Last Week in Vietnam

I arrived in Ho Chi Minh City on August 24th, and took a 2 day trip out to the Mekong Delta the following day. The Mekong is the heart of agriculture in Vietnam, so I saw everything from rice paddies to banana trees. It also produces lots of coconut, and is famous for it's coconut candy. I got to see how it's made and try some fresh, which was delicous! I also got to see how rice paper and rice noodles are made. All in all the trip was good, but it was a lot of time spent on a boat and in a bus. I met a few really nice people though. One girl was from Montreal - one of the few Canadians I've met on my travels.

I arrived back in HCMC on the evening of the 26th, and stayed with a family in HCMC until I left Vietnam on August 29th. How did I meet this family? Well I met a girl in Hanoi through couchsurfing, named Loannie, and she knew this girl, An, through a network that is similar to couchsurfing called Hospitality Club. She'd contacted An through Hospitality Club to let her know that I would be coming to HCMC, and gave An my cell number. An sent me a text asking me if I'd like to stay with her and her family for the rest of my time in HCMC and I happily accepted her offer.

An picked me up on her motorbike, and her mom, father's cousin, and little sister came along too (but on a separate motorbike of course). The ride to her house was about 20 minutes, and on the way it started pouring rain. So by the time I arrived at their house both me and my backpack were soaked!

An's house is very different from most of the Vietnamese houses I've seen. Instead of being tall and narrow, it was just tall and big! It is more western styled, and a bit of a Vietnamese mansion. At 56 years old, her father is a retired architect that still does a bit of work on the side - he built their house in 1990. An (16 years old) lives in the house with her mother (42), father, sister Bon (9), and father's cousin.

Upon arriving at their house An and her sister led me to my room, which was equipped with a nice double bed and an air conditioner - a luxury for me. After I'd settled in I took my photo album downstairs and showed her family picutres of my country and family. It's always a great conversation piece. They also fed me oddles of food, such as a sweet bean soup, apple, and something called Moon Cake.

An informed me that the next day was a day to celebrate and honor their dead ancestors, so her mom would be making a trip to the local market in the morning to purchase food for a big lunch. Her mom invited me to come along and help prepare the lunch meal.

Helping out with the festivites the next day was lots of fun, and I got to meet more of An's extended family. They were all interested in me and my travels, and for most of the day An served as my translator. An's older sister, Thu (24), came home for the day as well, and I had a nice time getting to know her as she spoke fluent english. An, Thu, Bon, and one of their cousins helped me out all day with my Vietnamese speaking and pronunciation. An's parents also requested that I address them as Mom and Dad in Vietnamese, and they gave me the Vietnamese name of Nhan, and adressed me as their daughter. Needless to say they were very welcoming, and made me feel very much at home in their home.

Besides doing some touristy things such as visit the War Remnants Museum and going shopping, the rest of my time with An and her family was just spent getting to know them and learning more about the Vietnamese way of life. Each evening was spent getting my butt kicked in ping pong by Me (vietnamese for mother) and Bo (Vietnamese for father). We also went out the one evening to a Vietnamese buffet, and I tried some new foods such as pigs ear and deer intestine - yum! Bon was an sbsolute sweetheart, and had an overflowing, bubbly personality. My first evening in their home she was quite shy, but by the next evening she was speaking more english, holding my hand all the time, and teaching me new Vietnamese words. Their whole family is really loving and affectionate, and it really shows through Bon's personality.

Both of An's parents were extremely kind to me and told me that both me and my family are more than welcome in their home anytime. I'd told them my interest in coming back to Vietnam to teach english, and her father told me to contact him and he would find a job for me. My last evening with them Me cooked me a big going away supper, which was delicous! We had something called Hot Pot, which is meat cooked in a broth - like a healthier version of fondue. They also gave me gifts, and then dressed me up in Bo's Vietnamese war uniform and took pictures of me in it.

Although An is 16, she could easily pass for a 20-year old. She is very wise and mature for her age, and has really strong family values. She taught me lots about Vietnamese culture and way of life, and she became a really good friend. I feel very fortuante to have had the opportunity to stay with An and her family, and it's amazing how close I became with all of them in such a short amount of time.

An drove me to the airport on the morning of the 29th, and my flight to Bangkok arrived at noon. From the airport I went to the northern bus station where I caught a 10 hour bus to Chang Mai. I arrived in Chang Mai around 1:30 am, and plan to stay here for 3 days before making my over to Laos. Besides checking out some sights and markets I plan on taking a cooking class.

