Terra Cotta Horses

China 054
Originally uploaded by seth195

posted by seth195 on flickr

Xian- Terra Cotta Army

Our tour of Xian was very hurried, since our local tour guide (China Beijing Tours a/k/a etours ) failed to meet us at the Xian airport on time.

But nothing can take away from the majesty of these soldiers.








There are a number of buildings in the museum complex. They're well designed. It would be well worth spending a few hours there to see these wonderful statues and other artifacts.

From Wikipedia:

The Terracotta Army was buried with the Emperor of Qin (Qin Shi Huangdi) in 210-209 BC (his reign over Qin was from 247 BC to 221 BC and over unified China from 221 BC to his death in 210 BC). Their purpose was to help rule another empire with Shi Huangdi in the afterlife. Consequently, they are also sometimes referred to as "Qin's Armies".

The Terracotta Army was discovered in March 1974 by local farmers drilling a water well to the east of Mount Lishan. (The precise coordinates are 34°23′5.71″N, 109°16′23.19″ECoordinates: 34°23′5.71″N, 109°16′23.19″E.) Mount Lishan is also where the material to make the terracotta warriors originated. In addition to the warriors, an entire man made necropolis for the emperor has been excavated.

Construction of this mausoleum began in 246 BC and is believed to have taken 700,000 workers and craftsmen 38 years to complete. Qin Shi Huangdi was interred inside the tomb complex upon his death in 210 BC. According to the Grand Historian Sima Qian, the First Emperor was buried alongside great amounts of treasure and objects of craftsmanship, as well as a scale replica of the universe complete with gemmed ceilings representing the cosmos, and flowing mercury representing the great earthly bodies of water. Pearls were also placed on the ceilings in the tomb to represent the stars, planets, etc.

Ready to Go Home

Today, we fly home at 345 pm.

Yesterday, flew to Xian to see the army of Terra Cotta soldiers, which are as magnificent as you might think.

We're all very tired from all the walking.

Will add photos and comments when I get back.

Temple of Heaven

Sunday, we went to the Temple of Heaven, a lovely complex of buildings and greenery dating from the early 1400s.

This is the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, one of the prettiest buildings I have ever seen.

After that, a walk around Tien an Men Square.

Later tonight, Peking Duck dinner.

Tomorrow, flight to Xian.

Forbidden City

Saturday, we all walked down Jintao Street to the Forbidden City, the former home of the emperors of China. Very impressive. Will post photos later.

Weather: hot, but OK. Much less air pollution that earlier in the week.

Climbing the Great Wall

At the top of the Great Wall, no more climbing steps to make. But a lot of steps to go down.


Where's Hon anyway?



Yesterday was a day of worry for me. I did not join the rest of the gang when they went out to the Summer Palace--my mind was 6,800 miles away in Bay Ridge Brooklyn. A tornado hit Brooklyn and elsewhere, and one of the areas hardest hit was Bay Ridge, and one of the hardest hit areas in Bay Ridge was my block. Several houses were damaged very badly.

After some hours of working the e-mails and phones, I determined that my house was undamaged. Whew!

-----

Today, all of us took a ride up to the the Badoling section of the Great Wall. It was a long, steep climb to the top. Several times, we thought we were at the top, only to find a switchback, and many more steps to go. But everyone made up--and almost as tough-back down.


This section of the wall was very steep in spots.

We had a Chinese lunch at at Badoling, then continued on to the Dingling Ming Tombs , which are not too far away from the Great Wall.

The drive back to the Park Plaza was awful, due to the unbelievably bad Beijing traffic. It's surprising how many "modern" highways there are here, and how little good they do. The traffic just does not move. There will be a major expansion of the subway next year--something they should have done before they put in these damned highways.

Soon, will post some photos. Off for a Steak/frites dinner in a half hour. I could eat Chinese every day, but some are lonely for a western meal.


We drove past the Olympic Stadium this morning ("Birds Nest")

Hello from Beijing

It took a while to decide where this year's big vacation would be. I like Hawaii, but have certainly been there often enough. Europe is terrific, but I wanted more of a challenge than that. Having thoroughly enjoyed Vietnam two years ago, decided to head back to Asia.

More specifically, to the Middle Kingdom, to China, one of the many countries I've always wanted to see.

Then I put out feelers for a posse of fellow travelers. Seth was a quick yes. Dresa said she'd think about it, then she, and to the astonishment of all, Karen, said that they would come.

From Sydney, Peter and Lilian figured a few things out, and then decided that they would be interested in coming as well.

So, that's the gang- me, Seth, Karen, Dresa, Peter and Lilian.

I'm the pilot fish. I arrived here on Sunday, on the Continental nonstop flight out of Newark. The rest of them arrive on Wednesday.

The hotel we're staying in is the Park Plaza Wangfujing, which is located east of the Forbidden City. The hotel is modern in all respects, thoughtfully equipped with a minibar happy to sell you a can of local beer for $3.50. They must not realize that hotel guests can figure out how to get to the local "Quik" store a block away that sells the same can for fifty cents.

I've never had the pleasure of being in London or Pittsburgh in the 1930s, where massive factories burned coal without any pollution controls whatsoever, but I feel that I'm now reliving what that experience must have been. They're burning an awful lot of coal very close to here. Beijing is a fine city, but it does not have a future in ecotourism.

Today, I walked the miles and miles around Wangfujing Street. As you walk south on Jinbao Street, the left ( east ) of Wanfujing Street is a car-free pedestrian mall, while the right (west) is a wide two way street, filled with cars, smoky buses, and a number of bicycles.

Tomorrow, I'll take the No. 1 subway from Wangfujing Street for a joyride out to Tien an Men Square.

Meroe's Pictures

Are very good and they are to be found here

From her website Kissing Elephants

Work in Progress

Am continuing to add photos to the site, moving things around, and amending or adding to text. If you like a photo, double-click on it and it should get bigger

Last Night in Hue, Hue Airport

The flight from Hue to Hanoi was a late one, so we had lots of time to walk around Hue town. Not such a special place, but it gave me time to screw around with the digital camera, taking photos after dark.


Motorbikes in the dark


What's the Hue Airport like? Like a school classroom/cafeteria. You could watch Tom and Jerry cartoons on the large screen tv, or you could clear security and hang out by the gate.

