Photos from Taiwan are also ready for viewing

shaved ice
Originally uploaded by djflowerz

There are 52 photos divided into 2 sets. Visit the collection here.

Japan photos

Many of you have seen a few of my Japan photos, but if you wish to view 374 of them you can in this collection on Flickr. I divided them into sets for easier viewing.

Highlights of the Tokyo set include Shibuya street shots, the washlet, and the traditional wedding I saw at Meiji Shrine.

In the Matsumoto/Japanese Alps set don't miss photos of the castle and typical food and tatami mat room of the ryokans.

The Kyoto set has many great photos including the products of my geisha hunt, the beautiful toriis of Fushimi Inari shrine, and another really pretty lotus flower.

In the Chugoku set check out the A-bomb dome in Hiroshima and the indoor bath and Edo baths at my lodge in Sensuijima.

In the Osaka set you see more photos of jellyfish than you ever wanted to see as well as a photo of me eating the notorious octopus balls.

The Koyasan set shows a somewhat spooky cemetary, the red jizo, pretty hydrangeas, and a monk performing a fire ceremony.

Enjoy!

Hong Kong and Vietnam photos are up

exercise with a view
Originally uploaded by djflowerz

I had to get a new computer to make it happen, but I have half of my trip photos now posted on Flickr.
Hong Kong photos are here.
Vietnam photos are here.
By the way, I am home in USA now!

The matchmaking temple

Last weekend in Taipei I had the pleasure of being treated to dinner and dessert by Ariel and Melanie and their friend Robert. I met Ariel and Melanie through Hiroto-san, one of my stellar guides in Tokyo. Ariel looked exactly like Mandy Moore, but Asian. I forgot to take photos, sorry. We had delicious steamed dumplings at Din Tai Feng, a very popular Taipei restaurant, followed by shaved ice with cream, red beans, mango, and tapioca pearls at a nearby ice stall; then they took me to Shilin night market. One stall there was selling the cutest fake LeSportsac bags, but it was so crowded I couldn't think straight enough to purchase anything.
At one point in the evening Asian Mandy Moore asked me if I had a boyfriend and I said no; she and Melanie then excitedly proclaimed that I should go to the Taipei matchmaking temple - Xia-Hai City God Temple. She said that girls go there to pray for boyfriends (it worked for her); she also mentioned that you need to buy a piece of red thread at the temple and carry it in your wallet to bring good luck in love. So the next day I of course made a bee-line for this temple. It was a bit of a walk from the metro station, through an old part of town that is a bit dusty, and I had a hard time finding the temple as it was not on the exact block depicted on the tourist map and it was much smaller than I expected. But I made it. There were some English (as well as Japanese) signs and instructions posted but I didn't see them at first. I had visited other temples on my trip before but more as a tourist, to just observe the worshippers and take photos. This time was serious; I knew I had to had to go through the customary steps if I was to have any chance of this working for me. I knew that I needed the red thread, but how to get it? There was no sign saying "Red thread here." There was a lady at a counter near the temple entrance selling something so I went up to her and tried to communicate that I needed the red thread, but she did not understand me or seem very amused by me at all. She put out an A.P.B. for someone, anyone, to figure out what I wanted. Soon a very friendly young woman about my age - just another person visiting the temple that day - came over to help. I explained my mission. I expected her to just review the necessary steps and show me where to buy the goods, but she actually took me by the hand and walked me through each step of the process. She was so nice! I later found out her name was Ellen, the same name as one of my best friends back home!
The process we followed was a bit complicated and involved these steps, which differ slightly from what is written in the brochure (but I think we got the jist of it):

1. Buy "god money" (fake paper money) and 3 incense sticks at the god money stand. (This cost about $1.50.)
2. Buy the offering set at the counter. (This cost about $8 and contained the red thread and a piece of chewy lychee-flavored candy. The brochure says that the set also includes 2 coins but I never got these.)
3. Light up the 3 incense sticks (you will carry these until step 10; be careful to tilt them away from you so the ash falls on the ground and not on your clothes).
4. Face the incense burner (looks like a cauldron) outside the temple and pray to the Sky God. Briefly introduce yourself to the Sky God and explain why you are there. (Praying also involves bowing 3 times; it takes a while for an outsider to master the intracacies of bowing)
5. Inside the temple, pray to the City God and the Matchmaker (statues on the main alter). Introduce yourself to the gods and explain the type of person you would like to meet, their personality, etc., or let them know if you have a specific person in mind.
6. (In the side room), pray to the Buddha for blessings of wisdom, peaceful mind, and good fortune.
7. Pray to the wife of the City God for blessings of good marital and family relationships.
8. Pray to Yi-Yong Gong (guardians) to keep away evil spirits.
9. Have some engagement cookies, to get luck from the married couples. Eat the candy later.
10. Outside again, place incense sticks together in the incense burner. Move the red thread 3 times clockwise through the smoke. Then keep the red thread in your wallet.
11. Put the god money in the box. The temple will burn it for you.
12. Have some sweet "blessed tea." (provided free of charge from big coolers)

You only need to buy the offering set the first time you visit the temple. On repeated visits you can update your matchmaking requests and pass your red thread over the incense smoke again for good luck. When you find your mate you have to return to the temple to give thanks and bring a box of engagement cookies. According to the brochure, "5,229 couples got married in 2005 due to the miracles of the Matchmaker." Not bad stats. But it seems help from the gods is still needed after matchmaking: Women with partners also come to the temple and pray to the wife of the City God for their husbands to behave themselves!

