There are so many interesting things which have occurred in the past weeks that I feel my blog is a bit over due. Since my last blog I have traveled to Vietnam and Malaysia with Cory, experienced my first Chinese New Year, and improved my Chinese quite a bit. The beginning of the tale veils a hidden secret and conflict in my heart which has escalated to an awakening in my soul. Due to the increased length of the blog I decided to write it in three parts: Vietnam, Malaysia, and Spring Festival. I hope this will introduce more perspectives on some of the incredible things that I have witnessed, felt, and experienced in the past few weeks.
The trip to Vietnam started off ominously enough as Cory and I had recently amended a quarrel. It was the first time that such a situation occurred which caused both of us some caution in the future. Overall, it was a good chance for both of us to work on some things which do not come easy for people. Actions are actions and words are words. Only through positive mediation can people hope to proceed past further obstacles and move forward. In the end, I believe that both of us are better for sharing in a difficult situation and learning from it.
January 2nd was our scheduled day of departure which would signal an epic day of travel. The overall travel time from Chongqing International Airport to Ho Chi Minh (HCMC) took eighteen hours. When we finally arrived in Ho Chi Minh City it was already passed midnight Vietnam time. The process for getting the Vietnamese visa was easy enough as we had both previously filled out all the proper documentation. People often disregard thought to ponder things they have not experienced before. After going through the time-consuming and sometimes frustrating visa process into China I can safely say that this was a much easier experience for me. This was unfortunately not the case for a Canadian woman who failed to have the proper visa documentation. The woman, obviously jet legged from her long journey continued to have problems getting her visa processed as Cory and I filled out some last clerical things. Afterwards, we both headed down to the luggage carousel excited to have finally arrive in Vietnam and ready to start a new adventure.
Getting from the airport to our hostel was easy enough after we paid the nominal fee for the twenty-minute traffic free ride into HCMC. I soon became nervous, as the un-marked taxi driver handed our luggage and motioned vaguely as to the direction of our hostel which looked no more than a back alley. Walking with Cory at two a.m. through a maze of alleys in obviously lost would have been a nightmare for anyone. Luckily, we were able to locate the hostel in only a couple minutes; however, the door was barred closed which left me wondering if traveling to Vietnam was a good idea after all. Fortunately, Cory located a door bell hidden ominously inside the steal wired hostel gate which awoke two very old and tired employees.
The next morning, I awoke eagerly awaiting my first glimpses of HCMC in day light. The previous morning’s trip from the airport left a very blurred image of the city as I was trying my best to remain awake from the day’s travel. From the car, I could still tell that HCMC was a place much less-developed than the booming Chinese cities I had visited this summer with my parents. I believed quite quickly that it may be a lot less easy getting around here than I had previously hoped.
I am glad that first impressions do not often tell a person the whole story because what I saw greatly astonished me. I had entered an area which I soon realized was surrounded by the greatest number of foreigners I had seen at one time since being in the United States. I was extremely shocked to hear most of the local people speaking English easily as they attempted to sell something to any foreigner who would listen. I happened to be such a target as I became barraged from every possible corner.
As I was without sun glasses in the mid-eighty degree weather, and engulfed with sunshine I realized that purchasing sunglasses was a pretty good idea. I later would discover that I paid almost double for this first purchase than I could have bargained for if I knew the territory better. I was a first mistake that I think a lot of foreigners will make when they enter a place with a very different culture. I vowed that it would be a learning experience and the last time I got ripped-off buy local standards. In reality, I was able to buy the sunglasses for about four dollars U.S.D which is something that no person can complain about I think. At the same exact time I was asked by a flock of vendors if I wanted to hop on a motorcycle, take a rickshaw, tour of the city in a van, go to the Mekong Delta, or have message. As I concluded my purchase, I left the vendors in the nick of time as a man started trying to use a toothbrush to clean my dirty shoes with before I could usher him away.
