I’m going to go on a bit of a diversion on the way to finishing our Cambodia trip by writing about Asian toilets They’re the ones with wash, dry, massage (seriously), stop, heat, go, temperature, all kinds of buttons. I’m writing about this now because my toilet is currently very upset with me. Maybe because I’m not visiting enough? My system’s ok, but as I write, my toilet is beeping and repeatedly slamming the lid. Occasionally, it lifts up the seat too and then it gets two slams in one go. We’ve had a lot of discussions about this apparatus as well as the need or sadly, lack of need, of different members of the party. Many many laughs. But oy, to have an irritated toilet makes for a definite lack of concentration.
So – back to our last day. We thought we were going to have a morning luxuriating at our hotel, but Pat and I wanted Holly to get a chance to see some of Siem Reap and ride in one of the tuktuks like we had the night before so we went out again. We thought it was going to just be a quick hour outing, but it turns out that the tuktuk driver had things he wanted us to see!
He said he was taking us to more local places than we had seen before. We went to another market where he said his mother came every day to buy – an hour into the city to buy when the market opened at 6 and then go straight back home to sell the goods in her store at the front of their house.
Our driver was wonderful. He loved working at the Aman, taking pride in the people who stayed there and his wife worked there too in housekeeping. Their first baby was due in a month and he showed us the ultra sound photo – the baby was smiling!
Our driver and Holly going into the market.
The scooters belonged to all the vendors. Incredible what they can bring in on these bikes.
Then he took us to the Royal Independent Gardens and a group of trees. The night before, Pat and I had thought we heard swallows – a rush of them – flying overhead. Turns out they were bats! A ton of them. They nest in these trees, with a few flying around. They were huge. Holly had gotten bat pee in her mouth at Ankhor Watt when she was looking up. Pat got pooped on when we were at the trees. They both decided it was for good luck 🙂
We then went to another artists market, the driver said that this one was more for locals, but also for tourists, thus showing their skills and wares. Getting a blessing.
All the leaves and plants that contribute to the dyes of the weavers. So cool.
Then back to the hotel, to pack up. We were separating today, me to Singapore and Australian and the others back to Colorado.
They kept bringing us last minute treats – my final decaf Vietnamese iced coffee and yummy cookies to accompany my last bits of typing.
It felt very weird to say goodbye after we’d been together nonstop for two weeks with the exception of one dinner. I was glad we were all going to the airport together for one last sit in the waiting room. I was off first and felt so lucky to have had so much fun with the whole group!
We started with another bike ride. Best bikes yet, actually. So we were all comfortable. We first visited a market that was fascinating, per usual. Fish still alive being set up for the market, sad, but meant they were fresh. All kinds of veggies and other goods.
Pat, of course, took an interest in a treat and was given a whole bag. Turns out it wasn’t such a treat to our western taste buds, but he now had a bag of not just one kind, but also a second. What to do? As we left, he made friends for life with a small boy on the back of his dad’s scooter by handing over the treats.
We rode along a village road, seeing the houses and people. Later passing the driveway of the little boy who yelled and waved happily when he saw Pat.
We had style on the ride and the sag wagon was great – never used, but so cheerful as an accompaniment.
We then turned onto a much smaller lane, seeing the houses and gardens. At one point, we could hear music and Sam stopped us and said let’s go in. This turned out to be an impromptu visit to a musician who was at his brother’s house along with 2 wives and a couple of small children and a bunch of puppies, who were eating trash. The people were lovely and welcoming. The main musician was blind and Sam knew about him from the musician’s band that he had seen recently. The main singer was raising funds for this musician to be able to buy a new instrument. Turns out he had just gotten the instrument the day before and they were celebrating by practicing. Then Sam was given the same kind of instrument and he started picking out a song, then the others joined in. It was so much fun and Sam was just delighted. Really fun to see him loosen up and be so happy with this surprise stop.
Scott tried too – it was an interesting instrument because the strings went between the bow and its strings. From looking online, I think it was a spike fiddle. The drum the brother was playing was clearly made of snake skin – they ate snakes here, not that we saw that on any menu.
We continued on, seeing both water buffalo and Brahman cows. These cows were thin, some painfully so. Evidently they’re honored in the Hindu tradition, but when I asked Sam if that was how they were regarded in Cambodia, he said, no, we’re Buddhists and they’re used for plowing. Kellie said that their build was always thin, but it still looked like a hard life, though they were grazing just as the water buffalo were.
Styling with the helmets to deal with sun and heat.
We ended this morning ride at a Buddhist temple. First we explored the cemetery. They have a practice here of burying a person, within 3, 5 or 7 days, depending on how long they need to gather enough money to feed the monks and people who come to the service. The body is then buried for a year. At the end of the year, it is cremated and the ashes are put into a stupa. If a family can afford a stupa, they have their own. If not, they can rent space from a wealthier family. The stupas have enough room, some just enough room, to walk around in prayer. Evidently you walk counter clockwise for a burial stupa and clockwise for a prayer stupa.
Series of stupas, close together, but you could walk around each.
We then went to the actual temple (Wat Por Bonteay Chey area) with stories and traditions painted on the walls, and within were stories from the Buddha’s life. We walked into the temple and saw a technicolor buddha. Huge and mesmerizing with the lights. We gathered around a monk to get a blessing, instructed to sit with our legs going to the side, crossed if we couldn’t manage the side sit. This turned out to be wonderful. The monk recited from memory in Pali, a blessing for health and happiness, continuing for 10 minutes? It was meditative and I slipped into that quiet space quickly. Even when Sam took my phone and started taking photos and videos. I just let it go and listened to the chanting. A surprise gift. And we’d thought of canceling the morning.
The monk gave each of us a blessing bracelet.
Our last stop of the morning was to an artisans factory. Wonderful, weaving, carving, lacquering, all crafts that have been following old traditions. I found the silk weaving to be the most amazing. It can take up to 3 months and more just to set up the loom, the threads were SO thin!
Wore Pat out
We returned for lunch to the hotel and then Sam said he could add on another temple that Scott had wanted to see – the temple in the lake. It was so tempting to stay in the cool of the hotel, maybe go to the pool? But no, how could we not go see more.
