Contrasting Vietnam

Vietnam seems to be a country of contrasts. Kindness, serenity, and beauty contrasted with scary driving and persistent hawkers.

The traffic...you can read our Cambodia post for an overview of SE Asia traffic. Vietnam supposedly has 33 traffic related deaths a day, a statistic often relayed to us throughout our journey. I don't know how this compares to other parts of the world, per capita. I do know, however, that riding a bus in Vietnam is a "cultural experience." There is never ending honking, whether from your driver or the others. I actually think they are good drivers taking very calculated risks and relying on the other drivers to follow the "rules" of the road. Lisa disagrees. The fact of the matter, however, is that most foreigners are not in a hurry and would rather arrive a half-hour or even 4 hours late to avoid the near death experiences. One fellow traveler could not sleep on an overnight journey as he watched the road. He wanted to wake all of the passengers and tell them just how dangerous their journey appeared. (Note: We've heard bus travel in Laos is even scarier)

The Hawkers...Very difficult, if not impossible, to get away from people trying to sell you anything and everything from motorbike, taxi, or tuk tuk rides, to fruit, water, sunglasses, paintings, postcards, clothing, bracelets, drinks...It's not that they are trying to sell you things, it's more that many do not take "no" for an answer, which differs from other places I've been. They ask repeatedly.

I do not say these things to vent or complain. We travelled in Vietnam out of our own free will. I explain these things to demonstrate the reality of travelling in Vietnam. We also, do not fault the hawkers. They are merely trying to make a living for themselves and their family.

While the extreme driving and the hawkers left us a little batty, we were continually overwhelmed by the generosity, kindness, and gentleness of the Vietnamese people. On multiple occasions Vietnamese bought us drinks and showed us how to properly consume the food. One waitress even took my chopsticks out of my hands, showed me how to mix the dish with the chopsticks, and then literally fed me a bite using the chopsticks.

In Mui Ne, where we spent three days lounging on the beach, I stepped in some motor oil and could not get it off my foot. Not knowing what the black sticky material was, I went to the hotel staff and showed them my foot. A hotel staffer took me to the attached living area where he got a rag and placed paint thinner on it for me to rub off the motor oil. When I was satisfied with my attempt to remove the oil, I returned the rag to him. He looked at my foot and gestured for me to give him my foot, which he then proceeded to wipe and properly clean for me. So kind, so gentle.

Another contrast to the drivers and hawkers, is the absolute beauty of Vietnam. I initially wrote this as I sat on the top deck of our "dragon boat" in Halong Bay, three hours east of Hanoi in northern Vietnam. The bay is a combination of the Rock Islands in Palau and Milford Sound in New Zealand. Layers upon layers of limestone mountains jutting out dramatically from the bay. It is one of the most gorgeous places I have ever been.

Having travelled overland from the south to the north (Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi), we feel as though we saw a good chunk of Vietnam, often from the window of a train, bus, tuk tuk, or bicycle seat. The countryside, with its never ending rice paddies, water buffalos, and pagodas, is a picture of serenity and beauty. The agricultural areas were busy with people farming, tending to animals, working in the rice fields with backdrops of green, lush, rolling hills and mountains.

Our memories of Vietnam by thoughts of incredible landscapes and gentle, beautiful period. We hope to return some day.

Rock Stars in Vietnam

Yesterday Lisa and I took a cooking class from Rot, the manager/owner of our hotel. He took us to his sister's house where we (sort of) learned how to cook spring rolls and vegetable curry soup. I say "sort of" because he and his sister basically prepared the meal and Lisa and I watched and took notes. It was fine, because we pigged out and spent 2-3 hours with Rot, mostly talking about Vietnam and it's culture, history, and people. It was wonderful. Since we do not speak Vietnamese and most of the Vietnamese only speak a little English, we have had a hard time getting a feel for the culture, etc. We have also only stayed in places for 2-3 days and done the "touristy" stuff, so we're basically secluded from really getting to know Vietnam and it's beautiful people.

I won't bore you with all of the cultural differences between Western culture and Vietnam, but I will tell you that Rot told us that we could be rock stars in Vietnam for four reasons: 1) We have big noses, 2) fair skin (especially me), 3) big round eyes (especially Lisa), 4) and although I believe were rather slim, we're actually fat compared to most Vietnamese, and this is a good thing in their eyes. Let me elaborate.

1) Big Noses. Supposedly the longer the nose, the better looking you are. Rot says he is ugly for a variety of reasons, one being that he has a short stubby nose. He plans on getting a nose job and supposedly many Vietnamese have made or are making the same choice.

