Day 15 - Delhi Belly & Family Dinners

My mother and I had a serious case of the "Delhi Belly" for the past two days and it's only finally starting to feel better. We've narrowed it down to a few causes and we think it's the fresh coconut juice in the dessert porridge that we've been eating.

One of the staple Vietnamese desserts and fun foods is called "Chè" - it's like a soup that can be served hot or cold, depending on your personal preference. Sometimes on a hot day, a cold che is so incredibly refreshing. And on a cooler day, you can heat up the same che and it'll be just as comforting. Yesterday, on my way to get my Ao Dai (which turned out beautiful and fits perfectly), we stopped by "Che My" to have some dessert.

I ordered the Chè Thập Cẩm, which is a mixture of different beans and jellos topped with fresh coconut juice and ice. They served the che in a nice tall beer stein. You mix it all together and eat it with a spoon and sip the remaining juice with a straw. I haven't seen this available in Canada but it might have just eluded me - in a common Pho place, you can get something called "Che Ba Mau" which means, "three-coloured che" and it tastes just as good.

Every time I have one of these, I always want more but then I think of the Delhi Belly that I'm experiencing right now and I refrain from downing another glass!! It's just so tasty!

Today, my mother and I decided to treat our family of 17 people to a nice fancy restaurant dinner. We originally wanted to go to a Buffet but the family decided that a nice sit-down meal might be better for the tastebuds and the wallet. We got into my uncle's tour bus, which seats about 15 people and off we went to Binh Quoi to a restaurant by the river. Our table was seated right on the patio overlooking the river and the trees around us were lined with christmas lights. It was just so pretty.

We were served a variety of seafood dishes and every dish that came out was devoured with appreciation. I am grateful for having the time with my extended family and to be able to see my mother so happy. It doesn't matter how much money I've been spending in Vietnam - I'd spend it all if I could. There's no price that you can put on memories created with loved ones.

Tonight was a good night and we've got an early start tomorrow... we are visiting Cai Be, which is where my maternal grandmother is from. It's a 5am start again! :)

Favourite Viet Dishes: Bún Bò Huế

This is a traditional dish of the Hue region but it is now served almost everywhere. If you have a Pho restaurant in your neighbourhood, you can find this dish too. It's a beef vermicelli soup but the predominent flavour is lemongrass and it is usually a lot more spicy than Pho. It is definitely a more meatier dish and the herbs that come with it are generally the same - basil, sprouts, and a side of cabbage.

When we were in Hue, my mother wanted to try it there but our tour guide said that the best Bun Bo Hue can now be found in Saigon! When we got back from the tour, my uncle Hung made some at his house and we had it for dinner.... delish!!

Day 14 - Ben Thanh Market

My mother and I had a free day today so we decided to head out by ourselves to the Ben Thanh Market for some shopping. We were told that it's the busiest market where you can get food, clothes, fabric, and tons of souvenirs. This is definitely not an exaggeration - it is even busier at night than it is in the morning. The people here in Vietnam don't often venture out during the afternoon hours when it is wretchedly hot. The streets come alive after seven like no other place I've seen before.

We took a taxi to the market and it cost us 34K dong (appoximately $1.60CAD). As soon as we got out of the cab, we were surrounded by vendors who were all vying for our attention - an our spending money! Within 5 minutes, I already bought four t-shirts. The market is separated into different sections. The food market is at the northern end of the building and the fixed-rate vendors are towards the southern entrance. The fixed-priced vendors have yellow signs above their stores that say they do not accept bargaining for any of the goods. The price of the merchandise is fair but if you want good deals, you're better off going to the middle section of the market where there are a slew of vendors vying for a part of your spending money.

There are literally hundreds of vendors - some are selling just fabric that you can purchase by the yard to sew dresses or ao dai's and some are retail vendors that sell imitation clothes ranging from Burberry to Abercrombie & Fitch. You can buy souvenirs such as embroidered pictures and mother of pearl wall panels. You can buy lace curtains and table runners for almost nothing. You can also get a suit sewn in a day!

My mother said that the market seemed so much larger back when she was younger and when we did our first lap of the market in about 30 minutes, she said it seemed a lot smaller than she remembered. So we did a few more laps and spent more money. By the end of the two hours we had spent there, we almost ran out of money. My mother bought eight pairs of silk pajamas and I purchased some fake eyelashes for pennies... (10 pairs for $1).

