So, we have a pre port meeting the night before we reach all the ports. It's mandatory because they have some extremely helpful information.
It can be a bit dry at times but the executive dean makes it pretty fun and interesting to listen to. He's talking to college students after all who seem to have a shorter attention span than the Smith boys!
He starts out with statistics for the last port. Ours was Vietnam:
- No one was drugged by other people
- 35 pick pocketed
- 18 stolen cards from fake ATMs
- 29 lost/stolen iPhones
- 1 Lost but found passport
- 5 people hit by scooters
- 2 leg burns from scooter exhaust pipes
These statistics were not as bad as I'd expected. From the previous ports, it is obvious that a lot of the students don't listen to the precautions, then suffer the consequences. In Japan, more than a handful of students were drugged at nightclubs and "violated". In China, there were fewer drug episodes but 3 students lost their passports and spent the entire stay at port going through the red tape to get a temporary passport. I heard they had to fly to another city to get it done! I bet their parents were a little upset...
SAS does an exceptional job giving out the warnings both in mandatory lecture form and in print. It's just up to the students to do the right thing.
Singapore pre port came with some unusual requirements and all are arrestable offenses:
- no chewing gum
- no jay walking
- you must have the license if you are carrying software
- no political paraphernalia
- no books or newspapers
- all are subject to random drug testing
...and the list goes on. If you are arrested, the punishment is jail or caning. I guess the video of caning was too graphic to show at the pre port so they put up an image instead. Good news is they do drape a protective wrap on your lower back so that they do not damage your kidneys. How thoughtful.
Anyway, it should be an interesting port. I have a cousin, 1, 2, 3, 4 removed (I'm not sure how that works), who lives in Singapore. We are scheduled to have dinner with her and her kids tomorrow night. Hopefully, we make it to the restaurant without any trouble!
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Monday, February 18, 2013
Saigon
I know the official name is "Ho Chi Minh City" but the locals still refer to their port city as "Saigon" so I've decided to do the same. Not to mention, Ho Chi Minh was a very bad man!
The Marketplace
We thought we would find a local beach to spend some time vacationing from our "vacation" but with Tet, the new year celebration in full swing for the majority of the week, flights and hotels were all booked. So we decided to get as much out of the port city as we could.
The ship had a shuttle bus that took passengers to and from the city center that left on the half hour making it very easy for us to get to the Bên Thán market.
The boys LOVE to haggle. Something they got from their dad because it is not at all fun for me. They have 2 different styles which seem to work equally as well. Jeremy is confrontational..."Meet my best offer or I'm walking." He got a couple of shirts and and some glasses that way. I ruined it for him as he tried to get a better deal on a watch. I'm too soft and agreed to a price with J rolling his eyes at me.
Ben turns out the charm. He haggles with a huge smile on his face and never budges from his final offer but never walks away either. Just stands there smiling until he gets what he wants. He earned a watch, shoes and a couple of shirts : ) Ben could easily get the Vietnamese discount too. They all look at him and want to touch him. When they get his attention they smile, nod and give him a "thumbs up" ; )
I tried to buy a couple of things with no success. I think I have either gained my "freshman 15" all over again or the asian sizing charts are WAY off! I picked up a pair of shoes to have a closer look and then had them ripped out of my hands, "Shoes too small for you!" I finally gave up when the dress shopkeeper, after bringing me bigger size after bigger size to try on finally, suggested that I look in the "big girl section"!
Jeremy had a similar problem. He was on the lookout for a pair of loafers. After haggling price all day and disappointed when they didn't have a size 12, his opening line became, "What is the largest size you have?" He actually got laughed at by one store owner who only carried up to a size 6! Ben, on the other hand said that he would like to live in Vietnam and have a vacation home in Roswell ; )
When Will We Learn?
Chris and I decided to go out to dinner for Valentines Day. The boys were given the "ok" by the Executive Dean to stay onboard unsupervised then he recommended a French restaurant for us to try.
