Tag: Asia

Categories
Uncategorized

Alluring Hoi An! Dragon Boating Vietnamese style! Boat/Cycle Tours. Shopping. Cooking lessons. Rice wine!

April 30th/May 1st 2019

Hoi An, a city located in central Vietnam, is a thriving hot spot of adventure, shopping, history and markets. We had a free day on our tour today and we all chose to maximize our time between tailor fittings, optional extra tours, and night life/markets .

In addition to the usual draw of tourists to this tantalizing city, we were lucky enough to experience an influx of Vietnamese due to a national holiday! As a previous Dragon Boat competitor, I was thrilled when we even discovered a dragon boat competition–Vietnamese style– during our bike tour! The video of this high energy event is located later in this blog post!

On April 30th, 1975 this national holiday, called Reunification Day by our local guides, was born.  This date has varying names in other geographical areas from Liberation Day to the Fall of Saigon. After researching, I discovered on this date “Communist North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces captured the South Vietnamese capital of Saigon, forcing South Vietnam to surrender and bringing an end to the Vietnam War”. nytimes.com “The country was unified as the Socialist Republic of Vietnam the following year” history.com

Our entire “Tiger Team”chose to participate in the optional half day boat/bike Discovery tour around the island of Cam Kim. Cost CA $47.00/person. I am not able to peddle bicycles due to a chronic knee condition, but gratefully was accommodated as a passenger on the safety motorcycle which followed the group.

Our adventure started at Hoi An Cycling where our group of 12 were fitted with helmets and bikes for the day; met our vivacious leader and tech support men; and reviewed basic safety rules for this outing. Next we were off to the boat launch area! The bikes were loaded and the vessel headed off to Cam Kim Island.

During our short boat trip we passed multiple types of eyed water craft. We witnessed Vietnamese fishing techniques and enjoyed the sights of cattle grazing along the banks.

Upon arrival at Cam Kim Island the bicycles were unpacked and the 15 + km adventure commenced! The group cycled past rice paddies, sugar cane fields, cow pastures, reed fields, rivers, and numerous home businesses. An unexpected result of exploring during the national Reunification holiday was that we even witnessed a local Vietnamese dragon boat competition!

 

[wpvideo ptVjQ2xt ]

Here is a video depicting our amazing views and experiences during the first half of our boat/bike tour.

After rice is harvested, it is dried and sorted on the roads! Rice is the seed of the grass species Oryza Sativa (Asian rice). When rice is harvested it is called “paddy”.

Sometimes the rice is spread on top of tarps and sometimes it sits directly on asphalt or cement roads. It was a common sight to see locals out in the ferocious heat spreading the grain and kernels around as they dried.

After passing over a small bridge we were thrilled to discover multiple long boats full of men in the river; crowds of exuberant locals sitting on the river banks; and motorcycles lining both sides of the road. My motorcycle driver yelled “Racing Day!”

I nearly jumped off the motorcycle in excitement! We convinced the tour guide to stop here for an unscheduled break so we could share this dynamic experience!

Many locals wear decorative masks over their noses/mouths as protection against air pollution–especially when riding motorcycles. Observe the woman in the 1/2 sphere boat. These boats are common with locals as a previous king taxed boats based on their length. So Vietnamese responded with these round vessels!

Here is a video representation of our local Vietnamese Dragon boating experience! Such fun!

 

[wpvideo crYRlcCo ]

After resuming our journey we passed more fields then small man made ponds with interesting aeration systems. The tour guide informed me these were prawn farms. There are so many innovative and practical ways to utilize and maximize harvest potential here. More huge drop nets were evident near water edges. My guide said the nets are dropped around sunset and lifted before sunrise.

The next stop on our day’s experience of rural Vietnam was a rice wine distillery.  The distillery and adjacent home were owned by an elderly ex soldier who proudly displayed photos and sang songs about Ho Chi-Minh. This positive man lost his foot as a result of a land mine explosion during previous war periods in Vietnam, but has adapted to a small prosthetic foot. He greeted us with smiles and welcomed us to his home.

The connection between pigs and rice wine is substantial. The manure from the pig and piglets is used as fuel (as well as rice husks) to heat the boilers. The left over rice product not used in the rice wine is fed to the pigs. Win. Win. There are different levels of rice wine. We sampled the “typical” rice wine. It’s strong! Only a few dared to try the rice wine which was fermented with cobras, poisonous snakes, scorpions, or giant centipedes. The question is…did they suddenly become more manly and virile?

Reeds were thickly growing in many locations around the island. We observed people hacking them down with curved machetes while others sorted them into piles. We even observed piles of reeds dyed in various colours–yellow, red, green (natural), purple. Reeds were used to create colourful sleeping mats. Prior to arriving at the home of the couple who created sleeping mats we passed more very unique modes of transport…

We had the opportunity to observe the mat weaving process and try adding a few rows! The couple who introduced us to this traditional craft work together for nearly 10 hours a day to create about 4 mats/day.

I’m afraid our group would starve if we were dependent on mat production to feed our families–as we were painfully slow! It was fun attempting this type of weaving, but I would imagine your back would ache doing this endlessly!

Next stop was lunch at a family home/store. We learned how to make wraps created from rice into a type of appetizer.

Add to that real coconut water and traditional Cao Lao noodle soup.

We also learned about Vietnamese celebrations including lanterns, decorations, and symbolic burning fake US dollars. There was a small residence at the back of the rice wraps/noodles area and small store at the front. A lady (grandma?) and 2 children were sitting on the floor in the back area. There was also 1 bed and a tiny bathroom with a squat toilet which they allowed me to use during the visit. Everyone has been so welcoming to us.

Our 5 hour tour around Cam Kim island was drawing to a close as we returned to the boat launch site for our homeward trip.

[wpvideo pmXumoNX ]

This is a video representation of the second half of our wonderful experience and events from the rest of our packed day! I would highly recommend this Discovery tour.

We had tailors to visit in Hoi An prior to our next extra excursion which was a cooking class at the Green Mango! Cost for the 3 hour group cooking session was $92 CAN/person. Our Intrepid tour guide presented us with a list of suggestions of where to shop if we were interested in any of the following: custom tailoring, shoe-making/leather, silver, optometrists, etc.

