Rainbows and Rainfall--last post on Hue

A constant question people have asked me--including my parents--was whether or not I like travelling. I'd say about 80-90% of the time I loved being on my own--being my own boss, and only having to do what I wanted to do, and avoiding some of the petty arguments that can result when two people are in close quarters for long periods of time--arguments that probably wouldn't occur in normal circumstances (see my experience with AJ). There were certainly times that I was indeed a little bit lonely and wished for a travelling companion of some sort--especially when it came to getting pictures taken of me.

The nice thing about travelling alone, though, is that it makes you more approachable by local tourists and other tourists who might otherwise be intimidated by the presence of two or more westerners--it's human nature, and it occurs in the west as well. Assuming everything else is equal, who are you more likely to approach, a person on their own, or a group of people?

So, I was sitting in the shade underneath a tower overlooking the forbidden city, and reading some of McNamara's "In Retrospect," when a pair of vietnamese twin boys sit down next to me and start looking over my shoulder. We start to talk--one is more proficient in english than the other--and they are 14 and from Saigon (again, when I asked "ho chi minh city or saigon" they said "saigon") and were visiting their uncle who lives in Hue. The one that is more proficient in english actually wants to become an english teacher, and wanted to practice his english with someone, so I freely obliged--again, the nice thing about being on your own is that you can set your own schedule.

It was a nice little moment, and one that reflects the fact that if you can get past the touts and the people claiming to be your friends, most people in SE Asia are generally very nice and welcoming, but they are also extremely shy and reserved, so if they start to make an effort towards you, than it is best to encourage them and to put them at ease with stuff that will get them to laugh, the most common of which that I used was "your english, better than my [insert name of local language]." The nice thing about that when I said that, I wasn't lying either--i was being honest. I managed to make them laugh without confusing them or possibly lying to them--all very important things to avoid in dealing with cross-cultural communication.

I dragged my now sweaty rear-end back to the hostel and rested for a good part of the day, making reservations for the bus to Hoi An the next day.

Like clockwork, the monsoons arrived and dumped on Hue for about two hours between 2 and 4pm. I actually started to look forward to them, because after the rains fell, the temperature usually dropped by a couple of degrees, and humidity levels correspondingly decreased, making it relatively nice to walk around in the late afternoon.

Along with clearing out some of the humidity, the monsoons also somehow "cleared the skies"--long distance visibility drastically increased following the monsoons--meaning that if you were looking upriver from Hue, previously non-visible mountain ridges magically appeared, silhouetted in the fading light.

There was but one thing left on my "to do list" in Hue before I caught my bus the next morning, and that was taking a dragonboat ride down the Perfume River (yes, that's actually what it is called). So, I walked about three blocks to the main pier, and hired one for 10 bucks an hour (there was only about two hours of daylight left, and I didn't want to miss out on my last free beer, so I only did it for an hour).

In New Haven, CT its possible to go from zero to sketchy (in terms of neighborhoods) in about a block. In Hue, its possible to go from urban to rural in about five minutes. Within easy eyesight of urban Hue and probably a 20 minute drive (with bad traffic), a rural setting prevails with local residents living alongside the riverbanks and using personally built canoes/boats to get around. Dark green ferns are everywhere, and it is clear that native plant life could easily reclaim any abandoned structure within a decade, if not a span of several years.

As we reached the halfway point of the boatride, and the sun continues to fade, I looked up and saw that the monsoons have left another gift to those who chose to look skyward--a giant, vividly colored rainbow whose crisp colors and wide width come closer to matching the "ideal" rainbow than any other rainbow I've ever seen. It was just one of those moments whose full effect simply cannot be replicated on paper or in photos, no matter how great the photography or prose may be. You just simply had to be there.

After 8.5 weeks of travelling, certain things that once astounded now only generate yawns--(ie. doesn't that look like the same temple I saw last week?)--but there are still things capable of generating jaw-drop worthy awe, and this scene, with the sun's rays illuminating Hue, while green mountains loomed in the distance, a river ran in the foreground, and a giant rainbow floated overhead, had that power.

I personally don't agree with the common cultural belief that rainbows or other natural phenomena are meant to be viewed as omens. In hindsight, however, the rainbow was more than just an omen--it was a preview of things to come as I made my way down south along the Vietnamese Coast.

Now, since it was my last night in Hue, and the US England soccer game was on at 130am local time, I should have, in theory, stayed up drinking and watching the game. I was drained, however, and the road from Hue to Hoi An was legendary for its scenery. I knew that if I got to bed anytime past 1 or so, I would end up sleeping on the bus, and I didn't want to miss the sights along the way. So, while I indeed had a couple of drinks, and found a great place to go the next time I am in Hue--a place that somehow manages to attract both local restaurant staff and tourists in the area--I went to bed early and rested up.

Sleep versus Soccer--there really wasn't any doubt as to what I was going to do.

Backfill time!

