there is nothing better than being in the swimming pool. I'm pretty sure of this, I've been spending the last few weeks trying to find better ways to sweat out my afternoons. Though yesterday was really cool and so I decided to walk from school to Ben Thanh Market, forgetting that cool weather = rainstorm. Oops! I found shelter under a tree in the park and ended up talking for a few minutes with a Canadian who has lived in Vietnam for 5 years. That's the cool thing about being in this area, you meet people from all over the world doing interesting things.
I've about 1 more month here, which is a bit sad. =( I want to be in Vietnam slash on vacation for just a few more weeks!!! No but definitely am glad that I made the decision to come here and just wish I would have done it after college or something so I could get more time out here. My xe om driver today told me that my Vietnamese was a lot better, haha that's what one month of forced language learning will do!
Also just want to mention that it's really nice to be in a city/country where everyone is the same size as you. Or even smaller. Besides the way I dress, which is a dead give-away that I am a tourist, I fit in quite well.
Friday, May 22, 2009
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
video: 5.17.09 and 5.19.09
Clearly cannot talk, walk, and film at the same time, as I make many mistakes in the vids! And sorry for the bumpiness, I am recording while walking...
Sunday night:
After the tour of the Palace, I met up with Chi Cindy to have dinner and play tennis. This is a video of:
- Dong Khoi street, where the Opera House is and some really nice shops and hotels
- then a clip of riding on Sunday night, around 7 pm. I tried to capture the essence of the city at night, still busy and bustling with many people out and about.
- Ky Hoa 2 Tennis and Swimming club
The club is called Ky Hoa 2 (Ky Hao Hai, not “ba” like I say in the film, which means 3…oops!) and is located a few minutes from the house in district 10. It has covered and uncovered tennis courts, swimming pool, exercise room, sauna, food bar, and sports shop. Pretty cool. Pricing is like I say on the video, about $17 per hour, which can be expensive if you’re by yourself but if you split with another friend or maybe don’t need a coach, then I think it would be okay. There are cheaper places to play around the city, but this has a great facility and so Chu Dung pays a bit more for it.
Tuesday 5.19.09
I made this video going to Ben Thanh Market on Tuesday night, before meeting Chi Linh for dinner.
Video of Chợ Bến Thành:
I recorded crossing my street Trần Hưng Đạo (named after a military hero) to take the bus to the market. Then I film some of the market - at night, many stalls go up on the 2 streets surrounding Ben Thanh, but the actual indoor market is closed. You can still buy many thing at night, but it's only a fraction of the offerings inside...
I also go into a smaller street that has more stalls with other goods, so you can see just how much is offered and how crowded and crazy it can get...
Bloopers:
Title page should read "Chợ Bến Thành" - I mixed up the accent marks on the 'o'.
I talk about buying lacquered painted plates as souvenirs:
The larger painted plates, 1 foot in diameter, were priced at 250,000 D = $13
Smaller plates, maybe about 8 in in diameter, were priced at 200,000 D = around $11
Sunday night:
After the tour of the Palace, I met up with Chi Cindy to have dinner and play tennis. This is a video of:
- Dong Khoi street, where the Opera House is and some really nice shops and hotels
- then a clip of riding on Sunday night, around 7 pm. I tried to capture the essence of the city at night, still busy and bustling with many people out and about.
- Ky Hoa 2 Tennis and Swimming club
The club is called Ky Hoa 2 (Ky Hao Hai, not “ba” like I say in the film, which means 3…oops!) and is located a few minutes from the house in district 10. It has covered and uncovered tennis courts, swimming pool, exercise room, sauna, food bar, and sports shop. Pretty cool. Pricing is like I say on the video, about $17 per hour, which can be expensive if you’re by yourself but if you split with another friend or maybe don’t need a coach, then I think it would be okay. There are cheaper places to play around the city, but this has a great facility and so Chu Dung pays a bit more for it.
Tuesday 5.19.09
I made this video going to Ben Thanh Market on Tuesday night, before meeting Chi Linh for dinner.
Video of Chợ Bến Thành:
I recorded crossing my street Trần Hưng Đạo (named after a military hero) to take the bus to the market. Then I film some of the market - at night, many stalls go up on the 2 streets surrounding Ben Thanh, but the actual indoor market is closed. You can still buy many thing at night, but it's only a fraction of the offerings inside...
I also go into a smaller street that has more stalls with other goods, so you can see just how much is offered and how crowded and crazy it can get...
Bloopers:
Title page should read "Chợ Bến Thành" - I mixed up the accent marks on the 'o'.
I talk about buying lacquered painted plates as souvenirs:
The larger painted plates, 1 foot in diameter, were priced at 250,000 D = $13
Smaller plates, maybe about 8 in in diameter, were priced at 200,000 D = around $11
Food: 5.17 to 5.20
Sunday, 5.17.05
Lunch after the tour of Reunification Place was at a restaurant around the corner, Bún Bò Huế (meaning literally Noodle Beef Hue = Beef Noodle Soup, specialty of Hue in Central Vietnam, where my dad is from)
The menu offers two kinds of soup (yes they are both soups, there are about 10 different kinds of noodles each with their own name...it's quite hard to keep track of.) You can see on the menu:
- lớn = large for 25,000 D
- nhỏ = small for 15,000 D
- bánh Huế = flour cakes from Hue, four kinds of flour cakes: again each one has large size for 25,000 D and small for 15,000 D. The bottom is a listing of the drinks.
I'd already tried the noodle soups and sometimes for me, I cannot eat soup when it is so hot outside...so I ordered 1 of each bánh...(haha yeah maybe a bit much, but hey I gotta figure out which ones are which, and no food went to waste in this experiment...)
You eat these with nước mắm - popular Vietnamese fish sauce that makes all the difference in some dishes - and they all have beef in them, but are sometimes made with shrimp or pork. When we get these in the US, many times they come wrapped in banana or lotus leaves, which is how they can be cooked and steamed, and then it's also fun to open up!
Top - bánh lọc (had this in the US, the stickiest and probably my favorite)
Bottom - bánh nậm (also had this in US). Across them is spicy pork.
Top: bánh ít (small and round, stuffed with beans). Had not had this before, kind of too bland for me. Haha, also the only one that does not have meat...coincidence?!
Bottom: bánh bèo (had this a lot in US too).
Well glad I got that all figured out...haha great food experiment! Lunch for 10 people = 250,000 D. Fo realz, that's around $1.40 a person
**
Dinner on Sunday night was out with Chi Cindy on Dong Khoi Street, a fancy street with expensive shops, hotels, and the Opera House. Walking down the street is like walking down a really nice shopping street in the US, except sometimes the windows will show the traditional Vietnamese clothes, and women in ao dai are handing out leaflets for beauty and spa salons. (Manicure or Pedicure for $4 each! I paid half that at 30,000 D...but am in search of a spa pedicure which will probably be more expensive than $4).
In front of the Opera House (Nhà hát lớn Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh = literally "house singing large, City Ho Chi Minh") - in my next post I will have a video of Dong Khoi Street...!!
Chi Cindy wanted me to try Thai food: (R) Fried and fluffed fish with mango (L) Shrimp and tofu pad thai...mmmmm delicious!!
Dessert was like Vietnamese che with jelly, coconut milk, and fruit:
**
Tuesday 5.19.09
I had lunch after school with Anh Nam, Anh Keisuke, and Chi Ah-Kimmie, three of my classmates, at a Pho 24, chain restaurant, on nearby Le Tan Ton Street - urgh, I did not want to be at a chain restaurant but all the other local places were completely swamped with diners! One bowl of pho was 38,000 D and it was just okay, I have had better pho for breakfast from the housekeeper. So no pics because it just was uneventful, but afterwards I went with Anh Keisuke to Cho Ben Thanh (Ben Thanh Market) to walk around, browse the shops, and practice Vietnamese.
We stopped at TuttiFrutti (right next to the market and Pho 2000) for dessert to cool down from walking around. I think the other place I went to earlier in my trip had better toppings, and I don't know how the prices compare, but it was still good! 113,000 D for both (25,000 for 100 grams):
Later that night I met up with Chi Linh (met through a mutual friend), her cousin Dan, and Gina, one of their friends, at Sushi Bar - a great sushi place located on (again!) Le Than Ton Street.
Next post will have video of me going from my house to Cho Ben Thanh, where I walk around the outdoor night market. Then I paid 20,000 D for xe om driver to take me from the market to the restaurant.
Linh, Dan, and Gina are American citizens (considered here to be "expats" or "tay balo" in Vietnamese slang for "Western backpacker") and are all English teachers at different levels (high school, college, and elementary school, respectively) and so it was really great to talk with them about teaching English and basically how they are able to live here. Gina has lived here for 2 years and doesn't speak much Vietnamese - a testament to how much English is spoken in certain areas (read: in District 1, more expensive than local) of the city. Dan and I also made plans to watch the NBA basketball championships together - as long as it's not at 4 am local time. Go Cavs!! (But I digress...)
It had a level that had the traditional floor seating - a first for me! Super cute, and amazing, delicious food! We had miso soup, eel rolls, salmon sashimi, fatty tuna rolls, tempura, and 2 mixed sushi plates. The whole meal for 4 was 760,000 D = $42, so about $10 per person. Probably one of the more expensive meals that I've had on the trip, but definitely worth it!!
**
Wednesday 5.20.09
Dinner with Em Phuc and his sister Em Nhung, both lab assistants/students at the nearby University of Natural Sciences. I meet with them about once a week and speak Vietnamese with Em Phuc for about an hour and then we all go out to dinner. It's been really fun to get to know them and we're making plans to go visit the countryside one weekend. Excited but 45 minute ride (one way!) on the xe máy may kill me =/ haha
I told them that I wanted to eat gỏi cuốn (summer roll; rolls made from the white rice paper and not fried but served fresh and cold) and so they took me to a local restaurant in District 10 that I recognized to be near the tennis and swimming place...
