Mar 1st, 2014 - Saturday
Flight from Raleigh to Hanoi via Atlanta and Seoul Korea. Flight from Atlanta to Seoul was 15hrs on Korean Air. Quite pleasant surprisingly. A caucasian with black hair seemingly American and a bit too happy about life moved quickly to an open seat in the middle section, leaving Sital and I with our own row. Off to a good start. The Entertainment was adequate with modern movies playing in the seatbacks (current oscar nom's i.e. 12 years a slave mixed with old classics like Gone with the Wind). The Korean stewardesses were excellent, presented with tight bunned hair, slik dresses, and wide flat faced smiles. Never getting bullied off of a "service first" attitude. Fastidiously checking the overhead storage doors and diligently managing the curtains between cabins to encourage the distributive use of lavatories, they're seemingly robotic in nature with an excellently polished user interface. Contrast this against the lazy, attitude filled stewards of America's airspace, and its easy to be disgusted by Americans. The asian stewards were the first of many asian/caucasian contrasts we'd soon experience on this trip.
Arriving at the Hong Ngoc Dynastie Hotel around 11:30p Sunday Night, we didn't have much appetite depsite it being 11:30a in America on the east coast. We were picked up at the airport by a guide and driver contracted by Wide Eyed Tours to deliver us to the inner city. We were told their names, but there's no way of remembering given the significant difference in letter combinations and pronunciations. Even if I saw their names written down, I doubt I could hail them from across a room in an emergency. Its just too foreign. In any case, if we'd not had these escorts, we'd have to have managed by cab and wouldn't have gotten the "rules" for Americans in Vietnam. Women don't go out alone at night. Wear a mask if you want to avoid inhaling the pollution of a million motorbikes. Exchange your money at the hotel, not the airport to get a better rate. Sometimes things don't go as planned in Vietnam. Just be flexible.
Our hotel is situated in seemingly the center of the city, between small grocerie stores, local restaurants, and tourist shops. Every street looks the same from the sidewalk, not knowing what any of the signs mean. Looking out the back of the hotel however, its apparent that there are apartments behind much of the street facade. The bars on the windows indicate that we might be have been attacked prior to their installation, but I got no sense of danger along any of our adventures.
 |
| View from back of Hong Gnoc Dynastie Hotel |
 |
| Water tanks on the roof and laundry hanging on the balcony |
The weather here has been dreary. We are visiting in the middle of spring. The rainy season isn't until summer, the heaviest in Aug and Sept. Light rain has followed us throughout. We've not yet needed an umbrella, but have constantly been covered by mist.
Day 2:Monday
We had breakfast, and met our guide at 9 for a city tour. We started with a Buddhist pagoda, moved through Ho Chi Minh's operations and burial ground and ended with a tour of the Temple of Literature.
 |
| Ho Chi Minh Mosoleum |
 |
| Changing of the guard |
 |
| Ho Chi Minh's Car (a gift from the Russians) |
 |
| Ho Chi Minh's Office where he studied the communist works of Marx and Lenin. |
 |
| House built for Ho Chi Minh in 1959 |
 |
| Bunker where Ho Chi Minh hid when Nixon Bombed Hanoi. |
 |
| Temple of Literature |
Lunch was covered by the tour. Soup starter followed by a plate of rice, grilled steak, and leeks. Substitute grilled Tofu for the Vegetarian entree.
 |
| Lunch |
After lunch we toured the Hanoi Prison where many of the American pilots
who engaged in the battle against communism were held after being shot
down. The most famous was John McCain who is prominently featured. Of course went on to become a republican senator from Arizona and ran for president in 2008 against Barack Obama.
 |
| John McCain being pulled out of Truc Bach Lake after being shot down during an attack on a Power Plant in 1967. |
 |
| John McCain after returning from 5.5yrs in the Hanoi Hilton |
The prison was the most interesting part of the tour. The propaganda coming through in all of the displays was that the American's needlessly committed autrocities on the Vietnamese people and depsite this, they treated the American POW's like friends, allowing them good food, time to play basketball, and workout. According to McCain, he was beaten regularly and held in solitary confinement for 2 years. According to him, his wounds suffered during his capture where he was beaten with a rifle and stabbed left him with the physical disabilities he has today.
The
tour ended with a water puppet show.
There are a lot of Mopeds in this town. Definitely the preferred means of transport. Hardly any Motorcycles. Seems like there may be a restriction on size. Most say 110 on the side. Perhaps its just not affordable to buy anything larger than a Moped. The fact that everyone seems to have one and that they're all of about the same value, hints that we're in a communist state.
 |
| Mopeds outnumber cars by at least 10:1 |
Of course the traffic is chaotic, but it seems to have fluidity to it. Cars merge with Mopeds, bikes and pedestrians with everyone just getting out of the way of everyone else. Its like a massive blob that deforms over time depending on the desired direction of the mass.
 |
| ok, everyone go |
There also don't seem to be any rules about what you can carry on a Moped. 12' Long 2x4's, no problem. Giant propane tank, no problem. Giant role of wire. Hey, if you can strap it on, give it a shot. Kids? Ah, yeah, they love motorbikes. Helmets? Don't worry about it, we can only go 20mph.
