Good Morning, Vietnam!

Before leaving the Hong Kong harbor, the captain announced that a huge storm was moving into the South China Sea and our ship had to delay sailing for 24 hours, resulting in our arrival into Vietnam 1 day later than planned.  The delay caused our previously scheduled hiking and caving adventure trip to be cancelled and forced us to come us with an alternative plan for our four days in Vietnam.  After looking at a huge array of options, including visiting other countries, we decided that we would focus our third visit to Vietnam doing something we hadn’t done before – exploring Vietnam, specifically Ho Chi Minh (HCM) City and the surrounding areas. 

We visited Vietnam during the New Year’s celebration (Tet), which is a weeklong event equivalent to combining the US holidays of Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years.  Many shops and businesses close and families spend time together at their homes and on the festive streets filled with flowers and decorations during Tet.  We had been told that it would be difficult to travel then and it might be hard to find things to do.  In fact, we would say the opposite.  It was a great time to be there and we would highly recommend it.  It’s not quite as raucous as the Water Festival during Lao’s New Year, but we had no trouble getting around or finding things to do amidst all the celebration.  One bonus was that hotels were cheap.  For $100 we got a room at the five star Nikko Hotel since it was pretty much empty!  An extra bonus was that traffic was (apparently) much lighter than usual.

The Mekong Delta:

For one of our days, we decided to head two hours outside HCM City to visit a section of the Mekong Delta.  Amidst a maze of small canals and rivers, people live their lives in villages, simple manufacturing sites, shops and floating markets.  It’s easy to imagine this place not so long ago when all travel would have been by boat, but now there are some places that are accessible by car.  We traveled in a small, rickety, wooden boat to visit a basic but extensive brick-making operation, an open-air family candy-maker and two women making woven items.  In a subtle sign of a developing country, one of the women weaving turned out to be a daughter who had come back from HCM City for the holidays – she wasn’t nearly as proficient and it seems that these type of handicraft skills will decline as Vietnam develops. It felt like we were stepping back in time and we were amazed at the simple (but effective) techniques used in these family businesses.  We decided not to buy any bricks, but we did end up with a bag of candy and some placemats!

A highlight was walking through the charming neighborhoods and taking even smaller boats through narrow channels in the delta on the way to and from lunch.  During our walk through the picturesque, quiet neighborhoods, Luke stated that this was one his favorite places that we have visited.  When we return to Vietnam, we plan to stay overnight in the Mekong to experience more of its magic.

The War:

When most Americans think of Vietnam, they think of the “Vietnam” War.   Leading up to our visit, our classes and discussions added a great deal to our understanding of the war and America’s role.   On our arrival day, we visited the Cu Chi Tunnels, where the Viet Cong based their operations in a complex spider web covering 250 miles of underground tunnels.  During the day, many VC soldiers lived their usual lives in the local villages and at night, they used the tunnels for surprise attacks or to hide from their enemies.  We also visited the American War Museum (which is how the Vietnamese refer to the war) and were overwhelmed by the horrific photos showing the effects of the war on all participants, particularly civilians.  

It is challenging to rationalize the reasons for the US involvement, even if the war had ended the other way.  We tried to put ourselves back into the 1960’s, with the spectre of communism spreading through South East Asia, concerns about the Soviet Union and the chill of the Cold War, but all we could do was empathize with the Vietnamese people and how 3M of them died.  And with the soldiers drafted to go over there - 59,000 Americans died a long way from home for a war that our leaders couldn’t sufficiently explain or justify.  The worst part is that those who lived through the period (ie Bush and Cheney with his 5 draft deferments) didn’t even learn what can (will) happen when the US goes it alone in a war far from its shores. 

Despite the evils inflicted upon Vietnam in the 1960’s and 70’s, the Vietnamese we spoke with viewed America as their friend and looked positively on our country.  Most Vietnamese dreamed of visiting America and commented on the close ties between our people.  Our hypothesis is twofold:  first, Americans in the US protested so vociferously that the Vietnamese understand that the government, not the people, were behind the war; and second, that a strong Vietnam-US relationship will help temper China’s influence over Vietnam (China has invaded Vietnam numerous times over its history, most recently in 1979).  

We met numerous friendly and enthusiastic people, including Hieu, our fabulous guide for the Mekong trip. As a result, we had a great time in Vietnam despite our cancelled caving trip.  Next time we come to Vietnam, we hope to do our caving adventure and explore the beauty of the north.  Or maybe the guided biking adventure Hieu runs in the western part of Vietnam!

Shanghai, Xi'an and Hong Kong!

Shanghai

After only two brief days on the ship, we landed in Shanghai, China.  China brings out ambivalence in us – not the common usage of ambivalence suggesting disinterest – but the dictionary definition of holding two conflicting opinions about something.  We struggle with the restrictions on freedom and creativity imposed by the communist government, but at the same time we recognize that its authority has allowed China to make enormous economic progress in a short time. 

