Days 102-104 Saturday-Monday February 20-22 Vinh Long & Can Tho, Vietnam

40 years ago, one week after my parents got married, my father Tony left to fight in the Vietnam War.  He spent 16 months defending our country in a conflict that many people vehemently opposed.  He left his new wife and fought nonetheless, because that was what was asked of him, and because he couldn’t neglect his duty.

He was primarily stationed in Vinh Long, a small town off of the Mekong River, in the heart of the Mekong Delta.  It was a tiny town of a few thousand people centered around a large church located a few hundred yards away from the main city circle.  40 years later, that church and city circle were all that my dad recognized.  Other than those two landmarks, the entire city had exploded, for a lack of a better word.  There are now many thousands (just over a million people in the Vinh Long province) of people living in the city, and the city edges extend much further into the Vietnamese countryside than it did the last time he was here.

 In a way this was good, because Tony could see that these people had moved on, grown, persevered in the eyes of a horrific war.  In a way it was a reality check because it showed that life can thrive inside the evil communist society we had fought so hard against for so long.  This wasn’t the cold, hard streets of Moscow that we’ve come to imagine, but instead these people were happy maintaining old traditions like rice farming and grasping modern living with its cell phones and techno music.  No matter what we thought, though, this was not the city my dad remembered, and that provided a good dose of closure on that chapter of his life.

Reminiscing on the banks of the Mekong River.

This being the Mekong Delta, we had to cross several water ways via ferry before we arrived at our hotel in Can Tho.   Here we were able to relax while recovering from what was an emotional yet rewarding day.

The following day we chartered a private long boat to take us through the floating market.  Literally, vendors and buyers congregate on one stretch of the river to buy and sell locally grown produce.  It’s a wonder that we had never seen this type of market before, but it works perfectly for these people, and should work for any water-based community.

Kids selling soda to passing tourists while their parents sell produce to other locals.

The boat then took us through some local canals and stopped at the bank of a rice factory.  Here we were greeted by a man who sported the world’s greatest lucky hair, and were shown the grounds by his associate.  Before this stop, we never knew that rice is grown with a husk, and is processed to remove this husk and sort it by its proper classification.  And for those of you who don’t know there are more types of rice than white and brown, you’re in for a surprise.  Wow.  That’s the type of info you pick up while touring through the world’s largest rice exporter.

The world's greatest lucky hair.

 A bridge over one of the Can Tho canals.

 

Having our full of river-based exploration, it was time to get back to Saigon before flying out to Cambodia.  We were sad to be leaving Mr. Un so soon, especially his octave-shattering laugh, but we had seen everything in this region that we had hoped, especially Tony, so we were ready to move onto the ancient lands of Angkor Wat.

Days 101-102 Thursday-Saturday February 18-20 Saigon, Vietnam

What better way to cure a hellish sickness than to move into the Park Hyatt Saigon?  The answer is that there is no better way.  Even though Lisa, Steve, and Luke were the most gracious hosts imaginable and took such good care of us while we were sick yesterday, it was nice to move into the Park Hyatt where we’ll be meeting my (our) parents when they arrive tonight.  After all of the 2 and 1 star hotels we’ve been staying in over the last few months, this place is heaven.

Tony and Anna Marie got into Saigon late on Thursday night, so we had a simple hello and hug before getting them to sleep.  We had an early start the next morning to start the true site seeing of Saigon.

Friday was our first day together, and we drove with our guide Mr. Un to the Cu Chi tunnel system about 45 minutes outside of Saigon.  Here we saw how the Liberation Army of Southern Vietnam was able to hide and withstand attacks from the US and ally forces, even though they were just miles from the American base in Saigon.  Their ingenious ways of concealing their underground cities and ways of using the lush terrain to hide explosives that could take out tanks are impossible to ignore, but the communist government’s propogandish ways of telling the story was tough to stomach, especially sitting next to my father who had to live through the entire situation and watch friends being lost in the whole melee for 16 months.  Yet, as my dad said today, to the victor go the spoils, part of which includes getting to tell the story as seen through the their eyes.

