Yesterday we went to the Safari in Bogor. It was really cool. When we were driving up to the safari we stopped to buy some bundles of carrots from the many roadside vendors selling them for the animals. When we got to the Safari we got to feed animals from the car, similar to the Canadian African Lion Safari. We fed elephants, zebras, native cows and threw carrots into the open mouths of hippos. It was a lot of fun! After the herbivore section we had to roll up our windows as we entered the carnivore section. They had so many animals! Lions, cheetahs, tigers, etc. Afterwards we had Safari Fried Chicken for lunch...exactly like KFC which was too bad...but it was part of the experience I guess! Afterwards we took walks through the exhibits. They had so many animals! From bats and birds of paradise to komodo dragons and snakes. It was awesome! It was a full day of fun! The roads going to and from the Safari close down and go only one direction for an hour or two at a time and then switch to the other direction because of the volume of traffic. We were lucky it was going in the direction we wanted to go when we were leaving because otherwise we would have had to just sit and wait for it to change directions.
Today was our free day off. We ventured our luck with the Indonesian public transport to get to the botanical gardens in Bogor. The buses are not like our buses at home at all! They consist of these funny looking little mini vans called 'ancots' that have the back cleared out with benches running along either side. A fare is about 20 cents Canadian and you can get on or off anywhere you want along their route. It was quite the experience being jammed in the back with about 10 people in that little thing! We arrived at the gardens safe and sound and met up with the American girl, Sally. The gardens are GIGANTIC and filled with lots of beautiful old trees and pretty flowers. Lots of people were out and about too. We got stopped to have our pictures taken with people multiple times...being 'boulais' (which is the Bahasa Indonesian word for caucasian)pretty much gives you celebrity status. At one point we were swarmed by students. First we were surrounded by university students studying english wanting to 'interview' us for practice. They interviewed us and then told us they had to write a report on us for school...there are actually lots of students that just set out in the park looking for 'boulais' tourists to interview as school projects. SO bizzare! After our first interview we were swarmed by about 30 ten year old kids accompanied by their teacher...all of them wanting to do the same thing - interview us. Questions ranged from what country are you from to what is your 'life motto'. They were really cute! They all wanted our email and signature...all I can say is that I could never be famous. After about an hour of it we had all had enough and tried to avoid crowds of people in the park and eye contact...
We also managed to find the Museum of Zoology in the gardens We almost didn't find it because the gardens are just that massive! We wanted to see it because it had a skeleton of a blue whale. It was SO cool to see the skeleton of the largest mammals (and maybe animal?) to ever exist on earth. Well worth the search.
After the gardens we had some lunch at the mall and went to see another movie. On the weekends they jack up the price to $2.50 canadian. We saw the terminator movie. It was entertaining.
On our way home it was absolutely pouring rain and we got into the wrong 'ancot' not realizing that we had not gotten into the number 8 and instead had accidentally jumped on the number 8A. We had to switch half way and paid twice the fare...but it wasn't a big deal. We arrived back at CIVAS safe and soaking wet!
Tomorrow we are going to see a duck farming operation and have to leave early. I am really looking forward to it because I have never had the chance to see anythiny related to ducks at home. It should be an interesting day!
Oh - and check out my earlier blogs for pictures. I have posted a few up until Hue. I will try to put more up but the internet here is pretty slow and uploading is difficult!
Will write again soon!
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Friday, May 29, 2009
Indonesia II
Yesterday we went to see a layer operation (eggs). It was amazing! The farmer had 100,000 birds producing 5 tonnes of eggs per day. It was a massive operation. We learned a lot about the challenges he faces, one being the heat. He ends up losing 0.01% of birds per day on average, and on a really hot day even more. Out of 100,000 birds, that really works out to be a lot of dead birds! We also got to tell him a bit about egg farming in Canada and what it is like, pointing out the major differences we could see. It is kind of weird to me, but all of the farmers ask us for our opinion and advice on what they should change to better their farming. Although it seems logical that they would ask us questions like that, I wasn't really expecting it because we aren't finished school yet.
After our visit we stopped on the way home in a little restaurant run by a family on the side of the road. We had goat satay with rice and some delicious peanut and sweet soy sauce. I wish we could get the latter at home...it was amazing! Afterward we went to the mall to see Angels and Demons. The book was better, but it was entertaining to say the least...and the A/C was a welcome change! It is ridiculously hot here. We are expected to wear pants as shorts are considered rude. We have met a girl named Sally from Cornell University who is also in the vet program who is doing work with the University and the person she was with who was helping her get set up wouldn't take her to the school because she was wearing shorts that went to her knees! Needless to say, it has definitely been a challenge to adjust to long pants in 30 degrees C or hotter weather. In fact, usually it is close to 30 at night when you consider the 90-98% humidity here!
This morning we got to go on a tour of a huge poultry slaughter plant that was built last year. It was very modern and they are trying to implement programs such as HACCP like we use in North America. It was really impressive to see! I found it to be fairly draining emotionally, but very worth seeing.
After our visit they took us a 'hill' outside of Bogor. It was beautiful and MUCH cooler. There were tonnes of tea plantations and there was even a place where you could go parachuting for about 30 dollars a person! We didn't go though. On our way back we stopped for lunch at a Sudanese restaurant. It was really cool! It was set up kind of like buffet and you eat with your hands (no knives or forks or anything...). You just pick what you want from the display they have and they cook it up for you. I had some chicken and fried tempeh, along with rice and a corn-like dumpling. I also got this spicy mango salad, which was the spiciest thing I have ever eaten. My head was throbbing and my eyes were watering it was so hot! It was delicious though!
Tomorrow we are going to a safari place they have in Bogor and then we are going to a wildlife rehabilitation sanctuary run by one of the people working for CIVAS.
After our visit we stopped on the way home in a little restaurant run by a family on the side of the road. We had goat satay with rice and some delicious peanut and sweet soy sauce. I wish we could get the latter at home...it was amazing! Afterward we went to the mall to see Angels and Demons. The book was better, but it was entertaining to say the least...and the A/C was a welcome change! It is ridiculously hot here. We are expected to wear pants as shorts are considered rude. We have met a girl named Sally from Cornell University who is also in the vet program who is doing work with the University and the person she was with who was helping her get set up wouldn't take her to the school because she was wearing shorts that went to her knees! Needless to say, it has definitely been a challenge to adjust to long pants in 30 degrees C or hotter weather. In fact, usually it is close to 30 at night when you consider the 90-98% humidity here!
This morning we got to go on a tour of a huge poultry slaughter plant that was built last year. It was very modern and they are trying to implement programs such as HACCP like we use in North America. It was really impressive to see! I found it to be fairly draining emotionally, but very worth seeing.
After our visit they took us a 'hill' outside of Bogor. It was beautiful and MUCH cooler. There were tonnes of tea plantations and there was even a place where you could go parachuting for about 30 dollars a person! We didn't go though. On our way back we stopped for lunch at a Sudanese restaurant. It was really cool! It was set up kind of like buffet and you eat with your hands (no knives or forks or anything...). You just pick what you want from the display they have and they cook it up for you. I had some chicken and fried tempeh, along with rice and a corn-like dumpling. I also got this spicy mango salad, which was the spiciest thing I have ever eaten. My head was throbbing and my eyes were watering it was so hot! It was delicious though!
Tomorrow we are going to a safari place they have in Bogor and then we are going to a wildlife rehabilitation sanctuary run by one of the people working for CIVAS.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Indonesia
We are in Indonesia now with Ryan and Gill! We arrived 2 days ago and we are at our first project at the organization CIVAS in Bogor, which is about an hour and 15 minutes away from Jakarta.
On first impressions, Indonesia is much more modern than Vietnam. We went into a mall today and had you not been told you were in Indonesia you would think you were in North America. Same thing with driving down the highways...if you ingore the signs in Bahasa Indonesia...
