The Citadel

Hue is the former capital and is located in Central Vietnam. It is home to the Imperial City, which at one point was ‘Forbidden’. How elitist.

 

One of the bridges that crosses the moat surrounding the Citadel.

 

The money roof. One of the many buildings that make up the inner part of the Imperial City.

 

The Citadel was disappointingly new by Asian standards, only built about 200 years ago. Of course growing up in Orlando, anything built before the ’50s is quite historical by my standards.

 

Much of the Imperial City was destroyed during the Vietnam war and I’m pretty sure this section was recently refurbished. The paint was so shiny.

 

Favorite translation: To obey the prevention on fire and explosion in the area of relics. Favorite Rule: Not to pluck flowers and trees…

 

For a couple bucks tourists could dress up as Royalty and get a souvenir pic. Who says photog jobs are hard to come by?

 

House Hunters International? Yes please.

 

Royal Gardener keeping things fresh.

 

Emily

Half day in Hue

Shop girl.

 

Selling balloons and loving life.

 

Family outing.

 

Boxers: The cutting edge in old man streetwear.

 

Street badminton.

 

More to come.

 

Emily

The Dogs of Phu Quoc Island

Phu Qouc Island has it’s own breed of dog, and although they are feral, they are also super friendly. They make their homes on the beaches and there are always 1 or 2 within petting distance.

 

Phu Quoc dogs have ridgebacks, which is to say that the hair on their back grows in the opposite direction of the rest of their coat. This is apparently very rare in dog breeds and, according to the manager where we stayed, they also have webbed feet.

 

It seems that instead of owning a dog on Phu Quoc, locals just play with whichever dog is closest and then send them on their way. It’s a great system, like getting to have as many dogs as you want with none of the responsibility (or the embarrassment of ending up on Confessions: Animal Hoarding). We had three personal canine companions that seemed to consider Cassia Cottages their homebase. They would visit us daily on the beach and join us for dinner each night. Sarah named the boy Diem, which is Vietnamese for crazy, because he was super rambunctious and a little too in-your-face. The other one was sweeter, an older female whom Sarah dubbed Zwan and the third we called Scruffy. He was kinda gross.

 

Don’t be fooled by their cute and cuddly appearance, upon closer inspection you’ll come to realize that most of them are covered in open sores and they will literally follow you all the way back to your cottage door.

 

Nothing like relaxing at the end of the day with your favorite coconut chew toy.

 

Wait for it…

 

Dog fight!

 

They all seemed to run in packs of 2 or 3 during the day but at night they gather in larger packs. The most I saw together at  one time was about 7.

Next up, Hue!

Emily

Island Explorations

If you wake up early enough and walk to the beach you’ll see tons of trash that has washed up overnight all the way from the mainland, about 70 miles away. The employees of the various resorts sweep up all the debris every morning at sunrise. I tried summoning Captain Planet but sadly I forgot to pack my planeteer ring.

 

Have I mentioned that it’s hot in Vietnam? Because it is. Took this photo before realizing my lens had fogged.

 

Another morning at south beach. Sandbar!

 

Now to my favorite part, Tranh Creek and Waterfall!

 

We took a rocky pathway that led up to a waterfall. Massive stones sat throughout the forest, giving you the impression that this ancient place probably looked exactly the same before people ever came to settle on the island. Heavy.

 

 

We only spent about 30 minutes climbing the stone path to the top of the waterfall and back but I could have stayed all day. Alas, it was a bit drizzly and we had a lot on our agenda.

Then, for lack of options we ended up eating at a rather nice restaurant. I had the pumpkin tortelloni which was oh so tasty! It cost me like 10 American dollars which is way more than I spent on any other meal during the trip. Worth it though, delish!

One thing I discovered today was the existence of vegetarian pig ears. WHAT?! It’s true. Although many Vietnamese practice vegetarian diets for religious reasons, most don’t adhere to it year round and when they must, they still need the taste of dried pig ears to brighten their day. I guess.

 

 

We also visited a history museum which was somewhat lame, a black pepper farm, a buddhist temple and an oddly placed sculpture garden with even odder sculptures, as seen to the left.

Then it was back to our cottage for some hammock relaxation and cinnamon ice cream!

 

 

At the end of the day, walking on the beach. Choppy waters.

 

Lindsay enjoys solitary beach time. Yay off-season!

Emily

A Day at Sea

FYI, if you go to Phu Quoc in the summertime, it will rain.

 

Exhibit A.

 

Storm over the ocean, headed our way!

 

Sadly it’s only 9:28 am.

 

Eventually the weather cleared up and it was onward to a day at sea. On our boat it was just us, the crew and a Vietnamese family on vacation. This is a random fisherman we passed on the way.

