giddy adventures.: 2012

Friday, December 21, 2012

Hue

Hue, known as the Imperial City, was quite...Imperial. Great city to learn some super ancient history. Also, a great city for night life. The employees of various bars roam the streets and walk you to their bar. They literally fight over you. One convincing girl encouraged us to go to her bar, Brown Eyes. She walked us all the way there (to ensure we didn't change our minds of course). But as Angela and Lynn walked hand-in-hand like the little love birds they are, the girl grabbed my elbow and escorted me personally to her bar. We flirted the whole way there - they sure know how to make someone feel special!

Hoi An - Where all your clothes fit just right

I'm getting super lazy with my blog posts. :x

We left Da Lat in quite a hurry. We wanted to make it to Hoi An's Full Moon Lantern Festival. Phuc helped us arrange a sleeper bus to Hoi An, a first for us. Instead of chairs, sleeper buses have lines of bunk beds. While it was probably better than sitting up for ten hours, it was quite a bumpy ride. Hoi An is a gorgeous city. We stayed in Old Town to be close to the Full Moon Festival, which was quite a delightful experience. The food in Hoi An was pretty top notch, as well. So were the drinks...the many free drinks you get for entering an establishment. It was mostly rice wine, but it also included this pleasant beverage in a baby's bottle. If you ever decide to visit Hoi An, I would also recommend staying at least a few days. We were able to get some nice clothes tailored at extremely reasonable prices.

Cutest little munchkin selling lanterns

Right before I let my lantern drip into the water.

Lanterns floating in the water.

Lanterns lanterns lanterns!

Yummy Cao Lao place

Yummy Cao lao spot!

Delicious street Che

Free shots!

View from our hotel

Free baby bottle shots!

Saturday, December 8, 2012

Dalat - My Future Home and the One Where I Found Out I Ate Rat

Let me start off by saying, I LOVE DALAT. I am going to move here! It's in the mountains, so the weather is cooler and it's so hilly! There are a lot of hiking opportunities and a beautiful lake in the middle of the city. We became good friends with Phuc, our tour guide from the Mekong, and he met us up in Dalat to show us around.

And, by the way, Phuc let me know the "bird" he fed us while we were touring the Mekong Delta was actually rat. Lovely. Though, it did taste pretty good. Couldn't be mad for long.

Mui Ne and the One Where Angela Runs Over My Leg With An ATV

Our first destination out on our own without family or a tour guide is Mui Ne, a small beach/resort town a few hours north of Vung Tao.

Mui Ne is Little Russia. Truly. 98% of the tourists had to be Russian. Everything was advertised in Russian, from drink promotions to the menus to booking companies. Sometimes, there was no Vietnamese or English at all! I wouldn't have any idea what an establishment was until I peered through the window!

Mui Ne is also where our traveler's health teetered between feeling fantastically awesome and horrifically bedridden. Is it so much to ask to poop like a normal person?!

In Mui Ne, Angela and I took a half day tour to hike Fairy Springs (a slightly above average hike through a creek next to a canyon), watch fisherman at a fishing village, watch the sunset over red sand dunes and rode ATVs over white sand dunes.

Saigon Wrap Up - Paparazzi'd, Scammed, and Au'Revoir'ed

The one where I got free ice cream.

Last few days in Saigon were nothing short of memorable. My friend Son, Angela, and I hung out a couple days exploring the city by foot. We were in search of the infamous Lunch Lady many have told us about. Even though we used two different taxis to get there, we got lost. We gave up and enjoyed a bowl of Pho and walked around the city. Of course, Angela wanted ice cream to top off the afternoon. We stumbled across this fancy looking shop called N2 Heaven with a large crowd inside. Must be poppin' right?

Mekong Delta Day 5 - Chaudoc back to Saigon

Today was a more relaxed day. Before we headed back to Saigon, we had our usual morning boat ride to see more floating houses, a fish farm, and an Islamic Cham village.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hello everyone!

We haven't had a lot of free time after we left Ho Chi Minh City. We've gone through Mui Ne and Dalat and are on our way to Hoi An tomorrow afternoon. Look out for some crazy heavy updates soon. However, I did want to post this special Thanksgiving video we made for our parents. It was my first Thanksgiving away from home and I missed everyone dearly. Who thought I could get homesick?! We were in Mui Ne when we made this video, eating an American meal at Jibe's. The food there was delicious.....minus the rubber band we found in our pizza.

