1/28/10
How did I end up in Cuc Phuong NP after my stressful deliberation whether to take join a tour group? Salsa is actually the reason…
On Wednesday night I went to the ODC to check out the scene and ask about where I could go out dancing. While I was there I met the instructor, Benkai. After seeing me dance with a student he asked me to teach a workshop for them. I was surprised he asked without me inquiring about it! I told him that Sunday was the latest I could stay in Hanoi before having to leave for Laos. I emailed him the details of the two classes I could teach and he was all for it. We agreed on me making 80% profit and there would be probably 20+ students in each class . I was really excited about the idea, so I decided that since I was staying in Hanoi longer than expected I needed to leave pronto. I did some quick research on Cuc Phuong NP and decided it would be nice to get into nature a bit and do some hiking. I looked up the bus options and told my hotel I would be checking out in the morning.
I read that there was a direct bus from Hanoi to Nho Quan, the closest town to the park’s entrance. I had my moto-driver take me to the appropriate bus station and as soon as we arrived men asked me, “Ninh Binh?” Ninh Binh is a town 2 hours south of Hanoi, it’s a major transit point for visiting Tom Cuc or Perfume Pagoda or the Park. I told them I wanted to go to Nho Quan. They said yes and directed me to a bus that said Ninh Binh. No, I told them, I want to go to Nho Quan. Yes, they said, this bus will get me there. Stupidly, I listened. I was under the impression that Nho Quan was just before Ninh Binh, and so I would get there along the way to Ninh Binh. Stupid of me not to look at the map that I always carry.
Once seated on the bus a guy comes and takes 60,000duong from me for the ticket. I give him 70,000 and he has to get change for me from a woman vending snacks on the bus. I sit and wait for us to leave the station. 20 minutes later when the bus Is nearly full we leave. We continue to pick up a couple people on the road out of Hanoi. I notice that as people board the bus the guy takes money from them and hands them a small white paper ticket. I didn’t get a ticket. Once the bus is full and on the main road south the guy then goes to each passenger to take their ticket or ensure they pay. He gets to me. I am the only white person on the bus, and one of the only women. “Where’s your ticket?” he gestures. “You’ve got to be kidding” was probably the look on my face. I but my hands out to show I don’t have one. “You didn’t give me one,” I say. Then he points to his wad of cash and says “60-thousand.” You have got to be kidding me! How could he have forgotten taking my money in the past 30 minutes? I explain, with as much attitude of “hell, no you don’t” that I can muster. I look at the men sitting around me as I explain, looking for someone who understand my English and for someone who believes me, “I paid you. I paid you 70,000.” I hold up 7 fingers. “You had to ask the woman with the food (I hold up the snack I bought from her) for 10,000.” I hold up 1 finger. “You gave me no ticket.” I look at him incredulous as he just smiles stupidly as though he has no idea what I’m talking about. Some of the men talk to him, explaining what I said. He shakes his head and continues down the bus taking tickets. “Damn straight,” I think.
But then, as he works his way back up the bus he tries again!
“Ticket??”
“No ticket. I paid you.”
I point to him in his distinct “Abercrombie” sweatshirt and Armani sunglasses on his head. The Vietnamese wear the highest fashion brand name knock-offs. Sometimes I wonder if some of it really is fake. After all, they do make a lot of the clothes here, isn’t it possible that an Abercrombie sweatshirt or two gets loose from the factory and makes it to market? How about a couple thousand? I don’t see why not.
He grins sheepishly. I must look completely incredulous because the other passengers seem to tell him off after he asks me again, “money?” I tell my story again, I point to him, I point to the money, I hold up fingers, I point to my snack. This seems to suffice. Finally, he leaves me alone.
We drive for 2 hours and enter Ninh Binh. Now I look at my map. Nho Quan is directly west of Ninh Binh, this is completely the wrong direction. Now I understand that they expected me to do what most people do, and get off in Ninh Binh and take another mode of transport to the park. They obviously hussled me onto the bus to get my business, and the busses to Nho Quan are a lot less frequent.
Pissed that I let them stick me on the wrong bus and that I am now going to have to pay extra for another ride to the park, I wait for the bus to stop at the Ninh Binh bus station. Wow, Ninh Binh is a lot larger than I expected… We drive through. A couple people get off here and there, I wait for a stop where everyone is getting off. It doesn’t come… We keep driving, and town seems to be turning back into road. Shit. I get out my map and ask the guy sitting next to me. I point to Ninh Binh, and then the bus and gesture south, past Ninh Binh, “where is the bus going?” He points way way too far south. Shit. I yell, “Oy!” I need to get off this bus. Now I’m really pissed. I say “Ninh Binh!” and point back at town. Everyone starts talking. They point backwards. “Yes, I need to be in Ninh Binh.”
