After taking an overnight bus to HCMC, I was met at 7:30 AM by a friend of mine - Cindy Cao - 's brother Chuong. Seeing as I had had a fairly decent sleep on the bus and was ready to see Saigon, we dropped off my stuff and went straight to breakfast and on to sightseeing. The accomodation, belonging to Chuong's family, was an unused two person apartment/house on top of a clothing store in downtown Saigon. Very clean and equipped with yes! Air conditioning! It felt like a miracle after sleeping in a 30*C room with only a fan for comfort... I stayed in Saigon for 4 or 5 days and got to see a variety of museums and pagodas, but the highlight was definately the day trip out to the Cu Chi Tunnels. After driving 1.5 hours on a motorbike in search of the tunnels, we realized that it wasn’t the 45 minute drive just outside the city limits we had thought it was, and found ourselves half way to the Cambodian border. Oops. The research was lost on me there... and as Dad would so kindly put it – BLONDE! On the way, however, was an absolutely stunning ride in the countryside through rice paddies and water buffalo. When we finally arrived (Chuong a little frustrated with me after the 50km ride straddling a not so comfortable motorbike) there were various pagodas, steles, and monuments – including a massive bust of Uncle Ho – before heading over to the tunnel tour. Here, we walked around enjoying the quiet and beautiful country surroundings while letting our bottoms recover from the “I haven’t ridden a horse in 10 years” sensation. As soon as we started heading over to the forest (where the tunnel tour began), it started – evidently - pouring down with rain. After waiting a while under a shelter with various American bombs and shells, the rain let up and we picked up a guide to take us deep into the forest…We saw wax figures of the Vietnamese soldiers’ uniforms (including women!) that were worn by the villagers of Cu Chi while trying to protect their land, and tried to watch an incredibly bias film about hunting Americans and “American killers hero’s”. We then proceeded to enter many different tunnels that have been cleaned out since the war, but were indeed used by the Vietcong/minh. The tunnels themselves were exceptionally well disguised with some drop-in entrances that measured only one square foot. We were able to see various rooms such as the meeting room, surgery, resting, and kitchen. Each time we went down into another tunnel, I took in a deep breath feeling the claustrophobia sinking in – the furthest I went underground was 30 meters…so cool! I couldn’t help but try to imagine shuffling along in those dark, dank tunnels soaking wet with rain and sweat (as we were anyhow) hauling a gun and whatever other materials. Oh, and not to mention the bats flying past you in the dark, an eerie reminder of your whereabouts. Nearing the end, the guide invited us down into a hall-like bunker, to sample the only food that was accessible to the army – Jack fruit and luke-warm tea.
For my last night in Saigon, we went and had coffee on a beautiful rooftop patio with live music (hispanic oddly enough :P). Coffee shops are a huge thing in Vietnam, although they're not the cozy, quiet little shops that we have in Canada. A typical coffee shop looks more like a night club with bright christmas-type lights covering the various trees and greenery that encloses the cafe. They are often 3 or 4 stories high with floor to ceiling windows, waterfalls and staff in uniforms ready to open the door for you and cater to your table. Sometimes a little extravagant, and very romantic in a classy way, but I really did start craving a cozy little hole in the wall of a tea room. Even starbucks would score points on the cozy scale :P.
In the end, it was a short and comfortable visit to Saigon where I started to feel like I was getting to know the area I lived in. Having said that, I don't think I would have needed much more time in the city itself as I found it a little without personality. It felt like the city had come up quickly and forgotten to preserve nature and history while doing so. Surprisingly, there was not a lot of interesting things to see in terms of tourism, but the city was buzzing with people and energy at all times of day.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Retrospectro
My last two weeks in Nha Trang were a blurr. After I got back from Hue, it turned out that there was not to be another volunteer - which was no problem for me. Now that Sophie was gone, and we had already done all the touristy activites in the area, I spent the last two weeks teaching, picnic-ing with friends, swimming in the ocean, and generally just burrying myself as far as I could into the vietnamese culture. When I say friends, you have to understand that they are all Vietnamese. The problem with living in a place (even only for a month) is that you don't end up going to places that other travelers go. The other thing is that even the times that I talked with foreigners, I quickly learned that it would not be a long relationship as they would be leaving in the next day or two. This was actually a blessing in disguise. I didn't realise how much I was learning by hanging out with only Vietnamese. I learnt to let go of everything I knew, and let them teach me about their manners, ways of speaking, eating and even riding a motorbike. Most of this was subconcious, and acquired by watching. I felt like a monkey learning to live among humans: not able to speak their language, but slowly learning to live among them as an equal - watching and learning. A lot of (most of) the conversation at meals was held in Vietnamese, but by the end of the two weeks, no conversation went by without me understanding the general meaning.
Another benefit was the food...I am now a master of seafood!! :P There are so many things I want to find and cook in Canada..I'm newly inspired. Everything from deliciously fresh crab, snails and squid, to pig stomach and chewing on chicken legs/feet (although I found it difficult to rip off claw bones from a leg that looks more like a baby's hand...).
Nha Trang is a place I will never forget and will certainly go back to. I feel like it was a city I easily got to know, to the point where the lady at the fruit juice stand on the corner knew my favorite drink, I could joke around with the security guards on the beach, and I knew the owner and DJ of the club we usually ended up at at the end of the night.
