Living the Life in Hoi An

I’m writing the draft of this with a pen given to me by a young man in the airport at Osaka.  I was trying to find a store that sold pens.  He bowed and presented me with this one. In Hue our guide, Harry presented us with “Happpy Money” to ensure that our new year would be one filled with prosperity and health. We were given two bags of peanuts when we bought a bottle of brandy and wine (don’t focus on this) by a young couple who ran the store.We were given more Happy $ when we spent the day at Tra Que Village.  The generosity we have encountered on this trip has humbled us.  We deeply realize how fortunate we are and how the accident of birth does not make us deserving. All of the people we have encountered have enriched our journey.  We only hope we have left positive feelings behind us.

Hoi An is a UNESCO Heritage site. It is filled with beautiful old buildings and temples as well as thousands of tourists.  Funny Travel has arranged experiences for us that take us away from the usual bustle of the historic district. I will admit though that I have found time for shopping.  I cannot resist a shirt for $10.00 that would be at least $90.00 at home.

We have had a foot massage, a cooking class, a ride in a bamboo boat, a gorgeous lunch that we helped prepare, all with our fantastic guide Jessica. How will I ever forget Dennis doing a song and dance while planting? If you see him on the Font Nine singing and dancing as he waters his flowers, you’ll know where he learned the routine.

And what a chef he is! He can flip Banh Xeo with the flick of a wrist.  This sizzling pancake is made with rice flour, water, and turmeric, vegetables and meat, if desired. My first Banh xeo landed on the floor! What a photo that

would have made.

Our second full day in Hoi An we had another terrific guide, Sing! He turned out to be Jessica’s husband (which I guessed). We went to My Son to see the Champa ruins.  Sing helped us understand the Indian goddess Shiva and the temples, houses and gates that can be seen here.

Once back in Hoi An Sing ordered a delicious lunch for us and then we headed for the river. the pottery village of  Thanh Ha was a highlight where Dennis gambled and lost 10,000 Dong! (50 cents)— Oh My Buddha!!

Tomorrow we head to Saigon, tearfully leaving the small towns and villages of Viet Nam behind us. What memories we have made!

The World According to Dennis:
Short conversation with D. Marv today. Cindy did a great job of summarizing what we did and I don’t want to write any more (but she forces me!!).  While she shopped for scarves, I sat outside the shop on the doorstep (just so you know, I HATE shopping!!) If I need underwear I buy it and leave. No shopping! So I sat on the stoop and a lady sat next to me, put her arm around me and asked if I’d like to buy a bag of peanuts.  After a lot of hand gestures pointing to my fat stomachs and trying to convey I just ate lunch, she led me to believe she could help. With chopsticks, she put a small chip if what I thought was coconut into my mouth—to settle my stomach!?? Holy s—t!! It must have been a combo of wasabi and tobasco!! After the top of my head blew off, she laughed, gave me a smile and moved on...I think to her next victim.  I bet she’s still laughing. Me too...what a great story to tell...more to come.

Once Upon A Time in Viet Nam

The World According to Dennis:
I really enjoyed today— we changed the itinerary a bit and left Hue headed for the DMZ. First we stopped in Quang Tri Province. Here, a US military base was positioned to observe  North Viet Namese activity near the DMZ, the 17th Parallel. Next stop—the Dakrong Bridge on Highway 15.  This was one of the main branches of the Ho Chi Minh Trail, which headed south toward “Hamburger Hill” (see Clint Eastwood film for dramatization of the action).

Driving on, we entered the town of Khe Shan, which housed a large Marine Base in 1968.  The base camp is no longer there but there are remnants of bunkers, burned out US aircraft, army vehicles and a museum of the North Vietnamese victories over the south and their allies.  The propaganda is directed at the US and bad South Vietnamese troops to show them the error of their ways.

Next stop was the actual 17th Parallel and the bridge between the North and the South of Viet Nam.  Today, you can walk South to North or vice versa.  During the war, no one crossed the bridge.  Troops (North & South) manned their respective sides and if anyone tried to get across that bridge, they died. I stood in the middle of the bridge today and thought, 55,000 Americans and more than 1 million Vietnamese lost their lives defending this border, this bridge. Today, people from north and south Viet Nam, pass freely. Why did all these people from North and South Viet Nam, the US, Australia, and South Korea lose their lives? Why were so many physically and mentally disabled? This is the question I hope to reconcile, at least in my mind in returning to Viet Nam. I’m learning, getting closer but as in other paradoxes I’m finding there is no one specific cause and unlike medicine, not one specific answer. Why/how did this happen?

Bartender? I’ll have another brandy and reader, thanks for listening (reading).        

Ninh Bin

In 1998 Dennis and I attended an Adventure & Travel Show in Chicago. At that show we met the owners of Thompson Safaris and in 1999 we went with them to Kilimanjaro and then on safari in Tanzania. At this show we also met two men who were promoting tourism in their country of Viet Nam. We were awed by that. It was only thirty years earlier that Dennis was drafted and sent by our government to Viet Nam. Even in 1967 he found the country to be a beautiful place but one of which he knew very little.