It's official--I am back in Dallas--got in at 530 am tuesday morning, and I will now finally be able to backfill some of the stuff I left out, with the help of all the pictures that I have taken.

Mama would have been very pleased with my trip--I ended up losing somewhere between 10-12 pounds on the trip because of all the sweating and walking around I was doing.

Bear with me as I do this to the best of my ability.

No last minute changes

No last minute changes, as I sit here typing this from the Singapore Airport departure lounge, post customs--bags are checked through to DFW, and I have my boarding passes.
Will be doing some weird date hopping because of the international dateline.
Flight leaves singapore on monday, arrives in hong kong monday night, then my flight from hong kong to san francisco leaves at 1230am on tuesday, arrives at around 9pm on monday in sfo, and then my flight to dallas leaves around 130am local time--meaning that I actually fly back in time from Tuesday to Monday on one of my legs.

It was a great trip, and I still need to do some further posts to detail Vietnam, Singapore, and some other thoughts and experiences from the trip--besides, its good practice for me to get back in the habit of writing, considering I'm going to be doing a ton of that in late August.

Singapore one last time

Well, I have arrived safely in Singapore for my night stop and will head to the airport around noonish for my 4pm flight--I stored one of my bags that is filled with my suits for the price of 5 bucks for 24 hours--and I need to do some repacking/sorting of materials.

I had a lot of fun last night in Saigon--I'll talk about details later, but let's just say I'm glad that my flight didn't leave until 3pm this afternoon.

Brief rants:
I fully expect airport markups no matter where I go--but the airport markups in vietnam and cambodia in the international terminals are absurd to the point of highway robbery. Prices are easily 4 times greater than what you would see in the street, and it stinks of one giant cash grab before you leave the country.

Other absurd cost: ATM fees. In some cases, they weren't that bad ($1 or so), but in Thailand, they were an astronomical 150 baht per withdrawal (just under 5 dollars).

I can confidently declare that the phenomenon of "body at the airport, brain left at home" is not isolated to the U.S.--it occurs everywhere. Even in Vietnam, although, to be fair, the offenders weren't Vietnamese, they were Singaporean and should know better. One extended family causing problems/delays at check-in--of course, I was behind them--and being borderline disruptive to the point where I thought the flight attendants were going to throw some of them off the airplane.

Also, if your toddler is unhappy or sick or hurt, do not under any circumstances take them onto an airplane. Your fellow passengers will tremendously appreciate the favor--a kid shrieked for the last 20 minutes flying into Singapore--some of the loudest screaming I've ever heard on an airplane.

saigon

Saigon is crazy--people either love saigon and hate hanoi or vice versa. I love saigon and would stay a little bit longer, but it is expensive by vietnam standards (even though I managed to get a $30 hotel room for just $16 a night--and no, I didn't do anything illegal--all I did was walk into a hotel, look at the price list, begin to walk out saying that the price was too high, and the receptionist immediately knocked off almost half. Took a look at the room, and I was sold. I'm paying more than the going rate for aircon rooms--about 10-13 bucks, but I'm getting far more bang for my buck.)

I would truly love to stay and travel in SE Asia for longer, but the problem is that I have run out of Malarone--my anti-malaria medication. In theory, I should have been back in the U.S. a week ago, since you are supposed to take Malarone for a week once you leave malaria infested areas, but before I planned my vietnam excursion, I went on the CDC's website, and it said that malaria isn't a problem in Vietnam unless you go inland into the rural areas. I was sticking to the coast route where malaria is non-existent, so I could fulfill the week-long requirement in Vietnam.

I am also going to store some of my luggage at the Singapore Airport--because Singapore is such a major transit hub, they have safe, secure, and cheap luggage storage facilities. I had to buy another bag to carry my suits in, so that is what I will be storing--don't worry, I am not camping out at the airport--I have a hostel booked in Singapore, and will be spending the night there.

in saigon

arrived in saigon today--interesting ride on the plane.
both saigon and danang still have relics from the old us airbase.

Travel Plans

For such a relaxing place, Hoi An has plenty to keep me occupied--that and the fact that the rolling power outages (every other day, the power is down from 5am to 2pm--Vietnam relies on hydroelectricity. Because of el nino, it didn't rain as much--ergo, rolling power outages)--so, when I was ready to blog about Hoi An/China Beach/Hue-Hoi An ride, the power was down.

I am enjoying myself thoroughly--met a british girl whose parents own a cigar company--and one of their biggest clients is....Kinky Friedman, I shit you not. I was floored that she knew who the guy was--99% of the U.S. doesn't know who he is.

It is hot here, though--very hot.

Anyway, rather than sit on a train for 24 hours, I've decided to fly from Danang--a 20 minute ride away--to Saigon on the 17th on Jet Star flight 597, leaving at 5pm and getting in at 615pm.

I also booked the very last leg of my se asia tour, flying from Saigon on the 20th at about 3 in the afternoon, and arriving in Singapore at about 630pm on Jetstar 554.

Will post photos later when I get a spare moment.