Hanoi Life

Furama Interlude

We first visited the Furama Resort in DaNang back in 1998 when it was new.  If anything, it has only improved with age!

Americans remember DaNang as the scene of fierce fighting, as the location of a major air base and for "China Beach" where GI's often went for R & R.  On our first trip to Vietnam in 1994, we took a day trip from Hue to DaNang and our guide pointed out the spot that was once known as China Beach.  At the time, it was relatively undeveloped with just a few stands selling food and drink, but no major hotels.

In 1998, the Furama was open and represented the only 5 star property on this beautiful stretch of beach by the blue waters of the South China Sea.  We spent a couple of days there enjoying sun and sand with side trips to the world class Cham Museum and the resort town of Hoi An.  On some subsequent trips, we found time to detour to the Furama for a couple of days of luxury in between our stays in Hanoi and Saigon.

When we moved to Hanoi, we found that expats got a special rate during the off-season so have made it a point to fly down for a weekend each September.  We mention the special deal because the prices have steadily increased, though not to match those in the US or Europe.

When we heard of the early summer promotion we thought we should avail ourselves of the opportunity for another visit before we go to the US in June for who knows how long.  The package includes the lovely buffet breakfast and transfers to and from the airport.  There was also a special airfare available so we couldn't afford to stay home, or so we told ourselves.

The flight from Hanoi is only an hour and ten minutes so by leaving after school on Friday, we could be dining at 8!  Our frequent visits to Furama earned us an upgrade to lagoon view, which, while not so posh as the ocean view suite, is quite comfortable.

At night, after dinner we go to the Hai Van Lounge for libations and to hear the Filipino band!  We do not listen to a lot of pop music, but it is fun to sit close to the band and watch the girls dance as they perform 60's and 70s tunes made popular by The Supremes, Creedence Clearwater Revival and other "blasts from the past."

We made the acquaintance of a couple from Melbourne and chatted with them while the band played.  The husband, Roger, was training the lifeguards at Furama while enjoying a mini-vacation.  Nice work if you can get it!

We are so decadent these days!  Private beaches as resorts are certainly a far cry from what either of us grew up with.  We spent some time reading and relaxing, strolling down to the warm waters and later enjoying the infinity pool and lagoon.  What a beautiful setting!  We love the city and culture and all that entails but once in a while we prefer life to be a beach.

The Cham Museum has several rooms filled with sculptures dating from the period that the Cham, who were Hindu, ruled central Vietnam.  We love to go back and see the sandstone carvings, some remarkably well preserved considering they date from the 7th or 8th Century!

If you are not certain, the one on your right is the Cham sculpture and the one on your left is perhaps the model for same.

We love to compare and contrast and note the changes we have observed since our first visit way back in 1994!  One big difference is that Ira actually speaks the language!  On our first several trips to DaNang, he could only say thank you and even that was pronounced incorrectly.  Once he began studying, he had a few words but between the different accent in DaNang and his pronunciation deficiencies, he could not be understood at all.  This past weekend, he was understood by one and all, chatting with the shuttle driver, the staff in the restaurant and at the beach, and a few Japanese tourists for good measure.  It is strange that in the US Ira does not go up to random children and chat, but here he can't pass up the opportunity for a hearty "chao chau!"

Another huge difference is the number of Vietnamese who are traveling and who are booking at the Furama.  These days it seems that over half of the guests are Vietnamese.  As it should be!

It is amazing how familiar we have become with the layout of the resort, though we have only been there about a half dozen times.  Is there a term for the phenomenon like "deja vu" but you truly have been there?

We hope that the short break has revitalized Carol for the last three weeks of school.  For now it was Furama Farewell, but we have a habit of returning to places sooner than we might have thought.

At (Ha)Long Last!!

Vietnam has four UNESCO World Heritage Sites, the most famous of which is Halong Bay.  As far back as 1994, Tony Nong of Ann Tourist was touting us on visiting this place.  Located about 165 km east of Hanoi, the bay in the Gulf of Tonkin has nearly 200 islands, most of which are tiny and uninhabited.  Considering Carol's aversion to boats and the 6 hour plus overland journey, we said "some other time."

Over the years, we came back to Vietnam on three more occasions, logging anywhere from 10 days to two weeks in the country.  The subject of Halong Bay was often broached but we always found a reason(read: excuse) not to go.  We didn't have enough time.  The weather was wrong.  Who wants or needs to look at a bunch of rocks anyway?

When we moved to Hanoi in August of 2005, we figured that we would have to visit Halong sometime, since we were now so close and had more time available.  Still, when we took an excursion shortly after our arrival, it was to Sapa to see the hills and haggle with the Red Dao people over handicrafts.  Ira also managed a nasty fall, resulting in a fractured vertebra, the pain from which made this recent close encounter of the motorbike kind feel like a mosquito bite.

"I know, I know" Carol would say when the subject of Halong would come up.  She knew we had to make the visit but was wary of sleeping on a boat.  There are day trips available so she hoped we could manage one of those.  The roads have improved since 1994 so the trip now takes more like 3 hours and your teeth are not rattled by too many bumps.  The day trip usually departs around 8 am and returns at 7 pm, leaving you time for a boat ride with lunch and many photo ops.

We spoke with friends and colleagues, most of whom sang the praises of Halong Bay.  Our friend, Gun-Marie has been there five of six times. 

Halong Bay is high on the list of sites(and sights) to see in Vietnam and some people who spend less than a week in Vietnam use two days of that time to sail around the bay.  We have seen many photographs so we know what it looks like.  If there only weren't that boat involved!

When we were in Myanmar, we took our first cruise down the Ayrewaddy from Mandalay to Bagan and we actually enjoyed it.  Of course it was the poshest boat making the trip and probably one of the swankiest in the world.  In Halong, there are many kind of boats and many classes of each kind.  The finest is the Emeraude, run by the same people who own The Press Club, Exotissimo Travel, and The Warehouse wine company. 

We have had many dealings with The Warehouse and dine on a semi-regular basis at the Press Club so are well known by the staff at both places.  Mr. Son, a manager at Press Club, kept telling us to book on the Emeraude and that we would love Halong Bay.

Still, we resisted.  Our first year came and went.  We visited the beach at Danang, traveled abroad to India, Sri Lanka, Bangkok, and other destinations but chua(not yet) to Halong Bay.  It became kind of a joke as we felt we were in the Guinness Book of World Records for spending the most time in Vietnam without visiting Halong Bay.  People would stop us on the street and say "Oh, aren't you the couple who have never been to Halong Bay?"

Ira's brother Dick, together with his wife Sue and daughter Leslie, were here for about a week and they managed a day trip to Halong which they thoroughly enjoyed.  Our friends, Ralph and Lea Basch, spent nearly three weeks and of course, they took an overnight in Halong. 

When people visit a place, they often do research and have a list of places to go and things to see.  Often they book excursions in advance, while sometimes they do it on arrival.  For us "Halong Bay Trip" remained on our "to do" list, much as other chores like "clean garage" and "trim trees."

Mr. Son kept reminding us that we really should book a cruise on the Emeraude.  He promised to let us know when the annual wine cruise was being held and that we should book early as it sells out all the time.  True to his word, Son sent us the email as soon as the cruise was ready for booking and we paid our money and held our breaths.  Now there was no turning back!