In 2017 he returned for the second time. We visited all of the major cities and stayed in an AirBnB in Vung Tau near where he had disembarked 50 years earlier. We very much enjoyed the trip

Lunch in Ninh Bin

but he didn’t have a chance to visit the small villages he remembered. So here we are again.

Today in Ninh Binh we had a very lovely lunch at a home which does a small business serving meals to 6 - 8 tourists at a time. The lady told Tommy our intrepid guide that a North Vietnamese soldier lived just next door. While we ate Tommy and our host paid him a visit. After lunch we had tea with Bui Van Thong in his living room.

Dennis showed him an album of pictures from Viet Nam in 1967. Bui knew just where he had been as he had come down from the north to fight the Americans in the south. Bui was 15 years old in 1972 when he was fighting in the south.

His cause, fighting for independence and the reunification of his country was so much more powerful than what our drafted soldiers carried with them. 

As an outsider, seeing Bui looking at Dennis as a young soldier and telling him how handsome he was, was an extraordinary moment. I was taking photos and videotaping. I was unusually nervous because I wanted to do such a good job. I got some great shots of the underside of the coffee table and sown the hallway.

The World According to Dennis:

OK guys, I’m starting to think dementia is kicking in big time. Hopefully, it’s just sensory overload. I had to check our itinerary to remind me where we were and what we saw yesterday. Two days ago? If I say we visited a pagoda, I’d be safe. I think we’ve visited about 236 pagodas and seen Buddha in every size, shape and facial expression: smiling, grinning, winking, scowling, grimacing, and sulking. I think I can say that me and the Buddha are now “buds.” We know each other well but I believe he’s seen enough of me and me of him.  Don’t get me wrong. We’re friends but even friends need a little space every now and then.  

After lunch yesterday, I made a new friend. I mentioned to Cindy once that I’d like to be able to talk with a North or South Vietnamese soldier (but one who fought for the North) to see what they were going through then and now. I was in Viet Nam in 1966-1967. Cindy mentioned it to our guide Tommy at lunch.  Tommy left the table to talk with our host. He came back later and said the host’s neighbor was a former North Vietnamese regular and he would ask him if he would like to talk with me and he agreed. Cindy, Tommy, and I walked next door and I met Bui Van Thong. Bui was 15 in 1972 and related how he had fought in the same area I did but 5 years later. With Tommy’s help I was able to ask a number of questions I’ve wondered about since leaving there in 1967.

It was a memorable meeting. Bui was very friendly and gracious as he related his experiences. Fifty years later, we were now just two grandpas who could share our thoughts about what once was, now is, and part, shaking hands as friends. I believe life is “making memories” and thanks to Cindy, Tommy, and Bui I’ve made another one that will last for the rest of my life.

Sapa, the highest point in many ways...

The world according to Dennis:
Sapa—how do I describe it? First off, it’s about 6 hours by car northwest of Hanoi.  At one point, we were only a few miles from the Vietnamese/Chinese border.  Yep, pretty far into north Vietnam (no sign of a wall though). The “American War” never reached this far north in the 60’s and 70’s.

Our patient leader, Ben.  We would follow him anywhere!

The highest point in Vietnam is here at about 3100 meters or 10,000 feet.  It’s absolutely beautiful! Rice paddies (terraced) are located on the steep slopes, still plowed by water buffalo.  Farming is mostly subsistence as the roads are so steep and treacherous that trucks would buy produce to sell at markets in the lower valley.  Water from the surrounding mountain tops cascades down affording abundant moisture for the rice paddies and tea crops.  Wish I had some smart-assed humor to add (which Cindy still doesn’t think is funny) but I was just too wrapped up in the beauty and the climbing we were doing.

Remeber the old golfing joke about “hit the ball and drag Agnes?” (If not, google it) but suffice it to say that our trek was kind of the same way except substitute Cindy for Agnes. ;-).  But I have to give her credit, she hung in there and finished the six mile + trek without a whimper.  A little more dusty, dirty, and pooped then when we began but still standing at the end.  More to come on another day...

45 Kilometers from the border (China, that is)

Last night I got to experience instant dissolving Imodium tablets.  We ordered them on Amazon and they came to us from Canada. They work wonders.  After being in and out of bed through out the night, I was finally able to dig out the tin with the little miracles inside.  I had no problems all day, even though much of the time was spent on a bus.  We were headed north to Sapa.

Forty-five kilometers from the border with China finds us in the gorgeous green terraced mountains of the Sapa region of Viet Nam.  It is peopled with descendants of at least five distinct ethnic groups, each living in their own village. We started with a to out of Sapa Town among the Dao people.

