the world for more than it simply is

It seems that the majority of temples in this town are only accessible through a city temple tour. Along the way around town, Hac and I ran into Maya and Sin-Kahn from Nha Trang. Hearing their advice, we headed to the Marble Mountains for the day by private taxi.

Tomorrow we are heading to Da Nang at 7:30am.

Second day here in Hoi An.  Today we will visit the temples in town along with the Tran ancestral site which Hac of Tran origins is very eager to see.

Yesterday we explored the town and came across several temples and the sizable Cho Hoi An marketplace.  To our luck, we met an old woman with a boat who offered to row us around the lake in the middle of the city for 30000d.  The boat ride, what seemed like well over an hour long (in actuality only thirty or so minutes), was an refreshing change of pace.  With the blaring sun shining down upon us, we learned the old woman had been in Hoi An for 4 years thus far and originated from the nha que regions.

Afterwards, Hac and I rented bicycles for a mere 10000d and explored the city.  We came a restaurant called Minh Quoc on the other side of town and had lunch there.  To our surprise, everything was freshly prepared as they bought their ingredients from Cho Hoi An–steamed squid, sweet and sour squid, won-ton soup, and fried spring rolls.  The restaurant owner, who I believe was named Lam, was a friendly fellow who provided us with a history of the area along with his family history.  Moreover, he even wrote down the lyrics of the song “Trong Com” upon request.

After a filling lunch, Hac and I biked our way to the beaches 4km away from the central area of town.  To our disappointment, there was a mandatory garage area where bicycles and motorbikes were to be stored before entering the beach.  However, we cleverly took a side street right before the surface lot and got onto the beach without paying that entry fee.  The beaches here are nice with the waters warm and the sands smooth and clean.  In fact, we might head back to the beaches today after going around town for a bit.

We returned the bicycles in the evening and rested up a bit before finding ourselves at a local Vietnamese Que Huong concert in session across the bridge on the other side of town.  The music and performances were good, but the audience didn’t seem to have a habit of clapping after each song as we in the States do.  Later we met up Remco along with Erwin and Jasmine from Holland for some drinks.  Erwin seems to be an avid chess player, and Jasmine the psychology student eager to begin her work with children.  Remco, a construction engineer, gets 35 days of vacation a year.  At the backpacker drinking hole, we encountered Brad and his Vietnamese-Australian girlfriend Thuy from southern Australia.  Brad, a former semi-pro football player, enjoyed talking about Australian Rules Football.  Thuy, the daughter of a restaurant family, spoke of a franchise her family was starting in the Post Oak area of Houston.  Also there was Nick the New Zea-lander and a Vietnamese local girl who was with him.

After an overnight bus ride of almost twelve hours, Hac and I have arrived in Hoi An.  The city here retains most of its colonial period architecture, which we will be seeing today.  Upon our arrival this morning, we were heckled into staying at far off hotels with the prospect of a mini-van taking us into the edge of town.  However, we opted to make the xe om drivers take us into town to stay at Vinh Hung 1 Hotel (the location where The Quiet American, which I haven’t seen, was filmed).

Perhaps we will run into our friend Remco from Holland tonight.

I really enjoy this city as I have an addiction for beaches.  Yesterday began around eight with the alarm clock blaring us awake so we’d make the six dollar USD tour that we booked–this included trips to four different islands. The previous night we had enjoyed an hour long cyclo ride around town, and then our usual light drinking at Why Not Bar and a local bar with 2500d beers (~16000d is 1USD).

Our first stop was an island suitable for snorkeling with a park fee of 5000d.  I forget the names of all the islands so I’ll just refer to them as islands one through four.  The coral and fish of the first island were a sight, however minimal.  Watch out for the rocks here as they can be sharp.  The second island we docked at was where lunch was served aboard the ship–we ate on the top deck along with several other vacationers.  During the course of the meal, we met Elizabeth and Rachel from Great Britain, Sin-Kahn and Maya from Israel (who I ran into earlier in the day at a camera shop), and the Pham family of Tam, Hang, and Chelsea from the Orange County.  After lunch, we jumped into the sea and floated around in rubber tubes while playing ‘I Spy’ and ‘Would you rather…?’ with the girls from England.  Later, red wine with pineapple was served while lounging in the waters.

