Back in the Good Ol' U.S.A.

Arriving state-side!

As some of you already know, my Dad’s health took a turn for the worse while we were in Southeast Asia, so after our time in South Korea Daron and I decided to head back to the States.  The day after our arrival my Dad took a nasty fall, from which he still has not fully recovered.  I think the condition he is currently in is his “new normal.”  He is in a nearby skilled nursing facility where he is receiving excellent care.  The plan was for him to receive rehab and then come home, but his health has declined so much that he is not able to come home.  It has been tough for me to see him like this.  I am not sure what the future holds, but for now I am enjoying the time I have with him.

It was a good time for us to head home, as we had hit a wall in our travels.  Southeast Asia was such a great experience, but also very tiring.  Towards the end we just weren’t into seeing any more wats, or palaces, or temples, or much of anything really!  We were getting burnt out. 

Traveling light at the end

Being back in the USA was a bit of a shock at first – in fact, I had a little trouble driving on the right side of the road again!  Every time I wanted to turn my blinker on, I would hit the windshield wipers!  Ugh.  That lasted almost a week.  One time when no other cars were around I almost pulled into the wrong lane.  We did spend 12 weeks driving on the “wrong” side of the road, so it makes sense there would be some residuals!

It’s been nice to have some down time and reflect a bit on our recent travels.  More than anything I think Daron and I appreciate our own country so much more than we used to.  After seeing how things are elsewhere, I have to say we have it good.  I look at our movies and TV shows a bit differently now, knowing that they have a global audience and that this is how other countries learn about life in the U.S.   Also, I wonder if we are the only country not on the metric system.  That was quite a disadvantage for us.  The one thing we both missed while we were overseas was good Mexican food.  I think we must be addicted and had been going into withdrawals.  It was the first (and second and third!) meal we had as soon as we got back.  We were fortunate that neither of us ever got sick from the food we ate while we were traveling.  We both had minor episodes, but nothing that stopped us from doing what we had planned each day.  As for our budget, we did better than expected (coming home early helped!).   Even though Australia blew our budget, we were able to make up for it in Southeast Asia.  

Packing heavy at the start

One thing I learned is that Daron and I make a good traveling team.  We had our ups and downs, like all couples do, but overall I have to say we work well together.  If one of us was having an off day, the other one would step in and help where needed.  We really had to depend on each other and trust each other, no matter what was going on.  With all the different situations we were thrust into, I got to see Daron in a different light – in fact, I feel like I fell in love with my hubby all over again.

One thing I might have changed is the blog software I used.  Although Blogger was good for my beginner blogging skills, I really struggled getting photos where I wanted them.  I spent more time wrangling with pictures than anything else!  Many people told me of their difficulties leaving comments, despite me changing the settings to the easiest possible (and for those of you that did leave comments, thank you!  It helped in the motivation department!).  Then of course, the biggest obstacle – me!  It was tough for me to keep up (as you all well know).  When we had access to the internet, our main priority was travel research (LOVE TripAdvisor!), which could eat up a lot of time.  It was hard for me to find the time (and sometimes the motivation) to write entries for the blog in the midst of all we were doing.  As we continue to travel, I’m not sure I would maintain a blog the next time around.   

My mom and dear old dad - July 2011

Overall, we made some really good friends and met fabulous people from all different countries and walks of life.  Travelers in general are friendly and helpful and fun, no matter where they’re from.  I learned a lot about the countries we visited, as well as countries we have yet to visit.  There’s a camaraderie amongst travelers in foreign lands that is very inspiring.

As for what’s next, Daron and I still plan to continue our trip - this is just a break.  My Dad’s health has mostly stabilized and my Mom seems to be doing okay at the moment.  We will spend some time visiting friends and family this summer and fall, and then find a temporary place to live for the winter.  If all continues to go well, we’ll head to Europe in the spring.  India is also still high on the list (the more we hear about it, the more we want to go!).   Until then we are typical Americans:  unemployed, uninsured, and living with their parents!  

