03-19-2026 Walk

First time using the Blogger app, I hope it's a much better experience than the website, which is quite poor on the phone. Woke up early-ish, had a shower and light breakfast, then walked over to the War Remnants Museum. This was memorable, a significant reminder that humans are eminently capable of extreme cruelty to other humans, and Americans are no exception. War is a terrible business, it degrades the human spirit. I thought the presentation was fair in its portrayal of the wars as ways to claim dominance over a people and their cultural mores. Spent a little over two hours there, not much joy in this museum. I walked from there to a cafe to meet Ann for an egg cream coffee. It was really delicious, a rare treat. We walked from there to the HCMC central post office, which apparently was designed by Gustav Eiffel. Close to Notre Dame Cathedral, which was closed for renovation both inside and out. From there we walked to a central market area, lots of food, clothes, shoes, and souvenirs. May go there tomorrow and buy some things. Then we headed back to the Airbnb, found a Mexican food restaurant on the way, and stopped for lunch. Nobody in the restaurant knew how to make a margarita, which was a little sad. Food was okay but could have been replaced with another cuisine without difficulty. Somewhere near here, I came across a major street corner where two people were doing scooter repairs, I clouding having one scooter extensively disassembled (when we walked by this corner in the evening all evidence of the pop-up repair shop was gone except for the grease on the sidewalk) Back to the flat from there, and a rest break in the afternoon. Made spaghetti for dinner, that sauce was pretty bad. We watched a Netflix show before going to an area of HCMC, Bui Vien, known as a party scene, similar to Beer Street in Hanoi. It was busy but not super crowded, sa a couple of fire breathers, sat at a place across the street from  Vietnamese cover band, listened to their music (definitely not great), and people-watched. Lots of scooter traffic, a surprising number of scooter families with small kids. We walked back to the flat after this and settled down for the evening.

03-18-2026 Walk

Slept pretty well, although I was still somewhat congested (<!>). We had some food in the flat that we could eat for breakfast, so we did that, packed up our stuff, then went out for coffee (my cappuccino was great). Walked a little bit by the river before heading back and finishing up getting ready to leave. We caught a Grab to the office where the bus was to take us to Ho Chi Minh City. The drive took about three hours, and we stopped for a break at a rest stop on the outskirts of the city. Got another Grab from the drop off point to our Airbnb, which was in a highrise building. We got there around 1:30, no key in the mailbox, it took about 30 minutes to straighten up the situation, which involved switching to another flat. But it all worked out okay, just some delay. We dropped our stuff off and walked to a Vietnamese place for lunch. Prices are noticeably higher here than every other city we've been in this trip, still reasonable. Got some more cash after lunch and picked up more snacks at a small nearby market. In the evening we watched a follow-up movie about Jesse from Breaking Bad. Wasn't great, and it told a lot of the story from the series, so that will be a small letdown if I ever finish watching it. Had a small dinner from the grocery supplies we had been carrying, was filling enough. The rest of the evening was quiet.

03-17-2026 Walk

Very early start to this day. We got up at 4:30 and packed up stuff for the river tour. I didn't know what to expect on this adventure. Got to the meeting spot around 5:25 and met our guide Sophia (actual name Anh). There were three other tourists on a small sampan boat that we got into in the dark. Lots of other boats, large and small, heading for the floating markets, which was also our first destination. It took about 45 minutes to get there, and the sun rose while we were on our way. The markets are a series of boats that people load with produce (fruits and vegetables) and come down the delta to sell in bulk at wholesale prices. They typically stay for a week or more until they sell their load, then return. It was interesting to hear about, but this trade is dying off with the increasing availability of other means of transporting goods than by boat. The wholesalers aren't interested in tourists, since they aren't buying. We stopped for a drink, both of us had fresh coconut juice, which was good and plentiful. Later on we stopped at another boat and had a traditional Vietnamese breakfast of rice noodles, which was actually quite tasty. Day want too hot yet, so that worked as well. From there we headed up the river and eventually turned off into a smaller tributary, following it until the water hyacinth plants completely blocked the way. Turned around there and headed back to an ecological reserve area along an offshoot of the main river. We got out of the boat there and walked for a while, with Anh pouting out various plants and fruit trees. We stopped for a break at a local BnB-like place, where we had some fruit (very tasty) and then made traditional Vietnamese pancakes. They turned out well, delicious and not too filling. Our fellow tourists were Swiss (young lady) and French (older couple, it was his birthday). Back to the boat after that, which met us nearby. We headed down the river (a little bumper but manageable) back to the floating market area, which was much more quiet after the morning rush. Stopped and boarded one of the family boats to see a little more what it was like. Pretty small but functional, other that the toilets, which dropped directly into the river. Had some more fruit (delicious lightly sweet pineapple), I was really glad this tour didn't include any interactions with hawkers. Some of the bigger tour boats stopped at larger floating cafes, not as authentic. Then it was back to the launching point, where we said our goodbyes and walked (very slowly) back to the room. This was a very good tour, so much better than the Hà Long Bay experience, much less crowded and at least approaching some authenticity. I needed a little nap, was tired from the early start, felt better afterwards. We walked to a Thai food restaurant for a late lunch/early dinner. Food was very inexpensive, okay but not great. Stopped at the supermarket on the way back, where I had to find a restroom (successful, had to use the spray nozzle, which was useful). There were some shops in this mall by the market, and the salesperson was apologetic when I asked whether they had running shoes in my size (I think her immediate reaction was, "No way" 😂). Walked back from there and had a very quiet evening.