It was dark out but the city was decorated in the full spectrum of colors for the holiday. And the scooter traffic was unbelievable! Thousands of scooters clogged up the streets. Single passenger vehicles carrying a family of 4 plus whatever bags they had was not that uncommon of a sight. Infants being bottle fed as the pregnant mother rode side-saddle behind her husband locking in their 2 year old between his legs. Crazy!
Au Manoir de Khai was about a 10 minute ride from the ship but once we walked inside, it felt like we had gone thousands of miles away to a quaint French corner of the world. It was a dimmly lit courtyard restaurant with fountains to drown out the sounds of the street, lamp post lighting the walkway and wrought iron chairs with white linen covered tables...quintessential Valentine's Day ambience. The hostess approached us, "Good evening. May I help you?" "Table for 2 please. ", Chris replied as I snapped pictures to document our dinner.
"You have reservation?" We looked at each other and back to the hostess, "No."
"I'm sorry, I can not help you."
"Can we have drinks at the bar?"
"I'm sorry, I can not help you."
Failed at the planning again!
WHEN ARE WE GOING TO LEARN?!
The hostess kindly recommended a Thai restaurant around the corner. As we walked in, we were again asked the same STUPID question about making STUPID reservations. At least this time they could accommodate us. The host shook his head and pointed upward. 3 flights up and through all the air conditioned floors, we were escorted to the outdoor seating area for all the other sweaty, non-reservation making, spontaneous fun-seeking idiots. At least the food was good and the company couldn't be better ; )
We took a walk around the city center and ended up at the bar of The Caravelle Hotel, the first hotel to open its doors after Saigon fell. It was so nice and comfortable that we decided to bring the boys back the next day.
A Vacation From Our Vacation
Chris and Jeremy woke up bright and early to play golf at the Vietnam Country Club so Ben and I were on our own for most of the day.
After breakfast I told Ben to pack a bag because Chris and I decided to stay in a hostile for the night so that the boys could have the experience a lot of their college aged friends were having. If you could have seen the look on Ben's face, you would have thought I had just told him that the world was coming to an end!
He begrudgingly stuffed his bag with essentials and I packed up for the rest of us. He dragged himself onto the shuttle bus probably thinking that he had the worst parents ever. We reached the city center and I told him we had to walk the rest of the way. Again, he gave me that look of "why me?" We only walked 4 blocks when I steered him into the Caravelle. "This is your hostile" I told him. A huge sigh of relief and and even bigger smile overcame him, "Oh thank God!"
We had a relaxing rest of the day lounging by the pool and using the awesome wifi. Ben even Skyped some friends while he was in the pool!
We went out to the market for a bit and when we returned, we found Chris and Jeremy back from their round of golf. We took it even easier and got dinner from Pizza Hut!
Last Day
The 4 of us were scheduled to take a cooking class on the last day. But at the last minute, Jeremy and Ben got a better offer...2 of the students invited them to go "ice skating" and bowling. Hesitant to let them loose in Saigon and hesitant to allow their first double date, I was comforted by Ben who told me they were "just friends" ; ) Even more comforted when I found out that one of the other kids and his dad were going to tag along.
Chris and I were happy to see that our friends Marissa (MU Golden Eagle) and her husband Mark were on the roll for the same class. They are a nice couple that we have talked about getting to know better. It was also Mark's birthday so I figured we were in for a special day!
We arrived at the Hao Tuc restaurant. It is known for its authentic Vietnamese food with a French flair. It is not fusion cuisine, but only inspired technically by the French. It is like a bistro "au pleine àir" that you would find on any street corner in Paris.
We were taught to make 3 different dishes which put together, became our lunch for the day: spring rolls with pork and prawns, green mango salad with grilled chicken and beef pho. Each table of students had its own chef to guide them through all the techniques including how to julianne vegetables, reconstitute rice paper wrappers, and make beef stock from scratch. I never knew we were such good cooks! But we are still much better eaters ; )
Afterward we went to the top of The Rex Hotel at the city center with Mark and Marissa to celebrate Mark's bday. We all ordered the local beers, Tiger and Saigon, and I quickly realized I had lost some of the Milwaukee in me as I opted to use the ice cold mug and Marissa latched on to the bottle.
