Indonesia - it's complicated

I like to learn a few things about the places I visit to gain a better appreciation for my surroundings. I have to admit I didn't really know much about Indonesia before we arrived. We are enjoying our stay here, but now that we've been here for almost two weeks and plan to stay for a couple more, a few questions have come to my mind. Here in Java we're reminded five or six times a day by the call to prayer that this is primarily a Muslim island, yet the island of Bali is primary a Hindu area. Why is that, and do the various groups in Indonesia get along? Why are the people here better off than say Vietnam, but not as well off as the people in Thailand? And why is Indonesia, a vast collection of islands, one country and not many? I found some answers, but it's complicated.

The various religious groups in Indonesia tell a story of empire and trade spanning thousands of years. Buddhism and Hinduism originated from India and made their way to Java and Sumatra via merchants along the naval Silk Road. Buddhism is only practiced by a tiny minority in Indonesia today, mostly Chinese immigrants, but it played a much larger role in the past.

Yesterday we visited one notable temple called Borobudur, which has the largest and best collection of stone reliefs of any Buddhist structure in the world. It was covered in jungle growth and trees until the early 1800's when the British and later the Dutch took an interest in uncovering and repairing it. It caused quite a sensation in Europe at the time as the first example of a large and sophisticated ancient civilization in the area outside of China - this was before Angor Wat was uncovered in Cambodia. The temple was built in the 9th century as a homage to Buddha and as a site for pilgrims. Pilgrims would circle around this large step pyramid, which is in the shape of a stupa when seen from afar. As we moved around the large structure along the bottom level we saw really intricate stone reliefs covering the walls. The lower level reliefs showed the desires of daily life and its struggles with good and evil. By the time we moved up a few levels we were supposedly looking at a world of forms, a higher plane of existence closer to reality. Here we saw reliefs of holy men praying, contemplating and teaching. When we reached the two top levels we were looking at the "formless sea of nirvana", which was represented by statues of gods and holy men in stupas that you could peer into.

It was a good site to visit, and we followed the pilgrim's path around the structure to get a sense of what it might have been like to be a pilgrim in the 9th century. One difference was the Indonesian students we met along the way. I think they had a field assignment to practice their English, and so we were stopped a few times to answer basic questions about who we were and where we were from. We were asked to sign their score sheets for school, which we happily did, although I signed more score sheets than students I spoke with; I think they were working the system. It was nice to talk to them and take some pictures of us together.

Anyway, back to my history lesson. Hinduism was especially prevalent in the western half of Indonesia from 1200 to 1400, when the Majapahit empire spread from Java to conquer and rule much of modern day Indonesia. Islam made its way to the islands of Sumatra and Java at first via Muslim traders from western India and later from the Sultanate of Malacca in modern day Malaysia. The remnants of Majapahit culture retreated to Bali by the 1400's and is the reason Bali is a Hindu dominated island today with a culture much different from the rest of Indonesia. Islam became dominant in the western part of Indonesia by the 1600's and spread further over time to be the dominant religion today where 90% of Indonesians subscribe to Islam. Next the Portuguese and then the Dutch entered the scene, and the islands of Indonesia were controlled by the Dutch from the 1600's until around World War II. At that time the area was called the Dutch East Indies. During this period Christianity spread somewhat into the eastern portion of the islands, which had mostly subscribed to animist beliefs up until then. The islands were briefly under British control in the early 1800's and Japanese occupation during World War II.

The local resistance to the Japanese during World War II led to resistance to Dutch rule after the war. The Indonesians then won their independence in 1949. After some turbulent and violent years in the 1960's between local communist and anti-communist parties, it has settled down into a more or less stable, secular democracy. This has been especially true since the Suharto regime ended in the late 1990's. Since then, freedom and governance have improved for the most part.

There are still some areas of concern among freedom watch groups including government corruption, some curbs on freedom of the press, and some restrictions on religious freedom. One quirk is that the Indonesian constitution only recognizes six official religions: Islam, Protestantism, Catholicism, Hinduism, Buddhism and Confucianism. Those who subscribe to another religion or have no affiliation are subject to discrimination and in some cases repression. The source of this odd situation? At the time of independence a compromise was made between some Muslim groups who wanted a Islamic state based on Shariah law and other groups who wanted full religious freedom. The compromise they settled on seems a little muddled to me.

However, there are pockets in the country where the rules don't apply. On our way to Indonesia from Singapore, I read the Jakarta Post, and was surprised to discover that people were being publicly caned per Sharia law in one part of the country for misdemeanours such as couples hugging in public. There are also a few extremist groups in Indonesia, and there was a terrorist bombing in Bali in 2002 which was claimed by an extremist group. But for the most part Indonesia is a safe place to be.

The country was very poor through its colonial period and started to improve its economy starting in the mid 60's after some changes were implemented to stabilize the economy. Since then, thanks to oil production, manufacturing, and crop exports, the economy has improved and the official poverty rate has dropped from 60% to 15% since the 1960's.

On a trek today through the countryside, we saw some of the crops grown here. Even though the land is very steep and mountainous, much of the land is under culivation. We saw terraces 10 feet high so farmers could squeeze in another rice or tobacco crop. The land seems so fertile and well irrigated. We saw endless crops of rice, tobacco, tomatoes, cassava, chilli peppers, green beans and other crops we couldn't identify. We also saw banana and papaya trees. I could see though how undeveloped some practices were. I saw water buffaloes pulling wooden plows, and ladies making gravel from rocks on the side of the road using hammers. In town yesterday I saw four men with sledgehammers and long iron spikes breaking up some asphalt in the middle of the road. At an average wage of $2 an hour I believe, I can only guess that this is a cheaper alternative than having one guy with a jackhammer do the same job faster.

By contrast, Thailand has been developing their economy in fits and starts since the early 1900's when serfdom was abolished, and Vietnam has only opened up their economy for the last 20 years. This mostly explains why Thailand is richer per capita than Indonesia, while Vietnam is poorest.

Here is Catheleen near some water buffaloes on our trek through the countryside today.

Meandering thoughts on outdoor living

Modern urban environments like Singapore have their charms, but I prefer a rural setting most of the time. When we take a holiday we usually try to strike a balance between time spent in the countryside and time spent in the big cities. There's usually a tug of war being city and rural time, since Catheleen and now John usually prefer what the cities have to offer.

When we're home and weather permits, I really like to spend time at the cottage, closer to nature than life in the city. Even when at home in the city, when the lawnmowers aren't mowing, it's nice to sit quietly in the backyard on the deck, with a view of the surrounding trees and garden, listening to the cardinals come and go while the squirrels scurry by across the canopy of trees.

I'm not a huge nature lover on its own. I do like to go for a nature walk or a hike on occasion, but I'm not a camper. I avoid the odd suggestion from Catheleen that we give it a go. I've never tried glamping (camping with beds and tablecloths) or flash packing (backpacking with nice hotels at the end of the day), but I see the appeal. One thing on my list is to build more decking and stairs from the cottage to the lake so I don't have to walk on the grass or rough paths so much. In other words, I like to be around nature, but not on nature.

So what does my meandering preference for decks and backyard gardens in Canada have to do with our visit to Bali and Java? Well in Bali, the building styles of upscale houses, museums, temples, and resorts usually combine gardens and nature with open air buildings. If you believe everything you read, the Balinese have cultivated an aesthetic appreciation that keeps society, architecture and nature in harmony, in line with their Hindu and animist influences. Westerners have been waxing on about Bali harmony and beauty since the 1930's, when some Western artists started coming here and mixing and matching styles with the local Balinese artists.

I certainly admire and appreciate the places and grounds we've visited in Bali and Java. We visited one striking place in Ubud Bali called the Agung Rai Museum of Art (ARMA) along with an adjacent resort. It was truly breathtaking in its beauty. Perhaps tourist dollars helped make the place possible, but the building architecture, gardens, and landscape of the museum and resort were stunning, both by day and when lit at night. The place combined outdoor pavilions, lily pad ponds, bridges over streams, rice paddies, and unique buildings blended into the landscape. There was a massive retaining wall over a rice paddy that was really beautiful - the wall included evenly spaced statues of ladies carrying pots, where water flowed out of each of the pots. We followed the meandering paths, leading to creative statues throughout in the surrounding gardens and bushes. I could go on.

But Bali doesn't have a monopoly on aesthetic beauty. I should think most places and cultures in this world try to combine architecture with natural settings and gardens in some way that is intended to be pleasing. Which styles and cultures you might like the best are a matter of taste and opinion; I think they all must have their appeal.

