Cu Chi Tunnels

I originally wrote this on Sat Apr 23, but could not get it to post.
On Friday, Kathy and I left Macy at home with Ron and Devon and we headed up the Sai Gon River to Cu Chi. Cu Chi is the area north of Saigon that has approx 250 km of underground tunnels that were used during the Vietnam/American War by the Viet Cong. We were thrilled with the trip. The tunnels themselves are amazing, the trip up the Saigon River by boat was a great treat and our guide knew his history. The tunnels are so very small, made for the physical structure of the Vietnamese, and the whole area is an amazing place to visit. We were both so glad we went.

Two of the many river views as we motored up the Saigon River to the Tunnels





A daring visitor trying out the tunnels for size



And there he goes!!!!

School Fun

fun with hoola hoops


petting the goats with Aunt Kathy


Macy with Aunt Kathy's Grade 1 class at the Zoo


the view from Stella's restaurant in the Backpackers district

What a Wonderful Week

We have had a wonderful week. We started the week with our trip to Vung Tao. On Tuesday we headed to Ben Thanh Market to do some shopping. It was fun. Lots of questions about Macy. I am sure most thought she belonged to Devon. At one point one of the ladies asked Devon if Macy's mother was Vietnamese, he shrugged his shoulders and pointed to me and said, that is her mother there. We figured they thought that Macy belonged to Devon, but when they realized she was originally from here, they were all smiles. I didn't buy much, just a few small things.
Wednesday late morning we headed to Kathy and Ron's school. Macy and I spent a few minutes in Kathy's class. The children were wonderful, very respectful of Macy. They were quiet and let her come to them, and very quickly she was happily wandering around the class, checking everyone out. The children were thrilled. She amused them with the words she knows, and the children all drew pictures for Macy. We had lunch with Kathy and Ron and a few of the other teachers, hung out in Ron's office for a bit where Macy had a blast playing with balls and the hoola hoops before heading home. The other PE teacher,Kathryn, a wonderful lady from Montreal came for dinner, and of course Macy entertained us all after dinner.
This morning was Zoo Day. We joined Kathy and 3 other teachers with their classes at the Zoo. Again Macy was great with the kids, and she was thrilled with the animals. She was petting goats and sheep in the petting area and was all Oohs and Aaw's when she saw the elephants, zebra's, giraffes, ostrich, monkeys, etc.
Devon, Macy and I had a great lunch in the backpacker district while we watched daily life in Saigon. Kathy and I are heading up the Saigon River by boat in the morning to the Cu Chi Tunnels. Macy is staying home with Ron and Macy. I'll let you know if I actually get near the tunnels, as they are veeeeeery small.

Pics

I finally got to edit the blog. Here is Devon enjoying the shade of the trees in the afternoon.

We had a wonderful time in the town of Vung Tao.

check out the last line of the sign. It is great to know that some of the businesses support the orphanages.

Macy catching a nap under the shade of the tree.

Here is Macy enjoying a laugh with her cousin Devon.

Another Wonderful Day in Vietnam

Sorry for no pictures but the image loader will not work here today.(It is hit and miss what loads and what does not, and if it does not work now it probably will work sometime later, so check back for pics later.

We had another wonderful day. Today, Devon, Macy and I visited the small coastal town of Vung Tau. We travelled by hydrofoil down the Saigon River to the South China Sea. Even the trip there and back was interesting as there was an assortment of ships, boats etc to be seen along the way. It was a beautiful weather day (as most seem to be) and we took advantage of the ocean breeze and wandered along the road until we found a nice little place for breakfast. It was so nice to sit and relax, watch the water and the world go by. After breakfast, we wandered around, enjoyed the scenery, and finally ended up in a park where we joined the locals in bit of relaxing time. We picked out our little shady spot under the trees and were ready to spend more time watching the world go by. Macy napped, Devon read and I just relaxed. After a couple of hours and a bit more people watching we headed back to the same cafe for a late lunch. We ended the afternoon with a great time laughing and being silly, a great day for sure.

Greetings from Vietnam

Greetings, Macy and I arrived here in HCMC safe and sound. The trip was not bad at all, we were able to get some sleep on both flights as we had several seats to stretch out on. We have been relaxing, Macy is still jet lagged and awake almost all night, but I am hoping for more sleep at night tonight. We have been out for a few meals, and as usual the food in this country is amazing. After a wonderful lunch out, Kathy and I treated ourselves to a pedicure this afternoon before we got a few groceries and Macy came home with Uncle Ron and slept the afternoon away at home. Here is a picture of the round about in front of Ben Thanh market, (a building full of small stalls selling clothes, hats, etc. etc.) And yes of course I purchased a few things.
Here is Kathy and Macy grabbing a cup of coffee to go.

Here is Macy enjoying her croissant and her mango smoothie while out for lunch with Mom and Aunt Kathy

Aunt Kathy and Macy as we stroll along a city street in District 1

Tomorrow is Sunday and I think the plan is to go to a downtown hotel for Tea and cupcakes.
On Monday, Devon, Macy and I are headed to Vung Tau for the day. It is a little beach town from the 50's that we get to via hydrofoil. Lots of suncreen will be needed. The rest of the week is not planned yet but I hope to get to the War Remnants Museum on one of the days.

It's warm here, or as my brother in law Ron says, Summer Time, Summer Time, All the Time All the Time.