It has been a bit of an adjustment though. It is tough getting used to Indonesian showers that consist of a bucket of ice water and a scoop used to splash the water on you. The toilets are really different too. They are the squat ones that you have to flush by pouring water from your shower bucket with your shower scoop. Pretty much just a hole in the ground! Also, the mosque nearby also likes to play I guess what you would call 'songs' at full blast at 4:30am to remind everyone to pray...and they do this about 3 times a day. Very different!
CIVAS has been really great so far. All of the people that work at CIVAS are so accommodating and friendly. They have breakfast set out for us every morning and drive us everywhere.
Yesterday they took us to a distribution and slaughter facility in Jakarta. It was out of this world! There are all of these facilities in this one district of the city. Some of the places we visited are actually in people's homes. They receive chickens and sometimes hold them in an area until slaughter or redistribution to other producers and/or slaughter them in the same place they live! Often the families live above the chicken areas. We watched some slaughtering and processing occuring in the traditional Indonesian (Muslim - Halal) way. There were even young children running around the facility. No biosecurity at all, which is understandable seeing the conditions. It would virtually be impossible. Anyways, for those of you that don't know what Halal means - it is a method of slaughter where the animals are not stunned before their throats are slit and is a religious requirement. We then watched them clean the animals, removing the feathers which are discarded and then the organs weresorted for sale. They eat every part of the animal here. From chicken ovaries to tongues on a stick. Even the head, feet and intestines are eaten and are considered delicacies. Walking from facility to facility all of the gutters in the street were red with blood from the slaughter houses. The gutters drain into the river that also runs through the district. No real plumbing! As we walked from facility to facility we were almost like celebrities! All of the children and even some adults were following us around wanting pictures of us or to have us take their picture with them. Our CIVAS escort explained to us that it's because white people don't ever come around that area...
The food here has been very interesting so far! It is far more spicy than Vietnamese food, which is good because I like a little bit of spice! Yesterday we had the most fantastic lunch. It came in newspaper and wax paper packages (from the restaurant CIVAS got it from). It was a mix of cold boiled vegetables in a peanut sauce that was eaten with a type of bubbly looking chip. Last night we went to have a type of Sumatran food called Padang. You go to the restaurant and they bring out about 40 different plates of food and big bowls of rice. You pick the foods you want to eat from all of the plates on the table and mix it with the rice....and you eat it with your hands! It was really interesting. All of the food that is not eaten gets put back into their respective pots and warmed up for the next people...oh, and you only pay for the dishes you eat which is kind of neat too. Just to give you an idea of costs here, for about 12 people last night the bill was only $24USD. Things are very cheap here, just like Vietnam. We also got donuts today in the mall...they had so many flavours! The most interesting was cheese with tomato and chicken on top. I decided to go for the chocolate glazed one with coffee filling. It was delicious! I am unsure if the chicken one would have been as good....maybe next time?
So today we went to 2 broiler farm operations (farms where they raise chickens for meat, not eggs). The one place was really interesting because it had the chickens house above ponds where they raise carp. The chicken feces falls from the housing above through slatted floors into the ponds where the fish eat it. Very ingenious! They had 15,000 birds at the first place and 80,000 fish in the ponds. The second place we went to was even larger having 65,000 birds. This may seem a lot, but in comparison to the DAILY consumption of 400,000 chickens of Jarkarta....this really isn't a lot! The second place we visited had both raised and ground floor housing for the chickens...no fish though. Overall it has been really interesting seeing the way Indonesia produces poultry and some of the challenges they face.
On the way back to Bogor today our car hit a motorbike...it scared me so much. The people were fine...they just drove off and our car only had a scratch. The traffic here is crazy! Not as many motorbikes as Vietnam...but lots of cars. They also have this funny public transport system that is like the public bus system at home, but instead of big buses there are little mini vans painted blue or green, depending on the route. They will stop to pick you up or drop you off anywhere along their routes...you just let the driver know when/where you want off. It is absolutely INSANE how many people they can ram into one bus too! Oh - and on the topic of transport, on the way home last night we saw a train leaving Jakarta heading to Bogor just brimming with people. There were even people riding on the roof of the train!!!! Madness!
Anyways, tomorrow we are going to see some layer farms (eggs). We are looking forward to it! It will probably only take about half the day, so we are thinking of going to see a movie, probably Angels and Demons at the mall. It is only 10,000 Rupiah which is the equivalent of $1USD!
Until next time!
On first impressions, Indonesia is much more modern than Vietnam. We went into a mall today and had you not been told you were in Indonesia you would think you were in North America. Same thing with driving down the highways...if you ingore the signs in Bahasa Indonesia...
It has been a bit of an adjustment though. It is tough getting used to Indonesian showers that consist of a bucket of ice water and a scoop used to splash the water on you. The toilets are really different too. They are the squat ones that you have to flush by pouring water from your shower bucket with your shower scoop. Pretty much just a hole in the ground! Also, the mosque nearby also likes to play I guess what you would call 'songs' at full blast at 4:30am to remind everyone to pray...and they do this about 3 times a day. Very different!
CIVAS has been really great so far. All of the people that work at CIVAS are so accommodating and friendly. They have breakfast set out for us every morning and drive us everywhere.
Yesterday they took us to a distribution and slaughter facility in Jakarta. It was out of this world! There are all of these facilities in this one district of the city. Some of the places we visited are actually in people's homes. They receive chickens and sometimes hold them in an area until slaughter or redistribution to other producers and/or slaughter them in the same place they live! Often the families live above the chicken areas. We watched some slaughtering and processing occuring in the traditional Indonesian (Muslim - Halal) way. There were even young children running around the facility. No biosecurity at all, which is understandable seeing the conditions. It would virtually be impossible. Anyways, for those of you that don't know what Halal means - it is a method of slaughter where the animals are not stunned before their throats are slit and is a religious requirement. We then watched them clean the animals, removing the feathers which are discarded and then the organs weresorted for sale. They eat every part of the animal here. From chicken ovaries to tongues on a stick. Even the head, feet and intestines are eaten and are considered delicacies. Walking from facility to facility all of the gutters in the street were red with blood from the slaughter houses. The gutters drain into the river that also runs through the district. No real plumbing! As we walked from facility to facility we were almost like celebrities! All of the children and even some adults were following us around wanting pictures of us or to have us take their picture with them. Our CIVAS escort explained to us that it's because white people don't ever come around that area...
The food here has been very interesting so far! It is far more spicy than Vietnamese food, which is good because I like a little bit of spice! Yesterday we had the most fantastic lunch. It came in newspaper and wax paper packages (from the restaurant CIVAS got it from). It was a mix of cold boiled vegetables in a peanut sauce that was eaten with a type of bubbly looking chip. Last night we went to have a type of Sumatran food called Padang. You go to the restaurant and they bring out about 40 different plates of food and big bowls of rice. You pick the foods you want to eat from all of the plates on the table and mix it with the rice....and you eat it with your hands! It was really interesting. All of the food that is not eaten gets put back into their respective pots and warmed up for the next people...oh, and you only pay for the dishes you eat which is kind of neat too. Just to give you an idea of costs here, for about 12 people last night the bill was only $24USD. Things are very cheap here, just like Vietnam. We also got donuts today in the mall...they had so many flavours! The most interesting was cheese with tomato and chicken on top. I decided to go for the chocolate glazed one with coffee filling. It was delicious! I am unsure if the chicken one would have been as good....maybe next time?
So today we went to 2 broiler farm operations (farms where they raise chickens for meat, not eggs). The one place was really interesting because it had the chickens house above ponds where they raise carp. The chicken feces falls from the housing above through slatted floors into the ponds where the fish eat it. Very ingenious! They had 15,000 birds at the first place and 80,000 fish in the ponds. The second place we went to was even larger having 65,000 birds. This may seem a lot, but in comparison to the DAILY consumption of 400,000 chickens of Jarkarta....this really isn't a lot! The second place we visited had both raised and ground floor housing for the chickens...no fish though. Overall it has been really interesting seeing the way Indonesia produces poultry and some of the challenges they face.