The Wine Cruise brings together many of the companies under the Press Club Umbrella:  Warehouse supplies the wines, Press Club the food and Emeraude the ambiance.

The Emeraude has 38 cabins so capacity is around 75 guests and we hear the cruise sold out quickly.   The brochure said "Dress to Impress" and "Dress Code Applies."  We kinda knew better but of course packed some good clothes for dinner and respectable casual for the rest of the trip.

There was a breakfast at the Press Club where we noticed that most people had worn cutoffs, t-shirts and jeans so we were once again "off by 3."  Why, oh why don't we ever get that secret email that tells us what to wear?

The bus trip was uneventful, with a short rest stop that stretched from the announced ten minutes to about half an hour.  Soon enough we were staring at the souvenir shops and cheap  hotels that told us we were in a resort town.

We checked in and found our cabin.  It was functional but tiny, a far cry from the digs on the "Road to Mandalay."  It was certainly adequate for our one night on the bay, although it had a Vietnamese-style bathroom with a sink and a shower head that allows you to wash yourself while you flood the room.  You can probably get clean, but without a tub or stall, the floor will remain wet for the duration.

Of course most of our time would be spent on deck.  If we followed the program nearly all of that time would be devoted to eating and drinking.  They put out a buffet on the promenade deck and served wine.  Little did we know that this was the pre-lunch as an even bigger spread was laid out in the restaurant downstairs.  The most notable dish was the huge prawns(these are shrimp for our American readers) although there was plenty of variety and all of it good.

We sailed out into a private area of the bay and saw many of the characteristic rocks that rise out of the sea towards the sky.  The place is pretty photogenic and most of our shots turned out pretty well.  We are not the greatest fans of nature so if we seem less than enthusiastic, forgive us.  Everyone raves about the beauty of Halong and we cant deny it.  We can just say it was "fine, fine."  For what it is, it is very nice.  We just don't think we will be returning over and over.

Lunch was over just in time for Ira to go to the wine tasting in Hang Trong Cave.  Carol stayed on board and it was probably safer as the cave had no steps or handrails so Ira had to hug the sheer rock face and pull himself up, a task made more difficult by his sore shoulder and ribs.  One of the staff tried to lend a hand but he nearly fell onto the rocks since Ira weighs, shall we say a bit more than the average Vietnamese man.  The tasting was enjoyable and of course included more food as well as music from violin and guitar.

The tenders brought the tasters back to the Emeraude just in time for the mojito, margarita and tequila bar with light snacks, followed closely by the tapas buffet, with more of the Spanish wines from the tasting, red white and rose from Marques de Caceras.

We then had a short break to clean up and dress for dinner.  Having read the brochure we were of course overdressed.  Next time we will have our own translator!  No, Ira did not wear white tie and tails, just a nice suit, while Carol's outfit was the equivalent for a woman.  Maybe the people throwing the events should say : slacks and sport shirt; business suit; tuxedo, which is actually semi-formal NOT formal, though we can't conceive of anyone actually owning tails or morning coat in this day and age.  Dinner was not too lavish, merely four courses with matching wines.

The food was good, although the main course(entree to Americans, mains to Aussies and yes we know that entree is really a preliminary course but the style in the States is otherwise so we can live with entree for filet with shrimp on top).  Who invented "surf and turf" or similar dishes, where it is somehow assumed that shellfish are a perfect accompaniment to beef?  Ira thinks that the perfect accompaniment to a good steak is.....more steak!

After dinner we all sat on deck and watched the stars and enjoyed the scenery by moonlight.  The next activity was salsa dancing to the music of supposedly the best DJ in Hanoi.  What makes a good DJ?  He just plays records, or in the modern day, CD's.  At least the guys in the 60's had some patter!  You remember: "Hey there cats and pretties, this one goes out to everyone in Overbrook!"  The music was loud up on deck but nothing compared to the decibel level down in our cabin.  Fortunately, it stopped somewhere around 2 so we were able to get some sleep.

We like to think we are maturing.  At least no one can dispute that we are getting older.  One of the signs of this maturity is that we don't feel we have to eat and drink everything in sight just because it is on a buffet or there is free flow wine.  Caviar and foie gras are excepted from this as we will eat as much of those as the staff see fit to bring!  If we told how much we ingested and imbibed on Saturday, you might not consider it holding back, but in fact we felt much better than most of the other guests when we came down to breakfast on Sunday.

After the meal, we sailed back to the dock and boarded the bus for the trip back to the Press Club.  The captain pointed out the floating village, where  hundreds of people actually live on small boats, and we passed close to the new suspension bridge, about which we could give you details, but you won't care so we will omit them.

So as we rode on the bus we talked about the trip and concluded that we were certainly happy that we went, we were pleased with our choice of the Emeraude for the journey and we realized that nature is wonderful in small doses.

In Bangkok at 12 o'Clock

According to Noel Coward in his song "Mad Dogs and Englishmen" they foam at the mouth and run.  After seven visits to Bangkok, we have yet to experience this and never hope to.  Way back in 1992 we took our first trip to Asia and scheduled Hong Kong, Bangkok, Singapore and Bali as the stops along the way.  We had, of course, heard of the fabulous Oriental Hotel in Bangkok where the likes of Conrad and Maugham had stayed, together with royalty and many other famous people.  We had booked at the Indra Regent, a tourist hotel along the lines of our usual lodging on vacations.  Before we left the States, Carol read an article that said that due to some political unrest in Bangkok, the Oriental was nearly empty and offering discounts for the first time ever.  We contacted them and wound up getting an unbelievably low rate.  This was our first experience in a luxury hotel and it affected us greatly.  Never   before had we enjoyed the level of service that the Oriental provided.  There is a large staff and they are dedicated to serving the guests and to making their stay memorable.

We savored our few days and figured that we were unlikely every to  stay there again.  We were so wrong!  In 1994, Ira's mother, Pearl, accompanied us to Hong Kong and Bangkok.  Ira wrote one of his famous letters explaining that we had been guests at the Oriental and wanted his mother to enjoy this experience, but that we were on a budget etc.  We wound up spending a great week and Pearl remembers it to this day.

As the years passed, we had occasion to visit Bangkok every few years.  By now we were "repeat guests" and kept booking at The Oriental where we were now greeted at the door with "Welcome BACK to The Oriental, Mr. and Mrs. Barrows!"  On our third stay, we noticed that the bellman was taking our bags the wrong way.  We were not going towards the newer River Wing, but to the original Garden Wing where we had somehow been upgraded to a suite.  This was enough to keep us returning whenever we had a chance.  We have not again had a suite, but we are now routinely upgraded to the Deluxe room which has more space, a balcony, and a separate dressing room.  Since all rooms have a view of the majestic Chao Phrya River, it is enjoyable to just sit and watch the various boats go by.

For a time, we began to feel that the service, while still excellent, had lost that little something extra.  It may just be that we have encountered a lot of good service on our travels so the gap is lessening.  The breakfast is a big buffet served out on the terrace overlooking the river.  It is included with our room rate(an important negotiating point as the tariff is $28 US plus tax and service!).  On our second day, there was a rainstorm so breakfast was served indoors and we had to select from the menu.  Somehow a couple of pancakes did not compare with the usual spread.  While there was not much that we could do about it, we did voice our displeasure to the staff.  The next day, we saw that the rain was persisting so were quite depressed as we imagined there would be no buffet.  As we made our way out towards the Verandah Restaurant, we saw a sign that the breakfast buffet had been moved indoors to the Lord Jim.  As we were enjoying the meal, we were greeted by name by a staff member who told us that our comments had prompted a meeting to find a solution to the weather problem.  Service is alive and well in Bangkok.  Even if other 5 star hotels offer a special rate, we would never stay anywhere else.

