Friday, June 29, 2012

Time Warp

     Today was a down day. After a long week of travel around Vietnam and a day of hiking at Angkor Wat we both needed some time to rest, and what better place to do it than our 4 star hotel we got on sale for $39 a night, including breakfast? I took advantage of the pool and sauna on our first night here, but today we needed to just hang by the pool and swim. After all we are getting a little tired and run down. My legs are tired of walking and Lindsay thinks she is getting a cold. We felt great until today...I don't know there is somthing about the jungle. Being brave and eating at a local place was probably not the best idea, either, but hey, I'm okay. It was so local...only one notch above street food...in one of the poorest countries in the world. What was I thinking? oh yea, 'mmm deep fried tofu'. Also we needed to work on our tans for the next part of our trip, which starts tomorrow: the southern islands of Thailand.
     While searching the web for the best hotels at the lowest rates we had some confusion over the dates. What the hell date is it anyway? What time is it? There are questions I've asked many times on this trip. Well, sitting down with a calendar we realized we don't have two nights to spend in Phuket before going to the detox spa on Samui, we have three! This was exciting news. While in Vietnam the longest we stayed ín one place was 2 nights (and that was only once) so having three is a real treat. We can afford to relax a little more.
     Walking around the old market area of Siem Reap made us miss Vietnam. We both loved it there and wished we had more time. A trip back to Vietnam will have to go on the bucket list. We rested today but it does not feel like enough- we are a little ragged and worn, like our clothes which are in desperate need of lanundry service. I washed half of my things in the bathtub here but I want the rest of my clothes back! Oh yea, and washing by hand really sucks. Thank god I live in America where washing machines are handy. Well, we may be feeling washed out, but landing in the paradise that is Phuket will make it all worth while. James Bond island, here we come.
    

Thursday, June 28, 2012

Celestial Dance: Angkor Wat

      The splendor of the huge Angkor Wat complex has been well documented in blogs, photographs and documentaries, many of which I have seen. Because of this I was not sure what to expect when I actually visited the place myself. Had I taken all of the mystery out of the place by knowing so much about it? I was a little afraid I would be disappointed, although it had been very exciting seeing the famous gate on the way into the hotel.
     The complex was originally built as a Hindu temple site at least 800 years ago, though there are alternative scholars who have reason to believe it is much older than that. Despite the fact that it is one of the most famous ancient cites in the world there is still so much restoration work which needs to be done on the complex. This is most obvious when visiting the famous Ta Prohm. Ta Prohm is the least restored temple on the cite and is actually believed to be one of the younger temples. Ta Prohm has huge trees growing all over it and mother nature has made an easy mess of the huge carved blocks that make up the temple and its enclosures. "This is how all the cites looked before being rediscovered"our guide told us. ""The complex is the world's largest jigsaw puzzle." Indeed it is. All the cites have hundreds, or more, stones laying around on the ground waiting to be pieced back together.
     The most restored of the temples is the famous Angkor Wat- the temple whose three main peaks (of 9) have celestial alignments with the sun on the solstices and equinoxes. The 9 peaks each represent one of the 9 planets. Celestial references abound at the cite, our guide ticking off different parts of the complex which relate to the number of days in the week, the number of months in a year, etc.  The walls of the complex are adorned with a woman smiling playfully as she dances. Apsara, the celestial dancer. There are hundreds, probably thousands of carving of her.
      Angkor Wat has only three levels, but upon approaching it, one is filled with a sense of awe and wonder at its imposing size and powerful presence. Its size and mystery makes one feel small. I was filled with a  strange sense of wonder, amazement and fear while viewing this giant from the ground. We entered the temple from the back gate and, fittingly, watched a monkey descend the first set of large steps. Our guide commented that it looks like the monkey has been fighting. The story of the kidnapping of Sita from the Ramayana is carved on a huge wall on this level. From the second level the structure is still awesome, but the top does not seem so far away and dreadful but much more manageable from this point.The second level is large and accommodating.
      The climb to the top level of the temple is exciting. Despite modern wooden stairs set atop the original steps (70 degrees), the steps are still very steep.The walk up them looks long and difficult but a sense of excitement overcomes me and because of this I ascend the steps quickly, and alone, to the top. The climb proves to be quick and easy and before I know it I am on top of the Cambodian jungle. The view is amazing. The top level feels small and intimate. You are on top of the world yet is is safe and comfortable. With a great sense of excitement and wonder I explore the top of the temple. It is so weathered in some places yet there are inner nooks which are filled with meticulous detailing. The patterns carved into the sandstone are repetitive but beautiful. I even stop for a short meditation.
      After my descent it hits me- the temple, hundreds of years after its construction is still serving its purpose. It is ingenious and unbelievable. The mystery of Angkor Wat becomes less so while my wonder becomes more. The temple represents our soul''s journey through life on this planet, one of the nine. We come into this world small and fearful with a great sense of wonder. As we journey on we feel more comfortable and life's lessons have taught us what we once thought too difficult is still within reach. By the end of our lives we have learned many of life's mysteries and are no longer afraid of what the future holds. At our time of 'death' we realize the glory of our souls and are on top of the world with nothing to fear and only joy. It all makes sense; the alignments, the churning of the ocean milk, Apsara, the repetitive carvings,The faces of Angkor Thom, even the current state of Ta Prohm; it is all a celestial dance; the Earth and time are locked in an endless celestial dance, as is the soul and its divine creator.
Ta Prohm
Angkor Thom

