Monday, February 26, 2007
Rainy Day in Hanoi
Today Adam and I strolled down to the Cineplex and watched the hit musical, Dream Girls. It was splendid. How about that talent Jennifer Hudson- great story.
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Wide open eyes in Laos
The Northeast of Laos: best to comment on it now before the sprawling urban life of Hanoi fogs my memory.. there is certainly enough for both Ryan and I discuss on the blog
Several reasons distinguishing this area from others we have been.. the first- its off the main tourist trail.. its not that we urn to get away from it but i felt more responsible for my well being, the whole experience was definnetly a bit more raw (no pun intended when comparing food markets).... however, you cant escape all modern living as the difference from years ago is now market owners are on their cell phones as they chop up a pig fresh off the bike
Secondly- we all felt it was important to explore the landscape that now stands as a symbol of the secret war during the American-Vietnam war in the 1960's and early 70's.. .Northeast Laos was littered with explosives day and night for about five years and now holds the title of the most bombed nation in the world... they call it a secret war because only after did America admit to bombing outside Vietnam... What was the goal? our guide told us it was becuase the lands has been mistaken for the Ho Chi Min Trail..... our short literature on the subject explains how the US thought of Laos as a centerpeice to fending off Communism in SE Asia (domino theory).. and some dinner conversation brought up the fact that planes flying back to base after bombing missions would have to abandon any bombs still aboard and Laos was unfortunately on the flight plane... as in most cases, I would imagine its a mesh of all three
The main realization i made was that the effects of war are never transient ... 100 Laos people die each year from the bombs and the US still provides all funding to strip the land of UXO (Unexploded ordanance), nothing of major significance is ever really 'in the past' ...
As proof, the UXO has become somewhat of a culture in these towns, particularly Phonsavan.. the shells could be found supporting a house, split and filled with coals to cook up a roast (aka bomb bbq) and has been exploited for any economic gain... craters are stripped of all metals as Vietnam offers Laos 50 cents for every kilogram to remake into spoons and such.. not much but viable
to unwind we went to this little arcade and enjoyed some 1945 and Street Fighter with some youngsters... When we had become saturated with gaming ryan still had plenty of coupons (see the movie "the wizard" for a comparison to what he brought to the controls) so he passed them on to a child pretending to play but wasnt in control as the 'insert coins' was still flashing, we all did this as kids, but in this case the child thanked ryan.. walked to the counter and exchanged the coupons for a few cents.. and returned to being perfectly content hanging over the screen and admirering the computers play.. poor but always smiling and happy
Vieng Xai a day later... It is a town surrounded by vertical limestone mountains that are littered with caves. It was a hideout for the leading political figures- and damn- with a little determination a cave can turn into a palace! these residences were equipped with bedrooms, makeshift kitchens, boardrooms, landscape representations for strategy, a library equipped with the full Lenin collection and even a secret emergency room! we missed the nuclear scare so these hallways of sealed door behind sealed door with an air filter inside seemed quite foreign... no wonder canned food was flying off the shelves in these days...
Lastly, our travels through these regions have made us realize the gaps that need to be filled when we return...but for now were enjoying the entertainment of fiction too much as it helps us get through the long journeys, we all enjoyed "the island", thanks jeff!
Several reasons distinguishing this area from others we have been.. the first- its off the main tourist trail.. its not that we urn to get away from it but i felt more responsible for my well being, the whole experience was definnetly a bit more raw (no pun intended when comparing food markets).... however, you cant escape all modern living as the difference from years ago is now market owners are on their cell phones as they chop up a pig fresh off the bike
Secondly- we all felt it was important to explore the landscape that now stands as a symbol of the secret war during the American-Vietnam war in the 1960's and early 70's.. .Northeast Laos was littered with explosives day and night for about five years and now holds the title of the most bombed nation in the world... they call it a secret war because only after did America admit to bombing outside Vietnam... What was the goal? our guide told us it was becuase the lands has been mistaken for the Ho Chi Min Trail..... our short literature on the subject explains how the US thought of Laos as a centerpeice to fending off Communism in SE Asia (domino theory).. and some dinner conversation brought up the fact that planes flying back to base after bombing missions would have to abandon any bombs still aboard and Laos was unfortunately on the flight plane... as in most cases, I would imagine its a mesh of all three
The main realization i made was that the effects of war are never transient ... 100 Laos people die each year from the bombs and the US still provides all funding to strip the land of UXO (Unexploded ordanance), nothing of major significance is ever really 'in the past' ...
