Sapa Valley

We spent two days driving through the mountains in Sapa, our mouths dropped, gawking at the beauty of the scenery. The mountains were lined by bright green terrace farming and the valleys seemed to never end. We visited three different mountain villages and went to a couple of very vibrant markets.

First of all, the north is fabric heaven...as is the rest of Vietnam come to think of it.



The walk through the Red's Village (red referring to the particular tribe characterized by the red fabric they wear on their heads) was an interesting experience for a couple of reasons. Firstly, when tourists arrive, all of the women are waiting and they come right up to your window waiting for you to get out so that they can crowd around you and take you through their village, making sure they each get a chance to speak with you personally in the hopes that before you leave you will buy something from them.







One lady, of 21 years, spoke very good English and caught both my Mom and I's attention and affection. One topic our conversation with her was about the course of action with all the women when tourists arrive. She had met and chatted with so many tourists over the year that she found it actually embarassing that everyone hearded around cars and followed the tourists through the village. She explained that she would much rather sit and sell their items, but that once on woman stands up, the rest of them feel like they all need to compete. She said she could read on tourists faces that they found this overly imposing (mind you, we are in their villages in the first place). She said that by actually speaking with the tourists about life in her village and life in their own countries, she not only improves her English, but actually ends up receiving monetary help from more tourists than the others. Just to hear her make conclusions about the whole process was so moving because it really made me not only admire her strength and smarts, but see how tourism affected the dynamic of things in villages.

Another topic of conversation was about arranged marriage in their village. Being 21, she is considered past the age where she should have been married and have kids. She explained that she just does not want to get married and does not feel right about the process of arranged marriage. Dealing with how angry and confused it made her mother and grandmother is only one of the difficulties of this choice. She explained that she wants to focus on learning about life, talking with tourists, working on her English. She does not want to get married because she is not ready to and does not feel like it is a duty she would be able to fulfill at this point in her life. Although she says she will never leave her village because of the commitment she has to take care of her family and help in the with the chores, she has the strength to find her individuality amongst it all.

Her knowledge of English, intelligence and confidence in herself is something that was incredibly impressive and impactful. How hard it must be to stand up against her family and believe in herself is beyond strong. If only this girl was able to be given the opportunity to study and focus on her own development, she would just flourish.

After the 'Red village' we visited the 'Black village', again characterized by the black cloth they wore on their heads.





The next day, after a wonderful night at 'The Victoria Hotel' (wow) sitting fireside and chatting, we visited the famous weekend market put on by the 'Flower' village people. It was crazy busy, full of colours, amazing fabrics, tons of food vendors, and animals everywhere. The hustle and bustle of it all made for some incredible photo opportunities.










All in all, the visit up North is something that every visitor to Vietnam should experience. It is beautiful and cultural.

The Victoria Express

How lucky I was to get treated to a ride up to Sapa Valley (northern Vietnam) on the Victoria Express. I am used to doing the 2 inch recline overnight trip between spots, but this was sheer class. The Victoria Express was the first 2 carts of the train. It smelled of Lemongrass, and had pretty comfy little cabins. The last cart, the dinner cart, was lit up beautifully in golden lights, full of dark wood tables with red cushions laid out on the chairs, amazing photos lined the walls, and music from the 50's to 70's was playing quietly on an old record player. Before bed, the people in our cart all sat around drinking wine and chatting in a mix of French, Spanish and English to accommodate all the different backgrounds. Needless to say, it was quite the experience...and one that I won't have the chance to treat myself to!

Halong Bay

Unfortunately the weather was not on our side today which made it difficult to decide whether or not we should make the 3 hour trip out to the coast just for a boat ride. However, despite the fog and rain, the bay is beautiful. Halong Bay is somewhat of a mix between the islands of Thailand around Phi Phi and Milford Sound in New Zealand with a Vietnamese cultural feel. All in all, the trip out was quiet and worth it.

Hanoi, Vietnam

Hanoi is an interesting mix of Vietnamese culture with French style. The French are responsible for the development of much of the architecture, with Eiffel himself designing one of the bridges in town. There is lots to do between visiting the parliament buildings, the Hanoi Hilton prison, the war museum, and walking around the Old Quarter dodging traffic, strolling in and out of art shops, and catching some food off of the streets vendors here and there.



