82 km

I didn't make the last 10 km. I have welts in places no person should ever have welts. The 82km was done on mostly uneven surfaces and no amount of padding was going to save us from that.. It was tough, it was hot and it was incredibly beautiful. The Khmer people are amazing. So friendly. We were invited in for tea when we stopped while our guide asked for directions.  Not unlike the guy the day before who offered to climb up a tree to get us fresh coconut water.  Anyway, I'm exhausted and sore so here are a few pics from the day.  Tomorrow is our last long day - another 90km. 

School girl

Khmer Temple

Break out the IBU

Holy hell my butt hurts.  I can not even begin to tell you how bumpy some of that 52 km was.  But unbelievably worth it.  Quite possibly the best trip ever - although jury is still out based on how I feel tomorrow. First off, we have a fantastic guide. Phat is incredibly open and knowledgeable. Just the car ride to the start off the bike tour was worth the  price of admission. We talked about politics, business, allies and history.  It is so amazing to have access to someone like him AND he has a sense of humour.  He claims our bike helmets are to protect us from falling coconuts. He might have a good point about that. This is going to be a great trip. Thankfully I have two bottles of ibuprofen.  I will spare you details but I think tomorrow's ride is going to be a test of my ability to connect with my inner zen and peddle through the pain. Details available upon request.



Now about the day:
Most of the time we rode through these little village roads that were no wider than a side walk. Fine when it was just us but motorbikes loaded with sacks of rice took some balance and concentration to pass. Then add a random person, dog, chicken or coconut shell and you have a whole new biking experience. We spent a little bit of time in crazy traffic but for the most part we were on little village paths. In the busy traffic people get out of our way because we are unpredictable.

We biked through coconut groves, villages, busy towns and finally into Tra Vinh, a little town known for their friendly Khmer people.  And boy are they friendly.  All along the path today we were greeted with hello's from all ages.

Tomorrow, Phat tells us we are about to experience the most beautiful part of the trip.  I can only hope I can do it all. Time for bed (8:30 pm). I'm exhausted.

Bridge over muddy water - you do not want to lose focus. You also don't want to meet someone half way

One of three ferries

Coconut husking operation

 The houses ranged from this

to this.  Beautiful tile floors, all pastels. 

G'night. I'm hoping for a healing sleep aided perhaps a couple more IBUs (with a beer chaser). Ouch.

Day of Extremes

We signed up for a tour yesterday to the Cu Chi tunnels and the Cao Dai Temple about 100 km north west of Saigon. Talk about two extremely different places to visit.  The Cu Chi tunnels were created by the Cu Chi villiagers and fighters during the Vietnam War (or American War as they call it) .  The Cu Chi tunnels are considered a symbol of revolutionary heroism as the people fought against American forces.  This was a little history surprise because I thought South Vietnam and the American troupes fought together but it seems this part of the region was not in that category.  The tunnels were started in 1948 when the Vietminh were fighting with the French but were added to in the 60's with the Vietcong to create over 200 km of tunnels that contained homes, hospitals, and "roads"throughout the region.  The fighters would pop up and shoot at the Americans, then close the trap and move on. If the bombs hit, they travelled to the lower levels, sometimes 8 meters underground.  The tunnels we crawled through were doubled in size to fit tourists bodies.  It was the worst 40m crab walk I've ever done.  I started to get a little panicky (despite the smile on my face in the picture).  It was hot and small and very tiring to walk. 

hiddens traps with bamboo spikes

Tunnel entrance

left over bombs

panic setting in - must get out

airholes

We then travelled from the grusome reality of the Vietnam war to the surreal peace of the Cao Dai temple.  This is the craziest place temple and religion I've ever seen.  Crazy in a good way though. I was probably one of the most peaceful, ethereal settings with the blue sky starry ceiling and pink dragon columns.  Not to mention the giant all seeing eye at the end of the temple.  You'll have to look up the details of the religion - it will make you laugh. Victor Hugo is one of their Divine Agents.  We were there for a service so add incense, chanting and a sitar like guitar and it was all a very out of body experience.

I can explain more later but now I have to run - or more appropriately, bike.  We start the tour today - 52 km (he added 7 km to it).  It is about 30C right now and it is 8 am.  I'm not sure if I will have internet accesss since it seems we are headed for the sticks. The adventure starts today...