Being just a few degrees south of the equator, Bali benefits greatly from a climate that doesn't vary much throughout the year other than a wet season from January to March. So for most or all the year the Balinese can enjoy their outdoors and fine tune their harmony. Good for them. I think I'm just a little jealous because the winters in Canada are a bit too long, and so I don't get to spend as much time outdoors on a deck as I would like.

Here's John on a country road in Java today. We greeted most of the people we passed on the road and small villages on our long walk, who I don't think see many tourists in these parts.

Northern Bali and first day in Java

Yesterday we hired a driver to take us around northern Bali to see some of the sights and sounds. We visited a couple of temples of course. I thought one temple was particularly beautiful since it incorporated the natural landscape. It had massive statues carved out of the cliffs, along with whimsical rice terraces forming loops and waves around the palm trees, and waterfalls running down the surrounding forested cliffs. It was also nice to see that the temple was well used, with many people making offerings for sale in the community, or making special wedding decorations. It looked like a community effort.

The men in Bali often wear sarongs at the temples and elsewhere. So I purchased one, since the shorts I was wearing were not sufficiently modest for the temples. Catheleen bought one too, and I made sure to purchase one made for men. I don't know what the difference was between the two, but I was assured I had the right one.

Later on we stopped at a viewpoint overlooking a lake next to an active volcano. I don't know when the volcano last erupted, but it was some time long ago. We could see the black lava covering one side of the mountain from the last flow.

One of our last stops was at an agro tourist plantation where we saw cocoa plants, vanilla beans, coffee plants, and the process to make Luwak coffee. The Luwak animal looked like a weasel, and we saw cages of them where they eat the coffee fruit and poop out the coffee beans. Who would have come up with this in the first place? Some brave or foolhardy soul I'm sure. But it's supposed to be the best coffee, so we figured it was worth a try. We saw how they cleaned the beans, dried and removed the husks, and then the beans were roasted and ground. We enjoyed the view over the mountainside while sipping some of this coffee. It was good but it did have that ick factor for me when I thought about it. The kids aren't big coffee drinkers but did enjoy a taste sampler with cocoa, vanilla, and many other teas.

As we waited at the Bali airport for the short flight to Java, I stared out at the surf. The airport runway was built out into the sea on reclaimed land. We're flying on Lion Air. I can't help but recall that two years ago one of these planes didn't make it onto the runway and ended up in the sea. Nobody was killed and it was remembered particularly for the help provided by the locals, who rushed to the scene by boat from the surrounding area to help rescue the passengers. But our flight was without incident and we made it to our next stop near Borobudur Java, a Buddhist temple site we want to see.

Along the way from the airport though the city of Yogyakarta, we saw and heard people playing music on the street using drums and cymbals like Caribbean music with their steel drums. There was also a holiday parade going on. We didn't see the parade, but along the way we passed a couple of jeeps, one with people in combat fatigues carrying machine guns, and another jeep with what looked like a General in back and a large machine gun mounted to the front of the jeep. We were told by the driver that they were not military or militia, but were civilians dressed up for the parade. What a strange thing to see.

The hotel we're staying at is unlike anywhere else we've been. We're up in the mountains with views of the surrounding volcanoes and rice fields. We have our own villa, which looks to have been someone's cottage at one time, with its own private backyard, coy fish pond and even a coop with some fancy pigeons. Looking around the garden, we've spotted banana, orange, and jack fruit trees, and some other fruit we haven't identified. This place is rustic, with no air conditioning or screens on the windows. We have mosquito netting around our beds so we'll see how well we sleep tonight. It's a pleasant temperature up here in the mountains and should actually get cool at night.

On our way to lunch at the hotel restaurant, we passed cages of love birds and other birds. The owner is a French man, and with his wife from Indonesia they seem to love birds. When we had lunch at the hotel restaurant we witnessed and heard a group of about 20 motorcyclists roar past the hotel and then back again, making a lot a noise revving their engines. We asked the hotel owner whether there was a parade or festival going on today, but he wasn't sure. He said the local village would often organize these rallies for different days and times, but he couldn't keep track, since there were so many events.

As the sun started to go own, we heard the Muslim call to prayer, with chanting and singing from the nearby mosques. Being on top of the hill, we could hear the prayers coming loudly from three or four different directions. It was a new experience to be surrounded by it. It was as if the whole land was praying, which I suppose was the case. Elizabeth thought it was somewhat frightening, but I thought it was soothing, especially when the singer was talented. I'm not sure I will find it so relaxing though when I'm woken up tomorrow morning. It must be an effective way of remind all it's time to pray, since it's not something that would be easy to ignore. We are definitely in a strange and exotic land.

Here's a picture of our Luwak coffee experience.

The charms of Bali and your neighbourhood

Having visited other places in South East Asia, it is only natural I think to compare them to Bali. I can only imagine if we had come to Bali straight away from Canada, with no other experiences in Asia to draw upon, it would have charmed and amazed me as an exotic and beautiful place. I am still charmed, but it's a subtle spell.

Just for fun imagine you didn't have to concern yourself with working for a living. Where would you live? Perhaps some in Canada would choose a tropical paradise like Bali, but I don't think I would like to live anywhere else but Canada. The main reason is Canada is my home, plain and simple. It's where I feel most comfortable, in a culture and environment, both urban and natural, I understand and like to think I appreciate. Perhaps the winters are a bit long for my taste, and I wouldn't mind skipping the odd one, but I think I would feel out of place without the seasons.

I'm sure most of the Balinese would say much the same thing about this island. This is their home, their culture, their natural environment. Why would they live anywhere else? In Vietnam I had the sense from a few people I spoke with that they would consider moving elsewhere for a better life if they had the opportunity. I don't get that feeling here in Bali. The Balinese seem to be quite comfortable in their environment. It shows in many ways. For example, the way they interact with foreigners like me, calm and gentle, greeting me with big smiles. It's like they are happy. I think that's it. And I think foreigners who come here for the spa treatments, yoga, guitar lessons and what-not are drawn here to capture some of that happiness.

Here's the big life lesson you can glean from the Balinese if you're paying attention. Slow down and take it all in. As we would say, "stop and smell the roses". Or as one guy here put it, "stop and listen to the brook". That's the best advice I've received here since "try the curry" - it's tasty by the way.

We ran out of time to get the golden hour tour from a local art collector and curator named Rai Agung, who runs a great art museum here called ARMA. But I know where he's going with his tour where he shows people his favourite misty forest at dawn and points out the "beauty and poetry" of early morning village life. He's from here, he has cultivated an appreciation for the place over a lifetime, and he's happy to share his joy with others.

As I sit writing this, the sun is starting to set, and sunlight is peeking through the clouds to reflect golden across the water-soaked and newly-planted rice paddies. The swallows are having their last dance over the fields, catching their dinner, before it's the turn for the bats to put on their show. The breeze is cooling as the leaves move without a rustle. It is silent, save the sounds of nature's crickets, birds, and a rooster in the distance. Two smaller birds are picking at the insects in the field, occasionally turning to each other to sing a song or grouch at each other. The moon is almost full and on the rise, soon to ascend directly over us later this evening like last night. Catheleen is on the same path, about to go out with Elizabeth to the next village to watch the white cranes leave the rice paddies en masse to roost for the night in the nearby trees.

I'm sure the ARMA guy could point out the beauty and poetry of this setting better than me, but I get it. I should invite him to a golden hour tour from my deck at the cottage in Ontario in the summer, or a nature walk though Gatineau park in the fall.

Every place has its charms if you open your eyes.

Special education and a fire dance

John and I went exploring yesterday for a geocache, which we found in a school for the mentally disabled, sponsored by the Sjaki-Tari-Us foundation. John was very happy since he found something in the cache called a geocache coin, which is supposed to have a mission assigned to it like "bring me to every continent". John was thrilled because this one from Germany and did not have mission yet, so John can make one up.

I was interested to speak with one of the teachers from the school. She said the school was founded and sponsored by people from Holland. The Indonesian government does provide some schooling for the mentally disabled, but it's limited to kids ages 7 through 10. This school provides schooling for kids outside of these age ranges.

Last night we attended a performance called the Kecak Fire and Trance Dance, which was definitely worth seeing. The local community puts on these performances in a number of temples in the area. We were told at the end of the performance that the proceeds will be used to help build a temple. The area already seems to have an endless number of temples, but what do I know.

