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Wednesday, February 21 - Today was a transfer day. Luggage out by 6:30. On buses by 7:45. Before describing our journey to Siem Reap, I just want to review the Viking Saigon. It is such a comfortable ship. We had a French Balcony room which was exceedingly spacious considering what I have been told previously about river ships. We had been told when we booked the cruise that the French Balcony was the exact square footage of the Balcony staterooms, making it a no brainer to get the French Balcony if room size is important to you. I actually got to view one of the Balcony staterooms and it did seem tighter to me - missing some of the closet area and less open floor space. Our 2nd deck stateroom A bit difficult to view from this angle, but there is a full closet at right angle (and to the left) of the full closet in the middle of the photo. Lots of storage! Our 2nd deck hallway The 2nd deck coffee bar area - always stocked with sweet rolls in the morning or cookies in the afternoon and evening. I was so glad we had a room on the 2nd deck so I could just sneak down the hall each morning to grab a coffee to take back to the room! The 2nd deck library/computer area The 2nd deck lounge Lots of fresh flower arrangements around the ship The 3rd deck gym Another angle of the 3rd deck gym The 3rd deck Sky Bar dining We had a different fresh tropical fruit on the breakfast table each morning. The 1st deck dining area - the Restaurant Another view of the 1st deck dining area

Tuesday, February 20 - Today was our final full day on the Viking Saigon. Our morning excursion was to the Twin Holy Mountains “Phnom Pros & Phnom Srey.” Actually, they are hills and often referred to as Man Hill and Woman Hill. First we visited the Temple at Phnom Pros. There were lots of monkeys there to entertain us. After visiting the Temple, we headed down to the Buddha Garden. There were many Buddha sculptures, but the standouts were the very large Buddha with four faces and another Reclining Buddha. Very close to the Buddha Garden, there was a gold stupa that stood as a memorial to the victims of the Khmer Rouge since this area had been another one of the over 400 Killing Fields in Cambodia. This stupa held the skulls of many of the victims. Particularly sad for us was the fact that this was the area from which our Cambodian guide’s mother was taken so he comes here to remember her. Our next stop was at the nearby AMICA village, Cheung Kok. AMICA is a French organization that encourages the development of Cambodian villages. Through community-based tourism visits and the profits from handicrafts, villagers are able to provide education to their children and sustain their rural way of life. We were able to interact with the children, visit a traditional Khmer house, and see their school. On our way back to the ship, we stopped to take a photo of the famous bamboo bridge. Each year the rainy season washes away the bridge to a nearby island, and each dry season, it is rebuilt. At one time there was only this bridge that connected to the island, but now there is also a concrete bridge a short distance away. Still this is a convenient crossing spot for many people. After returning to the ship and having lunch, it was that sad time when suitcases were retrieved from underneath the bed and closets were emptied. Tomorrow, it’s time to disembark and head to Siem Reap. Angkor Wat awaits.

February 19, afternoon - Since we were going to be sailing all afternoon, Viking provided an afternoon teatime, something new for the cruise. It was served at the Sky Bar, and though I was way too stuffed from lunch to need anything, I did go up to get a couple of photos and ended up sitting down to have a cup of peppermint tea with a friend. At 4:00 there was a final lecture about Life at the Mekong River. This lecture was presented by two of the Cambodian hosts and it centered on local life and wildlife on not only the Mekong River, but also the Tonle Sap Lake. By late afternoon, we were docked in Kampong Cham, our final port.

Monday, February 19 - This morning, the Viking Saigon departed from Phnom Penh for a short journey upriver to Oknha Tey. By 9:00 am, we were docked and ready for our morning excursion to the weaving village in Oknha Tey. This was a location where we had to walk up sand bags to reach the top of the riverbank. Then we walked next to a Buddhist cemetery filled with family stupas, holding the ashes of loved ones. There was quite a variety of styles, reflecting the amount of money that families had spent for their construction. We were transported by tuk-tuk to the weaving village where we learned about the silkworms, the creation of the silk thread, and then viewed village women creating the fabric on the looms. Of course, we were given an opportunity to buy some of the woven products. While this village focuses on silk, they also had products created in other communities for sale in the shop. While I’m not much of a shopper, I did decide to buy one of the natural undyed silk scarves, which is a vibrant gold. After I made my purchase, I walked over to meet the young woman who wove my scarf. She was working on the same fabric on her loom. After visiting the weaving village, it was back on board quickly so we could sail to Kampong Cham, our last docking area.

