Hello all, one last post before we come home tomorrow!
Dinner Service in the Delta
A few dinners have been pretty ridiculous in the Mekong delta. When you walk into a restaurant and you're the only westerner they serve all month, they make it their mission to tend to your every dining need, as if we were royalty or something. Can't they see we've only done laundry 3 times this trip? Of course, they speak either no English or poor English, which may be worse. Several times, our dinner has turned into a them micro-managing our dinner table, making our dinner both hilarious at how over-the-top their food service is, and annoying because I can barely drink my beer.
Here's how it goes: we arrive, and the staff jumps into a flurry of action, finding a place for us to sit, getting us menus (which only sometimes have some english words), rearranging the table so there are the right number of plates, napkins (wet and frozen, to be more refreshing?), chop sticks, etc, which usually takes a team of 4 waiters. It' like they're being timed or something, like one of those race car teams that change the tires. wow. First we try to order two beers, usually Tiger. They say ok, then expect us to have our order ready. I usually take a little time to read a menu before ordering, but usually you can't get them to leave until you've made a full order. Some things are easy to mime (anybody want to play Cherades when we get home? we're well practiced) but 'give me a minute to think about the menu' doesn't seem to work for them. So we end up making a quick decision of what to eat, and soon we have two beers, which they put in a glass with ice. While other waiters are tending to other people, we usually have one dedicated to us, just kind of leering maybe 10 feet away, waiting to take care of us if we show the slightest need. If you're beer is more that 1/4 of the way down, the waiter will rush in and fill it up for you. Then, every 10 minutes or so, he/she will come in, pick out the big ice cube in your beer, and replace it with a new big ice cube. Where's the logic in that?? All the ice is the same temperatue! Food comes, and probably 65% of the time it's what you thought you ordered. If your plates aren't arranged in the correct fashion while you're eating, they'll come in and fix it for you. Sometimes, we think everything is cool, they'll just come by for a little rearranging session and 'fix' things, maybe for better Fung Shui or something. If you place your spoon on the table cloth, they'll probably come by and place it resting on your plate. At one point, we had a waiter come by, see the two plates of food in the middle of the table, which we were sharing, and simply switch their places, as if the other way was better. Really???? All of this kind of makes me want to scream. And, when you look around, nobody else gets this treatment- the locals get what I would call normal service.
Sorry for the rant, but it's been a recuring theme lately, on the border between funny and ridiculous.
Conclusions
So, here we are, in Saigon, leaving tomorrow for home. Not to get too philosophical, but of course this is the time when you think of the trip as a whole. Did we really just bike 1660 miles through Asia? Aside from all the culture, sights, and people met, I think the biggest conclusion to take away from this trip is that you don't really know what you can do until you push yourself to do things like this. I had this idea 2 years ago, but didn't really want to tell people for fear of committing myself to something I wasn't ready for. I had this crazy idea, tenatively planned to do it, then we found ourselves getting on a plane with our old mountain bikes after graduation, not knowing really what was in store for us. It seemed kind of surreal leaving on an adventure like this, not really knowing what you're getting into, but you're sure it's going to be interesting whatever the outcome. Some people when they heard our plan thought it sounded scary- land mines, jungles, crazy animals, traffic, people who were once in a war with America, and riding around on a bike that's worth a year's salary. But what we found, especially when 'off the beaten track', was quite the opposite. People are almost always nice. I didn't feel threatened once, even when walking around at night in the cities. Not once did I feel any anti-American attitudes. Usually they were surprised and exctited to just talk to us, and ask and share about life in other countries. Even when we shared absolutely no words with the locals, you can still share some laughs, and maybe a drink- the farther out there you get, the more interesting you are to each other. They are still people, curious about other people, just like us.
After all of this, I have to say that if you've got a crazy plan, don't be scared to put yourself out there and try it. If you rely on the friendly locals, you're flexible, you can figure things out on the fly, traveling off the beaten track is an interesting way to see places. Just smile a lot and people will like you.
What's next? We've talked a lot about what could be the next big adventure, so I'm sure you'll hear about it when it happens. Anybody have a good idea??
If you followed this blog all the way through, thanks for reading as we try to write down some of the things we experience. We especially enjoyed reading comments left on our blog, as notes from friends at home are always nice to hear when traveling.
What now?
Now, I plan on going home and eating a lot of blueberry pie.
Take care,
Evan
Saturday, August 8, 2009
"The Gay Clueless Bicycling Brothers" are coming home!
Even before we started this crazy escapade, we were tying to come up with a rad name for our adventure, or bike tour, or bike team, or whatever this thing is that we've been doing. Failing to come up with a good name on our own, Vietnam has seen fit to provide us with one, hence the title of this post. We got to thinking that whatever we call ourselves is ultimately unimportant, because everybody we meet is going to come up with thier own moniker (and it clearly won't involve our names, because I've met about three people on this whole trip who can say "Miles"--not that I can handle their names any better). So with a little imagination, we decided that they probably refer to us somthing along the lines of "The Gay Clueless Bicycling Brothers." Let me break it down...
