Journey through the slipstream
Saturday, March 24, 2018
Hoi An ~ An Bang Beach
Left the chaos and hyper motorcycle traffic of Hanoi and flew to Danang. There we got picked up and drove about thirty minutes to the small seaside village of An Bang. The driver did a U-turn and stopped alongside the road and said, “you get out here”. We were like “here?” There was nothing but a few scrubby brushes, a tree and a narrow lane. He got out and helped wheel our bags down the lane to our small guesthouse, Vina Beach Pool Villas. We were happily surprised and delighted to find we had actually reserved a week at this very nicely designed, six room guesthouse. You never know! Most trip advisor reviews have a taint of unrealism, and the photos are enhanced to make everything look larger and better. You kind of fall in love with the sweet, and earnest hardworking staff, and they all plead with you to write a good review. And they read it, usually before you leave, so you can’t possibly write anything but glowing reviews. Their jobs depend on it. The chance to stay in this very quiet and mellow village near the sea was just what we needed to relax and recover from the city. One main narrow street is lined with family restaurants and little “mini marts” usually in families front rooms. You walk along and they beckon in for food or “buy water.” The hardest to pass up are the cute kids sitting beneath a light doing their homework, their parents position them there to lure you in for dinner. Off the road are sandy lanes that lead to the beach. There you can rent a couple chaise and an umbrella for the day, about $3. It’s really a restaurant, with the kitchen back off the beach. So they bring you beer, food, anything you desire. One tourist had a shaker of martinis! We laze around while the workers run back and forth, sweeping sand from your chaise with feather dusters, keeping you hydrated, and happy. Not a bad way to spend the day at the beach. Venders in their conical hats come along selling trinkets, but aren’t pushy. The newspaper sellers really broke my heart as they were crippled and still managed to work their crutches in the sand, toting their papers in a shoulder bag, swinging their shrunken legs over the hot sand. How could I not buy a newspaper? Others had their sad tales... but really they all worked so hard for so little, and they seemed so grateful when you bought just a little something. We had reserved a week at the beach and the last two nights in the historic old town of Hoi An. This was an old port town with Japanese, French, Portuguese influences in both culture and design. Twenty years ago we came here and there was very little infrastructure for tourist and the town was picturesque and quaint. This time we were horrified to find it was overrun with tourists, most of the old charming buildings turned into restaurants or shops. Too many people crammed into the narrow bricked streets jockeying for room to walk. Like Disneyland, Asian style. We hated it. So we cancelled our reservation at the boutique hotel we had planned to treat ourselves to in town, and stayed in our little village, about ten minute taxi ride away. Later we realized we could go into Hoi An early in the day and avoid the throngs of tourists out in the evening for sunset and dinner. We stuck to the outer streets, found a few winding alleys with old picturesque houses, and had a better time. Wound up having some silk robes made, choosing beautiful Vietnamese silk from an array of colors, haggling with the grandmother who spoke little English but could bargain me under the table with her sly smile and knowing eyes. We found a wonderfully quiet cafe in a faded old yellow stucco house. Sat in low wooden chairs and enjoyed happy hour, looking out the window at the passing people. The young, beautiful girls happily serving our white wine and french cheese tray, probably making less than we spent. This was such a treat after months of no cheese, and not much wine. We definitely felt better after that repast. Then it was back to the sanctuary of our small, quiet ( that’s realitive!) villa, nearby the sea. Vietnam is a beautiful country, green and lush. Rice fields are bright green now with young shoots, tropical flowers and trees are abundant. There are lovely ordered vegetable gardens carefully maintained by all the old people, bent over their rows with wooden tools, in their inevitable cone shaped hats. Most everyone are friendly and welcoming. We rode our bicycles through the rice fields tonight, row after green paddy. A farmer and his toothless wife were bringing their cows back, smiling at us and waving. White herons were languishing in the ponds on skinny legs, and the frogs were starting to croak in their muddy hideouts. Life was soft and gentle, sunset coloring the sky. It has been a pleasure being here, experiencing a small taste of the village life.
Monday, March 19, 2018
Thursday, March 15, 2018
Halong Bay ~ Vietnam
Our three day/two night boat trip on the “Dragon’s Pearl” to Halong Bay started early when a van arrived at our hotel at 7:00 am to pick us up for the four hour drive to the harbor. Along the way we saw the urban sprawl spreading out from Hanoi, with many new apartment complexes and homes, businesses and commercial buildings. Everything looked very clean and neat, especially compared to the poorer roads and trash in Cambodia. We drove through large areas of farming, mostly rice paddies, and ordered gardens. Beautiful scenery. About halfway we detoured off the main roadway, meandered down a small narrow winding lane through a lovely village and their farmland. We were going to a water puppet show and lunch in the village of Yen Duc. Hanoi is famous for it’s water puppet show which we’ve seen in the past. But this petite provincial production moved my heart as it was performed in a natural setting. Lotus pond and a wooden stage provided the backdrop for the puppets that arise from the water while the puppeteers are behind a screen standing up to their waist in the water. Little ducks, swans, dragons, and people puppets are telling the stories, as songs are sung and live music accompany the show. Really very charming. Lunch was fantastic, perhaps the best food of the trip. The waitress explained that it was all farm to table from their gardens. The rice alone was exceptional, tasting unique and texturally different. The gardens were inviting and it was a nice break in the journey out to the harbor. There we were organized into groups and our “tender” transported our group of 16 to the awaiting boat. She was a wooden junk style boat with two large mast and brown sails. We climbed aboard and sat in the small snug dining room for the inevitable lecture. Then received our room assignments. Our cabin was about the size of a large walk in closet, wood lined and ship shape. Bathroom included a glassed in shower in which you could only turn in a tight circle. We stowed our one duffle bag, found a few places to put our books and ipad as the ship set course for the beautiful dramatic waters of Halong Bay. Limestone karst, hundreds of them, jut out from the surface of the water, layering the horizon in multiple cusps covered in greenery. We sadly only had grey skies and some drizzle the entire trip, although that seemed to create a romantic misty layering of shadows on the karst. Actually the sun did break through for exactly 120 seconds, time enough for me to get two photos of the rays on the water... it was a well organized trip, guide and crew very well trained and taking care of us in every way. Excellent chef. We were a small boat so we could travel further into the Bay and away from the other slew of boats. Our small group consisted of mostly British, one German, three aussies, and us yanks. One couple were Russian but lived in US for many years. It was a nice group. I found just sitting on deck watching the beauty of the water and clouds and karst lulled me into a kind of hypnotic trance. So relaxing. I was originally worried about getting seaside, but this boat was smooth, the water calm as there was very little to no wind. A gift for me. We kayaked three times over the two days. Enjoyed a Bar-BQ on a small white crescent of beach we kayaked to in the rain. The crew had set up two white table clothed tables and director chairs in the sand with two large umbrellas. But by the time we all arrived it had begun to rain in earnest. They asked if we wanted to move the tables to the cliff side for a bit more protection, but we all said “no” it’s beautiful here in the sand by the waters edge. Ron and I gamely gave our more protected seats beneath the umbrella to an older couple and we took the edge where we got the wettest. We had kayaked in so it really didn’t matter as we were kinda damp anyway, and we were feeling young and strong. The water was an amazing changing chorus of blues to turquoise. It was exciting to get right up to the cliff faces and actually paddle through caves, or arches, in the rock. Three days went by very quickly. Everyone bonded, enjoy dinner conversation in smaller groups while they served seven course meals. Sitting on the upper deck beneath the few stars that appeared through the clouds and the mist brought a peace and serenity to my whole being. Then it was over, we motored back to the harbor after breakfast our last morning. Everyone exchanged email addresses, took photos, and once we were tendered back to shore, everyone seemed to run halter skelter to the awaiting vans for the journey back to Hanoi. It was less exciting riding back. Less comfortable, and no charming farm to visit. The party was over...but the memories remain sweet.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)