4/8/10
The country continues to amaze all of us
travelers. The people are so very friendly, that its hard to believe we were
ever at war with any of these docile people. In general, most Vietnamese feel
that the war is long over and we should forget and move on with our lives since
there is nothing we can do about it. Sounds like some kind of Buddhist mantra to
me and I‘m glad to buy into it. Many on the trip have asked me if it is hard
coming back here. I have to be candid with them when I say that the Army did
very well by me in that they realized I would further compromise their already
ineffectual efforts by sending me out onto the field of battle. Instead they saw
fit to park this 24 year old, less than “”gung ho”” trooper on the beach to
guard the troops that were there to do the actual fighting and dying. I have
said many times that my single biggest regret in life was allowing myself to be
drafted into this most unpopular venture. For me the alternatives of avoidance,
were far too time consuming and what I really needed was just to get my life
going. So for me the path of least resistance was to let the army take charge
and do with me what they may and I would just have to roll the dice on the next
two years of my life.
I ended up being stationed in a place called Chu Lai, in the I
Core, on the coast just south of DaNang . Not a day went by that I didn’t
envision Conrad Hilton building a mega resort on those magnificent sands once
the war was over. I just learned the other day from our guide Kwang as in King
Kwang, that his twin brother is lead air traffic controller in Chu Lai where the
airstrip is intended to be the single largest airport in all of Vietnam and is
scheduled to receive the bulk of the international air traffic by the year 2013.
Conrad Hilton won’t be far behind.
While I did survive the ordeal both mentally and physically, my
first marriage ended shortly after my return……..but that was another story. The scars left behind were nothing in comparison to what others endured. My
friends Bob and Debbie Marquis, that were forced to cancel, would have offered
another side to the story and it would have been beneficial to all to have had
his insights.
Bob and I were both in combat aviation battalions. On the one
hand I went to work every morning to an office. then to the beach in the
afternoon to life-guard. Bob on the other hand, was a crew chief (aka gunner) and went
flying every day with machine gun in hand, hanging out the window of a loach
helicopter daring the bad guys to bring he and his crew down from the sky. Bob
participated in the war to the nth degree while I was only a casual observer and
occasional participant. I deeply regret that I could not have shared this trip
with he and Debbie as I know that he would have benefited greatly by returning
to what is today a wonderful, and truly beautiful country……….I miss you Bob, and what you surely would have
contributed to, this adventure……… a much safer this trip and
infinitely more relaxing this time around.
Our time in Halong Bay was a lovely adventure. Being out on the water and subject to some of the most spectacular scenery imaginable made our short stay a very pleasureable one. Our boat/ship was reminescent of a Chinese junk complete with a "Welcome Gary Brown Group" sign. Both the food and accomodations were superb. A trip ashore to a visit to the caves was the high lite of the next day. Cocktails on board that evening just completed the day. A truly memorable part of the trip I am sure.
We departed the spectacular Halong Bay for
our bus ride back into Hanoi in preparation for our “”night-train”’ to the north
and into Lao Cai situated near the border of China. The train trip has been
anticipated with mixed emotions. The intimacy of sharing a sleeping car with
another couple has been less than well-received as the particulars of the
journey are revealed.
As we approach our out-dated train and assess our sleeping
arrangements, tensions begin to mount as it becomes apparent that some couples
must split up to make room for our uneven numbers. The fact that we were 24. 4
into 24 is six cabins………..thanks Bob………and now we are 22 presented all sorts of
mathematical compromises and bunk swapping. Long story short, Don Orr ends up
bunking in with 3 women……..Don Kuri and I end up with a lovely German couple a
few doors down and Kwong ends up with 3 strangers who are intent on drinking all
night,
Nine hours and 250 miles later we arrive as far to the north as
you can go and still be in Vietnam into the lovely town of Lao Cai and home to
the mountain people, the H’’mongs. So as not to waste a precious moment in the
region, we head out immediately after breakfast and into their homelands. The
trek thru their villages was a little over 4 miles on uneven road and
accompanied the entire time by our “”new best friends”” in life . We were
ambushed as we left the bus, by tens of women and children each wanting to be
our new, special best friends. How disappointing to learn that after just a very
short period of time it turns out that all they really wanted was to peddle
their gifts on some unsuspecting tourists. Ah, capitalism triumphs once
again.
It was a leisurely walk, thru their villages in what had become
a rather misty, slippery morning……..and never to far from our newly made
friends. We had hoped that as we entered each new village some of these new
entrepreneurs would drop out but instead their numbers seemed to swell. We did
acquire one elderly lady who physically attached herself to Susan’’s arm as they
strolled up the hill with the older woman offering assistance as well as
constant chatter thru what remaining teeth she had. Glenda took a Polaroid
picture of her, so Susan quickly lost her new best friend……
The old lady did promise Susan she would accept her as friend
on face book which seemed to ease Susan’s loss. The ordeal with old lady of the
mountains cost everyone a few dollars, but they were dollars very well spent.
Sapa is a resort town originally frequented by the French
during their 100 year stay from the mid 1800’s to the mid 1900’s. People usually
don’t have a lot of good to say with regards to the French but without out them,
Vietnam would not have the rail and road system they have today. The French are
credited with all of the infra-structure that keeps present day Vietnam running
as well as it does.
