Nautica Impressions HKG to ATH

[LHT28]

Some cruise lines (e.g. Silversea) does offer "light menu", perhaps Oceania can take a look at providing such an alternative.

 

I believe they do ..it is on the left side of the menu in the GDR "SpaCuisine ".

Also you do not have to eat everything on the menu.:D

 

That said .. the male cat here gained 14 lbs on a 32 day cruise and I gained less than that :eek:

[pmcgsan]

Hi Jack,

 

My husband and I are on the April 2008 sailing and we have been enjoying your almost real time reports. Since we live on the West Coast also please tell me which airline you flew to Hong Kong, from San Francisco? Also what are your return plans? We are looking at United from San Francisco and returning on Lufthansa. Have you heard from other passengers that booked the air with Oceania? Thanks and keep posting.

 

Pat

[Jancruz]

Good morning all..

It is 8:20 am and we are about 1.5 hours from Ho Chi Minh City..it is very warm and humid..we have a speaker on board talking about many facets of Vietnam and it is very interesting..

Stu and I had a wonderful time in Nha Trang yesterday, and tho I havent been to Danang..appreciated the fact that we were only 10 minutes from the beautiful beach and town, we were not looking forward to the almost 2 hour drive to Hoi An so for us it was a perfect switch..Last night dinner in the GDR was excellent and afterward we went to see the classical guitarist in the Nautica lounge , he was excellent..I am afraid Jack will be disappointed I know for a fact they will NOT bring shrimp cocktail from Polo into GDR..and for good reasons..if they do it for one they will have to do it for all!!

Happy Birthday Jack..I am trying to find you..if I dont can you contact me in 8049..

Regards all...

Jan

*****

[lagunaman]

Aussie Gal. Happy 43rd anniversary today!

 

Shesgoneagain, the cabanas are fine for two, but there isn’t really room for three. The ship was initially resistant to letting me share with my parents since it is supposed to be a one cabin = one cabana policy, but they relented and provided my dad and mom a “cabana card” (it shows staff you are authorized to be in the cabana) when I pointed out I paid a 200% single supplement, but could have been sharing their cabin—not that we would have had much of a vacation! We tend to use it in shifts and sharing hasn’t been a problem but it hasn’t been simultaneous use.

 

Merryecho, I lived in Stack III at Fairhaven College in 1980 while attending WWU. I bet you had fun there! We’ll have to chat sometime…

 

Fetchpeople: To stave off your breakdown I am posting today even though I intended to wait a few days and do a better job proofing my writing—too many editing errors yesterday. To put you at ease here you go:

1. Berries are abundant. I have personally seen raspberries, strawberries and today a ripe blueberry assaulted my dad’s new shirt while he ate breakfast. The berries are sweet, plump and delicious.

2. My friend Sukey loves the cheese course. I prefer hard Dutch and Italian cheeses and these are mostly soft cheeses, but she was in a state of bliss and passed on all sugar desserts to enjoy the cheese plate night before last. She made small audible moans ofc pleasure between bites, so I think the cheese course passes.

3. Casino manager was friendly to me. They stand on all 17’s. I went in with $200, now I have $300 and since I am up 50% I am hoping to stay the hell out of the casino.

4. The shrimp cocktail in the grand dining room may be a problem. We were discussing availability of special requests in the dining room last night. Since Princess, Celebrity and RCI can do it, I believe Oceania will furnish off-menu shrimp cocktails if asked, but I need to discuss it with a Head Waiter. I did order a Caesar salad off-menu and that was not a problem.

 

John, thanks for the hospitality offer in Phuket. Tell your brother you heard the Italian Guitarist, Warsaw Strings Quartet and Gypsy Violinist entertainers were excellent. Also the bridge instructor, Jean George from the mid-west is phenomenal. In Phuket I arranged for a day room and massages at the Banyan Tree so we are set this time. I wish we had another day there.

 

NAH TRANG VIETNAM

Claiming I have traveled to Vietnam, Thailand, India and Egypt based on my short stay in each port is like saying I am a 1970’s music devotee because I bought Casey Kasem’s ‘Best of the 70’s’ CD and I really liked it the one time I played it. Cruises are greatest hits. To really delve into a city like Nha Trang I need at least 3 or 4 days there. I can’t say The Beatles Abbey Road is my favorite record if the only song I’ve ever listened to on it is ‘Here Comes the Sun.’

