Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), June 2 to 6 (Jen)

Since we arrived in HCMC in the dark, I was glad that we had pre-booked a guesthouse, and an airport pick up.  As time passes, I am less committed to spending as little as possible, and slightly more interested in preserving my sanity and comfort.  Both of these were in good hands at “Happy Inn” where we stayed for our entire time in HCMC.  It was a bit of a splurge at $25 per night, but it was truly time for a proper shower stall and a comfy bed with quality sheets.  

Next morning, after allowing ourselves to sleep-in and take advantage of our upgraded accommodations, we set out with our LP in hand.  We had “pho” for breakfast nearby our hotel, and proceeded to walk to the Reunification Palace.  This is the spot where a North Vietnamese Army tank burst through the gates as Saigon fell to the Communists.  We arrived just before 11am, and were promptly informed that it was closed to visitors between 11 and 1pm.  Oops!  Guess we should have read the LP, instead of just carrying it with us.  So, we headed to a coffee shop we had seen on the way and enjoyed our first real coffee in Vietnam.  By real coffee I mean western style americano, in a big paper cup.  (As opposed to the small cup of super strong and syrupy sweet coffee we normally find here.)  It’s amazing the things you miss from home.  For us a proper coffee in a paper cup is definitely near the top of the list (after YOU of course).  Our bad planning turned out alright as we had a nice chat with the staff at “Gloria’s Coffee”, then wandered around the city a little to see the Notre Dame Cathedral, have a good lunch, and locate one of the city’s malls and movie theaters at “Diamond Plaza”.  We returned to find that there wasn’t so much to see at the Reunification Palace.  After a look around, we assumed it was the historical significance of the spot that drew visitors and set off on our way.  We didn’t find out until later on that exploring the basement is the most interesting part, which we didn’t know existed.  (That wasn’t in the LP, I swear!)

Next we went to see the War Remnants Museum, previously called the Museum of American War Crimes.  This was a truly eye opening experience.  Of course the exhibits are one-sided, but even with that in mind it was difficult to stomach.  One thing that I have learned on this trip is that the US government is not interested in cleaning up their messes.  How do they not take responsibility for the effects of agent orange on Vietnamese civilians?  How do they not clear unexploded ordinances from this region so the land can be used by locals?  Are they repeating this pattern now in other parts of the world?  Likely I was just ignorant to begin with, but find I have learned a lot of shocking information.  Our visit to the museum was enriched by meeting an American Vietnam war veteran, Dick Harger (rhymes with “larger” he explained . . . ?!?).  He had come to Vietnam to research and complete his memoirs.  Initially, he was just looking for help in photographing some of the museum’s exhibits regarding agent orange.  (You can see these in a separate album on our photo site.)  We were lucky that he was willing to share his experiences with us and also joined us (actually treated us) for dinner on our last night in Saigon.  He was a very nice and interesting man.  It was easy to tell that this was an emotional visit for him.  

After a full day of walking, we headed back to Diamond Plaza for a movie and a rest.  Angels and Demons was pretty good, and the movie popcorn was kettle corn which was a great surprise!  Ah, to be back in the city again.  Perry & I have concluded that we are both definitely city people.

Second day in HCMC we got a late start again.  However, this time we blame it on the pouring rain which kept us indoors until at least 10am.  We headed for Cholon, or Saigon’s Chinatown.  This endeavor mostly involved us wandering the streets searching  for the many interesting markets supposedly in the area.  After wandering through very busy and narrow streets selling loads of fabrics, then paper, then auto parts, we finally stopped for yet more pho and a break.  (We do love pho!)  Accepting defeat, we hopped in a taxi and ended up at Binh Tay Market, Cholon’s biggest.  It was massive and overwhelming for sure, but didn’t have much that tempted us to part with our Dong.  The only thing we purchased was a bag of cashews.  Perry then headed to the gym, which was apparently steamy hot and full of locals at 5pm, and I headed back to Gloria’s coffee for some solo internet time.  Yes, it’s a bit lazy that I didn’t join Perry for a workout, but I was still favoring my bum knee by that time and wasn’t up for it after two days of walking Saigon.  (excuses, excuses . . .)

That night we went for Indian food with Lea, an Austrian girl we’d met on the train from Hanoi to Hue.  We luckily ran into each other again by chance outside of Happy Inn.  It is bizarre that these chance meetings seem to happen all the time.  I guess all of us travelers really are on the same route, and staying within a few blocks of each other in most cities and towns.  Even more bizarre though, was when I looked up from my “dahl” to see a girl I had worked with at PwC in Calgary!  Yep, Amber McRae and her fiance Mark just happened to be eating in the same restaurant as us.  Crazy small world.  It was great to see a familiar face (even though she has been living in Cayman for the past five years!) and we had some drinks together that night.  

