Libby Fischer Hellmann's Blog, page 6

Leaving Vietnam

Above is a shot of the Avalon Saigon, our ship. And as we cross the border of Vietnam and Cambodia, here are some of my favorite people and places shots from Vietnam.

The post Leaving Vietnam appeared first on .

Vietnam: Saigon to Mekong Villages

I think I mentioned that everyone in Vietnam gets around on motor scooters, and in the cities, they look and sound like a hive of bees. You see both men and women, and many carry their children as well. Some women cover their work clothes with an old skirt and wear gloves and long sleeves to protect them from the sun, and many wear masks for the pollution the motors throw out. I’m told the masks offer little protection.

We boarded our river boat on the Saigon river, and boy was I surprised. It wasn’t large, but it had just been remodeled, and it was lovely. This was our room, the view outside, and the bath. Not cramped at all!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We spent most of our time on the top deck where there was an outdoor and indoor lounge as well as the dining room. This was our first river sunset.

 



 

 

The next day it was off to a village where extended families work together in various Mom & Pop businesses. First we watched as young people made rice paper, then rice candy, then wrapped and packaged them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In between some of us drank snake wine. (No kidding).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Either that day or the next we visited another village where the wealthiest member makes conical hats or Non-Las, as they call them. It’s said that if you have a motor scooter and a flat screen TV, you’re rich. She had both! (See her flat screen in the photo on the right!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We also discovered how to make sampans. Again, the man who makes them, with his son looking on, is one of the success stories in his village.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Look at his home, with real windows and doors, compared to his neighbor’s.

 

The post Vietnam: Saigon to Mekong Villages appeared first on .

Vietnam: Saigon to the Mekong

I think I mentioned that everyone in Vietnam gets around on motor scooters, and in the cities, they look and sound like a hive of bees. You see both men and women, and many carry their children as well. Some women cover their work clothes with an old skirt and wear gloves and long sleeves to protect them from the sun, and many wear masks for the pollution the motors throw out. I’m told the masks offer little protection.

We boarded our river boat on the Saigon river, and boy was I surprised. It wasn’t large, but it had just been remodeled, and it was lovely. This was our room, the view outside, and the bath. Not cramped at all!

We spent most of our time on the top deck where there was an outdoor and indoor lounge as well as the dining room. This was our first river sunset.

The next day it was off to a village where extended families work together in various Mom & Pop businesses. First we watched as several young people made rice paper, then rice candy, then wrapped and packaged them.

 

In between some of us drank snake wine. (No kidding).

The post Vietnam: Saigon to the Mekong appeared first on .

Vietnam: The Cu Chi Tunnels

One of the highlights of the trip for me was a visit to the Cu Chi tunnels.  During the Vietnam War, The Viet Cong (VC) dug tens of thousands of miles of tunnels, including an extensive network running underneath the Cu Chi district northwest of Saigon. They connect to the Ho Chi Minh trail, and we visited them.

 

 

 

This is what it looks like during the passage through them — it you’re lucky. Some are much smaller and you have to crawl through them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

But most of the tunnel entrances and exits are hidden, and you have to know where they are to access them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The North Vietnamese built the tunnels on three levels so there would be room for a field hospital, a meeting room (where they say the Tet offensive was planned), and more.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Many VC were women who risked their lives to unify their country. The Black Pajama movement was synonymous with VC, btw. And many of them wore the black and white checked scarf around their necks.

 

 

 

 

 

Of course, the tunnels included traps made of all sorts of nasty equipment designed to injure or kill any enemies that happened to find an entrance or exit. One of the more benign traps was the fish hook, but there were others that were lethal, like this one, where the underside includes sharp spikes.

The post Vietnam: The Cu Chi Tunnels appeared first on .

Saigon At Night

This is what I mean when I compare Saigon to Vegas. Parts of the city never sleep!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The post Saigon At Night appeared first on .

Vietnam: Saigon/Ho Chi Minh City

Compared to Hanoi, Saigon aka Ho Chi Minh City (I was surprised how many people still call it Saigon) is Vegas, baby! The lights, the crowds, the motor scooters, the young people all trying to go for the gold ring, was energizing and, sometimes, quite amazing.

For example, the 5 star hotel we stayed at, The Reverie, which I learned was built by a Chinese investor and his Vietnamese wife, was in the heart of downtown Saigon and clearly over the top. We were met at the entrance with a Chihuly on the ceiling (I kid you not), and that was just the beginning. Here’s the ceiling and the Italian marbled entrance to the elevators on the ground level.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We were so astonished at the sheer luxury of the place that Angela conducted a short tour on her phone. Take a look.

 

The next morning we walked past City Hall (notice the French influence), past the famous Continental Hotel where all the American journalists stayed during the war, to the Railroad Station, itself an architectural beauty.

.

 

 

Along the way, a confident little boy captured my heart.



 

Also along the way is a view of the former CIA station in Saigon. When South Vietnam fell, a helicopter landed on the roof and the few intelligence people still there flew out.



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next was a visit to the Vietnamese War Remnants Museum, which was sobering and somber. And, as you can imagine, not kind to the US. I took a lot of pictures, but I’ll save them for another time. Or not.

