“Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure or nothing”
~Helen Keller
The view pulling up on Ho Chi Minh City was unreal. After a few hours on the Mekong Delta the sudden sight of skyscrapers and bustling city life was quite a shock. Erica and I went straight to the Airport after leaving the ship and got a plane to Hanoi. It was definitely not hard to find my uncle Pat at the airport, considering he towered over everyone else there (hehe). We drove the 45 minutes to his apartment in Hanoi and on the way passed a lot of rice fields, rivers, and amazing buildings. Most of the houses there are built very narrow, but very tall. This came from the period of French colonization, and people were taxed on the street space they used for their homes. So, they used as little street space as possible, but maximized the space by making the houses very tall. We arrived at the apartment, which was beautiful! My aunt and uncle live right in between two lakes one of which is where McCain was shot down and captured. We went out to a delicious little restaurant in the French quarter and ate A LOT of yummy Vietnamese food. It was so nice to be staying with family again and have free internet. You never realize how much of a luxury it is until you live without it for a while. Facebook is blocked in Vietnam, but I did get to Skype a lot of people! We woke up early the next morning and walked to the Pagoda right by the apartment. A Pagoda is a Buddhist Temple where people go to worship and make offerings. There were incents burning everywhere and beautiful statues and shrines everywhere. Ancestor worship is such a huge part of the religion, so there were offerings for people’s ancestors (a lot of sodas, beers, and candies), and places where people went to burn possessions of their ancestors as a form of prayer. We took a nice little walk around the lake and had our first lesson in crossing the streets. There are so many motorcycles and cars that there is never a point where you can just cross. You have to just step out into the street and walk slowly, without stopping, so that the motorcycles and mopeds can swerve around you. Its just as terrifying as it sounds. You really have to clear your mind and just force yourself to keep walking, because if you hesitate they are more likely to hit you. We then went downtown to look around the shops and eat lunch with my aunt. I can see why the number one killer in developing countries is respiratory diseases. The air was thick with dust and smog. Still, though it was very fun walking around and experiencing the markets. It was also pretty chilly, which was a nice change from the other ports! You could definitely pick up the communist feel from the loud speakers on every street. Every now and then an announcement would be made, I wish I was able to understand Vietnamese so that I could hear what they were announcing.
After lunch we went to the Women’s Museum. It had everything from Vietnamese customs in marriage and birth to fashion to womens’ roles in the war. It was very interesting seeing how important women were in the war, both as soldiers and as nurses. There are vast differences between the different ethnic groups and their customs in marriage and child birth. Some are very elaborate and others are very simple. Some favor girls and others favor boys. I never knew that there were so many different ethnic groups within Vietnam and how different they all were. After that, Erica and I walked around on our own. We found a cute little café, got some drinks, and shopped around. We even rode in a little bicycle taxi! It was a very fun and relaxing day!
The next morning a bus picked us up to go to Ha Long Bay. It was about a 3 hour drive through the country side, and it was cool to see some of the smaller villages and people working in the rice fields. Ha Long Bay was incredible. The pillars of rock sticking out from the green water are said to be formed by a dragon thrashing its tail around. Our boat had a small group on it, which was very nice. There were people from all over: Switzerland, France, Australia, and Poland. It was great eating dinner with everyone and sharing stories. The French family was very nice and very funny and Erica and I had a great time hanging out with them! We sailed around Ha Long Bay and went to a huge cave. We got off of the boat and walked around the cave, and even got to pet the good luck turtle (a rock formation that eerily resembles a perfect sea turtle). We then got into kayaks and paddled around the bay, through some caves and around the giants rising out of the water. It really makes you realize how small you really are when your looking up at these towering rock formations. It was a misty night, which made it seem like the perfect scene for a horror movie, but we sat outside and had some drinks and shared more stories with our fellow travelers. It was really nice being away from the giant group of SAS-holes (the name given to some of our shipmates by Brittany, the photographer). Not that they aren’t tons of fun, but when your on your own you really get to know new people and you get to absorb your situation more. In the morning we had a breakfast of pho and eggs (yum!), and went to Ti Top Island. It has a pretty little beach and 245 steps leading up to a temple at the very top. Needless to say the view was incredible! When we returned to the boat we had a cooking lesson and learned how to make spring roles….then ate them of course. The sun finally came out and we had a nice leisurely sail back into the port. Some backpackers joined our bus on the way back, and there was a lot of traffic, so it was a very long and cramped 5-hour ride back (with a very awkward encounter in which one of the French guys leaned into me and said “your neighbors are so loud” in French. Unfortunately one of the girls spoke French very well and understood everything). We finally made it back, got a pedicure across the street from the apartment, and ate more spring rolls (can’t get enough of them). My Aunt and Uncle went to an event at the Opera House with the Lord Mayor of London and some other dignitaries, so we were home alone. We were exhausted though, so we ended up just staying in, skyping, and watching movies (and eating way too many spring rolls).