On the way back to Bogor today our car hit a motorbike...it scared me so much. The people were fine...they just drove off and our car only had a scratch. The traffic here is crazy! Not as many motorbikes as Vietnam...but lots of cars. They also have this funny public transport system that is like the public bus system at home, but instead of big buses there are little mini vans painted blue or green, depending on the route. They will stop to pick you up or drop you off anywhere along their routes...you just let the driver know when/where you want off. It is absolutely INSANE how many people they can ram into one bus too! Oh - and on the topic of transport, on the way home last night we saw a train leaving Jakarta heading to Bogor just brimming with people. There were even people riding on the roof of the train!!!! Madness!
Anyways, tomorrow we are going to see some layer farms (eggs). We are looking forward to it! It will probably only take about half the day, so we are thinking of going to see a movie, probably Angels and Demons at the mall. It is only 10,000 Rupiah which is the equivalent of $1USD!
Until next time!
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Ho Chi Minh City and The Mekong Delta
Yesterday we spent the day exploring Ho Chi Minh City. It is a HUGE and crazy city. Very modern though. Much more developed and spacious compared to Hanoi.
We went to the War Remnants Museum. It was such an eye opener. Very disturbing and more informative than the War Museum in Hanoi. There were lots of pictures of people born in the 80s and 90s with severe birth defects from the Agent Orange sprayed by the Americans. I hadn't realized before our trip to the museum that many of the people we have seen begging on the streets and working in some of the bus rest stations are disabled as a result of the war. It really made me realize how lucky I am to have been born where I was. In addition to some very graphic pictures there was even preserved fetuses with defects. I found this the the most disturbing.
We explored the city a bit more and called it a day! We decided to skip the Cu Chi tunnels because they are apparently quite similar to the Vinh Moc tunnels we saw in the DMZ but MUCH more narrow and small (40cm wide and under a metre high...underground). No thanks! The Vinh Moc tunnels made me uneasy enough!
Today we were awakened by what we thought was a marching band at about 5am! Later on in the day we found out it was a funeral procession...don't know why it was so early, but it was nice to find out what was going on!
We did a day trip today to the Mekong Delta. It was a long drive in a tiny bus...with minimal A/C and air. It was hell. We had a boat tour of the floating market when we arrived. It was really interesting! All of these big wooden boats that look like they have seen better days come to this floating market with produce to sell (wholesale - not for tourists...they sell it to the markets in the cities). They all hoist an item of the produce up a pole they have on their boat, (sweet potatoes, watermelons, squash, etc.) so all of the buyers know what they have for sale. They will apparently live in the market for quite some time and then head back home to where they live/farm eventually. Totally different lifestyle!
After our market tour we took smaller boats, each paddled by a Vietnamese woman. I felt bad for them having to paddle the boats in direct sunlight in the middle of the afternoon and the temperature being well over 30C. We had lunch and then took the larger motorized tour boat back. It was a nice day, and we were lucky that on the way back we got a bigger bus! :)
Oh! I almost forgot! Matt and I have had several experiences with the Durian fruit. I dont know what it is, but people INSIST on eating this absolutely stinky fruit in confined spaces (such as buses...we have experienced it twice now!). The people here absolutely LOVE it, however we do not. To me, it smells a bit like vomit...and boy is it pungent! You can smell it when it is cut from across the street! We tried some Durian flavour ice cream, just to see if it would taste better than it smells....who knew there would be ice cream I wouldn't like. :p
Tomorrow morning we are flying to Singapore and then to Jakarta. A full day of travel! The next day we start our first project. We have had an absolutely fabulous and eye-opening trip through Vietnam. I would love to come back one day and I recommend it to anyone looking for adventure! They have just about something for everyone though, from war history to ecotours and trekking. I would have to say though that the Vietnamese people are my favourite. They are all SO friendly, always smiling and extremely helpful. Nothing is ever too much to ask. The people combined with the beauty of Vietnam make it truly a fantastic place!
Until next time!
We went to the War Remnants Museum. It was such an eye opener. Very disturbing and more informative than the War Museum in Hanoi. There were lots of pictures of people born in the 80s and 90s with severe birth defects from the Agent Orange sprayed by the Americans. I hadn't realized before our trip to the museum that many of the people we have seen begging on the streets and working in some of the bus rest stations are disabled as a result of the war. It really made me realize how lucky I am to have been born where I was. In addition to some very graphic pictures there was even preserved fetuses with defects. I found this the the most disturbing.
We explored the city a bit more and called it a day! We decided to skip the Cu Chi tunnels because they are apparently quite similar to the Vinh Moc tunnels we saw in the DMZ but MUCH more narrow and small (40cm wide and under a metre high...underground). No thanks! The Vinh Moc tunnels made me uneasy enough!
Today we were awakened by what we thought was a marching band at about 5am! Later on in the day we found out it was a funeral procession...don't know why it was so early, but it was nice to find out what was going on!
We did a day trip today to the Mekong Delta. It was a long drive in a tiny bus...with minimal A/C and air. It was hell. We had a boat tour of the floating market when we arrived. It was really interesting! All of these big wooden boats that look like they have seen better days come to this floating market with produce to sell (wholesale - not for tourists...they sell it to the markets in the cities). They all hoist an item of the produce up a pole they have on their boat, (sweet potatoes, watermelons, squash, etc.) so all of the buyers know what they have for sale. They will apparently live in the market for quite some time and then head back home to where they live/farm eventually. Totally different lifestyle!
After our market tour we took smaller boats, each paddled by a Vietnamese woman. I felt bad for them having to paddle the boats in direct sunlight in the middle of the afternoon and the temperature being well over 30C. We had lunch and then took the larger motorized tour boat back. It was a nice day, and we were lucky that on the way back we got a bigger bus! :)
Oh! I almost forgot! Matt and I have had several experiences with the Durian fruit. I dont know what it is, but people INSIST on eating this absolutely stinky fruit in confined spaces (such as buses...we have experienced it twice now!). The people here absolutely LOVE it, however we do not. To me, it smells a bit like vomit...and boy is it pungent! You can smell it when it is cut from across the street! We tried some Durian flavour ice cream, just to see if it would taste better than it smells....who knew there would be ice cream I wouldn't like. :p
Tomorrow morning we are flying to Singapore and then to Jakarta. A full day of travel! The next day we start our first project. We have had an absolutely fabulous and eye-opening trip through Vietnam. I would love to come back one day and I recommend it to anyone looking for adventure! They have just about something for everyone though, from war history to ecotours and trekking. I would have to say though that the Vietnamese people are my favourite. They are all SO friendly, always smiling and extremely helpful. Nothing is ever too much to ask. The people combined with the beauty of Vietnam make it truly a fantastic place!
Until next time!
Friday, May 22, 2009
Mui Ne and Ho Chi Minh City
Today we left Mui Ne after a very short visit! We arrived yesterday afternoon and found the hotel we wanted to stay in. Lucky for us they had vacancy! I was a bit nervous just showing up in a city without reservations (just because we have never done it before) but it all worked out. we had a room that was practically on the beach, you walked out the door and took about 10 steps and you were on the sand. Only for $15 USD a night (for 2 people) with A/C! So CHEAP! The beds were a bit painful on our backs though :)
As soon as we dropped our bags off in our room we went onto the beach. The sand was so nice and white, and holy was the water was ROUGH! Mui Ne is a kiteboarding haven and the water was just full of them!!! We had about 15 right out infront of our beach chairs, and in total there was more than I could count up and down the beach! It was fun to watch them. Lots of Aussies, one was even living (by the looks of it) in our hotel directly on the beach giving kite lessons. What a life he has! After about an hour on the beach this WILD storm rolled in...these black clouds just came in out of nowhere! It was really cool to watch. Once it started to rain we relocated to our little balcony to watch the storm.
Today we spent the morning on the beach and I went for a swim (it was less rough in the morning) and then caught a bus in the afternoon to Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City). It would have been nice to stay longer but we are running out of time in Vietnam! It was a long ride, with a family of sick people (with a crying/screaming baby) behind us. All I have to say is that they don't cover their mouths/noses here when they cough or sneeze...perfect.
