Bac Giang

Today was amazing! I went to sleep somewhat early last night so that I could be somewhat awake when one of my new friends picked me up at my hotel at 6:30 am. While I was totally not excited to wake up so early, I couldn’t wait for the rest of the day.

To start off, me and one of my students’ uncle had pho and bananas at a sidewalk restaurant. It was very delicious, but I woke up with a slightly strange feeling in my stomach, so I was a little weary of eating street food today. All is fine though (for now at least), so it was a good call. After we finished breakfast, we drove to his house (which was beautiful!!!) and met up with his wife and two sons (1 year old and 7 years old). Vietnamese houses are incredibly different than western houses. For starters, they are very narrow – basically all of them are only one room wide. There is definitely a French feel to the architecture – but is also clearly Chinese inspired as well.

Anyway, after my tour of the house, we drove for about 1.5 hours to a village called Bac Giang, which is the home town of my student’s mother and 8 sisters and brothers. Along the way, the 7 year old son and I chatted in English, and he tried his best to teach me some Vietnamese. All I can really remember is “thank you,” “hello,” and “goodbye” though haha.

Bac Giang was amazing! It’s not the kind of place you’d find on any tourist maps of Vietnam, but it was a once in a lifetime opportunity to see what real Vietnamese life is like. First, I was introduced to many of my student’s aunts, uncles, cousins, siblings, grandparents, etc… Then, my student’s mother gave me a tour of the village pagoda – which the grandmother is in charge of. It was really great!

After we walked back to the house (passing a variety of cows, chickens, and other livestock along the way), we had a HUGE lunch. Apparently, Vietnamese families often gather up the extended family and have elaborate meals whenever there is a special guest. I really felt very honored, and everyone was so nice and friendly to me.

The lunch consisted of many different dishes. There was a rice noodle soup, sticky rice with corn, strips of some kind of pork, tofu, fried tofu, greens, chicken (with the bone, skin, and marrow still attached), big chunks of pork with the skin on, and the most interesting dish I’ve ever eaten… Now, I know what you are saying – how much more interesting can you get than beating cobra heart?! Well – I definitely topped it today when I ate a sort of soup made out of congealed pig blood, some sort of meat, and peanuts. I was definitely nervous, but being the guest of honor, it would have been rude not to try it – so, I did! It actually wasn’t half bad. (but I don’t plan on going back for seconds any time soon :)

While lunch was taking place, my student’s mother informed me of a special Vietnamese tradition – apparently, it was her job to take me around to each of the 6 or so seating areas and get introduced and have a drink of wine with each person! Now, I learned earlier in my trip that what the Vietnamese call wine, is actually VODKA! Luckily, it turned out to be a shot per area – not per person. Thank goodness. 25 shots of vodka would surely kill me haha.

Anyway, after lunch, we all chatted a bit more, and then my student’s mother had her driver (she is a very important business owner) drive me, her, and her brother and sister in law to the airport so I could catch me flight to Laos. I am so thankful to her for the amazing experience she provided me – I really feel like I made about 25 new friends here! My student’s aunt has also arranged for one of her friends to show me around Ho Chi Minh City when I get there later in my trip.

So – after the goodbyes and a few photo ops at the airport, I boarded my 1 hour flight on Lao Airlines to Luang Prabang. The flight was okay – It was a very small twin propeller plane, so you really could feel the turbulence and the movement of the plane more. But, the flight crew were very friendly, and I was impressed with the meal they served – especially since it was only a 1 hour flight!

So, now I’m in Luang Prabang! My guest house is pretty basic, but my room has a nice balcony that looks right into a temple across the street, has cable tv, and a good working air con (which is most important in Southeast Asia in Apirl/May!) I already went exploring a bit and stumbled upon the night market, which was really cool. (I saw lots of souvenirs that I have my eye on.)

There are lots of various tours, treks, boat rides, elephant rides, etc… available, but I think I will spend tomorrow just wandering around and exploring all of the local temples and sights. I’ll save some of the tours for days 2 and 3 here.

Anyway, it’s getting late now and I should get some rest for tomorrow. I LOVE THIS TRIP!

