I mentioned in my prior post that I was having difficulty getting photos loaded on WordPress. So much for my freeloading days, I’ve had to pay for more storage and we’re back at it. Yesterday after the floating market, we went up a quiet river or inlet of some kind. I felt like I was in the Louisiana bayous, although I’ve never been.
We stopped in at a noodle factory, which felt a little gimmicky, but who am I to judge? Sal told me what plants were used to create the colors in the noodles. The only one that I remember for sure is that the yellow is made using turmeric root. I got to try picking up the freshly cooked rice noodle and depositing it on the rack as this man is doing. Needless to say, mine was a little wrinkly, and was saved only by this man’s interference.
Then we stopped at what Sal said is the largest market in Can Tho, and wandered a bit, dodging motorbikes constantly. There were all the vegetables, fruit, various kinds of meat and a lot of fish. I saw live and butchered frogs, eel, snakes, even butchered rats. I tried to keep the horror from my face at that knowledge. Sal told me he eats all of these things. Snakes are an expensive treat. I’ve seen durian at all the markets, but haven’t had the chance to try it yet. So many kinds of rice! Sal explained the uses of some of them, which I promptly forgot.
Then Sal saw the ice cream bicycle and so we had a treat before getting back on the boat to go home.
I had a little time to kill this morning before I’m picked up for the bus back to Ho Chi Minh, so I first went for coffee. Then I decided to check out a grocery store, which led to some wandering, because at every intersection I had to choose which way to meander, and I was lured by the sights and sounds in a zig zag fashion.
I was zig zagging my way back to my room, taking my time because I have until 11. I saw this place and stopped for banh mi and more coffee. The banh mi stand is separate from the coffee place, but when I motioned at the table under the roof (shade!), she waved me on. So I sat in the open air coffee shop while she worked, at one point coming over with a couple of pieces of chili and said words I didn’t understand. I nodded because, why not?
Meanwhile I was having a conversation with a young waiter from the coffee place about this menu – via Google translate. For reasons not clear to me, each time I order coffee I also get a small glass of tea with it.
The zig zagging continued and I happened on this group of vendors outside what looked like a wholesale market, who were repairing or making new shows, one was working a sewing machine to fashion some garment and customers waited while they worked. I didn’t want to stick my phone in their faces, so this is the best I could do.
Then another market along the river bank. As I wandered the market, my brother David video called, and so we walked the market together for a while. How fun! Since I still have some market photos from yesterday, I’ll spare you more than these few.
I cooled down (again) in my room, and finished packing. As I Ieft my room at 11, the young woman who had helped me with various things was there to shepherd me to the spot where I was to meet my shuttle to the bus station, and stayed to make sure I was on. We chatted as we waited, and she told me she grew up about 120 km from there, but had come to Can Tho for university and then stayed. I heard the same from my guide on the river yesterday, and it sounds very similar to what a lot of college graduates do in the US. They stay on and start adult life where they went to school. I asked about coffee but she confessed she doesn’t like it, she drinks juices mostly. Her favorite is papaya. I think mine so far is mango. She refused any kind of tip as I left, and I felt I had been cared for well throughout my stay there.
Back in Ho Chi Minh and whiling away a bit more time as I wait for my hotel room to be ready. I was having trouble posting photos yesterday and it turns out it’s because I have exceeded the storage capacity on WordPress’s free account. Oops, I guess it’s time to pay. I’ll do a little catch up now that’s been solved.
Aside from a less than comfortable 3 hour bus ride, the journey from Hanoi in the north of Vietnam through Ho Chi Minh, and on to Can Tho in the Mekong Delta, the journey was smooth. I worried when I saw the ‘limousine’ van we were to ride in, and I got grumpy when the person in the seat in front of me dropped her seat back into my lap. The guy across from me commiserated in words I didn’t understand. When we stopped for a rest break, I asked the driver about getting dropped in the town center instead of at the bus company’s office, now understanding that it was a bit of a distance. He wasn’t interested in my questions, but another passenger intervened and negotiated with him. I finally left them to it and ran to the toilet, not wanting to miss the opportunity. But sure enough, when we got near to the city, the passenger turned back to me and suggested I get dropped at some unknown point on the map, as it would be closer. It turned out all the others were getting off there anyway. I booked a Grab and he was there before I could put my phone away.