We havent seen much of Saigon thus far, but one thing I can tell you is that it is a MASSIVE city. Our hotel is down this little sketchy alley...it is so narrow and packed full of people, motos, shops, etc. We even saw a house that was no bigger than 5ftx5ft (literally a closet) with a toilet and kitchen on the main and a ladder going upstairs to a bedroom...pretty wild.
Tomorrow we are going to explore the city more and organize a trip to the Mekong Delta. It is crazy to think that we have almost been here 3 weeks and that our 'vacation' is nearly over. We start work on the 26th!
Will write again soon!
As soon as we dropped our bags off in our room we went onto the beach. The sand was so nice and white, and holy was the water was ROUGH! Mui Ne is a kiteboarding haven and the water was just full of them!!! We had about 15 right out infront of our beach chairs, and in total there was more than I could count up and down the beach! It was fun to watch them. Lots of Aussies, one was even living (by the looks of it) in our hotel directly on the beach giving kite lessons. What a life he has! After about an hour on the beach this WILD storm rolled in...these black clouds just came in out of nowhere! It was really cool to watch. Once it started to rain we relocated to our little balcony to watch the storm.
Today we spent the morning on the beach and I went for a swim (it was less rough in the morning) and then caught a bus in the afternoon to Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City). It would have been nice to stay longer but we are running out of time in Vietnam! It was a long ride, with a family of sick people (with a crying/screaming baby) behind us. All I have to say is that they don't cover their mouths/noses here when they cough or sneeze...perfect.
We havent seen much of Saigon thus far, but one thing I can tell you is that it is a MASSIVE city. Our hotel is down this little sketchy alley...it is so narrow and packed full of people, motos, shops, etc. We even saw a house that was no bigger than 5ftx5ft (literally a closet) with a toilet and kitchen on the main and a ladder going upstairs to a bedroom...pretty wild.
Tomorrow we are going to explore the city more and organize a trip to the Mekong Delta. It is crazy to think that we have almost been here 3 weeks and that our 'vacation' is nearly over. We start work on the 26th!
Will write again soon!
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Hoi An and Nha Trang
Just a quick update for the past few days -
Our cooking class in Hoi An was great! We got a tour of the market, and our guide pointed out some of the staple ingredients Vietnamese use in cooking, and some of the things we would be using. It was awesome! We then took a boat to a remote location on the river, where we started our class. We learned how to make rice paper, and made fresh spring rolls from what we made! We also got to make crispy pancakes and a eggplant clay pot. Everything we made, we got to eat! We also got to practice making decorative fans out of cucumbers and roses out of tomatoes! It was really fun. The chef and Matt even went fishing for crabs in the river and then when we were enjoying our meal he (the chef) brought over little battered (whole) deep fried crabs. It was kind of strange to eat the shell, but they were delicious!
The next day we rented bicycles and biked to the beach. We spent the morning there and then biked around the city just exploring. It was a nice day. We also picked up our clothes we had made. Unfortunately I dont really like some of the things I got, but I guess you win some, you lose some...it was pretty disappointing though.
So today we flew to Nha Trang, which is a costal city even more South. We decided that a few extra dollars spent and only a 40 minute flight compared to a 15 hour train ride would be worth it. When we arrived we decided to go to a spa on a river. We had a mud bath in a tub overlooking the river with mountains in the background. It was AWESOME! We also got massages for about 6USD. 45 minutes, whole body...the ladies even massaged us with their knees and walked up and down our backs! It was wonderful!
Anyways, tomorrow we are heading about 5 hours even more South by bus to Mui Ne, another beach town. We are hoping to get a bungalow on the beach, but it is still in the works!
Will write again soon!
Our cooking class in Hoi An was great! We got a tour of the market, and our guide pointed out some of the staple ingredients Vietnamese use in cooking, and some of the things we would be using. It was awesome! We then took a boat to a remote location on the river, where we started our class. We learned how to make rice paper, and made fresh spring rolls from what we made! We also got to make crispy pancakes and a eggplant clay pot. Everything we made, we got to eat! We also got to practice making decorative fans out of cucumbers and roses out of tomatoes! It was really fun. The chef and Matt even went fishing for crabs in the river and then when we were enjoying our meal he (the chef) brought over little battered (whole) deep fried crabs. It was kind of strange to eat the shell, but they were delicious!
The next day we rented bicycles and biked to the beach. We spent the morning there and then biked around the city just exploring. It was a nice day. We also picked up our clothes we had made. Unfortunately I dont really like some of the things I got, but I guess you win some, you lose some...it was pretty disappointing though.
So today we flew to Nha Trang, which is a costal city even more South. We decided that a few extra dollars spent and only a 40 minute flight compared to a 15 hour train ride would be worth it. When we arrived we decided to go to a spa on a river. We had a mud bath in a tub overlooking the river with mountains in the background. It was AWESOME! We also got massages for about 6USD. 45 minutes, whole body...the ladies even massaged us with their knees and walked up and down our backs! It was wonderful!
Anyways, tomorrow we are heading about 5 hours even more South by bus to Mui Ne, another beach town. We are hoping to get a bungalow on the beach, but it is still in the works!
Will write again soon!
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Hoi An
So as I am sitting down to write this a lizard just ran by me...just a little one :)
Today we arrived in Hoi An! It was about 4 hours by bus, and we had no problems! It was great!
Hoi An is a BEAUTIFUL quaint town on a river. It is known for it's beautiful silk and tailors, and it is a UNESCO world heritage site.
We went to the market today and you literally just sit down and look through books, pick out an item of clothing you like, you pick your fabric (any colour or type of fabric - silk, cashmere, etc.), they measure you and in about 24 hours it is ready! They will also do re-fitting for you, and the best part is that it is SO incredibly cheap! I got some dresses made and a women's suit made...I have to admit I went a bit crazy and will have to mail some things home...but it is still worth it! I even got SHOES made - custom for me! We have to pick all of our things up tomorrow, it was such an experience...for the both of us!
Tomorrow we are taking a cooking course, they take us to the market to buy ingredients and then we spend the morning learning how to make Vietnamese dishes. The best part is, is that we get to eat what we make! We will probably also go to the beach either tomorrow or the next day, as the beaches around Hoi An are some of the most beautiful in Vietnam.
Anyways, that's all for now! Will write again tomorrow!
Today we arrived in Hoi An! It was about 4 hours by bus, and we had no problems! It was great!
Hoi An is a BEAUTIFUL quaint town on a river. It is known for it's beautiful silk and tailors, and it is a UNESCO world heritage site.
We went to the market today and you literally just sit down and look through books, pick out an item of clothing you like, you pick your fabric (any colour or type of fabric - silk, cashmere, etc.), they measure you and in about 24 hours it is ready! They will also do re-fitting for you, and the best part is that it is SO incredibly cheap! I got some dresses made and a women's suit made...I have to admit I went a bit crazy and will have to mail some things home...but it is still worth it! I even got SHOES made - custom for me! We have to pick all of our things up tomorrow, it was such an experience...for the both of us!
Tomorrow we are taking a cooking course, they take us to the market to buy ingredients and then we spend the morning learning how to make Vietnamese dishes. The best part is, is that we get to eat what we make! We will probably also go to the beach either tomorrow or the next day, as the beaches around Hoi An are some of the most beautiful in Vietnam.
Anyways, that's all for now! Will write again tomorrow!
Saturday, May 16, 2009
DMZ tour
Yesterday it was HOT! 37 degrees C!
We went on the DMZ tour yesterday, driving around to see the old American military bases and learning more about the war. It was A LOT of driving, but it was really interesting. Our guide even told our fortunes by reading our palms...it was amusing!