Gỏi Cuốn - 1 for 3,000 D...so we got 10!
Gỏi đu đủ (papaya salad) with dried beef = 8000 D. You can see the little glass for tea and the yellow dessert menu (kem = ice cream)...so you can read in the pic that kem ly (ice cream in a glass) = 8000D See at the bottom? Fried ice cream for 5000D...guess what we then ordered...
Kem Chiên (fried orange icecream) = 5000D (yumyumyum) and the other plate is sticky rice with beef and peanuts
Fish meat balls! Total was 88000D for 3 people!!!
Lunch after the tour of Reunification Place was at a restaurant around the corner, Bún Bò Huế (meaning literally Noodle Beef Hue = Beef Noodle Soup, specialty of Hue in Central Vietnam, where my dad is from)
The menu offers two kinds of soup (yes they are both soups, there are about 10 different kinds of noodles each with their own name...it's quite hard to keep track of.) You can see on the menu:
- lớn = large for 25,000 D
- nhỏ = small for 15,000 D
- bánh Huế = flour cakes from Hue, four kinds of flour cakes: again each one has large size for 25,000 D and small for 15,000 D. The bottom is a listing of the drinks.
I'd already tried the noodle soups and sometimes for me, I cannot eat soup when it is so hot outside...so I ordered 1 of each bánh...(haha yeah maybe a bit much, but hey I gotta figure out which ones are which, and no food went to waste in this experiment...)
You eat these with nước mắm - popular Vietnamese fish sauce that makes all the difference in some dishes - and they all have beef in them, but are sometimes made with shrimp or pork. When we get these in the US, many times they come wrapped in banana or lotus leaves, which is how they can be cooked and steamed, and then it's also fun to open up!
Top - bánh lọc (had this in the US, the stickiest and probably my favorite)
Bottom - bánh nậm (also had this in US). Across them is spicy pork.
Top: bánh ít (small and round, stuffed with beans). Had not had this before, kind of too bland for me. Haha, also the only one that does not have meat...coincidence?!
Bottom: bánh bèo (had this a lot in US too).
Well glad I got that all figured out...haha great food experiment! Lunch for 10 people = 250,000 D. Fo realz, that's around $1.40 a person
**
Dinner on Sunday night was out with Chi Cindy on Dong Khoi Street, a fancy street with expensive shops, hotels, and the Opera House. Walking down the street is like walking down a really nice shopping street in the US, except sometimes the windows will show the traditional Vietnamese clothes, and women in ao dai are handing out leaflets for beauty and spa salons. (Manicure or Pedicure for $4 each! I paid half that at 30,000 D...but am in search of a spa pedicure which will probably be more expensive than $4).
In front of the Opera House (Nhà hát lớn Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh = literally "house singing large, City Ho Chi Minh") - in my next post I will have a video of Dong Khoi Street...!!
Chi Cindy wanted me to try Thai food: (R) Fried and fluffed fish with mango (L) Shrimp and tofu pad thai...mmmmm delicious!!
Dessert was like Vietnamese che with jelly, coconut milk, and fruit:
**
Tuesday 5.19.09
I had lunch after school with Anh Nam, Anh Keisuke, and Chi Ah-Kimmie, three of my classmates, at a Pho 24, chain restaurant, on nearby Le Tan Ton Street - urgh, I did not want to be at a chain restaurant but all the other local places were completely swamped with diners! One bowl of pho was 38,000 D and it was just okay, I have had better pho for breakfast from the housekeeper. So no pics because it just was uneventful, but afterwards I went with Anh Keisuke to Cho Ben Thanh (Ben Thanh Market) to walk around, browse the shops, and practice Vietnamese.
We stopped at TuttiFrutti (right next to the market and Pho 2000) for dessert to cool down from walking around. I think the other place I went to earlier in my trip had better toppings, and I don't know how the prices compare, but it was still good! 113,000 D for both (25,000 for 100 grams):
Later that night I met up with Chi Linh (met through a mutual friend), her cousin Dan, and Gina, one of their friends, at Sushi Bar - a great sushi place located on (again!) Le Than Ton Street.
Next post will have video of me going from my house to Cho Ben Thanh, where I walk around the outdoor night market. Then I paid 20,000 D for xe om driver to take me from the market to the restaurant.
Linh, Dan, and Gina are American citizens (considered here to be "expats" or "tay balo" in Vietnamese slang for "Western backpacker") and are all English teachers at different levels (high school, college, and elementary school, respectively) and so it was really great to talk with them about teaching English and basically how they are able to live here. Gina has lived here for 2 years and doesn't speak much Vietnamese - a testament to how much English is spoken in certain areas (read: in District 1, more expensive than local) of the city. Dan and I also made plans to watch the NBA basketball championships together - as long as it's not at 4 am local time. Go Cavs!! (But I digress...)
It had a level that had the traditional floor seating - a first for me! Super cute, and amazing, delicious food! We had miso soup, eel rolls, salmon sashimi, fatty tuna rolls, tempura, and 2 mixed sushi plates. The whole meal for 4 was 760,000 D = $42, so about $10 per person. Probably one of the more expensive meals that I've had on the trip, but definitely worth it!!
**
Wednesday 5.20.09
Dinner with Em Phuc and his sister Em Nhung, both lab assistants/students at the nearby University of Natural Sciences. I meet with them about once a week and speak Vietnamese with Em Phuc for about an hour and then we all go out to dinner. It's been really fun to get to know them and we're making plans to go visit the countryside one weekend. Excited but 45 minute ride (one way!) on the xe máy may kill me =/ haha
I told them that I wanted to eat gỏi cuốn (summer roll; rolls made from the white rice paper and not fried but served fresh and cold) and so they took me to a local restaurant in District 10 that I recognized to be near the tennis and swimming place...
Gỏi Cuốn - 1 for 3,000 D...so we got 10!
Gỏi đu đủ (papaya salad) with dried beef = 8000 D. You can see the little glass for tea and the yellow dessert menu (kem = ice cream)...so you can read in the pic that kem ly (ice cream in a glass) = 8000D See at the bottom? Fried ice cream for 5000D...guess what we then ordered...
Kem Chiên (fried orange icecream) = 5000D (yumyumyum) and the other plate is sticky rice with beef and peanuts
Fish meat balls! Total was 88000D for 3 people!!!
Sunday 5.17.09: Reunification Palace
What a fun filled day Sunday was! Em Hoang picked me up at 7:15 am and we met the students (all members of the English Club) in front of the Reunification Palace. As we waited for the rest of the group, there were probably about 5 bus-loads of people, not all foreigners - apparently it's a really popular Sunday morning field trip for both Vietnamese people and tourists....
Entrance fee = 15000 D
Guidebook (contains history written in English, Vietnamese and French) = 10000 D
Tour DVD = 20000 D
Em Khue, the organizer, had purchased tickets for the whole group through the funds of the English Club and also insisted on buying the a guidebook (great souvenir) and DVD.
The group in front of the Reunification Palace.
I already posted a lot about the history of this building for the Reunification Holiday at the end of April. So I already knew much of the history of the building, but seeing everything in person made it so real. The building, with much of the original artwork, furniture, lighting and carpeting, is like a time capsule of 1975 - really freaky and yet fascinating at the same time.
Posing with Em Binh in front of the model (there was only one real vehicle from that time period in the museum - everything else was a model) of the 390 tank that broke down the front gate of the Independence Palace, on April 30, 1975. 4 people were in each tank. There was also a tank that broke down the side gate (model on display) but this tank was the one capture in all the pictures of that iconic moment. Poor side tank, always a bridesmaid, never a bride.
Group shot in front of a model US F5E aircraft, the same one in which pilot Nguyen Thanh Trung bombed the Independence Palace on April 8, 1975. (Note that this date is still during the actual war time - may have contributed to the "Fall of Saigon" not like the tank breaking the gates.)
The building itself was more beautiful than I expected. This current palace was designed by Ngô Viết Thụ, who won the Roman Grand Prize for this building; he combined modern architecture and oriental traditional architecture, including many Chinese characters.
From my guidebook: "The overall outlay of the building is made to express CAT, a Chinese character meaning good future (seen in bird's eye view). Within the front facade of the building there are many other symbols:
KHAU = education and freedom,
TRUNG = center (for balance and peace of mind),
TAM = 3 aspects of democracy = humanity, wisdom, boldness,
VUONG = King,
CHU = sovereignty,
HUNG = prosperity...all aspects important to the future of the Vietnamese people.
(they draw it in my guidebook but the pictures of this don't turn out nice enough to see - so I will try to draw it out when there's more time because it's quite interesting)
Probably my most favorite aspect of the building, along with the beautiful views of the city from it: "The architectural beauty of the Palace is embodied in the flower stone curtain bearing shapes of bamboo joints surrounding the second floor. It not only increases the beauty of the Palace but also admits sunlight from the East." Also there were many stone carvings, displaying dragons and phoenix, under the smaller windows.
windows from the outside
windows from inside - on the 2nd floor. From this view you can see that they are actually floor to ceiling windows and so can let in all of the light from the rising Sun (symbolic: Palace is graced by the East's Rising Sun).
Beautiful view of the street! There is a street that runs across the front, parallel to the gate; and there is another street that runs actually from my school down and dead ends into the front gate (there is a park on both sides as it gets close to the Palace - this is what you see in the video at the top of this post).