I'd like to wrap up this part of our trip by sharing a list of favorites we kept up during our travels:

AUSTRALIA (6 weeks) 

   Favorite Experiences

      1.  Great Barrier Reef

      2.  Uluru (Ayers Rock)

      3.  Craig's Hut (alpine area where we hiked to Man From Snowy River cabin)

   Favorite Food

      1.  Aussie game sampler buffet at Uluru (tried croc and kangaroo!)

      2.  Tea and scones (with jam and cream - yum!)

      3.  Load-it-up Asian buffet in Cairns

   Favorite Drink - Aussie beers (light and refreshing)

   Least Favorites

      1.  The poor exchange rate

      2.  The weather - lots of rain

      3.  The flies at Uluru

NEW ZEALAND (6 weeks)

   Favorite Experiences

      1.  The 3 "Great Tracks" we hiked (Routeburn, Tasman, Tongariro)

      2.  Milford Sound cruise

      3.  Yellow-eyed penguin watching

   Favorite Food

      1.  Ice cream - homemade fruit ice cream & hokey pokey flavor at Tip Top

      2.  Fish and chips

      3.  Meat pies

   Favorite Drink - local pinot noir and sauvignon blanc wines

   Least Favorites

      1.  Twisting and turning roads - also one-lane bridges

      2.  Sand flies

      3.  High cost of gasoline 

THAILAND (1 month)

   Favorite Experiences

      1.  Chiang Mai (city with nice laid-back vibe)

      2.  Maya Cove (where they filmed "The Beach")

      3.  Thai massages & foot massages (so cheap!)

   Favorite Food

      1.  All of the fabulous Thai dishes (it's hard to pick just one!)

      2.  Thai pancakes (nutella and banana - yum!)

      3.  Mango sticky rice

   Favorite Drink - Fruit shakes

   Least Favorites

      1.  All of the different scams we had to watch out for

      2.  Being seen as a walking ATM by the locals

      3.  Garbage all over and rank smells

LAOS (1 month)

   Favorite Experiences

      1.  Slow boat down the Mekong River

      2.  Caving in Vang Vieng

      3.  Overnight sleeper bus

   Favorite Food

      1.  Authentic Lao food - chicken laap and papaya salad

      2.  Cheese and veggie baguette sandwiches

      3.  Sticky rice

   Favorite Drink - Beer Lao

   Least Favorites

      1.  Local attitudes about littering, garbage, and cleanliness

      2.  Tricky pricing practices

      3.  The language barrier

CAMBODIA (1 month)

   Favorite Experiences

      1.  The local Khmer people - very friendly and quick to smile

      2.  Exploring the ruins of Angkor Wat

      3.  Fun riverside area in Phnom Penh (great people-watching)

   Favorite Food

      1.  Fish amok and lok lak (Khmer cooking)

      2.  Cha kroueng (chicken in peanut and coconut sauce - Khmer curry dish)

      3.  Sticky rice with beans encased in a bamboo stick

   Favorite Drink - Cheap local beers (Anchor, Angkor, Crown)

   Least Favorites

      1.  Overly aggressive children selling anything and everything

      2.  Beggars of all types

      3.  Heart-string scams (mothers with babies, etc.) 

VIETNAM (1 month)

   Favorite Experiences

      1.  Overnight boat trip on Halong Bay

      2.  The floating markets in the Mekong Delta

      3.  Riding on the back of a scooter in crazy traffic!

   Favorite Food

      1.  Fresh spring rolls

      2.  Pho (Vietnamese soup)

      3.  Barbecue pork

   Favorite Drink - "Fresh" beer

   Least Favorites

      1.  Constant pestering to buy stuff

      2.  Taking your life into your hands when crossing the street!

      3.  Rudeness 

SOUTH KOREA (2 weeks)

   Favorite Experiences

      1.  Hanging out with Daron's brother Rod

      2.  The DMZ

      3.  Hiking the ancient wall that surrounds Seoul

   Favorite Food

      1.  Barbecue beef ribs

      2.  Kim-chi

      3.  Korean dumplings

   Favorite Drink - coffee (it was nice to be in a place with good coffee again!)

   Least Favorites

      1.  The language barrier (hardly anything was in English)

      2.  Cold noodles on ice - yuck!

      3.  Only having two weeks

Well, there you have it – eight months of travels in an abbreviated list.  The best part is that it’s not over yet.  Until then, we want to send you a big THANK YOU for joining us on this journey of ours. 

Happy Travels!

