Dalat and Hoi An

Dalat

As I begin this blog entry I am on large bus whizzing around the densely forested mountain bends of central Vietnam. We embarked on our ten-day central region tour yesterday. We left the heat and humidity of Saigon for the cooler clouds of Dalat; I never thought I'd be so happy to put on long sleeves! The word gorgeous doesn’t do justice to the waterfalls, red clay mountainsides, or distant peaks touching up to the clouds. However, this road that we’re currently driving upwards of 50mph on has shoddy side rails and cliffs with an incline of 80 degrees, so this entry might also serve as a will!

View from the bus

During my lasts days of Saigon I was able to hear “The King of the Battlefield” speak about his experience as a photographer in the Vietnam War, (or, The American War of Destruction as they often call it here). He, among a few hundred others, risked their lives to report the Vietnamese perspective and were able to gain access to images that foreign photographers were banned from. The images and stories he shared were haunting but his openness to American students, and opinion of America as a country were completely positive. As my current tour guide, Viet, explains, the Vietnamese have fought so many nations (China, France, America, Spain, Philippines, and many more) that to hate one, “We would hate the whole world”. This cultural idea of forgiveness, and possibly the idea of goodness of humanity, seems to infiltrate many different aspects of general demeanor.  People, even those with little to spare, are more welcoming and generous than expected.

A few days later….

Well, later on that day, after whizzing through mountains and valleys for about 12 hours in total, I got sick. Poor Josh next to me armored himself with an oversized Army rain jacket and held the tiny grocery bag for me as I went to town. Hopefully there weren’t any motorbikes passing by when we chucked it out the window!

The overflowed river in Hoi An

On a lighter note, the next day we travelled to Hội An, a picturesque coastal town with brightly painted buildings, cobblestone sidewalks, and aggressive street vendors! We stayed over for two nights and were able to enjoy the historic buildings, delicious cuisine, and fantastic tailors :) Josh and I stopped by the most upscale boutique of all and had a couture silk dress and two suits handmade for us for prices that ill-fitting, polyester, American clothes cannot compete with! To finish off the excursion we all lathered up and headed to beach by bike to sip mojitos in the sun. 

Today we left for Huế, but not before another pit stop at a sunny beach for a few hours! Afterward, we were able to eat lunch the most interesting restaurant yet. Bread of Life, in Đà Nẵng, is a western-style café serving breakfast foods (yay, pancakes!), hamburgers, and pizza. The owner, a sassy spitfire of a woman from Kansas, opened this restaurant to employ the disabled, specifically the deaf. All of the servers, baristas, and cooks are deaf. In Vietnam the disabled are significantly disadvantaged and often considered a burden to the family. Eighty percent of deaf children do not attend school and ninety percent do not know sign language. The restaurant teaches these adolescents how to sign, and, therefore communicate for the first time in their lives, and then employs them. These young adults often transcend from burden to breadwinner. The owner, a white woman bejeweled in jade and a kimono, was so enthused by her restaurant, her purpose and the country she calls home, that I, too, became somehow even more enamored with Vietnam.

Hue

Still five more days of travel through the mid-country before we’ll reach Hà Nội. I am looking forward to unpacking, settling back into academics, and exploring a new city. However, until then I am going to enjoy this bumpy, beautiful ride.

Mekong Delta

Mekong Ducks

This week, I’ve noticed myself becoming much more familiar with the culture, people, and chaos of Saigon. Although, still slightly fazed by the massive amounts of motorbikes whizzing by at all hours of the day (and no true crosswalks, you just step off the curb with confidence and go!), I feel more at peace with the intense pulse of the city. I have travelled by motorbike, eaten completely unknown food, showered with cockroaches, and even ordered a full meal in Vietnamese! At times, I miss the conveniences and luxuries of home and Union, and, I’ll admit, I caved once and watched Bachelor Pad on Hulu while doing homework, but by and large I am enjoying and delving into Vietnam. 