 

See that normal sized person dwarfed by that gigantic rock? He was one of the crewman and after we set anchor he swam to shore, climbed up and whipped out the machete he just happened to have on him in order to hone a sea urchin spearing stick. Which he then proceeded to spear sea urchin with.

 

Another crewman in the cabin, prepping lunch. Lindsay was brave and tried some of the sea urchin, it’s innards were a mustard yellow color. Her verdict: slimy.

 

Here’s what my lunch consisted of. Although I initially had no idea what this was, I soon discovered that ‘vai’ is lychee, my favorite alternative to those disgusting boba pearls everyone pretends to love so much. Once you take off the rind it looks like a peeled grape and is sweet and juicy, minus the pit in the center. I also had watermelon and that out-of-focus green stuff in the back is rau muong, or morning glory. This was one of Sarah’s favorite side dishes. I had it several times while in Vietnam and, to me, it kind of tasted what I imagine a 4th of July sparkler to taste like…and by that I mean that it had a kind of smoky kick to it and a zingy aftertaste while simultaneously being boring cooked greens… tastebud picture sufficiently painted?

 

Ouch. Someone caught coral in their line.

 

After about 2-3 hours of cruising around the coast of the island, we came to a bay where we stopped to snorkel. See the white and yellow in the water? It’s a coral reef! It had grown as high as 2-3 feet below the surface in some places. This was by far the best snorkling experience I’ve ever had. Phosphorescent blue, pink, white, yellow and red coral, with pretty little fishies swimming all around. I wish I had an underwater camera to really relate how beautiful it was.

On the other hand there was no way we should have been allowed to swim that close, anywhere else and this area would have been protected. As I mentioned, it was very high in spots and a few people were actually standing and walking on the tops. It was obvious that large sections were dead, but there were still loads of areas that were vibrant with life. At one point I freaked a weency bit when I seemed to have swum myself into a creepy coral trap! All of a sudden it was as if I had been corralled into a circle of coral too high to swim out of and with a disturbing abyss at its center. After a momentary bout of anxiety I carefully skimmed over the top and was able to find my way back out without being abducted by aliens. Close call. I’ll never know how I managed to swim in there in the first place…

 

We ended up on South Beach. It was a good day.

Emily

Phu Quoc Island

Next stop on our journey, Phu Quoc Island. It is situated on the west coast of Vietnam, actually closer to Cambodia, in the Gulf of Thailand. This was probably the best sunset I’ve ever witnessed, the clouds and colors were breathtaking.

 

 

 

 

 

 

And now the sun is on it’s way to America. Nighty night!

Emily

Cu Chi Tunnels and Whatnot

Another sunrise view from our room.

 

We Started our morning off with some tasty pho. Mine of course was vegetarian, or ahn chy. In case I don’t mention the food again, let me just say that absolutely every meal I had in Vietnam was DELICIOUS. It may have had something to do with the fact that each time I sat down I was famished, but the food was always fresh, flavorful and crazy cheap. Breakfast often included dragon fruit, green oranges and baguettes accompanied by strawberry and guava jams. Lunch and dinner consisted of stir fry, lettuce wraps, lots of tofu and hot pots.

As a first time traveler, I had been apprehensive about what I’d be eating while in Vietnam and watching an episode of Anthony Bordain prior to the trip did not help ease my fears. According to him, the only way I was going to attain a flesh-free meal was by climbing to the very top of a mountain and charming my way into a secluded Buddhist temple. Fortunately that was not the case. Veg friendly food was everywhere and, thanks to the lunar calendar, there was one day when EVERYONE ate vegetarian. Yay!

 

Properly nourished, it was off to visit the Cu Chi tunnels, which were used by the Viet Cong during the Vietnam War. (Or as they refer to it, the American War.) Once we arrived we were shown a 15 minute vhs about the barbaric Americans and their allies, the puppet soldiers of the South. The majority of the video was spent exalting the accomplishments of a female folk hero who single-handedly killed 30 or so Americans and ‘tunnel rats.’ As the video went on the awkward tension in the room increased and we were occasionally given sympathetic pity glances from our Singapourean tour buddies. Then it was time to actually explore the tunnels. This is a photo of Lindsay and Sarah as we made our way through the 50 yard stretch which had in fact been widened for the comfort of portly tourists. I’m not claustrophobic but I really hated every second down there. The tunnel never seemed to end, the heat was stifling, and it was pitch black except for the guide’s flashlight.

What astounds me is that less than 50 years ago this was a way of life. This may be old news to people who play Black Ops or paid attention in American History, but for me it was a disturbing wake-up call. People truly lived underground here; fighting, sleeping, loving and dying. Children were born in the tunnels, meals were made, wounds dressed and attacks planned.

