Water

There are staggering amounts of life in Vietnam, and almost everything revolves around water. From rice paddies in the mountains to the vast stretches of the Mekong delta, water is everywhere. One result is that everything in the country is green – and the Vietnamese use everything that water and nature produce. Virtually every plant is used for food, medicine, fuel, construction, or some other purpose. The population concentrates around the rivers everywhere. The Mekong delta, a staggeringly huge place (more than 40,000 sq. km.), is home to more than 20 million people, living in thousands of villages and some very large cities. (Who knew that Can Tho is larger than Atlanta and Albuquerque together?!)

As it approaches the sea, the Mekong splits into 9 separate rivers, each huge (this morning, more than 120 kilometers from the sea, one of the nine was nearly a mile wide), and connected by large numbers of canals. When the river floods every year, the people rejoice and celebrate, because it brings fresh soil and new life.

The is the General Store in afloating market on the Mekong

These shipping containers have a Mediterranean Sea label. Wonder where they started?

Fran is lovin' life as she sails down the Mekong River Delta.

The Town of Hoi An

Hoi An is a delightful little city (soon to become a much larger city, based on the resorts under construction). Another UNESCO site, the old city was a flourishing trade port for centuries, with trade from China, Japan, and Europe. The new Bond movie, Quantam of Solace, only out in theatres about 15 days, was already available on (bootleg) DVD in the stores.

This home in Hoi An has been lived in continuously for hundreds of years (seven generations) by the same family.

It is common to experience flooding during the rainy season. That immediately affects this housse since the back door opens right onto the river.

This year there was 10 feet of flooding (they've marked the water levels for various years). They save the furniture by moving it upstairs to the second floor.

This is an annual occurence and, no, they wouldn't even THINK of moving.

The old city was lovely, but our two lasting memories are cooking and the silk store. In a Vietnamese restaurant, we were hosted by the assistant to the owner, and the #2 executive chef, for a private cooking class. She was born in 1979, and has worked in the restaurant for 17 years. She taught us to make crispy spring rolls, grilled chicken with lemongrass, green papaya salad, and other delightful dishes. We ate our efforts at the table of honor on the balcony overlooking the city. What a wonderful dinner!

Two somewhat skeptical students just before class started

Lu, our illustrious teacher. By the end, Fran was ready to adopt her!

OK, it looks good and was easy to make - but will it taste good?

Oh Yeah!

Bob is all smiles! [When isn't he?]

Fran thought he looked cute in the apron and bought it for him. He models it over another handmade silk shirt.

We also found a fabulous silk store (there must be 50 in the city). I believe the only things they bring in from the outside are mulberry leaves and dye. In less than three weeks, they raise the worms to adults, feeding on mulberry leaves, who then live only two or three days. They spin a cocoon on one continuous silken thread, which is later extracted in boiling water. They remove worms, which grow into moths, and the whole process begins again. On our last night there, Bob was in the store at 4:45 p.m. He handed the saleslady two $20 bills, and selected two bolts of (brand new - only 15 days old) silk from the wall, while she grabbed her measuring tape. Four hours later, at 8:45 p.m., a girl appeared at our hotel with two hand-made silk shirts, hand-tailored to Bob’s measurements. Talk about service and quality!

These are silkworms

Bob models 2 of his purchases.

Hoi An is the perfect place to buy made-to-order clothes dirt cheap!

Pure silk, hand made, perfectly tailored. What would these cost in the U.S.??

The Town of Hue

We spent one day in Hue, which is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was the old capital of Vietnam, and the imperial palace reminded me of the Forbidden City in Beijing. It’s huge, many buildings, with a long wall around the entire complex, and badly in need of repair. The temple there was similarly impressive, but also needs much work.

Here's an elephant we passed on the road!

We left Hue and drove to Danang. Danang has an impressive Cham museum, documenting the people that controlled southern Vietnam for hundreds of years. We saw little else of the city, now an industrial center, but it still has American fuel storage tanks and war plane hangars. Before we left we stopped at China Beach, a lovely sand beach with continuous rolling waves. I feel very fortunate I never had to see it 40 years ago.