Some Cultural Nuances

No travel blog of mine would ever be complete without a little overview of some tidbits of notable behaviours. These are just random observations of things that I find different, annoying, funny and so on.  So here's a few notables so far:

• Toilets - Thankfully North American style (so far).  In China, not so much, but here it has been pleasantly clean and squat free. For those of you who followed along the last time, you may remember some stories I had about the toilets.
• Food has been fantastic and for the most part, recognizable.  I have yet to find something that I truly can't identify so ordering food has been relatively challenge free.  And delicious. Honestly I've had some of the best soup (Pho) and noodles (Bun) ever.  
• Speaking of food - group dining.  It takes a special bit of patience for me to eat in a group here. It drives me CRAZY when people chew with their mouth open. Can't help it, it is just my thing.  Years of being told to chew with my mouth closed must be well ingrained. Anyway, there's lots of that going on here.
• Walking, and better yet, crossing the street, is a constant adventure.  The basic protocol is to wait for a decrease (because there are very few lights and even fewer breaks in traffic) and then slowly launch yourself into the street regardless of the moving traffic. Steady pace, no running (as I learned in Da Nang).  I have added staring down the drivers with a very evil eye to my crossing procedure just for good measure.  You rarely see many locals walking around. Everyone has a motorbike. Which is why crossing the street takes on an arcade-like experience.
• The language so far has been unbelievably difficult to learn or remember.  I spent an entire week with the group and came out if it remembering only a few names (I generally have a slightly better record than that). I can't seem to manage saying or remembering "thank-you" although I keep asking.  But as good fortune would have it, beer is a very easy and memorable word - Bia. Baby steps. :-)

The people have been fantastic (other than the taxi drivers). Lots of smiles, very helpful. I haven't felt unsafe (other than the traffic) and it is pretty cheap to get around. Today we hit the Cholon Pagoda walking tour - not a walking city so it was a tough slog through parked bikes and onto busy streets. Walked through a couple markets and got accosted immediately. Bailed as soon as we could.  And onto a traditional Vietnamese restaurant tonight recommended by one of the students. Tomorrow we booked a trip to the Cu Chi tunnels and Cao Dai Great Temple - about 100 km out of Saigon.  It will be nice too escape the traffic.

And here are a few highlights from the day and last night.

Hotel de Ville now the People's Committee Headquarters taken from the top of the Rex Hotel

Oops - Peter got left behind.

Enjoying a Vietnamese iced coffee in the Cholon district ( on very short chairs)

Thien Hau Pagoda - early 19th century. Built for goddess of the sea.

Ceramic figures on top of the Pagoda.

Bhin something or other market on a Saturday. Insane.

Catch up day

It is now Saturday, I'm back in Saigon, Peter made it here in one piece after also getting fleeced by a cab driver (Vietnamese initiation), and we are kicking back before the tours begin on Monday.  I can't believe a week has gone by already.  The last few days of Da Nang were a whirlwind.  Our interpreter, Luu, took us to his friend's orphanage on Thursday night for dinner.  We toured the facility and met a few of the children who were about ages 6 to 12.  It was more of a safe house than an orphanage because some of the children went back to their families.  Enzo, the founder, used to work for Unicef until he married a Vietnamese woman and set up Care the People (http://www.carethepeople.it/lang1/).  It was a charming night oddly enough. We had a family meal with the children and then they cracked out - you guessed it - the karaoke machine.  And much to my dismay they had the English as well as Vietnamese lyrics. I almost managed to dodge it until one of the kids tricked me by pulling up Laura Branigan's classic 80's tune "Self Control".  She started singing and then half way through handed me the mic with a big grin.  Nice move - wasn't expecting that.

 Green House - Da Nang

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Pinning an Asper School chevron pin onto a graduate

And from one extreme to another, the next day we had our BizCamp graduation and roll-out discussion.  I can't say enough great things about our participants.  They worked hard every second they were here. They are dedicated to their communities and eager to raise the standard of living.  They have a number of challenges but I have no doubt they will make it work.









The course ended at 11:00 and by noon I was splashing in the waves of the South China Sea off China Beach (Da Nang Beach).  We transferred to another hotel to access the beach and have lunch.  The resorts are incredibly posh.  The infinity pool was massive.  It was a brilliant end to the week (and a nice start to three weeks of sunburns).


See you later Da Nang.  I met some wonderful people and hope to be back again to see the progress.