Shopping is a popular pastime in Bangkok and we spent some of our time doing just that.  We are not shop-a-holics so the idea of recreational shopping is not so appealing.  Like golfers, we merely replace divots.  As a piece of clothing is discarded, we buy another similar piece. 

Chatuchak Weekend Market is a large bazaar with over 9000 stalls selling all manner of clothing, jewelry, souvenirs and food.  We took the Skytrain and joined the throngs looking for bargains.  Carol was looking for flip-flops and discovered a stall with hundreds of choices.  She was fortunate enough to find a pair in her size, which is difficult in Hanoi.  Ira, with his size 13's was not so lucky.  Despite the protestations of the merchant, he was like the wicked stepsisters and had to miss the ball.

Ira is fairly large at 1.83m and about 105kg, but the hours at the gym have paid off as he is no longer the largest person in town.  Actually, we encounter many Asians who top his dimensions.  He is still a bit large for the clothing on sale at the markets and it is unusual for him to locate anything to wear.   Carol fared better at Chatuchak as she got a new skirt with matching top.  Ira did not walk away empty handed as the following photo will attest!

One night we made an expedition to Patpong, or as it is known in the guidebooks "the notorious Patpong."  This is a small alley full of bars and shops pandering to the seamy side of life with "shows" that are not exactly family fare.  At night, Patpong is alive with all sorts of characters better left undescribed.  However, it is also the scene of a large night market where you can buy clothing, jewelry, watches and souvenirs that you can take home to mother.  Speaking of mother, we took Ira's mother to Patpong back in 1998.  Since the market stalls are under cover in the center of the street, she was spared much of the seamy side of  Bangkok life.  Ira bought a "Rolex" as his everyday watch which he got in Hong Kong in 1994 was wearing out.  He did not have to bargain as the shopkeeper said "2000 baht, but for you 1500, well ok 1200, maybe 800 or what about 600?"  Without saying a word(VERY unusual for Ira) he had his new watch and two days later it keeps on ticking. Of course, she was only making 600 baht($17.50US) on it!

Bangkok is known for heat and humidity, torrential rains in the season and extremely bad traffic.  On one occasion, traffic was so snarled that our taxi driver turned on, not a radio, not a CD player, but a TV!  Some of this has been alleviated by some new roads and the Skytrain.  Of course, like other subways and els, it only goes where the tracks are so destinations near the river are best reached by boat and for the others it must be a car.  Taxis are plentiful and cheap.  Unfortunately, most drivers have no English and we are always surprised that none seem ever to have heard of the Oriental, despite its being one of the most famous hotels in the world.

On several trips we have taken most, if not all of our meals at the hotel.  While the prices are quite high, especially for wine, we are wary of venturing out into the traffic.  This time we decided that we might enjoy some Thai food, so we asked our friend Chef Boris for some suggestions.  Before becoming head chef at the Metropole, Boris spent years at the Sofitel in Bangkok.  He gave us Baan Khanitha as a fine restaurant with traditional food and decor.  On the night we had booked there, the weather was horrible:  torrential downpours with flooding in the streets and low visibility.  Nevertheless, we decided to follow our plan rather than "wimp out" and eat at the hotel.  There was quite a queue for taxis and things were made worse when our driver refused to go out to the area where the restaurant was located.  We were not thrilled by this as licensed taxis are supposed to go anywhere a passenger wishes to.  Taking Sherlock Holmes' advice we took the second cab and went out into the rain.  It was an old-fashioned Bangkok traffic jam where we would sit for ten minutes then move a few car lengths.  The traffic lights are extremely long which is probably supposed to help traffic flow, but they don't seem to do much.  After nearly an hour and a half, we pulled up to the restaurant and had a very nice meal, with duck curry, seafood salad and soft shell crab.  The taxi ride home?  20 minutes!

Bangkok, like many other Asian cities, is know for custom tailoring, sometimes at extremely low prices.  In the airline magazine are ads for 3 suits, 3 shirts, 2 trousers and 2 ties for $179 US.  You know what they say about a deal that seems too good to be true.  We have never tried any of these cut-rate shops, but we have seen the results on some of Carol's colleagues and well, you can imagine he fabrics and the fit are not exactly Saville Row.  A few years ago, we stumbled into the shop of Mr Mya Kyi, a Burmese tailor who has lived in Bangkok for many years.  Ira's suits and blazer have lasted for many years and the shirts are only now wearing out after many washings.  With 35 baht to the dollar rather than the 50 we once enjoyed, the clothing is not Wal-Mart priced with smiley faces.  It is however, much less than anything decent in a department store and a fraction of what you'd pay for the same goods in London or Milan or New York.  the fabric is soft and supple and the clothing actually fits like it was made for you!  Ira just got three new shirts and Carol has two pairs of trousers that are   perfect.  "It's the quality Madame," says Mr. Kyi. He's right.

Ira's brother Dick has a friend, Robert Strauss, who is always known simply as "Strauss."  Strauss is a world traveler, having been to over 100 countries, many of which are Burundi and Costa Rica.  He is a sports aficionado and he and Ira like to reminisce about the old days.  The other day, he asked our advice on a possible trip he may take to Asia.  We recommend Myanmar and Cambodia and are not so thrilled with Laos.  His experience will be different than ours, but the sights and the people are why we travel.  The tent and the backpacker hostel and the five star hotel are just different ways of getting to the same place.  You already know the path we have chosen.

Finally at the airport in Bangkok, a Vietnamese woman began speaking to Ira and it was obvious that she knew him.  but who was she?  Ira tried to picture her in various uniforms but he was stumped.  It turns out that it was Ms Trinh(pronounced Ching) from the front desk at Sofitel Plaza.  She was returning from a holiday in Thailand.  This is just another example of the way the Vietnamese have begun to travel outside their own country.

Bangkok does not touch us the way Hanoi and some other cities do.  It is OK for shopping and to enjoy the Oriental, but not a place so dear to our hearts.  Still a bad day fishing, etc.

SàiGòn Blues

We landed in SàiGòn and remembered our first visit to Vietnam when it all seemed so exotic.  Now it is just normal as the Vietnamese always say.  As for calling the country's largest city Ho Chi Minh City, many, if not most, call it by the old name of SàiGòn and so shall we.

Ira's illness made it likely that our itinerary might be curtailed.  We had a tentative dinner engagement with a colleague of Ira's but as is so often the case, we were "pocket vetoed," which is to say, we never received a response.  No matter.  Our first stop after checking into the Park Hyatt, was International SOS, our health care provider that has offices in both HàNội and Sàigòn.  A nice Canadian doctor gave Ira some medication and electrolytes and he also assured Carol that her injuries needed nothing more than rest.  We then spent some time in the room and also went out to the pool for a bit more rest.