Third day in HCMC we spent the morning at the Vietnamese Museum of Traditional Medicine.  It was a challenge to find, but worth the search.  We were the only ones there, so had a personal tour guide.  I find that sort of thing interesting, especially the natural remedies that are still in use today.  I had to resist purchasing all sorts of herbal teas.  And of course, it was good touristy fun when our guide dressed us up in traditional wear and stuck us behind the counter for photo ops!  I’m looking for votes on who looks more ridiculous . . . In the afternoon we moved on to the disappointing Jade Emperor Pagoda.  Travelfish called it “atmospheric”, but Perry and I were wondering if we were perhaps at the wrong place.  Nope.  Address confirmed, we wandered through.  I think Perry found the turtles out front the most interesting part.  I suppose it was interesting just how many deities one could worship here, but it didn’t compare to the many spectacular temples we have seen so far in our travels.  

Next morning was an early one, as we had booked a one day tour to the Cu Chi Tunnels and the Cao Dai Holy See (temple) in Tay Ninh.  We were slightly unprepared and surprised when greeted with the initial 3 hour bus ride to Tay Ninh.  We should have deduced that we would spend approximately 6 hours on the bus that day from the fact that there were only 2 stops on a full day excursion, but we didn’t.  The ride was worth it though, as you can see from our photos of the temple.  It was also interesting to see the “Holy See” because I’ve been reading “The Girl in the Picture” (the lifestory of Kim Phuc’s) and this temple is referred to in the book.  

Cu Chi Tunnels were cool, if a little claustrophobic.  I didn’t make it the full 100 meters of tunnel that they have enlarged and opened to tourists.  To think that tunnel was actually bigger than the originals used by the VietCong!  It is crazy to imagine how they lived underground like that.  The video they showed us was crazy as well.  It was obviously a little dated, and definitely wasn’t concerned with being “politically correct” for tourists.  It was mostly a glorification of certain peasant soldiers who had succeeded in killing American soldiers.  One was a young girl given some kind of award for “killing the most Americans”.  Fairly blunt.

Our last day in HCMC was spent shopping on Ly Van Si, where we found trendy boutiques selling clothes much too nice for our current lifestyle, and in the fabulous Ben Thanh market, which was walking distance from our guesthouse.  That market had absolutely everything we could want to send home from Vietnam, plus super tasty food stalls set up at night grilling fresh fish and huge prawns.  Yummy!  I think Dad would have been in heaven there.  

After five full days in HCMC, it was time to go.  Vietnam had worn me down.  Don’t get me wrong.  Vietnam has some truly spectacular scenery.  And, we met some really, really friendly people there.  But in general, the culture in Vietnam was just too “in your face” for me.  Not sure if it was too much time in cities overrun with aggressive motorbike drivers, or just the fact that we have been away from home for 4 months by now, but I needed to get out.  I was worried I might lose it on the 117th guy in a day relentlessly selling me sunglasses, or books, or a zippo, or marijuana, or . . . you get the picture.  So, we made a compromise between the fastest and the cheapest way to Phnom Penh and booked a two day journey through the Mekong Delta and into Cambodia by boat.  We’d splurged too much lately to justify another flight, and I wanted to give rural Vietnam a couple of more days to soften my impression.

For photos of our time in HCMC, see http://gallery.me.com/adamschen

p.s.

I have figured out how to add descriptions to the “back” of our photos.  Look for the little “i” in the lower right corner.  Click on that and you should be able to read my description if you are interested.  =)  

Hoi An, May 27 to June 1 (Perry)

Continuing our way south, we arrived in Hoi An wanting to accomplish at least two things.  One, enjoy local dishes only found in Hoi An and two, to shop.  While Hoi An is known to many as a charming old port town set on the Thu Bon River and for its Chinese, Japanese, and European influenced architecture, most backpackers know it as shopping central.  From the minute you set foot in town, tailors are all over you offering to custom-fit everything from suits to cowboy boots.  Before arriving, Jen and I came up with a game-plan of sorts to best handle the ensuing onslaught.  We decided that the first night we would just look and get a feel for which tailors were better than others.  Also, we would try to spread our business around, essentially hedging our bets should we happen upon some lesser skilled tailors.

I decided that I would get a suit and some dress shirts made despite the fact that my workplace is fairly casual.  As Jen put it, “It’s time for you to dress like a grownup”.  At the age of 34, I guess she’s right.  Jen was a bit more ambitious.  In addition to a couple of business suits and dress shirts, she decided that she would get some other items of clothing made, items which include a nightie.  More on that later.