 

A quick drink at the Rex Bar, another watering hole for journalists during the war, was more pleasant. Gail and Leslie Rose joined, friends on the tour, joined us.

 

The post Vietnam: Saigon/Ho Chi Minh City appeared first on .

Between HaLong Bay and Hanoi

Just a quick one here. While we drove back to Hanoi, I shot this photo:

I liked it so much I played around with it and had it enlarged. It’s now hanging on the wall of my family room.

I can’t decide which version I like more. What do you think?

The post Between HaLong Bay and Hanoi appeared first on .

Vietnam: HaLong Bay

HaLong Bay, about a three hour drive from Hanoi, feeds into the Gulf of Tonkin. Yes, THAT Gulf of Tonkin. But today, there is no memory of a war or skirmishes with armed ships in the area. Today HaLong Bay is under massive development as a tourist resort. Most of the development is funded by China, including endless hotels and apartments that are half-finished and still empty.

I suppose the idea is that Chinese tourists will flock to the Bay in hordes. I’m not so sure. The Bay itself is extremely crowded already.

What’s going to happen when thousands of additional tourists pour in? I have a feeling the Vietnamese and Chinese may have overplayed their hands. Atlantic City, anyone?

Still, it is a lovely place, especially the caves that abut it on one side. You’ll see them below, along with some of the striking rock formations on the Bay.

 

The Kiss

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Caves

A hardy bunch of us climbed up 350 steps to explore the caves. We were amply rewarded.

 

The post Vietnam: HaLong Bay appeared first on .

Vietnam: Hanoi

As many of you know, I traveled to Vietnam, Cambodia, and Bangkok for three weeks. The entire experience was fascinating — I learned so much! And for one minute did I want to be anywhere else but where I was. I think they call that “living in the moment.” A lot of m praise has to go to Avalon Waterways, the tour organization whose tour we took. They REALLY took care of use — 5-star hotels, a river cruise on a new ly remodeled boat, an excellent chef, and more important, events that were paced for the distance we traveled, the things we saw, and the heat (it was over 100 degrees for much of the inland voyage.

What follows is a photographic record of the trip. I promise not to overwhelm you, and I’ll try to keep each blogpost under 12 photos. We started out in Hanoi, complete with a trip to see Ho Chi Minh who is still embalmed in an air-controlled coffin. I think it’s required that we see him — no photos allowed. I also didn’t take many photos of the Hanoi Hilton where John McCain was held. It was too gruesome. Anyway, here we go. The photo above is a shot of the Intercontinental Hotel from their “back porch” looking at the city from a distance.

 

Funny thing — we arrived the day Kim Jong Un was leaving the failed summit. We were outside the Hanoi Hilton when all the police and Swat teams showed up, closed off the street, and we were treated to Kim waving his pudgy little hand as he left for the train to take him back to China. Actually, I’m glad it wasn’t Cheetoman.

This is the main prison in Hanoi. You see John McCain’s uniform. And one of the scenes of prisoners tied together, their legs in irons, unable to walk around or even stand up.

 

Below are Hanoi Street scenes. You still see women in the conical hats, lots of stores and impromptu shops on the streets, and the ubiquitous motor scooter, which are the predominant transportation for people in Vietnam and Cambodia. We’ll see more of these later.

Then there are the markets. Places for people to eat, to hawk their wares, especially to tourists. On the street as well as in the markets.

 

But between the chaos, the noise, the unfamiliar and often unpleasant smells are small glimpses of beauty. A tranquil painting, a small temple hiding behind the street, a pensive bellboy, a tiny sculpture, a shrine, and even a sophisticated restaurant, appropriately called “Home.”

 

The post Vietnam: Hanoi appeared first on .

A Welcome Home Gift!

Hi, everyone. As some of you know I just got back from a long trip to Vietnam, Cambodia, and Bangkok. Fascinating and educational. I had never been so far away for so long before. I plan to share pics with you in the coming days. And yes, there will be a book. A historical saga.

So you can imagine my gratitude when I came home to a lovely feature in the new Thrilling Detective. It was altogether unexpected and made me feel all warm inside. Read it here.

In the meantime, here’s an excerpt:

GEORGIA DAVIS

You don’t need a weatherman to see which way this new Windy City eye blows.

Flawed and occasionally prickly Chicago cop GEORGIA DAVIS was a memorable supporting character in Hellmann’s Ellie Foreman amateur sleuth series, but she really comes into her own as a private eye (and Hellman ups the ante considerably) in 2008’s Easy Innocence, investigating the baseball bat murder of a popular student attending a snooty preppy high school on Chicago’s North Shore. A local sex offender who’s not quite all there stands accused, and it looks like a slam-dunk, until the suspect’s protective sister asks Davis to investigate.

Then all hell breaks loose. Fortunately, Davis’s savvy blend of compassion and gritted-teeth sense of justice is more than up to the task — and boded well for a sequel or two. And Hellman has delivered.

Thanks to Kevin for the shout-out, and just in case you don’t know the Georgia Davis novels, here they are.

The post A Welcome Home Gift! appeared first on .