 Mr. Un describing the tun

Mr. Un describing a trap door...

...and the subsequent trap hole.

Crawling through the Cu Chi Tunnels

After a lunch filled with 12 entrees (I kid you not, but thank God the tab was covered by our tour group), we hopped over to the war museum and continued to hear the story of the war through the communist government’s eyes.  After looking at gruesome images and reading one-sided accounts of the conflict, there was only one thing we could all agree on…war is tragic, and those who make the decisions to go to war, whether just or not, are ruining lives on both sides of the tape.  At that time it was either a battle over communism vs. democracy or over the rights to a massive supply of tin and tungsten, and now it’s us vs. Al Qaida or it’s over oil.  No matter what it’s all over, it’s men making decisions who don’t have to act on them, and it’s crap.  Period. 

 Tony exploring the war museum, and recounting history through the opposition's eyes.

Any way, it was fascinating to visit these places and hear stories from my dad about how it was 40 years ago when he bravely served here.  I’ve always respected the selfless ways of his daily life, and his service during the war is one of the finest examples of who he is.  Being here has brought that even more into light, and made me even more proud.  Thanks Pop for your service, no matter who’s fight you were executing.

Mr. Un and the driver then brought us over to the Ben Thanh Market where my parents took one look over the compressed rows of trinket stalls and opted to head back to the hotel.   Having already been here, we can’t say we had an issue with doing so.

Saturday morning we stopped by the Presidential Palace where the South Vietnamese government had been stationed before the fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975.  It was here where the Communist tanks bowled over the gate, stormed the building, and hoisted the VC flag on the 4^th floor.  The architecture was totally 60’s, and our friend Troy would undoubtedly love the furniture sprawling throughout the conference rooms, gambling/drinking room, and bedrooms.  It even had a movie theatre, but the room-size projector was no longer functioning.  The grounds were gorgeous, but standing on the site of such a pivotal moment in our country’s history was the most fascinating part of visiting the palace.

Outside the Presidential Palace

Then it was off to Vinh Long and Can Tho to see where my dad was stationed 40 years ago.

 

Day 100 Saigon

We got food sickness.  It wasn't pretty.

Tet eve on Nha Trang Beach

Nha Trang residents and those who were in town that week for the holiday crammed the beach to watch a very beautiful but looooong fireworks show.  Oh, and the ocean served as the world's largest urinal during the festivities.  Fun!

Tet eve on Nha Trang beach from Craig Palumbo on Vimeo.

Days 96-99 Saturday-Tuesday February 13-16 Nah Trang, Vietnam

In case you don’t know about Tet, it’s the the lunar new year, and is the biggest celebration in Vietnam.  As the year of the Tiger approached and we made our way down the coast from Hanoi, we were constantly told that getting to Saigon was going to be tough as Tet (Feb. 14) drew nearer.  Therefore, we purchased all of our train tickets ahead of time to guarantee that we’d have good seats on all of our trains.  Plus having solid plans helps Tania feel comfortable about the future, but we won’t go there right now.

Tet is the time when families get together to drink and be merry with each other, like Christmas, but also to remember relatives who have passed.  But mostly, it’s a week long celebration that out ranks any other holiday during the year. 

The week before Tet, we felt the anticipation grow and saw the extremely elaborate decorations being built around Saigon (think Mardi Gras meets the Rose Parade).  Amazingly beautiful decorations.  Yet Steve and Lisa kept saying that the city was going to be empty for Tet, similar to how LA empties out for Christmas, because not many people are from Saigon, and therefore return to their remote towns to see their families during the week following Tet.  So because of this, we decided to head up to Nah Trang where Steve’s (and Dave and Brian’s) dad lives.  It’s a mellow beach town where their father, Hugh, has two apartments, one of which we could stay at for a few days.  So we hopped onto an overnight bus, slept in the oddest configuration of reclining seats one can imagine, and headed up the coast. 