Our guide descrbed the DMZ as a place where there was no fighting and no living. A place that was completely bombed out by the Americans. We could still see all of the bomb craters that farmers have turned into fishing holes! It made me sad to hear about the war, and about 'Agent Orange'...but it was interesting to say the least! Our guide told us that the older Vietnamese forgive the Americans but it is hard for them to forget. I don't blame them. From his stories it kind of put our visit to the War Museum in Hanoi into perspective. It made sense that all of the old people we saw there were primarily women, as a lot of husbands were killed. I found it interesting too though, because Vietnamese women volunteered to fight in the war as well or joined the war effort.
We also stopped at another ethnic minority village and walked through. All of the grubby kids came out and followed us, they really got a kick out of me taking pictures of them and showing them to them!
Our last stop on the tour was the Vinh Moc Tunnels, and WOW are they CRAZY! there are 3 levels of them, and I think the deepest one went 25m underground. Some 300 people hid there for over 6 years during the war. 17 children were even born under there. The tunnels are so long that the guide told us it would take 4 days to see all of them. They had everything, including family rooms where 2-4 people could sit, wells for fresh water, washing rooms, and maternity rooms. It was crazy! I couldnt imagine living under the ground in such confinement for 6 years!!!
Anwyays, today we are off to Hoi An, the silk capital of Vietnam! It is only a 2 hour bus ride or so....so fingers crossed we have more luck with transport this time!!!!
We went on the DMZ tour yesterday, driving around to see the old American military bases and learning more about the war. It was A LOT of driving, but it was really interesting. Our guide even told our fortunes by reading our palms...it was amusing!
Our guide descrbed the DMZ as a place where there was no fighting and no living. A place that was completely bombed out by the Americans. We could still see all of the bomb craters that farmers have turned into fishing holes! It made me sad to hear about the war, and about 'Agent Orange'...but it was interesting to say the least! Our guide told us that the older Vietnamese forgive the Americans but it is hard for them to forget. I don't blame them. From his stories it kind of put our visit to the War Museum in Hanoi into perspective. It made sense that all of the old people we saw there were primarily women, as a lot of husbands were killed. I found it interesting too though, because Vietnamese women volunteered to fight in the war as well or joined the war effort.
We also stopped at another ethnic minority village and walked through. All of the grubby kids came out and followed us, they really got a kick out of me taking pictures of them and showing them to them!
Our last stop on the tour was the Vinh Moc Tunnels, and WOW are they CRAZY! there are 3 levels of them, and I think the deepest one went 25m underground. Some 300 people hid there for over 6 years during the war. 17 children were even born under there. The tunnels are so long that the guide told us it would take 4 days to see all of them. They had everything, including family rooms where 2-4 people could sit, wells for fresh water, washing rooms, and maternity rooms. It was crazy! I couldnt imagine living under the ground in such confinement for 6 years!!!
Anwyays, today we are off to Hoi An, the silk capital of Vietnam! It is only a 2 hour bus ride or so....so fingers crossed we have more luck with transport this time!!!!
Friday, May 15, 2009
Hue
Well today was our first day in Hue, the ancient capital of Vietnam. Next year will be the 1000 year anniversary of when it was moved to Hanoi.
Yesterday we took the train and we were supposed to arrive around 12am, but instead we were about 2.5hrs late. We dont seem to have the best luck with transport here! The train actually ended up breaking down, making us really late. We were worried about our hotel, and whether they were going to be there to pick us up/have us check in, but they were there and it all worked out.
The Imperial City
We set out this morning just to explore the city, stopping for some delicious fresh fruit shakes along the way for about 50 cents each! Everything is so cheap here! It was a beautiful day - the first that was not totally overcast and boy was it HOT! We walked by the Perfume River and saw the 'floating villages' of make-shift boats that people live in. It was a real eye opener. We also explored the Citadel and the Imperial City. It was absolutely beautiful. They even had elephants there! They were chained up though, which made me sad - but at least they had some shade. One thing I have definitely noticed about the Vietnamese is that sadly, they don't take care of their animals very well (nowhere near our North American standards, that's for sure). I don't think it is intentional though. I think it is because A) they don't get it and/or B) they don't have the resources for proper care. We have seen similar things where animals (dogs, cats, ducks...) are kept in the sun tied up, often without food and most importantly, water. It is really sad.
A floating village
On our way back to the hotel we stopped at the market and I bartered for some mangos and a kind of fruit I have never seen before. These fruit are purple and are white and segmented like an orange inside, but each segment has a brown pit in the middle. Strange, but they are delicious! I asked a lady what they were called but I still can't pronounce it...it is something similar to the word mango, but not.
Anyways, that is pretty much all we got up to today...just a relaxing day. We needed it! Up until this point it has really been go go go! Tomorrow we are off the the DMZ (the demilitarized zone) and the Vinh Moc tunnels. It will be a full day!
Will write again soon...
Yesterday we took the train and we were supposed to arrive around 12am, but instead we were about 2.5hrs late. We dont seem to have the best luck with transport here! The train actually ended up breaking down, making us really late. We were worried about our hotel, and whether they were going to be there to pick us up/have us check in, but they were there and it all worked out.
The Imperial City
We set out this morning just to explore the city, stopping for some delicious fresh fruit shakes along the way for about 50 cents each! Everything is so cheap here! It was a beautiful day - the first that was not totally overcast and boy was it HOT! We walked by the Perfume River and saw the 'floating villages' of make-shift boats that people live in. It was a real eye opener. We also explored the Citadel and the Imperial City. It was absolutely beautiful. They even had elephants there! They were chained up though, which made me sad - but at least they had some shade. One thing I have definitely noticed about the Vietnamese is that sadly, they don't take care of their animals very well (nowhere near our North American standards, that's for sure). I don't think it is intentional though. I think it is because A) they don't get it and/or B) they don't have the resources for proper care. We have seen similar things where animals (dogs, cats, ducks...) are kept in the sun tied up, often without food and most importantly, water. It is really sad.
A floating village
On our way back to the hotel we stopped at the market and I bartered for some mangos and a kind of fruit I have never seen before. These fruit are purple and are white and segmented like an orange inside, but each segment has a brown pit in the middle. Strange, but they are delicious! I asked a lady what they were called but I still can't pronounce it...it is something similar to the word mango, but not.
Anyways, that is pretty much all we got up to today...just a relaxing day. We needed it! Up until this point it has really been go go go! Tomorrow we are off the the DMZ (the demilitarized zone) and the Vinh Moc tunnels. It will be a full day!
Will write again soon...
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Cuc Phuong National Park
So we ended up taking a sleeper bus from Hanoi to Ninh Binh. All I have to say is, NEVER again! It was so cramped with no A/C and broke down, making us more than 2 hours late. We were worried that out hotel in Ninh Binh was going to close and that we would not have a place! But it all worked out and the owner of the hotel was at the bus stop waiting for us. He and his family run the hotel and they are the nicest most helpful people.
Yesterday we took motorcycle taxis to Cuc Phoung National Park. It was about 1.5hrs through pineapple fields and farm land. We passed by lots of cows and water buffalo - some were even on the road!
We got to the park and had a tour of their primate rehabilitation center and got to see all kinds of Langurs and Gibbon Monkeys. Even the endangered Delacur Langur, also known as the 'white shorts monkey'. From there we rented bicycles and went 20km into the park to a 7km trail we wanted to hike deep in the jungle. On our way we saw thousands of butterflies, all different colours (yellow, white, blue, black, orange...).We had to bike through big clouds of them - it was so beautul! On the hike we got to see a few caves and a MASSIVE 1000 year old tree.
Biking through butterflies
1000 year old tree
Sometimes on our hike it got so dark because the canopy was so thick. It even started to rain at one point but the rain didnt even reach us!
On our bike back we climbed up to a cave that prehistoric human remains had been found in (dating back 7500 years). It was a massive cave, but all of the findings had been removed.
We finally reached the place we were staying at, dirty, exhausted and sweaty. 40km of biking and more than a 7km hike in the swealtering heat was a lot for both of us! It was so worth it though. The jungle was really beautiful, despite the giant spiders....
