Sorry, it took us a while to find a fast internet connection to post our photos online, but you can now see our photos of Hue online.
Nos photos de Hue (Vietnam) sont maintenant en ligne!
Showing posts with label Vietnam. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Vietnam. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Non-Kobayashi approved hot dogs
Many people know of Takeru Kobayashi, the world famous speed eater whom last year consumed 53¾ of Nathan's hot dogs in 12 minutes. We recently learned that Thit Cho, the Vietnamese translation for hot dog, is a very different thing.
If you can figure out where this is going, and you happen to have (or had) a pet dog, I recommend you stop reading.
Yes, in Northern Vietnam, it is not unusual to eat dog; we saw plenty of restaurants advertising this "food". From what we understand, back in the day, there was very little meat in the area, and people ate dog meat in order to get their protein. Some acquired a taste for it, and continue eating it (preparation styles include fried, boiled, and minced). Some (I suspect most) Vietnamese are absolutely turned off by this practice; however, the country has no "humane society" that prevents it from occuring. Also, there appears to be a clear deliniation between "pet dogs" and "dogs raised for consumption".
Having said all that, after learning what we did, Marie and I have eaten nothing but noodles and vegetables.
If you can figure out where this is going, and you happen to have (or had) a pet dog, I recommend you stop reading.
Yes, in Northern Vietnam, it is not unusual to eat dog; we saw plenty of restaurants advertising this "food". From what we understand, back in the day, there was very little meat in the area, and people ate dog meat in order to get their protein. Some acquired a taste for it, and continue eating it (preparation styles include fried, boiled, and minced). Some (I suspect most) Vietnamese are absolutely turned off by this practice; however, the country has no "humane society" that prevents it from occuring. Also, there appears to be a clear deliniation between "pet dogs" and "dogs raised for consumption".
Having said all that, after learning what we did, Marie and I have eaten nothing but noodles and vegetables.
Au revoir Hanoi
Nous partons ce matin a destination de Hue au centre du Vietnam (vol Vietnam Airlines VN245). Cette ville devrait marquer notre etape dans ce pays. Nous pensons en effet ne pas nous arreter a Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)... Nous en avons un peu marre des grandes villes d'Asie du Sud Est et elles se ressemblent toutes un peu...
Apres cela nous pensons nous rendre a Singapour (oui, je sais, c'est aussi une grande ville d'Asie du Sud Est...). A la difference de Hanoi, Saigon, Bangkok, nous pensons trouver a Singapour un peu d'Occident (nourriture, hygiene, magasins, journaux, etc...).
Apres cela nous pensons nous rendre a Singapour (oui, je sais, c'est aussi une grande ville d'Asie du Sud Est...). A la difference de Hanoi, Saigon, Bangkok, nous pensons trouver a Singapour un peu d'Occident (nourriture, hygiene, magasins, journaux, etc...).
Sunday, May 27, 2007
Le succes de Nick au Vietnam
Cela fait quelques jours que nous n'avons pas donne de nouvelles sur le blog. Ce n'est pas faute d'avoir essaye. Durant notre periple dans le nord du Vietnam, nous sommes alles dans plusieurs cybercafes, et n'avons pu nous connecter sur le site www.blogger.com (ou notre blog est heberge). Au debut, nous avons cru que google avait un probleme (blogger appartient a google), mais au bout de quelques jours, nous avons fait des recherches et nous nous sommes apercus que certains fournisseurs d'acces a internet vietnamiens bloquaient l'acces a blogger ! Ainsi, blogger, surement percu comme un site d'opposition, est censure en Chine, au Pakistan, au Vietnam, et autres pays. Vive la liberte d'expression ! D'ailleurs, voici un article interessant de Reporters sans frontieres: The 15 enemies of the Internet and other countries to watch. Je vais m'arreter la car je ne veux pas me retrouver en prison !
Ah la, alors que j'ecris ce message, j'humme le suave parfum des aisselles d'un jeune vietnamien. Agreable ! En effet, alors que nous envoyons des emails de cybercafes, nous avons souvent une horde de jeunes fans qui lorgnent derriere notre dos pour voir ce que la blanche et le brownie sont en train d'ecrire. C'est un peu lourd parfois !