For the suits, we decided to focus on quality over price.  Our choice was a no-brainer.  Walking the main strip in town, you couldn’t help but notice the place.  Whereas all the other businesses were basically indistinguishable, A Dong Silk stood out.  From the hardwood flooring, to the organized displays (mannequins without their “junk” hanging out) to the overall cleanliness of the place, it wasn’t hard to see why we chose this place.  Thankfully for us, the quality of service matched the outward appearance.  Having never had anything handmade and tailored to fit, both Jen and I were a bit overwhelmed at first.  I mean, we’ve both never had to pick out our own fabric and design, nor have we ever had to worry about sleeve lengths, pant lengths, or skirt lengths.  What color do you want the lining to be you ask?  I have no idea.  Luckily, we were matched with a couple of really sweet and really patient workers named Trang and Nee who helped us through the whole process.  In my mind Nee, who was helping me out, got the better end of the stick.  Not saying that Jen is very picky, but I’m pretty sure her fittings outnumbered mine 10 to 5.  In her defense, she did have more items made and for some reason or another, the tailors would never use a “perfect” fitting item as a template for the other.  I could definitely see some frustration setting in as Jen would get a shirt fitted, order a second thinking it would be at least similar, then have them come back completely different sizes.  At least they made all of her requested changes with a smile.  

In between all of our shopping, we managed to check out the rest of the town and some of the surrounding areas.  Most of our time in town was spent in Hoi An’s Old Town.  Set along the river, the Old Town is a collection of shops, restaurants, and cafes.  Here, Jen and I experienced some of Hoi An’s local delicacies including Cao Lau noodles which, to be made properly, must use water from the nearby Ba Le well, and “white rose” dumplings (tiny shrimp dumplings).  The dumplings were very tasty but both Jen and I couldn’t see what the big deal was about the noodles, even after trying a few different restaurants.  Having rented a motorbike for a couple of days, we checked out one of the local beaches called Cua Dai.  While I‘m not a beach person, I have to admit I was pretty excited to get back into the water.  We spent a day chilling on some lounge chairs, soaking in the sun, and playing in the waves.  Taking advantage of the gorgeous surroundings, we enjoyed a great seafood dinner along the beach that night.

Now back to the shopping.  I mentioned earlier that Jen had wanted to get some simpler items made in addition to her suits.  I believe the list included a skirt, a dress, and a nightie.  (In the end, she also decided to gamble on a leather handbag.)  For these simple items, we thought that using some of the smaller and cheaper tailors would be best.  It all started out very promising.  As we were trying to spread our business around, we visited 3 additional tailors to get the items made.  The first stop was a shop run by a pleasant enough lady who would make a skirt and dress for Jen.  She went through the motion of measuring and double checking all her numbers so all seemed good.  We probably should have questioned our choice when she asked for full payment up front, but after agreeing upon a 50% deposit, we left her to her work.  The skirt turned out alright but the dress turned into an ordeal.  With tailored work, we assumed a couple of fittings would be in order.  But, we also assumed that with each fitting the dress would actually change.  Not in this case.  Even I could deduce that the dress was a bit small when Jen needed help to get the thing off.  In the end, Jen gave up on that lady and just got the people at A Dong Silk to fix up her dress.

The handbag process was a bit different but showed the same level of service.  As with the skirt and dress lady, instead of actually listening to what Jen wanted, they simply tried to convince her that the way they made it was fine.  Now, I don’t know much about handbags, but even I can tell when there’s about 2 extra inches of leather on the closing flap.  After the fourth visit, they finally got it right.  

The nightie experience was the most ridiculous.  To set the scene, first let me describe what Jen had in mind.  For some reason, about 95% of the women in Vietnam wear floral patterned pajamas as everyday clothing.  Theirs are more the top and pants variety, but nevertheless, Jen seemed to agree with their logic . . . why not get something that can double day and night.  What Jen had in mind was a loose fitting dress that in theory would look pretty good, and at the same time be comfortable enough for sleeping.    I’m no tailor, but the design that Jen requested looked fairly simple.  I wasn’t there for the first fitting, but all Jen could say afterwards was, “there’s just SO much fabric”.  In fact the saleslady, who was pregnant by the way, even laughed that the dress would be better for her, and joked that there was enough room for three people.  Thankfully I was able to witness the second fitting.  The moment Jen exited the fitting room, I thought I was looking at the 5th Golden Girl.  I mean, the thing was a gigantic mu-mu.  Another couple who happened to witness the unveiling couldn’t contain their laughter either.  Even the saleslady laughed, but still couldn’t quite fix it up after 3 fittings.  Finally we figured it was more hassle than it was worth, and never went back.  I wonder if that saleslady realizes or cares that we never came back to pick up our mu-mu.  Maybe she’s wearing it, or perhaps is using it for bedsheets.  Regardless, we’re pretty sure she’d already made her money on our 50% deposit.  Lesson learned in Hoi An; we got what we paid for in all instances.  