The last two islands were tourist traps.  The third one consisted of a rocky beach with a 10000d admission fee if I recall correctly.  There, we shared a lounging hut with the Pham family to shield ourselves from the blaring sun.  The four island was a small ten-minute aquarium with a 20000d price tag.  The only worthwhile thing here was sitting in the mock clams pretending they were closing down upon me.

That night, we ate nem nuong at a place recommended to us in town called Ninh Hoa.  At 12000d for each portion, these were some really cheap eats as the town specializes in this dish.

Later in the night we went to the Sailing Club, a packed bar next to the beach with a dance floor.  With Kenny leaving early to catch some sleep for his early bus ride the next morning back to HCMC, Hac and I headed over to the Why Not Bar where we ran into Rachel and Elizabeth once again along with Marcus who had just taught English in China for five months prior.  There was also Remco from Holland, who didn’t speak much.  We headed back to the Sailing Club with this group where we would spend the rest of the night.  There we danced and met Robin from Canada along with some other people I cannot recall the names of.

Today we stumbled upon Doc Let with crystal clear waters while going around with the Pham family in their van which they had rented.  After an unsuccessful attempt to get a boat to go out to an island, we opted to head to the cleaner waters of Doc Let.  Nestled between some mountains on a slope (Doc), these shallow waters are clear enough for you to see your feet in the water.  After a swim here, we enjoyed some nem nuong, fresh clams, and fresh crabs (ghe).

Before departing for Hoi An in the evening, I met Sandine from France who was looking for an internet cafe since the first one we were at malfunctioned.

My sunburns from Vung Tau are peeling today.  I actually enjoy the feeling of peeling them off, but it looks all ugly.  This morning at seven we took the bus to Nha Trang.  It is hot here compared to Da Lat yet certainly not unbearable.  The beaches here are clean compared to the oil specks in the waters of Vung Tau.  On the five hour bus ride here, we stopped off at a rest area with some Cham towers in sight.  These structures were amazing and I cannot wait to visit them again later on.

Nha Trang at the current time is full of foreigners.  It is a foreigner resort during this season with a few Vietnamese vacationers here and there.  After our first hotel selection was filled to capacity, we took on the advertising of a cyclo driver and his motorbike friends and found ourselves at Pho Bien.  For 20USD a night, this place seems worth it.  Amenities include a view of the ocean, a minifridge, satelite TV, and A/C.

The beach which we went to today near the hotel had a great view of mountains in the background.  The water here is clearer and I can actually see my feet in the sand.  After swimming with sun block this time, Hac and I went in search of some seafood for lunch.  We stumbled upon a place near the beach that served up some moderately priced dishes by VN standards–Tom Chien Bot, Mackarel with mayo, Cuttlefish with Onions and Tomatoes.  The meal was good for its price and a departure from the usual banh mi and noodle dishes of everyday.  Also, we ran into our Australian friend Steve the prison warden from Perth here, and had a discussion about the prison systems of his country along with the status of the Aboriginals.

Our second day in Da Lat we paid 11USD each to go on a day long tour with our own personal driver.  The tour we chose, tour number two, offered the locations of Bao Dai’s Summer Palace, Crazy House, Truc Lam Pagoda, Tuyen Lam Lake, Prenn Waterfall, the Chicken minority village, Amazing table, Old Railway station, and the Valley of love.  We would make it to all but the Amazing Table and Old Railway Station as we were short on time.  Emporer Bao Dai’s former summer residence provided manificent views of Central Da Lat.  Keeping with the preservation of this place, we were made to wear slip covers over our shoes when entering.  Because of these hideous shoe coverings and a slippy wooden floor, I had to wear a bandage on my chin for a day.  Crazy House, an architectual marvel built in 1994, also provided manificent views of Da Lat, especially on the highest rooftop.  Truc Lam Pagoda likewise provided a scene of the serene landscape of Da Lat.  Here you will find many benches donated by residents of the US.  Tuyen Lam Lake had a spectular essence despite nearby construction projects.  The red earth really gets onto your sandals and stains your skin as you stand there taking breathtaking pictures.

Prenn Waterfall is probably the most memorable in terms of the effort it took to actually view the site.  The endurance it took to reach the top of the mountain was strenous since we were all wearing sandals.  I must truthfully admit that we took our fair share of breaks on the way up as it was tiring as hell to get there.  On the top of the mountain as I’ll call it, there are several Buddhist temples in addition of magnificent views.  After spending nearly close to two hours at this location, we were taken to the Chicken minority village where we were bombarded by children covered in dirty clothing asking for money.  I felt bad for these kids who asked for money being used as a tourist destination.  Instead of giving the individual children money directly, which numbered up to twenty, I purchased an article of clothing from these peoples who speak Khor.  Here we conversed with the shop keepers who conveyed a brief history of their peoples which derived from the Malay.  It was interesting to know that they fluently spoke Vietnamese, and also their native language at home.

