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...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)