I was very grateful to Ellen for helping me and I offered to treat her and her friend to tea afterward, but they had a date - with Andy Lau! no really, they did. (Andy Lau is a very popular Chinese actor and singer.) They are members of his fan club and drove into Taipei (from their town 2 hours away) to attend a members-only meet and greet session with him, the third or fourth such event they have attended so far. They are huge Andy Lau fans and joked that he is their husband. They offered to give me a ride in their car to wherever I was visiting next, on their way to seeing Andy. This was so nice of them. I wish I could have hung out with them more!

Taipei 101

Taipei is pretty cool. It would be even cooler if it wasn't 95 degrees (35 C). I'm enjoying the sites here as my big Asia tour comes to a close. The highlights of Taipei for me have been the temples and the foot massages. The Taipei 101 building (currently the tallest in the world but soon to be outdone by one in Dubai) is also impressive, especially the elevator that swiftly zooms you up to the observatory on the 89th floor in what seems like only 5 seconds. The night markets can be fun, but they can also be extremely crowded. You can find a lot of interesting snack food at the markets. I'm not brave enough to try some of it, especially the various meat parts, as well as stinky tofu. Stinky tofu really, really stinks. I'm not putting that in my mouth. But they have lots of delicious sweets here, such as shaved ice piled high with fruit or sweet beans, milk tea (with or without bubbles), and herbal jelly drinks and juices. I also had some of the best dumplings ever here in Taipei. On Saturday I went to Fulong beach, a little over 1 hour away by train; it was a lovely beach, worth the trip, although I got my first jellyfish sting there! Not a serious sting. The pain didn't last long. It really caught me by surprise as I never saw or felt any jellyfish in the water.
I have really enjoyed the temples here because they're very colorful and lively, especially Longshan Temple, and a nice change from the restrained temples of Japan. I went to Longshan in the evening and was surprised to see so many worshippers there at that time, praying, chanting, lighting incense, making offering to the gods, and throwing divination blocks. Also I went to the small City God temple, which will receive its own blog entry and captivating, detailed story soon! But I can elaborate on the foot massages now. I had two, the second being better than the first and also cheaper and at more of a traditional establishment, where they take reflexology seriously. It hurt like hell at certain points, but I felt so good afterward... Each area of the foot (and also the calves) is thought to correspond to another part of the body or a specific organ. I had major pain and tightness in the areas linked to my kidney, colon, pancreas, and vocal chords. Then again, it could just be that I haven't been wearing shoes with proper arch support. The funny thing about reflexology is that nothing on the map corresponds to the feet.
Today I will see the renowned National Palace museum and pack my bags for my red-eye flight to Los Angeles.

Earthquake!

Two earthquakes hit Japan yesterday. I felt a tremor around 5 PM in Osaka - maybe an aftershock. So I have been exposed to both a typhoon and earthquake now! I only experienced some wind and rain from the typhoon though. It has passed, although it's still very humid here. I'm starting to get a little burnt out on traveling and, frankly, I am starting to run out of money. I think I planned too much time in Japan, especially Osaka. There is not much to do here other than shop and eat, the famous dishes being okonomiyaki and takoyaki (doughy octopus balls). Osaka is popularly associated with the phrase kuidaore, meaning "eat until you drop." Tonight though I will have healthy vegetarian food at a buddhist temple in nearby Koyasan (Mt. Koya). I'll also be staying overnight at the temple. I'm hoping this excursion will give me a second wind and recharge my batteries in preparation for Taipei later this week.

Lost in Translation, found in the rain

I'm in a trendy Osaka cafe called Planet3rd right now (there are 4 Internet terminals free for customers, yay!) and their menu features the item "giant corn" (English translation) in the Snacks section. I want to order it to see what this giant corn is all about, but I'm too scared.
At the dollar store (100-yen shop) the other day, I saw some kitchen items with the brand name "Lube Sheep." I guess that's better than "Sheep Lube." I don't want to make fun of awkward English translations but they are all around me - I can't help it!
It has rained the entire day here in Osaka. I hear that a typhoon is on its way, but I don't know if the rain is part of that or just the normal rainy season that refuses to go away. It has rained a lot while I've been in Japan and it hasn't really bothered me up until now. It's a bit of a pain to sightsee and shop whilst carrying an umbrella all day, especially when you are expected to put your umbrella into a rack or wrap it in a plastic bag before entering any establishment, lest water drip on the pristine floor. They're kind of finicky here about things like that. I won't even get into the subject of wearing shoes indoors... But truth be told, places are very clean here, so the rules exist for a reason. The rain has also been annoying because I have had to buy at least 4 umbrellas since I've been here, because I keep accidently leaving them places (well, a cheap one broke so I left it behind on purpose). Also, I constantly have that Rihanna "Umbrella" song in my head.
Anyways...today I went to the Aquarium, one of Osaka's best sites. It was a bit smaller than I expected, considering the steep price of admission, but it is a great aquarium. The creatures seem to have adequate room to move around and play and be happy. The highlights were the super-cute river otters and the captivating, otherworldy jellyfish. I spent quite a while taking photos of the jellyfish. You will have to be patient to see them. Most Internet cafes do not allow you to insert external devices like cameras or flash drives. Now I know that in order to keep a good travel blog you should bring your own laptop with you. I will write some posts retroactively once I get home and have more time to share stories and photos. I have a lot of stories from this past week. I saw so much in Kyoto and Hiroshima as well as my overnight at Sensuijima, a little island in the Seto Inland Sea that none of the Japanese people I've told to about it have heard of. The highlights of the past week have been successful geisha hunting in Kyoto (I saw about 5, some only for a few seconds); walking through endless bright reddish-orange toriis at Fushimi Inari; my indescribable edo bath experience at Sensuijima (really, I don't know how to describe it, because I still don't know what was going on); and seeing the historic A-bomb dome in the now peaceful, vibrant city of Hiroshima. Stay tuned for elaborations!!