Dans les villages ou nous dormons, isoles des routes touristiques traditionelles, nous sommes souvent l'attraction de la journee. Hier soir, par exemple, alors que nous dinions, deux jeunes vietnamiens d'une vingtaine d'annees, sont venus s'installer a cote de nous pour essayer de parler anglais. Ils ont voulu qu'on les prenne en photos. Un des jeune homme a du se prendre d'amour pour Nick car alors qu'on etait a table, il lui prennait la main amoureusement, puis le tenais par le cou. Des que Nick, tres mal a l'aise, essayait de retirer sa main gentillement, le type lui la reprenait et essayait d'entrelacer ses doigts entre ceux de Nick, tout en lui caressant le bras et en lui touchant les poils des bras -- comme s'il n'en avait jamais vu avant. C'etait tres drole, surtout l'embarras de Nick ! Ensuite, la femme de "caresse bras" est venue et a voulu etre prise en photo avec Nick. Elle n'arretait pas de lui toucher le ventre et de hurler "Nicholas chocolat, baby in the belly" (bebe dans le ventre). Nick en a conclu qu'il avait peut-etre encore quelques kilos a perdre (bah, il n'est pas le seul !) Bref, on a bien rit. Apres, il nous ont offert des shots de rice wine (ce qui est en fait de l'alcool de riz tres fort avec un gout de kerosene). Nous avons du leur deplaire et abreger la soiree car je crois que nous n'aurions pu reprendre la route le lendemain.
Ah la, alors que j'ecris ce message, j'humme le suave parfum des aisselles d'un jeune vietnamien. Agreable ! En effet, alors que nous envoyons des emails de cybercafes, nous avons souvent une horde de jeunes fans qui lorgnent derriere notre dos pour voir ce que la blanche et le brownie sont en train d'ecrire. C'est un peu lourd parfois !
Dans les villages ou nous dormons, isoles des routes touristiques traditionelles, nous sommes souvent l'attraction de la journee. Hier soir, par exemple, alors que nous dinions, deux jeunes vietnamiens d'une vingtaine d'annees, sont venus s'installer a cote de nous pour essayer de parler anglais. Ils ont voulu qu'on les prenne en photos. Un des jeune homme a du se prendre d'amour pour Nick car alors qu'on etait a table, il lui prennait la main amoureusement, puis le tenais par le cou. Des que Nick, tres mal a l'aise, essayait de retirer sa main gentillement, le type lui la reprenait et essayait d'entrelacer ses doigts entre ceux de Nick, tout en lui caressant le bras et en lui touchant les poils des bras -- comme s'il n'en avait jamais vu avant. C'etait tres drole, surtout l'embarras de Nick ! Ensuite, la femme de "caresse bras" est venue et a voulu etre prise en photo avec Nick. Elle n'arretait pas de lui toucher le ventre et de hurler "Nicholas chocolat, baby in the belly" (bebe dans le ventre). Nick en a conclu qu'il avait peut-etre encore quelques kilos a perdre (bah, il n'est pas le seul !) Bref, on a bien rit. Apres, il nous ont offert des shots de rice wine (ce qui est en fait de l'alcool de riz tres fort avec un gout de kerosene). Nous avons du leur deplaire et abreger la soiree car je crois que nous n'aurions pu reprendre la route le lendemain.
Ground transportation in Vietnam: How to not die
Marie and I have been to a LOT of different places, and seen a lot of craziness. But nothing can prepare you for the ground transportation in Vietnam.
Crossing the street: The onslaught on scooters/motorbikes never stops. We waited for a break in the traffic for about 5 minutes before realizing it doesn't stop!!! You actually need to cross the street while hundreds of scooters/motorbikes, cars and trucks are coming right at you. The key is to walk slowly, and look the driver in the eye, so they can swerve around you. Another way is to wait for a local to cross, and follow them/use them as a blocker. Absurd.
