Ko Tao Pictures

Ko Tao, Thailand take 2

(I hit send WAY before I wanted to, sorry for the lengthy boring unedited post before this!)

Ok. Anyway I arrived in the airport too late to make the Ko Tao ferry, so I hopped aboard the Ko Phan Ngan one instead. I stayed one night in a hostel just between sunset and sunrise beaches. The little alleyways connecting the two were entirely hostels, bars, loud music, and 'western' restaurants. Neon signs and flyers shouted Full Moon Party! Half Moon Party! Buy two buckets get one free! Happy shakes! Free body paint with bucket! Yet the place was eerily empty as the party ended a few days before. It's hard to imagine what the beaches look like covered in masses of drunk westerners playing with paint and fire. I met someone who was burned on the neck from playing fire jump rope. Um?

I ate on the beach with my toes dug deep into the soft white sand. The tide slowly crept up to me as I sipped a mojito, a Singapore Sling, a Mai Tai. The moon finally broke through the clouds and I could understand how the first visitors felt inspired to celebrate. It looks huge and beckoning. I sat for hours writing in my journal and enjoying the salty air. Inhale. Exhale. Stress disappear... If I hadn't already booked my ticket to Ko Tao the next morning, I probably would have stayed another night or two.

But onward to Ko Tao, where my new dive shop picked me up, set me up in my beachfront bungalow and gave me a book to begin studying instantly. First dive tomorrow. No pressure!

The instructors did a great job rehearsing various skills with me, and I felt way more comfortable in the water than I thought. Soon I was exploring coral reefs with my small class and New Zealander instructor. It's hard to explain just how amazing diving can be. There's so many fish and sea anemones and coral and urchins and slugs... Despite all I had just seen in my travels, I felt like this was one of the most amazing things I've ever done. Just unbelievable and unreal. It's like swimming in an aquarium! (I know how dumb this sounds.) The density of fish is crazy and amazingly they don't 'run away' from you. You're just as much a part of what's going on, observing and interacting. I could push water towards a giant school of fish and watch them all shift direction seamlessly, like an emergent being moving at once. Brightly colored Christmas Tree worms would close up for a minute and slowly pop back open. Triggerfish would signal for us to back away from their nest like a dog baring its teeth. I saw giant grouper, sting rays, angelfish, banner fish, baby fish, squid eggs, sea slugs, giant hermit crabs... So cool!

After the certification, I talked over the next few days with the dive center. Everyone in my dive class agreed to taking a day off for Songkran New Year then spending two days getting the Advanced certification. This meant 30m dives, a shipwreck dive, a night dive, a navigation dive and a drift dive. It only got more amazing.

What a life, really... Spending all day on a boat off a gorgeous island in between diving. The staff would cut up fresh pineapple and set out cookies after we came up. Nothing could taste better!

I think I'm hooked. Anybody want to go diving with me?



Katie

Ko Tao, Thailand

Hello friends!

Yes I've been home a few days now, but this is an excellent opportunity for me to reminisce about Southern Thailand.

Initially I imagined lying on a sandy white beach with a lone palm tree over my head while I read a book a day. You know, relaxing without a care in the world. No more 'must see' sights. A place to fix my dismal farmers tan. A badly needed vacation.

With that in mind, I started researching islands. Yes, it's a hard life picking out which tropical island you'll relax on for a week! I wanted quiet, hiking opportunities, a cheap beachfront bungalow, decent food options nearby, and close to an airport so I could fly from Hanoi.

From Surat Thani (which had the cheapest tickets), three islands are nearby: Ko Phan Ngan, Ko Samui, and Ko Tao. Evidently Ko Samui was initially that paradise, but giant resorts followed the backpackers in. Now it's a fully developed island lacking any Thai authenticity (or budget accommodation!) The same process is underway on Ko Phan Ngan - an island famous for the Full Moon Parties. I wanted to dodge the party scene, so Ko Tao was next. Since it's most known for scuba diving sites, I figured i could find a beach all to myself.

Over time though, the idea of scuba diving started to appeal to me. I traveled with a dive instructor in Thailand and Laos, and she did so much to make scuba sound amazing. I also have some scuba gear at the top of my closet (long story) still unused. So I did a little research and learned that an open water certification was just two days and included three nights accommodation. Done!

Katie

N Vietnam Pictures: Hanoi, The Ship, Approaching Rain, Easter Mass

Hanoi & Ha Long Bay

I realize I'm very slow on my updates; I have been scuba diving in Thailand the past week and taking time to absorb the end of my travels. Right now I'm in the airport waiting to fly back to Bangkok, where I spend one night before taking off for LAX.

I do plan on updating a bit when I get back; after I round out Koh Tao I will likely share more essay-like posts about my reflections. Think more 'Humility' post vs 'this is what I did today posts!'

That being said... I owe you a report on Hanoi and Ha Long Bay. I consider these locations the spiritual end to my travels as a backpacker, and honestly by Hanoi I was wearied by the tourist attraction circuit. Usually I at least made the effort to 'see the sights' of a given location, but in Hanoi I just walked and ate and hung out with new friends.

Upon arrival (after my canceled flight, remember) I made my way to the famous Hanoi Backpackers Hostel. Friends from Ho Chi Minh recommended the place to me and I was immediately struck by the number of folks staying there. It's a vast backpacker factory, complete with restaurant, bar, lounge, BBQ, computers etc on at least seven floors. (I asked later - they house about 200 beds at minimum $6/pop.) After all the gritty family run guesthouses I've stayed in, the bright colors and Western style was very jarring. Nevertheless, I figured this was the end of my trip across Indochina and it was appropriate to try the backpacker scene full stop before I left.

So I booked a booze cruise ticket with the hostel to Ha Long Bay.

Stories from the boat party are best left to private conversation. It's clearer to me now that I am not a hard partier, but I had a great time anyway.

The boat ride was absolutely gorgeous. You know what Ha Long Bay looks like: giant limestone karst jut out of the bay while screened in mist. We took a short kayaking trip to experience the scenery up close and paddled inside a cave, where I slipped and scraped myself up a bit. Figures.

At the end of the day, I stood quietly on the top deck watching the light fade away. I wanted Ha Long Bay to seep into my bones. I wanted all of my travels to reflect and magnify inside of me until I truly accepted all that I had experienced. It's happened. I'm here, on the deck of a ship in Ha Long Bay, Vietnam. I have traveled through Southeast Asia without approval from my family or some of my close friends and made it by myself just fine. Cheers, Vietnam. Thank you for your beauty.

The next morning the clouds darkened and rain fell as we sailed back to the harbor. Everyone rushed inside the dining hall. I pled for a glass of hot tea and snuck out the back door under the deck to watch the last of the mountains disappear. My heart began to turn towards home.

Back in Hanoi, I made a half-hearted effort to visit the Temple of Literature. The lines were massive and tour groups trekked through like ants. Gradually but strongly I began to feel that I should not be there at all. It's April 8th, Easter, and the first thing I'm doing is visiting a temple. After all the blessings God has granted me, I couldn't ignore His pull on this holy day. So I bought my ticket and left for the giant Catholic cathedral in town. I arrived in time for the French service. To hear Easter mass in French while in a gothic Cathedral in Vietnam - well, it really defines the 'universal' Catholic church. Afterwards I felt overcome with gratitude and love. Maybe I was even shining because four Vietnamese university students asked to take a picture with me. They enjoyed it so much that they even asked for an individual picture each with me! Of course I then needed a picture with them for myself :). Only one spoke English and the rest just giggled and smiled really big. Very cute.

Actually, I think of all the countries I was the most popular in Vietnam. I was asked several times if I was part Vietnamese because I'm small. Many folks complimented me on my smile. I even was asked by two separate & lovely young women to be their English speaking pen pal!

On the way to the Hanoi airport late at night, the taxi driver even felt the need to ask me in broken English if I liked Vietnamese boys and if I would want a Vietnamese boyfriend. I demurred and said I liked boys close to where I live. He then asked me if Vietnamese penises were smaller than American penises!! I pretended to not understand his hand gestures and we didn't talk much after that.

