Serenity and Charm of Central Vietnam

December 20, 2010

Five days to Christmas and it looks like I’ll be in Hanoi. I’m not planning my location around Christmas, but hope to celebrate in a fun, though not traditional, way.

I’m wrapping up two lovely days in Hoi An, an old trading town that has been able to retain its old world charm. Not that you can see the charm because I’m having new issues it seems with a different memory card! It is a touristy town, but the charm, food and window shopping make it a worthwhile stay.

I took two buses from Dalat to get to Hoi An and my “layover” was in Nha Trang for 7 hours. I met a couple of other people doing the same thing as I so we walked the beach city and visited a Hindu temple and an impressive black and white photography gallery. The artist focuses on portraiture throughout Vietnam and he really had exquisite pieces. I was pleased that I had not stayed in Nha Trang for the city was not especially appealing and the beach scene was huge and party focused. Mui Ne and the thought of beaches in Thailand made Nha Trang less appealing.

The next bus was a sleeper bus – ever heard of that? I had my own little slot that had a “seat” that laid back at maybe a 35 degree angle and a little cubby for my legs. Even I, at 5’4” (nearly!), just fit into the space. I was able to sleep, but it’s still no bed so it was a fitfull sleep. Upon arrival in Hoi An finding a place to stay was the first priority. The two guys I had met before and I decided to check out a dorm place that turned out the be closed. There weren’t too many options in the city center, but we found a hotel that was affordable since we’d be splitting it. So once again I had roomies at a hotel.

We went out separate ways for the morning and afternoon as we wanted to do different things, but the center area is small enough that we kept running into each other. I visited several old houses (around 200 years old) that showed much Chinese and Japanese influence in the architecture. One house was more strictly a Vietnamese style, which the owner (6^th generation in that house) proudly stated. I also visited several Buddhist temples and community meeting places that again show a lot of Chinese influence. I toured a museum of the ceramic trade here and saw the making of lanterns. The colorful lanterns given such a wonderful cheer and charm to the dark night. I also visited an embrodiery shop that had stunning framed pieces. There were even portraits that from a distance looked like photographs. A young woman was stitching, well she tucked her magazine under the cloth when I walked in. An outline of the design is drawn on the cotton and then sewn. The hours upon hours of stitching to complete the works is staggering. For the larger pieces more than one stitcher works on the piece. Throughout all of these sights there are items to sell. Frequently, half of the tour is a tour of what you can buy. I’m sure they were very disappointed in me!

In the evening one of my friends and I went to a traditonal performance of music, singing and dance. I only yawned once and that says a lot about how good the performance was. The instruments included drums, wooden flute and strings, but in many varieties. The sound has clear similarities to Chinese music, but I found this more pleasing. The Vietnamese music doesn’t have the high pitched, squeeling sound of the Chinese music. The dances were varied with colorful costumes and the singing was pleasant. The best part of the performance was that it seemed like most of the performers were having fun. At one point a dancer looked like she was going to burst out laughing. The performers also smiled and encouraged one another on when they were about to have a solo. Seeing them have fun made it much more enjoyable for me.

Today the three of us rented two motor bikes and headed to some ruins, My Son, of the Cham empire. The earliest of the brick Hindu temples we saw were built in the 8^th century. They were lovely structures, but badly damaged during the Vietnam War. You’ll just have to wait to see a picture of me as Shiva the Destroyer. We also hit the beach and had a nice dip (though a colder one than Mui Ne).