Mark decided to get some fancy new frames and prescription sunglasses at Optic Au Viet Glasses. For 2,200,000 Dong $129.00 CAN the owner had his new glasses made to his specifications and delivered personally to our hotel within about 24 hours.

Although there are literally hundreds of tailors in Hoi An city,  most of our tour group decided to get some clothing custom designed from one of the two tailors Jay recommended. We stopped in to check out both locations. Yaly was upscale and quite famous. They also had the best selection of styles and fabrics. Sisters Tailor was family run with a very good reputation.

Mark and I decided to support the smaller company and selected Sisters Tailor. We were carefully measured then we selected our designs and fabrics. We had 4 items custom tailored for 7,820,000 Dong which was $461.00 CAN for 2 custom designed dresses, a fully lined sports jacket, and a men’s dress shirt.

By our second fitting the items were nearly perfect for us. Everything was delivered to our hotel on the second evening. Overall…Our group had more success with Sisters Tailors as multiple extra fittings were required before the clothing from Yaly fit properly.

Now we were off to the Green Mango for our evening cooking lesson and concluding meal. The chef was delightful and so vivacious. We all wore black aprons and chef hats.

Although it was interesting to learn how to cook new Vietnamese dishes and fun to bond with our group in another setting, I preferred the cooking lesson we experienced in Chiang Mai when we each had our own station rather than standing around watching most of the time. Plus $92 CAN/person seemed a bit pricey for this activity.

As we headed back to our hotel the streets and markets were bustling with activity and energy. The lanterns strung above our heads truly made the place feel so magical. The sound of drumming and chanting caught our attention and drew us toward an active area where people were sitting up in a type of tree house playing a Vietnamese game.

We watched and were enticed to try playing the next game. It was like Vietnamese Bingo! You paid a small amount of Dong to buy a wooden stick with 3 designs on it.

As the lady started chanting, a man walked around showing a wooden paddle with a design on it. If you had that matching design you were passed a small yellow flag. The first people to obtain 3 yellow flags won that round. It was fun! We were so close!

Another full and exciting day in Vietnam! Tomorrow we fly to Hoi Chi Minh City!

 

 

Categories
Uncategorized

Hue to Hoi An–Vietnamese Shopping Central!

April 30th 2019 Vietnam!

Today was mainly a day of travel through gorgeous rice paddies and windy mountain roads with spectacular ocean views through Hai Van Pass. Then we had lunch in the tourist center of Lang Co Beach eventually arriving in the shopping hub of Hoi An–home of Old Town attractions, lanterns, and a plethora of tailors!

Tiger Team departed from our Hue hotel about 8:00 a.m. destined to spend the next 2 nights in the shopping mecca of Hoi An.

Initially we passed beautiful countryside of rice paddies until we reached our morning tea break location.

What fascinated me at this location was the oyster farms behind the shop. I observed men filling their simplistic wooden boats with old tires then wading through the water setting up floats and checking oyster lines.

After our morning coffee, we continued upward through the spectacular scenery of the Hai Van Pass. The windy highway was narrow and scenic displaying tropical flora and rugged ocean views.

Here is a video depicting some highlights from our trip from Hue to Hoi An.

[wpvideo 3EbL0v6Q ]

At the summit there are some historical bunkers. They were built by the French in 1826 to protect this strategic pass. Control of the bunkers was later held by the US Army.  I located information indicating the Vietnamese People’s Army also used this ramp to shell Da Nang. We passed a look out where we observed a train on one side of the highway and a gorgeous view of Lang Co Beach on the opposite side.

As we approached the tourist beach location, we noticed some interesting new ocean equipment/apparatus. There were enormous nets supported by poles which were dropped into the water at sunset and lifted at sunrise. Round 1/2 sphere boats lined areas on the beaches. This tourist area was very different than any other location we had previously seen in Vietnam…beach volleyball nets, parasailing, beach chairs? We were informed that Lang Co Beach is a very popular vacation destination for Chinese tourists.

Next stop …Thuy Duong 3 Hotel in Hoi An.

Hoi An is a World Heritage Site city of appropriately 152,000 people located on Vietnam’s central coast. Hoi An is known for its well-preserved Ancient Town, cut through with canals and excellent shopping–particularly tailoring, shoe-making, leather, silver-making, and optometrists services.

Hoi An was historically a thriving trading base port city. The architecture is diverse mixing eras and styles “from wooden Chinese shophouses and temples to colorful French colonial buildings, ornate Vietnamese tube houses and the iconic Japanese Covered Bridge with its pagoda.” Wikipedia

After unpacking, we headed out with Jay for a fascinating sightseeing tour through the Old Town of Hoi An visiting some of the city’s major attractions. Here is a video reflecting some of the attractions we experienced.

[wpvideo rNIMIfJE ]

We viewed the historic Japanese covered bridge which dates back to the 18th century and is depicted on the Vietnamese Dong , and explored multiple lantern clad historic streets. This truly is a fun and fascinating city–especially during Vietnamese Re-unification National Holiday period.

We visited an interesting historical home/museum where a family member had been a high official of the communist party under Ho Chi Minh’s leadership.

We had a lovely group dinner at Lantern Town Restaurant observing the beauty of the canals and lanterns. Gin and Tonic is the preferred drink by our English members, so I tried one tonight! After dinner, Jay surprised us by shouting for us all to participate in a special Vietnamese lantern ceremony.

It was an extremely touching and moving experience. We each got to light a candle and place a red paper lantern in the canal.

The paper lanterns carry ‘wishes’ and this ceremony usually marks the Buddhist Vesak festival in Vietnam. Unfortunately, it was a windy night and a few lanterns overturned. But the experience was surreal and deeply moving.

Instead of returning to the hotel, many of us detoured to explore the night markets or get fittings from the multitude of tailors in this city. The skies opened up and there was a tropical rainstorm! The night market street flooded. Entrepreneurs ran around selling plastic rain ponchos. Mark and I waited out the downpour in a clothing shop with a merchant and her children.

It was another full and fascinating day in Vietnam!

 

Categories
Uncategorized

Exploring Hue, Central Vietnam by motorbike and dragon boat!

April 29th 2019

Here’s to another spectacular day of sightseeing and exploring Hue, central Vietnam, care of Intrepid tours! We progressed from adventure to adventure throughout the Hue area on the back of a 125 cc motorcycle driven by a local guide.