Beautiful faces of Hanoi.

Shuttle Cock

Great Vietnamese team game that is a mix of badminton, volleyball and soccer. Looks amazingly fun but you need to be incredible agile.

The VIETNAM War OR The AMERICAN War

My mom had hired a guide, Minh who took us around to various sights in the city. Having not done so well on my history classes in high school, Minh was great at running through Vietnam's history from the 50's forward. Upon arriving at the beginning of the Vietnam/American War, we got a litttle stuck in sorting through the various versions we had heard.

First of all, Vietnamese people refer to what we know as the Vietnam War (as we call it in North American), the American War.

What I found the most interesting about this learning experience was the version of Vietnam's history (specifically the North). Minh's description of many of the events is quite different than what we are taught in North America, and also, quite different than the version I had heard years ago in Ho Chi Minh City (in the South). The primary difference was the explanation as to why the American's entered the war.

The North recalls that the escalation of the war after driving the French out of Vietnam was America’s move to bomb their own ships lying in the eastern seas and blaming this on the North. These ships were originally over there assisting with the French war. The purpose of this move is believed to have been a ploy to bring more American forces over to gain control over all of Vietnam.

The Southern Vietnamese say that the American's invited themselves over to gain power over the whole situation in an effort to bring about democracy. The Southern rebels are actually the ones who sided with the North and built the Chu Chui Tunnels thereby continuing the violence between the two sides.

The American's say that they were invited over there by the South to help fight against the North and the incoming Chinese. Those ships that were bombed in the Eastern sea, were actually bombed by the North. They argue that they were needed there to ‘amp’ up the Southern army to fight against the North. However, being over there and securing the need for their weaponry made it easy for them to gain control of the area. Meanwhile, back in America, the younger generation were rallying to bring their soldiers home and Lennon & Yoko Ono were holding their famous Sleep-In at the Amsterdam Hilton.

I suppose it doesn't matter too much that I didn't listen too well in history class!

These differing recollections of how history unfolded shocked me. But in reflecting on them once I got over my confusion, they prove and important point about how one should form their opinions. To be nationalistic is a choice that each of us makes, but one should never be ignorant to the fact that their truths may not in fact be true.

John Lennon: Give Peace a Chance
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQdyEw6jfGQ

Van Tho

I saw a bunch of this Vietnamese Artist's work in Hanoi but Van Tho's really stuck out for me. His paintings are oil on canvas and approximately 3ft by 2ft. The paint comes about 3 inches off the canvas at points and the character on the faces of his subjects are extremely eye-catching. On top of that, the whole concept of his work, playing off of Van Gogh's art, is really fun!
http://vantho.vxartgallery.com/

Book Recommendation

A Thousand Splendid Suns: Khaled Hosseini

The popularity of this book is nothing new, but I just finished it in record time. It is a heart wrenching and incredible story.

Back to Bangkok

For a long time this round. Spent the first few days there, once I was discharged, just taking it easy and walking around. Checked out China Town, headed back to Koh San, I can't get enough of that Pad Thai, headed over to MBK to watch a movie and sing the national anthem, took boat rides down the river, visited some temples...















Then went to the Chatuchak weekend market where I realized that it actually is possible to get VERY tired of Vintage browsing.






Spent a morning in the Floating Market with my Mom when she arrived watching the women and men paddle by in their boats, heckling as many tourists as possible. I first went to the same floating market 8 years ago when my family visited my brother in Thailand who was traveling at the time. Then, it wasn't very touristy at all, the market was quieter, and there was much more local character with fish for sale, fruit shakes, local clothings, etc. Now, the area seems to only be a tourist destination with zero goods for locals. So, in the end, it was great to visit, but I much preferred my original image of the place.

Despite all this, the Thai women and mens have so much character. Here are some beautiful faces of the market.













After the market, we spent the afternoon in a Thai cooking class at May Kaidee's Cookery. We learned how to make 10 different Vegan and Vegetarian dishes and sing a Thai cooking song (hilarious). SOOOO yummy and SOOOO full!!!
http://www.maykaidee.com/