Although the morning class with the younger students never really ceased to be a struggle, the afternoon class was very rewarding. In this class, I would present a topic such as Family or Travel, and I would split them up to discuss in English and then get them to make a short presentation on what they talked about as a group. I would go around to each group, usually 3 groups of 8 or so, and chat with them about the topic and help them with anything they didn't understand. Many times, we got so into the conversation and so incredibly off topic that some days we didn't even have time for one group to go up and present. All of these students were my age or usually older - usually university students or working. I was so interested in what they had to say about life and their country, as well as their questions about Canada and our very different culture. I was saddened and surprised to hear that even with a socialist government, their health care is much like the quality in the United States. On the last day of class, they had a going away party for me which included food, games, singing, and a present. I left them my e-mail and have already received a couple! I sent one of the girls the pictures I took so that she could share them with the rest of the class.
I am fully aware of my neglect of the blog - sorry! - and the scattered ideas in this entry, but I didn't quite know what to write about simply living life everyday - in another country. The Vietnamese are incredibly kind, accomodating, and above all generous. I will be very sad to leave this culture and it's people (I am now in Saigon about to leave for Cambodia tomorrow morning - but I will save that for my next entry), but am glad that I will be re-entering in the north - Hanoi - to fly back to Canada.
As a girl from NZ said to me "We travel all over the world, spending maybe only a couple days in each city, only to discover the places we fall in love with and to one day return to them."
Nothing could be more true, and it makes me less sad now to have left, and more excited to return later.
Om.
Another benefit was the food...I am now a master of seafood!! :P There are so many things I want to find and cook in Canada..I'm newly inspired. Everything from deliciously fresh crab, snails and squid, to pig stomach and chewing on chicken legs/feet (although I found it difficult to rip off claw bones from a leg that looks more like a baby's hand...).
Nha Trang is a place I will never forget and will certainly go back to. I feel like it was a city I easily got to know, to the point where the lady at the fruit juice stand on the corner knew my favorite drink, I could joke around with the security guards on the beach, and I knew the owner and DJ of the club we usually ended up at at the end of the night.
Although the morning class with the younger students never really ceased to be a struggle, the afternoon class was very rewarding. In this class, I would present a topic such as Family or Travel, and I would split them up to discuss in English and then get them to make a short presentation on what they talked about as a group. I would go around to each group, usually 3 groups of 8 or so, and chat with them about the topic and help them with anything they didn't understand. Many times, we got so into the conversation and so incredibly off topic that some days we didn't even have time for one group to go up and present. All of these students were my age or usually older - usually university students or working. I was so interested in what they had to say about life and their country, as well as their questions about Canada and our very different culture. I was saddened and surprised to hear that even with a socialist government, their health care is much like the quality in the United States. On the last day of class, they had a going away party for me which included food, games, singing, and a present. I left them my e-mail and have already received a couple! I sent one of the girls the pictures I took so that she could share them with the rest of the class.
I am fully aware of my neglect of the blog - sorry! - and the scattered ideas in this entry, but I didn't quite know what to write about simply living life everyday - in another country. The Vietnamese are incredibly kind, accomodating, and above all generous. I will be very sad to leave this culture and it's people (I am now in Saigon about to leave for Cambodia tomorrow morning - but I will save that for my next entry), but am glad that I will be re-entering in the north - Hanoi - to fly back to Canada.
As a girl from NZ said to me "We travel all over the world, spending maybe only a couple days in each city, only to discover the places we fall in love with and to one day return to them."
Nothing could be more true, and it makes me less sad now to have left, and more excited to return later.
Om.
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Hue
For our last weekend together, Sophie and I headed up north to a city called Hue. It worked out perfectly because she was to continue on to Hanoi and then China, and it was splitting my month here in two. Vietnam has these crazy sleeping buses that hold about 30 people each. There are three rows of "beds" that are slotted one after another like sardines (picture to follow). The buses are excessively clean - you take your shoes off and put them in a plastic bag when you get on - and are equiped with a bathroom. Although the overnight trip was 16 hours, with a 1.5 hours stop in a beautiful town called Hoi An, it felt no longer than a trip to Edmonton from Calgary :P. You litterally get on the bus, are handed a bottle of water and a blanket, buckle yourself in, and fall right asleep to the impossibly bad roads of Vietnam, only to wake up in another city. Canada could profit from these, considering the vast distances we have to travel in a cramped dirty bus. Maybe I'll drop out of school and start a bus company...hmm (joking Mom and Dad!!).
For some reason, I immediately liked Hue. Maybe it was because of the lack of caucasians and thus a less touristy feeling. It was nice to get away from the relentless haggling on the streets and the pressure to buy cigarettes (which I've subsequently blocked out with a reflexive smile and shake of the head). The first day we wandered around "the royal citadel", which was full of history and ruins. There was a section of the old part that was described in an extravagant way in both of our guide books, but when we got there, we found that there was a lot of construction, and a lot of ruins. We were almost the only ones around - apart form the occasional group of french - and started to wonder if we had come too early...it felt like they were still building this royal stage f0r a king that was yet to come. Did I miss something?
After that, we wandered through the endlessness of the Hue market. Every city has at least one huge market that spans for ever and ever. It never ceases to amaze me how they manage to actually sell anything when so many stalls sell the exact same things right next to each other. We stopped to look at some tea and coffee and were immediately swarmed by three other ladies stuffing samples of dried fruits and breads into our mouths and grabbing our hands trying to get us to let them do our nails. We both ended up buying some tea and were then pulled through multiple halls and levels by a sales lady until we got to her silk clothing shop. My god are they ever persuasive. It felt like that scene in the Lion King when Simba is trying to follow Rafiki through the tangles of the jungle...(lol)
We tested out some Vietnamese pancakes (among other things) for dinner, as these are supposed to be one of the specialties in Hue. The dinner was accompanied by live music and candlelight. After which we wandered around, did a little shopping but were pretty wuick to hit the sack after a full day of walking in the heat.
