Sapa

After the all the drama and re-organizing it took for my father and I to finally get to Sapa, I was worried that I would be disappointed... yet, if anything I underestimated how beautiful it would be here. This is definitely the most beautiful place I've been in Vietnam -- perhaps even in the world! It is definitely in my top five...

 Due to our re-arranging, the hotel my dad and I had booked was full the day of our arrival. The manager offered us a two-day trek through the countryside, complete with a homestay in one of the villages nearby. Since we were planning on spending most of our time trekking anyways, this seemed like a great opportunity. In fact, it was probably the highlight of our trip! We had a private guide from one of the ethnic minority groups who was very knowledgeable and friendly. She also had a great sense of humor which made the whole experience even more enjoyable! Another perk was that she was almost eight months pregnant, so the pace was nice and slow giving us ample time to soak in our surroundings. Though the trek was quite tame, I was very impressed that she was able to do it all carrying around a miniature person inside her!

Our guide, leading us through rice fields -- watch your step!

Traditional wear of one of the many ethnic minorities
living in the Sapa valley

Another perk of doing the two-day hike was that our deluxe room was upgraded for free to a VIP room! Actually, the whole trip was quite on the VIP side -- private tour, great train, and the room! Much more over-the-top than I'm used to:

The only other activity to do in Sapa is shopping. I had been looking forward to seeing all the beautiful hand-made products available here ever since landing in Saigon back in September. While perusing the souvenir shops all over the country, I found myself time and time again attracted to the items that came originally from Sapa. I had been holding back on making any purchases, knowing that I was going to be able to buy from the artisans themselves once I was in Sapa. I was not disappointed with the beauty of the array of hand-made scarves, bags, pillow covers, jewelery... I was unprepared for the tenacity and perseverance of the women selling their items however. Reminded me of my PO days, just keep asking and keep asking and finally someone will buy! It was their lucky day, I was that someone and I bought a lot!

Cat Ba Island

In every country you visit, there's always that "one place" that you simply "must see". For Vietnam, this place is Halong Bay. It is a bay with hundreds of small islands that are ideal to visit by kayak and that are great for climbing. I decided to forgo the usual route of joining a boat cruise. These are usually two day, one night on ship affairs where you follow your group around on the schedule of your guide. Since I had a few days I decided instead to go and stay on Cat Ba Island, the biggest island of Halong Bay, and my stay was a great rest after all the drama that had awaited me in Hanoi!

Cat Ba Town itself is quite ugly, lots of hotels rising high along the harbor front. However, from the balcony of my room, the view was incredible! I enjoyed many evenings sitting up on the 5th floor watching the sun go down and playing my ukulele.

The island itself was gorgeous and I spent a great day exploring it by motorbike. The roads were deserted and the scenery was ever-changing and also beautiful. The locals were very friendly and were especially happy to try and communicate with me as soon as they figured out I knew some Vietnamese! However, I have to confess that the Northern accent is totally different from the Central accent that I've been learning a it was a struggle to understand even the simplest of sentences!

The highlight of my stay was the day I spent on a boat tour of Halong. There were only six of us in our group and four of us were solo travelers which made for great conversation. Included in the day tour were a short hike, a quick swim, a couple cave tours, and a kayak paddle time that was much more torturous than I thought it would be -- apparently my arm muscles have completely vanished from disuse during my time in Vietnam!

Dangers and Annoyances

Though not my favorite section of the Lonely Planet, I always make sure to read the "Dangers and Annoyances" column before venturing to a new place. I feel like it's better to be prepared and a little paranoid instead of regretting it later. I have to admit that I've been very lucky in these departments over the years, and I'm very thankful for that fact... However, this past week has definitely been a big challenge. Buckle up folks, this is not going to be a fun post!

My first encounter with the "Dangers and Annoyances" was a bite on the base of my spine. What exactly bit me is still undetermined, but it is most likely a spider. The bite itself was only slightly painful and over the next hour or so swelled up just enough for me to notice it. I didn't really think anything of it until I got a glimpse of it in the mirror. Instead of a little red bump as expected, there was a small squarish black thing. Weird. Still, by bedtime it hadn't grown so I wasn't too nervous. I slept fine until around 1am when I woke up because I was itchy all over. I mean everywhere, my toes, my elbows, my back, my stomach, my cheeks... It was so bad that I decided to try to shower in case there was something on my skin. It didn't help. I spent the rest of the night trying to sleep and realizing I was successful when I woke up with bloody nails from scratching! Eeekk.

