March 26 , 2007 - Crossing into Vietnam

We took a boat down the Mekong River in order to cross the border from Cambodia into Vietnam. The trip was uneventful and entering into Vietnam was painless. We had heard from others that the bus trip across the border was really sketchy and that people often got tied up there for hours, so we were pleased that the boat trip worked out so well.

Once in Vietnam, we got back on the boat and continued along the river into Chau Doc. We took a "shortcut" through a local waterway and were delighted to see homes and villages scattered along the shores. The kids and even the adults would come out from their huts to wave to us as we passed by. You wouldn't think that we would be such an attraction, but apparently they hadn't seen that many tourists and the novelty hadn't worn off yet.

Our guide on the boat was a woman named San. She spoke English very well and not only gave us a lot of information about the people living in the Mekong Delta, but also talked a lot about her life and culture. We became such fast friends that she invited us to join her and her friends for karaoke. We were very excited to accept this offer because we thought it would be fun to experience a typical night with some locals.

We met up with San and sampled the local food in the market and on the streets. We made our way to the karaoke place where San had reserved a private room for us (remember Lost in Translation?!). Her friends joined us and we proceeded to belt out both American and Vietnamese songs until midnight. We had so much fun with these lovely people. They welcomed us whole-heartedly and we all really bonded throughout the night. They were clearly well-practiced at their karaoke-ing because they all sounded like professionals. After a few mortifying renditions of barely recognizable songs, Sarah and I finally rebounded with a very high-scoring performance of California Girls. We thought that was quite appropriate. :-)

Mekong River hut

Market eats

Bridge over Mekong

Karaoke queens

March 28 , 2007 - Spectacle

When we traveled through Cambodia, we certainly felt like we stood out. But not til Vietnam did we truly feel like spectacles. Everything we do seems to cause a crowd to stop and stare. It's disconcerting. In addition to staring, they usually have a few comments - some we understand and some we (thankfully) do not. Mostly people are remarking on how we look. The funniest thing we've heard is when we passed by two Vietnamese men and one said to his friend, "so big!". Hee hee!! And it's true - compared to them we are absolutely gigantic. We think this is mostly a consequence of diet. They eat so much rice and noodles and you're just not getting enough protein and vitamins from those foods.

I will admit that we sometimes do things that call attention to ourselves. We try not to wear tanktops very often, but when we do, we definitely stand out. Bare shoulders are not common in Vietnam. Stuffing two people into a one-person cyclo turned heads and stopped traffic. Our pronunciation of Vietnamese words causes giggles and guffaws.

Obviously we look and act different from Vietnamese people, but there are so many tourists traveling throughout the country that it surprises me that the locals are still interested in us. I'm curious as to how long that will last.

Crowded cyclo

March 29 , 2007 - Take What you Get

Because of the language barrier, I've found that we often have to just accept what we're given. There's not an opportunity to tell people how you want something done or how to change something you don't like. This is something very foreign to me. I like what I like and have never hestitated to ask for things to be done to my liking. That doesn't work here.

For example, ordering a meal at home is at art form for me. Not only did I have very specific dietary restrictions and preferences, but I know what I like to eat and what things go together. Therefore, when I ordered a meal, I was very specific with what I wanted, how I wanted it cooked and what I wanted with it. Here, I point helplessly at something on the menu that sounds edible and hope for the best. Often, they bring me an entirely different meal than the one I requested. But I just take it and eat it because it would be so damn hard to explain the situation and get them to bring me the meal I ordered. It's just not worth it.

Another example is getting a massage. We have endured some absolutely horrible massages since coming to Vietnam. They have yet to master the technique of a good massage. They do a lot of pinching and tickling and seem bound and determined to rub bald spots in my head. But I just take it. I know it will be over in an hour at the most and it would be absolutely impossible to get them to do it the way I like it (actually rubbing the muscles).

I realize that all of this is my fault. If I could speak the language, things might be different. However, I cannot and therefore, I'm happy to take what I get.

March 30 , 2007 - Fruit Tasting

We have tried so many different kinds of food since arriving in Vietnam. Sometimes we'll just randomly pick things off a menu and hope for the best. Other times, we let locals order for us and hope for the best. And some times, we just see something that looks interesting as we're walking down the street and give it a try.