Seoul, South Korea

Statue of King Sejong

The rest of our time in South Korea was spent in the big city of Seoul.  We alternated between seeing the sights and spending time with Daron’s brother Rod, whenever he was available.  Thankfully, Seoul has a very user-friendly subway system – and it’s affordable too, at approximately $1 per person per trip.  It seemed like we started every morning on the subway, headed to some different part of the city.  We spent one day downtown, walking along the river, which reminded us a lot of Cherry Creek in Denver.  Daron especially loved looking for fish in the water as we walked.  We spent another day visiting the palace complex of Changdeokgung, where we took a tour of the Secret Garden, which is this beautiful forested area with ponds and other structures, all used by Korea’s ancient kings.  One day we felt ambitious and decided to try hiking the trail that follows the old wall that used to surround the city of Seoul.  Parts of the original wall still remain, some of it has been restored, and some of it is just plain missing.  The wall winds its way over some of the mountains near Seoul – we hiked to the top of Mt. Bukhansan and enjoyed spectacular views of Seoul.  From there we continued following the wall through the mountains until we got lost and mistakenly ended up on a trail back into town.  Not very many signs are in English, which made it a challenge to stay on the trail we wanted.  Oh well, it was a good excuse to stop for ice cream!  So much for our plan to hike the whole thing!  I think we did the best part of the walk anyways.

Octopus for sale at the fish market

One morning we took the subway to the fish market, which was huge!  There were many sea creatures for sale that we had never seen before. It was very well organized and clean, especially compared to the fish markets we had seen in Southeast Asia.  The other difference is there were tons of octopuses at this one.  It’s obvious that octopus is a delicacy here.  We read that they like to eat live baby octopus – the challenge is to chew it up before it climbs into your nasal cavity!  (baby octopus video here)  We didn’t try it, although I’ve seen some pretty amazing videos on YouTube of people who have.  The head goes in first while the long tentacles lash onto the person’s face while they’re still chewing.  Koreans also enjoy raw adult octopus, chopped up into still wriggling pieces that move around while you’re chewing! (see video here) We didn't give that one a try either, as I’m not much of a fan of my food still wriggling while I’m eating it.

Our best times were spent with Rod.  One day he met us along the Han River (a large river that cuts through Seoul) where we had a picnic.  Rod used his bachelor-chef skills to make yummy chicken wings and homemade potato salad for us! We walked over a bridge to Seonyudo island for our picnic.  The island was a water treatment facility that has since been converted into a fabulous modern garden and park.  Lots of local families were there too, enjoying the nice day.  After our picnic we rented bikes and rode the long bike trail along the Han River.  Riding the trail gave us a good feel for how big Seoul actually is.  It felt like we had been pedaling forever, yet you could see by the landmarks that we hadn’t even crossed half of the city!  We had a lot of fun that day playing (and sweating!) in the sun!

Riding bikes along the Han River

We did happy hour with Rod for the two Fridays we were there – he got us into the Foreign Correspondents Club, located in downtown Seoul.  Beer was a great price, only $1 each, which makes it a popular spot for a FAC.  The FCC is a great place for expats in the communication industry to meet up with each other.  We enjoyed hanging out with Rod’s friends and learning about life in Korea.  Both times we were there we would start our night at the FCC (for the cheap beer and to meet up with folks), then the party would head to Itaewon, where the U.S. military base is located – there are lots of western-style bars and restaurants there.  Inevitably we would be out until the wee hours of the morning (those writers sure do know how to party!). 

The Cheonggyecheon River in Seoul

While we were in Seoul Rod had a large historical article in the English newspaper.  It was a two-parter that was printed over two days.  We also saw his writings in a local English magazine, which was kind of fun – plus we saw one of his books in a bookstore we went into.  It felt like we knew someone famous.  Truth be told, Rod is actually very well known in his field of Korean history.  It was impressive to hear him speak Korean, which he did often since not many Koreans speak English.  Without Rod it would have been difficult for us to use a taxi, or even order at a Korean restaurant.   After this trip I have come to admire people who can speak two languages, especially when one is a language with an entirely different alphabet. 

Some of our favorite moments were eating out with Rod, especially since he could read the menu!  Not a lot of menus were in English, unless we were at a Taco Bell or McDonalds.  Every time we went out to eat, we struggled with the menu.  One time we walked into a Korean restaurant and played Russian roulette with the menu – we just pointed to a couple of line items, having no idea what they were.  One was decent but the other one turned out to be cold noodles on ice (that’s ICE, not rice!), with hot sauce poured over it.  Yuck!  Not to our taste at all!  After that we didn’t eat Korean food unless we had Rod with us to help us figure out what to order (even better, he usually did the ordering for us!).  Needless to say, we did a lot of fast food when we weren’t with Rod, just to play it safe. 

