Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Mr. December
Vietnam and the Nightmare before Christmas
Seasons Greetings!
I have a lot on my mind today and a lot of experiences and insights to share. The main reason I have a lot on my mind is because I've had more than enough time to do some thinking lately. Why? Well, the answer to that question brings you to my current predicament. Root canal in Vietnam.
On the 22nd of this month I took a night bus from the city of Hanoi to Hue. I woke up with a little bit of a toothache. Didn't think too much of it. Time travel two days into the future, my thoughts were very, very different. By the time I arrived in Nha Trang (beach resort city in southern-central Vietnam) on the 24th, I immediately sought out a dentist to get myself checked out. With the help of some personel at Novotel, I tracked down a dentist that gave me a free X-ray. Root Canal. I did this all in the morning, and by the evening, I had gone back into the dentist to begin my root canal procedure. Merry Christmas eve!
The procedure requires that I go into the dentist on 3 separate occasions over the course of a week. I just finished step 2 and it was probably one of the more painful experiences of my life. I'll be the first to admit that this whole ordeal has been quite rough on me. I don't think I've ever been so nervous in my entire life for a procedure that probably isn't all that complicated nor one that is all that life threatening (ok, not life threatening in the least). Still, given the circumstances of being in a foreign land, taking care of myself, taking a cab to the dentist back and foreth to my hotel, all the while during the Holiday season....well, not exactly what I was expecting. It's moments like these that I wonder if travelling has toughened me up at all or if I'm just a wuss. I suppose it's the small things that have stacked up against me in this situation that have really mentally defeated me (and now physically too). When the business card of the dentist office has a picture of Britney Spears on it, "professional" and "quality assured" aren't the first words that pop into your mind. If that doesn't slightly put you on edge, walk upstairs in the office where the magic happens. Before you is one large, open room with 6 dental chairs side by side, not separated by anything. Another thing I'm not used to. Now, begin the procedure. In my previous dental experiences, there's often at least two people working on you at one time (if it's something more than your basic cleaning). One person to man the suction, water, and handing over of tools, the other to do the primary task at hand. I should have more faith in my current dentist, because she's doing everything on her own, and no, she doesn't have any more hands or arms than the ordinary person. The mind is a terrible thing. Before she starts any of the work, I'm already defeated and am expecting the worst. Step 1 wasn't horrible, but not great either. Step 2, which I just finished today was nothing short of excruciating. Call me a baby, call me what you will, I'm ready for this nightmare to be over. 2 more days. So close, yet so far away. I'll let you know when I look like Britney.
Besides Sapa, I wanted to comment on another item that's really been turning my wheels lately. I've encountered numerous people (mainly women) here in Vietnam who seem to be working on what most westerners would consider an ungodly work schedule. My prime example at the moment is the young woman who works the night shift at my hotel. Every single day of the week she works from 7 PM to AM. She gets approximately 2 days off a month. How much does she get paid a month? $100. The amount of work, dedication, and will of this woman (and several other people I've talked to) leaves me utterly speechless. How does she do it? How do any of them do it? How does she even smile?! What keeps her going? What makes her happy?! The will of these people is beyond the strength of the strongest material known to mankind. In the face of all it, it stirs up a number of different emotions inside of me. Spoiled, pampered, babied - I feel humiliated in a way for ever complaining about anything in life. Think about it - 7 days week, 12 hours a day, $100 per month. I would be tempted to say that such a perspecitve has humbled me, but saying "humbled" in the past tense implies that I've been brought down to a certain level where the understanding might be mutual. I am nowhere close to being thankful and humble enough for the things and joys I have in my life to compare myself to what she has to endure. I'm humbled to a particular level, but I still feel inept and unable to truely understand what kind of life she leads and what she has to work for. I know this is just one small thing in the world. In reality there are thousands, if not millions, who have it even worse - no access to clean water, no food, living in war torn areas, etc. - the list could go on and on. It's easy to forget these things, especially when it's nowhere near your daily movements - but because this has been staring me in the face for over the past 2 weeks, I thought I'd write about it to give you a friendly reminder: Life sucks sometimes, but be thankful for what you have, you might be surprised how blessed you really are. We enjoy an amazing standard of life in the western world. Sure, it'd be easy to complain about a $1,500 root canal treatment, but take my word for it, even it is only $200 here in Vietnam, the`extra money at home is WELLLLLLLLLLLL worth the cost.