We had already tried several fruits like dragon fruit, local bananas, longan and star apples.We decided to have a dedicated fruit tasting in our hotel room in Saigon. We went to a street market and bought durian, mangosteen, guava, custard apple and red and green water apples. It was really fun to set up a little tasting area and cut into each of these fruits. We had no idea what to expect from any of them and it was an adventure discovering each one. Our favorites are the custard apples and the red water apples.

I will admit that we were complete idiots to bring the durian up to our room. This is nicknamed "stinky fruit". It fits it's nickname. The stench this fruit puts off is horrible. I have no idea how anyone would ever bring themselves to eat this. Apparently, it's an acquired taste. The texture and smell combined to make it a fairly unpleasant experience for us and we quickly got it out of our room. Despite it only being in the room for about 15 minutes, the stench lingered for 2 days!

Pretty colors

Making choices

Peeling

Cutting

March 31 , 2007 - Crazy House

We got into Dalat in the evening and, while we could have spent several days there, we only had one night. The thing we most wanted to do was visit the "Crazy House". This house sits on the outskirts of Dalat and is the creative genius of Hang Nga - a local Vietnamese artist. You can buy a ticket and tour the grounds like a museum. What's even better is that you can stay in one of the uniquely decorated rooms that look like homes an animal would make for itself.

We walked around structures that looked like giant tree stumps connected with ramps and tunnels and bridges and scattered with signs of nature like spiderwebs, caves, animal sculptures, trees and flowers. We were overwhelmed with the creativity it took to make something like this. While it was incredibly original, it also reminded me of something out of Alice in Wonderland or Lord of the Rings. It felt like the artist was trying to make a statement about how people can live in harmony with nature, even after we've destroyed it.

We followed a tiny kitten through a doorway and played with it for a while. I'm so glad we did because as we cuddled and tickled the kitten, a glamourous and eccentric looking woman came out of the studio. It turned out to be the artist. She had such an air of peace and mystery about her. It was fascinating to be in her presence. We talked with her a bit about the building and her plans for expansion. Within the next 5 years, she will create several new structures and make more community spaces.

We loved this experience partly because the artistry was so unique, but also because this type of creativity is not typically expressed in Vietnam. People seem to be existing on a lower level where they are struggling to get by and aren't at all focused on artistic endeavors. In addition, in a communist country, art like this isn't always allowed to exist. In fact, some of Hang Nga's early creations had to be destroyed because the government deemed them to be "anti-socialist". So it was quite refreshing to see someone who was willing to put herself on the line to create something new and different and to express an opinion.

Front door

Sarah looks out

Tree house

Spider webs

April 1, 2007 - Easy Riders

We had several recommendations from people we had met as well as from postings on Thorn Tree to do a motorcycle trip with the Easy Riders. This enterprising group of Vietnamese men has banded together to form a motorcycle gang/tour company. They are based out of Dalat and specialize in trips through the Central Highlands.

We decided that two days riding on a motorcycle would be more than enough for us so we signed up to have them take us on a tour through the Highlands and get us over to the coast for a stay in Nha Trang. Our guides were Hai and Hung and they were great. They strapped our backpacks to the motorcycles, buckled helmets to our heads and took off into the wild blue yonder.

We stopped several times along the way to see examples of how the locals make their living. We saw how coffee starts out as seedlings and progresses through the cycle of life until it finally reaches our cups. We saw how they've imported green house technology to grow massive amounts of roses and daisies. We saw how they take a stalk of bamboo, slice it into strips, dry it and then weave it into baskets. We saw how they make rice, rice noodles, rice paper and rice wine. We saw how they make bricks out of clay for building houses. And these are just some of the examples. I felt like I learned so much from being on this trip.

Our guides treated us to genuine local experiences by taking us to non-touristy restaurants and ordering all kinds of new dishes we had never tried. They also took us out for a night of beers and karaoke. It was so fun that we didn't even mind that a bunch of random locals kept coming in to stare at us while we performed. ;-)

While we were sad to part ways with our guides once we reached Nha Trang, we were more than happy to get off the motorcycles for good. We've clearly gone soft because we were really sore after only two days on the bikes. We learned a lot, we bonded with locals and we saw the beautiful countryside up close and personal. This was a great experience!