 |
| Looks about the same age as Cierra and Phoenix |
 |
| Panoramic view of d'town Hanoi |
Night Train: After the puppet show, dinner was on us. We picked up some ramen noodles and yogurt at the local mini-mart and headed to the night train to Sa Pa around 7:30p. The train was a nightmare.
 |
| Night Train to Sa Pa. |
Thinking that we would get some much needed rest before our next destination, we quickly settled in and kicked back. However, the desire to get R&R was dashed quickly by the 50 year old train who proceeded to shake our exhausted, prone bodies like jello on a plate being driven down a gravel road. Add the sound of steel wheels grinding on the steel tracks and tired sheet metal chassis twisting and bending their way again through the mountains and you do not have a recipe for peace. No sleep was had that night.
 |
| passing the time |
We stumbled out of the room at the time we were supposed to arrive in Sa Pa. Around 4:30a. Turns out we weren't even close. Though we had no clue where we were, it would take us another 3.5 hrs. to get Lao Cai our pickup spot. Apparently, one of the many long stops we'd made along the way was to repair the tracks in front of us. We had no clue and would only later learn through our guide who'd waited for us that 3.5hrs. Sleeping was difficult on the train, but perhaps an even more difficult task was going to the bathroom (or WC as they call it). I can't imagine what Sital had to do, but personally, it took both hands to steady myself in that latrine and still my batting average was less than perfect.
 |
| where are we? |
Day 3: Lao Cai to Sa Pa
Our guide picked us up a the train station. For the entire length of this trip, our guides have always had our names printed out on a sheet of paper (one on an ipad) and were standing waiting for us as we exited the train or airplane. I like this part of the trip. Makes me feel important even if its just the easiest way for a tour guide to make a connection. I can't count the number of times I've landed somewhere only to walk out of the terminal with nobody there waiting with my name printed fancy on a sheet of paper like I was nobody. Even if I am.
 |
| Our guide Hiep dragging Sital's bag to the car |
 |
| Fresh fruit in Loa Cai |
From Lao Cai to Sa Pa was about 35km which takes about an hour because of the mopeds and winding mountain road. Our guide Hiep is a kind fellow with a large scar on his neck apparently marking where a benign tumor used to reside. He's got horrible teeth, but a great personality. He is the most memorable of all of the guides so far. His patience and sheer determination to avoid any miscommunication is admirable. He'll explain things over and over again until we understand. He speaks english well enough to understand most things, but the brokenness of our speech I think is troublesome. Our pace is different than his native tongue and the combination makes conversations take much longer than they should. Its alright though, we have nothing but time. He repeats our itinerary to us over and over. He describes things we'll see and do until we can only mutter and nod in response. Along the way, he points out things he thinks we'll like or things he should explain as a good tour guide. He seems to have a strong desire to be very good at what he does.
Once we arrive a the hotel, we check in and drop off our bags. We head out to lunch with Hiep which is a fixed menu b/c it was pre-paid. This I think I'd change if I could. The pre-planned meals are usually traditional Vietnamese dishes which involve a lot of noodles and fish. This was interesting at first, but quickly turned my stomach after a few meals and I long for the ability to self-direct.
 |
| Our doorman has a comb-ring |
 |
| chin-ring |
 |
| The view from our hotel in Sa Pa. Mountains and Fog. |
Sa Pa is heavily overrun with French tourists. They're
everywhere. Is a small town with one main street where locals sell
food, surrounded by trekking shops selling North Face gear. Apparently
there's a NF factory in Vietnam. The stuff is everywhere, but the
quality doesn't seem the same as I'm used to in the States. The
materials seem less durable for some reason.
 |
| Locals in Sa Pa |
After lunch we sacked out for a couple hours and then met up with Hiep for a tour of one of the local Hmong villages a short distance from Sa Pa. The village was down in the valley along the river. We took a motorbus about half way down the mountain and hopped out to continue the rest of the way on foot. The view looking over the valley full of rice patty fields was grand. Miles and miles of rolling hills all hand-plowed into stepped rows ideal for collecting water for growing rice.
 |
| View of Ta Van and Lao Chai Villages in the valley below |
Along the way down into the village we came across what appeared to be a farmer plowing a tract of land with is water buffalo. Once we got closer, Hiep pointed out that it was staged for promotion. A man in a thousand dollar suit directing a photographer and a few subjects to create tourist brochures.
 |
| Valley of the Black Hmong at closer look |
 |
| Hmong kids entertaining themselves. |
 |
| Tired Hmong street vendor on the way down into the valley |
 |
| met a friend. barking BBQ |
 |
| Droppin the kids off at school |
 |
| Traditional Hmong woman weaving clothes. |
 |
| family rooster for cock-fighting |
Kung Fu Massage: After walking through the village we returned to Sa Pa via autobus sore and looking for some relaxation via the many advertised massage shops along main street.
Street Vendors:
