Toto, I have a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore

Highlights of my travels to Vietnam and Phuket, Thailand (and one day in Beijing) by Joanne Mueller

Vietnam has a culture unlike anything I’ve ever seen or even could have imagined. After 28 hours of travel, 11 of us arrived in Hanoi, Vietnam. Hanoi is a city of 10 million people and what appeared to be nine million motorbikes … and no stop lights. That made crossing the street a very precarious adventure. I was told to be cautious, but confident, and to walk slowly. Well, I’m here to write about it, so I’d say that was great advice.

Even though Vietnam is a communist country, the amount of free enterprise is astonishing. It seemed as if every available square inch of land (in the cities at least) was being used for retail. And, if you saw one retailer selling North Face apparel (real and knock off) or fish or silk (real and synthetic) or vegetables or flowers or … you saw 1,000. I still can’t fathom how anyone makes any money with such fierce competition. I asked our guide how he chooses where to shop and in true universal fashion, he said he doesn’t have to worry about it because his wife is a better negotiator and handles it.

The “Vietnam” War

Hanoi is situated in the northern part of the long S-shaped country. It was so interesting to experience their culture that seemed to be the reverse of the US—the north appeared very set in tradition while the south was more western or liberal. It was in Hanoi, however, where I received my first “lesson” on the “American” War. [It’s all about perspective.] At any rate, within hours of landing in Vietnam, we headed to the Hua Lo Prison aka Hanoi Hilton. The prison was built by the French during their occupation from the mid-1800s through the mid-1900s. The prison now serves as a tourist attraction and is smack dab in the middle of the bustling and crowded city. According to the propaganda at the prison, the US fighter pilots who were shot down and captured, were taken there and treated like hotel guests, thus dubbing it the Hilton. US P.O.W. accounts including that of Senator John McCain, whose photo hangs on a wall there, might beg to differ with that statement. And while anti-American sentiment was written in the museums’ chronicles, 40 years after the war ended, the Vietnamese people welcomed the American tourist (dollar) with open arms.

Outside of Ho Chi Minh City (old Saigon) in the southern end of the country, we spent a sobering afternoon at the site of the Cu Chi Tunnels—a labyrinth of connecting tunnels that were used by the South Vietnamese people during the war.  They ate in the tunnels, slept in them, gave birth in them and so on. It’s unbelievable to fathom seeking refuse underground for that long of a period of time. We walked on the very grounds where combat took place, where missiles destroyed villages and where thousands lost their lives. Upon hearing gun shots from the “attraction’s” firing range, some of our group members were overcome with emotion and could not continue on the tour.

 

From Pagodas to Puppets

The raw beauty of the country can be found on the coastline. From Hanoi, we traveled northeast to Halong Bay for an overnight on a 20 cabin sailing junk. Halong Bay is known for its immense limestone karsts and islands that number in the thousands. While there, we explored caves, fished for squid, participated in tai chi classes on the ship’s top deck, learned how to make traditional Vietnamese spring rolls, danced and met new friends. Halong Bay is also home to a floating fishing village. The 85 people who reside there live a simple life for sure. Call me a Prima Dona, but with no running water and a daily pick up of your waste (personal and other), I would probably not fare so well. The truth of the matter is that this is what these people know … this is what they do … and they are definitely not spoiled to the comforts that we sometimes take for granted.  What I concluded about the people of Vietnam is that they have learned the art of survival and adaptation in the circumstances they are presented with. They work hard, they live and die by tradition … and, they don’t complain!

 

During a stop to a pearl factory, it was fascinating to watch a young worker painstakingly examine thousands of pearls to precisely match the color and size in order to make just one strand/necklace. While visiting a lacquer factory I was amazed how detailed the artists were at selecting fragments of egg shells in order to get just the right size and shape to create intricate inlays for their “paintings.” We saw this attention to detail time and time again in the handiwork that is native to the country.