It's definitely a place you have to experience if you ever find yourself in Saigon. It's chaotic, but it's full of surprises!

Day 13 - Thu Duc & Glamour Shots

Last night we had a good sleep with no plans in the morning. However, when I woke up, my mother was staring at me and ready to start her morning with a conversation. We have been sharing a king bed in Saigon but it still hasn't been enough space for both of us! I am constantly woken up by her stirring in the room at four in the morning, ready to get her day started - which means that I'm averaging about 4 hours of sleep! LOL

This morning, she had the brilliant idea that we should go back to Thu Duc because she still had people to see and we were asked to leave money with a relative for my uncle. We took a taxi to Thu Duc, which is about 35kms from Saigon but it would take about 45 minutes to get there. We were told by our tour guide that we can always trust MaiLinh Taxis because they cannot adjust their meters according to company policy. This doesn't mean that they can't take you for a ride around the city, but at least you know it's a fixed rate. :)

When we got to Thu Duc, my mother asked the taxi driver if he'd be willing to chauffeur us around for the day and we'd pay him for his waiting hours as well as the taxi fare. He agreed to it because he said he'd have to drive back to Saigon on his own gas money and he isn't guaranteed a passenger.

My mother said that growing up, she had four girlfriends who were very close. They all were around the same age and lived in the same neighbourhood. Only two of them still live in Thu Duc and she wanted to go see them. So our first stop was the local post office where her friend Thuy worked. I wish I had taken a video of their first encounter after 28 years because it was hilarious! My mother and I both walked in and she asked for "Thuy." The girl in the front yelled out for Aunty Thuy and she came out with sunglasses on and said, "Who's looking for me?" My mother said, "Are you Thuy?" and she replied, "Yeah, it's me." Then she took her sunglasses off and as soon as they recognized each other, both ladies literally ran to each other and embraced. It was an incredibly sweet moment.

It took all of 10 seconds for Aunty Thuy to ask for a longer lunch and she was out the door and into the taxi with us to go find my mother's second friend, Aunty Tuyet. We got to her house and nobody was home so Aunty Thuy called around and found out that Aunty Tuyet was working in the little cafe down the street. They decided to both go and surprise her. And so another surprise happened and I missed the opportunity to get it all on video!

It's been really fun to see my mother surrounded by family and friends. In Canada, although she has good friends from work and family on my father's side, I can see that she has a whole other life in Vietnam too. The ladies took each other out for lunch and I sat and listened to the funny stories about old boyfriends and neighbourhood gossip. They told me that my mother was once the most beautiful girl in Thu Duc and that the boys would always pretend to walk through their neighbourhood for a glimpse of her. I heard stories about how they would help each other sneak out of the house to meet their boyfriends...and how my father impressed them all by treating them to delicious Chinese food at his house.

We couldn't stay very long because I had my glamor shot appointment at 4:00pm so we left shortly after lunch, which lasted until about 2:30 or so. We laughed at Aunty Thuy because she had left the post office at noon and said she'd be back at 1:30pm. Time goes by too quickly when you're having fun! As soon as everyone separated and we departed from Thu Duc, it started to rain like I'd never seen before and the streets were starting to flood. Our taxi driver laughed because my mother and I were getting so scared. He said, "I can tell you're not locals because this is normal - just relax." hahah! He was pretty funny and he only cost us $40CAD for driving us around for 5 hours!

As soon as we got home, I had to get ready to go out with my 6 cousins to get glamor shots. Now, this was a hilarious experience as well and I'm not sure yet what the pictures are going to look like - all I know is that when you put 7 girls in a room together, getting hair/make-up done, it's chaotic. I felt so bad for the photographer because it seemed like we were the only ones having fun! I think we're quite the intimidating bunch travelling like a gang of girls. hahah!

Getting your makeup done in Vietnam is like no other experience. They do such a precise job and aim to please. The makeup isn't caked on but its very specific. For example, I have one eyelid that is slightly larger than the other...the girl that did my makeup noticed it RIGHT away and proceeded to add eyelid tape on my eyes to even them out. I was skeptical at first but when I saw the finished product, I thought, "Wow, my face has never looked this symmetrical before!" She also added shading to my nose to make it look more refined in the photos. I know that there is still a lot of photoshopping to be done to the pictures but I'm already impressed with the time they took to make each and every one of us look our best.

Of course, there were a few shots that I think are hilarious - like the one of me playing a Vietnamese zither (đàn tranh). I hope that they do a good job with the editing so that I can post some up on this blog. Otherwise, you're just going to see the one with the zither for good humour! :)

Name that Fruit

Can anybody tell me what this is???

