Me and the Jubilados

The spanish word for "retired" is "jubilado" ... and that is just the word to describe my new travel companions. I met up with my dad and his wife about a week ago in Saigon. It was pretty funny walking into a hotel room (in the nicest hotel I had seen since the wedding) and giving my dad a big hug with a "welcome to Vietnam!" It is even more odd to think that 30 years ago there's no way in hell any American would have willingly come and payed to visit Vietnam! It is strange how the world changes ... perhaps we will all be touring Iraq in 20 years.

The trip to Vietnam has been very interesting in so many ways ... starting with my touring circumstances. This is my first trip on a tour group, with a schedule, planned meals and hotels, guides and transportation all pre-arranged and provided. It is nice in that I dont have to think about anything, not even when to go to the "happy house" (aka toilet) or what to order for dinner, but it is also not so nice in that I dont get a choice about what to order for dinner, when to eat or what to see. I am trying to totally relax and enjoy the complete mental break from the normal travel concerns. And I am also looking at this as another cultural experience, getting to know my fellow travelers. We are a group of 18, the oldest two are in their 80's -- my step-grandparents, and the youngest is myself. The rest fall between 55 and 65, I believe. these aren't your typical retirees, though. Most have traveled way more than I have. They have been to China, various places in Sub-saharan Africa, the Middle East, South America, Russia, Australia. It is remarkable. Most seem to prefer group travel, but have done solo traveling and also a fair amount of volunteer traveling. It is a great example of what to do with your time when you retire! They are all highly educated, open-minded and generally a positive bunch. It is interesting seeing Vietnam from the eyes of a Vietnamese tour operator, with people who participated in or have strong memories of the Vietnam civil war.

The country itself is fascinating. Where Cambodia is poverty-stricken and very undeveloped, Vietnam is a glowing example of the unique political policy of "Commu-Capitalism" -- Capitalist in the sense that everyone is trying to make a buck and the entrepreneurial spirit is strong, with nice hotels, a zillion restaurants, massage parlours and stores everywhere, but Communist in the sense that there are still very few global brands, the hotels and resorts must be Vietnamese to get the nice plots of land, the poor aren't visible because they have been "moved" to "nice, new housing" outside the sight of tourists, and the propaganda is everywhere. The anti-American sentiment is incredibly strong, but not by the people, by the government. It is clear that they want our tourist money, but all the museums and sights of the war clearly show the horrors and atroicities committed by US soldiers. (For example, I am sitting in a nice hotel in Hoi An, Vietnam, in the middle, on the coast, and there is a tourism desk with photos of different sights to see in the area, including, "Cham Museum, My Son Holyland, Marble Mountains, My Lai Massacre, DMZ ... " Ah, I'm sorry, was that a massacre on the tour schedule?!? crazy. I feel like it's their clever way at getting back at the US for getting involved in their war. They show us the horrors we committed, and charge us an entry fee, too! Well, I suppose for what we did in this country, it is the least we can do. While there were atrocities committed by ALL parties, it does not excuse the actions and involvement by the US. Our efforts would have saved many more people in Cambodia during the Pol Pot Khmer Rouge regime.
It is fascinating to me to see the "other side" and read history in a different light. I picked up the book "The Girl in the Picture" about the life of the girl in one of Vietnam's most famous war photos - the naked little girl running while being burned by Napalm. The book outlines her life during and after the war and helps to understand this country.

I guess I am older now, as I find myself drawn more to understand the history of these places, look at the political and economic factors influencing life here, and see how the culture has evolved and changed as a result. That and I cannot stop noticing all the Pepsi signage. Apparently Coke did not have the right connections with the communists to get their signs put up here. It is a Pepsi country all the way! (For those that don't know, my primary client for the past 3 years was PepsiCo and one of the last projects I worked on was the signage for Pepsi, Mirinda and 7Up - here they have a different flavor of Mirinda - Sarsi - tastes just like Root Beer - Delicious!)

Signing off from Vietnam.