Saigon - Phu My, Vietnam

I was feeling pretty rough as we left Nha Trang yesterday afternoon. We decided it would be best if I had an exam by the ship’s doctor because I just wasn’t feeling right, so we went down to the medical facility at 5:00. I was still running a fever and as with all people who visit the MD with a fever, you’re automatically quarantined for 24 hours. Something just told me it was time for a check-up. Cheryl, once again, was a saint and took care of my every need last night and again this morning. They checked my temp again today around 7:30 and it was still running high despite the antibiotics, so they sent the doctor up to the cabin for additional tests. I’m to go down to the clinic this afternoon at 2pm for x-rays – more to follow, but still quarantined. I absolutely insisted that Cheryl go on our scheduled tour today to Saigon…she reluctantly went, and will be back around 5pm this evening. Meanwhile, she checked out a few movies for me and I’ll remain in the cabin pending the outcome of my visit & more test results later today. On the bright side, we have two sea days starting tomorrow on our way to Singapore… hopefully they’ll release me by then!

UPDATE

Saturday, March 17...son Brendon, thanks so much for your caring email!! X-rays ultimately revealed a respiratory infection late Wednesday – I was given a breathing treatment and put on different antibiotics. Still running a fever Thursday & Friday – the Doctor made “house calls” both days to administer deep breathing treatments – a medication that’s delivered/inhaled through a machine. Since I was on isolation & confined to the cabin, Cheryl brought me all meals, several movies, snacks, popcorn, whatever I needed. What a saint! Although I encouraged her, she refused to leave me for any daily shipboard activities. My fever finally broke late Friday & remained normal through the night. The Doctor came up a short while ago and officially released me from isolation. She was kind enough to leave a portable breathing machine & medication in the event I want to self-administer today – I probably will just to be certain all the “bugs” are gone. At least I’m now free to roam the ship! My most sincere thanks to Dr. Lindeen & her nurse, Brenda – outstanding people & great health care providers! Thanks for taking such good care of me! Many thanks as well…to Paul, Judy, Roderick, Carol, Elizabeth, Louie, Irene, Leslie & Bret for the well-wishes and the great St. Patty’s card on our door – you are all great friends! Thanks for thinking of me! Special thanks to Harry & Marylyn for taking such good care of Cheryl in Saigon!! As you know, I had some serious concerns about being locked-up with “strangers” for such a long period. With each passing week and now day #71, I can tell you that this ship has turned into a large family. There aren’t many strangers – you see people in restaurants, at shows, at activities, on shore, during tours, good hair days, bad hair days, all dressed-up, & sweating in the humidity. Like a mid-size high school, you come to recognize faces & people after a while – you begin to say hello more frequently – you look after each other while on shore – it’s a unique family – I’m so grateful to have the opportunity to meet so many wonderful folks from so many walks of life, and from every corner on earth. I will miss them - but hope we can stay in touch and possibly sail together again someday.

While in Saigon Wednesday, Cheryl took 247 pictures! I’ll post as many as I can once we get back to Phoenix in May. Her tour lasted 9 hours – it was 97 degrees in the harbor where I spent the day in the cabin – even hotter in Saigon, Cheryl says. She saw many beautiful sites as well as those you would expect to find in Vietnam – the very poor & underprivileged. I will share with you…the harbor is flat as a pancake and surrounded by swamps – marshy swamps with low profile trees. When you walk out on the deck, you immediately smell sour milk, which only intensified as the temperature went up. That was my view for the day – there were many families in small, very old fishing boats rowing by all day – many of these little boats looked like they were held together with chicken wire. Several of these families drifted very close to the side of the ship where they remained most of the day begging for money and anything that could be thrown to them. The ship has very strict rules in this respect – nothing can be discarded overboard. Security from our ship was visibly stationed in lifeboats deployed at both ends – the beggars were never allowed to get closer than 50 feet. When they did, the harbor police were notified and the offenders were towed away. I’m sure all were harmless, & your heart really goes out to them – I wish we could have helped them all. It’s the same kind of feeling you get when you work in a soup kitchen on Thanksgiving or Christmas – you just want to stand there all day and pass out.

I'll begin here with photos from our sail-in and my view for the day while Cheryl was in Saigon.

         

          

         

         

         

          

          

          

          

Cheryl's Photos From Saigon

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We’re now scheduled to arrive in Singapore first thing tomorrow morning (Sunday) and remain until 11pm Monday night – it should be a great two days, though the weather forecast is hot & humid.