 Beaching it at Louisiae in Nha Trang.  It's a tough life we live.

Nha Trang Beach as the sun sets behind us

Hugh greeted us at the apartment and made us feel right at home.  We spent most of our days relaxing at the beach at the Louisiane’s resort and deciding whether the lobster being sold by vendors were as fresh as they looked.  The city didn’t come alive until the night because shops were closed for Tet, so we weren’t given too many options during the days, which was fine with us.  Yet at night, we had great seafood and Indian meals, and enjoyed the celebratory atmosphere the buzzed throughout the city.

 After dinner with Steve's dad, Hugh.

On Tet eve, we joined the crowd that packed the beach and watched an extensive yet impressive fireworks show over the water.  To call the beach packed, though, is not doing it justice.  All we can say is that the entire city, plus everyone in town for the week, were on the beach.  Crazy.  Yet things didn’t get out of hand because luckily, the men had the world’s largest urinal at their disposal right there on the beach.

 Tet eve on Nha Trang Beach

On Monday we met up with Steve and Lisa’s friends from Saigon Anne, Jacob and their son Lucas at their resort just out of town.  Not much changed from what we had been doing at the beach.  Just the environment changed from the ocean to the pool.  It’s a rough life we live.

Having not done too much site seeing in the past few days, Tania and I searched Trip Advisor for the most important things to do while in Nah Trang.  The winning site was the natural mud baths.  Figuring our travel-weary bodies could go for some organic health care, we grabbed a cab out to the fringes of town.  As we soon found out, we weren’t the only ones.  When we pulled up, we saw the sea of tour buses that we’ve come to identify with tourist traps.  Then we saw the masses pouring in and out of the gates before us.  Hesitantly, we made our way to the ticket office and purchased the all inclusive VIP package, which gave us a private mud bath (no strange foreigners in our mud, please) and changing room, and a 45 minute massage afterward.

 Drenched in our provate mud bath.

Well, we did our obligatory 20 minutes in the mud, received the hurried 20 minute massage, and quickly rinsed off so we could catch the next cab back to Hugh’s apartment to meet the gang and take the overnight bus back to Saigon.  Feel free to skip the mud baths if you’re ever in Nah Trang unless you’re feeling extra Clark Griswoldy that day.

It was great to spend time with Hugh and get to know this mellow beach town of Nah Trang.  It’s a far cry from the intense scene in Saigon, which is obviously why Hugh moved his life up here.  Thanks for playing a great host, Hugh!  Looking forward to seeing you at Luke and Thu’s wedding in April!

Oh, there are scooters in Saigon?

We had heard rumors about how crazy the traffic, especially the scooter, are in Siagon.  Here is what we saw when we first learned about it ourselves.

A first look at Saigon from Craig Palumbo on Vimeo.

Days 89-95 Saturday-Friday February 6-12 Saigon, Vietnam

We (thankfully) took our last overnight train of our trip from Danang (Hoi An) to Saigon. Even though taking these overnight trains in China and Vietnam saved us a ton of time and weren’t too terrible, we swore to never take another one again in our lives. Hopefully we will be able to afford flights when the time comes so we can keep to this promise. The overnight trains are not life threatening or anything, but we’ve come to realize on this trip that our tastes have become refined enough to travel with certain conveniences and luxuries from now on.

And speaking of conveniences, when we got to Saigon at 4:30am, we grabbed a taxi to Steve, Lisa, and Luke’s house and were greeted at the gate by their maid. Yes, their maid. She cleans. She runs to get Vietnamese coffees or food when requested. She does laundry. She does it all, and we got awfully spoiled by her while we stayed with our friends. If only hired help was so cheap in the US.

Tania making the most of having a couch for a few days.

Having been on the road for so long, we loved back being in a home environment with a kitchen, couches, proper bedrooms, and just that homey feeling that hotels can’t provide.

