Rain Rain Finally Gone

Today in Na Trang, after two days of non-stop downpour, the sun is coming out. And we are leaving. I can see now that the miserable resort where we stayed is actually quite beautiful and offers a beautiful aqua bay to swim and frollic in. I did swim in this warm water, but in the rain. What a difference the sun can make!

We are headed to visit a photographer who shoots in black and white film the scenes of Vietnam- salt farming, pole carriers taking flowers to market through the huge sand dunes of Mui Ne, fishermen casting their nets, and families of several generations.

Break in the clouds on long sandy beach

Today in Hoi An I got up early to catch the basket boat fishermen casting off to finally catch some fish as the sun finally seems to be trying to make an appearance.

Sure enough, some men are pushing their round boats into the waves.
They paddle to get out to the deeper waters, but as the boat is round and the waves are strong, one guy just keeps getting pushed down the beach.

These basket boats are iconic in central vietnam and I find them especially interesting.

They are woven water-proofed baskets that fit one or 2 people and have no stern nor bow!

Lantern Town

Today in Hoi An I stumbled across a lantern factory. Inside an old temple are about 10 people working on splitting, shaving, bending wood slats into the shape of the lanterns- oval, round, long, etc.

For lunch I ate the traditional Hoi An dish Cau Lau, a bowl of noodles, fried shallots, funny rice croutons, and fresh vegetables. A small amount of soup is poured over the ingredients to give it some flavor. It is really delicious- this area's answer to pho.

Pho is really a northern/Hanoi specialty and, as I am learning on this trip, regional specialties don't really get out of their region. When they do (you can find Pho restaurants everywhere) it is very disappointing.

The only place I can find good pho outside Hanoi is at Pho 24 in Saigon! It is a fast food chain- there is one on every street practically and I did see one in Hue- that serves just pho and it is really good for a chain!

Ahoy Hoi An!

Today in Hoi An I walked the little streets of yesteryear's merchants from Japan, China, and Vietnam. About 300 years ago this little town was a major port and merchants from all over came here to trade. The town was little touched during the war, even though it is close to Danang, the American airbase.

The rich merchants' homes still line the small streets and river, glowing burnt yellow in the setting sun, their tiles roofs red green with young moss. Inside the furnishings and interior are dark hard woods with Chinese and Japanese influences.

One of the most famous sites is the Japanese covered bridge, an intricate wooden curved bridge that has a small altar attached.

There are also ancient Chinese Association Halls/Temples where the Chinese Elders met and made decisions for the community. There was one for the Fujian people, the Cantonese people, and a Chinese Association. The "Board" could buy in for as little as $1 and get their names carved into the marble plate on the wall at the entrance.

I guess it is kind of like the Chinese clubs here in Hong Kong! Fujianese and Cantonese do not want to be in the same association/club!

Danang good seafood!

Today in Danang I had some of the best food ever! This trip has certainly given me a chance to try different Vietnamese food than I have had before!

We went to Ba Thoi- a place recommended by the ticket seller at the Cham museum. Indeed, this place is about a 5 minute walk straight out from the entrance to the museum.

Ba Thoi is a sea food place. Being in Danang on the ocean they probably have good seafood here.

I ordered Crab steamed in Beer. We did notice that there were 5 categories on the English section and 8 on the Vietnamese section but I paid it no mind.

I got steamed shrimp.

No amount of pointing and saying "cua" (crab) would make the woman understand what I wanted. So I will eat big succulent shrimp. NO worries!

Every table in Vietnam has a small dish with a wedge of lime, some chili, and a salty mix of sea salt and maybe MSG and maybe, as in the case of this place, crushed miniture dried fishies. The idea is to use the juice from the lemon and make a sauce/paste with the ingredients for dipping.

Not bad. Limey. (well I made mine mostly liquid with the lime juice).

Then a dish piled high with lettuce, basil, mint, sliced star fruit, zucchini, and other greens arrived. At the same time a plate of rice paper and dishes with fish sauce and peppers and a kind of peanut sauce were set down.