Gay: So its usually a couple bucks cheaper to get a room witha double bed than two twins, so being brothers and (more importantly) cheapskates, this is what we always do. In Lao and Cambodia, nobody even seemed to take notice, but we've definetly raised eyebrows in Vietnam on multiple occasions. We usually have to be a little insistent on a double bed, and it usually winds up with them giving us a look that says "OK......whatever you want." Also, the spandex bike shorts probably dont help our cause.
Clueless: I could write pages on the silly shit we've done, not to mention all the ways we've probably offended people without even knowing. But in the Delta in Vietnam, for some reason we got the "you're an idiot" look on a fairly regular basis, usually followed by a smile and a laugh. The main contributors to this were our infantile use of chopsticks (we actually had them taken away from us at one restaraunt) and the fact that we speak NO vietnamese. For some reason, people in the Delta had a hard time grasping that one. People of all ages would continue speaking to us in Vietnamese for minutes and minutes, clearly not geting thier point across, but not seeming to comprehend that we couldnt speak any of thier language. It was interesting, and I dont know if they finally got the picture or just wrote us off as idiots.
Bicycling: This is pretty self explanitory, but Ill just add that we often had a really hard time getting the point across (even to folks who spoke english well) that we had bicycled all the way from Lao to wherever we were. I mean, we were obviously on bikes, but people didnt really seem to grasp the possibility of riding that far on a bike (although I couldnt ride most of the old rusty bikes they had there for more than a few miles, either). And when it finally sunk in, they were pretty amazed, but also kinda like: "what in the hell is wrong with you? why in the world would you do that? cant you see this country is full of perfectly good motorbikes that cost less than your bicycles?" (This was also a contributor to the "Clueless" catagory). It was always pretty entertaining to see it dawn on someone that we we actually talking about biking across SE asia, let alone 130 km to the next town.
Brothers: Generally speaking, people here didnt pick us out as brothers or as being related. A couple of times people told us "all falang (white folks) look alike to us" but I think that is simplifying things too much. When we met families here--people's brothers and sisters--I wouldnt have had a clue that they were related just by looking at them at first glance either. What I think is going on is that when you live in SE asia and dont see many white people (or live in the PNW and dont see tons of asian folks all the time), its just not as easy to pick up on the subtleties of body and facial shape that clue us in to folks being related. Which is not really important, except to say that it usually takes them a while to figgure out that we are in fact BROTHERS, which has led to a couple of pretty funny "Ah ha!" moments from folks who work in the hotels we've stayed at in Vietnam. You can really see the light go on in thier heads, when they realize that us sleeping in the same bed is not exactly what they thought it might be.
So there you have it, the trip named itself in the end, as it should. Maybe not as flatteringly as we had imagined, but it was out of our hands. The last few days in Saigon have been pretty sweet, lots of wandering around, a little shopping (they tell me I might need some nice clothes if Im gonna be a lawyer--everythings real cheap here), and a whole lot of eating.
Yesterday, we also checked out the "War Remnants Museum", a muesum deticated to the memory and lingering effects of our war with Vietnam. Unfortunately, most of the artifacts, picures, and stories displayed here came from the American side--I guess I was hoping for a closer look at the North Vietneamese war effort, but maybe they had more pressing things to do than take pictures and document exactly what was going on out in the field. Or maybe they didnt have a free press, or maybe the Vietnamese Communist party (which was clearly very much involved with the presentation and content of this museum) doesnt want those images and stories to a appear alongside thier re-telling of all the low points and attrocities of the American military machine.
The most forcefull part of the museum was an extensive exhibit and photo essay on the effects of dioxins (i.e. Agent Orange) on the environment and human body, especially regarding their ability to cause deformities and birth defects. I realize that war will always bring forth the very worst that humans are capable of and that it is impossible to fight a war without civilian casualties. Im not to judge weather we or the NVA were more vicious (I think that both sides being human, it was probably equal), but it seems we both fought as ruthlessly as we knew how. By luck, our side had the technology (coupled with some willfull ignorance of its lasting effects), and we used chemicals like Agent Orange, and the legacy is truely ghastly. The photographs of Vietnamese children of this current generation born so severely deformed is devastating, and then to walk through the streets of Saigon and see people with identical or similar deformities...I cant even really process it all. Where do we draw the line? Where do we say that no ideal, no amount of oil or other resource is worth this? We must never make war like this again for any reason.
But the point of this post was not to be my usual cynical, negative self regarding American foriegn policy. The point is that this is a wonderful part of the world, full of natural beauty and friendly, generous, and kind people. People who wanted to get to know us, who have pride in thier countries, and are happy that we came to visit and to understand thier lives and cultures. And the point is that this is all the more amazing becuase for a lot of the last half of the century, Lao, Cambodia, and Vietnam were amongst the most violent, horrible places in the world.