As proof, the UXO has become somewhat of a culture in these towns, particularly Phonsavan.. the shells could be found supporting a house, split and filled with coals to cook up a roast (aka bomb bbq) and has been exploited for any economic gain... craters are stripped of all metals as Vietnam offers Laos 50 cents for every kilogram to remake into spoons and such.. not much but viable
to unwind we went to this little arcade and enjoyed some 1945 and Street Fighter with some youngsters... When we had become saturated with gaming ryan still had plenty of coupons (see the movie "the wizard" for a comparison to what he brought to the controls) so he passed them on to a child pretending to play but wasnt in control as the 'insert coins' was still flashing, we all did this as kids, but in this case the child thanked ryan.. walked to the counter and exchanged the coupons for a few cents.. and returned to being perfectly content hanging over the screen and admirering the computers play.. poor but always smiling and happy
Vieng Xai a day later... It is a town surrounded by vertical limestone mountains that are littered with caves. It was a hideout for the leading political figures- and damn- with a little determination a cave can turn into a palace! these residences were equipped with bedrooms, makeshift kitchens, boardrooms, landscape representations for strategy, a library equipped with the full Lenin collection and even a secret emergency room! we missed the nuclear scare so these hallways of sealed door behind sealed door with an air filter inside seemed quite foreign... no wonder canned food was flying off the shelves in these days...
Lastly, our travels through these regions have made us realize the gaps that need to be filled when we return...but for now were enjoying the entertainment of fiction too much as it helps us get through the long journeys, we all enjoyed "the island", thanks jeff!
Monday, February 19, 2007
Eastward
Hanoi!!! In every email I've written, Hanoi is followed by exclamation marks.....not so much the city that deserves it (we'll find that out soon) but just the jubilation that we've made it. It's been a journey indeed, and looking at the map, it seems that our trip out here from western Laos will probably be one of the only times we'll be off the tourist trail. Perhaps "fun" isn't the right word to use, but I think we're all happy to have done it even if we're relieved it's over. So here's the story:
We head north from Vientiane 4 hours to Vang Vien where we had already been. One night there. Then straight east to the dirty center of Laos, Phonsovan. Oh man, dirt dirt dirt. You drive or walk down the street and you think the plants on the side are dead, looks like it's fall, but really they're just dusty. They don't rely on the rain so much for nutrients as they do for a good shower. Phonsovan itself is one long strip, a one-storied town that struck me as country western. Besides just a place to stay on the way, we were there to see the Plain of Jars... Jesse's material though.... Other than that, we spent the nights playing pool and video games at this one joint (man, i suck at pool...it's depressing). We stayed at this guesthouse with a thousand rooms, all of them vacant, algae green ceilings and dirty wallpaper floors....just asking to be haunted....
Then east again to a town called Xamneua. A winding journey out of the plains of Laos into the mountains. Up mountains, down valleys, run to the edge and back up, around and around mountains, through passes. Repeat and repeat and repeat. Jungles, forests, tiny villages....men staring, children playing, women carrying loads of jungle and earth, cows chomping and crossing, dogs sleeping, chickens looking stupid. 8 hours of this on bus benches trying to contort one's body into any sleeping position.
Xamneua: A college town without the college, at least that's how it felt to me as we rolled in from the mountains.... all tired french architecture with green, red, and blue roofs. At any one time, there was no more than 10 foreigners in town and on our last full day, I'm pretty sure we were the only ones until the next bus rolled in at nightfall. There's really not much there except for the old Communist caves in Vieng Xai (an hour out of town), which Jesse's talking about..... that and the market where we bought the most delicious mangos.... God's nectar....... we were eating 10 a day. We stayed in a nice little guesthouse for $3 a night, but there were only 2 single beds so Adam had to lay squished in the corner on the ground.... I have to give him credit for his cheapness..... we said he could sleep there and not pay anything for the room, and he did it for 3 nights.
Pretty much our time in Xamneua was spent reading and wondering/worrying about our trip over the border into Hanoi: it's the Tet New Year which is celebrated all over Southeast Asia and lasts for up to a week, it's most celebrated in Vietnam where everything shuts down, including buses. So, we figured we could make it to the border, but we had no idea if we could make it anywhere past there. We had heard rumors too that the closest town in Vietnam from the border was 53km away; we saw ourselves either huddled up in the Vietnamese jungle overnight or hitchiking in vain over hundreds of Km to Hanoi. Either way we were going for it because there was no way we were staying another night in Xamneua, plus we HAD to make it for the celebrations in Hanoi.
A 3 hour ride in a truck to the border over bumpy, dusty roads at 6 in the morning. Excited to be heading into the next country on our list. Passports stamped and we walk into Vietnam. Of course, we were right, no buses. Our only option is to hire a van for $15 each to a town halfway to Hanoi and hope for a bus there. I felt bad because we were taking this guy away from his family on his New Year, but his brother/friend said this job was bringing good luck to his family, so it was all right. 4 hours over one-lane windy roads through the greenest jungles I've ever seen.... villages every couple minutes and rice paddies forever. We get into a town called Mai Chau in the afternoon and discover quickly that there are no buses running. No one speaks English in this town. Guys are offering to take us the next 4 hours into Hanoi on the back of their motorbikes. Women are trying to sell us pig hoof. We're depressed. There are no restaurants open which absolutely devastates Jesse, and so we end up eating crackers and instant noodles, which the hotel crew was nice enough to heat up for us, and also these peanuts which all the locals refused to eat for some reason and just shook their heads when we bought them.....we have no idea why, but one guy motioned to us that they make your armpits smell really bad....but we survived. We resign ourselves to taking the first bus out of there in the morning at 6. A hot, sweaty sleep with mosquitoes measuring us up from the ceiling. In the morning, we wake up excited to get the hell out, pack up, and walk out to discover the gate is locked and us appropriately locked in. Adam scales the wall to begin the escape when a girl arrives with the keys. We make it out and on to the bus where we wait for the departure watching dead pigs get butchered up by shirtless men joking with each other in the early morning light. In minutes, we're snaking our way through the morning fog with internal smiles jubilant to finally, finally, finally get to Hanoi.
More to come about the destination.
Sorry about the length of this, but I love to hear myself talk.
We head north from Vientiane 4 hours to Vang Vien where we had already been. One night there. Then straight east to the dirty center of Laos, Phonsovan. Oh man, dirt dirt dirt. You drive or walk down the street and you think the plants on the side are dead, looks like it's fall, but really they're just dusty. They don't rely on the rain so much for nutrients as they do for a good shower. Phonsovan itself is one long strip, a one-storied town that struck me as country western. Besides just a place to stay on the way, we were there to see the Plain of Jars... Jesse's material though.... Other than that, we spent the nights playing pool and video games at this one joint (man, i suck at pool...it's depressing). We stayed at this guesthouse with a thousand rooms, all of them vacant, algae green ceilings and dirty wallpaper floors....just asking to be haunted....
Then east again to a town called Xamneua. A winding journey out of the plains of Laos into the mountains. Up mountains, down valleys, run to the edge and back up, around and around mountains, through passes. Repeat and repeat and repeat. Jungles, forests, tiny villages....men staring, children playing, women carrying loads of jungle and earth, cows chomping and crossing, dogs sleeping, chickens looking stupid. 8 hours of this on bus benches trying to contort one's body into any sleeping position.
Xamneua: A college town without the college, at least that's how it felt to me as we rolled in from the mountains.... all tired french architecture with green, red, and blue roofs. At any one time, there was no more than 10 foreigners in town and on our last full day, I'm pretty sure we were the only ones until the next bus rolled in at nightfall. There's really not much there except for the old Communist caves in Vieng Xai (an hour out of town), which Jesse's talking about..... that and the market where we bought the most delicious mangos.... God's nectar....... we were eating 10 a day. We stayed in a nice little guesthouse for $3 a night, but there were only 2 single beds so Adam had to lay squished in the corner on the ground.... I have to give him credit for his cheapness..... we said he could sleep there and not pay anything for the room, and he did it for 3 nights.
Pretty much our time in Xamneua was spent reading and wondering/worrying about our trip over the border into Hanoi: it's the Tet New Year which is celebrated all over Southeast Asia and lasts for up to a week, it's most celebrated in Vietnam where everything shuts down, including buses. So, we figured we could make it to the border, but we had no idea if we could make it anywhere past there. We had heard rumors too that the closest town in Vietnam from the border was 53km away; we saw ourselves either huddled up in the Vietnamese jungle overnight or hitchiking in vain over hundreds of Km to Hanoi. Either way we were going for it because there was no way we were staying another night in Xamneua, plus we HAD to make it for the celebrations in Hanoi.
A 3 hour ride in a truck to the border over bumpy, dusty roads at 6 in the morning. Excited to be heading into the next country on our list. Passports stamped and we walk into Vietnam. Of course, we were right, no buses. Our only option is to hire a van for $15 each to a town halfway to Hanoi and hope for a bus there. I felt bad because we were taking this guy away from his family on his New Year, but his brother/friend said this job was bringing good luck to his family, so it was all right. 4 hours over one-lane windy roads through the greenest jungles I've ever seen.... villages every couple minutes and rice paddies forever. We get into a town called Mai Chau in the afternoon and discover quickly that there are no buses running. No one speaks English in this town. Guys are offering to take us the next 4 hours into Hanoi on the back of their motorbikes. Women are trying to sell us pig hoof. We're depressed. There are no restaurants open which absolutely devastates Jesse, and so we end up eating crackers and instant noodles, which the hotel crew was nice enough to heat up for us, and also these peanuts which all the locals refused to eat for some reason and just shook their heads when we bought them.....we have no idea why, but one guy motioned to us that they make your armpits smell really bad....but we survived. We resign ourselves to taking the first bus out of there in the morning at 6. A hot, sweaty sleep with mosquitoes measuring us up from the ceiling. In the morning, we wake up excited to get the hell out, pack up, and walk out to discover the gate is locked and us appropriately locked in. Adam scales the wall to begin the escape when a girl arrives with the keys. We make it out and on to the bus where we wait for the departure watching dead pigs get butchered up by shirtless men joking with each other in the early morning light. In minutes, we're snaking our way through the morning fog with internal smiles jubilant to finally, finally, finally get to Hanoi.
More to come about the destination.
Sorry about the length of this, but I love to hear myself talk.
Sunday, February 11, 2007
flippin pancakes!!
hey how y'all doin?
my name is Billy and this is a guest blog for Adam,Ryan and Jesse.
I met these guys on the slow boat to luang Prabang and have been hangin with them for a week or so now. a couple of nights ago Jesse said to me "do u fancy drinking some whiskey tonight?". So Jesse, Adam and i got stuck in and drank most of the bottle before hitting a bar and heading to a crazy club in a plush hotel. (the hotel was frequented by adam and "brown" or "red" depending on the night!) After a crazy night filled with drunken shannanigans i came out of the club with "yellow" and came across Jesse in the car park, behind a pancake stand. It became obvious rather quickly Jesse was wasted!, hammered, past the point of no return!!
Yellow and i were laughing at Jesse's effort at makin pancake when brown pulled up in a flash lookin car with her pimp and some other laos people.
This took my attention from the pancake situation for a minute, as they surrounded the pancakestand. When i looked back at jesse he had began to cook his pancake and there was now a pile of egg n pancake mush on the hotplate!
Dispite the mess and the look of bewilderment on the pancake guy's face, Jesse managed to sell his pancake for 10 G!!!!
Brown and her posse departed and Jesse had made his way to a tuk tuk so Yellow and i offered him a lift on her scooter.
now justpicture this..... a petite laos girl with two pissed up white guys on the back of her bike swerving all over because Jesse was "heavy"!!
anyways all in all we had a great night.
i look forward to crossing paths with these guys again in the future!!
peace out y'all
my name is Billy and this is a guest blog for Adam,Ryan and Jesse.
I met these guys on the slow boat to luang Prabang and have been hangin with them for a week or so now. a couple of nights ago Jesse said to me "do u fancy drinking some whiskey tonight?". So Jesse, Adam and i got stuck in and drank most of the bottle before hitting a bar and heading to a crazy club in a plush hotel. (the hotel was frequented by adam and "brown" or "red" depending on the night!) After a crazy night filled with drunken shannanigans i came out of the club with "yellow" and came across Jesse in the car park, behind a pancake stand. It became obvious rather quickly Jesse was wasted!, hammered, past the point of no return!!
Yellow and i were laughing at Jesse's effort at makin pancake when brown pulled up in a flash lookin car with her pimp and some other laos people.
This took my attention from the pancake situation for a minute, as they surrounded the pancakestand. When i looked back at jesse he had began to cook his pancake and there was now a pile of egg n pancake mush on the hotplate!
Dispite the mess and the look of bewilderment on the pancake guy's face, Jesse managed to sell his pancake for 10 G!!!!
Brown and her posse departed and Jesse had made his way to a tuk tuk so Yellow and i offered him a lift on her scooter.
now justpicture this..... a petite laos girl with two pissed up white guys on the back of her bike swerving all over because Jesse was "heavy"!!
anyways all in all we had a great night.
i look forward to crossing paths with these guys again in the future!!
peace out y'all
Vientiane Times
Laos has been chill. The scenery, temples, rivers, activities - definitely a beautiful place, with some beautfull humans. The last few days, we've been going out to a rooftop bar every night to watch some football (Lets go MANU!), play some pool (Dill's a closet shark and Ryan's been creeping in the shadows - I think he's the hustler..just a reaaallly slow one - he'll probably be murdering at the end of the trip...you read it here first), and enjoy some Beer Laos with some of the local/foreigner mix of fellas and fellitas. Bars close down a little early, but there's a classy club that's open late so we checked it out one night and cut a rug (y'know. can't stop. won't stop. uhuh, uhuh). Was a fun night anyways, even got to groove to some Lao jams.
In the day, nothing like kicking it by the river on a hot day, laying on pads, big umbrellas if needed, 7ups in big buckets of ice for 30 cents each, and a cozy little novel. Splendid.
In the day, nothing like kicking it by the river on a hot day, laying on pads, big umbrellas if needed, 7ups in big buckets of ice for 30 cents each, and a cozy little novel. Splendid.
Saturday, February 10, 2007
Vientiane
Last day in Vientiane before we head East towards the promise land that Vietnam has come to represent for us. The coast, the beach, and the food. We aren't sure how much technology we'll encounter on our way over because it's not exactly the tourist trail, most people seem to fly from here to Hanoi.
I might be taking some material from Adam and Jesse who claimed they would blog yesterday or today..... so with that fear, ill try to keep it relatively short and a little specific.
Some sights from Vientiane:
The swimming pool. It's hot as hell here with no beaches and a dirty river, so we hit the pool. We didn't exactly escape the river though....just a big bowl filled with water from a hose, most likely straight from the river. No filtration of course. Leaves, twigs, and other tree droppings littered the surface. The deep end was murky. Our ventures in were short-lived.
Mini-golf. 18 holes squished within a lot smaller than our basement suite in Vic. The greens were concrete and each hole was bordered by a low guard rail....otherwise, the balls would just roll right off. We played skins in teams (each hole is worth money) and Adam and I took 17 of 18 from Jesse and our English friend Billy. I should say, however, that it was all Adam. It was 17 straight until the last whole where an embittered Jesse salvaged a little something with a hole in one. Funny place.
It hasn't all been western leisure in an eastern frame. Seen some temples. A park full of Buddhist and Hindu statues. Walked around, ate some food, and read some books. All in all, Vientiane's been a good time.
You might have to count a week before you hear from us again, and maybe we'll be in Vietnam when you do.
I might be taking some material from Adam and Jesse who claimed they would blog yesterday or today..... so with that fear, ill try to keep it relatively short and a little specific.
Some sights from Vientiane:
The swimming pool. It's hot as hell here with no beaches and a dirty river, so we hit the pool. We didn't exactly escape the river though....just a big bowl filled with water from a hose, most likely straight from the river. No filtration of course. Leaves, twigs, and other tree droppings littered the surface. The deep end was murky. Our ventures in were short-lived.
Mini-golf. 18 holes squished within a lot smaller than our basement suite in Vic. The greens were concrete and each hole was bordered by a low guard rail....otherwise, the balls would just roll right off. We played skins in teams (each hole is worth money) and Adam and I took 17 of 18 from Jesse and our English friend Billy. I should say, however, that it was all Adam. It was 17 straight until the last whole where an embittered Jesse salvaged a little something with a hole in one. Funny place.
It hasn't all been western leisure in an eastern frame. Seen some temples. A park full of Buddhist and Hindu statues. Walked around, ate some food, and read some books. All in all, Vientiane's been a good time.
You might have to count a week before you hear from us again, and maybe we'll be in Vietnam when you do.
Monday, February 5, 2007
Doctor's Note
Sorry about the time between posts, but we've all managed to fall victim to some stomach problems. First, it was Adam. He had to lay curled up, moaning in bed while Jesse and I took advantage of the river in Vang Vien (Northern Laos, just north of the capitol, Vien Tiane) tubing down and stopping at riverside bars along the way with rope swings and zip lines at each one. We were basking in our health until I bit the bullet that night. The early morning beers coupled with the late night beers apparently took their toll leaving me up all night clutching the toilet bowl.
So, there we were the next day, Adam and I with empty stomachs and angry headaches watching TV in our guesthouse (the first TV we've had, and we couldn't have been more thankful)..... HBO (Bewitched, Roxanne, Spanglish, Shark's Tale) and way too many soccer highlights. That night, Adam and I were both feeling better and were craving pizza, but that turned out to be a bad idea. Another night for me with the toilet bowl.
So Jesse was beaming of course, so proud of his superior immune system. But Humility found its way to him this morning and he's still getting acquainted.
So, there we were the next day, Adam and I with empty stomachs and angry headaches watching TV in our guesthouse (the first TV we've had, and we couldn't have been more thankful)..... HBO (Bewitched, Roxanne, Spanglish, Shark's Tale) and way too many soccer highlights. That night, Adam and I were both feeling better and were craving pizza, but that turned out to be a bad idea. Another night for me with the toilet bowl.
So Jesse was beaming of course, so proud of his superior immune system. But Humility found its way to him this morning and he's still getting acquainted.
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