Easy ridin'

Buckled up

Gorgeous scenery

April 2, 2007 - Drunk Dreaming

Sarah and I rarely drink since we started this trip. Sounds contrary to what you'd expect, but it's true. So when we do have a drink or two, we can really tell a difference. The biggest difference is in our dreams. We have some crazy dreams when we have a bit of alcohol in our systems.

Sarah's dreams are the most vivid with all kinds of symbolism and strange imagery. Mine seem to be very deep and somewhat disturbing. I wonder if our dreams are actually the same dreams we have every night and the only difference is that the alcohol causes us to have a more shallow sleep in which we're able to remember the dreams we're having. I'm sure alcohol affects the amount of REM sleep a person has at night too. Regardless, it's really interesting to tell dream stories the next morning.

April 3, 2007 - Too Funny to go Unmentioned

Sarah and I have both been remarkably free of illness since our trip began. I had the death virus right after Mexico and we both got stricken down with food poisoning in Thailand, but other than that, all has been well. Therefore, our recent inability to poo for several days has left us baffled. We're eating decent meals and drinking plenty of coffee, but to no avail. We finally came to the point of needing to do something about it. Having visited pharmacies in Cambodia, we knew we'd need to go in armed with some translated words and some pictures of what we were looking for.

I went online and found one Vietnamese translator tool. I typed in my words and came up with some possible translations. However, when I tried to cross-reference the translation, nothing came up. So I went back to Google and did some more searching. To my utter amusement, when I typed in "constipation vietnamese translation", the only relevant link that appeared was a translation from a Harry Potter book. Apparently, some joke about "U NO POO" appeared in one of the books and this page provided an analysis of the treatment of puns when translating into Vietnamese. I'm not kidding.

I decided to embrace this translation and thanked the powers that be for a world in which Harry Potter and poo jokes are important enough to be translated into every language known to man. I look forward to the day when medical terminology reaches the same status. ;-)

Utterly grateful for him

April 4, 2007 - Vietnam Diving

Vietnam isn't known as a world-class scuba diving spot, but we'd heard that Nha Trang was a fun place to get underwater and check things out. We'd heard that Rainbow Divers was the best gig in town so we went over to talk to them. The owner was there and, with his all-powerful British accent, convinced us to sign up for a couple of dives the next day.

The boat was great. it was wooden - which is very Asian and quite unlike anything I'd experienced previously. The staff was really friendly and very professional. Sarah signed up to do two intro dives and got personal attention from one of the dive masters. I went down with a small group which was led by a dive master. I am so glad he was down there with us because he was able to see things that I would have never seen. Of all the cool things we saw, I was most impressed by the Lionfish and the Cuttlefish. I had never seen these two guys before and they were so pretty. It was fun to see them and watch them move around. Below are some pictures I found online (not taken by me).

As is always the case, we met some very cool people on our dive boat. It was fun to talk to other travellers and we met up with one of the girls for dinner after napping on the beach for a few hours.

Dive boat'

Great view

Lionfish

Cuttlefish

April 5, 2007 - Costume Idea

We've come up with a fantastic idea for Bay to Breakers next year! We'll all wear asian outfits and conical hats (hats have been purchased and shipped back to the states already). We'll walk down the street in a group, pushing past people and hawking our wares (likely to be chopsticks collected from take-out).

We'll suspend 2 baskets from a stick and carry our portable restaurant (beer, bowls and stools) with us. From time to time, we'll whip out our portable stools (sitting no more than 4 inches off the ground), pass out bowls and pour drinks for everyone dining at the portable restaurant (mostly us but others are welcome too).

Sarah and I had matching ao dais (traditional Vietnamese costumes) made so we think we should go to Burning Man next year and use these costumes and the same portable restaurant theme. I think it'll be perfect!

Tiny Her and Stormy have gotten into the act already. We bought hats for them and, since we're not there to force the hats on their heads long enough to snap a photo, Sarah has created a rendering of what they are sure to look like. I've never met cats who like to dress up more than these two. Crazy.

Inspiration

Hats

Vietnamese if you please

April 6, 2007 - Made to Order

We had heard that Hoi An was a great place to have clothes made. We hadn't really considered this possibility, but the more we thought about it, the better it sounded. We really wanted to have some costumes made (particularly the ao dais) and we were also in need of some everyday wear like pants and skirts.

When we got there, we were overwhelmed by the number of tailors in operation. It was hard to know how to decide on which one to go with. In the end, we just picked shops who had the materials or patterns we liked. We ended up getting clothes made in three different shops and it was difficult to stop there. Once you get going, you just want to keep buying more!