I am supposed to make my own mu shu/burrito/wrap with these ingredients.

Peel the shrimp and take off the head.
Lay a slice of star fruit and a slice of zuccini, some mint, and some other greens on the half-moon rice paper.
Dip the shrimp into the fishsauce and lay it on its bed of greens on the sheet of rice paper.
Wrap it up and gobble down!!

MMMM! Yummy!


The other dish that we didn't order that came out was steamed fish (did I mention the influence of Chinese?) But this was not a simple Chinese steamed fish covered in green onions and drizzled with oily sweetened soy sauce. This fish had scallions, pork, lemon grass shavings, mushrooms, onions, ... a bunch of stuff I couldn't quite distinguish and a sauce from out of this world!!

I am sure it had fish sauce, that is a given. Definitely had sugar. Must have had soy sauce. But what else? there was a little kick to it but I didn't see any peppers. I don't think I could reproduce this dish, but I would sure like to try!!

Chamming in Danang

Today in Danang I went to the Cham Museum, which is one of the best collections of Cham art in the world (another exceptional museum that has this kind of work is the Guimet in Paris).

Cham is the ancient civilization of Vietnam. The center was not from here in central Vietnam. The civilization started in the 4th century AD and was contemporary with the Kmer culture of Cambodia (Ankor Wat), overlapping but not exactly the same dates.

The Chams had strong Hindu influence and had many depictions of Shiva and Vishnu. Their temples were also adorned with celestial dancers similar to those of Ankor Wat.

Personally, I think the Cham dancers are a little more enticing, the walls a little more decorated, and the designs on the walls a little more elaborate.

There are Cham ruins all around Vietnam, but the most famous are in My Son. I don't think I will make it there this trip, but it is supposed to be even more amazing than Ankor (but smaller).

China Beach

Today in Danang I went for a short walk on China Beach. China Beach is where had R&R during the VN war. It is a beautiful beach that is several miles long.

The waves come in at frequent violent intervals due to the monsoon that has hit Vietnam (and seems to be whereever I am) so I can't go swimming, but it makes for an exciting view.

On the drive from Hue I passed fishermen drying out their basket boats. I hope to get some pictures of them using them, but it seems that even most fishermen do not venture out into this kind of raging sea.

The drive from Hue included going over a 1500' pass that gives a good view of the sea on both sides. One side looks down on the road coming up through the green jungly mountain while the other looks down on a leprosy village!

Also at the top old French and American bunkers can be seen, surrounded by hawkers trying to sell you their trinkets and drinks. One girl followed me all over, speaking pretty good English, taking my picture for me, giving me helpful info, then delivering the blow of "will you buy something to help me?"

I bought a bracelet of beads made from buffalo horn (so she said). I like it and I hope that it did indeed help her because she was very nice and helpful!

Unfortunately, because of the weather, visibility was terrible. I did not get any good photos in either direction.

My next job?

Today in Hue I went for a walk down Le Loi Street to look at the high river, stroll through the riverside park, and find some fishing boats to take pictures of.

None of these things were that exciting: the river had gone down a little, the park was empty and dreary, there were no fishing boats. But I did stumble upon the Centre des Langues Etrangeres (Center for Foreign Languages), a beautiful old school with gorgeous grounds.

I wasn't allowed in until the students were out of class, at noon, so I waited until I saw the boys in blue trouser/white starched shirt-uniforms and the girls in white ao yais bicycle out of the all the exits. Few girls actually were wearing these iconic outfits, but I did several and it confirmed that school girls do indeed wear them! In Saigon and Hanoi I never saw any girl wearing the white ao yai that is ubiquitous in any painting, laquerware, or photograph of Vietnam!!

I ventured into the grounds and was amazed by the beautiful brick red buildings surrounded by bright green trees and lawns. Where a building was not red, it was deep blue, an enjoyable contrast.

The residences for boarding students is blue and red and colonial. The main buildings are red two story with plantation shutters and paned windows.