We spent the night in the park and this morning took motorcycles back via a different route. We went through tons of rice fields, some of them flooded from the massive amounts of rain they had the night before. There were people up to their necks in water in the fields trying to harvest the rice in time. It was really interesting and beautiful.
Anyways, today we are heading even more South to Hue. We have a 10hr train ride, which we are not really looking forward to...haha
That's all for now!!!
Yesterday we took motorcycle taxis to Cuc Phoung National Park. It was about 1.5hrs through pineapple fields and farm land. We passed by lots of cows and water buffalo - some were even on the road!
We got to the park and had a tour of their primate rehabilitation center and got to see all kinds of Langurs and Gibbon Monkeys. Even the endangered Delacur Langur, also known as the 'white shorts monkey'. From there we rented bicycles and went 20km into the park to a 7km trail we wanted to hike deep in the jungle. On our way we saw thousands of butterflies, all different colours (yellow, white, blue, black, orange...).We had to bike through big clouds of them - it was so beautul! On the hike we got to see a few caves and a MASSIVE 1000 year old tree.
Biking through butterflies
1000 year old tree
Sometimes on our hike it got so dark because the canopy was so thick. It even started to rain at one point but the rain didnt even reach us!
On our bike back we climbed up to a cave that prehistoric human remains had been found in (dating back 7500 years). It was a massive cave, but all of the findings had been removed.
We finally reached the place we were staying at, dirty, exhausted and sweaty. 40km of biking and more than a 7km hike in the swealtering heat was a lot for both of us! It was so worth it though. The jungle was really beautiful, despite the giant spiders....
We spent the night in the park and this morning took motorcycles back via a different route. We went through tons of rice fields, some of them flooded from the massive amounts of rain they had the night before. There were people up to their necks in water in the fields trying to harvest the rice in time. It was really interesting and beautiful.
Anyways, today we are heading even more South to Hue. We have a 10hr train ride, which we are not really looking forward to...haha
That's all for now!!!
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Sapa and Ha Long Bay
Hi Everyone! So we are back in Hanoi for about half an hour until we start our journey South. We are on our way to Ninh Binh, and tomorrow we are going to Cuc Phoung National Park.
We had an amazing time in Sapa. On our second day we took a 5 hour hike down the mountains into the valleys of rice fields and we really lucked out, the weather was AMAZING! We visited more ethnic minority villages and had lunch in one of them. We took motorcycle taxis back up, I was a bit nervous at first (as was matt) but it was such an experience to be winding up the mountain side with the sun shining and fresh air with beautiful views of all of the rice fields...(dont worry mom - I wore a helmet and they didn't go over 50km an hour).
So that night we took a night train back to Hanoi and then caught a bus to Ha Long Bay. While we were waiting we saw something you definitely don't see everyday. Since it was early in the morning when we arrived, people were making deliveries. We saw 2 motorbikes with about 6 pigs each on them! They had recently been slaughtered and all of their guts had been taken out and they were just draped over the bike in front of and behind the driver...some of their faces were being dragged on the road....pretty wild.
Anyways, enough about the pigs....Halong Bay is such a magical place, with huge limestone pinnacles rising out of the ocean. It was a bit misty which made it that much more beautiful and mysterious. I have some great pictures and will post them when Ryan meets up with us with his computer. Later on in the day we had beautiful weather again! (LUCKY!) We took a boat out and stayed overnight on the boat in the bay. We went kayaking around the islands (there are over 2,000 islands in the area) and into a grotto you can only reach by small boat. It was so nice. That night Matt told the captain of the boat it was my birthday, and he brought out wine to celebrate, and this morning I had all of these vegetables carved into flowers at my place. It made my birthday extra special :)
Today we went to visit a HUGE cave on one of the islands. It had 3 chambers and was about 10,000 square meters. SO amazing. Then we had a hellish bus ride back to Hanoi. Seriously. Our bus pretty much had no shocks and we were bouncing forwards and backwards...I have never experienced anything quite like it.
Anyways, will write again when we get internet again!!!!
We had an amazing time in Sapa. On our second day we took a 5 hour hike down the mountains into the valleys of rice fields and we really lucked out, the weather was AMAZING! We visited more ethnic minority villages and had lunch in one of them. We took motorcycle taxis back up, I was a bit nervous at first (as was matt) but it was such an experience to be winding up the mountain side with the sun shining and fresh air with beautiful views of all of the rice fields...(dont worry mom - I wore a helmet and they didn't go over 50km an hour).
So that night we took a night train back to Hanoi and then caught a bus to Ha Long Bay. While we were waiting we saw something you definitely don't see everyday. Since it was early in the morning when we arrived, people were making deliveries. We saw 2 motorbikes with about 6 pigs each on them! They had recently been slaughtered and all of their guts had been taken out and they were just draped over the bike in front of and behind the driver...some of their faces were being dragged on the road....pretty wild.
Anyways, enough about the pigs....Halong Bay is such a magical place, with huge limestone pinnacles rising out of the ocean. It was a bit misty which made it that much more beautiful and mysterious. I have some great pictures and will post them when Ryan meets up with us with his computer. Later on in the day we had beautiful weather again! (LUCKY!) We took a boat out and stayed overnight on the boat in the bay. We went kayaking around the islands (there are over 2,000 islands in the area) and into a grotto you can only reach by small boat. It was so nice. That night Matt told the captain of the boat it was my birthday, and he brought out wine to celebrate, and this morning I had all of these vegetables carved into flowers at my place. It made my birthday extra special :)
Today we went to visit a HUGE cave on one of the islands. It had 3 chambers and was about 10,000 square meters. SO amazing. Then we had a hellish bus ride back to Hanoi. Seriously. Our bus pretty much had no shocks and we were bouncing forwards and backwards...I have never experienced anything quite like it.
Anyways, will write again when we get internet again!!!!
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Sapa
So we are in Sapa, an old vacation spot for the french back in the day. Sapa is very close to China (only about 39km). It's very cool and damp here, a nice change from the sweltering heat.
We took the overnight train and had minimal sleep, so we are pretty exhausted! We arrived early, around 5:30, and then took a winding mountain road up to Sapa.
View from our hotel
As soon as the women in the streets saw our bus, they started running and chasing us, faces pressed up against the glass. They are dressed in their beautiful indigo hemp traditional dress, and always ask what your name is, where you are from, and how old you are...and then if you will buy something from them. After breakfast we has a short nap and then went for a walk around. About 6 of them were waiting for us and were our shadows for the better part of our walk. We walked around, through a market, saw more dog heads piled high for sale and little baby birds on sticks for roasting. As soon as we stopped to take a picture of the scenery, that's when all of our "shadow's" came out asking us to buy. We tried telling them we couldn't buy from all of them, and they said that wasn't fair...it was pretty difficult, especially since most of them are children.
After our walk we grabbed some lunch and then went for a walk through an ethnic minority village (Black H'Muong) and got to see how the people live. Walking through all of the rice fields and seeing the buffalo and pigs right up close was really cool. We also saw a huge field of marijuana, which they grow for the hemp they make their outfits and fabric out of (our guide told us they just discard the leaves...)
Tomorrow we are taking a trek through the mountains for 4-6 hours which we are looking forward to! Hopefully the rain holds out (it has been raining here quite a bit because of a cyclone that is circling around SE Asia). After our trek we are taking the night train back to Hanoi and heading out to Ha Long Bay where we will be spending a night on a junk (boat) and kayaking (weather permitting). Not sure when we will have internet next, but will write again when we get the chance!
We took the overnight train and had minimal sleep, so we are pretty exhausted! We arrived early, around 5:30, and then took a winding mountain road up to Sapa.
View from our hotel
As soon as the women in the streets saw our bus, they started running and chasing us, faces pressed up against the glass. They are dressed in their beautiful indigo hemp traditional dress, and always ask what your name is, where you are from, and how old you are...and then if you will buy something from them. After breakfast we has a short nap and then went for a walk around. About 6 of them were waiting for us and were our shadows for the better part of our walk. We walked around, through a market, saw more dog heads piled high for sale and little baby birds on sticks for roasting. As soon as we stopped to take a picture of the scenery, that's when all of our "shadow's" came out asking us to buy. We tried telling them we couldn't buy from all of them, and they said that wasn't fair...it was pretty difficult, especially since most of them are children.
