Happy Spring again!

Another try with the photos..... :)

(hide and seek with the camera!)

Happy Spring!

This is my goodbye to lovely Vietnam! We took a 13 hour overnight bus and then a flight into Luang Prabang, Laos early this morning. It was a long, sleepless trip, and it was sad to leave Vietnam but we are excited to be in "Asia's most romantic city!" We'll let you know what we think....

Sapa

Women making yarn and weaving....

Sapa ++

The kids brought so much joy to us! The people we've met here have been a huge bright spot on our trip- some of the kindest and most genuine we've come across.
Above: a Hmong woman trekking with her baby, who was feeling shy in front of the camera!

Sapa, cont.

We spent the day hiking through rice paddies to Hmong villages outside of the northern town of Sapa. It was quite the day! We arrived here early yesterday morning on an overnight train from Hanoi, and although it is super foggy, chilly, and wet, it is wonderful to be in a quiet, small town. Strangely enough, this trip has made us realize that we generally prefer smaller cities and the friendly people that inhabit them! Upon arriving into town we met several local Hmong women who lived in villages nearby and walked 3 hours into town every morning (many carrying their babies on their backs) to sell their hand-dyed, embroidered fabric and jewelry. They have gorgeous skin, beautiful smiles, and speak English better than most Vietnamese. Although most of them can't read or write, they speak Hmong, Vietnamese, English, and some French. It's pretty amazing. The women use indigo, which they grow and harvest, to dye their handwoven clothes (mostly made from hemp that they grow and harvest, make into yarn, weave on a hand loom and then dye in indigo baths for about 2 months.) They also do the most amazing embroidery. Everything they make comes directly from the earth, and they communally plant and harvest the rice paddies and vegetable gardens. It is amazing and inspiring to witness this kind of lifestyle, and especially interesting because we have such a large Hmong population in Minnesota and Wisconsin (besides California, the largest outside of SE Asia). And although I am in contact, albeit brief, with the Hmong farmers at the St. Paul Farmers Market every Sunday, I know very little about their community and culture. I recently read "The Latehomecomer," a Hmong family memoir that chronicles a family's journey from Laos during the Secret War to the refugee camps of Thailand to St.Paul, MN. It is a beautiful story and a good introduction to Hmong culture and the Hmong diaspora. I would highly recommend it. We feel extremely fortunate to be able to meet these people and observe their lifestyle when so many Hmong abroad are unable to return.

We were wandering around town looking for a recommended tour operator to do some trekking and coincidentally met Sae, baby in tow, and she offered to take us around the next day to the villages and to her home for lunch. Perfect! Much better than taking a packaged trekking tour around, and we'd much rather give her the money directly anyway. So she led us on a muddy, slippery (rather treacherous at times!) tour through rice terraces and villages to her home. It was breathtaking! Because it is so foggy in Sapa you can hardly see 20 feet in front of you, let alone the apparently phenomenal view from our guesthouse balcony (it's like living in a cloud, although it does give the place a certain mystique). So once we descended on the path, the sky opened up a bit and the beautiful terraces came into view. Incredible! The villages are extremely basic, as is her home. I mean as basic as it gets, but the warmth and laughter of her family and friends brighten and fill the dark, cold space. Strangely enough, they have a television and cell phones but a dirt floor and no plumbing!! We had lunch of rice, greens, pork, tomatoes and tofu, buffalo, and home brewed rice wine. (Very interesting....) Let's just say that it wasn't our favorite meal thus far, but made with so much love and generosity that we grinned through it all! Jon was a real sport! We sat around their fire and played with the kids on the dirt floor, but after four hours of some difficult trekking we were spent. So we found a sauna and some hot chocolate and tomorrow she's taking us to a waterfall. :) As a tourist, it is always difficult to know if your presence is helping or hurting, but she was quick to tell us that tourism has greatly improved their lives. The villages were extremely poor when she was growing up and didn't have schools, shoes, or much food, but now they are doing much much better. There are schools in the villages, the children can all read and write and all are seemingly well fed. I hope that's true! I am sure in the future they might stop wearing their traditional dress as many other minority groups have (although they are such beautiful and intricate garments!) but I just hope that their traditional crafts aren't lost.

Photos: villages and rice paddies wind their way around the hills

Sapa: trek!

Sae was so helpful on the slippery, foggy path.

Sapa: Sae, our hilarious tour guide!

Holding sticky rice in banana leaves, a local snack.
With friends near her village.

Cheap Beer

I'm sending this from our freezing cold room in the north vietnamese highlands. The room has no heat and we can see our own breath. Today Jes and I did some trekking through the mountains with a local H'mong women who brought us to her home for dinner...very interesting very cool, but more on this later.

We have traveled the length of Vietnam; from bustling Saigon to the highland boarder town of Sapa, a stones throw from China. At this point I think its safe to say I've discovered the cheapest beer in Vietnam and possibly the world. What I'm talking about here is bottled beer distributed to paying customers inside bars and restaurants. The word restaurant being used in the most liberal sense, most Vietnamese "restaurants" can be carried by one person on a moto bike, putting the stove, and dishes between the legs and stacking the mini chairs and tables on the back using rope. ( I've seen it done just didn't have the camera with). They'll purchase the rest of the food once they've set up from a local market or have it delivered.

Now some places sell cups of beer from a keg that tastes more like water then beer. It's called fresh beer. I'm throwing that type of operation out the window as it is impossible to keep the actual amount and quality consistent. In Hoi An the going price for a glass of fresh beer was between 3000 and 5000 Dong, in general the lower the price the lower to the ground your chair is. $1 = 21,000 dong. So between 14 and 23 cents. I don't think it is fair to include fresh beer into this discussion mainly because I have a sneaking suspicion that the owners mix large amounts of water with said beer. It would take 8 glasses to even feel you'd consumed alcohol, and by that time you'd be full and going to the bathroom every other one.

So the winner is.........Huda beer brewed in Hue, Vietnam. The spiritual capital of Vietnam wasn't that great of a city but it now has the distinction of housing the cheapest bottled beer in the country. 8000 dong or 38 cents.

Also, keep in mind a few things. The prices included are "tourist" prices and may be had for cheaper if local. Mainly this dual price system applies to street venders and markets but can include restaurants. Also, as with any country the prices can be cheaper if quantity is bought from street venders or stores.

Proof above

Also note the price of Heineken under $1.00

More pics from Vietnam

Fisherman at Halong Bay

Jesikah on the train from Hue to Hanoi

Woops!

Sorry wrong photo! Here is my darling husband...

Extras!

Halong Cruise...ah, doesn't Jon look so happy?!!

Some Vietnam extras...

Imagine crossing this street!

Hanoi

Well, hello again! Xin chao! We are writing from a lovely little cafe (Joma Cafe--it came recommended from some new traveler friends, and we would recommend it, too) in the heart of the Old Quarter, Hanoi- capital of Vietnam. We took an overnight train from Hue last week and can definitely feel the difference between the north and south of Vietnam, besides the temperature difference (its actually a bit chilly!) We were really sad to leave Hoi An, which was probably my favorite place so far on this trip. We were planning to stay 2 days and ended up staying 8! If you go, make sure to visit the beach, which nobody seems to know about because it is a 5km bike ride from the center of town, but it is gorgeous with lots of palms and a nice surf. (But we would recommend skipping Hue. The Citadel is pretty cool to visit, but most of it was destroyed in the war anyway, and the city itself just isn't that interesting.) Anyway, we are a long way from the lovely, beachy coast now, and are taking a night train up to the mountain town of Sapa tomorrow. We are excited to get out of this hectic city! We like all of the little shops and historic feel of the Old Quarter, but it is difficult to walk around because the sidewalks are littered with motorbikes and the streets are complete chaos! We thought Saigon was madness, but realize now that it was actually more organized than this free-for-all. Also, we experienced a little bit of "revisionist history" Communist style at the infamous "Hanoi Hilton," where American POWs, including John McCain, were imprisoned during the Vietnam War. It was actually pretty upsetting because their propagandist account was a series of photographs describing what a "pleasant" time the American prisoners had there---playing volleyball, decorating a Christmas tree, learning local crafts, and eventually siding with their captors!! Outrageous! And so different from the stories we've known! Now, I know that this certainly isn't the place for me to expound on the atrocities of war, or my opinion of it, but I am a strong believer in honoring those who have served our country abroad, regardless of how ridiculous the war. But I suppose we couldn't have expected much else. The ironic thing was that we were walking through the exhibit with a group of American military- the first Americans we've encountered in Vietnam. They didn't stay long!