Hanoi: Ho Chi Minh Area

Ho Chi Minh is revered by most Vietnamese. In Hanoi, there is a " Ho Chi Minh area " that consists of the mausoleum, the Governor General's house, the Stilt House, and the Ho Chi Minh Museum.

Behind me, the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. We missed seeing him because his embalmed body was being freshened up in Moscow.


Across a garden, the Soviet-designed Ho Chi Minh Museum can be seen.


Inside the Ho Chi Minh Museum, some less-than-crisp military guys walk up the stairs. The museum was a mix of interesting detail of the man's life, and the expected propaganda.


Me and Ho, at Ho Chi Minh Museum.


When the French left, Ho was made the President of Vietnam. But he refused to move into the Governor-General's house ( above ), saying that he did not want to live in luxury when the majority of Vietnamese lived so badly.


They built a relatively spartan " Stilt House " for Ho, near the Governor-General's house. Not exactly prison conditions, but a good symbol of spare living by the ruler. Above, his office.


Leaving the stilt house. Many foreigners and Vietnamese visit this place.

Hanoi: Miscellaneous Photos

A statue of Lenin, across from the Military Museum and the Citadel. We passed it several times, but I saw exactly noone other than myself on the bleak concrete area around the statue.

We were told that there are now only three Lenin statues in the world, and this is one of them. Where are the other two?


The Hanoi Citadel.

Next to the Citadel is the Military Museum. It had a very detailed, dramatic mockup of the Dien Bien Phu, which did not translate into photgraphs. Much of the other stuff was shrill triumphalist propaganda against the Americans. There was enough of that stuff in the War Remnants Museum in Saigon, so I will not bother to post any of those photos here.


Temple of Literature, Vietnam's first university. It was established by the Chinese in the 11th Century.


Temple of Literature


The Chinese characters on the stone tablets list all the graduates of the university. Note that they stand atop stone turtles. The turtle is an important animal in Vietnamese legend and is a symbol of Vietnamese nationalism.


Our " peace bus " outside the Temple of Literature


St Joseph's Cathedral


The group peruses menus at Cafe Moca Had a lamb curry dish here that was good...along with draft red and pilsener beers that were fresh and wonderful. By far the best beer I had in Vietnam. I came back to this restaurant on my last ( solo ) day in the country.

Hue Area: Tomb of Khai Dinh

Khai Dinh (1885-1925)was the first Vietnamese Emperor to be a " puppet " of the French. His tomb is a massive stone edifice. El called him the " King of Bling " because the altar ( not shown ) has lots of flashy gold.


Marble soldiers. They're short, because they could not be as tall as the Emperor, who was not that big himself.


We stopped at a conical-hat making place before we visited Khai Dinh's tomb. El tried this one on.

Hue Area: Tu Duc's Tomb

Down the path at the tomb of Tu Duc, last independent Emperor of Vietnam. He was a gentle and educated man, who tried to resist French power. Wikopedia says he " died cursing the French with his dying breath "




A beautiful, quiet place

Hanoi- Cyclo Ride to the Water Puppet Show

On the second to last night in Hanoi, the group took a cyclo ride to the Water Puppet Show. Cyclos are basically bicycle-powered rickshaws. They are part of the transit system in Vietnamese cities, not just a tourist thing. The passenger seat of a cyclo will fit two Vietnamese...or one Westerner.


Mr. Cyclo Driver, you are about to get an excellent workout.


All the cyclos you see here are of our group. We went from the Metropole Hotel ( Jane Fonda stayed for two weeks in 1968 ) , past the Opera House, and then on a meanderering route through the old section of town. Seeing these ancient streets in the open-seated cyclo was almost sensory overload.


A headstone firm we passed


Through crowded streets and intersections...


Scenes that could have been from centuries ago


A long cyclo ride, but a great experience.


The Water Puppet Show, played to traditional Vietnamese instruments and song, was great fun


Puppeteers take a bow

Vietnam Roads

Taken at a bridge in Hue, as drivers stop for the light, as the sun has just about set. This is a pretty representative photo of the drivers on a Vietnamese road --the average person travels by low-powered motorcycle. Men, women, children, three or four-year old children--they travel by low-powered motorcycle. Almost always without a helmet.


Once the light changes, off they go.


An endless flow of bikes. See man waving in foreground.


Hue's Angels. I love the faces in this picture.


Here, a bike is used to transport a large plant, or is it two plants? in Saigon. You'd be amazed at what they transport on these little bikes. On two separate occasions, I saw people hauling refrigerators on them. Not full-size Western refrigerators, but not those little college dorm refrigerators either.


Live pigs transported by motorbike, somewhere between Hanoi and Halong Bay. These two bike riders are wearing helmets, an absolute rarity.

Hue -- Perfume River

The Perfume River flows through Hue. It rained most of the morning our last day here. These were taken from the hotel room.

Hue: The Citadel

Hue was the capital of Vietnam from 1802 to 1945, when the country was ruled by the Nguyen Dynasty. It was built from 1802 to 1845, and was modeled on China's Forbidden City.

The Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army took over Hue during the Tet Offensive in 1968. They committed many summary executions and other large-scale atrocities against civilians. They took over the Citadel. The US got them out of the there, but huge portions of this complex were destroyed in the process.

There is much that is beautiful, and much that are ruins, in this vast place.




Buildings once stood here.

On the Road from Da Nang to Hue

 
 

We pass the beach at Da Nang . It would have been quite close to this spot where US Marines made a beach landing at Da Nang in 1965, which is what really ramped up the Vietnam War ( which Vietnamese call " the American War "



The drive to from Da Nang to Hue was through a mountain road. Here, we stopped at a scenic lookout before we went on the highest portion of the road. I was interested in what was behind the lookout-- large concrete fortifications built by the French, smaller ones in the foreground built by the Americans.


Mountain road, with plenty of switchbacks, no guard rail, and a long way down ( this picture does not do justice ) Would not want to try this road in the rain.


Stopping for lunch on the way to Hue. The garlic shrimp and rice lunch here was good, but I ordered a can of Huda beer with it. I would say it tasted like rat piss, but this would be an insult to the rat population of central Vietnam.