In the evening, Carol needed food so we went to the roof of the Rex Hotel.  On our first visit, we had stayed at the kitschy Rex, the hotel of record during the late American War.  The foreign correspondents used to gather on the roof to drink and chat and file their stories.  In the old days, they had caged birds, but the threat of H5N1 has banished them.  There are still topiary animals and the signature revolving crown that mark the spot.

By the morning, we were able to get around enough to visit Reunification Palace, the  site of the workplace of the president of South Vietnam during the American War.  Tanks crashed through the gates on the historic day of 30 April, 1975, the same day when the helicopters took the last Americans out of Vietnam, ending one of the worst periods in American history.

We had a nice little set lunch for $2.99US at Lemongrass, a restaurant that we have visited many times over the years.  It was hot and dusty and dingy but now it is brightly lit, comfortably cool and still offers flavorful Vietnamese food.

Next was a visit to Diamond Plaza, an extremely upscale shopping center that did not lack for customers, nearly all of whom were Vietnamese, a testimonial to the rise in the economic fortunes of the citizens here.  We may be out of touch with prices around the world, but these have to be approaching those of Western nations.

It wouldn't be right to visit SàiGòn and not drop in on our friend Tony Nong.  Tony was our first travel agent back in 1994 and has been a friend ever since.  He and his brother left Vietnam in 1975 as a young boy on one of the helicopters from the American Embassy where his mother Ann worked.  She started a tour company with the hope that some American would have news of her sons.  Miraculously she found him and he came to visit and finally to live.  If you ever need help with travel arrangements in Southeast Asia Tony is THE man.  He even got us emergency visas back in 2000 when  we were about to be shipped back to Singapore.

After a drink and some food at SaigonSaigon, high atop the Hotel Caravelle, we made for the airport and our two hour flight home.  We were at SaigonSaigon on its opening night many years ago and it remains quite hip and increasingly expensive.

We had yet one more problem to overcome before settling into our bed.  There had been a truck accident on the road out of the airport and we were held up for nearly an hour waiting for it to be cleared.  When we arrived, it was great to be greeted by our friends the bellmen and to go upstairs to a bed which does NOT include the duvet.

History(kinda) Repeats Itself

As we travel in the Wayback Machine all the way to 1994, we find ourselves in a van, going from DàLạt to Nha Trang, bouncing along the rutted road, sweating despite the air con being on full, and trying to communicate with our driver and guide.  Carol was a bit fearful of flying on Vietnam Airlines so we went by car and later by train.  For an account of our train journey, feel free to access http://www.thingsasian.com/stories-photos/1088/2481462/5/brt0_art;jsessionid=9FA6405235CD2D2330A6EE33C71CEA25

Actually the article was entitled, with apologies to Duke Ellington, "Take the Hue Train," but headline writers are the same everywhere so it became "TAKING" which doesn't have the same punch.

This time around, we reversed the trip, going from Nha Trang up to DàLạt.  DàLạt is the main city in the Central Highlands and is loved for its pastoral setting on a lake, its cool climate and as the garden of Vietnam, producing exquisite fruit, vegetables and flowers.  It is a favored spot for vacationers and honeymooners alike.  The Bao Dai, the last emperor of Vietnam, had several palaces here before he sold out to the French and retired to Paris to live out his days.  He died in 1997 at the age of 83.  Even in exile, it's great to be the emperor!

On our first visit, the weather was cold and damp, with intermittent torrential rains.  We stayed at one of the Bao Dai's palaces but it was far from palatial, probably owing to the fact that he had not lived there in fifty years.  We didn't have periodic interruptions of electric power.  We rather had short periodic bursts of power when the dim lights actually flickered on for nearly two minutes at a time.  Other than that, unless you count the mosquitoes and the mildew, it was a great place.  After we had seen the few sights around the city(there were some spectacular waterfalls on the way in), we were doomed to sit in the room feeling not at all like royalty.  Carol finally came to the rescue at about 5 am on our second day.  She decided that another night in the palace was more than we should have to stand so she went down to the room where our driver and guide were sleeping, banged on the door and Carol spoke just three words:  "Nha Trang NOW!"  The pajama clad young men rubbed sleep from their eyes and tried to comprehend what this meant.  One look at Carol's face convinced them and soon we were driving down towards Nha Trang in search of sun and a bit of warmth.

This time around, our trip to DàLạt was much more pleasant.  The car had good air conditioning and our driver, Tín, was pleasant and very safe.  He  spoke with Ira in slow Vietnamese and it was easy to communicate.  The four hours passed quickly as we had only minimal stops,including just a few for photo-ops.

DàLạt is beautiful and cool and fresh and the Sofitel Dalat Palace is a gorgeous old-world hotel.  Once again, our living in a Sofitel got us into a great room with a view of the lake.  The hotel was once one of the Bao Dai's residences.  Being an emperor, he had more than one and none was shabby.

We explored the hotel and then we went into town to see the market and walk around  the streets.  The market is full of the most wonderful produce, representative of the goods that are shipped to the major markets of Vietnam.

The best items seem to be the avocados.  In 1994 we bought some ripe ones and ate them right there with plastic spoons.

One thing that we saw for the first time, was censorship.  Now we are not so naive as to believe that a country without a free press and with a press that seems to have no accountability has no censorship.  One has only to read the papers or watch the news to see that certain criticism never occurs.  therefore, it must not be allowed or we would see some.  On this occasion, however, we noticed that in a copy of The International Herald Tribune(Raise your hand if you remember The New York Herald Tribune)two articles has been blacked out with magic marker.  The receptionist told us it was probably the work of children, but as we could see that both articles had something to do with Vietnam, it was likely not the little tykes who were responsible.  As the years pass, we like to think that there will be less of this occurring and that there will be much more transparency and a freer press.  Say what you will about the problems with the US Government, when the Framers of the Constitution added the Bill of Rights, it was not by accident that the First Amendment dealt with a free press.

The restaurant in the hotel is called Le Rabelais and it has superior French cuisine.  We each settled on a different tasting menu and worked our way through it slowly as there were so many different courses.  We did have some of the famous avocados in various incarnations.  The avocado is called quả bơ, which translates as "butter fruit."  It is creamy and delicious.  Our meals included salmon in parchment, foie gras and duck confit.  Each course was beautifully presented and was well orchestrated, although the overall amount of food may have been excessive.  The dining room is beautiful and a great setting from which you can view the lake. 

Unfortunately the other shoe dropped that night as Ira was taken violently ill.  He managed to get dressed the next morning and to get on the van to the airport.  When we previously spoke of symmetry and irony, we note that there was a bit of role reversal as this trip Ira got ill and Carol had a fall.  Regardless, he didn't eat for almost 48 hours so you KNOW he was less than himself as 48 minutes is usually a long time for him.

The trip to DàLạt  was still a great experience as we got to see the city again from a different perspective and to enjoy a different set of experiences.

Biển Xanh Cát Trắng

We aren't sure where this comes from, but it means something like "blue water, white sand."  The Vietnamese love their beaches and flock to them whenever possible.  Though the traditional ideals of feminine beauty are embodied by very pale skin, so much so that many women wear long sleeves and head coverings even in the heat of summer to avoid exposure to the sun, the modern Vietnamese seem to have no qualms about bronzing in the sun.

When we visited Nha Trang in 1994, it was a sleepy little seaside town with a few seedy hotels and a crowded beach composed of rough gray sand.  We did enjoy a meal at the Lys Restaurant where we met a Vietnamese couple who owned several restaurants in Boston.  We actually ate in Pho Pasteur later that year and were treated like visiting royalty.

Present day Nha Trang has grown into the leading seaside resort in Vietnam.  The streets are well-paved and the buildings more modern than we remembered.  There are now many 5 star hotels and resorts and the beach is clean and white.  Our flight from Hanoi, at the rather early hour of 6:40 am, was filled, mostly with Vietnamese travelers off for some days spent as the Philadelphians say "down the shore."

There had been some leftover auction items from the annual AmCham gala so Ira put in a low-ball bid on two nights at the Sofitel Vinpearl Resort.  Located on a private island accessible by boat or the world's longest cable car, Vinpearl is self contained with restaurants, bars, a beautiful beach and the biggest swimming pool we have ever seen.  The pool and the South China Sea were both at Carol's favorite temperature an invigorating warmer than bath water!

  Since we live at a Sofitel, we were upgraded to a large room with ocean view and a wraparound balcony.  The hotel staff is aware of the early arrival of the only flight from Hanoi, so our room was ready.  We were able to unpack, explore the hotel facilities, have lunch and hit the beach before noon.  Speaking of unpacking, when Ira looked for his socks, they were nowhere to be found.  It seems more of this inadvertence shows up day after day.  Can it be premature senility?  Perhaps not premature!  There are worse things to have forgotten and Ira was able to look like the sporty fraternity guy he never was.

The resort was fairly busy with most of the guests being Vietnamese, Japanese and Russian.  After a  leisurely day spent at the beach and in the pool, we ate at the more upscale restaurant, which features a fish tank from which you can select your dinner.  The prices seem a bit high, until you realize that a one kilo fish is ample for two people.  Our grilled garoupa was meaty and flavorful and the young servers were quite personable and able.  Surprisingly, Ira was able to both understand and be understood despite the radically different Vietnamese spoken here.  Many letters have different pronunciation and even native Hanoians often have troubles when they travel from the capital.

Although we are clearly and inalterably city people, we can't help but admit there is something special about standing on your balcony thinking of who knows what and viewing sand, sea and evening stars.

Our second day began well enough as we enjoyed breakfast and then spent more time at the pool and on the beach.  We wandered a bit and found an ostentation of peacocks(you could look it up that is the collective noun for this showy bird), ensconced in a large wire cage.  There was one white one and several of the more colorful variety including a cute chick.  The fowl seemed rather oblivious to our presence.

Since we had dined in the night before, we decided to vote ourselves off the island for the second night.  We had heard about The Sailing Club as a place to have drinks and dinner so we readied ourselves for the short trip across to the mainland.  Ira was to take the cable car, while Carol felt the boat might be safer.  Sadly, it was not to be.  No the cable car did not crash, nor did the boat sink.  As we were ready to board the shuttle bus, Carol tripped over an extremely dangerous short step and tumbled to the ground, injuring her cheek(the one on her face, which is considerably more vulnerable than the other) her knee, and her fingers.  We got some ice and she was able to get up to the room to rest. 

Since it wasn't advisable to go out, we ordered room service and had oysters, prawns and steak out on the balcony, making the best of a difficult situation.  Fortunately we can report that Carol suffered no lasting effects other than some bruising and soreness and she will go on other trips in the future.(pun intended but not seriously).  Of course, on our first trip after moving to Hanoi, we visited Sapa and Ira fell when the ground beneath him gave way after torrential rains and he wound up with a fractured vertebra.  Fortunately, it only hurt when he laughed.  When you hear of our adventures in DàLạt, you will note an eerily ironic symmetry.

The morning after, we were able to eat breakfast and ride a shuttle without incident on the way to the mainland.  Carol took the fast boat while Ira did enjoy the ride on the 3.3 km cable car, swinging 40 m above the sea.  It was a nice ride although a bit warm.

Since there are no flights from Nha Trang to DàLạt, we opted to hire a car to take us on the four hour journey.  It takes about the same amount of time as would a connecting flight through SàiGòn and the scenery is better, although the risk of injury is probably fifteen times greater in a car.  Until we got here, we thought the Italians were reckless drivers!

Booking through Exotissimo, the largest tour company in Vietnam, the car would cost about 120US but Ira found a local company that priced it at 90.  Since all of these trips are contracted out to local companies, price is probably the only consideration.  Of course, there is the issue of reliability, but in our experience the high priced spread is often no better than "Joe's Tours."  In an attempt to avoid a glitch, Ira sms'd the tour company in Hanoi and, not a minute after he sent the message, his phone rang and it was the local operator confirming the details.  At least that's how Ira understood the conversation, since the only way to improve language skills is to use them, so the conversation was in Vietnamese.

When Ira got off the cable car, he was greeted by Carol who had already found our car and driver, so we were ready to embark on the next leg of the journey, bidding a fond farewell to Nha Trang, with its truly blue water and white sand.

 

He's The Other One

Jose Carreras, a/k/a "The Third Tenor," or the one who isn't Pavarotti or Domingo, was giving a concert in Hong Kong, so we decided to use a bit of our vacation to hear him and to explore a bit of Hong Kong food and shopping.

Hanoi-Hong Kong is about as far as Hanoi-Saigon, but the fares are much higher and of course Hong Kong is a very expensive place.  Fortunately Cathay Pacific has packages that include airport transfer and hotel which enabled us to stay at the beautiful Ritz-Carlton.  On all of our previous visits to Hong Kong, we stayed in Kowloon, on the mainland, so this was our first time staying on Hong Kong Island.

Hong Kong is one of the most amazing cities in the world.  There is enough neon signage to light most countries and a skyline that even eclipses New York.  One disadvantage to staying on Hong Kong Island is that the views are not as spectacular as those from Kowloon across the harbor.

The Ritz-Carlton is not only a hotel with great service and amenities, but also with clout.  When the concierge was unable to get us a reservation at the restaurant we had chosen, he got us into a private club instead.  The China Club is decorated like an old Shanghai supper club, with eclectic pictures on the walls, ceiling fans and many period artifacts.  A jazz orchestra provided music while two different singers entertained us with standards.  During the band's break, chefs  twirled teapots with extra long spouts and made noodles after skipping rope with the dough.  The food was excellent and the tab not outrageous.  All in all it was an experience we could not have had on our own.

We did some wandering and shopping on the next day, climbing the "ladder streets" in old Hong Kong and then taking a nostalgic trip across the harbor on the Star Ferry.  They have moved and upgraded the piers but the ride(at only about a quarter) is still the best deal in town.

We can never resist one of our old favorites, Spring Deer.  This restaurant serves Pekingese food and has been around for nearly forty years.  We first stumbled upon it in 1992 and have gone back many times since.  After a big steamer full of dumplings, the lightest and finest we have had, we tackled the Peking(why not Beijing?) duck which is only available in the whole duck size.  Somehow, we had no trouble finishing it, the sweet flesh and delicious crispy skin disappearing in no time.

Jose Carreras is a Spanish tenor with an international reputation whom we have heard several times at the Met.  His serious illness prompted Domingo and Pavarotti to launch the "Three Tenors" concerts to raise money.  Happily, Senor Carreras beat leukemia and established a foundation to fight the disease and he continues his career. 