Sweet Life

This weekend we took a three-day excursion to the Mekong Delta. We explored the unique sprawl of islands, opaque, silt-filled rivers, and thick brush that the delta is made of. We stayed at a picturesque “home-stay” for two nights. The house was rugged and gorgeous—hammocks on the riverside, anyone? The most memorable excursion of the weekend included a three-hour bike ride through dirt paths, rice fields and small villages. I almost crashed trying to take some pictures because the sights--the lush palms, blue skies, puppies and chickens--were very distracting! 

Later that night one of the residents of the homestay asked us to help him prepare the snake for dinner! After a few other students actually killed the snakes he drained some of the blood into a pitcher of “rice wine” and we all took a shot of the mixture! I’m glad to say that I’ve done it but I don’t think it will become a regular cocktail of mine.

On the Mekong Delta

Mekong Delta shacks

            Within the two weeks that I have been here I have found my favorite breakfast place, coffee shop, streets and vendors. I’ve learned the names of waiters, waitresses, and receptionists. However, the most difficult thing to leave behind will be Hoang Anh and the rest of the buddies. We have gone out to movies, dinner, excursions and rode motorbikes around. Along the way we’ve broken through the language barriers and fostered true friendships. I’m very excited for our upcoming ten-day tour of the country and subsequent relocation in Hanoi, but it will be difficult to leave behind all of our new friends.

Cao Dai & Cu Chi

Vietnamese school girl

Vietnam is filled with history, tradition and culture! When I travel through the streets the vendors greet me with smiles and laughter as I attempt to practice my Vietnamese. We take a three-hour Vietnamese class everyday and I am trying to learn the language as best as I can but the tones, accents and pronunciation have proven very difficult to learn!

Cao Dai Temple

Cu Chi Tunnels

In the past few days we’ve travelled, explored, and seen so many incredible things. However, even the gorgeous, elaborate temples, or Cu Chi tunnels cannot compare to the beauty of the streets. Even though garbage, cigarette butts, and dirt often line the streets, I have seen so much more happiness, generosity, and kindness than I was used to in America. It seems as though the less people have, the more appreciative they are of others. 

Today, Hoang Anh took me to her pagoda (Buddhist temple) and her humble apartment. The people who worshiped at the temple and children of the adjoining orphanage were shy but inviting. Sometimes it seems as though I am getting a taste of fame while I am here; wherever I walk people stare, point, giggle, and try to touch me! Yesterday at the Cao Dai temple and old woman gently took my hand and smiled up at me (yes, up, everyone is even shorter than I am!). She mumbled some Vietnamese and laughed. My tour guide translated and told me she was saying “I want to touch her—she’s so white!”

I am looking forward to furthering my language skills, befriending more Vietnamese and trying more of their delicious food!

Xin chao, friends!

Well, after about 22 hours of travelling I landed in hot Ho Chi Minh City on Monday night. The jet lag was pretty brutal on Tuesday (11 hour time difference) but since then I have quickly adjusted. The city is full of life, friendly people, curious people, insane traffic, and beautiful foliage--yes, foliage in a city! All of the closely packed apartments have beautiful vines, ferns, and palm trees. 

On Tuesday we toured the city with Alyce, (our brilliant and bubbly guide), had our first bowl of "pho" (a hot, delicious soup), and met our Ho Chi Minh "buddies". Hoang Anh (right) greeted me with a huge smile and quickly linked arms with me as we headed to dinner with the rest of the group.  So far, Vietnamese women have been exceedingly friendly and kind to me. As I walk along the streets many of them smile, converse, or help me. However, I have noticed that many of the men here seem very wary of my abroad group. I am not sure where the discrepancy comes from between the two genders.

Last night my roommate Grace and I brought our buddies back to the room and showed them pictures of home, talked and laughed, and took warped pictures on my “Photo booth”. It amazed me how well we all clicked even though our home lives are truly worlds apart. Tonight we’re going to purchase Vietnamese phones with our buddies and see where the night takes us!