A couple of rounds later and with new found "courage" to do last minute haggling, we headed to the market. Chris and Mark kept up their "confidence" at every Tiger vendor they saw.
The challenge was to get good prices but also use up all the Vietnamese Dong that we had left. I'm sure you can imagine the conversation between the 2 of them on how best to use their dong!
I found Chris wheeling and dealing with 2 young ladies trying to sell him every pair of shorts and all the shirts in their kiosk. Chris, like Jeremy and Ben has his own unique style if haggling..."Look how cute you are, how can you offer me such an unfair price?", "I'll buy it at your price if you'll take a picture with me!" Finally, the last shopkeeper felt so comfortable with his flirting that when Chris pretended to sneak off with some souvenirs she gave him a slap on the rear! As we headed out, Chris waved the little dong he had left at the street vendors and got in the cab with a brand new pair of "Versace" sunglasses!
We are on our way to Singapore. We LOSE an hour tonight! Must mean we're getting closer to home ; )
The Marketplace
We thought we would find a local beach to spend some time vacationing from our "vacation" but with Tet, the new year celebration in full swing for the majority of the week, flights and hotels were all booked. So we decided to get as much out of the port city as we could.
The ship had a shuttle bus that took passengers to and from the city center that left on the half hour making it very easy for us to get to the Bên Thán market.
The boys LOVE to haggle. Something they got from their dad because it is not at all fun for me. They have 2 different styles which seem to work equally as well. Jeremy is confrontational..."Meet my best offer or I'm walking." He got a couple of shirts and and some glasses that way. I ruined it for him as he tried to get a better deal on a watch. I'm too soft and agreed to a price with J rolling his eyes at me.
Ben turns out the charm. He haggles with a huge smile on his face and never budges from his final offer but never walks away either. Just stands there smiling until he gets what he wants. He earned a watch, shoes and a couple of shirts : ) Ben could easily get the Vietnamese discount too. They all look at him and want to touch him. When they get his attention they smile, nod and give him a "thumbs up" ; )
I tried to buy a couple of things with no success. I think I have either gained my "freshman 15" all over again or the asian sizing charts are WAY off! I picked up a pair of shoes to have a closer look and then had them ripped out of my hands, "Shoes too small for you!" I finally gave up when the dress shopkeeper, after bringing me bigger size after bigger size to try on finally, suggested that I look in the "big girl section"!
Jeremy had a similar problem. He was on the lookout for a pair of loafers. After haggling price all day and disappointed when they didn't have a size 12, his opening line became, "What is the largest size you have?" He actually got laughed at by one store owner who only carried up to a size 6! Ben, on the other hand said that he would like to live in Vietnam and have a vacation home in Roswell ; )
When Will We Learn?
Chris and I decided to go out to dinner for Valentines Day. The boys were given the "ok" by the Executive Dean to stay onboard unsupervised then he recommended a French restaurant for us to try.
It was dark out but the city was decorated in the full spectrum of colors for the holiday. And the scooter traffic was unbelievable! Thousands of scooters clogged up the streets. Single passenger vehicles carrying a family of 4 plus whatever bags they had was not that uncommon of a sight. Infants being bottle fed as the pregnant mother rode side-saddle behind her husband locking in their 2 year old between his legs. Crazy!
Au Manoir de Khai was about a 10 minute ride from the ship but once we walked inside, it felt like we had gone thousands of miles away to a quaint French corner of the world. It was a dimmly lit courtyard restaurant with fountains to drown out the sounds of the street, lamp post lighting the walkway and wrought iron chairs with white linen covered tables...quintessential Valentine's Day ambience. The hostess approached us, "Good evening. May I help you?" "Table for 2 please. ", Chris replied as I snapped pictures to document our dinner.