2) Fair Skin. Many of the women, when out in the sun, will cover nearly every part of their bodies so that they do not get darker skin. Light skin is beautiful and therefore I am more beautiful than Lisa. Sadly, Rot told us that if you have dark skin, people will think you are poor because you were probably out in the field farming under the hot sun.

3) Eyes. Rot actually paid $400 to have surgery on one of his eyes to make it rounder. Lisa and I could not tell, but we did not tell him that. He is saving to have the other eye done.

4) Fat. The fatter the better. Supposedly if someone tells you that you are fat, it is a compliment. If you are fat, then it means you have money. People ask each other "how do you weigh these days?" People often exaggerate and inflate their actual weight. When I showed Rot the spare tire around my waist, he and his brother pointed at it and said, "yes, very fat and very beautiful." They then told Lisa she was fat. She politely thanked them. Rot is very fit and muscular. He however, says that he cannot get fat, no matter how hard he tries.

So, take all of this with a grain of salt as Rot is one of the few Vietnamese that we have had an extensive conversation with. Furthermore, Lisa and I both think he is a very good looking guy, despite what he says.

Intense Cambodia

After 3 days in Bangkok, we were definitely ready to leave. We had to stay three days in order to secure our Vietnam visas. Bangkok was quite a wake up call after the bliss and quiet of New Zealand. The traffic and the heat were enough to do us in. The food, however, was wonderful. We left Bangkok en route to Siem Reap, Cambodia, where the famous Angkor Wat temples are. Our week in Cambodia (which also included a brief 18 hour layover in Phenom Penh) was intense for so many reasons and on so many levels. Let me attempt to explain:

1) Sleep deprived... One reason may have been that we were tired for much of our time there. It took us 12 hours, multiple buses and taxis, horrible roads, and long waits at the borders, to travel from Bangkok to Siem Reap. Therefore, we arrived tired. We then proceeded to have back to back early wake-ups in order to see sunrise at Angkor Wat. We ended our time in Cambodia with back to back 7 hour bus trips to go from Siem Reap to Phenom Penh and then Phenom Penh to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The incredibly intense heat and humidity did not help.

2) Poverty... From the moment we crossed the Thai/Cambodia border into Poipet, Cambodia, the difference between the two countries was shocking. The children (as young as 6 months) laying on the sidewalk without clothes or asking for money or food, the low quality of the homes along the countryside we drove through, or the conditions of the road. It was also very evident when we crossed from Cambodia into Vietnam. Vietnam, like Thailand, appears to be much better off socio-economicaly than Cambodia. Please take this cautiously, as I have spent very little time here and am basing this off only what I have seen in that time.

3) Cambodia's recent history - Khmer Rouge, Landmines, Amputees...Evidence of the atrocities committed by the Khmer Rouge (KR) in the late 1970s is evident everywhere you look, but most blatantly in those who are amputees, either as a direct result of the Khmer Rouge or indirectly due to the wars before and after the KR's reign of terror. There are landmine warning signs everywhere. We visited a landmine museum and hired a guide who was a 17 year old who lost his leg at the age of 5 from a landmine. We also visited the killing fields outside Phenom Penh and S-21, the school that became the KR's main location to torture innocent victims before they were murdered. Due to the KR's actions, Cambodia lost up to 2 million people or about one-fifth of its population, including most of its intellectuals (experts argue over the actual figure and no one really knows how many died from starvation or murder). As a result, it will take many years, I believe, until Cambodia can catch up with Thailand or Vietnam.

4) Traffic...When my college buddy Mike Brunetti met up with Lisa and me in Siem Reap, he asked me which side of the road they drive on. It was a reasonable question. Despite having cars with right side drivers (designed for places such as Australia, New Zealand, UK), they drive on the right side like the U.S. Furthermore, there are very few roads with street lines. At times, especially in intersections in Phenom Penh, there would be more than a hundred vehicles (mostly mopeds) completely intertwined with each other going every different direction. At times it is completely remarkable that anyone gets anywhere, yet they do. Anyone who has traveled in SE Asia can attest to this. They can also attest to the fact that crossing the street (I'm now lumping together Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia) can be extremely interesting and taxing. One of our best strategies is to hide behind an old women and follow her across the street. At one point, one of these women actually grabbed Lisa's hand and took us with her. At times you feel like you are Moses crossing the Red Sea as the traffic miraculously divides for you. The energy and patience (despite the never-ending horn honking) exhibited by the drivers, bikers, and walkers is incredible.