Mekong Delta Tour Day 4 - Chaudoc

Our day in Chaudoc was AWESOME.

We started the morning climbing Sam Mountain to view the delta from the peak. At 230 meters, Sam Mountain is the highest mountain in the Mekong Delta. As we climbed up the stairs towards the peak, we passed through many temples and pagodas. My favorite was the room filled with illustrations of what Hell looked like.

For instance, you could get your head or tongue chopped off. Over, and over, and over again.

Or, you can have your insides boiled into a broth. Over, and over, and over again.

All until all your sins have been forgiven.

It was a very positive experience.

On the way up, we also noticed a monkey chained to a rock. Phuc explained that the monkeys act sort of like guard dogs, ooh-oohing and ah-ahhing when people approach their homes. It was a sad site. Phuc showed us how to feed the monkey some of the snacks we brought. I could not partake. One, cause it was heartbreaking for me to see. Two, they were my snacks. And, three, I thought back to my travel clinic nurse that ingrained in my head the biggest threats to me in Vietnam were mosquito and monkey bites. :x

After exploring Sam Mountain, we visited Ba Chua Xu Temple, built in the 19th century.

Then. THEN! We went to Tra Su Cajuput Forest. IT WAS GORGEOUS! But, it was also raining, so I couldn't take any good pictures. We rode two different boats through it to bird watch and study the cajuputs (Type of tree). I was blown away by the beauty and isolation. My blurry video will probably not do it any justice.

Mekong Delta Tour Day 3 - Cantho to Chaudoc

Today, Phuc took us to Cantho's floating market.

At 5 o'clock in the morning.

We were probably the earliest tourists there, but no matter. We had a delicious cafe sua da served to us from a boat, front row seats on the floating restaurant, and got to witness the filming of a Chinese documentary on Cantho.

Then, we toured a rice noodle factory where we got to watch how rice noodles are made.

Then, we went to a pig farm.

[And as a result, I have eliminated pork from my temporary carnivorous diet.]

Then, before we headed to our next city, Chaudoc, we visited the oldest Khmer Pagoda in Can Tho.

Early morning cafe sua da from a boat vendor!

Mekong Delta Tour Day 2 - Caibe to Vinhlong to Cantho

After breakfast, Phuc, Angela, and I took a private boat cruise to Cai Be floating market. This is what I had been looking forward to; but, it was not even the highlight of the day. Phuc led us to a family run business that produced rice cakes and rice paper. I even got to try to make my own rice paper [video below].

Rice paper making is not one of my strong points.

We also tasted some local honey, held local bees, and wrapped a large snake around our necks - just for the heck of it.

P.S.
My skin is capable of tanning, but apparently, only my arms.

Mekong Delta Tour Day 1 - Caibe

Early in the morning, we took a bus from Saigon to Caibe with our tour guide, Phuc. When we reached the edge of town, we hopped off into the heat and started our long hike through town to our Homestay at an ancient house called Ba Duc (www.baducmekong.com - We highly recommend it!) Motorbikes stopped us all along the way to offer us rides to town. Phuc explained it is pretty uncommon for people to walk. Not hard to believe. It was hot and humid. I was sticky and tired. Motorbike drivers laughed at us as we walked by - not mockingly, but more in a crazy American tourists kind of way. We stopped at fruit stands along the road to try new fruits and stay hydrated.

After we crossed the bridge into town, we entered a market to enjoy a nice cup of che-a Vietnamese street food dessert. As we maneuvered through the market, vendors snickered at our large, seemingly over-sized backpacks. "I wonder where those girls are from?" they whispered to each other in Vietnamese. "What must they have to carry such large bags?" We smiled and nodded at them as if we didn't understand.

Walking through town, we passed a school letting out. Hoards of children were waiting for their parents, buying chips and goodies from street vendors, and grabbing their bikes. "HELLO! HELLO! HELLO!" they shouted and waved. "Not too many foreigners come to this part of the Mekong, and the people in Caibe are so friendly!" Phuc explained. Our conical rice hats were probably not enough for us to blend in. Motorbikes whizzed past us and passengers often looked back to smile and wave.

