One universal trait that every GI in Vietnam shared was that he
could tell you to the day how much longer he was going to be "in-country". You did
everything you could to minimize the day count. A “short timer” had less than
100 days……a double digit midget had less than a 100 days…..and then came those
lucky enough to be in the single digits……those were the real short-timers. I
recall how excited I was to find that I had miss-counted by two days and got to
recalculate my number. My visit to Chu Lai re-kindled a lot of those memories.
Guys with time remaining in the single digits often spent their last week holed
up in bunkers all day and over night in order to avoid the errant mortar.
We left the shopping frenzy of Hoian and traveled back thru
DaNang passing by China Beach, still wondering who was going to purchase all of
those Condos. Such a lovely stretch of sand but totally the wrong product for
this section of the world. They should be taking lessons from those in the South
Pacific and just begin throwing up thatched housing with lush landscaping. That
would certainly sell me with all that beautiful water right out my front door
rather than looking down on it from 20 stories up. But oh well, I am not in
charge of this development circus, I just worked here years ago.
Back in DaNang and looking forward to the quick flight to Cam
Ranh Bay to see what changes were in store there. In 1969, my last night in
Vietnam was spent in Cam Ranh Bay, in transit and on my way home. I was really
short the last time I was there. If you were stationed there, you were on the
gravy train. It was probably the most secure base in all of Vietnam. A massive
re-supply harbor and depot, it also served to process the great numbers of GI’s
coming in and out of the country.
We arrived in a most timely fashion into the Cam Ranh Bay
Airport. As we were the only arrivals off the only plane at this new and modern
airport we easily found our luggage and made our way to the ever waiting bus.
Vietnam really is on time from the planes to the buses, there is quite simply no
down time due to missed connections.
Our destination for the next two nights was the garden spot of
Nha Trang situated right on the China Sea. The city boasts 326 days of sunshine
and didn’t disappoint us in the least. The bay is dotted with numerous islands
that we will explore in the days ahead.
During the war, Nha Trang was the site for in-country R&R’s
for GI’s in desperate need a few days rest after a particular stressful period
in the bush. Those of us rear echelon soldiers weren’t really eligible for these
kinds of breaks so I never had the opportunity to see Nha Trang when I was last here.
As we move further south, the country in rapidly improving in
terms of modernization and westernization. Our hotel ended up located right on
the strand, ten yards from the water with views of the entire bay. We settled in
and then it was off for a quick view of the city which included a 150 step hike
to stare at another Budha. Even tho it was hollow it was quite impressive and
even better views of the city from this vantage point;
As the trip moves along we have become a bit more insistent as
to how our days should be handled. Like other tours, the leader feels an
obligation to give us more than we really want, need or can even understand.
When Cuong begins a speal at the year 1400, its as though I’ve been fed a
sleeping pill and begin immediately to drift off and move further away from the
subject at hand. Judy Hinch has been very insistent that she is taking this tour
on a pass/fail basis with no intentions of writing for the final exam. Others
have followed suit and often adopt that far off look when the talk delves too
much in to the minutia of the moment……..We just keep telling ourselves that
Cuuong just wants us to get our money’s worth. Tho, sometimes, however, he just makes
you want to scream!!!!!!!!!!!
Cocktails on the 11th floor roof top garden bar were
followed by dinner in a lovely garden setting at some very non-descript
restaurant that I could never hope to find in a million years of searching even
tho it was just a few blocks away.
We all awoke very excited, to experience the entire day on the
water in and out of the nearby Islands. Nha Trang is just a lovely beach town
with miles and miles of sand and shaded walkways. We boarded our scow (boat
would have been far too generous) and clunked our way to the neighboring
islands. The boat, while functional, was undoubtedly rejected by the boat people
as being an un sea worthy vehicle for escaping the invaders from the north.