03-08-2026 Hike

Slept fairly well again, did wake up and read for a while but eventually got back to sleep (<!>). Showered, and Ann washed some clothes, then we headed over to breakfast in the resort lobby. It was okay, sufficient variety and quality, although the coffee was bad (good pineapple juice, though). Then we went back to the room and packed our stuff, to be moved to a different room. Hung around the new room, as nice as the other one, planning our day's activities. Ann agreed to ride on the scooter, which was a little surprising. We got one from the front desk and took it out for a test ride. She was a trooper, so I loaded in the map to Bich Dong Pagoda. I'd started out in the wrong direction, so we ended up taking the long way there. Rode through Tam Coc village on the way. This was an adventure and an experience. Got to feel just how riding a scooter in Vietnam is, with traffic and stress mixed in with smells, many of them unpleasant. . I was really focused on the road and conditions, but some sections of the countryside were beautiful, especially riding past rice fields. We got there and it was quite crowded. I paid about a buck to park the scooter and we hiked up to see the pagoda inset into the hillside, kinda cool. We continued hiking up to the top, where there was a decent but not great viewpoint along with a small shrine. Then a careful hike back down, after which we decided to walk over to Chua Linh Coc. It was about 1 km to get there, initially on busy streets but the last half on a quiet road. Hardly anyone was there, and a female Buddhist caretaker took our money and turned on the lights for the Fairy Cave. We hiked up another set of stairs to the cave entrance, which was not imposing. Through the narrow entrance, and right away Ann saw that this wasn't for her (great call). I climbed through the cave, having to duck a lot, crawl some, and hike up and down rough stone steps. It was pretty interesting for the small entrance fee. To the end and then back, where we sat at the entrance and decided where to have lunch. Then we hiked back to the parking lot where the scooter was, and rode back into Tam Coc village. Lots of traffic and gas/diesel fumes, and I missed my turn to the Coffee Cat Café. Using Google Maps with headphones to direct me isn't easy on unfamiliar roads, but we made it there. Lunch was decent, smoothies were good, and there were several cats around the cage, as advertised. BTW, we saw some water buffalo by Chua Linh Coc, the adults were impressive. Decided, after lunch, to stop in the village and look around, but the scooter was idling so low that it stalled a couple of times, so I decided we should head directly back. Took the short route this time, and it was more fun as soon as we got out of town and onto back roads. Safely back to the hotel, where we chilled in the room for the latter p and then art of the afternoon. We decided to ride into Hoa Lu Old Town in the early evening. It is actually a new development, Ann said it reminded her of Seaport Village, and she's right. Some pretty lights and Buddhist pagodas there. We walked all around the place before riding back in the dark. The ride there was okay, a little sketchy. The ride back was definitely tense for me. Streets bear our hotel weren't well lit, and there were pedestrians and oncoming traffic that really made it difficult to see the road and avoid others. At one point Google Maps directed us onto a dark, dirt road with major potholes, and there was no way that would turn out okay. We turned around and rerouted to a better way, which was still scary at times. The scooter was low on battery and didn't have enough illumination for this kind of riding. Also, the horn didn't work, the idle was set too low, and the front brake was spongy. But other than that.... I was super glad to get back to the hotel. We dropped the scooter off and walked to a nearby restaurant for a casual dinner. Packed up a little before going to sleep.