 

I hesitate writing anything about a town I merely set foot in for four hours, but I know it is of interest to some people taking this cruise next year. Hopefully the 2008 Hong Kong to Athens itinerary will include Danang and Hoi An again. Hoi An is now of much greater interest to me than Nah Trang.

 

My first impressions of Nah Trang are it is foreign, crowded, dirty, hot, friendly, pushy and unique. The markets have numerous touts who vigorously attempt to take you to the shop they think you need. I have never been anywhere exactly like it, but I have been many places that resemble it and I don’t feel like hanging out in the town markets again.

 

Nha Trang has beautiful beaches, high-end resorts, mid-end resorts and young back packer Mecca’s scattered throughout town and the surrounding county side. Coming back on the ship’s shuttle I overheard numerous passengers complain Nha Trang is too much like Mexico (think Mazatlan). But I find even Mazatlan is wonderful if I stay somewhere I enjoy.

 

Tonight is my 44th birthday and my parents, Seasons (Sukey) and I are having dinner at the Polo Grill. The menu looks great but the combination of the heat, a few days eating business dinners in mainland China before the cruise and a few other personal body-related conditions that out of sensitivity for the reader will remain nameless, have diminished my enthusiasm for a jumbo prawn cocktail/French onion soup/tableside-prepared-Caesar-salad/steak & lobster dinner followed by coffee and crème brulee for dessert. I’ll eat what I can but I would much rather feel healthy than eat for sport, so I may just end up having salad, soup and prawns. God forbid they ordered a birthday cake. I can’t think of anything more useless than a birthday cake on a fine-dining all expenses paid cruise ship. I would rather choose my dessert than have to eat cake I don’t need and didn’t choose.

 

One of the new and liberating feelings I am enjoying is the length of this cruise. My mother pointed out last night if this were an Alaska 7-day cruise we’d be going home the day after tomorrow. I feel I am just beginning to adapt to the motion of the ship, the rhythm of the crew and the ships facilities. I love knowing we have over 30 days remaining on this trip.

 

Expectations determine whether I really enjoy a cruise. Since I primarily take cruise vacations because ships provide a great space to interact and have intimacy with people I love, I am rarely disappointed with mediocre itineraries and slightly disappointing food. Of course exciting itineraries like this one, great food and excellent service such as Nautica’s enhance the whole experience.

 

Hi Jack,

 

Chosen well, my home backs onto the Banyan Tree Golf course and it is my favourite Hotel on the Laguna Complex, also all Home Owners get use of the facilities, a nice bonus !

 

If time permits, a short taxi from there is the new Trisara Hotel,apart from being nice to see, the route is scenically the best on the Island.

 

You may find the following site useful in describing all that the chaotic and fascinating BK offers.

 

www.bangkok.com/attractions/index.html

 

Continue with your excellent reporting and belated "Happy Birthday"

[aneka]

HI Lagunaman,

I am gathering from the previous post that you live in Bangkok. My husband and I were considering attending the Lions International Convention to be held in Bangkok in late June 2008. However, we are rethinking this due to weather concerns at this time of the year. Could you please tell me what your weather is usually like in mid to late June. Thank you so much for your time,

Annette

[KIWP]

My husband and I have circumnavigated the globe numerous times (land and sea) and the “O” ships are our favorites. We took this trip in 2006 (the inaugural) and it was FANTASTIC. Even though we’ve been to all the places numerous times, we’re going to take this cruise again in 2009.It gets better every day. But next time you book try a Penthouse. Not for snobbery, but just plain comfort and space.

 

You’re descriptions are spot on, but please do try all the eating venues because overall, the food is the best at sea. I usually leave the ship having lost weight (because I don’t eat much and exercise daily) but I have sampled on the many cruises we have taken with them.

 

Hopefully you’ll go to Agra. To see the Taj at Sunrise & Sunset (no I won’t break into song) is one of life’s special moments. The other one is going to Petra. The Treasury wall at Petra (along with the Library wall at Ephesus) is a must see for anyone who truly enjoys discovering the world.

 

Enjoy and do keep up the report. I’d love to hear your further impressions.