We bought our tickets, an attendant put a flower behind our ear on the way in, and were seated within a small Hindu temple courtyard on makeshift benches. The place was packed by the time the show started, with people seated on all four sides, wherever they could squeeze in. Some of the last people in sat on the only places available, the stone throne focal point of the temple. Even this sight of 300 people seated within a partially lit and ancient temple at night was strange and unique, all of us with flowers in our hair. Maybe my imagination was running wild, or perhaps I shouldn't have purchased the big beer on the way in, but it reminded me of something out of a cult movie, like the second Indiana Jones movie Temple of Doom. There was no doomsday here this night, but as I often repeat, you would never see this in Canada due to health and safety concerns.

The performance started after a man in a traditional sarong (which is the custom here) lights the candles on a statue in the middle of the courtyard. The candles burn brightly. Then an orchestra of 100 men, all bare chested and wearing checkered sarongs, enter and sit down around the statue. Throughout the performance they chant, sing, sway and raise their arms to the fire. This is the only music for the performance, since there were no instruments. Occasionally they would stand or lay down on each other. A most strange mix of sights and sounds, but mesmerising after a while.

The actors come and go throughout the performance, telling an adventure story from the Ramayana epic, as kings, evil demons, monkeys and others play their part in the capture and rescue of a princess from the forest. The lady actresses were well dressed in ornate costumes with golden dresses and headpieces, and performed slow dance movements with their arms and head most of the time. Again, very mesmerising.

Next came the most dramatic performance, the Fire and Trance dance. They first set up shallow metallic barriers around the courtyard, and then a pile of coconut shells were placed in the middle and lit on fire. Some of the orchestra men return on one side with some percussion instruments, and began to chant and bang their instruments. Next a shirtless man enters in bare feet, standing within a frame with a head and tail made of reeds. He was apparently in a trance from the chanting and he proceeded to walk and dance around the red hot coals. Then he kicked the coals toward our side of the courtyard, and a great mass of sparks flew up on high in this otherwise darkened courtyard. What a dramatic and startling experience to see the sparks fly! Some of the coals struck the barrier and made it through the cracks next to the audience's feet. He scattered the embers in other directions and then walked on the remains. The coals were swept into a pile by attendants and the horse man repeated the performance a couple more times. Once the burning coconuts were mostly extinguished, he lay down among the orchestra members with his blackened feet exposed, and seemed to receive a blessing.

The kids were concerned about his feet, and hoped they were okay. They were too shy to talk to him after the performance however and ask him. After the show we all streamed out of the temple, and enjoyed a late dinner down the street. What a unique way to spend an evening.

Here's John with his geocache coin.

Bali Bird Park

Last night we had a great meal at an Italian restaurant, although we may have eaten too much. The portions were much bigger than we thought. No worries, we had left over pizza the next day. After dinner Catheleen and I wandered around. I don't know how many Hindu temples there are here but they are everywhere. It's an interesting mix to see restaurants and shops squeezed in on the street between temples. We definitely had the feeling that we were far from home, but yet we had a sense of relaxation.

Today we visited the Bali Bird Park. It was an excellent day where we saw up to 250 species of tropical birds from Indonesia and around the world. Many of the birds we visually stunning with such brightly coloured feathers. But the best thing about this place was the close interaction we had with the birds. Something I suspect would not be possible in Canada for health and safety concerns. I think the locals are less fussed about that here.

Upon arrival we had a chance to hold some of the macaws and to pet the cockatoos, who liked a good scratch behind the neck. Catheleen was instructed by one white cockatoo, who pointed with its claw, to pet a little to the left. Some of the birds were allowed to roam free throughout the park, including peacocks and crowned herons, which looked like they had golden spikes on their heads. We had lunch in an open air restaurant when another demonstration started up. Here we had large birds flying within inches of our heads. Very exciting but I'm glad we had finished lunch before the demo started.

Later a peacock wandered into the restaurant and we had a good laugh as it tried to get at a french fry from under the table where two young Japanese ladies were sitting. Later on we saw a bird of prey demonstration, where owls, hawks, and large eagles swooped around us. My favourite part was seeing a flock of four South American Macaws, which flew around and up above, back and forth, in perfect formation.

The kids were big on volunteering for the demonstrations. At lunchtime John held out his arm while a large horn billed bird flew in from its handler who was far away to land on John's arm. John didn't get much warning about what was going to happen, so he found it pretty startling to have this large bird fly straight at him to land on his outstretched arm. Elizabeth volunteered at the end of our day for a bird of prey demonstration. She also didn't know what was going to happen to her. A lady before her had volunteered to hold a tray above her head while the handlers dropped pieces of meat on the tray one at a time while we watched Asian eagles with tan bodies and white heads swoop in quickly to scoop up the meat off the try with their claws. The announcer then said for the next demo that there would be no tray. Elizabeth was picked from the audience. She happily went along with it but was feeling much trepidation when the handler dropped a piece of meat on her head. Quickly an eagle swooped down and plucked the meat off Elizabeth's head. A bit scary for her but it turned out okay.

Next stop - Indonesia

It's our second day in Bali, an island in Indonesia. We flew here from Singapore yesterday, and we're settling into our surroundings. We're planning to stay here in Indonesia for about a month, with most of our time spent in Bali and some time spent in Java. We're currently in the town of in Ubud, a little bit inland.

I really like our accommodations. The room is its own building, surrounded by gardens, stone walls and gates, all overgrown with plants, trees and vines. This morning as I sat on the veranda I looked out over the stone gravel path, strewn with fragrant yellow flowers that fell overnight from the tree above. I gave a flower to Elizabeth and she put it in her hair - she looked very pretty with a big smile on her face and a flower in her hair.  The resort is set in the middle of working rice fields, which I think is unique and scenic. Sitting at the pool, I looked out across the terraced rice fields, where a few workers were preparing the fields for new rice seedlings, and watched the sun go down. 

Our first outing to the town last night was very pleasant. There was restaurant after restaurant, all well appointed places where you  eat in the open air. The weather was perfect, one of the few times on this trip when I wasn't sweating though dinner. It's a little cooler in Ubud compared to the coast because it's about 500 meters above sea level. 

My first impressions of Bali are very positive. The people are laid back like Laos or Thailand and offer great service with a smile. The Balinese people here are Hindu mostly, which is unusual I think since Indonesia is mostly Muslim. The people seem to be very spiritual, and typically make offerings twice a day. Just walking down the street at noon today, I passed a lady praying at a street corner, and watched her place an offering on the street among the many already there. The offering consisted of a banana leaf fashioned into a shallow square box with toothpicks, in which housed some flowers mainly. 

This morning we visited the Monkey Forest Sanctuary, which was fun if slightly unnerving. Once we entered the park I was immediately accosted by a monkey about the size of a large cat, who jumped on my shoulders. I wasn't sure what he wanted, so I leaned over to a stone railing so he could jump off. He didn't want to leave his perch on my back but eventually left, but he hissed at me when I tried to pass. I figured he wanted my water bottle so I gave it to him. He was satisfied and twisted the cap off, tipped it over, and started drinking. I guess he was thirsty. 

Catheleen and the kids had similar experiences. When we sat down the monkeys would eventually wander onto us and sometimes rifle through our pockets or try to look under our clothes for food. We bought some bananas and this is when to monkeys went crazy and jumped on our heads when necessary to get the bananas. It was a strange experience to be surrounded by so many monkeys. 

The park itself was very beautiful with its nature paths set amongst various Hindu temples. The place was littered with stone statues and bridges, some of which were encased in tree roots from the surrounding jungle. It reminded me somewhat of Angor Wat in Cambodia. 

Singapore - it's been fun but time to go

One reason I like to travel is to confirm that Canada is the best country in the world to live in. Kidding aside (sort of), when I travel I do try to keep an open mind to how others live, and then ask myself if they are on to something. For example, throughout the world I'm often impressed with the food on offer and wish we Canadians would pick up a few lessons from abroad. Maybe a few less hotdogs and fries and a few more fresh tasty meals instead - just a friendly suggestion.

After enjoying another great meal at a mall food court in Singapore, jammed packed with the locals, I have to chalk one up to the Singaporeans. Great food, variety, quality and prices - and even a beer stand to get a bottle. Would it be so wrong if we could get such treatment in Canada? Cleanliness? Have to give Singapore another point. Yes Canada is pretty neat and tidy when we're not dealing with 'snirt' - that's my name for the mix of snow and dirt that we drag into our malls and businesses all winter. But it doesn't gleam and sparkle like Singapore. Modern infrastructure? Chalk another one up for Singapore. They seemed to have skipped that 60's and '70's minimalist-rectangle look so prevalent in Ottawa. Too many public buildings in Canada look like something out of a Soviet-era housing project. Traffic? Wow, the traffic runs smooth and light, not like the traffic jams common during rush hour in many Canadian cities. Weather? Maybe too tropical for some, but there are no snowstorms or freezing rain here.

