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Published: June 23rd 2017
Geo: 21.0243, 105.855
Greetings! You are reading the first of a two-part blog on the Waltz Family's observations while traveling in Vietnam & Myanmar since 12/27/15.
Our intention to effortlessly upload pictures on the fly has run smack dab into the realities of Internet-connectivity in the least-developed country in Southeast Asia country (Myanmar) with a per capita GDP of $1700 (putting it at 201 out of 228 countries worldwide). It turns out that “free WI-FI” doesn't mean working or usable WI-FI. So our blog's been delayed until we arrived back in a major city (Rangoon) on 1/13 to a hotel where the promise of "free WI-FI" actually meant - in practice - a (working) signal conducive to successfully uploading multiple pictures.
Although Jamie and I put our same packs from our year abroad over our shoulders (see 2005-2006 RTW, http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog/wanderingwaltz/waltztrip_05-06/tpod.html, if interested), having two kids in tow changes everything.
In contrast to earlier trips in 2009 & 2011 where both kids fit into day packs, this time they each carried their own backpacks with books/toys. Luckily we didn't have to cart around baby paraphernalia! They have proven themselves to be consummate travelers. Though they'd had 24h of travel
time and crossed the international date line, the kids held it together in the first few days, as we settled into the new time zone and have been easy & wonderful to travel with throughout the trip.
Soon after arriving in Hanoi, Vietnam, and everywhere we went thereafter, rang out the words "Oh baby.....", and they weren't in reference to Jamie. It was all for Siri. Though in our biased parental opinion, she is one cute little girl, people in both countries adore children, particularly ones that look different. Although five years-old, Siri is still considered a "baby.” People stop what they're doing to go up and touch her face and hair. She's fawned over and kissed. As soon as we got to our hotel in Hoi An, female staff started undoing her frizzy braids and putting in a new French braid adorned with flowers.
A bit unnerved at first, Siri has been a great sport about all the attention and has gotten in the groove of waving and saying hello in Vietnamese. Traveling with Simon and Siri has been wonderful, and has opened up many doors & experiences. We've been brought to the front of lines, and been offered
food and treats at the markets. Simon, at seven, has not quite been the same object of fascination and he seems just fine with it. That said, he has also been in many local's photos.
On that note, Asian tourists just walk up to us and ask if they can borrow our kids for a group photo or two. Traveling with kids is different, but so rewarding. We get to see the world fresh through their eyes. We were forced to slow down and take some breaks, which is contrary to how Jamie and I have traveled in the past.
Arriving at our hotel in central Hanoi, we were astounded by the chaos of traffic. Four lanes of traffic zipped on streets that would be residential-width in the US. In practice, lanes painted in the streets are merely a suggestion while one-way street signs are just optional. To top it off, sidewalks, if not obstructed by people hawking their goods, are used as parking spots by scooters. For those reasons, navigating Hanoi streets kept us on
high alert. We found it best to walk on streets with the kids positioned “inside” next to sidewalk. Sometimes it was just easier to give Siri piggyback rides across the major streets.
One amazing thing about Vietnam (and Myanmar) is how technically proficient drivers are. We didn't see a crash, nor near misses really. There are few traffic signals or stop signs, but everyone moves through intersections as if they know precisely when it is their turn. That said, Vietnam has a horrendous problem of accidents caused by people texting while motorcycling. Really! While we didn't see folks text while on a motorcycle, Jamie did see somebody scoot from one end of the street to the other with one hand on his scooter's gas lever and the other holding up, waiter-style, a big bowl of pho - Vietnamese beef noodle soup!
After 48 hours in Hanoi, we set off to Halong Bay about four hours east of Hanoi. Here one found several thousands postcard-perfect karst (limestone) formations dramatically rising out of the water. We put aside the fact that our boat was one of many cruising among the karst, and and just enjoyed the scenery. Despite the rain and gray,
the scenery was stunning and Jamie fulfilled a dream to see the Bay.
From Halong Bay, we headed to the old City of Hoi An where we spent New Year's Eve walking along the river in a downpour. Luckily we had a reprieve in the rain so that the kids could put their candle lanterns in the river and send their wishes for the new year floating away. We had NYE dinner with our new friend, Gina, from Vancouver BC. The five of us enjoyed “Cao Lao” - a noodle dish for which Hoi An's famous. The roadside noodle cart errr...restaurant was quite exclusive in its clientele (one table) and we didn't even have to pay extra for the diesel exhaust ambiance.
Hoi An is a charming city and it is easy to pass the day wandering the old historic center. Tourists had to buy a cultural pass to a enter and luckily, no motor bikes were allowed in the area. Although many shops catered to tourists, once you looked past them, the grandness of the city shone through. We popped into Buddhist temples, restored houses from an eras gone by and gazed at old colonial architecture in various states of
repair.
Hoi An is well-known for its tailor-made clothing and upwards of 300 shops compete for visitor dollars. At Bebe Tailoring, Siri was treated like a princess and had two dresses made for her
(at a fraction of the price back home). Simon passed on having a suit made, which was fine since we can't even get him to wear button down shirts.
One thing that has changed with kids is the quality level of the hotels we stay at has improved. The criteria for choosing lodging no longer includes getting the absolute best deal for the price that invariably means no hot water, padlocks on the door (instead of keyed doorknobs) or BYOT- bring your own toilet paper. We sought out hotels with pools or amenities that are more kid-friendly. At some point, we will teach the kids the merits of bucket showers, but Jamie has convinced me that those survival skills can wait a few years. Accommodation has been pretty inexpensive and all places have come with amazing breakfast buffets. This has allowed the kids to taste the fruits that are foreign to all four of us - rambutans, dragon fruit, jack fruits...
Our first week came to an
end and we flew to Yangon, Myanmar. Soon after we return home to PDX on 1/16, we'll send a similar posting about this country. Take care!
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Celia Heron
non-member comment
Fantastic experiences and great story telling!