On Ho Chi Minh's Trail...

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You know you’ve been traveling through SE Asia for a while when the sight of a herd of bighorn cattle meandering along the side of the highway unattended doesn’t even draw a second glance. It’s the norm now- Standard Operating Procedure. Strange, but true. That’s where I currently find myself- crammed in a minibus on a highway in northern Malaysia, heading from the Paradise that was the island of Perentian Kecil towards the tea plantations and exotic gardens of the Cameron Highlands on the interior. I’ve got a few hours to kill, and am using Cory’s computer to try to get at least the written part of a long-overdue blog entry completed along the way. Who knows when I’ll ever get to post it- along with pics- but at least it’s a start… Obviously, if I’m using Cory’s computer, that means that he is back on board as co-captain of the Expedition. Fede and I met him in Bangkok on May 13th, and we’ve been living the high life in the islands of Thailand and Malaysia ever since, but more on that in a while. I’m just glad that things worked out and he was able to meet back up with us to continue the adventure.

I apologize for the lack of attention I’ve dedicated to the blog since leaving Laos. Internet resources in Vietnam and Cambodia left a bit to be desired, and for the past 3 weeks I’ve been on the beach. When faced with the question of “Should I go sit in an internet café, or should I go Scuba diving/play paddleball/toss the Frisbee/read a book on the beach/take a snooze in the sand/(insert any beach-related activity here)?”, well, its not really even a question any more. The beach wins- the beach ALWAYS wins. Being on the beach for the past 3 weeks hasn’t been good for the blog. It kind of frustrates me in a way- not keeping up with the blog I mean, NOT being on the beach. Being on the beach can be frustrating as well, but in another way entirely, one which is not necessarily suited to the family nature of this blog, and thus I will avoid getting into the details here… Let’s just say that Swedish girls love the beaches of Southern Thailand (Rightfully so, though their presence there has convinced me that I should drop everything and move to Sweden… NOW.), and for a guy trying to maintain some semblance of a strong moral fiber, it can create a frustrating situation. Enough said- too much, probably... GET ME TO THE MOUNTAINS!!! Anyway, I wanted this blog to be more about my thoughts and observations while traveling, but due to the infrequency of my posts, I find that I’m always trying to catch up on what I’ve seen, and it ends up being a virtual slide show of the sights I’ve been to rather than a running monologue on my impressions of the people I meet, the places I go, the sights I see and the sounds I hear. I’m hoping that now that Cory is back and access to a computer is more readily available, I might at least be able to make more notes along the way, posting several at a time wherever we find a place we can hook up to the internet. We’ll see how it goes…

Ok, a brief run through on our 3 weeks in Vietnam. We flew from Vientiane to Hanoi, deciding to travel north to south, stating in the capital and ending up in Saigon. My first impression of Hanoi wasn’t a good one- we got into the airport around 7pm, after dark, and were loaded up in a Vietnam Airlines “Courtesy Van” that was to take us to the airline’s office in the Old Quarter of Hanoi, where most of the backpacker’s accommodations were located. Of course, we were taken directly to a guesthouse that was in on the whole deal, but that guesthouse was full. Why they took us there when it was full, I don’t know, but there we were, in the middle of Hanoi, 830pm, without a place to stay. Luckily, the owner of the guesthouse we stopped at had another location just a few blocks away, so we ended up crashing there for the night rather than tromping around all over the place looking for a place to stay. Decent room, save the mold on the ceiling- own bathroom, cable TV, air conditioning, hot water. It would turn out to be a godsend the next day- I think I ate something bad the night we arrived in Hanoi, and came down with a 24 hour stomach bug that wouldn’t let me leave the room. Thank God for Discovery Channel: Asia… I was feeling better the next day, so we got out and visited Ho Chi Minh’s mausoleum, some lame ethnicity museum, and were trying to go to the Hanoi POW camp when a taxi driver tried to rip us off. Fede and I were keeping track of where we were on the map, just to make sure he wasn’t trying to run up the meter, and noticed that he was going the wrong way. We asked him where he was going, told him we weren’t going to pay the meter if he didn’t take us directly there, and then he threatened to get physical when we wouldn’t pay him what the meter read, all this after showing him on the map that we knew he was driving all over the city before heading toward where we wanted to go. There was definitely a significant language barrier we were trying to overcome, but there was no use trying to explain it to him. We paid half the meter and got out of the cab, walking the opposite way on a one-way street. Cabbies… You gotta watch ‘em.

The next day we headed out on a 3 day/2 night trip to Halong Bay, one of the must-sees of any visit to Vietnam. Hundreds of limestone pinnacles rising majestically out of emerald green water, some large enough to be inhabited, some so small and so steep that only birds can alight on their shores. Simply put: Amazing. I had seen pictures from other people who had already visited, but seeing it in person was incredible. We were fortunate to have a perfect day for our cruise out into the bay- sunny, a few wispy clouds in the bright blue sky, the crew of our boat serving cold drinks on the sundeck while we relaxed in lounge chairs, just soaking up the sights and the sun. We cruised into the bay, docking at a place where there were some massive caves on one of the larger islands. We hopped off and took a tour through the cave- pretty touristy, with colored lights, handrails, and stairways everywhere. Still cool to see though. Afterwards, we anchored in a cove of one of the larger islands for the rest of the afternoon and evening, allowing us to take a swim amidst one of the most spectacular sunsets I’ve ever seen. A great first day in Halong Bay.