February 18, afternoon - One note before leaving the subject of the silversmith village: I wasn’t interested in purchasing anything at the shop, but was intrigued by the home behind and over the shop. The bedroom was connected to the shop. Above were other living quarters, and right behind the area where the actual creation of product was taking place, were more living quarters. There were young children playing upstairs who were enjoying interacting with us. Definitely, home and work life were intertwined. There were no organized tours in the afternoon, but our Viking program directors were available to arrange tuk-tuks or make other arrangements if we wanted to go out on our own. Some people went to the central market, or bars, or parks. Mike and I decided that we hadn’t had enough “down” time so we chose to stay on board and swim. Viking Saigon has a wonderful small infinity pool. One end has seats with jets. The water is cool, but not cold - just perfect. Even though the weather was hot and humid, we felt fabulously cool once we left the pool to have a drink at the Sky Bar. I loved this upper deck of the ship! At 5:30, a French linguist and anthropologist who works in Phnom Penh presented an onboard lecture in the lounge on Modern Cambodian history. While we had learned quite a bit about the period of the Khmer Rouge from 1975-1979 while visiting the Tuol Sleng Detention Center and the Killing Fields outside of Phnom Penh, we learned a lot more about how the Khmer Rouge actually maintained strength in the country due to Cold War politics, and unfortunately, the US didn’t help matters. The lecture was so enlightening. One of the strengths of this cruise is that Viking has provided excellent tour support. Our program directors all have personal experiences with the Vietnam War and aftermath, our Cambodian guides all had personal experiences during the Pol Pot regime and aftermath, the French lecturer has deep background studies along with experiences of living in Cambodia since the 1990s. While I’m having a nice holiday on a beautiful ship with nice hotel lodgings, I’m also learning a lot.

Sunday, February 18 - We started the day with a nice breakfast at the SkyBar. While it is outside and a bit humid, we just like the service there. Downstairs in the Restaurant, it is set up more buffet style. Same food options, just a different style of service. Our morning excursion was to the Udon Monastery. Our Cambodian guide gave us a wonderful tour of the outside of many of the elaborately decorated buildings. We also got to see another reclining Buddha. Then we were taken in to receive a blessing from two of the monks. While a traditional blessing is often an hour long, our blessing only took about 5 minutes. This included ritual chanting by the monks and instead of a water blessing done by many Western churches, we were blessed by the monks throwing locust flower buds on our heads (to be honest, the flower buds had recently been scooped out of buckets of water so we did feel this as a moist blessing). Our final stop at the monastery was at the 10:30 almsgiving ritual. The nuns were all lined up, waiting for the monks who were already in the temple interior to exit and then they all proceeded to the area for almsgiving. It was quite impressive to watch this ceremony. Most women who had gone to the monastery to become nuns had lost a husband, or were disabled in some way. They wore white robes, the monks in saffron robes. After leaving the Udon Monastery, we went to Koh Chern village by tuk-tuks. Koh Chern is known for silversmith work. After watching the process for turning the ingots of silver into silver bowls, jewelry and small ornaments, passengers were given the opportunity to buy the silver items.

February 17, afternoon excursion - The afternoon excursion was the most sobering one of the trip. These two memorials centered on the era of the Cambodian genocide of Pol Pot’s regime. What made the excursion more personal was the fact that our Cambodian guide had been greatly affected by this period. He was only 7 years old when Pol Pot came to power. His father had been a teacher and although he tried to hide his occupation, he was “found out” by one of his former students and was killed. Just like the Cultural Revolution in China, the Khmer Rouge under Pol Pot, wanted to eradicate the intelligentsia and return everyone to an agrarian society. Phnom Penh was emptied of its population. Many people died as they were forced into the countryside communes where families were separated. Our Cambodian guide said he woke up one morning and his mother was gone. As a 7 year old, he was trained as a child soldier and handed an AK-47. It was years after the Pol Pot regime (after spending several years as a Buddhist monk) before he was able to begin to deal with his trauma. He still suffers from PTSD. The first site we visited as the Tuol Sleng Detention Center Memorial. This was a former high school that has been turned into a prison and torture center for political enemies or Pol Pot’s government. Individual torture rooms were left pretty much as they were found by the Vietnamese when they invaded to bring an end to Pol Pot’s regime. Many other rooms held displays of the photos taken of the political prisoners who were momentarily housed there prior to execution at one of the many “killing fields” throughout the country. Our Cambodian guide showing the cells where multiple prisoners were kept prior to torture or death. Our next stop was the Cheng Ek “killing fields” memorial which was the closest killing center to Phnom Penh. There, one can see the remains of some of the mass burial grounds. While this visit was very depressing, it was also very necessary for us to remember that genocide is not something that happened long ago(1975-1979). It happened fairly recently in Cambodia, and is still happening in other areas of the world today. To have guides who could give first hand testimony as to how their lives were affected by such dangerous political ideas is so important for us to keep in mind in today’s world. Dinner on the ship tonight was billed as “A Taste of Cambodia,” featuring Khmer regional favorites, served family style. Following that, there was a traditional folkloric dance performance by Cambodian high school students. The passengers really appreciate Viking’s efforts to bring authentic experiences onto the ship.

Saturday, February 17 - Our first excursion was a Phnom Penh city tour by rickshaw. We were cycled to our first location the Royal Palace with its opulent buildings. The most important building is the Silver Pagoda. It is one of the few temples to remain intact during the Khmer Rouge regime. Inside (where no photos are allowed) sits the 17th century Emerald Buddha on a gilt pedestal. A bronze Buddha and a silver Buddha sits next to the Emerald Buddha. The floor of the Silver Pagoda is made of six tons of silver inlaid during Norodom Sihanouk’s pre-Khmer Rouge reign. Only a small portion of the floor is viewable/touchable by the public. The rest is covered with carpeting. Our next stop was at the National Museum where art of the earlier Cambodian civilizations is housed. The garden of the National Museum was a very peaceful location to take a break from the museum’s interior. Then it was back to the ship to cool off and have lunch.

