With the ship tied to the pier in Ha Long, Vietnam, I slept very well (only woke one time during the night and ended up needing my 0600 alarm). I spent some of the morning doing puzzles and reading before getting ready for another day of excursions. There was rain in forecast and some of the other tours got moved later in the day; however, mine stayed on schedule. At 0700, I went to eat a quick breakfast (eggs, bacon, sausage, baguette, beans, fruits) at the World Cafe before leaving the ship at 0725. After my epic sightseeing adventure yesterday, I opted out of another journey into the 2000 islands of Ha Long Bay and, instead, took a bus ride into the interior of (North) Vietnam for a tour called “A Glimpse of Yen Duc Village Life”. I boarded the tour bus (not very full) and we departed the port by 0735. At that point, the weather was quite pleasant (70s, overcast, sprinkles). Our tour guide, Nam, was quite funny (driver = Phuc) and talked constantly about his bad “Vinglish”. We drove for 60 minutes to the village of Yen Duc, which was located in a very rural area. Along the way, I saw lots of interesting scenery, including mountains, rice paddies, cemeteries, a Catholic Church and several Buddhist temples - the latter locations were distinguished by five color flags in front of the complex. The guide's (political) commentary was also interesting and there were times that I wondered if someone in the Vietnamese government might object to things he said about them... Upon arrival at Yen Duc, we had to walk for about 200 yards because the bus couldn’t fit in the narrow town streets. For those who were "mobility impaired", there were golf carts - several people used them. We arrived at the Yen Duc Water Puppet Theater by 0850 and were greeted by friendly villagers who gave us cups of rice tea. We then settled into a delightful performance (a traditional pastime of the local rice farmers and fishermen) which consisted of short vignettes of villager life enacted by (fig) wood puppets. There were various human characters, fish, dragons, ducks, oxen and a pair of Phoenixes that acted out scenes for rice planting and harvesting, fishing with wooden baskets and “animal courtships”. I very much enjoyed the presentation and was impressed when the puppeteers (all local women) came out for a bow. Next, our guide explained the background of the conical hats that women have traditionally worn in Vietnam - each has 16 rows of rings around the middle to signify the "perfect year" of a woman’s life. There were plenty of pretty flowers and artistic displays in the Puppet Theater complex. We then walked about 100 yards to reach the local temple (Chua Canh Huong) and toured the grounds there while the Guide provided additional commentary. He explained that Buddhists are not allowed to pray for money, which is a temporal, earthly reward, but pray for almost anything else they desire. While wandering away from the group, I found several areas (grotto, bell tower) where I was the only human visible - it was nice to experience the temple in some kind of solitude... After this, we walked through rice paddies to the home of a local family and they gave us a fishing demo, which consisted of catching carp with baskets in the family pond. Some of my fellow passengers got to try the fishing themselves (that as pretty funny to watch). As we were leaving, I asked one of the family members some questions about the “fish farm” and was told about the distinction between harvest (all fish the same) and the family pond (random fish breeding). The young woman of the family, who must have liked my questions, offered me some "mini bananas" - they tasted pretty good. When we departed from her home, I captured several memorable images: mountains, rice paddies, glass shards embedded in wall (for security), roving plant salesman on a motorbike. After we reached the Water Puppet Theater, we got a demonstration of traditional rice processing (milling, pounding, sifting). When I asked the young lady who was providing this glimpse of local life whether she learned the skills for work or if her family had taught her, she responded that she needed the skills to get married! Once our visit to Yen Duc was completed, we walked the few hundred yards back to the bus. As we began our drive back to Ha Long (1110), I reflected on the excursion and concluded that the people in the little village of Yen Duc were very friendly - they showed their enthusiasm in every daily task they demonstrated. I'm very glad that I’d ventured away from civilization to learn more about the citizens of Vietnam. During our return journey, it was interesting to watch the many motor bikes and school kids in their uniforms. The surprising political commentary continued and I was blown away by the apparent honesty we were receiving. An example included Nam's belief that the protection of tourists was much more important to the government than the protection of its own citizens. We arrived at Viking Venus just after noon and, after dropping my belongings at my room, I went to lunch at the Pool Grill. This was my first visit and (after I figured out how it worked) I ended up ordering a Viking Burger with fries. The food was very good and one of the activities managers gave me a special (apple) smoothie from the Pool Bar. During my meal, I found myself sitting in a tall chair, right next to some tall glass, high above the water - not a place for someone concerned about heights to sit! Since my lunch didn’t include a dessert and I still had a full beer, I went to Mamsen’s and got a "Napoleonscake", relaxing in the bar area there before returning to my room. Feeling a bit tired, I tried to take a nap but wasn’t really successful (I might have dozed for about 30 minutes). Meanwhile (1330), Viking Venus departed Ha Long. Once I'd given up on sleep, I spent the afternoon reading and watched movies. Then, at 1730, I attended a Viking Explorers Club event in The Atrium - as a former traveler with Viking, I was entitled to some Champagne! During this event, I was wearing my Notre Dame shirt and this attracted the attention of a lady named Geraldine, who I later learned was also a solo traveler. She explained that she was a widow who was trying to completed all the items on the Bucket List she’d shared with her husband. We had a good conversation until we both had to depart for dinner reservations. She suggested we meet up the next day and I agreed. Next, I headed to The Restaurant, where I met serval other guests at one of the “shared tables” they offered passengers. One of them was an older lady named Glenda, a solo traveler from Australia. Later, I learned there were 19 solo travelers - to this point, though, I’ve only met three... For dinner, I enjoyed a traditional Vietnamese meal (Pho Ga, Cha Muc Ha Long, Secola Cuon Chuoi Mua Xuan). Everything was very exotic and delicious. Afterwards, I went walking (finished my 10K steps). Back in my room, I discovered a traditional Vietnamese fan, which turned out to be a gift from Guest Services. With the time I had left before bed, I competed an excursion survey and watched the Port Talk recording for Hue / Chan May. After updating my family about my activities on social media, I watched a movie - this caused me to stay awake until 2215. As I closed my eyes, Viking Venus continued south along the Vietnamese coast - we were still dodging the effects of Typhoon Fengshen. Crossing fingers that my day in Hue won't be too wet or windy!