The following day we cruised into Cat Ba Island, the largest island in Halong Bay, which was to be our stop for the second night. Some trekking into a state park, a nice walk around town, and a leisurely evening spent at a local disco- interesting, to say the least. Good times on CatBa Island. We crashed at a pretty nice guesthouse in CatBa Town, and then headed back to Hanoi the next morning. Once back in Hanoi, we caught the overnight sleeper-bus south to a town called Hue.
Hue is significant in that it is the seat of the ancient Vietnamese Imperial City. It has its own version of the Forbidden City- this one known as the Purple Forbidden City, for some reason (It’s not purple...). It is located in the crumbling Citadel of Hue. We took the morning to walk around The Citadel, as best as we could manage at least- it was SOOOO HOT. Unbearably hot, even. That afternoon, we hired a couple of motorbikes to take us to one of the Imperial Tombs that dot the landscape around Hue. It was pretty impressive, despite the fact that the emperor was never actually buried there- he was buried in a secret location, and all 500 workers that built the secret tomb were beheaded to make sure its location remained unknown. Kind of a waste to build such a big, fancy tomb, and then never use it... Also kind of a waste of 500 loyal workers…

The next morning we took the bus to a town called Hoi An- a bit further south from Hue, and right along the coast of the South China Sea. Hoi An is amazing- it’s renowned for its cheap tailor-made clothes, and numerous shops line the narrow streets. You can have anything you want custom made in a day or two- suits, jackets, shirts, jeans, pants, hats, boots and shoes- it really is incredible. The tailors have racks of magazines for you to look through- you just flip to the page, say you want something like that, and PRESTO!- there it is, the following day. Due to a lack of room in my backpack, I was unable to take advantage of the cheap threads. Fede had a jacket made though, and it turned out pretty well, actually. We spent our time in Hoi An wandering through the streets of town, bargaining with the shop owners, and sampling some of the local delicacies. We also took a day trip out to see some ancient Cham ruins about an hour outside of Hoi An. The Cham civilization was prominent in the 10th Century, and was a significant power in the region. The ruins were pretty interesting, but again, it was soooooo hot, we didn’t really want to hang around in the sun to explore and examine everything to the smallest detail. We snapped a few photos, and then were on the bus back to Hoi An, ready to continue our journey through Vietnam the next day.

The next destination was Nha Trang, a coastal city about a third of the way up the bend of Southern Vietnam’s shoreline. Known as a vacation destination for many Vietnamese, we were looking forward to a few days relaxing on the beach. Well, there was a beach, but it wasn’t as nice as one could’ve hoped. There was loads of trash floating in the sea and coming up onto the beach with the surf- kind of ruined the idea of beating the heat with a dip in the ocean. We did manage to find a cool beach club though, complete with a pool, billiards table, home-brewed beer, and really good food. We hung out there both afternoons we were in Nha Trang, taking advantage of the bamboo umbrellas they had set up along the beach. The beach club hosted a beach party one night- kind of ridiculous. They had some annoying Canadian who was acting as “MC”, but all he did was yell out “Yo!” and “You know it!” over the lame music they were playing to begin with. Needless to say, I was less than impressed. Fede and I hired bicycles one day, and rode all over town. That was pretty fun, if not a bit funny. My bike had a bell and a cute little basket on the front. I might have overused the bell a bit… We also took a day-long cruise around some of the islands surrounding Nha Trang. We met some fellow travelers, were treated to some traditional Vietnamese karaoke, and took advantage of the make-shift floating bar. Granted, all they served was the local, self-proclaimed "Sh*t-Ass" wine (I loved the name, btw...), but hey, it was free, so we weren't complaining. Good times on the boat cruise. After a few days hanging out it Nha Trang, it was time to head to the mountain town of Dalat to try and get out of the heat and humidity for a day or two.

Dalat is a pretty cool town in the Western Highlands of Southern Vietnam. Known for its hill tribes and colorful hats, it is quickly becoming a more common stop for backpackers traveling through Vietnam. We took a couple of days to cool off, relax, and simply meander through the narrow streets. A huge night market of everything imaginable, several cafes and restaurants lining the main street, and innumerable members of the so-called “Easy Riders” trying to get you to hire them for a multi-day motorcycle trip through the hills of central Vietnam and beyond. A different kind of place for sure, but one with its own character, which we appreciated. There’s actually a Sofitel in Dalat- go figure… Fede and I sought it out on our last night in town, just to check it out. It’s in this huge palace that dates back to the 1920s I think, which was renovated and transformed into a hotel by one of the three guys who started the shipping company DHL. He had the dream of turning Dalat into the premier vacation destination in Vietnam, and renovating and opening the hotel was the first step towards that reality. Well, let’s just say that it still has a way to go before reaching his goal. The hotel itself is incredible- very nice, and kept in immaculate shape by its staff. The pub in the basement was really cool as well- very old feel to it, with wooden rafter beams and stone walls that create a warm and cozy atmosphere. We had a couple of beers over a game of pool before heading back into town for some dinner. It was the Sofitel, so it wasn’t cheap… We’re backpackers, remember?