Turns out this was a wonderful little temple designed for medical purposes. It was one of the many hospitals that Jayavarman VII built in the 2nd half of the 12th century. We walked across a long bridge crossing a Barray – or a rain water collecting reservoir – to get to this small temple. The Neak Pean ,“the entwined serpents,” had two giants carved snakes which wrapped the center island temple in the small lake, we could just see the remnants. This was a Buddhist temple built within its own small reservoir on the island out on the lake. The center temple was surrounded by water at a slightly higher level than the 4 small surroundings blessing pavilions with their own pools at east, west, north and south points. A person could be blessed or healed by going into the small pavilions and water would pour over them from the upper lake. This was also built by King Jayavarman VII in the 12th century. I’m so glad Scott asked to see it.
We’ve seen lotuses everywhere, but I’ve rarely taken photos. After thinking of them as rare and special because of the link with the Buddha and Lotusland in Santa Barbara, I couldn’t help but want to get pictures every time.
We then went to one more temple, before heading back. On our way up the main temple, we saw this small beautiful temple, one of the first and oldest that was built as a pyramid with bricks. Then we continued to the “sunset temple” That’s my description. I guess Angkor Watt is for sunrise, this was clearly for sunset.
Basket Chamkrong, built during the first decades of the 10th century, this is the only pyramid temple in this area that survived.
The Phnom Bakheng Temple, both Hindu and Buddhist had the form of a temple mountain. It was built in the 9th century. Incredible By now poor Holly was starting to get really sick from the heat and Kellie belatedly realized on our way back down from the temple visit that it was probably the beginnings of heat stroke. And we’d left Holly for an hour sitting below while we climbed up and down. We were definitely on auto and not thinking well in the heat. This last temple was where people went to see the sunset.
And just as other temples were being rebuilt or stabilized by different countries, this one was being supported by the US. Given how the current admin is treating foreign countries, I’m not sure how long this will continue, but as of now they’re still doing repairs. And it was wonderful too.
Everyone waiting for sunset.
The details of this skirt are just remarkable, and I loved seeing the monks at so many of the sites.
We came back and cleaned up and then kept going, though Holly stayed back and was able to cool down and recover, quickly going to sleep. We went by tuktuks to a wonderful restaurant that Sam had recommended. This was our first tuktuk ride, it was a great temperature and fun to see the city at night. Sam joined us for dinner and then we went via van to the Phare circus.
Phare artists are students and graduates from Phare Ponleu Selpak’s vocational training centre in Battambang. The association was formed in 1994 by 9 young men coming home from a refugee camp after the Khmer Rouge regime. They were greatly helped during that time by an art teacher using drawing classes as therapy and wanted to share this new skill among the poor, socially deprived and troubled youngsters in Battambang. They founded an art school and public school followed to offer free education. A music school and theatre school were next and finally, for the kids who wanted more, the circus school. Today more than 1,200 pupils attend the public school daily and 500 attend the alternative schools. Phare Ponleu Selpak also has extensive outreach programs, trying to help with the problems highlighted in their own tales.
So cool mission, sweet little circus and the performers seemed to be having fun. I sent little videos home to Holly so that she could see that it was fun, but it was ok that she was missing.
And back to the hotel for a free morning tomorrow before we all fly out. Me to Singapore and the rest home to CO.
Today was Angkor Wat from the Khmer Empire. We left the hotel at 5:00 and were at the site by 5:45. Us and a whole lot of other people, but it was wonderful. We were there to see the sunrise over the towers and our guide, Sam, knew all the spots to sit and wait and shared history as well. The people of Cambodia are still primarily Khmer. The Khmer Rouge is the name that was popularly given to members of the Communist Party of Kampuchea, who followed Pol Pot and killed almost 25% of the population. So that was a distinction we needed to figure out. Sam’s family was in a small village far from the primary fighting, though two of his uncles, one of whom was a monk, were taken away for “reeducation” which meant killed. He lived near Angkor Wat and the other temples and talked about playing hide and seek in the temples, swimming in the pools in Angkor Wat – that are now drained – and avoiding all the poisonous snakes in the jungle. There are shrines in all of the temples that are still used today by the local people.
Angkor Wat was the capital of the Khmer Empire and was a mega city of almost a million people and built during the Khmer Empire between the 9th and 13th centuries. It’s the largest religious monument in the world – covering an area four times the size of Vatican City. It was built by the Khmer King Suryavarman II in the first half of the 12th century, around the year 1110-1150. Military defeat is supposed to be the main reason for the fall of Angkor, with different dates proposed for the ending.
The statue below is that of Naga – a 7 headed serpent. These images were in many if not all of the Buddhist temples. Sometimes a statue like this, many other times a long – very long – serpent body held in the hands of warriors surrounding a bridge or a temple. The snake is often a symbol of protection to the Buddha and his teachings. There were wonderful images of nagas, or snakes circling temples, held in the hands of the warriors. In Buddhist lore, the Buddha had gained enlightenment under the Bodhi tree. A violent store arose and caused the water to rise. Mucalinda, the King of -Serpents, coiled his seven heads to form a hood over the Buddha. Mucalinda and other nagas sheltered the Buddha for seven days and seven nights. After the storm, Mucalinda paid homage to the Buddha and returned to his domain.
This statue was before we even got into the compound and then the walls of the compound were also incredible and we weren’t even up to the temple!
We were able to watch sunrise and get photos that imply it was serene and majestic. It was serene, but also very busy!
There were two smaller beautiful buildings where people prepared for entering the temple and then the grand walkway up to the temple itself.
There were a number of shrines with different images of Buddha, still used for practice by local monks and villagers. There is an ongoing monastery outside Angkor Wat.
The stairs were incredibly steep. We later climbed a staircase built on top of the original and it followed the same grade, you had to use the banisters, especially coming down.
The carvings throughout the temple were endlessly creative and astonishing.
There were courtyards all the way around the central temple, as well as pools (now drained).
There were a series of hallways – incredible. Sam absolutely loved all the carvings and took time to tell us stories that were being conveyed. In this hallway, the series was about heaven and hell and the different levels and reasons that a being might be in one level, “The Talavrikshavana tier is reserved for those who cut trees that should not be cut, those who fell trees or relieve themselves in a deva sanctuary.”