But scratch a little and you'll see the cracks in the veneer - some downside in all this upside. You get the gleaming streets but make sure you flush the toilet (it's a fine for you if you don't), and forget about chewing gum on the street because that's not allowed. These types of rules indicate to me at least unwelcome constraints on personal choice. Yes everyone should flush the toilet, but is a rule and fine necessary? Less traffic is great but forget about owning a car unless you're rich. You'll need to pay import taxes, a certificate of use, and tolls in the city that will at least triple the price, and is only good for ten years before you have to pay again. Good thing the public transit is good here.

As for crime and punishment, this is where things just start getting weird. There is mandatory capital punishment by judge (not jury) for some crimes that wouldn't get you anywhere near life in prison in the West, like drug trafficking. The rate of executions here has been higher per capita than just about anywhere else. Some crimes are just strange - opposition party leaders turned bankrupt after successful defamation suits by ruling government ministers. Pornography, homosexuality, nudity - all banned. Most Singaporeans live in public housing, but cats are banned from the buildings. I saw a sign in the building we're staying in that prohibited pet owners from letting their pets relieve themselves on the lawn or bushes. As far as I understand it, there isn't anywhere a dog is allowed to go in the city unless you bring some kind of mat.

It's like Singapore became a nanny state with a mean streak. Or a right leaning party had the run of the place for the last 50 years. Pleasant place, just stay on the straight and narrow. 

So would I live here? Probably not, but what a fun, impressive place to visit. And what great food!

Here's us at Universal Studios.

Universal Studios and Gardens by the Bay

Yesterday in Singapore we spent the day at Universal Studios. The place was like Disneyland but better with all sorts of themed streets and rides based on various movies. We bought express tickets which allowed us to jump the queue, which was well worth it. John and Elizabeth's favourite ride was a roller coaster ride in the dark based on The Mummy movie, where we found the Book of the Living to banish the mummy and save the world. I liked The Transformers ride that made it feel like we were battling transformers. There was a Jurassic Park ride where dinosaurs started running wild while we floated and splashed along a river; I was soaked both times we rode it on the final plunge down the rapids. Catheleen was smart and wore a rain poncho, avoiding the deluge. There were also two incredible roller coasters based on the Battle Star Galactica television series where we needed to empty our pockets before riding, since it flipped and turned us upside down and inside out. This ride was crazy and turned my stomach, so I only rode it once.

We also saw a Water World performance in the afternoon that blew us away, based on the movie I didn't like when it came out. It was set in a post-apocalyptic world where the ice caps had melted and the survivors lived on floating villages in search of the mythical 'last piece of land'. The show took place on a water set where a battle ensued between the invaders of the floating village and the inhabitants, all fighting over knowledge of the location of the land. The battles were amazing, with boats, jet skis and even a prop plane which dropped onto the set. In the final scene the bad guy was actually lit on fire and dropped two or three stories into the water. The audience was sprayed throughout by the action, and the kids, who sat in front, were pretty wet by the end. Catheleen and I sat further back to avoid the spray but I still received a good soaking. If you ever have a chance to visit Universal Studios, I highly recommend it. It was truly a memorable experience.

Today we visited Gardens by the Bay, which is a park built on reclaimed land. At the park we visited a couple of glass dome conservatories. One was called Cloud Forest and showcased a 140 foot mountain inside the dome under cool moist conditions with a waterfall. It was intended to show off a mountainous tropical region with multiple levels full of plants and flowers. After the walk to the site in the heat, it was a nice refreshing oasis as we walked our way down the walkways from the top of the mountain to the bottom.

The other conservatory was called Flower Dome, which showed off a more arid environment with trees and plants from different regions. The dome offered stunning views of the waterfront and skyline, including the Marina Bay Sands resort,. This results is three towers with a boat-like structure on top spanning all three buildings - I kid you not, you have to see it to believe it.

Final stop at the park were structures that looked like massive trees. They were topped with solar panels and also used to heat and cool water used in the park as part of a sustainable environmental design. We went up the trees and walked between them on walkways. John and I left before dark while Catheleen and Elizabeth stayed to enjoy the night-time views.

It was a great day in Singapore. Here's John on the walkway connecting the trees, with the Marina Bay Sands resort in the background.

Next stop Singapore - cool vibe, orderly state

From the moment we boarded our flight to Singapore from Ho Chi Minh City I felt more relaxed. I started by reading a Singapore newspaper called The Straits Times. Here was a press discussing the country's general election results from just a few days before. What a change from the dry newspaper I read in Vietnam, with its reports on official government meetings and statistics showing how the country is improving in various ways.

After arrival at the swanky Singapore airport, we passed easily through immigration control. We were greeted by a friendly immigration officer and waited briefly for our passports to be stamped while enjoying some candies on offer. Afterwards were got to rate our experience on touch screens - we ranked it an excellent experience. Much different from the long stares John and I received from a Vietnamese official before he stamped our passports one last time before letting us board our plane. The only indication at the Singapore airport that we were not in some metro paradise were three military personnel patrolling with sub machine guns.

We're staying downtown at a condo, and we're experiencing a modern vibe to everything. We've seen unique modern architecture - buildings with curves, waves and slices missing from the standard rectangle buildings I see in most places; and big screens covering the entire sides of buildings. We walked through malls lit from below with pulsating screens, and strolled over multi-level walkways crossing the streets. We've seen the well dressed and bored locals on their way to work, or perking up when chatting at an outdoor café, bar or restaurant. It all adds a cool vibe to the city.

It's certainly a nice change from countries we've previously visited, and it's great for me that just about everyone here speaks English. I've stopped random people in the street to ask for directions and everyone has been friendly and helpful.

The country has a large Indian community and we visited the Little India section of town yesterday. It was a place to pick up a few things and have a great meal at an Indian outdoor food court. It felt like I was in India, with people eating with their hands as is the tradition I believe. I tried eating with my hands but didn't quite get the knack of it.

As we crossed a pedestrian bridge to a mall and shopping area I noticed a sign warning of a $1,000 fine for riding a bike on the bridge. Over the next day I noticed more signs. A $500 fine for smoking here, a $500 fine for eating or drinking there. Instructions not to sit near the fountain, not to lean against the door, not to loiter near the statue. There were four or five separate signs on our way up the escalator explaining what to do and not to do. In the subway there were many instructions explaining where to stand, how to enter and exit the train, to keep the sound down on my device, etc. I didn't see any signs saying not to litter or the fines for doing so. Considering I didn't see so much as a wrapper on the ground over two days, I guess littering isn't a problem that needs fixing. There were also cameras everywhere, with notices posted that we're being monitored via CCTV.

It seems to me to be a very orderly, rules based society. Even the election was a harmonious affair as the ruling People's Action Party (PAP) won 70 percent of the popular vote, up from 60 percent in the last election, winning all but a few seats in parliament. I have to say I liked all the rules since they made sense to me and made for a more pleasant environment on the whole. But it did feel strange - maybe I just wasn't used to all the cameras.

I was curious though to learn a little more, so I looked into the history and politics of this place. The country was a British colony going back to the early 1800's, was occupied by the Japanese during World War II, and gained its independence in the sixties. Singapore was originally joined with Malaysia but split after only two years. The main point of contention seemed to be concern over affirmative action policies by the Malay government, which were focused on improving the lot of the poorer majority Malaysian ethic group. The Singaporeans were half Chinese after years of immigration under favourable British colonial immigration and business practices. As such the Singaporeans did not consider the affirmative action plan fair, which led to race riots and the Singaporeans going their own way.

The country is very well to do. The per capita income is one of the highest in the world and it's recognized as the easiest place in the world to do business. It"s a world centre for shipping, banking and business. The people here enjoy a high standard of education, health care, and the civil service has a reputation for honest government.

It did appear odd to me though that the PAP has been in power since independence, with no signs of much opposition. I looked into it and this country has what Freedom House would call a flawed democracy. It's a bit subtle but a number of factors have hamstrung the opposition parties here including the lack of an independent electoral authority, a judiciary and press under government influence (journalists regularly engage in self-censorship), and restrictions on political associations, demonstrations and political ads.