After Dalat, we headed down to Saigon to complete our tour of Vietnam. We had heard that Saigon was much better than Hanoi, and were looking forward to exploring some of the sights and museums that we had read about. The Cu Chi Tunnels (A Vietnam War-era tunnel system about 30K outside of Saigon that ended up being the lone Viet Cong stronghold in Southern Vietnam during the war), the War Remnants Museum (A virtual warehouse of machinery, airplanes, tanks, munitions, photographs, etc. of the Vietnam War), the Re-unification Palace (The seat of the South Vietnamese government during the war, and the first place that the communist tanks rushed to on the morning of the fall of Saigon that ended the Vietnam War), and a trip out to the Mekong Delta were all on the list of things to do while we were in Saigon. It was an interesting experience being there- as it was being anywhere in Vietnam- and seeing all of this as an American. Not that I was alive then, or had anything to do with the Vietnam War to begin with, but it was interesting to see how the people reacted when they found out that I was an American. Nowhere did I ever feel any animosity, any ill-will or maliciousness- the Vietnamese people were all so friendly, even when touring places like the Cu Chi Tunnels or being at the War Remnants Museum. Honestly, seeing it all first-hand made me wonder what it was all for. Again, not being alive when the war took place, combined with the fact that everything I know about it has been learned in history books written by Americans, I’m sure that I don’t know the whole story, but it all seemed so ridiculous when I was there. Carpet-bombing villages made up of a people that lived in grass huts and survived on a day-to-day basis on rice and what little food their farms could provide? I know it was all about the so-called “Domino Effect” and containing the spread of Communism, but really- how big of a threat to US National Security was Vietnam? Anyway, it was a very unique perspective to see everything first-hand, and forced me think about the horrors that took place there in the name of “Democracy”.

Anyway, trying to stay on topic here- the Cu Chi Tunnels were very interesting- tiny tunnels carved out of solid stone up to 30 meters deep underground. A vast network comprised of kitchens, hospital rooms, barracks, command posts, munitions depots, bomb shelters, etc.- it was unbelievable. We actually got down into the tunnels at one point and crawled, shimmied, slunk, and slid through the dirt and mud for 100 meters- not for the faint of heart, even in a peacetime situation. I couldn’t help but try to imagine being there amidst the bombs and gunfire, having to storm one of those tunnels. Scary stuff… Just being there gave me an overwhelming sense of awareness and respect for the soldiers- both American and Vietnamese- that fought and died there. It was a similar feeling that I had the entire time I was in Vietnam- always wondering what had happened at the places we visited. After all of the movies I’ve seen, all the books I’ve read and the history shows I’ve watched, even after being there in person, I know I will never know what it was like. I know I do not want to ever know what it was like. The War Remnants Museum confirmed this- unbelievable photos, videos, and artifacts of the war that haven’t been subjected to the editors of the American Press. Again, it was good to see, I guess, but it was very hard to look at. I will say that it wasn’t nearly as anti-American as I thought it would be. It was simply a museum of the atrocities of the Vietnam War, and how the war affected the people of Vietnam. Obviously, those atrocities were suffered at the hands of American soldiers, but the museum did not seem to carry an on-going anti-American sentiment. I think the Vietnamese have moved on from the past, and now look at the war as a triumphant period in their national history, albeit one which came at a tremendous cost. They have a sense of pride about surviving the conflict, and carry that pride without a trace of animosity. I think that was the most interesting thing I learned about the Vietnamese while traveling there.

After all of the intensity of the war-related sight-seeing, we took a two-day trip out onto the Mekong Delta. We had heard it was a cool trip, worth doing for a night or two, just to get a sense of how the people that live along the largest river delta in SE Asia. Floating markets, coconut candy and rice factories, ferries, longboats, and row boats EVERYWHERE- simply a cacophony of sights and sounds on and along the river. We stayed one night in Cantho, got up and checked out the giant floating market the next morning (AMAZING pineapple), and then headed back to Saigon for the night before catching the bus to Phnom Penh, Cambodia the next day. We headed over to the Saigon Night Market so that Fede could pick up his North Face jacket he had been bargaining for all week long, and hit up our favorite out-door restaurant for dinner. I don’t know what that guy was marinating his pork and chicken in, but it was OUTSTANDING! Fede tried to get him to tell us, but being Argentinean, he understood that a GrillMaster never divulges his secrets. Alas, we never found out the secret recipe, but we did enjoy our third visit. Back to the guesthouse to pack our bags, and then it was off to Cambodia the next day.

More to come… hopefully sooner than later! 😊

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Photos

The Citadel- Hue
Vietnam's ancient imperial city...

The Forbidden City- Hue
Vietnam's version, at least...