Scooter/motorbike taxi: If Toyota is the world's largest car manufacturer, then Honda must have the most vehicles in the driveway. The Honda NF (Wave) scooter is EVERYWHERE. It also serves as a primary taxi in Hanoi (and yes, there is a driver and 2 passengers on it). While scary at first, it wasn't that bad, as they don't go more than 15-20 mph.
Mountain roads: Those of you that have been to Italy know that the drivers are crazy and the mountain "highways" are basically paved versions of goat paths. Not much different here, except the roads aren't necesarilly paved, falling rocks are common, rarely will you find guardrails, there are no rules, and children and farm animals in the middle of the road are common. We had at least 3 "We're gonna die" moments on a 2 day trip. The key to survival is having a rock solid vehicle (nothing less than Toyota Land Cruiser, Jeep Wrangler or Rang Rover will do), and a guide that has driven on the roads for 10 years.
Be cognizant, even if you're not on the road: Traffic does not slow down for anyone. In a 150km strech (about 100 miles), we saw 2 people thrown off motorbikes, an overturned tractor trailer, 2 "normal" auto accidents and a dead cow. At one point, Marie was standing on the side of the road taking pictures. Apparently this Hyundai dump truck going 35-40mph didn't care -- I had to literally push her out of the way (actually throw her into the rice fields) so she wasn't smacked by truck. Very scary.
Crossing the street: The onslaught on scooters/motorbikes never stops. We waited for a break in the traffic for about 5 minutes before realizing it doesn't stop!!! You actually need to cross the street while hundreds of scooters/motorbikes, cars and trucks are coming right at you. The key is to walk slowly, and look the driver in the eye, so they can swerve around you. Another way is to wait for a local to cross, and follow them/use them as a blocker. Absurd.
Scooter/motorbike taxi: If Toyota is the world's largest car manufacturer, then Honda must have the most vehicles in the driveway. The Honda NF (Wave) scooter is EVERYWHERE. It also serves as a primary taxi in Hanoi (and yes, there is a driver and 2 passengers on it). While scary at first, it wasn't that bad, as they don't go more than 15-20 mph.
Mountain roads: Those of you that have been to Italy know that the drivers are crazy and the mountain "highways" are basically paved versions of goat paths. Not much different here, except the roads aren't necesarilly paved, falling rocks are common, rarely will you find guardrails, there are no rules, and children and farm animals in the middle of the road are common. We had at least 3 "We're gonna die" moments on a 2 day trip. The key to survival is having a rock solid vehicle (nothing less than Toyota Land Cruiser, Jeep Wrangler or Rang Rover will do), and a guide that has driven on the roads for 10 years.
Be cognizant, even if you're not on the road: Traffic does not slow down for anyone. In a 150km strech (about 100 miles), we saw 2 people thrown off motorbikes, an overturned tractor trailer, 2 "normal" auto accidents and a dead cow. At one point, Marie was standing on the side of the road taking pictures. Apparently this Hyundai dump truck going 35-40mph didn't care -- I had to literally push her out of the way (actually throw her into the rice fields) so she wasn't smacked by truck. Very scary.
Thursday, May 24, 2007
New photos online: Hanoi and Halong Bay
Nous avons mis nos dernieres photos du Vietnam en ligne: Hanoi et la Baie d'Halong.
Disney Halong
Al Qaeda number 3 spotted in HanoiNous voici de retour a Hanoi apres avoir passe 3 jours et 2 nuits dans la baie d'Halong. Nous avons dormi sur un "junk" (vieux bateau chinois). Le site vaut le detour. Le 1er jour nous avons eu tres peur car tous les bateaux se suivaient pour faire les visites, ce qui gache un peu l'atmosphere (nous avions l'impression d'etre a Disney World !) et la baie grouillait de touristes (beaucoup d'australiens). Les vietnamiens ont meme cree des sortes de plages artificielles, pensant peut-etre plaire aux touristes ?... Ce n'etait en tous cas, pas de notre gout !
