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142 Sent wireless reserving room to [[underline]] Continental Hotel [[/underline]] in [[underline]] Saigon. [[/underline]] March 17. Pleasant weather, but sultry. Temp. 80˚F 1 P.M. [[underline]] Mountain Coast Indo-china well in sight. [[/underline]] During night got wireless [[underline]] no rooms available at Continental Hotel; [[/underline]] while I was in bed. Wired to Hotel [[underline]] Rotonde [[/underline]] Packing during night, sultry air March 18. [[strikethrough]] Arrived [[/strikethrough]] Mekong river winding thru flat lands, [[underline]] rice fields [[/underline]] and scrubs, pretty well settled agriculturally Well buoyed. [[underline]] Very sultry [[/underline]] altho' Thermometer marks [[underline]] only 80˚F. [[/underline]] Small sailboats [[underline]] eyes on bow carry [[/underline]] a sail [[underline]] similar to sliding gunther [[/underline]] but without a [[underline]] jaw [[underline]] on yard. Others have sail similar to the Nugger of 2d Cataract on the Nile. [[underline]] Boats seem well [[/underline]] designed, and look clean [[end page]] [[start page]] 143 and sails of ^[[white]] cotton. [[underline]] Women [[/underline]] rowing look more slender and [[underline]] graceful than the stumpy Chinese women of the North [[/underline]] Approaches to [[underline]] Saigon [[/underline]] look cheerful though simple. Near City [[underline]] several steamers [[/underline]] at anchor. Mostly Norwegian then French, English or under Chinese flag (English owned) one American, and [[underline]] one German. [[/underline]] The latter [[underline]] is the first since [[/underline]] the war. Several Japanese steamers. [[underline]] Annamite women [[/underline]] rowing wear long sleazy silk coat above their trousers. [[underline]] Lands well cultivated. [[/underline]] Whole land has [[underline]] delta aspect. [[/underline]] We finally drop anchor so as to swing ship with bow towards current then haul in to well built wharf. [[underline]] Indian money changers [[/underline]] called Cletties, wearing [[underline]] a flat Fez [[/underline]] and having a [[underline]] Jewish [[/underline]]