From Hanoi to Bangkok overnight to Surat Thani to Ko Phan Ngan overnight to Ko Tao... And to be continued :)

Katie

Central Vietnam Pictures: My Som, me, mountains, Tu Duc Tomb

Central Vietnam: Hoi An, Ho Chi Minh Trail, and Hue

I flew from Ho Chi Minh City (where the airport power went out twice) to Danang in Central Vietnam. A hastily negotiated motorcycle ride down the coast brought me 45 minutes south to "Hoi An - Ancient City." Now, Hoi An is a legitimately beautiful place. Yellow French colonial buildings line tiny alleyways snaking toward the water. The city has rich roots in French, Japanese, Chinese, and Vietnamese culture from its days as a large trading & merchant town. I gamely paid for a ticket that let me inside five 'ancient' sites and wandered inside a Japanese bridge from 1000s, Chinese Buddhist temples, and a very old, still in use wooden merchant house. I thought the house in particular was really interesting because it had both Japanese and Chinese influences and gorgeous mother of pearl inscriptions and designs on vertical support columns.

Honestly though, at this point the sniffles I had in HCMC blossomed into a full on head cold, and not sleeping last night made me a zombie in Hoi An. I walked blankly back to my room and slept from 5pm-8am the next day.

Thankfully I packed some DayQuil, so the next morning I tackled the tailor shops. My Vietnamese sales lady was so good I actually had fun shopping - or rather, "dress designing." I decided against getting a custom suit because I don't foresee needing one for a really long time. Instead, I got a cocktail dress, a summer dress, and a gray blazer that fits very smartly. Then I had a sudden burst of inspiration and asked for two pairs of jeans as well: a skinny pant and a trouser pant. Next stop was the shoe store. Now, I have a little foot but it's wide in the toe and somewhat high at the top. Shoes can be very difficult and the thought of custom designed shoes was really exciting. I did A LOT of damage here that I'm too embarrassed to report on. But I'm excited for my clothes to arrive in the US soon!

In between fittings, I met with an "Easy Rider" to discuss a guided motorcycle trip to Hue (about three hours north along the coast). I had grand images of a drive similar to pacific coast highway in California, despite the rainy and misty weather. Anh, my driver, shook his head and quickly convinced me to drive out into the mountains along the Ho Chi Minh trail, stay the night in a small town, and head back to Hue for some sightseeing before dropping me off at the airport at 8pm.

The drive, my friends, was utterly gorgeous. We passed through so many shades of green that I can't even describe it. We stopped at a small home where brooms were made and watched an automatic loom weave some cloth. I made rice paper very badly and ate it! We saw a pineapple plantation and a minority village, where thankfully I was just a boring visitor barely worth a wave. The next day we stopped by a waterfall, a rubber tree plantation and a pepper tree, where Anh tricked me into eating a pepper that destroyed my mouth for half an hour.

Riding on the back of his motorcycle was exhilarating. We dashed up and down the mountains until the foot rests I used vibrated too much for my feet. Just wow. I couldn't stop thinking about how much my life has changed in the past two years and how I could have never predicted this moment. I felt so utterly young and alive and full of potential. I held my arms out from my sides and felt the clear air rush past while I laughed among the peaks and rice paddy valleys.

By Hue I had very little desire to hit the tourist circuit (my traveling high for the day was already reached!) but I made an obligatory stop amongst the crowds to Tu Duc tomb and the famous pagoda. They were actually really beautiful and so different than the Wats I've been tracking down in the rest of Asia. The tombs were massive but old, worn, ruined. The weathered wood and peeling paint in the mist gave the whole site a great atmosphere.

I convinced Anh to take me to the beach before the airport. We sat on a bamboo platform watching the light fade from the gray sky until the horizon disappeared. I dug my toes into the sand and drank a beer, letting the past few days & weeks settle in. It's hard not be reflective as a trip comes to a close and the ocean waves were so soothing.

Anh dropped me off at the airport with a tear for the last flight out to Hanoi. Un/fortunately it was canceled, so Vietnam Airlines put me up in a three star hotel. I had a shower curtain for the first time in my trip! I linked up with a woman and her teenage son in the hotel lobby the next morning, where staff argued that we weren't on the first flight out. The woman made a few calls and next thing you know we were boarding an 8:30am plane to Hanoi. Perfecto for me, barely iffy for her. I hope she made her connection to Ha Long Bay.

I had my own plans for Ha Long Bay to come later... :)

Katie

Humility: Cu Chi Tunnels & War Remnants Museum

Humility is considered a virtue. We value the humble on an individual level and typically resent boasters. Collectively as Americans however, our culture strongly emphasizes patriotic pride. Popular music sings, "Proud to be an American" and a politician is damned if he's caught without an American flag pin.