Shanghai, with its 24 million people, amazes us. It is a shining example of how quickly China has reformed itself and lifted 600 million people out of poverty in just a few decades. Much of Shanghai is a clean, modern city with amazing architecture.  We joined two SAS field programs during our brief time in Shanghai.  First, was “A Day in the Life of a Shanghai Citizen” where we visited a local community, danced with some senior citizens, visited a market and had lunch at a local’s home.  In the evening we went to an acrobat show, featuring incredible acts that are reminiscent of a Cirque de Soleil performance. While the flexibility of the performers astounded us, and the guy who could balance a large and heavy floor vase on his head and flip it from side to side was amazing, the sheer danger of 5 motorcycles careening around inside an enclosed 25 foot metal ball was breathtaking. 

Xi’an

We stare outside the airplane window as the vast city of Xi’an stretches from the snow capped peaks to the plateaus.  As we circle for landing, we are flying over hundreds of skyscrapers and countless big round chimneys belching grey smoke into the clouds. Surely this much city holds many more than the 12 million people we are told are living here.

A thick blanket of grey covers the city and it’s not possible to clearly see buildings only a few hundred yards away.  Xi’an is one of the top 5 most polluted cities in the world and our eyes and lungs confirm this.  Most factories have closed down for the New Years holiday and we are told the pollution is much better than normal.  It is hard to imagine it being much worse.  From the sky, it looks like a scene from a dystopian novelist’s imagination.

Xi’an is at least 3,000 years old and was the original capital of the first emperor to consolidate modern China under one ruler. It remained the capital for more than 1,000 years and through 73 emperors and numerous dynasties. We came to Xi’an mainly to see the famous terra-cotta warriors that were rediscovered in 1974 by farmers digging a well.  When Qin Shi-Huangdi was emperor from 247-210 BCE, he had 700,000 people build him an army that would protect him in the after world.   For 37 years, workers excavated pits below the ground and lined them with life-sized soldiers, horses and chariots, complete with actual weapons and made out of local terra cotta pottery.  They have uncovered 2,000 soldiers in 3 chambers, but our guide told us that 2,000,000 are buried in the 600 chambers that have been identified throughout the countryside.  The suggestion of 2 million comes from historical records that indicate the Emperor intended to recreate his entire standing army.  We don’t know if indeed they will ever find that many soldiers, but just seeing the 2,000 soldiers that have been fully excavated was truly impressive. 

In our time in Xi’an, the temperatures never rose above about 35 Farenheit, so we were bundled up most of our time there.  We shivered in our down jackets and hats during our lunch in a freezing restaurant, and after asking about heat, we learned that the Communist Party made a decision in the 50’s that no central heating was allowed below the Huai River. Unfortunately, Xi’an was south of the river.  Although the shops, exhibits and restaurant did not have heat, thankfully our taxi and hotel did!  

With only had two nights and one full day in Xi’an, we could have used more time to explore the walled city center and all the other history in the city.  As it was we got a flavor of the city and the warriors.  As restoration techniques advance, they will continue to excavate more and more soliders until the full extent of Qin Shi Huangdi’s work is exposed – including his tomb, which is said to be intact and contain fabulous riches. 

Hong Kong

After our brief Xi’an visit, we flew on to Hong Kong, a stark contrast to Mainland China.  Hong Kong was built by Great Britain over the last 150 years and was passed back to China in 1997.  China agreed to a hands-off policy for 50 years, allowing Hong Kong to mostly keep its own economic system, laws, border and currency until 2046.  China seems to be honoring this agreement in many ways, but the recent kidnappings of several Hong Kong journalists for exposing party members in China raises the question of how long China will be able to tolerate the freedoms in Hong Kong.

In Hong Kong we connected with friends, Jay’s brother, Loron, and his girlfriend, Fanny.   We spent our two days at Fanny’s place in Shek-O, a small seaside village about 25 minutes from the bustle of downtown Hong Kong, but still on the island.  We fell in love with Shek-O’s narrow streets, small neighborhood cafes and beaches.  Fanny and Loron were amazing hosts, giving up their bedroom to us, allowing us to adopt their 2 dogs for our stay and showing us around Shek-O and the downtown Hong Kong area. 

Although most people think of Hong Kong as a huge city, much of the land is undeveloped, hilly and forested.  A highlight was our hike on Dragon’s Back that wove us through the parklands above Shek-O.  Although we aren’t big city people, we definitely could see living in a place like Shek-O for several months as an overseas living experience!  Thanks to Loron and Fanny for showing us their city (and village)!

JAPAN – A TALE OF TWO TRIPS

Christy

Skiing in Niseko, Japan has been on my sister Kerri’s bucket list for years.  When I told her I was going to be in Japan in January, she immediately agreed to fly over and join me for an adventure. 

Niseko is on Japan’s northern island, Hokkaido, just south of Siberia.  Visitors flock to Niseko, the island’s largest ski area, because of the 48 feet of snow that blesses the area each year.  Kerri and I usually heli-ski together in British Columbia -- so we love powder!  Niseko did not disappoint.    

It snowed almost constantly during our visit bringing almost a foot of new snow to the upper levels of the mountain every day.   We avoided the marked runs and instead headed for the trees and numerous boundary gates the lead us to endless light powder.  Often, our last run of the day was as good as our first run.   

Hirafu, is Niseko’s hip small town that makes you forget you are in Japan.  It has been growing rapidly as more and more foreigners, especially Aussies, learn of the Niseko’s heavenly snow.  The bars and restaurants are small and welcoming and we indulged at Niseko Pizza, The Barn and a fondue restaurant – no, not very Japanese.  After eating “ship” food for 18 days straight, freshly made food was a refreshing change.  The last night we enjoyed Bar Gyu X, a quaint, neighborhood bar, where you entered through a small refrigerator door. 

After skiing powder all day, the onsen, traditional Japanese bath, was a welcome treat between happy hour and dinner.  (See my writing, “Quiet.”)  We stayed at the Hilton, which had a wonderful onsen and the best ski in/ski out location on the mountain.  It was not very Japanese and we had to take a bus to Hifaru, but it was comfortable.  Moku no sho or The Vale Niseko are other recommended options. 

While Christy was playing in the snow on the north island, the boys explored Jay’s old haunts on the main island. 

The Boys

After seeing Christy off to the airport bus, the boys (Jay, Luke, Ryan and Milton) headed into Tokyo to check out the sites there.  After a stop at a ramen shop and a quick visit in Akihabara, the electronics district, we continued on our way to the January Sumo Tournament! Despite living for six years in Japan and watching numerous events on TV, Jay had never actually been to a sumo tournament in person.  We arrived on the final day of the tournament so it was a perfect opportunity to share sumo with the family.  And it was an historic ending to the Tournament as we were present to see the first victory in ten years for a Japanese wrestler, after ten years of domination by Mongolian-born wrestlers.

The Japanese crowd went crazy when Kotoshogiku beat his opponent and clinched victory in the third last match of the tournament.  The tournament wrapped up with the best sumo wrestler in history losing his match and placing second.

From there it was off to dinner at a tonkatsu restaurant before returning to the ship in Yokohama. It was a relief for Jay to feel his Japanese skills come back day by day and be able to get around Japan easily.  As we start to head to other countries, travel will get a little more difficult as we don’t know the languages!

Our whirlwind tour of Japan continued the next day with the shinkansen (bullet train) past Mt. Fuji to Kyoto and a few days of touring just a few of Kyoto’s thousands of temples and shrines.  In our short stay in Kyoto, we managed to fit in a few more meals (yakitori, curry rice and more ramen) and visits to Kiyomizu, Kinkakuji and others.  A particular highlight was the visit to Shoren-In, a favorite of Jay’s from his first visit to Japan in 1988.  It was as serene and impactful this time as it had been so many years ago.

The following day turned into a marathon train day – covering 8 or 9 trains – on our way back to Kobe through Iga-Ueno.  As part of the memory tour of Japan, Jay took the boys (including Grandpa) back to the hometown of his favorite student, near where he taught English in Mie. Mrs. Ito had become his “Japanese Mom” and he even stayed with her and her family for a few months during his time living in Japan.  They had stayed in touch for several years but it had been a long time since Jay had been in contact with her or her family.

After tracking down the new location of their family restaurant, we were able to catch up with many members of her family.  Unfortunately, Mrs. Ito has passed away almost exactly a month earlier.  But it was a happy reunion with her children, grandchildren (who were in middle and elementary school way back then), and great grandchildren. Jay was able to see many of the family and even go back into the house where he stayed so many years ago to see the “shrine” set up for Mrs. Ito.  We were able to meet Hikari, her great grand-daughter who is going to study English at university this year and may come to visit us sometime.  In the end, while it was sad not to see Mrs. Ito, it was great to reconnect with her family and to be able to spend time with them.  We also managed to get some of the city’s famous katayaki (very hard cookies) for Christy while we were there.

We spend our final day in Kobe, tooling around the city on an eating and shopping tour.  In just four hours, we managed to find some good bargains and fit in ramen and the famed Kobe beef.  Overall, our Japan stop was a great opportunity to reconnect with a country we had all been to before, and to explore some new activities like sumo and skiing.  A good time was had by all!

RIP Itsu Ito