Cloud Cities

Yesterday Emily and I arrived in Sapa around 6:00am after taking an overnight train from Hanoi. (Click the link for pictures I found online of the city and the Hmong peope) We set off on our trek around 9:00 with our guide from the tour agency, and a local guide at our request to take us more "off the beaten path." Unfortunately, it rained on and off during 6 hours we were hiking, but about 5 minutes in we gave up trying to stay dry or clean. I at least was breaking in the Kili gear and had decent boots and trekking clothes. Emily, who sent most of her stuff home with her boyfriend after her Thailand trip was wearing gear that was more appropriate for a Duke tailgate - yes, complete with high, argyle, pink & black socks.

We were up in the mountains - and despite the rain the scenery was beautiful. Villages just appeared out of nowhere as we walked in and out of the low hanging clouds and along the rice paddies on the sides of the mountains. We were definitely atypical tourists for our guide who I believe was used to dragging large and lazy Americans on the more traditional routes from village to village. Both guides were wearing jeans and panting much more heavily than we were on the uphill parts. Tan, our guide from the agency who acted like an over-protective father when we were running off, was a bit of a walking disaster managing to get bitten by some strange bug, fall in the mud several times, and twist his ankle. He kept commenting on how "strong" we were because we could walk for more than a couple hours a day. It might be the first time in my life someone described me as being strong.

Around 3:30 we arrived at one of the ethnic minority villages where we spent the night with a family. I thought dinner was the best we've had in Vietnam with 6 or 7 dishes including pork, chicken, beef, spring rolls, veges, etc. Emily branched out from her usual white rice and tried a tofu dish they made for her since we said she was a vegetarian. We were also presented with shot glasses of rice wine at dinner. After learning the traditional welcome toast, Em and I threw down the shots and almost gave them a heart attack. Apparently it was not meant to be a shot but rather this was their regular cup size and meant to be an offering of hospitality. We explained how American "frat-boy" culture differs and on round 2 they decided to take their "shots" like true Americans.

Hoa Lo

After dropping our bags at a tourism office in Hanoi, we took a motor bike to Hoa Lo Prison (aka The Hanoi Hilton) where U.S. POWs, including John McCain, were incarcerated from 1967 to 1973. Unlike HCM, Hanoi has actually invested in traffic lights which made the journey much less frightening. After looking at many pictures of the Senator, including one of him being pulled out of Trum Bach Lake (sp?) after his plane was shot down, we left the prison to see Hoan Keim Lake and grab an early dinner.

We are supposed to leave on an overnight train for Sapa tonight, a small town on Vietnam's tallest mountain, where we will do a 28k trek and stay with one of the hill tribe families for a night. However, it appears that the gods are hoping we will stay in Hanoi since they have conveniently arranged for us to "lose" (regretfully throw away) all documentation from our travel agency (e.g. where the agency is and where we are supposed to be going.) We are hoping some beers and broken English will guide us back within the hour so that we can catch our train.

Boat People

After the fall of Saigon in 1975 thousands of Vietnamese tried to escape by boat - coining the phrase "boat people." The boats, not intended for navigating open waters, would typically head toward busy international shipping lanes. The lucky ones would succeed in being rescued by foreign freighters. The unlucky ones faced a much more difficult journey, sometimes not succeeding at all. Thanks to a great book recommendation from Russell, I am reading Catfish and Mandala, an autobiography of Andrew Pham who was one of the lucky survivors to make it to America. I highly reommend it for the both the story and the history.

Emily and I spent the last two days on a very different type of boat, a junk to be exact. Complete with our own bathroom, air conditioned cabin, and about 15 other tourists, we cruised around some of the 3,000 islands that make up Halong Bay. The scenery was everything the book promised although the experience was more commercial than what I hoped for. We walked through some caves several stories deep and several New York blocks wide, climbed to the top of one of the small islands, and enjoyed a swim in the Bay. Meals were extravagant with 5-6 courses, mostly seafood. Emily pretended to be a vegetarian and ate mostly rice which left me with several helpings of fresh shrimp, fish, and crab.

Night on the boat was peaceful and this morning after checking out some other caves / islands, we drove back to Hanoi. The only hitch was a much needed bathroom break on the ride home. Our mute and deaf driver (with inch long fingernails - I'm not kidding) did not understand us at all. It took 20 minutes of every word for bathroom and toilet that we knew plus numerous gestures until Emily finally tried to open the door while we were moving before he got the idea and pulled over.

When in Rome... Part 2

Following our tour of Cu Chi we set off for the Mekong Delta in Southern Vietnam. Since I hadn't eaten in almost 7 hours I was naturally starting to get cranky. Our guide, Long, informed us that we would have a feast upon our arrival complete with elephant, a local delicacy. Now, I am all about embracing local culture and trying new foods, but the thought of eating an elephant was horrifying to me. Horrifying to me but hilarious to Long and Emily since the elephant turned out to be a type of large fish caught in the river, not the animal for which this blog is named. (I also learned that they do eat crocodiles now, but not elephants)

After our four course lunch we donned our $1 conical hats, sipped from our coconuts, and boarded a long boat to tour the Ben Tre peninsula of the Mekong Delta region. Via walking, row boat, and horse and carriage we stopped by a coconut candy factory and a honey bee farm. The honey bee farm was also home to Big Baby, a 5-year-old, 50 pound python. Although we refused to drape it over our shoulders for a picture, we did pet it. (Ok - I only touched it with one finger but for those of you who are familiar with my fear of snakes this is a big deal.) Our guide said the mother weighed over 130 pounds and was in a cage on the other side of the house. After the elephant incident I didn't believe him, but sure enough, mom was right around the corner and needless to say we did not stop to pet her.

