Tisha b’Av in Cambodia

I didn’t really think that my first post from Cambodia would be on Tisha b’Av, but that’s just how the timing has worked out. My access to internet was a bit more limited in Phnom Penh than I might have expected, but now I’m in Battambang with my friend Sarah and she has a laptop! Which she’s generously letting me use while she goes to a meeting.

Sarah and I made a big day of touring the countryside here, and given that today is a day traditionally devoted to mourning and thinking about tragedies that befell the Jewish people, we made plans to go and see the “killing caves” at Phnom Sampeau in addition to some of our other touristing destinations (the bamboo train and the Wat Banan which some people say is the model for Ankor Wat which we’ll see in a couple of days). The place is one of the few hills in a very flat region, and so, up we went, accompanied by at 13 year old boy who served as our guide. There were lots and lots of temples and lots and lots of Buddhas. One of the temples, our guide told us, was used as a prison during the Khmer Rouge time. Inside someone was working on putting up new murals depicting scenes from the Buddha’s life.

That War

The whole time I’ve been thinking about this trip the Vietnam war has been very much on my mind and a part of the backdrop of why being here is additionally complicated. Americans are deeply implicated in the history of the region, and yet, 40 years have passed and if I didn’t want to think about it I would never need to. This is an amazingly pleasant place to drink cheap beer and bum around on the beach, after all.

On Beauty

This is a tough topic to broach because it touches on so many difficult issues related to race and gender, but here goes.

Less so in Ho Chi Minh City, but all over Vietnam ladies only go out in the middle of the day covered from head to toe. That means – traditional hat, long sleeved button-down shirt or jacket, pants, closed-toe shoes and often some kind of shmatte over their face. The mask also protects against smog and diesel exhaust, but women are particularly sensitive about the sun.

Cooking class!

The major highlight of my trip thus far was my cooking class that I took yesterday in Hoi An. I’d already learned about the Red Bridge Cooking School from my friend Alix who traveled in Vietnam with her husband a couple of years ago. She blogged about the experience on JCarrot (check out her post here - my experience was remarkably similar – why fix what ain’t broke?).

I promise I’ll post some photos soon, but for now content yourself with drooling over the text…

I heart Yiddish

So, I almost didn’t get to Halong Bay. I blame my t-shirt, and the ineptitude of the guy working for the tour company. Our lack of a common language certianly didn’t help, but I think that particular guy was evil.

learning about Vietnam

Learning about Vietnam began in earnest a couple of months ago, but now that I’m on the ground here, I’ve gotten a chance to see a couple of places first hand. I arrived in Vietnam 6 days ago. I spent the first weekend in Hanoi, then went on an overnight cruise to Halong Bay, then took an sleeper/overnight train from Hanoi to Hue. I’ve been in Hue now for 2 nights, and am headed to Hoi An in a couple minutes. Yesterday was a day for catching up on email, doing some chores (like the pharmacy and the post-office) and generally taking it easy.

things I’m really not used to in Vietnam

MONEY: So, like every other time I travel abroad, currency conversions are confusing. And about 20K DONG to the dollar is still hard math for me (shockingly). But the most amazing thing about money in Vietnam is that it has a little plastic window in it! Is this for added transparency in a communist country?

Uncle Ho: So, like a good American I celebrated the Fourth of July by visiting with Ho Chi Minh at the mausoleum. He’s pictured on the bill above, and looks pretty darn creepy, though restful, in his eternal resting place. I get that there’s a huge cult of personality around the guy, but as I understand it, he wanted to be (1) cremated and (2) didn’t ask to have his face all over all the currency. SOL, Ho.

Pirated Books: I bought a book on the street today (Stieg Larsson’s 2nd book – The Girl Who Played With Fire) and the entire thing is a photocopy and bound. I really hope it isn’t missing critical pages.

Soup for breakfast: I have yet to eat on the street, but everyone eats meat soup for their first meal of the day. Pho is one of those foods I’ve only eaten in cold, rainy Portland weather — I can’t yet imagine eating it in the 80+ degree heat. Though, I am all for savory breakfast.

Sidewalks are for parking: Yep, walk in the street — the sidewalk is for keeping your moto. Hrm.

transportation in Vietnam

I plan to write more this afternoon after the day gets hotter than the 30 degrees  it is now, still before 8 am. (As an aside, please teach me how to do the conversion to Fahrenheit!) but I did want to at least report to my devoted readers that I am safe and sound and spending much of my time getting lost. Hanoi is epically confusing to walk through, and I’ve made my peace with needing to hail motocabs to get around. I really miss the independence of walking — and the train — but seeing the city from the back of some stranger’s motorcycle has been a major highlight. Traffic here is unreal, just like everyone says. A friend of a friend told me, before I left to come, that New Yorkers think they’re tough with our if you can make it there you can make it anywhere attitude. He said that you’ve never truly lived until you’ve driven a moto through Hanoi. Well, I don’t imagine doing that — but it is exhilarating. There’s a river-like quality to traffic here that goes against everything I’m used to, but I’ve successfully crossed the street and traveled all over by moto,  surprisingly big moments.

Stumptown

Last week I spent a few days in Portland, Oregon to say goodbye to some old friends and to have a little vacation before packing up my life in New York. I’m nearly ready to go and can now count down the hours until I leave the country for the year. It is an odd feeling, but also very exciting.

Being in Portland was lovely as usual. The weather was unseasonably cold and rainy, which meant that I could do classically Portland things like drink coffee and slowly make my way through two new graphic novel series (Fables and Y: The Last Man – I recommend both highly!). The bike pictured above is my friend Michelle’s – the hostess with the mostess who always makes sure I have a ride while I’m visiting.

The Charm and Queen Cities, respectively.

I’m just now back in Brooklyn after a week testing out my new backpack on a weeklong trip to Baltimore (Charm) and Cincinnati (Queen). Though I had some hot and humid days in the high 80s, none of it comes close to what I can expect in Asia. That said, I did see some funny things that I figured my (small) readership would enjoy.

B’more first. This sailboat was parked in someone’s driveway. I know I was close to the harbor, but it just struck me as odd. Maybe I’m just unused to seeing driveways at all?