[KIWP]

Cathay Pacific is the best airline in the world. If you have a choice - please do yourself a favor and fly with them. Sorry to sound snooty (I've been in the travel industry for a very long time) but I only fly Business or First and they are both amazing. However, from all I hear their Coach cabin is better than most.

The cruise is wonderful. We took it in 2006. Enjoy!!

[KIWP]

Next time try the Spa Menu (on the left side of the Menu in the Grand Dining Room). Great variety and excellent food. Additionally I neever eat bred or ay of the sweets and work out every day (OK I may be a bit nuts and obsessive - but I never gain weight on ships).

[meow!]

Nice to know that now they do have light meals in the form of "spa menu". We have just tentatively booked a twelve day Eastern Mediterranean for Autumn 2008, still a long time away. Thank you for the information.

[KIWP]

Sorry to hear about Danang because it is wonderful, but the rest is just as special and you will enjoy Vietnam immensly. What you describe about the way the ship's staff reacted to the change of itinerary is how they always do things. The Manager of Destination Services on the Nautica, Cinthya Pavan, is a jewel and one of Oceania's best.

 

I hope the weather gets better. Great log so far. Thanks again for sharing.

[Aussie Gal]

Cathay Pacific is the best airline in the world. If you have a choice - please do yourself a favor and fly with them. Sorry to sound snooty (I've been in the travel industry for a very long time) but I only fly Business or First and they are both amazing. However, from all I hear their Coach cabin is better than most.

The cruise is wonderful. We took it in 2006. Enjoy!!

 

We have three favourite airlines which we always try to use when flying overseas. They are Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific and Qantas.

 

I really cannot differeniate between the three. All give excellent service with pleasant flight attendants. It does help to make long journeys bearable especially flying the long distances from our country.

 

Jennie

[merryecho]

Happy Birthday Jack! You mentioned there were some Viet Nam vets onboard- have you had a chance to talk with them? How interesting it would be if Oceania hosted an informal chat, to hear their feelings on going back. I guess you were to young to remember any of that though.

How funny that you were a fairhavener too. I was there the second year it opened- was Ryan Drum still teaching during your time?

[KIWP]

Hi - I see that you're booked on two about which I have very definite opinions and I hope you don't mind if I express them.

 

The Tahitian Princess - we took her on two (back-to-back) cruises to the Cooks and the Marquesas. It is a beautiful R-Ship (formerly Renaissance, and now has sisters at Oceania). Fabulous itineraries, but not the same service or food as on other Princess cruises. We always take a PH on the Oceania ships, and had the same type on the Princess. Looked the same (my clothes even put themselves away in the same place) but the Princess feel on this one was just not great. I certainly hope that you have a better experience.

 

Nautica HKG-ATH. We took the inaugural in 2006 and it was outstanding. Even though we have been to all the destinations several times, it was such a good trip that we will do the same cruise again in 2009. Enjoy it and make sure you take the trip to Agra, Petra and all that you can see in Egypt (if you have not been there before).

 

Happy sailing!!

[Aussie Gal]

KIWP,

 

We sailed on the Tahitian Princess in 2004 and loved our experience on her and hope we will be in for a similar cruise. We did the Cook Island Itinerary back then, this time it is to Hawaii.

 

We are so looking forward to our time on the Nautica. We have mainly sailed on HAL, and have done some fantastic long itineraries on those ships. We are definitely doing the excursions to Agra, Petra, Luxor and the Pyramids and also hope to do the Angkor Wat excursion from Vietnam.

 

Jennie

[lagunaman]

HI Lagunaman,

I am gathering from the previous post that you live in Bangkok. My husband and I were considering attending the Lions International Convention to be held in Bangkok in late June 2008. However, we are rethinking this due to weather concerns at this time of the year. Could you please tell me what your weather is usually like in mid to late June. Thank you so much for your time,

Annette

 

Hi,

 

I actually live in Phuket and the Summer months are spent in Marbella, Spain.

 

However, I can tell you that BKK like here is always hot and humid, I was there 10 days ago and it was SCORCHING.

 

June is the rainy season and will be cooler,March/April are really very HOT though its all relative,have you ever been in Dubai in Summer,that's whats called UNBEARABLE, whereas Thailand is never that bad !

 

If you have not been before, there is so much of interest to see, and try and stay in a Hotel on the River, you then use the long boat taxis, much pleasanter than riding around the congested and polluted streets, though now with the sky train it is a lot better.

 

If you do decide to visit ,sure that you will have a great time and maybe find time to relax here in Phuket for a few days too :)

[Patty Cruiser]

This is my first time on this web page so hope you get my message...your intake is great, but when you get to Petra do the Petra and Bedouin Tour. One of the highlights of the cruise. We did it last year and loved every minute. Know what you mean re: cabins. We took a 10 day Caribbean and opted for cheap..never again. Our Cabin was OK, but not what we like.

[Jancruz]

Yesterday had a fabulous day on our own..took shuttle from ship to Rex hotel at $5 per person round trip..went in to the Rex..asked them to suggest lunch place they did (Lemon Grass) and it was delicious..also made a reservation for a car and driver for today..(we have been here to Ho Chi Minh City before..) 7 passenger air conditioned new Toyota with a driver and wonderful guide who spoke perfect English (I have his email) for $10 per hour for the car..not per person..

After making our 2nd day arrangements, we continued on to Ben Thang Market and shopped until we dropped..then went off to lunch..after lunch about 2:30 we went back to the Rex and went to their spa..Stu and I had the MOST fabulous massage for 1 hour each and it was $5 a person..we each tipped $5 because I couldnt believe the price..after our massage took the shuttle back to ship for a nap and dressed, had dinner in Tapas and joined the cruise tour for a special show at the top of the REX..show was wonderful and we had a beer (included) and at 10pm returned to ship for the night..

Food in Tapas was wonderful..tho we didnt eat to much we were so warm, even after showers..

More about today later..time to do our last bit of shopping on the pier!!

Please feel free to ask any questions while we are on board..

Jan

*****

[Aussie Gal]

Jan,

 

Thanks so much for passing on that wonderful information regarding the massages and the car and driver. I presume you booked the car, driver and guide from the hotel, please let me know if I am wrong.

 

I know Vietnam is inexpensive but didn't realize how cheap it is.

 

Jennie

[mike35]

Yesterday had a fabulous day on our own..took shuttle from ship to Rex hotel at $5 per person round trip..went in to the Rex..asked them to suggest lunch place they did (Lemon Grass) and it was delicious.

 

Joined the cruise tour for a special show at the top of the REX..show was wonderful and we had a beer (included) and at 10pm returned to ship for the night..

 

Hi Jan

 

Thanks for the input on Saigon. Carol and I walked to the Rex from the ship (took our lives in our hands trying to dodge the motorbikes!!). We finally learned the secret - look straight ahead, step off the curb, and keep walking - miraculously, the motorbike drivers drive around you. At least that's how it's supposed to work. Some fellow passengers hired a private guide, and while crossing a busy street, a motorbike hit the guide AND one of the passengers, putting the guide in the hospital.

 

We had pre-booked the evening "Top of the Rex" drink and show tour, but due to a lack of participation, it was canceled. So we went on our own, thoroughly enjoyed it, and then walked with 3 other couples a few blocks to the Ngon Restaurant (rated 3 stars and "finds" in the latest Frommers). We had a couple of beers apiece, appetizers, Pho (noodle soup), a great "seafood hot pot" - all for the outrageously expensive price of $10 per person (including tip!!). HIGHLY recommended!!!

 

Best to Stu

 

Mike

[george/patricia]

Hi Jan/Mike: We are doing this cruise in 08 and love your comments. Is the Rex the hotel where journalists stayed during the V War? If not why do you go there?

[bdmagee]

Hi Jan/Mike: We are doing this cruise in 08 and love your comments. Is the Rex the hotel where journalists stayed during the V War? If not why do you go there?

 

The Rex has an unorthodox history: It used to be a French garage, was expanded by the Vietnamese, and then was used by the United States Information Agency (and some say the CIA) from 1962 to 1970. The hotel was transformed in a massive renovation and opened in 1990 as the kitschy, atmospheric government-run place it is today.

[JackfromWA]

Pmcgsan, Pat I would definitely try to take the non-stop Cathay Pacific flight to Hong Kong. I am not sure about coming back from Athens. I am on British Air to London and American Airlines to Seattle.

 

Meow, LHT28 is right. There is a daily spa or light menu. I ate the Chilean sea bass from it tonight. It was delicious. I always try to eat as much as I can from the healthier choices, but sometimes the siren song of the crème brulee is too loud.

 

SAIGON (Ho Chi Minh City)

 

In twenty minutes Nautica will pull away from Pier M1 at Saigon’s Nha Rong port and magically transform again from a 5-Star downtown hotel to a luxury cruise ship. I love the overnights in port, especially in places like Hong Kong and Saigon where we are in the heart of the city. Last night I left the ship at 9:30 p.m. and didn’t return till close to midnight. The crew also seems to love these overnights. They flock to the discos, restaurants, shops and markets and while ashore are just other tourists. On cruise ships there are two distinct classes; those serving and those being served. I enjoy meeting a favorite waiter or purser in the market and chatting as equals in a way it is difficult to genuinely do on board.

 

Saigon is a great port. The locals call the downtown core Saigon and the surrounding area Ho Chi Minh City. On our first day in port I didn’t take any of the ship excursions as I had previously arranged to visit an orphanage and take photos of children who are already assigned to families in the USA, but can’t leave the county until all the Vietnamese and US paperwork is complete. The orphanage was extremely clean and the children were clearly well adjusted and well treated. I brought some small gifts, took lots of photos and just enjoyed being around all the life that several hundred under-the-age-of-five children bring with them. My parents decided to come along and we all enjoyed the unique glimpse into Vietnam society this visit gave us. It is sometimes said a society can be judged by how it treats its prisoners and orphans and by at least half that standard Vietnam looks very good. These orphans appear to be better looked after than many of the kids I saw on the street!

 

The whole orphanage visit ended up taking the better part of the day, so afterwards we returned to the ship and ate dinner at Tapa's on the Terrace. We all really enjoyed Tapas. Since we decided to return to downtown Saigon at night we didn’t want to change for dinner. Even though Nautica is always ‘County Club Casual’ sometimes it is nice to just stay in shorts and sandals. Since it was at least 90 degrees with about 90% humidity we didn’t want to change, and Tapas has a come-as-you-are policy. The eggplant parmigiana was excellent and I enjoyed some sushi and sashimi. Apparently there is always a pasta of the day and sushi in addition to the buffet style entrees, starters, desserts and salads. Service was excellent as it has been in every dining venue on board. While I prefer the Grand Dining Room for overall food quality and ambience, Tapa's offers a perfect alternative nicely positioned between room service food and the dining rooms. I suspect I’ll eat there at least once or twice again.

 

On April 4th we celebrated my 44th birthday and I am feeling better. Polo Grill is excellent and I have nothing but good things to say—the shrimp cocktail is the largest I’ve ever had on any ship, the garlic-mashed potatoes were exquisite and the service was excellent. Although the meat was excellent, the tenderloin I enjoyed in the Grand Dining Room was truly as good as the tenderloin served in the Polo Grill. While I think the Polo Grill is better than the Grand Dining Room, it is only incrementally better. It is nothing like the quantum difference between the fine dining on Celebrity’s Summit and the regular dining room there. I would be disappointed if I hadn’t eaten there, I intend to eat there again, but I won’t sit in the Grand Dining Room thinking, “Gee, I sure wish I could eat at the Polo Grill again instead of this dump.” The deciding factor for me on any given night would be the menu selection in the Grand Dining Room (Polo Grill is always the same), what sort of ambience I want (Polo Grill is Steak House clubby and intimate) and whether or not Polo Grill can accommodate me. Do not go on the ship without trying Polo Grill, but don’t expect the meals in the dining room to be dwarfed by the meals in the Polo Grill.

 

After Tapas we went to the Ben Thanh night market. The night market skirts around the edges of the day market. I estimate there are about half as many vendors at night as there are in the day. We had to be very careful walking through as unlike any other night market I have walked through in Asia, this one allows motorbikes. It was always a little scary stepping out of a booth and making sure I wasn’t immediately struck by a moped into a pile of imitation Prada, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Polo Shirts and fake Rolexes. Although I don’t think the quality of the replicas are as good as Hong Kong or Shenzhen, China, the prices are less than half. Opening price for negotiation of a t-shirt purchase is $3. Price of a cab back to the ship $4. Vietnam is really cheap and a great place to stock up on extra shirts if you don’t need anything bigger than a US size large.

