Last Stop

Today we are stopped at KoSamui, Thailand. The Thai word Ko means “island” so we are off the coast of Thailand. We were here about 3 weeks ago and we rode an elephant. (The picture is from Hue, Vietnam, from the TuDuc Palace--it just seemed appropriate to add it here, since we are not riding the elephants today). Instead we are doing something far more mundane…the laundry. Yes, the laundry needs to get done too. We disembark tomorrow and it’s easier to pack clean clothes. Our next task is to pack. We’ve been in our cabin for a month, so we need to see where we’ve hidden stuff in the tiny nooks and crannies. We’ll say fond yet sad good-byes to our cabin steward, Octavio, and our two waiters, Larry and Romeo. Then we’ll have to get back to the real world where we make our own beds, cook our own food, and deal with the world. 

In the meantime, the trip has been excellent. After talking to friends onboard, we discovered a website that has the official “country list” for those of us who like to count countries. I thought we had been to 72 countries, but we’ve been to 82. The other DrC was excited by that information as my goal is to visit 100 countries and he thinks he only has 18 more to go. Should I tell him that 100 is the beginning?

Pagoda outside of Hue

Onboard life has included trivia. Our little group has been testing our wits with questions such as “Where are the Rainbow Islands?” and “How many countries do the Andes touch?” for the past 16 days. Some of the answers are slam-dunks, but when we were asked “How did ‘Robert, The Bruce’ die?” we had to think “who Robert, the Bruce was” before we tried to think about how the poor man died. We are not good trivia players, but we have won a few games. Trivia is a “serious” pursuit for some folks…they write the answers to each question, buy trivia books, go to trivia websites and “study” during the off hours. The winning team gets a prize like a Princess cap or a Princess passport cover, nothing big. But my goodness, are those prizes coveted. I need to remember it’s only a game, and a not very important one to boot. After all, it’s called “trivia.”

Incense for sale in Vietnam

Not many folks take the opportunity to sail on back to back cruises that go to the same locations. We’ve done it once before (to Hawaii) and it was ok…this one has been better because we’ve had more time between ports. The first leg was to learn the ports, the second one has been to enjoy the ports. It’s been good.

Some of the images I will never forget include the crazy driving in Vietnam! The traffic in HoChiMinh City is worse than Cairo or Lima and those are world class traffic jams. Riding an elephant in KoSamui was great fun. Meeting Alan in Shanghai and Nan and her family in Narita were wonderful. Seeing rice paddies where water buffalo are pulling plows and men are wading in knee deep mud changing the dikes; so different from the rice fields I see in California.

Talking to an old boat builder in DaNang about the length of time a woven bamboo boat lasts with or without a fiberglass coating (yes…he has the capability to line the bottom of his boats with a fiberglass mat). We saw a rubber tree plantation where rubber was being tapped. We also saw how silk is made starting with 3 day old worms to cocoons to thread to cloth.

We saw the famous “Merlion” (the symbol) of Singapore. Then there is the matter of electrifying all of these old towns and cities. The electrical grid is catch as catch can and a complete mess. The clash between old and new is evident with teenagers using cell phones and texting their friends on the back of a motor-scooter while their grandparents are riding oxcarts. I even saw a wedding procession in Hue, Vietnam, where the groom was texting on his iPhone before he walked down the aisle. I’m sure there is more, but I’ll end with the sight, sounds and smells of a Buddhist temple on a prayer day! The cacophony and the incense are over the top.

It’s been an amazing journey. It’s now time to close the suitcases and head for home.