I want to quickly tell you about my last day in Dalat. I rented a motor bike myself and headed to large meditation center/Buddhist temple outside the city. It was built into the mountainside above a lake. There weren’t too many visitors and I found it so serence that I stayed a couple of hours. I enjoyed the smell of incense and the sound of the windchimes (though not typical). Many tables and benches were about so I sat and read for awhile after walking to the lake) and enjoying some ice cream). I spoke with one monk who was intersted in telling me about the temple we were in. I complimented the monastery for its beauty and he said he didn’t agree. He invited me to come for practice the next day, but I already had my bus ticket and felt the time crunch and need to push on. Probably a mistake. I took the bike around the lake, as much as the road would go, and saw a young woman with a helmet asking for a ride. I thought hers might have broken down and she just needed to go a little ways. I don’t pick up hitchikers, but for some reason it seemed like the neighborly thing to do because so few cars/bikes were in the area. She was very nice and it turns out she’s a university student studying nursing. Unfortuantley, she needed to go all the way back to Dalat. I was ready to head back anyway, but it was a long drive and I had to go a bit out of my way. I didn’t mind because that I was freezing. Getting lost trying to find my way back to the center of town didn’t help. I dashed to a restaurant to find something warm. I ended up warming my hands up by holding a teapot.

My friend, Dave, from Mui Ne arrived in Dalat that evening so we hung out a bit. Then the next morning I took off for Hoi An. I wish I had more time in Dalat. The city is a treat in nearly every way. I still miss the bakeries. :)

Off to Hue tomorrow. I would prefer not to run around so much, but I’m torn between that and wanting to see the main places here. My visa expires Jan. 3 so I don’t have the kind of time I had in Indonesia.

Off to bed - I'm starting to doze at the computer!

Hopefully, I can figure out the pictures soon.

Out of the Jungles

December 16, 2010

The last few days have been a treat of extremes – sand dunes and lush mountains. A friend, Dave, I met on the bus from Saigon to Mui Ne joined up for our motorbike adventures to the sand dunes. We paid $8 for 24 hour of use and the owner of the bike was very paranoid because it’s a new bike. He kept saying “slow, slow” and we hadn’t even gotten on the bike yet. Anyway, there are two sets of dunes near Mui Ne and after a few wrong turns we ended up at the first ones, the Red Sand Dunes/Yellow Sand Dunes (the two different names reflect if the sand is wet from rain or not). Young boys eagerly tried to sell us a ride on the “toboggan.” I had brought a trash bag that I have with me in case it’s raining as I’m travelling about with my suitcase. I hoped to save a buck so refused to rent the sheet from the boys who followed us a ways. I put my flimsy bag down and off I flew… NOT! I moved very slowly for about 6 feet and then no more. Dave had even worse luck than I did, but we had some serious belly laughs that made me cry.

With that utter failure we paid .50 each for one ride down the dune. The young man who rented us the sheet is 16 and speaks impressive English that he picked up interacting with tourists. I don’t know what kind of schooling he’s had. All students must pay tuition and many families cannot afford it. He seemed quite sharp and determined so hopefully he somehow can get over the hurdles he has in front of him. He prepped the sand for us and off we went. This time we really did fly. Apparently on newly wet sand we would have gone even faster!

We hit the road again and I admired the ever-changing landscape as we drove 20 kilometers to the other dunes. The various colors of earth were fascinating and would be a geologist’s delight. This area is not the jungle you might imagine Vietnam to be (that’s how I imagined it). The area is drier and the trees more sparse. The next dunes blew the other ones out of the water. There was no need to stop at the first ones given the incredible setting and breadth of the second ones. No sliding here and fortunately no other visitors rented the noisy ATVs. We walked along the ridge to what we thought was the highest point. Unfortunately, I stopped to take a picture and Dave beat me to the summit and staked his British flag in (his imaginary flag). Don’t worry as we left I switched flags! It was fun walking down a steep bit of the dune and the walking along the edge where it transitioned into the lake. We sat and shook all the sand out of our shoes and had a lunch with a scenic view. It was especially pleasant because there weren’t many other tourists while we were there – although we passed several jeeps of them just as we left. Lucky!