The next morning we took a dragon boat down the Perfume river. We only had time to see two different sites because I had to catch my bus at 14h00. The first was a beauftiful Pagoda with an expansive terrain with young monks and nuns being taught caligraphy and religion. The second was one of the 5 or 6 tombs that Hue bears for past emperors. The one we saw was for Tu Duc, the fourth emperor of the Nguyen dynasty. As far as emperors go, he seemed to be fairly modest, and wrote his Steele himself, an autobiography about the mistakes he had made and improvements that might come. This Steele, however, was so big that it took 4 years to transport only 400km (pictures to follow). We spent a little more time than we expected, and by the time we got back on the boat, it was already 12h30 - my bus was at two. I'm sure you can imagine my panic while puttering along on the hour long journey back to where we started on a dragon boat. As we were sitting there biting our nails, it started to absolutely pour down with rain...of course we had nothing with us to even put over our heads (lol), but the morning had been beautiful blue skies. When we finally arrived at 13h35, the drivers kept saying "wait, wait! at least until it dries up a bit". To which we gave them an "if only we could" look, and told them I had a bus to catch. Within about 15 seconds, we were absolutely drenched, and were probably the only people on the streets in this torrential rain. We ran to the hotel, I packed up my bag (which was only a small backpack and took about 2 minutes), and took off again to catch the bus. At this time, I had owed Sophie some money - only about the equivalent of $5 - but I wasn't going to leave without paying her back, so as we were frantically running, absolutely drenched, we were looking back and forth for ATMs. We found one, but as soon as I put my card in, the power went out and the machine re-started. We weren't going to wait, and the irony of the day had me almost in tears, half with laughter half with frustration. We found another on our way, but as soon as I started pressing buttons, it was electricuting me! Wet. Of course. I looked at Sophie in exasperation and pulled out a comb to press the buttons. I finally got the money out, payed her back and as we started running again for the bus, I realised I had forgotten my bag of tea in the last ATM. Shit! Sophie volunteered to run back and get it while I ran to make sure the bus hadn't left yet. As I was running, the locals around me thought it was hilarious to watch and shout "Run! Run!!". Probably the first time since landing here that I wasn't offered a motorbike or a cyclo. The truth about them only being there when you don't need them... I finally arrived at the bus, sopping wet, but of course the weather had cleared up by then so everyone else was dry. I gave him my ticket and waited for Sophie to come hobbling along with my extra bag. Success. I don't think I've been so stressed since finals! The bus didn't end up leaving until quarter past (obviously), but I was still glad that I was able to make it right on time. Luckily I was wearing all black so you couldn't really tell I was wet, but I still changed clothes when the bus took off, and hung the others to dry.
I arrived back in Nha Trang at 6h00 the next morning after a fairly smooth ride and a good sleep. I met a couple of guys from Australia on the way down and I brought them with me to my hotel because they were thinking of staying there anyways, and to help them avoid the crowd of hotel staff that congregate around an arriving bus to try and get you to stay at their hotel. They usually latch onto one person or group and show them pamphlets and offer them a free ride, and usually the travellers are so tired that they end up giving in, and the hotel is more expensive than promised. Anyways, on the way, they asked me why the town was so busy at 6h00 in the morning! I told them - as was explained to me - that back when the communist regime was at it's more dominating stage, they used to have speakers on every street corner. The government would get everybody up at 5 or 5h30, and force them to go excercise on the beach. The people would run door to door and wake up every household. So now, people are in the habit of getting up with the sun and going to the beach for a walk, swim, or to do Tai Chi. It's also one of two times a day when they find it bearable to be out in the heat - they also crowd the beach when the sun starts to go down, which is early here, around five.
After my 6AM arrival, I had to head back out at 9 to go to Vinpearl with Kim and the kids. Vinpearl was originally a beach resort on one of the islands adjacent to Nha Trang. They then built an amusement park and waterpark on the front side and built a huge cable car connecting the island to the mainland. As you can see from the pictures, the cable car and the big Hollywood style Vinpearl sign on the island greatly obstruct the view and the natural scenery in the area, but it's all about the tourist profit isn't it? Anyways, the day with the kids (about 50 of us in total) ended up being a blast. They all wore white Crazy Kim T-shirts so it was easy to locate them, and not much babysitting was required. The waterpark was a lot of fun as well, but I must say it was extremely wierd being in a Gondola over the ocean...I kept thinking "It shouldn't be this hot in here" and "Where is the snow? Where are my skis?" Lol... At least I could look out and see the mountains behind the city, a good homesick remedy - although sometimes I wish it would just be cold for one day...
For some reason, I immediately liked Hue. Maybe it was because of the lack of caucasians and thus a less touristy feeling. It was nice to get away from the relentless haggling on the streets and the pressure to buy cigarettes (which I've subsequently blocked out with a reflexive smile and shake of the head). The first day we wandered around "the royal citadel", which was full of history and ruins. There was a section of the old part that was described in an extravagant way in both of our guide books, but when we got there, we found that there was a lot of construction, and a lot of ruins. We were almost the only ones around - apart form the occasional group of french - and started to wonder if we had come too early...it felt like they were still building this royal stage f0r a king that was yet to come. Did I miss something?