Riding through the tranquil and picturesque Cambodian rice fields one day, Evan and I passed an old man. We both judged his age at mid to upper 60's, he was shirtless and you could see every vein and muscle group in his upper body. He was so strong he looked as though he could have ripped the frame of my bike apart with his bare hands. Several hours afterwards, Evan and I realized that the sight of this old man had given us both the same thought: what must he have seen in his life? Being 60 years old in Cambodia would have given you a front seat to 5 or 6 seperate wars, and one of the most evil and horrific periods of humanity the world has ever seen. Its a miricale for someone to live that long in good health, but more of a miricale that he should have a smile and a wave for two wealthy white children vacationing in his homeland.
This experience is the crux of what I find so amazing and inspiring about this part of the world. Despite the devistation and the lasting legacy of these wars (land mines and un-exploded bombs still injure and kill thousands every year in SE asia, not to mention the lasting effects of dioxin poisoning) and the fact that a healthy portion of the responsiblity can be laid at the feet of the USA, people here are happy to meet Americans, they are excited to help themselves and thier countries move forward, even when the past seems reluctant to stay buried. In all my time here, I never felt pysically threatend (except in traffic), never felt scammed or taken advantage of (you always gotta shop around for bus tickets), and scarcely if ever felt resented or un-welcome (even when we lost a game of "is-this-a-house-or-a-restaraunt?"). With evey reason to resent me and my presence here, people in these wonderful countries welcomed me not only as a tourist but in many cases as a friend. The spirit of forgiveness, of making the best of the present and moving forward in friendship, of healing and rebuilding, of learning from past mistakes and being vigilant so as not to repeat them is inspiring. Im sure that people here look back at the past 50 years in anger and sadness (how could they not?), but the feeling in these countries now is forward looking and hopefull. I am greatly impressed by the strength, determination, and the faith in one's self and one's countrymen that this positive outlook must require on a daily basis and in light of the continuing hardships that people in these nations face.
Thanks for tuning in y'all. I'll see you real soon.
Peace, Miles
Gay: So its usually a couple bucks cheaper to get a room witha double bed than two twins, so being brothers and (more importantly) cheapskates, this is what we always do. In Lao and Cambodia, nobody even seemed to take notice, but we've definetly raised eyebrows in Vietnam on multiple occasions. We usually have to be a little insistent on a double bed, and it usually winds up with them giving us a look that says "OK......whatever you want." Also, the spandex bike shorts probably dont help our cause.
Clueless: I could write pages on the silly shit we've done, not to mention all the ways we've probably offended people without even knowing. But in the Delta in Vietnam, for some reason we got the "you're an idiot" look on a fairly regular basis, usually followed by a smile and a laugh. The main contributors to this were our infantile use of chopsticks (we actually had them taken away from us at one restaraunt) and the fact that we speak NO vietnamese. For some reason, people in the Delta had a hard time grasping that one. People of all ages would continue speaking to us in Vietnamese for minutes and minutes, clearly not geting thier point across, but not seeming to comprehend that we couldnt speak any of thier language. It was interesting, and I dont know if they finally got the picture or just wrote us off as idiots.
Bicycling: This is pretty self explanitory, but Ill just add that we often had a really hard time getting the point across (even to folks who spoke english well) that we had bicycled all the way from Lao to wherever we were. I mean, we were obviously on bikes, but people didnt really seem to grasp the possibility of riding that far on a bike (although I couldnt ride most of the old rusty bikes they had there for more than a few miles, either). And when it finally sunk in, they were pretty amazed, but also kinda like: "what in the hell is wrong with you? why in the world would you do that? cant you see this country is full of perfectly good motorbikes that cost less than your bicycles?" (This was also a contributor to the "Clueless" catagory). It was always pretty entertaining to see it dawn on someone that we we actually talking about biking across SE asia, let alone 130 km to the next town.
Brothers: Generally speaking, people here didnt pick us out as brothers or as being related. A couple of times people told us "all falang (white folks) look alike to us" but I think that is simplifying things too much. When we met families here--people's brothers and sisters--I wouldnt have had a clue that they were related just by looking at them at first glance either. What I think is going on is that when you live in SE asia and dont see many white people (or live in the PNW and dont see tons of asian folks all the time), its just not as easy to pick up on the subtleties of body and facial shape that clue us in to folks being related. Which is not really important, except to say that it usually takes them a while to figgure out that we are in fact BROTHERS, which has led to a couple of pretty funny "Ah ha!" moments from folks who work in the hotels we've stayed at in Vietnam. You can really see the light go on in thier heads, when they realize that us sleeping in the same bed is not exactly what they thought it might be.