I hope everyone had a wonderful Holiday - here's to a New Year, and a new smile like Britney's!
I have a lot on my mind today and a lot of experiences and insights to share. The main reason I have a lot on my mind is because I've had more than enough time to do some thinking lately. Why? Well, the answer to that question brings you to my current predicament. Root canal in Vietnam.
On the 22nd of this month I took a night bus from the city of Hanoi to Hue. I woke up with a little bit of a toothache. Didn't think too much of it. Time travel two days into the future, my thoughts were very, very different. By the time I arrived in Nha Trang (beach resort city in southern-central Vietnam) on the 24th, I immediately sought out a dentist to get myself checked out. With the help of some personel at Novotel, I tracked down a dentist that gave me a free X-ray. Root Canal. I did this all in the morning, and by the evening, I had gone back into the dentist to begin my root canal procedure. Merry Christmas eve!
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| View (or partial view) of Halong Bay, Vietnam |
Jump back two weeks or so to my arrival in Vietnam. Before all the tooth troubles, I was having quite an amazing time. I went to Halong Bay with a group of amazing travellers for 3 days. Halong Bay is quite possibly one of the most beautiful places in the entire world. It's a bay with drops of jagged, karst topography erupting out of the ocean. Although it wasn't exactly clear blue skies while I was there, it didn't matter. The scenery was still breathtaking. I also made it to Sapa, which every since I read about it in my travel book became a personal must-see for me. Sapa is a small town Northwest of Hanoi located in a mountainous area near the border of China. Known for its rice terraces and Hmong people, Sapa did not dissapoint. Being winter time, it isn't the ideal time to visit Sapa. I nearly didn't go because by many reports from other travellers who had recently been there, the weather was cold, rainy, and fogged over, making my picturesque views nearly impossible to witness. In spite of my recent bad luck, the sun shined for two entire days when I went to Sapa. I couldn't have been more thankful. Sapa reminded me a bit of Lao because it is rapidly expanding and changing as a major tourist destination. The amount of building going on seemed unbelievable. The Hmong villagers made the greatest impression on me as I walked around Sapa and the surrounding villages. Everywhere you went in Sapa, Hmong women and other ehtnic groups became your shadow. All trying to sell things by initiating conversation with a couple standard questions. "Where are you from? What's your name? How old are you? Where are you going?" You can't exactly ignore them, but hearing the repeated questions over and over again, knowing what they are after gets quite exhausting. To many, it would seem Sapa has been taken over by tourism and traditional ways of life have been completely abandoned. These women come to town day in and day out trying to sell several different handicrafts. It's a little distrubing and sad to see in a way, but in another I'm not entirely convinced that such change is for the worst. I walked through a couple different villages and saw much of the same thing. Every other house or building seemed designated for selling handicrafts and tourist items. A small army of women and children followed you around everywhere you went, talking with you the entire time, probably hoping by the end of your visit that you would buy something from them. I managed to be entirely cold hearted and not buy anything from any of them, but at the same time, I also managed to connect with a couple of them in a way that I didn't initially think was possible. I asked them about their daily life, and selling things to tourists. I asked how they all learned English. I asked what they did before they sold things. I asked them what life was like before all the visitors. Was it better, was it worse? Many I talked to couldn't answer the questions becuase they were too young to know. For as long as they lived, they were used to making things and trying to sell them to visitors. Other who did know didn't seem to mind. While they said selling things could be quite difficult at times (as nearly EVERYONE is trying to sell something), they also said that their way of life had improved and become easier. Thanks to tourism came more money. With more money came more infrastructure and access to resources. Water, electricity, etc. Their way of life is changing so fast, but in spite of all this change I was encouraged by the fact that many of these villagers were still holding on to their language, style of clothing, and general culture that identifies them. I'm no expert on any of this, so take all of this with a grain of salt. Just my impressions after a quick 2 day, 1 night visit.