Before heading home we stopped at Unicorn Island to sample all of the local fruits. Yes Laura, the mix included both dragon fruit and sapodilla (sp?). You would also be proud that I stopped at most trees and asked whether or not the things growing on them were edible.

Tonight we are supposed to go out with Vinh to a local karaoke bar, but given that we have a 6:30am flight to Hanoi tomorrow morning we might opt for sleep. As Em said, "You convinced me to run around through villages and sleep in random people's huts, of course I'm want to get some sleep in the hotel tonight!"

When in Rome... Part 1

Until this week, it it pretty safe to say that my knowledge of the Vietnam war was predominantly limited to what I have learned from American propaganda. It has been intriguing, to say the least, to see the other side of the story. Emily and I spent our morning touring Cu Chi, a 124 mile complex of tunnels excavated by Viet Minh and Viet Cong fighters over 25 years of conflict. I happened to bring the recent Economist survey on Vietnam with me on this trip, and I think the opening article might do more justice than I can.

"Knees and knuckles scraping the ground, the visitors struggle to keep up with the tour guide who is briskly leading the way through the labyrinth of claustrophobic burrows dug into the hard earth. The legendary Cu Chi tunnels, from which the Viet Cong launched waves of surprise attacks on the Americans during the Vietnam war, are now a popular tourist attraction. Alongside the wreckage of an abandoned M41 tank another friendly guide demonstrates a dozen types of improvised boob-traps with sharp spikes that were set in and around the tunnels to maim pursuing American soldiers. The Vietnamese not only welcome the tourist dollars Cu Chi brings in, but are also rather proud of it. They feel it demonstrates their ingenuity, adaptability, perseverance and, above all, their determination to resist much stronger foreign invaders, as the country has done many times down the centuries"

Following the booby traps and the crawling, or more like duck waddling through the tunnels, we took our turn at the firing range shooting an AK-47. Em was especially excited for this experience. I on the other hand have always been terrified of guns. There was definitely a scream and jump the first time I pulled the trigger. The second time I think I managed to keep my eyes open but it is probably safe to say that I came no where close to hitting the target... and I still have a fear of guns.

Things Overheard at Caravelle

Last night, Russell (my mom's former professor colleague), took me, Emily, and his Vietnamese friend, Vinh, out for a drink at Caravelle, a hotel that can best be described as the Gansevort of Vietnam. Over a cocktail on the 9th floor roof deck (while small women wearing very short red dresses serenaded us to American songs), we learned the following:

• The owner of our hotel is the current judge on Vietnam idol. This is especially awesome for me because there is a piano in the lobby that I can play while waiting for breakfast
• Most streets in Ho Chi Minh are named for people who expelled foreigners
• "Em" means either "child" or "loved one" depending on the context
• Vinh's favorite American artists are Celine Dion, Enrique Iglesias, Jessica Simpson, and The Beatles
• Food to try while we're here (or more specifically food I will try while Emily sticks to her daily loaf of bread): Ca Kho - fish cooked in fish sauce in a clay pot, Canh Chua - hot pot with fish or chicken, and of course, the local staple, pho (pronounced fe).

Crossing to Safety

I left my apartment just after 9:00am Monday morning. ~27 hours later I arrived at our hotel in Ho Chi Minh. Some words of advice for anyone planning a similar trip. First, if you are flying ANA and are taller than 5 feet, you will not be comfortable in economy class. (I think I was spoiled by the economy class in Thai Air). Second, ANA seems to have a weird aversion to dimming the cabin lighting so the 14 hour flight to Tokyo was all spent in bright fluorescent light (not very conducive to sleeping). On the positive side, arriving at midnight meant I had a full night to sleep and have thus hopefully avoided jet lag.

I have been told many things about Ho Chi Minh City, especially about the traffic here. None of them adequately prepared me for actually walking around in this overcrowded, over polluted city. The government for some reason has decided not to invest in traffic lights, so crossing the street is an art. Real advice from the locals: "Step off the curb and walk at a slow yet steady pace directly into all oncoming traffic and trust that the hundreds of motorcycles, cars and buses will swerve around you" As for one-way streets, if you're on a motorcycle and want to go down a one-way street, no big deal because you can just drive the opposite way on the sidewalk. Tonight we will be a part of the traffic since we are taking motorcycles to dinner with one of my mom's former colleagues who happens to be teaching history in Vietnam this summer. (Mom - don't freak out - there is a law mandating helmets)

Emily and I have definitely lucked out having our own personal tour guide (and history professor) who pointed us to the must-see tourist attractions. While navigating the streets of HCMC, we managed visit the Reunification Palace (official "White House" of the South until 1975), and the War Remnants museum. The real fun should begin tomorrow on our first excursion outside the city... let's just say shooting an AK-47 will be involved.