Arriving at the train station in Hanoi was a little shock and awe for my mother. Let me introduce you to my mom if you are not already aware of who she is. Let's put it this way...she is a 39 year old woman trapped in a 61 year-old body. She has tons of energy and loves to travel. Although her step is not as fast as it once was, she still moves at a pretty high pace and while traveling with her I am always up by at least 9 ready to tackle the days events. So for a woman who has traveled the world this train station was a little shocking to say the least.
I think part of the reason this place was so shocking is that we flew into Hanoi airport which is like any small town airport in the states. It had all the amenities of the West except a bit smaller. Then we take a taxi to the train station and it is literally a parking lot with a building. There are a few train track and you were immediately thrown back into the 3rd world. We arrived a bit early...actually like 2 hours before our train was meant to leave and wanted to get some food. No fast food at this station so we walked around and found some street stand. We sat in little plastic chairs and ate a fine noodle soup which we bargained down to just over $1 a bowl. This experience allowed me to see just how acclimated I have become to Southeast Asia. This was truly what I was expecting when I heard train station but to her it was no anywhere near what she imagined. Guess it just comes with time.
Before Hanoi we were in Hoi an. We basically flew from Saigon up to Da Nang the day after she arrived. It was a short flight and I was some what surprised at the cleanliness and efficiency of Vietnam Airlines. Once in Da Nang, we took a taxi to our hotel which was once again heaps nicer than anything I would have stayed. We took some time walking around the old town doing our very best "No thank yous!" to all the people selling stuff. That first night we had the best meal. Although neither of us can remember what the restaurant was called it was very very good food. I think the thing that stood out the most was the money bags. It was a great name and I cannot remember quite what was in them but they looked like little money bags...who would have thought. They were basically deep fried spring rolls and we all know that deep fried anything tastes de...lic..ious.
The next day we rented bikes and set off on a journey of our own. We decided the night before we would go to the beach but did not think to check the weather report. As it turned out it was overcast and really windy down at the beach. We rode 5 km to get there and walked up the beach but could only really stay for half hour because the sand would blow up and pierce your skin. Instead of riding right back we went up and down the beach road and then down a little dirt path through the rice fields. It is quite amazing to see all the rice grass blow in the wind...pretty beautiful. After getting somewhat misplaced and saying hello to all the local kids we found our way to the road and had lunch at a really nice place beside the river. We had my staple lunch...fried rice and continued home. We did a little biking around the old town and such then went home and took a well needed nap. We had dinner that night at Green Moss that someone had recommended to me but did not live up to its hype.
The following day we got up early and ate breakfast and we were out of our hotel by 8 on our way to Marble Mountain. We had a guide who was very nice...Hia, a 32 year-old with a 4 month old. He was really nice and some how we got talking about the American War and I just had to apologize. He said that it was in the past and to not worry about it...what is in the past is in the past were his exact words. It blew my mind because we were in the area where the first Americans landed and probably that had to deal with our bloodshed the most and although he was only a child to be so forgiving and relaxed about the whole situation was mind blowing...kind of like the Japanese in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Enough about that...Marble Mountain was quite a nice place. We had to climb 176... I think... stairs to the top but they were fairly large stair and gave my mom a run for her money...to say the least we were both a little tired by the end of it. Throughout the mountain there were a few pagodas and temples. The second king in the dynasty of Vietnam...they had 17 kings from 1800 to the 1950s sometime...ordered these be built on Marble mountain so he could chill up there and over look the river and rice fields to one side and the ocean to the other...pretty cool, I thought.
After Marble Mountain we went to the Cham museum. It is filled with old stone relics from the Cham people. These people were all over central and southern Vietnam from the 2nd Century to the 18th I believe. They had some amazing temples that were unfortunately bombed by the Americans but some of the ruins remain. My Son is where most of them are but since both my Mom and I had seen Angkor we decided to skip it and just hit up the museum. It was a nice space...an old French colonial building...and Hia was very good at describing some of the pieces to us. The Cham people were Hindus not Buddhist like most Vietnamese people are today so there sculptures reflect this. If I were going to be a Hindu god I would be Vishnu for sure, he has snakes coming out of his head...how could you not like that?
That brings us to the train station essentially. After a long train ride we arrived in Sa pa today ready to see the hill tribes. We arrived at 8 to our hotel...really nice place and decided since we only have two days here we got to do some trekking. We showered up and went off with a guide today at 10. Our guide was a really nice girl names Chou from the village where we going to visit. Having a guide that speaks great English and knows the customs is irreplaceable. She let us in on so much information that a guidebook just could not touch. There village just got power 7 months before we arrived and since family takes precedent over everything. So this girl at 20 makes more than her whole family but still goes back on the weekends and gives them a lot of money to support them. It is really nice but I am glad I live in a place where it is okay to pursue what I want and know that my family will be able to support themselves. When the time comes...I know I will help out but it is not my end all be all to help my parents or sister out you know? Just how I feel and since I make the least of everyone it is not on my shoulders right now, I can do what makes me happy instead of having major responsibilities. Sorry about the rant just thought I would let you know how I really feel that's why you read, right?
So we visited the Ngong people and they were very nice always smiling and made you understand how things must have been everywhere before modern technologies. You live in cycles...planting, growing, harvesting. They make their own clothes out of hemp and provide all their own food. They go to the market in Sa pa on Sunday and trade for things they really need but they are happy simple people. She said we walked 12 km today but we had such a great conversation with her that the time just flew by...it was really an amazing cultural day.
Well, I live such a hard life that I have to go sit through a 90-minute massage. I am sorry but it is really nice to pampered by my mom after such a hard life of traveling for the last 4 months. Write in a bit...checkya later.