The process was pretty easy. They had us pick out the materials and style we wanted and then measured us. Overnight, they sewed the clothes together. In the morning, we went in to see how they fit. A few tweaks were always required, but that was easy for them to deal with. Sometimes they even did it right there while we waited and tried again. Other items were more of a challenge. In particular, the asian dresses were difficult because they work best on people with no hips and curves. Our bodies presented quite a challenge!

We only got a few hours to revel in our new purchases before we had to box them up and ship them home. It's going to be so fun to unpack those when we return to San Francisco!

Getting fitted

Measurements

Pretty colors

Leslie's Ao Dai

Sarah's Ao Dai

April 7, 2007 - Lost Ticket and Communism

Let me start by saying that Vietnam Airlines is the only airline allowed to offer domestic flights within Vietnam. That means that there is absolutely no competition. You are forced to fly at limited times offered by this one carrier and you must pay whatever rate they deem appropriate. To sum it up, you just take what you're given and deal with it.

For the most part, this works out fine. Although we had to plan our entire trip around erratic flight availability, the flights are affordable and much quicker and more comfortable than taking the train or bus. However, when Sarah mistakenly lost her plane ticket for our flight from Hue to Hanoi, I knew we were in trouble. We spoke with the attendants at the check in counter and explained the situation. Even though they had Sarah's name and passport information in their computer, they wouldn't check her in because she didn't have a ticket. She was forced to buy a whole new ticket. To appease us, they said that we could file a claim with Vietnam Airlines to get the money back. When we asked how long that would take, the man said (without a hint of humor) that it would take 12 months.

What incensed me most about this situation is that they didn't even try to help. They had the information right in front of them and could have verified it with Sarah's passport, but they wouldn't. It is an inability to think for oneself and an unwillingness to try. Those seem to be traits valued by communist countries. I find it sad.

April 8, 2007 - Boat Lovers

We got to Hanoi late at night, went directly to our hotel and then left bright and early the next day for a trip to Halong Bay. We arranged this boat tour with Handspan, a local tour operator. We were driven by bus for about four hours before we reached the bay. We boarded the Dragon's Pearl and were delighted with what we found. The wooden ship was clean and comfortable. It had large community areas for lounging and viewing the beautiful scenery and our room was great. In fact, it was nicer than the hotel we stayed in the night before.

As is becoming habit, we made many friends while onboard the Dragon's Pearl. I think we just really like boats. There's a real comraderie about being on a boat together. You just bond with people. I think it's partially because you have more time to get to know people and also because you're all doing the same thing and therefore must have something in common. Whatever the reasons, Sarah and I have officially determined that we are boat lovers.

Dragon's Pearl

Sarah

Leslie and Ben

April 9, 2007 - Little Differences

Since coming to Vietnam, we have learned so much about Vietnamese culture, language, history, geography and politics. I feel so grateful to experience these things first-hand. There are obvious, major differences between our culture and theirs. But, like John Travolta said, it's the little differences that really make an impact. Here are some of the little differences we've noticed:

• Walking across the street - Vietnam is not exactly "pedestrian friendly". Traffic is constantly flowing and moving in every direction imaginable. There are no lights and crosswalks mean nothing to the motorists. Crossing the street is a leap of faith. You basically have to wade out into oncoming traffic and continue moving across the road. You must not alter your pace and you must not stop in the middle of the road. Just trust that you will not be hit. It's best to move in a group if possible. If not, clinging to one another is helpful for both the "safety in numbers" theory as well as for sustained courage.
• Loving and affectionate - The people, especially the younger ones, are so loving and affectionate with one another. Young girls walking down the street will often be holding hands and even young men will have their arms around each other. They show each other much kindness and affection and it's lovely to see.
• Constant honking - At home, it's considered rude and impatient to honk your horn (unless in the case of an emergency). Not true here. They honk continuously. They believe that they are keeping people safe by honking to announce their presence. This could very well be true considering that the roads are very narrow and there aren't clealry defined rules of the road. A woman told us a story that their bus had a flat tire one day, but the tour kept going. The next day the bus had a leak in the radiator, but the tour kept going. The next day, the horn stopped working and the tour couldn't possibly continue under those circumstances. :-)
• Bartering - Everything is negotiable here. This is such a foreign concept to us. We're used to paying whatever is on the pricetag with no questions asked. Here it's part of their culture to haggle back and forth. It's an art form really. You have to be something of an actor to get a good deal. You have to evoke incredulity at the initial price, then you have to offer up half that amount and act like you'd be doing them a favor to take it for that amount, then you have to shake your head in disgust at the counter offer they give you and start to walk away. If you were anywhere close to the mark, they'll come after you with something slightly higher. Only then can you smile and giggle over the rush of a hard-earned victory.
• Trash everywhere - There are no trashcans anywhere. People throw everything on the ground. They throw out food, dirty water, wrappers and anything else you can think of. They throw it right out on the street. It's a pity. I'm not sure why this is okay for these people. They have to walk through it everyday. You'd think they'd get sick of walking through filth, but it just seems to be part of their lifestyle. It was very discouraging. I wonder if littering is a natural instinct and people have to be taught to throw things in the trash. I remember when I was young I used to like to spit my gum out the car window. My mom would get so angry at me and tell me not to do it again. Then she started pulling the car over and making me get out to pick the gum up. It was then that I stopped spitting my gum out the car window.
• Strong family unit - The Vietnamese families really stick together. They often live together for most or all of their lives. And it's not just immediate family, it's aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. They all know each other and help each other. I wish had a little more of this in our country. We pretty much go it alone. People move out as soon possible and often move to different parts of the country where it's no longer possible to be involved in each other's lives. I think we're starting to feel the affects of this in our country. There's a sense of being disconnected and alone. We have to shoulder so much of the burden of daily living on our own. That can wear a person down.
• Won't take no for an answer - When we walk down the street, we are constantly asked to buy things or services. We say no, but it doesn't end there. They follow us down the street and continue to ask the same question. I'm not sure why they are so persistent. If I wanted to buy another Lonely Planet guidebook, I would have said so the first time. Why ask me over and over again? I would love some insight into this behavior because I so don't get it. However, I was thinking that we could use some of these street vendors to help sell some Raptiva. ;-)
• Scooters - At home, we love our cars. We all have one of our own and we drive them everywhere. People don't really have cars here - they have scooters. There are 4 million people living in Hanoi and 2.5 million scooters. That's a lot of scooters. You know how big a scooter is... not very. But that doesn't stop them from piling 3, 4 even 5 people on these things and driving down the road - kids and babies included! It's absolutely amazing. Not only that, but they manage to haul around all sorts of gear as well. We've seen cages full of chickens, nearly 100 animal-shaped balloons, 6-ft tall panes of glass, televisions, microwaves in boxes and so much more. It's really quite impressive. Do you think a scooter would work in SF? Somehow I think not. Too cold and too many hills... too bad.

April 12, 2007 - Ho Hum Hanoi

Hanoi didn't really work out for us. We were a bit overwhelmed by the crazy traffic that we had to wade through and a bit put off by all the dirt and trash everywhere. The spitting was bad in the rest of Vietnam, but it was absolutely horrible in Hanoi. Walking down the street was really just a game of frogger to avoid incoming loogies.

We tried to take in some culture by visiting some sights. We made the mistake of going to the Ho Chi Minh museum. We are far too jaded to take a guided tour of a museum dedicated to a man who is honored for forcing communism on an entire country. We were appalled at the one-sided story we were told and left feeling irritated that the government would go to such lengths to control how the people think. But guess what - that happens in the US too. It happens everywhere. We're just lucky enough to hear both sides and decide for ourselves where the truth lies.

We did end up finding some cool things. The Temple of Literature is a lovely compound dedicated to scholars. I love seeing a culture that truly honors education and learning. We also enjoyed taking in a show at the water puppet theatre. This is an ancient tradition going back to when farmers would enact stories with puppets in the rice fields. It was fun to watch the show and interesting to hear the stories that are passed down from generation to generation.

I think that we just weren't in the mood for Hanoi. It's not such a bad place. We just weren't open to it. When you're traveling, a lot depends on how you feel and who you meet. We ended up needing a lot of downtime and spent time chilling in our room on our "raft" as Sarah called it. Sometimes it's just nice to stay in and watch a movie or go to the cafe down the street and eat fatty cakes. And that's okay.

Uncle Ho

Our raft

Fatty cakes