The Avid Cruiser - Fall 2007 - (Page 32)

pre & post cruise stays Cruising Southeast Asia S traddling the seat of a Motorbike, my 32 Avid Cruiser FALL 2007 Photos courtesy of Ralph Grizzle (top and right) and IStock photo (bottom left) driver and I weave in and out of traffic as we make our way to Ho Chi Minh City’s central market. Traveling at a slow pace, the ride is nonetheless invigorating, with few traffic lights and apparently no traffic laws to impose order. Intersections are chaotic, with motorbikes, cars, busses and pedicabs all competing to make their way through. My driver skillfully brakes, accelerates and toots his horn to glide with astounding finesse through the clutter. “You go to market,” he says, looking over his shoulder at me. “I waiting for you.” For $5, my driver was happy to spend three hours with me, chauffeuring me through Vietnam’s largest city on his motorbike and taking me to the colorful market, where he would wait outside as I browsed the stalls. Inside, knock-off brand name watches, perfumes and clothing, T-shirts, restaurants and butcher shops, where, no kidding, skinned cow tails were being sold as meat. I found the shopkeepers — and indeed the people of Ho Chi Minh City — to be friendly, hospitable and good-spirited. Their most accomplished English phrases: “Only one dollar,” “Special for you” and “Come take a look.” The driver’s fee, his politeness and the city’s vibrancy underscore the appeal of a Southeast Asia cruise. The cost of transportation in port cities as well as food and merchandise is negligible. The people are friendly and welcoming. The cities are exotic, exhilarating and culturally enriching. “The best thing about cruising the Far East is the value,” says Brad Ball, director of corporate communications for Silversea Cruises, which has been operating cruises in Asia for more than a decade. “The dollar goes very far. Whether you’re buying household decorative items or jewelry or clothing, it’s amazing how far your dollar will go when compared to the Euro on a Mediterranean cruise.” The only downside is getting there. Those who travel from North America learn the hard way that we live on a big planet. From my home in Western North Carolina, halfway around the world to Bangkok, I spent more than 30 hours from the moment my flight’s wheels lifted off the ground to touchdown. I flew United Airlines from Asheville to Charlotte to San Francisco to Tokyo to Bangkok. Some of my fellow cruise passengers, I learned later,

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of The Avid Cruiser - Fall 2007

The Avid Cruiser - Fall 2007 Contents The Poop Deck Cruising, Back to Back At The Piazza SeaDream Yacht Club Regent’s Seven Seas Voyager The ‘New’ Crystal Symphony Bay of FUNdy Long Weekend Getaway Silversea Cruises: Silver Whisper Cruising Southeast Asia ‘Awesome’ Alaska Sacred Moments In South Georgia Two Years With A Princess Of Days Gone By

The Avid Cruiser - Fall 2007

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