off in the middle of downtown.

You can see the French influence in the architecture.



It looks like something from Europe, not Southeast Asia.  That's Ho Chi himself (or is it Chi Minh???) in the sculpture.

We looked around the market.



We met up with Bill and Suzanne (having yet ANOTHER massage) for lunch at one of Merrill/Bob's favorite restaurants, Lemongrass.



(MB and Andi were off at a Vietnamese cooking class).

Don't they look relaxed???



Finally got my PHO!!!



And, hoo-boy!  Was it worth waiting for.  DELICIOUS!!!

Soon enough, it was time for a Saigon  Ho Chi Minh City sailaway.







On our way to Da Nang and China Beach!

Good Morning, Vietnam!!!

(I've been planning that blog post title ever since Mama and the cousins decided on this leg of the World Cruise!!!)

Saigon Ho Chi Minh City on a Monday morning.



Nope, not even rush hour.  This is EVERY hour.



Why does this pedestrian (and the oncoming traffic)  make me think of  Frogger?

Our morning excursion hit all the usual sights, but I found the wholesale market most interesting.

Another precious face!



Some of these are coming to a convenience store near YOU!



Foodstuffs always intrigue me.



Also fascinating was our visit to Chinatown's (yes, HCMC has a Chinatown!!!) Thien Hau Temple.   She is the Goddess protector of sailors.





Petitioners write prayer requests on these brilliant pink slips of paper, and they adorn the walls of the temple.



Incense in stands can burn for days.



Incense hanging above can burn for WEEKS.



We also saw a quite clever water puppet show...uniquely Vietnamese.



That evening, our beloved "Big Bro" (real name Branislav--he's made an appearance here before)-now a head waiter- made us a batch of his famous, and quite DELICIOUS- steak tartare.



In a portion big enough for an entire family....but I ate every bite.

And, as if THAT weren't special enough, he made Bananas Foster!!







(I secretly think Branislav thought we weren't fed in Cambodia!!!)

Lemme-tell-ya...that was one mighty  fine "Welcome Home"!!!!