Bon Voyage ~ Homeward Bound

 

Yesterday was fifty years since the last helicopters left Vietnam at the end of what they call the “American” war. We left two weeks ago. It’s a very different country now, alive with vigor, youth and high expectations. It’s still communist but with some capitalism built in. In Saigon it was very modern with shiny tall buildings competing with the low European elegant buildings.  

Frankly I didn’t care for Saigon much. Yes there were nice green trees and parks but the lack of culture and old crafts made it feel empty for me. I was disappointed that this was the final leg of our wonderful journey. I much preferred the wild electric chaos of exciting Hanoi. 

But truly what makes the trip memorable and touching is the kindness of strangers. All the locals who work so hard to make everything come together to provide a seamless and comfortable journey for us.  

Here are a few I will miss the most…

Phuong and his brother who provided us with a comfortable place to lounge at the beach and brought us delicious pho and crispy wanton with shrimp and mango.  And anything else we desired. 

Louise, who made Ron and I lovely Kimonos. She was always snacking on some sweet fresh tamarind fruit or fresh chewy ginger her mother made. 

Anh, the adorable manager of our Vina Beach Pool Villas, where we stayed for fifteen nights.  She and Minh brought us coffee and fat bananas every morning and made our stay there so comfortable.

Ms Han, the owner of our favorite breakfast cafe, Cozy Corner.  We went every morning for the best cappacchino, freshly baked bread and my favorite, the avocado toast with poached egg. 

We’ve traveled 108 days on this trip. As it turns out 108 is a most spiritual and mystical number. Galileo said that the universe is written “in mathematical language”. Numbers offered a secret language for awakening. Yogis found the number 108 to be such a key.  It is considered to be the most auspicious number of all with special meaning both in meditation and prayer. There are 108 beads on a Buddhist prayer mala and 108 refers to spiritual completion.

In yoga, Sun salutations are often completed in nine rounds of the twelve postures equaling 108. And, there are 108 stitches on a baseball!  We didn’t plan this. We figured it out after we had gotten our tickets with our miles plan. You get what you get. It was just luck. We felt blessed.  An auspicious beginning to our trip.  

We have now been to four countries. Slept in 21 beds. Flown on 13 flights and have taken three boats, countless taxis and several Grab cars. What a wonderful renewal. I doubted myself before we left. Was I getting too old, to weak, too unsteady. It had been four years since we last traveled and the Covid crisis had filled my head with new fears and anxiety.

Now, I am once again sure footed, mentally stronger, confident and grateful for the opportunity to go gallivanting around the world.  

Life is precious. Seize the moment.  Believe in yourself. As someone brilliant told me “Don’t stop traveling when you get old. You get old when you stop traveling”.

I would like to thank all the friends and family that went along with us on this trip, read the blog and sent notes and comments to me along the way. How I loved hearing from each of you.  

And I would like to especially sing my praises and heartfelt thanks to my dearest friend, and blogger extraordinaire, Robert Sommers. His blog, Blue Heron Blast, is my ideal. Without his help I could not have made Rice is Sacred look as nice.  I was unable to load my photos from my iPhone to my iPad to the blog site. Every photo you see has been artfully arranged on the blog by Robert. I am truly in his debt for his generous help. Take a look at his blog. It’s the best.  

So, with a sad but fulfilled heart, I bid adieu to these travels.  Until the next time…

Saigon

We flew into Saigon, or Ho Chi Minh City as it’s known today, after departing our sweet An Bang village. Last time we were here was January of 1998.  It was much more provincial then and slowly recovering from the 19 years of the trade embargo placed after the “American” war ended in 1975.

Now it’s a large sprawling modern city with high rises and towering buildings mixed with the old romantic architecture of the past. 

Unlike Hanoi, which has more motorcycles, this city has thousands of cars as well as millions of motorcycles. Traffic traffic traffic. 

Noise and pollution which would probably be worst if it wasn’t for the beautiful parks and huge trees. 

We are staying in a small hotel called The Silverland Yen. There are numerous young and earnest staffers. They really try hard to make your stay nice. 

I was delighted to find that our room has windows that open and from our sixth floor corner we have views of large green trees, the Korean embassy and across the street a beautiful music conservatory. 

Occasionally I can hear some of the kids practicing their clarinets and trumpets. It’s nicer in this section of town away from the chain hotels that tower above the skyline. Breakfast is very nice in a light bright room. In the afternoon they offer tea between 2 pm and 3:30. 

I am charmed by one of the young woman who realized I didn’t eat meat and offered to make me a vegetarian club sandwich. 

There are all kinds of small cakes and chewy dried fruits. It’s a nice refuge from the city streets. 

It’s exhausting walking here. Between having to pay constant attention to the endless traffic, motorcycles that drive on the sidewalks, the broken pavement, the people constantly beckoning you into their salons for massages, and sellers of fruit, flowers, and tchotchkes…it’s deafening and draining. 

We manage a few hours and then need to retreat back to our room. Not to mention it’s 93*. Evenings are much the same but cooler and maybe a little less street traffic. 

After two weeks at the beach in An Bang this is a real shock to the senses. Even Hanoi which was super congested and loud was small in comparison. 

As usual we’ve found some great places to escape the maelstrom. Iced coffee on upper balconies overlooking the street is fun. 

We stumbled upon a lovely Thai restaurant down a small alley and had dinner there. It was International Woman’s Day and the hostess gave me a small pouch filled with rose buds and tea as a gift. 

It’s very cosmopolitan and busy, but also very dirty with tons of garbage on the streets. A real yin/ yang… rich and poor, young and old, decayed and new. This city has it all.

Hoi An Ancient Town

Hoi An is a beautifully preserved 15th century trading port on the Thu Bon river along the central coastline, south of Danang.  

It’s a melting pot of architectural influences from wooden Chinese shop houses, colorful yellow and blue French villas and even the historic Japanese covered bridge. 

Its name means Peaceful Meeting Place. 

So many tourists are here it’s become a kind of Disneyland experience for me. 

The streets are picturesque and colorful, but crowded.

The buildings have survived wars, floods and cyclones.

There are famous photos of locals cruising the flooded streets in small wooden boats. 

The charm of the town is the moldy, moody colors of the buildings, the flowering plants and trees, and the river running through it with all the painted wooden boats. 

It’s also famous for the handmade silk lanterns hanging from every building. 

At night it’s magical. 

But so many tourists challenge the charm and we prefer to stay out in the village of An Bang for its peace and quiet (that’s often a misnomer). 

Ron and I enjoyed going into town 4 or 5 times, meeting up with our friends Luci and Mark who were staying there.

We wandered the winding streets, had clothing made, drank beer and ate banh mi sandwiches at the same little joint that Tony Bourdain ate at. 

The menu was long and we asked the waiter which sandwich Tony ate. He replied “#3”. 

I said what’s that and he said “ pork, pork, pork”. I had tofu and avocado. 

They were delicious, the bread the star as it was so fluffy on the inside and crunchy on the outside. 

The markets are colorful with abundant fruit, ceramic dishes, lanterns and tons of clothing. Restaurants offered river views, delicious food and rich coffee. 

I learned Vietnam is the second largest exporter of coffee in the world, after Brazil. Our favorite place is The Hill Station. The four of us stopped in for happy hour. Red wine and a lovely cheese board. Nice change after having Asian food for so many months.  

An Bang Beach

We have been staying the last two weeks in a very small village along the coast just a few miles from the town of Hoi An.  It is quaint and rustic. There is one narrow street running parallel to the ocean with many small lanes wide enough for motorcycles intersecting it. We stay at the Vina Beach Pool Villas. There are only six rooms and a small pool.  Staying here is like being in peoples living rooms. We can hear families shouting, kids crying, some very bad karaoke and other tourist. 

I can see across the lane into the local family's second floor altar room. They have colorful blinking Christmas lights encircling the shrine and the scent of incense perfumes the air. We prefer staying here to the intense tourist town of Hoi An.  People still say hello and smile at you and it feels sincere. Everyone recognizes me and knows my name. There is a small community of expats living here, interesting folk. Everyone rides a motorcycle. Green taxis gather at the main intersection to drive you to town for $4. There are a couple dozen local restaurants and a few bars. It’s enough. 

Ahn, our sweet manager, brings us a cup of Vietnamese coffee each morning. It’s strong and not very good but it gets us moving. Then we head over to Cozy Corner which is the best place for breakfast. The owner bakes her own dark rye and sour dough bread.  

She has a wonderful coffee machine and her cappacchino are delicious and hot. Ron orders the “American” breakfast which is huge. Omelet, crispy bacon, pancakes, and fresh fruit. I usually like the fruit bowl and homemade yogurt but occasionally I can not resist the fresh toast with lots of avocado, tomato, feta and a poached egg.  It’s always crowded. 

Then it’s off to the beach where Phuong sets up his chaise lounges with an umbrella and small table. You can stay there all day and just order food and drink from him. His wife runs their restaurant up the lane and is a good cook. He runs back and forth all day bringing food, beer, water, fresh coconuts, and cocktails to your chairs. 

The beach vendors are not pushy and most are woman in their conical hats. We like Moon, Lulu, and Louie the best. 

Each day we have to buy a little something from these sweet hardworking people. It’s not easy lugging their heavy wears around the beach. 

Mostly it’s just some beaded bracelets, bookmarks, lacquer boxes, playing cards and colorful magnets. These woman are clever and they all know exactly how much you’ve bought from the others. 

You’ve got to spread it around and keep them smiling! Today “Sunglass Charlie” came along with his smile and charming banter and I couldn’t resist buying a wild turquoise pair of fake Prada sunglasses. 

It can get pretty intense occasionally when the motorcycles honk right behind you to let you know they are there, the locals play their music extremely loud, the little girls scream and cry in a pitch that can break glass and the karaoke, oh the karaoke… it sometimes makes me crazy.  

Ha Long Bay

We spent a couple nights out on a section of Ha Long Bay called Lan Ha Bay.  It was overcast and rather dreary. But the light did enhance the rather mystical beauty of the hundreds of karst jutting out of the water.  We had fun with our friends Mark and Luci. The best part was kayaking and for just that one afternoon the sun obliged us. 

I enjoyed the industrious women who rowed their “mini marts” out to our boat after we dropped anchor. We’d bargain with them for beer and peanuts. They were fun to haggle with.