The next morning we said our goodbyes and flew back to Saigon. Even though the cab driver nodded as though he understood us, we drove in circles for quite a while before we ended up just drawing a picture of a boat and he finally understood and we eventually made it back to the ship. We threw our stuff in our rooms and ran out again to explore Saigon a little bit before we had to get back on. We walked around Saigon Center and some other markets and shopped a lot more than we had planned to. I wanted to get a dress made, but I didn’t think I had time. Still, around 2 a lady talked me into getting a dress made and took us to her apartment nearby to pick out a design and get measured. Somehow she managed to do all that and get the dress finished within less than 3 hours! It amazing how fast they work! It was quite an experience, since I’m almost positive that apartment building served as a dress making shop (a tiny one), a home, and a cock-fighting arena. There were huge chickens in cages and a sand pit behind what looked like a moped shop…didn’t take long for me to put two and two together. When we got back to the ship it was pouring…for those of you who know me well, you know I was sitting on deck playing in the rain and splashing in the puddles. It was a lot of fun =) Vietnam was fascinating in a lot of ways. The culture, customs, and overall dynamics were so much fun to learn about and adapt to! The people generally just ignored us, but those that I was able to interact with were nice (I think, Vietnamese is a hard language to interpret…most of the inflections sound angry). I enjoyed it very much, and there is so much to see in all the different regions. I will definitely have to come back someday for a longer period of time and do some major exploring.
Back in Nam
~Helen Keller
The view pulling up on Ho Chi Minh City was unreal. After a few hours on the Mekong Delta the sudden sight of skyscrapers and bustling city life was quite a shock. Erica and I went straight to the Airport after leaving the ship and got a plane to Hanoi. It was definitely not hard to find my uncle Pat at the airport, considering he towered over everyone else there (hehe). We drove the 45 minutes to his apartment in Hanoi and on the way passed a lot of rice fields, rivers, and amazing buildings. Most of the houses there are built very narrow, but very tall. This came from the period of French colonization, and people were taxed on the street space they used for their homes. So, they used as little street space as possible, but maximized the space by making the houses very tall. We arrived at the apartment, which was beautiful! My aunt and uncle live right in between two lakes one of which is where McCain was shot down and captured. We went out to a delicious little restaurant in the French quarter and ate A LOT of yummy Vietnamese food. It was so nice to be staying with family again and have free internet. You never realize how much of a luxury it is until you live without it for a while. Facebook is blocked in Vietnam, but I did get to Skype a lot of people! We woke up early the next morning and walked to the Pagoda right by the apartment. A Pagoda is a Buddhist Temple where people go to worship and make offerings. There were incents burning everywhere and beautiful statues and shrines everywhere. Ancestor worship is such a huge part of the religion, so there were offerings for people’s ancestors (a lot of sodas, beers, and candies), and places where people went to burn possessions of their ancestors as a form of prayer. We took a nice little walk around the lake and had our first lesson in crossing the streets. There are so many motorcycles and cars that there is never a point where you can just cross. You have to just step out into the street and walk slowly, without stopping, so that the motorcycles and mopeds can swerve around you. Its just as terrifying as it sounds. You really have to clear your mind and just force yourself to keep walking, because if you hesitate they are more likely to hit you. We then went downtown to look around the shops and eat lunch with my aunt. I can see why the number one killer in developing countries is respiratory diseases. The air was thick with dust and smog. Still, though it was very fun walking around and experiencing the markets. It was also pretty chilly, which was a nice change from the other ports! You could definitely pick up the communist feel from the loud speakers on every street. Every now and then an announcement would be made, I wish I was able to understand Vietnamese so that I could hear what they were announcing.