Our friendly crew consisted of a group of multi tasking sea men
who did everything to tending bar (passing out beers) to providing any measure
of massage you were willing to pay for. Susan paid dearly to have her back
ruined and popped Excedrin all the rest of the day to help combat the pain. We
should probably examined their licensing and credentials a bit closer. We
arrived at the snorkeling cove and were told that if we lost the mask and
snorkel the charge would be $40. I could make a handsome living selling this
quality of equipment at that price. We plunged into clear waters with the
temperature in the mid 80’s to be greeted by a couple of rather uninterested
fish. While most had seen better underwater sites, the group had fun and the day
was so very beautiful that we a very little to complain about……….except Susan
and her back. We then motored on to a neighboring island for a little beach
sitting under some Mexican like palapas. The cool breezes off the sea, amongst
good travelers, made for a marvelous few hours in the sunshine of this
spectacular bay.
Gondola like cable cars connected some of the higher end
resorts and islands and we did notice the beginning of some South Pacific style
resorts, complete with thatched roof dwellings and sandy beach right out in
front of each bungalow……..maybe I should consider developing this part of the
world. The next stop would be our lunch stop. Our meals have been great and the
further south we go they get even better. The meals seem tastier and much liter
than we experienced in the north.
For some the next few hours took a bit of a dump. We tied up
our scow next to an active fish farm, complete with cuttle fish in the nets,
sharks, eels and snakes. Just about all of your basic food groups, fresh and
available at this one stop fish market.
To go the rest of the way it was choice of a round basic rowed
by an old lady or a Tom Sawyer style pull barge then onto a very shakey pontoon
bridge and we were at the restaurant, Toni and Steve were held for ransom and
additional monies as they were taken to the wrong eating spot. Steve prevailed
with the help of Cuong and we sat down to wonderful lunch.
After lunch we walked thru the fishing village to meet the boat
back to the other side. After a rather marginal visit to a local aquarium, we
headed back to the hotel for shopping or napping. Can you guess what I chose? I
finally got the computer up and going thanks to the help of the Hotel Tech
Expert…..just a few simple settings. The hardest part was having her accept the
tip.
Dinner that evening was on us so a group of seven headed out to
the Sailing Club, a wonderful spot on the beach thru a series of gardens. Steak
Diane and Fries $7 for me while Susan had Lasagna $5. The tropical drinks were
as tasty as they could be and the wine was more than acceptable. They are very
good a splitting up the check any way you choose, so dining out in large groups
works quite well.
Rise and shine to the airport for the trip south to Saigon. We
knew it was going to be hot, but we were not prepared for what temperatures and
humidity awaited us. The walk to the bus from the air conditioned confines of
the new airport.
The ride from the airport to town was as chaotic as any we had
experienced. The town is much more modern and indeed more western than Hanoi.
However, they still subscribe to the “no rules of the road”and drive with a
devil may care approach to the road and all of the other drivers. The mind set of
the road is not even remotely understandable, with their total disregard for
their own lives and the lives of the family members and cargo they are
transporting.
So as not to miss a thing on the itinerary, we headed to the
War Reparations Museum, a real rap on the US which would have been more suitable
in the communist north. Cuong is from the north and has no trouble what so ever
defending their take over of the south. The South is rarely mentioned while the
buzz words about the American Atrocities are mentioned at the drop of the hat.
To me, there is a real conflict in ideology when a communist sings the praises
of HoChiMinh while making his living of the somewhat wealthy tourist that pay
his way.
As we near the end of our time with Cuong, I find his harping
on the US to be a bit disconcerting, and like I said with little mention of the
South’s involvement and willingness to take our help. We were wrong to get
ourselves involved in the mess, and it so unfortunate that we tend to keep
making these same types of mistake. We simply shouldn’t involve ourselves in the
workings of foreign governments. Korea, Vietnam and the Gulf of Tonkin…….the
trumped up WMD’s in Irag. When will we learn, and fix the situations at home
before intervening into the lives of people halfway around the world. There was
no domino theory in play in Vietnam and fortunately we find ourselves as friends
and trading partners to day.
Tomorrow we are off to the most beautiful temple in all of
Vietnam (according to Cuong, but he said that about the aquarium) then to the
tunnels of Cu Chi. Its going to be a long, hot one tomorrow.
All for now………………………………...gb
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