Or. Stare with sustained interest.

When we finally reached our Homestay, we were pleasantly surprised at how calm and serene it was. Dogs waddled out to greet us, the garden was filled with a variety of fruit trees, and our room looked out onto a pond. One could easily spend a few days there meditating and enjoying the delicious home-cooked meals. After a midday rest (I am growing so, so, so, so, so fond of these), we rode our bikes around town. We ate the largest banh xeo (Vietnamese pancake) I've ever seen in my life and biked back in the rain. For dinner, we joined the other guests for an egg roll cooking class. Angela and I shrugged our shoulders and reminisced on all the times we were forced to make egg rolls when we were younger to help prepare for large family functions. Our egg rolls were, without a doubt, the prettiest ones there. After dinner, we enjoyed taking shots of local wine with the owner and telling ghost stories. Vietnam's got to be so haunted.

What a first day.

Vung Tao - Sites and Beach

Angela and I spent the weekend in Vung Tao, a beach town two hours away from Saigon. It was a nice break away from hectic city life. The weather was cooler, smaller crowd, and absolutely breathtaking views of mountains and beach. Once again, we were welcomed into the homes of relatives we have never met; but, there was no room to be shy or awkward. Family is family. We instantly connected to her cousin's two young daughters and they were a spunky duo with lots of stories and questions.

Ngoc, Chi, and Angela

Statue of Jesus on Small Mountain

Angela riding with her cousin's husband to Small Mountain. We climbed to the top to see the statue of Jesus.

There were many stairs leading us up to Jesus.

Here's Jesus.

We could have gone inside to climb Jesus' 126 steps and hang out on his arms, but we were dressed impolitely. :[

This is my uncle's cat, MeeMee. She's a beast.

While we hung out clothes to dry, Angela noticed MeeMee laying with her prey. I couldn't help but grab the camera to capture the proud little MeeMee.

Later, when I was finishing up my second bowl of Banh Canh, my aunt brought the dead bird to the table to show me. It was a cute little thing. She said later, my uncle was going to grill it for MeeMee to eat tonight. A feast she shall have!

Where were you when Obama was re-elected?

Wednesday was quite a day for us. We woke up and stayed on top of the election back in the states. With Romney in the lead all morning, we were getting pretty antsy. So, Angela skypes with her dad to catch up. Angela and I were recapping our previous evening out in town when Angela's little brother, Kelvin, runs through the background, fist pumping. "Obama won, Obama won!"

"What?!"

I check the polls and yes. Yes, indeed. What a comeback. Everyone in Vietnam was rooting for him, too.

Angela and I watched the news over breakfast, hoping they would cover the elections. They did. Neither of us really understood what they were saying. But, Obama looked AWESOME. We high-fived over some mangosteens.

Then, my uncle took us on a bus to the Reunification Palace. It used to be known as the Independence Palace and was the symbol of the South Vietnamese government. On April 20, 1975, the tank pictured below crashed through it's gates, ending the Vietnamese War (or, American War as it's called here).

After we walked through the Palace - it really was more of a hike, it's huge - we took another bus to a small church in District 3. My uncle explained that the ashes of my grandmother and grandfather, as well as a number of our other relatives were there. Angela and I stood quietly and read their names. I wondered what Angela was thinking about as all the stories my mom told me about my grandparents rushed back to me. The one where her father's spirit visits her the time he passed away to say good-bye to her and my brother Anh Hung resonates with me the rest of the day.

On the way to the church, I get hungry. I've been hungry a lot, here. Angela always seems full. It works out because I love to eat her leftovers. We stop by a lime green stand that pops out from the white and brown buildings. Com Kep. A Vietnamese version of a hamburger. But, instead of bread for buns, it uses a patty of rice. It wasn't anything exciting, but it was fun to try something different.

That night, I made it a point to celebrate Obama's victory in a Western style bar. A friend of mine had reached Ho Chi Minh City on a ten day journey from North Vietnam to the South with two of his friends. Angela and I took a taxi to their hotel and we all went to a place called Seventeen Saloon. All the waitresses and bartenders were dressed up in cowboy gear and a live band sang English cover songs. It was a very popular place and a lot of fun. Then we roamed around the Backpacker's District before taking a taxi back home.