November 30
I arrived into Saigon with no problem at all. One helpful tip is to avoid the taxis that will try to hustle you for close to 20 dollars to take you to the city center of district 1. Instead all you have to do is walk out of the departure area and catch bus 152 that goes the same route for 25 cents!
After checking into the My My Arthouse hostel, I went and ate a bowl of pho. My first try of pho in Vietnam was a bit disappointing as the flavors were not as good as in the States. From there I went to Ben Thanh Market to check out all the clothing, souvenirs and food stalls. I ended up just buying fruits.
One of the things that I wanted to get accomplished in Saigon was to look for the old homes of my parents. So I decided to give it a try today. District 5 is a bit of a hike from 1 so I hired a motorbike to take me there. Unfortunately he dropped me off at the wrong place. Luckily my dad gave me the address of my mom's cousin who lived nearby. I was able to find that house but my mom's cousin was not there. I ended up meeting her older brother instead. We talked for a bit and he gave me some family history that was pretty interesting. He also took me by motorbike to the home. The house that my mom grew up in has now been turned into a coffee shop. It's pretty surreal to think how my mom and all her siblings once lived there. My mom's other cousin came home later and we all ate at a com (rice) stand.
After dinner I got dropped off at my hostel and took a long nap. I was still tired from not sleeping the night before in Manila. In my 6 person dorm there were a German girl and a Canadian guy who wanted to go out so we went around town and found this club called Apocalypse Now. It was one of the more modern clubs in Saigon and the crowd was a mix of new money and young professionals, which naturally attracts the prostitutes too. I met a young girl there that night who told me that her husband recently left her and her 6 week old baby. She then tells me she's been prostituting for the past 2 weeks to support her family. I know there's a good chance that these are stories girls tell foreigners to get sympathy but a part of me wanted to believe her. So I told her that I would give whatever money I had left in my wallet to her if she would go home to her baby now. She refused many times to take my money and told me it was her problem and not mine. I finally had to just force the money on her. I ended up walking home at 3 in the morning because I had no money on me.
December 1
the canadian guy below me is named Kyle and we made plans to visit the Cu Chi Tunnels together. But before I left I had a nice banh mi sandwich with cafe su da at the park for my breakfast. Kyle and I took the public bus instead of booking a tour because we wanted the flexibility. On the bus we met a couple of cool Vietnamese girls who helped guide us to the Tunnels. One of them is an artist and I asked if she could sketch me and she did an amazing sketch of me in a matter of minutes. The evening was a bit uneventful since I decided to go to Cambodia the next morning. My 4 other dormmates and I wandered around district 1 after dinner..so far there has not been too much to see.
December 2
For long journeys I think I prefer buses over trains because of the rest breaks built in to stretch your legs and wander around for food. Today's bus is supposed to be about 12 hours but I heard that it could stretch to 14. I have been told by people that a Cambodia visa would cost around 20 at the border. Be very careful of the guys who come up to you with forms and start filling it oh n for you. They are looking to get paid for their assistance with or without your awareness. The bus drops you off on the Vietnam side while you walk over to Cambodia to fill out your visa. Don't forget your bus number, name and Cologne because it would suck to get left behind. I really don't think they do headcounts. I ended up meeting two Spaniards on the bus named Pablo and Juan, affectionately called Juanito by Pablo. There are some people that you can just tell have color in their lives and these guys have it! Juan at first glance appears to be a tough guy with his bald head, arm tattoos and bigger build but later I discovered him to be a softie...more to come. Pablo is unique and that might be the best way to describe him. Mid40s with a beard and a personality that's one part Robin Williams and one part Billy Crystal as blended by a Spanish barista. We became fast friends and made plans to go around Siem Reap together.
December 3
when in siem there will be tons of people pushing you to do Angkor Wat tours by vans or by personal tricycle drivers or tuk tuk as some call them. One helpful tip if you are into it is to rent a bicycle instead to Angkor. It will only cost you a dollar and you have the added flexibility of going and staying as you please. While renting bikes with the Spaniards we met Maria, another person from Spain who wanted to join us in cycling. I don't know what it is about the Spanish culture, but they just seem to always be laughing, joking and having a great time. Getting a bike was so worth it. I felt free on the bike and very much alive.
We checked out some temples and then had lunch by the lake while sitting outside on a blanket. It was so relaxing that I fell asleep on the mat.
Angkor is massive and pretty spectacular. Just to imagine how the people constructed it all those years ago is fascinating.
