Nha Trang

I flew from HaNoi to Nha Trang(NT). I know Mr. Dung and his family here. Dung is a young man with a wife and two children. Dung was forced to drop out of school at the age of 12 because his father had no money. This lack of education has hampered Dung's chances of employment, yet he has learned Eng. and tries to make money teaching and as a guide.

Dung took my by motobike to Tuy Hoa, which is 100 KM north of NT. I wanted to meet with a woman who I had met in Portland, Christine. Christine has a daughter in Portland, but had taken a job for 18 months as a volunteer, teaching Eng. in the high school. The road to Tuy Hoa is highway 1, the national highway the runs the length of VN. Tuy Hoa is a growing area, with a nice beach. The city is easy to navigate and considerably less traffic than NT or other bigger cities in VN. I visited one of Christine's classes and talked with another teacher from Colorado. Things are very cheap here. Christine says she can live on $100 a month, which includes the rent for her house. I saw some beautiful homes in Tuy Hoa, and lots of young people. There are desperate for English teahers too.

I came back to NT and then road with Dung by motobike to DaLat. This was about a 4 hour ride over the mountains on a new road. I should say part new road. VN has obviously spent a lot of money making this new road, but I am not sure why because it is difficult to get to and then suddenly stops in the middle of no where. The new road cuts through the mountains, so the climb is difficult for buses or large vehicles. The sides of the road have steep rocky terrain and susceptible to falling rock, mud slides, and erosion. The views are impressive and little sign of human habitation during the ride. Also, you have to make sure you fill up with gas otherwise you will be stranded. I am not sure what we would have done if we had had a flat tire. Ha!!

Dalat is a much cooler climate, higher in elevation. It has a French influence and has some great parks with all varieties of flowers and trees, like the tall pine trees. They also grow many different varieties of vegetables, cabbage being very popular. The hillsides are all beautifully terraced with weedless gardens. They grow very little rice here. Also lots of coffee trees. I trekked to the highest mountain peak and visited other parks. In the morning, there is often fog or mist in the air. In the afternoon, it would rain heavy for about 3 hours, then clear. And they have power outages almost every day, sometimes lasting 8 hours.

One food I enjoy eating in NT in Banh Cuon. I think I spelled that right. I have eaten it at one particular street restaurant in NT. Three sisters, all dressed in pajamas(at least that what it looks like to me), with their conical hats, cook on the pavement with little or no equipment but an open fire. These sisters are well past retirement, maybe seventy or more. When I show up, they smile, showing all their missing teeth. One sister works with a watery, milky batter. She laddles out a cupful onto a flat grill, heated from an open fire. With a chicken feather, she gently stirs the batter on the grill. After about 1 or 2 minutes, the batter becomes like a crepe, and she removes it with a chop stick. Another sister adds some mung beans to it and sprouts, then rolls it. Finally, she uses a scissors to cut it into sections. Another sister serves it and brings the fish sauces to enhances the flavor. It definitely wouldn't pass the health code, but again I am impressed with the how much they can do with so little, and how tirelessly they toil, day after day, for a mere subsistence. This breakfast is about $1 USD.

One new thing that I bought at REI in Portland was a Steripen. This is a device that can purify water. I have used it now many times and it great. Sometimes I get to the hotel and I have forgotten to buy water. Now, I can fill my water container from the tap, zap it with my Steripen and use it. I does take some faith to use the first time, but so far it has worked well. Sometimes, I have to zap the water several times before I get a "green" light which means it is ok to drink.

I will be in NT a few more days, then head to Saigon, and Cambodia. My next blog will probably be from Cambodia.

I have been able to watch some news on CNN, like part of the Democratic convention. The price of gas here has dropped about 10 cents. (they use dong).

Take care all. Enjoy your life....

Thanh Hoa and Cuc Phong Nat'l Park.

