Cooking Class: Mitchell

Yesterday I did a cooking class with my mom. It was at the Red Bridge Cooking School. First, we all met at a restaurant and had a free drink. After that, we went and walked around the market place. Our guide showed us where to buy many ingredients, but it was very crowded and noisy so we left.

Next, we took a boat down the river to the Red Bridge Cooking School. Once we got there we were introduced to our cooking instructor, and he showed us how to make rice paper, seafood salad and spring rolls first. We wrapped the fresh spring rolls in rice paper, using a filling of shredded carrots, cucumber, papaya and tiny cooked shrimps. It was very tasty.

Afterwards he showed us how to make Hoi An pancakes (Banh Xeo) and Vietnamese eggplant in a clay pot. Then came the very tricky part. We had to decorate our plate by making a rose from a tomato and by doing something else to a cucumber that I forget. Next we had lunch and ate what we made. We sat across from some Portuguese people who were very interesting to talk to. Afterwards, we went swimming in their pool. I had fun cooking that day.

Making rice paper from scratch, a tricky operation:

Vietnamese eggplant in a clay pot:

More lanterns (Hoi An is famous for them):

Lantern night once a month on full moon (little candles set in cardboard go floating down the river):

Lady selling whistles made in nearby pottery village:

Flower seller:

We also checked out the ruins at My Son:

Great jungle walk at My Son:

Catching the waves at China Beach -- check out the new custom swim trunks!:

Boats come in all shapes and sizes on the South China Sea:

Yet another canine buddy - this one is Rom and he lives at Cafe 43, a restaurant we have visited often:

Twilight over the Thu Bon River:

Tomorrow, we board the Reunification Express train once more for an overnight trip to Hanoi and Halong Bay.

Hoi An: Tinkers, Tailors & Day 188

Weeding the garden (or make that, the rice paddy):We all agree, Hoi An is a very charming little city. So much more walkable than Saigon, although there are still plenty of motorcycles to dodge on the busier streets. Hoi An is in central Vietnam, with a population of about 120,000. It's famous for its cloth shops and tailors. All the tourists who come here leave laden with purchases of suits, dresses, wool coats, and any outfit you can imagine, sketch, or tear out of a magazine. These talented people can copy any design and sew it up in a day or less. You cannot swing a dead cat without hitting a tailor shop and if you did, they'd probably sew up a nice little outfit for the cat as well.

Hoi An is remarkably well-preserved. A section of Hoi An, called the Old Town, is a huge tourist draw. Because Hoi An was an administrative centre during the Vietnam War, it was spared the bombing and devastation that obliterated so many historical buildings in other cities of Vietnam.

There was once a farly large Japanese population in Hoi An, as the town was a major trading port with other parts of Asia, and the influence of Japanese architecture is seen all over town, in particular with the beautiful old Japanese covered bridge.

We arrived last Monday (almost one week here already) via the train, the famous Reunification Express. The train was a great idea - infinitely better than a long bus trip. We had a sleeper berth with two sets of bunk beds and having a place to stretch out and sleep in privacy made all the difference. The trip was about 15 hours and we stepped off the train well-rested and feeling fresh. Had we journeyed by bus, there's no doubt we would have been wrecked upon arrival.

Today - Sunday Jan. 24th - is also Day 188 for us which marks the exact halfway point of our year away in terms of time. We left on July 20th and will return to Ottawa August 1st, so that works out to 376 days. Not to engage in extensive navel-gazing or anything, but being at this halfway point led me to reflect a bit on how things are going. I had many hopes heading into this trip. The hope that we would become closer as a family, that life would slow down, that our boys would grow in confidence and curiosity and perhaps become a bit less shy. I would say that some of those things are happening, possibly, but time will tell.

Certainly, this independent travel thing is more work than I would have expected. There is a constant pressure to keep researching places and booking ahead so we're not sleeping on the street. There are the mundane aspects of life to contend with but without the conveniences of home (e.g., doing laundry for 4 people with no machine or dryer) and in general, just trying to provide the necessities of life so our boys feel secure and safe. Both Ted & I have travelled before but it's much different backpacking in a strange country on your own or as a couple than with children. Life is less busy in the sense that there are no assessment files sitting on my desk, screaming "write me yesterday!" but it's busy in a different way.