I was seated at the table in the foreground. From the left, clockwise, Rob from New Zealand, Valerie and David from Cairns, Australia, Michele from Sydney by way of Adelaide. I sat in the chair between Rob and Michele. You can see the ( excellent ) can of Heineken that came after the Huda. And my dish of discarded shrimp shells. Much, much better.

Schoolkids in Vietnam

Did not see schoolbuses in Vietnam. Kids, even in the early grades, walk to school, traveling in groups. This means a long walk for kids in the country, which must not be too much fun when the monsoon kicks in.

The kids wear school uniforms ( most of the time anyway ) , which were always neat. Some of the older girls wear flowing white dresses.

All the young kids looked happy and confident, very willing to be photographed. They would often approach you practicing their school English " Hello! How are you? Goodbye! ", sometimes in one breath.

They were great. If they are the future of this country, the future is looking pretty good.


About to cross the street in Hanoi.


Oh, I am going to be so famous!


Boy Gives the V sign


Waving to the passing Westerner in the cyclo

Marble Mountain

Again, a rainy day, and the many steps to the top of Marble Mountain can be slippery. Glad we decided to go. The view from the top was nice.


But then if you followed the path into a cave you saw these holes from above.


And a Buddhist shrine inside.


It was a beautiful, spiritual place. Here, the " Lady Buddha ".






A relatively new Buddha, out of doors, to the left as you walk back to the rough-cut marble stairs back down.

China Beach

On the way out of Hoi An, stopped at China Beach, a place that had been very popular with US servicemen. If the weather had been good, we would have gone swimming there. But it was kind of wet, so that didn't happen. It's a long, fairly unspoiled bit of beach. If I come back to Vietnam, I will try to go visit this place again.

I spent a few days looking for the right floppy hat. Here, I wear the one I found in Hoi An.

Hoi An

Hoi An is an compact port city, where the Chinese, Japanese, and European traders have come to call over the centuries.

Many of the old buildings survive. The city is a UNESCO World Heritage site. It lives on tourism now, and has lots of good small restaurants. Trivia fact: karaoke is banned here. The authorities feel the loud noise would take away from the spirit of the city.




Woman in Hoi An market street


Woman selling whistles


Buddhist altar in a restaurant


Oldest House in Hoi An


Mango Rooms Restaurant. When Duc was a child, he was taken away from Vietnam as one of the " Boat People ". He lived in Texas, Mexico and other places, and developed a love for Latin music and food. He moved back to Vietnam as an adult, and owns the Mango Rooms restaurant. Mango Rooms is a brightly-colored restaurant serving Asian food, mostly fish, with a Latin flair. Latin music plays on the sound system. Duc's a happy guy.


Japanese Bridge

No one is quite sure of the exact age of this bridge, but it was probably constructed in the early years of the Edo Shogunate (the early 17th century). The covered bridge, also known as the Pagoda Bridge, was built by Japanese craftsmen who were part of a larger community of Japanese merchants active in Hoi An. It connected the Japanese and Chinese sections of town.


Art Store, Owner

Beware the Snake

Oh, he's just a little fella. A few of us chose to play with the python when visiting " Unicorn Island " in the Mekong Delta.

Thanks, Stuart, for taking the photo and e-mailing it to me.

Saigon-Dalat Flight, Dalat, Out of Dalat

On the Vietnam Airlines prop plane from Tan Sa Nhut Airport ( Saigon ) to Dalat. Close that damned cabin door.


Bye, Saigon. Hope to see you again.


Nearing Dalat. Dalat is in the central highlands, in the southern half of the country. . It is a higher elevation than the surrounding lands, and is cooler. The soil is rich , which allows the Dalat area to produce the best vegetables in the country. The lower part of this muddy river almost looks like a map of Vietnam.


At tiny Dalat Airport, the Vietnam Airlines prop plane that got us there. We took three Vietnam Airlines flights on this type of plane. All flights were on time, and at least as comfortable as a US economy flight. I'd fly one of these props over an Embraer jet anyday. Vietnam Airlines is a reasonably big airline. They fly to Japan and Paris, and they will soon fly to California. When we landed at Hanoi, we passed one of their new 767s. After our little prop , the Boeing looked immense.


Zen Buddhist Temple near Dalat


Altar at Zen Buddhist Temple


Lake by Zen Buddhist Temple. This picture, of a beautiful lake surrounded by pine trees, could be from Italy or upstate New York. But it's Vietnam.


Our group.
Standing- Michele ( Sydney ) , Tom ( Brooklyn ) , Emma ( Perth ), Linda ( Sydney ) , Rob ( New Zealand ) , Bev ( Perth ) , Peta ( London ) , Lynn ( Australia ) , Stuart ( London ) , Valerie and David ( Cairns )
Lower-
Cathy ( London, from Galicia, Spain ) and Meroe ( London )


So, how did we get from the Zen Buddhist temple to Dalat City proper? By a recently-built ( by an Austrian company ) gondola, of course.


Gondola ride high, quiet, fun


Dalat


Dalat Market. Filled with the most wonderful familiar and not-familiar fruits and vegetables


Outside Dalat, on the way to Nha Trang


Kid selling stuff at a stopping point on the highway between Dalat and Nha Trang. The plastic container on his shoulder has cold sodas and beer. I bought a Coke from him. Behind him, David stretches and checks out the valley.

Cham Tower

As we neared Nha Trang, we stopped at the Cham Tower. First, a simple make-it-yourself sandwich lunch at a restaurant outside. Then a walk up lots of steps to this magnificent place.


We took off our shoes and went in to see the altar


Taking a picture of Cathy taking a picture. Stuart heads back to the bus.


New visitors center, I think, by the towers


Kids hanging out, watching the tourists


Check out that six pack

Cham Museum, Da Nang

The Cham people lived in central Vietnam ages ago, before the ( ethnic ) Vietnamese came down from the Red River basin in the 15th-18th Centuries. They were a Hindu Kingdom then, and their sculpture shows this.

That's why they call it Indochina. The Chinese influence on Vietnam is clear. But the Indian influence came first.

The Cham still exist today, by the way. They number 77,000, one of Vietnam's minority groups.


