April 9th, 2010

After a quick breakfast, we strolled along the rice paddies, learning about the Vietnamese ways of farming, as well as their simple, yet quite workable irrigation methods. We reached the White Thai village to find older women at their hand-made looms, weaving intricate patterns with their colorful threads. All the homes here were on stilts-not for protection from water, but to provide the homeowners with storage space, work space, and retail space! Chickens were in open bamboo coops, and the family cow or water buffalo was penned in. This village was quite clean and the homes were beautifully made - especially the wooden shutters.

This was in stark contrast to the Hmong village we visited next. We had to drive up in to the mountains to reach this place, not known to tourists. We were hoping to see school in session but it had just let out when we arrived. Lam had brought a bunch of cookies along so that Hudson, Matt and Carly could give them to the kids in the village. We also handed out colored markers (which I'd brought from NY) but I don't think the children knew what they were. A few times I drew little smiley faces on paper so that they would understand how to use them!

As we walked around the village, we saw the thatched roof huts where families lived. Inside one, an old woman was using her hands to remove corn kernels from their husks, to then be ground as meal and flour. We walked on the dirt floor into the other room where they slept and where they kept the family alter.

Although the children in the village were extremely dirty, they seem happy. A few little girls were outside playing a jump rope game using some string, and groups of boys were climbing trees or just hanging out. One little boy was fascinated with my camera! He would break out in laughter every time he saw himself on the screen. In fact, whenever I lifted my camera, he would run in front to be sure to be in the picture! They do not have toys, let alone ipods, and they are no worse off for it. Most interesting is how these children don't beg. In fact, we have not seen any begging on our entire trip.

On our way back to Hanoi, we talked with Lam about the nature of the Vietnamese people. We are continually amazed that they do not hate Americans after what we did to them and their country. (11 million casualties!) The Vietnamese are used to being attacked - by China, then French and then the Americans, and when the war is over, they just move on. They have strong relationships with these countries now, and they couldn't be nicer to us, as tourists. We find the Vietnamese to be warm, caring and happy people, regardless of where or how they live. It is a pleasure to be in the country!

April 8th, 2010

Today was rather uneventful, but pleasant just the same. We left Hanoi around 10:30 for our journey northwest to the mountains and the tribal village of Mai Chau, but first headed to the airport to pick up Dan (Hodes) who’d just flown in from LA to join us. Lam, our great guide, called a friend and got a recommendation for a place to stop for lunch. We ended up at a typical family-owned roadside café. Lam did the ordering while the kids kicked around the soccer ball in the adjoining courtyard. We were treated to some soup, of course (!), an egg dish which was quite good, yummy fried noodles with pumpkin greens, chicken in a clay pot, and a goat dish, we none of us ate! The chicken was a little too fresh for us, having just been killed for our lunch. L

As we continued on our way, the scenery became more and more beautiful. The sun had finally decided to show itself as we started our ascent up the mountains. This area is an agricultural one where every little morsel of land is used for crops. Besides the beautiful rice paddies – some are large fields, others are amazing wavy formations – there is mostly sugar cane. It’s so interesting to see how the cane grows both on the steep hillsides as well as on flat land. Occasionally we saw the terraced green tea plants as well.

Eventually we were smack in the mountains, reaching an altitude of 1000 meters-almost like Denver! These mountains are quite different. Instead of being a whole range, there are many individual lush “cones”. They are beautiful and a bit strange!

As we drove through the district of Mai Chau, along one of the highest points on the road, we saw a small town in the valley. It was amazing to us how much this reminded us all of Telluride!

When we reached the Mai Chau lodge in the village, it was almost 6:00. The kids were anxious to go swimming so we decided to relax and do nothing until dinner!

Marla and I sat out by the pool and shared some wine and a lot of laughs with a lovely woman from London, traveling with her 3 children. Later, Lam walked us all to the village where nibbled at our dinner (none of us were very hungry) and then were treated to a private show of native tribal dances. At the end, we joined in for a dance and then a ceremonial sip of fermented rice water (sweet rice wine) which we all sipped through long bamboo straws!

Tomorrow we’ll go back to the village in daylight so we can check out the homes, which are all built on stilts! More on that in my next post!