This city lights up at night.
My room has a kitchen, not that I’m going to cook while here. It also has a washing machine in the hall that I am free to use.
I had booked a tour for early today on the river, so I had to go in search of an ATM and food. The ATM turned out to be harder than expected, and it was getting late for a 4:30 am wake up, so I skimped on dinner and went back to do a load of laundry and get organized for the next day.
I walked out into the darkness this morning to find Sal waiting for me. We took his motorbike to the pier, where we met the boat captain, and off we went. It was pretty magical watching the day break as we motored down river.
About 40 minutes later, we arrived at the floating market. Sal said that the local street and store sellers come here to buy wholesale from the boats. Now, of course, there’s also the tourist trade. We ate a noodle dish and drank our coffee, both purchased from the boats that Sal knew to look for.
Most of the boats have these long poled propellers, and from time to time later in the smaller river, our captain had to stop and unwrap some plastic that had gotten wound round the propellers.
Each boat puts up a long pole with the item or items they have for sale tied to it, so buyers know who to approach. The regular sales start around 3 am, so a lot of that was already done when we arrived, although not quite all.
Sal said that the boat sellers go up river and buy from growers, then come down to these markets for a couple weeks. Then they repeat that process, living on their boats.
I’ve slept in the same bed for three nights straight, but this morning the repacking chore was due. If I were a better human, I’d be more organized throughout my stay, but each outing seems to require different things – passport- maybe but not usually, debit card or just cash, jacket or no, and so it goes. I keep things in categories but they are not tidy.
Also, I’ve picked up a few things, so the load needed to shift. My flight is at a very civilized hour, so I had time for breakfast, a little work, and packing, and left the hotel about 8:30. But before I left, I sat down to gather my thoughts, and this tea and gift appeared.
I confess that my first thought on seeing the woman bearing the gift bag was ‘will this put me over the weight limit?’ I’m flying domestic to Ho Chi Minh and they take their baggage limitations seriously. It was a lovely gesture though, and turned out to be quite light.
Now I’m sitting beside my gate at a pleasant cafe with an outlet beside my table, and whiling away the next half hour writing to you. Once I land in Ho Chi Minh and collect my bag – yes I have a checked bag now, I have a couple of hours to get to where I am (hopefully) catching my bus to Can Tho. I was nervous about making the connection too tight, so I decided to plan on stopping for lunch or lunner, or whatever that will be.
My bus leaves at 4 pm, and I’m directed to be there by 3:30 in order to pay or I may lose my seat. I’ve read a bit about the poor bus service here, so I went with the line that seemed to have higher-ish ratings and less likely to cancel. When you book, they say they have the right to cancel or rebook, willy nilly, so I decided not to pay online. Whether that was wise is yet to be determined.
I have a room at the Midmost House in Can Tho, another ‘balcony’ room. The one I had in Hanoi was about 6 inches deep, although I could open the french doors and get fresh air. So I am not sure what to expect in Can Tho. Anyway, my phone is fully charged, and I’m off to walk around before boarding. See you in Ho Chi Minh.
I love the sights, sounds, smells and all of what makes a market. People roll up on their scooters, and never even have to alight for the short transaction. The meat stand operators cut the meat up however you want it as you wait. It’s hard to be a gawker here, because many times you are walking in the road or the gutter, alongside scooters, cars and bikes. The sidewalk is often blocked by rows of parked scooters or vendors with their wares. Horns honk incessantly, and the number one rule is, don’t veer or hesitate. Despite the chaos, riders and drivers will yield to pedestrians, albeit very much last minute and with a few inches to spare. At least in market and shopping areas, there is no such thing as a casual stroll.
