Sapa

When my dear friend Heidi gave me her "must-sees" of Southeast Asia Sapa topped the list. I now know why. It is gorgeous - the scenery as well as the people.

The short trip to Vietnam's mountainous northwestern corner wasn't long enough, but with my visa running out, errands to run in Hanoi and a booked non-refundable train ticket, there wasn't much to be done.

Sapa is home to most of Vietnam's minority people. They lead a rather simple existance of growing rice, "silver" smithing and making intricately embroidered hemp clothing and blankets. With the introduction of tourism they also have added pillow shams, baby dolls and decorative wall hangings to their textile repitoire. A trip to Sapa consists mainly of treking (aka hiking) around the hillsides visiting their villages with your very own personal entourage of H'mong women hoping to get a sale at the end of the day (without being overly pushy, of course).

Most conversations consist of "What is your name?" "Where are you from?" "How old are you?" When asked reciprocally, one is bound to get answers such as "Sang" "My village" and a number that looks 2/3 of what you would guess (eg. the woman who was 54 looked 84 and the 28 year-old looked 42). Conversation rarely goes beyond this simple level of linguistic knowledge (although I quickly picked up how to say "No thank you" or "Guchi Yo" to ward of some of the more aggressive sellers).

One notable exception to the language rule was a woman of 30 with a magical demenor who accompanied our group of 6 trekers. She could answer basic questions, held my hand over slippery rocks, clug to me in fear as we crossed suspension bridges and had the most memorable and enchanting smile. Of course, by the end of the two days I couldn't help but buy a blanket as well as a "silver" bracelet that was made by her father. After the sale I asked more about her family and her father to which she told me that he was "very tired."

"Old?" I asked.

"No, tired," she replied cupping her hands together as a pillow and then widely opening her eyes as she motioned like she was slitting her throat.

"Oh...dead 'tired'"...charades saved the day once again.

Goodbye Aeron (for now)!

Aeron and I have traveled together from Phenom Penh, Cambodia through Vietnam (totally just over 4 weeks). She has been a fantastic travel buddy and friend. I'll miss her as our paths diverge in Laos (she's heading through to Northern Thailand as I head south for the 4,000 islands).

Photo: Aeron and me splurging on drinks at the Nha Trang Sailing Club.

About Aeron
Hometown: London, England
Occupation: Speech Therapist
Travel Plan: 3 months in South East Asia, 3 months in Australia/New Zealand
How We Met: Sat next to her on a boat from Siem Reap to Phenom Penh
Favorite Memory: Sharing rooms and restaurants with rats, cockroaches, mice and squealing about it all

Bia Hoi Cool - 2000 VND

Every street in Hanoi's Old Quarter is named after what is sold there (or at least used to be): shoe street, blacksmith street, herb street, towel street, jewelry street...you get the picture. The buildings are narrow as the amount of taxes paid used to correlate with the width of the shop front.

At the crossing of Paper Street and CD/DVD Street (well, that's what they sell now) there is a corner filled with Bia Hoi stalls - theme that bleeds onto the neighboring streets and brings people together. What's Bia Hoi you ask?...

Literally translated Bia Hoi means "Fresh Beer." It's recently brewed light beer served "cool" out of kegs on the street. You can sit for hours (or as long as you can stand the kindergarden-sized plastic chairs and can hold your liquid) and drink your fill for only 2000 Dong a glass (16000 VND to the $1). It is more about socializing than about hard core drinking, as Bia Hoi is notably weak. An evening at Bia Hoi, however, is a pure joy providing an opportunity to kick back with friends (new and newer) and watch the motorbikes, booksellers, tourists and world go by.

Pictured are Will, Geoff and me after returning from 2 days of sailing around Halong Bay. Photo by Aeron.

No English Menu? ...No Problem

Some of the best meals I had with Dave in China were at places sans English menu. It was in this way we happened upon steamed clams, delicious dumplings, delicately flavored cabbage and bean sprouts, etc. When Aeron and I walked into a packed local dive in Danang we didn't think twice until...

They ushered us through the throngs of Vietnamese men out for a Friday evening without their wives, set us up at a table in the back courtyard and handed us the menu. Focused on deciphering the Vietnamese beverage list and choosing an appropriately priced mystery dish, we failed to notice the contents of the cages that surrounded us. Luckily our hosts were more attentive to our possible western aversion and instead of just cooking up the dish we selected, they walked over and pulled out the creature of "our choice" from his cage - a dragon-like lizard measuring about eight inches in length. With a giggle and a thankful smile we declined.Instead of repeating this charade with every menu item until we arrived at the least offensive, I set off on a trip down "death row." Cages filled with all sorts of strange looking animals lined a small alley at the back of the eatery. Many were animals I could not begin to name beyond "fowl" or "reptile." After carefully inspecting every cage I settled on the only one I knew by name: chicken. A pointed finger later and a flailing and squawking chicken was being waved in my face for approval. "Yes, yes" I said knowing that I had just sentenced this creature to death. Fifteen minutes later she would be on my plate (head and all)...and delicious!After digging in to our freshly killed feast, I visited the bathroom to wash my hands. While the feathered and scaled creatures that had watched as we devoured their recently deceased friend provided an element of twisted entertainment, I was horrified to find the bathroom had a large cage containing a gorgeous spotted cat. I immediately asked our only English-speaking friend at the restaurant if the cat was for eating. "Cat? Not cat, puma...no, not for eating." Phew!
Upon further questioning I discovered that while the angelic puma was not being held for his flesh, he would meet the same fate as our chicken. The bones of the puma would be taken and soaked in the traditional Vietnamese rice wine (most closely likened to vodka or rubbing alcohol). When consumed, this concoction would "make the man strong" - a Vietnamese euphemism for sexual virility. Good thing we could read the beverage menu and played it safe with a 333 (or "ba ba ba") beer.

Along with the tasty treats I discovered in China, this culinary adventure is yet another reason I will keep exploring restaurants that don't offer and English menu. However, next time I think I'll look around a bit more before boldly and blindly selecting my meal.

Asian Eggplant in a Clay Pot

Another country, another cooking course. I did a half-day Vietnamese cooking class at the Red Door Cooking School and it was fantastic! We learned how to make squid salad in a pineapple bowl, fresh spring rolls (including the rice paper), Hoi An pancakes, Asian eggplant in a clay pot and vegetable carving. It was incredible food! The easiest for me to relay and for you to make at home is the Asian eggplant:

Ingredients
1 medium sized clay pot (or thick metal pot)
2 Asian eggplants (long and thin) cut into 1cm thick rounds
1 root of lemongrass crushed
1 t salt
2 cups of water

[Sauce Mixture]
1.5 T tomato puree
1 t sugar
1/2 t salt
2 cups water

Directions
Add 2 cups of water to the pot, add the crushed lemongrass (ginger can be substituted) and 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil. Add the eggplant and continue boiling for 3 minutes. Drain all water from the pot, then add the sauce mixture and simmer for approximately 10 minutes.

Serve with rice or noodles.

Yummy! (not "yum" as that means "I'm horny" in Vietnamese)

Tailor Made

I was so proud of myself downsizing from a 10x3 walk-in closet to a 50 litre backpack (and not even full)...and then there was Hoi An. After nearly two months of wearing one of 3 t-shirts and 3 bottoms of varied lengths, I could not resist the whirlwind of fabrics and styles available on every corner (and up and down every street) in Hoi An. Shops are filled with magazines, catalogs, satin, silk, cotton, you name it. You can get tailor made clothing turned around in as little as an afternoon. This incredible speed and the beautiful personalities of the family run "Sarah's Boutique" has made the 5 days in Hoi An into a test of willpower. I got about a C+ getting 4 dresses, a pair of long shorts and a top spending just over $100. I did manage to stay out of the custom made shoe stores and will be dressed to the nines (by traveler standards) for the next few months.

It's Raining, It's Pouring

According to Vietnam's climate chart the "wet season" ended 3 days ago. However, mother nature is never that precise.

It's not so terrible. I managed to work in a good 5 days or so of sunning on beaches and boats before the lasting storm and the overcast wind and rain isn't impeding my time in Hoi An (a very cute river town) other than making the river walk [pictured here] inaccessible. Knock on wood, I haven't yet experienced a repeat of an instance in Nha Trang when an evening downpour resulted in a flooded road that, by the smell of things, had a not-so-healthy mixture of rainwater and raw sewage. The fare for the cab that picked me up at the curb was well worth avoiding wading through the water that itched when it splashed up onto one's skin. Ewwww!

Trick Question: What is Cambodia's Currency?

Technically the reil, but for all intents and purposes, the US dollar. The reil is used, but more as a substitute for nickles, quarters and dimes at 4,011 reil to the dollar. ATMs give you USD.