April 7th, 2010

After a quick cup of tea, we ventured off our boat for our last Halong Bay excursion. Just minutes away from where we had anchored were the “Amazing Caves”! That is the actual translation from Vietnamese. And, amazing they were! We climbed about 150 steps up to the mouth of this “network” of 3 caves, each one larger than the next. I felt as if I were inside the moon! The ceiling looked like the surface of the moon and there were craters and stalagmites and stalagtites everywhere!All this was created by the rain that makes its way in through the rocks. The stalagtites and –mites grow about 1 cm every 100 years! The caves are so big that 5000 Vietnamese lived in these caves, during the war with the French!

We returned to our boat, packed up and had breakfast while we headed to the dock in Halong City for our drive back to Hanoi.

It was nice to return to the Metropole, which is such a beautiful hotel. The kids couldn’t wait to go swimming and after watching them for a little while I headed to The Hair Workshop to have my hair washed and blown dry and to have a manicure!

My 5 minute cab ride cost $18,000 Dong which converts to just less than $1.00! I ended up giving the driver a 100% tip!! The best part about getting your hair washed in Asian countries (at least here and in China!) is the 20 minute scalp massage. Worth the $15.00! We are definitely not spending much money on this trip!

I returned in time for us all to head out to dinner via cyclo. These are pedicabs big enough for 2 people and they are a great way to get a real feel for Hanoi. ($4.00 round trip – about 30 minutes total). We had asked our guide to recommend a casual and non-touristy Vietnamese restaurant, which is exactly what he did!

As we climbed 3 narrow flights of stairs to the al fresco roof level of Highway 4, we were able to see all the frenetic action in the kitchen. We sat on mats around our table as we ate the most delicious food! Fortunately the menu was in English as well as Vietnamese for 2 reasons. First, our waitress didn’t speak English. Second, we were able to avoid dishes like pig’s ear, cow intestine, locusts, fighting cock, etc!!

Hudson however, being the only brave one of the bunch, ordered roasted crickets with lemon leaves! He ate 5 or 6 and then got creeped out!! I tried the leaves, which were delicious. We were the only Americans at the restaurant, which added to this being our favorite dining experience so far!

We returned to the hotel again via the cyclos, which had waited for us. Our “drivers” brought us back along the “scenic route”, being sure to point out many of the beautiful buildings with French colonial architecture. My favorite was the opera house

Going to bed now, invigorated from such a fun night in Hanoi!

April 6th, 2010

After 7am Tai Chi on the boat’s deck, a rather bland breakfast, and a phone call with Victoria who is having a wonderful time, we set out kayaks with Lam and our new Greek friends to return to the floating school. This time school was in session! Lam spoke with one of the teachers and arranged for the 4 kids to come in to one of the two classrooms to “teach” the kids some English words! The visit was wonderful!! Our kids took turns writing a word on the blackboard accompanied by a picture and then saying the word. Boat, fish, cat, dog were repeated numerous times by the students, aged 8-12, who then taught our kids the same words in Vietnamese! Then it was time for some singing! Our kids sang the Alphabet song, “Twinkle Twinkle” and “Take Me Out to the Ball Game!” The Vietnamese kids sang some songs too and they all had a great time! Bill did his barking dog sound and the kids thought that was so amusing!

As all this was going on, we were looking at the students’ workbooks. Most incredible were the penmanship books. These children write like calligraphers! I bet they wouldn’t charge five dollars an envelope for wedding invitations!! We also saw the math workbooks which included multiplication and geometry. It seems like only the basics are taught, but they are taught well. Sadly, education ends after primary school. Sadder still, the children at the other, smaller floating villages receive no education.

As were ready to get back in to our kayaks, the students were being “dismissed” from school. This involved two or three students jumping in to their family row boats and heading home to their floating house! No parents, no safety measures, and no sign-outs! What a difference from where we live!!

We headed back to The Valentine for lunch and cruised to another area where we kayaked again, this time through some caves! We learned that Halong Bay is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The 1969 land masses were created 275 million years ago when there was tectonic movement of the sediment made from shells, clay and coral. (I think I’ve got that right!) Then after the ice age, the glaciers melted, creating the water in the bay. The water in the bay is only 25 feet at the deepest point The beauty of the bay and the mystical quality the formations create, is quite amazing. The only disappointment was that the water is quite dirty, due to the floating villages. This did not keep the kids from swimming in it on numerous occasions, much to the dismay of us parents!!

