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).

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