The concert was definitely on the lighter side with Neapolitan songs, zarzuela and some crossover numbers with a soprano whose name escapes mention.  Actually she is called Georgia Fumante which we suggest you promptly forget.  Carreras still has a lot of presence and a few top notes so the evening was definitely  worthwhile.  The Hong Kong Cultural Centre is quite a modern space and the small hall in which the concert was held had excellent sight-lines and acoustics.

It is fun to be able to hop across to Hong Kong, a modern city but on which has more of the past than say, Singapore.  You can ride the Star Ferry or a fast  subway, see old buildings or huge skyscrapers and eat some of the best Chinese food in the world.

While there are not a ton of tourist attractions, we still get a rush every time we visit Hong Kong and we highly recommend it, at least as a stopover.  This is one of those places that is like no other!

Where the Flying Fishes Play

Most people, at least those of a certain age know the song that uses the words to the Kipling poem "On the Road to Mandalay."  That brings to mind the old joke to which the punch line is "I don't know, I have never kippled."  If you don't know the question, it will be supplied at the end of this piece.

We visited Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, some years ago and only had time to visit the capital city, Yangon, which was known as Rangoon when under British domination.  Carol had always hoped to visit Mandalay and Bagan, old capitals that have many fabulous pagodas and temples.  She had also dreamed of one day taking the E & O Railroad or the boat trip down the Irrawaddy, which they now call the Ayrewardy.  We decided to combine the two dreams and signed up for the cruise, hang the expense.

In order to catch the 7 am flight from Yangon to Mandalay, we had to be in Yangon the night before.  We had a nice surprise when we got an email from USAirways informing us that we had miles that were about to expire.  this led us to the discovery that we could use them on Thai Airways, a Star Alliance "partner" of the infamous USAirways, formerly known as USAir, formerly known as Allegheny.  Perhaps we too should create an alias to distance us from our misdeeds.

We arrived in Yangon and checked into the Savoy Hotel, a boutique establishment that was quirky enough to be different but not so as to be unlivable.  On our previous trip we had booked the Traders Hotel, a more modern business and tour group hotel that would not be so different from our present situation in Hanoi.  It proved to be quite nice and the service was excellent as well, including the restaurant and the bar, which had a Happy Hour and reasonable prices.  We met the GM, a young German woman and her boyfriend, the chef, who is a Luxembourger.  We also talked with some expats who frequent the place and were able to discuss the differences between Vietnam and Myanmar.  for once, we were the ones living in the more developed country!

Yangon is somewhat modern looking, with wide paved streets and some modern buildings.  It does have some older buildings and not too many high rises.  The Yangon River is rather a busy place and all sorts of boats are moving about and being loaded and unloaded at the many jetties.

The most notable site is the Schwedagon Pagoda with the golden dome and finial that rise above the city.  It is easily visible from the Savoy Hotel and is quite an impressive sight. On the day we visited, it was a holiday so many people were walking about, visiting the many  small temples that make up the complex.  There are more Buddhas than you can possibly see or photograph so we just walked around and enjoyed the people in their local costumes and the grandeur of the pagoda.

 

We also visited a pagoda that has a large, really immense, reclining Buddha and another temple  down near the river before strolling the streets and stopping for a refreshing drink at the Strand Hotel.  This remnant from the British Colonial period is very old fashioned and elegant and rooms go  for $450 US and up!

We rose at 4:45 am, had a quick breakfast and took one of the old broken-down taxis to the airport for the flight to Mandalay.  The cars in Yangon have right had drive, yet traffic moves on the right side of the road, making it a bit dicey, especially given the skill level of most drivers.

In the airport, we tried to figure out which passengers would be our companions on this luxury cruise.  We imagined that most would be Westerners, probably Europeans and that they would be at least our age, probably older.

When we arrived in Mandalay, we were met and divided into three groups:  English speakers on the three day cruise, English speakers on the seven day cruise, and German speakers on either cruise. Each group had its own guide, with San being the one assigned to our little band of about 21.            

He proved to be quite knowledgeable and his English was easily understood so we learned a lot as we went to the various villages, markets and pagodas on this trip.

Having never been on a cruise, we had no idea what to expect.  Should we be introducing ourselves or waiting for others to make the first move?  Were there topics that should best be avoided?  We found that, as expected on a rather expensive tour, in a country not so often visited, that most of the passengers were pretty well off and had already traveled to many other places.  The group included a Japanese couple who we now believe to be the Ambassador to Myanmar, since their mobile phone worked and they were met after the trip by a private sedan.  There was a Russian couple with their young son and "Andrei," who may or may not have been a bodyguard.  He was a large, quiet fellow whom Ira used as a guide to whether or not a space was too small to go through.  If Andrei made it, then Ira could surely follow safely!  There were several Americans, including Jane and Ralph, former British subjects who have lived in Fort Lauderdale for 25 years; Mark and Roseanne, denizens of Ohio who were formerly in the wine and spirits business; and Dan and Rhea Choy of the Upper East Side.  Dan is 81 but acts much younger.  He has had so many interesting experiences, from being born in Shanghai and going to school in Hong Kong to driving through Tuscaloosa in the 1950's and performing surgery on Rhea just a couple of years ago.  Talk about trust!  We had many enjoyable conversations with most of the other passengers.  We were fortunate that the boat had only 37 passengers on board, giving opportunity to interact with most of the other guests and giving us better service than we might have gotten had the capacity of 110 been approached.

Even before we reached the boat, we saw some of the sights of Mandalay, including a local market which was, frankly not a whole lot different from our own local market in Hanoi, and a monastery where the monks have a daily procession to their midday meal.  Actually they get two meals a day, one at around 7 am and the last one at around 11 am.  There are over 500,000 Buddhist monks in Myanmar and the country is quite religious.  The monks can leave when they no longer feel they have the vocation so most are not in it for life.  On the second morning, at 6:50, we trudged over to a nearby village and saw the monks receiving their meal from the townsfolk and also from the boat's crew as the Road to Mandalay tries to give back to the community.  Some of the novices are extremely young like the one at the back of the procession who was about five!  These young ones are permitted to have snacks and do not have to be as ascetic as the more mature monks.  Unlike some Roman Catholic orders, these monks are often seen smiling, chatting and singing and even using cameras.

We had thought that a cruise might be leisurely with perhaps too much time on our hands.  This was certainly not the Case on the Road To Mandalay!  We spent our first afternoon in Mandalay visiting a temple, a pagoda, a palace, the gold leaf making factory and the silk weaving factory, all to the beat of San's commentary.

After the monastery visit, we went up into the hills at Sagaing, to a nunnery(only 30,000 nuns compared with the half a million monks)where we heard the young  nuns chanting the Buddhist scriptures, to another famous pagoda after a jolting uphill ride in a little truck and then to a pottery village where we saw the pots being made and then carried by the young women in rather striking fashion as per the attached photo.  Ira observed that these were true "pot heads."

You can't help but observe that the villagers are not exactly prosperous.  This brings up the question of how much should you do for them?  Some of the passengers were giving out dollar bills to the precious young children.  However, when a factory worker makes about that for a 10 hour shift, perhaps some candy or stickers might be more appropriate.  It has also been said that giving money will turn the children into beggars.