We returned to our boat, had muched needed showers and the adults all had massages from a sweet, but very strong Vietnamese woman. $30 for 45 minutes!! Not bad! The kids played cards until another multi-course dinner! Hudson and I are going to bed now. I think that Bill has opted to stay up with Dimitri to watch “The Quiet American”!

April 5th, 2010

We boarded our van early this morning and headed out on a 4 hour drive to Halong Bay. We stopped midway at a Vietnamese art and craft center. While it was rather touristy, it was interesting to watch the artists at work. Most astounding were the embroiderers. They worked from pictures of art work or from actual photos. 3 women were working on a black and white photo of 3 American children and turning it in to an embroidery portrait. From taking my figure drawing classes, I was surprised how talented these women were!

We arrived in Halong Bay around noon, the kids having sung, laughed and read the whole time. As we pulled up to the dock, our guide, Lam, received a call from our hotel, that we’d left my bag and Hudson’s bag in the lobby. Fortunately, Lam was able to arrange for a car to drive the bags all the way to Halong Bay and then have a tender bring the bags to our boat. (The bags arrived around 9pm!!)

Our Junk, named The Valentine, is lovely. There are 5 cabins, a spacious dining room with a bar and some seating. In addition is a large deck on the top level. The other people aboard are quite nice, especially a family from a small village in Greece! Pam, the mom is American, Dimitri, the dad is Greek and they have an 11 yr old son,Stam (short for Stamadis) who has been hanging out with Hudson, Matt and Carly.

After an 8 course lunch (!) we took a small tender to one of the “islands” where they had built 400 steps in to the rock , in order to climb to the top to see beautiful views of the bay. Lam and the kids stayed behind to play soccer on the beach! When we returned from our climb, there was an international game in progress!! A dutch boy had joined as well as another Vietnamese adult and of course Stam, who’s Greek! Eventually the kids all ended up in the water and had a blast! We reboarded our boat and headed to see the largest of 4 floating villages. There are about 600 people that live there, in small one or two room houses that float on large blocks of Styrofoam. This is the only village that has a school, which we visited. There are 2 small classrooms accommodating primary grades. Most children stay in their village, marry young, and continue in the family business of fishing. While these living standards are sub-par for us, these villagers are happy, and this life is not one of poverty. Surprisingly, they can make about $50/day selling squid, clams, etc, which is enough to own a television and make the occasional home improvement! I must admit that this was a bit disconcerting to us, as we look at their homes as hovels and their life as so mundane. It’s hard for us to understand how these people can be happy to lead such a simple life, never leaving their little cove.

We returned to The Valentine and had a little rest before cocktails and dinner. We all decided it would be fun to dine together so we had the crew make one long table!

In addition to the Greek family, there is a middle age couple from Calgary traveling for 5 weeks, and a young Australian couple, away from their children for the first time in 6 years! After dinner, Lam taught Hudson how to fish for squid and there was a screening of “Indochine”. I watched for a few minutes but couldn’t keep my eyes open! I’ll need energy for a day of kayaking tomorrow!

April 4th, 2010

Some of the best travel experiences just can't be planned! There was a light mist in the air this morning as we set out for our day of bike riding. Lam met us at the hotel along with Mr. T and the van, packed with 6 bicycles. We made our way out of the city, hoping for drier weather and quiet roads. The weather continued to look bleak so we decided to head for our lunch destination and bike on the way back. After about 45 minutes of driving, we noticed some costumed men standing on the framing of a roof a large pagoda. Our guide discerned that there was some kind of a festival going on. It turned out that the entire village was gathered to celebrate the roofing this pagoda. It turns out that the village pagoda was burned 60 years ago during the war with the French. The government had decided to provide the village with funds to finally rebuild. We stopped on the side of the road and made our way down to the festivities. The entire village was there- the old women with black teeth (if they were lucky enough to still have them!) who remembered the war, small children who were enamored of Hudson, Matt and Carly, and everyone in between! These villagers were so friendly and welcomed us to stay and take part. Hudson was taking a bunch of photos of the kids who couldn't believe they could see the images immediately. Wherever he went, they followed - like the pied piper!! Lam helped us to make a donation to the "building fund" and then one of the female elders took us to light incense at the alter.

Beside the new pagoda was a man-made structure replicating a mountain! It is considered good luck for the pagoda to be located next to a mountain, so these villagers had created their own! There were steps leading up and down, a bit steep for me in places so I only made it half way up!