Le 2eme jour fut beaucoup plus sympa, car nous nous sommes eloignes des lieux touristiques et avons pu kayaker autours des ilots, dans les caves, et nager autours du bateau. Le fait de se retrouver seuls (ou presque) entre les rochers rend l'experience beaucoup plus agreable ! On avait l'impression d'etre dans le cratere de volcans. C'etait vraiment magnifique.
Demain nous partons pour 5 jours dans le Nord Ouest du pays: (dans le desordre) Lai Chau, Dien Bien Phu, Son La, Sapa and Lai Chau. Nous avons loue une voiture avec chauffeur, car ce n'est pas tres cher et on ne s'imagine pas du tout conduire ici !! Les vietnamiens roulent comme des malades ! Je ne sais pas s'il existe un code de la route, mais si c'est le cas, personne ne le respecte. Le premier jour il nous a fallu au moins 10 minutes pour traverser une avenue remplie de scooters, velos, voitures, avant de se decider a suivre une vieille dame pas a pas. Depuis nous avons pris l'habitude, il faut juste se lancer au milieu de la circulation sans trop reflechir, et aller doucement, etape par etape.
Une des options pour se deplacer dans Hanoi est de prendre un taxi scooter. A 3 dessus (le chauffeur + les 2 passagers), et a fond la caisse entre les voitures, et les autres scooters. C'est assez folklorique, mais il faut avoir le coeur bien accroche. J'etais assise entre Nick et le chauffeur de "taxi" que je serrais de toutes mes forces...
Avec sa nouvelle coupe de cheveux, Nick change de look... A vous de juger :-)
Monday, May 21, 2007
En route vers la Baie d'Halong
Quelle chaleur a Hanoi ! Nous avons encore beaucoup marche. Hier nous nous sommes balades dans les vieux quartiers, ou se trouve notre hotel, the Heart Hotel (tres touristique) ainsi que dans les rues autours du Lake Hoan Kiem, ou Nick s'est fait couper les cheveux (photo a l'appui). Nous avons egalement visite le Hanoi Hotel -- attention, il ne fait pas partie de la chaine hoteliere americaine! Pour en savoir plus, lisez le lien. C'etait assez enrichissant de lire le point de vue vietnamien... objectif ? Je ne suis pas sure...
Demain nous partons pour la Baie d'Halong pour 3 jours.
J'ai un peu la flemme d'ecrire ce soir mais voulais juste donner quelques nouvelles.
Sunday, May 20, 2007
The Socialist Republic of Vietnam
By complete coincidence, we arrived in Hanoi on what would have been Ho Chi Minh's 117th birthday, and the day before government "elections".
Ho Chi Minh: The guy is a legend here; posters, pictures, shirts, a city named after him. Once again, having not listened in high school history class, a lot of this is new to me. Please let me know if there are errors in my one-day of study:
Vietnam had been a French colony since the late 1700s/early 1800s, and Ho Chi Minh was the fellow who led the Vietnamese struggle to gain independence. According to what we've read/seen here, Ho's ultimate vision was for an independent Vietnam, free of foreign control. And he actually received US assistance between 1941-1945 when the Japanese invaded Vietnam. However, the US stance changed when:
- the perception was that he was aligned/controlled by communist Russia; and
- the US needed France's help with NATO to ensure communism didn't spread in Europe (and France didn't want to give up control of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia).
We'll never know if Ho Chi Minh was "controlled" by Russia or not -- its a fact that he had believed in communism since the 1920s and the Russians supported his nationalistic and/or communism causes in the 1950s. In any case, France relinquished control of Vietnam in 1954, and the country was divided into the Communist North (led by Ho Chi Minh) and South (led by Ngo Dinh Diem, selected by and aligned with the US). This was supposed to be a temporary solution (with the expectation that proper elections for a united country held in 1956), but that never happened because everyone knew Ho Chi Minh (and the communists) would win. In any case, Ho wanted a united Vietnam, encouraged guerrilla attacks the south, and the rest is history. In 1975, the city of Saigon was renamed Ho Chi Minh City.
Government elections have an interesting twist: All candidates must be affiliated with or endorsed by the controlling Communist Party. Apparently the theory is within the party, there may be candidates that are more qualified for a given role than others, and the people should make the decision of who to select. There's a funny poster where two people are placing their ballots in the box, with two military folks standing right behind them!!!! Clearly these elections aren't at the same level as typical western multi-party systems, but it is a small step.