Dinner was at a nice family food stand where the food was OK but the hospitality was top notched. From the husband and wife to the little daughter who acted as the hostess. After dinner we had pancake. You can find them everything... it's like a banana chocolate crepe.
December 4
I spent the morning taking it easy. First by sleeping in and then going for a nice casual jog around parts of siem reap. Its been a while since I've had some proper exercise so I was not able to go very far. After a quick shower, I went over to the old market to do some shopping for scarves. I had some time to kill before meeting the Spaniards for yet another bike ride to Angkor. This time we didnt purchase tickets and somehow they still managed to talk their way into every place. Probably the most impressive was when we got into an invitation only classic orchestra event performed by this Japanese group in association with musicians from Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and Indonesia. The attendees at this special performance was the prime minister of Japan and other foreign dignitaries! We were asked at multiple checkpoints for our tickets and we kept saying we were guests of the drummer. In the end we got in with no issues and even received a SWAG bag! The musical performance was a sweet treat and having Angkor Wat as a lit up backdrop was magnificent. Everyone was dressed up and there we were in t-shirts, PJs, and our bicycles... It was brilliant. A Japanese news crew even interviewed us and said it would be broadcasted in Japan. We capped off the evening by riding our bikes home, eating at the same family restaurant, and of course pancakes. It was great meeting Pablo, Juanito and Maria. Hopefully our paths will cross again one day.
December 5
As always, I caught the earliest bus possible and this time I'm headed to Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. The ride itself was about 7 hours and I pretty much slept the whole way there. I checked into the Eight8 Hostel and dropped off my bags and did a quick stroll around town. The evening was spent getting some drinks with my dorm mates.
December 6
I woke up a bit later than normal today. After getting ready, I set out to explore the capital by foot. I managed to cover a lot of ground and visited old markets and various temples. The street food was pretty good and I have yet to be sick in Cambodia and ive eaten some really non-hygienicly handled food. There are numerous beggars on the streets who use their children to attract attention and sympathy. Ive always been leery of handing out money cuz u don't know if it will reach the kids. Instead I always hand out food. A couple of times I have opened up a package and fed a kid directly just so I know he or she eats. The rest of the day was pretty low key...I prefer that sometimes. I have become a less greedy traveler as I've gone deeper into my trip. Oh I had to check out early because the girl in our mixed dorm puked everywhere and it smelled horrible in our room. Oh well, back to Vietnam!
December 7
The bus to Saigon was very relaxing. This time I paid only 10 bucks from Phnom Penh. The only drawback is that there's no bathroom on the bus but it does make a couple of stops. It was irrelevant for me since I just slept the whole way. I have gotten really good at sleeping anywhere, anytime and in any condition.
Thy border crossing into Vietnam was a breeze with the bus company rep picking up everyone's passports and getting exit and entry stamps for everyone.
I checked back into the My My Art house because it really is a great location on Pham Ngu Lao. There was a food festival taking place across from me at 23-9 park or 23 September as some call it. I ended up getting invited into this hackysack game that's really unique. You kick and slap at this feathery object using soccer skills. Ive seen young, old, men and women play this game at the park. I tried to buy one of these feathery objects but the vendor was giving me a huge foreigner markup. I ended up asking this girl to buy it for me since she was a local. I think I ended up playing for a couple of hours...still suck though. The one thing that I love about Saigon is the numerous parks and recreation games they have there. Its always jammed pack with people from morning to night. I think its done a great job of keeping people always from the streets.
I ended up going to bed super early so I can catch the Longhorns game that was kicking off 330am Saigon time. Unfortunately we lost. Off to Hanoi now!
December 8
Taking the 152 bus from district 1 on a Sunday morning is not only cheap but efficient. It only took half an hour and cost around 25 cents. My flight to Hanoi felt much longer than 2 hours because I was surrounded by two crying babies the entire way. Once I landed in Hanoi, I took the 17 bus that dropped me off near the Old Quarter. I met up with another couchsurfer named Amelia and we explored Hanoi together. The highlight of the evening was when we stumbled upon a group of students playing music at the park. There were guitars, uekele, makeshift drums and shaker,. They were singing Viet and English songs so we stuck around to listen. Most times it was one person starting a song and everyone blending in. One girl named Minku approached us and asked if we had any song requests. From there we started a conversation and then she told us that she wanted to take us out for dinner. We had a great evening hanging out with her and her friend Anh over food, drinks and guitar.