After that, we wandered through the endlessness of the Hue market. Every city has at least one huge market that spans for ever and ever. It never ceases to amaze me how they manage to actually sell anything when so many stalls sell the exact same things right next to each other. We stopped to look at some tea and coffee and were immediately swarmed by three other ladies stuffing samples of dried fruits and breads into our mouths and grabbing our hands trying to get us to let them do our nails. We both ended up buying some tea and were then pulled through multiple halls and levels by a sales lady until we got to her silk clothing shop. My god are they ever persuasive. It felt like that scene in the Lion King when Simba is trying to follow Rafiki through the tangles of the jungle...(lol)
We tested out some Vietnamese pancakes (among other things) for dinner, as these are supposed to be one of the specialties in Hue. The dinner was accompanied by live music and candlelight. After which we wandered around, did a little shopping but were pretty wuick to hit the sack after a full day of walking in the heat.
The next morning we took a dragon boat down the Perfume river. We only had time to see two different sites because I had to catch my bus at 14h00. The first was a beauftiful Pagoda with an expansive terrain with young monks and nuns being taught caligraphy and religion. The second was one of the 5 or 6 tombs that Hue bears for past emperors. The one we saw was for Tu Duc, the fourth emperor of the Nguyen dynasty. As far as emperors go, he seemed to be fairly modest, and wrote his Steele himself, an autobiography about the mistakes he had made and improvements that might come. This Steele, however, was so big that it took 4 years to transport only 400km (pictures to follow). We spent a little more time than we expected, and by the time we got back on the boat, it was already 12h30 - my bus was at two. I'm sure you can imagine my panic while puttering along on the hour long journey back to where we started on a dragon boat. As we were sitting there biting our nails, it started to absolutely pour down with rain...of course we had nothing with us to even put over our heads (lol), but the morning had been beautiful blue skies. When we finally arrived at 13h35, the drivers kept saying "wait, wait! at least until it dries up a bit". To which we gave them an "if only we could" look, and told them I had a bus to catch. Within about 15 seconds, we were absolutely drenched, and were probably the only people on the streets in this torrential rain. We ran to the hotel, I packed up my bag (which was only a small backpack and took about 2 minutes), and took off again to catch the bus. At this time, I had owed Sophie some money - only about the equivalent of $5 - but I wasn't going to leave without paying her back, so as we were frantically running, absolutely drenched, we were looking back and forth for ATMs. We found one, but as soon as I put my card in, the power went out and the machine re-started. We weren't going to wait, and the irony of the day had me almost in tears, half with laughter half with frustration. We found another on our way, but as soon as I started pressing buttons, it was electricuting me! Wet. Of course. I looked at Sophie in exasperation and pulled out a comb to press the buttons. I finally got the money out, payed her back and as we started running again for the bus, I realised I had forgotten my bag of tea in the last ATM. Shit! Sophie volunteered to run back and get it while I ran to make sure the bus hadn't left yet. As I was running, the locals around me thought it was hilarious to watch and shout "Run! Run!!". Probably the first time since landing here that I wasn't offered a motorbike or a cyclo. The truth about them only being there when you don't need them... I finally arrived at the bus, sopping wet, but of course the weather had cleared up by then so everyone else was dry. I gave him my ticket and waited for Sophie to come hobbling along with my extra bag. Success. I don't think I've been so stressed since finals! The bus didn't end up leaving until quarter past (obviously), but I was still glad that I was able to make it right on time. Luckily I was wearing all black so you couldn't really tell I was wet, but I still changed clothes when the bus took off, and hung the others to dry.
I arrived back in Nha Trang at 6h00 the next morning after a fairly smooth ride and a good sleep. I met a couple of guys from Australia on the way down and I brought them with me to my hotel because they were thinking of staying there anyways, and to help them avoid the crowd of hotel staff that congregate around an arriving bus to try and get you to stay at their hotel. They usually latch onto one person or group and show them pamphlets and offer them a free ride, and usually the travellers are so tired that they end up giving in, and the hotel is more expensive than promised. Anyways, on the way, they asked me why the town was so busy at 6h00 in the morning! I told them - as was explained to me - that back when the communist regime was at it's more dominating stage, they used to have speakers on every street corner. The government would get everybody up at 5 or 5h30, and force them to go excercise on the beach. The people would run door to door and wake up every household. So now, people are in the habit of getting up with the sun and going to the beach for a walk, swim, or to do Tai Chi. It's also one of two times a day when they find it bearable to be out in the heat - they also crowd the beach when the sun starts to go down, which is early here, around five.
After my 6AM arrival, I had to head back out at 9 to go to Vinpearl with Kim and the kids. Vinpearl was originally a beach resort on one of the islands adjacent to Nha Trang. They then built an amusement park and waterpark on the front side and built a huge cable car connecting the island to the mainland. As you can see from the pictures, the cable car and the big Hollywood style Vinpearl sign on the island greatly obstruct the view and the natural scenery in the area, but it's all about the tourist profit isn't it? Anyways, the day with the kids (about 50 of us in total) ended up being a blast. They all wore white Crazy Kim T-shirts so it was easy to locate them, and not much babysitting was required. The waterpark was a lot of fun as well, but I must say it was extremely wierd being in a Gondola over the ocean...I kept thinking "It shouldn't be this hot in here" and "Where is the snow? Where are my skis?" Lol... At least I could look out and see the mountains behind the city, a good homesick remedy - although sometimes I wish it would just be cold for one day...