Group Dinner

Since the class began on Monday, one of the participants appointed himself social coordinator and was working hard to get us all out for a dinner.  On Tuesday after class, while we were in Hoi An, they scouted Da Nang for a suitable location.  As a group they settled on a ocean front seafood restaurant on Da Nang Beach (aka China Beach) across the bay from a giant female Buddha.  Having experienced group dinners in China, I should have been prepared but I didn't think that I would be called upon again to serenade my new friends.  About half way through our amazing seafood dinner, most of which was headless and tailless I am happy to report, they break out into song.  Folk songs, love songs, regional songs - no pop songs though. Everyone plays. Even the shyest ones in the class become Vietnamese Idols for a song.  I knew I was getting out of this without a song and my mind went completely blank of lyrics.  Not a single song came to mind except Christmas songs.  I finally managed a verse of "This Land is Your Land"perhaps not exactly as written but close enough to pass.  Phew!  Our national pride saved for another day (sort of).

Hoi An

After class on Tuesday, we had an opportunity to take a taxi to the World Heritage site of Hoi An.  The old part of town is a preserved example of a 15th century Asian port.  The yellow walls with dark wood balconies is the typical architecture of this town and era.  Lots of shops and even more tourists.  It was a beautiful way to spend the evening, dinner on a patio overlooking the river covered in paper lanterns.  And I managed to get a little shopping done.  Thanks to our host, Francois, for that suggestion.

China Beach but they've renamed it to South Beach I think

Streets of Hoi An

Clay whistles - we just made a $2 transaction

The Old City of Hoi An - World Heritage site

Outside a craft store called Reaching Out - Fair Trade gifts

Famous Lanterns of Hoi An



Working Abroad

Despite all appearances, I am actually working. Granted it is a pretty sweet gig.  I love working abroad because it is a great way to see a country in action. I end up in non-tourist places with locals telling you about their family, their education background, their jobs.  Since we are here talking about business in class, you also get into all kinds of conversations about taxes, regulations, partnerships which might be boring at home, but has a whole new appeal because it is common ground to compare cultures.  In the end, it turns out we all have some similar challenges - access to money, government regulations, competition for resources.    I was looking out the window while the participants were working on an assignment.  We are at a new hotel with villas being developed around the grounds.  The houses are big, like ours, have a few Asian characteristics, but not many, new roads and gardens.  There was a group playing soccer on the road, Nike gear on, same moves you would see at home.  And then two ladies on loaded up bikes peddle by wearing their cone rice hats.  Yep similar, but still different. From what I've heard so far, the challenges here are well beyond what many Canadian businesses will ever experience.

Peggy, me, Francois, TamAnh, Luu

SWOT analysis in Vietnamese

Fortunately there is still time to play after work.  We went for supper at a spectacular resort in Da Nang.  There are miles of white sand beaches, and along with it, miles of over-the-top luxury resorts.  Since foreign ownership is not allowed, these resorts are mostly likely built with some questionably obtained funds. I will avoid all trigger words since the government still monitors websites.  I guess they have their own version of the 1%. 

At this particular resort, they make ice ream right at your table using fresh cream, ingredients of your choice and then liquid nitrogen.  Since I picked Toblerone, my ingredients included Belgian Chocolate, Honeywafers and Frangelico. 

The result was no less than spectacular.  Take that Cold Stone Creamery.

Streets of Saigon

Now I remember why I like keeping a blog - it gives me something to do when jet lag kicks in and I can't sleep.

So after a day of taking cabs and making purchases I have come to accept that the first cabbie's diabolical laugh was indeed for "Sucker!".  He did manage to extract way more money than he should have. Fortunately when you make a mistake here it really only costs a few dollars extra. In this case, five dollars.  Lesson learned.

We spent the morning touring around District 1 of Saigon.  Since the country was a French colony, that included sights of the Notre Dame Cathedral and a former Opera House (all of which were closed on a Saturday).

The Notre Dame Catherdral Vietnamese style

There are very few stop lights and even less traffic rules so crossing the street takes a fair bit of skill.  The first rule is that if you start walking, don't stop - unless a bus is coming at you then I'm not really sure what protocol is.  Most traffic comes from scooters so they just weave around you.  This crazy couple would do anything for a unique wedding picture.

 
So after a little street side shopping (our second learning experience - slightly more costly than the cab) we headed to a little backyard patio for some Bun.  Oh yum!

We are now in Danang and starting the course tomorrow.  Of course if I don't get some sleep, I may just sleep through class, not unlike university days.  We have plans to hit the markets in Hoi An, China Beach and some seaside restaurants - all after class of course.  It is going to be a very busy week.

Ocean View Hotel Room in Danang