DAVES89 Posted January 27 Share Posted January 27 On 1/19/2024 at 5:44 AM, Ronnie said: I was being a little sarcastic. Tim came home with a badly infected leg caused the punji sticks in about 1972. Hope you are having a great time on your vacation. Just now leaving Saigon for a 3 day stay in Bangkok, then home. Saw a lot in Vietnam. Saw Hanoi Hilton but all the American cells were tore down. They talked mostly about the French occupation and little about our soldiers incarceration There were propaganda pictures of happy soldiers getting physicals, playing volleyball and basketball. Saigon we saw the tunnels the North Vietnam soldiers used and the various traps they used to injure US soldiers. Was very interesting, and gave me a new appreciation for those that came and served. Also saw the killing fields of Penhm Pehm. Walked away thinking how can people be so cruel to each other.. 3 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ship Posted January 27 Share Posted January 27 As I mentioned before, my brother (only one year younger than me) served two tours in Viet Nam from 1970 thru 1973 via courtesy of the US Army. He saw way too much and came back never the same as before he went. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DAVES89 Posted February 3 Share Posted February 3 Because of the population of the various cities Saigon, Bangkok that are a tremendous amount of motor bikes and few cars. New cars have sales tax of 125% or more. We were told Lexus SUVs would cost close to $200,000. because of the tax. So we routinely would see families of 3,4 and even 5 on a motor bike. All riders are required to have helmets but because so many would be on a bike only the parents would wear them because of the lack of "head" room. Also bikers would go between cars, violate the few traffic lights, go the wrong way on a one way, go down sidewalks to avoid traffic. Really kind of wild. No one would be aggressive, everyone would allow for everyone else and watching everyone cars included blend into roundabouts were something to see. We were in a bus so we just took the space we needed and everyone made allowances with the occasional "toot" of the horn to let them know they were there. When we went on the river we rode in what I would call long boats that would hold up to 6 passengers. These boats were equipped with turbo 4 cylinder engines mounted on a swivel with the automotive transmission still mounted on the engine. The drive shaft would end with a boat propeller. This engine being on a swivel would allow the operator to turn the boat and by raising or lowering the propellor go forward or reverse. The "shifter was on the control arm and they could shift from forward, nuetral, or reverse. I sent a picture over to 2Seater so you can get an idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ship Posted February 4 Share Posted February 4 How was the "atmosphere" towards Americans by local citizenship in each country? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DAVES89 Posted February 4 Share Posted February 4 Actually every country was very receptive, even North Vietnam. We were invited to a school in Cambodia that concentrated on teaching kids English and it was a source of pride for a student for one of our group to sit with them. My wife bought a 10 pack of scratch pads with a colorful cover to give away. You would of thought that we gave them $100.00 they were so appreciative. They would read to us in English. Even the adults were friendly and would say Hi and allow us to take pictures. Part of our tour was to go into small villages to see how they made things [scarfs, blankets and also jewelry] and of course then to buy things. We also got to tour more then one house both the average house and then a "higher" income house. These countries are still low income, especially the rural farm areas. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DAVES89 Posted February 4 Share Posted February 4 Oh and another thing. We call it the "Vietnam War" they call it the "American War". 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronnie Posted March 15 Topic Author Share Posted March 15 One of my daughter's hobbies is traveling to different places around the world. She's been on a safari in South Africa, Cruised the Nile, and visited all the popular places in Egypt including standing at the foot of The Pyramids. She has visited over a dozen countries including Iceland to view the Aurora Borealis. This year she has trips booked to visit countries in Europe again and plans to visit Auschwitz Concentration camp in Poland. You get the picture. She constantly nags me and my wife to go with her to visit these places and I continue to tell her I'm not interested. When she asked me to go to Poland with her this year, instead once again explaining to her why I don't want to go, I just handed her this article from the AARP magazine and told her that, although the article wasn't about me, it would explain why I don't want to go. I thought you older guys here on the forum might get a kick out of reading the article and understand why I always tell her no. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2seater Posted March 16 Share Posted March 16 This guy is the same age as I am. I haven't had the trauma of a serious illness, but I did lose my career job of 38 years with the financial meltdown in '08, which oddly enough caused me to almost completely abandon professional sports. I watched the whiny players/drivers/professionals complain about their contracts and money, which just struck me as so selfish. It was a sort of epiphany of what was actually important. I had spent decades looking for things to complain about and I had everything I needed all along. Do what you want to do, not because someone else thinks it is needed, but what satisfies you. At the same time, I admit I need to be pushed a little, so striking a balance does take some thought. I am definitely not a type "A" person. I do get bursts of energy and enthusiasm for new things, occasionally, but I rarely rush into things. It probably drives my younger son nuts, a type A, as well as my sister, another type A. I tell them both, I will not be hurried and you can't make me, but I appreciate,(and need), them both. I lost my wife almost exactly six years ago now, prior to the pandemic, and of course the pandemic itself, which pretty much removed two years from everyone's life. I only have myself to worry about now, and maybe someday I will decide to get on a plane to somewhere else, (I do have a passport), but not today. I think about a train ride across Canada, or maybe a river cruise out west, and maybe that will happen, but only maybe. I don't feel alone. I am blessed with a few very good friends, and some close relatives, which I see regularly, what more do I need? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2seater Posted March 16 Share Posted March 16 Oh yeah, anyone on the direct centerline of the coming total solar eclipse next month? I know it is always weather dependent, but my wife and I travelled to Nebraska in 2017 for the last one. She had been in treatment for over a year prior to that, but we both were very glad we went. Nothing else like it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronnie Posted March 16 Topic Author Share Posted March 16 18 minutes ago, 2seater said: Oh yeah, anyone on the direct centerline of the coming total solar eclipse next month? I know it is always weather dependent, but my wife and I travelled to Nebraska in 2017 for the last one. She had been in treatment for over a year prior to that, but we both were very glad we went. Nothing else like it. Looks like according to the map (link below) I will be able to see about a 90% of the eclipse. That's not bad if the sky is clear on that day. Looks like your view of it will be about the same. Eclipse Path of Total Solar Eclipse on April 8, 2024 (timeanddate.com) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ship Posted March 16 Share Posted March 16 I was lucky enough to retire at age 54 in 2003 from State Street Bank after 20 years' service (I just love getting a pension check from them every month!). I got into the Buick hobby shortly after and decided to travel by car to Buick & Riviera annual auto meets, along with attending local cruise-ins and auto shows. I always feel that "journey by car" is the way to travel. My wife is not a fan of car travel, so she says; "go, enjoy, see you when you return". I only have two items on my bucket list: one is to travel to Italy where my maternal grandmother and grandfather were born; and two is to visit Pearl Harbor where my father was during WWII on Dec 7th. He was a survivor on the battleship Oklahoma. I have accumulated enough Delta SkyMiles over the years to be able to fly First Class to either/both places. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2seater Posted March 16 Share Posted March 16 10 hours ago, Ronnie said: Looks like according to the map (link below) I will be able to see about a 90% of the eclipse. That's not bad if the sky is clear on that day. Looks like your view of it will be about the same. Eclipse Path of Total Solar Eclipse on April 8, 2024 (timeanddate.com) If you are able, totality is what you want. Even in the center of the path, as the sun is gradually covered, the light takes on an odd character. The only way I can describe it, is it is flat, like soda without the fizz, but everything is still substantially lit. Color perception changes. If you have a view in the direction the shadow is coming from, you can see it approaching rapidly and everything sort of blinks out when it arrives. Not totally dark, but late twilight dark. The air miles away is still illuminated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronnie Posted March 16 Topic Author Share Posted March 16 1 hour ago, ship said: I always feel that "journey by car" is the way to travel. I agree. I enjoy driving. My wife and daughter are just the opposite. For them a car is just a tool to get from point A to point B, so for them being in a car is a necessary inconvenience. My daughter always takes a plane whenever she can so she gets there faster, where to me it's more about the drive than the destination. Something that tics me off is when we go riding around in the Reatta, and now the Mustang, they want to play the radio all the time, where I like to leave the radio off and listen to the sound of the car purring down the road. I guess I'm just an old motorhead and doubt I will ever change. 🙂 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronnie Posted March 16 Topic Author Share Posted March 16 1 hour ago, 2seater said: If you are able, totality is what you want. Even in the center of the path, as the sun is gradually covered, the light takes on an odd character. The only way I can describe it, is it is flat, like soda without the fizz, but everything is still substantially lit. Color perception changes. If you have a view in the direction the shadow is coming from, you can see it approaching rapidly and everything sort of blinks out when it arrives. Not totally dark, but late twilight dark. The air miles away is still illuminated. I saw he last eclipse we had here a few years ago. It got really dark. What I noticed the most was as the eclipse approached the shadows under the trees in my yard started to slowly disappear and eventually faded away. It was an eerie feeling to see that happen in the middle of the day. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2seater Posted March 16 Share Posted March 16 7 hours ago, Ronnie said: Something that tics me off is when we go riding around in the Reatta, and now the Mustang, they want to play the radio all the time, where I like to leave the radio off and listen to the sound of the car purring down the road. I guess I'm just an old motorhead and doubt I will ever change. 🙂 I have always called that the "song of the machine". I listen to it often, no matter what vehicle. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2seater Posted April 11 Share Posted April 11 Returning from my trip to Arkansas for the recent eclipse. Lucked out with perfect weather and clear skies. Attached are three photos, one is my poor cell phone photo held up to the eyepiece of my small telescope and the others are from a kind lady from Texas who shared pics from her nice camera and lens combo. Bet you can guess which might be which😜 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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