I sometimes asked what something was if for no other reason than to engage. It was usually unsuccessful with respect to getting a name, but I am not likely to remember it anyway. This particular stand, the woman’s answer was ‘oleander’.
At another point, I was musing out loud, since it was clear the stand-keeper was not going to respond. I was standing at the edge of the road, because the sidewalk was consumed by the food stands. A woman passing very closely on her scooter was pausing for traffic, and she responded. She told me the name of the root in Thai, and said she is Thai, and explained very briefly how it is used in their cuisine. I said thank you, and she drove away. I’m no more the wiser, but the interaction was lovely.
And more from my wanderings today in the Ngoc Ha neighborhood. I took a Grab to the general vicinity and then wandered for hours in the small lanes. There were some dead ends involved.
outdoor barber shopMe on a Grab bikeThis is a common sight, as shoes are removed in most places.
I actually started my wanderings with a visit to the Women’s Museum, which covers a lot of traditional customs specific to a woman’s role. Some societies in what is now Vietnam were matrilineal, and it was interesting to note that in at least one of them, the youngest daughter is the one who inherits.
Everywhere one goes here, there are reminders of the French occupation, and on the heels of that, the American War. As I wandered today, I ran across, quite by accident, this enduring reminder of what it was to live in a war zone. I didn’t get a great photo of the actual wreckage in the water, at first not quite believing what it was.
One floor of the Women’s Museum covers women who were warriors, activists, heroes. Yesterday I was moved to tears in the Maison Centrale, and today this photo was near the end of the exhibit. I have nothing new to add on the subject of the horrors of war, subjugation and colonialism. This mama’s face tells all.
Most people reading this know me, and most of those who know me know I have four beloved siblings. I like to call them my siblinks. One of them is my brother David, who was in Vietnam early this year. David collects people like I collect, well, nothing. So of course he made friends with the pedicab driver he used in Hanoi. And so I contacted Vinh via Whatsapp, and he was outside my hotel at 9 am this morning.
He took me to see some of the sights of Hanoi, including the tomb of Ho Chi Minh (the outside, we didn’t go in), a few Buddhist temples, the Catholic cathedral, and several other sites of note. I toured the Hanoi Hilton while he waited with his cab. My thoughts on that visit will have to wait.
We visited the famous train street, just in time to experience a train rushing past.
I took pictures of monuments and important buildings when Vinh suggested it, and enjoyed the opportunity to have a local tell me what was worth seeing. However, in the end, it is the photos of everyday life that grab my attention.
We ate pho for lunch at the place that Vinh says has the best in all Hanoi. The fried dough in the pink bowl is dipped in the pho, and it was so good, Vinh went back for extra servings of those for both of us. Vinh’s home is about 150 km away from Hanoi, but like his father and uncle before him, he comes to the city for 3-4 months at a time, and then goes home for a short time. He proudly showed me a photo of him and his wife with their three daughters. One is finished with university, one will graduate this year, and one is still in high school. We ran into his uncle on the street in the afternoon, he too was working with a pedicab.
About 2 pm, I started to feel the need to wander on my own, so we headed toward the hotel, stopping for a couple of purchases along the way. I’ll save the rest of the day for another post, as this is getting a little long. I feel like I lived three days today.
I have so many things to catch you up on. Arriving Monday at midday on the train in Hanoi, I got a Grab within minutes and off we went to the hotel, where I discovered I had accidentally upgraded myself (and the price). Then I had no time to shower, it was off to meet up for Ella’s Food Tour. Our group of ducklings following Ella hither and yon was comprised of fifteen Israelis, two Germans and me. Interestingly, the Israelis were all groups of 2 and one group of 3, and none of them knew anyone else in the group prior to the tour. Apparently this is a popular spot for travel from Israel. The common spoken language between all of us was English, but the Israelis spoke with each other in Hebrew. I don’t have to tell you the food was fantastic. I tried to pace myself, but failed after about the third stop. Fortunately there was a fair bit of walking between stops.
