Right as Rain

1/16/16

   
    
   
   
    
   
   
    
    
 Have you every had the experience when everything’s goes to hell, you come up smelling of surfur (well, that did happen to me after a visit to the hot spring)? For some reason, everything else sudden appear to be better, easier, and so much for bearable. You appreciate everything that is going right and smoothly, even the tiniest success seems like a Waterloo (ok, if you have no idea what that is, I recommend Google, and a visit to your history teacher). As the old saying goes, we all need bad things to happen to appreciate good things around us (err…actually I appreciate good things just fine. Can I just have the good things in life?). After an period of traveling (is 9 months long or short?), I came to realize how important my mindset is. But also important? The courage to move past the unhappiness and take on new challenges. 

After a challenging day yesterday, I woke up pretty early to get to the cycling tour. Since my last few tours had been less than good (all recommended by hostels or hotels), I decided to do research and find a tour company that is recommended online. Heaven and Earth tour in Hoi An is a pretty well-known company: they co sisterly ranked higher on trip advisor and word of mouth. I had a quick breakfast at a restaurant nearby, and arrive at their office by 8:10am. I felt a lot more confident once I see their operation: they were already setting up bicycles for multiple tours and handing out helmet to kids. I waited for 5 mins for my other group members, and we were all fitted with bikes within 15 minutes. The tour guide, Moon, and her assistant were cheerful, speak excellent English, and immediately started o get to know each of us. We headed by bike to the local ferry, which carried passengers, bicycles, motorcycles and many more to the near by Cam Kim island famous for wooden boat building. We stopped by a boat yard (well, mostly a backyard) and received a quick lecture on boats. These boats are made up of 99% wood, takes about 2 months to finish, and cost about US$3000. However, the builder only earns about $500, and the rest are cost of materials. In the recent years, both Cambodia and Vietnam governments had banned the sale of timber, so the builders source them from Laos. We then headed to the next stop: a flood level map on the side of a house. Turns out, the heavy deforestation were causing heavy flooding in the country. In 2009, the city of Hoi An was heavily flooded, and the government realize the problem of deforestation. With the ban, there has been no flooding in the last 3 years. We were also told that 70% of Vietnamese are unable to swim, and the houses are tall and narrow because they need high ground. 

We then stopped to talk about rice and peanuts growing, but the highlight came when we arrived at the circular basket boat. This famous boat is well known throughout Vietnam. The boats are sealed (waterproof) using cow dung and tree resin. As for the reason why the boat is round? Rumor has it that during French colonial days, boats are taxed. So the locals use this shape and called it a basket to avoid paying. After all these explanations, we were given a chance to try rowing this boat, with the assistance of a very funny older lady. She helped us into the boat, taught us how to paddle, then started dancing and shaking to songs and kept saying “Vietnam number 1”. It was the funniest experience I had for a long time, and I really enjoyed it. We then bikes across a very rickety  wooden floating bridge and headed to see how rice wine is made. We all tried some, which was great timing since it started to rain. The guide brought us to a nice delicious lunch, and we all ate happily while listening to the pouring rain. After that it was a short visit to the weaving community, who can make a 2 meters straw mat in 3 hours. They make 2 a day, and each mat cost bout $5. Slightly depressed and now very wet, we all piled into the ferry back. The guides talked to us about Vietnamese cultures, how the men love to drink rice wine (a bottle at US $1), how the ladies have to do everything, and why they do not learn how to swim: too superstitious of evil spirits in the water.

With rain still pouring, I went to a cafe to get a cup of warm ginger tea. After the morning, I decided: life is short and hard (hmm. It could also be long and hard, but I feel weird writing that. I wonder why..), and sometimes a slippery slope that is hard to pull out of (wait…). I found a nearby hotel, booked it, and took a taxi to grab my belongings from the hostel. I got back to the hotel, checked in, say on the bed and felt happier and way more settled. I guess it is also true what they say: while attitude makes the experience, sometimes money helps a long way. For one night, I want to retain my happy feeling (not happy ending), and not be reminded of the past events.

Relaxing Boxing Day

12/26/15

   
    
   
   
    
   
After traveling for an extended period of time, I have realized: I need some down time from time to time. While I love to walk around and experience the sights and sounds, I am also at the age when resta have become a necessity. Gone are the days when I could go for a whole day of class, doing part time job, and then go back to my room to finish my homework. At the same time, there are also days when a city slows down and everyone stays home, especially on a holiday. Cities are like organisms: they have a life cycle, a pattern of behavior, and daily routine. 

I actually have very little plan for today. The day after Christmas, even though Laos do not have Christmas as a holiday, is very quiet in the Vientiane (most likely it is because today is a Saturday). Yesterday, I went out for a very late Christmas lunch (which served turkey with plastic strand and a glass of wine for a very high price) with some of the folks at my hostel, and went for a round of beer in the evening. While I went home relatively early at 10:30pm, my body still felt tired, most likely due to the very hard mattress (unless I was sleepwalking and doing weird things at night?). As often the case when living in a dorm, everyone woke up when someone turned on the light, and I went for breakfast. I decided to visit the morning market and the black stupa, before going for a long run in the afternoon (it was a mostly cloudy day). 

I arrived at the morning market around 10:30am, and was startled to find I was too early: many f the store owners were just starting to open their stores. (I guess the definition of morning is relative..) I walked around the place, including a small shopping mall with escalators. Interestingly, the escalator was the center of attention of some locals, who were probably visiting the city. I wandered around, noticing the similarity between most markets (this one did not have raw meat or fish hanging around), ate some local snacks warped in leaves. Turned out, the snack was a type of rice pudding. While delicious, I had to unwrap the prett big package (heh) to find a really small piece of food. I appreciated the packaging strategy (big package usually mean higher satisfaction?), but felt like I was being pranked. Grabbing some papaya (which I paid, not a snatch and run), I exited the market and walked to the Black Stupa (aka That Dam. I am serious! That is the proper name). 

That Dam turned out to be a black monument in a traffic circle. It is a mythical abode of a seven head dragon protecting the city (what’s with these multiple head mythical creatures? The hydra, the naga,now a multi-head dragon. Were there a lot of conjoined triples in the animal kingdom?). Actually, it looked more like a very old monument that had seen better days. I took some photo, walked back to the hostel and went for a long run along the river, enjoying the view, the smog from burning trash, and the exhaust from vehicles. 

As I was running, my thoughts went back to last nights, when a group of us went for a beer. We happened by a group of restaurant with a live band on a stage, and so decided to sit down. I am guessing the tables were reserved (but with no signs), and since we were relatively early, the place appeared empty- even though it was probably packed much later. A hostess, with a pretty fiercer look on her face, moved us around to a few different tables all over the area, yet eventually gestured and sent us away. This is one thing I have noticed: the unevenness of service. Most servers and greeters will bow when a customer enters, and again when the customer leaves. It somehow creates a feeling, especially for westerners, that the locals are really friendly and nice. Indeed, most are, but some are actually really rude and I even expe rices one who deliberately gave me wrong change and claim it was tips. I guess there are always bad apples in a group, anywhere in the world. If a city is an organism (not orgasm. I am not sure why it keeps autocorrecting !), people are the cells that keeps the city alive. We circulate around the city, leaving our marks (hmm…) and keep the city humming (hmm…). There are always bad cells/person, but as long as there are more who does good than bad, the city thrives and lives on. 

(And now I should go find some food. Does that mean I am i hearing byproduct of the city? The smog, the exhaust, the food….)