So there you have it, the trip named itself in the end, as it should. Maybe not as flatteringly as we had imagined, but it was out of our hands. The last few days in Saigon have been pretty sweet, lots of wandering around, a little shopping (they tell me I might need some nice clothes if Im gonna be a lawyer--everythings real cheap here), and a whole lot of eating.
Yesterday, we also checked out the "War Remnants Museum", a muesum deticated to the memory and lingering effects of our war with Vietnam. Unfortunately, most of the artifacts, picures, and stories displayed here came from the American side--I guess I was hoping for a closer look at the North Vietneamese war effort, but maybe they had more pressing things to do than take pictures and document exactly what was going on out in the field. Or maybe they didnt have a free press, or maybe the Vietnamese Communist party (which was clearly very much involved with the presentation and content of this museum) doesnt want those images and stories to a appear alongside thier re-telling of all the low points and attrocities of the American military machine.
The most forcefull part of the museum was an extensive exhibit and photo essay on the effects of dioxins (i.e. Agent Orange) on the environment and human body, especially regarding their ability to cause deformities and birth defects. I realize that war will always bring forth the very worst that humans are capable of and that it is impossible to fight a war without civilian casualties. Im not to judge weather we or the NVA were more vicious (I think that both sides being human, it was probably equal), but it seems we both fought as ruthlessly as we knew how. By luck, our side had the technology (coupled with some willfull ignorance of its lasting effects), and we used chemicals like Agent Orange, and the legacy is truely ghastly. The photographs of Vietnamese children of this current generation born so severely deformed is devastating, and then to walk through the streets of Saigon and see people with identical or similar deformities...I cant even really process it all. Where do we draw the line? Where do we say that no ideal, no amount of oil or other resource is worth this? We must never make war like this again for any reason.
But the point of this post was not to be my usual cynical, negative self regarding American foriegn policy. The point is that this is a wonderful part of the world, full of natural beauty and friendly, generous, and kind people. People who wanted to get to know us, who have pride in thier countries, and are happy that we came to visit and to understand thier lives and cultures. And the point is that this is all the more amazing becuase for a lot of the last half of the century, Lao, Cambodia, and Vietnam were amongst the most violent, horrible places in the world.
Riding through the tranquil and picturesque Cambodian rice fields one day, Evan and I passed an old man. We both judged his age at mid to upper 60's, he was shirtless and you could see every vein and muscle group in his upper body. He was so strong he looked as though he could have ripped the frame of my bike apart with his bare hands. Several hours afterwards, Evan and I realized that the sight of this old man had given us both the same thought: what must he have seen in his life? Being 60 years old in Cambodia would have given you a front seat to 5 or 6 seperate wars, and one of the most evil and horrific periods of humanity the world has ever seen. Its a miricale for someone to live that long in good health, but more of a miricale that he should have a smile and a wave for two wealthy white children vacationing in his homeland.
This experience is the crux of what I find so amazing and inspiring about this part of the world. Despite the devistation and the lasting legacy of these wars (land mines and un-exploded bombs still injure and kill thousands every year in SE asia, not to mention the lasting effects of dioxin poisoning) and the fact that a healthy portion of the responsiblity can be laid at the feet of the USA, people here are happy to meet Americans, they are excited to help themselves and thier countries move forward, even when the past seems reluctant to stay buried. In all my time here, I never felt pysically threatend (except in traffic), never felt scammed or taken advantage of (you always gotta shop around for bus tickets), and scarcely if ever felt resented or un-welcome (even when we lost a game of "is-this-a-house-or-a-restaraunt?"). With evey reason to resent me and my presence here, people in these wonderful countries welcomed me not only as a tourist but in many cases as a friend. The spirit of forgiveness, of making the best of the present and moving forward in friendship, of healing and rebuilding, of learning from past mistakes and being vigilant so as not to repeat them is inspiring. Im sure that people here look back at the past 50 years in anger and sadness (how could they not?), but the feeling in these countries now is forward looking and hopefull. I am greatly impressed by the strength, determination, and the faith in one's self and one's countrymen that this positive outlook must require on a daily basis and in light of the continuing hardships that people in these nations face.
Thanks for tuning in y'all. I'll see you real soon.
Peace, Miles
Friday, August 7, 2009
Pictures of Delta & Saigon
We've been doing a little splurging lately. I think anybody who rides 1660 miles deserves to have a cake.
Enjoying some fine dining in Saigon, at an Indian place. It's kind of fun after eating predominantly street food for most of the trip.
Saigon traffic. Crossing streets is kind of like crossing a river- you can't just wait till it's clear, you have to wade out into it until you work your way across.
Saigon, por la noche.
With only a quick look, we thought this was honeycomb, which would get us jazzed up for the last ride into Saigon. Upon closer inspection, these are actually live honey bee larve, not so sweet. Life is like a box of chocolates, right?
