A bus ride back: where the west clashes with the east

To go to Sapa to Lo Cai you will have to take a private car, your own motorbike (so jealous of the group of guys we saw on a motorbike trip across the north), or take a local van.

On our van ride our driver decided that he would pack about 15 people into a van that was made to seat 8.  Just when you thought we were going we would pick up another, then another, then another. It seemed like it was never going to end! He kept saying that each row could fit 5 Vietnamese even though they clearly were made for 3. What he had failed to realize was that he was carting a bunch of westerners who tend to be just a bit bigger than your average Vietnamese.  Five of us don’t really fit on a seat made for 3.

At one point I was sure there was going to be a throw down. My favorite was the women who kept yelling, “I am going to call Hanoi and you’re going to lose your job”, lets think about this....Really? I am don't think she realized where she was.

Trekking through North Vietnam

We opted to do the 6 hour village hike through the Sapa Mountains although I would highly recommend  the homestay if you have the time.  One thing to note about Sapa and the village trecks is that all guests must be with a guide. And after wondering through the tiny mountain trails, I see why. One wouldn't want to get lost or end up like the two people who fell off the mountain.

Our guide Pam was a young Flower Hmong, we were so grateful she was there to lead us and to teach us about her culture.  As you hike through the mountains you will be accompanied by a few other Black Hmong ladies.  If it is raining these women will be your saving grace.  The trail gets slippery and can be super steep so I am sure you won't mind having a few other helping hands.  They will only ask that you buy a small product at the end for $1 on up.

We were a bit disappointed learn about a few things:

-  Some tourist get a bit aggressive towards these women yelling at them not to follow them and sometimes physically pushing them out of the way. Ironically, these same people when it rains realize they need their help to get through some of the trail.

-  In Vietnam the Hmong people and other ethnic groups are referred to as “little cat”. They are looked upon as uncivilized. 

Vietnam: Sapa Town & Ba Ha Market

I didn’t know what to expect about Sapa but I was pleasantly surprised upon arrival.

Getting to Sapa is easy: 1 overnight train to Lo Cai and an hour and a half trip up the winding mountain.  The trip up the mountain is gorgeous and perfectly picturesque - lush mountains are covered in bright green rice terraces.

CREEP ALERT:  1st overnight train: I swore they were trying to make a popsicle out of me and an old Chinese women kept staring at me from across the other bunk in the dark.  How do I know? I did the pretend one eye sleep bit.  I was a little too creeped out to relax all the way.

2nd overnight train: we met two brothers traveling together through Vietnam. Homeboy go comfy and stripped down to his boxers, I was just happy he covered up despite how hot it was.

We were lucky enough to arrive on Sunday, the only day that the Ba Ha market is open. This is a festive occasion where a number of communities come together, some people traveling for over 4 days to get to the market: Flower H’mong, Black H’mong, Zai, & Red H’mong.  All day long the market is packed – starting at 5 am until 4 pm.

What can you buy at the market: anything from standard items like clothes, food, and houseware items to water buffalo, puppies, chickens, pigs, birds, snakes – you name it, they have it.

Oh to be a Hmong man...

Apparently the Hmong men gather and drink and drink until they pass out. If a man doesn’t drink it means he isn’t a good man because he has no friends. Once drunk and passed out the women will sometimes hold an umbrella over him until he wakes up and is ready to leave.

Although it was 9 am in the morning we were invited twice to partake in the festivities and drink up.  If you thought whiskey was strong think again – their corn alcohol is called the the dragon that breathes fire into your throat.  Ouch!

Our first taste of the corn based alcohol was with an elderly Flower Hmong who giggled as she held up the bottle cap for us to taste.  Our faces must have said everything because she & her cronies laughed hysterically at our reaction.

On our second tasting, we were invited into the tailor shop owned by a friend of our guide.   First she offered us tea.  After the first cup she brought out a bottle of mooshine that she  had aged for over two years! 1 shot, 2 shots later and then another with her husband had us a bit tipsy!

Vietnam: Halong Bay

Travel tip:  don't always believe the reviews you read. 

Initially we were hesitant to visit Halong bay after reading a number of reviews that said it was overrated and overrun by tourist.  SO GLAD WE DIDN’T LISTEN.  I think key may be to visit the bay during low season, late May/June so that you can really enjoy it and avoid the big crowds.