Other front entrance photographs taken from different levels:
So I took way too many pictures and cannot post them all here. All pics can be accessed here and there are captions for things that I cannot write about here. Too many interesting things, too little picture space! So I am just posting the highlights...
Colors and lighting also have a great symbolic meaning within the Palace. The Cabinet Meeting room is green to create a calm, peaceful atmosphere. The Banquet Room, used for formal dinners, is yellow to depict South Vietnam's beauty and luxury. Otherwise, many of the other rooms use the strong red and yellow colors of the Vietnamese Flag, and various Chinese characters and symbols within the artwork and furniture. The lighting in each room is also unique and really goes well with the design and intended "mood" of each room - like in the First Lady's Dining Room, your eyes are drawn upwards to the lotus flower shaped lights, which somehow seem to create a more feminine, cozy atmosphere along with the furniture.
The President's International Reception Room - President's Chair is a bit more elevated than the other chairs, and has handles carved in a dragon's head. The guests' chairs have handles that are carved as phoenix. The lacquered wood behind the Presidents' chair has three stripes cut into it, to signify the South Vietnamese flag (yellow with three red stripes).
Side note: In Washington D.C.'s Little Saigon area, it is this flag that flies next to the American flag...still controversial as evidenced by Wiki:
"In the United States, at least 11 states and 113 cities have adopted resolutions recognizing the former South Vietnamese flag as the Vietnamese Heritage and Freedom Flag.[7] The Vietnamese Heritage and Freedom Flag is permanently displayed at memorial sites at Westminster, California and Cabramatta, Australia. The Vietnamese government opposes these efforts and complained to the United States federal government on the grounds that it is a sovereign country with diplomatic relations with the United States. This flag is de facto banned in Vietnam. In contrast, the current Vietnamese flag is considered offensive by many overseas Vietnamese."
(I try very hard to not say things like "Vietnam War" or "Fall of Saigon" because I do not want to sound presumptuous and want to remain as neutral as possible. It may be overreacting a bit but really do not want to offend anyone.)
View of the helicopter pad - The helicopter is a model of the one that the President would use to do an overhead tour of the city. The two circles represent where 2 bombs impacted under release by pilot Lieutenant Nguyen Thanh Trung, at 8:30 am on Aptil 8, 1975.
Group shot at the top of the Palace!
Something really interesting to see on my Picasa page is a description of the Vietnamese History:
Explaining the history of the Norodom Palace - the Reunification Palace sits on the site of the Norodom Palace which was built by the French in 1870s.
The Civil War: It's a reminder that history is exactly that, HIS STORY, and is subjective.
Consider that by the "Vietnam War's" end in 1975, the Vietnamese had been fighting foreign involvement or occupation (by the French, Chinese, Japanese, British, and American governments), for 116 years....
3 iconic image of April 30, 1975 - the day that marks the end of the War.
On Top: One of the most famous photos taken that day, people boarding a helicopter on the CIA rooftop. The photographer, Hugh Van Es, just passed away this week.
Middle: The tank breaks through the front gate of the then Independence Palace.
Bottom: The tanks and soldiers leave their mark on the front lawn of the Palace.
And so ended our tour of the Palace - it was really incredible and I'm so glad that I was able to tour with some friends from the medical school. We had a Vietnamese tour guide that liked to run from room to room, and so it was a bit hurried but a few students were happy to play translator and explain all of the details. Surely it is a must see when in HCMC, to fully understand the history of the city and the people here.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
this weekend
was really fun, minus the accident!
Friday was class then out and about in the evening with Em Hoang.
Saturday morning, I had breakfast with em Thao, the girl who took me to the supermarket earlier in the week.
Restaurant near the medical school with a great view of the street traffic below: Glass noodle soup with chicken + iced tea = 20,000 D
Then we went to Ao Dong, a market near the medical school. It's cheaper than Ben Thanh, and bigger with 3 levels. I was looking for some fabrics and clothes, but there are so many stalls, it quickly got very overwhelming. I'll go back next week again with em Thao and take some pics, but it's just crazy incredible how many stalls there are and how many things they have on display. I bought a new black messenger bag (fake Prada, whaaaat!) for 386,000 D = $20; probably overpriced but I really needed a new one. Okay, I am not going shopping again without someone else, because my bargaining skills are laughable. I just get nervous and sweaty and overwhelmed by the language barrier and the amount of math I have to do in my head and then I just get tired and really want the product and so just say OK. It really must be a learned art, because I am failing at bargaining 101 that's fo sho!
Saturday afternoon, I studied some Vietnamese with Cau Giang (Chu Dung's nephew), then was able to video chat with mom, and catch up on some tv shows.
Sunday morning I went with a group of the medical students to tour the Reunification/Independence Palace. For some reason, they like to do things really early in the morning, I was picked up at 7:15 am. The group got together a bit before 8 am, but there were already at least 5 bus loads of people in the Palace grounds.
It was a beautiful Palace, and much of the furniture, artwork, displays are the original from 1975 - basically like a time capsule of the 1970s, and full of history and culture.
I took a ton of pictures and spend the last hour labeling, editing, and uploading...so too tired to write up a post, so I'll put the pics here for now and write a big thing tomorrow.
New pictures posted
Friday was class then out and about in the evening with Em Hoang.
Saturday morning, I had breakfast with em Thao, the girl who took me to the supermarket earlier in the week.
Restaurant near the medical school with a great view of the street traffic below: Glass noodle soup with chicken + iced tea = 20,000 D
Then we went to Ao Dong, a market near the medical school. It's cheaper than Ben Thanh, and bigger with 3 levels. I was looking for some fabrics and clothes, but there are so many stalls, it quickly got very overwhelming. I'll go back next week again with em Thao and take some pics, but it's just crazy incredible how many stalls there are and how many things they have on display. I bought a new black messenger bag (fake Prada, whaaaat!) for 386,000 D = $20; probably overpriced but I really needed a new one. Okay, I am not going shopping again without someone else, because my bargaining skills are laughable. I just get nervous and sweaty and overwhelmed by the language barrier and the amount of math I have to do in my head and then I just get tired and really want the product and so just say OK. It really must be a learned art, because I am failing at bargaining 101 that's fo sho!
Saturday afternoon, I studied some Vietnamese with Cau Giang (Chu Dung's nephew), then was able to video chat with mom, and catch up on some tv shows.
Sunday morning I went with a group of the medical students to tour the Reunification/Independence Palace. For some reason, they like to do things really early in the morning, I was picked up at 7:15 am. The group got together a bit before 8 am, but there were already at least 5 bus loads of people in the Palace grounds.
It was a beautiful Palace, and much of the furniture, artwork, displays are the original from 1975 - basically like a time capsule of the 1970s, and full of history and culture.
I took a ton of pictures and spend the last hour labeling, editing, and uploading...so too tired to write up a post, so I'll put the pics here for now and write a big thing tomorrow.
New pictures posted
back where he belongs
Phelps is back in the pool!! (Thank goodness!)
May 15: Phelps wins two titles in first finals since Olympics
May 16:Phelps suffers first swim finals loss in a year
After a nine month hiatus, he's back and doing what he does best. Good job, Phelps, stay out of the party scene. Getting caught twice means either a) stop doing it or b) get smart and party alone. Clearly you should be doing the former because you are an ATHLETE whose lively hood depends on HEALTHY LUNGS, good eyesight, and a strong work ethic.
Piersol is gunning for his spot!!
May 15: Phelps wins two titles in first finals since Olympics
May 16:Phelps suffers first swim finals loss in a year
After a nine month hiatus, he's back and doing what he does best. Good job, Phelps, stay out of the party scene. Getting caught twice means either a) stop doing it or b) get smart and party alone. Clearly you should be doing the former because you are an ATHLETE whose lively hood depends on HEALTHY LUNGS, good eyesight, and a strong work ethic.
Piersol is gunning for his spot!!
Friday, May 15, 2009
Accident
Well, maybe writing the almost accident a few days ago jinxed me. Because tonight was a full-fledged "motorbike collides with car" accident.
Tonight I went around with Em Hoang, a third year medical student. He took me around the District 1 area, we walked around a bit, and then stopped at a coffee shop for awhile. On the way to my house we got into a small accident, really very minor, but shook me up.
Video of Em Hoang - I speak "Americanized Vietnamese", and he answers in English. Haha this is probably the only footage I will take of me speaking Vietnamese because I sound like a hillbilly. =/
Em Hoang was already driving very slowly to follow the house numbers and a taxi van that was to the left to us was slowing down and turned across our path into the gas station. It was seriously in slow motion - we got caught between the van and the curb of a sidewalk - the van hit the motorbike and the we fell onto the ground, motorbike landing on its side on top. Double prayers of thanks for helmets and brakes.
I am very lucky that I did not land harder than I did. Em Hoang was driving slowly and I landed on the sidewalk, not the ground. Soft landing, and I had a helmet. (yay safety laws!) But if either of us were driving faster, it would have been really bad.
So everything is okay, just kind of shaken up, but there is no damage to anyone or anything. People came over, reviewed the accident, asked if everyone was okay, checking out the vehicles - the driver definitely did not have his turn signal on but also we were in his blind spot. I don't know what would have happened if something more major had happened - I'm pretty sure that most people do not have insurance here - but I did purchase international medical insurance the day before I left, so I would have been covered.
4 weeks already in HCMC, every day on a motorbike and only 1 minor accident...sheesh let's hope that's as bad as it gets...
Tonight I went around with Em Hoang, a third year medical student. He took me around the District 1 area, we walked around a bit, and then stopped at a coffee shop for awhile. On the way to my house we got into a small accident, really very minor, but shook me up.