 

Today we did some typical tourist attractions. First stop was the War Remnant’s Museum. Since this is not a blog but a forum about cruising I won’t say too much about my feelings over the Iraq War except I oppose it, I opposed it from the beginning and I expect to continue to oppose it. Seeing the photo images neatly hung on stark white washed concrete bunker walls depicting American soldiers killing Vietnamese woman and children was painful. I know this is a one-sided view of history but I love the USA and I want to be proud of my country and this exhibit made that very difficult.

 

I also felt old. I am a veteran and when I was barely 17 years old I was assigned to US Army boot camp at Fort Jackson, South Carolina in July 1980, five years after the Vietnam War ended. I remember marching down Tank Hill, firing M-16’s (680 rounds a minute in rock-and-roll or automatic mode), firing M-60’s, throwing grenades and hearing stories from our drill sergeant of what it was like to fight in Vietnam. Back then all the pop-up target silhouettes at the rifle ranges were painted in communist soldier colors—we were 11 Bravo infantry training to shoot commies. Today, twenty-seven years later I saw an M-16 and an M-60 behind a clear acrylic shield in the museum. They looked like antiques. I remember using those weapons (soldiers don’t call them guns) like it was yesterday, and I remember eating left over C-Rations and training on leftover equipment from the Vietnam War. I didn’t expect any personal connection from my visit to the museum today. I am not a Vietnam War veteran; I am a veteran who very thankfully only served in peacetime because I believed serving our country was the right thing to do. Seeing my old weapons, and looking at pictures of GI’s dressed in the same olive drab US Army fatigues I wore brought back many memories. After an hour I was ready to leave.

 

Next stop was the National Museum. Most of the exhibits were under construction but the renowned water puppets were performing. We decided to go to the eleven o’clock show but when we arrived we were told the performance must have five paid admissions to proceed. Since there were three of us my dad bought two extra tickets and we enjoyed a command performance. I don’t know why no one else was there. The show is unique and lots of fun—I was wishing I had some of the orphans with us I had seen the day before. The place would have been filled with raucous applause and loud high-pitched peels of laughter. Be sure to go and don’t be surprised if a few drops of water leap from the dragon’s mouth and land on you!

 

After that we spent a little time at the Ben Thanh day market then my parents and I split up. They are shopping their way across the Far East and I wanted to have lunch onboard Nautica to avoid any further health issues. My dad loves to bargain and sometime I think he shops simply to enjoy the negotiations. The shopkeepers always congratulate his bargaininn ability—and he rarely pays more than half of the initial offer—often much less. My parent’s shopping pattern is my mom identifies and my dad procures. Despite his prowess he did get himself into a bit of a bind in Nha Trang.

 

We were walking down the street near where the ship shuttle dropped us off and my dad spotted a tailor sign. He had a pair of shorts that needed altering. He and my mom went to the tailor while I bought a SIM card for my phone. When I left the electronics store my mother was standing in the street waiting for me. “They took your father to a different tailor so I waited here so you could find us.”

 

We walked a little bit to the associate of the first tailor. When I arrived I immediately noticed my dad was no longer wearing his shorts. A short, craggy faced Vietnamese woman was intently removing stitches and attempting to tighten the waist of his pants but there were too many pockets. My dad was wearing a large pair of ill fitting possibly early communist era brown linen slacks I’d never seen before. “Dad where did you get those?” I asked cringing with fear that he liked and bought them and desparately hoping they were only temporary.

 

“They belong to the shop,” he replied. “I am just wearing them until mine are fixed.”

 

Internally I breathed a sigh of relief, “How much did it cost to alter your shorts?” I asked, sure that he had negotiated a great price.

 

A look of concern flashed across his face as it instantly dawned on him he was standing in a back-alley tailor shop in an unfamiliar city in Vietnam, wearing someone else’s old pants and he hadn’t set a price for the repair. He quickly recovered and said, “I am sure they’ll give me a good deal.” He knew he had lost this one—he was in a strange foreign city wearing a strange out of fashion pair of pants—and even though they offered to let us walk around end enjoy the unappealing immediate surrounding shops he waited a half hour for his pants, and paid the US$15 they asked for without complaint. My dad is an excellent bargainer but he knows when he has been outwitted playing the timeless art-of-the-deal game.