We politely ducked out of the celebratory meal we'd be invited to stay for, as we had planned a lunch in the oldest village in the area. This proved to be a mistake! The food was fine, but there was nothing special about the place, compared to what we'd just experienced.

The weather had cleared after our lunch, so Mr. T unloaded our bicycles and off we went along the narrow roads lined with rice paddies and small villages. The occasional scooter or truck would honk to alert us that they'd be passing. We always waved and shouted out a hello - and they would always chuckle in return. We're not really sure why! We rode for about 4 miles and then drove the rest of the way back to Hanoi. We hit rush hour - a sea of crazy scooters, sprinkled with cars and buses. It's anarchy, and yet it all seems to work!

Tomorrow we set out to Halong Bay! I wonder what adventures are in store for us!

April 3rd, 2010

What an interesting day we had today! After a quick breakfast in the hotel, we met Lam who took us to a museum which details the culture and history of the 54 tribes which make up Vietnam. The largest of these, which accounts for 85% of the population is the Viet. (Nam means "from the south" of China, hence, Vietnam). The other tribes, many still in existance are found throughout the country, but most are in the North. We will be visiting the Hmong tribe in Hoi Chau on Thursday. While almost all of the tribal people speak Vietnamese, they also have their own languages. Many still have their own particular dress, recognized by certain styles of hat, fabric colors and special embroidery. The fabric is made from the bark of the Hemp plant.

The Vietnamese are amazingly handy with bamboo as well! Most tribal homes whether they are on stilts or on the ground are made of bamboo. The cone-shaped hats (the ones you've seen on the farmers in the rice fields) and many fishing traps are also fashioned from bamboo.

We were lucky enough to meet up with the MBI group at the museum! They were finishing up their investigation of the tribes, so we joined them in their "cirlce" as each small group of kids gave some interesting facts about a particular tribe. This took place in an actual large, stilted "celebration hut". Meanwhile, Hudson and Matt decided to skip this little bit of education and instead entertained themselves (and some onlookers) by playing on some of the tribal "playsets"! Most of these used balancing skills, yet the boys were so sweaty when we met up with them! We bid farewell to Victoria and the other MBIers as they departed the museum via cylcos! These are like pedicabs! What a great way for them to see the city!

When we left we headed to one of Lam's favorite Pho shops for lunch. Pho is one of the mainstays of Vietnamese cuisine. This tiny spot- open to the street served only Pho- which certainly keeps down the overhead! Our bowls almost overflowed with beef, noodles, green onion with a delectible broth flavored with greens, meat bones, ginger, etc! Lam had us add some lime juice and a touch of chili sauce as well. YUM!! Hudson thought the soup was "awesome"!

Best of all, the 6 bowls of Pho and 2 Hanoi beers cost a total of $10!!

Our next stop was to see a traditional Vietnamese water puppet show. We maneuvered our way by foot along the narrow streets, dodging the mopeds along the way. Crossing the bigger streets was more of a challenge and we just had to have a little faith that the drivers were watching out for us!! The show takes place on a water-filled stage with wooden puppets "floating" in the water. Actually they are controlled underneath the water by long wooden rods. Each vignette showed something from the culture - fishing, boat races, fairy dances, etc. It was very enjoyable for all of us, yet we were feeling the effects of jet lag!

We rallied tho, as we'd been invited by Diep to visit her home and meet her family. It is custom for a whole family to live together , with parents, children and married children with their own kids occupying different floors in the home. The homes are fairly narrow but have many floors. Diep's home has 5 floors. We were give such a welcome by her parents and her brother's family. We sat and talked with her father, who is now 70. He is an electrical engineer, architect, conductor and poet! His ancestors were from nobility. He is very well respected in gov't circles as well When Henry Kissinger came to Hanoi for a visit, Diep's father was asked to show him around and to participate in discussions. Diep's mother came from a weathly family, as seen from photographs of her as a young ballerina and model, where she traveled to Russia and Checkoslovakia. During the war with the French both families lost everything and then again when the Americans came during the Vietnam war, they lost thier home and posessions again.

Diep told us that they considered themselves lucky to be alive and never complained, but instead rallied their whole family to work very hard in order to afford a new and comfortable home. This , in fact they did! Interestingly they are not bitter, They look at these events simply as something that happened and they just move on from it. They quite like the Americans now, and hold no grudges. I wonder if American's could do the same. Diep's father enjoyed talking to Bill since he'd read about the Ground Zero case. Imagine!! Even in Vietnam!!