Video of Em Hoang - I speak "Americanized Vietnamese", and he answers in English. Haha this is probably the only footage I will take of me speaking Vietnamese because I sound like a hillbilly. =/
Em Hoang was already driving very slowly to follow the house numbers and a taxi van that was to the left to us was slowing down and turned across our path into the gas station. It was seriously in slow motion - we got caught between the van and the curb of a sidewalk - the van hit the motorbike and the we fell onto the ground, motorbike landing on its side on top. Double prayers of thanks for helmets and brakes.
I am very lucky that I did not land harder than I did. Em Hoang was driving slowly and I landed on the sidewalk, not the ground. Soft landing, and I had a helmet. (yay safety laws!) But if either of us were driving faster, it would have been really bad.
So everything is okay, just kind of shaken up, but there is no damage to anyone or anything. People came over, reviewed the accident, asked if everyone was okay, checking out the vehicles - the driver definitely did not have his turn signal on but also we were in his blind spot. I don't know what would have happened if something more major had happened - I'm pretty sure that most people do not have insurance here - but I did purchase international medical insurance the day before I left, so I would have been covered.
4 weeks already in HCMC, every day on a motorbike and only 1 minor accident...sheesh let's hope that's as bad as it gets...
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Happy Hour
Tonight was a nice event, though I was worried at first because I showed up alone and didn't know anyone =/ Ahh well, that's the whole point of these things right? This was a gathering of professionals and volunteers in the NGO field - something I'm interested in since my second trip to Vietnam was coordinated by 2 American-Vietnamese healthcare NGOs. I sat with a group of people and it's so interesting the work that is being done here in Vietnam. There are so many NGOs because the people here are so poor, especially in the Southern Provinces, they need everything from basic services, education, medical treatments, schools, etc.
One woman volunteers at a children's NGO, doing fund raising and translations. One guy worked basically as an "undercover" person, to help expose pimps and save women and girls from the sex slave trade. (Which is weird because, with his dreadlocks and hippie look, he looks nothing like what I would expect for someone to look like that wanted that kind of thing. But apparently his foreign looks are enough to sell it - and he probably talks well...) So I met a lot of people and got a lot of contact information.
And then! I met two girls that are getting ready to spend four months in a work-exchange program in the US...which city?? Cincinnati, Ohio!!! Actually, they will be working at King's Island, a theme park, that is about 1.5 hours from Columbus. SMALL WORLD, HAHA!!!!!! I talked to them quite a bit about that area, living in the US, and other things they may be able to do....Oh man, what a unique experience that will be...
The food at Cantina Central was not very good - bland and too spicy. Normally Vietnamese food is not spicy, you add the chili yourself, but they really took this Mexican theme seriously, I guess...So my friend Chuong and I left together and met another friend at the Ben Thanh Market - at night, there are many night stands on the street, where you can still buy clothes, accessories, and food. I was weary about eating there because last time I was here with my dad and brother (albeit in 2004, but a memory like that sticks with you forever), the results were not good. That was the first and last time we'd eaten at a street stall (good thing we saved it for the end of the trip!) - so I didn't want to repeat that...
Anyways I ate something small and shopped around. Next time, I will come back and eat here, at the corner of the Ben Thanh market, where President Bill Clinton ate in 2000: (They are very very very proud of this)
Though it's probably not the best pho, just the best location...haha!
While Chuong and Tiffany finished their meals, I walked around and did some shopping. I'm apparently not a very good bargainer, because I after I bought this bag for 90,000 D, I walked to another stall and saw the same styled bag, and the woman told me 50,000 D - first offer, no bargaining yet. Crapola!! Still cheap for me, but comooooon, I need to have more patience and learn the art of bargaining....
Super cute, hand embroidered, am thinking of using it as decoration and not really as a handbag.
**
Okay and since one of you reallyreallyreally needs some cheering up, I am posting the pics of my suits. No need to lie and say they look nice - they are made well, the designs are cute, it's just the colors that are KILLING ME. BAH! At least they will be useful for your entertainment...
So this is what happens when you cannot say no:
Don't lie. I look like a popsicle.
One woman volunteers at a children's NGO, doing fund raising and translations. One guy worked basically as an "undercover" person, to help expose pimps and save women and girls from the sex slave trade. (Which is weird because, with his dreadlocks and hippie look, he looks nothing like what I would expect for someone to look like that wanted that kind of thing. But apparently his foreign looks are enough to sell it - and he probably talks well...) So I met a lot of people and got a lot of contact information.
And then! I met two girls that are getting ready to spend four months in a work-exchange program in the US...which city?? Cincinnati, Ohio!!! Actually, they will be working at King's Island, a theme park, that is about 1.5 hours from Columbus. SMALL WORLD, HAHA!!!!!! I talked to them quite a bit about that area, living in the US, and other things they may be able to do....Oh man, what a unique experience that will be...
The food at Cantina Central was not very good - bland and too spicy. Normally Vietnamese food is not spicy, you add the chili yourself, but they really took this Mexican theme seriously, I guess...So my friend Chuong and I left together and met another friend at the Ben Thanh Market - at night, there are many night stands on the street, where you can still buy clothes, accessories, and food. I was weary about eating there because last time I was here with my dad and brother (albeit in 2004, but a memory like that sticks with you forever), the results were not good. That was the first and last time we'd eaten at a street stall (good thing we saved it for the end of the trip!) - so I didn't want to repeat that...
Anyways I ate something small and shopped around. Next time, I will come back and eat here, at the corner of the Ben Thanh market, where President Bill Clinton ate in 2000: (They are very very very proud of this)
Though it's probably not the best pho, just the best location...haha!
While Chuong and Tiffany finished their meals, I walked around and did some shopping. I'm apparently not a very good bargainer, because I after I bought this bag for 90,000 D, I walked to another stall and saw the same styled bag, and the woman told me 50,000 D - first offer, no bargaining yet. Crapola!! Still cheap for me, but comooooon, I need to have more patience and learn the art of bargaining....
Super cute, hand embroidered, am thinking of using it as decoration and not really as a handbag.
**
Okay and since one of you reallyreallyreally needs some cheering up, I am posting the pics of my suits. No need to lie and say they look nice - they are made well, the designs are cute, it's just the colors that are KILLING ME. BAH! At least they will be useful for your entertainment...
So this is what happens when you cannot say no:
Don't lie. I look like a popsicle.
Collection of stories..
It's about 100 degrees right now, hot and humid, and I'm pretty sure that my clothes have melted into my skin. Urgh gross. When I was on the xe om headed home from school, I touched my eyes because the light was so bright, I thought maybe the lenses had fallen off of my sunglasses...no joke, it was that bright with tinted lenses. Blinding sun.
So I'll use this lazy time in front of the fan as story time:
**
I went again to the Co-op Supermarket (cool, has a website!) to pick up some necessities:
2 razors = 6,700 D
package of 20 wet tissues = 8,000 D
- They are individually wrapped and are commonly served at restaurants in lieu of the dry napkins we are used to. Someone told me to bring wetnaps, but in the US it's hard to find individually wrapped ones, and I don't want to lug around a whole box...In this heat, they are lifesavers!
Vaseline aloe lotion, 250 ml = 41,500 D
Dove body wash, 200 g = 31,000 D
Total = 87,2000 D
- The packaging is the same as in the US. I bought the US name brand items which were probably twice as expensive as other brands, because they were completely labeled in English and I could read the description. And they were the right sizes, I didn't want to buy extra large containers. Some of the other body wash products had a partial description in English, where I could read "Moisturizer and Whitener" - having light skin is desired in VN and they have these products, as well as spa services, that claim to lighten the skin. So I stayed away from them and any product I couldn't read because I didn't want to buy something with those chemicals...
**
Last week, I was chatting with a friend from UChicago about his travels and he mentioned that he knew someone that was living in Vietnam (They had worked together for over a year in the Peace Corps) - and it turns out that she lives in Ho Chi Minh City. Yesterday I had lunch with her, and it was striking what a small world it was - Chi Linh is actually from Chicago and went to undergrad at University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, worked in the corporate world for awhile, then went to China with the Peace Corps, and then moved out to Vietnam where she worked with several organizations to teach English. It was so weird to speak to someone that didn't have an accent! She told me about the expat community here, teaching English, and a story about getting into a small xe om accident (that included a baby not wearing a helmet. Come on government of Vietnam, protect your youngest citizens!!!!). It was really a fascinating glimpse into what I was thinking about yesterday, and I realized that having a xe om driver really makes a difference, because I do not have to pay attention to anything while driving. But when on xe may, you have to be on hyperalert to make sure you don't get side-swiped by another bike or car...or bus.
Shudder. That almost happened today because Anh Ni, my driver, only looked one way while crossing a 2 lane road. And it was a construction truck. Brakes are your friend here.
**
I ate the Sweet Sop (Mãng Cầu Ta) today, one for breakfast and one for lunch. It's really easy to eat - you kind of pick the peel off of the fruit, easier than an orange but more work than a banana, since the peel is textured and each "polyp" needs to be picked. It's hard to explain, haha, but you can see the in picture that the peel comes off very small. When you bite into it, it's really sweet and has many "buds" - for lack of a better word - like biting into a bunch of grapes, you can feel each grape. I like the fruit but the kicker is that each of the small "buds" has a large seed, black and larger than watermelon seeds. They are quite big and make eating the fruit more work since there are so many "buds" contained in the fruit itself...
Sorry, my camera couldn't really focus so close, but maybe you can see what I am trying to describe...haha! It was good though but that's why I could only eat one small fruit for each meal because it was a lot of work and rather messy.