The actual cruising began on the second day, as we pulled out of Mandalay for the 200 km journey downstream to Bagan.  This was a thriving city of nearly 300,000 people from the 11th century up until Kublai Khan and the Mongols invaded in 1287.  It was a major Buddhist center and at its peak had over 10,000 temples and pagodas, of which 200 are still standing.  Many had to be renovated after a major earthquake in 1975.  The cruise down the Irrawady goes by small villages and a few pagodas.  The river is reasonably wide and quite peaceful so there is not a lot of motion.  During the trip we were able to go to the bridge and converse with the captain and crew as well as view the instrument panel and watch the zodiac boat go out to scientifically check the depth of the channel.  Actually, they have a bamboo rod which they stick into the water to see if the ship's five foot draft can be accommodated.

As we sailed smoothly downstream, we had lunch and chatted with Chef Yannis, conversed with our fellow passengers, enjoyed a lecture about Myanmar history, geography and culture and relaxed from the heavy sightseeing of the previous day.

  The women and children of Myanmar wear a sort of face paint, known as thanaka.  It serves as decoration and also as protection from the severe sun.  there was an on board demonstration and several of the women were treated to a sample of this art.

The national dress of Myanmar is the longyi(pronounced long-jee) which is a wraparound skirt worn by both men and women.  Together with the other passengers, we both got to try them on.  Perhaps we can bring the trend to Hanoi and then to the US. 

The meals were quite nice. The first courses at breakfast and lunch were buffets, while the entrees were served.  Dinner had mix-and-match Asian and Western set menus.  Wine and cocktails were offered at reasonable prices, while mineral water, Myanmar beer and soft beverages were available throughout at no additional charge.

We had been told to be on deck at 21:45 for a special surprise.  The boat anchors at dusk as sailing after dark is dangerous.  Everyone speculated as to what the surprise might be.  Many thought it  might be fireworks while one joker(we think you might know his name!) suggested either crocodiles or pirates.  In fact it was many candles that had been placed in the river by the villagers.  The effect as they floated down past the boat was spectacular and even better than fireworks!  Another special effect was the beautiful starry sky.  Orion is as easily visible in Asia as it is in Newtown, PA.

It was interesting to see the interaction between the various people on the ship.  There was actually no one who was wildly obnoxious or offensive or contentious, but there were those who made some rather vocal complaints to the staff or who had strong opinions on many subjects and were not afraid to express them.  We did notice some people dining with other couples and one such pairing that disengaged for unknown causes.  We were given a great table in the dining room and kept it for every meal.  While we dined alone, we did interact quite often with the other passengers and often sat with various people up on the observation deck.  Many of the people had traveled to the same places we have been and it is interesting to hear their opinions on the sites, the hotels and the people in various countries.

Early in the third morning, we weighed anchor(about 200 kg) and negotiated the final couple of hours to the dock in Bagan.  Right after breakfast we were back on the bus for a long morning of sightseeing.  Bagan is a great place to view Buddhist temples and pagodas as they are everywhere along the route.  It is unlike Europe where you see countryside, town, McDonalds and then a famous cathedral.  In Bagan, you will go by pagodas and temples before reaching the ultimate destination.    Our morning included a temple, the Schwezigon Pagoda which is the most notable in Bagan and second only to Yangon's Schwedagon in the entire country, the inevitable local market and finally a lacquer-ware shop, where we saw the entire process of creation and where our fellow passengers nearly bought out the shop.

We arrived back at the ship with barely an hour to eat lunch and prepare for the afternoon's sightseeing.  As it was our final day, we voiced no complaints about weariness.  A few people did opt out of the afternoon but we still had twelve of our original 21 who were ready to board the bus for the afternoon.

The agenda for that last roundup included two more famous temples, a visit to a typical village.   Actually the ship company pays the villagers to allow guests to walk through and take photographs, but the houses and activities are what you would see in most  other villages in Myanmar.  As the afternoon wound down, we rode up to the top of a hill to the Tayoke Pyay Temple where we had been promised a wonderful sunset.  The temple and the views were wonderful as was the sunset over the river.  We were all a bit tired from the climb and the long day, but none of us regretted having come along.

Besides all of the sightseeing, meals and other events, each night there was an activity, though it  was boiled down to a short sound byte.  The Burmese dance performance was only 30 minutes rather then several hours and the puppet show was just a glimpse into the traditional marionette show that also can be a couple of hours in length.

We also had a cocktail party one evening before dinner and of course the floating candles were a special treat.

Wakeup calls came around 5:30 on the last morning so that we could have breakfast at 6 and be on the bus at 7 for the short ride to Bagan Airport to fly back to Yangon.  We did exchange information with several couples and it remains to be seen whether we will be in contact. It was a very enjoyable time, but we have not yet been converted into cruise people.

Flight logistics dictated another day in Yangon, so we went to Aung San Market, a maze of shops  offering food, crafts, gems and cloth. Carol got a ready-made longyi, one that does not require special skill in tying it up.  Ira sampled a sweet coconut treat, but mostly we walked around watching people and looking at the goods.

We decided to follow the restaurant recommendation of one of the passengers on the cruise and ate at Le Planteur, a French sort of place where we ate outside despite the cool weather.  It is beautiful with many trees and fine linens and dishes.  The tabletop had little pinpoints of colored light that shone through the cloth.  The food and service were excellent but we were a bit surprised at the cost, especially since most things in Rangoon are quite cheap.  However, for the quality of food, the innovative cuisine and the portion sizes, the price was considerably less than it would have been in other world capitals.

After breakfast on Sunday the 24th, we took a taxi to the airport for the trip home.  Of course, the flight was delayed but we still had plenty of time to make our connection in Bangkok and to arrive home just in time to see dozens of children leaving Sofitel Plaza's Christmas Eve celebration.  As always, the staff greeted us cordially and enthusiastically, welcoming us back home.

Oh right, the question is "Do you like Kipling?"  Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!

Tea For Two(Billion?)

Carol has long wished to visit Sri Lanka, the teardrop of an island located off the coast of India, formerly known as Prince....oops, as Ceylon!  We did a little research, contacted a tour company to book a car and driver, and looked into flights.  We were thrilled to discover that our Singapore Airlines mileage was just enough to cover the flight including the leg from Hanoi to Singapore.  cheap flights are great but free is better.

The schedule for some reason involves flying to Singapore, laying over for about five hours and then making the four hour trip to Colombo in order to arrive at midnight!  A layover in Singapore is no problem as their rapid transit permits a quick and cheap ride to downtown for a meal.  We visited one of our favorites, Brewerkz, which features a great selection of beer and a good burger.  They have a unique pricing system for the beer, with the cheapest time being noon-3pm and the most expensive being after 8pm.  Our server was considerate enough to warn us at 7:59 to enable us to give a last order before the increase.

We arrived in Colombo and were taken at around 1am to the beautiful Negombo Beach Hotel. There seems to be some sort of cosmic rule that the quality of the hotel is inversely proportional to the time you have to enjoy it.  We checked in, slept briefly and fitfully, walked on the beach, ate breakfast and left.

Our driver, Rohan, was reasonably jolly and not overly talkative, but he was more cautious than most and knew the island very well.  The roads can be described in three words...worse than Vietnam!  Carol felt like she was on one of those terrible amusement park rides but one that didn't end after three minutes!  The roads wind and twist, are pitted with holes, and are not wide enough to accommodate two vehicles so that there is a lot of pulling over to let an oncoming car(or truck or bus) pass, making the journey about three times as long as the distance would indicate.