However, captivating my first sale’s vendor experience was it did not distract my attention away from the streets of HCMC. From the moment a person stepped into plan site of the streets a mass of buzzing motorcycles came to greet them. Only the brave travelers are able to muster up the courage to cross an intersection as they try to acclimate themselves to a world without cars. I have been to Rome before which is infamous for having the most motorcycles in Europe. Even with this experience in Europe and living China I realized that I too felt nervous around the bikers, scooters, and motorcycles racing through the city. I soon learned that HCMC has over five million motorcycles in the city with roughly ten million inhabitants or about one bike for every two people.
The first day in HCMC was spent visiting different sites which Cory and I had previously researched as being cannot miss landmarks. The first stop on the list was the Ben Than market. It was incredibly crowded and filled with all sorts of cheap goods for sale. Believe me, if a person wanted to get some type of cheap knock-off product in Vietnam this was the best place to do it. Crowds of foreign tourists walked through a maze of tightly enclosed selling stalls encouraging a feeling of claustrophobia for the unaccustomed onlooker. The market itself is canvassed by a roof which is a godsend as the sun in Vietnam is penetrating even during the winter months. Cory and I would pass through these stalls several days buying little trinkets for friends, family, and gifts and personal mementos.
Next we visited the perspective opening “War Remnants” museum which included weapons, armaments, and exhibits depicting the toil of the Vietnam War on the people. I left feeling a little woozy in my stomach after seeing the effects of Agent Orange and other devastating weapons of destruction. The size and mass of weapons used during the war by the United States troops rendered an image of incredible destruction as entire villages are still left with the physical scars of war. The country will take much longer I believe to heal from some of the mental scars as people still in their lifetimes can easily recount the terror of seeing the damage of Agent Orange, napalm, and other weapons.
I have come to realize that war is the province of men who wish to gain something in order to improve their lot in life. It may start from an ideal, a problem, a hate, or fear; however, in the end there is usually also an extrinsic reward that pushes men to believe that their efforts are worth risking their life. May it be glory, power, or wealth victors easily fall victim to the spoils of war. I have purposefully left out a female comparison as to the fact that I do not know of many female leaders who have taken to war in such an extreme manners as males have.
The difference between the magnanimous victor and the man looking for revenge is merely one personality trait; nevertheless, that characteristic may lead to drastically different results as a nation looks to rebuild in the aftermath of war. The United States was very lucky in deed to have such incredibly moral leaders during its national infancy. George Washington was one such man would have liked nothing better than to have retired in peace at Mount Vernon never again to rest in the spotlight. Nonetheless, he could not refuse the nation’s call for him to lead as the first President of the United States. His leadership helped the dream of democracy come true in earnest as a young U.S. worked hard to develop into a model nation.
In war can a person blame one another more for their crimes? Certainly everyone recognizes the war crimes after the fact; however, in the heat of battle those things are not at the forefront of a soldier’s mind as they try to save all that they can. War is the ultimate gamble in morality as a person’s simple aim is destroy all life in the way. War has echoed these effects throughout time as every nation and people have at some time felt the sting of loss as its youth going to fight and die during war. That is why it is so important for people to learn from experience who have never experienced the devastating results of war.
After visiting harrowing reminders from the past Cory and I solemnly discussed the museum together on our way back to our hostel. Hungry from a day’s worth of traveling Cory and I decided to eat at the first restaurant we could find that would serve us some western food. It was surprisingly easy for us to find one such place near our hostel. It remains interesting that Vietnam’s communist regime which tried to remove South Vietnam from western culture has opened up to as much as they have in only a few decades. Any tourist could eat any style of meal wanted as an assortment of western, eastern, and international cuisine restaurants existed. Cory and I relished in the fact that we were able to eat any type of food that was not Chinese as we had both been without much variety for many months. Over the next three days in HCMC, I discovered that my favorite traditional Vietnamese food was the spring rolls. The taste of this dish was complemented by a hot sauce which combined to make a wonderful and flavorful appetizer.
The next day started early as we prepared for our trip to visit the Chu Chi tunnel network nearby HCMC. Our four dollar tickets included entrance to the tunnel exhibit, bus ride, English tour guide, and a taste of the local food. I can say it was safely the best four dollars I have ever spent in my life. Towards the end of the tour I took the opportunity to fire a real M16 assault rifle which was pretty intense. The noise around me was so loud that I could barely hear for a while after leaving the public firing range. Cory and I also decided to climb through the tunnels which were so small that any person needed to literally walk squatting to use them.
I was extremely impressed with the tour and believe that I learned quite a lot about the ingenuity of the Vietcong. I can honestly say that no number of soldiers, bombs, or technology could have destroyed the Vietcong. The will to defeat the enemy was extreme as the tunnel network was over ninety miles long. These tunnels were built over several decades as the Vietcong first fought for liberation from French colonialism. The Chu Chi network had entrances in HCMC, an American military base, and the Mekong River. If anyone thinks that the United States did not try hard enough to beat the Vietcong than I would ask them to come to the tunnels and see the thousands of bomb craters remaining in the jungle.
The Vietcong built three levels of tunnels which they lived, organized, and planned in. The B-52 bombers were able to drop bombs large enough that would destroy the first level of the underground tunnels. Nevertheless, the second and third levels easily remained intact as some tunnels would reach depths nearly sixty ft. below the surface of the ground. The Vietcong were also cautious and would not leave their tunnels for months at times in order to not be discovered by U.S. patrols. They developed an air filtration system which confused the U.S. patrols by placing their entrances near inconspicuous ant and snake holes. After a few years, the U.S. tried to flood the tunnels with water which did nothing as the downward sloping angle flowed the water harmlessly into rivers and streams.
I definitely felt strange in a place where so many of the local people held differing levels of resentment towards Americans. It was an unassuming feeling of contempt which I could feel directed towards me. Contempt was only shown through mostly non-verbal actions which I believe to be special in many Asian cultures. Much of the people’s grief from the past has been stored away deep in their hearts and left to be legacies of grief. I felt some of their contempt, sadness, and grief mostly in the way some people stared at me. It is a little different feeling than I get when people stare at me in China. Knowing that Americans caused so much pain for many people affected me in different ways while in Vietnam. I know that I am not responsible for what happened to them but I too believe that as an American I hold a higher moral code for in order to spread good values throughout the world. Unfortunately, mostly negative values were spread to the Vietnamese people during the war.
The next day, Cory and I were up and excited to experience the Mekong River delta guided tour package costing seven U.S. dollars. The tour started off well as we meet up with other tour groups and headed off to the delta. When going to the Mekong River delta it is important to plan ahead by bringing necessary supplies, medication, and lots of water. Cory and I both came prepared with proper medication to prevent the contraction of malaria. Still, I was glad that my mom had sent me with some extra-strong mosquito repellent which would hopefully scare away any extra bugs.
When our tour bus finally arrived at our final destination I was happy to be able to be able to relieve myself in the restroom. Before going to the delta I discovered that it was going to extremely hot that day and I did not want to take any chances with heat exhaustion. Consequently, I drank a lot of water and came well hydrated in order to try and prevent heat exhaustion. After suffering a couple spells of heat exhaustion last summer I was especially careful the entire trip to make sure I was drinking enough water. Due to the unhealthy sanitary conditions I used mostly bottled drinking water throughout the trip.
Our tour would begin with a boat ride across the delta to an island village. I was struck by the fact that this was the first time that I had been on a boat ride since the summer of 2010 in Minnesota. Being in Chongqing last summer did not allow for me to enjoy a nice cool summer on the shores of Big Trout Lake. With this knowledge in the back of my head I used the experience to really help me remember the beauty of a slow boat ride across an open expanse of water.
Our first island stopping point enabled people to watch a local industry produce hand-made candies. Cory and I both enjoyed the fresh delicacies and purchased some of the local flavor as our tour guide explained the inner workings of the candy processing. The processing and distribution center resembled a shack with a roof were people worked under in order to escape the sun.