View of Seoul from Mt. Bukhansan

We really enjoyed our time in Korea.  The weather was fabulous – it was probably in the 70s every day we were there, and the nights weren’t very chilly.  It was nice to be back in a modern land, after spending four months in Southeast Asia.  In Korea I think everyone owns a smart phone.  And the rumor is they upgrade to a new one every three months!  Coffeeshops were everywhere, including Starbucks.  Koreans love their coffee, although it was mostly lattes and not drip.  A couple of times Daron ordered a drip coffee and both times they brewed a pot especially for him (no bottomless cup though).  Everyone in the areas we went to were very well dressed.  They all seemed so fashionable, maybe because Korea is known for its inexpensive clothing industry.  We had been so popular in Vietnam, constantly being approached, whereas here we were pretty much ignored, except for one group of students who interviewed us for their English class.  All in all it was a great visit, made even better by having a “local” guide.  We hope to get back to Korea one day to explore other areas of the country. 

The DMZ

During our time in South Korea Daron and I signed up for a tour of the DMZ.  The DMZ is an area along the 38^th parallel that separates North and South Korea.  To understand how that division came to be, you have to go all the way back to the end of World War II.  Korea was ruled by Japan at that time - following Japan’s surrender, Korea was divided in half along the 38^th parallel.  The north half was occupied by Soviet troops while the south half was occupied by American troops.  Over time, the division between the two halves increased until 1950, when North Korean troops invaded South Korea.  They had almost taken over the entire peninsula when the United States stepped in and helped repel the North’s forces back across the 38^th parallel and almost up to the Chinese border.  Then China stepped in to help the North – they were able to push the South’s forces back down across the 38^th parallel.  In 1953 the war ceased with an armistice agreement that restored the 38^th parallel as a border between the two halves, where it remains to this day.  All in all, the conflict claimed over 3 million lives.

One of the slides from the DMZ tour slideshow

The DMZ, or Demilitarized Zone, is basically a buffer zone between the two Koreas.  It is 160 miles long and 2.5 miles wide (or 4 km – 2 km on each side).   It is the most heavily militarized border in the world.  The Military Demarcation Line (MDL) goes right down the middle of the DMZ.  Both sides may patrol within the DMZ, but neither can cross the MDL.  Of course, skirmishes do occasionally occur in the DMZ and there have even been defections on both sides of the line.

When we signed up for the DMZ tour we were told there was a dress code.  Basically we had to look nice – no ripped jeans, no t-shirts with lewd pictures or sayings on them, no sandals, etc.  This was so the North Koreans wouldn’t be able to take pictures of us and use it as propaganda (see how terrible those foreigners look, etc).  The day of our tour was drizzly, but we didn’t mind - in fact, it sort of fit the mood.  We took a bus the 40-some miles from Seoul to the UN military post located within the JSA, or Joint Security Area.  The JSA is the only portion of the DMZ where North and South Korean soldiers stand face to face.  The area is used by the joint Koreas for diplomatic engagements. 

A slide showing the location of the MDL and DMZ

Our first stop was an auditorium where a U.S. soldier gave a very informative talk and slideshow on the DMZ and how it came to be.  Afterwards, he led us out the back of the building where we could see the North Korean side of the JSA.  We were not allowed to turn around and take photos of anything on the South Korean side, but it was fine to take photos of the North Korean side.  In fact, the U.S. soldier told us it was “highly encouraged.”  I got the feeling that all the photo-taking probably irritates the North Koreans so that’s why the U.S. soldiers encourage it!  We were told not to wave or make any other gestures towards the North Koreans.  Once outside we were maybe 200 feet away from the North Korean building where we could see troops eyeing us through binoculars.  Daron and I had brought our binoculars so we took a gander at them too.  I had an impulse to wave at them when I saw them looking at us, but had to suppress it.  There weren’t very many North Korean troops that we could see – there were more South Korean and U.S. troops on our side of the compound.    

Joint Security Area - looking into North Korea

Next we were led into one of the blue buildings in the JSA that straddles the line between the two Koreas - it is used infrequently for meetings.  Since the Joint Security Area is split in half down the middle between the two sides, the further half of the building is considered to be in North Korea.   All of us on the tour had to walk to the far side of the building just so we could all say we’d stepped into North Korea!  All in all, it was pretty strange to see the two sides facing each other all day long. 