We left Negombo and began climbing towards tea country.  Tea is the major export commodity of Sri Lanka and in the high areas it covers nearly every available inch of real estate.  Rubber is also grown and we were able to see the rubber trees bagged to catch the precious liquid which is then transported to be processed.

When we are on the road, we often go with two meals and skip lunch.  Of course Rohan needed a break from driving, so he stopped at the place where the film "The Bridge Over the River Kwai" was filmed.  The location was selected because it resembled the area in Burma where the story actually took place.  Burma, now known as Prince...oops Myanmar is not a very hospitable place with its military rulers and horrible record on human rights.  There is a little restaurant where we were able to have a Coke and look down at the river.  NO, Ira was NOT the only one whistling the famous "Colonel Bogey March!"

Of course everthing in life is relative and the terrible roads we were encountering were nothing compared to the path that led up to Castlereagh, the swanky bungalow we had booked for our two nights in tea growing country.  Four former planters homes have been converted into guest quarters.  It is possible to book a room as we did or an entire bungalow for a group.  It is also possible to trek from one to the other and stay at each for a night or more.  Carol had once read about staying at a tea plantation and Ira found this on the internet and booked it.

The rooms are spacious and luxuriously appointed, though they are not exactly modern as there is no air conditioning, no TV, no high speed(or other) internet.  The steep tariff does include all taxes and service, breakfast, lunch, tea and dinner plus all beverages.  Since it is located rather out of the way, this is a good plan as there are no restaurants and it takes a long time to get anywhere on these roads.

Of course it was pouring rain making Rohan's mood rather darker than the menacing clouds as we inched our way over the muddy, rock-filled path.  He tried to get us to turn back but we urged him on and we finally arrived intact as was the car.

Most places in Asia provide accommodation for the drivers.  Tea Trails had a place 7 km away but Rohan was able to talk his way into the house with the staff as he said it would be too difficult to move the car.

We resolved to spend our first day just enjoying the scenery and the food and drink.  At Tea Trails(www.teatrails.com in case you'd like to see more)there are only four or five rooms in each bungalow so you must interact with the other guests.  We were fortunate as there was an English couple and an Indian family(a couple, his retired parents and eight year old Liaan) who were extremely compatible.  There are board games and books if you get tired of conversation so for a short stay you don't miss CNN and five year old sitcoms too much.

We were going to visit a tea factory but since it was closed for a holiday, we rode out to a couple of other bungalows and had lunch at Norwood, eight miles and about an hour away as the van crawls.

Lunch was actually delicious, though when the daily rain arrived, we had to go inside to finish our poached salmon.  The chef consults with you before meals to discuss allergies, preferences, etc.  When we first arrived, Damian the butler told us that we should treat Castlereagh as our home.  Generally in one's home whoever prepares the meals doesn't ask but tells you what you will have and that is more or less the case although if you had a big problem, they would likely change things for you.

Tea Trails is certainly not for everyone, but for this short stay in this particular country ir proved quite enjoyable.  We will let you know if there is followup from our new Indian friends.  The older(we checked and they actually were older than your correspondents!)couple has been nearly everywhere but not as yet to Vietnam so perhaps we will be seeing them sometime.

Our next day was to be spent in Kandy, a smallish city with a few sights to see.  We detoured through Nuruwa Aliya, located at over 6000 feet and stopped at a tea factory to learn how tea is processed, have a cup of their best BOP or broken orange pekoe and buy some tea to take home.  There is one variety, silvertip, that costs 80 dollars for less than a pound!  Perhaps it is really made from silver.  We settled for a more modest offering and resumed our roller coaster ride on what they call a road.

On this trip, rather than his usual method of finding the best hotel, checking its rate and then finding what appears to be the best value that we can more or less afford, Ira opted for "charm."  Tea Trails was more or less what we expected but "Helga's Folly" in Kandy, an eclectically furnished, weirdly decorated place run by the daughter of a former diplomat, proved to be more than Carol could handle.  We were fortunate not to have booked a nonrefundable room and to have Rohan who called the office and within fifteen minutes had us on the road to what he described as a five-star hotel, the best in Kandy.  The people at Helga's kept asking us what the problem was.  We were reasonably diplomatic but the fact that there were no other guests might have tipped them off that their hotel was not necessarily the Ritz!

Actually our hotel was more like a decent budget hotel in the US, though the service was quite good and the food not bad at all.  We went to a cultural show, kind of a touristy dance performance which doesn't nearly measure up to that of Bali or Cambodia.  The costumes were colorful and the dancers energetic but probably the most excitement came from the thunderstorm that poured water on to the stage.  We are not big fans of the fire eaters who also walk on hot coals, but they usually get a lot of applause.

On our last day, we had a few loose ends to clear up so we left after breakfast to visit the Temple of the Tooth.  A large important Buddhist temple that purportedly contains a relic of the Buddha and no they don't floss it every day.  In fact it is only shown every few years to a select company.  Visitors are permitted to witness a ceremony and to view the gold casket in which the tooth is interred.

From Kandy we had a slightly better highway as we wound our way down towards Colombo, the capital.  En route we stopped off at the Elephant Orphanage, a haven for elephants that have been abandoned.  Established in 1975 with seven elephants, it now houses over 80 of the popular pachyderms.  We saw them playing in the river, posing with goofy tourists, and even being fed from a bottle!

There is not a whole lot to see in Colombo, so we shopped a bit and had a really good dinner at Spoons, located in the Colombo Hilton.  For some reason we were given a lot of attention with the chef, who trained in France and Singapore, the manager and most of the service staff spending much of their time conversing with us.  Of course, such food doesn't come cheap but it comes at a price far below that of Paris, New York or even Newtown, PA!

Our flight to Singapore left at 1:30 am arriving at about 7:30 after a 2.5 hour time change and a 3 plus hour flight.  We don't quite know why they do this but as there is only one flight per day, there is nothing we could do.

We had decided to stay one day in Singapore for some shopping and relaxation so Ira was able to talk his way into the hotel where we cleaned up and then went out for badly needed coffee and a quick trip to a mall.

We had lunch at Brewerkz and then went to Kinokuniya, probably the world's largest bookshop.  There are rows and rows of books on every conceivable subject and in many languages.  It is quite an experience to browse and to see so many different books all in one place.  Actually we didn't buy anything, partly because of the difficulty in narrowing things down and also because books have suddenly gotten extremely pricey, with most volumes going for over $20US, including paperbacks.

Instead of eating yet again at Brewerkz, we tried their wine restaurant, Wine Garage.  When we stopped by to check it out, their executive chef/GM, Travis Masiero, an expat American, greeted us and chatted about the place.  He came out during the dinner to check on us and to buy us a grappa afterwards.  It was fun, although we can get similar food and wine in Hanoi, but not a burger and beers like Brewerkz offers.

After a night's sleep and breakfast, we took a cab to the airport for our 3 hour flight to Hanoi.  The flight was overbooked and we were offered compensation to fly to Saigon and arrive a few hours later, but we preferred to just get home.

Sri Lanka was interesting, beautiful and a bit exotic and we enjoyed our few days there.  As for returning, one never knows but our inclination is that we have in fact "been there and done that."