As it often is, in the light of day, I thought that I had been exaggerating the whole thing. But as the morning wore on (after some urging from my mother) I realized that I really should go see a doctor. My now a rash had appeared on my lower back, red and bumpy and itchy. Off to the hospital for me! I went to the General Hospital of Hue and that visit in and of itself was stressful. Add in a spreading rash and you can imagine that my heart rate was pretty high. In all fairness, the people working in the hospital were very friendly and helpful. I was entrusted to a first nursing student who brought me to the emergency department, they referred me to the dermatology department who then sent me up to the foreigner's department where I got a new escort. With her we visited a few other departments before ending in the skin and allergy department where I got my final look from a doctor. (Doctors in all the departments checked out my rash before sending me somewhere else, I was very happy that it was in a spot that was easy to show!)

By the time I got back to my hotel with many pills and creams, the rash had swollen and taken over my upper back and arms. The drugs made me drowsy so I put on some gloves and slept. I did this for a couple days, and the rash slowly got better. It's not swollen anymore but it's still around even today, about a week after I got bit!

Now, if all that wasn't enough, I was hit once again by the "Dangers and Annoyances" in the form of my laptop. On the day I was leaving for Hanoi, all was well. I was checking my emails when all of a sudden my laptop just decides to shut off. The battery was full, it was plugged in, but no, no power. Hum... The little lights on the outside wouldn't even turn on. Worrisome. Still, I was scheduled to leave for Hanoi so I packed up and headed to the airport.

Hanoi. I actually really enjoyed the city, much more than Saigon. The roads and small and crowded, but the traffic is a lot less daunting. There's a beautiful lake in the Old Quarter, and I had a nice walk around it after dropping off my laptop to some dodgy guys with very little English skills. Perhaps I was still a little loopy from the allergy medication I was still on, or perhaps I got a little to comfortable leaving in a safe city like Hue, but I was definitely not on top of my game. I was getting a weird feeling but was unable to pinpoint why. Then I knew, bam! Another hit from the "Dangers and Annoyances" the top pocket of my backpack was raided and off went my wallet and cellphone! Arrrgh... That certainly put a damper on things and made me very paranoid! I spent the rest of my time in Hanoi double and triple-checking everything and worrying at what else might go wrong...

Still, it seems that bad things come in threes and that the universe is done with me for now. I also want to say that being in Vietnam made some things much easier. For instance, in Canada I would never have been able to fix my laptop for the great price of 30$ (which I'm sure was double if not triple the "fair price", but for once I was glad to pay a tourist price). Moreover, if I had needed to see specialists back home, we all know the deal with that. Referral, waiting list, referral, waiting list, etc. Even though I'm sure the doctors in Canada would have actually done more than glance at my back, I was happy with the quick service! As for the theft... well, even I can't put a positive spin on that!

I'm off to Cat Ba Island now, in Halong Bay. I'll hopefully get some kayaking and snorkeling in and perhaps even some climbing! Good times ahead, I've earned it!

Spicy!

Before arriving in Hue, I was told that the food here was delicious but spicy. I'm no stranger to spicy food (though in my family I'm known as the wimp, among my friends I can hold my own), so I wasn't too worried. I had survived in spicy Malaysia after all! Plus, so far my experience with Vietnamese food never approached the too spicy range. However, upon my arrival, Mr. Phuoc (my boss) brought me to breakfast and taught my first Vietnamese words in Hue: không cay, meaning not spicy... which made me a little more nervous. When our breakfast arrived, the famous bún bò hue (spicy beef noodle soup), I realized that there was no exaggeration in the description of Hue food: the broth was rich, tasty, and even this "non spicy" version that Mr. Phuoc had ordered for me made my eyes water and my lips tingle. 

After almost two months of living here and sampling the local cuisine everyday, I never forget those two precious words: không cay! The locals find me hilarious, my friends tease me and say that I have the mouth of a baby, and I can't argue with that. This week I was invited by Mr. Loan's wife to eat bánh canh cá lóc (fish noodle soup), which has recently taken up the spot of my favorite Vietnamese soup (that's right, it's beaten out phở which I've loved forever!).  Also usual, I politely tried to explain that I couldn't deal with spice and asked for the kid's non-spicy version. She accommodated me with a smile and I received one of the best bowls of fish soup I'd ever had:

Despite being the kids' version, when I drank the broth carelessly I was still attacked by spice-induced coughing and teary eyes. The pain is completely worth it though, the fish is incredibly tender, the noodles are some kind of extra-chewy rice noodle perfection and the broth is crazy rich tasting. Then I glanced at my friend Yen's bowl:

She obviously didn't get the kids version! She then added even more chilli to her soup! I don't think it would even be physically possible for me to eat that... Though the extra color does look good!