Unfortunately, the facilities are not very good. The students sit on hard bench seats at long tables, maybe 3 to a table, and there are only old green black boards that are shiny and dark.

Imperial imperiousness

Today in Hue I went to the Citadelle, the former Imperial Palace.
It is similar to the Forbidden City in Beijing with a wall and gate and pathways leading up to the main buildings.

A very important battle was waged here during the "American War" when the communists took Hue and battled with the Americans for almost a month, the two sides blowing up everything and killing countless civilians.

The city has never really recovered and the palace is still mostly in ruins. At some place you can see huge bronze pots that are left to stand alone as everything that was once around them burned to the ground.

Today the place is flooded and we enter by hopping from one paving stone to then next to get to dry ground. The paving stones have been laid out for this purpose, but they too are an inch to two inches underwater.


There are some old buildings left and some newly reconstruct
ed areas. The place must have been quite impressive at one time. But there is not enough money to redo it and there is little political will to help this area.

Stoned in Hue

Today in Hue I tried a hot stone massage. At first I wasn't sure about it as they didn't seem to be doing any deep tissue work. But the use of hot smooth stones was amazing. The heat from the stone really seeps into your muscles and spreads throughout the area, melting away tension and causing a deep relaxation that I wasn't expecting.


There is a magazine called AsiaSpa. It is a thick magazine that comes out every month and I have to wonder, how much is there to say about spas in Asia? Evidently a lot. New spas open all the time and cities like Hong Kong have several spas. They all offer pretty much the same stuff, so... what's the point?


Obviously people (women especially) are finding more time (and more money) to do things they like and what they like to do here in Asia is pamper themselves.


I might as well join them!!

Tombs of time

Today in Hue I visited the tombs of the emperor's of the last Vietnamese Dynasty.

These places of rest are beautifully landscaped parks with expansive views of the countryside around. Ornate buildings and engraved Steles mark the tomb. However, at least in one case, the body and the treasure that is supposedly buried with the king were never found! Oftentimes the masons and carpenters and ditch diggers, etc. are killed to keep the exact place of burial a secret.

What I like about Vietnamese architecture is the use of mosaics made from broken shards of pottery.

Scales of a dragon are blue and white china with pastoral scenes. Tombs and temples alike are decorated with mismatched shards and colorful glass. Often the eyes of the large cement animal protectors are glass balls of green or blue.


This special touch really adds a unique feel to Vietnamese work that is not found in China.

Hue good cook

Today in Hue I took a cooking class to learn to make some of that famous Hue food! It was soooo yummy! Damn I'm good!

I made these delicious betel nut tree leaf wrapped beef morsels that are charcoal grilled and then dipped in sweetened fish sauce. Out of this world! I can't wait to make them in California!

Also made famous Hue noodle soup and a scrumdeli-icious carmelized lemon grass chicken. I have never had anything like this before so, no it is not like the lemongrass chicken you can get at any ol' downtown San Jose Vietnamese eatery!

I love learning new things to cook and about the ingredients of different cultures' cuisine.

This class, at La Residence Hotel in Hue, was one of the best classes ever!

Vietnam Roadtrip

Today in Hue I started my Vietnam road trip. After one night in HCMC (Saigon) and a short flight to Hue, I am now in the ancient capital of Vietnam.

Many aspects of Hue life has obvious Chinese influence, from long ago. The writing on old stone stele, or on the ancient bronzes, is Chinese. The Imperial Palace has a layout similar to the Forbidden City in Beijing. The Clothing styles of the royals are practically indistinguishable from that of the royal Chinese.

Even the food has Chinese influences. Actually, Hue is famous for its cuisine and there are over 1000 dishes that come from Hue. Vietnamese imperial food comes from here. What we eat in the States, like Pho and spring rolls, are basically street food and nothing like the high class dishes from Hue.

It is pouring down rain here now and the streets are flooded. The imperial palace and some other tourist sites are inaccessible.