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| The Army of Women trying to sell you their handicrafts. Difficult to resist, but not impossible |
Sapa is not unlike many other places I've encountered on this road. Once a rarely explored wonder now changing by the masses. Of course, by visiting such a place I'm only further provoking such a change, but I've learned that such change is inevitable. The world is becoming a smaller place each and every single day. Yes, it is a little sad to see such hidden gems like Sapa transforming into a skyline of 5 star resorts. But beneath the tourism and millions of women all selling very similar items there is still something more that does not change so easily. Sometimes it's hard to find, sometimes you may not think it exists, but it is my firm belief that no matter where you go, the heart of a place lies in the heart of the people. On the exterior, Sapa may seem like a dreadful place going the way of so many other overrun and over exploited destinations, but give it a chance, and give a further look, and I think you might be surprised.
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| Rice Terraces in village near Sapa, Vietnam |
Besides Sapa, I wanted to comment on another item that's really been turning my wheels lately. I've encountered numerous people (mainly women) here in Vietnam who seem to be working on what most westerners would consider an ungodly work schedule. My prime example at the moment is the young woman who works the night shift at my hotel. Every single day of the week she works from 7 PM to AM. She gets approximately 2 days off a month. How much does she get paid a month? $100. The amount of work, dedication, and will of this woman (and several other people I've talked to) leaves me utterly speechless. How does she do it? How do any of them do it? How does she even smile?! What keeps her going? What makes her happy?! The will of these people is beyond the strength of the strongest material known to mankind. In the face of all it, it stirs up a number of different emotions inside of me. Spoiled, pampered, babied - I feel humiliated in a way for ever complaining about anything in life. Think about it - 7 days week, 12 hours a day, $100 per month. I would be tempted to say that such a perspecitve has humbled me, but saying "humbled" in the past tense implies that I've been brought down to a certain level where the understanding might be mutual. I am nowhere close to being thankful and humble enough for the things and joys I have in my life to compare myself to what she has to endure. I'm humbled to a particular level, but I still feel inept and unable to truely understand what kind of life she leads and what she has to work for. I know this is just one small thing in the world. In reality there are thousands, if not millions, who have it even worse - no access to clean water, no food, living in war torn areas, etc. - the list could go on and on. It's easy to forget these things, especially when it's nowhere near your daily movements - but because this has been staring me in the face for over the past 2 weeks, I thought I'd write about it to give you a friendly reminder: Life sucks sometimes, but be thankful for what you have, you might be surprised how blessed you really are. We enjoy an amazing standard of life in the western world. Sure, it'd be easy to complain about a $1,500 root canal treatment, but take my word for it, even it is only $200 here in Vietnam, the`extra money at home is WELLLLLLLLLLLL worth the cost.
I hope everyone had a wonderful Holiday - here's to a New Year, and a new smile like Britney's!
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| The transformation is nearly complete. Bet you can't guess which side I had the root canal. |
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Lao-Lao Land
For a second there, I thought I was doing a decent job of keeping this blog semi-updated. But seeing as I'm leaving Laos today, and that I haven't written a single thing about it yet indicates otherwise. Oh well, better late than never.