Thanh has many relatives in this area and he considered it a necessary custom to a least visit briefly with his aunts and uncles when he comes back from Saigon. So he would take me to their homes, and we would stay for about 30 minutes. I think it is a nice custom and very respectfully tradition. He also brings them some fruit or food as a gift. They all seem to enjoy his visit, and his foreign guest. Ha!! One aunt, who has nine children, none of which live in the area now, lives in an old house near his parents. When we arrived, she was in the garden. To get to the garden, you have to use a concrete boat-yes, concrete. You use a long pole to push your way across the water . The garden is a small island. This is quite hard work for an older woman, but she smiles the whole time. Her husband lives in a another city with their son, but I am not sure why. One of her son's is in prison for drugs and so she is helping to raise her grandchild. I don't really see any obvious evidence of drugs, but Thanh says it has affected some members of his extended family and his classmates. A worldwide problem.

Another aunt lived close by, so we left to see her too. When we got close to the house, these dogs began yapping at us. Well, dogs are common in this area. They roam free but are generally quite laid back, and if they do bark, they do it at a distance. For this reason, I didn't pay to much attention to them as we came to the house. As they sounded more serious, and I looked down I could see one dog was definitely aggressive. I remember seeing his teeth, then the sudden pain. I knew he had nailed me, but luckily only once. We stopped. Everyone came out, and the dog retreated. My wound was a puncture wound, no blood, but it hurt. The aunt felt bad and so did Thanh. She found some salve and it did discolor, but I thought it would be ok. I was glad it was not a stray dog. At least they could test the dog if necessary for rabies. Not the most pleasant thought. After a few days, it healed up.

On anther day, we rode the motobike to Thanh Hoa. I wanted to visit a priest who I helped with English in Portland but now he has gone back to VN. I was about 130 KM from Thanh's house, so over 3 hours, but on the back roads. On the way, the rain was off and on, so sometimes we had to stop to put on our ponchos, or take them off. The countryside is gorgeous. You see the rice fields, the workers in their conical hats, toiling away by hand in the field. Some have the water buffalos, and animal who is made for this kind of work, because they stand calmly for hours, yet capable of pulling heavy loads. And there were some beautiful lotus flowers dotting the water areas. Some corn fields too, but mostly rice. Father Tu was very happy to see me. He said he had not used his Eng. in two years, so had forgotten a lot. His parish is next to the sea, so we walked on the beach for a while. Of course, somehow, the nearby children discovered that I was there, and before I knew it, their were about 50 young people following us on the beach. I tried to have a few words of converstion with them, but all they could do was parrot back what I said. It still amazes me how thrilled they are to see a "white" person. And I mean any white person. Father also took me to another fishing village, that typified the look and smell of a poor fishing community. The weather would not cooperate and so it rained the whole time, which limited our choices. Later, we went back to the parish, where I had a great dinner. The seafood-crab, squid, shrimp-plus the beef was a meal fit for a king. I stayed the night here in a nice guest room. Late at night, there were thousands of frogs littering the outside porch area. Harmless, but noisy.

Another day, we rode to Cuc Phong Nat'l park and stayed overnight in a bungaloo. This was a nice experience too. The park is really a tropical rain forrest. We hiked one trail to see a 1000 year old tree, high on the mountain. Along the way, the constant buzz in the trees was very loud. I am not sure what it was as I really didnt' see any animals, except for a few monkeys. There were lots of beautiful butterflies and insects. I saw one huge black spider-I mean HUGE!! And the web was unreal too. There are stories of tigers here but I think many they had died off. The bungaloo sleeping was more like a hostel, with a common bathroom. The mosquitos were fierce that night so I was thankful for my DEET and net. VN does have quite a few nat'l parks, so they are some people are trying to protect and preserve their habitat and other living things. I am glad for that.

This computer doesn't have a spell checker so I am sure their are some typos. Ha!! Don't be too critical. Until the I write again.......have a good day....

Ninh Binh-Kim Son

I know it has been a while and a few of you have given up on me, but I will try to do some makeup now. My previous posts had large blank spaces where I tried unsuccessfully to add photos. I think you will have to all wait until I get home. Sorry..

In HaNoi, Thanh and I took the luxury of taking a taxi to the bus station. The taxi driver was either the most cautious driver or his car had a problem, I am not sure which, because he drove so slow!! He did tell us he had gotten a ticket earlier that day.

