Tour of Vacation

So this one is a little late, but I wanted to get it up nonetheless. After all, I made a promise to Slim about contributing to the blog, and I'm definitely only going to break the promise a fair amount rather than entirely.

Growing up, I was obsessed with Viet Nam. One of the first movies I remember was Platoon and the first television show I really remember watching over and over again was Tour of Duty. If you're not familiar with it, it rain on CBS for three seasons from 1987 to 1990. Season 3 is preposterous and not worth watching, but Season 1 in particular tells some solid stories following the members of 2nd Platoon Bravo Company at Firebase Ladybird. The show can be cheesy at times, but as a child, it helped me create some sort of reference for what I thought my father might have gone through.

It's absurd, but when I landed in Viet Nam, I couldn't shake the idea of my father landing as a 20-something almost fifty years earlier. I kept looking for a deuce and a half hauling soldiers down a dirt road and imagined a whole world that in most ways has disappeared. It was the first time I had ever been in a country about which I had such strong preconceptions. I knew Viet Nam would be nothing at all like the movies about a war long since ended, but I couldn't help but try to reconcile the two and was surprised by feelings of nostalgia for a place I had never lived and a life I had never experienced.

In Hanoi, there were men walking about in the old NVA helmets and plenty of people wearing peaked hats. On our way to Halong bay, there were plenty of rice fields and a few water buffalo to be seen. Outside of Ho Chi Minh City/Saigon, the Cu Chi tunnels still exist and were particularly eerie to see during the Tet Holiday. But the NVA helmets were worn by armies of people riding on motorcycles going to and from work, home, and God knows where else, the rice paddies dotted a well-traversed highway leading to a tourist destination and one of the most beautiful places I've seen in my entire life. The tunnels no longer serve guerrillas, but teach Vietnamese children about their country's long and violent history and the path to reunification.

I can't wait to go back. We, of course, have a laundry list of places to go in the region, but a return trip to Viet Nam is a strong possibility and I wouldn't mind serving in Hanoi or Saigon for a couple years. I'm still going to replay the old Tour of Duty episodes, but I can't wait to see more of what the country has to offer outside of the film reels.

Multitude of New Year's

PM and I now have three different New Year's to celebrate. We start with what we know as simply New Year in America on December 31st from the Gregorian calendar. Next comes Orthodox New Year on January 14th, which is based on the Julian calendar. Finally, this year, we ended with Lunar New Year on February 19th, which is derived from the lunar calendar.

Most people are familiar with how America celebrates New Year's Eve and those of you who have followed our blogs since Macedonia got to learn about Old New Year, but this year was our first celebrating Lunar New Year.

Some of you may be confused because you have heard of Chinese New Year, rather than Lunar New Year. They are one-in-the-same. I am choosing to use Lunar New Year as it is celebrated elsewhere, not just China (China is just the largest population to celebrate). Lunar New Year is also celebrated in Vietnam, Korea, Japan, Mongolia, and Tibet.

With the New Year drawing closer, PM and I were asking around about how the multi-day holiday is celebrated here. Most people we talked to, compared it to American Thanksgiving. There is lots of food and lots of family. There is a great documentary about all the migrant workers in China who return home for the New Year's celebrations and I can only imagine how packed the train stations were here in Guangzhou.

For PM and I and our friends at the consulate, Lunar New Year means time to travel but also many amazing decorations displayed everywhere.

Top Fifteen of Vietnam

PM and I just got back from our Lunar New Year vacation. We spent the week exploring the beautiful country of Vietnam. Instead of writing a day-by-day account, I decided to focus on our top fifteen experiences there....in no particular order. We had a fantastic trip, but are glad to be home.

Number 1- Flight to Hanoi

 This was not memorable for a good reason. This was the scariest flight of my life. We hit really bad turbulence over Vietnam. For a good 30-40 minutes, we sat with our plane bouncing up and down. We tried to avoid looking out the window as the wing looked like it could snap off at any moment. There were a few extra bad moments when I really thought we might be going down. We could tell we were descending, but outside was still completely white. I was shocked that even after the wheels had made contact with the ground, we couldn't see the end of the wing as the viability was next to nothing. I could not have been happier to be on the ground.

Number 2- Water Puppet Theater

Going to the water puppet theater was one of the first things we did in Hanoi. I had read about it, but we weren't gong to go out of our way to see a performance. However, 4:00 pm on our first day after exploring in the rain, we were tired, wet, and happened to be right next to the theater and a show was starting in 5 minutes. We had very good seats and got to watch 12 different short performances based on traditional folklore complete with live music.

Number 3- War Museum

This was one of PM's favorite things as PM grew up fascinated by all things Vietnam related (he promised to write a posting about that soon). There were lots of interesting things inside, but my favorites were this sculpture made out of shot down American fighter jets and the display showing the flag soldiers carried with them. It read in many languages, 

"I am a citizen of the United States of America. I do not speak your language. Misfortune forces me to seek your assistance in obtaining food, shelter, and protection. Please take me to someone who will provide for my safety and see that I am returned to my people. My government will reward you."

Number 4 a, b- Halong Bay

And Halong Bay in general. Halong Bay is a 3 ½ hour drive from Hanoi, but the drive is well worth it as Halong Bay instantly earned a place on our list of most beautiful places we have ever been. The beauty here was only magnified by a slow rolling mist that made us feel like we were on a movie set. It was hard to choose which photo to post (hence the part a and part b), but the ones taken from the very top of one of the islands at sunset are hard to beat. Our boat docked not too far from this spot for the night and we awoke from our slumber to be completely surrounded by fog.

Number 5- Motorbikes

By far the most popular method of transportation in Vietnam is the motor bike. This picture doesn't really capture the essence of motor bike riding there, though, as 1) there is only one person, not 5 or 6 on this bike and 2) this man isn't swerving through the crowded streets dodging other bikes, cars, and people. Walking across streets definitely took a little bit of getting used to, but by the end, we were pretty good at altering our walking pace between sauntering, pausing, and rushing all within one intersection.

Number 6- Kayaking in Halong Bay

Words cannot describe the beauty of kayaking in Halong Bay. Unfortunately I didn't dare bring my camera, so I had to borrow this picture. PM and I got into our kayak and paddled under this rock bridge. Once inside, we were greeted with the most picturesque lagoon, complete with monkeys (see number 9). We only had about 30 minutes to explore the lagoon, but it was hands-down the best part of the entire trip in my mind. I foresee more kayaking adventures in our future.

Number 7- PM's Street Cut

I think this was perhaps the best part of the trip according to PM. We had walked past many mini street barbershops all over Hanoi. Some guys simply propped a mirror up on a wall and threw down a stool, others, like this guy, had a bit more elaborate of a set up. After days of admiring and commenting about how cool it was, PM finally decided he would put his hair in this man's hands and it certainly was a good idea. Not only did he get to experience this, but he got, what is in my opinion the best haircut he has ever had in our tenure.

Number 8- Ho Chi Minh City's Book Fair

In Ho Chi Minh City, lots of things were closed for the Lunar New Year holiday, however, some special things appeared, including a fun street book fair. We spent over an hour wandering the aisles checking out what books they had. I was pretty impressed with just how many books can be purchased in Vietnamese. 

Number 9- Monkeys

The monkeys in Halong Bay were both amazingly adorable and frighteningly scary. While kayaking, there were lots of monkeys scurrying around on the branches and rocky cliffs. There were even babies. They were adorable and everyone paddled over towards them to watch them play and go about their day.

Right before we paddled out of the lagoon, the monkeys got into some sort of tiff and began to howl and scream and run around. Their screams kept getting louder with their anger channeled towards one or two monkeys. They clearly had done something wrong and were going to pay for their actions. The problem for us came when we realized that we were going to have to paddle close to and under the rocks and branches where the angry monkeys were to rejoin our group. Those of us left in the lagoon collectively decided we would wait until the action died down a bit and we wouldn't have to worry about an angry monkey flying at us. About 10 minutes later the action had calmed a bit, but was still pretty heated. We decided to paddle out as a group and to paddle as fast as we could. PM and I were near the back of the group with only one girl behind us. As our group paddled under the rock bridge, a few of the monkeys ran along next to us staring down the girl behind us. Thankfully, I can report we all made it out unharmed.

Number 10- Ash Wednesday Music

Our first day in Ho Chi Minh, we decided to wander around just to get a lay of the land. Within minutes, we found ourselves speechless in front of Saigon Notre-Dame Basilica, otherwise known as Basilica of Our Lady of The Immaculate Conception. We were drawn in by some of the most beautiful music I have heard from a church. PM and I stood outside the gates (we were neither dressed appropriately for church or Catholic) with many other people who were also there to listen. They had pulled their motorbikes over and we were all in a trance-like state listening.

Number 11- Vietnamese Massage

Another borrowed picture as I was there to relax, not work. During our research period, PM and I discovered that one of the most popular things for western tourists to do in Vietnam is to get a massage, because it is like no other. We decided why not see what it is all about. It took a bit more research to make sure we were going to a reputable place, but we found the number one rated place on Trip Advisor was just down the block from our hotel. We both decided to get a 2-hour full body massage (which cost us $16 a piece)! It really was like no other massage I've had. The masseuse uses her entire body to massage your entire body. There were bars up above so she could walk across me and at one point her feet were in my hands and I don't even know what all went on. It hurt- a lot- at times as Vietnamese massage is more about muscle manipulation and stretching rather than relaxation. We both walked out of there with this odd sensation of relaxation and pain, but would I do it again, of course! 

Number 12- Cu Chi Tunnels

Before going to Vietnam, going to the Cu Chi Tunnels was one of the places that was on our "must go" list. PM has had a particular interest in the Vietnam War since he was a little one, so it was only natural to see where Viet Cong based their operations during the Tet Offensive. Our tour guide for the trip was terrible and didn't seem to know much of anything about the war or the Tunnels, but PM and I did our best to listen in on what other guides were saying. I think the highlight for PM was definitely getting to crawl through the tunnels. As small as they look, they have actually been widened for tourists.

Number 13- Flower Show

Because we were in Vietnam during Tet, we got to see the beautiful flowers that come out and mark Lunar New Year. There was a flower show in downtown Ho Chi Minh that featured traditional arts and crafts displays, elaborate objects created out of flowers, and many times of goats, as it is the year of the goat/sheep (translated to both).

Number 14- Lunar New Year

These little guys were enjoying the flower show as well. Seeing the kids dressed up in traditional clothes really made us feel like we were a part of the celebration. We had debated long and hard about whether or not we should travel during Lunar New Year as we wanted to see how people celebrate it. While we didn't get to see it celebrated in China, we got a good idea of the Vietnamese way.

Number 15- Caves

Another Halong Bay favorite! Our first stop in Halong Bay was a cave out on an island. Exploring the cave made PM consider skipping out on the rest of our boat trip and living in this cave for the rest of our lives. I, of course, was the practical thinker who kept asking him about food, water, and what about all the tourists who come.

How to Successfully Not Plan a Vacation

When I think about our recent trip to Sanya, China, I can't help but laugh a bit. I am a planner. I like to know what is going on when and have all the details figured out. However, I have noticed that when I get overseas, some of that desire to plan disappears. Partially because I find myself slipping into a bit more of a laid back local way, but also because there is a lot more to figure out.

Not too long after we arrived in China, the question of where we would be traveling for vacation started to arise. As we were new to life here, PM and I focused on that- living in China and making this home. However, with MLK weekend looming closer and closer, we realized that we better get ourselves in gear if we were going to go anywhere. I started researching airfare and discovered there were a lot of cool places we could go that were close and cheap. While this sounds great in theory, in reality, this left us with just too many choices of where to go and what to do.

About a week before MLK weekend, we finally had it narrowed down to three places: Manila, Kuala Lumpur (ultimately decided our families might be happier if we weren't flying AirAsia to Malaysia right now), or Sanya. They all sounded fantastic, but on Wednesday, just two days before we were to leave, we finally made our choice and bought plane tickets for Sanya.

For those of you who have never heard of Sanya, don't worry, we hadn't either. Sanya is located on Hainan Island in the South China Sea. It's main attraction is the beach. There are many beaches in the area (being an island and all), but the main ones were categorized online as being the "western beach", the "upper middle-class Chinese beach", the "budget beach", and the "Russian beach".

Our next big not planning was where to stay. For hours I poured over online sites weighing the factors of location, price, and amenities and finally on Thursday night, PM got so frustrated with my internal struggle that we just picked a place and booked it figuring no 4-star hotel can be as terrible as some of the places we have stayed. We awoke Friday morning (the day we leave), to an email from Expedia saying they cancelled our reservation for a reason unclear to us. Well, there goes that "planning". Thankfully, there are about 8 million hotels in Sanya, so I was easily able to book a new, and much better one, Friday morning.

Friday evening, we flew to Sanya with the plan of getting a taxi to our hotel (thankfully we had the name of the hotel in Chinese characters to show the taxi driver), getting a good nights sleep, and figuring out the rest of the trip in the morning. Our arrival at the hotel was quite pleasant, despite our plane being delayed. We were welcomed with coconut juice and the news that the room we had booked came not only with breakfast, but also complementary high tea and cocktail hour.

The following morning we awoke to a beautiful view, warm weather, and the desire to spend the rest of our time eating, reading, and relaxing on the beach and that is exactly what we did.

Our mornings started with no alarm clock, followed by getting ready for the day and going downstairs for the most amazing buffet breakfast I have ever seen. There was a delightful mix of Chinese and western foods, tied together with fresh exotic fruits.

Plate one: fruit, banana bread, spinach steam buns, stir fried noodles, almond croissant, bacon, and sweet potato hash browns.

After a leisurely breakfast, we would mosey down to the beach, find a chair, and spend several hours with this view.

Occasionally taking a break for a little refreshment. "You put the lime in the coconut and drink 'em both up." In our case, this wasn't quite true. Our coconuts were unadulterated. We found ourselves wishing for a splash of rum though to liven them up.

Sometimes we were distracted from our books by the sights and sounds of the South China Sea.

There were children and crabs playing in the sand and Mickey Mouse wandering the beach scaring children.

After a few hours of reading, we ventured back to the resort for some refreshments, including our visit to the rooftop bar for high tea and cocktail hour.

For dinner we ventured out to the Breeze Bar by the pool where they hosted a nightly BBQ buffet. There was chicken, fish, lamb, a seafood raw bar, a salad bar, and so much more. We enjoyed it so much the first night that we did it again the second night! They also had quite the dessert selection.

I didn't think I was a big fan of "sitting around on the beach" type vacations, however, this one really was a delight. I sense a few more "no plan" vacations in our future.