We got back on the bus where we toured the nearby area.  We were shown the Bridge of No Return, which was used for prisoner exchanges during the Korean War.  North Korean prisoners caught by troops in South Korea were given the choice to stay in the South or cross the bridge back to the North.  Once they crossed the bridge, they could never return – hence the name.  I can’t imagine being one of those soldiers having to make that kind of choice – and then wondering later on if I made the right decision!

South Korean troops stand guard

We were also shown a large tree stump with a plaque next to it.  This turned out to be the site of the Axe Murder Incident (and no, it was not any of my relatives!) that occurred in August of 1976.  Within the Joint Security Area, there used to be checkpoints interspersed throughout, manned by either North or South troops (since relations have declined, this is no longer the case).  During the summer checkpoint #3 was hidden from view by a large 100 foot poplar tree.  North Korean troops had made numerous attempts to kidnap South Korean troops from checkpoint #3 and drag them across the Bridge of No Return into North Korea.  It was finally decided that the tree needed to be trimmed.  Even though South Korea had informed North Korea that the trimming would take place, North Korean troops attacked the tree trimming unit, killing two American soldiers with axes brought for the job.  Three days after the killings, Operation Paul Bunyan took place.  Two eight man teams of army engineers entered the JSA with chain saws to cut down the darn tree (no more trimming, the tree was coming down!), along with two 30-man armed platoons and a 64-man heavily armed Special Forces company.  As if that wasn’t enough, there were also 20 utility helicopters, 7 Cobra attack helicopters, and a B-52 Stratofortress escorted by F4 Phantom IIs and F-5 Freedom Fighters, all circling overhead during the 45 minutes it took to cut down the tree.  The aircraft carrier the Midway had also been moved to a station just offshore.  The North Koreans responded by sending 150-200 troops to the area, who stationed themselves at machine gun positions.  They silently watched the tree being cut down – no violence ensued, although tensions increased along the DMZ for a while afterwards.  That takes tree trimming to a whole new level!

US and South Korean soldiers

One of our next stops was a visit to a tunnel.  We were allowed to enter the tunnel and walk the length of it up to the Military Demarcation Line, where it had been walled off.  It was very deep underground, as we walked forever downhill through a connecting shaft before reaching it (it is 240 feet below ground).  They discovered it in 1978 based on information provided by a defector.  It is believed to have been built for a surprise attack on Seoul and can accommodate 30,000 troops per hour along with light weaponry.  North Korea originally denied creating the tunnel, then declared it was part of a coal mine, even though there is no coal in the area (they smudged black stuff on the walls hoping that would fool everyone!).  This is the third of four tunnels discovered heading towards Seoul from North Korea.  The fourth tunnel was discovered in 1990.  It is believed that there are up to ten more tunnels not yet discovered – U.S. and South Korean troops regularly drill for tunnels along the DMZ in hopes of finding them.

Amazingly, there is a silver lining to the tensions and division between the two Koreas.  Due to the isolation along the DMZ, the area has become a sort of involuntary nature reserve.  It has been recognized as one of the most well preserved areas of temperate habitat in the world.  Several endangered plant and animal species exist within the heavily fortified four kilometer wide swath of land cutting across the peninsula.  Good to know that something positive can come out of all this!

Site of the poplar tree and axe murder incident

We found our tour of the DMZ absolutely fascinating.  Korea is the only separated country in the world like this.  It made me think that Vietnam could have had this same fate, if things had turned out differently.  I feel sad for the families who have members on both sides of the DMZ and can never see each other.  While in Seoul, we hardly thought about North Korea, at least until I learned about those tunnels.  After that, it made me wonder if North Korea would ever go through with a plan to attack Seoul.  There have been many incidents along the DMZ since its inception, most of them caused by the hijinks of the North Koreans.  North Korea seems childlike, always trying to get attention, and not always in a good way.  Many soldiers have died on both sides from these incidents.  It was interesting to think about how different each half of the country has turned out – one side is very modern and technologically savvy, while the other side is very poor and rural.  It is said that if you look at Korea at night from space, the north half is black while the south half is lit up like a Christmas tree! This tour gave us a direct experience to relate to what we hear in the news.  I am hopeful that one day the two Koreas can be united again.

Hello South Korea!

We're finally here!

After spending four months in Southeast Asia, Daron and I were really looking forward to South Korea.  Not only for the cooler weather (we were averaging three showers a day in Hanoi!), but to be somewhere a bit more modern too.  Neither of us knew much about the country, so we weren’t exactly sure what to expect.  Our main reason for going was to visit Daron’s older brother, Rod, who lives in Seoul.  Although they have kept in touch via email and the phone, Daron and Rod have not seen each other in fourteen years.