I last left you readers in Bangkok where I departed ways from my sister Melissa on Nov. 25th. On the 26th, I arrived on the night train into Vientiane, the capital of Laos. Spent about 3 days there before heading to Vang Vieng (a city 4 hours north - more, less). Another 3 days there, and finally made it to the magical town of Luang Prabang, a winding, up and down, scenic, 6 hour drive north of Vang Vieng (give or take two hours depending on the number of bus breakdowns, number of accidents encountered, and bathroom breaks). I do indeed know this from experience. While this would seemingly be a very frustrating experience in most modern world countries, the rule of thumb in Laos is to not lose face by showing frustration, impatience, or any sort of anger. In this regard, the ever ubiquitous phrase "laid back Laos" reigns true in most circumstances. I don't know if it was because of my pre-conceived knowledge of the phrase, but immediately after arriving in Vientiane, even the motor cycles and mopeds seemed to move at a more relaxed pace. Not sure if that's a particularly relevant or real observation, or simply a factor of having lower speed limits. Take your pick.
The last week, I've been blessed to meet up with an old family friend who has provided me with a wealth of experiences, knowledge, and personal memories that I will carry with me forever. As the in country director of a non-profit organization called "Pencils of Promise", Leslie and her group of workers have built and established approximately 15 schools in rural villages in their first year alone! I got to visit two such villages. One had a school that had been established and running for about a year. The other, celebrated the opening of the school in a very festive way. Two of my greatest experiences revolved around these village visits. The first village (Pha Yong) was located about 4 hours away from Luang Prabang. Riding in the back of a truck on a bench, a quarter of the experience was getting there, especially the last hour where we travelled on a bumpy,dirt road, occasionally driving through small creeks and traversing log like bridges. You got to love it when everyone has to get out of the vehicle in order for the truck to safely cross. : ) The 4 hour trip proved beyond rewarding. Tucked away in the hills and Mt's. of Laos, one could easily mistake the village for the mythical shangri-la. If the setting itself wasn't enough to win you over, wait til you meet the villagers and children.
Upon I arrival, we were fed a feast of fresh fish, sticky rice, and some sort of shredded bamboo dish. After lunch, I spent the remaining daylight hours touring the village and playing with the children. At first, both the children and myself were a little shy. I haven't spent huge amounts of time with younger children, but as soon as you let yourself go they quickly follow suit. From playing games of chase, to dancing around, the children are an endless fountain of laughter and smiles. For how poor and simple the village lifestyle is, it knocks you flat on your ass to see how happy all the children are. And to see that they now have a more sturdy structure from which to study and learn inside is even more encouraging. To try and put some perspective on village life, they killed two chickens for us for dinner that night. This may come as no surprise to some, but maybe a huge surprise to others. Very rural, but oddly enough, maybe surprising in particular other regards as well. We're not talking stone age living here, but we're definitely not talking flat screen T.V.'s and wireless internet either.
If the trek out to Pha Yong seemed exciting, the trek back was even better. While on the dirt road, we picked up nearly every single person we came across and gave them a lift into "town." Haha, my personal favorite man we picked up brought on board a live porcupine in a wicker-basket that he had caught. Apparently porcupine meat is a delicacy here, so naturally the man was going into town to sell it at the market. Fresh as it gets. I just want to know how he managed to catch the critter.
The second village wasn't nearly as far away, but distance isn't indicative of the awesomeness of either place. This time around, I had the opportunity to witness the opening ceremony for a new school Pencils of Promise built. From another village feast, to blaring karaoke music, beerlao with ice (seems a little odd, but beer with ice does tend to grow on you after a while), and a couple shots of lao lao whisky (a backyard brew that can pack quite the bunch sometimes), not to mention dancing (described by Leslie as square dance, only Lao style), I had an incredible time. I particularly enjoyed the dancing because as a foreigner, I wasn't supposed to invite people to dance. Rather, I was expected to sit and wait until I was invited to dance. Thankfully, I was asked to dance on several occasions so my feelings weren't hurt. : ) Haha, the whole scene was very festive and everyone was having a great time. The most ironic thing though was that only the adults seemed to be celebrating even though the school was obviously for the kids. Back to the Karaoke real quick. When it comes to parties and Karaoke, Lao people mean business. They brought an entire truck load of equipment out to the village for the party - easily 6 speakers. And they weren't afraid to use it. I'm surprised I'm not deaf today.