It's like from the Singaporeans' perspective, having much of an opposition just wouldn't be very orderly or harmonious.

Here is John at the mall, riding the waves or something. 

Reflections on Vietnam

We just left Vietnam today en route to Singapore. It's as good a time as any to reflect on our time spent in Vietnam. It seems visitors either love or hate their stay. I suppose it's easy enough to have a bad time or opinion. Just don't keep an open mind to other ways of living, or just focus on the lower standard of living. We were in the developing world after all without all the comforts and amenities of home.

There would be a lot to complain about if one were so inclined. It was hard to communicate with the local people most of the time. The traffic was tough. It was often hard to walk on the street let alone cross it. We spent weeks walking in single file most of the time like we were holding a rope up the mountain. There was the constant beeping from motorcycles, mopeds and cars passing by at close quarters. There was the lack of safe work practises in the street. Just yesterday Catheleen was crossing the street when a wire from above fell on her feet; I don't know if it was live but the workers above who dropped it should not have allowed people to travel below. There was no concept of queuing anywhere; people crowded around trying to be served first. There were the crazy taxi drivers who sped and passed while texting. There was smog in Hanoi, litter and garbage in the streets, and flooded roads everywhere after it rained. Prices were often arbitrary. We were regularly charged much more than locals for the same thing, and we fell victim to the occasional minor scam or cheat.

While not an issue for tourists in most cases, the country owes it to itself to have more respect for human rights and be open to political criticism and change. Albeit, this is easy for me to say from outside the country. But like any one party regime without a free press or tolerance for government criticism, it would be hard for the people here to initiate political change.  

But we didn't come here to focus on the negative and all the negatives have been minor annoyances in retrospect - for us at least. Rather, this country offers so much from natural beauty to culture and food, and offered us a tiny view of an intriguing and energetic people forging their own path in this world.

I never tired of seeing the rice fields covering the landscape, especially the terraced fields spread over the mountain sides around Sa Pa to the north. The limestone cliffs around Ha Long Bay were a marvel and deserved their title as one of the seven natural wonders of the world. The forested hills and mountains all throughout the country were beautiful, and the beaches along the coast near Hoi An were truly wonderful and a welcome retreat from city life.

The culture here has been jarring at times but also intriguing and endearing. From ladies wearing face masks to keep the sun at bay, to poor but persistent hill tribe people in their native dress in Sa Pa, and funeral processions consisting of flamboyantly dressed people in Hoi An. The floating fishing villages in Ha Long Bay were a strange sight yet made sense, given the imposing cliffs in all directions. We witnessed the energy and drive of the people of Hanoi with their over-bursting and narrow shops. I admired the way the locals stayed on the narrow streets throughout the day, eating, working and chatting together. We experienced the constant and endless flow of motorcycles carrying everything imaginable. We witnessed perplexing paper burning rituals in the streets, intended to help care and feed late ancestors. I was often transfixed, watching the spectacle unfold in a bustling, crowded mass of humanity that was both chaotic and a well organised machine.

The cuisine was fantastic.  The food was both simple and sophisticated. They say the Vietnamese will eat just about anything that moves. It don't know if that is true but they certainly have found many and varied ways to make use of the ingredients available to them. The seafood was abundant here and well priced, and I had my fill of clams, oysters, shrimp and fish. I think Catheleen got her fill too of salad rolls and spring rolls, John and Elizabeth filled up on Pho noodle soup, and I ate my share of Cau Lau noodles in Hoi An. I thought Thai food was my favourite Asian cuisine but I've had enough good Vietnamese dishes to make me question that.

The Vietnamese people were friendly and welcoming. Many locals who spoke English well would open up and tell us about themselves, their hopes and dreams. Many seemed genuinely interested in our life in Canada. Once they opened up, they weren't shy to tell me what they thought. While most people didn't speak English very well, they were ready with a smile when we smiled at them.

So the question I was asked by the hotel staff as we checked out of a Vietnamese hotel for the last time was when will we come back. I told them we would visit again soon but I'm torn. The country is new to the tourist industry and has much to learn. But it's a youthful and vigorous country which aspires to do well. There is much to come back for, but I honestly don't know if I would come back. But I'm certainly glad we came.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot. If you're ever in Hanoi, have the egg coffee. Num.

Beach time and motorcycle adventures

John started wearing a face mask in Laos when he wasn't feeling well. He said he wanted to "keep the germs away". He has recently focused on the fact the tourists usually pay more for things than locals, and so he wants to get local prices by going undercover. When he explained this to a fellow tourist from Australia I was speaking with, she hinted to John that his hair may still be a giveaway.

I see local ladies riding their motorcycles and mopeds completely covered with no skin showing. They'll wear cloth masks, jackets and even coverings for their hands. I'm told lighter skin is a sign of beauty here, and so women are trying to avoid getting a tan. This might explain why I see so few locals on the beach. Maybe they are on to something since too much sun is damaging.

I'm always amazed by what I witness everyday on the back of a motorcycle. Everything I could possibly imagine and more is carted around on the back of them. Just yesterday I saw a live pig in a cage on the back of one. Everyone rides them from young to old. Fathers ride with their whole family on board, grandmothers with this grandchildren, mothers take their young children to school, and of course young men ride with their sweethearts on the back sitting sidesaddle in short dresses and heals.

As I was waiting in line at an ATM, I spoke to a few young men, one each from Australia, Ireland, Italy, and the U.S. They had met a few weeks ago in Vietnam as backpackers and had decided to travel the country together. They each had purchased used motorcycles in the country for a couple hundred dollars and were riding their way down the coast from north to the south. One of them now needs to sell his bike to help pay his way home, but otherwise they each said they have had no problems travelling. One claimed they didn't even need licences to ride motorcycles here, and the police are very tolerant with tourist travellers and will look the other way at all but the most egregious traffic violations. I admired these guys for their adventurous spirit, but I looked it up later and and they should take the time to get valid motorcycle licenses for Vietnam. For those who have a valid motorcycle license already, it should only take a morning at designated police stations to take the test and costs around $50. If they don't have a motorcycle license already then this really isn't the place to learn. Without a licence they are not protected should they have an accident or a run-in with the police. I have a feeling my views would not have deterred them from their adventure.

For the last couple of days Catheleen has gone to a local tailor shop to get some clothes made, including shorts for John and some dresses and skirts for her and Elizabeth. I for one had a couple of shirts made, using an existing shirt as a template. The shirts turned out really well and they were very well priced. The best part was I didn't have to actually visit the tailor shop to bargain or endure fitting sessions.

The last couple of days I've gone back to the beach, one day with Elizabeth and the next with John. The waves have been huge both days and would constantly knock us off our feet and sometimes toss us around. True to form Elizabeth only came out of the water for refreshment, but came back to the hotel with too much sun on her face. John fared better the next day. What fun to enjoy the beach.

Here's a photo I took of a fishing boat on the river. Nothing to do with this blog but I like the picture nonetheless.

Bai Choi and cooking Vietnamese-style

Last night as we walked around the old city after dinner we saw a game of Bai Choi being played in a square. It was a bit like bingo but with music, singing and dancing. Each contestant received cards with Chinese chess pieces on each card, and the dealer randomly drew bamboo sticks from a box which bore the name of one of the chess pieces. The dealer or his assistant would then sing a folk's song about the piece.  I learnt later that the songs conveyed values like love, friendship or patriotism but with some fun mixed in. When a contestant had a match they called out and received a yellow flag, and when someone was the first to receive enough flags they won a small prize. The people playing the game seemed to be having fun and it was quirky to see the performances.

There was another game down the street that anyone could play since it needed no Vietnamese language skills. Players would put on a mask so they couldn't see and would take a whack with a stick at a small hanging clay pot. Most missed but there was a satisfying cracking sound whenever someone managed to smack a pot. This was high excitement for the sleepy town of Hoi An.

Yesterday morning we took a cooking course. We started off by walking through the market and collecting our ingredients under the tutelage of our chef Dom.  I was intrigued when the chef picked out the live shrimp we needed for the spring roils, since the little guys tended to jump out of the basket once he picked a few for purchase. I guess they didn't want to be lunch, but that was their fate. We picked out some pork too and I asked the chef why all the raw meat was being sold in the open air - it was already getting quite hot. He said the animals are slaughtered early every morning for sale that morning and so no refrigeration was required. I believe this must be true and I think it is the way it's still done in many or perhaps most parts of the world. Dom had pointed out, as were surrounded by pork meat stalls, that there was no smell, which was true. It was still a bit weird to be surrounded by so many parts of pigs, which were alive earlier that morning. 