After our walk we grabbed some lunch and then went for a walk through an ethnic minority village (Black H'Muong) and got to see how the people live. Walking through all of the rice fields and seeing the buffalo and pigs right up close was really cool. We also saw a huge field of marijuana, which they grow for the hemp they make their outfits and fabric out of (our guide told us they just discard the leaves...)
Tomorrow we are taking a trek through the mountains for 4-6 hours which we are looking forward to! Hopefully the rain holds out (it has been raining here quite a bit because of a cyclone that is circling around SE Asia). After our trek we are taking the night train back to Hanoi and heading out to Ha Long Bay where we will be spending a night on a junk (boat) and kayaking (weather permitting). Not sure when we will have internet next, but will write again when we get the chance!
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Hanoi, Vietnam - Day 3
Well, today we broke a record - We saw 4 people on a motorcycle (usually the max. is 3)! Mom and Dad, with baby in front and an older child in behind (no helmets)! I still cant get over the girls all done up in high heel stilettos revving their bike engines in the street! It's too funny! We also saw some man driving his motorcycle and drinking beer...totally different set of rules/lack of them!
Today we went for a walk to the large indoor market, Dong Xuan. IT'S HUGE and FULL of things...3 stories high and has lots of places where you can get things custom tailored to you. I have never seen anything like it.
Part of the Market
It poured rain on an off in the morning and we got caught in it walking to and from the market, but since it is so hot here (today it was over 34 degrees C) our pants dried pretty quick. :)
We had lunch at this open air kitchen with typical squatting stools. We had Pho with Bo (beef), it came from this huge gross looking pot, but it was hot (which means it was safe to eat) and delicious! It cost us less than 4 dollars for 2 bowls and two huge beers!
After lunch we took a cab to the museum of ethnology, where there were tons of exhibits on all of the ethinic minorit\y tribes in Vietnam. I found out what makes the old ladies' teeth so black - it is a nut they chew called betel. It can be mixed with chewing tabacco or lime, and I think they said it is addictive...interesting!
(Me) Walking down one of the busy streets of Hanoi
We also went to the water puppet show, it was very touristy but interesting to say the least. There are these puppets that are controlled by bamboo sticks, and the puppeteers sit in the water behind a bamboo screen to control them. They also had some musicians playing traditional folk music to accompany the puppet show.
Anyways, today was our last full day in Hanoi. Tomorrow night we are off to Sapa - in the North, near China. We are leaving at night and taking an overnight train to spend 2 days there. We are going trekking and visiting some of the hilltribe villages. I am looking forward to it!
Anyways, that's all for today...
Today we went for a walk to the large indoor market, Dong Xuan. IT'S HUGE and FULL of things...3 stories high and has lots of places where you can get things custom tailored to you. I have never seen anything like it.
Part of the Market
It poured rain on an off in the morning and we got caught in it walking to and from the market, but since it is so hot here (today it was over 34 degrees C) our pants dried pretty quick. :)
We had lunch at this open air kitchen with typical squatting stools. We had Pho with Bo (beef), it came from this huge gross looking pot, but it was hot (which means it was safe to eat) and delicious! It cost us less than 4 dollars for 2 bowls and two huge beers!
After lunch we took a cab to the museum of ethnology, where there were tons of exhibits on all of the ethinic minorit\y tribes in Vietnam. I found out what makes the old ladies' teeth so black - it is a nut they chew called betel. It can be mixed with chewing tabacco or lime, and I think they said it is addictive...interesting!
(Me) Walking down one of the busy streets of Hanoi
We also went to the water puppet show, it was very touristy but interesting to say the least. There are these puppets that are controlled by bamboo sticks, and the puppeteers sit in the water behind a bamboo screen to control them. They also had some musicians playing traditional folk music to accompany the puppet show.
Anyways, today was our last full day in Hanoi. Tomorrow night we are off to Sapa - in the North, near China. We are leaving at night and taking an overnight train to spend 2 days there. We are going trekking and visiting some of the hilltribe villages. I am looking forward to it!
Anyways, that's all for today...
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Hanoi, Vietnam - Day 2
Today was an early start, not really by choice though as we are still really jet lagged. We changed rooms, no rooster, but we were still up around 5am. Our room is much smaller, but still nice, besides a funky noise the bathroom makes when you flush the toilet...
So we had an early breakfast of jam and cheese with bread ( a bit more Western), and headed out of the Old Quarter on foot. We get hassled a lot for taxi and cyclo rides (which are like a cart pulled by a man on a bicycle). We always hear "YOU-WHO...One Hour...One Hour" and despite shaking our heads no, they keep following us. Eventually they give up though.
Outside of the Old Quarter is really different, much more space, less tourists, and less pestering from vendors and drivers. There are HUGE palace like houses surrounding the city's citadel. We took in quite a bit, and being up so early we saw lots of kids biking to school, often 2 to a bike, no helmets, and motorcycles whizzing around them.
Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum
We got to Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum fairly early and got to go through the compound. They told us cameras were not allowed, but once inside it seemed like everyone had a camera, which was kind of frustrating. Anyways, we got to go through the Mausoleum, which houses 'Uncle Ho's' embalmed body. It was wild. There were so many armed guards. Matt got instructed to keep his arms at his side because he had them behind his back. We got to walk around the glass caskett and take a good look at Ho in his favourite Kahki outfit.
Afterwards we went for a walk around the compound and saw his house on stilts and the one pillar pagoda near by. It was nice and quite, lots of beautiful trees and flowers. We didnt really have time to go to the Ho Chi Minh museum because it closed at 11am or so. Not too upsetting though...
We had a few hours to kill before the War Museum opened so we went back to Hoan Kiem Lake and enjoyed people watching and wrote a bit in our journals. We got gawked at a bit, and some guy took our picture/filmed us. It was weird. There was also a sweet old man listening to the radio just across from us, and he came over to take a look at our hand writing. We then headed out for lunch for some comfort food, to a little italian place where we had pasta and wood-fired pizza for lunch.
The Military Museum
Next up was the Military museum housing all of the vietnam-american war relics. It must have been a tour day, as there was a bus load of elderly vietnamese people, who obviously experienced the war. I also assume they were not from Hanoi, or from anywhere where they would see tourists. As soon as they saw Matt and I they swarmed us! They all loved touching us, me in particular. One lady was pinching my cheeks and touching my hair. She was so excited to see me and was trying to talk to me in Vietnamese. A little boy translated a bit for me, telling me she was asking me how old I was, saying how tall I was and asking why I wasn't married. It was quite the experience! All of them were so friendly and smiling...with the blackest teeth I have ever seen! Matt says it is from the tabacco or (something similar) they chew.
So tonight we are off for dinner (last night it was at a place called Bun Bo Nam Bo, where they only serve one dish - Bun Bo, and you order by saying how many bowls you want). We are going to a place which books tours to Ha Long Bay, so that way we get two birds with one stone.
Will write again soon!
So we had an early breakfast of jam and cheese with bread ( a bit more Western), and headed out of the Old Quarter on foot. We get hassled a lot for taxi and cyclo rides (which are like a cart pulled by a man on a bicycle). We always hear "YOU-WHO...One Hour...One Hour" and despite shaking our heads no, they keep following us. Eventually they give up though.
Outside of the Old Quarter is really different, much more space, less tourists, and less pestering from vendors and drivers. There are HUGE palace like houses surrounding the city's citadel. We took in quite a bit, and being up so early we saw lots of kids biking to school, often 2 to a bike, no helmets, and motorcycles whizzing around them.