I've grown up casually believing America is number one and has the moral high ground. History class was flavored with lessons on how "those countries" (read: those that don't have America's form of government or enlightened leaders) made poor decisions or affronted human rights. Without much thought I assumed as truth that America was always right and did everything best. Maybe we've made mistakes but you know, the American way is still the best way.

Then I came to Vietnam, which immediately invokes the Vietnam War and jungles to American ears. I visited the Cu Chi Tunnels and the War Remnants museum to learn more about the "American War."

What I learned was humility.

The tunnels are a huge network of tiny tunnels hand built by the local people during the war a few hours outside Ho Chi Minh City. A lyrical war veteran led us around the site, showing us bomb craters bigger than my apartment and half exploded American tanks. We scooted in a crouch through the tunnels at breakneck speed while giggling to cover the claustrophobic nervousness. I emerged sweaty, dirty and triumphant. I can imagine how the clever locals and Viet Cong could come out of 'nowhere' to surprise the invading troops and then disappear again.

We also saw homemade hunting traps modified for war. Sharpened bamboo poles hid under trap doors or sprang shut at a moment's touch. I admired the ingenuity of the moving traps, then remembered that they injured Americans. It was a sobering moment, imagining the Americans as the enemy.

Next we visited the War Remnants Museum, where I flexed my listening muscle. The first floor highlighted an entire globe protesting "the War of American Aggression against Vietnam." Featured photographs included the famous picture of a person putting a flower into the barrel of a police rifle. On the second floor, we learned about the modern history of Vietnam's colonization, occupation in WWII and the many years of French rule. A clipping from a Geneva Convention document described the temporary partition of Vietnam in advance of unifying elections. Western countries including the US signed the promise to not interfere with the results or in Vietnam's affairs in any way. Unfortunately for America, the winning government was communist. We balked, helped install a puppet 'democratic' government in the South sympathetic to the US and made the North/South division permanent. Insert a decade long war until the US pulls their troops out.

I took a break with a Canadian friend. We sat quietly for a few minutes, unsure what to say. Then he turned to me hesitantly and asked, "Why? Why did it go on for so long?" I was at a loss; I didn't even know the US had lost the war. I said the first thing that popped into my mind.

"Pride."

The next room was dedicated to remembering American War Crimes, including the Mai Ling massacre, massive bombings of towns and the use of napalm. The photographs of the massacre in particular are unreal. Soldiers roused an entire village out of their homes and gunned them down while a photographer snapped pictures. Over 500 men, women, and children were murdered.

The next floor documented damage from Agent Orange and other associated defoliants. It's hard to describe the horror of these chemicals. The genetic mutations resulted in horrifying deformities that are still passed on today. Babies are born with missing limbs in areas woefully lacking sufficient health care. Agent Orange has utterly ruined an entire people that cannot reproduce without fear.

I ran into another American (rare occurrence, actually) at a bar in Hanoi a couple of nights ago. She was pretty drunk and excited to see a compatriot as we exchanged hometowns. Then her mood darkened and she grabbed me tightly. "Did you know?" she implored, staring at me intently. "Did you know about Agent Orange? I didn't. I pride myself on being an educated American and defend us against those that accuse us of ignorance. But I didn't know. I saw... A woman with no arms. I saw a baby with six toes. How is this happening? How did I not learn about this in school?"

She continued to tell me how she emailed her HS asking why this wasn't taught. She promised that she was going to raise awareness and change the world. Then she spilled her drink and patted me reassuringly. "People like you empower me. Thank you." And she was gone.

I am proud of her.

The museum exhibitions ended with heroic photojournalists' pictures illustrating the war. They were simply spectacular. I believe there was another room dedicated to peace, but the museum shut off the lights and ushered us outside at closing. I stood in the sun with my Canadian friends, shifting my weight uncomfortably. My instincts were reaching for justifications and explanations, for the "American side." I wanted to defend my country to my new Canadian friends.

But I kept silent. I let it sink in. Every moment I formulated arguments was a moment that I wasn't really listening to the Vietnamese story. It was a new story to me and I needed to hear it. I learned humility.

I still love America. Really, I do. I love our diversity and our freedom. I love that my drunk American friend can return home and actually speak out against past government actions.