To the right is a photo of me pointing at one of the many 5-inch monster millipedes that seemed to be lurking everywhere both in the tunnels and outside in the forest. The rest of our time was spent being shown the various ways the Viet Cong created booby traps. Most ended with a short fall and spikes to greet you. This lesson was accompanied by the sound of machine guns polluting the air as people tried out M60s and AK-47s at the shooting range. Lovely.

 

Uncle Ho’s Communitist Youth Union.

 

Propaganda poster.

 

Spotted. Seriously, someone buy me a super-secret spy lens for my birthday. Thanks!

 

Balance much? BAHAHA! Get it?

 

This was taken on our way back to the hotel to prepare for an evening at the Vietnamese Opera. Despite my enthusiasm, I fell asleep at some point during the second act and was awoken to be told we were cutting out early. Next we decided to go for drinks at the top of a posh hotel and I ordered a Saigon Sunrise which totally did me in. On our way back the 3 of us were walking on a sidewalk, probably around 11pm, when 2 guys on a scooter came up fast and drove right between us with their lights off. The dude on the back made a grab for Sarah’s purse but she held on tight and they kept driving, sans purse, only having broke the strap. She yelled after them like a BAMF, meanwhile I was so out of it I didn’t even react. What I’m try to say here is that we were the victims of an attempted mugging!

And thus ends day 3.

Eeeeeek, i wrote way too much today. Tomorrow I promise less writing and more Phu Quoc Island!

Emily

Mekong Delta

On day 2 we took a tour of the Mekong Delta. A bus picked us up fairly early and we headed off with 2 travelers each from Holland, France and England. Very international.

 

This was our boat captain man.

 

After an hour or so of boat riding we arrived in a village in the Mekong Delta where we had lunch and were given the opportunity to purchase homemade coconut candies. This is where Lindsay discovered she is allergic to jackfruit.

 

Then it was canoe on the Mekong Delta time! Apparently in this area people tend to take the river from place to place versus walking or driving. We passed several homes right on the bank.

 

Here are some other people canoeing.

 

Then it was explore the area on your own time. She had a rope strung through her nose. Sad face.

 

This photo was taken by me while simultaneously biking. No easy feat and the first time I’d ridden a bike since the Martha’s Vineyard debacle of ’03. Thankfully it was less hilly here. The horse rickshaw seemed to be the topside transportation of choice in this region, I saw several pass by once we arrived in the village center.

 

Eventually we gave up on the bikes and walked around a bit. Here are some local kids who asked us to take their photo. Life moved at a slower pace out here, seemed nice and relaxing.

 

We passed a possible toxic waste crisis on the way to our tour rendevouz point. This is pretty much how the entire trip played out. Lindsay and Sarah about 50 yards ahead as I took photos and occassionally looked up to make sure I wasn’t lost.

 

Break time.

And now for me, sleep time! Catch you tomorrow.

Emily

Here we go…

My first day exploring Vietnam.

 

Three generations, one scooter.

 

We visited the Ben Thanh night market in the center of Saigon. Crazy crowded with people on scooters manuvering past shoppers down the narrow walkways.

 

Lets get some shoes!

Emily

Gooooooood Morning Vietnam!

Here is the view from our very reasonably priced hotel room in the backpacker’s district of Ho Chi Minh City, aka Saigon.

As it happens, this is the very first image I took in Vietnam. The metadata shows 7:16pm on 6/13/2010 which Vietnam time would be 6:16am 6/14/2010. In other words, to be in Vietnam is to be in the future. And that’s 11 hours in the future to be precise.

The night before had me worried that I’d never make it to see this sunrise but be a fatality in a bazillion-person pile up. The disorientation of spending 25 straight hours in various airplanes combined with the culture shock of Vietnam’s traffic etiquette on the drive from the airport to our hotel had me in a dazed state of alarm. I sat there wide-eyed as our driver sped through downtown, constantly switching lanes, honking and accelerating into stopped traffic. I occasionally exchanged concerned glances with Lindsay, my college bff, roommate and travel companion, while our driver swerved through what seemed like thousands of people on scooters all surging past us, occasionally putting their hands on our windows for balance as they drove by, or leaning against the taxi as they paused in their commute. It was absolutely mad and I’d never experienced anything like it.

Twenty minutes later I unclenched and stumbled up 4 flights of stairs to our tiny and hellahot hotel room. The din on the street never let up as people below partied, bartered and honked throughout the night, but falling asleep was a non-issue as I was exhausted. A little after 6am I woke up just in time to see the daybreak above the buildings and then the adventure began.

More to come!

Emily

(Sorry for the completely obvious and cliche header but I couldn’t not go there.)