Some of the highlights included: 18th century covered bridge, local markets, 17th century active Buddhist monastery of Thien Mu Pagoda, a dragon boat cruise down the Perfume River, lunch at a nunnery, the tomb of Emperor Tu Duc, and a dinner together in the home of a local Vietnamese family who were close friends of our guide.

All these experiences were magnified by the fact we had been lucky enough to be in Vietnam during their Re-unification National Holiday! Let the adventure unfold…

After admiring the view of Hue “Hway ” from our hotel window in the early morning, we met our “Tiger Team” in the lobby of the Gold I Hotel 28 Ba Trieu St . Just at the base of the staircase, we met our local motorcycle drivers for our day of adventure!

Yesterday was Cyclos… Today we had more speed on our whooping 125cc motorcycles! Before we commenced, Jay led us through a safety lesson 😉. As the day progressed, I discovered my driver spoke some English… “Hello” and “quack quack” (each time we passed duck farms!) I practiced my survival Vietnamese, “Xin chao” (Hello) and “Cam on” (thank you). We mutually recited “quack quack” whenever we passed flocks of ducks!

After a quick tour through Hue a city of over 455,000, we were off heading towards Thanh Toan.

Hue is in central Vietnam and was the national capital from 1802–1945. It’s history includes the Nguyen Dynasty Emperors. A major attraction from this era is the 19th Century Dai Noi Citadel (built between 1804–1833) which was heavily fortified including a moat and 2m thick stone walls. Inside the Citadel is the UNESCO World Heritage site of the Imperial city with palaces, shrines, and memories of a past existence and royal history in spite of extensive damage due to several horrific wars.

Here is a video showing highlights of our day exploring Hue on the backs of 12 motorcycles!

[wpvideo djiR2bXd ]

We took our first stretch break by the rice fields and duck ponds dodging a tractor which happened to cross the narrow back road as we were chatting together. We continued on our adventure to Thanh Toan where many local Vietnamese were visiting the 18th century famous bridge, the market, and the neighboring village.

Thanh Toan Bridge is situated at Thuy Thanh commune, Huong Thuy district. It is 8km east of Hue. We enjoyed observing fishing boats, lanterns and decorations, and the Vietnamese version of BINGO which was very upbeat and energetic with its chanting and drumming excitement. The market was fairly small.. but very diverse and traditional..

People dressed in traditional clothing were being photographed beside the famous covered bridge.

The bridge was built in the time of Emperor Le Hien Tong from the mid 18th century. Tran Thi Dao, the wife of one of the emperor’s high ranking courtiers, who grew up in the area, provided the money to build it. The tiled roof makes it quite unique for its age and it spans an irrigation channel.

Although this site was included in our tour the entrance fee is normally 30,000 Vietnamese Dong/person.

Our next stop was the Buddhist monastery of Thien Mu Pagoda. 4 km southwest of the Citadel on a hill overlooking the Perfume (Huong) River you can locate this Pagoda.

Thien Mu Pagoda was constructed in 1844 under the reign of Emperor Thieu Tri and is known for its unique 21m high octagonal tower. It is also renowned as the location which houses the car of a former monk who drove to Saigon in 1963 to set himself alight to protest the poor treatment of Buddhists by the South Vietnamese regime. 

As you can tell from the slow movements of the people and the multiple sun umbrellas and hand fans in the video, the temperature was oppressive–hitting nearly 40 degrees while we were walking around the grounds.

Happily, our next adventure was a dragon boat cruise down the Perfume River before eating a vegetarian lunch at a nunnery.

As a previous member of a dragon boating team in Canada….this was a fun excursion (although we weren’t paddling and getting soaked in the process!). There were merchants on board promoting the sale of intricate pop up cards, wooden toothpick bookmarks, and other souvenirs.

Time for a break from the sun while eating a delicious vegetarian lunch at the Nunnery.

Back on the motorcycles for our final destination of this tour–the tomb of Emperor Tu Duc located 5 km south of Hue. This elaborate, beautiful and expansive tomb was constructed between 1864–1867 and designed by the benefactor himself.

Tu Duc is the longest-reigning Nguyen Emperor on record. Although he had over a hundred wives and concubines, he was unable to father a son (some information indicates it is possible he became sterile after contracting smallpox).

This mausoleum also known as Khiêm Tomb, was built with the intention that Emperor Tu Duc would use it both before and after his death.

In addition to the extravagance of his mausoleum, the Emperor is remembered because he demanded forced labor during its construction.

It’s so disheartening and surreal seeing bullet holes and damage from bombs intertwined with such magnetic detail and artistic beauty.

Back on the motorcycles…It’s time to return to Hue and air conditioning in our Hotel!

Tonight we have another special event planned…Our amazing guide, Jay, has organized an authentic home visit with a family in the Hue area. We all assisted with money to buy the groceries and the family will be cooking an authentic Vietnamese dinner hosted in their own home.

Here is a short video of our host family and our lovely meal sharing and learning about different cultures.

[wpvideo k5uUGzWt ]

We are all so grateful for this wonderful experience. Another full and amazing day! I loved Hue! Tomorrow we travel through mountains and beaches to our next destination Hoi An, Central Vietnam.

 

 

 

Categories
Uncategorized

Overnight Train to Hue. Oi, troi oi! Comfy Cyclo Tour–fun way to explore!

April 27th and 28th 2019

Another day/night packed with adventure, care of Intrepid tours. Our group of 12 plus our leader, Jay, will be departing from Hanoi in Northern Vietnam and arriving in Hue, Central Vietnam, via Vietnam railways overnight train! Oi, troi oi! This would be an experience we wouldn’t soon forget!

During our bus trip we passed interesting architecture–influenced by previous historical association with France.

We also passed several public schools where uniforms were worn by students and these fit youngsters did not ride buses, instead as they exited the school most jumped on bicycles as their means of transport home.

Around noon we re-connected with our luggage, refreshed and relaxed at Hong Ngoc Cochinchine Hotel in Hanoi in preparation for the overnight train experience. Many of our group decided to have massages and/or take an optional Hanoi Street Food tour. In Hanoi’s Old Quarter there is much to explore and extensive food options.

A popular market in the Old Quarter of Hanoi is Dong Xuan Market. It is a fascinating gathering place for locals 900m north of Hoan Kiem Lake. Thanks for these awesome pictures Jess!