Of course on our first night in Saigon, we did as the Saigonians do and went out big with Steve, Lisa, Luke, and their friends, dancing to the techno beats that are the heartbeat of the city. It was a great time, and thank God we had that homey environment so we could recover the next afternoon on their trusty couches. We also needed to rest up because we had to be at Phatty’s, the local sports bar, at 6:30am the next morning to watch the Saints and Colts play in the Super Bowl.

We were sorely mistaken in thinking that we would have prime seats before the crowd arrived just because we got to the bar before the sun rose, because when we got to Phatty’s, the place was jam packed and we were delegated to the back corner watching the game on a marginally big screen off in the distance through several support pillars. It didn’t matter, though, because we had a access to delicious bloody marys and a good enough view to see Drew Breese and the Saints pull of the big upset over the Colts. So cool for the city of New Orleans after all they’ve been through this decade.

We even sat next to several of Steve’s friends who were from New Orleans, meaning the victory tasted that much sweeter when their friend bought drinks for the group after the game. We guess football fans are football fans (the real football, American, not that crap they call football here and everywhere else in the world), whether you’re in America or an expat overseas.

After the game we walked around town, past all of the Tet decorations that were furiously being installed along the city’s largest avenues. Once past the backpacker’s district, we stopped off at Lisa’s recommended spa called Lady Saigon. And boy are we glad we did. The massages were incredible, and the environment was much more luxurious than the cheap price tag implies. Let’s just say we just happened to return to the spa two days later.

 

Scooter madness in Cholon, Saigon's Chinatown.

Thursday night was my 32nd birthday, so Tania and Lisa organized an incredible sushi dinner with 14 of their local friends. Lisa wasted no time in resuming her tradition of “shots bitches” from our LA Korean BBQ days, and we were all on our jolly way to a fun evening and worthy celebration around Saigon.

 The ladies represented at Craig's birthday sushi party.

Craig and Luke taking a breather from the birthday madness.

Other than a few other delicious dinners and a boys/girls night, we did a whole lot of hanging around the house with Toby and Guiness (Lisa’s dogs) and simply walking around town. We didn’t want to do too much site seeing since my parents were coming in a few days, and we wanted to hit all of the major sites for the first time with them.

Lisa and Steve's dogs, Toby and Guiness.  We want to clone them when we get home.

On a side note…

On this trip, Tania and I have come to the realization that we are old, really old, because our ideal night now is to have a great dinner with lively plans for afterwards, but once dessert is done and the bill is paid, we are dragging ourselves back to the house so we can crash before 10. It was a tough pill to swallow for Steve and the crew who had grand aspirations of showing us a good time of all-nighters in Saigon, but we are comfortable with the fact, after such a long and draining tour through Asia, that it’s who we are now. Maybe it’s good we’re not going back to LA and instead onto a city where we won’t know anyone. I know our livers and bank accounts will appreciate it.

Snorkel trip to Cham Island

While in Hoi An, we decided to hire a speed boat to take us snorkeling off of Cham Island.  Well, the water was freezing cold, so we jumped back on board of the boat and headed for the island, where we soaked in the sun and island breeze for most of the day.  It brought us right back to our Thai island life, where isn't too shabby.

Speed boat to snorkel at Cham Island from Craig Palumbo on Vimeo.

Days 84-88 Monday-Friday February 1-5 Hoi An, Vietnam

We took a quick 2 hour train ride from Hue to Danang, passing lush hillsides and glimmering coastal beaches.  The guy sitting behind me didn’t appreciate the fact that my seat wouldn’t sit completely upright, meaning I rode like a gangster in a low rider while my seat blocked his flip-down table from holding his train-prepared meal.  Even though he was pissed, I think he appreciated not eating it later in the day.  It looked pretty nasty.

A driver picked us up at the train station in Danang and headed towards Hoi An.  On the way, we stopped at marble mountain, aptly named due to the fact that they sell a ton of marble sourced from a nearby mountain.  Big and small and in any design you could imagine, you can buy it here.  But instead of purchasing a 12 foot tall Buddha and finding a way to ship it home, we opted for a marble egg for Anna Marie and a  pocket-size Buddha that I can use as a card protector during poker tourneys.