We spent the weekend on a little cruise of Halong Bay which was gorgeous! Similar to Milford Sound in NZ, but the karst formations are a bit smaller and jutting up all over the place. We were really fortunate to have a clear day as it had been raining for weeks. We really enjoyed meeting the other travelers on the boat with us and had a great time chatting about our different countries (a Finish couple, an Indian/Malaysian couple, some Austrians, and a French Canadian couple. A few of them were living in Singapore and we learned a lot and loved hearing about the intricacies of the national psyche...so different from anywhere else we've ever known!) Our tour guide was trying desperately to get us to sing karaoke with him, but really he just wanted to perform and ended up singing 5 songs himself, including Lionel Richie- hilarious!!! That's all for now, and it looks like we might be skipping Cairo in May. Libya is pretty close.... We had thought of going over to Japan to volunteer, but that doesn't seem like the best idea right now, so we might just head over to Europe a bit early or go diving in Malaysia. Let us know what you think, and we'll keep you posted!

Photos: Halong Bay. The perspective here is amazing because all you can see are piles and piles of these rock formations stretching off into infinity, getting lighter and lighter as they recede. It's like being in a traditional ink painting, minus the tour boats and woman selling pringles and oreos from paddle boats! They find you anywhere!

p.s....

P.S. Facebook is blocked in Vietnam, so I am sorry if I haven't responded to any messages sent in the last few weeks. This also means that we haven't been able to see your lovely faces for quite some time now and are dying to see some photos, especially of the little ones! All you mothers out there (you know who you are!) send us some photos of those babies ASAP! :)

Hoi An market

Some favorite things....

Mango tart!
Late lunch with my fav person...cau lao (local noodle soup speciality), spring roll, 5spice chicken steamed in banana leaf, and banana shake.

Round 1!!!!

Big success! Everything fit like a glove and looked better than we could have imagined- and all in a day and a half. Amazing.

Hoi An

Hello from romantic Hoi An! We are now halfway up Vietnam's coast and love the cooler temperature, exquisite architecture, relaxed atmosphere, pastry cafes, and tailor shops. We've been exploring the narrow streets on rickety old bicycles that are free at our guesthouse. It is a beautiful, clean city and is exactly how one might imagine old Vietnam, minus the millions of motorbikes (nothing, however, compared to the madness that was Saigon traffic....an impenetrable wall of motorbikes). The entire downtown is a Unesco World Heritage Site because of the amazing architecture, and it really feels like a step back in time. At night the trees and restaurants along the Phuoc An River are lit up with lanterns and everything is an amber glow.

This is probably the best place in the world to get cheap custom made clothing, and there are tons of different tailor shops to choose from. We weren't planning on getting anything made, as it seemed incredibly frivolous on a backpacker budget, but we couldn't help ourselves and took the plunge! And are so glad we did. So we better get out of here before we blow our "Turkish rug" allowance!