Next our tour group had the opportunity to hold a python snake. I balked at this chance as I have always had a visceral dislike of snakes. Instead, I snapped some pictures of Cory holding the snake seemingly indifferent and enjoying the experience. The snake itself was quite mild as it allowed his handler to put its face in the man’s mouth even. In reality, I am sure that everything would have been fine. In my mind, I had not come prepared to do this thing and had not yet overcome my fear of snakes at this time. Little did I know that I would soon have another opportunity to hold a live snake in only a couple of days.
Our tour next took us on a horse drawn cart ride to a next village down the road. It was the first time that I had been on a horse for many years and enjoyed the ride immensely. At the end of the town we boarded a next boat that took us to our lunch destination for the day. At this island we enjoyed some of the local food and watched Vietnamese children on vacation tease alligators in a fenced in enclosure. The children seemed very curious of the foreign tour groups but did not stop to interrupt their daily natural teasing and antics. Some groups walked nearby starring at people but overall they were less enamored with us than the Chinese children I have encountered in Rongchang.
After lunch we boarded our boat and moved on to a new island were we tasted some local honey and rice wine. Afterwards, we took a scenic hand-rowed water raft ride through a small jungle inlet in the island. This was one of my favorite parts of the whole trip as we rowed silently through the jungle surrounded by palm trees and elephant grass. I was struck by how quite it could be in the jungle even with some many people very nearby.
We disembarked our raft and headed towards another small village where special traditional Vietnamese performances were held for tourists. Local women and men dressed in formal traditional attire performed beautiful Vietnamese music. The high shrilled voices and multi tonal Vietnamese language created a sound that was both mystical and foreign for me. I enjoyed the couple performances and felt that it was extremely interesting even though I would not enjoy listening to that type of music all day long.
The performances were the last part of the delta tour package which left Cory and I extremely pleased with the day’s adventure. That night we would get back and enjoy some of the HCMC nightlife. Cory and I were both surprised at the extreme amount of foreign catering that HCMC had to offer. Beer from all around the world was available at cheap HCMC prices as well as liquor. If the alcohol had variety so did the people because Cory and I would drink with people from Sweden, Australia, Russia, Ireland, New Zealand, Holland, and England. It was certainly this most eclectic group of foreigners I had even met in such a short period of time in my life.
The next day Cory and I would spend making some last minute purchases in order to get some nice and cheap gifts for friends and family. Saying goodbye to HCMC was going to be tough for me as it definitely was one of the most interesting places I had ever been in my lifetime. Cory felt similarly as we both wondered how Malaysia would compare to our first portion of the trip.
Walking around HCMC, I was surprised to see that certain places in the city seemed eerily similar to China’s modernized cities. I cannot help to wonder what is happening to the poor of these modernizing places of the world. Driving along the road to the Chu Chi tunnels and the Mekong River delta illustrates pictures of extreme poverty as most people make a living as day laborers harvesting rice. I was surprised to learn on the trip that Vietnam was the world’s second largest producer of rice in the world. Likewise, an agrarian lifestyle has been a staple of Vietnamese society for centuries making farmers and integral part of their society. With this knowledge in mind, I felt a little out of place walking down streets with fashion designer apparel from across the Europe and the United States. HCMC is a city in great change as it becomes more and more modernized in a western fashion.
The next morning Cory and I packed up our luggage and boarded a plane headed for Malaysia. Both excited and a little sad to leave Vietnam, I looked forward to the next leg in an incredible journey. I was unfortunately noticing the tell tale signs of a cold catching up to me. Two nights in a row of drinking was catching up to me as my body was struggling to try and adjust to the incredible change of weather from Chongqing in the winter. The fifty degree weather change and stop-until you drop trip planning was starting to take a little toil on my body. It also was not going to help that I was going to be in an airplane which is like a germ-incubation factory.
End Part One
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