December 9
We met up with our new friends in the morning to go motorbike riding. I was getting the hang of it until I fell because I didnt realize braking required holding down both bars. Now I have a huge bruise on my knee. Afterwards the girls showed us the oldest university in Vietnam where we saw tons of graduates taking photos. The highlight of the day was eating this yummy dish called bun cha which is a broth made from many ingredients and then topped with grilled pork meat. This is accompanied with a dish of mints and bun. After lunch we had this coffee that was served with rich egg cream. Very strong and sweet!
December 10
Woke up early and got picked up by the van for Halong Bay. There was about 14 in the group and the ride to Halong Bay was about 4 hours long. The itinerary included kayaking, swimming and hiking. Along with lunch and dinner that was pretty much it. I would say that Halong is a pretty impressive world wonder but just a bit touristic. I didnt like how people were ushered in and out of Halong Bay like factory products.
December 11
Wrapped up the halong bay tour and then boarded a 13 hour bus to Hue. Peeing in a bus along bumpy roads is quite the challenge. Best to restrict fluids and hold it in. These sleeper buses are pretty unique...rows of 3 and 2 levels. Basically your feet go in a slot that's right beneath the head of the person in front of you.
December 12
Made it to Hue and checked into the local hostel. I was told to try the local specialties called bun bo hue and com hen. Ive had the former a few times in the States and they make it super spicy but its like liquid crack. Com hen ive never had before and really wanted to try the local tiny clams. Unfortunately the old lady at the restaurant charged an outrageous price and cheapened my com hen experience. Same for bun no hue...when I argued for a local price, the lady didnt give me any meat in my soup...argh. Plus the msg in the soup was a bit much. Only highlight was my lunch where this mom and her young daughters were pretty honest and even hooked me up with the local strong Hue coffee called cafe da. Oh almost forgot, I ended up getting a haircut too...decided to go bald for the low maintenance during my travels. Ive been getting some weird looks...maybe my head is an odd shape or maybe it just needs a tan so it doesn't appear so ashy gray.
December 13
Had a good morning in Hue and ate some yummy food at a local stand. The guy who owned the shop was very friendly and conversed with me in English. His dad made a rau wrap with pork and offered it to me with some homemade rice wine. It was a great experience to sit there and laugh and eat with them. Afterwards I boarded the bus for Hoi An, which was about 4 hours or so. Hoi An was once a sleepy town but lately has attracted many tourists. The waterside is littered with lanterns and people selling you candles in a floating box to place in the water. There's also many street vendors selling deep fried crab and fried bananas. The local dish is called Cao Lao and consists of noodles with soy sauce and some veggies. The other popular one is Com Ga or chicken rice.
December 14
Decided to rent a motorbike and practice riding since Hoi An is not as congested as Saigon or Hanoi. I got the hang of riding ok...the hardest part is understanding the system for yielding during turns at intersections. Its a pretty amazing feeling to have the wind run through you as sceneries slide by on the open road. The fastest that I managed was 80 km. I road to the beach and then took it to Danang. In Danang I read the Little Prince and was pleasantly surprised that I actually enjoyed it. That Little Prince is quirky! Spent the rest of the day shopping because Hoi An has many personal tailors. I went ahead and got a custom made suit, pants and a couple of dress shirts made. I ended the evening with another relaxing bike ride. I can see why riding can be addicting!
December 15
Walked around town a bit before I went to pick up my clothes. There's only a one day turn around for clothes custom made. I even bought a new pair of walking shors since the ones I brought for my trip is falling apart from the inside and out. My clothes all fit for the most part...just needed some minor adjustments. Aside from one lady making the wrong color shirt, it was all good. Now I'm boarding the 12 hour bus to Nha Trang!
December 16
Woke up a bit groggy in Nha Trang...dropped off my bags and went to eat some breakfast. I read about a restaurant called Lanterns that hands out free lunches to the homeless on Mondays so I decided to go check it out. The staff at the restaurant were very friendly and appreciated the help. My job was to scoop rice into take-away boxes and pass it along to someone else who would add food to the box. Once the boxed lunches were complete, there were already a huge crowd of people outside lined up for food. The staff warned me that it would get crazy and people would be fighting for food. Sure enough I saw people pushing and shoving each other...I even saw people fall down as a result. Witnessing this was quite sad to see the state that people were in and did make me appreciate more the things that i do have. It really is a first world problem when we complain about what we don't have in lieu of what we do have.
