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Published: July 15th 2010
HEEELLLLLOOOOO!!!!
It is Christmas here in Vietnam as we are 15 hours ahead of California time. the last two days in Vietnam have been some of the most amazing in my life. We took a night train to central Vietnam to a place called Hue (pronounced Hway.) In Hue, we rented motorbikes and cruised around the countryside to visit the tombs of the emporers and some pagodas (buddhist temples). I must admit, it took me a couple minutes to get the motorbikes down...did you know you have to shift gears?!? In those minutes I managed to crash into a few parked motorbikes. No pain, no gain, right? Fortunately, the Vietnamese have a great sense of humor (and accepted 100,000 dong ...which is a little more than $6...for minor damages).
Once I got into the open road and had the chance to practice, I quickly became a motorbike guru. The tombs were amazing. They were extremely ornate with massive structures and statues. They are also surrounded by lush foliage and beautiful landscaping. The "grounds" have ponds with lily pads and lotus flowers. I took some amazing photos which I will torture you all with later, and recorded my rant in
Bike Rides
And water buffalomy travel journal which I am keeping daily. I'll be sure to read excerpts until you either burn it or run off to Vietnam to see it for yourselves.
The pagodas were equally beautiful, but with the added smell of incense and sounds of buddhist monks chanting. They also were playing kickball...which was the last thing I expected to see the monks doing, but hey...I guess even they need a break from praying and fasting.
The following day we went to more pagodas and I spent a few hours in the Forbidden Purple City. It is not purple or forbidden, but it is located on the perfume river AKA purple river. It was a citadel for early Vietnamese emporers and also the grounds where extended family lived. IT WAS IMMENSE! It took a couple hours to wander around the maze of room, and the beauty mirrored that of the tombs and pagodas. LOTS of landscaping. It was also the sight of some battles during the Vietnam Conflict, so some of the buildings were bombed out. I felt like an explorer of some ancient ruiins, as the grounds were so immense I didn't see other tourists at some of
Where's Jason?
Find the non-emperor the bombing sites. Call me Indiana Jason.
Hue is historical from the Vietnam Conflict because it is close to the DMZ and was a battlefront for weeks, with house to house combat and communist takeover for three weeks. When the North came into Hue, they put to death over 3,000 locals who sided with the South/Americans; including monks and families. Aside from the forbidden city, there isn't much sign of the war here. I did buy a communist propaganda poster which I will share with my classes when I teach about Vietnam...and I just made this trip a write off!!!
Since we had a few hours to kill, we took our motorbikes to the back roads of Vietnam...the Highlight of my trip so far. It brings tears to my eyes as I type about the experience. We went were tourists do not go, and experienced what no photograph can capture. The people here are sweet and amazing. Many of the kids were coming out of school in their blue and white uniforms, riding their bikes back to their roadside homes. As we drove by, their eyes were wide with amazement and excitement to see white westerners in their
corner of the world. EVERYONE we passed waved, and shouted "Hello" in English as we zoomed by. When we occasionally stopped, they gathered around to touch and greet us. They laughed, smiled, giggled and played. Stunning. Considering how humble, by American standards, their lives and homes seem, their joy and peace outweighs most Americans by far. It definitely caused me to pause, think, feel, and pray. Nothing I have experienced thus far in my 32 years can take away the awe of those few hours in the Vietnamese countryside. Inspiring, breathtalking, heartfelt...but mostly humbling.
We followed this adventure with lunch and a 4 hour bus ride to HoiAn.
(One of these emails, I'll tell you about the food...it's good...but not now.)
Hoi An is the coolest. It is known for clothes making. We first headed to the tailor where I placed quite a hefty order. My 21 items includes 3 jackets (casual coats/blazers), 5 or 6 pants (including a few dress slacks,) a few pairs of shorts, light cotton long sleave "sweaters", and 6-7 long and short sleeve button-ups...all custom tailored and being made for me as I type...ready in less than 24 hours...all for under $300
(American). AMAZING! I've been complaining about not having nice clothes to wear...but no longer. If you're lucky, my slide show and journal reading will also include a fashion show. Stay Tuned. LOL
Our hotel here is stunning. At least 5 star...for $10 a night. CRAZY! They even brought us a yule log pastry for Christmas. Christmas here is strictly for Westerners. The local shops have decor up and say Merry Christmas, but they don't celebrate it themselves. Last night (after dinner and the tailor) we went to a bar that was having a christmas party that was OFF THE HOOK. Every tourist in town was there and we partied like ROCKSTARS! the first of such nights so far in Vietnam. It was a blast. we rang in Christmas with a few hundred people from all aver the globe, drinking, dancing, and having a super time. As for today, we're a bit sore in the head, but are off to explore Hoi An via bicycle. The weather is a bit overcast...a first so far for my Vietnam adventure...but it's all good.
Merry Christmas to you all...Thanks for the emails.
Love,
Jason
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