Ho Chi Minh's MausoleumWe got to Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum fairly early and got to go through the compound. They told us cameras were not allowed, but once inside it seemed like everyone had a camera, which was kind of frustrating. Anyways, we got to go through the Mausoleum, which houses 'Uncle Ho's' embalmed body. It was wild. There were so many armed guards. Matt got instructed to keep his arms at his side because he had them behind his back. We got to walk around the glass caskett and take a good look at Ho in his favourite Kahki outfit.
Afterwards we went for a walk around the compound and saw his house on stilts and the one pillar pagoda near by. It was nice and quite, lots of beautiful trees and flowers. We didnt really have time to go to the Ho Chi Minh museum because it closed at 11am or so. Not too upsetting though...
We had a few hours to kill before the War Museum opened so we went back to Hoan Kiem Lake and enjoyed people watching and wrote a bit in our journals. We got gawked at a bit, and some guy took our picture/filmed us. It was weird. There was also a sweet old man listening to the radio just across from us, and he came over to take a look at our hand writing. We then headed out for lunch for some comfort food, to a little italian place where we had pasta and wood-fired pizza for lunch.
The Military MuseumNext up was the Military museum housing all of the vietnam-american war relics. It must have been a tour day, as there was a bus load of elderly vietnamese people, who obviously experienced the war. I also assume they were not from Hanoi, or from anywhere where they would see tourists. As soon as they saw Matt and I they swarmed us! They all loved touching us, me in particular. One lady was pinching my cheeks and touching my hair. She was so excited to see me and was trying to talk to me in Vietnamese. A little boy translated a bit for me, telling me she was asking me how old I was, saying how tall I was and asking why I wasn't married. It was quite the experience! All of them were so friendly and smiling...with the blackest teeth I have ever seen! Matt says it is from the tabacco or (something similar) they chew.
So tonight we are off for dinner (last night it was at a place called Bun Bo Nam Bo, where they only serve one dish - Bun Bo, and you order by saying how many bowls you want). We are going to a place which books tours to Ha Long Bay, so that way we get two birds with one stone.
Will write again soon!
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Hanoi, Vietnam
Well, after about 30 some odd hours of being underway we arrived in Hanoi. It was a long and exhausting trip! They were screening people in both the Seoul and Hanoi airports, giving out surveys and taking temperatures with ear thermometers (don't know the real name...), but anyways, we both got through no problems. Our driver to our hotel eventually showed up, (which was HUGE relief to both of us) and it was about a 40 minute ride to our hotel. We checked in, and we were in bed probably around midnight Vietnam time...
4:40 am we were awakened by a rooster crowing outside. It probably went on and off for about 15 minutes....until WAY past 10am. It was terrible...all we wanted was SLEEP!!!
Around 8 we gave up trying to sleep (the honking in the streets had started by this time too) and decided to get ready to start the day. Our hotel provides breakfast, and we had the choice of one main dish and one drink. We both got the beef noodle soup (pho). It was good, but was definitely not cheerios! Haha!
So today was pretty overwhelming for us both. Still jet lagged and extremely tired, everything seems much more severe/amplified. Also, not being used to the extreme heat and humidity can be quite taxing when you are over tired!
Anyways, we had a pretty full day, and saying it was interesting is an understatement!!! We saw everything from a woman holding her child by the back of the knees to poop in the public park, a motor bike accident in the street leading to a fist fight, to roasted dogs head with scorched intestines on the side displayed (to eat) in a restaurant we were thinking of having lunch at.
Hanoi is such a busy city!!! There are so many people and it is SO hot. Surprisingly it is a fairly clean city (relatively) and it only smells really bad in some parts. The streets are completely full of motorcycles at ALL times, whizzing in and out between cars and pedestrians. Most of the sidewalks are crowded with parked bikes and tables/stools/goods so there is no room to walk and you are forced to walk on the streets with the motorcycles racing by you with inches (in most cases) to spare!!! Crossing the road is an adventure in itself! There are cross walks, but a) if they work and b) if people adhere to them are completely different stories! You have to just walk out and trust that they will go around you or slow up (usually they just swerve around you)...and honk. Always honking...
So we did a walking tour today which took a few hours. We got to see some pretty neat districts in the Old Quarter, where we are staying. There is one street that is completely full of cheap toys from China. Seriously, every single inch of every shop and it's sidewalk were COVERED with toys in packages. There was also a bamboo district, and a silk district, among others.
There are tons of vendors walking around with baskets full of fruit or doughnuts, and other weird and wonderful things. Lots of booths selling food - meat out in the open with flies and feral cats licking at it (no joke, I have a picture).
Some fruit for sale in the street
Anyways, that is just an idea of what we have been up to today. We are calling it an early night since we are both SO tired. I will be lucky and happy if I make it until 8pm tonight! We are trying to stay up as late as possible so the jet lag doesn't last long.
Tomorrow we are doing museums, a temple or two and perhaps a market.
Will post again soon!!!
4:40 am we were awakened by a rooster crowing outside. It probably went on and off for about 15 minutes....until WAY past 10am. It was terrible...all we wanted was SLEEP!!!
Around 8 we gave up trying to sleep (the honking in the streets had started by this time too) and decided to get ready to start the day. Our hotel provides breakfast, and we had the choice of one main dish and one drink. We both got the beef noodle soup (pho). It was good, but was definitely not cheerios! Haha!
So today was pretty overwhelming for us both. Still jet lagged and extremely tired, everything seems much more severe/amplified. Also, not being used to the extreme heat and humidity can be quite taxing when you are over tired!
Anyways, we had a pretty full day, and saying it was interesting is an understatement!!! We saw everything from a woman holding her child by the back of the knees to poop in the public park, a motor bike accident in the street leading to a fist fight, to roasted dogs head with scorched intestines on the side displayed (to eat) in a restaurant we were thinking of having lunch at.
Hanoi is such a busy city!!! There are so many people and it is SO hot. Surprisingly it is a fairly clean city (relatively) and it only smells really bad in some parts. The streets are completely full of motorcycles at ALL times, whizzing in and out between cars and pedestrians. Most of the sidewalks are crowded with parked bikes and tables/stools/goods so there is no room to walk and you are forced to walk on the streets with the motorcycles racing by you with inches (in most cases) to spare!!! Crossing the road is an adventure in itself! There are cross walks, but a) if they work and b) if people adhere to them are completely different stories! You have to just walk out and trust that they will go around you or slow up (usually they just swerve around you)...and honk. Always honking...
So we did a walking tour today which took a few hours. We got to see some pretty neat districts in the Old Quarter, where we are staying. There is one street that is completely full of cheap toys from China. Seriously, every single inch of every shop and it's sidewalk were COVERED with toys in packages. There was also a bamboo district, and a silk district, among others.
There are tons of vendors walking around with baskets full of fruit or doughnuts, and other weird and wonderful things. Lots of booths selling food - meat out in the open with flies and feral cats licking at it (no joke, I have a picture).
Some fruit for sale in the street
Anyways, that is just an idea of what we have been up to today. We are calling it an early night since we are both SO tired. I will be lucky and happy if I make it until 8pm tonight! We are trying to stay up as late as possible so the jet lag doesn't last long.
Tomorrow we are doing museums, a temple or two and perhaps a market.
Will post again soon!!!
Saturday, May 2, 2009
And I'm Off!
So, my backpack is packed and everything is pretty much all set! I am SO excited, but a little bit nervous at the same time. This week has absolutely flown by!!! I can't believe that a week ago we had just finished writing exams!
My parents and I are going to Oakville this afternoon. We are visiting my Oma and Opa and then staying with some family friends, the Foremans. My parents wanted to bring me to the airport, and since my flight leaves at 7:30am, it's best we stay overnight somewhere a bit closer.
We first fly to Vancouver and have a few hours as a stop over. From there we fly to Seoul, Korea where we have a really long stop over of around 6 hours (ugh!). And finally from Seoul we fly to our first destination, Hanoi, Vietnam!
We have made arrangements with a hotel and they are going to pick us up when our flight arrives May 4, at 9:50pm (their time). I am really looking forward to this, but it doesn't quite feel real yet!
So I guess that's all for now...my next post will be from SE Asia!!!
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