Thursday, May 29, 2008
So the day at the mud baths turned out to be a huge success! They are on the north side of town and about 3km into the forest, so naturally, beautiful grounds. We relaxed and pampered ourselves and finished the day off with an italien supper on a small pond. Well worth it. When we came back, we decided to finish our spa day with an hour long foot massage...the whole day costing us about $20. Jealous much?
The next day however, wasn't quite as pleasant. We decided to take a bus tour out to "Monkey Island". The tour actually consisted of three islands, the last one being home to hundreds of monkeys living happily without predators. The reason for the trip being not so pleasant was due to two things. The first being a sole elephant tied up on a chain about one meter long. The elephant lived alone on the island, without a mate and without even a park to walk around in. I told the keeper - who insisted on attempted flirtation even after I had insulted his practise openly (...) - that I refused to buy a picture with the elephant so as not to promote it's captivity. He told me that she was 25 years old and that they can live to up to 100. I couldn't even bear the fact that she had another possibly 75 years to live in those conditions, and that such a proud animal can still be treated with such disregard. The second unpleasant factor of the day was that we had to watch two seperate circus' (one of which inevitably contained the elephant). I've been to the circus before, but for some reason - maybe that the animals were trapped solitarly on an island - I found these particularly disturbing. The combination of the elephant, black bears, goats, monkeys and dogs all dressed up in human clothing being forced to perform embarrassing and unnatural stunts really got to me. By the end of the third island and two circus performances, I felt sick to my stomach that I had contributed to the operation of such a display. It didn't help that we were on an all-vietnamese tour with only a couple of people who could speak english. I really don't like the tour feeling. It was the first time I had done anything in my travels with a group and a guide, and I don't think I'll be doing much more of it...not a personal experience, and not an ounce of that exciting exploring feeling.
The only positive thing about the day was that the monkeys roam free, and I got to ride an Ostrich(!!).
The next day was spent at a local beach called "Long Beach" about 45 mins out of Nha Trang. I went with the DJ from Crazy Kim's and we met up with some of his friends, only a couple of whom I had met before. The day was spent lounging about eating plate after plate of seafood and fruit, occasionally wading out into the ocean to cool off, or sleeping in hammocks. Need I say more? Great day...and am getting used to being the quiet one amidst conversations in Vietnamese. It's a whole new level of integration...I think I've passed the acceptance test.
Sunday, May 25, 2008
First week complete
Seeing as it's been almost a week since I've been on the computer, I'm going to recount what we've been doing/ what has happened in that time.
Tuesday:
The danish lady that we were staying with turned out to be quite the grouch and didn't like us staying in the same house (that she's renting btw, it's not hers) as her because we tended to leave the fans on....apparently that was a huge problem so to avoid conflict, Kim (project manager) moved Sophie into a hotel. This actually works really well because we're not stressing about annoying the old lady :P and the people at the hotel know us by name - but a lot of the time it's "how was your day, teacher?". Our day was hence interrupted by packing up and moving around quite a bit.
Wednesday:
After class, Sophie and I decided to venture up to the north side of Nha Trang to do some touristy stuff. We went to visit the Cham towers - temples made by the cham people which are now almost non-existent because of the more dominant chinese, vietnamese, and cambodian cultures. The towers themselves, although partially re-built, are spectacular. They are still used for prayer so only tourists have to pay admission to go enter the grounds. The fare was less than a dollar. Although there's only four towers in close proximity, we stayed for about an hour just wandering the grounds in the blistering heat. The towers are set on a hill overlooking the harbour/river so it we were perfectly content to enjoy lazing about in the shade enjoying the scenery. From there we walked about 45 mins to see the Hon Chong Promontory. In short-rocks. For some reason, we've developped a bad habit of walking long distances mid-day, direct sunlight, exhausting heat. So after wandering through fish markets and never ending roads, we finally arrive, but go for a quick wade in the water to refresh. The rocks weren't anything phenomenal but we ran into a group of vietnamese having lunch on the rocks so we caught some shade and chatted with them for a while and took some pictures. We were so exhausted from the walk and from the sun so we sought out a cab pretty soon after. The cabs tend to sit around in the shade and sleep in between driving, and the one we woke up was so out of it he couldn't even figure out how to bring his seat back up to verical again. Sophie and I just looked at each other in disbelief thinking, is he okay to drive? He finally got himself together, but didn't speak english, so once we got back onto the main beachfront, he decided himself where was a good spot to pull over and drop us off....which wasn't necessarily all that close to our hotel. We felt just as delerious as he looked, and when we began the still 15 minute walk further to get home, all we could do was start laughing at the situation and how pathetic we must have looked sauntering home, soaking wet in our own sweat (attractive, I know).
We slept well that night.
Tuesday:
The danish lady that we were staying with turned out to be quite the grouch and didn't like us staying in the same house (that she's renting btw, it's not hers) as her because we tended to leave the fans on....apparently that was a huge problem so to avoid conflict, Kim (project manager) moved Sophie into a hotel. This actually works really well because we're not stressing about annoying the old lady :P and the people at the hotel know us by name - but a lot of the time it's "how was your day, teacher?". Our day was hence interrupted by packing up and moving around quite a bit.