Junkin' around

Today in Hong Kong I went on a junk cruise! This is basically a booze cruise that expats here do as often as they can. Some companies even have their own boats for their employees.

I thought it would be one of those refurbished old junks with the funny red sails that looks out of Taipan. There are a few of these boats that go around in the harbor. I think that Aqua Restaurant Group has one that will take you from Hong Kong island to their restaurants in Kowloon.

This was sorta shaped like a junk, but once on it feels like a regular boat. I was a little disappointed, as I am sure many first timers are! I was the only American and the only first timer (I think).

Still, it was so relaxing to sit up top in the breeze, chatting away while girls brought us nibblies and drinks. The sea breezes were flowing and beer and bad wine was available too.

We motored out to an island (there are about 200 hundred islands off this side of Hong Kong) where there was a small beach. I jumped off the top of the junk and swam to the beach where beer and, thank goodness, water was waiting for us in a cooler.

When the sun shined through, the water was clear aqua and the beach sugary white.

A leisurely swim back (I really didn't want to get out) to the boat brought me there in time for lunch. A pretty good lunch with steak, salmon, and chicken and a yummy eggplant dish (and other stuff too, like salad).

THIS is the life!!

Dragon's Back

Today in Hong Kong I went for a hike on the Dragon's Back. This is a very popular hike on Hong Kong Island that takes only about 2 hours at a pretty leisurely pace. The trail is mostly natural rock with some stone steps and curves up over the undulating verdant hills overlooking the South Side of the island. Below on one side are villas inhabited by HK's richer set and the Hong Kong International School, also occupied by HK's rich set. On the other side are crashing waves, beaches, and a small golf course. It is so great to be out in nature, away from the sounds of traffic and from the throngs of people. We did see a few other hikers, but hiking in HK is definitely one way to get away from it all. Unfortunately, we didn't get away from the heat and smog and the views were definitely obscured by the purple haze that is Hong Kong most of the year. Hopefully as the weather cools down there will be more hikes in store!

We rewarded ourselves with a delicious Thai meal down in the village of Shek-O and a wade in the warm waters. Next time- DEFINITELY bringing my swimgsuit!

Factory blues

Today in Zhongshan, for good measure, we had a repeat of last night's feast for those who couldn’t make it on the night of the wedding. We had 3 more tables and the same food in the same restaurant. It is unclear who exactly were the latecomers as two of the tables were still just the families and us.

After lunch, we went to a garment factory to check out a Chinese factory as one of the American boys wanted to see one. The grand factory that my former student works for won't open until tomorrow as it is still Golden Week so we went to a jeans factory that Lesley's brother did some work for. This “factory” is a little more typical maybe of the small factories that dot the mainland. There are 2 floors, about 50 square feet. The workers live in the back in a somewhat uriney-smelling area. The was a small office and out on the floor there were several (maybe 15) people sitting at sewing machines making collars or sleeves or whatever for the button-down shirts they make. In the back two men were measuring denim. They had a huge length of denim that they had already measured about 12 4 meter lengths from and they still had a huge pile on the floor to get through. They stretch the material out over a table and place a metal rod on the end to keep it in that place, return it to the beginning, where another metal rod is placed and it is brought around over the rod to the first rod, which is removed and placed on top of the material for it to be brought back to the beginning. And so on.

Lesley found some jeans to bring back to the states as samples, but Janey and I looked at them and knew that few American butts were going to fit into those jeans! After that we had to get out of there because I had to take the ferry back to Hong Kong and Jason had to catch a plane back to California. Once again, things that were supposedly going to take 20 minutes took 45 and so on so I wanted to make sure I didn't miss my boat. We left, but were called back so that Jason could take the samples back to California with him on the plane! A huge bag of jeans as his carry on. Lucky him!

Wedding No. 2

Today in Zhongshan we had the Bride's wedding. This was a much smaller affair and included only the brides’s immediate family- so there were only about 30 tables. Only 300 people. About 30 minutes after we arrived I was asked to give a speech. And tell the bride's sister what I was going to say so she could translate. Which gave me about 1 minute to think about what to say. So of course I said something corny and not well-thought out.