The streets of Seoul

Rod has an interesting story (at least I think so!).  He has lived in South Korea for 27 years – longer than he’s lived in the U.S.  He joined the army when he was young, where he went to school to become a Korean interpreter.  He was stationed in Korea for fifteen years or so, where he worked along the DMZ, which is the heavily guarded border between North and South Korea.  After his release from the Army he decided to stay in Korea.  He is now a writer who specializes in Korean history.  Rod has written, co-written, and contributed to numerous books; he also writes articles for the English newspaper in Seoul as well as for a few local magazines.  He’s quite the busy guy!  We were looking forward to seeing him and learning more about Korea.  A big plus is that Rod is fluent in Korean, so we would finally have help in the communication department!  

Beth in an alleyway in Seoul

We flew Korean Air from Hanoi in Vietnam to Seoul, which only took about five hours.  The bummer was it was a red-eye flight, leaving at 11pm.  Korean Air was fabulous – so friendly and professional.  We were served good food (by airplane standards) and each seat had a small screen to pick and choose movies, tv shows, etc. to watch.  We knew we needed to sleep, but the temptation to watch new releases we had missed during our travels proved to be too much.  We probably only slept two hours total (if that) during the flight!

Rod & Daron doing what they do best - feasting!

We knew we weren’t in Southeast Asia anymore as soon as we hit the airport!  It was so modern, CLEAN, and spacious.  People were friendly and tried their best to help us when we looked lost – and they didn’t even ask for money! J  We took the subway from the airport to our youth hostel, where we had booked a private room.  It was a small but modern room with its own bathroom – plus it included breakfast and all you can drink coffee (haven’t had that since we left the U.S.).  We can finally throw toilet paper into the toilet again!  Yay!  The weather was perfect too – warm days and cool nights.  The only downside is things are much more expensive in South Korea.  Our youth hostel cost us approximately $50 a night.  But it was worth it.

I'd hate to be the one doing the dishes!

After a nap (stayed up too late watching movies on the airplane!), we met Rod in the afternoon for a late lunch/early dinner.  He took us to a Korean BBQ restaurant that was delicious!  All across the city they have these restaurants where the food is cooked at your table – either you cook it or they cook it for you, right there.   Millions of little dishes come out too, some look familiar and some not so much.  We were happy to have Rod to tell us about the food and the etiquette of how to eat it all.  Of course, Daron beats to the sound of a different drummer and does his own thing with the food, forget the local customs!   The one thing Rod couldn’t help us with is how to use the darn metal chopsticks!  We had mastered the wood and plastic chopsticks during our time in Southeast Asia, but hadn’t come across the metal ones.  They are very slippery!   More than once during our stay we were given forks after making spectacles of ourselves trying to get food into our mouths (or out of our laps!).

The Neff brothers just chillin'

In case you are like me, and don’t know much about South Korea, here are some facts I’ve gathered about the country: 

• South Korea’s population is approximately 49 million (the capital city of Seoul is 10 million)
• 83% of the population lives in urban areas
• Life expectancy is 79 years
• The birthrate of 1.19 babies per female is one of the lowest in the world
• The country is slightly larger than the state of Indiana
• The climate is subtropical, with four distinct seasons
• The terrain is mostly hills and mountains
• Christianity is South Korea’s largest religion, with Buddhism coming in second. 
• All South Korean males are required to serve two years in the military
• South Korea has the 11^th largest economy in the world
• Well known South Korean companies:  Hyundai, Samsung, LG
• Koreans have a high regard for harmony.  It often supersedes truth or logic.  Hierarchy is also important – everyone must know their position on the ladder.  This contributes to harmony.
• There is very strong social pressure to be successful, dutiful, and to fit in.  This pressure has resulted in a high suicide rate. 

It was great to see Daron’s long lost brother and catch up a bit on the first evening.  We look forward to spending more time with him and learning about his life in this country.  

Goodbye Vietnam!

The littlest, oldest, wrinkly-est woman ever!

The time has come for us to leave yet another country on this trip of ours.  To be honest, we didn’t enjoy Vietnam as much as we thought we would, and we both agree that it was our least favorite Southeast Asian country.  Vietnam definitely has some beautiful areas that are worth visiting – the challenge for us was dealing with the people.  Our guidebook told us that the Vietnamese believe it is socially acceptable to rip off the tourists, which we found to be true - and they do it in all kinds of creative ways!  It was a constant battle to hang on to our money here, and we never knew if we paid a fair price or not.  Overall it is small money, but over time that small money adds up – and sometimes it's not even about the money, but the whole idea of getting ripped off.  Of course not everyone had their hands out – we did meet some very friendly and gracious Vietnamese people along the way as well.

All of that on a bicycle!

I purposefully did not include all of the scams we encountered during our travels across Vietnam in my other blog postings as I thought it would be more interesting to include at the end.  So here they are:

Taxis were the worst!  We tried not to take them too often, as we met many people with quite the taxi horror stories.  We heard that the taxi drivers would agree on a price, and then change it when you reached your destination and it came time to pay.  The drivers would get belligerent and in your face about it. Luckily that never happened to us (except for a moto driver with Daron - see below).  Our experience included getting into a taxi that had a tinkered meter in it, so the fare increased faster than in the regular taxis.  We took one from the train station to our hotel in Hanoi, and it cost us $5.  We didn’t know we’d been had until we took a taxi with a reputable company from our hotel back to the train station and it only cost us $1.50.  Oh well – at least we didn’t take it a long distance.

Yum!

The other taxi story we have is from the same darn train station in Hanoi.  One time we got off the train and a taxi driver latched onto us as soon as we exited.  We asked his price to the Old Quarter and he wanted $5.  By now we knew that was too much and politely declined his offer.  He followed us to every taxi driver we approached after that and told them not to deal with us.  We would start the negotiation process with a taxi driver, then this guy would come over and say something in Vietnamese, and the driver would roll up his window and drive away.  It was so mean spirited!  We ended up walking down the street a bit and getting a taxi for $2. Ugh!  Stay away from the train station if at all possible!

One evening Daron was out with a friend and took a motorbike taxi back to our hotel.  The driver agreed on a price of $1 (they were already close to our hotel, but Daron was lost as the Old Quarter is a maze!).  When he dropped Daron off, Daron tried to give him $2 to be nice and the guy said the price was $5!  Heated words were exchanged and the guy eventually left with his $2. 

Fancy lighter anyone?

While walking around Hanoi, there are these guys that would constantly approach us, wanting to clean our shoes, even our Teva sandals.  We would laugh about it because if you stopped for any reason (like a crosswalk), they would pull out these toothbrushes and try to start cleaning your shoes, even though you hadn’t agreed to let them do this.  They were very persistent!  On our last day in Hanoi, Daron broke down and asked one of them how much for the cleaning – the guy said $1.  So Daron gave in and let one of them clean his shoes.  He even took them off to make it easier.  Big mistake.   The next thing we knew the guy called a buddy over to help him and they started gluing every little seam on Daron’s shoes – then the big needle and thread came out and they sewed the entire sole around both shoes.  I call it smoke and mirrors because none of it really did anything – it just looked like it did.  Daron gave them both $1, then the first guy said the price was now $25.  Daron’s shoes aren’t even worth that much!  Daron had to walk away after paying them the $1 each – it’s what you have to do here, even though it feels rude.

Our favorite gum-selling girl in Saigon!

While Daron was sitting shoeless on the street corner during that debacle, a vendor selling lighters came by and tried to get Daron to buy a fancy lighter.  Daron told him he didn’t need one, no thank you, etc. (you begin to sound like a broken record with these guys!).  The guy wouldn’t leave and eventually started cussing at Daron in English – more f-bombs than I’ve heard in a long while.  Daron was a captive audience because he wasn’t wearing any shoes, so he just calmly listened to the guy spout off.  Eventually the guy left, cussing all the way! 

Streetcorner gas station!

Another thing that happened often was shortchanging.  Pretty much everywhere we went they tried to shortchange us.  I’m not so careful at checking my change (too trusting I guess), but Daron was good at it and caught them every time.  Sometimes they knew they’d been caught and would smile slyly when Daron asked them for the correct amount back.  Along a similar vein, we caught many food and drink vendors trying to overcharge us too.  We would order from a menu where the price was listed, then when it came time to pay instead of presenting a written bill, they would just verbally tell us the amount due.  It was usually more than what we would come to by adding the prices in our heads.  Sometimes we challenged them until the price was right and sometimes we didn't.  The language barrier made it difficult - sometimes it was easier to just pay the inflated price (which is probably what they were hoping for!).   

Sign at Hanoi Hilton prison - see #3 on frolicking!