God Shiva, the destroyer

Camel

Monkey

Camh Ranh Airport,

Camh Ranh Airport. If you think that this looks like a US military building, you are correct. It was built by the US taxpayer, complementing the nearby Camh Ranh Bay seaport.



Shortly after takeoff from Camh Ranh Airport, I think that the below are relics of the once-massive US bases there



And this



We land at Da Nang Airport

Street Vendor

Street vendor selling bun thit nuong, or barbequed pork, in Saigon. There are small street vendors everywhere in Vietnam selling cooked food, coconut juice, fruits, postcards, everything.

Poor but proud. Dignity intact.

Flight Home from Vietnam

Photo of the Deluxe Economy section of my EVA Airways 747.



This little guy was right in front of me. He and his parents were flying back from the Philippines. He cried a little, but on the whole really well behaved. Like all kids his age, he looked backwards over the seat, and I played peekaboo with him.



Stopped each direction in Seattle. On the way back, we had to reclaim our luggage and go through immigration and customs. A very easy process. Seattle's airport looked pretty sharp.



The 747 that flew me home. The 747 is absolutely my favorite large plane. I wish US airlines used them more. The plane handled like a dream on the flights to and from Taiwan.

I am very pleased with my Olympus digital camera, and am glad I brought it with me. Will upload a bunch of photos over the next ten days.

Back Home

Am back home. Arrived about 1215 am Monday. Would love to take Monday off, but circumstances do not permit.

The flight back was flawless. My three Eva Air flights, Hanoi - Taipei, Taipei-Seattle, and Seattle - Newark were flawless. The food was ok, the service was good, the flights were on time. And with the Deluxe Economy seat, I actually had some leg room.

Arriving this late, I took a limo home --an illegal hail -- since I did not want to wait the 15 minutes to get to the regular taxi line.

Now for a little sleep. Good trip, all's well. My neighbor Jack took impeccable care of the house when I was away, barely one leaf on the sidewalk.

Bye Bye Vietnam

Not quite yet, but will go to bed fairly soon, and tomorrow morning, it is just eat breakfast and show up for the taxi to the airport.

Today, checked into the Guoman Hotel. While not a dump by any means, it is certainly not the Hilton Opera Hanoi. There's a party of some kind going on next door to the business center I am now in.

Today, took a long visit to the Military Museum, filled with propaganda and ( US and French ) war trophies. Plus an interesing film and dramatization of Dien Bien Phu.

Next post will be from Brooklyn. It has been a fun, and interesting trip. In the next ten days, will add more text and a lot more photos. Bye bye Vietnam.

Halong Bay

It was a long drive back from Halong Bay. David was parched after a long day of sailing, and asked our bus driver to pull over near what looked to be a restaurant so he could buy a few beers. Well, it wasn't a restaurant, it was an eel salesman's store. No worry, the eel seller lived right next door, and he sold a two plastic bags of iced Heineken and other beers to David, who brought them back to the bus, handing them out to anyone who wanted one. When we arrived back in Hanoi, he gave the remaining beers to the bus driver, who was most happy to accept. Good show, David.


Saturday 930 am local time

This is the beginning of my last day, Saturday, in Hanoi. I have to change hotels for the last night, which is a pain. The new hotel is near the train station so I will try to take a look at their " Reunification Express " train.

--

Yesterday, we had a 7am meetup for the outing to Halong Bay. It is way up north, pretty close to China. It is a large bay with many rocky islands, which as you can see, are gorgeous. This bay was featured in the movie " Indochine " with Catherine Deneuve. It is one of the most famous natural sites in the country.

Many of us jumped off the boat for a swim in the bay.


 
Halong Bay. Rob from New Zealand lifts a cold one.






Hey, all this sailing is making me thirsty. At 10,000 dong ( 63 US cents ) a can, it would be a crime not to drink another one.

-----

The only downside of this trip was a long 3 hours each way bus trip on Vietnam's kamikaze highways.

On the way back, David from Queensland decided that he was parched, needed some beers, and asked the bus to stop. He went into what looked like a restaurant, but was actually a fish store, one that specialized in selling eels. Told the guy there what he was looking for, and the Vietnamese gent invited him into his house, which was immediately adjacent. He had some beers in the fridge, and sold them to David at a good price. David came in with a couple of plastic bags of Heinekens and others for the gang, a most excellent gesture.

----------
Last night, we had our last group meal, dinner at a place called Le Tonkin. We had a mixed bag of good Vietnamese food in an outdoor garden. There were two musicians playing stringed Vietnamese instruments.

Then, the group broke up. It has been a great trip for all, made better still by the fact that everyone got along so well, and that Eloise ( El ) was the best tour leader ever. Made a very tough job look easy.

Some of us have flown out already, I am solo today, and will be prowling around the streets of Hanoi the rest of today. Then tomorrow, a 940am taxi to the airport for the short 22 hour flight home!

Hoa Lo Prison ( Hanoi Hilton )

We visited the Hoa Lo Prison in Hanoi, aka the Hanoi Hilton. The French built it in 1894, and used it to house anti-colonial Vietnamese. The North Vietnamese used it as a prison for US Prisoners of War from 1961 to 1973.

Most of the prison was torn down to make way for an office building a few years ago. We visited the part of it that survives as a museum.



The worst hotel in town. Ask anyone who stayed there.



Replica of prisoners in one of the larger rooms.



Guillotine used by the French.



Inner courtyard.



The actual helmet and boots John McCain was wearing when he was shot down over Vietnam, before he was sent to the Hanoi Hilton for a terrible five year stay.



John McCain's flight suit.



Water kettle used by US Prisoners.



The prisoners " suffered no revenge " and " were well treated ".

From the Hanoi Hilton

It is now Thursday night in Hanoi. I write this from the Hanoi Hilton( the Hilton Opera Hotel in Hanoi ).

Yesterday, we flew the last Vietnam Airlines leg of the trip. Again, a prop plane that was just fine. Flew out of Hue Airport, which ain't exactly O'Hare. Small airport with a tv in the waiting room, showing Tom and Jerry cartoons. Fine by me. We flew in the darkness, then a hard bump at Hanoi Airport.

With us on the plane ride and in the Hilton- a group of 18 Israeli tourists. They made a fine impression at baggage claim.

