I’ve often wondered how a family can afford a trip to Disney World that may last for a week or more. That’s how long it takes to see much of it. (But not all, that would take a month, probably.) I mean, what with hotels and airfare and everything else, it can come to a several thousand dollars.

But it seems that a fair number of people make one hell of a lot more money than we do.

I followed a news story yesterday about Disney stuff, and found something called Disney Adventures. These are like cruises, but they take you all over the place, to some destinations I would call exotic. They are for small groups, not the thousands who go on Disney Cruises. Here’s the link to Disney Adventures. And here’s a list of places you can go, and prices.

Yikes! (Though some of them don’t sound outrageously expensive.)

If you click on any of these excursions and then on DAILY ITINERARY you get details of what you will be doing every day. I tried the Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos experience.

DAY ONE: Ho Chi Minh City … what we used to call Saigon.

DAY TWO: Cruise the scenic Mekong Delta. Keep your eyes peeled for John Kerry in his swift boat.

DAY THREE: The War Remnants Museum. Remember the tiger cages? They have one here. And a trip through the tunnels the Viet Cong used.

DAY FOUR: Learn to cook Vietnamese style.

DAY FIVE: Hoi An, Vietnam. “Find your inner peace and meditate among the grottos and pagodas which abound in this beautiful location.”

DAY SIX: Hanoi

DAY SEVEN: Visit the Hanoi Hilton. Try not to stay there.

DAY EIGHT: Arrive in Laos

DAY NINE: This one really kills me. You can try your hand at wading through a muddy field to plant rice. One of the most back-breaking chores anyone has ever had to do for a living. It’ll be fun! Flip through the lovely pictures at the top until you come to the one of the happy white people in peasant hats smiling widely as they get their feet muddy. For about ten minutes, I would guess.

DAY TEN: Angkor Wat. Really? Angkor Wat? I was under the impression that the old temple was way the hell and gone in the jungle, but Google Maps told me the truth. It’s just a short bus ride from the swanky hotels in downtown Angkor.

And I can’t get over the fact that this is Cambodia we’re talking about. It’s as if the killing fields never happened. And all these other places in Southeast Asia … I didn’t serve, but just thinking about some of these places gives me the creeps. I can’t imagine how combat vets must feel, going to these places they fought and died to occupy. Where their friends were crippled and killed. And, in the end, all for nothing.

Sigh. I guess it’s a good thing that the world has moved on. Yet when I see all these happy white folks enjoying themselves in these places where so many bled and died, something just feels wrong to me.

Peace/Shalom/Salaam

Vancouver, WA
May 10, 2016