We are together as a family almost 24/7 which can be challenging at times. We all share the personality trait of needing our own space and solitude from time to time, so we have to try and plan ways to get that. Sometimes we'll split up two and two and meet up later or split up three and one, so we get a break from each other. The boys do scrap and bicker and they definitely miss their friends; they have only each other for peer companionship.

But the plusses are many. They are learning about so many places and so many cultures. They're eating a greater variety of foods, even though they still opt for cheeseburgers and pizza when they can. Mitchell in particular is now willingly trying a whole variety of foreign foods. He has readily taken to pho and spring rolls (the staples of the Vietnamese diet) and yesterday, he even had fish wrapped in banana leaves for lunch. Jackson has learned a great deal of geography and shows a real curiosity for learning (and collecting) the flag of every country we visit. Both boys will be more than ready to re-enter regular schooling. Jackson in particular is looking forward to a more regular routine and the structure of the school-day. I can't say the same for Mitchell - he enjoys homeschooling more than regular school but he will be excited to return to the social aspect of school at least.

We plan to stay in Hoi An one more week. We've got clothes to design (!), more ruins to visit, beaches to return to, and, of course, the basics of schoolwork to keep up with. On Thursday, Mitchell & I are enrolled in a half-day cooking course. We're also looking forward to being here for the next "Lantern Festival" in a few days' time. On the 14th day of each lunar month, the Old Town of Hoi An bans motorcycles, bicycles, fluorescent lights, TVs, radios, etc. The Old Town is lit entirely with silk lanterns and we hear the effect is magical.

Yesterday, at the invitation of a waiter we met here, we traveled to a small village (Thanh Ha) just 3 km. west of Hoi An. This village, on the banks of the Thu Bon River, is known for its pottery and fishing industries. Mr. Trung treated us to a tour, took us fishing in his boat, showed us where pottery is made, and his wife cooked us an amazing lunch in their home. Because it was not a school day,we also got to meet his two children, a son age 15 and a daughter age 10. A highlight for all the males in the family was when Ted got to take Mitchell & Jackson each for short motorcycles rides. Mr. Trung generously offered his wheels for this purpose, although Ted had to keep reassuring him he knew how to drive a motorcycle. We're seeing a very special Vietnam - here's to the next 188 days.


Looking across river to Hoi An peninsula:

Typical cloth shop:

Silk lantern shop:

Vietnamese woman crafting her lanterns:

In Mr. Trung's village - foot-powered pottery wheel:

Mitchell at the wheel making a clay pot (all the clay comes from the nearby riverbank):

Voila!

Getting ready to head out in the boat for some fishing:

Jackson caught a small one but threw it back:

Delicious home-cooked meal with the Trung family:

Our hosts, the Trung family:

Seas I Have Swum: Jackson

Stormy Cua Dai Beach in Hoi An:

Yesterday, I got to swim in the South China Sea and it was fun. There were big waves and on the way there, we rided bikes. We are in Hoi An, Vietnam and the beach was called Cua Dai Beach. It is near the real "China Beach" from an old TV show. When we got there, we got new swimsuits made. It only took one hour to sew them. Mine has blue sharks on it.

List of all the seas and oceans I have swum in:

• Gulf of Mexico (when I visited Uncle Ken & Auntie Terry once in Florida)
• Mediterranean Sea (France)
• Indian Ocean (Tanzania)
• South China Sea (Vietnam)

Other oceans & rivers that I saw or went on a boat on but did not go swimming in:

• Atlantic Ocean
• Pacific Ocean
• Persian Gulf (Arabian Sea)
• River Nile (Cairo)
• Chao Praya River (Bangkok)
• Mekong River (Cambodia / Vietnam)

There are a few more waters to come and I will keep track.

Me on a boat ride in Persian Gulf (Dubai):

Crossing the Mekong River between Cambodia and Vietnam:

My favorite beach - Kendwa on Zanzibar Island:

Atlantic Ocean on Staten Island ferry:

Starting a new sand castle at Mediterranean Sea in France:

Good Morning Vietnam!