Hanoi Airport modern and efficient. A 45 minute bus ride, then into this Hilton. Which is very modern, new, and a first world hotel, a change from " developing " Vietnam that we had experienced and which is not far outside the door.

This is next to the Hanoi Opera, built by the French of course. When they were not busy oppressing the Vietnamese, they sure built these swell opera palaces- in Saigon, Nha Trang?, here, I am sure other places.

Yesterday, we saw two tombs of Vietnamese emperors. The first was Tu Duc, the last independent king.
Next, a visit to the tomb of Khai Dinh, the first French-controlled " puppet emperor ". Lots of pictures which I will post later.

Our flight was so late, that we had lots of time to kill in Hue. I experimented with my camera, taking nighttime shots.

---------

In Hue, Hanoi, everywhere -- lots of well-scrubbed, friendly, orderly schoolkids in clean school uniforms. They just love it when you take a photo, plenty of them mugging for the camera , smiling, or bursting out laughing.

----

Today, a 9am meetup. First stop the Ho Chi Minh neighborhood.

We could not see his mausoleum, as he needs to get re-embalmed once a year in Moscow, which is where he now is, getting the oil changed. This whole concept of displaying the leader's dead body is of course a copy of what the Russians did with Lenin's body. Ho's own, ungranted, wish was that he would be cremated, and his ashes scattered in the three main regions of Vietnam.

---

The Ho Chi Minh Museum is a big place, built by the Russians. It documents the ( very interesting ) life of Ho.

Adjacent to it is the Presidential Palace, and the Stilt House. Ho would not live in the Presidential Palace, it is said, because he did not want to live in luxury while so many Vietnamese lived such horrible lives at the time. So he lived in a simple building outide with few comforts of any kind. We saw his bed and his desk.

---

We went to the Hoa Lo Prison, built by the French. This maison was for the housing of Vietnamese political prisoners. All the cells were nasty, but the isolation cells were of course nastiest. There was a death row, and a guillotine, which we saw.

During the Vietnam War, this was used by the North Vietnamese to imprison US pilots who had been shot down. I saw John McCain's flight helmet and uniform, and some simple articles used by the US prisoners.

There is a plaque there that says that the US prisoners were "well treated ". Such funny guys.

This evening, we went to see the Water Puppet show. We went by a "cyclo " the bicycle driven cab, a long meandering ride through crowded, wonderful streets that I would never have seen otherwise. The ride was a sensory overload of scenes that could be from the 14th Century ( conical hatted women selling fruits in the two baskets hung from a pole ) , a million cycles, motorcycles, running out at you, etc etc. through the tree lined streets.

-
Water puppetry is a Vietnamese art form from the 11th Century. There were six musicians, three women and three men, who sang and played traditional instruments. There was a small water pond, on which we saw small plays performed by puppets. They are really really cool. They're kind of geared to kids, showing how to plant rice, how to catch frogs, showing four dancing dragons, the four sacred animals of Vietnam ( dragon, tortoise, unicorn, phoenix ) , etc etc. At the end of the performance, the puppeteers gave a bow.

---

Loads of Westerners in Vietnam, but mostly Aussies and Europeans. This place has not really been discovered by Americans, but I guarantee you it will.

---

This Hilton has the usual Hilton ripoff pricing for minibar, but by God they make up for it with the free breakfast buffet. Great fruit, good meats and eggs, and truly wonderful melt in your mouth smoked salmon. And real orange juice, for the first time in two weeks.

---

Tomorrow, off on a 2 1/2 hour bus ride to the beatiful, spooky islands of Halong Bay. Not looking forward to a long bus ride on these roads, but there will be swimming in a gorgeous setting and I look forward to that. Trip is almost over. Bummer.

Rainy Day In Hue

Last night, went for one in a series of good dinners here. It was in an outdoor restaurant a few blocks from the hotel here in Hue. Beef wrapped in leaves, vegetables, stuff you mix in rice paper, a fish taco thing, and my absolute favorite, in Hue , NYC or anywhere...squid. Calamari.

Then down a bit further a bar with pool table, where most of us sat around a table over drinks, listening to John Fogerty and CCR. Small world. My favorite beverage: La Rue lager beer, from Hoi An.

--------

Rainy morning.

Went to a Buddhist temple, then a boat ride on the Perfume River. Rained a lot, but the boat was covered.

In afternoon, to the tomb of Emperor Tu Duc. He was last indedependent empereror of Vietnam. Great photos there. Had no kids. He ate three meals a day, consisting of 50 courses prepared by 50 different chefs.

Next to tomb of the following emperor, who followed Tu Duc in late 19th Century. He was French puppet. Big tomb for this guy too. Had 100 plus kids.

Stopped at small place where they make the conical hats. Everywhere you stop, there is a " welcoming committee " of locals trying to sell you bottled water, t-shirts, whatever.

Now, hang out in Hue for awhile before dinner at 6pm, then at 730 drive to airport to Hanoi where we get in something like 11pm.

See Houston is one game away from the World Series. Go Cardinals. Do not want that traitor Clemens to get there.

In Hue

Last night, we went for a last dinner at the excellent Mango Rooms restaurant. We left by bus this morning. I think we all miss Hoi An, a mellow historic city that you could be happy spending a longer time in.

I would have posted from Hoi An this morning, but the place with internet access was across the street, and we had a very heavy monsoon rain in the morning. It cleared up later on, and has been nice since.

We drove to a still-soggy China Beach nearby. It is a pretty stretch of beach that was popular with the GIs. Took photos.

Then, to Marble Mountain. As you might guess, this is in a marble-rich area, with marble mines and carving places. We hiked up marble steps, then descended into a cave with a female Buddha ( " lady Buddha " ) and other Buddha altars and statues. It is a beautiful place that I am glad I got to see. Words will not do it justice. Took multiple photos.

Then the long drive to Hue. Hue is in the middle of the country. It was a two hour drive on the scary roads of Vietnam. People here are crazy drivers. They think nothing of trying to pass on a blind curve. Saw many near misses. Much of the drive was on Vietnam Road One, which goes from Saigon to Hanoi, much of it parallel to the single track railroad that runs the length of the country ( the " Unification Express " )

We had a nice lunch at a restaurant halfway. Many good restaurants and hotels here. I had shrimps in garlic, shells on, with rice. Tried Huda beer ( a combination of Hue, where it is brewed, and Denmark, the home of the brewer Carling, who makes it ). This can of beer was atrocious. They tell me it is good out of a bottle. Will see.