5) Purse Snatching. Out of mostly my own stupidity, one of our bags (including our beloved camera that was a wedding present) was stolen from us while touring Angkor Wat. While it was a horrible incident, no one was hurt and we got a very good cultural experience in our 3-4 hours with the local police department. Very helpful, but obviously we will never see the bag and those possessions again. Our new disposable camera is working well so far. A good story to tell our grandchildren.

6) Angkor Wat Temples. WOW. Incredible. Unable to put it into words. Rivals Machu Picchu in Peru and Petra in Jordan. While Angkor Wat, on its own, is a marvel to stare at and explore, it is the entirety of the temples, spread out over many many miles, that slowly boggles your mind due to their diversity, state of repair or disrepair, and sheer imagination of the builders. Our three days there (two of which were with my buddy Mike), were absolutely wonderful.

I'm afraid that my descriptions above, despite Angkor Wat, may convince you not to visit Cambodia. To the contrary. When I say Cambodia was intense, I mean positively and negatively. Whether it was the kid who asked for a drink of my mango smoothie and then raised his glass to clink glasses and say "cheers" before imbibing, or the kids selling postcards at Angkor Wat who could count to ten in about 10 different languages, I was so impressed by the energy, beauty, and attitude of the people. I don't remember the statistic, but some ridiculous percentage of the population is under the age of 15. From what I've read and heard, Cambodia is growing and progressing by leaps and bounds. I hope it continues and I hope you visit as well.

Parting thoughts on New Zealand, by Ari

No matter where you go in the world, the weather is probably the one thing discussed the most. When we told people we were planning to bike around New Zealand, a few told us we were crazy because we would be biking in the rain and the weather would be miserable. They were wrong. Whether we were lucky, charmed, or both, we (nearly) always had good weather for cycling. We even had times where it would rain at night and clear during the day. Charmed, I'd say.

Although our final 5 day adventure in NZ (Northland, Bay of Islands) was a bit of a disaster due to a torential downpour that resulted in severe flooding, we were travelling via our 1997 Starlet 3 door (3rd door is the hatchback) rental car and not via bicycles. While we were physically unable to see what is allegedly some of the most beautiful (and visited) parts of this region of NZ, it gave us plenty of time to rest, write, sit still and watch the Lord of the Rings--things we did very little of while on our bikes.

Before leaving NZ, we began reflecting on our adventure(s) there. We discussed some of the places we had been, especially those that we really really enjoyed, and many seem like they occured a year ago, not a month ago.

We went with the intention of selling or shipping home our bikes, but after a week of cycle touring and meeting and cycling with Sofie and Manu (Belgians who have been cycling the world for 13 months), we decided we would box up our bikes in Auckland and take them with us. We will probably not cycle in SE Asia (too hot), but we hope to do some cycle touring in China, although we're still searching for a "cycle China" book (not sure it exists). We then plan to cycle in Croatia (and probably Hungary and Slovenia) and France and Spain, and then if we're still going, in S. America.

New Zealand is a wonderful place to travel, especially if you are not so keen on developing countries. We often discussed (and half planned) a cycle tour across the U.S. and we imagine you would have days (if not weeks) where you would see the same scenery (i.e. RAGBRAI/Iowa). Not so in NZ. We only averaged about 35-40 miles a day, but there were very few days (if any) in which the scenery stayed the same. Although we would get tired, hungry (always very hungry) and even cranky (Ari more so than Lisa), we were never bored.

Our time off the bikes was as rewarding. Our two "off bike" weeks in the south island included Mt. Pupka (previous post) and four days kayaking and backpacking in the Abel Tasman National Park. Abel Tasman was and is a magical place and of course we had good weather. Our last night we camped at Anipai Beach. There was one other couple campling there, otherwise we had the whole, long beach to ourselves. No roads, no cars, noone else. The full moon lit up the light blue water, the golden sand, and the dense forest in which we camped. Magical...

We celerated Ari's birthday on the North Island cycling the East Cape (E. side of the N. Island, where the movie Whale Rider was filmed). We spent 6 days cycling, including one day in which we (inadvertently) cycled 92 km (approx. 55 miles) through very hilly areas and into the night. After six hours and 45 minutes of cycling (when we finally found a camping ground), Lisa was reconsidering her choice in a mate but held it together because the next day was my birthday and she couldn't divorce me during "Birthday Week."

When we reflect upon and remember NZ fondly, especially the people. Whether it was reacquainting with old friends (we spent 4 days with my camp counselor buddie of 12 years ago, Paul Julian and his family at the Julians Berry Farm), meeting friends of friends (my brother's friend Hazl who was in Japan with Adam as exchange students 13 years ago), or making new friends out of strangers (see previous posts), the people will be a big part of our memory. The beautiful, actually spectacular and never ending, geography and scenery will be our other lasting memory.