Friday, February 16 - Our morning shore excursion was to Tan Chau. This would be our last port stop in Vietnam. We took our sampan to “Evergreen Island,” Vinh Hoa. It was a peaceful ride along small canals. Unfortunately, I did not take many photos because Mike and I were consumed with sad news from home and once we got to the island, we were making phone calls. When we caught up with our tour guide, the group was visiting a local home. This was all quite interesting, but we were just having trouble concentrating. After leaving the island, we went into Tan Chau and visited a Buddhist temple (actually a new form of the religion started in the 1920s). For those visiting the temples in Vietnam and Cambodia, be prepared to take your hat and shoes off, and cover your shoulders and knees. Our next activity was riding on a local rickshaw. Then back to the sampan to visit a floating fish farm. While there were no afternoon excursions, the ship did offer several activities. After crossing the Cambodian border around 2:00, we had the opportunity to visit the wheelhouse. The captain provided a lot of information about the navigation equipment on board as well as his experience. It was quite interesting to experience the captain’s view. He could handle all of the navigation on Vietnamese waters, but a Cambodian pilot came on board once we crossed the border to oversee the navigation of those waterways. The next onboard activity was joining the Viking Saigon chef to watch him make fresh spring rolls. From 4:00 - 5:00, there was an hour long presentation in the Lounge on Vietnam History and Culture. Then the Viking Explorer Society cocktail party and port talk. Right before dinner, I was taking a photo of the sunset. One of the Viking staff was doing the same thing, but her photos were spectacular. She graciously airdropped some to me. My photo Her photo! One last note: Earlier I posted about the spirits onboard. I mentioned the Cambodian gins available (there are 3). There is also Cambodian bottled beer, Cambodian draft beer, and Cambodian rum. Here is some of the alcohol at the Sky Bar.

So sorry that I let your question escape me. We did get the Silver Spirits. I’m not sure that we are drinking enough to make it necessary, but we are coming close. This is a photo from the Lounge Bar. They definitely don’t have as much liquor as the ocean ships, but they have enough. They don’t have Aperol which is sad because this weather call out for an Aperol Spitz, but I can always make do with a gin and tonic made with Bombay Blue. They also have several Cambodian gins. One is called butterfly gin and it makes your drink a beautiful lavender color. If there is a specific liquor that you are interested in, let me know and I will check to see if they have it. By the way, there is one more bar on the ship - the SkyBar on the third deck. It appears they have the same alcohol there. When we go up there in the evening after dinner, no one is there. We refer to it as our private yacht bar.

February 15, afternoon - During lunch, the ship moved to a new location, Sa Dec. We again transferred to land by sampan. Along the way, we saw the importance of rice to this area. Not only did we see rice processing plants, but we learned how all of the parts of the rice are used by the people. Sailing through the canals also allowed us to see the daily life of the people. Once we disembarked, we saw several shops with so many different types of rice on display. Sa Dec is most known as the childhood home of Marguerite Duras, one of France’s best-known authors. Sa Dec is the setting for her autobiographical novel, “The Lover.” If you are coming on this trip, I would recommend that you read this. It is a very fast read and makes visiting the home of the Chinese businessman that she had the affair with a lot more interesting. We visited the home and were served tea there. After visiting Duras’ home, we took a walk through the city market streets. As we headed back on the river, we had a lovely view of the Viking Saigon anchored in the Mekong.

Later on February 15 morning tour - As time was provided for buying local products, I walked along the road and was able to catch a few scenes of local life: Rice paper sesame seed crackers drying in the sun The rice paper sesame seed crackers packaged for sale A small shrine outside a home with a pot of marigolds (also known as longevity plant here). After our shopping time, we traveled by sampan to a fruit orchard where we walked through the orchard, then sampled the various fruits. Jackfruit Milk apple - individually wrapped to protect from birds Pomelo Rose apple and pineapple with a spicy salt to dip in Milk apple (with its milky inside visible) Mango Jackfruit Near the riverside tables where we ate and drank tea, there were some beautiful flowers. This flowering tree has the Rose Apples After sampling all the fruit, we headed back to the ship for lunch while the Viking Saigon sailed to Sa Dec, the location for our afternoon tour.

I booked the Kanchanaburi and food tours through Viator. I no longer have access to the actual tour operators names, but the Kanchanaburi was listed on Viator as “Private Tour to Bridge Over River Kwai and HellFire Pass including train ride.” It cost $298.02 for 2 people. The food tour was listed as “Bangkok Backstreets Food Tour with 15+ Tastings - A Chef’s Tour.” It cost $118.00 for 2 people. Hope this helps!

