[02.05.20 – 02.16.20]
Street food, bargaining, trekking, homestays, beaches, boating, and SO many memories!
“In life, it's not where you go, it's who you travel with." - Charles M Schulz
Ho Chi Minh City welcomed us with blazing hot weather on February 4. My friends and I ventured off into the bustling city with a mission to exchange money, eat, and shop. Our first stop was a tap house where I enjoyed an ice-cold tap honey cider and an oreo cream stout! We continued to walk (and sweat) through the Ben Tahn Market. Everything you could think of was at this market: purses, backpacks, robes, watches, sunglasses, belts, food, fruit, etc. We got to practice our bargaining skills and we quickly learned that we all needed some improvement! The market had a nearby street food market where we tried our first taste of Vietnamese fried rice and spring rolls. So yummy! The View Rooftop Bar was our next stop where we enjoyed exotic drinks and soaked up the amazing views. We ended the day walking around Ho Chi Minh City and observing the loud and interesting night life. I saw a rat and my friend, Kathryn, almost got hit by a scooter like four times! As I was falling asleep and preparing for the upcoming days, all I could think about was: $1 taxi rides are a life saver, crosswalks don’t exist in Vietnam, the food is beyond delicious, SO MANY SCOOTERS, and we have almost two weeks in this amazing place!
My field class was the second day in Vietnam. My class, International Mass Communication, was supposed to have a field class in China where we would tour Bloomberg News, but the coronavirus changed those plans. Our main topic for the field class was to learn about various propaganda techniques used during the Vietnam War. We visited the Cu Chi Tunnels, Pho Binh, a fine arts museum, and the War Remnants Museum. The Cu Chi Tunnels were very interesting because it was the first time I learned about the Vietnamese side of the war and their trapping tactics. Even after crawling through the underground tunnels for about ten minutes, I still will never understand how an entire community survived down there! The rest of the day was pretty boring until we ended at the War Remnants Museum. We were swarmed with propaganda posters everywhere and we walked, took pictures, and identified a few of the propaganda techniques used. Once we got back on the ship, we had to analyze the posters and write a report on the posters we saw. I entered the museum not knowing what to expect and left with a knot in my stomach. It was so powerful to read about the side of the war we never learned about. I witnessed photo exhibits of terribly crucial acts that took place during the war that I will never be able to comprehend. The most impactful area of the museum was the room dedicated to all the victims of Agent Orange. The day was a truly educational experience that left me speechless.
Although I loved Ho Chi Minh City, I was ready to escape the heat…and the scooters. My friend, Jenny, and I flew to Nha Trang for two nights and three days to experience a “less popular” beach city in Vietnam. Jenny goes to college in Montana and is from Taiwan. She has been teaching me about her culture in Taiwan and we also relate quite a bit since we both go to college in similar sized towns. We had a really great time in Nha Trang where we explored the beach, laid by the pool, enjoyed the steam room/jacuzzi, and ate a lot of hot pot. We spent an entire day snorkeling off the coast of Nha Trang, in the South China Sea. Although it was a great experience, we were disappointed to see that the coral was very dull and appeared to be dying. I did see a blue starfish though! I hope to have more snorkeling experiences (hopefully more colorful too!) in our upcoming island ports. I am very thankful to have met a fun and adventurous friend like Jenny who was willing to venture off into a different city where we were able to relax and escape the craziness!
Back to the noisy scooters – our next stop was Ha Noi! We were there for three days. During our first day in Ha Noi, we tasted Vietnamese coffee, tried our first Bahn Mi (so good), went to The Note Coffee Shop, and shopped at various street vendors. The Note was so cool. It is a three-story coffee shop filled with millions of colorful sticky notes stuck to the walls that have fun and inspiring messages and quotes. I was very proud to stick my #UNDproud note on the wall! The rest of the day we relaxed at our hostel. We ended the night at a fun bar on “beer street” called Local. Jenny and I met up with other SAS friends and we all enjoyed our bucket drinks during happy hour. I can definitely say it was one of the most memorable nights during my time in Vietnam!