I don’t know what I expected, but they pull over and let me off. Now I’m standing on the side of the highway, chocking on the exhaust of huge trucks and busses passing by with about 6km back to Ninh Binh where I can hope to find some mode of transport to Cuc Phuong NP. Shit. This is not what I had planned for, hitchhiking on the side of a busy highway. I couldn’t have felt more stupid. I let them put me on the wrong bus. I let the guy try to rip me off b/c I didn’t make him give me a ticket (after talking to other tourists, it was definitely a scam, he knew I paid), and I expected that the bus would stop at a station and I would know when to get off. I’m so mad at myself. I stick my hand out and start to try to stop a bus or moto. They all go by. Won’t someone stop? After 5 minutes a kind soul pulls over on his motorbike to see what I need. I point and say, “I need to go to Ninh Binh.” “Ninh Binh?” He clearly wants to help, but motions that he doesn’t have a 2nd helmet for me to wear, it’s required by law. He tells me to wait there. I’m not going anywhere I think. He pulls into oncoming traffic and goes back to the nearest intersection. I see him up the road flagging down an approaching bus. He drives a long next to it and directs it to pick me up. “Thank You!! Cam On!” I shout and jump on the bus. I get a free 5 minute ride back into the city. My faith in humanity has been restored.
I negotiate with a moto-driver to take me to the park, now 70km away. He drives me down the highway and then off a small road. It takes us through rice paddy fields and pine-apple fields. Past small brick houses with tile roofs. The homes and smell of wood fire stoves gently remind me of Sitla in the Himalayas. The view is beautiful and now I am grateful that I didn’t take my intended bus to Nho Quan. This is much more scenic. In the fog in the distance are the steep mountains rising up out of nowhere, creating that typical Vietnamese vista in all their paintings.
When I arrive at Cuc Phuong NP I couldn’t be more happy to be there, out of the city. I didn’t’ know what to expect and am surprised to find myself in beautiful primary cloud rainforest. This is perfect. Now I remember why I love to travel and why it really is worth not going with a tour group. It’s worth it for the shitty and surprisingly excellent experiences. This time I have learned a lot about how much of an inexperienced traveller I still am. Vietnam marks the 20th country that I’ve been to, but today humbles me to the many lessons I have still to learn about staying one step ahead of myself on the road.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Saturday, January 30, 2010
I find myself in the Jungle
1/28/10
I’m in Cuc Phuong National Park! I’ve got a little room in a wooden “stilt house” for $6/night. There are only 4 other people here and a couple of staff. I just walked through the incredible primary forest for 30min on my own before the sun set. Spooky!!
I went up a trail into the jungle and the canopy quickly blocked out all of the remaining daylight. Everywhere there were sounds. Snapping branches, leaves rustling, chirps and croaks. A bark. Was that a mammal or bird? A chirp. Was that an bird or insect? I felt watched by a hundred invisible eyes. I kept going, taking one step slowly after another. Which each step I heard a new sound in a new direction. I had to compel myself to go forward while also knowing I should really start to head back before it got dark. Finally, I found the courage to break my frightened curiosity and turn around. I almost ran back down the trail to get back into the open field that would take me back to my room. I shouldn't have gone alone, that was really creepy... but fun too :)
Now, safety under my mosquito net I’m writing with the light of my headlamp (there’s no electricity here). In 15 minutes I’ll leave to join an older German couple and younger Dutch couple for dinner. We are the only visitors here in the park center. After dinner a guide is meeting us to go night-spotting!!
I’m in Cuc Phuong National Park! I’ve got a little room in a wooden “stilt house” for $6/night. There are only 4 other people here and a couple of staff. I just walked through the incredible primary forest for 30min on my own before the sun set. Spooky!!
I went up a trail into the jungle and the canopy quickly blocked out all of the remaining daylight. Everywhere there were sounds. Snapping branches, leaves rustling, chirps and croaks. A bark. Was that a mammal or bird? A chirp. Was that an bird or insect? I felt watched by a hundred invisible eyes. I kept going, taking one step slowly after another. Which each step I heard a new sound in a new direction. I had to compel myself to go forward while also knowing I should really start to head back before it got dark. Finally, I found the courage to break my frightened curiosity and turn around. I almost ran back down the trail to get back into the open field that would take me back to my room. I shouldn't have gone alone, that was really creepy... but fun too :)
Now, safety under my mosquito net I’m writing with the light of my headlamp (there’s no electricity here). In 15 minutes I’ll leave to join an older German couple and younger Dutch couple for dinner. We are the only visitors here in the park center. After dinner a guide is meeting us to go night-spotting!!
Going to check out the salsa scene in Hanoi
1/27/10
I met a very nice Vietnamese Salsera in Mui Ne at the club Sankara when I did the salsa night there (another story I didn't blog about!). She has emailed me the information for checking out the salsa scene here in Hanoi. Tonight I’m going to some classes that are held at a studio called the Olympic Dance Club (ODC) to meet the instructors and find out where I can go dancing at night. Hopefully I’ll get to dance a bit because I really miss it and could badly use some human interaction.
I met a very nice Vietnamese Salsera in Mui Ne at the club Sankara when I did the salsa night there (another story I didn't blog about!). She has emailed me the information for checking out the salsa scene here in Hanoi. Tonight I’m going to some classes that are held at a studio called the Olympic Dance Club (ODC) to meet the instructors and find out where I can go dancing at night. Hopefully I’ll get to dance a bit because I really miss it and could badly use some human interaction.
Wandering in Hanoi alone...
January 27th, 2010
I think one of my favorite things about traveling is planning out where I want to go and seeing how much I can do / see in a set amount of time. I never know exactly how it will unfold but I enjoy being the director of the act, setting up the time and location and seeing how much can play out in front of or with me. Of course most of what becomes my experiences has little to nothing to do with my planning, it depends on the happening of everything and everyone around me. It’s knowing this which motivates me to explore more on my own and try to find the less travelled (by tourists) route. I seek out some challenges in my travels to ensure that those memorable experiences find me.
Right now, however, I feel less compelled to make this extra effort. I’m in Hanoi and totally bored. I feel lonely and can’t connect with anyone here. It’s a huge city with a lot of tourists. It’s easy to feel swallowed by the city. I want to get out for a couple days and explore the surrounding country side. There are tour offices in every other shop throughout the entire “old quarter” and they are all offering 3 tours: Halong Bay, Sapa, and Perfume Pagoda.
These are supposed to be beautiful places that I would love to see, here is my analysis of each destination:
I did some internet research on Halong Bay. It’s a marvel of nature, like something out of “Avatar.” A bay filled with huge towering pinnacles called karsts, w/ hidden beaches and caves. Certainly the setting for the evil lair of every other villain in the james bond movies. Pictures remind me of something else… The way they photograph the beautiful “sail” boat you will cruise in. It’s pictured w/ a pinnacle directly behind it and little space in the background. I have yet to see an areal photo of the bay without boats present. I would term this “the Galapagos challenge,” photographing spectacular nature without capturing the tourists.
For me, the Galapagos was more than well worth the packaged tour and overwhelming numbers of tourists. The Galapagos are and archipelago where tourism is permitted in about ½ the area and the rest is preserved for research. I wonder what natural process created Halong Bay. Surely the natural force that carved these karsts is not limited to the single bay? I look at my map of Vietnam. About 50km north of Halong Bay is a green line marked “Bai Tu Long Marine National Park.” There is a park there, but Halong Bay’s incredible nature is not a park? Odd. But then I think, not really. Halong Bay is probably Vietnam’s single largest tourist draw. Hundreds of boats take thousands of tourists through its waters every year, and each year the numbers grow. I highly doubt any of those boats wait to return to shore to release their septic tanks or bilges. Do the docks in Haiphong even have the proper sewage facilities for the cruise ships? HB is intentionally not a NP I assume. Further research shows me that Bai Tu Long NP is every bit as beautiful as HB if not more. It’s even mentioned in my LP briefly. It’s hard to get to, undeveloped, and you have to hire your own boat.
OK, HB is out. Unfortunately, I don’t have the time on this trip to make it to Bai Tu Long, or the money to go alone. But I’m certain that when I am in this part of the world again I will make the adventure to experience Bai Tu Long part of my itinerary.
Next, Sapa. After a 10 hr train ride north you reach Sapa in the mountains. It’s described as a beautiful hill station with the most incredible view. They advertise trekking, a local market, and visiting with the local tribal people. I’m curious about going. I enjoy the mountains and my experiences with mountain cultures in the past. But the scenario shouts “otovalo,” a huge market in Ecuador where you are harassed by the people to buy the tons of crafts produced for tourists. Vietnam has an extensive northern region in the Tokinese Alps, surely Sapa isn’t the only town with a view or friendly locals. With every single tour office suggesting you visit Sapa, “very beautiful,” I wonder, “Is it really?” With my experiences in the Himalaya and Andes, and soon to be Northern Laos, I decide to pass-up the Sapa experience, I don’t want to be disappointed.
Finally, there is the Perfume Pagoda. A scenic area with steep mountains/hills rising from the rice paddies. You ride a small row boat amid the rice paddies to the base of a mountain and hike up to find the pagoda. It’s also very touristy, but I shock myself by considering the day trip.
I don’t want to leave Vietnam yet, but I feel like I have to do something with other people. Walking around Hanoi, exploring the city on my own has not felt very rewarding. I had two goals for this trip, one: to travel all the way to Bangkok without using any flights, two: to not take any packaged tours. Could I really be considering a tour bus to Perfume Pagoda and maybe even a 2 day tour to Tam Coc?
I think one of my favorite things about traveling is planning out where I want to go and seeing how much I can do / see in a set amount of time. I never know exactly how it will unfold but I enjoy being the director of the act, setting up the time and location and seeing how much can play out in front of or with me. Of course most of what becomes my experiences has little to nothing to do with my planning, it depends on the happening of everything and everyone around me. It’s knowing this which motivates me to explore more on my own and try to find the less travelled (by tourists) route. I seek out some challenges in my travels to ensure that those memorable experiences find me.
Right now, however, I feel less compelled to make this extra effort. I’m in Hanoi and totally bored. I feel lonely and can’t connect with anyone here. It’s a huge city with a lot of tourists. It’s easy to feel swallowed by the city. I want to get out for a couple days and explore the surrounding country side. There are tour offices in every other shop throughout the entire “old quarter” and they are all offering 3 tours: Halong Bay, Sapa, and Perfume Pagoda.
