Saigon: "Love and the American War"

Posted July 30, 2003 by admin

In 2008, I was pleased to announce that "Love and the American War" was the very first of my travel essays to be published.  The essay below is included in a collection called To Vietnam With Love.  ThingsAsian Press.  2008. pp 93-96.

July 30, 2003

Saigon
Vietnam

Dear Family and Friends,

My dear readers. You must be wondering, "Jan has traveled the length of Vietnam. He has extolled the physical beauty of the country and the wonderful people he has met. But nowhere has he mentioned the unmentionable." Stand by.

My tour outside of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) made two stops. The first was the Caodai Temple in Tay Ninh. The second was the Cu Chi Tunnels.

The Cu Chi Tunnels formed a network of military strongholds which held up to 16,000 Viet Cong for months at a time. Only 6000 survived the relentless bombing. Thousands of civilians died in the vicinity.

At Cu Chi, tourists crawl around the tunnels and then visit the adjacent museum. I politely declined. Instead, I sat at the nearby café and started to gather my thoughts for this letter.

I really cannot explain my reasoning; I cannot account for my emotions. Sometimes, I just "decline."

Extremadura: Cáceres to Salamanca

Posted December 3, 2002 by Jan
Spain

Aventura, Florida

December 3, 2002

Hello,

This past summer I read a travel article about Spain called “Extremadura, a land of rugged beauty.”  My wife, Alice, and I had been to Spain twice before: Barcelona, Madrid, and Burgos in the summer of 1967. Then  Seville in the spring of 1970.  Now, on my own, Extremadura in the far west of Spain is enticing. So, I book a flight, a rental car, and my first night. 

I arrive in Madrid on Friday morning, November 22, pick up the car, and head west to Extremadura—“a land of rugged beauty and the home of the conquistadors, Pizzaro and Cortés.”  My destination is the city of Cáceres, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Got your atlas handy?

Spain: Salamanca to Madrid

Posted November 30, 2002 by Jan
Spain

Madrid

Spain 

Saturday 

November 30, 2002

Sunny and Cool

Dear Family and Friends, 

Saludos de España!

My guest room at the Sofitel Hotel is handsomely decorated with solid walnut furniture and gentle gold, brown, and mint green pastel accents. First Class all the way!

I am sipping an agua minerale con gas from the mini-bar.

Today I relax. I am tired from my travels.

My flight from Madrid to Miami on Saturday was oversold so I “volunteered” to fly tomorrow.  Business Class! I thought “volunteering” was unpaid. You would be shocked to know, in their desperation, how much the airline “paid" me. A three-figure voucher!  Plus, I am overnight in this four-star hotel, enjoying three lovely meals, all courtesy of American Airlines. Though I think I do have to pay for the mini-bar refreshments.

For today’s lunch, I choose a colorful salad of sliced codfish and chopped vegetables with that heavy Spanish olive oil I love. My second course is grilled swordfish with roasted potatoes and red peppers, y una cerveza también. Creamy fruit tart and café con leche for dessert.

I know my choices are a little redundant, but the alternatives are meat ravioli or roast pork.

After lunch, I take a walk and sit in a little park to think about the meaning of life. Then my siesta. Dinner is a Grand Buffet!

Lunch here begins at 2:00, and dinner no earlier than 9:00. Despite this traditional schedule, Spain is a thoroughly modern country.

Phnom Penh, Cambodia: "Serious Police, Serious Mud, Serious Sights"

Posted July 1, 2002 by admin

My muddy mis-adventure was published in To Cambodia With Love.  ThingsAsian Press.  2011.  pg 150.

Phnom Penh
Cambodia

Dear Family and Friends,

July 1, 2002

The rain is incessant so Jeff and I decided to skip the beach at Ko Chang and go directly to the Cambodian border. I misplaced my passport photos so the border guards ripped me off for a couple of extra dollars for the visa. We spent the night in Koh Kong - a dusty and unappetizing place. Actually the hotel was comfortable and had a lovely garden.

The next day, Jeff and I had a disagreement. He was in a hurry to get to Phnom Penh. I wanted to travel slowly to Sihanoukville. So we compromised. He went his way. I mine.

Now, here's an adventure to remember:

I made a reservation on a mini-bus that was due to pick me up at 8:30. It arrived on time at 9:15. After fifteen minutes on a rutted dirt road we were stopped by the police and abruptly sent back to town to the police station.

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