And now, a completely frivolous addition: a picture of our cook with the best vintage glasses I've ever seen (this is an authentic Vietnamese hipster ladies and gents):

The making of the Tết flowers

Ok, so let's start with showing you all my goal:

It's call hoa cây, which translates quite aptly to flower tree. Each branch is made up of ten flowers just so:

 

Seem a little daunting? Well, I now certainly think so! However, I have to admit that when I first decided upon this challenge, I didn't think it was going to be quite as challenging as it's turning out to be. The only experience I had of paper flower making at the time was of the final step which is to tie up the ready made flowers to the small bamboo branch using ribbon. That in and of itself is no easy feat, but I definitely under-estimated the effort necessary to reach said final step.

The craft of making these worship flowers in Thanh Tien village is over 400 years old. The techniques and tools have been passed down over the generations and is in danger of dying off, which is where Rose Vietnam and my volunteer work comes into play. I will write soon about the project as a whole, today I want to focus on the techniques of making these particular flowers. Here are the tools: (much to my surprise and delight, Mr. Loan said he was in the process of making my very own tool kit to bring home, so I can show you all how to make these flowers back in Canada!)

The first steps (that I have not yet learned) are to dye the paper and cut up bamboo into the right size pieces and dye these as well. Mr. Loan promised he would show me these steps before I left. I think he's just waiting to see me become comfortable with the hammer before he hands me the machete, or whatever it is one uses to slice up bamboo!

The next step is cutting. I never thought of using a hammer and a weirdly, but perfectly, shaped nail (I call it a nail for lack of better word, please let me know if this told has a name!) to cut paper, but that is how it is done. The execution itself looks quite simple, not so. Just today, I was getting comfortable with this step, thinking I had mastered it, think again! My most recent cutting were rejected as không đẹp, meaning not beautiful as they weren't perfect circles. Hum. The weird nail thing has to go down perfectly straight for this not to happen. Better luck tomorrow!

After the cutting comes the wrinkling or folding. For far I've learned to do this in two ways. Either with a bamboo stick and foamy thingny or with a rope and differently shaped bamboo stick. I think I've mastered the foamy technique to Mr. Loan's wife's satisfaction (I call her the "quality control") but my technique with the rope is most definitely not yet up to snuff!

 

Next is gluing, using the same starch as when making Bánh Lọc! Yum! Very sticky though... I learned quickly to keep it to only one finger at a time otherwise you end up with quite the mess. Most of the gluing is quite straightforward, but not so for the rose (Minh and Hao can attest to that).

Ah finished! Well except for making the stems, gluing on the "pollen" on the end of stems, assembling, oh and learning (and mastering!) the cutting, wrinkling, and gluing parts of each individual flower... Now the question is, what is such a flower branch worth? Any guesses? Well, in the markets in preparation for the New Year these go for about 2000 vnd a branch, less than 50 cents. Flabbergasting. 40 branches takes an expert 12 hours to make, which is less than two dollars for an hour's work. Really makes you think. Meanwhile, I've completed four branches in a week, with a bunch of spare flowers lying around. I need at least 150 branches to make a tree, and I've got 2 months to finish. A fine challenge!

Hoi An

A combination of bad weather and general fatigue led me to take a couple days off from my work in Thanh Tien village and head to the nearby town of Hoi An. I had heard that this was a beautiful spot with a gorgeous beach and a lovely old town that's been well preserved. I was excited to see a bit more of central Vietnam and for the opportunity to spend a day at the beach. However, my first impression of Hoi An was a big disappointment. I felt like I was back in Siem Reap, without the good excuse of Angor Wat. The sheer number of tourists was astonishing after getting used to the more "natural" feel of Hue. The whole old city is overrun by knick-knack shops and a disturbing amount of tailor shops. If you want to shop, this is definitely the spot to be! I was not in such a mood though, so I was quite put out.

Then evening came, and with the setting of the sun, the old city brings out its multitude of paper lanterns and the whole city changes. I became completely enchanted with the riverside. Sure there were still the usual annoyances of over-eager merchants and peddlers, but the air was warm with a nice breeze off the river and lit up with the beautiful glow of hundreds of paper lanterns. I'm told that on the actual full moon the whole display is even more impressive and I will make a great effort to go back to Hoi An to see it!