While about half of our group attended the Hanoi Street Food Tour, others had done this awesome tour earlier, so decided to visit another popular location for dinner–Hanoi Food Culture. It was relatively pricey and we noticed that most of the clientele were foreigners, but the food was lovely.

We had been advised to stock up on food and drinks for the overnight train trip and avoid eating/drinking from the train vendors. We picked up some supplies from the extensive options in our area. The honking from vehicles and activity around here is quite intense until about 11:00 or midnight, then it slows down for about 6 hours during the night.

We headed off about 9:00 p.m. to Ga Hanoi Train Station. Jay was busy during the day fixing our reservations because the train company had split up our tour group into different carriages with other tour groups. He spent multiple hours at the train station until our group of 12 were placed in 3 carriages together. Thanks Jay!

Trains classified as SE are the best quality train option apparently. There are 4 main ticket classes: hard seat, soft seat, hard sleeper, and soft sleeper. Only the express trains offer air conditioning. The trip from Hanoi to Hue via express trains takes approximately 13 1/2 hours leaving about 9:30 p.m. and arriving about 11:00 a.m. There are 4  narrow sleeping bunks in each carriage (each supplied with a pillow and a sheet), a tiny table, a narrow aisle, and a door. This is an example of the soft sleeper (highest level) carriage with 4 of our lovely Intrepid group–At the start of the adventure! 

The toilets (which left much to be desired) were located at the end of each carriage. We used them as little as possible! Our carriage was ‘air conditioned’ (or so we were told)…

Here is a short video of our overnight train experience from Hanoi to Hue. You can’t hear the Foreigner child who was screaming for hours. There is a photo near the middle of the video showing several people standing in the hall by the open windows. The air conditioning was either freezing cold or blowing heat during the night. We gathered in the hall to try and breathe and locate somebody to fix the extreme heat variance problem.

[wpvideo nEk7PqjN ]

We located 2 females working for the train company. One was sleeping on the floor near the toilets and the other one was throwing up by a carriage divider. We were all pretty excited when we reached our destination and disembarked the train! Welcome to Hue!

Hue is pronounced ‘hway’ and the city is located on the Perfume River. This city was the Imperial capital of the Nguyen emperors. Sadly, many of the buildings were damaged and destroyed by bombs during the Vietnam war (which they call the American war). However, we were to discover there is much to see and experience in this fascinating city.

Our Hotel was not ready when we arrived, so we headed to a restaurant beside the Perfume river for lunch and karaoke Jay style! Our guide, Jay, is getting married soon and we convinced him to practice the song he plans to sing to his bride. It was very beautiful and touching for us all.

Our base for the next 2 nights is Gold I Hotel in Hue. This is our view of Hue from our hotel room.  

We settled into our rooms then headed off to visit the war damaged ruins of the Hue Imperial Citadel complex. The Hue Citadel (Kinh Thanh) was built between 1804 and 1833.

Although war damage is obvious, the Citadel  was heavily fortified with 2 m thick walls which ran 10 km in length. Plus there is a moat and 10 gateways.

We walked around the Imperial Enclosure with locals and other tourists. One focal point is the 9 dynastic urns which are huge bronze urns commissioned by Emperor Minh Mang and cast between 1835 and 1836. They are decorated with landscapes, rivers, flowers and animals.  

We saw the Thai To Mieu Temple Complex and the Halls of the Mandarins.

After we completed the walking tour of Hue Citadel with Jay, most of our group chose the optional Cyclo Tour around Hue.

What a fun and relaxing way to get a sense of a community! Each of us sat in our own Cyclo while a male driver behind us peddled the bike. Generally we traveled single file in a long line of 8 cyclists. I feel certain we were quite a spectacle!

[wpvideo 2OpgLquX ]

We traveled everywhere from major highways to back alleys! Children would run and practice their greetings “hello” and wave when we drove past. We were able to view sites and local spots that we probably would not have known about. I enjoyed the experience so much there is 2 parts to this movie adventure.

[wpvideo 3HDqD2Uf ]

Cyclos were tons of fun… but tomorrow we explore Hue on motorcycles!!!

 

Categories
Uncategorized

Hanoi to Ha Long Bay–Minibus to Junk in Northern Vietnam!

April 26th and 27th 2019

In less than 30 hours we would depart Hanoi; drive in our minibus past lush green rice fields while learning Vietnamese survival vocabulary;

Visit Dong Trieu Ceramic Village 60 km from Ha Long Bay; arrive at Hạ Long Bay, in northeast Vietnam; board a wooden junk-style boat Bien Ngoc 22; tour the beautiful Gulf of Tonkin; swim and hike to a look out at Soisim beach; visit a Pearl Farm and kayak at Ngoc Trai Ha Long; sleep overnight in the Junk/boat in the Gulf of Tonkin; eat amazing food prepared by our award winning chef; explore Sung Sot Caves (Amazing Cave) the most famous cave in Ha Long Bay; hike to the look out point to view the Gulf of Tonkin; explore more of this UNESCO World Heritage area; add a food decoration lesson as we cruised back to Ha Long Bay; then board our bus for another 4 + hour trip to return to our Hanoi hotel. En route to Hanoi we stopped in at the Workshop for Disabled People or the Hong Ngoc FineArt Center for about an hour tour and lunch break. Let this adventure begin…

This was the first big adventure with our Intrepid “Best of Vietnam and Cambodia” tour group! Our exuberant, intelligent, knowledgeable and well connected Vietnamese tour leader was Nhan Hoang (Jay).

Out of the 12 members on our tour there were 4 from England (Jess, Selena, Anj and Roberto), 5 from Canada (Julie, Mac, Anne, Mark, and I), 3 from Australia (Nell, Andrew, and Jen). However, it turns out that several of us actually hold dual citizenship.   This was a dynamic and energetic group of individuals! By the end of our tour we were a vivacious and collaborative “Tiger Team”.

In Hanoi, the vast majority of families use scooters or motorcycles to transport their families.

Although vehicles are supposed to drive on the right side of the highway, we soon learned that basically anything goes! If there is an opening anywhere on the highway or sidewalk, it’s quite probable that it will soon be occupied by a vehicle of some type. At first, looking out the front window of the minibus was quite frightening. Eventually, you learned to trust your drivers and avoid watching the chaos!

