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Published: March 24th 2007
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Sapa, day 2
...with the Aussies. This morning, after breakfast, Adam booked a 3 day trip in and around Sapa. I however, am leaving tonight. We parted ways after breakfast, exchanging e-mail addresses. I'm pretty sure I will see him again as well, as he will still be traveling when my next big trip rolls around next year, around this time. I met a couple from Spain and a couple from Australia, along with our Black Hmong guide. Dustin and Amy, from Australia, and I talked most of the time on our 15km expedition. We walked through some of the most beautiful countryside I have ever seen. Some of it was a bit precarious, but manageable. We had an entourage of Black Hmong almost our entire trip, trying to sell us jewelry and crafts the entire way. It was a bit frustrating, but necessary, I suppose. I am back from my trip 6 hrs. later, waiting to take the overnight train back into Hanoi for my trip to the Perfume Pagoda, 60 km from the center of town.
After arriving in Hanoi on the overnight train, I hailed a taxi and bargained over the price of the trip to my hotel. The sun had not
yet risen and I had a few hours to kill before my departure. I arrived at my hotel to find the gate locked and lights off. I rang the bell several times before someone came to the gate to let me in. He was asleep in the lobby for just such an occassion. I killed a couple of hours surfing the internet and eating breakfast. I then left for my 3 hr. drive to the docks that would lead me to the sacred site of the Perfume Pagoda. The docks were a sight to behold. Brick colored row boats were parked in the water, 4-5 boats deep. I couldn't imagine how we would enter the boats, much less begin rowing after we sat down. We were rowed peacefully to the actual site of the main pagoda. Other boats were also headed the same way, as others were returning. Although there was traffic, it was extremely serene. Little did I know however, that it was the calm before the storm.
It was sheer madness, as we were visiting during the beginning of the annual Buddhist pilgrimage there. Men, women, and children of all ages crowded the outdoor areas, selling and
buying goods, eating, drinking, and gathering sacrifices for the Buddha statues. The sheer mass of people was worse than anything I ever witnessed in NYC, as the sun beat down through the clouds. The guide warned us of pickpockets, so I placed my valuables close to me, rather than in my hiking pack. There were shops all along the path to the actual main pagoda. Skinned cats, dogs, muskrat-type animals, and even a deer like mammal were hanging by thin ropes for sale. Other shops were selling crafts, meat on a stick, veggies, clothing, statues of Buddha....if you wanted it, you could find it there. I met many people on the tour, including a Vietnamese born Australian, a man from Israel, a couple from England, and Vietnamese women from close to Saigon. One of the woman reminded me of my own mother and I let her know this after some conversation. I grabbed her hand and helped her up the slippery stairs to the tram. She was grateful and flattered by my compliment and help. She asked if I was married and if I was headed to Saigon. I told her no and yes repectively, to her queries. She wanted
Sapa, day 2
...about to burst. me to meet her daughter while in Saigon. Apparently, she lived close by. I smiled and laughed it off, but she was playfully serious. She handed me her Yahoo Messenger address and told me to write her.
I learned much about Buddhism through a conversation with the Vietnamese Australian, back in his homeland for the first time in about 20 years. The concept of karma was never a foreign one to me, but still, I was enlightened by his perspective. Throngs of people held trays of cigarretes, beer, and fake money to sacrifice to Buddha at the various pagodas and statues. I'm not sure if Buddha smokes and drinks, and I'm pretty sure he doesn't need money, especially play money, but it was customary and I appreciated their efforts. One thing I did not appreciate however, was the pushy crowds to get to the main statue of Buddha. It was located in a subterranean cave accessible by descending down a long flight of stone stairs carved into the rock. I made it down the stairs, but refused to go down further, as I was hot, sweaty, and frustrated at being knocked about. I didn't want any bad karma myself,
Sapa, day 2
...Black Hmong mommy and son. so I viewed the statue from a distance and snapped some photos instead of pushing my way angrily through the mass.
I finally slowed things down a bit and am writing from Hoi An, a small beach town on the Central Coast. I rode a bus for 16 damn hours to get here. After getting back to Hanoi, I had little time to prepare for my trip to Hue, a 12hr. bus ride south. Ten minutes after I arrived at the hotel, I was to leave on that bus. I showered quickly and hopped in the back of a taxi to the bus stop. I unfortunately got stuck on the back of the bus on seats that didn't recline at all. To top it off, the asshole in front of me reclined his seat ALL the way back....son of a bitch.
I met an Australian guy, Ben, as well as a group of four Danish girls and one Danish guy, Jonas. I had actually briefly seen the Danes a few days earlier, coming back from Sapa. We slept in the same train car together, but conversation was extremely limited due to my lack of sleep and general malaise.
I toyed with the idea of skipping Hue because the description of Hoi An sounded like the cure to the fast paced environment of the North. I made the decision at the bus stop in Hue, notifying the guide that was waiting for me with my name in big, bold letters on a sign he was holding. Luckily I made the right decision. It turned out that the others were going to Hoi An as well.
We've been hanging out for the past 2 days. I had a blast last night, as I bargained with a bar owner to give us 2 for 1 drinks all night for myself and the crew. Besides the others, the "crew" consisted of a bear of a guy from New Zealand and his pretty wife, a couple I met at the hostel on my first night in Hanoi. They were also part of the St. Patty's Day festivities. As you can imagine, we had a rough night and again, I overdid it, as I provided lessons in American drinking games. I am drinking more here than ever at home. Oh well, who am I to question? I'm on vacation for Christ's sake. There
Sapa, day 2
...downtown Sapa. First sunlight in 5 days. are shops all over Hoi An that can make custom tailored clothes in 24 hrs. I can get a suit made up from almost any material for less than $50. I may have to splurge a bit.
I met up with the two Norwegian girls this morning, Erica and Elen, whom I met in Halong Bay. They randomly spotted me at a cafe at breakfast. I'm getting used to coincidences like these. We met up a bit later and the lot of us rented bicycles and cycled 5km to the beach. Finally, the beach! The water wasn't crystal clear, but it was a beautiful day and I had absolutely no complaints. So far, this is my favorite place. Tomorrow evening, I'm taking a 12 hr. bus ride to Nha Trang beach. Time to add another coat to this base tan (or burn, rather). I'm not sure of my plans tonight, probably a bit more drinking with the Danes. Poor me, right?
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