Arriving at the bus station, we were immediately attacted by the touts, and I do mean attacked. Agressive hawkers and bus employees, all wanting to make a sale, yell and push for your attention. Thanh warns me several times to watch all my belongs and money, while he surveys the situation. After a few minutes, we buy a ticket for a bus to Kim Son, where his parents live. We will only have to ride one bus, no transfer which is good. We do have to wait until the bus fills up. They don't leave untill All the seats are sold. And just when you think there is no more room, they make more seats, like in the aisle. There is no leg room, at least for me and I don't think I am tall. We do manage to keep all our bags inside, which is a plus. I am the only Foreigner/Toursist on the bus, so this always creates a small amount of conversation. Thanh has to spend time answering these questions, but mostly I am greeted with smiles or curious looks. The ride takes about 3 plus hours, and cost about $2 USD.

We debark on some rural road, collect our belongs and hire two motodrivers for the last few kms to Thanh's parents house. They know we are coming, and we arrive after about 15 minutes.

Thanh's parents live in a farming area but they do not farm. They run a small mom and pop store and make about $2 USD per day. They open the store about 6 am and close about 9 pm. Most of the customers are children going or coming home from school. The building itself is an old wood frame structure with a few bookshelves for their inventory. One good think about VN is that you generally don't have to buy the whole package or box. For example, I bought 6 bandaids the other day, 2000 dong or 12 cents. Another structure, is the main house, which is most a larger room, for sleeping and eating. This building has a very nice tile floor, common in VN. There are two wood bed frames, each with mosquito nets and large woven mats covering the main section of the bed where the mattress would normally be. After sleeping on this for a few nights, I actually became quite comfortable but it isn't much different than sleeping on the floor. Very hard!!

There is really no kitchen in the house. They cook either over an open fire, or use a butane type burner. Preparing the food in a squatting position from the ground, using dull knives and a large wood chopping block made me think this was a lot of work. I volunteered to help but they wouldn't let me. The hardest part for me would have been the squatting, but this is second nature to them. Food there was always good and plentiful. I even ate the greens, raw, and didn't get sick. I really like a lot of their cooked vegetables, which are common here, like a spinich type green that I never see in the US. They always eat rice last with soup. Then fruit for dessert. Maybe Americans could copy some of these habits. ??

The rest of the property contains a well, and outside squat toilet. Also a showering/bathing area(outside the house too.) To get to the toilet, you walk down a wall outside of the store. The first few times I did this walk, I found forehead covered with cobwebs. I guess I was the tallest person in the house. So after doing this twice, I would duck down a little or break with a stick before walking. I did find the cobwebs intriguing because they had to connect to another wall about 15 inches away, and I couldn't figure out how this was possible.

There is no running water, only water from a well, so they collect water in a large barrel for showering. The shower stall is three sided,and you can't worry about privacy. Using very cool water and a bucket, you can get a refreshing respite from the heat. It is common for them to shower several times a day.

Staying here made me appreciate many things. I did find it slightly difficult at first, then grew to really enjoy the experience. I would gladly go there again. Also, it amazes me how little people can have and yet it to strangers. And I am sure it was more work for them because I was there.

Often relatives and neighbors would come in to "see" me, have some tea and leave. I am sure Thanh was tired of translating too. Ha!!

I used this house as a home base to a National Park, and two other areas. More about this later.

As an aside, I did manage to connect with my sister Eileen in Seattle using Skype but then we got disconnected. Maybe I can do that again soon.....Take care All.

In HaNoi, but it wasn't easy

I had a very nice time in VungTau. Ms. Mai, met me and took me to her home. Then her husband took me to a hotel near their home, which worked out great. On Wed. I visited the new high school which is now a national hi sch, one of 5 in VN. The school is huge, over 2000. Then, at night, I was a guest speaker for Ms. Mai's evening home school class. The next morning, she had another class in her home and I managed to squeeze them in before leaving on the boat back to Saigon. I maybe repeating my self...??

