Muddy Motorbikes and Fishing Villages – 8th November 2008

Our interpreters (Hien on left, Van, centre) and friend removing their sun-protection. They wear all of this even on hot days.

The fish sauce "factory". Be glad that the aroma can not come through the internet

I enjoyed this collection of threads in a tailor's window

The pagoda on the hill

One of the lovely things about the rainy season is the moss that grows everywhere.

This glass, embedded in the top of a wall in front of a school, is typical of the security measures that are common here

Walking through the narrow, winding lanes was a delight

Catching a few rays between the rain showers

When this man saw me admiring his amazing wheelchair he was keen to get on and pose for a picture. The hand cranks operate a chain system - hopefully it makes it possible for him to get up the steep lanes

Muddy Motorbikes and Fishing Villages – 8th November 2008

One Saturday recently a group of us went by motorbike to visit fishing villages (Nghiem Kinh Chieu and Binh An) out on the peninsula. To get there we traveled across the big bridge and along a narrow dirt road. The day was fine but after so much rain the road was thick with mud and full of deep puddles. Two of the female interpreters and their friends had decided to accompany us. We had warned them that it would be muddy but they came wearing their usual attire of high heels, masks and gloves for sun protection and tight clothes. The locals do not generally go sightseeing in the district and although the village is not far from Quy Nhon they had not been there before. I do not think that they enjoyed getting splattered in mud but they tackled the task skillfully and in good humor.

After traveling about seven kilometers down this track we suddenly came across a new road that was better than any I have traveled on in Viet Nam. It was six lanes wide with a central median strip and broad footpaths on each side. This road traveled across the peninsula to the small fishing village and was intersected by another of equal proportions that is being built along the length. Apparently there are plans to develop this area as an industrial area and these roads are being built in anticipation. Quite how it was decided that they needed to be built on this scale is beyond me but it does make me wonder who benefited from they contract.

The fishing village was a delight. Unlike most of the towns in this area it is built on a hillside. Narrow winding lanes lead down to the beach between closely built concrete houses. The interpreters and their friends did not have any interest in exploring so they went to a café while we split up to explore. The locals in this village are not at all used to having tourists visit and greeted us with surprise and interest. Some of the children spoke a little English but the adults did not. As we made our way around many of them asked in Vietnamese if we were French and some of the old woman, who did not look like they were particularly poor, held out their hands in a begging gesture. There are a few disabled beggars in Quy Nhon and quite a few cheeky children who ask for money but I have never encountered requests like this from local citizens before. I do not know what has happened here before that led them to believe that we were French and motivated these requests.

The majority of people were simply curious and keen to engage us in conversation. I was on my own on the beach taking photos when I got waylaid by quite a large group. We were having a lively and funny but mutually almost incomprehensible conversation when an elderly gentleman came and intervened. He grasped me by the elbow, extracted me from the crowd and firmly steered me towards a pagoda on the hill that the others in our group had gone to see. I have no idea why. Perhaps he thought the locals were being too intrusive or perhaps I was disturbing their labor. Several children slipped alongside me and accompanied me up the stairs.

One of the amusing things was the sight of cows lolling about on the beach looking for all the world like they were sunbathing. They were not disturbed in the slightest by my photographic interest.

The pagoda was interesting with its statues looking out to sea but what I enjoyed the most was the view down to the houses. With their tiled roofs, concrete walls and narrow winding paths the village looked almost Mediterranean. On the way back, guided by an enthusiastic child, Adeline and I got completely lost in the labyrinth of lanes. When we eventually met up with the others Alan insisted that I needed to go with him to check out a fish sauce “factory” in a backyard shed. Fish sauce “nuoc mam” is an intensely flavored sauce that is included in almost all savory dishes. I knew that it was made by fermenting small fish and salt in large barrels. I now had the opportunity to smell the process in operation. It was quite an olfactory sensation!

We reunited with the interpreters and their friends at the café where they had spent the entire time then went to a very large new restaurant for a lovely fresh fish lunch. We were the only customers – perhaps it has been built for the anticipated crowds who will come with the completion of the new road. Lunch took a long time. We were served one dish at a time and had to eat each item separately but it was delicious. It is likely that the cooks had not anticipated any customers and had to go and source the ingredients.

The Vietnamese women left us after lunch. They said that they needed to go and have their afternoon nap but I suspect that they were finding the outing not particularly interesting. We waited out a heavy rainstorm then went to see the sights in an equally delightful neighboring village.