"You have reservation?" We looked at each other and back to the hostess, "No."
"I'm sorry, I can not help you."
"Can we have drinks at the bar?"
"I'm sorry, I can not help you."
Failed at the planning again!
WHEN ARE WE GOING TO LEARN?!
The hostess kindly recommended a Thai restaurant around the corner. As we walked in, we were again asked the same STUPID question about making STUPID reservations. At least this time they could accommodate us. The host shook his head and pointed upward. 3 flights up and through all the air conditioned floors, we were escorted to the outdoor seating area for all the other sweaty, non-reservation making, spontaneous fun-seeking idiots. At least the food was good and the company couldn't be better ; )
We took a walk around the city center and ended up at the bar of The Caravelle Hotel, the first hotel to open its doors after Saigon fell. It was so nice and comfortable that we decided to bring the boys back the next day.
A Vacation From Our Vacation
Chris and Jeremy woke up bright and early to play golf at the Vietnam Country Club so Ben and I were on our own for most of the day.
After breakfast I told Ben to pack a bag because Chris and I decided to stay in a hostile for the night so that the boys could have the experience a lot of their college aged friends were having. If you could have seen the look on Ben's face, you would have thought I had just told him that the world was coming to an end!
He begrudgingly stuffed his bag with essentials and I packed up for the rest of us. He dragged himself onto the shuttle bus probably thinking that he had the worst parents ever. We reached the city center and I told him we had to walk the rest of the way. Again, he gave me that look of "why me?" We only walked 4 blocks when I steered him into the Caravelle. "This is your hostile" I told him. A huge sigh of relief and and even bigger smile overcame him, "Oh thank God!"
We had a relaxing rest of the day lounging by the pool and using the awesome wifi. Ben even Skyped some friends while he was in the pool!
We went out to the market for a bit and when we returned, we found Chris and Jeremy back from their round of golf. We took it even easier and got dinner from Pizza Hut!
Last Day
The 4 of us were scheduled to take a cooking class on the last day. But at the last minute, Jeremy and Ben got a better offer...2 of the students invited them to go "ice skating" and bowling. Hesitant to let them loose in Saigon and hesitant to allow their first double date, I was comforted by Ben who told me they were "just friends" ; ) Even more comforted when I found out that one of the other kids and his dad were going to tag along.
Chris and I were happy to see that our friends Marissa (MU Golden Eagle) and her husband Mark were on the roll for the same class. They are a nice couple that we have talked about getting to know better. It was also Mark's birthday so I figured we were in for a special day!
We arrived at the Hao Tuc restaurant. It is known for its authentic Vietnamese food with a French flair. It is not fusion cuisine, but only inspired technically by the French. It is like a bistro "au pleine àir" that you would find on any street corner in Paris.
We were taught to make 3 different dishes which put together, became our lunch for the day: spring rolls with pork and prawns, green mango salad with grilled chicken and beef pho. Each table of students had its own chef to guide them through all the techniques including how to julianne vegetables, reconstitute rice paper wrappers, and make beef stock from scratch. I never knew we were such good cooks! But we are still much better eaters ; )
Afterward we went to the top of The Rex Hotel at the city center with Mark and Marissa to celebrate Mark's bday. We all ordered the local beers, Tiger and Saigon, and I quickly realized I had lost some of the Milwaukee in me as I opted to use the ice cold mug and Marissa latched on to the bottle.
A couple of rounds later and with new found "courage" to do last minute haggling, we headed to the market. Chris and Mark kept up their "confidence" at every Tiger vendor they saw.
The challenge was to get good prices but also use up all the Vietnamese Dong that we had left. I'm sure you can imagine the conversation between the 2 of them on how best to use their dong!
I found Chris wheeling and dealing with 2 young ladies trying to sell him every pair of shorts and all the shirts in their kiosk. Chris, like Jeremy and Ben has his own unique style if haggling..."Look how cute you are, how can you offer me such an unfair price?", "I'll buy it at your price if you'll take a picture with me!" Finally, the last shopkeeper felt so comfortable with his flirting that when Chris pretended to sneak off with some souvenirs she gave him a slap on the rear! As we headed out, Chris waved the little dong he had left at the street vendors and got in the cab with a brand new pair of "Versace" sunglasses!
We are on our way to Singapore. We LOSE an hour tonight! Must mean we're getting closer to home ; )
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Our Mekong Experience
Gosh. Where to begin...
Ok. The boys and I went off last Wednesday to the Mekong Delta. We were disappointed to leave Archbishop Tutu's Ash Wednesday service early but like I've been saying to Ben for weeks now, "the bus is not going to wait for us!" Just poor planning on our part AGAIN!
We got to My Tho, a city where the Mekong divides into several other rivers. I can't remember the origin of the flow but I know it goes through Laos and Cambodia as well as Vietnam. Then it spills into the South China Sea. Our guide was quick to tell us that the river water is clean. To my eye is was a golden milky waterway with large lush greens sprouting from dark thick muddy banks. The explanation is that the water is saturated with vital minerals from the rich soil of the Mekong islands.
We were taken by ferry down the river a bit and transferred to a 4 man paddle boat. As we floated through the narrow waterways shaded by thick palm trees and other wild vegetation, Jeremy and I both had the thought that our soldiers were sitting ducks for the Vietcong. Obviously still feeling a little vulnerable from our day at the museum.
We sampled tropical fruits like jackfruit, longans, kumquats and dragon fruit of which we ate every bite! The heat and humidity are not unlike what we have in Georgia but the change in temp was drastic coming from China where it is winter.
Then we took a horse a buggy ride to Ben Tho, "the land of coconuts" where it was explained to us how every bit of the coconut us used. It is used as food, utensils, mattress filling and a polishing powder to name a few. And just when you think it's depleted of all it's goodness, it is burned to an ash which they then sell to filter water. These people are VERY resourceful!
After an al fresco lunch (nice way to say we were still sweating), we took a bike ride through what we thought would be a nature trail. I guess you could call it that but the Vietnamese allow scooters and cars on the same trail! Very exciting as our brakes failed, chains fell off and gears locked up all while trying to avoid the 2 way traffic! We made it back safely to find Ben sampling the local coconut candy and sipping on an ice cold bottle of water. He cleverly passed on the bike ride ; )
It was an exotic day on the Mekong.
On our ride back to the ship our tour guide gave us her recollection of the Vietnam war. I've come to appreciate the openness and candidness of the people here who want to share their stories with us. It's a "clearing if the air" to them. The people we have encountered, did not hate the US soldiers. The Vietcong fought dirty. The US did not lose. The Vietcong were deceitful toward everyone. Yes, Vietnam is a communist country but I don't think many of the people living here embrace the idea.
We met Chris at the ship. He had his own day in Saigon since he had the Mekong experience with his class the day before. Someone, please ask him to post details on his blog because they are hilarious! He is a man of few words unfortunately because you all are missing out on a good belly laugh!
Ok. The boys and I went off last Wednesday to the Mekong Delta. We were disappointed to leave Archbishop Tutu's Ash Wednesday service early but like I've been saying to Ben for weeks now, "the bus is not going to wait for us!" Just poor planning on our part AGAIN!
We got to My Tho, a city where the Mekong divides into several other rivers. I can't remember the origin of the flow but I know it goes through Laos and Cambodia as well as Vietnam. Then it spills into the South China Sea. Our guide was quick to tell us that the river water is clean. To my eye is was a golden milky waterway with large lush greens sprouting from dark thick muddy banks. The explanation is that the water is saturated with vital minerals from the rich soil of the Mekong islands.
We were taken by ferry down the river a bit and transferred to a 4 man paddle boat. As we floated through the narrow waterways shaded by thick palm trees and other wild vegetation, Jeremy and I both had the thought that our soldiers were sitting ducks for the Vietcong. Obviously still feeling a little vulnerable from our day at the museum.
We sampled tropical fruits like jackfruit, longans, kumquats and dragon fruit of which we ate every bite! The heat and humidity are not unlike what we have in Georgia but the change in temp was drastic coming from China where it is winter.
Then we took a horse a buggy ride to Ben Tho, "the land of coconuts" where it was explained to us how every bit of the coconut us used. It is used as food, utensils, mattress filling and a polishing powder to name a few. And just when you think it's depleted of all it's goodness, it is burned to an ash which they then sell to filter water. These people are VERY resourceful!
After an al fresco lunch (nice way to say we were still sweating), we took a bike ride through what we thought would be a nature trail. I guess you could call it that but the Vietnamese allow scooters and cars on the same trail! Very exciting as our brakes failed, chains fell off and gears locked up all while trying to avoid the 2 way traffic! We made it back safely to find Ben sampling the local coconut candy and sipping on an ice cold bottle of water. He cleverly passed on the bike ride ; )
It was an exotic day on the Mekong.
On our ride back to the ship our tour guide gave us her recollection of the Vietnam war. I've come to appreciate the openness and candidness of the people here who want to share their stories with us. It's a "clearing if the air" to them. The people we have encountered, did not hate the US soldiers. The Vietcong fought dirty. The US did not lose. The Vietcong were deceitful toward everyone. Yes, Vietnam is a communist country but I don't think many of the people living here embrace the idea.
We met Chris at the ship. He had his own day in Saigon since he had the Mekong experience with his class the day before. Someone, please ask him to post details on his blog because they are hilarious! He is a man of few words unfortunately because you all are missing out on a good belly laugh!
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Ho Chi Minh City
We docked late today in Ho Chi Minh City which sits on the Saigon River. Navigating the boat took 4 hours from the South China Sea to the port. So we didn't actually get to leave the ship until 1:00 when all the bus tours rolled out.
Vietnam is still celebrating Tet, their new year, so the streets were relatively trafficless and the stores and restaurants did not open until after noon. Tomorrow is supposed to bring a more typical day in Vietnam.
We got split up today. Chris' marketing class had a field lab to the Mekog Delta. The boys and I were scheduled to visit the War Museum.
The twist to our day was meeting Mr. Cuong who is a former UPI (United Press International) photojournalist. His claim to fame are his many photographs which captured the life and times of the Vietnam war.
Today, he is a convenience store owner, art collector and private museum curator. His 3 professions are all housed in his cramped 3 story house. Not the SAS field trip experience I expected but maybe this is the best HCMC can offer its tourists. I shouldn't complain. This country is communist but according to Mr. Cuong, he and his contemporaries all think it is "bullshit". Hmmm...
The War Museum houses remnants of the war which was almost entirely anti US propaganda. All 4 stories, including the outside courtyard which has on display tanks, aircraft and literally tons of US weaponry are dedicated to the atrocities committed by the US during the war. The photographs illustrating the effects of Agent Orange were most disturbing. I cautioned the boys and assured them they were not obliged to look but they did. It was a day of information overload for them as well as for me. It left us wondering what our friends at home might be doing.
We returned to an empty ship. Everyone was either still out on their field trips or exploring the city. I thought we might just rest a while then take the shuttle bus back downtown for dinner. Being Fat Tuesday and all, the boys opted to have dinner on the ship. More than anything else, I think it was them needing a little bit of "home". We sat up on the pool deck and ordered hamburgers and fries as we overlooked the moonlit Saigon River.
In search of mass tomorrow!
Vietnam is still celebrating Tet, their new year, so the streets were relatively trafficless and the stores and restaurants did not open until after noon. Tomorrow is supposed to bring a more typical day in Vietnam.
We got split up today. Chris' marketing class had a field lab to the Mekog Delta. The boys and I were scheduled to visit the War Museum.
The twist to our day was meeting Mr. Cuong who is a former UPI (United Press International) photojournalist. His claim to fame are his many photographs which captured the life and times of the Vietnam war.
Today, he is a convenience store owner, art collector and private museum curator. His 3 professions are all housed in his cramped 3 story house. Not the SAS field trip experience I expected but maybe this is the best HCMC can offer its tourists. I shouldn't complain. This country is communist but according to Mr. Cuong, he and his contemporaries all think it is "bullshit". Hmmm...
The War Museum houses remnants of the war which was almost entirely anti US propaganda. All 4 stories, including the outside courtyard which has on display tanks, aircraft and literally tons of US weaponry are dedicated to the atrocities committed by the US during the war. The photographs illustrating the effects of Agent Orange were most disturbing. I cautioned the boys and assured them they were not obliged to look but they did. It was a day of information overload for them as well as for me. It left us wondering what our friends at home might be doing.
We returned to an empty ship. Everyone was either still out on their field trips or exploring the city. I thought we might just rest a while then take the shuttle bus back downtown for dinner. Being Fat Tuesday and all, the boys opted to have dinner on the ship. More than anything else, I think it was them needing a little bit of "home". We sat up on the pool deck and ordered hamburgers and fries as we overlooked the moonlit Saigon River.
In search of mass tomorrow!
Monday, February 11, 2013
SAS Panthers Are 1-1
Jeremy and Ben have joined the basketball Inter-murals onboard. Against Jeremy's wishes, the team got listed as "The Panthers" (the name of his church league team). I got put on the spot filling out the paper work and he couldn't come up with a better name!
Anyway, they lost their first game by one point but played again tonight and won by 2 in double overtime!
The other team-mates include extended family brother, Cody and the requisite female, Quinn, from Gonzaga State! She doesn't play for them, but we all think she could!
Ben also plays on a dodgeball team. I'll have to get that name to you later...something about unicorns. Ben had nothing to do with the name, apparently : ) They are currently 0-1, again only losing by a margin of 1!
Stay tuned. More scores after Vietnam!
Anyway, they lost their first game by one point but played again tonight and won by 2 in double overtime!
The other team-mates include extended family brother, Cody and the requisite female, Quinn, from Gonzaga State! She doesn't play for them, but we all think she could!
Ben also plays on a dodgeball team. I'll have to get that name to you later...something about unicorns. Ben had nothing to do with the name, apparently : ) They are currently 0-1, again only losing by a margin of 1!
Stay tuned. More scores after Vietnam!
Saturday, February 9, 2013
Hong Kong
Had a good and restful night on the ship. It seems that the longer we are away, the more the MVExplorer feels like home ; ) It's very comforting to see our cabin steward, Sotero, greet us in the morning as we go off to breakfast. When we return, our cabins have been cleaned, the beds made, fresh linens and towels, laundry has been picked up and everything put back in its place. Ahhhh.... ; )
Chris had a field lab today with his Economics class. It's like a field trip but for the college students, it counts for 20% of their grade. Anyway, he was gone all day. I'll let him fill you in on those details. Very interesting stuff. We certainly are having conversations during this voyage that we've never had before!
The boys and I signed for a Dim Sum cooking class. Hong Kong, unlike Beijing and the majority of mainland China, is Cantonese as opposed to Mandarine. Dim Sum is Cantonese. Ask anyone in Hong Kong and they will proudly claim it as their cuisine.
Dim Sum is a culinary tradition much like afternoon tea for the British, Merenda for the Europeans or Merienda for Latin Americans and the Filipinos. It is typically a light snack that occurs during the hours between lunch and dinner. Dim Sum is the same although it can be found served in restaurants between the hours of 7am-3pm.
The English translation for Dim Sum is "a touch of the heart". It is a small bite usually made of a steamed bun with a savory or sweet filling. But like every cuisine, the deep fryer seems to make things better so it is not uncommon to find fried Dim Sum!
We were taken to a cooking school where 3 types of Dim Sum were explained and demonstrated for us.
- A wonton wrapper filled with squid and assembled to look like one,
- a sweet steamed rice creation put together to look like a penguin
- and a rice wrapper folded in traditional dumpling fashion and filled with shrimp.
Ben was definitely the most artful with his dumplings, I was second and Jeremy...well, he's really good at eating them! ; )
Afterward, we ate our dim sum and were served about 6 other varieties. Stuffed from our "light" snack, the 3 of us decided to walk back to the port instead of going back on the bus with the group.
Our Chinese guide was very impressed that Jeremy and Ben wanted to participate in the dim sum class. She said, in her very frank English, "The Chinese children are very spoiled. They go to school, play computer games and do homework. They are not allowed in the kitchen so they are not interested in how to cook." We got similar information from our guide in Beijing. Ben asked her where we might go to watch ping pong and she said that those places don't exist anymore. The government has taken away all emphasis on physical education and pushes the kids to study more. Both ladies seemed concerned about the future of the Chinese children and were in disagreement with the added academic pressure they are receiving these days.
We got back to the ship in plenty of time. I ran into Chris giving a tour of the Explorer to some of the Chinese students he met on his field trip.
Later, the 4 of us met on deck 7. It was dark and Hong Kong was lit up like a like the flames from a Chinese dragon. The boys were playing Knock Out on the basketball court, students were sporting their new kimono robes, everyone was taking one last picture of the Hong Kong skyline and with 3 long blasts from the bridge, we shoved off into the South China Sea.
Chris had a field lab today with his Economics class. It's like a field trip but for the college students, it counts for 20% of their grade. Anyway, he was gone all day. I'll let him fill you in on those details. Very interesting stuff. We certainly are having conversations during this voyage that we've never had before!
The boys and I signed for a Dim Sum cooking class. Hong Kong, unlike Beijing and the majority of mainland China, is Cantonese as opposed to Mandarine. Dim Sum is Cantonese. Ask anyone in Hong Kong and they will proudly claim it as their cuisine.
Dim Sum is a culinary tradition much like afternoon tea for the British, Merenda for the Europeans or Merienda for Latin Americans and the Filipinos. It is typically a light snack that occurs during the hours between lunch and dinner. Dim Sum is the same although it can be found served in restaurants between the hours of 7am-3pm.
The English translation for Dim Sum is "a touch of the heart". It is a small bite usually made of a steamed bun with a savory or sweet filling. But like every cuisine, the deep fryer seems to make things better so it is not uncommon to find fried Dim Sum!
We were taken to a cooking school where 3 types of Dim Sum were explained and demonstrated for us.
- A wonton wrapper filled with squid and assembled to look like one,
- a sweet steamed rice creation put together to look like a penguin
- and a rice wrapper folded in traditional dumpling fashion and filled with shrimp.
Ben was definitely the most artful with his dumplings, I was second and Jeremy...well, he's really good at eating them! ; )
Afterward, we ate our dim sum and were served about 6 other varieties. Stuffed from our "light" snack, the 3 of us decided to walk back to the port instead of going back on the bus with the group.
Our Chinese guide was very impressed that Jeremy and Ben wanted to participate in the dim sum class. She said, in her very frank English, "The Chinese children are very spoiled. They go to school, play computer games and do homework. They are not allowed in the kitchen so they are not interested in how to cook." We got similar information from our guide in Beijing. Ben asked her where we might go to watch ping pong and she said that those places don't exist anymore. The government has taken away all emphasis on physical education and pushes the kids to study more. Both ladies seemed concerned about the future of the Chinese children and were in disagreement with the added academic pressure they are receiving these days.
We got back to the ship in plenty of time. I ran into Chris giving a tour of the Explorer to some of the Chinese students he met on his field trip.
Later, the 4 of us met on deck 7. It was dark and Hong Kong was lit up like a like the flames from a Chinese dragon. The boys were playing Knock Out on the basketball court, students were sporting their new kimono robes, everyone was taking one last picture of the Hong Kong skyline and with 3 long blasts from the bridge, we shoved off into the South China Sea.
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