Went past Da Nang, the place where US Marines landed in 1965, when the war really ramped up.

Then to the Citadel. This is a massive structure, a series of buildings built in the early 1800s, and modeled after the Imperial City in Beijing. There was massive fighting there in 1968. The Viet Cong took it, and I think all of Hue, over. The Marines bombed major parts of the Citadel to get them out of there. It is sad to see much of this complex in ruins.

Now, checked in at the Guang Chiang Hotel in Hue. They say this city is known for spicy food. Good.

Tomorrow, a very full day of local touring. Then a late night flight to Hanoi, and then a check in at the Hilton. That would be the Hanoi Hiiton.

Hoi An Again

Lazy day today. Got to sleep in. Assembled at 1015 for a boat ride around the area.

Went around with Rob from NZ to buy some lacquer wall art things. Bought t-shirts and ceramic whistles, which will be given to Katie, Keri and Bobby, the better to torture their parents with.

Had a shrimp and rice lunch, and a pumpkin soup appetizer at Hoi An Xua restaurant, and met a couple from Auckland, Mick from Australia and Angela from County Cork, Ireland.

This town still has a strong Chinese influence. See Chinese writing in many places, Buddhist altars in the restaurants.

Hoi An Hotel is nice, but the bathroom could use an upgrade some year. The bathtub stopper held in place by a string. But the a/c works great. The buffet breakfast is ok but not as good as the Hotel Grand in Saigon. Nothing will be as good as that.

Got a haircut at the hotel this morning. With tip, $4 US. And a good cut, too. In this hot climate the shorter the better.

Tomorrow, back on the bus for a trip up to Hue. One night there, then to Hanoi.

Hoi An

Sunday morning, got up at 530 as we had an 830 flight to Da Nang.

We flew out of the Camh Ran Airport, which was built by the US taxpayer as part of the buildup at Camh Ranh seaport. It looked like very, very little had changed since the end of the war. The building was the yellowish concrete that a lot of Army / Airforce facilities were made of.

Another Vietnam Airlines propeller place to Da Nang Airport, which may also have been built by the US. Da Nang was a huge base for the US back then.On the drive to Hoi An, we passed what had been a US helicopter base.

We stopped at the Cham Museum in Da Nang, and then continued to Hoi An.

I am at the Hoi An Hotel, near the old historic city of Hoi An.

We had a nice lunch at " Mango Rooms " , a small, pretty restaurant run by a guy named Duke. He left Vietnam as a small child, as part of the Boat People exodus. He lived in various places, including Texas and Mexico, and grew to love things Latino, including the food and the music.

The restaurant is Vietnamese but has Latin music and cocktails. I had rice noodles and shrimps ( and tons of garlic and onions ) drowned by two Mango cocktails and a Saigon beer.

We visited a Chinese temple, built by Fujianese traders back then.

Also, a two hundred year old house.

And the " Japanese Covered Bridge " built in 16something to connect the Chinese and Japanese communities of this old trading town.

A short heavy rainstorm , but just as I arrived back at the Hoi An Hotel, and this internet place, right next to it.

Nha Trang

Sorry I have been off screen for a bit. The problem is that the Internet access to this entire part of Vietnam has been down or nearly so for at least two days. I have a connection now, but it is slow, so there will probably be no photo postings until I get home. I will the current stash burned to a CD ROM ($2 ) which will free up my 1GB memory for the rest of the trip.

-------
Nha Trang was an ok beach town, a little bit Fort Lauderdale, a little bit Waikiki, on a smaller scale.

Yesterday, it rained most all of the day, but we still went out on a boat cruise to a traditional fishing community on an island. To get there, we took a larger boat to near lands edge, and then transferred to basket boats, small circular vessels that ar paddled. They look traditionally Asian, but the guy said that they were actually invented in Wales!

The island's people are very traditional. They don't practice any of the major religions, they actually worship whales, and never hunt them or eat them. The children were very happy to see Westerners. One little guy of maybe five years ran full speed towards us and said " hello! " with great joy. Another kid said " hello goodbye howareyou " in one burst, as he had been taught in school.

Bad sign: while half of the kids were playing outside, a lot of them were indoors, playing video games.

We left the island and went to the open bay, part of the South China Sea. And then lots of us, including me, jumped off the boat for a swim in the nice, clean, warm water. It was raining, but so what.

Later in the evening, most of us went to the " Nha Trang Water Club ", a large, pretty place that would be right at home in Disney World . We had a good dinner ( I had chicken, Indian style ). We then retired to the back of the place, on the beach, where there was a bonfire burning. Two immense Fosters beers set me back $4 or so. There were two free shots brought over by a waitress from Dublin, working / backpacking through Asia.

It was the 10th Anniversary of the place, so they had Dragon Dancers. Rather than a single big dragon that you see at Chinese festivals, this was four small two man dragons with a human "dragon master " . The dancers were very skillful, and they looked like they were having a great time. They danced on the beach, and then invaded the large bar area.

There were two bands. The first was a Western / Vietnamese band singing 1960s stuff including Van Morrison and " Eve of Destruction " the second was a Latin band (!) that sang some stuff from the Buena Vista Social Club album. Very good.

Vietnam is an interesting place these days.

Nha Trang

Arrived in Nha Trang today, after a long, arduous drive across the Central Highlands. This is a nice area, a beach resort very unlike the other places we've been.

Checkout

Easy to keep in touch when you have free internet access in the hotel lobby, which we have here.

Sleep a little tricky as the local church sounded its bells at 455, before the 5am mass, way too early for me. And the nearby elementary school had an assembly in the courtyard, and they were giving announcements over the loud intercom at 645. Not so good.

But now, after having checked out, its off to Dalat and then onward by bus. New hotel tonight.

Dalat Dinner

Quiet dinner in Da Lat tonight. We went to a small restaurant called Ngoc Duy, where we enjoyed a delicious multicourse meal. Very good vegetables from the local farms. They mixed pineapple with a vegatable dish. For me, the meal and three " 333 " local beers, ran me $9 equivalent. Service good, too.