Wednesday:
After class, Sophie and I decided to venture up to the north side of Nha Trang to do some touristy stuff. We went to visit the Cham towers - temples made by the cham people which are now almost non-existent because of the more dominant chinese, vietnamese, and cambodian cultures. The towers themselves, although partially re-built, are spectacular. They are still used for prayer so only tourists have to pay admission to go enter the grounds. The fare was less than a dollar. Although there's only four towers in close proximity, we stayed for about an hour just wandering the grounds in the blistering heat. The towers are set on a hill overlooking the harbour/river so it we were perfectly content to enjoy lazing about in the shade enjoying the scenery. From there we walked about 45 mins to see the Hon Chong Promontory. In short-rocks. For some reason, we've developped a bad habit of walking long distances mid-day, direct sunlight, exhausting heat. So after wandering through fish markets and never ending roads, we finally arrive, but go for a quick wade in the water to refresh. The rocks weren't anything phenomenal but we ran into a group of vietnamese having lunch on the rocks so we caught some shade and chatted with them for a while and took some pictures. We were so exhausted from the walk and from the sun so we sought out a cab pretty soon after. The cabs tend to sit around in the shade and sleep in between driving, and the one we woke up was so out of it he couldn't even figure out how to bring his seat back up to verical again. Sophie and I just looked at each other in disbelief thinking, is he okay to drive? He finally got himself together, but didn't speak english, so once we got back onto the main beachfront, he decided himself where was a good spot to pull over and drop us off....which wasn't necessarily all that close to our hotel. We felt just as delerious as he looked, and when we began the still 15 minute walk further to get home, all we could do was start laughing at the situation and how pathetic we must have looked sauntering home, soaking wet in our own sweat (attractive, I know).
We slept well that night.
Thursday:
I got my hair straightened!
A friend of mine took me to a local place to permanently straighten my hair. I know it sounds vain, but the curly hair was just looking too scruffy and was getting to be a hassle. The 3.5 hour process cost me all of 250 000 Dong, equivalent $15...which at home would have cost me about $500. Amazing. The whole salon process had me laughing out loud with the girls there (none of which spoke an ounce of english) for example three or four different women came up and grabbed my nose, one to demonstrate point out how flat theirs are in comparison, and two to test if it were real :P.
All in all, as stupid as it sounds, it has already completely changed my life and I'm so happy I was able to do it.
Friday:
Another day of walking in the heat :P. We decided we wanted a good walk and ended up walking about 3 or 4km to the south where the main docks are. Not much to see, but it was nice to get out of the tourist area.
Saturday:
Friday night we stayed in and went to bed early so that we could go diving on saturday. The bus left at 7AM to go to the docks(which we ventured the day before) with a group of about 25 people. It was the first time Sophie had ever been diving so she was pretty nervous but her boyfriend dives quite a bit so she was determined to overcome her fear of the ocean :). I had been once in Australia but was excited to go again. On the way to our first dive site, we were all assigned an instructor and it turned out that one other girl, Sophie and I were the only begginers, so we got a full briefing on what to do. I think the explanation of what could go wrong made us both more nervous than we were before lol. After pileing on what felt like 200lbs of equipment on top of a slightly large wetsuit, we were ready to jump in a sink straight to the bottom. Luckily, we're both still here and ended up having a great dive, despite our claustrophobia in the water :P. The second dive site we had decided just to go snorkeling which I found was just as much fun and we got lots of photos. We bonded with some of the crew and other divers and all lounged about on the 45 min trip home. This was the first time I got a slight burn on my back - otherwise I've been tanning slowlybut surely.
Despite the early start, it was a great day in the sun with lots to explore and lots of time to enjoy being out on the ocean on a beautiful day (as always). I kept thinking of how much Dad would have loved to be on the boat with us out on the sea...:) We got back and passed right out for a couple hours...it's surprising how much swimming takes out of you.
That night was one of the infamous "Full moon" parties at a nightclub on the beach that we usually end up at called the Sailing Club. We headed over around midnight after having a couple, also infamous, drinks called "buckets" at Crazy Kim's (where we teach). They are pretty much exactly what they sound like - buckets of alchohol. The first one we ever tried was out of a watering can, which you can imagine cracked us up... they also come in fish bowls and metal buckets hmm. Anyways, the full moon party was a blast, the club looks out onto the beach and on regular nights, there's tables and chairs out on the beach so you can get away from the club a bit. Saturday night, they had set up a huge stage for the DJ and lights surrounding the place. The dance floor was ultimately the beach with a couple stages set up so people can climb up and dance. We saw some people from our boat from diving that day but mostly we hang out with the locals. Thats the problem with Nha Trang, is that most people who we've met only stay for a couple of days, so I don't know many foreigners here - just Sophie.
I got my hair straightened!
A friend of mine took me to a local place to permanently straighten my hair. I know it sounds vain, but the curly hair was just looking too scruffy and was getting to be a hassle. The 3.5 hour process cost me all of 250 000 Dong, equivalent $15...which at home would have cost me about $500. Amazing. The whole salon process had me laughing out loud with the girls there (none of which spoke an ounce of english) for example three or four different women came up and grabbed my nose, one to demonstrate point out how flat theirs are in comparison, and two to test if it were real :P.
All in all, as stupid as it sounds, it has already completely changed my life and I'm so happy I was able to do it.
Friday:
Another day of walking in the heat :P. We decided we wanted a good walk and ended up walking about 3 or 4km to the south where the main docks are. Not much to see, but it was nice to get out of the tourist area.