Enjoying some fine dining in Saigon, at an Indian place. It's kind of fun after eating predominantly street food for most of the trip.
Saigon traffic. Crossing streets is kind of like crossing a river- you can't just wait till it's clear, you have to wade out into it until you work your way across.
Saigon, por la noche.
With only a quick look, we thought this was honeycomb, which would get us jazzed up for the last ride into Saigon. Upon closer inspection, these are actually live honey bee larve, not so sweet. Life is like a box of chocolates, right?
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Its gotta be a sign!!!
Today, we ran out of lube for the bike chains. Shouldnt be a problem as we've only got 40 miles left to ride to Saigon tommorow, but Im taking it as a sign that this crazy journey is winding down. If we'de run out of Chammios Butter, we woulda had real problems.
Last night we made it to another bustling Mekong city; Ving Long. It was probably my favorite city in the delta so far, parlty because people seemed super friendly, but mostly because they have a CRAZY market. Ive probably already described the produce markets here--pretty much every variety of fruit, veggie, and herb you can imagine plus many more that I just have no idea what they are. The Ving Long market probably sprawled 5 or 6 city blocks, but its really hard to tell where these things begin and end--its more like a maze than an actual location. So besides the produce there were a couple huge warehouses full of hardware (anybody need a buncha tools/power tools...I bet they're dirt cheap), dry goods, bulk foods (mostly about a dozen different varieties of rice, but also many types of beans (which people must eat but you never see in a restaraunt or in streetfood), noodles, sauces--esp. fish sauce, dried seafood--many types of fish, squid, and shrimp), you name it. In addition to this, they had the normal meat market with pretty much all parts of the chicken, pig, and cow for sale (apparently, refrigeration is completely over-rated because all this is just sitting out on the counter in the 80- degree heat and 90% humidity--a lot of it still looks really tasty, though). As always, theres tons of fish for sale-most popular are catfish (big, small, a million differnt kinds), eels, and tilapia. All these freshwater fish are kept (mostly) alive in shallow tubs or on ice. From the ocean you can almost always find little makeral and bonito, along with squid and cuttlefish and shrimp. Shrimp (mostly big prawn type guys) are sometimes kept live, but all the other seafood is kept on ice. And theresa million other species, from freshwater minnows, to kingfish, to deep sea angler-type fish. Basically if it swims and you can catch it, its going in the pot.
But you can mostly find all this stuf at any Delta market; what really set Ving Long apart was what, for the lack of a better word, Ill call the "livestock market". Walking down a kinda dark alley off the main street, the first thing you hear is the squealing of pigs. They've got piglets by the basketfull and full grown hogs trussed up live and stuffed in wicker cages, just waiting to be thrown on the back of somebodys motor-scooter (no joke, see it all the time) and driven off to a new home or a BBQ. A little farther in, you see the poultry; chickens and ducks (with feet tied togeather to hobble them) sitting in rows on the ground. And then the clencher: the amphibs and reptiles. Actually, frogs and toads are nothing new; we've been seeing those in markets since Cambodia, but there were quite a lot of them here. Also, this was the first time weve seen turtles for sale; mostly just small-ish guys, look like the Red-Eared Sliders and pond turtles back home. But also some big ones that might be called Terrapins in the States--look like they spend most of their time in the water, long flippers and necks with long noses for breathing at the surface. Next to these are the snakes: Ive heard of folks in Vietnam eating snakes, but this was the firt time we've seen them for sale. I hear they use some parts for traditional medicine, or just cut out the heart and drop it in a shot of whiskey for a traditional treat! Several tanks, probably 3 ft long on each side and a foot deep were FULL of live snakes. All differnt kinds and sizes. Kinda wierded me out a little, I dont exactly know why. Cant imagine what you'ld need that many snakes for. It would be quite a scene if someone left the lid off one day--I remember very clearly from when I was a little kid that snakes can get out of damn near anything. All in all, quite an interesting and fun place. Maybe not the spot for a serious animal-rights activist (or maybe its where theyd be most useful...?).
Anyway, by 6am this morning we were stepping on another boat, only slightly more reliable-looking than the last one. We cruised though a whole mess of islands out in the Mekong and stopped to see some traditional (if now tourist-oriented) activities: bonzai garden (pretty cool), coconut candy making opperation (take coconut meat and palm sugar (kinda like our brown sugar) and heat them in a big bowl over a charcoal fire, mixing until it all carmelizes togeather--tasty!), and rice popping (take undried, unhusked rice and pop it like pop-corn in a huge skillet, then sift out the chaff and husks. tastes like puffed rice. good for cereal and rice crispy treats, which they make here with peanuts and pineapple, plus palm sugar to hold it all togeather).