Elizabeth was able to hold a duckling, which I think would cost about a dollar each (we told her they will be raised as egg laying ducks rather than for the pot), and we watched a lady make fresh rice noodles. That's one thing about this place - just about everything is fresh, either by necessity or preference.

After picking out our ingredients we took a boat ride down the river. Along the way we saw many fishing baskets and large nets. The huge nets were attached to stakes driven into the riverbed, and simply lowered into the water at night with a light hanging above to attract the fish and other seafood. The nets are then raised in the early morning to reveal the catch. I was struck by how abundant the fishing must be here, where the fish simply just come to the fishermen en masse to be caught. 

We eventually transferred to a small rowing boat, where we all put on cone hats woven from reed or straw. This was the first time I had worn one of these hats that I see everywhere, especially by those toiling in the rice fields in the heat of the day. Although I felt goofy wearing one, it felt well suited for its purpose - keeping the sun off while providing for air circulation around most of my head. 

The cooking course itself was well organized and fun. Chef Dom provided good instructions in English and there were lots of staff to help us out when we forgot what to do or were at risk of burning something. We made four dishes  including spring rolls, beef salad and their famous noodle soup called Pho. The soup was interesting since we made the stock from  scratch with beef bones and vegetables. What gave the stock its distinctive flavours were the use of cinnamon bark and star of anise. The kids especially enjoyed the cooking experience. John actually added some vegetables to his dishes, which surprised me since he's usually picking out the vegetables.

Here's Elizabeth making rice milk used to make rice paper. She's rotating the big stone pot to grind the rice, which was soaked overnight. 

Basket boats on An Bang Beach

We went to An Bang beach today, and as I arrived I felt immediately at ease. The ocean front was very beautiful with its fine tan coloured sand, refreshing ocean, cool breeze, and views of islands ahead and the skyscrapers of Da Nang in the distance to the north. But what struck me the most is how undeveloped the beachfront was. Besides lounge chairs, sun umbrellas and some really basic looking restaurant buildings made with bamboo and straw façade over correlated sheet metal roofs, there wasn't much else here. I'm sure that will change soon enough but it was a nice change from the usual built up beaches we've visited over the years.

As we left the taxi and walked onto the beach we were greeted by someone from one of the nearby beach restaurants who wanted us to use her lounge chairs and sun shades in return for having lunch and drinks from her restaurant. We agreed and spend a good day at the beach. The kids stayed nearly the whole time in the ocean enjoying the waves. On March breaks we typically go down south to Mexico or the Caribbean but the kids rarely go in the ocean, preferring to play poolside instead. It was great to see them having fun in the ocean for a change.

There's healthy competition between the closely packed restaurant owners on this beach. I watched some of the restaurant staff trying to convince tourists that their restaurant is the best. At one point an exasperated lady, who was laughing while two restaurateurs argued, agreed jokingly that she would take her lunch from one spot while her husband would sit at another. Such is this country, with its energetic pursuit of the tourist dollar. You can either be annoyed or entertained. I'm sometimes annoyed, especially when I'm hungry or hot, but I'm usually amused. We are definitely noticing more of a hard sell approach here in Vietnam compared to anywhere else we've been in South East Asia. On our first day in the market in Hoi An people wanted to lead us back to their store to show us their wares, which side tracked us on one occasion. It seems hard for some locals to take no for an answer.

At noon two fishermen brought back the catch on basket boats made from woven bamboo shoots. They looked like large round bowls, and the fisherman rowed it with one paddle. Once it was on shore, a few people used a thick bamboo pole on their shoulders to lift it on shore. Today some tourist men helped out, accompanied by laughs and picture taking from their spouses and girlfriends at this brawny attempt to impress. It don't think the fishing was very good this morning though. All I saw in the boat was a half filled bucket of small fish, which may just have been the returning bait.

Here's some people bringing in the boat.

Cao Lau and funerals in Hoi An

Yesterday we flew south from Hanoi to Da Nang and took a taxi to Hoi An, which is a much smaller place than Hanoi or Da Nang. The town name translates to "peaceful meeting place". It's a UNESCO world heritage site for its well-preserved South-East Asian trading port dating from the 15th to the 19th century. Not too many of these old cities remain that haven't either been rebuilt as a more modern place or destroyed by one of the many wars. The reason for its preservation is a combination of factors, including the silting up of the local river, which made the city a sleepy place for a couple of centuries.

On the way to our hotel by taxi from Da Nang, I spotted locals harvesting rice from the paddy fields. The fields were golden coloured from the ripe crop and had been drained of water to make for an easier harvest by people and machines. The machines on the field were being used to cut the stalks, and the people were carrying large bundles of yellow stalks laden with rice on their shoulders to the road. On the streets on the outskirts of town I could see they were drying out the rice on large blue tarps, and I saw people throwing the rice up in the air from shallow wicker baskets to separate the hull chaff from the rice. I must only have seen parts of the local process to harvest the rice, since the stalks would have been threshed somehow to remove the rice hulls from the stalks, and processed again, usually by a machine, to loosen the white rice from the hull exterior. It was interesting to see some of this as a manual process. I imagine in other places it would be more of a mechanized process to harvest the rice.

We checked out the old town last night and the streets were peaceful with no motorized traffic. With lanterns overhead as the main source of light, it made for a nice vibe. As we crossed over the ancient covered bridge, we had a great view of the island on the other side with its multi-coloured lanterns reflecting over the water. The place has a quaint relaxed feel at night, much different from hectic Hanoi.

The old town is packed with good restaurants, and I tried one of the local dishes sold everywhere called Cao Lau, which is comprised of barbecue pork, pork crackling, bean sprouts, lettuce and herbs, a spoonful of stock, and a special yellow noodle only made here. They say the noodles need to be made from local fresh rice, local water drawn from a certain nearby well, and the lye solution used to prepare the noodles has to come from ashes of a certain local tree after it is burned. I'm a little sceptical that all these specifics are followed, but they do take their noodle-making seriously for this dish in some of the best local restaurants. It was very good and I'll try it again.

Early this morning I heard chanting and singing and so I went around the corner to check it out. I realized later I was witnessing a funeral. There were dozens of people around with a few buses and parade-type vehicles. There was a ceremony going on in a small building, with a priest or monk chanting in a microphone, while one of the members of the large entourage held a picture of the deceased. Some people were wearing white head bands which symbolized the ashes of the dead, and there were monks in orange robes, nuns in white or light blue robes, and men dressed in brightly coloured outfits with detailed embroidery. Some of the men had cone hats painted like a target when seen from above with black and white circles with a blue bull's eye on top. After the ceremony some men handed out white gladiolus flowers to the crowd, and a coffin was loaded into one of the trucks. The entourage then worked their way down the street with music blaring. At the head of the group were six men holding a large drum on two poles, one pole on each side, while someone beat it. It was quite the spectacle.

Later in the morning we visited some of the sites in the old city, including an ancient house which is still occupied by a family who said they were the seventh generation in the house. We also visited a place that was a bookstore and meeting place for some Vietnamese people in the late 19th and early 20th century. Here they started up some newspapers and collected and read books to help develop ideas that contributed to their aspirations for a country free of colonial rule. When I sat down in this place with its dark wood panelling and benches, and looked around at the books and newspapers in the cabinets, I could imagine the building full of people reading and discussing their ideas.

Here's the hearse from the funeral procession.

Last day in Ha Long Bay

Yesterday evening on the boat we had another excellent meal with a wide variety of seafood, including local oysters served in the half shell and warmed briefly with fried and dried onions and garlic on top. The prawns were interesting since they were served with shells, heads and tentacles intact. Catheleen is pretty good at removing the shells and everything else, but I find I'm not in the mood for shrimp once I've witnessed this carnage. When the tour guide asked us if we had any food restrictions, Elizabeth piped in that, while she is not allergic to seafood, she doesn't care for it. John only likes shrimp and tolerates fish, so after a few courses of seafood, while Elizabeth was getting substitute chicken and beef courses, John wished he had also made the same request as Elizabeth.