Ta Prohm. All temples were found in this condition, or worse when 'discovered.'

Restoration on Ta Prohm is still underway.
The world's largest jigsaw puzzle.
Second level, back entrance of Angkor Wat.

A monkey descends the modern stairs of the back entrance to Angkor Wat.
At the top. The third level of Angkor Wat has been closed for the past three years for restoration work.  I was lucky to be able to ascend. 


Apsara, the celestial dancer, gracing an inner wall on the third level of Angkor Wat. 

The inner court yard on the top level of Angkor Wat. It was surprisingly windy and cool up here.  A little rain had begun to fall. 

Among the Hmong

    We woke early to have breakfast on the balcony below our hotel room, a VIP room which we had been upgraded to, but instructed many times not to tell anyone about. It was overcast but the view of the mountains around Sapa was gorgeous. The clouds began to dissipate and a rainbow appeared.
     After breakfast we met the driver and our guide and stopped to try the famous Vietnamese coffee, which is very thick and served with sweetened condensed milk. It was very good and strong. We then got on the road for our two hour drive to the Bac Ha market, a local market of the Flower Hmong people, another tribe in the area related to the black Hmong we visited the day before. The market was wild- you could buy or sell almost anything there and our guide, Nam, insisted on showing us the local eatery there where you could get horse stew, among pretty much any other animal you could think of. Needless to say, we quickly found our way back to the women selling hats and handbags and declined lunch at the market.
     The local lunch at a nice cafeteria outside the market was good and we were  soon ready for our next trek through a Flower Hmong village. This village was very much like the one we saw the day before. Rice patties were everywhere and corn was grown on the hillside in places most people would consider inaccessible. The women had baskets on their backs filled with all kinds of items, things to sell at the market, things purchased at the market, firewood, etc.
   The homes were small, made of local materials; wood and grass. Many had more modern roofing, not the palm tree leaves of old. Unlike the other village though, this one had one house which was very unique. It was made of mud. Nam wanted to show us around the house but the door was closed.We were disappointed. Nam had really wanted to show us that house.When we  were on the ridge above the house an old woman came out from the house next door (families live next to each other) and Nam yelled something to her then pointed to the old house. "She will show us the old house" he said. We followed him in and were amazed to see such a place. Everything was dirt. There were no windows but the walls where they met the roof were open. There was really only one large room with a few beds hung off the ground and a cooking fire with a large pot. Spider webs were everywhere and there were only a few belongings in the house. It was impossible to tell how many people lived here.
   Lindsay was trying to take pictures on the sly as the Hmong don't often like to be photographed, especially in this tribe. Nam and the woman were discussing something and then she took out a water bottle and a tiny bowl to be used as a shot glass and poured us a drink. Here we go again with the happy water. I didn't know why she was doing this. Was it hospitality? We each took a sip- this wine didn't have as much bite as yesterday's. Nam said he was going to buy some of the corn wine from her. He asked me to borrow some Dong and when I took it out they began to haggle. Lindsay was still trying to get her picture. Nam and the woman settled on a price and I wondered if she had seen how much money I had and upped the price....opps.  Then Nam said to Lindsay "take your picture while I distract her." He continued to talk to the woman while Lindsay got her shot and Nam got his; he had purchased a whole bottle of corn wine, freshly poured from an old diesel bottle for the equivalent of a dollar. When we left we joked that he must really love corn wine, but he protested that it was for his cousin. We wanted to know what they were talking about; was it the price of the wine? Was she mad Lindsay had taken a picture? Did she want us to buy more? "I don't know what she was talking about" Nam said "she did not speak Vietnamese."