These are supposed to be beautiful places that I would love to see, here is my analysis of each destination:
I did some internet research on Halong Bay. It’s a marvel of nature, like something out of “Avatar.” A bay filled with huge towering pinnacles called karsts, w/ hidden beaches and caves. Certainly the setting for the evil lair of every other villain in the james bond movies. Pictures remind me of something else… The way they photograph the beautiful “sail” boat you will cruise in. It’s pictured w/ a pinnacle directly behind it and little space in the background. I have yet to see an areal photo of the bay without boats present. I would term this “the Galapagos challenge,” photographing spectacular nature without capturing the tourists.
For me, the Galapagos was more than well worth the packaged tour and overwhelming numbers of tourists. The Galapagos are and archipelago where tourism is permitted in about ½ the area and the rest is preserved for research. I wonder what natural process created Halong Bay. Surely the natural force that carved these karsts is not limited to the single bay? I look at my map of Vietnam. About 50km north of Halong Bay is a green line marked “Bai Tu Long Marine National Park.” There is a park there, but Halong Bay’s incredible nature is not a park? Odd. But then I think, not really. Halong Bay is probably Vietnam’s single largest tourist draw. Hundreds of boats take thousands of tourists through its waters every year, and each year the numbers grow. I highly doubt any of those boats wait to return to shore to release their septic tanks or bilges. Do the docks in Haiphong even have the proper sewage facilities for the cruise ships? HB is intentionally not a NP I assume. Further research shows me that Bai Tu Long NP is every bit as beautiful as HB if not more. It’s even mentioned in my LP briefly. It’s hard to get to, undeveloped, and you have to hire your own boat.
OK, HB is out. Unfortunately, I don’t have the time on this trip to make it to Bai Tu Long, or the money to go alone. But I’m certain that when I am in this part of the world again I will make the adventure to experience Bai Tu Long part of my itinerary.
Next, Sapa. After a 10 hr train ride north you reach Sapa in the mountains. It’s described as a beautiful hill station with the most incredible view. They advertise trekking, a local market, and visiting with the local tribal people. I’m curious about going. I enjoy the mountains and my experiences with mountain cultures in the past. But the scenario shouts “otovalo,” a huge market in Ecuador where you are harassed by the people to buy the tons of crafts produced for tourists. Vietnam has an extensive northern region in the Tokinese Alps, surely Sapa isn’t the only town with a view or friendly locals. With every single tour office suggesting you visit Sapa, “very beautiful,” I wonder, “Is it really?” With my experiences in the Himalaya and Andes, and soon to be Northern Laos, I decide to pass-up the Sapa experience, I don’t want to be disappointed.
Finally, there is the Perfume Pagoda. A scenic area with steep mountains/hills rising from the rice paddies. You ride a small row boat amid the rice paddies to the base of a mountain and hike up to find the pagoda. It’s also very touristy, but I shock myself by considering the day trip.
I don’t want to leave Vietnam yet, but I feel like I have to do something with other people. Walking around Hanoi, exploring the city on my own has not felt very rewarding. I had two goals for this trip, one: to travel all the way to Bangkok without using any flights, two: to not take any packaged tours. Could I really be considering a tour bus to Perfume Pagoda and maybe even a 2 day tour to Tam Coc?
Monday, January 25, 2010
Train to Hue
I’ve been debating on whether to take buses or the train north to Hanoi. Either way it’s a long ride. Madam Touc (our hotel manager) has booked me a ticket on the “overnight” bus from Mui Ne to Nha Trang (1am-6am). Apparently it’s a sleeper bus so I should be at least able to get some sleep before arriving in Nha Trang, the first major city north of us that has train and bus stations. I’ve packed my bag and chatted w/ Atish, we don’t know when we will have the luxury of video chatting again. It’s 12:30am, I have half-an-hour and I’m about to go hang out with my father when there’s a knock on my door.
“Madam, Nha Trang?”
“The bus is here already?!”
I had been told it would come between 1am and 1:30am, not this early!
“Dad!! The bus is here! Let’s go!”
Dad takes my bag to the bus, I frantically gather the rest of my things in my backpack and run out of my room. My bag is already in the bus.
“Bye daddy, I’ll miss you.”
“Zyanya, listen to me, I need to tell you one thing. Listen. The choices you make for yourself have affects on others. Do you understand me?”
“Yes.”
“Ok? I love you.”
“I love you too. Bye!”
I board the bus and it leaves. I won’t see dad for 4 months, the longest I’ve ever been gone from home for. I almost cried saying goodbye, but it was too brief and rushed for emotions.
The “sleeper” bus is a bus with far reclining chairs, the bus isn’t full so I actually have 2 seats to myself. Even so, by the time we reach Nha Trang I’ve woken up too many times to have really rested. When I get off the bus in Nha Trang its only 5:20am and still dark. I have a moto take me to the train station; I may as well get my ticket now and then find a hotel. As I walk in I see three westerners. I ask them where they are going, “Danang.” The train leaves in 20min. I go to the ticket counter and find a woman who has just woken up, the office isn’t officially open yet. She makes me wait 10 minutes and then sells me a ticket, sleeper-class, to Danang. It’ll be 10 hours to get there.