Day 12 - The Tour de Vietnam is Over!

We finished our tour today in Da Nang and I am feverish and exhausted!! We had one last pagoda stop this morning and it was by far the prettiest I've seen yet. However, we had to climb about 100 stone steps up Marble Mountain to get to it! My poor mother was convinced by the tour guide that this is worth the climb and it took us about 20 minutes to get to the top alone! When we got there, we were greeted with a huge pagoda and MORE steps down to a cave where the statues were carved in the stone...

This picture I took doesn't even capture the true beauty of this cave pagoda. There are six stone soldiers guarding the front entrance and stairway down to the cave. If you look up, there are a few openings that light up the entire cave and create such a wondrous aura in the place. It almost feels surreal that a place like this can exist. It's bustling with tourists and you can tell that almost everyone that climbed up those 100 stone steps wanted to see this cave temple first.

I was in such discomfort all day that I wasn't able to go into the other pagodas and caves but I knew I had to see this one. It was a short trip that only lasted about an hour before we had to climb back down the steps to our waiting tour bus. With that, we went to have lunch at a restaurant that served a special kind of rice called "Cơm Niêu," which is rice that is cooked in a clay pot over a wooden fire. To me, it tasted like normal rice but everyone was so excited about it and commented that the burnt rice at the bottom was the best part. We ate it with a bunch of side dishes including the egg and pork stew, fried fish and stir-fried greens. Everyone said it was the most delicious meal we'd had this entire trip!!

Now that the tour is over and we are back in Saigon, I'm reflecting back on the last 8 days and I'm so grateful for what I've been able to see and experience. I'm mostly grateful that I was able to do this with my mother. To see her experiencing it with me for the first time. I asked her what her favourite part was and she, like myself, loved trying the different foods of the region. She also said, "I didn't realize that Vietnam is so beautiful...and that there is still so much more I haven't seen!" She was most impressed with Da Nang and the development that is taking place there. I think my mother's been mostly surprised because her vision of how things were in the north were a little skewed back in the early 1970's. It wasn't a friendly place back then for people of the South.

When we were going through Hue, that's when I heard a story about my parents that I'd never heard before. The country road that we were on reminded my mother of a similar road that she traveled on to see her grandmother back in the 70's. She said that while she was on the bus, the bus suddenly came to a halt and soldiers appeared in front of the bus on both sides of the road. They shot at each other (North/South) and when all the gunfire halted, they let the bus pass and when she looked out the window, she could see all the bodies of soldiers who had been alive just minutes before. She said that now, being on a similar road, she can see how different things were back then and how much things have changed and progressed. I listened to her talk for hours on the bus because it was pretty much all we could do to entertain ourselves.

While seeing the country and its beauty, I kept thinking about why my parents would ever leave this place. Learning about the history and hearing stories from my mother made it all the more clear - they left a place that they love with so much hope in their hearts for the future; for the future of their families. I am glad that I'm seeing it now in the state that it is in...because my impression of the Northern parts of Vietnam that we visited is good. It's progressing well and it's filled with beauty and wonderful, resilient people.

We met some great people on the bus from Hanoi to DaNang. On the Hanoi leg of the tour, I met a great lady named Ha who was taking her grandmother on the tour because of a promise she made while her grandmother was sick. We laughed with and consoled each other about traveling with elders! On the Da Nang leg of the tour, we met a group of hilarious people from Thu Duc (my parents' home town). It was a group of 17 people all from the same family and they all traveled together with their children. There was a little guy about 2 years old on the tour and he was insistent on playing with the older kids all the time. His name was "Bin" and they kept calling him "Bin Laden" - he also kept peeing in his pants and throwing up on the bus (almost made me want to tie my tubes!). I also met a wonderful American couple who was travelling with their daughter - the Reyes'. I remember talking to Maricela at the airport for about 2 hours during our delay and thinking, "Man, this is the most English I've spoken for the past two weeks!" It's definitely a small world - I met another couple from Chicago who does business with my uncle/aunt in Peoria. They were so great because they helped my mother when she climbed the stairs at the temple by holding her hand and giving her water along the way.

During the entire tour, my mother and I were so lucky to have been able to travel with such a fun and generous group. We're grateful to be back in Saigon but will definitely not forget the wonderful journey back...