We are now in Bangkok, where we have been for the last three days, and leave for Cambodia (Angkor Wat) early tomorrow. We were in Bangkok longer than desired due to waiting for our Vietnam visas, which will enable us to enter Vietnam after Cambodia. We then hope to travel north through Vietnam, into Laos, and then back into Thailand from the north. On June 2nd, we fly to Shanghai to visit and travel with Eli and Susannah.

Love to you all...

Painting Mt. Pupka

We met Dr. Michael von Pupka Lipinski (aka Pupka) according to plan at the Dangerous Kitchen in Takaka, which is located in the northwest corner of the south island in an area aptly named Golden Bay, for it's history of gold mining. Earlier that day we had tackled Takaka Hill, which was the longest and tallest "hill" we had cycled in NZ. It was approximately 2400 feet in elevation gain and 10 miles long and we began at sea level. This may not sound overwhelming, but with a bike loaded down with everything you need to survive, it was formidable.

As a result, we were very much looking forward to meeting Pupka and having him drive us and our bikes to his home (conveniently located on the top of a mountain) where we would spend a week working on his property in exchange for room and board. I had clarified twice, via telephone and his thick German accent, that he would transport us and our bikes to the top of Mt. Pupka.

When we met at the Dangerous Kitchen, he asked if he could have a little more time to do some shopping and then he would collect our "luggage" so we could ride our bikes "luggage free." He said it was 9 miles. While we weren't thrilled, it was only 9 mile and without luggage.

As we walked our bikes to his heavy duty, 4WD van, he greeted friends in the street, introduced us, at which point they looked at our bikes and asked if we were doing the "mountain?" and we readily and proudly responded "no, we just rode up the mountain," assuming they were referring to Takaka Hill. We continued to Pupka's van, when he stopped and pointed way off into the hills and said, "I think you can see my house from here." We saw a little speck on top of the highest "hill" in the area. We began to be concerned, very concerned. We asked what the elevation at the top of Mount Pupka and he said 2000 feet. Oh, we thought, and then asked what the elevation in town was and he responded, 60 feet. Uh oh, we thought, that was nearly equivalent to what we had just ridden. Furthermore, the road to Mt. Pupka was allegedly unpaved. Pupka had hinted we may need to walk our bikes at some point.

We suddenly began to panic. We quickly looked in the van and discovered that there was no middle seat, just piles of junk. We timidly asked if there was any possibility that the bikes would fit in the van. He seemed hesitant and mumbled something about no seat belts in the back seat and it being illegal to have passengers. Obviously we were willing to risk our lives and a fine if we didnt' have to ride to the top of Mt. Pupka. He grudgingly conceded.

It turns out, the road was a nightmare. It was a nightmare even via a heavy duty 4WD van. It probably would have taken more than 3 hours to walk our bikes up the mountain, not ride them. It was un-rideable. Not because of the steepness, but because of the giant ruts, rocks, and dirt. At times it didn't appear that a road existed. We most certainly would have gotten lost. No street signs. Our road bikes wouldn't have known what hit them. His van could barely maneuver the "road." Lisa knows all to well as she sat in the backseat, without a seat belt, sandwiched by the bikes and his junk, being bounced around like a 3rd grader in the back of the bus.

At one point Ari subtly mentioned to Pupka that he didn't think we could have ridden up the hill and he smiled quizzically, and said it would have been good exercise.

Exercise we thought, what a novel concept... We had more exercise over the previous month than the previous year combined.

Situated atop Mt. Pupka, it is easy to forget the rest of the world exists. There is an easy serenity that comes with not hearing other noises- cars, business, people- just each other, the birds and the wind. Pupka is very kind and generous and a wonderful cook/brewmaster. Our first day of work was shaped by heavy winds and rain so we worked on clearing out his greenhouse in preparation for his next crop. The rest of the time was spent helping him repaint his house (we thought after painting our own house that we would never do that again, but...). We had one night "out" with Pupka in town, and treated Pupka to a beer while we listened to local music. Pupka told us we were the first volunteers in five years that have bought him a beer.

Despite the fact that Pupka is 61, there is a boyish innocense about him. Our memories of him will include his daily attempts of translating German calendar jokes, his dog Heidi, his quirky humor, his kindness and respect. He has some qualities that we admire and hope to preserve.

The only flaw of our stay was a pesky little mouse that shared our room that we named Ralph. The first two nights were consumed with Ari violently twitching and jumping up at each sound of the mouse. It consumed his nights, maybe that's why he was been waking up edgy?
But overall, an amazing experience. Thank you Pupka.