We decided to travel home around the harbor rather than along the muddy track. Bum sore from the bumpy roads but happy after our enjoyable outing we gathered to watch the results of the New Zealand elections on the internet. Our group has diverse political views so some were much happier than I with the outcome. I do believe in MMP because it increases diversity in representation and reduces the power of the two main parties but I hope that I do not return to a country where the ACT party is wielding disproportionate influence.

During the day I used both of my new cameras. It was good to have the little waterproof one that I did not need to worry about when the wind was whipping up the sand but unfortunately the quality of the images is not great. It will be useful for quick snapshots but it does not have the clarity and color quality of my SLR or even of my old Canon.

Hoa Binh, Hanoi then Home 31st October – 2nd November

The world's worst example of taxidermy - bad enough to give you nightmares

The poor little horse just after all four hooves were returned to the ground. it does not look at lot healthier than the stuffed one

Our Hoa Binh hotel

A view of the flooding in Hoa Binh from the hotel balcony

Da Nang International Airport -

fortunately I only had to spend a couple of hours there this time

Hoa Binh, Hanoi then Home 31st October – 2nd November

After our trip to Sapa Nick and I decided to go to Hoa Binh and Mai Chau. The plan was that I would leave from Mai Chau to return to work and Nick would stay on in the area for a few extra days before she returned to New Zealand. This was the only part of our holiday that was unsuccessful.

Hoa Binh is a hole. There is nothing to see and do in Hoa Binh on a wet day. After arriving back in Hanoi from Sapa we called in at the hotel to tell them that we had changed our plans and to make sure that they would continue to look after some belongings we had left behind. We then caught two local buses to get to Hoa Binh. On the way we passed through some interesting countryside but it was difficult to see in the rain. We did not have a map of Hoa Binh so when we arrived we got advice from some motorbike drivers about a hotel and ended up in one a couple of kilometers from town. It was raining heavily so we stayed there even though it was faux ethnic house and quite expensive. We were keen to see some of the countryside and possibly to take a trip on the lake and traipsed around the town, in the rain, trying to find out about our choices. We had absolutely no luck finding any information or anyone who was the slightest interested in helping us.

Nick and I are both easily amused by small things and events but it was hard to find anything of interest in this boring little town. Our only amusements were two horses. One was a particularly appallingly example of taxidermy and the other was a poor benighted animal that was harnessed to a cart. When a heavy load was added to the back of the cart the weight lifted the horse right up into the air. Unfortunately I was not quick enough with my camera to get a picture.

Even our meals in Hoa Binh were miserable. We had a scrappy lunch in a little restaurant. The food was not improved by watching a group of pigeons eating from the dishes that were waiting on the ground to be washed in a bowl of grimy cold water. Dinner was even worse. The only restaurant near our hotel was set up to cater for tour groups. We arrived early and were met by a sulky waitress who got annoyed with our request for a menu. We were told that we could have “soup, chicken, fish”. Every attempt to discover more was met with the same reply “soup, chicken, fish”. It turned out to be an overpriced set menu consisting mostly of the Vietnamese equivalent of chicken nuggets. To add insult to injury we then had to watch a tour group who arrived later being served much more variety. Disgruntled by an unsatisfactory day we had an early night after devising a plan A and a plan B for the following day.

Waking to even heavier rain meant that plan B was enacted. It did not seem worth continuing on to Mai Chau where the main interests were outside activities so we caught a bus back to Hanoi. It was quite an adventurous trip. We had by this time become more skilled at negotiating bus prices but were surprised that this time the reason that we should pay more was because of the rain. Assertive negotiations resulted in only paying 30% more than the locals but as it turned out we were lucky to get a seat at all. The bus had seating for 25 people but the tootling around looking for customers was particularly successful on this day and before long there were 50 people aboard. After about 40 it seemed impossible that they could fit anyone else aboard but repeatedly they stopped and managed to cram a few more in. It was amusing for me but very uncomfortable for Nick who was awkwardly crammed into a corner. The heavy rain had resulted in extensive flooding necessitating a long detour to get to the bus station in southern Hanoi. The next trip, within Hanoi city, took an hour to travel 10 kilometers because the flooding was so bad. Hanoi was experiencing the worst floods that they have had for 35 years.

During the next couple of days we amused ourselves around the city, dodging the worst of the rain and negotiating flooded streets. It was very difficult for the locals who had flooded homes and businesses. All over the city there were stranded motorbikes. Apparently some people resorted to using boats and hastily assembled rafts to get around but we got everywhere we wanted to go by foot and bus.

