firsts

The adventure begins with travel, and lots of it. Fourteen hours confined by the 3 foot thick metal walls of a 747 jet plane, and you could be anywhere. I happened to be in Hong Kong. The layover was short, allowing me to marvel at the magnitude of a single apartment building, seemingly a small township jutting into the blackness of night, piercing the smoggy skies above. Early the following morning, I was bright eyed and bushy tailed, excited to finally arrive in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. My new home away from home.

The first few days I became intimately acquainted with the xe-oms, or moto-taxis. These guys are a dime a dozen and will often see a westerner, or any white person for that matter, and honk at you, which is their way of asking, "do you want a ride?"

I often oblige, as I can't tell which way is which, and for a mere 20,000 dong I'm almost anywhere I want to be. It's fun too, but don't tell my father!

Ho Chi Minh, or Saigon, as I prefer to call it, has a dizzying array of food to choose from and I spent my first few days sampling from the different delicacies. Some of my favorite are water spinach with garlic, stir fried noodles with vegetables, and the phenomenally impressive fake meat. They make faux-chicken that looks like a real chicken wing, and tastes nearly the same. Their sauces are intricate and complex with notes of flavors that I love but have not a clue to what they are.

One of the most moving experiences thus far was visiting the statue dedicated to Thich Quang Duc, the monk who set himself ablaze to protest the South Vietnamese religious policy in 1963. There are people paying respect, making offerings or praying here most hours of the day. In the photo behind the statue is a mural depicting the war, and war crimes.




After a few days of madness and mayhem, meaning halloween as Gnomes in Saigon,and being reunited with old friends, we thought it wise to visit Nha Trang. A city on the beach about 10 hours Northeast of Saigon by bus. We took a sleeper bus and vowed to never take one again! the potholed roads made for a bumpy and sleepless ride, and the absence of a bathroom was borderline torture.


The closer we got to Nha Trang, the more flooded the roads became and the harder the rain fell. We finally pulled up to a hotel/travel agency and were told to unload, which we happily did; only to find out that the weather forecast called for thunderstorms and massive downpours solid through the next week! Nha Trang slowly transformed into a scene from National Geographic, as streets flooded with waist deep water and our hotel shook from wind gusts.


Being a fairly seasoned traveller, I was determined not to let the weather dictate my experience, or get the best of me. So, I set out to see the Long Thanh gallery. Long Thanh is a phenomenal Vietnamese photographer who mixes his own chemicals and develops his own photos in his kitchen/dark room. I was the only person visiting at the time, and there were hundreds of photos that were absolutely fabulous. He has an ability to convey emotion through his images with precision and beauty. The gallery itself is something to see, a tiny house converted into a gallery with old vespas and a friendly older Vietnamese woman who curiously follows you around on your tour. What a gem.

That evening, Jamie, Lauren and I set off to the Thap Ba Hot Springs, which are natural thermal mud and mineral water which has been turned into a resort. The three of us gladly paid the $7 US dollars and soaked in the mud, which oddly enough makes you bouyant, and silky smooth once washed off. The grounds were beautiful and I would have stayed a while longer, but by dusk we were ushered out.








After arriving back at the blue star hotel, we walked to the Louisianne Brew House, a brewery located on the beach in Nha Trang. I was expecting the usual suspects, lagers, pilsners, the lighter ales on the beer spectrum. I was blown away, however, by the quality and spectrum of homemade beers they brewed. We had the sample platter which had a crystal ale, with notes of rambutan and honey, a dark lager which was earthy and smooth, a red ale which was classic and nice, and a fourth which was equally appealing. The food was wonderful as well.

We have made the best of a rocky travel experience, said goodbye to our nieve idea of a beach vacation during tsunami season, and bought a plane ticket back to the city...as soon as the airport re-opened, that is.

The Vietnam adventure has begun, and I look forward to sharing it with you all.

Cheers