After that we cruised across another huge arm of the Mekong. There are about nine main channels spread across the lower delta, each one about the width of the lower Columbia. We went through another floating market, cool but not as extensive as the first. Boat traffic is only a little less chaotic than driving on the road, but we eventually disimbarked (with our bikes) in the city of Cai Be--cutting about 10 miles off today's ride. We roade a fast 20 miles to the bustling city of My Tho and checked into a hotel overlooking the river--which is kinda a joke because the river is EVERYWHERE here. Think of Venice, but the whole of southern Vietnam. IM sure there are many more miles of river and cannal than road (and they prolly get just as much traffic). But it will be our last night on the river, an amazing, diverse, and powerful river we've followed since the very beggining of our journey. This river is so important to this region in so many ways, its quite amazing. Im looking forward to one more night of enjoying the river the way we've spent so many good nights on this trip; cold beer in hand, just watching the river slip on past.
If you sat through all that, congrads. Ill blather on more later.
Peace, and see you soon.
Miles
Last night we made it to another bustling Mekong city; Ving Long. It was probably my favorite city in the delta so far, parlty because people seemed super friendly, but mostly because they have a CRAZY market. Ive probably already described the produce markets here--pretty much every variety of fruit, veggie, and herb you can imagine plus many more that I just have no idea what they are. The Ving Long market probably sprawled 5 or 6 city blocks, but its really hard to tell where these things begin and end--its more like a maze than an actual location. So besides the produce there were a couple huge warehouses full of hardware (anybody need a buncha tools/power tools...I bet they're dirt cheap), dry goods, bulk foods (mostly about a dozen different varieties of rice, but also many types of beans (which people must eat but you never see in a restaraunt or in streetfood), noodles, sauces--esp. fish sauce, dried seafood--many types of fish, squid, and shrimp), you name it. In addition to this, they had the normal meat market with pretty much all parts of the chicken, pig, and cow for sale (apparently, refrigeration is completely over-rated because all this is just sitting out on the counter in the 80- degree heat and 90% humidity--a lot of it still looks really tasty, though). As always, theres tons of fish for sale-most popular are catfish (big, small, a million differnt kinds), eels, and tilapia. All these freshwater fish are kept (mostly) alive in shallow tubs or on ice. From the ocean you can almost always find little makeral and bonito, along with squid and cuttlefish and shrimp. Shrimp (mostly big prawn type guys) are sometimes kept live, but all the other seafood is kept on ice. And theresa million other species, from freshwater minnows, to kingfish, to deep sea angler-type fish. Basically if it swims and you can catch it, its going in the pot.
But you can mostly find all this stuf at any Delta market; what really set Ving Long apart was what, for the lack of a better word, Ill call the "livestock market". Walking down a kinda dark alley off the main street, the first thing you hear is the squealing of pigs. They've got piglets by the basketfull and full grown hogs trussed up live and stuffed in wicker cages, just waiting to be thrown on the back of somebodys motor-scooter (no joke, see it all the time) and driven off to a new home or a BBQ. A little farther in, you see the poultry; chickens and ducks (with feet tied togeather to hobble them) sitting in rows on the ground. And then the clencher: the amphibs and reptiles. Actually, frogs and toads are nothing new; we've been seeing those in markets since Cambodia, but there were quite a lot of them here. Also, this was the first time weve seen turtles for sale; mostly just small-ish guys, look like the Red-Eared Sliders and pond turtles back home. But also some big ones that might be called Terrapins in the States--look like they spend most of their time in the water, long flippers and necks with long noses for breathing at the surface. Next to these are the snakes: Ive heard of folks in Vietnam eating snakes, but this was the firt time we've seen them for sale. I hear they use some parts for traditional medicine, or just cut out the heart and drop it in a shot of whiskey for a traditional treat! Several tanks, probably 3 ft long on each side and a foot deep were FULL of live snakes. All differnt kinds and sizes. Kinda wierded me out a little, I dont exactly know why. Cant imagine what you'ld need that many snakes for. It would be quite a scene if someone left the lid off one day--I remember very clearly from when I was a little kid that snakes can get out of damn near anything. All in all, quite an interesting and fun place. Maybe not the spot for a serious animal-rights activist (or maybe its where theyd be most useful...?).
Anyway, by 6am this morning we were stepping on another boat, only slightly more reliable-looking than the last one. We cruised though a whole mess of islands out in the Mekong and stopped to see some traditional (if now tourist-oriented) activities: bonzai garden (pretty cool), coconut candy making opperation (take coconut meat and palm sugar (kinda like our brown sugar) and heat them in a big bowl over a charcoal fire, mixing until it all carmelizes togeather--tasty!), and rice popping (take undried, unhusked rice and pop it like pop-corn in a huge skillet, then sift out the chaff and husks. tastes like puffed rice. good for cereal and rice crispy treats, which they make here with peanuts and pineapple, plus palm sugar to hold it all togeather).