Comparing Buddha bellies at Marble Mountain

Also on the way to Hoi An, we drove past China Beach where a ton of luxury hotels and casinos are opening, meaning this beach is about to become a tourist hot spot, similar to what Biloxi was before Katrina.  It’s a far cry from being the initial stomping grounds for US troops almost 50 years ago. 

Once in Hoi An, we spent our time walking through the huge central market buying ban mis (Vietnamese sandwiches which are the cheapest and tastiest sandwiches this side of Bay Cities) and fresh fruit.  The market is a crash course in Vietnamese culture, so luckily we were accustomed to the local idiosyncrasies and weren’t too alarmed at anything.

We also spent some time adoring the riverside shops and restaurants, which come alive at night when the lights turn on and reflect off the river’s calm waters.  People flood the river banks, enjoying public plastic tables and chairs, sipping beer or tea, and either chatting with friends or their loved one as if nobody could see them.  It’s a magical place to be on a cool clear night.

 Tania making sure not a drop of her flambeed banana dessert went to waste.

We rode our bikes down to the beach hoping to renew our relaxing days in southern Thailand.  On the way, we stopped and walked through the rice paddies meeting locals and their water buffaloes (see the video previously posted).  We had driven by so many of these infinite green fields but never explored the inner workings of one, so this was our perfect opportunity.  Apparently not too many tourists venture into the fields because we were quickly approached by the field workers who wanted to chat and take pictures with us. 

 Our new water buffalo friend amongst the lush green rice paddies.

The beach wasn’t quite as relaxing as we had hoped due to the windy conditions and oily waters, but it was nice to be back under the sun in our bathing suits and laying on our towels.

Another day we hired a speed boat to take us snorkeling, again hoping to renew one of our Thailand loves, and to put our newly purchased snorkel gear to use.  Well, we were scheduled to swim for 2.5 hours, but we were back in the boat after 20 minutes due to the incredibly cold water and ferocious sea lice who bit us incessantly.  Luckily, the boat trip included an afternoon on Cham Island beach and a delicious lunch.  There we were able to soak up the sun and walk around the deserted island, so the trip wasn’t a complete waste.

 Craig's beard kept him warm in the freezing water while snorkeling, but the chilly conditions proved to be too much for the honeymooners.

All of that was fine and dandy, but the biggest hit in Hoi An for us (and for most visitors to the city) was the custom tailoring at incredibly affordable prices.  We had suits, shirts, pants, dresses, and even a winter coat all made of fabrics we selected, all custom tailored to our bodies, and all at a fraction of the cost it would be in the US.  Once we left Hoi An, we were geared up with improved wardrobes for the impending job hunt when we get back. 

And about that job hunt, we keep finding excuses to push it back as far as possible.  Now we’re planning on not only spending time with my family (especially little Ian who’s almost a year old!!), but we’ll be in Atlanta with Tania’s family while Patrick hikes the Appalachian Trail for 5 months.  What other excuse do we need to stay unemployed than to spend quality time with our families?  Exactly!  That’s what we’re thinking.

Rice paddies in Hoi An

We went for a bike ride to the beach outside of Hoi An, and stopped to explore the inner-workings one of the rice paddies that we had been passing in trains, cars, and buses over the last two weeks. Once inside, we quickly became friends with some locals and a water buffalo.


Rice paddies in Hoi An from Craig Palumbo on Vimeo.

Phong Nha Caves

We drove 4 hours north of Hue to explore the Phong Nha caves.  One was only accessible by water, and the other after a treacherous hike.  He's a glimpse of our boat ride just before entering the water cave.  Pretty cool.

Boating into the Phong Nha Cave from Craig Palumbo on Vimeo.

Days 80-83 Thursday-Sunday January 28-31 Hue, Vietnam

We hopped off the overnight train in Hue and immediately realized two things:

1)   1.  We were finally back in warm weather.  We shall never take it for granted again.

