Phouc’s Story

Jane and I invite Phouc for coffee on our last full day in Hanoi and visit the same little back alley place with the miniature furniture.  It was a chance to just reflect on our trip and have a final chat with a man who has been of immense help to us in Vietnam. 

Phouc’s style has been quite different from Dino’s and perfect for this leg of the trip.  He is a gentle, happy man who credits his belief in Buddhism for his patient nature.   He is ever ready to help us when we need him but also quite happy for us to explore on our own on the optional days of this leg. 

Phouc started his career in guiding as a local guide in the Mekong Delta after completing a college degree in Tourism.  He has been with Intrepid for 4 years now, quite an achievement in this business and has reached “Super Leader”, status!   He was introduced to Intrepid when one of their managers happened to be on a tour he led as a local guide.  Another amazing story of coincidence and meeting the right person at the right time who was able to recognise your potential!  His specialises in the cycling tours but occasionally will lead a comfort or basic trip for a bit of variety. 

Phouc’s shares stories about family.  His home is in the Mekong Delta where he lives with his wife Yen, a teacher and his son Bi who he sees in between his trips through Vietnam and talks to everyday he is away!  Bi is 5 years old and he misses him greatly.  Phouc speaks a few languages, English, Vietnamese and Japanese and his wife speaks Korean and Japanese!  Phouc has taught himself these languages by listening to tapes and purchasing second had books with only a few months of basic instruction initially to get him started.  We are so impressed at the standard of English as well as the initiative of the Intrepid guides we have met. 

I get the feeling that Phouc is also an enterprising young man.  He shows us pictures of his house in the Mekong Delta and invites us to come visit, the next time we are in Vietnam.  It is the biggest house in his village and looks lovely inside.  He even has a guest room!  We promise to look him up if we are ever back in the area.  He shares some of his dreams for the future with us.  He would like to eventually be a “rice middle man” in the Mekong delta, which involves buying rice from the farmers there and on selling it to retail shops.  This would enable him to spend more time with his family and watch his son grow up.  He also intends to buy an investment property in Saigon and dreams of starting a free English school in the front room of his house for the kids in his village.  He understands the value of English for getting ahead in life and wants to give back to his community some of the benefits he has got by his interaction with western travellers.  He has appreciated the chance he got to be exposed to other cultures and wants to share that with the kids in the Mekong Delta.  We are touched by his dream.  Here is a man of average means and he dreams of starting a free school for the kids in his village.  That’s special. 

We thank him again for sharing himself and his culture with us and for looking after us in Vietnam and promise to join him for breakfast before we leave for Laos.  Goodbye Phouc, we wish you much success in your future endeavours!

A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.
-Lao Tzu

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Cruising Halong Bay

Jane looked at me in complete happiness and remarked, “this is what my heaven will look like”!  We were both completely surprised by how stunning this place was and although we were expecting a spectacular place it still took our breadth away.   If you saw the movie Avatar, and remember the mountains in the sky……that’s what it looks like…except the mountains are in the ocean or the Gulf of Tonkin to be precise!  

Halong Bay is world heritage listed and home to about 2000 limestones islands strung out quite densely in the Gulf of Tonkin.  They are covered in lush, thick, green vegetation but there isn’t a beach in sight.

  Some of the outcroppings are hollow and have enormous cave systems with stalagmites and stalactites inside.

Our next surprise was lunch.  A five course meal of baked crab, shrimp, squid, bok choi, and fish served with steamed rice and followed up with fresh juicy pineapple was laid out before us while we cruised slowly through this bay on our own private boat. 

 The boat was amazing.  It was massive and came with a number of private bedrooms each with its own ensuite in case you wished to spend a few nights here.  If I ever came back I would spend a few nights on a junk..how delightful would that be!

 Our first stop was Hang Dau Go, one of the larger caves on these islands.  My photos will paint a better picture than any words I use to describe their beauty.

 

They were lit in the most delightful colours..

 

and completely delighted us.

 We spent the night at Cat Ba island, one of the few that have inhabitants and would leave for Hanoi the next day.  It was another exhausting but amazing day in Vietnam.  We will always remember the beauty that was Halong Bay.

“We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open.” – Jawaharial Nehru

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Discovering Hanoi

We arrive in Hanoi at 4.30 in the morning after a 14 hour train journey.  We are tired and need to crash for a bit before we are ready to go explore another big city.  Hanoi is already awake and the usual sight of Vietnamese exercising greet us as we drive through the city. 

Hanoi is the capital of Vietnam and is currently making preparations to celebrate its 1000th birthday!  It is the oldest continuing capital in SE Asia.  The French colonialist occupied this city  back in 1883 and it became the main administrative centre for all of French Indo-China which includes Cambodia and Laos. 

We arrange to meet Phouc mid morning for a tour of the Old Quarter.  This is quite a historic part of the city and was once referred to as the “Venice of the Far East” by early explorers due to its constant flooding. 

The place is teeming with cars, motorcycles and people.  There is no side walk and we are constantly dodging cars and motors as we try to walk across this city.  Not an easy feat.  I learn the Old Quarter has one of the highest population densities in the world with a 100,000 people in 100 hectares!   I much prefer the smaller cities in Asia.

We have another authentic Vietnamese experience as Phouc leads us down a narrow alley way to a little hidden coffee shop.  We sit down at a miniature tables with chairs to match (miniature furniture is very popular in Vietnam and found on sidewalks and street corners) and look completely awkward.  Our frames were just not made to sit on this size furniture.   Phouc orders coffee with raw egg…and tries to persuade us to try it.  We are not quite ready to get this authentic.  We order iced coffees but then get brave enough to taste his dregs..mm…it’s actually quite yummy.  Maybe next time…  

We bump into Vinh quite by chance, on our way back for an afternoon rest.  He walks up to us on the streets of Hanoi and asks if we would like to take a cyclo tour to see the sights.  Our instincts tell us this young man is special and we arrange to meet him later in the afternoon at our hotel.  His initial quote was really reasonable and after being fleeced in Saigon, we are pleasantly surprised to meet a friendly cyclo driver in Hanoi.  He reminds me of my tuk tuk driver Ravi in Cambodia. 

He is waiting for us when we rush out a few minutes late for our date and suggests our first stop could be at the Hanoi Hilton!  This prison, so named by American POWs has information about both its American prisoners as well as the prisoners during French occupation.  The displays suggest the American POWs were treated quite well.  There are photos of them playing basket ball and carving turkey for Christmas but of course we realise this could also be a bit of propaganda.  

There are women selling roses every you look in Hanoi.  It is a good luck symbol and flowers are gifted on many occasions here. 

Our next stop is at the Temple of Literature and we feel the buzz in the air as we walk in.  This was the place of Vietnam’s first university but it was completely destroyed by
French bombs in 1947.  Today, it has been reconstructed and we had walked in on a  primary school graduation. We watched the kids dancing around in their caps and gowns, so proud of their achievements already.  I was surprised to find that graduation ceremonies for kids as young as this was happening in Vietnam too.  I didn’t get to graduate till I completed Uni!

It starts to rain and Vinh pulls the plastic covers all around us.  He is so attentive to our every need and doesn’t stop saying “thank you”.  He is so sweet and we are so thankful to have found him.

We start chatting to Vinh and learn a little about his family.  He looks like a kid to us both but he is actually 35 years old and a father of 3.  We are shocked.  He doesn’t see his family more than once every 3 months and today is the birthday of one of his kids.  He shares pictures of his family with us and shows us some of the correspondence he has received from other travellers.

The reality for many people who work in Asian big cities is that they hardly get to spend time with their families.  It is in stark contrast to life in the village where so much time is spent as a family at work and play. 

It is time to head back but we will be back in Hanoi after our overnight trip to Halong Bay tomorrow so we arrange to meet again.  We had negotiated for a 1 hour cyclo tour but we have spent more than 2 hours with Vinh.  He says give me what ever you feel like.  We tip him well, so happy our instincts were right about this man and absolutely amazed to find such a soul in the heart of a big city.

That evening we attend a water puppet show, another experience not to be missed in Vietnam and another first for me!  The puppet theatre was quite impressive and the show enjoyable.

The puppets move and dance about in the water and it is all good fun and very colourful.  The show is accompanied by an orchestra playing instruments we had never seen before.  It was too bad we couldn’t follow a word that was being said.   Tomorrow morning we leave for Halong Bay but we will be back for the weekend – our last few days in Vietnam before we join a new group for our Laos experience.

 “To my mind, the greatest reward and luxury of travel is to be able to experience everyday things as if for the first time, to be in a position in which almost nothing is so familiar it is taken for granted.” – Bill Bryson

Night Train to Hanoi

We didn’t expect to meet a man who had dined with Madonna, on the rather dodgy train ride to Hanoi, but Jane and I have a habit of running into the most interesting people on our travels.  We have regaled each other with our independent stories from past encounters and we like to believe that our particular energy helps attract such situations via the Universe.  Or as my less romantic friends will insist..it could just be called co-incidence…. :)

Devik Weiner is a lighting technician who has worked in numerous movies in Hollywood with people such as Madonna, Bruce Willis and Demi Moore!  He was travelling to Hanoi with his wife Renee and 3 Canadian girls they had met on their travels.

I run into the girls on the platform in Hue and started chatting to them about their travels and North America.  Two of them have just finished law school and have been joined by their friend, a pharmacist on a well deserved break before they start their legal careers in the corporate world.

They end up in our carriage for awhile and we continue our conversation.   Then in walks Devik.  He is one of those people you would describe as a little larger than life.  He likes to drink his vodka neat and seems to be always ready for a good time.  He steps into our rather crowded carriage and the noise level rises by a few decibels!  We are certainly in for a good night…

Devik shares a few stories from his life and distracts us from the cockroaches running around our compartment and the disgusting train.  Each train ride in Vietnam has got progressively worse and I am glad this is our last train ride. 

Devik continues his story.  Many years ago, as a young man in his twenties he had met Madonna on set.  His no nonsense manner and refusal to treat her as a star had actually ensured an interesting friendship!  She had once given him a present of a cheque so he could furnish his first house, bought in his twenties and they’ve actually gone out for sushi a few times!  Very cool.  

We hear more stories, of Bruce and Demi and many others but then he starts talking about his dad.  It was obvious to us that he was really proud of his dad when he remarked, “my dad was a freaking genius!”   

During a 50 year career as a photographer and photojournalist, his dad Leigh Wiener had photographed many American presidents from Truman to Reagan as well as many Hollywood legends.  Here are a few of the photographs he took of people such as Grace Kelly, JFK, Johnny Cash and Judy Garland.

 

He also photographed everyday people and events..

And of course took lots of photos of Devik, which are reproduced in a book called Here Comes Me, a photographic record of Devik growing from birth to the age of 3!

Check out these links for more details of the life of this extraordinary man.

 http://leighwiener.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leigh_Wiener

It was a fun night…and we were given quite an insight into the life of a man who has been quite privileged to meet some of Hollywood’s finest. 

We talked for ages but then it was time to turn off the night and say goodnight.  We hoped we would meet again…..

 “Perhaps travel cannot prevent bigotry, but by demonstrating that all peoples cry, laugh, eat, worry, and die, it can introduce the idea that if we try and understand each other, we may even become friends.” – Maya Angelou

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The Hot Pot Experience

There is no better way to really get under the skin of a country than to hang out with the locals.  On our last night in Hue, Jane and I stepped out for dinner unsure as to where would be a good place to eat. 

It was a big city and we were in unfamiliar territory.  So we were quite fortunate when we ran into Phouc quite by chance.  He decided to join us even though he had just eaten and suggested we visit a dining hall where the locals hang out for hotpot.  Always out for for the authentic experiences we both agreed that would be great. 

It was similar to the soup place Dino had taken us to in Cambodia, where we had eaten soup with the locals on the street.  This time it was a long hall full of Vietnamese families enjoying the hotpot experience.  The noisy din of happy, hungry families greet us on stepping in.  I could tell from the buzz in the air the food would be great and also authentic.  A few stares follow us as we made our way to a free table. We are the only non Vietnamese here and it felt quite a privilege to have this experience! 

They brought the menu over but of course it was all in Vietnamese so we were grateful for Phouc’s help.  The Vietnamese love their soups and we have had many varieties on this theme. The hotpot experience though is special.  The soup is brought to table on a little stove with side dishes which range from morning glory to bok choi.  These vegies are thrown in the pot and you take it in turns to cook your own soup at table.  Once it is all comes to a boil, you help yourself to this delicious broth.  It is a cheap healthy meal here and one that families often enjoy together.  We brought Phouc a beer and raised our glasses to another local experience and great Vietnamese night out!  

“What you’ve done becomes the judge of what you’re going to do – especially in other people’s minds. When you’re travelling, you are what you are right there and then. People don’t have your past to hold against you. No yesterdays on the road.” - William Least Heat Moon

Hit the Road, Phouc!