Thursday, February 15 - A beautiful Mekong morning. I put on my robe and headed to the coffee bar right on our floor to grab a warm cup of coffee as I sat to enjoy the view. Breakfast at the Sky Bar, then out to visit Caí Be. The main source of income for the local residents is derived from traditional handicrafts. First, we saw a woman creating the rice paper used in making spring rolls. Next, we watched workers making coconut candies (and we sampled the finished product). It was very interesting to view the method of popping rice, then using the popped rice to make a type of “rice krispy treat.” Finally, we tried the distilled “rice wine.” Then followed that up with the more expensive “snake wine” which had been steeping in a jar containing King Cobra snakes! We then had a chance to buy some of the local products before heading back to the ship for lunch.

February 14, continued - Sorry about my last post. I had written about the entire day, but when I started adding the photos, the wifi here on the ship seized up and half was deleted. I also noted that the photos I took of the “disappearing” tunnel entrance were out of order so I’ll try straightening that out now. Then he reappears about 30 ft away. Excellent demonstration of how the VietCong could not only quickly disappear, but also suddenly come up behind an unsuspecting GI. The “booby traps” that were demonstrated also made one realize the dangers inherent in fighting in this region. After leaving the Cu Chi tunnels, we traveled about 30 minutes to our riverside restaurant lunch location. There we enjoyed Lotus Root Salad with Pork & Shrimp, Grilled Chicken with Sticky Rice, Deep-Fried Catfish with Tomato Sauce, Sautéed Water Spinach with Garlic, Steamed Rice in Lotus Leaf, and Ice Cream. Our view at lunchtime After lunch, it was still 2 1/4 hours to My Tho, where the Viking Saigon was moored. We quickly boarded and the captain set sail. HERE WE GO! At 6:00 pm we had our safety meeting and some general information about the next day’s schedule. Dinner followed at 7:00. A local Vietnamese musical group provided entertainment after dinner using traditional musical instruments. Very enjoyable. Almost everyone went to their rooms following the music, but Mike and I went up to the Sky Bar to have a nightcap and enjoy the moon over the Mekong!

Wednesday, February 14 - Breakfast at the Sheraton Saigon, then on the bus for a rather long transfer to the Viking Saigon. The traffic leaving HCMC was very light because it is still the Tet holiday. We traveled for 2 hours to the famous tunnel network around Cu Chi. This tunnel network facilitated the VietCong control of the rural area. It is said that at the height of the war, the tunnel network stretched from Saigon to the Cambodian border. Around Cu Chi there are about 250 km of tunnels. We had the opportunity to walk (bent over) through several tunnels. Our guide rated the difficulty of the tunnel to give us an idea of whether we wanted to try walking through or not. I went through 2 of the tunnels. Of course, today, there is some light provided. It is well worth your time to try going through at least one of the tunnels. As we walked through the paths, our guide pointed out depressions where US bombs had fallen (an attempt to collapse some of these tunnels). We also saw demonstrations of “booby traps” created by the VietCong to kill unsuspecting GIs. Some of these were quite brutal. It is understandable that the guys in the military who were assigned to fight in this area had the constant worry about what was around each corner. After out visit to the Cu Chi tunnels, we drove for about 30 minutes and stopped by lunch at a local riverside restaurant.

