Phu Quoc Rocks!

So after two wonderful weeks in Cambodia, I headed across the border into Vietnam and took a (rather crazy) ferry ride to Phu Quoc Island. The ferry ride was rather crazy because half the ferry was occupied by tourists (Vietnamese? Chinese? not sure) wearing orange hats and obsessed with sitting in assigned seats. At one point an argument broke out between three women in the group. The third woman got up to move seats and the other two women started spitting on her! (I caught some of the cross fire). The two spitters were held back by two other women in the group, while the third woman remained incredibly calm, despite the saliva being hurled her way. When the ferry arrived in Phu Quoc, some of the folks in orange hats were pushing and shoving their way down the aisle to get off the boat--even before we'd docked. One guy was climbing over seats to get to the front. I started to wonder if Vietnam had always been like this and hadn't noticed... Nah, like I told my new German and French friends who sat wide-eyed in amazement: "I've never seen this before. This isn't typical for Vietnam."

I swear I've seen this photo on a postcard somewhere...

Thankfully Phu Quoc is your typical island paradise. For one, it's pretty quiet. Sure, the main town has a lot of neon and karaoke, but there's not much honking on the roads and it's pretty dead after dark. You can hop on a moto and travel 20-40 kilometers to the south or north on red dirt roads hugging empty beaches and feel like you've got the island to yourself. You can also head inland and explore lush green jungles and look for monkeys. Indeed, Phu Quoc is a lot more laid back and relaxed than anywhere else I've been in Vietnam.

fishing boats along the empty beach

a very large piece of driftwood

yet another stunning scene

looks like a nice spot to stop for a while

forest walk

the view from the beach chair where I spent the majority of my last day on the island

I stayed four nights in Phu Quoc. I had only planned to stay two, but it was impossible to get a flight back any sooner to Ho Chi Minh City. Since I had showed up right at the end of Chinese Lunar New Year and right in the middle of tourist high season, it was difficult to find ANY room that was available. I lucked out and found a basic little guesthouse near the ocean (overpriced, but it beat sleeping outside--especially since it rained at night). In the end, I'm so thankful I got to explore this little island before the big hotel chains and Lotte Marts move in. They'll never compare with the sunsets.

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Central Vietnam: Quảng Trị & Quảng Bình Provinces

From Hue, Kat and I traveled up to Dong Ha in Quang Tri to hang out with our friend Max, the country director for an NGO. As you may recall, Roots of Peace (the organization I'm doing my internship with) has an office in Dong Ha. Kat and I planned to spend Christmas with Max and take photos of black pepper farmers for Roots of Peace.

We arrived in Dong Ha and were promptly whisked away to an English school's Christmas show. Max had been asked to make an appearance as Santa, and asked us if we wanted to go. Cute Vietnamese kids  singing Christmas songs? Of course we wanted to go! Upon arriving, Max was told he was going to be a judge for the "Kid's Idol" singing contest. They needed another judge and I was more than happy to help. (This is my second gig as "International Talent Show Judge". Not sure how I can continue on this career path...). After about 2 hours of singing and games, Max was told to put on a highly flammable santa suit and reappeared to greet excited (and a few terrified) kids. All in all, it was a high energy evening and we were more exhausted than jolly when we bid our farewells at the end of the night. 

I don't think the second girl from the right sang one word all night...but she sure was cute!

Santa getting mobbed

Santa's oh-so-lovely helpers
  

The next day, having thankfully recovered our hearing, we had lunch with Max's office staff and then headed up to Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park. We planned to stay at Phong Nha Farmstay, a hostel in the middle of rice paddies, and visit 2 caves nearby. We arrived at this hostel in the middle of nowhere and found the temperatures had dropped. I ended up wearing around 2 pairs of jeans, 2 long-sleeve shirts, a hoodie, and a jacket I borrowed from Max. Luckily the rooms had heat and Kat immediately took to the bed as she wasn't feeling well. Max and I talked a bit with other folks at the hostel, drank some good gin and tonics, and ate a yummy beef stew for dinner. While I had originally thought we'd spend 2 cozy nights at the Farmstay and celebrate Christmas there, after a few hours of the cold we decided that one night would be more than enough. Additionally, the prospects for seeing the cave were limited--by rented motorbike (it was raining), by private car (over $50), or on a tour that cost $55 per person (pretty high for a tour in Vietnam). So...we called our driver that had brought us up and dropped us off that evening to come back the next morning, take us around to the caves, and then take us back to Dong Ha. 


Our happy driver (the same guy Kat and I traveled around Hue with) showed up promptly the next morning and whisked us off to Phong Nha Cave. Thankfully Kat was feeling much better (the 12 hours of sleep she had might have helped). We took a boat ride to the cave and walked around. It was pretty impressive. Although, I must say, I'm not a huge fan of colored lights--but, whatever--this is Vietnam!

Phong Nha Farmstay

view from the Farmstay

Road trip!

Boat trip!

entrance to Phong Nha Cave 

Phong Nha Cave

The next cave we visited made Phong Nha Cave pale in comparison. Paradise Cave was only opened with the past year--it's not even in the guidebooks yet. We walked through the jungle (on a paved cartpath, of course), climbed 500 stairs, and entered a huge cavern. We descended wooden stairs and walked 1.1 km into a natural wonder. It was truly breathtaking. At one point, we realized we were the only people in the cavern. Even cooler.

Paradise Cave

Enormous stalagmite--had to be at least 10 meters tall

These photos cannot capture the size of this amazing cave

It just kept going...

Mother nature is pretty amazing!

After all this gawking, Kat, Max and I returned to Dong Ha and a Christmas dinner prepared by Max's adopted mother (the owner of Tam's Cafe--where Max's office and apartment are). The bun cha was delicious--the perfect Christmas dinner!

Christmas dinner in Dong Ha--bun cha!

The next day, Kat and I visited the DMZ area around Dong Ha, including the Hien Long Bridge (across the Ben Hai River--the DMZ) and the Vinh Moc tunnels. We then headed off to take photos photos of Roots of Peace black pepper farmers. 

Hien Luong Bridge on the DMZ

sisters reunited after the war

Kat with our Vinh Moc Tunnel guide--he said he was born in the tunnels

The next day, we bid farewell to our Dong Ha friends and boarded the train for Da Nang. It was a lovely Christmas break with friends and farmers in Central Vietnam. Next up: Hoi An!

See the full story with my Facebook album: Central Vietnam Quảng Trị & Quảng Bình Provinces

Hues of Hue

Kat and I headed down to Hue (pronounced "way") from hectic Hanoi. It was certainly rainier and cooler than Hanoi, but the moisture lent a romantic, mystical hue to the city, the former capital of Vietnam. The trip seemed to start out a little rocky--our hotel forgot to pick us up at the airport--but we got ourselves into town and were greeted by a clean, friendly hotel and their (apologetic) staff.

Kat and I promptly headed out into the rain to see the Imperial City, part of the Citadel.

Entrance gate to the Imperial City

Hall of Supreme Harmony

lacquered walkways

beautiful colors

the moat surrounding the Citadel

Having soaked ourselves thoroughly, we headed to the DMZ Bar for some darn good burgers and fries. We headed back to our hostel, hung up our jeans to dry, and headed to bed.

We woke up the next morning with our jeans just as damp as the night before. The iron I used to try to flash dry the jeans worked a bit and improved our situation slightly. Thankfully we were going to spend the day exploring tombs and pagodas in a private car--our friend Max in Dong Ha (next stop on our journey) had a driver dropping off a donor at the Hue airport. So we paid a little extra to have our own personal tour with the car. Our driver was a hoot--grinning ear to ear and driving as carefully as possible. He only got lost once--but immediately asked for directions. Otherwise we managed to communicate through hand gestures and lots of smiles.

We visited the tomb of Tu Duc and Khai Dinh, had a quick pizza lunch (we were craving it for some reason), then saw the Thien Mu Pagoda and took a boat ride down the Perfume River to Hòn Chén Temple.

grounds surrounding the tomb of Tu Duc

steps up to the tomb of Khai Dinh

Thien Mu Pagoda

According to Wikipedia: "Thien Mu Pagoda was a major organising point for the Buddhist movement and was often the location of hunger strikes, barricades and protests... The temple also houses the Austin motor vehicle in which Thich Quang Duc was driven to his self-immolation in Saigon in 1963 against the Diem regime. It was the first of a series of self-immolations by members of the Buddhist clergy, which brought the plight of Buddhists to the attention of the international community." 

 

 

 

boat trip down the Perfume River

Our driver was a blast!

How many cruises can two sisters do in one vacation?

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Planes, trains and strange rashes

Tucker and I left the bustle of Ho Chi Minh City yesterday and headed up to the Roots of Peace Quang Tri office in Dong Ha.

According to Project RENEW: "Quang Tri Province was the site of many of the most devastating battles of the American war, from 1966 to the end of the war in 1975. The province was also subjected to one of the heaviest bombing campaigns in the history of the world. The amount of munitions poured onto the landscape and villages of Quang Tri totaled more than all the ordnance used in Europe during World War II." http://www.landmines.org.vn/where_we_work/quang_tri_province.html

"Quang Tri still suffers the highest contamination of bombs and mines of any place in Vietnam. Contamination is found on more than 80 percent of the province’s land area (average contamination nationwide is 20 percent). Since 1975, the province has recorded 7,075 casualties due to ERW accidents, about 1.2 percent of its total population, including 2,635 deaths. Notably, 31% of the victims have been children."
http://www.landmines.org.vn/news/NPA_Quang_Tri_government_commit_two_million_nine_hundred_USD_to_reduce_UXO_accidents.html

Roots of Peace has a black pepper project here, working with small farmers seeking to grow a high-value crop in areas that have been de-mined. 

Hue from the plane

After landing in Hue, we took the shuttle into town from the airport and had dinner at a "French" restaurant. The calamari was absolutely delicious, as well as my mango and yogurt shake, ham and cheese crepe, and lemon tart. A little bit after eating, however, I started feeling little pin pricks on my upper arms. I hoped it was just psychological and tried to put it out of my mind.

 

 The calamari culprit (?)

We then headed to the railway station to catch the train to the ROP office in Dong Ha. It cost 40,000 dong per person ($2) for a soft seat in the A/C cabin.

  Ok, so we know which direction we are heading...

Upon boarding our car, I was immediately invited to sit down next to an older man who was quite drunk. He kept patting the empty seat next to him and pointing at me, grinning ear to ear. Luckily you are assigned seats when you buy your ticket and mine was out of his reach. After we got moving, he started talking loudly on his mobile and smoking (in a non-smoking a/c cabin). Charming.  

I didn't take too many photos on the train since I didn't want to look like the three weather-worn backpackers videotaping the bathrooms and snapping their flash. But I did get this one, and it pretty much sums up my experience (albeit short) with train travel in Vietnam:

See that man on the left with his leg on the empty chair? That could have been my throne...

We arrived in Dong Ha, met up with the only other expat in town and his coworker, had some beers, and went to bed. I woke up this morning to this:

Exhibit A

So, who knows what caused it--Calamari? Bug bite? All I know it's itchy as hell. Tucker and myself and the two Roots of Peace staff here, Binh and Lien, attended a 4 hour lunch with local government officials. (Otherwise known as "networking"). After the first beer the itching got worse, so I switched to Coke. About two hours into the lunch, Binh appeared with toothpaste and told me to slather it on my arms. Amazing relief! And he also had a neighbor lady prepare a strong green tea for me to wash with. I could feel my skin "shrinking", but it seems to be helping a bit. Whatever happens, don't give me any sandpaper as I might be tempted to use it.

Trying to make the best of itchiness

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Cocoa may someday be king in the Mekong

This past Friday Tucker, Son, and I visited a Helvetas (Swiss Development Agency) cacao project in Ben Tre Province. It took about two hours to drive from Ho Chi Minh City to our destination in the Mekong Delta. We sped along thanks to a rather new 4 lane highway hovering over rice fields and rivers. Apparently it used to take considerably longer before a huge bridge was constructed over the Upper Mekong River. I have to admit, I was a little freaked out being so high up. And after being told that the first bridge they tried to construct collapsed. Good thoughts.

Really Big Bridge over the Upper Mekong River

Having made it safely over the river, we met with the Helvetas Project Manager, Extension Agent, and an official with a leader in the Government's Agricultural Extension Department. We learned a bit about the organization's push for UTZ Certification, a "sustainability program" for coffee, tea, and cocoa.

Getting to drink straight out of a coconut at a meeting is pretty cool

 

After getting a brief overview of the program, we went to visit a chocolate manufacturer in town. We were treated to some hot chocolate (not exactly the most pleasant drink on a crazy hot day) and some chewy chocolate. Oh, and this was just one day after I finally started feeling better after a few days of being down with stomach issues. I was still having stomach cramps and was not interested in consuming ANYTHING. But I didn't want to be rude, so I drank my glass of hot chocolate quickly. (NEVER do that here! That just means your cup is refilled immediately. I'm learning...slowly...)

Hot and chewy chocolate--a chocolate lover's nightmare on a bad stomach

The businessman we met with has been working in the chocolate industry since 1985. It's only in the past few years that he's returned to Ben Tre to work, as more and more farmers are growing cacao. The office where we met him had a few rooms full of cacao beans ready to be processed into finished products. We also visited his new factory where he'll manage the production himself.

 Smelled kinda sickly sweat in the unroasted cacao bean storage room

 On the right there's a separate storage area for UTZ Certified cacao beans

Mr. Pham Minh's Chocolate Factory

We then headed to a little restaurant outside of town where many other business and government men go to eat, drink, and be merry over their lunch break. Remember the "working dinner" from my previous blog post? Thankfully, this one was a LUNCH meeting, so it wasn't as intense.

 And away we go! (I stuck to water this time)

 Tucker: Just rip the head off!

Summer: Ok, but what's that goo coming out?

Tucker: Brains.

Summer: Oh, I thought I could do this but I don't feel so good now...

The guy on the right was emphatic that Tucker and the guy in the middle looked like brothers. (I was also told that I looked like "a movie star...Marilyn Monroe!").

After a long lunch, we headed out to visit 2 cacao farms. Ben Tre has been very successful with cacao production since it has plenty of coconut trees for shade and no lack of water. Many of the Agricultural Extension folks came along, giggling uncontrollably. 

   
Cacao is funny business

 

This cacao tree's a rockstar!

 Cacao pod and pulp-covered beans (tasty "lollipop")

 Intercropping with fruit and coconut trees

After our jovial tours, we left the lush, green Mekong Delta and headed back to bustling Ho Chi Minh City.

For further info on the Helvetas Cacao Project: https://www.helvetas.ch/Vietnam/wEnglish/programme/KAKAO.asp

UTZ Certification:  http://www.utzcertified.org/index.php