Vietnam, Part 2 - Sapa and Linh Binh

April 30,1975 was a day that the Vietnamese and most Americans won't forget. On that day North Vietnamese soldiers moved into the South Vietnamese capital of Saigon and the last of the American contingent in the country was evacuated from the country. Although I don't know much about the Vietnam war or the history of Vietnam directlyfollowing th war, I do know that most males over the age of 50 in this country probably fought in the war. Think about it, for most people my age that would mean that your parents or people just slightly older fought in Vietnam.

I don't bring this fact up to dwell on the Vietnam war. Actually, I mention it because it is incredible how much the country has changed in the last 35 years. The US only started a dialogue with the Vietnamese government in 1991, opened a consulate in 1994 and, finally, opened an embassy in 1995. However, the US dollar is now accepted in place of the Vietnamese Dong and, more importantly, everyone is exceptionally friendly. I find myself waving to most people in the countryside and when they find out that I am from the United States many say that they hope to visit my country one day. It is amazing how much can change in a generation.

Anyways, what have we been up to? Monday night we took a night train to a town called Sapa, which is famous for its scenic views. On the train we met two Canadians, both in their early twenties who are travelling after there semester abroad, who we would end up treking with while we were in Sapa. The two days we had there were fantastic, but also different from what I expected. After studying abroad in Ecuador I got extremely used to being able to talk with the locals. Here, the language divide is huge and basically impossible to surmount. For those of you who don't know, Asian languages tend to be very tonal. For example, 'ma' can be pronounced 7 different ways (depending on the accent) and each of those 7 pronunciations represents a different word. For a Westerner it is very hard to come to grips with!!!

On the other hand, though, it was great treking through a valley with rice paddies on both sides. It definitely gives me a new found respect for those who grow rice since they spend their time in the fields thigh deep in water and mud. It also made me aware of an ugly truth (I can't think of better words to describe it, but better words do exist). The Vietnames (as well as much of the world's population is dependent on rice as a staple in their diet. However, to grow rice the fields must be flooded and the water must be left standing for long periods of time. Consequently, there are tons of mosquitoes found in these rural areas. These mosquitoes can and do carry many diseases and the people of this part of the world seem to suffer disproportiantly when it comes to mosquitoe born diseases. What's the solution? I don't know. But we should at least be grateful that our society doesn't have the same health problems associated with agricultural production.

We got back to Hanoi this morning (Thursday morning), but only stayed long enough to repack our bags (we're leaving the majority of our belongings in storage at a hostel) and drop of dirty laundry before we caught a bus south to a town called Linh Binh. The bus ride... Unique to say the least. We were sitting in the back where there were 4 seats, yet 5 people were sitting there. Was it comfortable almost having a Vietnamese man sit in my lap? No. Could I sleep while the bus rocketed over speed bumps or the highway, the shape of which resembled that of a wave? No. But it definitely was an awesome and authentic experience.

In Linh Binh we rented bikes and biked south to a karst limestone formations. Basically, water had eroded the limestone so this river went through the mountains and we followed it on a boat. After the boat ride we biked through the rice paddies (I would say the most incredible experience so far) before we biked back to the hotel that was holding our packs. The bike ride seemed to take forever, though, since my tire was flat and, after I ran over enough rocks, the tire lost its circular shape.

Anyways, I have to go eat my fried rice. We leave to catch a night bus to Hue in 35 minutes. Sorry if my spelling isn't great. I don't have time to edit these posts.