We saw this couple as we left and thought it was an instagram pose, but Sam said no, they were pre-wedding photos using traditional dress. Gorgeous.
And a couple of American gorgeous couples!
Photo 16 – Pat and Holly
Sam has been guiding for 30 years and had taken Mick Jagger, David Rockefeller and a few others around which indicated his seniority in the business. We appreciated his wisdom so much. It took a good part of the day, but he finally caught on that it was ok to laugh at our mistakes – Pat was totally up for this – and Sam started cracking smiles and even laughing upon occasion.
His comments about Vietnam – they’re with the Chinese – were the same as the Vietnamese about Cambodia – they’re with the Chinese. Vietnam declared war and occupied Cambodia for 10 years from 79-89 and there are still hard feelings.
The Vietnamese consider themselves to have rescued the Cambodians from the Khmer Rouge.
There was a different feel in Cambodia. Granted, we only saw Siem Reap, so a limited view. It was not as polished as Vietnam has become (in certain areas), but it also felt kinder and more open. Hard to describe since the Vietnamese we met were largely delightful. But we’d like to go back and explore more of Cambodia. Poverty was more present, but we saw very few people who seemed like they were begging for food.
Several times we saw Buddhist monks or nuns walking with bowls. People would come to the monk and give offerings and ask for prayers. The two times I saw this, up to 5 people gathered around the monk to receive his prayers, leaving shoes and hats behind. The prayer was not a quick waving of hands, but took a few minutes as the monk spoke. Later when we were in a temple, we learned that the monk was speaking in Pali. I loved that because it’s the language of Buddha and used by those who are Theravadist Buddhist, distinct from Zen or Tibetan Buddhism.
We watched one nun (I think, different colored robe) slowly walk along the street stalls and not ask for anything, but clearly open if someone wanted to give an offering and ask for a prayer. It must be a balance and maybe the monk just keeps walking until there is enough to feed him/her for the day.
After Angkor Wat, we returned to the hotel for food and to cool down before venturing back out to see some more temples. Before I came, I had thought that the temples were basically on top of each other and right around Angkor Wat, but each had its own space and compound. Angkor Wat is the biggest, with small lakes/ponds originally both in and out. So – we were going back out to see different temples.
After lunch, we visited Anghor Thom, the ancient royal city of Khmer Empire, starting with the Bayon Temple. After the Cham people of modern-day Vietnam sacked Angkor in 1177, King Jayavarman VII (reigned 1181–c. 1220) decided that the Hindu gods had failed him. When he built a new capital nearby, Angkor Thom, he dedicated it to Buddhism. We could see the faces of former King Jayavarman VII facing in every direction in this particular temple. There was a Terrace of the Elephant which served as a platform from where the King could welcome back his victorious army.
Another long panel with Sam describing the stories, notice that all of us are hiding in the shade of pillars, each with his/her own pillar.
We then went to my favorite temple, the Ta Prohm Temple. At the start, Sam said he was going to take us a different way and that the building’s complex enclosed 2 miles. I was dismayed at the idea of walking for 2 more miles in the heat, but it turned out to be a highlight because for a while, it was only us walking along the wall of the complex with the jungle on the other side (not a huge swatch, you could see hints of the road on the far side).
We could hear birds and a particular call was noted as a hornbill by Sam. He said during the war, they caught and ate them, they were all starving. He said you could see all of his bones – he was 8-12 years old during that time. We kept walking and then came to the typical entrance where many people were streaming in. Thanks, Sam, for a rare quiet interlude.
The temple was wonderful. I couldn’t tell you why it felt so distinct, perhaps projecting, but it was built by King Jayavarman VII to commemorate his mother and it had a softer feel. It was also being repaired in places, while being held up/torn down by these incredible fig trees and encroaching jungle. Part of the Tomb Raiders movie was filmed here. I may have to see it.
We were all completely flagging along with headaches, etc and Sam saved us by getting us all coconuts.
We were supposed to then go on to a Vespa food tour, but the food was so good at the hotel and we were pretty wiped out by the heat, so stayed in. A total treat.
And we started with high tea which was a great way to move to relax!
Today we drove to see the tunnels. I’d heard about these tunnels from different people who’d gone to see them and couldn’t really understand why it was such a destination because I haven’t read enough Vietnam War history. Now I understand.
We’re here in the coolest part of the year and actually, if you’re sitting still in the shade, it’s not bad at all. And our poor soldiers coming here, wearing full gear, carrying loaded packs and then going into the jungle. The jungle we saw was new since 1986-90 – they cleared out all the damaged jungle from the agent orange, replanted and started working with the existing tunnels to show the cleverness of the VC and the north Vietnamese as they fought in the jungle.
This was a totally party line place. Our guide told us not to ask too many questions here. And in fact, unbeknownst to me, I asked a bad question – were there women in the tunnels? This was a bad question because the VC forced many civilians into fighting with them, women, children, and men. So, yes, there were many women fighting alongside the men.
By the end, we had a great deal of respect for the tenaciousness of the north in fighting this fight and had just a small small glimpse of how completely awful it was for the Americans, Australians and others who fought here.
A couple of videos of Joe explaining the tunnels.
The actual tunnels were a large network that funneled supplies to Saigon and allowed the VC to fight a guerrilla war. We were shown many types of traps set with bamboo spikes both in the tunnels and on the paths. The current jungle was just a hint of what the original jungle was. Then there were so many poisonous snakes above and below, spiders, many ways to die and that’s without the soldiers, traps, heat, and disease. Awful.
The VC were incredibly resilient, strategic and nothing went to waste. Cars/trucks never stopped going up and down the Ho Chi Minh trail and tires wore out rapidly. We were shown how the tire and tube were combined into shoes for the soldiers. Evidently, they were able to move silently and knew when people were coming down the trails if it was the south Vietnamese/Americans because they all had boots supplied by the Americans.
The tunnels were very small. This entrance has been enlarged by 20% and the tunnels enlarged by 40% so that visitors can now experience them.
They had trap after trap if someone tried to enter the tunnel – poisonous snakes at the roof bc an enemy would enter head first with a partner holding their boots, then if they made it into the tunnels successfully, there were pits with a variety of sharpened bamboo spikes used in many ways to torture or kill the unsuspecting. The spikes were coated with oil to slide further and dung to set up infection.
This was one of the gathering places – would have been an earthen roof over the wood beams, there are 3 tunnels into this room
After the tunnels, I was reading my book and one of the author’s brothers was VC. He was offered yams in a family dinner and said he doesn’t tough them because that’s all he had during the time he was underground. Tourists got the peanut spice, rarely did they get anything more.
We were glad we went because it did give a small small glimpse of the war and how incredibly bewildering and awful it was when the allies arrived and went into battle. We also had a glimpse how determined the north was as they created this new type of warfare.
And then our guys came home and were booed and rejected by the general population.
I can’t imagine the level of internal chaos the whole experience created in so many young men.
We then flew to Cambodia. Kellie was intent on getting a shower at the airport if there was any way – and there was in the lounge. I went right after her and it was great – very clean, they had a whole shower kit. Much better for getting onto the plane.
We arrived in the evening at the Amansará in Siem Riep and it was incredible. The aura of serenity was amazing. When I walked in my room, there was chanting set on the iPad. I ended up using it to fall asleep for a few nights.
Today, again, was so interesting and fun too. We drove 2.5 hours south to the Mekong Delta.
We were given bikes and these actually fit pretty well, basic bikes, but the seats could go high enough. We then took a ferry across to an island and started riding.
The weather was hot, but perfectly fine with the breeze and we were often in shade from the trees. We rode a lot of the island and all along the way we were behind houses and occasionally little shops. All of our stops were to visit women who were individual entrepreneurs – making their products by hand and then selling directly to the market.
Our first stop a woman was making rice wine. She gave us a sip (I smelled it) and it was like drinking everclear alcohol – not that I ever drank that, but the smell made me think of. They cook it longer and longer to make it less strong and more drinkable, and that product is sold more often. In the video our guide is saying that if you sell that super strong wine – it doesn’t go well.
Basket and bracelets made from the water vines/reeds that were growing all around the delta and tributaries. We each got a bracelet – so pretty.
Scene on the ride
Another scene – we saw roosters in several places in both Vietnam and Cambodia. As the Cambodian guide said, it’s outlawed in both places, so you just pay off the policeman. These roosters were gorgeous and you knew immediately why they were so well taken care of. Different lives and hard lives. I had to let it go, but didn’t end up having a snack sitting next to them.
Then nail files, so precise.
Tofu – first soaked for 4 days, then ground with water, cooked until most of the water evaporated, then drained through a basket covered with something like cheese cloth and a heavy pot pressing down until the water is mostly gone, then it’s cut in blocks.
Macrame weaving to make hammocks. She’s the last one making these on the islands. It’s too hard on the hands and hard work to begin with, and no one in her family wants to continue the tradition.
Our guide said that if he was to make one of these products, it would be making tofu, least hard on the body.
We then left the bikes and got into small boats (we’re starting to see a pattern) that were the same that the Viet Cong used to smuggle goods/weapons into Saigon. They were able to row into the reeds, lie down in their boats and be completely hidden.
Then lunch with a whole fish. Here, people eat the shrimp shells and in this type of fish, they also eat the scales. Pat’s up for trying anything and said the scales and tail weren’t bad, just really crunchy like fries.
Then we got into a larger boat that took us back to the ferry and back to the mainland.
There were large boats that looked like stationary houseboats, along the river.
Our guide said they were owned by the government and rented out for free of pennies to those who wanted a vacation, but couldn’t afford one. Bathroom? River. Our fish – where did they come from? Further out in the delta. We think.
The Mekong Delta actually has 9 tributaries, has a 3 meter tide and you can take a boat all the way up to Saigon or even up to Cambodia. Our island adventure was on Caí Be in the province of Then Giang.
We loved this day, but boy we were ready for showers by the time we got back to the hotel.
It’s incredible that every day has brought new, different, learning experiences.
Per usual, I was up at 5 and saw this early morning scene from in front of my room. Early fishing boat:
Today we took an early flight from Danang to Saigon. Again, we walked into a really interesting day, this time fully focused on the Vietnam war. Our guide (I’ll call him Joe) said – you’ve come from the north – they’ll be really careful about what they say. You can ask me anything in the van, if we’re outside the van, we can talk some, but quietly.
US Consulate – we drove by this, it’s still in operation, though it’s been modernized. It was empty for 20 years after the year, then was given back to the US. Since it was in poor shape, they had to tear down one main building, but the rest remain.
Reunification Palace – former headquarters of the South Vietnamese Government and presidential residence, then taken over by the North Vietnamese. This was a very cool building, though at first it seemed pretty uninteresting compared to the original French building that had been there. However, the windows were largely designed with bamboo looking pillars that allowed air and light to flow through, allowed them to see enemies approaching, but didn’t allow anyone to see in. Pretty remarkable. The whole building was designed on Feng Shui principles.
There were photos of someone who’d been a VC (learned that Cong in Viet Cong meant communist in Vietnamese) and had joined the south as a spy. He was in the South Vietnamese army for 5 years, rising up through the ranks and was then sent to America to train as a jet pilot. He came back and moved up in the Air Force until he was flying jets. He then loaded his jet with 2 bombs and drove over the palace and dropped his bombs. He’d been in the building and knew the weak point was the staircase. He dropped successfully but the bombs didn’t explode. Local lore is that the dragon rug given them years before at the center of the building just in front of the stair case kept the bombs from exploding. No one was hurt and they now show where they were dropped next to a helicopter. The pilot flew straight to “an improvised airstrip prepared by the Liberation Forces” and turned his plane over the VC.
The note about the bombing was interesting – adding this detail. “This feat seriously undermined the republic’s authority and prompted the US President to order the evacuation of the last of the Americans still in Sài “. Note Liberation Forces capitalized and republic is lower case letter. Throughout our days in central and southern Vietnam, the stories and semantics shifted depending on who was presenting the info.
It was interesting to go through the whole residence. Some gorgeous meeting rooms and designs, as well as this scene used for a photo posed by Joe, our guide.
We then went down to the bunker.
Throughout the Reunification Palace, if it was the president’s private area, there were multiple phones for different connections. If there was a black phone, that was the direct line to the US. In the bunker, there were multiple rooms with phones, typewriters, radios and it was so hot. This was the president’s bedroom.
Our next stop was a secret weapons chamber used by the VC. This was a wild story. The man who owned this house was secretly devoted to the communist party. He was the contractor who rebuilt the Reunification Palace. He knew that the weak part was on the side. He and fellow VC secretly brought in weapons from the Ho Chi Minh trail hidden in fruit baskets, bamboo rolls, carved out panels of wood, and under food carts coming to the market – which was outside his door on the street.
He then built a bunker under the house that connected to bunkers under 3 more houses. It was a tiny space in the one that we saw, but he stored a ton of weapons in preparation for attacking the Reunification Palace in an assasination attempt on the president. There were 50 in the group who attacked; he wasn’t there since he was directing as general. They severely damaged the building, but in the end were all killed or declared missing. There was a photo of maybe 8 of them with the general after the war was over. The South Vietnamese strongly suspected that his house was the source of the weapons and came with weapons firing and shot up his front gate – you can still see the bullet marks. They then went through the whole house (tiny) looking for the storage space. It was so cleverly disguised that they never found it. Red and white checkered floor – with one very small panel that could be pulled up by the edge of one of the tiles – hid the bunker. We went down into it, tiny, crazy, and clearly the man was completely committed to the case. Later after the war, he was very famous and highly rewarded for his efforts.
In the bunker.
Getting into the bunker!
Next was the former residence of the US Ambassador of South Vietnam in the early 1960’s, Mr. Henry C. Lodge Jr who “supported the overthrow of the South Vietnamese government”. This note was from Wikipedia and things can definitely be slanted here when you Google items. In fact, he was very committed to the Vietnamese, but thought it was a losing battle by the end and wanted America to pull out. We watched a short documentary film in the living room which fleshed out a bit of the story from Henry Lodge’s perspective. The house itself was a fourth of what he had when he lived there with his family – there were 4 houses connected, a full block. Now it’s one section, but still beautiful. Joe’s boss is the owner of the guide business and bought this house, keeping a fair amount just as it was when Lodge was there and living more in the back. Amazing.
Joe then took us to our favorite lunch of the whole trip. This was a fried pancake shop, making the same kind of pancake sandwich that we had on the bike ride. But the woman who started it had a particular method of cooking and particular ingredients. Her daughter/grandaughter? Was the one cooking now and we were able to take video as well as photos because she loved explaining how she cooked (vegetable oil now because of so many allergies) and seeing how much people liked her food. There were also two things that came in banana leaves – a rice paste with things on top. I really liked this one as well as the fried pancake.
Her son did a trick with a piece of wood and a screw and three beer bottles, opening them with one quick chop. A big crowd pleaser that one!
Finally, the woman showed us a photo from the Tet offensive during the war – mostly destroyed. Scott or Pat then took a photo from the same vantage point showing what it looks like now. I’m hoping I can find those photos.
Rex Hotel – we went here for a drink at the end of the tour. I asked why so many signs say Cocktails/Mocktails. Has it always been that way? Joe said that last year they cracked down on drinking and driving. If you’re caught having drunk anything at all, you’re fined severely and can have your scooter/bike/car taken away for 2 months. Serious consequences. Joe then said that many police are undercover and just watching. So they’ll be on a corner and watch what people are doing, remember the faces of people drinking and then if they see a person driving who’s been drinking, they pull them over. Joe said he couldn’t pick out the policemen. When they’re wearing their uniform, they’re off and showing off. Most are undercover when on duty.
The hotel’s bar was the site of the United States military command’s daily press conference, and derisively named Five O’Clock Follies by cynical journalists who found the optimism of the American officers misguided. The daily event was hosted by Barry Zorthian, chief spokesperson for the U. S. government in Saigon from 1964-68.
From the Rex Hotel on the balcony – where the famous bar is – we could see the former CIA building, where helicopters did the final evacuation in April 1975. We saw this from a distance and it was a TINY little spot on top of a building. They had a photo of swarms of people on the ladder and leading up the ladder – they’d climbed 9 stories to get to this spot. And only 8 people were able to get on the helicopter and then it was gone. Awful. That famous ladder is now in the Gerald Ford museum.
We were ready to call it a day after this, but Joe told us we were making a BIG mistake if we missed the Vespa food tour. From the first time we started planning this trip, Kellie had said she was not going to do the Vespa tour. In the end, we all went.
Our guide and the Vespa drivers were all from the Vespa Wanderers Team. My cortisol leves were VERY high for the first leg, by the second stop, I’d relaxed, by the third, I wasn’t even paying attention to the traffic and was just watching the city go by. The drivers were so safe, communicating by radio on their vests, using blinkers and totally safe.
Saigon is a beautiful city, very prosperous, clean, lot of great food and a lot of shopping. For the party members – crazy high end shops and cars driven by only a few. But many people were out and about and it seemed like it was far removed from being a third world country. In fact our guide, the gorgeous and very energetic Chi, said that was the case. People have food, are starting to have more choices. She was from Hanoi, but had left and was living and working on her own and having a great time!
Finally relaxed after this stop!
So – a long day, but full of very cool experiences, and we ended it on a high because the Vespa tour was so much fun.
Today was a free day. We had a very late breakfast, the breakfasts here are just incredible, well except for the GF bread. Then scattered. We all scheduled different kinds of massages courtesy of the hotel. I went for reflexology. After Holly read aloud the list of possible options (breast massage to perk things up, abdomen massage to loosen things up), I didn’t know what might happen during a full massage and didn’t want to take a chance. It was very cool – little houses on a pond. First a foot bath with gardenias and mint and lemongrass aroma therapy oil. I went to a massage table and I lay down, ok, I’ll really relax. The masseuse then played the singing bowls and then the massage. So cool. Completely relaxing.
I staggered back out after and rode the bike to the work out place – great gym. I got on the treadmill and finished Dirty Dancing on my iPad, my treat from the night before. So had a work out and broke a sweat for the first time in a month. Then I swam in the longest lap pool I’ve ever seen. Mostly I just wheezed and tried to get to the end. But I did it! I couldn’t resist that gorgeous pool.
Then read, wrote, took quiet time for the rest of the afternoon. So nice.
We took a shuttle back into town to see a show at the Hoi An Lune Center. This was an acrobatic show using primarily bamboo for all athletics and many of the instruments. It was a pretty frenetic show, the people were so strong and the music was cool, many different instruments. Supposedly the show was based on the culture in the highlands of Vietnam. We had no idea if that was the case of if what they were speaking/singing throughout the show was even a language. But it was definitely diverting!
We then walked down the river – lantern river with the night market – to our dinner spot. Our guide from Hue had set this up for us, arguing for a particular table on the highest balcony right up front so we could see all the colors and activity on the river and the banks. It was great. And maybe the best Vietnamese food we’ve had yet.
This video is before it gets really dark and the lights shine even more, but at the start you can see all the chairs set up for people who sit to watch the lantern boats go by.
The last one is from our balcony at the restaurant. Amazing.
First breakfast, gluten free toast for Kellie. Guess which one is GF?
Our guide was Than, she didn’t have that much English, but oh man, she was darling and laughed at everything. So much fun to be with for the day.
Our first stop was at a lantern making shop and making our own lanterns. Pat and Kellie were ready to put their hands to art, but we quickly learned that the women sitting on either end of our table had very exacting standards and no one met them. Not even Kellie! We’d start something and it would be taken out of our hands and tightened, then taken out of hands for a bit of trimming, then for gluing (Pat – I would have done the gluing!), etc. But by the end, we each had our own little lantern 🙂
As we finished, Pat yelled out his usual Cam On! Tto thank the team and Tham cracked up. She then stopped us and explained that because of the inflections in Vietnamese, you had to be super careful how you spoke the words. Pat had been saying Cam On to everyone and often the faces were a bit confused/funny. But what the hey – he was trying! Then Tham said that in fact he’d been saying shut up every time. We were laughing so hard. Then she gave us a demonstration of what inflection can do to a one syllable word:
Styling
We then got on bikes. Than had prepared for all contingencies. She had water bottles, bags for our bags, rain coat/ponchos and off we went in the drizzle. This was a fun piece of the day because there are paths all around the rice patties and through the backs of the houses in the villages. Kellie’s highlight was stopping and getting to know a water buffalo. This water buffalo’s highlight of his life was having Kellie scratch his ears. I don’t know if I caught his expression, but he really did look like he was in heaven.
Water buffalo are beloved pets here, incredible docile (except if protecting a baby) and well cared for.
Then we stopped at an organic farm, the only one in the area. This garden was incredible. I tried to get a video for Eli C and Kylie – our farmers – but it was hard to capture. So many different vegetables with different flowers mixed in to keep the insects away. We then got to farm – a wee square. We were startled because the farmer (who clearly had a vast amount of knowledge) was putting cuttings straight into the dirt. We all wondered if she was then going to just pull them up after we left? But I don’t think so. There was another square that some other group had clearly planted and was growing well. They make a fertilizer with a mix of water buffalo dung, and a few other things, super rich looking, so maybe things just grow easily there.
We left the bikes and got in little coconut basket boats and rowed to lunch. These little boats come about because the Chinese were taxing all boats. So the people figured out how to make very large baskets – from bamboo actually – and then to row them thus avoiding the taxes. Clever and it was a pretty little ride. They put the hats on us before we even started moving, but it was nice because we could row. And we started to appreciate these hats – they’re actually pretty comfortable and seriously effective for both sun and rain.
Our stopping point was our lunch spot.
Here we got a wee cooking lesson learning to make a classic Vietnamese pancake with shrimp, pork, and vegetables. All rolled up in rice paper. Turned out that was just the start to the meal – and it was a fun start. We had a variety of dishes; my favorite was morning glory. Later we read that this vegetable, also called water spinach, is the second most common food item after rice. It grows in all climates and soils, the only thing that grows everywhere in the country. It has Vitamins C and B6, iron, calcium and lots of fiber.
After lunch we drove to town where we were dropped off and went back to the store for our fittings. My skirt was looking a lot like a mumu, the fabric is great and feels great, so what the hey, I’ll be comfortable! The dress is a mystery. Figured I’d try it out the last night of our travels.
We then started looking for our hotel shuttle. It wasn’t where we were initially told it would be, tried another place, then Scott started texting with someone back at the hotel who was in charge of our rooms. We got the message to look for Jolly Culture. Ok, so then we asked people where Jolly Culture was. Finally, Scott got some clarity – can you spell that – and it was Yuly Couture. Funny. We found our shuttle and then we had 24 hours at the hotel before we’d leave and come back for a show and dinner. Free day!
It was actually Valentine’s Day, something we kept forgetting but there were reminders everywhere. We came to our group living room and found treats and a shell design for Happy Valentines. Then we went to our rooms and all of us found warm baths and hot tea waiting for us. What?! I took a photo and then realized it was actually hot and thought, ok, well, shouldn’t waste the water. Fun.
Really nice quiet evening. I stayed in, ordered room service and took some quiet time. All of us did the same, retreat for a night.
We drove from Hue to Hoi An, a 3.5 hour drive up and over the mountains, largely jungle looking except for intermittent towns. We all looked at that green and couldn’t imagine being 18 and dropped into this area to fight – knowing nothing. We drove through Danang on our way to Hoi An and will come back here to fly to Saigon.
We crossed an amazing dragon bridge in Danang, the head is decorative, but the back is all structural and it’s designed to spew fire and water as part of a show on Saturdays and Sundays. This bridge was built both to welcome, to give a sign of luck and strength and to withstand typhoons. There can be 8 typhoons a year in Danang – from October to December mostly – and it takes a toll, However, in the last 3 years, no typhoons have hit. Instead, because of climate change, now the typhoons are moving to the north. In the last years, they’ve wiped out northern villages because the buildings weren’t designed to withstand the storms.
Danang is a pretty city, 5th largest in Vietnam, and modern because of how much was destroyed during the Vietnam War. It was in the midst of the DMZ. We drove along Danang Beach, which was called China Beach by the Americans because of all the pieces of Chinese pottery they found on the beach. Danang has grown steadily and there were a lot of big and gorgeous buildings/hotels, restaurants along the beach.
The next time I opened my book, When Heaven and Earth Changed Places, she was on China Beach in ‘86, first visit back from the States. She described it as shacks lining the beach, some still with GI writing on pieces of the walls. Most people wore black pajamas,but with western wear starting to get mixed in, and there was a peasant market on the street across from the beach. There was not a remnant of that scene now, almost 40 years later.
Our guide said that this city is a common spot for Korean visitors. They liked that it was a newly built city, very clean and Danang advertises to the Koreans – there are now 10 flights a day between Korea and Danang.
We drove straight to the old city of Hoi An and first had lunch at a well-known bánh mì, or sandwich, shop. It was a classic little store front business until Anthony Bourdain visited. The owner has now built this shop as well as two others. We walked into a large 2 story shop filled with people and the bánh mì were really good. I think it’s mostly because of the great French bread rolls. The first time we had them in Hanoi, we decided it was a mystery interior and just ate them. You can see Anthony Bourdain’s photo proudly displayed.
We then started exploring the old town of Hoi An. Hoi A was a trading post in the 2nd century and was an economic hub during the Cham Dynasties (7th–10th centuries). In the 16th century Hoi A became a major international trading center. It was a center for the spice trade and a settling point for Chinese merchants and soldiers. In the 18th century, the town was a top travel destination for Chinese and Japanese merchants. In the 1800’s many of the buildings were renovated with traditional methods. It’s now an UNESCO site. And filled with tourists. Every storefront targets tourists and only the pagodas are still used, though again, filled with tourists. And, yes, we were joining the throng!
During typhoons and storms, the river floods and the stores are inundated. When Kylie was here, it was raining a ton and she said the river flooded and all the shops had water in them, but the store owners were matter of fact. They raised everything up to higher shelves and when the water went back down, they cleaned and the lowered all the goods.
There are temples throughout the town, mixed in with all the colors and shops, you could walk by and not even see one. As noted above, this was a Chinese center and still reflected this in the temples. This temple was notable. Quan Cong Temple, 1653, constructed as a place of worship dedicated to Quan Van Truong. “He was the famous general with talent, steadfast spirit, bravery, righteousness and virtues of an honorable man, living in the period of ‘Three Warring Kingdoms’ ruled by Han Dynasty, China.
The cones of incense above were amazing, each one burning very slowly and sending up the prayers and blessings that are written inside for as long as they’re burning. Scott was fascinated and bought a large one for Hakubai, hoping that the flattened cone will loosen when the box is opened.
Again – the details. In this case for the roof tiles
And the kids – we could have taken a gazillion photos of children all over, but were trying to be respectful, so didn’t get that many shots.
For us, the weather was perfect. A little cool, misty and we were able to walk and explore. We knew that this town was famous for hand tailoring any kind of clothes you might want in a very short period. I wanted to see a store, but Pat had already planned to have 2 linen shirts made. So we walked, took photos – so photogenic – and then stopped at the store. And it was THE store according to our guide. We liked the whole experience of being in the store, looking at patterns and fabrics and all but Scott ended up buying something. Fun and funny exploring the options.
The manager gave us a tour, talking about how they started, the first one and set up a training school to make sure the clothes were made perfectly. A customer chooses a pattern and a fabric, then comes back the next day for a fitting and then picks up the piece (or it’s delivered to the hotel) the next day. It can be finished in one or two days. Each tailer takes one item at a time, then a finisher makes sure all pieces are perfect, clipping strings, etc., then ironed and handed over.
We left and walked across the bridge to the new side of town and waited while Scott and our guide found a restaurant and reserved a table for the next day to watch the river of lanterns. River of light? Can’t remember, but it’s beautiful.
While we were waiting a small woman came up behind Pat and suddenly dropped her baskets on his shoulder, completely surprising him. Luckily, he’s strong because it was heavy! We were all cracking up – she put her hat on his head and then agreed to stand next to him, still laughing.
We then went to our hotel and our jaws dropped. It was so beautiful. Very simple clean lines, many pools, restaurants and we were very pleased that one of our days was going to be free to just hang out.
We stayed in for dinner and just enjoyed the scenery.
Every day has gotten better. Today was so interesting. I confess, I did a fair amount of it a bit dingy since I woke up at 2:30; we’re all dealing with jet lag at different paces. But – it was a great day.
Our new guide and the driver are delightful. Yesterday, in our group we discussed communism and Vietnam and how Hie, our guide, seem to portray in action someone very devoted to and admiring of the system as well as being anxious that he did everything right – with what seemed like concerns of who was overseeing his work. That may be just our projections, but we all picked up on it. He also talked about the cement “king” just doing what you can do if you’re rich – you’ve worked hard and are able to show off your success.
He was truly admiring of Ho Chi Minh, thought that Vietnam (or at least as he presented to us) was a country of one people, no north or south except for direction and location of cities and that all benefited by the one party system. Holly, last night at dinner, had read to us of a Proclamation, secretly written by the politburo last year, prior to Biden’s visit. This was not to be supposed to be disseminated, but was leaked. The document expressed the politburo’s intent to open more and more to market systems, but that there would be further suppression of any free press (there is none) and opposition parties. Yes, a market economy but ruled as a one-party system.
Our current guide’s family was from the center and supported the monarchy and republic from generations back. His family’s history reflected the book I’ve been reading; this is a much more nuanced country than was presented by our other guide who’s based in Hanoi and has always supported Ho Chi Minh. Our Hue guide’s family were intellectuals, had served in the republic and were pretty well off. Their house was taken, they had to flee, and when they were allowed to return, a government official had taken over their house.
We asked about the cement king and he said, yes, he did earn that, he was also given the rights and privileges because of his party connections. It’s not in isolation. He told us of struggling to find his way for a living and finally realizing that maybe he could train as a guide. He spoke both French and Vietnamese and was studying English. He scored the highest score in English and when he went to the school that he was trying to enter, he should have been assured of a spot because of his scores. Instead, his name had been erased in favor of someone connected to the party.
He also said that it’s definitely not one country in terms of how people feel about the party, but that all the way to the most southern parts, everyone loves Ho Chi Minh. So the narrative as presented at Ho Chi Minh’s mausoleum and his homes may in fact have been a pretty accurate story of how he lived his life and his commitment to his people. Again, per our guide, I guess Ho Chi Minh was horrified by the Tet offensive and how many of his own people were killed and targeted, but he was already very ill by that time. There is speculation that his generals held off until Ho Chi Minh was quite sick to initiate the offensive and then the news was what finally undid him. Interesting slant.
