4~11~01 to 4~22~01
Central and South Vietnam: Fashion and Fun
CENTRAL VIETNAMMy favorite central Vietnam city was Hoi An. It's a small town, and one that is geared toward tourism without being irritating, which is rare. It was nice to walk around, because it is full of old Chinese and Japanese architecture from the days when it was a bustling merchant town. Several of the old merchant families still own their old houses, and you can walk through them with a guide, who explains interesting details such as the reason for the beam across the floor of a doorway (so that all entering must bow their heads... to make sure they don't trip!).
We also enjoyed one really good meal, at a restaurant called Cafe des Artes that has no menu. You just sit down and the owner, Mr. Kim, serves you four dishes of his choosing (you can specify Meat, Seafood, or Vegetarian). We liked it so much we returned the second night, only to find Mr. Kim had the night off. They served us leftovers from the night before, which was quite a disappointment.
The best part about Hoi An, however, is the tailoring. Hoi An must have fifty different tailor shops all competing for your business. We had no intention of buying any clothes, but it seemed to be such a good deal, we changed our minds. After braving the often agressive saleswomen while browsing the tailor shops, we chose someone we liked, and got measured.
Steve and I both got an outfit. Mine (a skirt and top) is made out of black Chinese silk with silver flowers, and Steve now has a belt and tie from the same fabric. Steve also got a shirt and slacks, and I got a handbag and boots in the same matching fabric.
My new outfit
Me and Chi Vu, the tailorWe were very excited to have new clothes, especially me, but unfortunately we only had them in our possession a few days before including them in a package home.
~ * ~ SOUTH VIETNAM
As we headed south, the temperature continued to rise. We thought it was time for a little by-the-ocean relaxation, so we stopped in Nha Trang, a town renowned for having the best municipal beach in Vietnam. It did not disappoint! Six kilometers of clean, white beach stretched into the distance across the street from our hotel. Thanks to the Rough Guide, we found a great bargain - the top floor of a somewhat pricey hotel has three rooms that share a bathroom. Because they're up four flights of stairs, they were a good deal at US$8 a night (with air-con). Not only that, but the upper floor included a huge outdoor patio that was great for watching sunsets, the stars, and the activity on the beach. It was shared between the three rooms, but we were the only residents.
While in Nha Trang, we spent a lot of time just relaxing. One day, we took a boat trip around some islands in the area and did some snorkelling. After a nice seafood lunch, they did a "floating bar" - where everyone floated around in a life preserver, and a bartender in a larger float poured everyone some free mulberry wine. I sheepishly admit that the wine was strong and I partook a bit too much. I spent the rest of the boat trip not feeling very well - fortunately Steve took care of me (he had wine too, but not as much).The next day, to recover, we spent most of the day lounging in padded sunbeds on the beach under thatched umbrellas.
On our final day in Nha Trang, we took a motorbike tour of the surrounding area. The main stop was at a waterfall, where we hiked for 20 minutes in the heat before being rewarded with a cool swim in the pool at the bottom of a nice waterfall. The rest of the time, we rode around through scenic rice paddies, and un-scenic shrimp farms (square ponds dug in the mud where shrimp are raised).
We observed some interesting Vietnamese behavior while we were in Nha Trang. When we got into town on the train, the sun had just risen (it was about 5:30am). We took a cyclo to our hotel by the beach, where we noticed an astounding thing: it was swarming with what looked like the entire population of the town! Everyone was there, either swimming in the water, jogging by the beach, playing badminton, or otherwise exercising. We watched for a few minutes before taking a much-needed nap. When we awoke, the beach was vacant, and remained so all day. Then, just before sunset when the sun had fallen behind the buildings of the town, suddenly the beach came to life again and was filled with kids splashing around and adults socializing. It was so dramatic that if we had only seen the beach during the day, if we had not happened to be up earlier than usual, we would have never believed the frenzy of activity which happens in the morning.
What we finally realized is that the Vietnamese avoid the sun at all costs. During the day, they sit in the shade, and only enjoy the beach when the sun is not shining. Not only that, but we observed many Vietnamese women wearing arm-length gloves, hats, and face-scarves just to avoid the sun's rays. To us, roasting in the heat, it was unthinkable to wear unecessary layers. But to them, being sun-baked is a mark of the lower class and is to be avoided.
~ * ~ HO CHI MINH CITY / SAIGON
(or, as Steve calls it, "Uncle Ho's Funtime Palace")Usually called Saigon by its residents, this city is the most Americanized in Vietnam. It was our last stop in the country, so by then we were familiar with the hawkers' styles and the traffic patterns which probably make Saigon an intimidating first stop. We exercised the usual caution with our valuables, and didn't feel any more threatened. In fact, we enjoyed a nice day just walking around the city, starting with a breakfast of pho (noodle soup). A market that our guidebook described as dark and full of pickpockets turned out to be clean, comfortable, and full of interesting things for sale. We ended the day with a sublime foot and leg massage that cost only a couple of bucks.
Next, we are flying to Cambodia to do a whirlwind visit to Angkor Wat. Originally, we were going to travel overland from Vietnam through Cambodia to Thailand, but we decided to save that time and use it to explore Thailand instead. So we're flying to Siem Reap, the closest city to Angkor. We'll spend a day or two there, then fly to Bangkok. Our plans for Thailand are still vague at best; hopefully, they'll materialize in the next few days.