There's so much else I want to tell you about Laos, but I'm having a difficult time deciding what to inform you about and what to leave out. From the history concerning Hmong people and the Vietnam war, Unexploded ordinance, to the modern and huge influence of China - Laos is a country the is undergoing quite a bit of change in a very short amount of time (relatively). In Luang Prabang, China is paying for a new airport to be built, which will allow 747's to fly in. In Vientiane, there is a satellite city the Chinese government paid for and bought. The Mekong river is lower than it has ever been thanks to dams further upstream in China. And tourism and foreigners are becoming more and more common place everyday. I'm a perfect example of this. Although none of this is inherently bad, it's food for thought to see how much it will change Laos, its people, and its culture. If I were to return to Laos after 5 years, I'm confident the place would seem extremely different. The world grows smaller everyday. It is my hope that Laos can progress and advance in way that it isn't taken advantage of, but this may be difficult. I'm not exactly sure. Time will tell.
When you get the chance, try and find read up on Laos a little bit. It isnt' exactly the first place many of us think about when we look at other places around the world, but I'm fairly certain you'll be nothing short of fascinated.
Next stop: Hanoi, Vietnam. I'm taking a 10 hour bus back to Vientiane, and then another 24 hour bus to Hanoi. Yuck. The things I do to try and save money.
P.S. - if you are ever in Luang Prabang, make sure to eat at a place called "Smile Burger" - by far the best burgers in town. : )
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| Pha That Luang Temple - Vientiane, Laos |
I last left you readers in Bangkok where I departed ways from my sister Melissa on Nov. 25th. On the 26th, I arrived on the night train into Vientiane, the capital of Laos. Spent about 3 days there before heading to Vang Vieng (a city 4 hours north - more, less). Another 3 days there, and finally made it to the magical town of Luang Prabang, a winding, up and down, scenic, 6 hour drive north of Vang Vieng (give or take two hours depending on the number of bus breakdowns, number of accidents encountered, and bathroom breaks). I do indeed know this from experience. While this would seemingly be a very frustrating experience in most modern world countries, the rule of thumb in Laos is to not lose face by showing frustration, impatience, or any sort of anger. In this regard, the ever ubiquitous phrase "laid back Laos" reigns true in most circumstances. I don't know if it was because of my pre-conceived knowledge of the phrase, but immediately after arriving in Vientiane, even the motor cycles and mopeds seemed to move at a more relaxed pace. Not sure if that's a particularly relevant or real observation, or simply a factor of having lower speed limits. Take your pick.
 |
| Pha Yong Village, Laos |
The last week, I've been blessed to meet up with an old family friend who has provided me with a wealth of experiences, knowledge, and personal memories that I will carry with me forever. As the in country director of a non-profit organization called "Pencils of Promise", Leslie and her group of workers have built and established approximately 15 schools in rural villages in their first year alone! I got to visit two such villages. One had a school that had been established and running for about a year. The other, celebrated the opening of the school in a very festive way. Two of my greatest experiences revolved around these village visits. The first village (Pha Yong) was located about 4 hours away from Luang Prabang. Riding in the back of a truck on a bench, a quarter of the experience was getting there, especially the last hour where we travelled on a bumpy,dirt road, occasionally driving through small creeks and traversing log like bridges. You got to love it when everyone has to get out of the vehicle in order for the truck to safely cross. : ) The 4 hour trip proved beyond rewarding. Tucked away in the hills and Mt's. of Laos, one could easily mistake the village for the mythical shangri-la. If the setting itself wasn't enough to win you over, wait til you meet the villagers and children.
