NHA TRANG, VIETNAM and KEMAMAN, MALAYSIA

NHA TRANG, VIETNAM and KEMAMAN, MALAYSIA

Another third world country! They are working very hard to become an international tourist destination -- many Vietnamese tourists and backpackers have already discovered the miles of beautiful beaches and excellent scuba diving. There is a lovely resort, Vinpearl, on an island across the bay which, surprisingly, is reached by a high gondola or water taxis.

There are all kinds of hotels ranging from large 5-star hotels down to small family run rooms. It’s basically a very poor country with few cars but hundreds of motorbikes. Most of the families had a few chickens, vegetable and small rice gardens and possibly a cow or pig. They were pretty much self sustaining. We saw very few dogs and cats.

Our first impression of the people was not very favorable. A long line of beautifully dressed young ladies holding bouquets of flowers stood at the bottom of the gangway to greet us, but there wasn’t a single smile! They didn’t seem happy to be there, and barely tolerated us standing to take pictures with them. The vendors at the stalls set up for our souvenir shopping were not very friendly, unlike most of the other ports, and were very hard, tough bargainers.
But the day was not a loss. We took a tour through the countryside -- which turned out to be an extension of the village. We visited a family who made mats and the entire family including grandparents and children were all involved. They worked on the dirt floor, spinning the straw, cutting it into lengths which were dyed different colors, threading the branch used as a shuttle, by hand, piece by piece, and weaving it into fabric.

Our stop at the kindergarden was delightful. The children are 3 to 5 years old and attend for 3 years. They stay for the whole day, getting lunch and a nap, and have classrooms equipped with musical instruments, ballet barres, and tables and chairs for art and general instruction. Outside beside the playground, is a small garden which teaches them how to attend to growing rice and other vegetables.

The local market had many interesting fruits and vegetables that were difficult to identify, but food was plentiful. The meat and fish markets, however, were displayed uncovered and unrefrigerated, in the open air…

After viewing a typical pagoda with its buddhas and tiny plates of offerings of flowers, fruit or nuts, we were invited to go through a typical family home. Their homes and temples have three doors -- the center one is used for special festivals and events, the left door is for guests and the right is for the family. Inside they had shrines to their ancestors (grandparents are revered) and a small sitting room for guests -- with a TV! Passing through to the living quarters we found a single large kitchen with a dirt floor and two small charcoal burners for cooking. The adjoining open room held a dining table and there were two alcoves with beds covered with mosquito nets. There were no mattresses, just straw mats, because of the heat and humidity. Again, there were few smiles, but they seemed comfortable with us going through their home.

Vietnam is a narrow ‘S’-shaped country in the South China Sea just west of China, and has miles of coastline. The interior is very rugged and covered in dense jungle with few roads, so rivers are important for transportation. A railroad connects the towns and villages along the coast. There is some oil now, but fishing and agriculture are the main occupations of this poor country. Multicolored fishing boats can be seen everywhere, along with single passenger round boats.




KEMAMAN, MALAYSIA
The acrid smell of crude oil woke us even before the ship was docked and we saw the oil rigs busy at work in the harbor. It was not a pretty pier, but the people tried to make us feel welcome by putting on a dance show at the pier, and inviting us to participate with them. The people here appeared to be better off than in Vietnam, and seemed to be happier, but it’s still a third world country.

We drove into the village and shopped at a small local market for souvenirs and handicrafts but there was little to choose from. There were many more cars here than in Vietnam.

This was once the home of the giant leatherback sea turtle -- they can grow up to 2000 lbs. and it doesn’t have a hard shell and can’t pull its appendages inside for protection -- but their eggs became such a delicacy that the species was declared extinct in the area in 2004. A Turtle Sanctuary and conservation center has been established to try to lure them back to nest here again.

We were caught in a tropical downpour and high winds, got soaked to the skin, and had to hurry back to the ship, so our impressions of this part of Malaysia are not the best. Most of the development and beaches are on the other side of the country.