The beer here is ok but not great, standard lager in a can stuff. You get 333 and Saigon beer everywhere. In Dalat, they even produce wine, at this higher elevation.

Again, much cooler here. So cool that there is no a/c in the hotel, though they could probably use some tonight. I have the windows open, and can hear the doggies barking somewhere.

This is a Novotel hotel, an older building that was fixed up. Great antique elevator with a screen door you open by hand.

In Dalat

We said goodbye to Saigon this morning, and took the bus to Tan Sa Nhut Airport, and then to an Air Vietnam propeller plane up to Da Lat, or Dalat. It is not such a huge distance, but the roads in Vietnam are atrocious, so it makes sense to fly. The flight went well.

The air here in Dalat is much cooler. It rained for awhile this afternoon when we visited a famous Zen Buddhist Temple. There were beautiful gardens near it and a lake that is pretty.

Then to a gondola ride over the valley, to the town of Dalat where we have just arrived. A lot smaller, cooler and less congested than Saigon. The local specialty is ice cream with avocado, which I will try soon.

The land here is very rich and very beautiful, with lots of well tended orchards. etc. This is also where they grow coffee and tea.

Tomorrow, Nha Trang. Only one night in Dalat.

Mekong Visit

Will not be any posted photos for awhile. Had a technical glitch, whereby the card of my Olympus EVolt digital reverted to a " protected " stated that I did not want after I uploaded yesterday.

After a few hours, I determined I could not fix it myself, and a camera shop guy here fixed it for me just now, by adjusting something, and refused to take any payment. Good people here.

---

Yesterday, got quite lost when going for a walk. Walked for miles and miles through the vastness of Saigon. Loads of people on the sidewalk, cooking, welding something together, hanging out, selling goods of every imaginable description, whatever. I realized I had turned around somewhere and gave up and took a taxi back to the Grand Hotel.

Lots of smiles from the kids, wondering who this stranger is walking in their neighborhood. Give them a grin back, and the little kids burst out in hysterics. Again, good people here.

---

Today, went for a boat ride on the Mekong Delta. The trip to and from the boat was most interesting, as Vietnamese roads make those of Italy appear sane and orderly.
Saw two accidents on the way out, many near misses on the way back.

Took a big boat and then a smaller boat to two islands in the delta. The Mekong is the Mississipppi of Asia, a massive river starting in China, going through Burma, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia before winding up in Vietnam.

Took boat down a natural canal bounded by high reeds.

Held a boa snake over my shoulders. Really. Do not have a photo, but my teammates do, and they will send to me and I will post it.

Saw candy factory where they make sweets from locally produced coconut.

Smacked my knee on the boat, which was not so excellent and required a Band Aid.

Ate a nice seafood lunch.

Tomorrow, on those nice Vietnamese roads again, for an Air Vietnam flight up to Da Lat. Da Lat is at a higher altitude. It was founded by the French ( them again! ) and is supposed to be gorgeous, with a great climate and good local fruits of great variety.

Sorry the Yankees lost. I blame it all on Hon.

Cu Chi Tunnels

The Cu Chi area was a hotbed of Viet Cong activity. They built an intricate series of well-disguised tunnels in order to hide out in and to transport equipment.

We walked one block from the Grand Hotel to the Saigon River in order to catch a boat to the Cu Chi Tunnels. We passed many small and not-so-small river boats, each with eyes painted on the prows to guard against the dangers of the river.


A black and white propaganda film to start us off. To the left, a schematic of a section of the tunnels.


Finding the Viet Cong in these tunnels was like finding a needle in a haystack














Some of us went through a small section of the tunnels. They were conveniently enlarged to accomodate Westerners. Here, Kathy from our group emerges from the tunnel.



I went through the section of tunnel also. Our Vietnamese local guide recommended that I not bring my camera down there due to the tightness of the space, a real good call. He took the initative of taking the following three photos, for which I am thankful.


Almost there


I emerge from the Cu Chi Tunnel.

-----


An American tank by the Cu Chi tunnels


Replica of Viet Cong working on an unexploded piece of US ordinance in order to remove the gunpowder
-----






We took a boat up the Saigon River to get to the Cu Chi Tunnels. The above two photos are from the boat ride back. You see floating hyacinth plants everywhere on this river. These plants live their lives floating down the river.

War Remnants Museum, Saigon

Formerly known as the " Museum of American War Crimes ", this place has a lot of left-behind or captured American military equipment on display. Along with much propaganda.


US Air Force Jet


" Childrens Art " against the war.


US Army Tank


US Army Earthmover

Reunification Palace, Saigon

This inlaid lacquer artwork is from the Reunification Palace, formerly the Presidential Palace of South Vietnam.














Tunnel beneath the Reunification Palace. South Vietnamese President Diem went through these tunnels in 1964, only to be assassinated when he emerged on the other end.














This is a replica of the Communist tank that smashed through the gate of the South Vietnamese Presidential Palace in 1975, as the South Vietnamese government was conquered.

Saigon-First Full Day In Vietnam

A group walk through Saigon. Our group is in foreground. The Opera House, from the French Colonial days, is across the street.


Ho Chi Minh Square, Saigon. Lots of images of Ho here.


Notre Dame Church. This 125 year old church was made with bricks shipped in from Marseilles.


Eloise ( El ), our tour leader, here with our Saigon Vietnamese guide Hou. Both were great.


The sun rises over the Saigon River. Taken from the room of my hotel room at the Grand Hotel. This is an old hotel that has been modernized. It had a killer buffet breakfast.

First Full Day in Vietnam

It was really good getting a nights sleep. I am still jet lagged, but it gets better from this point. There was an intense but short rainstorm yesterday ; other than that the weather has been good.

We got together with our tour group yesterday night in the hotel at 7pm. We're a good group of 13, from Australia, England, Spain, New Zealand, and me as the sole American.

After the short meeting over a cocktail, we went across the street to a restaurant, Maxims. Don't know if there is a connection with the French restaurant. The food at this Maxims was Vietnamese, served family style, and it was good. For me, it was washed down with some "333" beer from Saigon.