I’m relieved to find when the train arrives that I have a compartment with four berths to myself. I’m able to relax and lay down. I realize I’ve chosen train as my method of transport. It may be slower but now I can sleep, read, write, even walk around, and there’s a toilet. As the train gains speed I watch the sun rise over the ocean. I lay down and the rocking of the train lulls me to sleep…
Vietnam’s landscape is exquisite. Mui Ne showed us nothing of the sudden mountains that shape the land available for the picturesque rice paddies. I see small villages with red dirt roads and dark red brick roofs covering colorful homes. Large water buffalo graze with white egrets perched on their backs. Women and men work in the fields, with the traditional cone hats making the view around every mountain a perfect postcard picture. When the train crosses a main road in a town I see all the locals on their bicycles waiting to continue. There are school girls in their uniforms of the long white dress shirt over white flowing pants. I thought that was just in the paintings!
Some children become restless and start to play in the train’s hallway. I notice their wide eyes when they pass my door. They start to walk up and down the hall and as they reach my compartment they slow way down and turn their head to stare. When I smile they shuffle forward, their head still lagging behind for one more look and then they are gone. But never gone for more than 10 minutes.
I know this train continues north but for some reason the woman would only sell me a ticket for Hue. After reading my LP I decide there’s nothing I’m interested in in Danang. So when the train arrives I enter the station and manage to get another ticket to Hue, for another 3 hrs.
“Madam, Nha Trang?”
“The bus is here already?!”
I had been told it would come between 1am and 1:30am, not this early!
“Dad!! The bus is here! Let’s go!”
Dad takes my bag to the bus, I frantically gather the rest of my things in my backpack and run out of my room. My bag is already in the bus.
“Bye daddy, I’ll miss you.”
“Zyanya, listen to me, I need to tell you one thing. Listen. The choices you make for yourself have affects on others. Do you understand me?”
“Yes.”
“Ok? I love you.”
“I love you too. Bye!”
I board the bus and it leaves. I won’t see dad for 4 months, the longest I’ve ever been gone from home for. I almost cried saying goodbye, but it was too brief and rushed for emotions.
The “sleeper” bus is a bus with far reclining chairs, the bus isn’t full so I actually have 2 seats to myself. Even so, by the time we reach Nha Trang I’ve woken up too many times to have really rested. When I get off the bus in Nha Trang its only 5:20am and still dark. I have a moto take me to the train station; I may as well get my ticket now and then find a hotel. As I walk in I see three westerners. I ask them where they are going, “Danang.” The train leaves in 20min. I go to the ticket counter and find a woman who has just woken up, the office isn’t officially open yet. She makes me wait 10 minutes and then sells me a ticket, sleeper-class, to Danang. It’ll be 10 hours to get there.
I’m relieved to find when the train arrives that I have a compartment with four berths to myself. I’m able to relax and lay down. I realize I’ve chosen train as my method of transport. It may be slower but now I can sleep, read, write, even walk around, and there’s a toilet. As the train gains speed I watch the sun rise over the ocean. I lay down and the rocking of the train lulls me to sleep…
Vietnam’s landscape is exquisite. Mui Ne showed us nothing of the sudden mountains that shape the land available for the picturesque rice paddies. I see small villages with red dirt roads and dark red brick roofs covering colorful homes. Large water buffalo graze with white egrets perched on their backs. Women and men work in the fields, with the traditional cone hats making the view around every mountain a perfect postcard picture. When the train crosses a main road in a town I see all the locals on their bicycles waiting to continue. There are school girls in their uniforms of the long white dress shirt over white flowing pants. I thought that was just in the paintings!
Some children become restless and start to play in the train’s hallway. I notice their wide eyes when they pass my door. They start to walk up and down the hall and as they reach my compartment they slow way down and turn their head to stare. When I smile they shuffle forward, their head still lagging behind for one more look and then they are gone. But never gone for more than 10 minutes.
I know this train continues north but for some reason the woman would only sell me a ticket for Hue. After reading my LP I decide there’s nothing I’m interested in in Danang. So when the train arrives I enter the station and manage to get another ticket to Hue, for another 3 hrs.
Local remedies and kindness
Friday, January 22nd.
Dad and I decided to wake up at 6:30am this morning to visit the fish market in the town of Mui Ne. We had a really neat experience thanks to a stupid choice by me.
I thought the fish market was within town, so I didn't think to bring food with me or have breakfast before we left.
We stopped at a point before town where the women sort and sell the net-catch of the morning. From the road you go down a long stair case to the beach. Here the smell of fish and shellfish is overpowering. Women rapidly shell thousands of scallops while others sort through a wide mix of crustaceans and vertebrates, picking out small fish and eels. Others haggle aggressively over the price per kilo of shrimp. It was fun to take pictures, dad and I observed for scene for over half-an-hour.
We turned to head up the stairs back to our bike to go to the town and eat. Walking up the stairs, my legs felt heavy and my head felt light. When I reached the top I felt the sudden need to escape the fishy smell blowing up to us, but I also felt too lightheaded and nauseous to get on the bike. I moved to a small concrete wall next to the road and sat down against it, hoping it would block some of the smell. I put my head between my legs, certain I was about to faint and cursing at myself for not having eaten something earlier.