From there we went over the scenic Hai Van Pass and into Hoi An. Atop the Pass, local ethnic people were selling souvenirs. A man approached us, asked if we were Americans, then proceeded to chant O-Ba-Ma O-Ba-Ma O-Ba-Ma over and over. Clearly someone in his village has a TV, and that reinforces how closely the rest of the world follows what happens in America.




















This is China Beach (mostly closed for the Winter)

At the Hai Van Pass .

When this gentleman figured out we were American, he started chanting "O-Bam-A, O-Bam-A" and gave us a thumbs up.

Final Reflections on Hanoi

There are no school buses in Vietnam – kids must get to school on their own. This is a picture of parents on scooters waiting outside an elementary school for their children to be dismissed

Most school children ride bicycles, and there are vast hordes of bicycles during commuting time. And there are a lot of kids! Our experience is that Asian people are superstitious. One guide book noted that the year of the dragon means good fortune – and in the most recent such year, virtually every woman of child-bearing age in Vietnam was pregnant! No wonder there are so many people in Asia!

Everybody is selling something. Capitalism rages. People have an extraordinary work ethic, often working 18 hours a day, 7 days a week. Some people make huge amounts of money. In one remote rural village, the one-room bamboo house had a dirt floor and walls that weren’t remotely water-proof, but there was a satellite dish receiver outside and a wide-screen TV on the wall! Those kids will grow up looking for a different world than their parents’.






This lady is preparing duck for the lunch crowd. Space is at a tremendous premium. We saw many small restaurants where food was prepared and cooked, and dishes were subsequently washed, right on the sidewalk.














Here is an outdoor barber shop...

















...and this is an outdoor beauty shop. Can you imagine women in America sitting in public waiting for their hair dye to set?















We loved Bobby Chinn’s restaurant in Hanoi. He’s an American ex-Pat, very successful restaurateur, self-described “enfant terrible.” His cookbook is stream of consciousness prose about Vietnam, with some recipes stirred in. From stories, some momentous world decisions have been made in his restaurant. We ate there twice, talked to him both times, and found him pleasant; his food and drink were outstanding!




























Vietnamese people are not large. Fran estimated one woman was a size -2. I didn’t think she was that big. As my height shrinks, it was refreshing to still be among the tallest people in the crowd!

People exercising in Hanoi

Back in Hanoi we finally got to stroll and shop and enjoy the city. At 6:30 a.m. the rush hour is already crazy, and the whole city is fully alive! Around one lake near our hotel we observed nearly 2 dozen groups doing various exercises (aerobics, Tai Chi, fan dancing, weight lifting, badminton, hacky-sack, etc.), with hundreds of participants from 18 to 80. Nobody’s self-conscious, everybody stays in shape, and it makes so much sense! An hour later the sidewalks are empty of people and equipment, and ready for the day. The same thing occurs again at 5:00 p.m., for people who miss the morning sessions, or those who are compulsive exercise addicts. Surprisingly, Jane Fonda-type exercises and bump and grinds seemed to have replaced Tai Chi as a favorite exercise in Hanoi. Fran was surprised

Badmitten is this pair's game.

This group of people even brought out heavy weights. Wonder where they store them during the day?

A woman meditates quietly despite all the hustle and bustle surrounding her.

Bob does his own form of two-fisted exercise!

Halong Bay

We spent last Monday and Tuesday on a junk in Ha Long Bay, one of nature’s special treasures. It’s somewhat like Guilin on the Li River in China, but that’s only one river; this is thousands of square miles of open water. There are more than 1,500 islands, most huge limestone rocks jutting straight up from the water. I’ve wanted to see it for years. It’s a big tourist attraction – more than 400 junks ply the islands. Most vistas have lots of boats, when I wanted pictures of islands . . . We visited a floating village, where local people build a small floating structure, then live in it (complete with kids, dogs, etc.). They fish and cater to tour boats. We stopped at one island with a cave with three large chambers.

Fran found the boat more spacious than the train. The food was good, the service was excellent, and the staff was delightful.




The junk boat in the middle has a sunrise on the sail. Someone called it the Obama Boat.





Bob enjoys the view from the deck.

Thank you to the greatest tour guide ever!

Our thanks go to Tran Dang Dinh ("Chan").
What a wonderful and knowledgeable tour guide.
Thanks, Chan, for showing us your beautiful city.