A van took us to a steep road and stopped We clambered out of the vehicle to begin our five mile plus hike (yes, five miles at least and yes at the end, Dennis said, “I’m proud of you.” Really.  I guess he thought this would be where we would use our evacuation insurance. Actually I wondered about it myself.). Once our feet were on the ground we were greeted by two smiling Dao women.  They walked along with me, one on each side, softly asking me questions about myself and then in turn telling me about themselves.  One of them said, “Will you buy from us at the village?  Others will come.  They knew who to cut from the herd.  Though their English consisted of simple vocabulary it was easily understood.

Into the valley and villages

As we walked along I learned that one of them had two brothers and two sisters.  The other woman was the oldest of four, all sisters.  They explained that their children were not in school becasue of the Tet holidays. I couldn’t stop myself from laughing when one of them said to me, “I like your grandma hair.”  Who could not be charmed?

As we continued to walk, we were joined by another woman, then another, then another, then a young woman carrying a five month old baby on her back.  Finally there were six plus me.  Dennis and Ben, our most wonderful and patient guide, hiked on ahead ignoring the parade that trailed after them.

About three lies into the trek we came to a curve in the road with a large flat shoulder overlooking the  terraces and the valley.  One o the women said, “Could you look at my things now?  I have far to walk to my home.”   So I gave in without a squeal of protest.  They all began taking out beautifully hand embroidered and sewn items in a n array of of fabulous colors.  I would later see many women sitting, embroidering and sewing on old treadle machines that my mother still used in the fifties.

I asked them to only show me small items as we have so little extra room and still so far to go.  After I spent some time looking I said, I have to talk to him (pointing to Dennis) I have no money.  The young mother promptly replied, “You make the choices but he is the ATM.”  I burst out laughing.  In the end I bought a small purse or wallet from each of them.  With Ben’s guidance we gave the money to the young mother to split between them.  I may have been manipulated but I didn’t mind at all.  They were so irresistibly charming.  We finished the hike in a relative short time, getting back to the Freesia Hotel in time for Dennis to take a swim and then have a drink before dinner.

On our second day we hiked down into the valley to other villages.  We spent time and had lunch in a Hmong village.  This time we didn’t buy from individuals.  Ben explained that we shouldn’t buy from the children because they see it as easy money and then don’t go to school so it’s better to buy rom adults or from shops.

We walked about six miles down into the valley, crossing streams, and meandering through the rice fields.  By about four o’clock we reached out home stay. What a very nice accommodation!  We had a bedroom and a bathroom with a shower and plenty of hot water. It was much more than we expected.

 We were greeted with tea and a tour of the garden.  Dennis went for a short walk up the road and later became the assistant to the sous chef.  He was about twelve and a real task master.  The family was lovely and we think there was grandma and grandpa, a very pregnant mom, her husband, and two sons plus several other people in household though we aren’t sure how they are all related.
Day 3 will be told by Dennis shortly...

Happy in Hanoi

Where to start? We began our tour of the city on the back of motor scooters with our lead guide Tuk and T’uan. Before we even saw a sight it was an experience—zipping in and out and head on into oncoming traffic, inches away from cars on the right, on the left, right behind you! Ho Chi Minh Memorial, Hanoi Hilton, markets, coffee with egg, vegan restaurant (so tasty).  The next paragraph contains material that will be troubling to some.  If you are an animal lover skip to the third paragraph.

Ho Chi Minh Memorial 

Presidential Palace

Every year 4 million dogs are consumed in Viet Nam.  I thought this wasn’t so but one of the markets we visited specializes in dog prepared in a variety of ways.  Dennis looked at several stalls which sold dogs of various cuts and ways of preparation.  I didn’t go near those stalls, much less photograph them.  However, I don’t judge how people get protein either.  Less than 50 years ago people in Viet Nam were starving.  All efforts were going toward becoming independent.  What would I eat or feed my children to keep from starving?

Then we spoke with several young people who all said the same thing regarding feelings toward Americans.  ‘We are Buddhist and we know how to forgive.”  This is the season of  Tet, welcoming spring and this year it is the year of the pig. It’s a beautiful time for family and friendships.  The colors of the celebration are all over the city.  What a celebration!

Remains of downed B 52 Bomber 

Entrance to the Hanoi Hilton 

We had a very solemn visit to the Ho Chi Minh Masoleum, a ride over one of the oldest bridges in the city and a visit to the Hanoi Hilton.  For lunch we went to a vegan restaurant, which after the market visit last night was a very good choice.  At the end of the day we stopped for the coffee that is famous —coffee made with evaporated milk and an egg.  Wonderful!

The World According to Dennis:
She’s driving me crazy so I told her I can add something later.  I have to admit the sight of the cooked dogs was a bit disconcerting but what makes one meat okay and another not?  All the dogs were smiling which was a little creepy but when you don’t have enough food you eat what’s in front of you. We did see where John McCain was held captive. He is now held in high regard by the Vietnamese people. Be warned—the narrative at the museum is from the north Vietnamese  perspective only.