Dave and I were having fun motor biking and exploring so we decided to go in the opposite direction from which we came. We thought the road might circle back around or have some turn to take us back to Mui Ne. We had travelled about 26km so far and added maybe another 10km before we came to a turn. To our surprise a sign said that P. Thiet was 48km away – this meant Mui Ne was another 20km after that!!! We have no idea how this is physically possible, but the numbers were right. It was fun to see more of the countryside and pass through small towns, but soon our bums became sore. In the days leading up to this ride I had done a lot of sitting on uncomfortable seats and this ride just got flat out painful. We stopped for a “tushy break” and pulled into a little outdoor café with friendly women and drunken karaoke singing men. It was quite amusing – until I saw one very drunk man drive off on his bike.

We celebrated upon arriving in P. Thiet – a city – and with the help of locals easily found our way. I saw another accident though and the worst up until that point. A large load of goods flipped forward on top of the driver (I think he was on a bike) and a couple people who had been on top went flying. Lots of bystanders came to help and I hope they are all okay. That was my 6^th accident to see and I saw another one the next day. The lack of safety on the part of the drivers themselves and the lack of oversight by the government is shocking. Accidents don’t seem to deter unsafe driving.

We rolled into Mui Ne just before dark and had to walk off our motorbike-tushy bruises. There are lots of massage places so it was tempting to go and rest a tushy massage.

I got in some beach time the next day before catching a van to Dalat (a small city in the mountains). The scenery was beautiful, but as usual the van lulled me to sleep for most of the way. I happened to be awake when we passed several motorbikes on the curvy mountain roads. The last bike in the group – with two riders - saw us and moved off the pavement, which was the size of one large lane, and went into the grass. With this they flew over the front of the bike and fell into a small ravine. The driver kept going! I said, “Aren’t we going to stop?,” but got no reply. I looked back and saw one rider standing up and just hope the other one did too. When we next passed a motorbike the driver gestured to them. I don’t know if he was warning them to watch out or if he was trying to get the bikers help. Though the lane isn’t large the other bikes were able to pass us and the driver had honked so it shouldn’t have been a surprise that we were there (although it might have made the biker tense), but again the biker was driving too fast for windy mountain roads. Now I’m up to seven accidents and hopefully that will be it. A new traveller friend of mine said his friend saw someone die in a motorbike accident. Horrific.

I met a British traveller on the van and we decided to share a hotel room to save money. It’s funny how the international backpacker culture is so different from when I travel in the US. It’s worked out well and is fun to have the company for a bit. We wandered the center of the city that night and found several bakeries – yum – and markets. We also got to see the Effiel Tower! The city of Dalat was built under French rule in the late 19^th century so the influence on architecture (and pastries) is strong. The tower was built after the Vietnam War as a communication tower. I was surprised the government allowed it.

This morning I hired an “Easy Rider” (yes, named after the movie) to show me the surrounding area. Don’t worry, he’s a good driver! We started with a beautiful Buddhist temple that was built about 70 years ago. The fun part was the massive dragon outside the temple that twisted and turned about. Lady Buddha happily rode on top. The pagodas usually have four animals represented, the dragon, phoenix, turtle and unicorn (not like the western idea of a unicorn). The animals symbolize power, beauty, longevity and prosperity, respectively. At wedding the dragon is used to represent the groom and the phoenix the bride (not surprising).

I saw the farms of Dalat – vegetables and flowers are their main industries. The flowers are sold throughout Vietnam, but they don't yet have an airport in the area to export the flowers. It sounded like that was on the horizon though. Cauliflower and strawberries were brought by the French and are now common. The French also brought pine trees so if you were trying to figure that one out after seeing my pictures now you know. Coffee is also produced in the areas below Dalat. The beans have just been harvested and now they are laid out in front of most peoples’ homes to dry. You see people walking through them to mix them up so each bean gets dried. You also sometimes see motorbikes parked on them, chickens walking about and dogs sniffing the beans – not a thought you might want to have in mind next time you sip your coffee.