Dad went to get a roll of bread when I felt a strong hand on my shoulder. I looked up. A woman was sitting on the wall, leaning over me, bracing me and smiling. I smiled weakly and put my head back down. I felt her move in front of me to the ground. She lifted my head and looked at me. Other women started to gather around me. They were all speaking and pointing, apparently diagnosing me. The woman in front of me reached forward and started to pinch me between my eyebrows, pulling my skin forward and letting go, over and over again. Then a woman came from across the street with a little bottle of dark oil which she rubbed on my temple and chest. It was menthol. I started to feel better and dad gave me the bread. I ate and drank water and sat up on the wall. The women continued to watch me, concerned. The woman pinched me a little more, just for good measure. I could tell if it was a form of pressure therapy or perhaps she was removing something "evil" from me, it felt like it could be both. Either way, it seemed to do the trick and I felt just fine after a couple minutes. Dad was extremely amused to see the group of 15 or so women around me, fusing over me. I could tell we were both thinking the same thing, that this was a really good sign for my upcoming travels. The people here are so willing to care and help, we knew I would be in good hands.
I said thank you to them all, "Cam An." And dad and I headed into town for some breakfast, sandwiches with cucumber and cheese and tea with condensed milk. Yum!
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Welcome to Vietnam
We had landed at HoChiMinh International Airport. As we coasted off the runway high voices demanded, "Ma'am please stay in your seat," "Sir, you cannot get up, sir," "Sit down, you must sit down," "The seatbelt sign is on!" The beautiful Chinese EVA flight attendants were fighting a losing battle with a full flight of passengers, most of whom did not speak English or Chinese. Before the plane had even stopped the aisle was full and people were climbing onto the arm-rests to get their bags from the overhead bins that were designed by a taller culture.
Dad and I had just flown 14 hours to Taipei and another 3 hours to Saigon. We cleared customs quickly, with a new stamp on my red Vietnamese visa, which bares the oddly familiar sickle and hammer, my last international flight was to Cuba. Welcome to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
Our drive to Mui Ne was uneventful, though it did make me rethink my travel itinerary. It took 5 hours to cover less than 200km. The speed limit seems to be slow and trucks and motorbikes block the single lane highway. The drivers pass dangerously to get ahead of each other and yet with a clear road ahead speeds rarely exceed 70km/hour. Even so, you would think the drive should take less than 4 hours, I'm still not even sure why it didn't. I've asked a couple people and the general response is, "yeah, Vietnam's roads are... (shakes head)." I guess it's an accepted mystery? The roads are paved and not incredibly curvaceous, so my best guess is that the copious numbers of motorcycles and mopeds slow the progress of every other vehicle on the road. They drive slowly, cluttering the road and often refusing to move to the side, resulting in aggressive passing in the face of oncoming trucks. Anyway, now with my new understanding of the slow going on the roads I have to drastically recalculate my time to reach Hanoi in the north.
I cannot yet comment on Vietnam as a country, since I have barely experienced it. Mui Ne is 100% a tourist destination. In fact, the "Mui Ne" where we are is a stretch of about 8km of road lined with massage salons, restaurants, lounges, and souvenir shops on one side and beach front resorts/hotels on the other. The real Mui Ne is a fishing village I'm excited to visit about 20km down the road at then end of the bay. I'd like to go explore the fish market and see the morning catch come in some day soon with Dad.
So far the best food experience has been going to a local road side "restaurant" a bit out of "town." This consists of a tarp covered "kitchen" of several coal fires and many kindergarten sized plastic tables and chairs on gravel. Apparently it's the norm for most local restaurant seating to be small (about a foot high) stools, so dad was impressed with the tiny chairs. You get to pick out your own combination of clams, razor clams (look like tubes), scallops, prawns, colorful crabs, and beautiful snails whose shells could easily be souvenirs. I, of course, could not help wonder how this bounty of beautiful invertebrates were faring offshore. With tourists consuming massive amounts compared to the original local demand (by numbers and meal size, Vietnamese servings are small), I am curious if fisherman are finding it progressively harder to fill the demand and how the populations are affected. Regardless, it was delicious. They seared the shellfish over an open flame and topped them with a yummy mixture of butter onions, chives, lime, and crispy pork fat. I've also had my first bowl of Pho Ga at the hotel and it was very tasty and may compromise my ability to fully enjoy Pho as much when I return to Seattle.
Lastly, interacting with local people is difficult. Everyone is extremely friendly and smiles are exchanged freely but the language barrier is huge. In latin countries I can communicate and in India there is enough English around. Here I am a bit lost how to communicate. I plan to start learning some useful words, but with 6 different tones it is an extremely challenging language to learn and be understood in for a foreigner. I have to remind myself to not be afraid to use sign language and act it out. I've been too spoiled by traveling in countries where I can communicate, this is a new challenge for me, and I'm sure Laos and Cambodia will not be much different. Right now I'm working on trying to understand how to read Vietnamese so at the very least I can say the name correctly of the place I want to go. Phan Thiet is pronounced Pan Tit, Nha Truang is pronounced Nya Traang, Sua Dou is pronounced Suw Da. And apparently the pronounciation changes completely in the northern half of Vietnam...
I'm excited to get out of Mui Ne and begin my adventure of traveling on my own, but I'm definitely appreciative of this time to relax and get acquanted. I only wish what I am learning here could be applicable in Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand, but I'll find a way to manage.
Dad and I had just flown 14 hours to Taipei and another 3 hours to Saigon. We cleared customs quickly, with a new stamp on my red Vietnamese visa, which bares the oddly familiar sickle and hammer, my last international flight was to Cuba. Welcome to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
Our drive to Mui Ne was uneventful, though it did make me rethink my travel itinerary. It took 5 hours to cover less than 200km. The speed limit seems to be slow and trucks and motorbikes block the single lane highway. The drivers pass dangerously to get ahead of each other and yet with a clear road ahead speeds rarely exceed 70km/hour. Even so, you would think the drive should take less than 4 hours, I'm still not even sure why it didn't. I've asked a couple people and the general response is, "yeah, Vietnam's roads are... (shakes head)." I guess it's an accepted mystery? The roads are paved and not incredibly curvaceous, so my best guess is that the copious numbers of motorcycles and mopeds slow the progress of every other vehicle on the road. They drive slowly, cluttering the road and often refusing to move to the side, resulting in aggressive passing in the face of oncoming trucks. Anyway, now with my new understanding of the slow going on the roads I have to drastically recalculate my time to reach Hanoi in the north.
I cannot yet comment on Vietnam as a country, since I have barely experienced it. Mui Ne is 100% a tourist destination. In fact, the "Mui Ne" where we are is a stretch of about 8km of road lined with massage salons, restaurants, lounges, and souvenir shops on one side and beach front resorts/hotels on the other. The real Mui Ne is a fishing village I'm excited to visit about 20km down the road at then end of the bay. I'd like to go explore the fish market and see the morning catch come in some day soon with Dad.
So far the best food experience has been going to a local road side "restaurant" a bit out of "town." This consists of a tarp covered "kitchen" of several coal fires and many kindergarten sized plastic tables and chairs on gravel. Apparently it's the norm for most local restaurant seating to be small (about a foot high) stools, so dad was impressed with the tiny chairs. You get to pick out your own combination of clams, razor clams (look like tubes), scallops, prawns, colorful crabs, and beautiful snails whose shells could easily be souvenirs. I, of course, could not help wonder how this bounty of beautiful invertebrates were faring offshore. With tourists consuming massive amounts compared to the original local demand (by numbers and meal size, Vietnamese servings are small), I am curious if fisherman are finding it progressively harder to fill the demand and how the populations are affected. Regardless, it was delicious. They seared the shellfish over an open flame and topped them with a yummy mixture of butter onions, chives, lime, and crispy pork fat. I've also had my first bowl of Pho Ga at the hotel and it was very tasty and may compromise my ability to fully enjoy Pho as much when I return to Seattle.
Lastly, interacting with local people is difficult. Everyone is extremely friendly and smiles are exchanged freely but the language barrier is huge. In latin countries I can communicate and in India there is enough English around. Here I am a bit lost how to communicate. I plan to start learning some useful words, but with 6 different tones it is an extremely challenging language to learn and be understood in for a foreigner. I have to remind myself to not be afraid to use sign language and act it out. I've been too spoiled by traveling in countries where I can communicate, this is a new challenge for me, and I'm sure Laos and Cambodia will not be much different. Right now I'm working on trying to understand how to read Vietnamese so at the very least I can say the name correctly of the place I want to go. Phan Thiet is pronounced Pan Tit, Nha Truang is pronounced Nya Traang, Sua Dou is pronounced Suw Da. And apparently the pronounciation changes completely in the northern half of Vietnam...
I'm excited to get out of Mui Ne and begin my adventure of traveling on my own, but I'm definitely appreciative of this time to relax and get acquanted. I only wish what I am learning here could be applicable in Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand, but I'll find a way to manage.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
impending trip
Turns out we leave Friday night, 12:30am! So soon!
Whenever I am planning for a large trip, packing, and saying goodbyes, a horrible resistance begins to arise. I feel sick, anxious, and I'm always sure I'm forgetting something. My friends say they go through the same thing. I suppose it's just pre-trip stress accumulating, and for this trip it's particularly bad. Throughout the holidays I've been going over the to-do's, to-buy's that I must finish. I have work to complete, job applications to submit, and a website to get online before I leave. And with 5 months to prepare for, there is a lot to think about. I'm crossing my fingers I don't get sick, I really don't want to feel ill on the 14 hour plane ride to Taipei. And worst of all of course is having to say goodbye to friends and Atish. For now I'm trying to take things one thing at a time. Once I'm in Vietnam I know I'll feel great and happy to be abroad.
Everyone is asking me about my travel plans, and it's actually good for me to go over them again and again out-loud, though sometimes it feels as though they are becoming more and more impossible. Just for clarity (my clarity), here they are again:
Round-trip ticket from Seattle to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. January 9 - May 26.
Spend January in Vietnam with Dad, mostly kite-boarding in Mui Ne, and some travel. Dad leaves for Seattle and I will head north in Vietnam, cross over into Northern Laos, travel through Laos to Cambodia, tour Cambodia, enter Thailand. Travel Thailand.