The next two days were very laid back. We met some friends at our hostel who we had lunch with at our favorite place, Pizza 4Ps. Everything on their menu is fresh and grown by the company! Also, every item is unique and different from a typical Italian restaurant you would go to in America. It was so delicious. When I ordered pizza, I asked for ranch on the side and the server laughed and looked confused. Oops, I should’ve known better but I miss having ranch so much!! Anyways, it was so tasty that I went to a Pizza 4Ps in every single city I travelled to in Vietnam! Don’t worry, I ate my authentic Vietnamese food for the rest of the meals 😊 Kathryn, Jenny, and I spent four hours at Spas Hanoi! Since everything is so cheap, I was able to get a mini facial, hot stone massage, and manicure and pedicure. I left the place feeling relaxed, refreshed, and extremely relieved.
Our last day in Ha Noi was spent eating A LOT of very yummy food. The three of us went on a street food tour. During our tour, we were able to try a variety of foods: papaya salad, fermented fried pork, sticky rice, stir-fried pho, spring rolls, and mixed fruit with ice cream and condensed milk. One of the restaurants we went to was known for its spicy chili sauce. In fact, their sauce is so spicy that there were signs on every wall saying “Attention: Chili Sauce is VERY Spicy.” I asked our tour guide if I could try it and he said “No no, you will hurt yourself.” Well, I tried a tiny bit and let’s say it was not an enjoyable feeling on my tongue. Needless to say, it was such a great experience that gave me an opportunity to try some very interesting foods. Sticky rice was definitely my favorite. Next, we went to a tea and coffee ceremony. This was one of the highlights of my time in Ha Noi because we were able to learn how to prepare traditional Vietnamese coffee and tea as well as the significance they hold within their culture. We learned about the various kinds of freshly dried tea leaves and flowers used to make their tea. Did you know they don’t use sugar in their tea? Instead they use sweet leaf! It was all so refreshing and tasty; I think I might be a tea drinker now! Weasel coffee was one of the coffee flavors they taught us about. It has a unique flavor because of the weasel’s digestive enzymes. Basically, the weasel eats the coffee beans, poops them out, and they clean and roast them to create weasel coffee beans. Weird? Yes, I know but oh so good! We also made egg coffee. It was the best thing ever and I am hoping to make it for my friends and family once I get home. That is, if they don’t mind trying the weasel coffee!! To end our memorable time in Ha Noi, we attended a water puppet show to end the day which was very interesting and funny!
Sapa was our next destination; the home to terrace farming. We spent three days and two nights trekking and doing homestays. Our guide, Mang, was the sweetest, most genuine woman who taught us so many important aspects of their culture, farming, village life, and Sapa. A few of the interesting things I learned from both Mang and during my homestays in the villages:
- Happy water is given to guests as a sign of welcome. It is a homemade rice wine often used to “warm you up” and bring extra “happiness.”
- Teachers live in the city of Sapa and drive 15 minutes into the villages
- The people in the village often raise animals to sell them, but almost all of the produce produced in the villages is kept for consumption throughout the year.
- One way they have adapted the terracing for children is by adding rocks on the steep parts so the children are able to climb up and down so they can help.
- It wasn’t until the last five years when they started to develop roads to connect the villages to the city.
Other random facts:
- There are hundreds of dogs in the villages
- Bracelets and purses are a common homemade item the children sell to visitors
- Most homes do not have showers
- Rice is consumed for breakfast, lunch, and dinner
To sum up our experience in Sapa I have three words: breathtaking, muddy, and inspiring. It was breathtaking because, duh, the views were indescribable. Sapa was very muddy because it had rained so much and we had to slowly step (or many times, slip) down the mountains. It made for a very challenging (and painful) trek!! And inspiring because it forced me to take a step back and recognize the ways in which they live are truly raw and simple but still bring them joy. These people value hard work on another level than anything I have ever experienced. I learned how farming is a community effort, not just the responsibility of each family. They will share oxen, tools, and other resources to finish harvesting an entire village. Then, at the end of the harvest each family gets 10,000 kg of rice for the entire year. Mang told me that during harvest she, her husband, and the children work hard to get their duties done. Then, during the offseason she does tours through Sapa! The villages which Mang took us through taught me one major thing: happiness is not materialistic. Although there were moments that were extremely heartbreaking, I definitely saw a side of Vietnam that I will cherish forever.
After we traveled from Sapa back to Ha Noi on a sleeper bus, we woke up the next morning to venture off to Ha Long Bay. I went on a tour by myself where I met two girls from England who were my age. We traveled to Ha Long City via bus then hopped on a boat to tour Ha Long Bay. We enjoyed a tasty Vietnamese family-style lunch on the boat while we soaked up the gorgeous views of the limestone islands of Ha Long Bay. It was quite foggy when I went, but it made it seem very mystical which was cool. Our group got to walk through a large cave and take a banana boat through a few smaller caves in the water. Although it just looks like rocks in pictures, it was so incredibly peaceful in person! After a three hour bus ride back, I met back up with my friends and we took a flight back to Ho Chi Minh City to sleep on the ship.
Our last day in Vietnam was occupied by a day filled with exciting activities in the Mekong Delta. On our way there, we stopped at a temple where we got to see the three gigantic buddha statues. Once we arrived at the Mekong Delta, we slowly cruised through the channel and soaked up our final day of Vietnam heat. A few of the fun treats I got to taste at our various stops included pomelo juice, sugar cane juice, tea with fresh honey, and fresh coconut candy. At the coconut candy place, we watched how coconut was processed and then turned into the deliciously creamy treat. Oh, I also held a snake at that place. It was all fun until it started wrapping around my neck and its nasty scales rubbed the opposite way against my skin! My favorite part of the entire day was canoeing through a narrow passage of the Mekong and observing the beauty of the nature that surrounded us. Once we arrived back in Ho Chi Minh City, we took a final stop at our favorite place, Pizza 4Ps. We enjoyed our meal and rushed back to the ship for on-ship time, 2000 (8 PM)!
NEXT STOP – Mauritius. Because of berth availability, we spent one day in Mauritius. Then, two class days (anchored) at sea and 5 more days in Mauritius! Because of the coronavirus, ISE and SAS made the decision to stay away from Asia. To do so, we had to divert from our original ports of Malaysia and India. We picked up Seychelles as a new port and additional days were added onto Mauritius and South Africa. However, we were recently denied entry into Seychelles. Because Seychelles denied us, Mozambique was added as a port. Recently, they changed the schedule again! We are doing accelerated academic days the rest of the voyage. We will be sailing to South Africa, then the Canary Islands (near Spain). People have the option to get off in the Canary Islands because classes will be finished, or we can continue to sail to Amsterdam where the voyage will officially end. Again, nothing is ever confirmed and there could be more changes. I believe we have had a total of seven itinerary changes thus far! This has been a really big adjustment for me to not be able to have plans, but I know I just have to learn to be patient with the entire situation. Everything related to the coronavirus is changing on a day-to-day basis which has resulted in continuous changes of who will allow us into their country. I do not know what the future holds for our upcoming ports, but I am trying to keep a positive attitude about everything. I am having such an amazing time and I wouldn’t trade the memories or people I have met for anything. Again, it’s nothing I ever expected when I embarked on this voyage, but I know it is a global crisis that is completely out of anyone’s control. I am thankful to be on a non-contaminated ship where I am surrounded by great people and a lot of activities and things to keep busy. The main downside is the limited internet access!! I will do my best to continue to update my blog as we are in new ports (hopefully!)
Thanks for reading!
Vietnam Video
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