David
Wishart _

TO say that the
Seabourn Pride, a deca-

-dently luxurious cruise

ship, is an oasis in this
steamy communist
cauldron is an under-'
statement of heroic
proportions.

Nor does the service stop
at sea. Down the gangway |
went under my faithful
Tilley hat, which doubles as
a parasol as well as beacon
proclaiming that I ama
Canadian (and not
American/German/British or
part of any other. tourist
bloc) and as such deserve
- courtesy and maybe a better
deal at the market.

“Shuttle bus, sir?” asks
an impeccable crewman, as I
imagine the air-conditioning,

coolers with bottles of drink-
‘ing water and refreshing
“cold towels. The offer is
.'. declined, and I venture into |
‘the 40-degree heat and set

course for the dock entrance
“ where a score of cyclo-dri-
vers is already jostling for
my business with the sort of
‘enthusiasm that propelled

- WOMEN shopping at open air markets is just one of

many sights you'll see during a cyclo-ride through
the dusty, pot-holed streets of Ho Chi Minh City.

the Dervish charges at
Omdurman.

I have to confess I've
been here before, so it was a
simple matter to pick a dri-
ver, tell him “$1 to Dong
Khoi” and climb in.

Our First Visitors Went Throug h
Hell And High Water To Get Here

- Off we went, the driver in
a New York Yankees cap, sit-
ting behind me and pedaling
effortlessly, threading the
three-wheeler through traffic

— a fascinating conglomera-
tion of other cyclos, push-
bikes, honking buses and
huge trucks belching black
smoke. Mostly it was small
motor-bikes laden with up to
seven people including
babies, sometimes with
young women draped side-
saddle.

Change and contrasts
popped up. Cn one side-
street girls went to school in
elegant traditional uniforms
of a long white blouse and
matching trousers, while on
another a car dealer was
prepping a large fleet of new
Mazdas for taxi service.
Cyclos will soon go the way
of Hong Kong's rickshaws.

I day-dreamed as we
swayed gently along the
dusty, potholed street, won-
dering if novelists Somerset
Maugham or Graham
Greene had sat in this plastic
seat wit: much the same
panorama unfolding with
every turn of the driver's
slippers. Maugham, for one,
would have liked the
Seabourn Pride with its rich
cast of potential material
such as the impossible, com-
plaining couple. ,

The other passengers -—
most of whom had been at
sea as often as Neptune‘hung
out at places like
Singapore’s dazzling new
Ritz-Carlton — seemed to
be having a wonderful time.
And why not, a gleaming
white ship with just 200 pas-
sengers and 140 impeccably-
trained crew. The three

s Come play with us

If number 7 didn’t sober up new members (share-
@ holders), this big, beautifial par 5 surely will. Hit
{your tee shot out of a narrow chute past some old-
growth trees and you'll land right of a farge pond
and another, even bigger stand of old-growth timber.
Now you're faced with a long, uphill, tree-lined
approach to a bunkered, tiered green. Simply

Sunday, May 26, 1996 - North Shcre News ~ 24

fink City

10,000-ton vessels of
Seabourn Cruise Line are
the last word in elegance,
comfort and good food at
sea, and if you have to ask
the price you can't afford it.

Of all the good things on
board, the non-tipping ser-
vice was the best. For a start
there was never a problem
getting the right table in the
restaurant, which allows
guests to eat when and with
whom they please at every
meal,

The first time I went into
a bar I was asked my cabin
number. There was nothing
to sign, no bill to wait for.
When I returned the follow-
ing evening the barman not
only remembered my drink
but also my suite number.
Same with the wine steward
in the restaurant.

But then the Seabourn
Pride's staff are all
European professionals.
French, Austrian, Swiss and
so on. The chef is a young
kilted Scot whose fare
pleased palates that would
not have been easily
impressed. Nor was it just
the caviar, or the nightly
treats of tasty, stylish cui-

sine, but‘also the lunches in :-

the casual Veranda Cafe. -
But I digress. We are here
in Saigon, at the bustling

restaurant-row of Dong Khoi —

Douglas W. Lahay

which the French called Rue
Catinat. And by goodness

it's hot. Another cyclo stops -
beside mine and its occupant
reminds me that Seabourn
has a cocktail party laid on

at the roof of the Rex Hotel.
We took the shuttle bus back
to the ship (No point in
roughing-it both ways).

ALL YEAR ROUND,
Sizes 4g"

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