The day before I spent walking along the fishing village. This turned into more of trek than I had thought, even though I had a map too. Along the road there was a huge Buddhist temple carved into the side of a mountain, so I climbed up many steps to view this huge Buddha. Many other people there too paying homage. I walked around back, where a young man was about to throw several large stones into a tree. He saw me and decided to let me pass first. I, on the other hand, was curious as to what he was trying to dislodge in the tree, so I motion to him that I would wait and he could throw his rocks. He threw into the tree 4 times, and I still couldn't see any fruit, or bird or anything that he might be aiming for. So I walked on. The next thing I notice are these huge black insects flying above my head. Almost like a black cloud. Now I knew what he was trying to hit. And they came dive bombing at my head. I quickly retreated to another area, and luckily they didn't follow. I don't think they were bees, more like dragon flies, but scary enough. Ha!! I returned to walking along the waterfront, feeling extremely stupid- I should have walked and not encouraged him to throw something.

My boat ride back to Saigon almost turned into something eventful too. The sea was very rough and so the boat schedule got delayed for over an hour to start with. Then all the passengers had to be carpooled to a different side of VungTau to catch the boat. But finally we got started. Of course this threw my schedule off slightly, so I had to borrow someone's cell phone to tell him I would be late. We started back to Saigon, and everything seemed fine except that this Australian man who was sitting next to me said we were literally sitting still-not moving. I thought he was overstating it plus he seemed like he was trying to excite a small roit, or at least crowd panic. That, was the last thing we needed. The crew was no where to be found-a bad sign. Many of these passengers had early afternoon flights out of Saigon. Luckily, my flight was in the evening. It was only after the boat made an announcement that we would be transferring to another boat that I began to believe this Australian guy knew what he was talking about. The transfer actually went quite well, as a nervously walked a wide plank connecting the two boats. Then we began to sail up the Saigon river, arriving 1.5 hours late. But Safe!!

My last little Snafu of the day was at the airport in SGN. Thanh and I were taking the night flight to HaNoi. So, on 3 motorbikes, with all our luggage and heavy 1 plus hours of traffic, we arrived with a few minutes to spare. Checked in and sailed through security. About 30 minutes before the flight, the annoucement came that the flight was cancelled due to weather. Now what to do. First, you have to go back to Vietnam airlines and reschuled. But of course they weren't doing that until tomorrow morning. They recommended that we come back tomorrow at 6 am.which we did. So we had to find a hotel, near the airport last night. The line moved quickly this morning and we did get on an 8:30 am flight, so all is good. And it was a safe flight... The perils of traveling.

Vung Tau

I am in VungTau, which is west of Saigon to visit with a teacher that I worked with on a previous volunteer assignment. I took the hydrofoil-speed boat- to get here. It took about an hour and it costs $10 USD, which is a good deal and fast. By car, it would take at least two hours. The boat holds at least 100 people, and it even has life jackets. Ha!! Getting off the boat can be a little bit of an ordeal, as you it docked up next to two other boats, so you have to traverse across these other boats, but they help you. The local people are much better at it.

Before I left Saigon, Thanh had arranged to have a student reporter interview me for a local paper. He did this without asking me, but it was ok. The reporter, Ms. Huan, didn't speak English, only VNese and Chinese, and so Thanh had to translate. She was very young but friendly. She was interested in the volunteer project I was doing in HaNoi but I tried to focus my answers on Global Volunteers Org. Later, she told me I could get a copy of the paper but I will have to get it translated. Ha!! I did this too because I thougtht might be good for the GV.

In VungTau, I called Mai Hein. She is an Eng. teacher in VungTau high school. She didn't know I was coming but came promptly to pick me up and take me to her house. I first met her in 2000. Her husband found me a budget hotel near their house. Again, the price and location was right. Later, we went out to a very nice restuarant for seafood. This city is a seacoast town, so lots of local seafood. Some of the food I didn't know, but we had crab, bass, shrimp, and tofu. We walked back to the hotel.

The hotel speaks no English, so I had to convey my room problems via crude sign language. Two problems: The AC was running but no cool air and the fan didn't work. The owner went to work quickly replacing the fan. That was all I needed for a good night's sleep, as there was no noise outside. This morning, I found a great Cafe place(coffee house) which had huge aquirium tanks as an inticement for customers. After that I walked to the local street market. Again some of the fish I saw there were unique. One huge basket of maggots(at least that is what they looked like to me). I did take a photo.

Mai took me to her school, which is brand new. It is one of the 5 national high schools in VN. Very nice, with a swimming pool and gym facilities. The students are on vacation now, but will start back in a few weeks. We had a hard time leaving the school, because the guard locked the gate and now he could not be found. The German shephard dogs the sleep near the gate seemed unconcerned about our dilemma. Ha!!