**
I also busied myself by reading Vietnamese news and found some interesting articles about public health:
Cholera, bird flu present, but VN still A/H1N1-free
More than $38 million earmarked for HIV/AIDS prevention
Number of acute diarrhea cases soars in Hanoi
Doctors point traces of air and noise pollution
Okay I'm off to Cantina Central, located in the downtown District 1 area, for an NGO Happy Hour. Yay facebook contacts and events! It'll be interesting to see what the Vietnamese version of Mexican food is like...
So I'll use this lazy time in front of the fan as story time:
**
I went again to the Co-op Supermarket (cool, has a website!) to pick up some necessities:
2 razors = 6,700 D
package of 20 wet tissues = 8,000 D
- They are individually wrapped and are commonly served at restaurants in lieu of the dry napkins we are used to. Someone told me to bring wetnaps, but in the US it's hard to find individually wrapped ones, and I don't want to lug around a whole box...In this heat, they are lifesavers!
Vaseline aloe lotion, 250 ml = 41,500 D
Dove body wash, 200 g = 31,000 D
Total = 87,2000 D
- The packaging is the same as in the US. I bought the US name brand items which were probably twice as expensive as other brands, because they were completely labeled in English and I could read the description. And they were the right sizes, I didn't want to buy extra large containers. Some of the other body wash products had a partial description in English, where I could read "Moisturizer and Whitener" - having light skin is desired in VN and they have these products, as well as spa services, that claim to lighten the skin. So I stayed away from them and any product I couldn't read because I didn't want to buy something with those chemicals...
**
Last week, I was chatting with a friend from UChicago about his travels and he mentioned that he knew someone that was living in Vietnam (They had worked together for over a year in the Peace Corps) - and it turns out that she lives in Ho Chi Minh City. Yesterday I had lunch with her, and it was striking what a small world it was - Chi Linh is actually from Chicago and went to undergrad at University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, worked in the corporate world for awhile, then went to China with the Peace Corps, and then moved out to Vietnam where she worked with several organizations to teach English. It was so weird to speak to someone that didn't have an accent! She told me about the expat community here, teaching English, and a story about getting into a small xe om accident (that included a baby not wearing a helmet. Come on government of Vietnam, protect your youngest citizens!!!!). It was really a fascinating glimpse into what I was thinking about yesterday, and I realized that having a xe om driver really makes a difference, because I do not have to pay attention to anything while driving. But when on xe may, you have to be on hyperalert to make sure you don't get side-swiped by another bike or car...or bus.
Shudder. That almost happened today because Anh Ni, my driver, only looked one way while crossing a 2 lane road. And it was a construction truck. Brakes are your friend here.
**
I ate the Sweet Sop (Mãng Cầu Ta) today, one for breakfast and one for lunch. It's really easy to eat - you kind of pick the peel off of the fruit, easier than an orange but more work than a banana, since the peel is textured and each "polyp" needs to be picked. It's hard to explain, haha, but you can see the in picture that the peel comes off very small. When you bite into it, it's really sweet and has many "buds" - for lack of a better word - like biting into a bunch of grapes, you can feel each grape. I like the fruit but the kicker is that each of the small "buds" has a large seed, black and larger than watermelon seeds. They are quite big and make eating the fruit more work since there are so many "buds" contained in the fruit itself...
Sorry, my camera couldn't really focus so close, but maybe you can see what I am trying to describe...haha! It was good though but that's why I could only eat one small fruit for each meal because it was a lot of work and rather messy.
**
I also busied myself by reading Vietnamese news and found some interesting articles about public health:
Cholera, bird flu present, but VN still A/H1N1-free
More than $38 million earmarked for HIV/AIDS prevention
Number of acute diarrhea cases soars in Hanoi
Doctors point traces of air and noise pollution
Okay I'm off to Cantina Central, located in the downtown District 1 area, for an NGO Happy Hour. Yay facebook contacts and events! It'll be interesting to see what the Vietnamese version of Mexican food is like...
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Shopping at the Supermarket
I had dinner tonight with Em Thao, student from the medical school. She has actually already finished with the 6 years of med school and is in the first of three years for her specialization in rehabilitation/physical therapy. Yeah, an intern at age 24!
Tonight, I broke my own rule and ate a sidewalk restaurant: Bún nước lèo Sóc Trăng (noodle soup from the Soc Trang province) with fish and pork. - with an iced tea and a bottle of coke (old school glass bottle!) Dinner for two was 15,000 D for one bowl + 2000 for tea + 5000 for soda = 37,000 D. I almost cried it was so delicious and cheap. I am happy that thus far my stomach has handled the sidewalk food, which means I can eat more foods for even cheaper!
Em Thao took me to a supermarket (siêu thị) near the medical school; It's like a supersupersuper Walmart. Four floors:
1) prepared and fresh foods
2) clothes, electronics, accessories, makeup
3) food court, cafe, bookstore, children's play area
Can do some major shopping here, and it's not a whole lot more expensive than an outdoor market (to me, at least). Though it does have some "high-end" items, like canned meats, certain chocolate brands, etc that the average person may not normally buy.
Fruit display in the supermarket....up front are oranges (that are green and not the typical ones you see in the US stores) - If you enlarge the picture, you may also be able to see "orange" oranges and apples in the back (about 10,000 more than the apples and oranges from the Asian countries), and some red dragon fruit. Haha, enlarging will also show you that there is a KFC in the supermarket! People must really love it!
My purchases:
+ 12 small chocolate milk (comes with a glass! haha could not refuse because it has the cool design so that it can rest at a tilt!! =D) = 52,800 D.
Yeah that's like 25 cents for one milk...
+ coffee candy = 3600 D
+ tamarine candy = 3900 D
+ dried sweet potato = 22,700 D
+ package of prepared taffy candy made from coconut, banana, and sesame = 12700 D
(not overly sweet, just a snack to share with my classmates)
+ Custard Apple or Sweet Sop (Mãng Cầu Ta) - looks spotted green and brown = 15,047 D (36,700 D per 1 kg)
+ Waterapple (Mận) - two red pear shaped fruits = 3652 D (16,600 per 1 kg)
+ Star Apple (vú sữa - smooth green fruit (literally means "breast milk" because I guess how it looks?) = 5000 D (25,000 D per kg)
= a bit less than 120,000 D. WHOA. It is always a surprise to me how cheap everything is! I bought these fruits because I have not tried them before, so will report back.
After shopping, we went up to the cafe to relax and enjoy some drinks (which actually ended up costing 37,000 - just as much as dinner!). Then we went into the bookstore so that I could buy some children books. We're talking pictures books showing colors, common objects, etc - actually was more difficult than I thought since many books look "kiddie" to me but ended up being beyond my reading level. Haha, back to the pre-school and kindergarten section!
Em Thao and I also talked a bit about Twilight (see, I read it just to connect with people...!!), since there was a display of the series in the book store. She just finished Eclipse (book 3) last week but Breaking Dawn (book 4) is not yet released in Vietnam as they must now translate the book into Vietnamese....and it's like 700-some pages so it'll take awhile. Again, I was surprised how cheap the books are (considering they are popular American literature). Twilight was 120,000, New Moon was 100,000 D, and Eclipse 150,000. I considered buying one, but having to look up every single word would make the reading more tedious than fun. In fact, It would suck!! Though it would be interesting to see if they edit anything or have different interpretations of words or phrases? I'll see how the pre-school books go and then work my way up from there...
A few other pics from today posted on Picasa
Every day has been a little inkling, but today was the first day that I've actually thought of living in Vietnam for a longer period of time after med school. I don't know how realistic it is, trying to work as an international doctor or maybe with an NGO?, and I'd clearly have to learn more of the language...and pay off my student loans...but for right now the idea is growing on me...
Tonight, I broke my own rule and ate a sidewalk restaurant: Bún nước lèo Sóc Trăng (noodle soup from the Soc Trang province) with fish and pork. - with an iced tea and a bottle of coke (old school glass bottle!) Dinner for two was 15,000 D for one bowl + 2000 for tea + 5000 for soda = 37,000 D. I almost cried it was so delicious and cheap. I am happy that thus far my stomach has handled the sidewalk food, which means I can eat more foods for even cheaper!
Em Thao took me to a supermarket (siêu thị) near the medical school; It's like a supersupersuper Walmart. Four floors:
1) prepared and fresh foods
2) clothes, electronics, accessories, makeup
3) food court, cafe, bookstore, children's play area
Can do some major shopping here, and it's not a whole lot more expensive than an outdoor market (to me, at least). Though it does have some "high-end" items, like canned meats, certain chocolate brands, etc that the average person may not normally buy.
Fruit display in the supermarket....up front are oranges (that are green and not the typical ones you see in the US stores) - If you enlarge the picture, you may also be able to see "orange" oranges and apples in the back (about 10,000 more than the apples and oranges from the Asian countries), and some red dragon fruit. Haha, enlarging will also show you that there is a KFC in the supermarket! People must really love it!
My purchases:
+ 12 small chocolate milk (comes with a glass! haha could not refuse because it has the cool design so that it can rest at a tilt!! =D) = 52,800 D.
Yeah that's like 25 cents for one milk...
+ coffee candy = 3600 D
+ tamarine candy = 3900 D
+ dried sweet potato = 22,700 D
+ package of prepared taffy candy made from coconut, banana, and sesame = 12700 D
(not overly sweet, just a snack to share with my classmates)
+ Custard Apple or Sweet Sop (Mãng Cầu Ta) - looks spotted green and brown = 15,047 D (36,700 D per 1 kg)
+ Waterapple (Mận) - two red pear shaped fruits = 3652 D (16,600 per 1 kg)
+ Star Apple (vú sữa - smooth green fruit (literally means "breast milk" because I guess how it looks?) = 5000 D (25,000 D per kg)
= a bit less than 120,000 D. WHOA. It is always a surprise to me how cheap everything is! I bought these fruits because I have not tried them before, so will report back.
After shopping, we went up to the cafe to relax and enjoy some drinks (which actually ended up costing 37,000 - just as much as dinner!). Then we went into the bookstore so that I could buy some children books. We're talking pictures books showing colors, common objects, etc - actually was more difficult than I thought since many books look "kiddie" to me but ended up being beyond my reading level. Haha, back to the pre-school and kindergarten section!
Em Thao and I also talked a bit about Twilight (see, I read it just to connect with people...!!), since there was a display of the series in the book store. She just finished Eclipse (book 3) last week but Breaking Dawn (book 4) is not yet released in Vietnam as they must now translate the book into Vietnamese....and it's like 700-some pages so it'll take awhile. Again, I was surprised how cheap the books are (considering they are popular American literature). Twilight was 120,000, New Moon was 100,000 D, and Eclipse 150,000. I considered buying one, but having to look up every single word would make the reading more tedious than fun. In fact, It would suck!! Though it would be interesting to see if they edit anything or have different interpretations of words or phrases? I'll see how the pre-school books go and then work my way up from there...
A few other pics from today posted on Picasa
Every day has been a little inkling, but today was the first day that I've actually thought of living in Vietnam for a longer period of time after med school. I don't know how realistic it is, trying to work as an international doctor or maybe with an NGO?, and I'd clearly have to learn more of the language...and pay off my student loans...but for right now the idea is growing on me...
Living the life
I am pretty sure that right now I am living the life of a HCMC Socialite. When people ask if I am busy, I laugh and say, "Ya only 2 hours a day when I have school". Otherwise, I have a xe om driver to take me where I need to go wherever, whenever. My day is pretty much spent trying to plan one "going out" event - either lunch or dinner out, shopping, a walk to the nearest market...it's really a relaxed life. (Ahem yes that's also why I can admit to reading certain book and watching certain movies over and over again.) Lots of time to do whatever the heck I want - it's really relaxing! Haha, I will not want to be back in school this Aug...
- Yesterday Chi Cindy took me to a place that fixes bag. My trusty canvas black messenger bag had a huge hole in it, probably from lugging around all my touristy things for the past 3 weeks. The inside pockets were ripped and sagging down, basically creating another whole pocket - and it only cost 10,000 D to fix...next day service! Anh Ni, my xe om driver, delivered it to me this morning before classes!!
- I have eaten lunch at the "cantina", the school cafeteria, with some classmates. 8,000 D for a ca phe sua da (iced coffee and milk) and 5,000 D for a glass of coke (ngoc nhot - sweet water) and they also have a selection of fruit shakes (lately I have become addicted to avocado shakes because they are so ridiculously cheap and are basically mashed avocado with sugar - I had one today for only 18,000 D - DELISH and uber healthy). I don't remember the meal that I got at the cantina, but it was like sardines with a dipping sauce and bread, for 12,000 VND....(sorry no pics, I was trying to save my bag but will take some later).
- Yesterday Chi Cindy took me to a place that fixes bag. My trusty canvas black messenger bag had a huge hole in it, probably from lugging around all my touristy things for the past 3 weeks. The inside pockets were ripped and sagging down, basically creating another whole pocket - and it only cost 10,000 D to fix...next day service! Anh Ni, my xe om driver, delivered it to me this morning before classes!!
- I have eaten lunch at the "cantina", the school cafeteria, with some classmates. 8,000 D for a ca phe sua da (iced coffee and milk) and 5,000 D for a glass of coke (ngoc nhot - sweet water) and they also have a selection of fruit shakes (lately I have become addicted to avocado shakes because they are so ridiculously cheap and are basically mashed avocado with sugar - I had one today for only 18,000 D - DELISH and uber healthy). I don't remember the meal that I got at the cantina, but it was like sardines with a dipping sauce and bread, for 12,000 VND....(sorry no pics, I was trying to save my bag but will take some later).
Monday, May 11, 2009
update
Just came back from the tailor's house, where I paid 640,000 for three casual suits. Only $35, they fit well and are all hand made, so it's quite the deal. It's just a heavy fabric and in the colors of strawberry pink, orange sherbet, and lime green. I can maybe get away with wearing the jackets, but the suit combination makes me look like a Popsicle. I can't even bear to put them on a take a picture. Plus I'll sweat all over them if I put them on in this heat.
$60 to humor the housekeeper. =/
Ah well, at the shop I saw some cute shirts that they had displayed and may buy some other fabrics to make Viet-inspired tees and tanks. Maybe some good will come out of this after all?
$60 to humor the housekeeper. =/
Ah well, at the shop I saw some cute shirts that they had displayed and may buy some other fabrics to make Viet-inspired tees and tanks. Maybe some good will come out of this after all?
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Medical English Club
First off, Chúc mửng Ngày của mẹ! Happy Mother's Day =D
My mom was really happy that I could say it in Vietnamese, haha! Also I had written a few sentences with a friend and was able to read it off to her. Yay, making lots of progress!!
Today the English club at the Medical School met, and I had been in talks with Em Tuyen to lead a discussion on Medical Ethics. I gave the case of Dax Cowart, one of the more interesting and easy to understand cases that we reviewed in Med & Soc. (Ahhh Dr. Soslau would be so proud...)
I wanted the group to be able to discuss more interesting, or medical related things. Last meeting (the first Sunday I was there), they had one-on-one discussion on the topics of "Where do you vacation?" and "What do you like to study" - pretty basic conversations. Em Tuyen said that they don't discuss medical ethics in the classroom so it would be something new for all of them. I was a bit worried about offending people, or if my ideas or leading questions would be against the general culture/law/religion of the students...and I also didn't want to introduce this case, pose these questions, and have 30 blank stares back - would people be too shy to respond? Would they all have the same idea and then the discussion ends?
But all went well: they understood my introduction and questions, and after the small group discussions, people were very eager to share their opinions, personal thoughts, and stories. There was a few mentions of "familial" thought, "Confucius" and "Buddha", but not everyone was on the same "side" of the issue and it was a good, lively discussion. (Puts our M&S large group to shame, honestly!)
Afterwards, a student made a presentation on the architecture of the Reunification Palace, and how it corresponds with some Chinese calligraphy symbols, ideas that the designers wanted to impress onto the new South Vietnamese government. It was fascinating and I began to talk with a few students nearby about touring the Palace. I think there will be a big group of us to visit it next weekend...I am really looking forward to this, as I had been planning on going on my own since my other friends have no interest in seeing it, but now with a group of people it will be more fun.
Em Tuyen also presented to me a Vietnamese "pop" cd of Quang Dung, a famous singer and husband of Jennifer Pham - Miss Asia USA 2006, that includes lyrics so that I can learn and sing along! I am listening to it now, and really appreciate the gesture...
After the meeting, 3 students took me to the medical school's dormitory so that I could see a room and then go to dinner. The dorms were a series of 5 buildings, open area for sports, and 2 cafe areas. The security was really tight, they really do not let non-students into the area, and there is a huge waiting area that "outsiders" can sit and wait for their student friends.
The students study in the hallways of the dorm. The rooms are small (and only 100,000 VND a month = less than $6) and thus only for sleeping and use of the bathroom. It is not allowed to have hot pot or cooking supplies in the room, so all students use the cafe or eat out.
From L to R:
Em Hoang, Em Doan, me (you can tell the sweaty American), Em Duy (yellow shirt) and the rest of the guys are his roommates. 6 boys to the room, basically just three bunk beds with three small tables and a bathroom. They don't have many possessions but they study a lot and have examinations on the weekends (!!). And even though they are all in the 3rd year, they are younger than me because in Vietnam you attend medical school right after high school. So the timing is different, and I am an old fart.
So the four of us - Hoang, Doan, Duy, and myself - went to dinner nearby and it was really nice to talk with them about their studies, where they are from, and life in the US. Everyone is eager to speak English with a native speaker, but they are also all so generous and kind - I am glad to have met them.
My mom was really happy that I could say it in Vietnamese, haha! Also I had written a few sentences with a friend and was able to read it off to her. Yay, making lots of progress!!
Today the English club at the Medical School met, and I had been in talks with Em Tuyen to lead a discussion on Medical Ethics. I gave the case of Dax Cowart, one of the more interesting and easy to understand cases that we reviewed in Med & Soc. (Ahhh Dr. Soslau would be so proud...)
I wanted the group to be able to discuss more interesting, or medical related things. Last meeting (the first Sunday I was there), they had one-on-one discussion on the topics of "Where do you vacation?" and "What do you like to study" - pretty basic conversations. Em Tuyen said that they don't discuss medical ethics in the classroom so it would be something new for all of them. I was a bit worried about offending people, or if my ideas or leading questions would be against the general culture/law/religion of the students...and I also didn't want to introduce this case, pose these questions, and have 30 blank stares back - would people be too shy to respond? Would they all have the same idea and then the discussion ends?
But all went well: they understood my introduction and questions, and after the small group discussions, people were very eager to share their opinions, personal thoughts, and stories. There was a few mentions of "familial" thought, "Confucius" and "Buddha", but not everyone was on the same "side" of the issue and it was a good, lively discussion. (Puts our M&S large group to shame, honestly!)
Afterwards, a student made a presentation on the architecture of the Reunification Palace, and how it corresponds with some Chinese calligraphy symbols, ideas that the designers wanted to impress onto the new South Vietnamese government. It was fascinating and I began to talk with a few students nearby about touring the Palace. I think there will be a big group of us to visit it next weekend...I am really looking forward to this, as I had been planning on going on my own since my other friends have no interest in seeing it, but now with a group of people it will be more fun.