Cool mountain air and hot hot springs

After an exciting urban experience in Tokyo it was nice to get out into the countryside and breath some fresh mountain air in Nagano prefecture. I first stayed overnight in Matsumoto, which has a beautiful, well-preserved castle and a small-town, laid-back feel but modern infrastructure. It kind of reminded me of Portland, even though I've never been to Portland. There are lots of cute little shops and places to eat and you can walk anywhere in about 20 minutes or less. I stayed in a ryokan, which is like a bed and breakfast where the rooms are decorated in traditional Japanese style - simple decor and tatami mat flooring; you sleep on a futon mattress on the floor and use shared baths. This ryokan was not as fancy as some are and no meals were served, but my room was comfy and cozy, the building had lovely wooden floors, and the owner was super nice. She let me stow my big bag there while I did my 2-day excursion to Kamikochi and Hirayu-onsen. Kamikochi National Park is famous for its hiking, mountain scenery, and clear blue Azuza river. It rained a lot while I was there but I did a few hours of walking on some pretty trails. I stayed overnight in a dorm room at a lodge with meals included (only had 2 roomates - 2 Aussie girls), then took a short bus ride to Hirayu-onsen, a town with many natural hot spring public baths (onsen). The lodge at Kamikochi had an indoor onsen, but at Hirayu I was able to experience various outdoor baths (rotemburo), which smelled of sulfur and were really hot! (I couldn't stay in them for very long), and they gave me a yukata (robe), which guests wear when walking from their room to the baths and also to the dining room for dinner. I was a little lonely at the onsen, as most guests were retirees or other couples and families, but I enjoyed the onsen experience. You are totally naked when you bathe in an onsen, but they give you a washcloth that you can use a "modesty towel." Nowadays at most onsen the men's and women's baths are separate. The most important thing to remember is to wash yourself thoroughly before soaking in the bath. This is done in a public shower room between the changing room and the baths. At an onsen you can take time to relish the bathing experience and get yourself really, really clean. If you go in the evening you sleep very well afterwards.
I returned to Matsumoto for 1 more night, which happened to be the 4th of July. I found myself missing America more than I thought I would. Maybe I just missed having someone to speak English with and joke around with in American-style humor. I have not had any major problems getting around in Japan, but it has been more challenging than I expected. I feel illiterate and mute much of the time due to the language barrier, and the only people who will talk to me are other travelers, customer service people (who are so nice I feel guilty I can't respond to them properly), and random old men. I had heard that younger people in Japan are more likely to speak some English, but from my experience it has been mostly men over the age of 55 who dare to speak to me (in English or Japanese). I guess they have gotten over their shyness by age 55. There are English signs in most tourist areas, but sometimes only the most basic signs and explanations are provided. Thankfully many menus have pictures. I've been eating lots of pasta and green tea soft-serve ice cream.

more Tokyo and Yokohama

Thanks to other people's cameras I bring you 2 new photos! The first is me at karaoke with Yoshiko, a friend of my awesome guide Hiroto, and the other is me at a Chinese temple in Yokohama, the second largest city in Japan, not far from Tokyo. Yokohama is known for its Chinatown, and I will always remember the lunch I had there, a fabulous marriage of two wonderful cuisines: conveyor belt dim sum!!! Dumplings and egg tartlets that you can just grab off the belt and stuff into your mouth! sugoy!
I had another delicious meal on Saturday with my guide Hanae: okonomiyaki, a cross between a pancake and pizza topping, which you make yourself on a griddle at the table. You can use different ingredients, but we made one with cod rose (fish eggs), cheese, bacon, cabbage, and some yummy sauce. It had a really nice comfort-food taste to it. In other words, I'm not going to lose any weight if I keep eating this during my trip, which I will, because it's a speciality of the Osaka region and I haven't gone there yet.
On Friday night I enjoyed an izakya, a lively bar/restaurant with an all you can eat and drink in 90 minutes special (and lots of amtosphere on a Friday night) and karaoke with my guide Hiroto and his friends in Shinjuku area. They didn't have all the songs I wanted to sing, but they did have many English songs. Then I went dancing both Friday and Saturday nights at some cool little clubs in Shibuya, one called Ruby Room, the other Loop. Both had guest gaijin (foreigner) DJs, but I liked the local residents DJs who went on before and after at both places better. One of the DJs at Loop looked like a Japanese Jack Black, wearing a beret. The cover charge was steep (about $25 including 1 drink) but worth it.
I spent a lot of time in Tokyo just walking around admiring everyone's fashion sense, which is sometimes questionable but usually quite cool. People really do dress like in the photos from the fashion site I check every week! (see link to the right). I saw a lot of girls with lightened, teased hair, like a beehive in the front, party in the back (reminded me of Amy Winehouse's hair) and a lot of guys with highlighted hairsprayed rocker hair or the baggy hip hop or skater look. Many (straight) men carry "man bags"!! Joey from Friends would be proud. I also saw some people with scary-looking fake tans, including brownish-orange faces. I guess not everyone is into the ideal of pale skin anymore. And I don't know how so many Asian women walk in heeled shoes everywhere every day and night, but they do...

"gozai masu...gozai masu... gozai masu..."

I'm in the coolest cafe ever right now, Cafe Respekt, in the Shibuya area of Tokyo, drinking a "tea float" - iced earl grey tea with the richest, most delicious (oyshi) soft-serve vanilla ice cream ever - surrounded by super-stylish people as house music plays softly in the background and a chorus of "(something something) gozai masu" echoes from the staff as customers come and go. (Customer service is amazing here!)
I've been busy sightseeing and meeting with my guides from Tokyo Free Guides this week. Last night I went with one of my guides and her friends to dinner in Ginza, followed by too much bourbon drinking at a tiny, basement country-western bar, where the bartender wore a cowboy shirt and an Alan Jackson CD played on the sound system ("Here in the Real World"...). I've been marveling at creations such as the "ice bagel" (a bagel with ice cream inside it) and figuring out how to work the remote-controlled toilets, not to mention navigate around this city with a confusing address system, so many different train lines, and maps where North is never put at the top. Usually I make at least one mistake every time I go somewhere, but I eventually correct my course and get to where I need to be.
And now I need to go meet another guide at the Hachiko statue and head to karaoke!
Will post more this weekend...

The skyscraper-escalator-shopping-dessert maze

Hong Kong is even bigger and more modern than I expected. The skyscrapers and high-rise apartment buildings extend as far as the eye can see, the metro (MTR) is extremely clean and efficient, and the people have excellent taste in fashion. The guys here actually put effort into the way they look, and they look hot. Even the construction workers sport Pumas and stylish eyeglasses. I can't compete with the beautiful women here (who never seem to sweat). Shopping is a popular pastime, and temptation looms every few feet. In the area where I'm staying (Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon) there are probably hundreds of stores with trendy clothes and shoes (as well as electronics) at reasonable prices on every block, and they stay open late. Unfortunately, almost nothing below the waistline fits me. The largest size for women's clothes is a US 10 (a narrow-hipped 10), and the largest size for women's shoes is US 9. At some of the cheaper places you can't even try the clothes on. It's frustrating. But at least I have delicious food to console me (and make me even fatter), especially desserts such as fresh mango in coconut juice with black sticky rice and - my old friend - bird's nest. Or you can get desserts with aloe jelly or harsmar jelly.
There's lots of fun stuff to try here. I am a little lonely though. Yesterday morning I had dim sum by myself. No one should *ever* go to dim sum by themself. It is depressing! Unlike in Vietnam, not many people here will talk to me. They aren't rude, they're just not outgoing. The only people who will really talk to me are the Indian/Pakistani guys on the street trying to sell me tailoring or "copywatch." (No, I do not want "copywatch.")
Anyway, I've done plenty in HK besides shopping. I took the Star Ferry over to Central, rode the Midlevels escalators (a series of escalators that extends about 10 blocks - downhill in the morning rush hour and uphill afterward), and took the tram up to the Peak, with spectactular views of the skyline. I also visited Lantau Island to see the Big (bronze) Buddha, explored the street markets in Mongkok (one of the most densely populated areas in the world), bargained for jade jewelry at the Jade Market, got a 2-hour foot massage (1 hour each foot), and went to the beach at Shek O (on Hong Kong Island), where I got a nice, uneven, splotchy sunburn. Perhaps I now need to invest in the many "whitening" skin products popular in Asia. I had planned to do some hiking, but it is just too hot and humid now, and I don't think it's wise to go off hiking by myself - I might get eaten by a dragon. Oh yeah, I went to the Wong Tai Sin temple, where I met with a fortune teller/Chinese astrologist. He politely informed me that in the future I am going to get divorced. That's great...
It is very safe and easy to get around here, although the maze of escalators, pedestrian subways, overpasses, alleyways, and layers of signs can be confusing. Don't count on using the 7-11 as a landmark, because there is seriously one on every block.
Sorry for the lack of photos to go with this post, but I am encountering technical difficulties again in that area... but no worries. Tomorrow I fly to Tokyo!!! Waku waku!

Children in "Chicken Village"

children in "Chicken Village"
Originally uploaded by djflowerz

I'm going back for them - Angelina Jolie style! Just kidding. But look at those curls! And eyes! They look scared but I think they were just shy. Other kids in the village were very happy, laughing and playing. I took this a few weeks ago on the bus ride from Ho Chi Minh City to Da Lat. I think the kids are from either the Kho or Cham ethnic minority group. I forgot to mention in my last post that also in Hanoi we visited the Ethnology Museum, which focuses on Vietnam's 54 minority groups and is one of the best museums I've ever visited. It is very well designed with highly engaging and educational exhibits, including clothing, tools, recreated houses, and videos of funerals and other rituals.

Hanoi, etc.

Hoa Kiem Lake, Hanoi
Originally uploaded by djflowerz

After brief visits to Ninh Binh, Cuc Phuong National Park, and a relaxing overnight boat trip on Halong Bay, the tour headed for our last destination: Hanoi. I enjoyed Hanoi much more than Saigon. I found it to be a more cosmopolitian and comfortable city with more relaxed people and refreshing green areas. The traffic was crazy though. As in all of Vietnam, you have to be confident and alert while crossing the street and walk with a steady pace; the motorbikes will weave around you.
On our first day in Hanoi I went to the massage place across the street from our hotel. The decor was very basic (this was no spa) and I had to pay up front (70,000 dong, or a little over $4, for 1 hour); for a second I was a little sketched out, but the receptionist spoke good English and was very friendly and I had faith that the experience would not scar me too much. I was brought into a little room that had only a padded table, towel, and pillow, and place to hang my clothes. There was also a shower/steam room attached. The masseuse who worked on me spoke no English. Before she started I pointed out the huge bruise on my hip that I acquired from slipping on the wet bathroom floor in Hue. (Oh yeah... I fell a few days before and got the biggest bruise of my life. It looked like Tanya Harding had attacked me.) As soon as she saw my bruise she went straight to work on it. First she rubbed in a menthol-type heating balm, then she got a bunch of fresh herbs (I wish I knew which herbs...), wrapped them in a towel, steamed it in the shower, and patted the compress on my bruise. She repeated this about 4 times and then rubbed in more menthol stuff. My bruise looked and felt much better afterward! Then she climbed up on the table and started digging into my back and shoulders with her fingers, elbows, the heel of her hard, her forearm... It's good that I like a lot of pressure here, because that's what I got. This was not a massage for the faint-hearted. She also wrapped one of her legs around my leg and pushed her free foot up and down the inside of my leg. It was a little weird but fun. I gave her a big tip, because I really appreciated the special treatment for my bruise.
Also in Hanoi our group saw a water puppets show and visited the Ho Chi Minh complex, which includes his waxy corpse in a glass case, his house, and a museum about his life. Ho Chi Minh, or "Uncle Ho," is worshipped like a saint here. The complex had the most security measures I had come across in Vietnam. Usually the Vietnamese seem pretty lax about everything, but not when it comes to Uncle Ho. We had to pass through a metal detector before viewing his tomb, and women were requested to cover their shoulders and knees.
When our tour ended I felt a little lost without the structure and companionship of the group, but luckily I met some local girls at the Temple of Literature to entertain me. The girls (age 22-23, named Chang, Lan, and Xuan), who were recent graduates with degrees in tourism, had gone to the Temple to pray for a good job and also to practice their English with foreigners. We had a nice conversation and they gave me their mobile number. I called them the next day. They picked me up on their motorbike and took me to West Lake for ice cream, then to their neighborhood beauty salon, as I wanted to get a manicure and pedicure. This was a neighborhood that tourists don't usually venture into. I was the first foreigner customer that the salon ever had and they were all super nice to me and happy that I was there. I got a mani/pedi complete with floral designs on my toes for $2. Two dollars!!! Then Xuan (pronounced Swan) took me to dinner at a popular restaurant (where I was also the only foreigner) and ordered for me a very tasty meal of mien, which was clear noodles with dried eel, onion, crushed peanuts, and basil. It was one of the best meals I had the whole time, and something I would have never ordered on my own. Xuan was really happy that I liked it. I had so much fun making new friends and riding around town on a motorbike!
All in all I am very happy with my time in Vietnam. Now I'm in Hong Kong and experiecing culture shock all over again!

Hue, ancient capitol

The weather in Hue (pronounced huh-way) was hella hot but I enjoyed the time there. The main tourist site is the impressive Citadel and Forbidden City, modeled after Beijing's Forbidden City. I loved the Chinese architecture and bright colors of this site. The entrance is also a great place to watch local people going by on bikes and motos. Another popular activity in Hue is to take a boat trip down the Perfume River to see royal tombs and pagodas. I saw my first group of monks here at Thien Mu Pagoda



and also some very lovely lotus flowers. (Are water lilies and lotus flowers the same thing?)



Hue has a really good local brew called Huda. I wonder if I can get it in the States?

Hoi An, city of shopping

One of the areas I visited in Vietnam that I enjoyed most was Hoi An. It's a small city known for its ancient quarter of narrow streets lined with tailoring shops and colorful Chinese-style lanterns. There is also a lovely beach nearby. Visiting Hoi An can do serious damage to your pockets. I had 2 Chinese-print silk tops and 1 dress made there, as well as a pair of sandals. Total price for everything: $29. Not expensive, but I spent more money here than I had in the other places we visited. The tops I had made are kind of cheapy, as they are not lined, but I'm happy with everything and wish I had some pants made as well.
Nearby Hoi An our group went to see the Hindu temple ruins at My Son, a UNESCO world heritage site that is considered to be the holy land of the Cham people, who worshiped Shiva.

Cham statue

The ruins were pretty cool and there were many pretty butterflies flitting around. I was surprised to learn that there were Hindus in Vietnam, but it is a very diverse country with a rich history. The Cham people still exist today as one of Vietnam's 54 ethnic minorities.

One of my best memories from Hoi An was making friends with a friendly waitress named Suong at the cafe near our hotel. Many young people in Vietnam are eager to learn English and enjoy practicing with foreigners. She saw me writing in my journal and shyly but curiously asked what I was writing. We talked for a while and she made me an origami heart from a 500-dong bill. We plan to keep in touch via e-mail.

The food, etc.

As I've traveled north I've been liking the food better, but it really varies as to where I go. I eat better at the more upmarket places and restaurants geared towards foreigners, because it's more what my stomach is used to, and I have been opting for many tofu dishes, but I did really enjoy the seafood pho pictured above at the Pho 2000 chain in Saigon. Most people eat beef or pork pho, and they eat it for breakfast at street stalls, sitting on plastic chairs or stools at low tables. I can't imagine eating it for breakfast. Most hotels include a Western-style breakfast of baguette, jam, fried egg, fruit, and tea or coffee. Above you can see some of the delicious fruits of Vietnam at a market. The little purple ones at the left are mangosteen. They look and taste like a segmented lychee inside. The bright pink ones are dragonfrut. The inside is white with black seeds. It's actually a bit bland tasting but a good fiber source I suppose. Other popular fruits here are jackfruit, durian, watermelon, pineapple, various types of lychees, bananas, and coconut. Also mangos, rose apples, and custard apples. Sadly, papayas are not in season here now. I have gone an amazingly long time without chocolate, and am eating less dairy than usual (and sweating a lot), so I am losing weight.

There are some strange canned beverages available here... One is "winter melon" tea, which tastes surprisingly like maple syrup candy, and the other is "Bird's Nest," supposedly a nutritional drink, consiting of clear liquid with white jelly bits. The ingredients listed are: water, sugar, white fungus, and bird's nest. Hmmmm. OK. I've tried to figure out what bird's nest is without googling it. I asked 2 people. The first started talking about water in a bird's beak and the other showed me a picture of white stuff on the wall of a cave. I think the white fungus and bird's nest are the same thing but I'm still confused.

I did have some excellent food in Hoi An, where there is more Chinese influence in the food (as well as the architecture). Also in Hoi An our group took a cooking class, where we learned to make pumpkin soup, green papaya salad, veggie spring rolls, morning glory with garlic (it's like spinach, very popular as side dish vegetable), and fish in banana leaf.

There are many locally brewed beers available in Vietnam, and Tiger beer from Thailand is plentiful as well as Heineken. The best local brew I've had so far was Huda, from the Hue area.

Vietnam update

Thank you everyone for your comments! Glad to hear that you enjoy reading the blog!! I am actually really behind in my entries... I didn't have Internet access for the last couple of days. I was on a train, then I was in the forest, then I was on a boat. Now I am in the capitol city - Hanoi. I will be here for a few days catching up on things before I move on to Hong Kong. There may be some delay posting new photos (these avocados are from a market in Da Lat) because, apparently, most Windows software is pirated here and the fake stuff won't read my camera's memory card.
Check back soon and take care!

Completing the circle

A cutie patootie at NNC

In Qui Nhon our group visited the Nguyen Nga Center, a charitable association for children with special needs, offering education and vocational training. It's not an orphanage, but many children live at the center full time or during the week. Some of the children's disablities are thought to be a result of the effects of Agent Orange. The Center was started by a Vietnamese woman, but she was not around when we visited. We were given a tour by David, an American Vietnam War Vet and retired school counselor, who had been volunteering at the Center for 4 months. The kids were so cute and happy to have us visit, and David was very interesting to talk to. He joined us for dinner that night and spoke openly about his personal journey that brought him back to the area where he served in 1968-1969. I didn't hear him speak about specific things that happened during what the called "the bad time," but I sensed that he had carried a lot of guilt about it. He said that for many years he could not think about Vietnam, but eventually he decided to return here and "give back" during his retirement. He said that his second trip to Vietnam has been much better than the first and he has been really touched by everyone's warmth and hospitality. He has felt no animosity. "The past is the past." He also seemed pleased with the changes in the country and joked that communism turned out not to be so evil after all. His work has been very rewarding and his visit an emotional and positive experience that has allowed him to "complete the circle." He suggested that a similar journey might be beneficial to other veterans.





Burned foundation of house at Son My, site of the My Lai village massacre (animal corpses added for emphasis)
The next morning we stopped at Son My, site of the My Lai village massacre of 1968, in which hundreds of unarmed Vietnamese civilians, mostly women and children, were killed by U.S. soldiers during the Vietnam War. This incident "prompted widespread outrage around the world and reduced American support at home for the war in Vietnam" (Wikipedia). I also remember learning about this incident in my social psychology class in college; it was presented as an example of group think, wherein someone might do something terrible when part of a group that they wouldn't do acting as an individual. A few years ago an American vet established a peace park on the site, which contains a memorial statue, information center, and remains of the former houses in the village. Despite the addition of fake dead animals and fake footprints (of civilians and soldier boots) in the sidewalks, it is hard to get a sense of what really happened there, maybe because it is so unfathomable and because the area (and all of Vietnam) is such a peaceful place today.

Beach time! Nha Trang

Style of boats in this costal area

I was happy to leave Dalat and head for the coastal areas, even though it meant a return to 100-degree heat. But our last few stops have all had the beach nearby and swimming pools at the hotel, and I've learned to get up early as the locals do and walk around before it gets sweltering (this would be the time frame of 5 - 8:30 AM) and find a shady cool place to chill out in the afternoon before heading out again around dusk.

In Nha Trang we had a boat trip that took us first to a "quaint" little fishing village where we walked around and admired the beautifully painted boats in the harbor. Then we sailed for about 20 mins and anchored near a small island, and we swam around the boats and feasted on a seafood lunch cooked by the boat crew. It was very quiet and private out there and the water was a gorgeous turquoise-green color. Pretty much paradise for me. After lunch we went to a beach on a different island that was a bit a dirty and not good for laying out - it was a pebble beach rather than sand - but I found some really nice seashells here. It's a beach that Vietnamese tourists and locals come too, so it's set up with shady areas to sit in but not much else. (The Vietnamese don't sunbathe.) There was parasailing, but that's not my thing. Throughout the day two girls joined our group to offer manicures and pedicures for the low low price of $2 each. So I paid only $4 for a mani/pedi on the boat.

Nha Trang was the first place on our trip where I started to see a number of other foreigners, and bars/lounges mainly for Westerners/ the backpacker crowd. I popped into one called Guava. It was nice but not too many people there. It's the "low season." The next night my guide took my roomate and I to a Vietnamese bar/disco, which was much more lively (and the girls' skirts surprisingly short) even on a Sunday night.

The 5:30 AM beach crowd

Our last day in Nha Trang I got up at an ungodly time because I heard that some people do tai chi on the beach then and it would be interesting to watch. Well, I went out at 5:30 and was amazed to see what seemed like the whole town doing their exercise - not just tai chi but jogging, stretching, badminton, swimming. Even teenagers were out and moving! And people were probably starting to go to work or do errands at that time because there were quite a few motorbikes on the roads. The sun was bright but still low on the horizon and the temperature and humidity was comfortable. These people are "no dummies."