The next day I discovered the key to liking Hoi An: spend the day at the beach (a mere 20 minute ride away), then on the bike ride back stop for a good Vietnamese-style shampoo, and finally enjoy an evening by the riverside. Such a combination would keep me happy for a good long time! The beach is the most beautiful one I've encountered so far in Vietnam, not too crowded (well, until sunset when the locals arrive in heaps, can't swim when it's sunny if you're Vietnamese after all!), quite clean, with the best size waves for body surfing. A word of warning though, the sun here burns! For someone who until recently thought I couldn't get a sunburn, I was feeling quite roasted even having spent most of the day in the shade. I also want to say a quick thank you to the anonymous girl that came up to thank me for playing my ukulele. This was my first time feeling comfortable enough to play in "public", so it meant a lot! The kindness of a stranger can really make your day.

Bánh anyone?

This one is for all the foodies out there! Since most of you are my friends and family, that means there's a lot of you!! Here is my Bánh saga. First off, I just wanted to put out there that I first had the idea for this post at least a month ago and my over-ambitious idea was to take a picture of every single type of bánh available in Hue to share with you... it quickly became clear that this would never happen, so here are the ones that I did get a picture of, really the tip of the iceberg.

Bánh Mì

My next comment is my personal journey to translate the word bánh. Literally meaning "cake" when used alone, it means a whole lot of other things when combined with other words. The first bánh I discovered was on my first morning in Saigon when I learned that my favorite cheap lunch -- Vietnamese sandwiches -- are called Bánh Mì.

Nothing is ever simple in Vietnamese, so Bánh Mi also means baguette, and if you add "op la" to it you get a omelet sandwich (which is very tasty!). So ordering one from a bakery is never completely straight-forward. So my first definition of Bánh was "some type of cake/bread/whatever made from wheat". Makes sense no? Supporting this theory, in Saigon I got familiar with Bánh Bao (steamed bun with a surprise mix of eggs/veggies/meat inside that resembles Chinese steam buns), Bánh Xèo (a fried pancake type deal that you wrap in rice paper), Bánh Bò (small little spongy cakes that taste vaguely like coconut), Bánh Tien (deep fried dough pockets with lots of sesame seeds on them and surprisingly nothing inside)... and I'm sure I'm missing some. I lived on in blissful unawareness of the other dozens of types of Bánh that have nothing to do with wheat. And then one morning at Thuc's mom's restaurant I came face to face with Bánh Bèo, made from rice flour! Oh no... I then remembered that my favorite breakfast ever was in Dalat, and it was called Bánh Cuốn, definitely no wheat going on here:

Ok new definition! Bánh means dumpling! My mom has a theory that every single culinary culture has a type of dumpling, with the definition of carbs wrapped around some type of protein being our working definition of dumpling. In a stretch I could even include Bánh Mì in this category because after all the bread is the outside carbs and the ham (or egg, in the case of Bánh mì ốp la) the inside yummy-ness. This new definition worked very well during my discovery of many, many, rice-flour and tapioca-flour based Bánh in Hue:

Bánh ít, that's a deep fried dough with a chewy tapioca type boiled dough
on top, garnished with a mix of shredded fish and shrimps. Minh's favorite!

Bánh Nậm, my personal favorite among Hue's offerings!
Sticky, gooey, wrapped in a palm leaf, what's not to love!?

Bánh Sắn, tapioca starch with yummyred beans inside which makes it nice and sweet!

Bánh Lọc with palm leave wrapper

Bánh Lọc without the wrapper, the ones on
the left are boiled and the right ones are fried.

Bánh Ép, tiny tapioca-flour pancakes that you wrap around yummy
veggies and herbs, dunked in peanut sauce.

Bánh Khoai, very similar to Saigon's Bánh Xèo. This time no rice paper wrapper
and instead of fish sauce more peanut sauce that seems very popular in Hue.
Garnished with young mango and the ever present herbs.

Bánh Ram, a specialty from the city where Hao's older sister lives.
During Tết holiday I learned to make these and was then
promptly recruited to make a couple hundred!

Another version of Bánh Ram

So after another few months of blissful unawareness, thinking that bánh referred to a general dumpling type of food, I discovered Bánh Can, which for all intents and purposes is noodle soup! Oh well, I've given up!

Bánh Canh, made with Hao.

Good thing I gave up because I have since discovered that this huge chip thingny is also part of the bánh family. Forgot it's whole name though...

My conclusion? Bánh = yummy!