While the US did its best to bomb these improvements out of existance, what was
bombed and ruined has been rebuilt by the communists. The French did fail to
address any of the electrical and communication issues of the day as most were
far too new to deal with. While the communication dilemma has been solved by the
cell phone, the streets and sidewalks abound with wires running in all
directions without the least sense of order.
Due to Sapa’s elevation we were shrouded in misty clouds for
our entire stay. We were assured, however, the surrounding country side is some
of the prettiest in all of Vietnam. For those of you that have been to Bali, the
drive to Sapa is what you experience in the hinterlands of Bali with its dense
foliage, terraced rice paddies and the sight of farmers trying to eek out a
living from this harsh but fertile land.
To date our time in Vietnam has been a series of one night
stays and again tonight was no exception. We bedded down at the Chau Long Hotel
after a disastrous experience with the local laundry. The price was right but
the finished laundry stuffed into a plastic sack left a little to be desired.
They can be somewhat forgiven in that the power to the town has been on and off
for most of the day. We ate by candlelight sometimes and generated power at
other times, in a lovely Italian restaurant before retiring back to the
hotel.
Food and drink seem to be the best travel value we have
encountered. Meals, seemed priced at $5 and wonderful beers for under a $1.
Shopping has become addictive as bargains are to be found everywhere.
The next morning we ventured back out of the mist to still no
sunshine in the valleys on our way to the Sunday Market at Bac Ha. Just what I
need is another market. The market is famous thru out Vietnam as both a tourist
spectacle and a meeting a gathering place for the locals, many of who venture
several miles to and from their villages to both buy and sell and the market.
While the lady folk continue to corner the market on scarves, bags and bangles,
I set out to see what the indigenous folks were up to. I quickly stumbled upon
the meat, fish and vegetable portion of the market. I saw unrefrigerated parts
of animals that I had no idea even existed. The frenzy of bargaining and
bickering seemed to heighten the level of activity throughout. They brought
horses to trade, water buffalos to swap for new and improved models while all
the time having what appeared to be a wonderful Sunday afternoon at the market.
After a run down the black smith’s and iron workers section and
finding nothing that I couldn’t live without, I purchased a dozen mini pears for
a dollar that ended up being forgotten and rotting in my backpack. I sought out the
gang for a traditional lunch of noodle soup which proved delicious.
Back in Lao Cai we awaited the departure of our evening
(overnight) train back to Hanoi. I the restaurant that Kwan parked us I made a
disastrous mistake by not counting the 0’s behind the price of a bottle of wine.
The wine went from $3.50 to $35 a bottle. The only solace I had was that I had
originally ordered and $85 bottle that lucky for me they were out of. It did
turn out to be an awfully good Chilean wine.
We rallied at the train station ready for the ride south back
into Hanoi and to the safety of the Flower Garden Hotel where we will once again
be greeted by the “Welcome Gary Brown Group” sign. A real comforting sign that
signals we are once again back home. Most of us, myself included, didn’t pay
close enough attention to the itinerary to note the number of times that we were
to be in and out of Hanoi City. It has proven to be good point to travel out
from and then back to as the Flower Garden Hotel has become our home away from
home.
As all the museums and most monuments are closed on
Mondays…..why are we here for our City Tour?………..we did manage a few sights. A
trip to Uncle Ho’s final resting place and the grounds he called home after
insighting the peasants in the north to stand up against the French, the South
and finally the Americans, reminds me of a poor man’s Tianimen Square. He didn’t
quite get the recognition Mao received but he is admired and loved by his own
people. Most would admit that HoChi Mih may have some problem with today’s
burgeoning capitalistic system, while they easily dance around the
contradictions between these two competing systems.
Tuesday, its back on the bus and heading to the south for a
bicycling tour of Hoa Lu and then a boat ride thru the most famous caves. Famous
for what has remained unanswered. The rains caught up with us on our two hour
ride and for some the idea of cancelling the bike ride seemed rather
appealing.
The rains subsided even tho the sun didn’t shine and the bike
ride was underway after being “introduced to our bicycles” at the hotel. We
cycled a while thru flat scenic country side to the wharf where our boats
awaited us. For some of us it felt like getting on a cruise ship as the
photographers were there to record our every move. Once in the boats the
paparazzi took shots down the river as our oarsman and coxswain navigated these
rather uneventful waters while inquiring as to our numbers of children and
grandchildren, etc. We reached the caves, reminding us all of Disney’s Pirates
of the Caribbean.
From that point on the trip disintegrated rather rapidly. We
should be learning that when the natives become overly friendly their motives
should be questioned. So out came the over priced goods and the sales pressure
that would have made an insurance salesman proud. The intense tactics persisted,
so we countered with our own, my attempting to pre-pay just to shut them up to
out right ignoring them. I finally gave them their umbrella back and toughed out
the rain while all the while the red dye from my coolie dripped down the back of
my new polo shirt.
The fans were not pleased with the local’s tactics and let our
guide know. When we got back to the hotel and he proposed an additional 5km trek
to see the stone carvers, mass rebellion took hold as we unanimously voted to
start our cocktail hour early and shit can the idea of another hour on the
bikes.
Tomorrow some of us face what could be a rather uncomfortable
event and that being the overnight stay in the country with a local farmer and
his family. The star’s come off the hotel ratings on this stay as we actually go
into a village, have supper with the family and retire group style into family
dormitory. As we venture further into the countryside, the food becomes a bit
more simply and all of the toilets take on the “squatting version”
Should be interesting to say the least and I’ll keep you
posted………..gb
No comments:
Post a Comment