Pickleball

03-06-2026 Walks

Slept in the night until about 11:00 (<>) and got back to sleep around 1:00. I slept off and on (no long periods of lying awake) until just before 6:00, when we got up and headed to a local sit-down café for breakfast. Omelet and bread, pain au chocolat, along chocolate croissant, and two coffees for about $12. It was excellent and really hit the spot for me, since I had basically had one meal the previous day. After breakfast we stopped at a market and got some snacks for the weekend. Then we walked around, trying to find us an ATM (successful), and back to the Airbnb. Ann had a gastric issue on the way back, but she found a café that was open. When we got back we rested while she took some Imodium and gave it time to take effect. In the late morning we walked over to the Imperial Citadel, which served as the military headquarters for North Vietnam during the war and also has a long record as a place of central importance in Vietnamese history going all the way back to 1000 CE. The grounds were fairly extensive, and we walked throughout the place. Then we started walking back to the Airbnb and happened upon the south Train Street area just as a train was rolling through. We walked into the row of shops after it passed and stopped for a drink there. This is a crazy place, hard to believe it still exists, given the danger of trains rolling through lines of people close enough to touch the sides. No trains came through as we sat there. We kept walking back, found a banh my sandwich shop near the Airbnb, and I had a light lunch (delicious and refreshing). We walked back to the bakery from the morning, walking along a street with a concentration of hardware shops, got a baguette there, and headed back to the flat for a rest break. After the break we walked over to an open market in a couple of buildings, lots of clothes and nothing of interest to us. We decided to try and have dinner out, went to a Vietnamese place not too far away, with vegetarian options. Food was pretty good, prices were great. There was a dude at the table behind Ann who, as near as I could figure, was on an escorted date, trying to chat this young woman up. She didn't seem too interested in the whole thing. And he was wearing sunglasses in the restaurant. Would love to know the whole story here. After dinner we walked back over to the lake, which was supposed to be set up for activities on the sidewalk around it. All we saw was an awful bad playing instruments slightly out of tune and too loud. So we walked over to Beer Street, where it was still early, stopped at a clip joint for a beer and a glass of wine, and people-watched. We walked a little further north, and the bars at the north end were dead, again likely because it was early. From there we walked back to the flat, taking a detour through a nearby night market that was hopping. Back to the flat for a quiet rest of the evening before going to sleep. According to my Google Maps timeline, on this day we walked about seven miles, and that sounds a little low. It was over 20k steps.

03-05-2026 Walk

We arrived into Hong Kong and had a two-hour layover until our two-hour flight to Hanoi. All went off without a hitch. Ann had arranged for assistance from Klook getting through immigration check, but we probably didn't need it. We were through in about 10 minutes and into the main airport. Got some money out of the ATM without too much difficulty, then Ann used the Grab app (like Uber) to get us a taxi to our Airbnb in the Old Quarter. The 40-minute ride cost us about $12, and we ground the place pretty easily. Lin, our Snug host, was waiting for us and showed the place, which is decent (kitchen is bare bones, but the rest of the place is nice and comfortable enough). We headed out to a place nearby for a sit-down lunch, very good and super cheap. Headed back, had a brief rest, the we walked over to the nearby lake, taking the loop around it and snapping some photos along the way. The traffic here is intense, cars and many, many scooters that don't stop for you crossing the road. You just look for a gap and start walking across without making eye contact. This is a gritty area, safe enough but definitely working class. We walked until Ann was starting to fade (I was close too) and then headed back. Had a shower to clean up a bit, Ann washed some clothes, then we both fell asleep around 6:00. 

03-04-2026 Entry

This is a short entry, since I spent a very short Thursday in the air flying over the international date line. Airplane flight from LAX to Hong Kong was super long, 16 hours, maybe our longest flight. I watched a couple of versions of The Running Man, the first didn't hold up so well, and the second was almost unrelentingly violent. Slept off and on throughout the flight, food was average, and I couldn't eat the non-vegetarian breakfast.