The first tailor shop we visited was good, but not the highest quality (we had a couple of coats made) so after some online research we discovered Yaly. This is the only place worth visiting. They are more expensive but are super professional, the tailors are incredible, and a much larger selection of fabric. It's worth the extra in price. They can basically copy almost anything you like from a photograph (they have millions of look-books...super overwhelming!) and fit it perfectly to your body. We were a bit skeptical at first about how things would turn out, especially a suit, but Jon got an amazing grey cashmere/silk 3-piece suit, and it looks incredible. He was very pleased, and he is very particular about clothing. So I have been scouring the internet for images of dresses, and am very excited to see how they turn out! It's so hard to make a choice without ever trying it on because once they start cutting that fabric it's yours! So I stuck with classic silhouettes, which are rather hard to find at a decent price anyway- especially something that fits so well. We go in for another fitting tomorrow, so I will post some pictures of the outcome.

We hope you all are well and warm....

A few little rain clouds...

Jon and I made it up the coast to the trendy beach town of Nha Trang, and it is here that we are met with our first rain in over a month. What a difference from all of the rain we had in January! It was a gloomy day (which we spent at some hot springs/mud baths) but I have to say that it suits our moods... It has been a sad week for us, and a hard one to be away from home. Two very amazing women in our lives passed away from cancer this week, both had been struggling for some time and both will be greatly greatly missed: one of my best friends lost her mom, and our dear brother-in-law lost his. I can't imagine how hard this must be for their husbands and families and grandchildren and friends. Our hearts go out to them, and we pray they find peace. It is strange to have this happen all in the same week, and it certainly makes the distance feel so great.

When Christine's mom got sick, all of us girls in Chicago would pray for her when we got together. Prayer is such an intimate thing that it really makes you feel connected to someone's struggle. I remember being faraway at other hard times, and this Psalm (which I don't think I remember perfectly well, but Cri I still hear the song you wrote in India with these words!) gave me some peace:

Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I hide from your presence, Lord?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there.
If I go down to the depths, you are there.
If I rise on wings of the dawn,
If I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.

We are heading on up the coast to Hoi An tomorrow...a 12 hour overnight bus.

Mui Ne sand dunes

P.S. Jon got a haircut in Saigon! Haircut and shave: $5
>

Windy Mui Ne

I am writing this as we are about to board our bus for Nha Trang. We've spent the last week in the lovely beach town of Mui Ne, home to powdery white sand dunes, fishing villages, and millions of wind and kite surfers that flock from everywhere to enjoy this windy, gorgeous coastline. We initially planned on staying only a few days, but ended up staying 7!! I guess traveling had kinda worn us out, and it was a much needed and very tranquil holiday--- lots of sunning ourselves on different beaches, body surfing in the waves, riding bicycles, and lounging at expat bars and cafes. Our favorite was Joe's Art Cafe, owned by a Vermont restauranteur and open 24 hours....great live music, coffee, and excellent pizza! I know it sounds blasphemous to be eating pizza in Vietnam (we did have some excellent pho in Saigon) but we just can't get enough of it right now for some reason! There are all sorts of little tables along the beach next to tanks filled with different kinds of live fish, shark, turtles, snakes, eels, shell fish, etc, and they will grill it up right there for you! But we weren't too keen on that...sharks are endangered species aren't they?! Ha! So far on this trip we've been mostly eating vegetarian, especially after seeing the raw meat in markets with flies buzzing around it and sad looking fish in dirty tanks. Not to mention all of the crazy things the Cambodians eat, God bless 'em.....I'm talking everything under the sun: fried spiders, beetles, boiled duck embryo, you name it. We do love the noodle soups, hot pot, fried rice, curries, spring rolls, and fruit smoothies which are like a dollar everywhere. The food is super cheap and tasty.
Also, as you might remember, Jon lost his wedding band at a beach in New Zealand, and we bought a really cheap brass one in Phuket to replace it til we were stateside again. Well, he just lost the brass one in the waves! Now I'm especially glad I didn't bring mine along...

Photos: Vietnamese children selling pearl necklaces. Jon bought me one and took this awesome photo of them. And the fishing village...