Saturday:
Friday night we stayed in and went to bed early so that we could go diving on saturday. The bus left at 7AM to go to the docks(which we ventured the day before) with a group of about 25 people. It was the first time Sophie had ever been diving so she was pretty nervous but her boyfriend dives quite a bit so she was determined to overcome her fear of the ocean :). I had been once in Australia but was excited to go again. On the way to our first dive site, we were all assigned an instructor and it turned out that one other girl, Sophie and I were the only begginers, so we got a full briefing on what to do. I think the explanation of what could go wrong made us both more nervous than we were before lol. After pileing on what felt like 200lbs of equipment on top of a slightly large wetsuit, we were ready to jump in a sink straight to the bottom. Luckily, we're both still here and ended up having a great dive, despite our claustrophobia in the water :P. The second dive site we had decided just to go snorkeling which I found was just as much fun and we got lots of photos. We bonded with some of the crew and other divers and all lounged about on the 45 min trip home. This was the first time I got a slight burn on my back - otherwise I've been tanning slowlybut surely.
Despite the early start, it was a great day in the sun with lots to explore and lots of time to enjoy being out on the ocean on a beautiful day (as always). I kept thinking of how much Dad would have loved to be on the boat with us out on the sea...:) We got back and passed right out for a couple hours...it's surprising how much swimming takes out of you.
That night was one of the infamous "Full moon" parties at a nightclub on the beach that we usually end up at called the Sailing Club. We headed over around midnight after having a couple, also infamous, drinks called "buckets" at Crazy Kim's (where we teach). They are pretty much exactly what they sound like - buckets of alchohol. The first one we ever tried was out of a watering can, which you can imagine cracked us up... they also come in fish bowls and metal buckets hmm. Anyways, the full moon party was a blast, the club looks out onto the beach and on regular nights, there's tables and chairs out on the beach so you can get away from the club a bit. Saturday night, they had set up a huge stage for the DJ and lights surrounding the place. The dance floor was ultimately the beach with a couple stages set up so people can climb up and dance. We saw some people from our boat from diving that day but mostly we hang out with the locals. Thats the problem with Nha Trang, is that most people who we've met only stay for a couple of days, so I don't know many foreigners here - just Sophie.
Sunday:
Was spent nursing our hangovers on the beach while our friends slowly came out and joined us.
Today we are thinking of wandering again and maybe go to the mud baths for some spa treatment :) I don't think my nails have ever grown this long on their own - probably in fear of putting my fingers in my mouth :P
Thanks to all those who have left comments on my blog, it's probably my favorite part of writing. The feedback and just knowing that your all there...It makes me feel the connection.
Lots of love,
xoxox
Was spent nursing our hangovers on the beach while our friends slowly came out and joined us.
Today we are thinking of wandering again and maybe go to the mud baths for some spa treatment :) I don't think my nails have ever grown this long on their own - probably in fear of putting my fingers in my mouth :P
Thanks to all those who have left comments on my blog, it's probably my favorite part of writing. The feedback and just knowing that your all there...It makes me feel the connection.
Lots of love,
xoxox
Monday, May 19, 2008
Travel to....teach?
Having just finished a "day" of teaching, I thought I should document some of what we are doing here. Monday to Saturday, there are two morning classes from 10-11:30 for beginner and intermediate students. The school has two levels and so far I've been teaching the intermediate class upstairs which are mostly teenage students. All I was given was a grammar book and was shown around where they are at in their learning.....aaaand go. I wasn't so sure at first at my teaching abilities but it seems like it could get easier..? Holly, I applaud you for teaching for 5 months, what a feat!! The evening class, of which I just finished my first one tonight, is at 17h and is more of a discussion period than anything. It went soo well compared to the morning classes, partially because we are all just trying to communicate and learn from each other as oppose to a teacher/student relationship in a classroom. The class, which consisted mostly of people 21-30 years old, was in disbelief to hear that I am only 19 lol. Either the shock comes from the fact that that seems young to be travelling and that I am teaching, or just that I look older. I get the shocked reaction quite a lot actually, I have yet to find someone who just accepts it :P.
We had our first rainfall yesterday which brought with it many mosquitos unfortunately. It seems that it only rains in the afternoons, which is what it said in the guide book but it still amazes me that it can be beautiful blue skies all day and all of a sudden, around 17h, torrential rains appear. The vietnamese have the most outragrously creative ways to keep themselves dry whilst in the rain. Sophie and I saw one man with a plastic bag over his head(while riding his moto!), and others with full body suits of plastic protection, like one piece snow suits but clear...so funny, I'll have to get a picture.
That's another thing that is a hot topic that I haven't mentioned yet, is the motos. Nobody drives cars here unless it is a taxi or they've come from another city. The streets are absolutely riddled with motos (not quite motorbikes). The high volume of these also mean that the sidewalks are ignored, and pedestrians usually have to walk onto the road to avoid parked motos, as well as street vendors. Just as I had heard, they pile people on those things like you wouldn't believe. I think the most I've seen in 5 people on these smaller versions of motorbikes: two adults, two kids sitting in front and in between the adults, and one baby, already trained to hold on to his dad while standing on his mom's lap. It's just a way of life here. The way they drive them is even more chaotic! Traffic lights don't exist here. The intersections are just like four way stops...without the stopping. Some bigger intersections have mini traffic circles, but generally, people just drive on through honking their horns to tell each other where they are. It's absolutely fascinating to watch! The honking never subsides, but it all just seems to work...I'm going to have to take a video during rush hour on our street corner because it never ceases to baffle me. Pedestrians also come into this strange mix. There are crosswalks, but it seems only for the walkers to find their way across, because the motos never stop. It's like a game of frogger really, I've found myself a quarter or half the way across and find that I have to stop and wait because they all just keep going around you, and it's you who has to find the space to cross the street in between them haha. I was scared out of my wits the first time I had to cross the major road! All good fun though in the end... no one drives over 40km and there are apparently hardly ever crashes.