Photos and other randomness

Deaf girls at Nguyen Nga Special Education Center in Qui Nhon

Rice paddy near Hoi An

deserted beach at Dai Lanh

I finally got some photos off my camera - I know the blog really needs them!! I will try to post a big batch to my Flickr photo stream soon. I'm in an Internet cafe now and it's closing. I hope that soon you will be able to look at my photos while sniffing some fish sauce and honking a horn incessantly and feel that you're right here with me. I mean that in the best possible way. The pictures don't do justice to the fantastic scenes I'm seeing here though. The colors are so vibrant and the people are really interesting and for the most part friendly. In some places they just want you to buy something ("Hello, Madam! You buy something!!" while shoving postcards, pineapple, and Mentos at you) but in the countryside and smaller towns they enjoy saying hello and practicing their English with you, no purchased required. Sometimes they stare but I don't mind it too much. My roomate and I drew an audience of teenage boys on the beach in Qui Nohn yesterday. Vietnamese women are too shy to wear bikinis - most swim in a t-shirt and shorts or capris. So a girl in a bikini (and a pale one at that) is a real treat. But - I found out 2 nights ago in Nha Trang, they do not dress modestly in discoteques. I went to one and was really surprised by the hoochie-mama-ness (sorry, no photos of this). They must change in the bathroom and put on their makeup when they get there, because they don't look like that while riding on their motorbike.

BTW, Is anyone having trouble getting the blog page to load? I am, but it seems I can still post.

Delta, Cu Chi, and Dalat

Sunrise on the Mekong Delta

The trip to Mekong Delta was nice. Out of all the places we've been so far, I would say that the people were the most friendly there. I enjoyed the scenery and peaceful atmosphere (except for the roar and exhaust of motorboats). We had a 20-minute sampan ride at one point (like a canoe), in which a woman wearing the famous conical hat rowed us down a canal, and we also got conical hats to wear. Cheesy but fun. I was a little disappointed with the overnight "homestay," though, because it didn't feel like a homestay. It was more like a camping lodge or private bed and breakfast, at a stilt house on the River, with Western-style bathrooms and hammocks for lounging. Our group was split between two big rooms with wooden cots and individual mosquito nets. We met the man of the family, who smiled a lot, but never the woman. I guess she was in the kitchen the whole time making our dinner and then washing up after. We didn't talk to the family about their life in the Delta at all. Maybe we should have been more assertive in initiating that conversation, but our group leader could have initiated it, too.
On the way back to Saigon we stopped at the Cu Chi Tunnels, a woodsy area where some Vietnamese hid from American soldiers during the war (BTW, called the "American War" here). We went through a portion of the tunnels that had been widened for Westerners, with some lights installed underground, and it was pretty freaky to be in there for just 5 minutes, let alone days or weeks on end. At the beginning of the tour we saw a film from 1967 in the Visitor Center about how the Vietnamese people of Cu Chi area geniusly designed the tunnels and set traps and other things to defeat the inferior Americans.
After another night in Saigon we head for the mountain town of Dalat. The weather was cooler there but in general there was not much to see, though the town is popular with the Vietnamese as a vacation destination. Actually, it reminded me of Niagra Falls without the Falls. The region is known for its strawberries, avocados, coffee, and artichoke tea. I had all of the above and they were delicious. I even had an avocado shake. I didn't like it as much as the mango or custard apple shake I tried a few days before. These fruit shakes are probably my downfall, as I have had some tummy upset...
In other news, in the past few days I've had my first encounters with a squat toilet. I don't mind it that much as long as there is a way to wash your hands afterwards, but there often isn't. Yeah...
Also, many women here like to wear matching sleeveless pajama sets as daytime outside clothes. Makes sense. They look cool and comfortable. But I'm still seeing people wearing lots of clothes even when it's sweltering. They don't seem to sweat much. And they prefer to dress modestly - usually knees and shoulders covered.

I'm rich?

The Internet connection here is slow and I'm unable to upload any of my pictures so far. But I wanted to post before we leave this morning for our overnight trip to Mekong Delta.
Sunday was an interesting day... I braved the Ben Thanh market for some shopping (you have to bargain) and a $2 lunch, then went to see the Reunification Palace, but it was closed for lunch time. There was no where nearby to kill time. I was approached by some motorbike drives offering to take me to a few other places then back to the museum later on. I was scared to ride the bike itself, but the driver promised to go slow. He took to very interesting pagodas and Chinese temples, where devotees were chanting and the air was thick with incense. After the museum he took me back to the hotel, where we had a slight disagreement on the price. I thought I had established a price of 50,000 dong ($3.30) for the whole afternoon, which was in line with what my guide book recommended, but he tried to tell me it was 50,000 dong for each leg of the trip and he wanted something like $20. I was pretty pissed and tried to stand my ground at $5, but he gave me the guilty treatment about how I was a rich foreigner and had so much money for hotel, so surely I can give him more money. See, the local people see all foreigners as the same (doesn't matter if you are American or Australian or from Singapore) and that we have loads upon loads of disposable income to spend. I ended up giving him $10, but he was very ungrateful with that. To me he seemed greedy. But, I dunno, maybe other foreigners do give him same amount for similar services. He did wait outside for me while I visiting each place on our route. And he drove safely. But his attitude or the misunderstanding kind of tainted the experience for me and I was a bit upset afterwards, but I'm over it now. I was also very sunburnt on my shoulders, and I understand now why many women cover themselves completely and wear face masks while riding the motorbikes. You want to protect yourself from the sun and pollution.
My group is a good mix of 11 people. My roomate, an Aussie girl, and I are the same age and we are the youngest. There are some other single women, a bit older, and 2 couples. Our guide is a Vietnamese guy about my age. I think he's been with the company for 3 years.
Yesterday we had a short tour of the city by cyclo including a visit to the sobering War Remnants Museum. I also had some delicious pho (pronounced almost like "fur"). I spent the afternoon napping, as it was pouring down rain. I had dinner with my roomate (more delicious food for less than $3) and on the walk back to hotel I was accosted to buy a t-shirt. Actually the sales girl was really sweet and entertaining and I enjoyed talking to her. And, she was an effective sales girl. I ended up with a $2 t-shirt I had not planned on buying. And again, I was told I was rich. Hmmm, I never knew this before. I guess it's all relative. Anyway, I needed the extra t-shirt. I am sweating buckets here during the day.
Most of the people in Ho Chi Minh City seem to be working class - there is not too much poverty from what I can tell (but what do I know?). And many people seem to be in their 20s or low 30s. It's a young city. I think the Mekong Delta will be a bit different.

