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.