Tuesday, February 13 - Breakfast at the hotel, then off for a morning tour. First, we went to the Reunification Palace, also known as Independence Hall. Since we had just recently finished watching the Ken Burns’ Vietnam War series on PBS, the views of this building and its interior 1960s architecture were compelling. I especially like the fact that for all of the state rooms identified, there were period pictures with the South Vietnamese leaders of the time pictured. The bunker rooms in the basement were especially evocative of the war years, filled with 1960s era communication relics. On the grounds were tanks similar to the ones that rammed the gates here on 30 April 1975. Mike and I vividly remember watching on tv the final hours of escape by Americans and some South Vietnamese from the city at that time. Our guide, Kong, related the history of his on family. His father was a South Vietnamese soldier, his uncle was a North Vietnamese soldier. After the end of the war, his father and uncle never spoke with one another again. His uncle, who had lived in a more northerly village had been recruited by the North Vietnamese, and after the war, he became a higher up Communist leader in his village. Kong’s father on the other hand, was sent to a re-education camp for 5 years and died not long after that. Because he was the son of a former South Vietnamese soldier, Kong was not able to go to college (somehow, those children could never pass the entrance exams). Luckily, he was able to finish high school, which enabled him to eventually take night school classes in tourism and English when opportunities became relaxed during the 1990s. After we left the Reunification Palace, we traveled to the Saigon Post Office which was built by the French in the 1880s. The colonial design both inside and out is quite striking. From the outside of the post office, Kong pointed out the former CIA building from which the final helicopters rescued Americans and some South Vietnamese at the end of the war. The Post Office exterior The Post Office interior The cream-colored building behind the Katinat Coffee Shop is the former CIA building Across the street from the Saigon Post Office we could see Norte Dame Cathedral, built by the French. Well, we kind of saw it - it is currently shrouded by scaffolding as it is undergoing some reconstruction. Our next stop was a lacquerware shop. Normally, I don’t like these “shopping” stops, but this was a bit of an educational stop where we learned about the steps in creating this Vietnamese art. I especially liked seeing the pieces made with duck egg shells. Of course, we still didn’t buy anything, but it was interesting to watch the craftsmanship. We were given about an hour and a half break to have lunch on our own or just rest at the hotel. At 2:00, we headed out for our afternoon tour. Our first stop was the Chinatown temple. It was very crowded since many people go to the temple to make incense offerings to the goddess for good luck in this new year that was just beginning. It was very smoky with all the burning of incense and candles. I was especially intrigued by the spiral incense hanging from the ceiling that would burn for about a week. Again, I think that it has been very special for us to be here at this time of year to see so many of the Tet celebrations. Our final afternoon bus stop as at the Central Market, an area filled with hundreds of small stalls. To me, it appeared that most of these were just small t-shirt stalls, inexpensive leather goods, some handicrafts - it was difficult to tell whether the items were “made in China” cheap stuff or what. It was stifling inside the building so Mike and I looked for the first opportunity to exit, just to walk outside in the fresh air. After we almost completed a circuit of the outer perimeter of the building, we noticed a tea/coffee shop and decided to go inside. One of the baristas, gave me a menu with English translations. After I asked her for her favorite, which I chose, Mike and I enjoyed a chilled Jasmine, lychee, and oolong tea drink - fantastic! So if you are like us and don’t like another shopping stop, go across the street from Door 3 of the Central Market for a refreshing drink. Can’t wait to sample another tea drink from a similar shop before leaving Vietnam! Kong had suggested that we go to the Rex Hotel to see where the Western media hung out while reporting on the Vietnam War. From the top of the hotel, the bar provided a signature drink to remember the 5 o’clock news conferences where journalists soon came to question most of the information they were receiving about the progress of the war - these news conferences were soon nicknamed the “5 o’clock Follies.” After having our drink and enjoying the views of the Tet revelers below, we headed back to the hotel briefly stopping to watch more holiday festivities. This evening, Viking provided a welcome dinner here in the hotel. There were lots of Asian and Western choices at a huge buffet. Tomorrow, we will be leaving the Sheraton here in Ho Chi Minh City, and completing a bit of touring before finally getting to the Viking Saigon and starting our Mekong River cruise.

Monday, February 12 - It was an early morning in order to breakfast prior to our transfer to the airport for our flight to Ho Chi Minh City. Our sunrise breakfast at the Peninsula Lots of walking at the airport, depending on where your gate is located. There as quite a back up at the immigration desks leaving Bangkok. I’m not sure if that was due to the Chinese New Year travel crunch or just always busy. By the time we got to our gate, it was almost time to board. Our assigned seats were 33A and 33B - another reason I hate to have Viking determining our flights. There is no choice when completing these river cruise extensions though, so we had to use Viking air. Since we were on Vietnam Airlines, we were able to apply our Delta Skymiles number, which identified us as SkyTeam elite+ and Mike was able to ascertain that there were seats nearer to front of the plane in row 10 so we could embark and disembark faster (also got the board with Sky Priority), so you should check to see if the Viking flight is part of a sky alliance network and you might be able to get better seats. Once we reached Ho Chi Minh City, we were met by our Viking host, Kong. He narrated our trip into the downtown area (only took about 30 minutes). The Saigon Sheraton is nice - not as nice as the Peninsula in Bangkok, but with sufficient room. I like having an iron and ironing board, too, since most of my clothes are quite rumpled from the long hours in my luggage. After organizing our luggage, we headed out for a walk and an ATM stop. We passed a craft beer location and figured we’d enjoy some Vietnamese IPA. When we got ready to pay the bill, the server offered a handful of red envelopes to choose a “gift” (we learned this red envelope gift is for good luck in the new year). Mike’s envelope card just wished him a happy new year. Mine entitled me to return for up to 4 beers during the next 2 weeks! May have to go back to at least sample one more!! Kong suggested a couple of places for dinner. We took his advice to book ahead since many places are closed due to the Tet New Year celebrations. When we booked with the concierge, I decided to ask him for suggestions about what we might order. The young man at the concierge desk was fabulous! He took us over to the computer and called up the menu for the restaurant we were planning to visit and went through the menu with us, identifying many traditional Saigon dishes, or traditional Tel holiday dishes. He even wrote down some of his favorites on a “cheat sheet” to take with us. His suggestions were spot on. My favorite dish was a pomelo salad with prawns, but all the other dishes were super, too. I’d really recommend that you find someone to ask about the best dishes to order when choosing a Vietnamese restaurant since the English descriptions aren’t always very appetizing. After our dinner, we walked by the Opera House and the main walkway leading down to the river. Since this is only the third day of the Tet holidays, everything is lit up, there are flowers and people everywhere, along with musical stage events. The place was packed. It is so much fun to be here during the holiday!

