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| Lovin'
the Nam |
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Rating:
 ( 4.8 )
Hoi An, Vietnam
Jul 14, 2003 21:19
Pros:
modern infratstructure, friendly and self-sustaining locals
Cons: none
So much to tell (and show - this country is so rich in eye candy
as to consistently make a mockery of the camera. Great pics abound,
but alas, in the absence of the necessary compression technology,
they may just have to wait until we return stateside)...
Last time we wrote, we had established a comfortable base camp in
Hanoi and were on our way North. An uneventful overnight train ride
out of Hanoi and some hairy/hilarious local bus-realted moments
behind us, we arrived in Sapa, a post-French colonial gem in the
northern Vietnam highlands. The black hmong, red zao (the women
in this tribe shave their eyebrows and some of the front of their
hairline and wrap their heads in bright red cloth) and other ethnic
minorities who fill the local markets on the weekends and occupy
the serene rice-producing villages surrounding Sapa add vibrant
color and rich cultural texture to the daily life here. A young
Hmong girl was our official guide on a day-long trek around the
area, which included a stop in her family home. The hand-made loom
that her mother used to spin the hand-picked hemp into hand-made
cloth, which she dyed in the locally grown indigo before fashioning
the traditional garments her people have worn forever - all this
was a living lesson in self-sustainability. These people gracefully
redefine wealth as simply having everything they need. But of course
there is money to be made, and the portentous push for profit and
progress seems to improvrish the hmong, who work as guides and hoteliers
for people like us, changing their regal traditional garb for knock-off
Nike tank tops and threadbare t-shirts emblazoned with often incomprehensible
logos designed to look like something they could only have bought
in the West. The more you have, the more you want. Who are we to
say what they should want - we know, but it's hard to watch all
the same. Unrestrained capitalism notwithstanding, the overall feel
here is resolutely positive, and we had a great time hiking to waterfalls
and drinking beers with a group of ex-pats who, like so many people
we have met in Vietnam, got a taste of the life here and decided
to stick around for seconds. Tough to blame them. Some teach English,
others work for NGO's doing good things. These folks are living
large for pennies with lots of leisure time, and (icing) ostensibly
helping the Vietnamese people. Vietnam put the "developing"
in front of country, building its infrastructure and future prosperity
before our eyes.
Vietnam has, in a startlingly short period of time since the doors
opened to this country a decade ago, rendered herself the perfect
host. But there is a price to pay. The people, who are almost without
exception gracious and friendly, sharing their ready smiles playfully
with the hordes of western travelers (they say it is empty compared
to pre-SARS times, but Vietnam feels pretty full of us), are always
looking for a way to make a buck twenty-five for something they
will sell you for 30 cents if you break down under their persistent
pursuit and buy something you really don't want. It gets pretty
crazy on the "you buy from me" front, but we figure it's
the price we pay for the hospitality we wouldn't trade for the world.
Anyway, the days melted away in Sapa and we finally admitted to
ourselves we had to move on, back to Hanoi for more bia hoi and
a trip to Halong Bay. Wow. Check this place out on the web - no
way we could begin to do it justice. En route to Halong we hooked
up with Ed, a fun-loving New Yorker cum San Franciscan with whom
we have traveled since. We spent the first night on the main boat
(pictures forthcoming), jumping off the roof into the phosphorescent
water under a soon-to-be-full moon. After an exhausting day of kayaking
amidst the other-worldly limestone formations and floating villages,
we crashed the second night on a pretty remote-feeling and miniscule
beach with just enough room for a central dining hut and a neat
row of sleeping shelters.
The evening's soft sunset glow receded into a starry night punctuated
by flashes of lightning that danced in the distance, and the sea
rolled rhythmically in and out all night, lapping languidly at the
rocky shore. The night's thick curtain raised on a steel-grey dawn,
and a warm breeze rustled through the palms that fringed the thick
jungle behind our huts where the cicadas' haunting lullaby became
a raucus revelie - another perfect day in Halong Bay. This was a
serious dose of vacation, which differs significantly from traveling.
India is adventure - daily difficulties give you the feeling you
have earned it, whereas Halong Bay, Sapa, Vietnam in general have
all been so easy - comfortable, clean and friendly and again, were
it not for the constant peddling of things nobody buys, essentially
hassle-free. A very easy place to BE.
With our group solidly formed, the three of us spent one more evening
enjoying Hanoi and have spent the last few days making our way south
- through quaint Hue, where we toured the DMZ. The history came
alive as we crossed the 17th parallel and crawled through the tunnels
where hundreds of villagers lived in hiding for 6 years in order
to avoid the bombs raining from U.S. planes overhead. The Ho Chi
Minh trail is starting to look like a freeway, but with the aid
of our encyclopedic guide and his pictures from back in the day,
it was easy to imagine this path in its previous form. Our last
stop was the Khe San airbase, where we learned about the beginning
of the end of the U.S. hopes for success. The museum's exhibit of
war relics and graphic photographs brought it all home - war really
is hell, and the Vietnamese people have had more than their share
of it.
From hell to heaven, and the resort mecca of Hoi An, where we now
recreate with abandon. This place is Thailand meets the French Riviera,
with fragrant flowers bursting forth from balconies where restaurants
serve delicious food for next-to-nada. Hoi An also happens to be
THE place to have clothes made, so we spent the morning perusing
fabrics and taking measurements. More to come on the final products...
Well, that should more-than do it for now, no? We are playing around
with the various options for the next phase of the trip - Cambodia
is a sure-thing, with Laos hanging in the balance as we continue
to balance leisure and ambition in the measely month even less for
Mike - ouch!) that remains. We'll let you know when we are in Saigon.
Until then... |
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