 

Temples and Pagodas abound and astound. This is the land of Buddha—where monks seek enlightenment; believers pay their respects with gifts of food and flowers; and where the past, present and future align to bring peace and harmony. The pristine beauty that lies within the walls of these holy sanctuaries shines in the architecture, statuary and manicured landscape. There is also a sense of calm there. (That may possibly have something to do with the amount of incense burning. Just sayin’!) At one pagoda, I was told that the phoenix represents intellect and the turtle represents longevity. As you can see, I didn’t want to take any chances to miss out on either!

 

On a lighter note, one of the funniest things we “experienced” was a Water Puppet Show. This was after a one hour cyclo tour through the streets of Hanoi—rickshaw meets bicycle. At any rate, back to the puppet show—imagine a small pool of water about two feet deep as the stage. Then imagine puppets popping up out of the water and telling a story with their movements all choreographed to traditional Vietnamese music. Then, about every three minutes a new set of puppets would immerge with a new story. Perhaps the story was about a cat trying to steal a fisherman’s catch, or dancing babies/ducks/fish with no actual stories, just dancing. The show was about an hour long and for the first 30 minutes I laughed so hard that my sides were burning in pain. Then I fell asleep. In my defense, the theater was dark and this was day two of trying to acclimate to the 13 hour time difference.

 

A definite highlight of the trip was venturing out on the Mekong River. We departed Can Tho and the exquisite Victoria Hotel via water taxi. The Mekong was wide, muddier than the Mississippi and crowded with barges, merchants, locals and tourists. The floating market was impressive to say the least. Dozens upon dozens of large boats were filled with fruits and vegetables of every shape, size and color. Smaller boats would pull up and negotiate a deal, purchase the product and return to shore to sell it to the merchant who in turn was selling to the consumer.

 

Finally reaching a large island in the middle of the river, we toured a fruit orchard, a coconut factory and a noodle factory. On the island we walked as well as were picked up by cyclos for a short ride. The culmination of our day’s transportation however, was by canoe down a narrow and dirty river. I’m afraid the photo doesn’t do the experience justice, but trust me when I say it was an adventure unlike any other.

 

Food and Beverages

I thought it would be prudent to try all the local beers … Saigon Beer = Good | Tiger Beer = Good | 333 Beer = Good! Hmmm, I guess besides being the world’s largest producer of rice, Vietnam makes a darn good beer and should consider exporting more of that as well.

 

As for the food … let‘s just say I’m not a food adventurist. Plus, they eat EVERYTHING there including rat, cat, dog, worm-like things, etc. etc. I pretty much stuck with rice, noodles, lots of fruit and some fish and, actually lost three pounds during trip. At one popular tourist restaurant we were treated to Elephant Fish Spring Rolls; BUT, before making the spring rolls, the fish was presented, in whole, to the table. By day six, nothing was shocking me too much, until we went through the fish market. Seeing the live skinned frogs almost put me over the edge among seeing some other local “delicacies.”

 

Just a bit about Thailand

After nine fully escorted days in Vietnam, we spent the next four relaxing on our own in Phuket, Thailand. Phuket is a small island located on the south west side of the country. Other than a GIANT Buddha statue atop the island’s highest mountain and, elephant camps, it would remind you of a Caribbean island—beautiful beaches and a balmy 90 degrees.  There were many Europeans, some Aussies and Kiwis, a few Canadians and us! Besides getting kissed by a baby elephant, the highlight of Phuket was an excursion via high speed boat to James Bond Island and the surrounding waters and islands of the Ao Phang-nga National Park. My absolute favorite part was pulling up to a large karst (limestone island), walking through a shallow river inside a narrow, dark and low cave (thus the hard hats) and emerging into a lost world. I felt like I was a world explorer discovering a new land. Truly amazing!

 

Other notable mentions about Phuket … I got to meet Rivo Vesik, a championship beach volleyball player from Estonia. He was on Kata beach training the country’s Junior Olympic team.

 

Lastly, we were honored to see the brand new memorial built to commemorate the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami that claimed the lives of 259 people on Phuket alone, not to mention injuring thousands and leaving the island in complete disarray for years.

 

My Diverse Travel Friends (new and old)

From retired school teachers to postal workers and from a corporate VP to insurance and travel agents, our group meshed well and will have a lifetime of memories to share.

 

Click here to see more photos from my journey.

 Photos from trip!