Matt, Carly and Hudson played with Diep's nephews- one 10 and the other 3! The 3 yr old kept hitting Hudson on the head with a balloon and Hudson kept pretending to fall down. It was very cute. The older boy showed Hudson some of his books, including the complete set of HarryPotter , translated in Vietnamese! I asked him if he had read the books, and he answered that "the book make me scary!" Not bad for a 10 yr old learning to speak English. Before we left we were each given a gift by which to remember our stay. The kids got replicas of water puppets! Marla and I got beautiful serving plates.

Before we left the father brought us in to the alter room, the most important room found in every house. While there is no real religion in Vietnam, their belief system comes from a combination of Confusciousism , Taoism and Buddhism. 2 times a month on the lunar calendar, it is tradition to light incense and place gifts of fruit and flowers to the alter in one's home, providing energy and strenght to the deceased ancestors so that they will nourished and able to look over the family and give them luck and positive energy and guidance. Today, Diep's father gave each of us an incense stick and asked his ancestors to look down upon us and make our trip in Vietnam safe and happy and to bring us luck. This was very moving for all of us. Diep is lucky to have such a warm and strong family unit.

On our way back to the hotel, we again marveled at the street traffic. Entire families travel on one moped! Most of the streets are lined with small shops with no real storefront. Dishes are washed out on the street - that being the main water source I think. Hope it's clean enough!

Back at the hotel we napped and ordered a light dinner from room service!

Bill and Hudson are sleeping but I was determined to get this done!

Onward and upward!

April 2nd, 2010

Welcome to my on-line journal of what should be a most fascinating trip through some of Vietnam!

We arrived to Hanoi late this afternoon, after less that 24 restful hours in Hong Kong.( It was strange to be back in HK after only 2 years, and we felt surprisingly comfortable and familiar with the city. Not sure why we didn't fly there a day earlier! Nevertheless, we were excited to start our trip in Vietnam.) We were greeted by Lam, who is to be our guide for the next week, as well as a bouquet of flowers! Lam took us to our roomy van, driven by Mr. T (!) and he too will be with us for the week. It was rush hour as we made our way in to Hanoi. To our amazement there are 4 million motor scooters in Hanoi and most of them seemed to be on the roads we traveled. There are no traffic lights or stop signs so it is bedlam on the roads. Agressive driving is the key! Imagine trying to get across a 3-lane road! Quite amusing!!

Our first stop was at the hotel where the Mudd Butt International (MBI) kids are staying for the night. When we arrived Wendy Brooks, founder of Telluride Academy and a most amazing woman, greeted us. The kids were all sleeping, exhausted from their travels. We said goodbye to our sweet daughter and went down the street to The Metropole Hotel, our home for the next few days.

We had a little downtime before meeting Diep Leto, who was treating us to a welcome dinner. Diep, along with her sister, owns Sister Tours, and she planned the bulk of our trip for us and the Hodes, Telluride friends of ours who live in Laguna Beach, CA. (Marla and Dan's son Dean is on the MBI trip. They also have 11 yr old twins, Matt and Carly).

Diep took us for a wonderful meal in an old French villa. As she ordered, she explained to us the theory of Vietnamese cooking. Like their belief system, cooking balances yin and yang. For example, a white, bland, soft fish will be combined with stronger flavors of tumeric or ginger and will include a crunchy texture and some color from a vegetable, perhaps. (Diep has also taught cooking classes and I'm hoping that she will come to our house and give a class next time she is in New York!) We also learned that the Vietnamese eat from little bowls, serving themselves a few bites at a time from the larger dish - sort of family style. This not only prevents wasting food and overeating, but provides a familial spirit of sharing food.

After dinner we went to Fanny's - the best ice cream parlor any of us has ever been to! For $2.00, you could try every flavor! Hudson, at one point exclaimed "This is a free-for-all!!" Each flavor, my favorites included coconut, coffee (like eating a cup of espresso), ginger and the most incredible, tart lime sorbet were served by the mini scoop! It was almost 11pm when we decided we should return to the hotel!

Well, the sugar high has worn off, and it's time to go to bed, hoping for a good, solid night of sleep, and excited for the day tomorrow.