That's all for now. Hope you've enjoyed the update and I'll write again soon!

Vietnam: Hue, Hoi An, Nha Trang and Dalat

So the places mentioned in the title are the places that I've stopped so far on my way down to Dalat. I was only in Hue a day, and there was really no need to spend any more time there. I did a motorbike tour of some of the surrounding historical sights, and then spent the rest of my day visiting the local market and soaking in the other sights of the city.

Hoi An was an absolutly delightful little town. Known for it's tailor shops and custom shoe-making shops, it was a shopoholic's dream (or nightmare - whatever way you want to look at it!). At first I decided not to have anything made because I didn't really need anything. Then I thought I had to have something made because that's what Hoi An is all about. So I decided to get one dress made. Well let me tell you - once you start you can't stop! A few too many dollars later I practically had a new wardrobe. But it was all lots of fun, and for the things I had made I would have paid practically 10x more in Canada. And it was absolutly amazing how you could give them a picture of anything and they could make an exact replica, which would fit you to a tee. And the woman in the stores were so nice - they would bring in local foods for you to eat and drink while you waited for your clothes to be altered. They were also lots of fun to visit with, and I got to learn more about life in Vietnam and Hoi An.

I was in Hoi An for three days, and besides becoming addicted to having clothes made, I also took a cooking course, which was fantastic! The beginning of the course was an introduction to the local market and it's produce. Vietnam has many fruits and vegetables that I've never seen before, so it was great to have someone tell me what everything was. After the market we took a boat on the river to the cooking school where we visited the herb garden and prepared some Vietnamese dishes. I even learned how to make rice paper, which is famous in Vietnam for making spring rolls. The class was a lot of fun and I look forward to re-creating some of the dishes when I get home.

My next stop after Hoi An was Nha Trang, a very touristy and commercialed beach town. While the beach was nice and refreshing, it was a bit too over-the-top for me, so I decided to leave after only one day there.

I am currently in Dalat, which is a city in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. The weather here is refreshingly cool, and I've immensly enjoyed what it has to offer.

After arriving last night I took a visit to the market and then to a local diner for supper. The people at the diner were extremely friendly and were happy to have someone to practice their english with. Their friendliness and good food took me back there this afternoon for lunch, and I ended up staying there over three hours. After I'd finished my meal one of the girls pulled out her english workbook and asked if I would help her with some words. I said yes, I would love to help, and I think there ended up being 5 of them gathered around, including her father, and they pracitced their english with me and I practiced my Vietnamese with them. It was a great trade-off, and I had an absolute blast. At the end of our "session" I went to pay for the meal I'd eaten three hours earlier and the father kindly refused my money. He invited me to come back for supper - an invitation I happily accepted. These are the kind of people and experiences that have me enjoy my time in Vietnam so much. The Vietnamese are all such happy, friendly people, eager to learn more about the world outside their borders.

Earlier today I took a motorcycle trip out to the surrounding area of Dalat. Unlike Sapa, Dalat is turning into quite a wealthy place. About 10 years ago the locals started growing coffee trees, and Dalat and surrounding area - the only place in Vietnam where coffee is grown - is now the world's second biggest producer of coffee. It is evident throughout the coutryside that their economy is starting to boom, as new houses are going up all over the place. I had an excellent guide who spoke fluent english, so he was able to thoroughly answer any questions I had about the area. He informed me that a plot of land for a house in the area is now worth about $17000 US dollars - a hefty amount in Vietnam. And most of the nice, new houses are worth about $14000.

Not only does the Dalat area grow coffee, but also many other things: tea, cashews, rice, broccoli, cauliflower, turnips, corn, peppers, pumpkin, pineapple, bananas - you name it, Dalat grows it. I've never been in a place with such diversity in the agriculture. Greenhouses filled with flowers of every kind also dotted the landscape. These flowers are exported outside of Vietnam as well. I might also mention that Vietnam is the world's #1 cashew producer, #7 tea producer, and #2 rice producer. Dalat is also the only area in Vietnam where pine trees can be found. Altough they look different than the pine trees found in northern Sask., it's still odd seeing one next to a banana tree!

Besides coffee, tea, fruits, and vegetables, the Dalat area also produces silk, and I had the opportunity of visiting a silk-making factory. It was very interesting seeing how silk is made: the silk worms form a cocoon, which is what the silk comes from. After the cocoon has been formed, they are taken to the factory where they are put into hot water and then spun into thread. 5 kg of cocoons make 1 kg of silk. The things I'm learning these days, I tell ya!