Later on Sunday, February 11 - Our tuk-tuk tour this afternoon was lots of fun. We had a parade of 12 tuk-tuks. Quite the sight. We headed to the Jim Thompson house, first. He was an American who worked for the OSS during WW2 and decided to stay in Bangkok after the war. He had been trained as an architect and designed this home by connecting Thai homes that he moved to Bangkok and pieces. The house was not only unusual in design, but it was filled with beautiful Asian artwork, much of it antique. He became interested in preserving the craft of silk-making that he saw in Bangkok, and he linked these local artisans to major markets throughout the US and Europe. After our visit to the Jim Thompson house, we joined our tuk-tuk drivers again to go to the Flower Market. He walked all the main Flower Market street and down several of the alleyways with a myriad of flower stalls. We were amazed to hear that market is open 24-7. We made one last journey to the hotel before saying goodbye to our tuk-tuk driver. It was 6:00 pm and Mike and I decided we wanted something light to eat so we headed back over to ICONSIAM since there are so many food establishments to choose from. I had read about a restaurant called Ginger Farm Kitchen, a farm to table establishment which prepared Thai foods in a more natural, organic way. The original restaurant has been Michelin recommended and ICONSIAM has one of the chain. It was a great choice. Mike decided to check out their crispy pork in order to compare it to last night’s success. I had a chicken and cashew dish. We both shared a spring roll appetizer with two delightful sauces. Once we returned to the Peninsula, we couldn’t resist a nightcap at the hotel bar - a great way to end the evening. Off to Ho Chi Minh City tomorrow.

Thanks for your comments. The heat actually hasn’t been that bad. Yes, it has been in the low 90s for daytime highs, but we’ve chosen to eat outside for breakfast in the mornings and it hasn’t been bad at all. We grew up in the St. Louis area and summers there can be brutal. This certainly hasn’t been much worse. That being said, the guides have told us that this is the best time to be here. I looked ahead at the temps later this week in Ho Chi Minh City and it looks like it will be in the high 90s there. That may certainly be tougher! I’ll keep you posted.

Sunday, February 11 - Our morning tour took us by bus to the The Grand Palace. Built in 1782, the Grand Palace spreads over 218,000 square meters. Grand Palace is an apt name since the buildings are all lavish works of art. Some buildings are covered in yellow, green and blue porcelain tiles, some are covered in glass mosaic, some covered in gold mosaic tiles, some have large lacquered mother of pearl inlay doors and cabinets, and beautiful murals can be found everywhere. It is truly a feast for the eye! One of the highlights was the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. The Emerald Buddha wears one of three different raiments which are changed based on the seasons. Right now, the Buddha is wearing the winter raiment. No photos could be taken in theTemple of the Emerald Buddha. But the following photos show the outside of the Temple of the Emerald Buddha and some of the artistic design in the construction of the temple facade. After leaving the Grand Palace grounds, we used tuk-tuks to travel to the UNESCO site, Wat Pho, where we visited the Temple of the Reclining Buddha. The Reclining Buddha is 46 meters long and 15 meters high. It is modeled around a brick core, and finished in plaster and gold leaf. The soles of the Buddha’s feet are mother of pearl inlay. Behind the Reclining Buddha is a row of 108 bronze monks’ bowls. Visitors may purchase 108 coins and drop one in each bowl for good luck. Some other photos from Wat Pho: After exploring the grounds of Wat Pho, we headed back to the bus and returned to the hotel. We had time for a quick break before heading out for an afternoon tuk-tuk tour.

Saturday, February 10 - This morning was an early morning for us since we needed to be in the lobby for our first included tour by 8:30 am. Breakfast here at the Peninsula is at the riverfront terrace cafe. There is seating inside and out. We chose the outside dining. Our tour was a boat ride to Wat Arun, also known as the Temple of Dawn. It was established by King Taksin after the fall of the Ayuthaya Kingdom. Besides the temple, there was also a royal palace established at this location. The temple is quite beautiful and visitors are able to climb up to admire the ceramic decoration close-up. After leaving Wat Arun, we sailed along one of the canals that the city of Bangkok is known for - it is often referred to as the Venice of the East. It was a rather large canal. I had been hoping to be able to travel on some of the smaller canals, but we did see several temples along the way and also the area where the royal barges are docked (also open as the royal barge museum). When we started back to the hotel, the skies finally opened up and it poured. We lowered the curtains on the boat to prevent the rain from pounding in. The rain let up and started again several times before we reached the hotel. I found it interesting that the local tour operators who are handling this Viking extension have several optional tours to offer. Two were shopping excursions this afternoon, a dinner cruise tonight, and a tuk-tuk tour to the Flower Market and the Jim Thompson House tomorrow afternoon. Many of the other Viking passengers were a bit miffed that we did not know about the existence of those optional excursions until told about them today. Arranging for the additional funds seemed to be the sticking point for many. They will take US dollars, but many people hadn’t worked that into the calculations of how much to bring. They will take Thai bhat, but that entails taking out more ATM funds at a rather steep rate. Personally, we use ATM cards that return any added fees to us, so it doesn’t matter, but others did not. And the local tour company does not take credit cards. Does seem like Viking might include information about this in advance of the trip, since these same optional tours seem to be on offer to each Viking group that does the Bangkok extension. We are going to take the afternoon tour tomorrow, but we weren’t interested in the shopping trips or the dinner cruise tonight. Instead, we decided to take the afternoon off and enjoy the room. We did some reading, some email, and we both dozed a bit. The hotel has been leaving a different fresh tropical fruit on our coffee table each day (today was fresh dragonfruit), so we made some coffee and indulged. Then about mid-afternoon, they showed up with a small plate of chocolates. I’m totally sold on the hospitality of the Peninsula Hotel! About 6:00 pm, we decided to walk over to the ICONSIAM for dinner. We had seen a restaurant called Kam’s Roast - a branch of a Hong Kong Michelin starred restaurant that sounded good. I had roast duck and crispy pork. Mike had char siu pork and roast duck. The duck was great, but the crispy pork was the winner. And, of course, as soon as we returned to the hotel, our turn-down service was complete (slippers by our bedside, along with fresh water bottles and fresh fruit). Even my robe had been retied from wearing it this afternoon. I could really get used to this service. Our evening walk up the hotel driveway One of the shrines at the entrance to the Peninsula Hotel