2)   2.  The haggling and pushy salesmanship by locals on the sidewalks is as prevalent and obnoxious as we had read.

Yet, after being lost in the cold, damp forest for the past several days, we were happy to welcome both of these points in exchange for a vivacious setting and being able to pack our jackets away.

Our first meal was at a restaurant frequented by our friends Dave and Brian back in the day when they lived in Hue.  The staff definitely remembered them, albeit by their Vietnamese names.  Dave told us to look for the BLT on the menu because he and Bri introduced it to the owners, and funny enough, it’s still on the menu.  I ordered it, and even though it tasted delicious, it looked nothing like a BLT that you’d receive in the states.  It didn’t matter, though, we still loved being in this place that our friends loved so long ago.  The art that they bought the restaurant still hung on the walls, too.  So cool.

We spent our first afternoon in Hue exploring the famous Citadel.  Basically a square shaped city with 2m-thick, 10km-long walls encompassing it, with a beautiful moat lining the outer walls, this site lies on the north side of the Perfume River.  It served as the residence of emperors dating back to the early 19^th century, but was basically leveled during the Tet Offensive in 1968.  Only the outer walls still stand, but the grounds inside make for an amazing stroll through the city’s glorious yet unfortunate past.

 Remains of the Purple Palace within the Citadel

The following day we toured several tombs of past emperors, exploring the beautiful grounds of these sacred sites.  Our tour guide, who was also friends with Dave and Brian back in the day, described the history of each emperor and the significance of each structure within the grounds.  If you go, don’t expect a cemetery-type attraction.  These tombs are basically gorgeous residences on which the rulers lived and were buried after their death.  Amazing landscapes which make for incredible photos.

We also stopped by the Thien Mu Pagoda, which is the unofficial symbol of the city.  Also lying on the Perfume River, these grounds are filled with colorful flowers and young monks wandering the gardens in their maroon robes.  This pagoda also houses the car in which Thích Quảng Đức and his fellow monks drove to Saigon on June 11, 1963, so that Thích could burn himself to death in protest against the persecution of Buddhists by South Vietnam's Ngo Dinh Diem administration.  The image of him burning is one of the most famous photos of the 20^th century, which was made even more famous for our generation when Rage Against The Machine used it on the cover of their first album. 

We used our tour guide and car while we had them at our disposal to drive over to the beach and show us an authentic, local seafood restaurant.  Their insights into the city and knowledge of the area definitely helped us understand the city more than if we were to have explored on our own.

Having seen all of the sites Hue has to offer, and giving up on it being a good city to get a quality massage (the horror), we hired a driver to take us up to the Phong Nha Cave, about 4 hours north of Hue.  A wise person would have visited this cave on their way to Hue since we had just passed it a few days prior, but that wise person can kiss our asses because we doubt he’s ever tried to navigate through a strange continent without ever making a mistake.

Before we got to the caves, we took-in the picturesque rice fields and limestone mountains outside the car windows while listening to our trusty iPods.  Once inside the national park, we hopped on a private long boat and headed up river to the 400 million year old cave.  As we passed through the water threshold, the driver killed the engine and began to row us into darkness.  Beyond the first pitch black corner appeared brilliant karst formations backlit with vibrant neon lights of blue, green, purple, and yellow.  It felt like we were inside the It’s a small world ride at Disneyworld.  Silence was only broken by the strokes of our driver’s paddle and water pellets falling off of the ceiling.  

Once out of the cave, we climbed what felt like 10,000 steps to the Tien Son cave.  We weren’t sure what was more welcoming once we made it to the top and into the cavern;  the exquisitely backlit stalactites and stalagmites, or the cool, damp air to save us from the heat and humidity outside.  Either way, we got to walk amongst the rock formations this time, and were blown away by the immense beauty around us.  Crazy to think that this cave was used as Hindu sanctuaries by the Chams in the 9^thth centuries, and as a hospital and ammunition depot during the American War. and 10

Then it was back into our private car to drive past the DMZ and back to Hue so we could get a good night's rest before heading down to Hoi An the next morning.

