Seabourn Sojourn 2014 World Cruise Los Angeles to Venice January 4 to May 1, 2014
Segment 3 Hong Kong to Mumbai
March 14 - 15 We docked in Hong Kong adjacent to a mall that is hard to describe. Modern with over 700 stores including every high end store you can possibly think of. The end of the gangway led us into the second story of the mall. We were really not prepared for such a modern and wealthy city. Of course this was not representative of all of Hong Kong, and there are many poor areas, but we felt we had a good overall tour of the city which is jam packed with people. It has about a third more skyscrapers than New York City. They are overall much taller accounting for about four times as many stories than Manhatten.
On our first day we stayed close to the ship, walking through the mall and along the waterfront. It did seem to us that English was less frequently spoken that what we remembered from an earlier visit. We were actually in Kowloon and looking across Victoria Harbor at the Island of Hong Kong. That evening we attended a special dinner in a restaurant on the tenth floor of a building overlooking the city. We enjoyed watching the light show at night as well as entertainment in the restaurant. After dinner we returned to the ship and watched a program of Chinese acrobats and other entertainers.
On the second day we participated in a tour of the area called New Territory, which is north of Hong Kong Island and extends to the boarder of Mainland China. Included in the tour was a visit to a local market. I hope my photos are representative of the opulence and diversity of the area.
In 1994 we visited Vietnam as independent travelers. We can not remember what the attraction was for us to visit this country. I was almost drafted for the war, and in fact passed my physical, but at the last minute the company I worked for was able to provide me with a critical skills deferment. It is something we have often thought about, especially how it would have changed our lives. We visited all three of the places the Sojourn is visiting on this cruise during our 1994 trip, plus a lot more including Hanoi, Da Lat, Hue and the Mekon Delta.
In 1994 we were struck by the proud personalities of all of the Vietnamese we interfaced with. For the most part they were poor, but all of the places we stayed were upscale. Everyone worked hard and we were really aware of the strong families that looked out for one another. By 1994 the roads were already over crowded with motor bikes, most of which were old and gave off smoky exhaust.
Thinking back to our experience 20 years ago, we really should not have been surprised by the progress that has taken place, but it is probably astonishment that is a better description of what we felt. The roads are new and modern, but are still overrun with motor bikes The bikes are all new, shiny and appear to be up to date environmentally. Everyone seemed to be wearing new clothing, most of it western style. And; of course, everyone appeared to have a cell phone. The majority of the people might be poor compared to our Western Standard, but they have jobs and enough disposable income to purchase the new bikes, cell phones, and to a growing extent a family car.
It was overcast with a heavy fog when we anchored in Halong Bay, just as we remembered it from 1994. We did not go ashore, but could see several new modern bridges and many hotels and high rise buildings along the shore. The cruise through the bay was amazing and just as beautiful as we remembered it with the exception of the number of junks carrying tourists through this amazing seascape. There was only one hotel complex in Halong Bay during our earlier visit.
March 19th We were delayed in reaching Da Nang in 1994, arriving after dark and leaving for Hue early the next morning. We really did not have a chance to see much of the city. We do remember staying at the only new hotel on the beach. We were not aware of the role this city played for the US during the war and did not see the remains of the helicopter hangers that are still visible from the highway. During 1994 our guides talked about the war with the French, but seemed to avoid any reference to the "American War". Even then most were too young to have any firsthand knowledge of that war and were obviously discussing the history they were taught in school.
The trip we chose for this visit was a bus ride to Hoi An with several hours of free time to wander through this World Heritage Site. The bus guide was in his mid forties and talked about the sites we passed on the drive to Hoi An, concentrating on the beautiful beaches, five star hotels and Marble Mountain. He did point out the remains of the US helicopter hangers along the highway. The primary talk was about the growth of business and well being in Hoi An in the past 10 years since it became a World Heritage Site. He told us the beaches we passed were named Da Nang Beach and Marble Mountain Beach. When asked about China Beach he was a bit cautious and said that he had been told by some American Veterans they called it China Beach, but said he could not call it that for fear of being arrested.
Our time in Hoi An was enjoyable and we even bought a T-shirt for me and necklace for Eleanor, both after some serious negotiations! On the drive back to the ship we were given a brief drive through tour of Da Nang which is a very modern looking city.
March 21-22 Ho Chi Minh City - once again we were not prepared for the incredible change that has taken place in this city which we previously knew as Saigon. My photos are self explanatory. For the most part we stayed on the ship. We did travel to the Opera House to see a very impressive show called A O My Village which was very enjoyable.
March 24th The Sojourn anchored off a private beach on an Island that is part of Thailand called Ko Kut. The day started out with a heavy rain and then turned very humid. Most of the passengers went to the beach for the day which included a beach BBQ and caviar in the surf. We enjoyed a quiet day on the ship which we had pretty much to ourselves and a few crew members.
March 25-6 We were docked in Laem Chabang which is just north of Pattaya and about a 2 hour drive south of Bangkok. It is primarily a port for container ships and the larger cruise ships calling on this area of Thailand. There was no shopping or tourist sites within easy access of the ship so other than half day tour of the surrounding area we remained on board the Sojourn. In 2003, 4 and 5 we based in Bangkok for the winters and took many enjoyable trips to various places in Thailand, as well as trips to Cambodia, Burma and several other Asian Countries. Unlike most of the passengers, we did not travel to Bangkok on this visit.
The most interesting and enjoyable time we had was a drive through the Khao Kheow Zoo as part of the tour we did take. It is well laid out and a place we would definitely have liked to have spent more time.
While it was interesting to note that there were many new motor bikes and cars, other than the fact that most people had cell phones and tablets, there did not seem to have been the same increase in economic well being that we noted in Hong Kong and Vietnam. We probably would have had a different experience if we had traveled into Bangkok which has a new improved airport and rail transport system, as well as many new hotels and high rise office buildings.