Now I feel deeply that Americans are just the same as anyone else in the world - people. We're subject to the same failings as anyone else, including in war, government and human rights. We're all imperfect and we must be humble enough to acknowledge our failings to strive against them.

We cannot let our pride as a country blind us to our past mistakes, or we will repeat them.

Thank you, Vietnam, for your story. I'm sorry.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

I admit, I was very nervous about HCMC. I read about taxis that would kidnap your things and unfriendly people.

Yet less than two hours after I arrived, I was grinning like an idiot walking around. My heart felt joyful and at home. Love cannot be explained, and I have fallen hard for the city formally known as Saigon. Unlike quaint Luang Prabang, which was a lovely place to visit, Ho Chi Minh City's vibrant and frenetic pace nurture a new desire to LIVE there. Should my life go off the expected track, look for me in Saigon slurping some soup.

And oh, the food was incredible. I already uploaded some pictures. Let me describe:

First, I stopped at a random food stall by the large traffic circle because (rule of thumb #1) I saw many Vietnamese people eating there. With a few points, smiles, and demonstrations of money, I received my com, or cooked rice. On top was a crispy pork (BBQ, I suspect) with a honey flavor and somewhat chewy texture topped with chopped green onions. It was served with a not-too-spicy clear broth with red chilies + green beans and the usual tomato/cucumber/ slices. A clear broth soup with a potato relative and green onions & parsley accompanied the meal.

The next picture was breakfast. I ordered exactly what the neighboring table's folks were eating (to their great merriment). What I received astonished me. A dark, spicy savory soup featured carrots and tender oxtail. With the soup came a small side dish of lime and salt/pepper that I poked at blankly. One of the neighboring men laughed at me and showed me how to squeeze the line juice into the salt/pepper and mix into a dipping sauce. Yesss this was so good. Even better, I was next given a soft baguette to dip into the soup. The men across from me watched my every move with great amusement, and eventually I cajoled them over to explain what I was eating. "Bo Kho," one wrote in careful block letters. Then he drew an adorable picture of a cow with horns. I added the tail and gestured to his approving laughter.

Breakfast of course comes with coffee, and mine was served strong with sweetened condensed milk at the bottom, Vietnamese style. The resulting drink is very rich, even thick.

These descriptions are getting killer long. No wonder I put off writing this post!

Next picture was lunch, an enjoyable rice dish with many types of meats and some veggies dumped on top. Nothing remarkable.

Then before dinner we caught a Vietnamese woman ordering this dish off a mobile cart in front of our hotel. We cornered them instantly and soon a new friend and I had some sort of papaya salad with sweetened beef jerky, peanuts, basil, chili sauce and a 'crispy thing' on top.

Next picture (next blog post) is breakfast the following day. I wandered around a market until a woman hustled me into her food stall and sold me an omelette looking dish with shrimp and bean sprouts. I sat down gamely as she brought over a plate of lettuce and basil, showing me quickly how to create the wrap that I then dipped in soy sauce. So tasty.

While I ate, another woman came over and offered to sell me a drink. It's milk sweetened with coconut and many types of beans & tapioca. I enjoyed it very much but I couldn't finish eating all the beans.

Lastly, this creation was sticky rice on a banana leaf, topped with all sorts of condiments that I couldn't identify, but I guess: pork sausage, ham, a tiny egg, fried chicken, chili, soy sauce, pulled pork, etc.

Obviously my favorite time was mealtime. I actually neglected the tourist hotspots in favor of roaming the city for an entire day, eating and drinking and walking. I tried to track down Anthony Bourdain's 'Lunch Lady' but ended up eating with three kind & chatty old Vietnamese men. Forget anyone that says these people aren't friendly! I had a really good time listening to stories about their lives. They even bought me a beer :)

After I bid adieu my feet hit the pavement again. I soaked up the busy sidewalks, the trees jutting out of concrete and the upscale boutiques. I watched unbelievably crazy motorbike drivers jostle around bicycles, cars, and each other. You know what, I realize why I like Saigon so much: it feels like Los Angeles. :)

Katie

PS more on HCMC next: a visit to the Cu Chi tunnels and War Remnants museum with new friends.

Apologies on being way behind on posts... I spent the last two days on motorbike!

Ho Chi Minh Street Food Part 2

Ho Chi Minh City Street Food