ChinaTeacher

We arrived in SAIGON after our final overnight train trip – thank goodness!  The overnight train trips really sap our energy for some reason.  I think it’s because there’s no window in the cabins.  We arrived at 4:30 AM so a hotel room was out of the question.  We dropped off our luggage and our guide led us through the darkened alleys of Saigon to a streetside breakfast place he knows.  Fortified with “Pho” (Vietnamese soup) and bittersweet Vietnamese coffee, some of our group headed back to the hotel lobby for a nap, while I and a few others headed to a 5-Star Hotel to chill out over Iced Coffees while we read for a while in their comfortable armchairs – Turned out to be a good decision.

In the afternoon, we took a nice slow ‘cyclo’ tour to visit the War Remnants Museum and the Reunification Palace.  I found myself close to tears while touring the Museum.  Of particular interest to me was the collection of photos taken by war correspondents (from 11 different countries) who were killed during the Vietnam War.  Many of these photos were taken from the film cartridge found in their camera after their death.  The museum has also gone to great pains to collect and display exhibits depicting typical detention camps and prisons, as well as the torturing methods used to exterminate prisoners both physically and psychologically.  Also on display are some of the weapons used in the war such as tanks, bombs and photo displays showing the after-effects of toxic chemicals used, such as the 44 million liters of Agent Orange.  I hadn’t realized that many of the Vietnamese are still suffering from this war – many infants have been born with terrible deformities, both physical and psychological.  We visited an orphanage back in Hoi-An and learned that the majority of ‘orphans’ actually have parents; but, since they are significantly handicapped, they can be taken to the orphanages who are supposedly well trained to deal with their inflictions.

   

Anyway, the next morning we headed off for a tour of the Mekong Delta.  It was wonderful, we travelled in several different boats, including a small row boat, and sampled some fantastic Vietnamese cuisine, Honey Tea, Coconut Candy and Coconut Wine (yum!).  The scenery was spectacular!

    

That afternoon we took a tour to the infamous CHU CHI Tunnels.  Over 250 km worth of tunnels were dug by the Vietnamese.  Parts of these tunnels were several stories deep, including trap doors, living areas, weapons factories (they would actually collect used American shell casings, etc. and manufacture them into usable artillery for their own use), field hospitals, kitchens and storage facilities.  After seeing just a small example of the tunnels, I can only have the utmost admiration for these resourceful people.  These mole-like tunnels enabled the VC to conduct surprise attacks and then to disappear suddenly into hidden trapdoors without a trace.  The Americans were unable to defeat them through ground operations and finally had to resort to firepower, turning the Chu Chi tunnel area into what is described as “the most bombed, shelled, gassed, defoliated, and devastated area in the history of warfare”.  You have to see these tunnels to actually appreciate how nimble the VC had to be – they are so tiny in size – the American soldiers would have had extreme difficulty trying to enter them.  Oh yes, I also shot an AK47 while I was there – check out my photo!FINAL WORDSI must say that SAIGON has not embraced me in the same way as Hanoi.  Hanoi’s Old Quarter has a certain ‘magical’ quality to it – I simply can’t describe it.  If I were to plan a return visit to Vietnam, I would probably focus more on the north, ie Hanoi, Sapa and Halong Bay.  Although I did very much enjoy Hoi-An and Nha Trang.  I visited a lot of wonderful places along the way and met some amazing people.  Vietnam is a very beautiful country indeed.  And, if you come to Vietnam, be prepared to gain some weight.  The food here is amazing!  Now, I have to head back to China and try to stick to vegetables and water for a while!

 

 

 

Where did the time go? I haven’t updated everyone since February 10th!!! It’s been a real whirlwind vacation with my tour group. And, whenever I had time to blog, I couldn’t find a comfortable internet cafe with working computers. So, finally, here goes:

HANOI – We spent a final two days in HANOI before finally moving south. The final concensus was that Hanoi is definitely worth a return visit – everyone really embraced the constant hustle and bustle of Hanoi. Before we left, I did get a chance to see a “Water Puppet Show” with one of my group members. It was much better than I had been led to believe. Quite simply, it is a puppet show, but one that is conducted with life-size colorful wooden puppets using WATER as the stage! The ‘puppeteers’ stand in waist-high water behind a bamboo screen and manipulate the puppets on long poles, some with rudders, to further facilitate the mechanisms to move their limbs and heads. The performance was a lot of fun, with the characters both funny and sometimes quite graceful. The water itself greatly enhances the drama by allowing the puppets to appear and disappear as if by magic, with the help of smoke and lights, of course. Highly recommended! I haven’t seen anything like this in China, Cambodia, Thailand or Laos.

HUE – We arrived in Hue fairly early in the morning, after another overnight train ride (I’m starting to get tired of these), but they are useful in getting from one place to another. Our rooms weren’t ready so we all decided to use the time to tour the Citadel in Hue, as well as Hue’s Forbidden City. I must say that all the guidebooks do not do this place justice. We only had about an hour there, but I could easily have used 2-3 hours to tour this wonderful place which is slowly being reconstructed – most of it was destroyed in historical battles unfortunately. That evening we were invited to a “Royal Banquet” where we were greeted by lovely ladies bearing Vietnamese costumes for us to wear for the event. We were taken to a private dining room which featured a 10-course dinner and our very own musicians, most playing ancient instruments. It could have been quite cheesy, but turned out to be quite well done and a lot of fun. We have great pictures to help us remember the fantastic Vietnamese food we enjoyed. And, if that wasn’t enough, the next morning found us all on a motorcycle trip which took us out to the countryside to trek through some of the ancient tomb sites, visit Thien Mu Pagoda where we sampled the most amazing vegetarian lunch, followed by meditation and rest in the pagoda itself! Quite an experience indeed! We also learned how they make Incense Sticks – check out the photo! I should mention too that each night we tried various Vietnamese specialties in the nearby restaurants. Vietnam has amazing food!!!!

HOI-AN – This time, we actually took a BUS to our next destination (Hoi-An)! Enroute we stopped off a CHINA BEACH, which is famous for being the R&R spot for American soldiers during the Vietnam War, and the America TV series of the same name (one of my favourites, actually, with Diana Delaney). Beautiful white sand, and turquoise waters, but funny enough it is still just a stop-off place and not a destination yet. Give it time…! The riverside town of Hoi-An is called a ‘living museum’ because it oozes charm and culture at every corner. The “Old town” is closed to cars so everything is quite walkable. Most of the colorful wooden buildings date back to the first half of the 19th century and most of the shopfronts are shuttered at night with large wooden planks. Apparently more than 800 structures have been recognized has having historical significance. The result is a quaint little town, teeming with custom-tailor shops and souvenir shops, but also the most wonderful little cafes and restaurants. It also features pagodas, family chapels, temples and museums. It’s definitely a great place to spend a few days. I would highly recommend the “Cargo Club” for those who like Vietnamese food and French cakes – yum!!! (I won’t tell you how many times I ate there). And just a few kilometers away is the beach area, featuring its own list of fine restaurants. Our hotel had its own swimming pool, so Hoi-An for us was a great place to simply ‘chill out’!

NHA TRAN – We arrived here today and already I love it! Nha Tran has one of the most popular beaches in all of Vietnam – 30 kilometers of beach on one side, and bright blue fishing boats on the other side – very colorful indeed! There are no casinos yet, but I can tell by all the construction that this resort town is developing very quickly. Services on the beach are limitless, massages, lunch, beer, manicures, pedicures, beauty treatments. They have excellent fishing, diving and snorkeling here, so I am looking forward to our boat trip tomorrow! Seafood dinner tonight!!!

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