After lunch we went to the Women’s Museum. It had everything from Vietnamese customs in marriage and birth to fashion to womens’ roles in the war. It was very interesting seeing how important women were in the war, both as soldiers and as nurses. There are vast differences between the different ethnic groups and their customs in marriage and child birth. Some are very elaborate and others are very simple. Some favor girls and others favor boys. I never knew that there were so many different ethnic groups within Vietnam and how different they all were. After that, Erica and I walked around on our own. We found a cute little café, got some drinks, and shopped around. We even rode in a little bicycle taxi! It was a very fun and relaxing day!
The next morning a bus picked us up to go to Ha Long Bay. It was about a 3 hour drive through the country side, and it was cool to see some of the smaller villages and people working in the rice fields. Ha Long Bay was incredible. The pillars of rock sticking out from the green water are said to be formed by a dragon thrashing its tail around. Our boat had a small group on it, which was very nice. There were people from all over: Switzerland, France, Australia, and Poland. It was great eating dinner with everyone and sharing stories. The French family was very nice and very funny and Erica and I had a great time hanging out with them! We sailed around Ha Long Bay and went to a huge cave. We got off of the boat and walked around the cave, and even got to pet the good luck turtle (a rock formation that eerily resembles a perfect sea turtle). We then got into kayaks and paddled around the bay, through some caves and around the giants rising out of the water. It really makes you realize how small you really are when your looking up at these towering rock formations. It was a misty night, which made it seem like the perfect scene for a horror movie, but we sat outside and had some drinks and shared more stories with our fellow travelers. It was really nice being away from the giant group of SAS-holes (the name given to some of our shipmates by Brittany, the photographer). Not that they aren’t tons of fun, but when your on your own you really get to know new people and you get to absorb your situation more. In the morning we had a breakfast of pho and eggs (yum!), and went to Ti Top Island. It has a pretty little beach and 245 steps leading up to a temple at the very top. Needless to say the view was incredible! When we returned to the boat we had a cooking lesson and learned how to make spring roles….then ate them of course. The sun finally came out and we had a nice leisurely sail back into the port. Some backpackers joined our bus on the way back, and there was a lot of traffic, so it was a very long and cramped 5-hour ride back (with a very awkward encounter in which one of the French guys leaned into me and said “your neighbors are so loud” in French. Unfortunately one of the girls spoke French very well and understood everything). We finally made it back, got a pedicure across the street from the apartment, and ate more spring rolls (can’t get enough of them). My Aunt and Uncle went to an event at the Opera House with the Lord Mayor of London and some other dignitaries, so we were home alone. We were exhausted though, so we ended up just staying in, skyping, and watching movies (and eating way too many spring rolls).
The next morning we said our goodbyes and flew back to Saigon. Even though the cab driver nodded as though he understood us, we drove in circles for quite a while before we ended up just drawing a picture of a boat and he finally understood and we eventually made it back to the ship. We threw our stuff in our rooms and ran out again to explore Saigon a little bit before we had to get back on. We walked around Saigon Center and some other markets and shopped a lot more than we had planned to. I wanted to get a dress made, but I didn’t think I had time. Still, around 2 a lady talked me into getting a dress made and took us to her apartment nearby to pick out a design and get measured. Somehow she managed to do all that and get the dress finished within less than 3 hours! It amazing how fast they work! It was quite an experience, since I’m almost positive that apartment building served as a dress making shop (a tiny one), a home, and a cock-fighting arena. There were huge chickens in cages and a sand pit behind what looked like a moped shop…didn’t take long for me to put two and two together. When we got back to the ship it was pouring…for those of you who know me well, you know I was sitting on deck playing in the rain and splashing in the puddles. It was a lot of fun =) Vietnam was fascinating in a lot of ways. The culture, customs, and overall dynamics were so much fun to learn about and adapt to! The people generally just ignored us, but those that I was able to interact with were nice (I think, Vietnamese is a hard language to interpret…most of the inflections sound angry). I enjoyed it very much, and there is so much to see in all the different regions. I will definitely have to come back someday for a longer period of time and do some major exploring.
Back in Nam
Beautiful pictures, Hanna! I have a hard time thinking of Viet Nam outside of the context of the war and the kids we fostered. It looks like a beautiful place. So nice you could see family along the way.
ReplyDeleteLove, Aunt Suzanne