Friday, February 9 - Today, we transitioned over to the Peninsula Hotel. But first, we headed up for breakfast, then walked over to the ICONSIAM to find the K Bank ATM to replenish our bhats, and called a Grab Car to take us the short hop down the street to our new hotel. We had been treated very well at the Millenium Hilton, but our first hours at the Peninsula were great. Our room is referred to as a deluxe king, but is laid out like most Jr. Suites. I again have a nice deep soaking tub - yay! I always miss that on the Viking ships. Again, we have a nice river view, just not as high up as at the Hilton. I had booked a Bangkok Street Food tour prior to leaving on the trip. It was to begin at 4:00 pm in ChinaTown, so we got some basic instructions on using the Peninsula Hotel ferry to get across the river and bought tickets to ride the public ferry up to the ChinaTown pier. Then it was just a short walk to the Shanghai Mansion Hotel where we were to meet our tour. We got there with plenty of time to have a drink at the hotel terrace bar before our meeting time. The tour was great. It was billed as having 15+ tastings - we had 19! It was a combination of street vendors, small shops and restaurants. It was really well—run. We had a traditional tour guide, Bew, who stayed with us the entire time, explaining the ingredients and history of each tasting. There was also an assistant guide who ran ahead to make sure our tables, or seating arrangements were set up so there was no waiting in lines. This was especially important since our tour was on the Friday night prior to the beginning of Chinese New Year. ChinaTown was packed with people. Bew did a great job in keeping our tour together (btw - there was only 8 of us on the tour - a nice manageable size). At least three of the places we stopped were Michelin recommended spots. All of the foods were wonderful. I’ll include just a few photos of the foods we tried since I failed to get shots of everything. After we finished the food tour, we “grabbed” a GrabCar back to the hotel. I’m really glad that I added that app to my phone before leaving home. It works just like UBER and it is very economical. Even with the crowds, we were back to the hotel in just about 20 minutes. Then time to check email and have a nice cup of chamomile tea and a bath before bed. Another great day!

