Charter a tuk-tuk or mini van to take you the 40 minutes to this paradisaical locale. First, we hike up the hill, and meet the bears, rather playful and seemingly happy. They are the Asian Bears, sometimes called Sun Bear or Moon Bear, depending on the color stripe on their chest. These guys were climbing and scratching and fun to watch, but that cold water was calling to my sweaty backpacked back.
It’s not long before being greeted with the dream like waterfalls and miraculously colored blue water. I had seen no pictures of this before, so it was all a wonderful surprise.
I dove right in…
Quiet, cold water mixed with that soothing sound of flowing water created an atmosphere of cheek hurting smiles.
After soaking for a while, I took a walk higher into the trees. I met a guy on the trail and we hiked talking about mutual interests such as The Mighty Ducks’ movies. The jungle trees were dense and old.
Because of poor planning, I was only able to spend a much too brief half day here. I could have stayed longer. Such a pleasure even if it went too fast. It was like that 5$ truffle you buy at the mall, you only get one delicious bite, but it’s usually one to remember.
The largest religious building in the world, Angkor Wat, contains intricate stone carvings, wide vistas of the surrounding jungle, beautiful symmetry, peaceful gardens, a creation of immense proportions. The pictures are famous. Perhaps you’ve seen the sunrise, or the crumbling rocks, the dancing nude ladies or the growling lions, but, I bet you never saw these pictures! I decided to surprise tourists with impromptu portraits during a break in the shade. Some are happy to be involved, others not interested, some don’t notice, others skeptical of my intentions. I didn’t ask where they were from, but that might have been a fun test to see what country in this random sampling was most represented, but my guess is there may not be any repeats.
I had a great time with this little project. Some people asked me, “Why?” I replied, “Everyone knows what Angkor Wat looks like, not everybody knows what you look like!” They are all on vacation, some fulfilling a life-long dream to stand and gaze at the magnificence of these 11th century sandstone towers. Some are making a religious pilgrimage. Some are just sweating profusely. But no one was rude or curt. I thanked all who participated in this little lark.
And here are some actual photos of the temple in case you don’t know what it looks like!
North of Ho Chi Minh City lies the extraordinarily extensive Vietcong tunnel system. It is the longest hand dug tunnel in the world, at over 250km of connecting labyrinthine clay tubes. They used these tunnels for their guerilla fight against the French and Americans. They planted hidden explosives and spiked trap doors among the fallen foliage. They used the discarded foreigner’s trash to mask the scent of their ventilation tubes. The walked with their shoes on backwards to confuse trackers. They successfully practiced the “hit and run” style of warfare. Our tour guide, Billy, said the war was like an extended episode of Tom and Jerry. Vietcong (Jerry), smaller and quicker, with a small, impenetrable hole in which to hide; and America (Tom) bigger and increasingly desperate. Vietnamese would sneak into USA camps at night and steal supplies (probably also cheese, just like Jerry would). The tunnels were tight, crawling room only in places. We could only do about 120 m. I would have explored more if they let us, but that’s only because I know they were unoccupied. I can’t imagine the dread of living there, constantly aware of possible attacks from above, or the immeasurable fear of looking for enemies hunched over in the dark inside their tunnel. It was an impressive exhibit, concluded with the chance to fire (35,000 dong per bullet) any of the seven major rifles used in the war. Our tour guide fought for the ARVN, and after 1975, being a lieutenant, spent 6 years in a prison “re-education” camp. It’s history, and rarely is it possible to so tangibly feel the experience first hand.
You can see how low the man in front of me is crouched.
There was a good bit of apprehension masked behind that excited smile.
The VC traps were home made in appearance but viciously effective. There were about eight different varieties, all involving spikes in sensitive areas of the body.
Roadside lunch in a fly full environment.
We also visited a temple that is dedicated to three different deities. It’s hard to understand from broken English information, but the meditation ceremony involved instruments, incense and incantations. The adherents were mostly older and seemed accustomed to tourists walking around during their quiet time. It was much grander inside than I was expecting.
The citadel rests safely inside the moated walls of this old city. What must have been an impressively beautiful sight once, is, as most ancient things become, worn down by tourist’s feet, decades of wars and overgrown by misplaced trash. You can see the inherent beauty and try to imagine the courtyard swimming with the color of royal festivities. Entrance is about 5 US$. It is a great place for pictures and slow walking. Continue reading “Hue ~ A Fragrant City with a Slow Pace”→
My arrival in Vietnam went as expected. The taxi drivers accosted us immediately offering rides for 20$, the humidity was palpable and the sky was overcast. We found our bus (which had seen better days) and paid 75 cents for two people for the long drive to Hanoi. The young toll collector on the bus closed my window when I tried to get some “fresh air”. He probably knew better than I did, that the dust was more clogging than the stale bus air. His socks were speckled with dots, and I thought, he’s just a bus fare collector, but he’s got on nice socks! Then I looked closer and they were mud or food stains. He was just a quick reminder to me that Vietnam is only 40 years out of the war, and that people here are still rebuilding.
I remember thinking after we went over more potholes that jarringly rattled the windows, “Thank god they have that speed bump there, or else people could really be flying down these holey, unpaved streets.” The roadside was amazingly interesting. There were half-clothed children running, chickens fighting in cages, slow, smoky fires burning, all without apparent supervision, expansive landscapes of rice paddies being farmed by old ladies in knee high rubber boots and the classic pyramid hats. Buildings are very skinny, tall and usually equipped with columns and decorative stuccos or accoutrements. The people are all moving, both in a hurry and lazy like, as if they have nowhere to go, but they have to get there before you. Stores are selling everything. It’s hard to believe any country needs this much street commerce. Motorbikes became more ubiquitous as we got closer to Hanoi.
It is apparent quite quickly that this is not Korea. Korea’s busy beehive seems so clean, efficient and organized compared to this overcrowded, messy, anarchic anthill. I was immediately struck by the architecture and how every building had a nice style, even if it was dilapidated. Korean post-war block architecture greatly lacks flavor (even though that is changing slowly). I love a long bus ride to acclimatize to a new city; and our two hour bumpiness gave me ample time to adjust.
We got off at Long Bien station and weaved away from the pesky taxi drivers and asked some locals how to find our hotel. Eventually, the wildness and unpredictability of the traffic and our burdensome luggage prompted us into a cyclo ride. We did the math and realized with every pedal of his bike, he was pushing 250kg. He rode us at least 10 blocks for about 3$. Our room was at ready, small and clean. We were staying at The Landmark Hotel, (19 Nguyen Van To) a very reasonably priced and clean place. After a quick tea, the Vietnamese cuisine called us outside. The famous local restaurant (Quan An Ngon) was outstanding and reasonably priced. Assorted dishes with exotic names and familiar ingredients tickled our taste buds, and all washed down with Beer HaNoi. A wonderful first day finished with a slow walk down the dark and dirty, yet relaxed streets, cluttered with simmering pots and chatting Vietnamese.
Random pictures of my walk from hotel to restaurant.
Also, I’m pretty sure this guy on the bike is giving me the peace sign while driving through traffic with a fur coated lady on the back.
E.A.T. 