Our first stop was Dong Trieu Ceramic Village between Hanoi and Ha Long Bay. 2 women were painting designs on small figures.

The facility wasn’t active at the moment so Jay had freedom to show us around. We learned about the process to create clay pots, vases etc. The huge row of kilns running up a low hill on one side made me imagine the intense heat that must occur when the kilns are active in these intense heat conditions. And… no air conditioning!

At the end of the tour we entered the gift shop. Wow!!! There were so many gorgeous vases, teapots, ornaments, and sculptures and no time to explore or purchase items!

Onward to Ha Long Bay. In Vietnam there are over 97 million people and each water source seems to be utilized to its maximum–from food production to transportation routes.

As we approached the tourist port of Ha Long Bay we drove along a lengthy road which was lined with many partially developed buildings. Clearly, somebody or some organization had started multiple potential apartment buildings/hotels then power had shifted and all progress had ceased!

When we arrived at the Bay we waited to board our “Junk” for the overnight trip around Ha Long bay. (Sometimes written Halong Bay). The “junk” ended up being a lovely wooden boat named the Bien Ngoc 22–and not at all what we expected!

This is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and popular travel destination in Quang Nih Province of North Eastern Vietnam. The name Hạ Long means “descending dragon”.

We were informed that this is probably the last year that tourist boats can park overnight in the bay due to unacceptable levels of water pollution in the World Heritage Site. We are very lucky to have this opportunity.

Our Intrepid group was very outgoing and any and every opportunity or experience that was offered to us, we jumped at and experienced to the full extent! Here is a sample of some of the experiences we had during our visit to the World Heritage Site of Halong Bay in the Gulf of Tonkin.

[wpvideo sEesRwWY ]

Please click the video to see a slide show representation of our first day and evening in Ha Long Bay.

The chef on board the “junk” was amazing at his artistic food creations and we were inspired by the beauty of the food presentation.

After our overnight stay between the beautiful limestone islands (anchored beside dozens of other tour boats) we were off to explore stunning caves and hike to new look out points, eat more, then return to Halong Bay.

[wpvideo mAYB6fF4 ]

Please click the next video for Day 2 highlights!

After returning to Halong Bay, we boarded the minibus and headed back to Hanoi via the Workshop for Disabled People or the Hong Ngoc Fine Art Center.

This is a company which promotes independence for adults who were previously beggars due to physical injuries received during war or more recently disabled as a result of bombs, landmines, etc.

These people are taught skills, such as, embroidery, stitching, painting, sculpture, and other art  forms. They work in the huge art studio and we were told they receive 60% of the proceeds from the sale of their art. Sales people were quite aggressive promoting the sale of this art.

Mark and I decided this was a cause we wished to support. It was tough to narrow our decision as they were all so beautiful… We ended up selecting a beautiful hand stitched picture of Halong Bay. The lady had worked on this gorgeous rendition for over 2 1/2 months. The price was expensive… 8,700,000 Vietnamese Dong $515 Canadian dollars! But this money would be an enormous boast to assist this family … and it truly was stunning!

I met the artist… She couldn’t speak English and was missing a foot (land mine explosion 😢) She was beautiful! This embroidered picture will be a treasure in our home. I couldn’t resist a second photo! .

Mark loved the amazing sculptures too. But it would be challenging and expensive to ship pieces to Canada.

Halong Bay was an amazing experience… But it was time to rest as tonight we board the overnight train from Hanoi to Hue! We were in for a different type of adventure next!!!

 

Categories
Uncategorized

Hanoi Highlights Urban Adventure and Meeting our Intrepid Tour Family.

April 25th 2019

The final sounds we remember prior to falling asleep were honking vehicles outside our Hong Ngoc Cochinchine Hotel, and we awoke to the same sounds. This Capital city of nearly 8 million Vietnamese is bustling with life and activity!

Today we have a tour booked from 8:00–12:30ish  “Hanoi Highlights Urban Adventure”. The cost was US $40/person. Then we are trying Vietnamese massages at our Hotel spa. This evening at 6:00 p.m. we finally meet our guide and group for our “Best of Vietnam & Cambodia” 18 day Intrepid tour.

Our Hanoi Highlights tour involved a local guide and 2 other couples. We discovered that one couple was also on our Intrepid tour. Jen and Andy quickly became great friends.  The Hanoi Opera House was the starting point.

Some Vietnamese teachers adorned in lovely traditional dresses were having a photo shoot on the front steps. Our guide suggested I say hello and inform them I was also a teacher. After doing this, one teacher wanted a photo taken together. When she stood beside me, I realized how tiny they all were! As a reference point, I am 171 cm tall and was only wearing runners!

The square was hectic with traffic–especially motorcycles…foreshadowing  much of our experience in Vietnam! We headed towards the Temple of Literature.

This building was originally built in honour of Confucius by King Ly Thai Thong in 1070, a university was added to the grounds six years later. Beautiful colorful flags adorned the entrance. Khu Thanh Dat Courtyards were well groomed and the pavilions, as well as the much revered leader Ho Chi Minh,  are represented on Vietnamese Dong bills.

The Temple of Literature was very peaceful and beautiful. In one location there were stone stelae carried by stone turtles at the base. We learned that the names of intellects who received their doctorate degrees were engraved on to the stones. What a special way to recognize and celebrate this important event. (See photo below).

Our guide pointed out that in the courtyards there was evidence of bullet holes and war damage.

Inside the Temple of Confucius were extensive red and gold symbols and intricate designs. Balance was a key element as were flowers, vases, and metal sculptures of the 4 sacred animals. (dragon, unicorn, tortoise and phoenix ). We saw matched sculptures of tall cranes supported by turtles near representations of Confucius.

The grounds were lovely as were the potted bonsai trees.

Inside one section of the Temple of Literature there was a display dedicated to a favorite principal from the past. As a fellow educator it was touching to see this gratitude.

The apparel was interesting too. The principals clothing was blue with golden dragons. The vice principal’s clothing was blue with flowers and designs. The gold statue with a lion’s head and dog’s body is their mythical creature the unicorn.

The next stop on our Hanoi Highlights tour was to Mau Hoa Do to participate in a traditional tea experience. We were able to select from dozens of Vietnamese green teas and learn about tea creation.

The most expensive of the teas was “Lotus flower” tea so several of our group tried that type. The tea was accompanied by a snack of green bean cake served in tiny paper boxes. The owner of this establishment had written a book which was advertised on a wall. I still plan to locate a copy and read it one of these days!

As we drove toward the Hoa Lo Prison Museum we passed a multitude of motorcyclists. The riding outfits are really unique here–especially for the women.

Somebody has been extremely creative in designing unique face masks (protection from air pollution) and riding outfits for the women which cover their clothing! There are many beautiful designs. Grab taxi and Grab food delivery is quite popular here. We used it successfully many times in Thailand and Vietnam.

The next “Highlight” was a visit through the Hanoi Hilton. I couldn’t resist trying out the giant sized sandals made from recycled tires. .

This historical location Hoa Lo Prison was used by French Colonists for political prisoners till 1954 and later by North Vietnam for American POWs. The prison complex was nicknamed the “Hanoi Hilton” by American pilots during Vietnam War (1954–1975). Based on reactions from Vietnamese people I’m so thankful we’re Canadian, not American, tourists here!

War history has never been a favorite topic for me… but in Vietnam the reality of generations trying to survive political upheaval and wars is so blatantly obvious, real, and recent! It slaps you in the face and makes you sit up and take notice.

Our guide reinforced the communist point of view reflected in these Vietnamese exhibits. It is very eye opening to see and hear about this very different point of view and recollection of historical events..[wpvideo 9T9VmOoU ]

This is a video presentation of some of the exhibits we witnessed and experienced at the Hanoi Hilton. Powerful! I couldn’t resist selecting music called “Gotta Find Out”.

We walked to the largest and oldest church in Hanoi for our next feature highlight.

St Joseph’s Cathedral was built in 1886 with an architectural style compared to the Notre Dame de Paris. Ironic as the “real” Notre Dame was just in the news due to damage from a terrible fire.

In spite of 40 degree weather, we continued walking through Hanoi around lovely Sword Lake. We quickly learned to stay in the shade as much as possible during this intense mid day heat .

Hoan Kiem Lake, is famous for The Huc Bridge and Ngoc Son temple. These were our next destinations.

Hoan Kiem Lake (Vietnamese: Hồ Hoàn Gươm, Hán tự: 湖還劍, means “Lake of the Returned Sword” . This is a huge fresh water lake in central Hanoi. Turtle tower is in the center of the lake. There is a complex legend about a mystical turtle God, emperors, swords, war, and revolts against Chinese which is represented in art as you cross the bridge into the temple.

Turtles are one of the 4 sacred Vietnamese creatures. There is a critically endangered species of turtles which live in this lake. There are only 3 of this species still in existence globally and the previous 2 turtles are preserved and on display in the temple.

According to Wikipedia “The Yangtze giant softshell turtle (Rafetus swinhoei; also known as the Red River giant softshell turtle, the Shanghai softshell turtle, the speckled softshell turtle, and Swinhoe’s softshell turtle, is an extremely rare species of turtle in the family Trionychidae. The species is endemic to eastern and southern China and northern Vietnam. Only three living individuals are known, one in China (captive) and two in Vietnam (wild). No wonder they are revered!

Beauty and peaceful surroundings inside the Noc Song temple.

Our Hanoi Highlights tour packed so much into a 1/2 day. We gathered for a group photo overlooking the lake prior to departing for our traditional Vietnamese lunch of Hanoi Pho at a famous location called “Pho Thin”.

At a recent international summit “Pho Thin” was asked to cater their authentic Hanoi Pho soup. I’m certain the peanut worms would be an important part of that recipe!

Pho Thin was an authentic Vietnamese food experience! There were a few long bench tables which were full of locals having lunch. The restaurant was on both sides of one end of an alley and scooters/motorcycles drove past between the tables.

We all sat tightly together to eat. The tables were simple. There were no decorations. If it rained… We would get wet! It was truly an authentic Vietnamese meal. We ate authentic Pho soup and sweet donut rolls.

After lunch we departed from our morning tour and joined the millions making their way throughout the hectic city.

The roads were loaded with various types of moving vehicles. The sidewalks were easier to maneuver around because less people drive on them and the majority of motorcycles on the sidewalks were parked there!

While heading to our Hotel (for the massages) we managed to locate the very famous cafe where Egg Coffee originated in Hanoi. This was quite amazing considering the tiny opening … We were lucky to discover it!!!

However once through the narrow hall to the cafe, we learned that this cafe had 2 floors and both were packed with very enthusiastic egg coffee connoisseurs! This was a Vietnamese hot spot!!! Remember the name Giang if you want to experience the best Egg Coffee in Hanoi!

 Heading back to our Hotel, here are a few sites around our busy street. Safety is so different in these Asian countries. At least the workers were wearing bright coloured clothes and hard hats  as the 3 men negotiated the bamboo ladder!

It was time for massages, then at 6:00 pm we met up with our incredible Intrepid leader Jay and new tour family. We would be spending the next 10 jam packed days travelling around Vietnam with this group of 12. Followed by a further 8 days through Cambodia.

Meanwhile, after the group introduction meeting, our new “Tiger group” went out to a nearby restaurant for a lovely late dinner and celebration. One special member of our travel group had a birthday today!

Happy birthday dear Jess from England! Who would predict this beautiful young woman would warm our hearts and become my global niece after spending 10 days together in a tour group!!!

It was a packed day in Hanoi, but it was only the beginning of our Vietnam adventure!

 

Categories
Uncategorized

Hanoi, Vietnam! 8 Million Humans, Endless Honking, and Incredible Street Food!

April 24th, 2019

Passports, visas, flights, shuttle and hotel booked! We’re Off! We departed from Chiang Mai, Thailand and flew via Air Asia to Hanoi, Vietnam. The following photos are aerial photos of Chiang Mai .

The temperatures were similar to Chiang Mai (40 degrees) and sunny. The view out the airplane window showed the importance and influence of the mighty rivers as we neared north Vietnam.

I thought we were observing the mighty Mekong River, but upon further research the Red River, or Song Hong, with its source in the mountains of China’s Yunnan’s province flows past the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi before emptying into the Gulf of Tonkin. The river banks were lush and the countryside was green as we neared Hanoi.

After arriving in Vietnam, we learned that the population of this small country is enormous and growing quickly! The estimate for 2019 is over 97 million people in Vietnam with around 8 million in Hanoi in the north, and 8.6 Million in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) in the south. This population makes Vietnam the 15th most populous country on our amazing globe!