Flower Hmong pouring us corn wine
Photo courtesy of Lindsay Bruno
Black Hmong, left and Red Hmong, right at their village in Lao Chai
Photo Courtesy of Lindsay Bruno
Vietnamese coffee with sweetened condensed milk


Happy Water

     Arriving at Sapa at around 6 am our guide, Nam took us to our hotel and then for breakfast,which for me has been almost exclusively banana pancakes, which are not to be confused with American banana pancakes because these are much different thin and sweet and served with honey; and of course they feature the famous Vietnamese banana.The banana story continues, I suppose. It rains a lot in the Sapa area during summer so while Nam got our documents ready with the local government we bargained with a lady for knock off Northface rain coats. Rain would be coming later, we were assured.
     We began our trek to the Hmong village and were quickly followed by two tribeswomen who were very friendly with us asking all kinds of questions and making little presents for us along the way; a horse of grass for Lindsay and a heart of fern for me. We enjoyed their company and took advantage of it after it was clear they would not leave. One was a girl of about 9 and he other a woman of 30 and mother of two. They walked about 5 of the 7 miles to and through their village with us and of course we eventually purchased something from each of them, Lindsay getting attitude from the 9 year old because apparently she thought her good merited a much higher price. We stopped at a local house where I ground corn the old fashioned way and we saw how water was used  to mill rice. We started to cross a modern bridge over the creek below when I spotted an old wooden one. Lets go over that one, I said half joking. Nam said we could go to it. ""We are going to take pictures there" Nam said.  We took our picture and then he lead the way across the suspension bridge which was missing planks and looked generally out of use. Had we been in the U.S. large signs would have been posted "Keep Off", ""danger of falling'" "river below." 
 The water below was not the only we would encounter. As promised it now began to rain on us. The Northface jackets worked well. We took shelter under the village hospital until it let up a little, where our friends left and we acquired more friends who followed us to the end of the trek where we eventually met our car.We drove to see the Silver waterfall, one of the most famous in the country but as soon as we got there it began to pour. It was a great waterfall, but the rain and the cold wind that came with it were not fun. I had dragged our guide and Lindsay out of the car to see it, since we had driven all the way there and had paid for it, but after a few quick pictures we happily descended.
     That night we met Nam for a little walking around the village and when it started to sprinkle we stopped at a local bar and restaurant for some Hanoi beer- the one and only Vietnamese beer. One of Nam's friends came in and asked to sit with us.  He was very friendly and we started sharing cultural jokes and slang together. The banana story came up and confirmed what we had already learned- the Vietnamese think bananas are as funny as Americans. We also learned some Australian slang which gave us many laughs.
     After our Hanoi beer was almost gone we learned about one of the most popular alcoholic drinks in the country- moonshine, better known as ""happy water". A few words to the bartender and an Aquafina bottle and four small shot glasses were quickly produced so we could salute and enjoy our first taste of rice wine. This was not the infamous snake wine for old men with bad snakes. This was the stuff for everybody. Apparently everyone in Vietnam makes and drinks this stuff. It can even be found in bars if you are a local, that is. In fact, Nam's friend said he had over 100 gallons at his house.  The happy water was strong and after our shot we walked to our hotel for the night. Happily it did not rain again until we were in bed.
   

Saturday, June 23, 2012

Banana Party: Our time in Hanoi

Buying our bushel!
 