Overnight train to Hue

Slap us and show us this video if we ever complain about our overnight train situations in Vietnam.

Days 76-79 Sunday-Wednesday January 24-27 Cuc Phuong National Park, Vietnam

Okay, we’ve previously reported how non-ideal the overnight trains in China and ferries in Thailand are, but the public bus and motor taxi from Hanoi to Cuc Phuong National Park make those look like first class flights on BA.  I mean we were exhausted when we got to the park, and all we had done that day was sit on our asses, albeit crammed inside a 12 person bus with 24 other people, and on scooters lugging our luggage on our laps.  At least we weren’t alone on these rides.  We shared the bus ride with all of the locals who sat next to us on bags of rope and on top of refrigerators.  We also picked up a few folks on the highway, and not when we stopped to get them…when we slowed down so they could run and jump onto the bus as it rolled by Indiana Jones-style.  These Vietnamese people are clever and creative if nothing else.

Before we got to the park, we drove through vast fields of limestone hills that harked back to our days in Yangshuo, China.  At that time, I stated that Yangshuo was like nothing else on the planet.  I was wrong.  And at the time, my friend Dave (What up Dood!?) told us not to count out Vietnam.  Well, he was right.  The limestone hills are just as beautiful here, and also stretched into the horizon by infinite paddie fields spotted with locals bending over at work, which was stunning to see.  We were just now getting to know how gorgeous this country was going to be.  And it got even more so when we entered the park.

We spent the first night in the lodge at the entrance of the gate.  There’s really not much to do at Cuc Phuong except hike, visit the botanical garden, and check out the monkey conservation center.  It was raining, so hiking was out of the question, and the botanical garden was too much of a walk to justify seeing something so similar to what we already have on the trip; plants and flowers.  Therefore, what better else to do than hang out with a few endangered langers?  They were such fun little creatures swinging with their body-length arms, but it’s sad to know how many people are hunting them just outside of the cages where we observed them.  It’s good to know that a group like these scientists are working to preserve species like the ones we had so much fun visiting.

The next day we drove 20km into the center of the park where, literally, we were alone in the middle of the forest, completely out of ear shot from anyone else.  Well, except for the three girls who work the restaurant and do each other’s hair all day.  And calling it a restaurant is being generous.  The electricity is only on between 6-9pm, and there’s only one item on the menu; whatever they feel like serving you, which is always some sort of fried rice.  At least they had cold beer in the fridge.  No idea how it stayed cold while the electricity was out most of the day, but who cares if the result is a positive one.

 

Trail to our little cabin, in the middle of absolute nowhere!

 

 Our cabin from afar.  Look at the misty hills!

We spent out days hiking to the 1000 year old tree and exploring a cave that seemed to go on forever.  The deeper we got, the more we felt like hard core explorers.  Tania loves caves more than anything, so it was fun to climb and crawl through the pitch black, guided by a small flashlight, next to my new wife.

 

Tania made it up 100 steps without fainting.  Victory!  Oh wait, there's another hour to hike.  :(

 
 

Gangster, Vietnamese forest-style!

 
 

At the base of the 1000 year old tree.

Hiding behind a mound of stalagmites inside the cave

We spent our nights watching episodes of How I Met Your Mother until the computer battery died (since there’s no electricity after 9), and then listened to the movements outside our cabin, which we were convinced were huge bears and other exotic beasts.  We surely knew they weren’t other people because there were none within miles, so the noises drove our imaginations crazy.  I can only imagine the expressions on our faces lying there in the dark.  Wide eyes jumping back and forth every time a bush rustled just outside the thin wood wall behind the headboard.  Hahaha.  Reminds me of trying to sleep as a kid after watching Nightmare On Elm Street.

Night monsters aside, the lush forest at Cuc Phuong made for an amazing escape, which allowed us to experience some of the natural beauty that Vietnam has to offer.  But we could only take so much seclusion after three days, so it was time to catch an overnight train all the Hue to Hue.  (wocka wocka wocka)