The Valley of Love was our last destination for the day–a brief twenty something minutes as the tours ended at 5pm.  Assuming this to be a theme park for lovers, we were surprised to find a large valley with lake included nestled among the mountains.

Currently in Da Lat.  The bus ride here yesterday was a long eight hours, but I managed to pass the time by looking at the scenery.  There’s always something to look at while riding in a bus from city to city in VN–from the buildings to the locals doing the tasks of their everyday lives.  I once saw two locals carrying a mirror twice their size on a motorbike.  It was an amazing sight; people have to live with what means they’ve got.

The temperature here is much cooler than it is in HCMC.  Also the people seem more adept at wearing western fashions.  My assumption is that the 100,000 or so residents of Da Lat get more tourism to their area, and with fewer people to divide it among have a higher standard of living. Upon our arrival in Da Lat, we were to stay at A Chau Hotel, but opted for one closer to the bus dropoff poing at Kim Travel (a branch of the ever-popular Cafe Sinh).  Thus with the first and only offer for a place to stay, we chose Nam Viet Hotel.  The night of our arrival was a cool and damp one, but the view from the hotel balcony made up for the humidity.  After checking in, we scoped out the town for eateries and came upon a large indoor family style one a few minutes from our abode.  Despite the faulty advertised price of 10000d per person on the outside window, the food was still good–Ga Roti, Canh Chua Ca, Bo Cari, Tom Xao.  I have come to realize that most of the streetside food stalls sell almost the same type of food in the south; that being com tam, hu tiu, pho.  Then there are the common banh mi stalls and banh bao sellers. 

After dinner, the three of us wandered the city and stumbled upon the night markets of Cho Da Lat.  Personally I enjoyed being lost in a new place, but the other two enjoyed stability and direction in my opinion.  At the streets of the areas around Cho Da Lat are a multitude of stands selling crafts, clothing, and food.  The most noticable of these was the clothing racks which lined the streets with merchants yelling out the prices of their wares in a speedy manner.  I didn’t buy any of the dirt cheap clothes at around ~1USD or less though since most of them had stains and appeared to be used.  Next we explored the areas around Da Lat’s minature Eiffel Tower which is in fact a very large antenna transmitter for the television station.  Once we got lost, I decided to take my own separate way back to the hotel and found myself back there twenty minutes after the other two.  That night I read a book in the hotel’s lounge since Hac and his friend Kenny had fallen asleep.

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It’s another day here in HCMC. This morning we took a bus near Cho Ben Thanh to go and visit the old house where Ong and Ba Ngoai use to reside in. It has now been converted into a bida (pool) hall along with an adjacent clothing store. I used my camcorder to capture the surrounding area to and from there, as well as what is left of it on the outside. Now all that remains of the old structure are the back bedrooms. We managed to go to where the kitchen used to be; it is now an alleyway with backdoors for the adjoining homes and shops. Ong Loi mentioned a tennis court that used to exist there, but was now no more. Once very different, it is now almost unrecognizable from the street save the address–300 Duong Le Van Sy.

Before going there we had breakfast with Ong Loi at Thuan Kieu 9; a few minutes walk away. I had com tam with thit suong, cha muc, and a kind of chung hap–not bad at all. After the visit to view the old residence, we stopped by a pastry shop and bought some treats for the kids and a few pate chaud. Soon thereafter, we stopped by the coffee stall in the alleyway which Ong Loi frequents each morning–more of that good cafe da.

Yesterday after getting a great massage, we went with Hac’s friend Kenny to the Caravel Hotel to go swimming in what I’ll call a luxury pool. Since Kenny has a month-long membership there, we were able to accompany him into this high class resort for foreigners in the middle of downtown HCMC. The same night after a dinner of chao, the family here took us out to eat banh xeo. To get to the restaurant, we took 4 motorbikes–12 individuals total. Imagine if you will the size of your everyday banh xeo (like the ones Bac Ty makes each summer), now double that. Hac and I each had one mammoth banh xeo, washing it down with Tiger bia on ice. In addition, we also snacked on some banh tom. Each day I’m here, I usually always full. After eating the banh xeo, we were taken to get some nuoc sinh to at a streetside location somewhere in Q11 if I recall correctly. I had the mangostein one while Hac had the avacado. Also before I forget Hac and I had lunch at Cho Ben Thanh earlier on–Bun Thit Nuong with some shrimp wrapped around the sugar cane and gio cuon.