I forgot to take photos at some places. I intend to revisit that place where we got coconut ice cream with sticky rice and fruit. Wow. We finished with coffee and went our separate ways. I called a clinic I had found online and took a Grab bike over to see the doctor, get a prescription and be on my way, all within a half hour and for less than $200. Also wow.
I also saw my first bike crash as I was leaving the clinic. I had ordered yet another Grab bike pickup, and as he pulled to a stop to pick me up, a bike behind him failed to notice, and crashed into the back of the Grab bike. It was apparently unharmed, and other than startling the driver, he seemed fine. The other bike went down and copious amounts of fluid I assume was fuel ran out on the street. A random woman helped him right it, and he smiled as he pushed it up on the curb. Everyone was cheerful and no one showed any upset. The Grab driver handed me my helmet, and off we went.
I see no one here hanging on to the bike as they ride behind the driver, but I clutched both sides for dear life and tried not to think about how my helmet flopped loosely on my head.
I wandered the streets for a while, and fell into bed soon after, grateful to have a soft mattress and no jolts and train sounds in the night.
How many ways are there to have coffee here, or maybe tea? I haven’t begun to decode the options, but I’m having fun taking a run at it. I’ve learned the word for milk, and coffee sounds very much like, well, coffee. Sometimes a small glass of either water or some other liquid is served alongside the coffee, and I haven’t yet learned how to drink it properly.
My last morning in Danang was overcast and threatened rain. My ostensible goal was the bookstore, but I found myself wandering. I discovered narrow streets that fit only pedestrians or bikes, and got little glimpses of everyday life.
This was breakfast as I waited for the bookstore to open.
Later I skirted the edge of a large market, and found myself in streets of various industry, trade and material.
I tried to ask some women what the greens in the middle were called, but when they said a word, I wasn’t sure if it was the name or something else. They then tried to sell me some bananas – a word we were all sure of, and we parted ways.
I stopped in a few electronics stores on a whim to see about getting a remote camera button (thank you Roger for that idea), and while I came away empty handed, the experience was educational. I was met right at the door each time, and using Google translate, I asked my question. The answer was always no, and perhaps it really was true. My dusty shoes soiled the spotless floors though, and I thanked them carefully as they opened the door to show me out. I continued my wanders, until eventually belly issues and rain both threatened and I circled back ‘home’.
There I made some decisions about my last week in Vietnam, booked a flight from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh and surrendered the idea of going to Sa Pa. I would have spent two days in transit on a bus or another train, and time is short.
These bougainvillea have multiple colors growing from the same vine, or at least so it seems.
And then it was time to gather my things and order a Grab for the short drive to the train station.
Early morning coffee in my room. I apologize to you purists out there, but needs must.
I woke thinking about my plans for the day. The only hard and fast schedule is to be on the train at 6 pm, bound for Hanoi. Check out time is 12, so I have to decide soon if I want to pay for an extra half day to keep the room until 4 or 5. Knowing that I will sweat through my clothes before 10 am, I am inclined to pay the extra dong.
Speaking of dong, it is hard to not balk sometimes at paying hundreds of thousands of dong for something, because the idea of hundreds of thousands sounds like a lot. For instance, I paid 1,600,000 dong yesterday for the car and driver, which I had from 7:30 am to about 5 pm. When the hotel clerk quoted me that price the evening before, I had to pause and calculate on my phone what that meant in terms of money I could understand.
The last thing I need is to add anything to my bags, but I saw something about a bookstore here in Danang with books in English. I haven’t read at all on this trip, but that will not deter me from going. I’ve spent little time even reading things on my phone other than directions, between the fact that I’m out and about most of the time, and then having tasks to complete when I’m in the room- laundry, repacking the day bag for the current day’s plans, and making onward plans such as hotel rooms. For me the chores are part of the fun of my style of travel, although it’s not necessarily relaxing. Stepping outside my everyday life like this is energizing and I feel like I’m constantly absorbing, watching, wondering at what I see, and it’s in effect filling my cup constantly. Speaking of cups, pardon me while I refill my instant coffee. It’s still dark here, and too early to find the good stuff.