Vietnam is the first communist country I have traveled through. There are red and yellow flags flying throughout the country and we were lucky enough to be in the country during their National Reunification holiday weekend.

Apparently, although temperatures were in the high 30’s to low 40’s and it wasn’t storm season, we had managed to hit low season (April-June) (September-November). I can only imagine the crowds here if it was a busier tourist season!

Travelling through this country was going to be a life changing experience.

After spending 3 weeks in peaceful, Thailand with its Buddhist influence, the first change we noticed was the ceaseless honking and aggressive driving in Hanoi. The numbers of scooters and motorcycles was staggering! Often the vehicles carried more than 3 people at once!

They drove everywhere… passing on both sides of cars…even over sidewalks! Crossing roads was a constant challenge. You needed to be aware at all times when walking on sidewalks or down streets.

This urban lifestyle is one of constant stimulation–sounds, sights, smells, touches, tastes, understanding of history and culture, art and architecture. There is so much to see and experience in Vietnam.

After settling into our hotel in the Old Quarter section of Hanoi at Hong Ngoc Cochinchine Hotel, we prepared for our Hanoi Street Food tour!

We met our young female guide then our group of 3 tourists and a guide were off for nearly 3 hours of walking through alleys around The Old Quarter, mixing with locals, and experiencing a myriad of Vietnamese tastes and foods. We went with Trip Advisor and the cost was $79.82 Can for 2 people.

Please click the movie to get a sense of our Hanoi Street Food Evening experience. [wpvideo qbs8I2tW ]

This was also our first real experience traversing the pathways and learning to move safely between all the masses of people and different modes of transportation coming towards us from all directions! By the end of the evening, we felt more confident!

Meanwhile… we had a fabulous experience trying 6 different types of Vietnamese foods and meeting locals. On our tour we tried the following: Green Mango Salad, Pho (noodle soup with Beef), Pork spring rolls, Banh Mi (Vietnamese sandwich), Banh Rai sweet or savoury doughnuts, and a choice of egg coffee or beer. .

I would highly recommend this tour. Although I was quite shocked to discover that dried worms are used to add flavour in the Pho soup, I learned so much about Vietnamese food.

Tomorrow we have another tour booked Hanoi Highlights Urban Adventure. Then at 6:00 pm we meet our Intrepid tour leader and group!

 

Categories
Uncategorized

Sunrise at Wat Phra That Doi Suthep at the top of the Suthep Mountain —Chiang Mai

April 23rd 2019

On our final day in Chiang Mai, Thailand we decided to watch the sunrise come up over stunning Wat Phra That Doi Suthep (temple) at the top of Suthep Mountain.

We booked our private taxi using Grab taxi to arrive at our accommodation at 5:10 a.m. so we could observe the sunrise at 6:04 a.m. According to the Grab Taxi app the trip should take about 45 mins. at this time in the morning to cover the 15 + km trip up Doi Suthep-Pui National park. (Doi means mountain in northern Thai).  Our previous experiences with Grab Food and Grab taxi had been very positive and the credit card prepaying ensured that ‘surprises’ in fees didn’t occur. Plus…You can monitor the location of your driver on the map feature.

The cost for the private taxi to pick us up at our accommodation, drive us up the mountain before sunrise, wait in the parking lot for about 2 1/2 hours, then drive us back to our lodging was $24.43 Canadian dollars.

Yes. You could travel cheaper in the red truck songthaews. or “rot daang” (red trucks) for 200 Baht each person.  But….not if you intended on seeing the sunrise!

It was dark when we departed from our location and drove up the mountain, yet in spite of this there were dozens of ambitious athletes up early riding their bicycles up this steep and narrow road!

We were the first tourists to arrive at the enormous parking lot and determined to achieve our goal of seeing the sunrise from the top of the Wat, we nearly ran up the 306 step staircase.

The Wat officially opened for public viewing at 6:00 a.m. and we were first in line! The cost to enter the temple is free for Thai locals and 30 Baht each for foreigners.

As the sun rose the gold Buddha statues, Chedi, and Stupas were intensely regal and reflective. Monks were meditating. The peaceful location and brilliant rich color surrounding us was so worth the early start!

Please click the link below to see a slide show/video of our experience in this most sacred temple.

[wpvideo 1sSDdgwm ]Slide show/video of sunrise at Wat Phra That Doi Suthep!

In addition to the intricate and opulent beauty of the gold Buddhas and temple grounds, there is extensive history at this sacred temple. Observe the white elephant photos. They are key in this historical story.

The monastery was established in 1383 by King Keu Naone to enshrine a piece of bone from the shoulder of a historical Buddha.  This bone shard was brought to Lanna by a monk from Sukhothai. The shard broke into 2 pieces at the base of the mountain.

One piece is enshrined at the Wat Suan Dok temple (beside our accomodation). The Wat grounds where we eat our daily vegetarian breakfast at Pun Pun. The second piece of bone was mounted on a sacred white elephant that wandered through the jungle until it died. This is now the location of the Wat Phra That Doi Suthep.

There is a white elephant statue located beside the temple at the top of the mountain. The golden five-tiered umbrella marks the city’s independence from Burma and its union with Thailand.  Another interesting piece of information I discovered was that the 306 step staircase flanked by naga (serpents) had another purpose …apparently “the climb is intended to help devotees accrue Buddhist merit”. I wonder if running up the stairs accrues additional merit?

At the base of the extensive staircase there was a cute little girl (and mother and grandma?) dressed in northern village tribe traditional clothing. There were also stalls and a small marketplace where tourists tend to shop. Our Grab taxi was waiting and we had packing to do as tomorrow we depart to Hanoi, Vietnam!

But first….one last healthy meal at Pun Pun and photos with our daily waitress. Then one last amazing Thai massage. Mark enjoyed the hour long foot massage and reflexology (usually 250-300 baht) and I enjoyed the hour long neck/shoulder/back massage (usually 300 baht or 350 with oil).

Goodbye Thailand! Our 3 weeks here have been wonderful (minus loosing my hearing aid at the Ancient City out of Bangkok!) we’ll return for 4 more days after travelling through Vietnam and Cambodia for 18 days with Intrepid Tours. Hanoi… Here we come!