Halong Bay

Today was a great day! After a quick breakfast, I was picked up by my tour guide for my trip to Halong Bay, which is about 3 hours away.

The ride was relatively pleasant, and the other people in my tour group were all friendly and came from all over the world. We arrived in Halong City around noon (after the obligatory souvenier shop/tourist trap pit-stop), and boarded the boat for our cruise of the bay.

Unfortunately for us, it was raining. And not just a little rain - it was pouring! We were all soaked, but the view was so amazing, that it was well worth it.

We cruised around the bay for about an hour, and then stopped to eat a fresh seafood lunch at a floating restaurant. Once we finished our lunch, some of us (the brave ones) went kayaking in the bay.

I ended up in a 2 person kayak with a French man named Patrice - a very nice guy. Neither of us had any idea how to kayak, but after a few mishaps, we got the hang of it. I wish that I had brought my camera with me, because we were able to kayak into some secluded caves and coves that were just breathtaking. I felt kind of like I was in an episode of Lost. I had a blast, and would really like to try kayaking again some time.

After our kayak adventure, we went to a really big cave that clearly was a part of every tour of the bay, since there were hundreds of people there. Don't get me wrong - it was really cool. But, it was definately very touristy and over crowded. Eh...

Anyway, once we finished up at the cave and passed the 900th souvenier stand, we took the boat back to the shore and drove home. While I'm usually not a fan of organized tours, this really was a great day :)

Tomorrow, I'm spending the day with my new friends from yesterday, and am flying to Laos in the evening. I was originally planning to see a few more sights in Hanoi, but the chance to spend time with a local family and see what Vietnamese life is really like is an opportunity too good to pass up. I'm really excited!

Welcome to Hanoi!

Welcome to Hanoi: A whole new world!

I pride myself on being fairly well-travelled and easily adaptable to any situation, but Hanoi, Vietnam is like no place I have ever been before! I arrived last night after two relaxing flights totalling 17 hours on Asiana Airlines. I was lucky enough to convince the ticket woman to give me window seats in rows that were entirely empty for both legs of my journey. This was great because I got to lay down and sleep for both flights. The food was also great, and it was definately one of the best flights I've been on.

After going through immigration (with some minor confusion) and customs, some friends of one of my students met me at the airport and took me to my hotel (which is actually quite nice). I got a good night's sleep and don't really feel any jet lag (thanks to some strategically taken sleeping pills :).

This morning, I ate a delicious breakfast at my hotel, and immediately felt the French influence in Vietnam. For example, I ordered chocolate pancakes and ended up with chocolate filled crepes. After that, I decided to venture out for a walk in the neighborhood around my hotel: the Old Quarter.

Well, stepping out into the street was like stepping back in time in a whole new world. I have literally never seen more people and motorbikes in one place in anywhere I have ever been. Simply walking on the sidewalk was an adventure. But daring to cross the street was a death-defying feat. Seriously! At first, it seemed kind of fun - like a game of Frogger or something. BUT, the fun ended and the terror set in when one came within one inch of hitting me and running over my foot! Words really can't describe it - watch the video below!

After nearly dying 58 times, I went back to my hotel and met Lucky, Sweety, and Mr. Lam (all friends of one of my students). They were very nice and took me to the Temple of Literature, and then to a delicious lunch. After that, we went to the Museum of Ethnology. This was one of those classic examples of locals knowing what is cool - I wasn't even planning to go there, but it turned out to be a highlight of the day! On the inside, it's just a regular museum, but on the outside, there are old-school ethnic houses and lots of cool interactive displays. It was so much fun!

Once we finished there, we drove to my student's mom's office, and then headed to Le Mat Snake Village. There, we met up with about 8 members of her extended family, and had an amzing meal of cobra - served many different ways. Eating cobra was a goal of mine, and is sure to be a highlight of my trip! Not only that - it tasted great!!! I drank the blood and bile mixed with alcohol, and ate the fried skin, ground bones, stir fried meat, spring rolls, soup, and several other snake entrees. It was such a great experience, and was the kind of thing I never could have experienced on any tour. I also drank a lot of snake and bee wine - maybe too much haha!

Tomorrow, I've booked a boat and kayak tour of halong bay - I really can't wait!!!