I’m calculating whether I want to walk or get a Grab to get to the aforementioned bookstore. Google says it opens at 8, which may or may not be so. But I’m going to plan on it, because I can be certain of a nearby coffee stand, or five, in which to while away a little time. Coffee, coffee everywhere. And Grab.
I have only gotten a car with Grab because so far I’ve had bags, but today I will get a bike instead. I quickly learned to spot the bright green jacket and helmet of Grab riders, they too are everywhere. It takes less than five minutes to get picked up, and the price is quoted in the app, so no worries about repeating my experience in the taxi from the airport.
Speaking of jackets- while I was busy dehydrating myself from sweating so much, I noted that most motor bike riders wear jackets, sometimes even puffy jackets. They nearly all wear helmets (it is the law here), except some children. Many wear face masks to avoid grime and exhaust, and some women wear some form of a wrap – not as a modesty thing, but to protect their clothes from the road dust. A lot of bikes with single riders had a spare helmet hanging alongside, I suppose it’s the family car for many. Ho Chi Minh city alone, with about 8.9 million people, has about 7.3 million motorbikes. They are many, and they are everywhere. I shared a photo previously of a beautiful church here, all lit up for a Saturday evening service. I also snapped this second photo- so many had come to church via motorbike, I was astounded.
It’s time to start my Sunday and your Saturday is almost to the yardarm. Off I go.
This morning I had a car and driver to take me to Hue, which is about 2 ½ hours from Danang. Many Americans know of Hue due to the fighting that took place there during the American war. Its history, however, dates back over 20,000 years, to the Sa Huynh culture. I will not attempt to summarize it here, but feel free to check out Wikipedia. We shared the road with a few cows, and stopped at some oyster beds along the way. I also saw ponds along the sea-front that looked like they were used for farming some kind of sea life, but Thinh was intent on the road, so I left him to it and just made up my own stories for the unknown things I saw.
I’ve found it hard to communicate to a driver that I really don’t want to be given the ‘tour’ in the past, and today was no exception. When I arranged the transportation, it was with the desk clerk at my hotel, who is sharp and clearly good at understanding what her guests want. Alas, such nuance was lost on Thinh. I attributed that in part to his youth, but that might be unfair. I tried, by use of Google translate, to tell him to just drop me off in the city center, and we’d meet up later, but he found that instruction confusing. He waited a while, and then offered to take me first to the Imperial City. Since that was on my list anyway, I decided to accept this idea. The Imperial City is actually not as old as I would have expected. It was constructed in the early 1800s by Emperor Gia Long. I wandered through a very small part of it, but the humid warm air drove me in search of shade and fluid. Photos that take in a whole building fail to show the colors and detail, so mostly these are close-ups of details in the bulidings.
I had thought I would rent a bike or scooter today and head out of Hue on my own. But Hue, small as it might be, was larger than I’d expected. I decided it would be wise to wait on that idea. I hope it will work out in Sapa as it is smaller yet. The cities are filled with an incredible number of motor bikes, with truly nuanced rules of the road. I also found out yesterday that at least some places won’t rent to you without an international drivers license, and I figure my chances are better in a small town. Things I saw in Hue –
I visited the Thien Mu temple, and with it the pagoda. This dates back to 1601, and the name is taken from an old lady by the name Thien Mu who foretold that a lord would come and erect an pagoda on the hill. By this point in the day, I ha acquired a sunhat, and so was better equipped to wander in the heat.
Back in my hotel room a few hours later, I showered away the sweat of the day, and booked a hotel room for my next stop. Tomorrow evening I board the train for another overnight to Hanoi. Then I joined the masses on the streets of Danang, on a lovely warm evening. Hot pot for dinner, coconut coffee for after, and a walk along the river front to end the day. The last photo is home, sweet home for one more night.
To see what I could see 