DAY 71 - CAI LAN, VIETNAM - APRIL 8, 2010 - (KI LAN)

WHO WOULD HAVE EVER THOUGHT WE WOULD VISITED VIETNAM, ESPECIALLY NORTH VIETNAM. SEVERAL HUNDRED PASSENGERS TRAVELED TO HANOI FOR AN ALL DAY EXCURSION. THREE OTHER TOURS WERE OFFERED, WE CHOOSE THE ZEN MONASTERY AND THE RED RIVER DELTA.

CAI LAN HAS BEEN ONE OF ONLY THREE PORTS WHERE WE HAD TO BE TENDERED TO SHORE. AFTER THE SHORT TWELVE MINUTE TENDER TRIP WE BOARDED OUR BUS FOR AN EXITING RIDE TO OUR FIRST STOP AT A CERAMIC FACTORY. I SAY EXCITING BECAUSE IT REMINDED US OF OUR TRAVELS IN INDIA. THERE WAS NO REGARD FOR THE RULES OF TRAFFIC, INCLUDING BEING ON THE PROPER SIDE OF THE ROAD, PASSING IN A NO PASS LANE AND THE EXCESSIVE USE OF THE HORN. AFTER A FEW NEAR MISSES WE ENTERED THE CERAMIC GROUNDS.

A VISIT TO ANY ASIAN SITE IS ALWAYS ENHANCED WITH THE USE OF WESTERN STYLE FACILITIES. THE CERAMIC LOCATIONS WAS A SPECIAL TREAT. ALTHOUGH THE AREA IS POOR, AND PERHAPS NOT ANYMORE ADVANCED NOW THAN BEFORE THE WAR, SOME PROGRESS HAS OCCURED. ALMOST EVERYONE HAS A CELL PHONE, AND JUST LIKE AMERICANS, THEY USE THEM EXCESSIVELY.

THE TOUR BEGAN WITH A LONG WALK THROUGH THE BACK STREETS BEHIND THE FACTORY SHOWROOM. LIKE MOST ASIAN ESTABLISHMENTS WE HAVE VISITED, THE MANUFACTURING OPERATIONS ARE HIGHLY MANUAL, VERY LITTLE MECHANICAL OPERATIONS EXSIST. EVERY OPERATION HERE WAS MANUAL.

THE CLAY IS MADE INTO A LIQUID STATE AND POURED INTO THE MOLDS, WHERE THEY STAND FOR DAYS, EVEN WEEKS, UNTIL REACHING THE PROPER HARDNESS. EACH CASTING IS HAND PAINTED WITH VARIOUS DESIGNS. FROM WHAT WE SAW, NO INDIVIDUAL PAINTER COMPLETES THE DESIGN ON THE VASE. THE RIM, THE BASE AND THE BODY ALL GET INDIVIDUAL ATTENTION FROM DIFFERENT PAINTERS. BY THE WAY, ALL THE LABORERS ARE FEMALE.

THE FIRING, OR BAKING OPERATION, REQUIRES BUILDING LARGE OVENS, WITH HUGE FIRES REACHING EXTREME TEMPERATURES. AFTER POLISHING, THE FINISHED PRODUCT FINDS IT WAY TO THE SHOWROOM, AT HIGHLY INFLATED PRICES.

WE WERE BACK ON THE ROAD FOR ANOTHER HAIR RAISING RIDE TOWARD THE ZEN MONASTERY. HOWEVER BEFORE ARRIVING WE STOPPED A THE HOME OF A LOCAL FARMER. IN ORDER TO GET TO THE FARMERS HOME WE WALKED A 1/4 MILE DOWN A SIDE ROAD AND ON TO THE PROPERTY. THREE SMALL BUILDINGS, ONE KITCHEN AND STORAGE, ANOTHER A RUNDOWN SHACK WHICH ACTED AS A DOG AND CHICKEN PEN AND THE MAIN RESIDENCE.

THE LIVING QUARTERS CONSISTED OF THREE ROOMS, TWO SMALL BEDROOMS AND A THIRD ROOM DIVIDED INTO ANOTHER BEDROOM AND LIVINGROOM. THREE GENERATION OCCUPIED THE HOME, GRANDPARENTS, THE SON AND HIS WIFE, AND GRANDCHILD. HOT TEA AND A HOT POTATOE FROM THE FARMERS YARD WERE SERVED. THE STAY LASTED ABOUT FORTY MINUTES BEFORE RETURNING TO THE BUS.

AFTER OUR CULTURAL CONNECTION WE CONTINUED THE TRIP UP THE MOUNTAIN TO THE MONASTERY. I THINK THIS WAS THE FOURTH BUDDHIST MONASTERY WE VISITED IN THE LAST TWO WEEKS.

THE MONASTERY IS RUN BY NO MORE THAN FIFTY MONKS AND IS EXPERTLY KEPT. THE WOOD CAVINGS, AND ART WORK ARE BEYOND WORDS AND EACH PAGODA IS DEVOTED TO A SPECIFIC BUDDHA. THEY SEEM TO KNOW WHICH IS WHICH, I DON’T CARE TO KNOW, BUT EACH IS BEAUTIFUL AND UNIQUE.

WHEN THIS PORTION OF THE TOUR ENDED WE WALKED DOWN THE LONG STAIRCASE, BOARDED THE BUS AND BEGAN ANOTHER ADVENTURIST JOURNEY IN ASIAN TRAVEL.

ARRIVING AT THE PIER PROVIDED US WITH BETTER PICTURE TAKING OPPORTUNITIES THAN THAT OF THE MORNING DEPARTURE. THE FORECAST WAS FOR RAIN FOR MUCH OF THE DAY. ALTHOUGH IT REMAINDED OVERCAST MOST OF THE DAY, THE SUNNY BROKE THROUGH SHORTLY AFTER NOON. I WOULD NOT HAVE GIVEN EVEN MONEY ON THE SUN EVER MAKING AN APPEARANCE BASED ON THE DOWNPOUR THAT OCCURED WHILE WE ATE BREAKFAST BEFORE LEAVING THE SHIP.

IT WAS ALMOST 2:30 BY THE TIME THE TENDER RETURNED TO THE SHIP. AS THE TENDER WAS SECURED TO THE SHIP, TWO SMALL ROW BOATS APPROACHED. ONE OF THE BOATS HAS A WOMEN AND THREE SMALL CHILDREN, ALL UNDER THE AGE OF FOUR, THE OTHER WITH TWO WOMEN AND A CHILD ABOUT TWO YEARS OLD. EACH WAS LOOKING FOR A MONEY HANDOUT. THEY STAYED CLOSE TO THE SHIP AND APPROACHED EACH RETURNING TENDER THROUGHOUT THE DAY.

WE MANAGED TO MAKE IT STRAIGHT TO THE BUFFETT, LIKE MOST OF THE RETURNING EXCURSIONIST, FOR A BITE TO EAT. THE MEAL TURNED OUT TO BE LUNCH AND DINNER. WE SKIPPED THE MAIN DINING ROOM AGAIN.

WE NAPPED UNTIL 7:00 AND VENTURED TO THE LOUNGE FOR THIS EVENING ENTERTAINER. VICTOR MICHAEL HAS A RICH TENOR VOICE AND SANG A VARIETY OF SONGS MADE POPULAR BY MARIO LANZA, ANDREA BOCELLI, AND OTHERS IN THE ITALIAN GENRE. HE WAS VERY GOOD AND ENDED A STRING OF SO, SO COMEDIANS AND WHATEVERS.

TOMORROW STARTS TWO AND A HALF DAYS AT SEA.