It was with sadness that I said goodbye to Nick late on Saturday night. We had a lovely holiday together and thankfully were still good friends after spending almost three weeks in each others company. I got up early to catch a taxi to the airport at 4:00 am, and after a bit of a delay in Da Nang, which is possibly one of the world’s drabbest international airports, arrived back home in Quy Nhon in the early afternoon. I was feeling a bit lonely so it was really nice to be warmly welcomed back by some of the other volunteers.
It was great to get away for such a wonderful holiday but it was also great to be back home.

Last day in Sapa - 30th October

The gardens and reflections of Sapa lake were delightful

Seeing a live wriggling snake in a cafe was a bit unsettling

Yellow dog - Yum!

I loved the images that these people had chosen to decorate their door with

Incense drying in the sun

I could quite easily have bought a dozen of these handmade bedspreads

Hemp cloth after being dyed with indigo

This is an example of the type of toilet that does not bother me at all now. They are perfectly serviceable so long as you are prepared to use a hose or you bring your own toilet paper. I

Last day in Sapa - 30th October

On the morning of our last day in Sapa we went for a walk along the valley from Lao Chai to the Cau May Ratt bridge. We did not know how far the walk would be or what the terrain was like and had arranged for motorbike drivers to pick us up at the bridge. It turned out to be a very easy walk and not as far as we would have liked but it was enjoyable. We again had the opportunity to view the rice paddies from above and while walking beside them. It was a lovely walk. Along the way there are quite a few people selling handcrafts, coffee and food. Some of the locals were happy to return cheerful greetings but others seemed bored with passing tourists.

The other walkers we encountered on the route were part of a group or had a local guide. We were glad to be walking independently as this allowed us to take our time to look at things that interested us on the way. At one stop, without any language in common, we were able to ask some questions about the source of materials used in the textile making which was very interesting.

During the morning we came across some women and children who seemed extremely poor. It was heartbreaking to see some children who were very despondent. Most children we had come across on other occasions were lively and playful but on this morning some of the children who were begging appeared to have lost all joy and energy. I will never get used to seeing people living in such poverty. Living in Viet Nam has given me opportunities to fully appreciate the wealth that we take for granted in New Zealand. Whenever I listen to the radio it is full of news of economic woes – the concerns seem petty in comparison to the struggle that many people here live with as they endeavor to feed and educate their children.

In the afternoon the cloud again rolled in. We decided to spend time walking around the backstreets of the township rather than trying to view the valleys again. Some parts of Sapa are quite wealthy. On the hillsides there are large houses with big gardens. We enjoyed walking around the lake which had beautiful flower gardens and colorful reflections in the water.

When we stopped at a café a young man arrived with a live snake tethered to a stick. It was we established destined to be a pet not a meal. Watching him handling the snake was quite creepy and made me realize that once again I had not even thought to look out for them as we had walked around rocks and through fields.

We had arranged bus and train tickets at our hotel and in the evening when we left for Lao Cai I felt sad because it is unlikely that I will ever return to this district and there are many places that we did not see. I am very fortunate to have had the opportunity to go there.

In Lao Cai we had time to fill and stopped at a stall for coffee. We had vouchers for the train which we needed to swap for tickets. Nick was looking at these when the ‘helpful’ coffee woman told us where we needed to do this. Little did we know that we were being set up for a sting. Following her directions we crossed the road and were met by a man who told us that we had been given the wrong tickets and we needed to give him the vouchers and pay an extra 30,000 dong each for beds. Fortunately Nick had got a phone number to call and when we rang to check this out he disappeared leaving us flummoxed. Eventually we found some men on the station steps who claimed to have our tickets. We were naturally were feeling pretty suspicious by this time. Nick was marvelous. She insisted on checking them out and eventually we agreed to take them (at no extra cost) even though we were still uncertain about what was happening. We managed to get ourselves on the wrong train but fortunately got taken off before it departed and when we finally got to our beds it was a lovely surprise to discover that they were in a very comfortable carriage. Had we believed the first man we would probably have ended up with fake tickets that we could not use but we ended up in a carriage much better than the one we had arrived in – go figure!

I slept quite well on the train and got a surprise when it lurched to a sudden stop back in Hanoi at 4:30 am. Before I came to Viet Nam I was concerned about having to use unsavory toilets. Up until this time it had not been too awful but the toilets at the station were by far the worst that I have encountered - I did not believe that it was possible to find a toilet in a more disgusting condition. Later in the day when we went to Hoa Binh I discovered just how dreadful they can be. I will spare you the graphic details but I would like to know what it is that one is paying for in some of these places – it is certainly not cleaning, paper or running water. No wonder so many locals choose the street – I certainly have discovered that it is possible to hold on longer than seemed possible!