These are the ones that happened to us, although I could go on and on about scams that happened to others.  We tried to be cautious and watch our money.  Daron always said, “at least they’re only trying to get a dollar or two, and not the whole thing.”  Thank goodness!  

Vietnam was very different than the other Southeast Asian countries we visited in other ways too.  For one, we hardly came across any beggars.  To be honest, I don’t think the Vietnamese would put up with them.  Buddhist monks in the other countries are not allowed to grow their own food – they are completely dependent upon the generosity of others.  In Vietnam, they did away with that and put the monks to work!  They may have a communist government, but the people are natural capitalists through and through!


We were asked all the time by other travelers if we were treated badly or differently because we were Americans.  Others asked if we told people where we were from.  We were constantly asked where we were from (this is a common question in every country we've traveled) and always answered truthfully  We did not feel any anti-American sentiment from any of the local folks we met.  In fact, just the opposite. Many people said they loved the USA, or wanted to visit there, etc.  The only time I was nervous to be an American was in the War Remnants Museum in Saigon - not that anyone said anything to me, it was more that the entire museum had an anti-American slant.

Anyhow, our time here has come to an end.  We enjoyed traveling throughout Vietnam, but found the whole money situation challenging, tiring, and a little depressing.  We are looking forward to our next destination – South Korea!

P.S. The Vietnamese love little chairs and stools - all the outdoor seating was basically kid's furniture.  Here are some of our favorite pics as giants in the land of little chairs!

Hanoi, Vietnam

View from one of the hotels we stayed in

We spent the rest of our time in Vietnam in the big city of Hanoi, which is also the capital of the country. We stayed in the Old Quarter, which is where most of the tourists stay.  It is a literal maze of small streets – there is no one main area.  It is very easy to get lost there, which we did a number of times.

One of the sites we saw while in Hanoi was the prison used during the Vietnam War, affectionately known by U.S. POWs as the Hanoi Hilton.  Part of the prison was torn down to make room for a nearby skyscraper, but parts of it have been preserved.  Senator John McCain was incarcerated here, and there are a few photos of him on display, as well as the flight suit he was wearing when he was captured.  The exhibit on the American soldiers imprisoned there is quite strange – it’s made to look more like summer camp than a prison.  There are pictures of Americans decorating a Christmas tree and playing sports, etc.  I’m sure it wasn’t all fun and games – just more Vietnamese propaganda. 

Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum

On another day we tried to see Ho Chi Minh’s body, but arrived five minutes too late.  It’s only open for a couple of hours each morning.  Ho Chi Minh had asked for his body to be cremated when he died, but the Vietnamese decided instead to embalm his corpse and place it in a glass sarcophagus for viewing.  The mausoleum is closed three months of the year when his body is sent to Russia for maintenance.  From what we heard, he looks more like a wax figure than anything else – there are rumors that his body has been replaced with a wax dummy, but who’s to know?  He is definitely revered amongst the people as the liberator of the Vietnamese people from colonialism, as well as respected for his communist ideology.    

Our favorite crazy traffic corner!

We spent a few evenings hanging out on “Beer Corner” in Hanoi.  This is a corner where the bars serve “fresh” beer, or freshly brewed draught beer, for only 25 cents a glass!  Believe it or not, the beer is actually pretty good to boot!  It’s a popular spot for tourists – we met up with a bunch of the folks on our Halong Bay tour there after we all arrived back in Hanoi.  Another time we were there with friends and we bought a round for a group of young Vietnamese guys who were friendly and fun.  They returned the favor by buying our group some dried squid.  Yuck!  I suppose it’s the thought that counts.

Pineapple vendor

The rest of the time we spent taking it easy – both of us caught minor colds and needed the rest.  Our favorite way to pass the time is to watch the traffic – we did a lot of that.  No matter how many times I see it, I’m still amazed that it somehow all works.  It looks like total chaos, and yet we have never seen an accident.  We rode on the back of a couple of motorbike taxis, whenever we needed to get to another part of town that was too far to walk to.  It is scary and fun at the same time – they definitely know what they’re doing. 

Hanoi was nice, and definitely has a much different feel than Ho Chi Minh City in the south.  The north didn’t feel as friendly to us as the south did – and the south had a much more modern feel to it.   I guess that’s what happens when a country is split for so long – Vietnam was divided into two parts for 21 years.  We preferred the south to the north and wished we had spent a little more time down there before rushing up here.  Oh well, live and learn!