At dinner we spoke to two Canadians named Cory and Luke, the only Canadians we've seen for quite a while. They were on a ten day trip to Vietnam, and had just returned from trekking to a hill tribe village where they spent the night in a local villager's house. Their accommodations were like a rough bed and breakfast, with about twelve cots set up in a large room above where the family lived. They were the only travellers there on this night, and ate in a separate room from the family unfortunately. After dinner they were given rice wine and felt obliged to drink a shot with each family member, who introduced themselves one at a time. They weren't sure how many shots they did, but after awhile they wished the family had instead introduced themselves for group shots. They were able to interact more with the patriarch of the family, a 70 year old veteran from the Vietnam war. He told them stories of his time in Laos during the war, and could out-walk the Canadians down the muddy hill in Crocs, while the visitors were slipping down the hill in their hiking boots.

I learned later, over perhaps one too many beers, that Cory and Luke were a team. One was a pilot and the other an aircraft mechanic. They have spent the last year and a half working for a company that provides troop transport for a couple of UN missions in Mali and South Sudan. They have both been treated for a round of malaria, but otherwise have not had many problems and have enjoyed their work. I asked them if their work is risky. Luke said not really, since they only provide the equivalent of civilian transport and follow civilian aviation rules, like no weapons on board the aircraft. If conditions were to deteriorate, then the military transports would need to take over. The worst incident they have witnessed was when a secret service official for a U.S. politician on board was disagreeing with the no weapons policy, and accidentally shot a bullet into the aircraft. Luckily no one was hurt and no aircraft components were damaged, but the incident did reinforce the no weapons policy.

In the morning, on our last day on the cruise, we visited a small floating fishing village, one of the last remaining in the bay. As I said in a previous post, the government is closing them all down to better provide health and education services to the fisherman, as well as to maintain a more pristine bay for the tourist industry. We were served tea and peanuts in a small fishing house made of basic wood and a sheet metal roof, with a bed, TV, and not much else in the house. We were told that at a cost to build of around $10,000, the house was big and expensive by floating fishing village standards, where monthly incomes are $200 to $300 dollars a month. The cost of living is high here by Vietnamese standards too, where just about everything except fish needs to be shipped at two to three times the cost of mainland prices. Only the women and children were present during our visit, since the men were out fishing. The floating village also included a fish farm, where a variety of fish and shellfish were raised. On site we saw another method to catch squid at night. A large lightbulb is placed at the end of a long boom; attached to the boom is a large net around 20 feet square, which is lowered into the water and raised to catch the squid that are attracted to the light.

We certainly enjoyed the cruise and time spent in Ha Long Bay. The place is very unique and beautiful, and deserves its UNESCO world heritage site designation. We departed the cruise, returned to Hanoi for the evening, and will be flying to Da Nang tomorrow.

Here is a picture of a rowing boat moored at the floating village, with the cliffs and islands in the background. 

Floating fishing villages in Ha Long Bay

Today was day two of our cruise within Ha Long Bay. I started the day with Tai Chi on the deck. I can't say I did it any justice, but I followed the instructor's moves as best I could. It was good to start the day with a little light exercise. In the morning we took a day boat through the bay past some of the two thousand islands that cover the area. Our destination was Cat Ba Island for some biking and touring. On the island we took a newly built road five kilometres inland to a nearby village - the old lower road was still under water. There was a lot of rain and flooding in the area about two months ago that has yet to subside completely. The last time it happened was about 90 years ago, and it has really hurt the villages on the island, who are only now getting their houses and rice paddies back.

We took three bikes out, with Elizabeth on the back of our guide's motorcycle on the way out and John on the way back. Riding on a motorcycle was again a highlight for the kids. Elizabeth wore a helmet on her ride but John was struggling to get this helmet to fit on the way back. I was insisting he wear it when our guide and driver Hung said he would take care of it. I went ahead only to see John zoom by on the back of the motorcycle without a helmet. I guess that's one way of taking care of it. I feel it is our responsibility to protect our kid's brains as best we can - call me crazy.

It was a hot ride but we brought along some water. At the village we said hello to the local volunteers who were helping out. These dozen or so young people went gaga when they spotted John, and surrounded him and touched his hair. John was holding a puppy at the time so he really had no choice but to take it, much to his chagrin. I never would have imagined John would be a rock star in these parts - go figure.

We saw some old houses built in the sixties when the walls were typically made with mud and straw. When we tour these type of attractions the kids are usually not so interested and would rather occupy themselves by finding a puppy or cat to pet, which happens oftentimes and happened again today.

On the way back from the village Catheleen's bike caused her some problems with a loose peddle, so we switched bikes. I was trying to figure out how to tighten the peddle bolt with my bare hands when a local on a motorcycle stopped to assist. After taking a look he flipped the bicycle over, balanced it on his motorcycle, and asked me to hop on. So I rode the rest of the way back balancing a bike upside down between me and the driver. We have yet to rent bikes without having some kind of problem - but at least the locals are kind enough to assist. We'll need to check them better before we rent any more, but sometimes the problems show up later, like today.

We did some kayaking and swimming off the two-deck day-cruiser we're on today. The kids especially liked jumping off the top deck, and we kayaked around the islands and beaches. The swimming was good around the boat but not so much from most of the beaches, which are covered in plastic bottles and other garbage. That's one of my biggest complaints here - this country has a lot of garbage around, which takes away from its natural beauty.

Today we saw a number of small fishing villages floating on the water. The islands in the bay are so steep that there are no harbours around for a village on shore. So the locals have adapted over the last couple of centuries to living and fishing from floating villages. The villages are basically floating rafts with houses on top. The government has been trying to get rid of these communities for some time, and there is a deadline this year to try to relocate the last of them. The government wants them dismantled, they say, since it is expensive to provide services like health and education. If someone is very ill, for example, they need to be rescued to the mainland by boat or float plane.

The fishing boats run by the villagers are very small. On one boat we saw a family on board with clothes on a drying line. One person was winding up nets around a big cylinder. The nets used square wires to form boxes while in the water and collapse when wound up. I was told the nets were used to catch crabs.

Here is a photo of us with the volunteers at the village on Cat Ba.

First day on Halong bay

We took the overnight train from Sa Pa to Hanoi, and then travelled by bus to Ha Long Bay to start a two-night cruise. Our guide Nam was very friendly and informative, and tried to give us a sense of life in Vietnam in general and Hanoi in particular.

He said people in Hanoi might wake at 4 or 5 AM and begin the day with some exercise. On our taxi ride from the train station in Hanoi around 4:30 AM we saw this first hand, with runners and cyclists dominating the street traffic before the sun rises. After exercise, people might have a noodle soup called Pho for breakfast. At the hotel this morning, while we waited for the bus to pick us up, I watched the scene across the street, where two ladies had set up shop on the sidewalk for the breakfast crowd. A mother arrived with her young child and ordered something that looked like porridge, and sat down on one of the ubiquitous small plastic stools that are everywhere. She fed herself and her child while a school age girl ordered the same thing and also sat down for breakfast. Other people came and went, some ordering a coffee or drink to go. Everyone was chatting. I had the sense that the same regulars visit the same small spots here and elsewhere on the street.

Our guide indicated that many people in Hanoi are considered not very hard working, because they have benefited from rising property values and increases in rental income over the last few years. I don't know if this is true, but I find his comment interesting since he is the second Vietnamese person to show some resentment or disdain for those who can rely partially or wholly on their property for income. Makes me wonder how the people here make sense of both the country's communist tradition and an emerging market economy.

Nam noted that there are not many taboo subjects in Vietnam. People are quite open and get straight to the point when they meet. A typical introduction might include questions like how are you, how old are you, are you married, what do you do for a living, and how much do you earn. He said people still marry young, between the ages of 15 and 23, and have large families. About the only thing he said not to do is shake your fist in the air, which means you want to fight. I was thinking the obvious taboo subject is any criticism of the government, but kept that to myself.

Our first day on the cruise has been great with excellent service and food. Our cruise boat holds about 20 passengers, and the rooms are a good size, with nice large balconies and big windows to enjoy the view. The bay itself is really spectacular. We passed by island after island in the bay, most with sheer cliffs completely around the islands. Later in the afternoon we went kayaking, and were able to pass though caves under a couple of the islands. One of the caves had bats flying and screeching above us.

Here is Catheleen and Elizabeth at lunch on the cruise.