Seeing all the various sights was wonderful, but I also just immensely enjoyed driving through the countryside and towns. Touring on a motorbike, while more dangerous is more fun than a car/van. I don’t have a “wall” between me and the area and people I want to get to know. Forests surrounded me, but my guide said that the trees have all appeared in the last 10 years. Before that the area was desolate from the chemicals dropped by Americans during the war. the earth seems to be recovering after all these years, but I know the effects are still felt for people and other life.

You can see I visited a silk factory and watched the workers swiftly work the cocoons and thread. You can also see a huge pile of coffee shells, which are used to fuel the fires that dry the unusable part of the cocoon. This material gets sold to companies who use it for mattresses and such. You also see piles of shells in public places that people can haul of and burn in their homes. Also, no part of the cocoon is wasted. The worm is sold at market for food. Many cocoons have two worms in them and their thread is stronger and courser than the single worm cocoons so they are separated and the thread is still used to make scarves and such. The wooden slats you see on the weaving machine are the designs for the cloth – I thought that was cool.

Apparently Vietnam is the second largest exporter of coffee beans and rice.

My favorite stop was to the Elephant Waterfall. I had to climb down slippery rocks, but the falls were expansive and beauitful against the lush green scenery. I was also able to get behind the falls, but the consequence was getting drenched. It was great fun though and I dried off soon enough. After the falls I quickly saw an adjacent pagoda and then we had a delicious lunch. My guide ordered us a variety of things and you can see us at the table and our food. My favorite where the fat rolls. The meal was 40,000 dong each ($2), but he said last month it would have been 30,000! I didn't realize inflation was running away like it is.

Back in Dalat I saw "The Crazy House," which is a home that has been expanded since it was first built after the war. The only reason the person was allowed to build it was because she is the daughter of the second president of unified Vietnam. She is still alive and lives in a small part of the house and the rest is a hotel and tourist sight. The architecture is very "Gaudiesque" and Alice in Wonderland. It is like a funhouse to explore and you never know where the path or stairs will lead you. I braved some very high and narrow stairs (with very short sides) to find they took me to nowhere - just broken wires that might someday connect to what is being constructed. With wobbly knees I slowly turned around and with my hands gripping the sides backtracked. It was really and wonderful place to see and I liked the landscape.

Hiring a guide was not just worth it because he knew where to take me, but because he was able to tell me so many things about the country. He said before the war this area was mostly "minority people" (the traditional people who lived here and came from Polynesia) and some South Vietnamese. After the war a lot of land was given to North Vietnamese people who moved there. They are the ones who have been allowed to gain so much wealth. The silk factory I visited was begun by a poor North Vietnamese family and now they are wealthy. The country seems to be quite capitalist, but the communist government just controls who can get wealthy. Many seasonal homes are being built now as well.

One man I met said his son, educated as an aeronautical engineer, can only work as a mechanic because the man is a veteran of the South Vietnamese Army. Even all these years later the stigma is strong and limiting. I also think what my grandmother says, that it's not good to chop of your nose to spite your face. I would think it best for the government to make use of all of the talent it can. His other son just graduated from an Australian University on scholarship, but I'm sure he'll face similar obstacles.

The man said he would have liked to leave Vietnam after the war, but couldn't afford it and was not an officer. He said the "boat people" had gold and enough wealth to leave, but his family didn't. I got he impression he still would like to leave, but it's expensive and his family is here. He said that for him the war was an ideological war. He wanted capitalism and Ho Chi Minh wanted communism. He said that the government always calls it the American War and portrays it like a political war of being invaded. And this is definitely the impression I also got in the museums.

I know there is so much more I learned these last few days, but I'm in a rush to catch a bus and I can't recall it call. Writing this blog had taken a few days and in the meantime my flashdrive got a virus so I wasn't able to post all the pictures I wanted. Hopefully I can clean it up and post them so check back if you like. I also have another amazing day in Dalat to write about. Today (Dec. 18) I've just been traveling from Dalat to Hoi An with a 7 hour stopover in a big beach city, Nha Thrang. Will write more from Hoi An - can't wait to get there it's supposed to be amazing.