Pictures of the old house will be posted on Hac’s blog.

Yesterday Hac and I went with Ong Loi to the US Embassy to register our presence in VN. The process was quick as we only had to get our passports photocopied and a form to fill out information. To get there, we took a bus (which was air conditioned) to Nha Tho Duc Ba–the church where the infamous statue of mother Mary that weeps from time to time. Traffic is intense here as this city has the most 2-wheeled vehicles in the world. However, crossing the street isn’t all that bad. It’s just a game of watch and dodge.

After getting the embassy business done with, we went to eat lunch with Ong Loi. We had some Cha Ca Chien, Battered Cua Chien, Canh Cua Rau Dai, some okra with nuoc mam and mam tom, and Bia 33 (better known to westerners as Beer 333). Afterwards we walked around the city and went shopping and site seeing. Without Ong Loi to accompany us, we would have been unable to effectively haggle the prices to lower levels (a savings of over 50% on some items). When the price is too high after asking, it’s best to haggle and walk away to get the sale. Other locations we visited included the large and updated Buu Dien, the opera house, a few parks here and there, and the statue commerating Bac Ho.

The day before last we awoke around 830am to go eat breakfast with Chu Bi and his friend. We went on the back of their xe om (a scooter-kinda motorcycle Honda branded). Weaving through traffic was pretty intense. I held onto the sides at first to keep my balance, but eventually it got to the point where I was comfortable enough to ride on the back of it without holding on. If you ever come here, you should ride on one. It’s more exciting than riding in an air-conditioned SUV with hip-hop music blazing sipping on a 40. Unfortunately that morning the place that sold Hu Tieu was clean out of it since we got there too late so Chu Bi asked us what we wanted to eat. We said banh mi, which he mistakenly mistook for KFC American sandwiches instead of banh mi thit. Thus, our first breakfast in good ol’ VN was a chicken sandwich at KFC and some cola. After eating, we headed over to a hip coffee joint called Mercury Cafe which blasted western dance music along with local VN MTV style songs. It was here where I got some Cafe Sua Da priced at an unreasonably high 16000d. This place was full of VN’s young crowd sporting the latest fashions. The girls there were well, pretty hot.

The night of the same day, we had a home cooked dinner over at Ong Loi’s home. Afterwards we went to an nhau with cac Chu over at a streetside drink and eatery. The uncles were pretty cool. We had some good conversation and ate some good food I had never seen before along with several glasses of Tiger Bia on ice.

Well off to get a massage.

More later. Pictures will be added in once I get the internet working on my laptop.

I’ve just arrived in HCMC the other night. I will have to update in a few days. Check back then for more details. I’m not really experiencing any culture shock as they call it (it’s probably because we are staying with family members here in VN and that I already speak the language for the most part.)

The flight to Korea was pretty long–12 hours if I recall correctly. I filled the time on the plane by watching in-flight movies and playing chess against a virtual opponent. The arrival in Incheon, S. Korea was different to say the least. Never have I seen such a large amount of Korean people. The duty free shops there are stocked with goods that tourists would buy. All the usual souvenirs and then some. Everything was seemingly overpriced though. After touring the airport with my cousin Hac and eating a light Korean meal of noodles in broth with seafood on a stick, we boarded the plane to VN. Before I forget, Hac’s VN friend who goes to Depaul with him was also present during our flight to VN. A nice girl who was carrying an Xbox 360 home for her brother.

During the flight, I slept in intervals of wake and sleep. A bit of the restlessness of sitting in an uncomfortable seat for so long. Not to mention, I was half awake when the flight attendents came by with the airline food and knocked over a cup of water I had in the cup holder. Still feeling a bit of fatigue as it is a 12 hour time zone difference. Ong Loi’s family picked us up from the airport. After getting through VN customs (which was remarkably faster than I had expected), we were greeted by a large sign bearing the names ‘Xuan Hao (though incorrect) and Quy Hac.’ That night we were welcomed into Ong Loi’s house and Chu Bao went and got some Pho–pho chin to be exact. It was pretty good.