 |
| Children of Pha Yong village |
Upon I arrival, we were fed a feast of fresh fish, sticky rice, and some sort of shredded bamboo dish. After lunch, I spent the remaining daylight hours touring the village and playing with the children. At first, both the children and myself were a little shy. I haven't spent huge amounts of time with younger children, but as soon as you let yourself go they quickly follow suit. From playing games of chase, to dancing around, the children are an endless fountain of laughter and smiles. For how poor and simple the village lifestyle is, it knocks you flat on your ass to see how happy all the children are. And to see that they now have a more sturdy structure from which to study and learn inside is even more encouraging. To try and put some perspective on village life, they killed two chickens for us for dinner that night. This may come as no surprise to some, but maybe a huge surprise to others. Very rural, but oddly enough, maybe surprising in particular other regards as well. We're not talking stone age living here, but we're definitely not talking flat screen T.V.'s and wireless internet either.
If the trek out to Pha Yong seemed exciting, the trek back was even better. While on the dirt road, we picked up nearly every single person we came across and gave them a lift into "town." Haha, my personal favorite man we picked up brought on board a live porcupine in a wicker-basket that he had caught. Apparently porcupine meat is a delicacy here, so naturally the man was going into town to sell it at the market. Fresh as it gets. I just want to know how he managed to catch the critter.
The second village wasn't nearly as far away, but distance isn't indicative of the awesomeness of either place. This time around, I had the opportunity to witness the opening ceremony for a new school Pencils of Promise built. From another village feast, to blaring karaoke music, beerlao with ice (seems a little odd, but beer with ice does tend to grow on you after a while), and a couple shots of lao lao whisky (a backyard brew that can pack quite the bunch sometimes), not to mention dancing (described by Leslie as square dance, only Lao style), I had an incredible time. I particularly enjoyed the dancing because as a foreigner, I wasn't supposed to invite people to dance. Rather, I was expected to sit and wait until I was invited to dance. Thankfully, I was asked to dance on several occasions so my feelings weren't hurt. : ) Haha, the whole scene was very festive and everyone was having a great time. The most ironic thing though was that only the adults seemed to be celebrating even though the school was obviously for the kids. Back to the Karaoke real quick. When it comes to parties and Karaoke, Lao people mean business. They brought an entire truck load of equipment out to the village for the party - easily 6 speakers. And they weren't afraid to use it. I'm surprised I'm not deaf today.
 |
| The woman that made all my village visits possible, Leslie Make sure to check out Pencils of Promise on-line! And yes, that is a real monkey. |
There's so much else I want to tell you about Laos, but I'm having a difficult time deciding what to inform you about and what to leave out. From the history concerning Hmong people and the Vietnam war, Unexploded ordinance, to the modern and huge influence of China - Laos is a country the is undergoing quite a bit of change in a very short amount of time (relatively). In Luang Prabang, China is paying for a new airport to be built, which will allow 747's to fly in. In Vientiane, there is a satellite city the Chinese government paid for and bought. The Mekong river is lower than it has ever been thanks to dams further upstream in China. And tourism and foreigners are becoming more and more common place everyday. I'm a perfect example of this. Although none of this is inherently bad, it's food for thought to see how much it will change Laos, its people, and its culture. If I were to return to Laos after 5 years, I'm confident the place would seem extremely different. The world grows smaller everyday. It is my hope that Laos can progress and advance in way that it isn't taken advantage of, but this may be difficult. I'm not exactly sure. Time will tell.
When you get the chance, try and find read up on Laos a little bit. It isnt' exactly the first place many of us think about when we look at other places around the world, but I'm fairly certain you'll be nothing short of fascinated.
Next stop: Hanoi, Vietnam. I'm taking a 10 hour bus back to Vientiane, and then another 24 hour bus to Hanoi. Yuck. The things I do to try and save money.
P.S. - if you are ever in Luang Prabang, make sure to eat at a place called "Smile Burger" - by far the best burgers in town. : )
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