Afterwards I wanted to explore the city further and leave the main tourist center. Found a local bus that went up north and pretty much just ate everywhere. The highlight was meeting a group of ladies who were so giggly over teaching me Vietnamese. We sat in those tiny plastic chairs outside just talking the night away. One even shoved a piece of duck in my mouth...who am I to refuse? After that I had to find a bus back and ran into some older men who were drinking beer at a side cafe and they invited me to drink with them. I really think some of my best times during my travels has been eating and drinking with locals.
December 17
Woke up early to see the sunrise on the beach. Nha Trang is known for its gorgeous beaches and you will see lots of locals out there by 5am doing exercises, walking and playing badminton. The sunrise was absolutely gorgeous and I felt so at peace.
I did some more exploring outside the city center...again more eating. I found a guy driving a water buffalo in this village area and he was cool enough to let me try driving too. I even got tail-whipped! After that I walked along the railroad tracks and heard people saying hello outside a house. Out of curiosity I went and I ended up meeting a couple families and about 3 generations! The conversations were a bit challenging since they didnt speak English and my Viet is pretty limited. I did talk to one of the daughters in Japanese since she was learning that in school. We were offered fresh fruits and tea. I'm loving the hospitality everywhere I go!
In the afternoon, one of ladies from Lanterns took us to a nearby orphanage. The owner of the orphanage is a retired doctor who took in babies abandoned by mothers as a result of unwanted pregnancies. This particular orphanage had about 20 kids ranging from 3 to 12 and is privately operated without government assistance. The kids are really precious and some cling onto you from the minute you step in the door. I was there to play with them for a little and help with the feeding during dinner time. The experience is really indescribable and hard to capture in words.
Later in the evening, we rode our bikes along the sea and through the bridge to the seaside area where there's seafood vendors everywhere. Bike rides at night are very relaxing!
December 18
Hello Da Lat! The drive from Nha Trang to Da Lat is absolutely amazing through majestic mountains and rolling green valleys. Da Lat itself is a sleepy town that can get a bit cold at night. My first day there was spent just exploring the town center... Lots of food and markets. I ended up eating everywhere of course. Of highlight was probably eating roast pork and duck on a street bench because we couldn't find a table. It was hella messy but very delicious! Oh and the bakeries are great!
December 19
Headed to Elephant Waterfall in the morning. You don't need to book a tour or get a guide, just venture on your own via a local bus. The waterfall while small, was still pretty magnificent.
Later we met up with some University students who had coffee, dinner and karaoke with us. There was also a dude from France with us. We had such an amazing time with them!
December 20
The bus ride to Sai Gon took forever and the Friday traffic didnt help matters. I had originally thought that I could arrive by 2 pm and meet up with my 2nd cousin Anthony by 6pm with no issues but I didnt arrive to my hostel till after 5. I was still able to catch up with Anthony and his family. I had not seen him since my wedding on California back in 2005. My how time flies.
December 21
I have been in touch with this Vietnamese girl named Chau, who is my friend Vinh's girlfriend's cousin. We missed each other the first two times I was in Sai Gon so I made a point to figure a way to meet her. She's in district 6 so I had to take bus 1 to cha lon station and then hop on jeepney bus 101 to her house. Not too difficult to find. Her mom sells beef noodle soup and was so nice to save a bowl for me. She had sold all the bowls in the morning. Great great hospitality from her family. Chau even took me to my mom's old house in district 5 again.
Overall my impression of Vietnam was extremely positive. Honestly I went in with really no expectations and knew nothing about the country. This trip has educated my mind and connected my heart back to the place I was born. Ive always told people that I'm Chinese when they ask me and ive always left the Vietnam part out because I was not able to identify with the Vietnamese culture before, but now I do feel a connection with the land and the people. The Vietnamese are some of the most hospitable people you will ever find. From village to village and city to city, I always find groups young and old gathered together at all hours sharing a meal, a drink and lots of laughter. It is the true sense of the word community and I am thankful that they have allowed me a glimpse into the community during my first trip back to Vietnam after 35 years. I do have quite a bit of mixed emotions because this was our home for 2 generations before the communist drove us out and caused us to be refugees. Every time I see foreigners sporting t-shirts and caps with the communist star, I always get a bitter reminder. But the past is the past and im very happy that I got to see Vietnam. I will no doubt return one day with Riley and share with him our family history and connection to beautiful Vietnam!
