March 27th - Da Nang, Vietnam

Arrived to a damp, but cooler day in Da Nang. Took a 2.5 hour drive through
the city of Da Nang and into the countryside to Hue, the former Imperial
City of the Nguyen Emperors from 1802 to 1945.

Stopped for lunch and then headed to the Tu Duc Tomb, one of the numerous
tombs surrounding the countryside here. The tombs were not just a final
resting place for the emperors, but were created as a place of recreation
with pavilions, gardens and lakes.

On the way back to the ship, we made a stop at China Beach, a former R & R
destination for American soldiers during the Vietnam War. All evidence of
their occupation of this area has been removed and a new road was built in
2003. It is now lined with restaurants and hotels that cater mostly to the
local crowds.

Since it was Sunday, there were families out and about enjoying the holiday.

March 25th - Nha Trang, Vietnam

It was a lovely sail into this town with over four miles of beautiful sandy
beaches. The port is filled with brightly painted blue and red fishing
boats.

Started off today with a visit to the Dam Market; an enormous place for both
tourists and locals to shop. These people put American consumerism to shame
- I think there must be one shop for every 4 or 5 people. Next we went over
to an embroidery shop where we got to see a demonstration of how the
patterns are made for the very intricate embroideries and to watch the
ladies doing this very intricate and delicate work.

From here we took a tour of the city by rickshaw, ending at the Po Nagar
Cham Towers, built between the 7th and 12th centuries. The site is named for
the ten-armed mother goddess who taught the Chum how to plant rice and
weave.

The last stop was to visit Long Son Pagoda and is currently the home to
about ten monks. At the top is a giant white Buddha seated on a lotus
blossom.

Nha Trang has a reputation of being a party town with some places staying
open all night long. After seven long and hot days touring the various
ports, I was looking forward to an early night and very welcome sea day
before reaching the next port!