My motor cycle diary in Vietnam begins with me signing my life away to say I won’t hold my tour company Intrepid responsible in the event something goes wrong with our optional day tour!  In the risk averse world we now live in this is normal practice now!  Jane, the 2 Sarah’s and I have all decided this is the best way to see Hue!  Hue was the capital of the Nguyen dynasty during the 19th century and buildings such as the Imperial Citadel (our first stop) today remind us of the rich history of this ancient city. 

We’ve engaged the services of the ‘Easy Riders’ for the day who will introduce Hue to us from the back of a bike.  The guys are a blast!  They are quite conversant in English especially my guy (also called Phouc) who doubles up as our local guide. 

They are really attentive, helping us with our helmets and giving tit bits of information as we whiz through the city feeling the wind rushing by.

There is no better way to see Vietnam than from the back of a bike.  The motorbike is such a part of the culture here that both men and women grow up learning to ride at a very early age.  If I ended up spending any length of time in South East Asia, I would certainly get my licence.  The only difference between Cambodia and Vietnam is that most people wear helmets here and I haven’t seen entire families using the bike as transport in Vietnam.  Perhaps traffic rules are a bit tighter here? 

It isn’t long before we are out in the country and  biking through green paddy fields.  I try and balance on my bike while rummaging for my camera so I can record it all.  It is so much fun seeing the world from a bike and I wonder if Ewan McGregor would let me come along for the ride on his next motor cycle journey:)!  A girl can dream…..?

Women are working in the fields transplanting the rice paddy.  We stop at a bridge to take it all in and chat to the an old lady who professes to be a palm reader!  We decide to humour her and have a bit of fun as she foretells what’s in store for our respective futures.  No, not divulging any secrets here (smile)…but she sees a younger white man in my near future…mm...:)!  “Not same, same”, she goes..and I burst out laughing! (Can she see the past too?).  I must have ‘rebel’ written all over my palm..or is it my face she was reading?    

Our next stop is at a little place in the country where they make incense sticks from bamboo and the conical hats Vietnam is famous for. The hats are made with 2 layers of raffia on a bamboo frame.  Various paper patterns are sandwiched in between the raffia so when the hats are held up to the sunlight the patterns come to life adding to the mystery of this hat. 

The different coloured incense sticks stacked in front of the store are meant to attract the tourists, but the colour also indicates the smell of the incense as it burns.  Incense is big business here as it is burnt everyday in Vietnam to remember ancestors who have passed on and as an offering to the gods. We stop for lunch at a temple where the resident nuns have prepared a fabulous vegetarian lunch for us.  We make a donation to help them with the orphans they are bringing up.  We learn that when parents separate here and start new lives with new partners the kids are often abandoned.  Temples such as this provide a sanctuary for these children enabling them to have an education and a future.

Our next stop is at the mausoleum of one of the Emperors.  It is an expansive place with lotus ponds, a theatre and a room with lots of beds. (These emperors had hundreds of concubines..so just let your mind wander here).  Jane has fun raiding the costume rack …and I just watch..not being into dress ups much :)! 

The King had this place built while he was still alive and came here for a bit of rest and relaxation!   No one knows the exact location of his grave as it was dug by prisoners condemned to die!  They buried a lot of gold together with their emperors..hence the secrecy! 

We  bike through a beautiful cemetery in the hills to visit an arena where contests were once held between an elephant and tiger!  I was really surprised to learn about this.  They were staged solely for the benefit of the King, his concubines and the local people.  The elephant represented strength and power and the tiger represented the rebels and perpetrators against the Kingdom...so guess what…the contests were rigged so the elephant always won!  Thankfully this practice stopped a long time ago.

This was our last stop.  We were exhausted and exhilarated.  It had been a truly wonderful experience and another great day.  

“The greatest risk of all, is a life of riskless living.”

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The Journey to Hue

We journey by mini bus to Hue on a road that reminds me of my travels through the Amalfi Coast.  Steep mountains and stunning coast greet us around every hair pin bend.  I had no idea Vietnam was this spectacular.  I just wanted to share with you a few pictures from this journey.

We are here for 3 days, so I take a day off from everything to finish writing…and enjoy the stunning sun set from my room….

 

“The traveller was active; he went strenuously in search of people, of adventure, of experience. The tourist is passive; he expects interesting things to happen to him. He goes sight-seeing.” – Daniel J. Boorstin