Day 11 - Da Nang: More Pagodas and Italy

We started off in the morning by visiting the Imperial City in Hue. I have to admit though, I wasn't as impressed with it as I thought I would be. I think it's because I've seen such other beautiful sights in Vietnam that I wasn't too thrilled about seeing another rich person's abode. In fact, I think I've felt this way about since my visit to India - seeing these massive structures for Kings while the people of the country suffered. I kept thinking about this crazy Imperial Gate and how long it must have taken for the people to build this from scratch!

There were several pagodas withing the complex and we were told that they too were very special to the Emperor. Every pagoda that I go to is different and I'm amazed at how much devotion was given to the Buddhist religion. These structures are so intricate, and still so well maintained. Here are some of the pagodas we visited today:

1. The Mieu Temple (in Imperial City)
2. Thien Mieu Temple (in Hue)
3. Linh Ung Temple (Da Nang)
4. Linh Ung Temple 67m Buddha (Da Nang)

1) 3)

2) 4)

While we were driving through Da Nang today, I suddenly felt a little homesick and nostalgic. We took the scenic road from Hue to Da Nang because we had a bit of time today and our tour guide decided it might be nice to go through the mountainside. We took this huge tour bus up the mountain and then back down and it took about one and a half hours. It reminded me of my honeymoon in Italy while we drove through Cinque Terre - and it made me miss my husband a little. :) I remember him driving our little Alfa Romeo up the mountain and laughing at him because his knuckles were white from holding the steering wheel so tightly. The roads were narrow, the Italian drivers were nuts and we were just married...*sigh*

The mountain driving also reminded me of the Cabot Trail in Nova Scotia where we took a trip last year. It was very lush with greens and you could see that the people are really trying to preserve the natural beautiful of the mountain. Unlike the mountain roads in Italy and eastern Canada, though, the road in Da Nang had few stops to take pictures.

We stopped by a little road stop where they had some of the war ruins. I didn't quite witness a wedding but I did manage to snap a picture of a bride and groom while they were doing their wedding photo shoot! So maybe my goals are somewhat complete?? :)

Day 10 - Hue: Phong Nha

We had an early start to the day and were told that we would spend the majority of the day on the bus because it would take us three to four hours to get to Phong Nha or Ke Bang National Park. I've been exhausted every day because I have been taking advantage of the free WiFi in all of the hotels we've been staying at and watching Game of Thrones while blogging! I've watched the entire first season online and am finally on the season finale. LOL

Driving through Hue, I could see that it's not as developed as the rest of the country even though it used to be the capital of Vietnam. There is a lot of farmland and it still looks very under-developed. The people in Hue are still doing many things manually, which takes a lot of effort and time. The 150 kms to Phong Nha took us three hours of driving with a lunch stop in between.

When we got to the entrance of Phong Nha, it was clear that we would not regret the long drive. The mountainous park is home to many caves and grottos and we were told we would go deep into one of the largest caves on a riverboat that only seats 12 people at a time. These riverboats were by no means safe - they consisted of a cloth cover over low wooden beams and 12-14 loose plastic chairs and hand-sewn life jackets. Regardless, we jumped in an off we went down the Son River.

All along the riverside, we saw the way the people of the Bo Trach district use the river for their everyday living needs. We saw the way the river was shared amongst the people and their animals. In one section, we saw the water buffalo bathing; in another, we saw a woman doing her laundry; and further down, we saw little boys using a tree branch as a diving board and doing backflips into the water. As with many rivers, it is a source of life for all those who surround it.

In the backdrop of this river are the wonderful rock formations that are unique to this park. It reminded me a little of the rock formations in Ha Long Bay and I remember thinking that maybe it's OK that we didn't get to see it because I got to see something equally beautiful - there are so many beautiful sites all over Vietnam.

When we got to the Phong Nha cave, it was definitely breathtaking. The entrance looked small compared to the rock formations but when we entered, we quickly found out at the cave was enormous. It was once considered the largest cave in Phong Nha but there was another cave recently discovered in 2009 that is much larger (Son Duong). The cave itself was very dark and I couldn't get many pictures, but there were two points where we were given an opportunity to get out and climb. My mother stayed on the boat for the first stop because the cave floor was too steep and she spent the 30 minutes in the riverboat with the lady who was steering the boat.

