Vietnam

I know this is going to sound crazy but the Singapore Airport could almost be a destination instead of a transfer station.  Often voted the best airport in the world, each terminal has sites for those passing through.  If you have the time, they also have a new mall that is outside security complete with an amazing waterfall called the Vortex. I had booked a little extra layover time here so we had time to explore a little before heading to our next destination.  We landed in terminal 3 and were greeted by one of the many people stationed throughout the airport to answer questions.  He pointed us to the three gardens in the terminal.  The sunflower garden is actually outside, right on the jetway.  This place is wild! Traveling on the train between terminal 2 and 3 you catch a glimpse of the Vortex, but you really can't get a good shot of it.  In Terminal 3, a butterfly garden and a free movie theater entertain passengers....

This morning we had an optional early morning walking market tour. The fish we saw heading out of the fishing village yesterday were destined for markets like this around the area.  With no formal booths, sellers pulled up their part of the road to lay out their produce awaiting purchase by those attending the market.  Everything looked fresh and appealing.  It really was quite similar to our market at home.  The seafood was so fresh that shrimp periodically lept from their baskets onto the surrounding ground only to be placed back into the basket again.  Our walk back gave us a little different view of the waterway.  We ran across a group of women setting up  their next Instagram shot.  Ira had to have his picture made with them since they were shooting with a Sony camera.  A little further down we ran into a group of Japanese photographers that had hire a model.  They needed a little help understanding that sh...

We were early to drive to a nearby fishing village where an early morning fish market opens predawn for the locals to buy fresh fish for the public markets.  The wholesale market was on a street adjacent to wharf where the day's catch arrived predawn to be sold.  Fishermen stepped off their boats into the market where scales weighed their catch and money exchanged hands.  Their were all size boats some with dinghies that were really nothing more than large round baskets made waterproof with paint or tar.  As fish were purchased to take to the public markets, motor scooters glanked with large baskets whisked off into town to be there in time for the markets to open.  Some larger fish were weighed in and would probably end up being shipped fresh to cities around the world.  As the sun slowly rose, it became very apparent how little respect was shown for the nearby markets.  Plastic bags littered the shore as well as fish waste from cleani...

After an early morning breakfast, we disembarked from the boat and boarded a bus to catch a plane to Danang.  Air Vietnam seems to be efficient and well maintained if you need a flight while there. Danang's airport was the busiest airport in the world during the Vietnam War.   Now, it's far sleepier and even more so without Chinese tourist coming to the country.  It's the gateway to one of the more popular tourist destinations in the country, Hoi An.  A World Heritage site, this was the one place that seemed to not be hurt with the China travel ban.  We checked into our hotel,  The Royal Hoi An , and then walked to the main part of the town.  There's a wide canal the runs through the heart of the city which serves as the center point of the district with shops and restaurants lining  either side of it.  Boats offered tourists rides much like Venice with every other person asking if you wanted a ride.  We watched the activi...

For the next two nights, our home will be aboard the  Dragon Legend on Halong Bay.  But before starting out mini cruise, our journey took us to one of the largest roadside tourist stops I think I have ever seen.  Selling everything from large (I mean human sized) sculptures that they would happily ship to your home town (Tulsa was on the list!) to jewelry to every flavor of Pringles known to man.  Some of the artisans were disabled, so I hope this provided a good form of employment and not an exploited one. We stuck with the Pringles which I'm sure our neighbors will be thankful for. There's a nice, new cruise port in a town that looks very much like a brand new city in Florida complete with an amusement park, Ferris wheel, and brand new, empty buildings.  There are all sorts of boats waiting to take visitors on cruises, from one day to over night to longer.  We'll be out for two nights.  Fortunately we have the boat all to ourselves which is gre...

We spent this morning in class having our first critique of the trip.  This group has been on several of these trips so the quality of photos being turned in is quite high.  However, this doesn't mean we don't have things to work on.  We also understand that what one person likes may not be a style Ira cares for.  After all, it is a form of art. This afternoon we headed to the Old Quarter right past the park to try our hand at very busy, narrow streets with lots of traffic and people.  This is not everyone's cup of tea to say the least.  The streets were lined with restaurants and shops and covers several large blocks.  We wondered around trying not to get run over by the scooters carrying customers for both shopping and food. There's also an open air market with vendors selling all sorts of food.  It appears that shoppers have their favorite vendors and pull up on their motorbikes and often don't even dismount to buy whatever food it...