Worn out from the shopping adventures, we posted our suits home and caught a flight directly to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).  By this time, we’d had enough overnight travel and determined that the extra $30 for a 1 hour flight versus a 16 hour bus was fully worth it . . . .

For our few photos of Hoi An, go to http://gallery.me.com/adamschen

Hue, May 25 to 26 (Perry)

After our time in Northern Vietnam, the next stop for Jen and I was Hue.  According to Lonely Planet, “Hue, which was the political capital of Vietnam from 1802 to 1945, is one of the country’s cultural, religious, and educational centers”.  In other words, the town is filled with pagodas and tombs.  Being that Hue is on the central coast of Vietnam, getting there turned out to be an exhausting experience which included 2 overnight trains in 3 days.  The first train took us from Sapa to Hanoi, where we arrived at 4 in the morning.  Because we had already spent 4 days in Hanoi, we booked a train leaving later on that night to complete the journey to Hue.  Usually, having 11 hours to “kill” in a foreign city is an opportunity that Jen and I use to observe real life and to experience new things.  Exhausted as we were, this time it meant hanging out in the mall, drinking a bunch of coffee, and catching the new Star Trek movie; which was amazing by the way (if you don’t believe me, just ask Jen).

Arriving in Hue early the next morning, Jen and I did something that we both said we would never do.  Having traveled in Asia for a while now, it is inevitable that the two of us have become quite weary and skeptical of the numerous taxi drivers and guesthouse employees who are there to greet you the minute you exit a train, bus or airport.  We’ve both said that, out of principle (i.e. so as not to encourage this bombardment), we would never go with the first person who approached us.  This was the person who would be all up in your face before you even had time to put your pack on.  In Hue, most likely because of the sleep deprivation, we hesitantly went with the first guesthouse.  In this case, it all worked out. 

The Binh Duong 2 hotel turned out to be one of the better accommodations that we’ve had in Vietnam.  For only $15 USD per night, we had a clean, large room equipped with a refrigerator, satellite TV, air conditioning, free internet, balcony, and even a small sitting area.  In fact this was the first guesthouse we’ve stayed in that offered room service.  While this may not sound like the luxury that I’m trying to get across, please keep in mind that the longer we travel, the easier we are to please.  After spending the first day recharging our batteries and taking advantage of the air-con in our room, we figured that the best and cheapest way to see the city’s many sites was to join a tour the following morning.  

Hoping aboard a greyhound-sized bus, the tour started off at the Citadel (former imperial city), followed by stops at a traditional style Hue home, the “Heavenly Lady Pagoda”, and various tombs of  former emperors (namely, if I remember correctly, the second, twelfth, and fourth emperors), and culminated with a “dragon boat” ride down the river.  With all the great tours and guides we’ve had in the past 4 months, our luck was bound to run out sometime.  It did in Hue.  It’s not that the tour was necessarily bad but relatively speaking, it’s probably the worst tour we’ve been on so far.  The sights themselves were generally nice with the tomb of the 14th Emperor, the traditional house, and the Heavenly Lady Pagoda sticking out in my mind.  Perhaps it’s because Jen and I are not used to tours that size that we didn’t have best of times.  At every stop, we were a group of 20 plus joining 2 or 3 more groups of equal size from other companies, and we were herded in and out of the sights.  It felt like we were rushed at every stop and our time was so regimented.  Our guide actually got mad at us for being a few minutes late getting back to the bus after one particular stop.  

Actually the one thing that will stick out in my mind about the Hue tour is an incident that occurred at the second last stop of the day.  First let me give you some background information to make myself look a little better.  For those of you who have not traveled to Vietnam before, the people here are, how would I say . . . , a bit aggressive.  Don’t get me wrong, we’ve met some really nice people here, but in general the Vietnamese are pretty aggressive.  On this particular tour we were responsible for purchasing our own tickets to enter the sights and without fail, just as I was about to purchase our tickets, the same Vietnamese woman would simply push her way in and jump ahead of me.  I mean literally, she would shoulder me out of the way to buy herself an extra minute at the sights.  For almost the entire day, I was the bigger person and I conceded my position in line.  Well, near the end of the day, I’d had enough.  Oh, I let her push her way in but the minute she tried to leave the line, I timed a perfect shoulder check that rocked her against the ticket booth.  If only you could have seen the smile on my face as I told Jen of my accomplishment.  I do feel a tiny bit bad, but I must admit that as I write this paragraph there is a silly grin on my face.

Anyways, after having seen most of the sights of Hue in a day, we decided that it was time to get moving again so the following day we boarded the bus and made our way to Hoi An.  

For photos of Hue, go to http://gallery.me.com/adamschen