After that we cruised across another huge arm of the Mekong. There are about nine main channels spread across the lower delta, each one about the width of the lower Columbia. We went through another floating market, cool but not as extensive as the first. Boat traffic is only a little less chaotic than driving on the road, but we eventually disimbarked (with our bikes) in the city of Cai Be--cutting about 10 miles off today's ride. We roade a fast 20 miles to the bustling city of My Tho and checked into a hotel overlooking the river--which is kinda a joke because the river is EVERYWHERE here. Think of Venice, but the whole of southern Vietnam. IM sure there are many more miles of river and cannal than road (and they prolly get just as much traffic). But it will be our last night on the river, an amazing, diverse, and powerful river we've followed since the very beggining of our journey. This river is so important to this region in so many ways, its quite amazing. Im looking forward to one more night of enjoying the river the way we've spent so many good nights on this trip; cold beer in hand, just watching the river slip on past.
If you sat through all that, congrads. Ill blather on more later.
Peace, and see you soon.
Miles
Pictures of the Delta
Crossing to border into Vietnam, they made quite a big entrance station. Wierd, as the road coming from Cambodia was muddy and very out of the way, so I can't imagine it got that much traffic.
Miles with the floating market in the background.
Snakes at the market! Loads of them!
This has been breakfast or lunch a lot of the time- grilled or fried pork chop or chicken, over a bed of rice, with chili and fish sauce. It's handy that you can order it by pointing to it, and about 75 cents later you have a delicious meal. How can you turn down a fried pork chop for breakfast?!
Floating markets and the Mekong Delta
Hello again from the Mekong delta!
Yesterday we saw the Cai Rang floating market, the largest one in the delta. I think we were a little late to see the best of market, as we didn't get out very early due to a rain storm. Not knowing where we were going, like usual, we eventually rode around until we found somebody to take us out in a little wooden boat to the market. The boat looked like it should have sunk long ago, but it stayed afloat for at least one more trip. The market was an interesting place: each vendor or family had a boat heaping with their product to sell, mostly things like pineapple, dragon fruit, or cabbage. The market was basically a location in the river where boats were putting around, buyers on their boats tying up to a vendor's boat to make a purchase. The boats are almost all big motor boats (not the quiet rowboat or canoe kind of place I was picturing) that are usually loaded down with waaaay too much stuff to the point where they look like they're about to sink. River water here is of course just filthy, but that doesn't stop the locals from taking a dip every once in a while. Life really happens on the water here- there are several main branches of the Mekong, where ferries connect the major roads and boats provide transporation for people and goods. Apart from the mekong, canals go absolutely everywhere. It seems like next to every major road is a canal, and they cut straight through all the cities.
The cities- they're crazy. Traffic is just nuts. Motorcycles dominate the traffic scene, so lanes basically don't matter, and people are careless when making turns. One thing that's really annoying is the "4-lane" highway- you have the main traffic with people driving on the right like normal, but then people think it's ok to ride in the opposite direction if you're to the far right, which is also the bicycle lane. So it's kind of like riding up a one way street sometimes with people coming at you. You have to be alert in your riding all the time, but I think we're starting to get used to it.
Cities here are loud and busy, but everyone seems to take some time out of their day for coffee. They love it. There seems to be a big cafe scene in all of these places- people any time of the day just hanging out drinking iced coffee with their friends or family. The cafes are usually outdoors but covered, with seats for a ton of people, maybe twice the size of a normal restaurant. It's quite a scene, especially after work. The actual seats are always plastic deck style chairs- but they're the size of chairs used by probably 3rd graders in the US!
As for the biking, we've been doing a little at a time lately, but I think our total is up to 1581 miles now, and less than 100 to go till we make it to Saigon, which we're pretty stoked about.
take care all,
Evan
Yesterday we saw the Cai Rang floating market, the largest one in the delta. I think we were a little late to see the best of market, as we didn't get out very early due to a rain storm. Not knowing where we were going, like usual, we eventually rode around until we found somebody to take us out in a little wooden boat to the market. The boat looked like it should have sunk long ago, but it stayed afloat for at least one more trip. The market was an interesting place: each vendor or family had a boat heaping with their product to sell, mostly things like pineapple, dragon fruit, or cabbage. The market was basically a location in the river where boats were putting around, buyers on their boats tying up to a vendor's boat to make a purchase. The boats are almost all big motor boats (not the quiet rowboat or canoe kind of place I was picturing) that are usually loaded down with waaaay too much stuff to the point where they look like they're about to sink. River water here is of course just filthy, but that doesn't stop the locals from taking a dip every once in a while. Life really happens on the water here- there are several main branches of the Mekong, where ferries connect the major roads and boats provide transporation for people and goods. Apart from the mekong, canals go absolutely everywhere. It seems like next to every major road is a canal, and they cut straight through all the cities.
