Those who regularly read my ramblings in this paper may have noticed I was absent for the last couple of weeks. I have to stand up for myself and state that it was not pure laziness that caused my absence. On the contrary, I have been off completing one of those things I may have put on a bucket list if I had one.
For many years I have had an interest in cultures and especially ancient ones and particularly the ruins that those cultures have left behind. The amazing works that some of these peoples have accomplished without the use of modern machinery have intrigued me from my very young years and thus I have spent many years viewing and learning about them through books and magazines.
One set of ruins that has intrigued me since before I was 10 years old, when I first saw pictures in National Geographic, are the ruins of the ancient Buddhist and Hindu temples of the Khmer dynasty, that stretched through Cambodia, Laos and Thailand. I had never in my life even thought I might get the chance to actually see them in person. It had never even occurred to me to think of that possibility. Then about four years ago a young and very beautiful Vietnamese lady came into our lives when Brenda's son, Paul, married her. This event has changed many things in our lives since she has become very dear to our hearts.
The second event that brought about another change in the direction of our lives was when she approached us about a year ago and suggested she would like us to accompany her and her 16-month-old daughter (our granddaughter who has Nana and Gramps wrapped around her little finger) on a visit to Vietnam where this granddaughter would meet her Vietnamese grandparents for the first time in her young life. We were especially honoured that Tran, our daughter-in-law, felt so deeply about us to encourage us to join them. Thus, at the beginning of February this year, we hopped on a plane to start an adventure that would take us to Vietnam and Ho Chi Minh City and from there on a epic bus ride to a point three quarters of the way across Cambodia to the city of Siem Reip and the temples of Angkor Wat and Ankor Thom.
To start with, we landed in Ho Chi Minh City very late in the day so it was straight to a hotel to rest bones that were weary from the trip. Even at that late hour, we got our first glimpse of city traffic that is such a world away from ours it is hard to comprehend.
Picture a city with a population of over eight million residents where there are over five million riding motorbike s. These scooters are the primary mode of transportation for people and goods around this thriving metropolis. Over our stay there, we would see some of these motorbikes s carrying as much as most of us would load into the box of a half ton truck.
While touring the city in taxis, a person is always totally surrounded by these motorbikes as they weave in and out amongst one another either going in the same direction or wending their way upstream against traffic. Rules of the road as we see them are non existent there. If there is a space you can sneak into it seems to be fair game. This would at first sight seem to be pure chaos and I expected to see many collisions, but that was not the case. After a couple of days I realized that since the average speed is 30 kilometres an hour or less these very agile drivers get used to moving along with little trouble at all.
Traffic circles the average Saskatchewan driver has trouble with moved traffic with a great deal of efficiency even when filled curb to curb with motorbikes, taxis and a few other trucks and cars, without tempers flaring. After a few days I was unconcerned to be in the middle of this mêlée riding in a cyclo, which is a three wheeled bike with the passenger in the front in a basket-like seat, with the driver pedaling behind.
While in this city we had time to immerse ourselves in the local culture and visit some of the parks and attractions that are considered a must see for those touring. First of these was the War Museum which is concentrated on what they refer to as the American War. Here a person is brought face to face with the devastation of this war that has so shaped the history of the country. You are forced to face the atrocities that mankind can inflict on itself in the name of power and distorted principles.
From there we toured the Reunification Palace. This building which was designed as the residence and operating quarters of the American backed South Vietnamese president Ngo Dinh Diem in the early 1960s and is the famous site of the end of the war in 1975 when tanks crashed through its gates during the fall of Saigon. This building is built on the site of the former French palaces that ruled during the colonial reign. The décor that is to be seen here is almost beyond explanation in its ostentatious lavishness.
Next on the tour was Notre Dame Cathedral which is a match to any of the grand cathedrals seen in Europe. Right next door to this is the main post office which again is a great example of the colonial era with its vaulted ceilings and period appointments.
A visit to this city would not be complete without a visit to the many markets that line the streets or the larger markets which cover many square blocks. A person can spend hours in these examples of free market economy where everything a person could want and need is available and no item has a set price. The price is finalized depending on your bargaining skills and your willingness to search through all the possible vendors that populate vast areas of the city.
For those who like to get a concept of any community, a person must spend some time in the residential areas. In Saigon, as you travel down the main throughways, there are numerous alleyways that branch out from them. These vary in width from being wide enough for a car to travel down to some that, when I stretched out my arms, I was within inches of being able to touch both sides at the same time. It is in these alleys where you can get a grasp of how different the lifestyle of the inhabitants of the city is from what we are used to here at home.
The property on which they live is small with the front of the homes standing right at the edge of the alley with a frontage of 20 feet or less and the depth being about the same. There are no yards as one home butts tight against the other on three sides. Where we sit out in our yards to socialize with our neighbour they gather in the alleys that give them access. For parking space your motorbike is pulled into your residence for the night.
Here in Canada, our front yard is our showplace where we tell people something about ourselves by the way we landscape and decorate. In Vietnam, it is the gate at the front of your home that gives this impression. Usually the whole front of what would be the living and dining area is closed with a gate and when this is open your home is open to the front, but when this is closed they are often ornate and well kept and give an insight into the residents within.
Of course, touring this vast city, one gets to see a city that never seems to sleep where the nightlife can challenge any in the world. Even when we left to catch our plane at 3:30 a.m. from the tourist area, the night clubs were in full swing and a person could still sample the street cuisine and buy trinkets, books and anything else from the many vendors who ply their trade throughout the area. These hard working folks work seven days a week and spend long days to make their livings. I came away with great respect for their work ethics and perseverance.
As you can see, I haven't even touched an important part of our trip but that will have to wait until another week when our wonderful editor will allow me some more space to carry on.