Lastly, I walked on the beach. Many locals here, enjoying the warm water and hot weather. The ocean and the beach both look clean.

I just like to make one comment about the internet cafes in VungTau. During the day, they are jammed with local kids, 5 years and older, playing additive video games for hours. And they charge them a much high price than local internet. Also, the computers are so jerry rigged, virus infected, and outdated programs, that I am surprised they even run.. ie. There is no spell checker on this program so I am sure I have some errors... I think I am spoiled..

I have been taking some photos and would like to add them but I haven't found the right internet cafe yet. Be patient...Later

Saigon(HCM) never sleeps

Well, I haven't had very good luck finding a good Internet Cafe, but today, in my walk through the neighborhood, I spied this place while waiting out a heavy downpour.

First, my flight here went smoothly. Leaving Vancouver, there was a minor glitch, as we sat on the tarmac before taking off for about 1.5 hours. There was some problem in the fuel valve, and it needed to be repaired before taking off, not the most reassuring thought either. But the pilot promised to make up the time and so how he did, as I arrived on time in SGN. (But any 12 plus hours on a plane long... maybe not in first class ha!!). I want to sleep but I can never get very confortable or sleep for very long.

Breezed right through customs and immigration in Saigon. The new international terminal in Saigon seems to have really improved things-no long lines, and everything processed so quickly. Regressing, I would also like to mention HongKong and Vancouver are two very clean, artistic and efficient airports. My biggest probem after arriving, was waiting for my luggage. I had two bags and mine seem to be the last ones. But at least they were there!!

My Vietnamese Son Thanh was waiting for me as I pushed out through the throng of people. He had come on his motor bike. Now, I was just worried as to how he would manage these bags and me on the bike. Quite a load. Ha!! But he did. (I really have only one bag, as I like to travel light, but I had brought another bag with gifts for local people in Vietnam. As soon as I give all this stuff away, I will be down to one bag. More my style. ) Thanh had looked for a good cheap hotel near his sister's house for me to stay in. This is distance from the central part of SGN, more in the suburbs, so we had to go about an hour to the hotel. He would like to have me stay in his home, but the police do not allow it in that area and I guess they don't take bribes, which is a first too.

Traffic is always quite heavy here, with a lot of horn honking and near misses, but Thanh is a good driver. Now, the new rule is that everyone has to wear a helmet, if they drive a motor bike. The fine is $200 USD -I might be wrong about that because it seems excessive. The inory of the law is that there is no requirement for children on motorbikes or for children who ride bicycles on the road too. I remember the first time I came to Vietnam, I was afraid to cross the street in Saigon. Now, it is still probably as bad, but I have adjusted.

The hotel is in a quiet neighborhood, which few commercial building, which is both good and bad. The bad part is that you always have to go somewhere to find a restaurant or internet, ect. But the good part is the price. The room costs only $10 USD. I might be there first real tourist, as the receptionist was stroking the hair on my arm. I have actually had this happen to me before in VN, but generally in more remote areas. They think this is really something. Ha!! And another thing, is that my room has now windows. But I figure, I am not spending much time in the room anyway. It does have nice shower, bed, and cable tv. My kind of deal. Ha!!

Today, it rained again. Every afternoon, heavy downpours. It is not really cold, but you have to wait it out, or use a poncho.. Thanh was sick today, so I walked about. I found a great deal on lunch. I had rice, chicken, salad, fish, and bananas for 20,000 dong (which is about $1.30). I was proud of myself. Sometimes, the locals try to jack up the price on the tourists too.

One of the reasons I like coming to Vietnam, is that that people generally are always friendly. They enjoy seeing the American, and try to help you or speak with you. They almost always say Hello. And another thing is the food. I enjoy the food. I am eating on the street or close to the street-small mom and pop cafes, which have Barbie like furniture to sit on. I have collapsed on a plastic chair before, so always look for a reinforcement by stacking two together or a more real chair. Ha!! And so far, no stomach problems or system malfunctions. Knock on Wood!!

Ok, I know I wrote but said very little. Just enjoying life........Take care all........