The cities- they're crazy. Traffic is just nuts. Motorcycles dominate the traffic scene, so lanes basically don't matter, and people are careless when making turns. One thing that's really annoying is the "4-lane" highway- you have the main traffic with people driving on the right like normal, but then people think it's ok to ride in the opposite direction if you're to the far right, which is also the bicycle lane. So it's kind of like riding up a one way street sometimes with people coming at you. You have to be alert in your riding all the time, but I think we're starting to get used to it.
Cities here are loud and busy, but everyone seems to take some time out of their day for coffee. They love it. There seems to be a big cafe scene in all of these places- people any time of the day just hanging out drinking iced coffee with their friends or family. The cafes are usually outdoors but covered, with seats for a ton of people, maybe twice the size of a normal restaurant. It's quite a scene, especially after work. The actual seats are always plastic deck style chairs- but they're the size of chairs used by probably 3rd graders in the US!
As for the biking, we've been doing a little at a time lately, but I think our total is up to 1581 miles now, and less than 100 to go till we make it to Saigon, which we're pretty stoked about.
take care all,
Evan
Friday, July 31, 2009
GOOOODMOOORNING VIETNAAAAAAM!!!
This post concerns the time since we've been in Vietnam, so make sure to read miles' entry on the last days of Cambodia too, which should be posted below.
Yesterday we crossed the border from Cambodia into Vietnam, on an old road that left us caked in red mud. I think the border people thought twice about letting two such filthy people into their country, but after taking my temperature and multiple pictures of us at the border, they did indeed let us in. As soon as we crossed into Vietnam, roads were paved, and there were even street signs telling us where to go sometimes, something that Cambodia hasn't figured out yet.
Soon we arrived in Ha Tien, which is quite possibly the friendliest border town anywhere- nobody trying to hastle you or make you buy a way over-priced bus ticket to somewhere you don't want to go. Situated on both a river and the ocean, Ha Tien is a fishing town. There must be a law in this part of the world that you must paint your fishing boat turquoise, because that's about the only color of fishing boat you see. Wierd. At night, all the vendors set up stalls along the waterfront, selling trinkets, clothing, and food (most interesting sandwich: baugette with spicy bbq pork, pineapple, heaped with basil and some other veggies). So far, I would say that Vietnam seems busy- everyone is out doing their thing, selling their palm juice, selling their pate-baugette sandwitches, playing soccer on concrete parking lots, or relaxing on the riverfront with a beer (which can be done even for breakfast, evidently. But then again their beer, especially over ice like they do, is pretty much like drinking water). Yes, in a few words, I would describe Vietnam as both busy and fishy. Fishy, because everything you eat has fish sauce or shrimp in it, and -no joke- it smelled like fish about the entire 60 mile ride today. That may be because we paralelled one of the many canals in the region for most of the ride. Another interesting tidbit was lunch- evidently if you order Foe here that means trip soup with part of a pig's foot.
Yesterday we crossed the border from Cambodia into Vietnam, on an old road that left us caked in red mud. I think the border people thought twice about letting two such filthy people into their country, but after taking my temperature and multiple pictures of us at the border, they did indeed let us in. As soon as we crossed into Vietnam, roads were paved, and there were even street signs telling us where to go sometimes, something that Cambodia hasn't figured out yet.
Soon we arrived in Ha Tien, which is quite possibly the friendliest border town anywhere- nobody trying to hastle you or make you buy a way over-priced bus ticket to somewhere you don't want to go. Situated on both a river and the ocean, Ha Tien is a fishing town. There must be a law in this part of the world that you must paint your fishing boat turquoise, because that's about the only color of fishing boat you see. Wierd. At night, all the vendors set up stalls along the waterfront, selling trinkets, clothing, and food (most interesting sandwich: baugette with spicy bbq pork, pineapple, heaped with basil and some other veggies). So far, I would say that Vietnam seems busy- everyone is out doing their thing, selling their palm juice, selling their pate-baugette sandwitches, playing soccer on concrete parking lots, or relaxing on the riverfront with a beer (which can be done even for breakfast, evidently. But then again their beer, especially over ice like they do, is pretty much like drinking water). Yes, in a few words, I would describe Vietnam as both busy and fishy. Fishy, because everything you eat has fish sauce or shrimp in it, and -no joke- it smelled like fish about the entire 60 mile ride today. That may be because we paralelled one of the many canals in the region for most of the ride. Another interesting tidbit was lunch- evidently if you order Foe here that means trip soup with part of a pig's foot.
We're now in Rach Gia, a fairly large city that's loud and chaotic, so i can only imagine what Saigon will be like. Vietnamese people so far seem pretty friendly. We hear you get hastled a little more here than in the other countries, but we'll see. The nice part about riding bikes is that we don't have to deal with many logistics- just point in the right direction, pedal for 5 hours, and you're magically there! Only about 4 or 5 days riding left till the big city and the end of this bike ride. I hear a marching band outside, so that's probably a sign it's time to go check out whatever there is in this city.
All the best to everybody at home,
Evan
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