The timing is the tricky part. I need to fly from Bangkok to Kolkata because I cannot travel across Myanmar. I want to purchase that ticket asap, but the date will restrict how much time I have to travel through Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand.
I plan to arrive in Kolkata, apply for a visa to Bangladesh and spend a week in Bangladesh. Then head back to Kolkata and take a train all the way to Delhi (24+ hours), with stops in Varanasi and Lucknow. I need to be in Delhi by April 1st, in time for Arman's birthday and Atish's arrival!
And so, with all of this calculated it looks like I will have only 6-7 weeks to tour Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand, which is less than I would like but I know I can make it work. Most likely I will not get to head into Southern Thailand to explore the beaches. I'll just have to make another trip for that! :)
Finally, I will spend my last 1.5 months in India. Atish arrives the 5th of April. We will explore Delhi for a couple days and then head south to Gujarat, touring the state than traveling north through Rajasthan, back to Delhi to take the train to Uttarakhand where I lived during my study abroad. After we head back to Delhi, Atish flys home and I will spend my remaining time working with the NGO in Delhi: Swechha with my friend Niharika, and perhaps making a trip up to Kashmir.
My last obstacle: I must fly from Delhi to Ho Chi Minh City in time to catch my return flight. I would prefer to spend a night in the city before my long flight back to Seattle, however, my 3 month Vietnamese visa will have expired. Will they let me through customs? I'm going to have to speak with the Vietnamese consulate when we arrive there...
So in short:
Vietnam (w/ Dad) - 1 month
Laos - 2'ish weeks?
Cambodia -2'ish weeks?
Thailand -2'ish weeks?
Kolkata -> Bangladesh- 1 week
Kolkata -> Delhi - several days
Delhi - 1 week
Gujarat-Rajasthan-Sonopani (w/ Atish) - 1 month
Delhi / Kashmir - 3 weeks
Fly back to Vietnam for return flight to Seattle - 40+hours flying and in airports.
= More than my total time traveling... I'll make it work...
Whenever I am planning for a large trip, packing, and saying goodbyes, a horrible resistance begins to arise. I feel sick, anxious, and I'm always sure I'm forgetting something. My friends say they go through the same thing. I suppose it's just pre-trip stress accumulating, and for this trip it's particularly bad. Throughout the holidays I've been going over the to-do's, to-buy's that I must finish. I have work to complete, job applications to submit, and a website to get online before I leave. And with 5 months to prepare for, there is a lot to think about. I'm crossing my fingers I don't get sick, I really don't want to feel ill on the 14 hour plane ride to Taipei. And worst of all of course is having to say goodbye to friends and Atish. For now I'm trying to take things one thing at a time. Once I'm in Vietnam I know I'll feel great and happy to be abroad.
Everyone is asking me about my travel plans, and it's actually good for me to go over them again and again out-loud, though sometimes it feels as though they are becoming more and more impossible. Just for clarity (my clarity), here they are again:
Round-trip ticket from Seattle to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. January 9 - May 26.
Spend January in Vietnam with Dad, mostly kite-boarding in Mui Ne, and some travel. Dad leaves for Seattle and I will head north in Vietnam, cross over into Northern Laos, travel through Laos to Cambodia, tour Cambodia, enter Thailand. Travel Thailand.
The timing is the tricky part. I need to fly from Bangkok to Kolkata because I cannot travel across Myanmar. I want to purchase that ticket asap, but the date will restrict how much time I have to travel through Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand.
I plan to arrive in Kolkata, apply for a visa to Bangladesh and spend a week in Bangladesh. Then head back to Kolkata and take a train all the way to Delhi (24+ hours), with stops in Varanasi and Lucknow. I need to be in Delhi by April 1st, in time for Arman's birthday and Atish's arrival!
And so, with all of this calculated it looks like I will have only 6-7 weeks to tour Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand, which is less than I would like but I know I can make it work. Most likely I will not get to head into Southern Thailand to explore the beaches. I'll just have to make another trip for that! :)
Finally, I will spend my last 1.5 months in India. Atish arrives the 5th of April. We will explore Delhi for a couple days and then head south to Gujarat, touring the state than traveling north through Rajasthan, back to Delhi to take the train to Uttarakhand where I lived during my study abroad. After we head back to Delhi, Atish flys home and I will spend my remaining time working with the NGO in Delhi: Swechha with my friend Niharika, and perhaps making a trip up to Kashmir.
My last obstacle: I must fly from Delhi to Ho Chi Minh City in time to catch my return flight. I would prefer to spend a night in the city before my long flight back to Seattle, however, my 3 month Vietnamese visa will have expired. Will they let me through customs? I'm going to have to speak with the Vietnamese consulate when we arrive there...
So in short:
Vietnam (w/ Dad) - 1 month
Laos - 2'ish weeks?
Cambodia -2'ish weeks?
Thailand -2'ish weeks?
Kolkata -> Bangladesh- 1 week
Kolkata -> Delhi - several days
Delhi - 1 week
Gujarat-Rajasthan-Sonopani (w/ Atish) - 1 month
Delhi / Kashmir - 3 weeks
Fly back to Vietnam for return flight to Seattle - 40+hours flying and in airports.
= More than my total time traveling... I'll make it work...
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