Phu My - Vietnam - ARCADIA

A warm and colourful welcome on the quayside for the Arcadians.

More water puppets.

The world famous Rex Hotel.

The morning rush hour on the quayside - we had 1200 passengers dispatched in 22 minutes.

This is a fine tuned operation.

All lined up and ready for another day out!

The Notre Dame Cathedral

A mummy in the National Museum

Motorbikes everywhere.

Local entertainment at the Arcadia lunch venue.

Lacquer factory.

Ho Chi Minh traffic starts to build up.

The Chinese Temple.

Finished products at the Lacquer Factory.

Good Day Everyone,

Hope you enjoyed your St Patrick's Day. It was a busy morning for me at my office and by the time afternoon came I just did not have the energy to go ashore - sounds crazy doesn't it - to come all this way on a cruise to Vietnam and not go ashore. However I did enjoy my run ashore in Halong Bay so at least I have a feel for the county.

Instead I rested my body on a sun lounger above the Crow's Nest with a lovely breeze over the open decks to keep me cool. Not a soul in sight as most people were ashore - heaven! I did manage Fish and Chips with mushy peas for my lunch form the Neptune Grill and a glass of the black stuff! In the evening the Entertainment Staff did a great job in very tastefully decorating The Globe and The Rising Sun, which did a roaring trade with singing and dancing. I met some friends before dinner and played the piano for them - all the favourite tunes.........and then had dinner in The Meridian Restaurant. One the way 'home' I bumped into some regulars - and we had a night cap in the Royal Box in Intermezzos! It was a most enjoyable day on board Arcadia.

Thankfully my good friend Graham did get ashore and here is his report on the day.

Here we go............

As I lay in my bed I was sure that I could hear the public announcement calling out – ‘Good Morning Vietnam’. Then thank God I realised that I was dreaming and the reality then hit me that this was the morning that we were going to visit Ho Chi Minh City. Wow!

For sure I was not the only one who was off to the big city; there were over 1240 more who had the same intention. The local guide warned us that the journey may be slow partly due to the traffic and the fact that police regulations limit the speeds. He was right, progress was slow but nevertheless we eventually arrived in Uncle Ho’s city.

The first stop was the National Museum where we saw the artefact's that have been collected and displayed with great effect and perhaps the star exhibit is the mummy of a woman who had died in the mid 19th century. Whilst here we also enjoyed the colourful display of the traditional Vietnamese water puppets.

As we drove around the city our erstwhile Marco Polo passengers were somewhat dumb struck by the traffic, there appeared to be motorcycles coming out of every street and alleyway.

The French inspired Notre Dame Cathedral was another highlight of the city and it is interesting to note that many brides come here and have their photographs taken even if they have not been married there.

The lunch date was at a hotel set a short distance from the well known Rex Hotel and was a spectacular success and as we enjoyed our flavoursome meal a local troupe entertained us with traditional music and dances.

Off on the coach again and this time we saw the Chinese Temple brightly decorated and the incense spirals were smouldering away and bathing us in their fragrance.

Our final stop was at the lacquer factory where local Vietnamese artists make and decorate trays, pots, screens and a thousand and one other things all of which were so tempting to buy. Many of the passengers succumbed to the temptations and left the city loaded with reminders of their time there.

This was a memorable day in the sunshine of South Vietnam and will be long remembered as a highlight of Arcadia’s Inaugural Grand Voyage.

Thanks for that Graham and for your fantastic photos.

Lovely day at sea here - very hot and clear blue skies so everyone will have a chance to rest up for Sihanoukville in Cambodia tomorrow - another new port and country for me..........

And finally Hello to Mike and Sandra - Matt's working very hard in Arcadian Rhodes!! Also Hi to MJ - hope all is well now that the A & G are back in town! To Elaine, Gill, Geoff and all my regulars thanks for your messages, thoughts and good wishes. We sure are blessed with the weather on this Grand Voyage.

Bye for now,

James.

True friendship can never be broken, weakened, or strained; it can only be tested.