   While on Hanoi we quickly realized Vietnam has the best bananas we've ever had. We decided to get some snacks for the night train to Sapa. We mentioned the great bananas to the staff we had become friendly with at our hotel. Of course at that exact moment a banana vendor happened to be outside the hotel door. The door man offered to go talk to the vendor for us to get some bananas. We followed him outside. The bushels were huge and we only wanted four or five bananas, but this would not work out since there was no way to cut the bushel and the vendor insisted on $1 per bushel, no matter how many. It was silly to not buy the whole thing so we did and preceded to give them away to our friends, the hotel staff. We made sure there was enough for the night staff and everything. "You sure?" the manager asked.  The staff seemed to think us giving bananas away was really funny. During all the laughing the female manager made a risque  motion with the banana to the other staff member. We started laughing. She had not thought we saw and was very embarrassed. This led to more laughing. We all ate our bananas, laughing. "It's a banana party!" said Lindsay, which led to more laughing.
     The banana theme did not end there. When we got on the sleeper train to Sapa we had several small bananas awaiting us there, too. Apparently the Vietnamese know how good their bananas are. The people we were sharing the birth with arrived. It was a Vietnamese couple and another woman (for a four sleeper berth....).  Great, we were hoping for some other tourists. These people were loud before they even stepped in the compartment. The man was strange and his first question was "do you speak Vietnamese?" Then of course he wanted to know where we were from. Getting the sketchy vibe Lindsay promptly said "Canada," which unlike the answer "America" is not followed up with any other questions. The man then asked if we wanted bananas and proceeded to hold them up and point them  towards us. He thought this was very funny. Then he said something in Vietnamese at which point his wife playfully  slapped him and he said to me "Do you like your bananas longer?"(lots of giggling was happening) The he started to make pretend sex noises. He really thought this was funny, I mean, really funny. This man was at least 29 years old.  I was not amused so I ignored him and Lindsay went to look for our guide so we could tell him about this jerk and he could reprimand him in Vietnamese. She could not find him, but ignoring the man worked. Then at 2am the three of them got up for a party in the room, complete with a noodle dish and all. We wanted out of there so bad.
   While gathering up our items the next day we came across the bananas from the street vendor. Lindsay decided it was time for some payback. She brought the bananas to the man and shoved them in his face. "You like banana? Here take a banana. It's a big banana for you" I thought this was hilarious and luckily so did the Vietnamese trio. The women especially. After that the man was actually a little friendly and even laughed when Lindsay told him he could not smoke in the car. When in Vietnam, make the best of the banana.

Thursday, June 21, 2012

Stepping into Traffic: Learning to cross a sea of motorbikes in Hanoi

    Today I learned how to cross the street in Hanoi. You cannot look both ways but instead you must step into the motorbike filled street blindly and let them move around you. I found myself in the middle of a five way intersection surrounded by a sea of motobikes. I had followed a small group of people who looked like they knew what they were doing, and sure enough we crossed what seemed to be an impassable road. I wish I had this on film.
    This step into traffic must have given me courage, for later that day Lindsay and I strapped on Hello Kitty helmets and took a motorbike ride from a nice lady who worked at a restaurant. We had just finished dinner and had only five minutes to get to the water puppet show.  The lady offered to ride us on her motor bike, and at first we were scared- and told her so. But, she had "20 years of expreince on a motor bike in Hanoi!" So why not? She turned out to be an excellent driver and refused to take a tip saying she was helping us to be "friendly" not for money.   We also wore a traditional hat and held a stick over our shoulders filled with pineapple against our will, but more on that another time.
                                            


The five way intersection where we stepped into a sea of motor bikes in oder to cross. 

This was the day after we stepped into traffic in this intersection. I'm feeling confident! Ignore those pedestrian crossing lines, everyone else does. 

Sunday, June 17, 2012

The Beginning: Still safe at home in the good ol' US of A

      My first real attempt at a blog. What prompted this? Well, despite the fact I've been writing for years (mostly for myself) I guess I've just never had much to say to the world at large. Now I embark on a journey, sure to be epic, to Southeast Asia. A trip of this magnitude has not yet been attempted by me, though I've always wanted to travel and considered myself a traveler despite the fact that I've never been out of the northwestern hemisphere. I've been to three other countries...that counts, right? Canada feels like a cheat, though. It's only four hours from my hometown, but still, there's a boarder crossing that must count for something.
     So here it is. My blog. and all the great domain names are taken, so it's easy to find mine if you are looking- it's my name...so much for the mystery of a pen name. I hope you, my varied and valued audience, enjoy. The trip of a life time begins tomorrow. Or perhaps it all began a long time ago in a land not so far away. A land called New York.