Must run though, will write soon.
Om.
P.S. Yesterday was the annual celebration of Buddha's birthday and there was a parade in front of our house so I will put up the video on facebook!
We had our first rainfall yesterday which brought with it many mosquitos unfortunately. It seems that it only rains in the afternoons, which is what it said in the guide book but it still amazes me that it can be beautiful blue skies all day and all of a sudden, around 17h, torrential rains appear. The vietnamese have the most outragrously creative ways to keep themselves dry whilst in the rain. Sophie and I saw one man with a plastic bag over his head(while riding his moto!), and others with full body suits of plastic protection, like one piece snow suits but clear...so funny, I'll have to get a picture.
That's another thing that is a hot topic that I haven't mentioned yet, is the motos. Nobody drives cars here unless it is a taxi or they've come from another city. The streets are absolutely riddled with motos (not quite motorbikes). The high volume of these also mean that the sidewalks are ignored, and pedestrians usually have to walk onto the road to avoid parked motos, as well as street vendors. Just as I had heard, they pile people on those things like you wouldn't believe. I think the most I've seen in 5 people on these smaller versions of motorbikes: two adults, two kids sitting in front and in between the adults, and one baby, already trained to hold on to his dad while standing on his mom's lap. It's just a way of life here. The way they drive them is even more chaotic! Traffic lights don't exist here. The intersections are just like four way stops...without the stopping. Some bigger intersections have mini traffic circles, but generally, people just drive on through honking their horns to tell each other where they are. It's absolutely fascinating to watch! The honking never subsides, but it all just seems to work...I'm going to have to take a video during rush hour on our street corner because it never ceases to baffle me. Pedestrians also come into this strange mix. There are crosswalks, but it seems only for the walkers to find their way across, because the motos never stop. It's like a game of frogger really, I've found myself a quarter or half the way across and find that I have to stop and wait because they all just keep going around you, and it's you who has to find the space to cross the street in between them haha. I was scared out of my wits the first time I had to cross the major road! All good fun though in the end... no one drives over 40km and there are apparently hardly ever crashes.
Must run though, will write soon.
Om.
P.S. Yesterday was the annual celebration of Buddha's birthday and there was a parade in front of our house so I will put up the video on facebook!
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Book I
So now that the first couple days are over, I feel quite comfortable and at home here in Nha Trang. I'm staying in a very typical and beautiful french/vietnamese home with a Danish woman and as of yesterday, another volunteer. She's from England and her name is Sophie. She's come all the way across Russia and down through China and is spending two weeks teaching with me in Nha Trang. Seeing as we've both spent the past couple days on our own, we both welcomed a day of chatting and exploring and generally just enjoying good company. We spent the afternoon on the beach after she had slept and I finished teaching my class (will write an entry on the school in a bit). The beach is spectacular with potentially surf-like water(which is warm!! :)) and fairly empty seeing as the vietnamese don't like to tan. Where I try and wear T-shirts or mid-sleeve shirts to stay conservative and absolutely melt in the heat, they are frequently fully covered with masks and gloves. The women don't like to be exposed to the sun because fair skin is considered more attractive. It's a perfect example of "we always want what we can't have" seeing as north american women tan inside just to keep some colour. The beach has major pro's such as: a fairly strong wind which allows you to enjoy your time on the beach in terms of keeping the temperature sane, 5km of great beach, no docks or personal watercraft so the waterfront is absolutely clear, not busy at all since the only people who visit the beach in the day are caucasian or are selling things to caucasians. The major con of the beach, however, is just that - the vendors. They are, in my opinion, Nha Trang's major flaw. Men and women, sometimes children, get in your face and sit down next to you with whatever they are selling and are very difficult to dissuade. There are five types: Men with portfolios of their families paintings(although they must be a huge family seeing as there all the same...), women with a sweet papadum-like bread paper in fruity flavours(these are the only things they can persude me to buy), women who offer massages, women and children with baskets full of cigarettes, bracelets candy, gum, chips etc., and lastly people carrying boxes of books. Sophie and I made the mistake of saying "maybe later" to a couple of them. Indeed they came back later, pointed at their wrist and say "later! you say later, it now later!"...What are you supposed to say? At this point they get really angry and pout. One girl who was particularly persistant started to cry, threw down a pack of postcards on my chest and then hit us saying it's not fair. Oh my. It was better today though now that our body language is more clear to them that we are not interested. It was funny though, I was teaching Sophie some Yoga on the beach and as we were in a strechted out slightly upsidown position, one lady still comes right up with a "hi lady! you want to buy!" I litterally burst out laughing and almost fell over... tell me, do I really look like I'm in a position to buy or want to buy something? :P
It feels sometimes as if I haven't done that much yet, but the culture is so different and so great that this not so little beach town has been the perfect landing. I will dedicate more time from now on to writing smaller more frequent entries and not long drawn out ones :P
Om.
It feels sometimes as if I haven't done that much yet, but the culture is so different and so great that this not so little beach town has been the perfect landing. I will dedicate more time from now on to writing smaller more frequent entries and not long drawn out ones :P
Om.
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