Tomorrow I take a 9 hour bus down to Ho Chi Minh city where I plan to take a 2 day trip out to the Mekong Delta - Vietnam's biggest rice growing district. After my trip to the Mekong I will return to Ho Chi Minh city, where I will do a homestay with a Vietnamese family. I met a girl in Hanoi, and it is her friend's family who has offered to host me in HCMC. Needless to say, I'm really looking forward to the experience.

I fly out of HCMC on August 29th to Bangkok. From Bangkok I will be taking a bus up to northern Thailand, and then over to the Laos border.

Well folks, that all for now! Hope you've enjoyed the update!

Good Morning Vietnam!

This is just a quick update, but I wanted to let you all know that I've been in Vietnam since August 4th, and I'm absolutly loving it! Hanoi is a crazy city - always buzzing with people, traffic, and horns! It's crazy, but there are really no traffic rules: red lights and dividing lines mean nothing. The only thing that people obey is the horn! But the people are super friendly, the food is exceptionally good, and the city in general just has so much to offer in terms of character and things to see. I'm usually not a big fan of cities, but I think Hanoi may be my one exception.

After a couple of days in Hanoi I did a trip out to Halong bay, which was about a 3 hour drive outside of Hanoi. While the scenery was beautiful, I was a little disappointed at how touristy the whole thing was. I was on a boat with about 14 other people, and we went out onto the way and did some kayaking and caving. I met some great people though, and I also became friends with my guide, Ha, who is 21 also. A couple of days ago we met up and she took me to an orphanage I'd asked her about, and we also went out for lunch and she took me to the silk-making area of Hanoi. Her friend, Hai, came along too, and we all had a really teriffic time. It was my first time riding on the back of a motorbike, and that was an experience all in itself!

After my trip to Halong Bay, I took a trip up to the northern part of Vietnam. To get there, I took an overnight train from Hanoi, which left around 10pm and arrived in a town called Lao Cai aroud 6am. From there it was an hour bus ride to another town called Sapa. Sapa and the surrounding area had breathtaking scenery, and it was uphill the whole way there so it was pleasantly cooler than the heat and humidity in Hanoi. Surrounding Sapa are rice fields and different villages of people. I did a half day trek to one village, and then the next day I did a full day trek to another village, where I stayed overnight. It was a wonderful experience, and I got to learn more about the lives of the village people, and I got to taste a traditional meal. It felt like I was experiencing the real Vietnam!

I leave Hanoi this evening on an overnight bus that heads south to a city called Hue. I plan to stay there only one night, and then continue to make my way down the coast to Saigon.

And just for general interest, I'm paying about $3 a night for a single fan room in a nice, clean guesthouse. I found a cafe about 500 m from my guesthouse which serves heaven in a bowl: a mixture of beef cooked with sprouts, on top of noodles and mint with fishsauce, topped with pickled cabbage and peanuts. It sounds like an odd combination, but it's honestly to die for! I've been eating there 2-3 times a day, and for a bowl that I can harldy finish it costs me $1.12. If I stick to a bowl of rice noodle soup with beef, chicken, or pork (which is called "pho" and is also incredibly tasty) it's about 62 cents. So needless to say, living is incredibly cheap and it's making up for all the money I spent in New Zealand!

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

I arrived in Kuala Lumpur around 9:10pm on August 1st after an 11 hour flight from Aukland, New Zealand. The flight zipped by, as I watched couple of movies and old Grey's Anatomy episodes, and caught up on a bit of sleep!

Going from New Zealand's dry winter to Kuala Lumpur's humidity was a bit of a shocker, but after a coupleof days here I can say I've adjusted - almost.

My time in KL has been short, as I depart this afternoon for Hanoi, Vietnam. I'm really excited about Vietnam and I'm hoping to spend 2-4 weeks there in total.

My time in KL has been spent mostly getting ready for Vietnam. I had to track down the Vietnam Embassy to get a visa, and I also had to arrange my flight there and find a universal adaptor for my camera. However, I did manage to check out the Petronas Towers, which were the world's tallest skyscraper up until 2004 when Taipei 101 took over the title. I also did quite a bit of walking throughout the city including a visit to the bustling streets of Chinatown.

KL is, quite surprisingly, a modern city. You don't have to run very far before running into a Starbucks, McDonalds, or KFC. Some of the malls are quite impressive, and all of them have air conditioning so they're a nice break from the heat. The people here are also very friendly, and any person that I have spoken with has had quite good english. So it was a good place to start my Asian travels, as I'm kinda being eased into things.