Em Tuyen also presented to me a Vietnamese "pop" cd of Quang Dung, a famous singer and husband of Jennifer Pham - Miss Asia USA 2006, that includes lyrics so that I can learn and sing along! I am listening to it now, and really appreciate the gesture...
After the meeting, 3 students took me to the medical school's dormitory so that I could see a room and then go to dinner. The dorms were a series of 5 buildings, open area for sports, and 2 cafe areas. The security was really tight, they really do not let non-students into the area, and there is a huge waiting area that "outsiders" can sit and wait for their student friends.
The students study in the hallways of the dorm. The rooms are small (and only 100,000 VND a month = less than $6) and thus only for sleeping and use of the bathroom. It is not allowed to have hot pot or cooking supplies in the room, so all students use the cafe or eat out.
From L to R:
Em Hoang, Em Doan, me (you can tell the sweaty American), Em Duy (yellow shirt) and the rest of the guys are his roommates. 6 boys to the room, basically just three bunk beds with three small tables and a bathroom. They don't have many possessions but they study a lot and have examinations on the weekends (!!). And even though they are all in the 3rd year, they are younger than me because in Vietnam you attend medical school right after high school. So the timing is different, and I am an old fart.
So the four of us - Hoang, Doan, Duy, and myself - went to dinner nearby and it was really nice to talk with them about their studies, where they are from, and life in the US. Everyone is eager to speak English with a native speaker, but they are also all so generous and kind - I am glad to have met them.
Friday, May 8, 2009
my new favorites:
nước mía (sugarcane juice) and thanh long (dragonfruit)
The sugarcane juice is not overly sweet, like I expected it to be, and very nice. Has more flavor than coconut juice and I like watching the machine squish the juice out of the long sugarcane. At the restaurant, one glass of sugar cane juice = 7000 D
The inside of the dragonfruit is white with many tiny black seeds - very cartoony looking considering the outside is red with many green extension leaves. The inside does not look at all like one would expect from the outside, but it has a very subtle taste. Like melon, very watery, and the seeds you barely notice...
yumyumyum, like I posted before, the fruit here is amazing and plentiful! I bought this dragonfruit for ~12,000 D which the housekeeper thought was expensive.
**
Things that I do not like: durian (the large spikey fruit that is in the fruit stand picture of Ben Thanh market)
sầu riêng (durian) ice cream - I don't know how familiar people are with durian, but it is the weirdest, smelliest (!!! NO JOKE !!!) fruit i've ever seen. My parents love it and Vietnamese people eat a lot of it, you just get used to the smell I guess. So you know it smells bad when you have to "get used to the smell" in order to eat it....haha
so Chu Dung told me first to try ice cream because maybe the smell is not as strong. Yea right, I almost gagged while eating it, and could only take a few bites. Never again, but gotta try (almost) everything once!
Funny because on this year's UChicago Scav hunt list:
"227. This is America, god dammit! Celebrate your freedom by bringing a ripe durian on the subway. [4 points]"
Omg that is DISGUSTING!!!! Haha and hilarious, I wish I could be there for that one...
more pictures on Picasa
Viet Classes
Today we learned different occupations, common places, how to use possessive grammar, and make questions about these things. So finally we can have longer conversations in class beyond "How are you?" and "What nationality are you?" - which is only so interesting.
Q: Chị làm nghế gì? (What do you do?, with "you" = slightly older girl)
A: Tôi là sinh viên y khoa....(I am a medical student)
The grammar is surprisingly easy, it's the pronunciation that is difficult. Sometimes I feel my tongue is too heavy or slow to make the right sounds...
An easy part of Vietnamese is that you do not have to conjugate verbs according to person or time. In English you conjugate a few verbs, in Spanish all verbs are conjugated according to who is doing the action (1st, 2nd, 3rd person).
In Vietnamese, "đi" (pronounced "dee"in English") means "to go".
Tôi đi làm = I go to work
Chị đi làm = you (female) go to work
Chị ấy đi làm = She goes to work
Các chị ấy đi làm = They (plural female) go to work
Add "đã" in front of the verb to indicate past tense:
Tôi đã đi làm = I went to work
Add "sẽ" in front of the verb to indicate present tense:
Chị ấy sẽ đi làm = She will go to work
Easy! And then my friend explaining the verbs started talking about "perfect present" tense, which I really had no idea what that was about. The amount of English grammar that I do not remember/know is a bit unnerving. Speaking in Vietnamese takes me a lot of brain power because I have to think of what I want to say in English, recall the Vietnamese vocabulary, get the right pronunciation (don't want to say "ghost" or "rice seedling" when I want to say "mother"), make sure it's in the right order, and then SAY it. After just two hours of practicing with friends, my throat is dry and my brain hurts. So easy but difficult.
Like the saying you hear a lot when at the touristy shops: "same same, but different!"
Q: Chị làm nghế gì? (What do you do?, with "you" = slightly older girl)
A: Tôi là sinh viên y khoa....(I am a medical student)
The grammar is surprisingly easy, it's the pronunciation that is difficult. Sometimes I feel my tongue is too heavy or slow to make the right sounds...
An easy part of Vietnamese is that you do not have to conjugate verbs according to person or time. In English you conjugate a few verbs, in Spanish all verbs are conjugated according to who is doing the action (1st, 2nd, 3rd person).
In Vietnamese, "đi" (pronounced "dee"in English") means "to go".
Tôi đi làm = I go to work
Chị đi làm = you (female) go to work
Chị ấy đi làm = She goes to work
Các chị ấy đi làm = They (plural female) go to work
Add "đã" in front of the verb to indicate past tense:
Tôi đã đi làm = I went to work
Add "sẽ" in front of the verb to indicate present tense:
Chị ấy sẽ đi làm = She will go to work
Easy! And then my friend explaining the verbs started talking about "perfect present" tense, which I really had no idea what that was about. The amount of English grammar that I do not remember/know is a bit unnerving. Speaking in Vietnamese takes me a lot of brain power because I have to think of what I want to say in English, recall the Vietnamese vocabulary, get the right pronunciation (don't want to say "ghost" or "rice seedling" when I want to say "mother"), make sure it's in the right order, and then SAY it. After just two hours of practicing with friends, my throat is dry and my brain hurts. So easy but difficult.
Like the saying you hear a lot when at the touristy shops: "same same, but different!"
Market shopping
Shopping in Vietnam is different than shopping in any other country - the availability of products, the sights and sounds...it's so fascinating to me, I can't help but be a perpetual tourist and take pictures of it all.
During my holiday, I went with Cô Chi (whoa, I am learning how to use the Vietnamese keyboard on the mac, AWESOME!!! but takes a bit longer so this is going to be difficult) to the nearby outdoor market at 6 am. Cô Chi is the housekeeper and does the shopping for the day early in the morning to 1) get the best products and 2) be back in time to make breakfast for Chú Dung (the Vietnamese Đ with a line through it is pronounced like the English "d", whereas Vietnamese "D" with no line is pronounced "Y" - so this name is pronounced like "YUNG" not "DUNG", whereas Vietnamese "đi" is prouncounced like English "di". Makes sense?)
Back to the story: shopping at 6 am at the outdoor market. This is why at first visit, one wants to stay away from fresh vegetables, salads, and ice:
Carrying vegetables by xe máy
Selling vegetables outdoors.
((Now I am an open minded person, I love being here in Vietnam, and clearly am interested in life here as I decided on my own to live here for a few weeks. So I don't want to insult their way of life, but it is a different standard of living in some respects, as compared to the US. As seen from the pictures of my room and house, I live very well in Vietnam and have access to many luxuries that many Vietnamese do not have. Even though it is my third visit, I still stay away from fresh vegetables and salads, things that have not been cooked, because many of these things are purchased in a open market (very very cheap) and I would get sick - unless you're at a really nice restaurant then maybe it's okay....I have not kept away from ice though, because nowadays many restaurants buy ice from the same companies as bottled water so it's safe. (My first visit in 2004, we all stayed away from ice, ice cream, and water not in bottles) I just stay away from fresh veggies, fruits that do not have a peel, and ice/water if we are in a local or street stand restaurant.))
We went to the outdoor market that is one block away from the house. The outdoor markets are amazing - they sell all sorts of fruits, vegetables, fish, and meats on the streets and it's incredibly cheap. Not a sight for someone with a light stomach, because the smell and sight of raw meats on a sidewalk can be disturbing.
Cô Chi had been told that I was shopping for an áo dài, the long traditional Vietnamese formal dress. For some reason, she got really excited about this and wanted to show me materials inside the marketplace:
Clothes for sale inside the market. That is Cô Chi in the Vietnamese cone hat, you can see that for clothes, the offerings are so much that you can get swallowed inside. It's amazing!
She took me to a stall that sold materials and started poking around. I kept telling her, "có rồi" (I have already) - because I had already shopped for materials and designs with another friend, and did not want to buy anything. She kept looking, holding up fabrics, picking colors, talking to the owners - so I figured that she was picking things out for herself. They started cutting fabrics and talking numbers but I was not really paying attention, just looking at other things and trying to just take in everything - when finally she turned to me and said "Tiền!"
I have limited vocabulary, but I know that tiền = money. I shelled out 418,000 VND ($23) and suddenly had in my hands many yards pink, orange, and green fabric. No clue what is going on. I have limited interactions with Cô Chi because I cannot say much to her that is applicable (in school right now, we learn things like "Where are you from?" "Where do you work?") - so I end up saying "cảm ơn" (thanks) like 10 times a day...to the point where Chú Dung's wife wrote me that the housekeeper cannot believe an American girl would say "thank you" so many times a day. So she likes me and is trying to be really helpful, but the colors are weird, the fabric heavy, and I have no idea what I could make out of this. A blanket? Clothes? Draperies?