Categories
Uncategorized

Chiang Mai–Night Market, Pruning Huge Trees Thai Style–Barefoot, Chainsaws, No Harness! Then…Nimman Area Shopping.

April 22nd 2019

Last evening there was a huge storm in Chiang Mai–lightning, thunder, and tons of rain! However, it was our only chance to explore the famous Sunday Night Market. So…Off we went!

When we arrived in the old city at the Sunday Night market, there were minimal tourists and many of the shop stalls were covered in plastic sheets. Although the streets were wet and there were pools of water in areas, the rains soon subsided and the plastic tarps were lifted. We didn’t purchase much…but I did have a lovely nutella/peanut butter crepe!

This morning we woke up to the sound of chainsaws. We shook our heads as this was common on Vancouver Island, but new to us in Thailand! Upon opening our 5th floor curtains, we discovered a man standing barefoot in the massive tree above the pool area immediately in front of us.

He was level to us so he must have been equivalent to about 5 stories up in the air~! The man was manipulating a chainsaw cutting off huge branches and had absolutely no harness, hard hat, safety shoes, or safety equipment of any kind!

We were stunned in disbelief and horror! What would my logging friends back home have to say about this lack of safety? They did use ropes to attach the branches as they descended to the ground…but the man up the tree climbed barefoot to the edges of branches! He had incredible balance and clearly no fear of the distance below him and the cars driving past.

We headed to the Wat for a peaceful reprieve and our morning breakfast at Pun Pun. In this collage of photos I have included a photo from our Airbnb condo of the previous Thai King presenting the owner’s grandfather with his university diploma.

Apparently, this is a tradition here. How incredible that must be for each university graduate!

Since we are departing from Thailand in 2 days, we decided to explore a new area of Chiang Mai and took a taxi to the Nimman Area which is known to be quite modern and ‘upscale’. This type of shopping isn’t really our focus, but we thought we would check it out!

The weather returned to sunny and 40 degrees (before humidity), so air conditioned malls sounded appealing. We noticed there were more young people in this area, fancier vehicles, (check out all the mirrors on the truck!), and lots of clothing and coffee shops. Also… check out the Botox and skin whitening ads above Clover pharmaceutical.

There were also many ‘cute’ type statues.

We started at Maya Lifestyle Mall, then One Nimman Mall. In these malls we saw lots of clothing and brands similar to those found in North America… Lee and Levi jeans.

Groceries stores had a range of unique products… I.e. Shark fin soup mix!

MAYA Lifestyle Mall at Chang Phueak was massive and very upscale! There was a giant pig with sunglasses statue greeting shoppers at the front entrance. PS… the fish were slip on sandals!!.

In addition to a wide array of stores selling expensive clothing, perfumes, sports gear, jewelry, artifacts, children’s items, etc., there is an extensive food court floor, and 5+ star bathrooms!

I was very enticed by the detailed , colourful painted elephant sculptures. The money was a fund raiser to protect elephants in places like the Elephant Nature Park.

But the prices were steep and we still had 3 weeks left in this trip!

Food downstairs was diverse and plentiful on the food court level. I even noticed the first Easter chocolates I had seen in Thailand in one specialty chocolate store. We passed on the crocodile, but did try an interesting round frozen dessert.

Although there were 6 floors in this huge shopping center, we had enough “shopping” experiences. We stopped to enjoy the music and stalls outside, then headed back to our accommodation. Tomorrow we are getting up early to experience the sunrise up at the famous Buddhist temple Wat Doi Suthep.

Categories
Uncategorized

Chiang Mai–Fish Spa, Exploring Old City, Last Day Traveling with Alexander.

April 21st 2019

It’s been so wonderful having my son travelling with us for the past 2 1/2 weeks, but all great things must come to an end…and today was his final day. Tomorrow Alexander returns to his job as Senior Design/Robotic Engineer for Western Digital in Bangkok. So…Today’s activities were his choice!

Yesterday evening after we returned from the incredible Elephant Nature Park experience, we headed into the Old City for dinner and to see the activity at night. There is definitely a different ‘feel’ and atmosphere during the evenings in the city center.

We took a tuk tuk home although they are rather tight for more than 2 passengers. Several electric tuk tuks have been sighted lately. This is a very positive environmental change, and hopefully this trend will continue which should assist in reducing the extreme air pollution ratings presently found in Chiang Mai.

Dealing with 40 + temperatures and over 85 % humidity each day has been really challenging for us. We are drinking huge quantities of water and trying to stay near air conditioning during the early afternoon extreme heats!

We started with breakfast at our favorite location. Pun Pun vegetarian restaurant within the grounds of the neighboring Wat Suan Dok. It takes us about 2 minutes to walk to this peaceful restaurant and the food is always fresh and lovely.

After breakfast we ventured back past the surrounding moats and walls into the old city to locate a Fish Spa. There are several to choose from. We checked Trip Adviser ratings and went to one that seemed to meet our needs. We had all had a Fish Spa experience last trip 4 years ago, but this one turned out to be quite different for me!

Instead of one large circular pond with tiny fish living within the pond set on eating the dead skin off your feet and legs, this location had 2 long rectangular tanks with much larger fish inside!

Mark and Alexander immediately headed for the tank with the larger fish. I personally was not thrilled with little barracuda looking fish feasting off my skin!~ 

I decided to try the other tank opposite my men. The fish were smaller and I thought probably not as aggressive.

Hesitantly I placed my feet in the tank. Thankfully none seemed interested in my feet although they were swarming around the guys–especially Alexander! I announced… “Well….Guess my feet are clean and the fish aren’t interested, so I’m exiting this experience.” When suddenly one nibbled on me! I screamed and pulled my feet out of the water! This was one experience I definitely was going to pass on today!

So…While the guys had fish nibbling off their dead skin, I sat in the hot sun and took photos of them. They were very enraptured by the experience and stated afterwards their feet and calves felt baby soft. Mine….Not so much!

After living in Thailand for nearly 5 1/2 years sometimes Alexander craves alternate types of food. So our next stop was pizza Thai style!

The pizza crust was super skinny and the toppings were minimal … but I loved the photographs on the wall! Wow! Elvis looks so young!

Then it was time to leave the old city section as Alexander had to fly back to Bangkok. 😢.

But Mark and I had another 3 1/2 weeks of adventures left. In 2 days we fly to Hanoi, Vietnam!