Again, all this is new to me, so please let me know of any corrections.
Ho Chi Minh: The guy is a legend here; posters, pictures, shirts, a city named after him. Once again, having not listened in high school history class, a lot of this is new to me. Please let me know if there are errors in my one-day of study:
Vietnam had been a French colony since the late 1700s/early 1800s, and Ho Chi Minh was the fellow who led the Vietnamese struggle to gain independence. According to what we've read/seen here, Ho's ultimate vision was for an independent Vietnam, free of foreign control. And he actually received US assistance between 1941-1945 when the Japanese invaded Vietnam. However, the US stance changed when:
- the perception was that he was aligned/controlled by communist Russia; and
- the US needed France's help with NATO to ensure communism didn't spread in Europe (and France didn't want to give up control of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia).
We'll never know if Ho Chi Minh was "controlled" by Russia or not -- its a fact that he had believed in communism since the 1920s and the Russians supported his nationalistic and/or communism causes in the 1950s. In any case, France relinquished control of Vietnam in 1954, and the country was divided into the Communist North (led by Ho Chi Minh) and South (led by Ngo Dinh Diem, selected by and aligned with the US). This was supposed to be a temporary solution (with the expectation that proper elections for a united country held in 1956), but that never happened because everyone knew Ho Chi Minh (and the communists) would win. In any case, Ho wanted a united Vietnam, encouraged guerrilla attacks the south, and the rest is history. In 1975, the city of Saigon was renamed Ho Chi Minh City.
Government elections have an interesting twist: All candidates must be affiliated with or endorsed by the controlling Communist Party. Apparently the theory is within the party, there may be candidates that are more qualified for a given role than others, and the people should make the decision of who to select. There's a funny poster where two people are placing their ballots in the box, with two military folks standing right behind them!!!! Clearly these elections aren't at the same level as typical western multi-party systems, but it is a small step.
Again, all this is new to me, so please let me know of any corrections.
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Just arrived in Hanoi
We've just arrived in Hanoi and just checked into our hotel. We were supposed to stay at the Golden Sun Hotel, as mentioned in my previous post, but when we arrived the owner of the place, Mrs Moon, welcomed us at our taxi to tell her that she was going to give us a room at another of her hotel, the Heart Hotel: "It is much better... Just for you... You will see...". Well I don't know if you agree but for me when a stranger says "just for you" it is never a good sign...
We've just arrived in our room and it is not so bad actually. It seems pretty clean and it has FREE INTERNET and cable TV! Wowowow! We were supposed to have a view but I don't see anything through the window... just a wall... Well for $30 with breakfast included, it is not a bad deal.
Oh by the way, have you heard that there has been an earthquake in northern Vietnam and Laos on Wednesday, with a magnitude of 6.1? Check out this article from BBC News. We've just heard about it today after arriving in Hanoi, as we didn't have access to the news in Laos. Well, we are sound and safe... and actually didn't hear / feel a thing (maybe we were too intoxicated with Beer Lao?)
Time for me to take a shower before heading to the streets of Hanoi for dinner... First, I will have to fight with Nick so he'll turn off the TV (he is like hypnotized right now)...
We've just arrived in our room and it is not so bad actually. It seems pretty clean and it has FREE INTERNET and cable TV! Wowowow! We were supposed to have a view but I don't see anything through the window... just a wall... Well for $30 with breakfast included, it is not a bad deal.
Oh by the way, have you heard that there has been an earthquake in northern Vietnam and Laos on Wednesday, with a magnitude of 6.1? Check out this article from BBC News. We've just heard about it today after arriving in Hanoi, as we didn't have access to the news in Laos. Well, we are sound and safe... and actually didn't hear / feel a thing (maybe we were too intoxicated with Beer Lao?)
Time for me to take a shower before heading to the streets of Hanoi for dinner... First, I will have to fight with Nick so he'll turn off the TV (he is like hypnotized right now)...
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