Later that afternoon, Cô Chi gets really excited and starts talking. I think she has a different accent than Southern because I sometimes do not have any inkling of what she is saying...so she motions me to follow with the fabric, and we make our way through the maze of houses to what looks like a tailor shop. I get measured, and the women start to point at pictures in a book. I think I am getting jackets and pants made?? I don't know how much they are going to cost either, because the numbers do not make sense when she says them. She keeps saying "ha ba ha" which means "two three two" but when I ask if it is "232,000", she says some other things and then I get more confused. So will post pictures whenever these things are finished, we shall find out together - the adventures in Vietnam continue!!
**
Cho Ben Thanh is a very popular, touristy market that is in the downtown area. It is located near the "tourist" area, so the prices are actually more expensive than a normal market because the sellers know they can get more money. And most people can speak English in the market, which you know means the prices will be a bit higher than normal. (Higher is a relative term: a t-shirt here maybe goes for $10 whereas on the street or other market could be $2 - both cheap to American standards but it's a lot of money in Vietnamese standards).
All of these markets have sections that sell the same thing: stalls for clothing, prepared food, raw food ingredients, toiletries, materials, etc.
Food display at Ben Thanh is a bit fancier, to catch the attention of the backpackers. One of the highlights of living in Vietnam is the the immense quantity and availability of fruit. Can you identify what is in the picture - they are all fruits! And delicious...except for the durian...haha!
During my holiday, I went with Cô Chi (whoa, I am learning how to use the Vietnamese keyboard on the mac, AWESOME!!! but takes a bit longer so this is going to be difficult) to the nearby outdoor market at 6 am. Cô Chi is the housekeeper and does the shopping for the day early in the morning to 1) get the best products and 2) be back in time to make breakfast for Chú Dung (the Vietnamese Đ with a line through it is pronounced like the English "d", whereas Vietnamese "D" with no line is pronounced "Y" - so this name is pronounced like "YUNG" not "DUNG", whereas Vietnamese "đi" is prouncounced like English "di". Makes sense?)
Back to the story: shopping at 6 am at the outdoor market. This is why at first visit, one wants to stay away from fresh vegetables, salads, and ice:
Carrying vegetables by xe máy
Selling vegetables outdoors.
((Now I am an open minded person, I love being here in Vietnam, and clearly am interested in life here as I decided on my own to live here for a few weeks. So I don't want to insult their way of life, but it is a different standard of living in some respects, as compared to the US. As seen from the pictures of my room and house, I live very well in Vietnam and have access to many luxuries that many Vietnamese do not have. Even though it is my third visit, I still stay away from fresh vegetables and salads, things that have not been cooked, because many of these things are purchased in a open market (very very cheap) and I would get sick - unless you're at a really nice restaurant then maybe it's okay....I have not kept away from ice though, because nowadays many restaurants buy ice from the same companies as bottled water so it's safe. (My first visit in 2004, we all stayed away from ice, ice cream, and water not in bottles) I just stay away from fresh veggies, fruits that do not have a peel, and ice/water if we are in a local or street stand restaurant.))
We went to the outdoor market that is one block away from the house. The outdoor markets are amazing - they sell all sorts of fruits, vegetables, fish, and meats on the streets and it's incredibly cheap. Not a sight for someone with a light stomach, because the smell and sight of raw meats on a sidewalk can be disturbing.
Cô Chi had been told that I was shopping for an áo dài, the long traditional Vietnamese formal dress. For some reason, she got really excited about this and wanted to show me materials inside the marketplace:
Clothes for sale inside the market. That is Cô Chi in the Vietnamese cone hat, you can see that for clothes, the offerings are so much that you can get swallowed inside. It's amazing!
She took me to a stall that sold materials and started poking around. I kept telling her, "có rồi" (I have already) - because I had already shopped for materials and designs with another friend, and did not want to buy anything. She kept looking, holding up fabrics, picking colors, talking to the owners - so I figured that she was picking things out for herself. They started cutting fabrics and talking numbers but I was not really paying attention, just looking at other things and trying to just take in everything - when finally she turned to me and said "Tiền!"
I have limited vocabulary, but I know that tiền = money. I shelled out 418,000 VND ($23) and suddenly had in my hands many yards pink, orange, and green fabric. No clue what is going on. I have limited interactions with Cô Chi because I cannot say much to her that is applicable (in school right now, we learn things like "Where are you from?" "Where do you work?") - so I end up saying "cảm ơn" (thanks) like 10 times a day...to the point where Chú Dung's wife wrote me that the housekeeper cannot believe an American girl would say "thank you" so many times a day. So she likes me and is trying to be really helpful, but the colors are weird, the fabric heavy, and I have no idea what I could make out of this. A blanket? Clothes? Draperies?
Later that afternoon, Cô Chi gets really excited and starts talking. I think she has a different accent than Southern because I sometimes do not have any inkling of what she is saying...so she motions me to follow with the fabric, and we make our way through the maze of houses to what looks like a tailor shop. I get measured, and the women start to point at pictures in a book. I think I am getting jackets and pants made?? I don't know how much they are going to cost either, because the numbers do not make sense when she says them. She keeps saying "ha ba ha" which means "two three two" but when I ask if it is "232,000", she says some other things and then I get more confused. So will post pictures whenever these things are finished, we shall find out together - the adventures in Vietnam continue!!
**
Cho Ben Thanh is a very popular, touristy market that is in the downtown area. It is located near the "tourist" area, so the prices are actually more expensive than a normal market because the sellers know they can get more money. And most people can speak English in the market, which you know means the prices will be a bit higher than normal. (Higher is a relative term: a t-shirt here maybe goes for $10 whereas on the street or other market could be $2 - both cheap to American standards but it's a lot of money in Vietnamese standards).
All of these markets have sections that sell the same thing: stalls for clothing, prepared food, raw food ingredients, toiletries, materials, etc.
Food display at Ben Thanh is a bit fancier, to catch the attention of the backpackers. One of the highlights of living in Vietnam is the the immense quantity and availability of fruit. Can you identify what is in the picture - they are all fruits! And delicious...except for the durian...haha!
Thursday, May 7, 2009
pictures:
okay sorry, so I finally posted all my pictures on Picasa
Here is a direct link to the slideshow starting at the newest photo - Pizza Hut!
Blog posts to come; I've just been busy with classes, meeting with people to keep practicing, and tired from the heat. My days are starting earlier now since I've decided to take the bus to school and do more walking...Kind of a lamo excuse, but by the end of the day, I want to watch TV or read and just not THINK about language anymore...
Here is a direct link to the slideshow starting at the newest photo - Pizza Hut!
Blog posts to come; I've just been busy with classes, meeting with people to keep practicing, and tired from the heat. My days are starting earlier now since I've decided to take the bus to school and do more walking...Kind of a lamo excuse, but by the end of the day, I want to watch TV or read and just not THINK about language anymore...
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Vung Tau, part 2
#5, our beach house
When we walked back to the beach house on Wednesday night, the roads were clear and the parking lot empty. Thursday morning only 8 am, and the parking lot was full with extended vans, and the beach was crowded. It was a great day for being outside, not overly hot and sunny, just perfect. Vung Tau (about 128 km SE from HCMC)is not the best beach around here, there is some trash and the water is a muddy brown due to pollution from oil drilling (thanks Lonely Planet!), but it's comfortable, has a large town to support it, and is the closest one to HCMC - most people in for the holiday were locals getting out of the city, not foreigners.
The peninsula that juts out into the South China Sea is punctuated by Small Mountain and Big Mountain. Atop Small Mountain is a humongous statue of Jesus (30 m high) with arms outstretch, open towards the ocean. Chi Linh and I were heading up there that morning.
I have no idea how high up the climb was (and apparently google doesn't either?) and yes it was relatively easy walk up the rather steep staircase. The climbing was fine and it wasn't very sunny, just humid; but for some reason I was the sweaty American and everyone else, including Chi Linh, looked FINE. hrmpf.
On the way up to the top, there are many places to stop and enjoy the view, sit on a bench, have a picnic, and rest your legs. Breathtaking. Many of these "resting areas" had religious statues or tablets with stories. And they all had small white benches that were inscribed with a donors' name and location - many donors were from the US, with a large amount from Philadelphia, PA! Whoa, didn't realize there was a large Vietnamese population in Philly? Maybe it is associated with a Catholic church, but it was really neat to read the locations of the many benches.
Within 30 minutes, we made it up to the top. There was a large sitting area, and people where everywhere - sleeping, eating, resting, talking...it was a great view and you work so hard to come up here, why not spend a few hours?? The statue was sitting on a base that you could climb up...and even climb up a smaller staircase within the statue to reach the top of the arms. But there were many people waiting and so we stayed at the base, still an incredible sight to see!
The climb down was much easier and then we headed back to the hotel to clean up and check out - I also walked on a beach a bit and watched people swim, eat ice cream, and play in the water. The water was warm and it was really great day to be out and about. There were so many people, but the beach was large enough that it didn't feel suffocating. It was interesting to note that most people did not wear bathing suits but just cotton shorts and t shirts - why spend money on something when you can just wear other clothes?
We went to another popular place in town for lunch, more seafood! Fried oysters, another sweet and sour soup, fish and chicken in clay pots, and rau muong (one of my favorite asian veggies, like a spinach), all at around $35.
We had to go through town in order to get back onto the highway to HCMC and the traffic was so bad because of so many people on the streets - walking, motorbike, stuffed into vans...parking lots were so full, I really didn't expect so many people to be there! I slept the whole way back and woke up in the city - where there were still people out and about - but with most shops closed and less people on the streets, it felt almost empty. And so ended our trip to the beach!
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