The food came out with a lot of fan-fare and girls with lanterns. Two boys came out with a dragon and a phoenix on poles and a line of girls holding fancy lanterns. Tonight we had lobster and suckling pig again- which came out with little blinking hearts in its eyes, as if it wasn't gruesome enough to see his face and tail still whole. But I love suckling pig so I can get over it. I didn't get to eat everything because I went with the couple to make toasts at each table. She had 3 tables of teachers! There was a waitress or hostess keeping us on track and moving us along. A sort of wedding whip-cracker.

After the dinner a bunch of us young folks went out for KTV (Karaoke). This was at a nice hotel with lots of chandeliers and a floor to ceiling window that looked out over the river. Pretty ritzy.

The best singers were the Bride's sister and her 9 year-old daughter (the flower girl in the picture above).

Fore!

Today in Zhongshan I went with the American contingent to the Zhongshan Hot Springs. We had an interesting “Western” lunch and then walked around the area. There are large pools for swimming and, I assume, smaller hot tubs to take advantage of the hot springs. Inside the hotel confines there is a nicely manicured pond with trees and scholar stones. But overall it was a rather run-down place that could use a little modernizing.

On the same premises is a beautiful golf course that made me want to take up golfing. It had just started to rain and soft lawns curving into the mist with the sheets of rain coming down on the bamboo lining the lake and trees on the course really made it a very beautiful site. It was rather inconsistent with the hotel and resort down the road, where I assume golfers must stay.

China is really getting into the golf craze and there are several very popular courses just over the border from Hong Kong. Hong Kongese golf enthusiasts have only good things to say, especially about the 216-hole (12 courses in one location) golf-a-palooza in Dong Guan.

National day dragons and turtles

Today in Zhongshan we went to see some dragon boat races. These were quite different from the races in Hong Kong. For starters, these races are much longer distance. Also, the boats are simple dug-outs. No dragons' head, no fancy paint job, no drumming coxswain.

They paddle down a canal through the town, 4 or 5 men paddling steady and hard. These guys seem like pros. The whole town (and then some I am sure) is lined up along the canal watching. It is very difficult to edge in to see. Again, my height helps here! But finally someone in our entourage has succeeded in herding us down to a tarp draped over some wood where someone's cousin's friend's customer (or something like that, it is always something like that) has set up a spot and claimed it as his own.

People make way for us foreigners. I seem to be in the smoking section as all the men seated on stools around me are smoking. I move to the back where I can still see over their heads and watch the race. I guess this sort of race is not that exciting if you are not at the finish line. There are boats going back and forth; it is impossible to tell who is ahead. It is not the furious paddling of Hong Kong, so all I can do is watch the boats go by and try to determine if one or another has gone by before.

We leave and head for lunch. Some guy who owes Brother a lot of money has invited us to have lunch at a place he has rented out. There are several tables on a dock-like structure with a roof over it. It is resting in the water and there are a few out buildings on stilts for private rooms. It is dining al fresco on the water, what else could you want?!

The host owes our friend money, but he evidently gave 200 roast pigs to the city, one for each township! And he is holding this meal for about 25 tables. I guess we know where the money went! And by inviting us he has bought himself some reprieve in the deadline for repayment.

Lunch is hot pot. Turtle hot pot. We are served some gelatinous stuff and some meat.
The gelatinous stuff is what I guess is the turtle's skin. It still has the “freckles" you can sometimes see on some turtles. American Mom gets a foot, with toenails still intact!!
We hand that one over to the groom!

This restaurant has all kinds of things for sale: eels and snakes, frogs, turtles of course, and some sort of mammal that looks like a raccoon crossed with a sloth?! We don't know what it is. We want to set it free.

(I will post a picture of the restaurant later when I get one from the others. I had already run out of batteries on my camera by this time)