Thursday, February 8 - We were up very early to have breakfast and meet our tour guide, Pring, in the hotel lobby at 7:00 am. We were off and out of the city before the traffic was very bad. It is a two hour drive to Kanchanaburi where many of the sights for the WW2 Thai-Burma railroad was built by slave labor of the Allied POWs as well as forced labor of the native population. Along the way, Pring pointed out the fields of sugar cane - nearby, we also saw the sugar factories. Fields of tapioca and sweet corn were also pointed out as important cash crops. It was interesting to see the large portraits of the king and queen hanging from overpasses as we drove through different communities. Our first stop once we reached Kanchanaburi was the JEATH War Museum - J (Japanese), E (England), A (America and Australia), T (Thailand), and H (Holland). Mike and I have always been very interested in WW2 sites. Both of our fathers were in the war - my father serving in the Pacific and Mike’s father serving in Europe. During our travels, we always make a point of visiting any historical sites connected with the war. We’ve been to Nagasaki, Hiroshima, Los Alamos, Oak Ridge, the Trinity site, Auschwitz, Potsdam, the Normandy beaches, Pearl Harbor, El Alamein, the Air Tracking station in Malta, Churchill’s War Rooms, various war sites in Berlin and Munich, Schindler’s Factory, Dachau — ok, I think you have the idea that we are pretty serious about our WW2 sites. It seemed obvious that if we were going to Thailand that we would go see the famous Thai-Burma railroad. The JEATH War Museum is run by the Buddhist temple. It consists of a reconstructed hut similar to the ones the POWs lived in, obviously quite primitive. The hut was filled with photographs taken during the time of the building of the railroad. There was also a large map that really helped to show exactly how the railroad linked Thailand to Burma (the Japanese needed this rail link in order to supply the troops they had in Burma, since supplying them by sea was difficult). The final railroad as 415 kilometers long. Construction started in September of 1942 and was completed in December of 1943. More than 16,000 POWs and 100,000 impressed laborers from India, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Burma, and Thailand died during its construction. The Buddhist message to visitors is that the maintenance of this museum is not to focus on the hatred among human beings, especially the Japanese and Allied countries, but to arn and teach us the lesson of how terrible as is (so very Buddhist). Also the museum holds many artifacts that had belonged to the prisoners. Our next stop was the Commonwealth Cemetery, holding the gravesites of military from Great Britain, Australia, and the Netherlands. The landscaping in the cemetery was beautiful. It reminded us of the beautiful landscaping we saw at the El Alamein Cemetery in Egypt, although there the landscaping utilized desert plants, while the landscaping here in Thailand utilized tropical plantings. Our guide, Pring, did such a good job in organizing our trip and keeping us on schedule. Our next stop was the train station to catch a ride on the line originally built by the prisoners. Pring knew to have us join the train one stop before most tourists joined the train right at the River Kwai. That way, we had great window seats on the left hand side of the train. This enabled us to have the best views of the river and of the wooden bridges further up to line. We rode for about an hour. After we passed the wooden bridges, we exited the train at that station in order to walk across the wooden bridges, viewing the original wood and rails (now given extra metal and concrete supports). We walked to the Krause cave situated right next to the train line - now a temple with Buddha, but previously used as a primitive hospital for workers. Pring had our driver pick us up and drive us to the last stop on the line where we enjoyed a delicious lunch at a local restaurant. Then it was off to the Hell’s Pass Interpretative Center. This a a relatively new museum run by the Australian government. The museum has a very modern display and a 10 minute video describing the particular difficulties in cutting through the rock in this area. The workers had to work for 18 - 20 hours a day with simple tools. Visitors walk down about 150 steps to the railroad bed (now just a walking path with a few railroad ties remaining embedded in the soil. Walking through the rock railroad cutout was an emotional experience, just recognizing the suffering endured by those forced to work under inhumane conditions. There is a memorial as once leaves the rock cutout. We chose to turn around and return to the museum at that point, but the trail continues for those who wish to follow more of the original rail line. At this point, we headed back toward Kanchanaburi, although we did stop in the National Park to visit one waterfall. Back in Kanchanaburi, Pring wanted to take us back to the Bridge across the River Kwai that we’d crossed earlier in the day on the train. Now we walked across the bridge as the sun began to set. It was quiet and beautiful and gave us a chance to reflect upon all we’d experienced during the day. Then it was off on the 2 hour journey back Bangkok. Definitely, a great tour for anyone who likes WW2 history. Back at the Hilton, we decided we still weren’t hungry after the huge lunch we’d had, so we headed up to the 31st floor outdoor bar for a drink. Great way to end the day, especially when we found out that Hilton Honors members got 25% off all food and beverage tabs. Wow - and the drinks weren’t that much to begin with. This was our view while we were having our nightcap.

Wednesday, February 7 - We’ve started on our Viking Mekong adventure. We have already arrived in Bangkok for our pre cruise extension, starting in two days. We always like to come early to get over jet lag. Since we arrived in Bangkok near midnight, we were ready to go to bed immediately. I think that has really helped with the jet lag since I feel great today. I did take one melatonin before going to sleep so I think that helped me to sleep soundly until the alarm rang this morning. Our flights over (Seattle to Inchon and Inchon to Bangkok) were both delayed, but they build so much time into flight schedules these days, that we still arrived on time or early on both flights. The service on the first flight, a Delta flight, was satisfactory, but even in Delta One, the attendants seem to want to feed you and be done. The service on the Prestige class Korean Air flight was much more attentive. We were thanked for flying them multiple times. Both flights included lie flat seats which as much appreciated, especially on the second fight where I slept soundly for 3 hours after dinner. And the dinner on the Korean Air flight was better, too. The bibimbap was sooooo good! We are staying at the Millenium Hilton Bangkok for the first three nights until we move to the Peninsula for our Viking arranged room. We usually stay at Hilton properties in major cities since we are Diamond members and usually end up with upgrades. And yes, Hilton upgraded us to an Executive room. We have a lovely view of the Chao Phraya River and a nice, deep soaker tub. When we arrived at the airport last night, we collected our bags and I called a Grab Car - very quick. And since it was after midnight, there was very little traffic and we had a relatively quick ride to the hotel. This morning, we had a late breakfast in the Executive Lounge, then took a walk to check out where the Peninsula Hotel is, then stopped at the Iconsiam Shopping Center. It is filled with high-end stores and scads of restaurants. There is even Porsche and Maserati “stores” - yes, there are cars on display. We also took some time to stroll along the riverfront. Since today is officially our get over jet lag day, we had no sightseeing planned. When we arrived back at the hotel, we went to afternoon tea in the Executive Lounge and will go there for cocktails this evening. Then it is early to bed for us since we have an all day tour to the River Kwai tomorrow to visit the Kanchanaburi War Museum and Hell Fire Pass.