 

The shops in the Ben Thanh day market were similar to the night markets if you wanted clothes, socks, shoes, purses, souvenirs, but in addition has lots of exciting looking meat innards, sea-food parts I’ve never seen for sale before, delicious looking exotic fruits and fragrant, fresh flowers. The combined odor of the competing fragrant food and flowers was pungent and at times repelling but at the same time strangely attractive and definitely unique. It reminded me of the smell of a similar market in Cuzco, Peru, half a planet away.

 

My parents and I then split up. I went back to Nautica for lunch on the Terrace; my mom bought a white purse. The previous night Jan from Cruise Critic told us about the best bang-for-the-buck shore excursion on the entire voyage; a $5 massage at the Rex Hotel in downtown Saigon. Finding the Rex Hotel is easy since a shuttle runs between Nautica and the Rex every half hour from about 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.

 

I decided to take the ship shuttle to the Rex and enjoy a massage. The health club is a little tricky to find, but after trying three different elevators and asking several staff I finally arrived. I paid my $80,000 dong ($5) and went to the men’s changing area. I was assigned a locker and given a key to wear. Since there is no assurance there isn’t a second key lurking about I elected to leave my clothes in the locker and bring my wallet to the treatment room with me. I was given a little t-shirt weight half robe and shorts to wear and I followed my guide to the room.

 

The massage that followed was good—great for $5! Apparently the women who work there start at 10 a.m. and end their day at 11 p.m. Their wages come from tips from happy customers. Jan suggested leaving $3 - $5 which I intended to do. Apparently the desire to have happy customers satisfied to leave large tips encourages a little of the world’s oldest profession directed at male clientele. Midway through my massage the young attractive lady attentively rubbing my body brushed her hand on my groin and asked, “Do you want this?”

 

I politely declined and neither of us seemed to take any offense. This is precisely why I usually limit myself to a foot massage—it keeps things simpler. Often the foot massages for men are performed by men in a semi-public setting, of course in my case if I were shopping for “extra services” a man is exactly what I would choose. In my experience most foot massages are simply health and relaxation focused. Body massages can move into other territories if boundaries aren’t clear. I had kept my underpants on which is likely why I wasn’t at the receiving end of a more assertive offer. I mentioned the whole experience to my mom and dad. My mom, of course, had no extra offers and my dad was a little vague about whether he was propositioned or not—I am not sure if he was avoiding the topic for the sake of my mom, or if he was simply embarrassed that at 44 I was propositioned and at 75 he was presumed to not be interested. Either way he didn’t directly answer and I didn’t press the question. I have traveled a bit in Asia and know that even in expensive hotels there are always outlets for stimulated foreign travelers. In fact I have been told that in the major hotels in China many foreign guests won’t stay there if companionship services aren’t easily available.

 

I was also propositioned to have a sex massage by the cab driver who took me back to the ship. He generously offered to introduce a sexy lady to me, so apparently it was my lucky day. All this leads me to think you don’t have to look very hard in Vietnam to find the world’s oldest profession—in fact odds are if you are a male by yourself you won’t be able to entirely avoid it.

 

Tomorrow is another sea day then we are off to Bangkok.

 

P.S. I just finished this about 9:30 p.m. ship time. We are really rocking in the sea tonight. If it is like this tomorrow I don’t think the decks will be too busy. Hopefully my Dramamine will kick in—I have to quit writing now it is making me sea sick.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Wow, you live in Marbella in the summer! It's pretty darned hot there too, but I guess you don't miss the humidity! How is Marbella these days? I had the pleasure of living there for about 6 weeks in 1971, and it was beginning to be a jet-set resort even there (the Marbella Club.) Is the old town still intact and lovely? I had a chance to go back last summer, and decided to go to Granada instead, maybe next time.

[KIWP]

Please send the e-mail for the car/driver. We adore Vietnam and any such information tidbits are great to add to our portfolio of valued information for our next trip back. Just delighted that you're enjoying the cruise. It is one of the best ever. Just wait. There's more to come.

 

Thanks much.

[herenthere]

Yesterday I was reading your live messages from the Nautica. Then I went to cruise calendar to check out the number of ships in the ports when we cruise in May on Nautica. There was a webcam column with the link "ship" ,so I finally decided to see what it was all about. Sure enough there was a live webcam from your ship in Ho Chi Minh city. I knew it was live because I had just read your thread! So, where are you writing your emails...and is it costing a bundle?

 

Sounds like a great trip! I'm enjoying reading about it.