Honestly, there’s been SO much to learn and think about that I can’t write it all, but wanted to get the highlights down. And I haven’t even started on what we saw!
We’re exploring Hue now. It felt like a really nice city as we drove through, seemingly middle class, nice size and comfortable. From 1802 to 1945 Hue was the capital city of Vietnam under the Nguyen Emperors who were based at the Imperial City, Hue’s great walled citadel inspired by the Forbidden City in Beijing. The complex originally contained over 160 building with ornate palaces, pavilions, gardens and gateways in traditional style dominating the site. Most remained unchanged until 1945 with the last emperor was deposed.
Battles then took a toll, first between the Viet Minh and French in 1947, burning the core including the main palace. Worse happened in 1968 during the Tet offensive between the VC and the US (who originally refrained from bombing the area in order to avoid damaging the historic structures, but as fighting intensified, restrictions were ignored). After the Battle of Hue, only 10 major sites survived. Now many are restored, but large empty spaces are left to show a hint of what was lost.
Our guide told us that Nguyen is the most common name in Vietnam. When mandarins (soldiers) wanted to move up, they gave their daughter to the king, who never said no. So all those children had the name. Then when wars were fought and there were prisoners, they could be let off more easily if they took Nguyen as their last name. Same for peasants who only had first names. If they would take Nguyen as their last name, it gave them a leg up. Currently 40% of the people in Vietnam of Nguyen as their last name.
Since the Citadel was the name of the area we were seeing, I assumed we’d be spending our time exploring the fort:
But no, we were on our way to seeing some incredible temples.
These Nguyen’s are the ones who rebuilt the temples in Hoa Lu on the origins of temples from then 9th and 10th century. The Hue Imperial Citadel was beautiful, with building after building lined up on a grid. This area was heavily bombed during the Vietnam War (Tet offensive happened here) and was the middle ground, so back and forth between the republic and the VC. Large sections of the Citadel were preserved and others have been restored. Then there were large spaces where the entire temple was gone.
Shoot, I can’t remember the name, or find it online, but this precursor to the staircase banister was one of the many details that Pat loved seeing in the architecture. The details were incredible!
Per our guide’s advice, the photo above was taken from the top of the brass cauldron below.
We then drove to the Thien Mu Pagoda, Hue’s best preserved religious monoment and still an ongoing monastery. It was built in 1601 and is a 7 storied tower pagoda, on top of a hill overlooking the Perfume River. I guess it’s an iconic image of Vietnam, it was new to me. But – this monastery, so far, stands out for me as the most wonderful place we’ve visited.
As soon as we passed the pagoda, the architecture became much more simple, one story, white with greenery all around. The plantings were incredible and so very intentional.
The first building had an old car with the story of a monk who had immolated himself. 6 of his fellow monks had done this in protest in Hue. This monk took this car, drove it to Hanoi, stepped out and put himself on fire. Incredibly sad. His face was beautiful, and such a commitment to his practice and protesting what was happening to Buddhists in the war. Somehow, it was a peaceful memorial, perhaps because of his photo.
We then continued back into the property, all of us spreading out, called to different areas, architecture, and plants. There was an incredible and ancient bonsai garden. I could have stayed there for the rest of the trip. There was something rare and peaceful that seeped into your bones if you stood still for even a moment.
And then yes! There was more. Such a day.
Next we visited the Khai Dinh Royal Tomb. This tomb was built for a king that had 132 wives and no children, maybe he had smallpox? But he wanted to have an incredible tomb. Khai Dinh was the penultimate emperor of Vietnam, from 1916 to 1925, and widely seen as a puppet of the French. It took 11 years to construct his flamboyant tomb from his designs, finishing after he died.
Confession here – I didn’t take my phone. Probably forgot it in the heat and long day.
As our guide said, the king was 50/50 good/bad. He built wonderful buildings that lasted, an entire complex that was Feng Shui. And he killed over 200 people because he forced them to keep working all summer in the brutal heat. This king wanted to leave a record of his accomplishments and wrote 500 Chinese characters on a large stelae, finishing it before he died.
There was a standout “instagram” woman at this place. She/her photographer chose perfect places for her to pose and her outfit was the most spectacular of the MANY costumes that we had seen. They’re very serious in these poses, but when Scott walked by her and told her how beautiful he thought she was, she gave him a big grin. Photo courtesy of Scott:
As part of our tour on this day, we went to the Tu Hieu Pagoda where Thich Nhat Hanh died. Thich Nhat Hanh was a Vietnamese Zen master, poet, scholar, and peace activist. He was born Nguyen Dinh Lang in Hue in 1926. He was cremated after his death in 2022 at the age of 95. His funeral was a seven-day silent meditation course. Thousands of people attended his funeral at the Tu Hieu Pagoda.
A slim chance was offered that we could go to the 4am chanting practice in the building where the monks practice, but our guide wasn’t able to find any monks and the buildings where he had gone before were locked behind a fence. We did see TNH’s burial tomb and the stone with a piece of his writing next to it. I would love to know what it says, but the script defied all of the translation apps. I’ll keep searching.
It was amazing being somewhere that Thich Nhat Hanh had been, but it didn’t feel like Thien Mu Pagoda and monastery. Still – a gift.
And finally, Scott had asked about where incense was made – we’d been seeing these astonishing circle incense burners that could burn for days, sending prayers and blessings out once lit. Turns out that right near Thich Nhat Hanh’s burial place was incense row.
Sadly, I was tired and missed getting a photo, but take these photos of this shop’s incense and multiply it by 10? 15? For all the stores in a row, beautiful. We ended up buying a variety of things here. We took so long, they finally gave us tea and ginger and we just sat down while they made a bracelet for Pat.
That was our last stop. Our guide said there was a great restaurant 10 min from the hotel, bit all we could think is that when we got back to the hotel, we weren’t leaving!
In the meantime, our guide was supposed to drive and drop us in Hoi An, the next town, but we liked him so much, we asked him to stay with us and do a walking tour of the town once we got there. And he could! That’s tomorrow.
Reb's Walks! 