There are 350 operating riverboats in Phong Nha, which means that each boat can only go about twice a week. They charge 200,000 dong (about $10CAD) for one boatride with 12 people. The lady was telling my mother that they survive on about $80/week during the summer and even less during the winter. She even told my mother that she has lived by the river her entire life, never making it into the biggest city nearby, which is only about 50km away. The river is her only source for survival.

When we got to the second stop, my mother's curiosity overcame her and she jumped out for the second stop. I'm glad she did because she got to see the cave and how large it was. She said that she had seen one in the US before and it was no where near as large as this one. She felt proud that Vietnam has such a place and said that she had absolutely no idea that these caves even existed in her own country!

We must have climbed about a hundred steep steps to get to the inner parts of the cave where there were different lights placed strategically to highlight some of the incredible limestone formations. My camera battery died and I was disappointed that I couldn't take more pictures but I did manage to get this shot from my BlackBerry!

Day 9 - Hue: Khai Dinh Tomb

After lunch, we took about a 2 hour drive towards Hue from Da Nang and I slept the entire time on the bus so I have no idea what it looks like between the two destinations. I'm really surprised I've managed to stay awake through most of the bus rides through Vietnam. Usually, as soon as the vehicle starts moving, my eyes shut and I'm out for most of the ride.

I think I was pretty lucky to have fallen asleep - otherwise, I would have had to witness the little 2 year-old boy sitting behind me throwing up all over the floor of the bus! We have a lot of children on this trip with us - probably about 10 of them. There is a little chubby boy who is such a little rug-rat - yesterday, at one of the pagodas in Hoi An, he actually jumped into one of the fountains! Being soaking wet, his mother removed his pants and diaper and let him walk around the entire town bare-bottomed. Every time the little boy tripped over his feet because he was running so fast in front of the group, you could hear all of the men gasping and squirming (this happened quite often throughout the day).

Anyway, I digress. When I finally opened my eyes, we had already arrived at the tomb of Khai Dinh, who was one of the emperors during the Nguyen Dynasty. Apparently he had 12 wives and no children and it was rumored that he may have preferred the company of men instead ;) (so we have something in common haha). His tomb is enormous and is quite the sight - such are the tombs of many prominent figures in such poor countries!

My mother sat this one out again because of all the climbing of stairs and walking. She sat in the shade under a tree at the base of the mountain (the tomb sits on Chau Chu mountain just outside of Hue). It's quite a beautiful and elaborate and our tour guide told us that the architecture is unique even though it is approximately a century old - the emperor incorporated many different styles from all around the world.

Here are the outer courtyards, including the stone guards:

Here is the actual tomb inside:

Day 9 - Danang: Bà Nà Mountains

Today was an exhausting day...by far the most tiring I've had. It's also been the most challenging for my mother because she had to sit out on most of the activities today, unable to climb up to the top of a mountain and 100 stone steps.

Here are a couple of pictures of us going up the mountain:

When we got to the top of the mountain after the first cable car ride, we were told there that we need to go higher - to the very top on a second cable car ride! At this point, my mother said that she would wait because she knew that even at the landing of the second car, we had to do some further climbing about 2 more kms on foot. I went on my own and found the view breathtaking. Funny thing was, the temperature was about 25°C (77°F) and the locals were complaining about how cold it was! I guess when you're used to 48°C with the humidity, it feels a little cooler up in the mountain!

I took the second cable car back down and met my mother again only to find out that there was more climbing to do - this time, we would be taken up by minivan to the top of a side mountain where the Linh Ung Temple (Chùa Linh Ứng). There is a white, sitting Buddha at the top of the mountain that is about 27m tall! There is also one of the oldest wine cellars in Vietnam and when I was told I could pay extra for wine tasting, I jumped at the opportunity to taste some Vietnamese wine...only to realize later that it was still BEFORE noon!

The pagoda itself is fairly small but the sights up on this side mountain were beautiful and I managed to get a few wonderful photos. We spent about five hours at the Ba Na Hills Resort just exploring the mountainside. By the time we were done, we were famished and ready for lunch. :)

Day 9: Da Nang Funny

This morning we departed from our hotel at 7am. Apparently, this was way too early for our driver to arrive and we were left with only the mini van that took us up to our hotel through the narrow streets of Hoi An. Our tour guide was left with a dilemma - he could transport all of us in one minivan but our luggage would take another trip... further delaying us from our morning start towards Ba Ma Mountains. As I mentioned before, the Vietnamese are resilient and I believe that they live by the saying, "Where there is a will, there is a way" (which may very well be my next tattoo!)

So... where's what my tourguide came up with: