Phú Quốc I

For the past few days we have been staying on the island of Phú Quốc which is directly south of Cambodia, in the Gulf of Thailand.  Phú Quốc is one of those places that you know will never look the same again.  Right now it is sleepy and quiet with very few tourists.  However, there is massive construction going on everywhere throughout the island, an international airport is being built, as well as paved roads which circumvent the island.  I suspect that in the next 5-10 years Phú Quốc will look much like Hawaii or some of the more developed islands in Thailand.

Our first day involved wandering around the city of Dương Đông which has a pretty large local market, and many shops and restaurants.  Dương Đông is located on the west side of the island next to a long stretch of beach lined with hotels and resorts.  The high season doesn't start until November, so most places are fairly empty at the moment.  It's actually a nice change from the very busy streets of Ho Chi Minh City.

Our hotel is called Thanh Kieu (pronounced Thank you) and is on a lovely strip of beach about 2 km south of town.  Our room has a view of the ocean, and the sound of waves crashing puts us to sleep at night.  They serve us breakfast every morning which includes egg-dishes (from the chickens that wander about the property) and banana pancakes.

 Beach near our Hotel

 Our room

View from our room

One of the hardest things about traveling is being away from Toni and Cleo.  It sounds cheesy, but it's true.  Those two little guys give me so much joy, and it is sad not having them wake me up in the morning or trampling my head at night.  Luckily Vietnam is ripe with various animals wandering around.  Every restaurant and hotel seems to have it's resident strays who are always there looking hungrily up at you.  It's sad, but has also been helping me get my animal fix.  This little guy came up and sat on my lap the first night at dinner.  I almost took him home with me.

Our second day on Phú Quốc involved a lot of lazing around our hotel and reading.  I've been attempting to read books that I should have read in high school, but didn't (because I basically hated reading in high school).  Right now I am reading 1984, which is kind of strange considering I am visiting a "socialist" country, with huge amounts of poverty and disparity, and the whole book is about socialism gone wrong.  We both got massages on the beach, and I got my legs threaded.  Threading is sort of like waxing, but basically removes hair using a twisting of threads along your skin.  I tried to get the ladies to teach me how to do it, and this resulted in a lot of laughing at my failed attempts to "thread myself."

 Beach Walking

 Beach Massages

Chilling

There was a request for a picture of Adam in his new hat (that he bought at the Cholon Markets), so here it is.  I also convinced him to buy some aviators which he insist he couldn't wear at home, but I think they look awesome.

Markets, Tunnels, and a Palace

The last few days in Ho Chi Minh City have been fantastic.  This place has so much character and grit without being completely overwhelming.  Our second day started with breakfast at a french-inspired bakery where we feasted on delicious pastries and pizzas.  Then we headed out to the Cholon Markets, which are the wholesale, Chinese-style markets on the edge of town.  We were two of very few non-Vietnamese people there and unlike the Bến Thành Market, people pretty much didn't approach us or try to sell us things.  Cholon Markets sell everything you can imagine from food, to clothes, to furniture, to art, to pharmacy products.  The goods are piled from the floor to the ceiling and around every corner produces a new series of seemingly never-ending stalls.  Adam bought a hat.

Goods at the Cholon Market

Food at the Cholon Market 

View from the Second Floor 

Fruits at the Market

After Cholon we went to the Reunification Palace which is basically the former Republic of Vietnam's White House, and was inhabited by president Ngô Đình Diệm.  It is eerie because the whole place is preserved in it's state from the 60's and so going there feels like walking through a time warp.  Our guide was very informative, talking about the various purposes of different rooms, the history of the building, and the some history regarding the "American War."  She also recommended that we check out another market for clothes, where Adam and I were able to find some much needed vestments.

 Reunification Palace

 Presidential Receiving Room

Map Showing the Pre-War Vietnam Regions 

 "State-of-the-Art" Communication Radios

Steal Enforced Basement

That evening we ate at a fantastic restaurant.  Apparently Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie ate there last time they were in Vietnam.  It was pricey by Vietnamese standards, but still cheaper than most meals in the US, and it was absolutely fantastic gourmet Vietnamese food.  So yummy.

Dinner at Temple Club

The next day we visited the tunnels of Củ Chi which are part of an immense network of connecting underground tunnels.  Củ Chi was the Viet Cong's base of operations for the Tết Offensive.  The tour was pretty intense and fascinating.  Our guide spent a long time talking about the war, the aftermath, and the general feelings the Vietnamese have towards westerners from countries on the other side of the conflict.  I somehow didn't realize that 3 million Vietnamese were killed during the war.  He said that in general the Vietnamese have no ill feelings towards Americans.  The Vietnamese know that American's strongly opposed the war, and also didn't really understand why we were there in the first place.  Now the Vietnamese are grateful that westerners want to visit their country, and have no ill feelings toward us.  

However, at Củ Chi we were shown a video that was basically a Viet Cong propaganda movie, showcasing various villagers/farmers who were guerrilla soldiers during the conflict.  Our guide showed us many of the hand-made weapons used in to fight the Americans, and described the military tactics of the Viet Cong with a strange sort of pride.  On the way to the tunnels we stopped at a factory that made ornamental woodwork, and most of the workers were severely disabled, the aftermath of agent orange and other dioxins. So obviously it is not black or white. 

 Woodwork Factory

Secret Tunnel Entrance

Bamboo Trap

Inside the tunnels

Ho Chi Minh City

After close to 24 hours of travel we made it to Vietnam.  Despite warnings about taxi scams at the airport, we made it to our hotel with no problems.  We are staying at the Vy Khanh Guesthouse in the tourist section, Pham Ngu Lao, of Ho Chi Minh City.  Ms Vy has been a lovely host.  She welcomed us with cold drinks and showers even though we arrived quite early in the morning.  She gave us a very detailed map of the city with recommendations of where to go for pho, massages, shopping, and sightseeing.  Even as I type this she has brought me Vietnamese coffee to sip while I wait for Adam to wake up.

The first thing you'll notice about Ho Chi Minh is the wild driving patterns of the motorbikers and cars.  There really aren't very many rules here, although the locals have seemed to work out a way to do things without killing each other.  If you want to cross the street, no one is going to stop for you, you simply have to just walk and the cars and bikes will drive around you.

After dropping off our bags and showering at our guest house, we headed into town for some food and sights.  First we went to a little corner stand for pho.  It was delicious.  Adam ate two bowls.

The food here is so yummy and inexpensive.  A meal for two, even in the "expensive tourist area" will run us around $5.00.

Next we got massages at the Vietnamese Traditional Massage Institute.  Here blind masseurs rub you down with peppermint oil, in a cool air-conditioned room for a mere $2.50 an hour.  It was very relaxing.

Then we wandered around the Chợ Bến Thành market where all out senses were accosted.  The crowded market is piled to the ceiling with everything you can imagine from nail polish to spices.  Everywhere we turned people were asking us to touch or try various goods.  Apparently as a foreigner at this market the prices they quote you are inflated by 300% thus we didn't end up buying anything there and decided to hold off until we were at the less touristy markets.

I barely made it to 8pm before crashing and I slept until 8am the next morning.  I'm writing this while sipping Vietnamese coffee and chatting with my lovely host Ms Vy.  She has owned and managed this guest house for the past 4 years.  Today she is complaining about her cat-lady neighbors who make it impossible for her to do renovations/improvements.  She thinks it is because they are bored that they put up such a fuss.

The plan for today is to check out more markets and some of the museums in the city.  I think I'll enjoy today a lot more after having a such a good night sleep.  Oh and a positive note, I woke up to an email from the third member of my committee saying he'll sign off on my thesis.  Now only my adviser is left!

It Begins!

It's my last day in America for a long time.  Adam and I are spending the day packing up and getting the house in order for our house sitter.  We spent yesterday hanging out with friends and eating great Berkeley food.  Tonight we depart on a flight to Ho Chi Min City (Saigon).

I'm excited and nervous about the next 10 weeks.  We don't have that much planned ahead of time, just hoping to go with the flow and see where our whims take us.  There will be a lot of beach stuff and trekking through the mountains.  There will be temples and amazing food.  There will be beautiful remote islands, rivers trips, and caving.

If anyone reading this has spent time in Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, or Thailand and has recommendations of things to do, please post them below.  Wish me luck!