Halong Bay offers a variety of options from 1 day tours to 1 week.  I would opt for the longer ones if you have time. I repeatedly said that if I didn’t have to see anything else in Vietnam, I would have stayed a week.

Whatever you do, you pay for what you get so you many want to spend a little more to get a better quality boat. We loved our boat, the food was fab & it was chill with only 10 cabins.  If aren't looking to relax or be romantic then you might as well go for a party boat.  One was anchored across from us & the entire group continued to jump fro the sun deck for hours!

The trip is so relaxing and the views are stunning. There is as much activity as you want. We kayaked, hiked, swam, explored caves, relaxed on the sun deck, and learned how to make spring rolls.

We were also lucky enough to share a few meals with some great people: an older couple from Holland traveling through Vietnam for 3 weeks, an Australian man who was visiting his brother in Thailand and was planning to rent a motorbike to ride through the north of Nam, and another couple from Holland who were on a 6 month adventure – they had taken a motor home through Australian and New Zealand and were traveling Vietnam for 1 month before returning home. (I hope to be them in my 50's!)

Vietnam: Hanoi Highlights

Hanoi is a totally different vibe from “the Ho Chi”.  It tends to be a bit slower than HCMC & a little more chill but it still has enough going on. 

The Old Quarter is where most people opt to stay and so did we . It is totally walkable and is packed with all different areas from the textile area, to the toy street, to the spice market, to the tubberware section (random).  It’s a blend of Vietnamese architecture and French colonial buildings.

TRAVEL TIP: It’s an excellent place to get clothes made.  If you do opt to do it, go on your first day and get it out the way.  You will need to allow for a day or three before your creation is complete.

Highlights:

-  Walking around the lake early in the morning or late afternoon with the locals as they get their daily exercise.  If you’re feeling up to it, opt to join the old ladies in the aerobics class.

-  Cu Chi Tunnels: discovering how the Viet Cong lived.  For 30 years, since the beginning of the fight with the French for independence into the Vietnam War with America the Viet Cong learned to survive underground.  It is worth the visit but be prepared for over the top propaganda. 

A few things we found disturbing:

-  A gun range where you can opt to shoot anything from an AK 47 to a machine gun. 

- Encouraging guest to climb up a blown up tank to take pictures.  (C'mon people show a little respect).

Vietnam, round 2: Hanoi, Halong Bay & Sapa

We got suckered into doing the local tourist route and I am glad we did.  On our tour around North Vietnam we got to check out Hanoi, Halong Bay and Sapa.

After being in the south, it was hard not to start to compare some of the differences:
- The geography north of Hanoi is mountainous, lush, and green
- We had been told that by locals that people in the north tend to be a bit more aggressive, visit and you decide for yourself.

TRAVEL TIP: A few words of advice that we received and I thought I would pass along:

- Taxi’s in Hanoi: get in the airport taxi’s ONLY.  Often taxis will take you to a hotel of their choice, despite your protest. They will want you to stay at the hotel and if you refuse will sometimes get physical. Never happened to us but supposedly it does.

Random fact (as told by one local north vietnamese): According to our guide the southern ladies want northern men because they are strong and manly and northern women like southern men because they are romantic and sweet. Not sure if this is true but thought I would share.

A World Wonder: Angkor Wat.

Ankor Wat is as fascinating as everyone says.  These ruins they are intertwined with components of both Hinduism and Buddhism.  A little background, the Khmer King was first Buddhist.  After war and defeat by India, the territory and its people became Hindu. All the Buddha statues were destroyed during this time.  Buddhism made come back later under a new King and the presence of Buddha emerged once again.

TRAVEL TIP:  If you go, I would suggest going just as low season begins.  The days can be exceptionally long during high season so be prepared to stand in line and melt under the sun.

TRAVEL TIP: Go early in the morning 5, 6, or 7 am until 10 or 11 am, right as heat of the day begins.  Take a break, hopefully at a hotel with a pool, and then head back to the ruins around 2 or 3.

Cambodia Landmine Museum - Aki Ra

Landmine Museum.  Don’t Miss it. Truly an inspiration.

A wonderful friend of ours was so adamant about not missing this museum – I am glad she was. This place is of off the beaten track and allot of travels miss it.  Request it on your tour if you go.

I encourage you to read more about Aki Ra, Top 10 CNN Hero.

More tips for the socially conscious consumer: Cambodia

Beyond. Making money & changing lives!

This place offers tourism that benefits the community.  If you’re going to take a tour, which you probably will, why not opt to use them and make a little difference while you do.  Beyond employs locals & anywhere from 5% to 25% of their profits (depending on the tour) goes back into the community.

The same owner of Beyond owns a high end hotel Sojourn built in the village of Tac.  He uses the location to lure customers who want to feel like they are in the “real Cambodia” but there is a catch.  Almost all of the hotel activities are focused on the surrounding village.  Visitors can take a village walk, teach English at a school for a few hours, help in the rice fields, or pitch in building a water filter.

Their nonprofit arm is called HUSK! They provide trash bins for the village and pay for trash pickup for the community.

Our village walk with Beyond.

This was one of the highlights of our trip.  We got to see firsthand just how powerful a network of nonprofits working together can be.  In Tac, a small village there were a number of things happening:

Water filters. These filters are just $45 a piece but they are providing the community with safe drinking water. This means healthier kids that are able to attend school.

Compost Toilets.  Cleaner and safer for the community, ADDED bonus fertilizer to help the crops grow.

Stonger housing.  Each year during the rainy season it floods and many of the houses that have been built cannot sustain the damage caused by the water. New houses are being built for the poorest families that include a tin roof, cemented wooden pillars to hold up the house on stilts, and windows for circulation.

HUSK waste barrels. These barrels get the trash of the street. Cleaner streets, less rat, less disease = a more productive society.

The entire community receives education on how to use each of these. Our guide was a local from the community and told us how impressed he has been with the change.  He painted the picture of what the village used to look like and I can only imagine what is must have been like.

Little by little things are changing.

Cooking and Caring in Siem Reap

Le Tigre de Papier. 

One of the things at the top of our list was to learn to cook local cuisine so that when we returned home we could experience out travels through our palette. 

We chose Le Tigre de Papier as the location to take our cooking lesson.  This establishment donates a portion of the money to train a local to become a chef at one of the local restaurants.

On the menu: 

Fresh Shrimp Spring Rolls

Papaya Salad

Amak Chicken

Cambodian Spiced Chicken

Banana & Coconut Custard

Fresh from the market:

Where we started:

And just look how good it ended up. So yummy!

Other things for the Socially Conscious traveler in Cambodia:

Seeing Hands Massage Center.  If you’re in Cambodia trust me you most likely won’t forego getting a massage.   So why not opt to spend your money in a great place.  All massages are given by the blind

TRAVEL TIP: make sure you give your tip directly to your masseuse when people with vision aren’t present.  I know it is awful but money does get taken from the blind from time to time.  So do them a favor and just be aware of

who is around when you hand them the money.

Great Causes, good food, and a few things for the adventurous eater!

There are a number of great establishments, doing great things, and serving great food – so why not spend your money wisely.  Below are a list places that any socially conscious traveler should know about and opt to visit.  You won’t be disappointed.

Cambodian BBQ – it’s not just about chicken baby.  We opted to take the sampler platter that included  alligator and python!  The snake was a bit dry but the gater isn’t half bad.

WATER BUGS Anyone?

During our village tour we were welcomed by some of the most hospitable people.  While I was so thankful for their lunch invitation, we both opted to bypass eating.  Their lunchtime meals often consist of well BUGS – grasshoppers, crickets, water bugs and more!  Protein is protein.

Romdeng (Phnom Phen) is a restaurant that offers former street children and orphans a place to belong.  Seeing over 100 customers per day, they not only provide fine dining training for everything: waiter, chef, restaurant management;  they provide these kids with a family and a support system.  Each kid receives financial and housing support if needed.  This  provides the ability to continue to go to school and get the skills they need to be productive in the community.

NOW SERVING: TARANTULAST @ Romdeng!

Yes, that is right, I said tarantulas. My husband has a bit of an adventurous palatte and this place hit the spot.  He ordered Tarantulas for an appetizer & stir fried beef with RED ANTS!. He loved the tarantulas and decided he could forego the red ants in the future.

Friends (Phnom Phen) is a sister restaurant to Romdeng. The cuisine is a mix of Cambodian French style tapas. Check it out if your there!

And if your in the mood try a few crickets from your local market.