Am at the Grand Hotel on Dong Khoi Street. This street used to have a French name ( Rue Catinet? ) which was changed after the war. There were lots of bars that were well patronized by the US troops.

A buffet breakfast is included, and it ain't bad. Had lots of fruit, including lychee and some spiny thing were you peel off the skin and eat the soft inside. Also, dim sum , rice soup, and the usual Western things.

We had a walking tour to see the Notre Dame Church, built by the French of course, with brick hauled in from Marseilles. It is 125 years old.

We took a pink bus to the Reunification Palace. It was the South Vietnamese Presidents palace, built only in 1966 or so. We walked through the four floors and then into the tunnel below it. One of the last moments of the war was when a North Vietnamese tank smashed through the gate of this place.

Next, the " War Remnants Museum ", which used to be known as the " Museum of American War Crimes ". There are US aircraft and tanks in front, as well as a replica of the N Vietnamese tank mentioned above ( the original is up in Hanoi ) .

Inside the museum, a litany of all the awful things the US did during the war, including lots on Agent Orange, atrocities committed by the troops, etc. No mention of any atrocities by the North Vietnamese or Viet Cong. Guess they did not commit any.

Next, to the big Chinatown called Cholon, and the large, crowded Bing Tay wholesale market. Back in the 1800s, a Vietnamese king allowed Chinese to settle down there. Actually, this part of Vietnam was not even Vietnamese until very recently in history. Think it was part of the Cambodian kingdom a couple of centuries ago.

We went to Thien Hau Temple, a Chinese Buddhist Temple.

After that, a drive off to a very good, inexpensive pho restaurant. Pho ( pronounced phuhh , as in " fur " ) is a beef based noodle soup that is a big part of Vietnamese cuisine. A big bowl of pho and a soda was less than three dollars.

Back in the room, saw the end of the Atlanta - Houston extra inning baseball game, won by the Astros. Then the beginning of the Yankees game, which I see that they have won.

So, looking forward to tomorrow's trip but not the wakeup call. We assemble in the lobby at 7am for a trip to the Cu Chi tunnels, a large network built by the Viet Cong to hide from the Americans and transport stuff back in the day.

---

People here are friendly, but there is poverty. A lot of it. Walking here, a five or six year old girl approached me selling postcards, and asking " where are you going "? You see people getting by selling trinkets or small bananas or soup on the street from small pots.

The Vietnamese are an old and proud people, and I do not like to see them living like this. I look, but try not to be too obvious.

Here in Vietnam

I landed in Saigon a couple of hours ago, maybe 2pm local time. Flight was not crowded at all, maybe 20% full.

Clearing customs was easy, as was immigration. The airport is old, but it looks like they are building a new one right next door. This one, Tan Sa Nhut, was used a lot during the Vietnam War. Some of the hangars and other buildings are clearly from before that time, or built during the 1960s.

On the descent into the airport, saw a lot of buildings that could have been used by the US or South Vietnamese military.

Quite hot here, and humid. I found this Internet cafe right down the street from my hotel and ducked in.

Taxi driver spoke little English but really, really tried to make a conversation.

I am really tired but have a bit of a second wind, and will meet up with the tour group at 7pm, 3 1/2 hours from now. Will keep to the local time as much as possible.

The hotel is nice, built in the 1930s, but modernized. A/C, CNN and BBC on the tv.

Look forward to a nice long sleep tonight, and then to start this trip for real.

OK, its almost 8 NY time. Almost time to head out to Newark, and travel to the other side of the world.

The Basic Itinerary

Am traveling with an Australia-based small tour group called Travel Indochina. The itinerary is below.

Vietnam time is 11 hours ahead of US Eastern time.

Best way to reach me is by Internet, as I will stop by Internet cafes once in a while.

Here's the itinerary.

Saturday, Oct 8
0020am Eva Air Flight No. 31 to Chiang Kai-Shek Airport in Taipei, Taiwan ( with a stop in Seattle on the way ) Connecting flight to Saigon ( Ho Chi Minh City ) arrive Sunday 1140am Vietnam flight ( 24 hours plus total flight time )

Oct 9-13 at Grand Hotel in Saigon
Phone 84-8-8230163
http://www.precisionreservations.com/ph-aspx-hotel_id.10974-db-hoteldatabase/HotelDisplay.htm

Oct 13-14
Flight to Dalat
One night stay at Novotel Dalat
Phone 011-84-63-825777
http://www.sino.net/vietnam-hotels/Novotel-Dalat572.html


Oct 14-16
Nha Trang. Stay at Yasaka Saigon Hotel in Nha Trang
Phone 011-84-58-820090
http://www.asiarooms.com/vietnam/nha_trang/yasaka_saigon.html

Oct 16-18
Flight to Hoi An, stay in Hoi An Hotel
011-58-510-861445
http://www.vietnamtourism.com/hoian_hotel/

Oct 18-19
Ground transport to Hue, the old imperial capital, site of battle during Tet offensive in 1968
One night in Huong Giang hotel
Phone 011-58-54-822-122
http://www.precisionreservations.com/ph-aspx-hotel_id.11002-db-hoteldatabase/HotelDisplay.htm

Oct 19-22
Ground transport to Hanoi. Stay at the Hanoi Hilton! ( Hilton Hanoi Opera Hotel )
Phone 011-58-84-4-9330500
http://www.hilton.com/en/hi/hotels/index.jhtml?ctyhocn=HANHITW

Oct 22-23
Last night at the Guoman Hotel in Hanoi
Phone 011-84-4-822-2800
http://www.planetholiday.com/hotel/43398.htm


Oct 23
1245 Eva Air flight from Hanoi to Taipei, then transfer to 747 to Seattle/Newark. Arrive at 1110 the same day!

Heading to Vietnam

When you tell people you're going to Vietnam on vacation, there are basically two reactions.


The first is " wow, that's really cool ". Its supposed to be pretty, the food is great, it is not yet been inundated by mass tourism, etc. The second is " what the hell do you want to go to a place like that for " ? They see images of the " wilderness of pain " of the Vietnam War.

You need to understand the war, and the wars before it, to understand Vietnam. But the war ended more than three decades ago. I want to see what the real Vietnam of today is like.

Soon, I will walk the streets of Saigon and Hanoi, and lots of places in between. Can't wait.