First impressions

I'm still adjusting to Vietnam: the heat, the people staring at me (maybe they just think it's weird that I'm by myself), and the time change. I went to bed at 9 PM last night and woke up at 4 AM today. The mattress in my room is much firmer than I am used to, but I slept well. Luckily the TV has a wide variety of channels to entertain me, including programs in Vietnamese, English, Chinese, Chinese dubbed into Vietnamese, English dubbed into Vietnamese (e.g., an episode of "Charmed," The Dukes of Hazard movie, a Dirty Harry movie), and even a Mexican telenova dubbed and subtitled in Chinese, with Vietnamese dubbing on top of that.

My spa treatment yesterday at Spatropic was good. I thought I could walk the whole way there, but it was further than I thought, and the air is kind of polluted from all the motorbikes, so I took my first cyclo ride the last couple of blocks. There I had the "Pampering for Her" package, which included an herbal steam bath, flower body scrub, deep tissue massage, aromatherapy facial, and foot reflexology. Everything smelled great and they gave me glasses of yummy ice tea throughout. I think it was chrysanthemum tea. I couldn't stay in the steam bath for the full 15 minutes though. I thought I was going to pass out. I know it's good to sweat out the toxins, but it was like "surface of Venus" hot in there.

I had two nice meals yesterday, both at slightly upscale places, but still only paid $9 for each meal. For lunch I had barbequed eggplant with purple (wild) rice, and for dinner I had a lettuce roll (like a spring roll) and the house special soup: bits of chicken and shrimp with peas, carrots, green onion, and lotus root in a clear broth, served in a hollowed-out coconut. For beverages I've been sticking with (strong) ice coffee with milk, although I'm supposed to be avoiding ice. Oops.

The street scenes here are interesting. It looks like what I imagined or have seen in photos - there are a lot motorbikes, a few conical hats (but mostly people in modern dress), lots of tropical fresh fruits for sale, like dragonfruit and mangosteen, some people washing dishes on the sidewalk... There are a few beggars but for the most part everyone seems middle class or working class, at least in the areas I've seen so far.

Today I will walk around some more, try to take some pictures. This evening my Interpid tour starts. I'm looking forward to seeing who's in my group.

A quick note about leaving comments: I have to approve each comment before it shows up (to deter spammers). So if you leave a comment but then can't see it, this is why.

I'm in Asia!!

It's midnight on a Friday here in Ho Chi Minh City (hereafter referred to as Saigon, because it's easier to type), and it's very hot. I'm using one of the computers at my hotel (cost is 20,000 dong per hour, about $1.33). I had no problems with my flights or connection in Tokyo. I was able to sleep a little bit on the planes, and the flights didn't seem that long (11 hours + 3-hr layover + 6 hours). But I couldn't get my card to work in the ATM at the Saigon airport, and the airport transfer that I paid too much for and arranged ahead of time through my tour company did not show up. I looked around the area just outside the doors where everyone was gathered waiting for international arrivals, but none of the signs held up had my name on it. I waited for 20 or 30 minutes, feeling tired, hot, and self-concious as a hundred Vietnamese people stared at me and various taxis drivers tried to recruit me as their passenger. (They weren't too bothersome, actually; they were kind of soft-spoken about it). Maybe I should have waited longer, but I decided that my ride wasn't coming, and I chose to go with the taxi driver who spoke the best English and had the best teeth. I paid him in US dollars, which meant that I ended up paying too much, but it was still only $10 including tip - not unreasonable (this type of thing is affectionately referred to as the "tourist tax").
I'm kind of hungry but will have to wait to eat until breakfast tomorrow morning (included at my hotel). The hotel seems OK so far... I think the location is good, from what I saw on the ride here. I don't think it has sunk in yet that I'm in SE Asia! I'm tired... time to sleep!

The Countdown Starts

I leave for my big trip in only 12 days!! I'm still in the midst of moving and leaving DC, so it hasn't really sunk in yet that I will be in Asia for 2 months. But I have been planning this trip for a long time - reading guide books, doing lots of Internet research, even drafting up my packing list far in advance. Because I'm traveling alone, and also because I'm a very good vacation planner, I prefer to have each day pretty much mapped out. I've already booked almost all my accommodation, but I'm taking a somewhat leisurely pace and not rushing through each city, so I can still be flexible with how I spend each day. But I think it's best to be prepared. Also, I bought travel insurance, just in case.
I can't wait to actually start packing my bag!