Blue hemp and family dynamics

As we ate breakfast I peered out the hotel window, past the mist and dragon flies, and saw the same group of hill tribe ladies sitting down on the side of the road as usual for this time of day. They were chatting with each other, some sitting on the ground, and a couple sitting on overturned wicker baskets that they carry on their backs when walking around the town. They passed the time talking, laughing, and making their handicrafts. Even when strolling they are not idle. Rather, they stretch and wrap yarn from rough pieces of hemp, all the while on the lookout for prospective customers. I usually see them with blue hands, since they dye the yarn themselves, and the dye comes off easily. I've heard that if you buy a bandana you'll likely end up with a blue forehead. Catheleen had purchased a couple of small hemp purses and tried soaking and drying them to set the colours. I wouldn't normally pay attention to something like this, except that the bathroom sink was full yesterday with handicrafts and blue water.

Today we went back to the local park that ran up along the side of a mountain, and I had a proper look around. It was a large park with a few statues of cartoon characters and paths meandering all over, including little paths running under and through black rock outcroppings. John and I were in search of our first multi-stage geocache, where we needed to pick up a clue at one location which would then bring us to another location. The stages brought us up near the summit, but unfortunately we couldn't find the cache. I was just happy to move around and enjoy the rugged views, especially when the mist and clouds occasionally opened up. Once again we needed to pause a couple of times so Vietnamese tourists could pose with us for photos.

The small hotels and restaurants we patron are usually run by families, and we often see family dynamics play out in front of us. Our hotel in Sa Pa holds about a dozen hotel rooms, and our suite was very nice with views of the town and mountains. After breakfast is over in the small lobby and dining area the place turns into the partial living room for some combination of staff, family, friends, and small children. On our first day in Sa Pa we arrived quite early and waited around in the lobby for awhile, sometimes next to a couple of small kids watching Scooby Doo on the overhead television. The restaurants we visit are usually so small that we typically see the restaurant owner's kids in the dining area after school, sometimes watching videos on a laptop or an iPad. Typically there is only one cook and one heating element for cooking, so dishes inevitably arrive one at a time. We never know who will be served first or last. It a common situation to have one or both of the kids watch us eat while they wait. But that's the way it pans out sometimes. I tell them that is how it works in Vietnam - the parents always eat first while the children watch. It doesn't go over well.

It's common for the locals we've seen on our trip to dye their hair. Most women who do so choose some variant of red highlights, which I think looks pretty good, but we occasionally see some wild hair. Some teenage boys like to dye their hair either full blond or with only the top dyed blond or red.

We checked out of our hotel on our last day in Sa Pa and had a few hours left in town before a shuttle bus took us to the station for the overnight train back to Hanoi. We had time for a few last stops, so we walked down the hill from our hotel, veering around the hole in the pavement we call the Sewer Pit of Death. At night, with no street lights on this hill, it's always a good idea to bring a flashlight and walk on the other side of the road to avoid this trap. Then we avoided the traffic coming from all angles, and went past the park where the hill tribe folks were selling birds in cages among other things. We next visited my favourite restaurant called The Gecko which is housed in one of the tall and narrow four story buildings on the main street. Finally after lunch I went back for one last egg coffee at the Cinnamon restaurant. Then it was time to travel down from the mountains along the winding road. John was not impressed by the views and was instead on the lookout for potential "crash scenarios". We made it down safely.

Here's Catheleen at the park with Scooby Doo.

Cat Cat village and egg coffee

Today we visited Cat Cat village, a small village down a mountain slope, well set up for easy tourist access with good stone steps all the way down the village and along a river. Catheleen and Elizabeth had already been there yesterday but I talked them into joining John and me today. The kids wanted to take a motorcycle taxi ride to the place but I insisted on a car taxi. It was a moot argument as it turned out. After a one kilometre car ride the road was blocked and we needed to switch to motorcycles or walk. I enjoyed the short motorcycle ride with John and I on separate bikes. Once Elizabeth heard a motorcycle ride was back in play, she and Catheleen agreed to join us, and they took a motorcycle ride down to meet us. We later took motorcycles back up to Sa Pa. Zoom zoom.

The village was worth the trip for the views of the terraced rice fields alone. I had no knowledge of how rice was grown or harvested before this trip. I had some vague notion that rice grains grew in the root of the plant somehow, which is wrong. It turns out the grains of rice grow at the top of the stalk. News to me. I was able to walk down onto a rice terrace and pick a few grains off some stalks. The rice is starting to turn a golden brown as harvest time approaches, and I tried threshing and husking a couple of grains of rice. Sure enough there are white rice grains in there. I'm told at harvest time they cut the stalks six inches from the ground and then bang bunches of stalks against a wall to release the husks. When the stalks become laden with the growing weight of the rice seeds they begin to bend, and look much like wheat to me, except the rice plants are growing in muddy field.

I've started to spot restaurants that will be too noisy based on how narrow and winding the road is in front of the restaurant. If the road is narrow and near a bend then there will be constant beeping from all the scooters and trucks trying to make their way around. We like to sit outside on the patios but the closer you are to the street the more the hill tribe ladies will ask you to purchase their trinkets, even if you are in mid-bite. Regardless, we've enjoyed the restaurants in town and just go inside the restaurant if it's too noisy or we feel harassed. With all the beeping, sometimes this country feels like it's suffering from attention deficit disorder.

I enjoyed egg coffee in Hanoi and I'm enjoying it here in Sa Pa the last few days. It's a Vietnamese drink made with a layer of coffee and a layer of beaten egg yolks, sugar and coffee. It tastes a bit like tiramisu.

I subscribed to a math service called IXL for the kids. There is an app for the kids iPads which allows them to practice on their own time. I'm able to help them if they need it, and I can track progress with various reports. It's working out well so far. The kids like the way it's organized and the way it motivates them to progress. As they get questions right in a section their score moves up, and when they get a question wrong their score drops. The questions get progressively harder as they approach 100, at which point they've "mastered" a subject and don't need to return to it. I'm having them complete at least five hours a week on this with an added incentive - if they complete the math material in their grade level, then they won't need to do any more math on our trip. I don't know yet if they will be able to get through the work by December - we'll need to see how it goes. 

Here's a selfie of Elizabeth and me near a waterfall at the Cat Cat village.

Selfies and jianzi

Today John and I visited a large park which ran along the side of a mountain, in search of a geocache. While we sat down to rest, a young girl in a white dress sat down on our bench next to John and smiled. John smiled back awkwardly and the girl then inched closer. Then I noticed her mother smiling with a camera in hand. She took a picture of the two of them together, and then the girl put her arm around John for another photo. After a few more photos the girl sat next to me for another shot, and then the father replaced the girl for a final picture. Catheleen was touring the nearby town of Cat Cat at the time with Elizabeth, and they had a similar experience when two girls each took selfies with Elizabeth. I find it very strange to be a tourist attraction when we ourselves are tourists, but most of the tourists are Asians so I suppose we are an oddity around here.

I find it exasperating that there are no price tags for most items in the stores I visit. It appears that the price for just about everything is arbitrary and subject to bargaining. Sometimes I end up bargaining for a bottle of water. I suspect this bargaining is partly cultural but also partly the mismatch between tourist and local incomes, whereby tourists may earn ten times or more than local incomes. In this environment I think it's not surprising that tourists are quoted prices for small items that may be double or quadruple what locals pay. Because the item is still reasonably priced by Western standards, this price discrimination still usually leads to a sale, at least with me. It does bother me nonetheless to be spending so much more for the same item than the person next to me. But I would be just as bothered if I learned that the person sitting next to me on the plane payed half the price I did for their plane ticket, even though I understand why this is often the case. I think it has to do with perceived fairness.

Last night there was a performance in the local square not far from our hotel to celebrate Vietnam's Independence Day on September 2nd. Plastic chairs were set up for some officials in military uniform to watch the singing and dancing, and a small crowd gathered behind. We arrived just as the performance was finishing, but what I liked about this place were the teenagers ignoring the performance to play jianzi, known in English as Chinese hacky sack. We saw pairs of people playing this game in Laos, but around here groups of five or ten kids will form a circle to play. The shuttlecock, called a jianzi, has feathers fixed into plastic disks. During play, kids keep it off the ground with their feet primarily, but also use other parts of their body except their hands. It's a nightly occurrence to see half a dozen groups of teenagers out playing the game, and it's fun to watch. Even some hill tribe kids were taking time to play a game with each other, once they had finished with their street performance.

While this was all going on, younger kids were wandering around near their parents and launching neon-lit projectiles high into the air with strong elastic bands, and then watching them float down on propellers. It was a nice time to sit around for a while in the cool evening breeze and watch the local kids having fun and laughing.

Here's a sign that caught my eye on Independence Day with its iconic Soviet style art. No idea what it says though. Feel free to translate.