Good Morning Vietnam! Okay, so that is a very cliched thing to say upon arrival to Vietnam but we could not resist. There are two types of t-shirts not to buy here in South-East Asia: the one that reads Good Morning Vietnam and the other that reads Same, Same but Different. Every second backpacker is wearing one or the other so, in an effort not to conform, we have purchased neither.

Our bus trip from Phnom Penh to Saigon was blessedly uneventful and since we had gotten our Vietnam visas ahead of time, the border crossing was a breeze. Coincidentally, the woman directly in front of us in the border queue was from Ottawa and a linguist, no less. As we chatted, she eventually revealed that she and her husband are missonaries here. Very interesting lady! She speaks fluent Vietnamese having resided here for over 10 years and has helped with Wycliffe Bible translators. Her husband is a physician who specializes in leprosy (yes, it still exists here). She had lots of practical tips to share with us to ease our stay in Vietnam over this next month.

Our first stop in Vietnam is Ho Chi Minh City (which everybody here still refers to as Saigon). A city of nine million people and five million motorcycles. Crossing the street here brought back memories of Cairo. No lanes, no lights, no stop or yield signs of any kind. Just a nutso free-for-all; not surprisingly, a major cause of death is traumatic head injury due to traffic accidents. The guidebooks all instruct you to simply step into the fray and take slow, deliberate steps across the road. You're supposed to control your urge to make a mad dash and trust that the motorcyclists will manouver around you. Obviously this is easier said than done, especially when kids are involved. Nevertheless, we are all still here intact so we must be doing something right.

In the three short days we have spent in Saigon, we managed to take in most of the highlights: visits to the War Remnants Museum, the Reunification Palace, Cholon Market (Chinatown), the Thien Hau Pagoda, and the huge Ben Thanh Market. One day we went for a stroll and saw some familiar (from movies, that is) landmarks: the Rex Hotel from the movie Good Morning Vietnam and the Continental Hotel from The Quiet American. We also took a walk through the Central Post Office, a stunning example of French Colonial architecture.

The War Remnants Museum houses actual equipment left behind by the Americans when they finally cut their (substantial) losses in the Vietnam war and fled abruptly on April 30, 1975. Outside you see helicopters, warplanes, bombers, armoured vehicles, military shells, etc. Inside are mostly photographic exhibits. This is a very disturbing place to visit. Mitchell and Jackson looked at the first few exhibits with us and then both opted out, going to sit on a bench in the lobby. You cannot really blame them. The photos showing the innocent civilian victims (many of whom were children) affected by napalm and Agent Orange are graphic and truly horrifying. One woman that we met there from Vermont commented, "if every Head of State had to walk through here before breakfast, there might never be another war again." All in all, close to 60,000 American soldiers died and between 3 and 4 million Vietnamese from both sides.

The horror continues, as there are still areas of unexploded landmines throughout Vietnam (and Cambodia as well) and the birth defects and deformities caused by the chemical warfare are visible everywhere. Especially on the street as that is where many of these people now live as beggars.

After the heaviness of the Killing Fields in Cambodia and this particular museum in Saigon, we decided to forgo the Cu Chi Tunnels (another war-related site) and took the boys to a waterpark on our last day instead. The Dam Sen Park is a wacky place with almost zero attention to safety but we all had a blast. Huge waterslides, a massive wave pool, almost as many kids tearing around inside the gates as motorcycles zooming around outside, and nary a lifeguard in sight. Yep, that's Vietnam.

Next. . . all aboard the Reunification Express train north to Danang and Hoi An.

Incense burning at Pagoda:

Outside War Remnants Museum:

Remember this famous photo? (Viet Cong storming the gates of Reunification Palace in 1975):

Reunification Palace today (largely unchanged):

Meeting room inside Reunification Palace:

Tangle of overhead wires on typical Saigon street:

Food vendors on every street:

The Continental Hotel (from The Quiet American):

The Rex Hotel (famous in the movie Good Morning Vietnam):

Central Post Office:

Inside the Post Office:

Cholon Market in Saigon's Chinatown:

Flat Stanley checking out the markets:

Watching "handicapped handicrafts" in action - making Chinese lacquer artwork with crushed eggshells:

Everywhere we go, Jackson makes a canine friend and Saigon is no exception (Lucky from Hotel 127):

Having some fun at Dam Sen Waterpark. . .

and 10-pin bowling: