Day 3 - Local beaches near HCMC and a giant Jesus (Vung Tau)

Took a 1.5 hour boat ride from HCMC to Vung Tau, which is a popular and close vacation spot for many of the locals in HCMC on the weekend. Once a pristine beach resort, now it is a popular, developed beach area for locals as well as home to an offshore oil industry. The beach area gets pretty crowded on the weekends when the locals arrive. Since we went on a Tuesday, it wasn't crowded in the least bit. The roads were a very stark contrast to the roads in HCMC. There was very little traffic, and it seemed like a fun idea to rent a moped or motorcycle, which I don't think I would do in HCMC. Walking across the street didn't feel like a danger to your safety and you could actually jay walk! There were also cows walking freely along the highways.

We went to one of the Buddhist temples there - Thich Ca Phat Dai. Lots of climbing up stairs to see various religious statues. The inhabitants there seemed very poor and it was sort of depressing to see it all. I wonder how the temple is maintained and where these people who sell things in the temple live?

Leaving the temple, we went to get some seafood at a local restaurant since it was a beach town. Along the way, I saw many developed, ritzy hotels that didn't seem lively at all. It reminded me of visiting Miami, where some parts of the city resembled a ghost town due to overdevelopment. I don't know if this would be considered the first time we were scammed while travelling, but the seafood was incredibly expensive! For a vegetable dish, 2 small crabs, 1 lobster, and some beers and rice, the total ended up being over 4 million dong, or a little over $200 USD! We don't even pay that much in the states...which makes me believe we got the "tourist" price for the food. A tip to avoid this? MAKE SURE TO ASK WHAT THE MARKET PRICE OF THE SEAFOOD IS FOR THE DAY! I guess we were so used to paying so little for everything in Vietnam, that we didn't bother asking...

The highlight of the visit to Vung Tau was visiting a giant statue of Jesus! I hope to visit the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio, Brazil sometime at the end of the year, so this hopefully is a preview. The statue is located high above the rest of the city, and it only took about 15 minutes to get to the top. Once you reach the statue, you can climb inside the statue through a narrow spiral staircase to the shoulders of Christ, where you get incredible views of the entire city. Of course with the humidity, it was quite a feat just getting up there. The walls inside the statue were wet with everyone's sweat.

Taking the boat back to HCMC, we went to one of the restaurants that was featured on Anthony Bourdain's "No Reservations". It was the first bowl of Pho I ate. I ended up filling my belly with two of those babies because it was so good! The meat was soft and the rare beef was tenderized. The soup base was perfect - not too oily and without that "Pho" smell that stays with you when you eat at any other Pho restaurant in California. 5 bowls of Pho ended up costing 110,000 dong, or about $5.50, Probably the best meal of the trip ironically, but it definitely helps ease the dent in our wallets caused by that seafood meal we had for lunch.

On the way back, I noticed that there were many popular street stalls selling quail eggs and balut (a boiled, fertilized duck egg). Definitely my next meal tomorrow...

Our transportation for the day trip to Vung Tau

Thich Ca Phat Dai Temple - The main statue of Buddha

Thich Ca Phat Dai Temple

Beaches in Vung Tau

Chronological glimpse of my trek up to the top of the Jesus Christ statue and back down

 A portion of the $200 meal in Vung Tao

A portion of the $5.50 meal in District 1 in HCMC

Day 2 - HCMC - Revisiting Dad's Old Home

We spend the majority of the day getting more acclimated with the City and seeing some of the popular landmarks.

The first stop was the Independence Palace (Reunification Palace) - originally built by the French during colonization as the Indochina Governor Palace, and then the home and workplace for the South Vietnamese president. This was the site of the end of the Vietnam War when the North invaded and the South handed over control. The current architecture of the building began in 1962 and was completed in 1966. There is a very mod and retro feel to the architecture of the building as well as the interior design. My sister said it reminded her of a UCLA building...I'm thinking maybe a North Campus Building? Public Policy? One thing you can't miss for sure is the incessant and endless whistling from the cicadas in the area.

After that, we went to the Notre Dame Cathedral and the Post Office, where a huge picture of Ho Chi Minh hangs at the back. My sister wrote some postcards for home, but I opted to wait until further along in my trip. Send me your addresses everyone!

Next, we went to visit Dad's old home before he fled to California. It turned into a tea-shop, like many of the other homes on the busy street. We stopped by to visit the neighbor, and the grandmother that still lived there remembered him and my grandfather. Dad spoke with her for a while. We also looked around for his school, but he could not recollect the exact location since so much has changed in the 30 years he had been gone. He fled the country when he was in his early 20s. All of this has allowed me to ask my dad more questions about his life in Vietnam and how he ended up in California. I don't think I ever really asked him these questions, but it's fascinating to hear of some of the things he had to do to get to America.

Took a taxi to the Cholon area in the city. We visited the Thien Hau Pagoda, which had really intricate wood carvings all along the roof. There were numerous spiral incense coils hanging from the ceiling and burning incense throughout the central room - Very beautiful. The temple is dedicated to Thien Hau - the Goddess of the Sea and Patroness of Sailors. I noticed that many french tourists were there and I was amazed that the Vietnamese tourguide could speak French so fluently...until I remembered that Vietnam used to be a French colony. How many times did I watch Indochine in French class in high school? Duh. 

The last temple we visited was the Quan Am Pagoda, which honors Kwan Yin, the Chinese Goddess of Mercy. 

At the end of the night, we decided to have a hot pot dinner on a cruise ship, as it rode along the Saigon River - a bit touristy, but nonetheless fun.

The second day in, and we've basically decided that taking a taxi was affordable and mandatory for our survival in the humidity of HCMC. A day consists of walking the streets for about an hour at most, and then recovery in an AC'd taxi or luxury store, repeated many times during the day. I dread when I have to leave the taxi cab...

I saw the first motorcycle accident on my first full day in Vietnam. Despite this, I think it seems pretty safe driving around the city. Even though it's basically a clusterfuck of vehicles travelling in all directions, everyone is driving pretty slowly, maybe 30 mph max... Now...rush hour on a weekday is a whole 'nother story... We'll see if my opinions change. I'm still looking to take that perfect picture that conveys all this highway chaos I am speaking of...

Independence Palace (Reunification Palace) - Very Mod and Retro

Post Office and a Picture of Ho Chi Minh

Dad's Old Home in the City

Speaking with the neighbor, who remembers him!

Thien Hau Pagoda - Notice the wood carvings at the top of the Pagoda

Day 1, Part 2 - Arrival in Ho Chi Minh City

The flight from Taipei to Ho Chi Minh City took about 3 hours. Even though I had a good amount of sleep on the last flight, I still dozed off on this flight. There's something about airplanes that makes me sleepy...

The flight was nowhere near booked and I managed to get the whole emergency exit row to myself. I usually like to take the aisle seat so I don't have to deal with leaping over other passengers to get to the bathroom, but this time, I took the window seat so I could actually look out the window and scope out the landscape. Flying Into HCMC, I saw murky brown or mossy green water wherever there were lakes, ponds, canals, and any other water sources. It just reminded me of all my friends' words of advice for this trip - "Don't drink the water"

It was nice to see the the land from the perspective above the clouds, and actually see the shape of the cloud casting a huge shadow over a huge chunk of the land. Being on the ground, you rarely, if ever, get to see when a cloud's shade starts and ends.

I also noticed that the airplane experienced turbulence every time it flew through the clouds. Maybe it was due to the change in temperature or density of the air? It's been a while since I've taken an earth science class...

Upon arrival at the airport, we passed through customs without too much trouble. The officials didn't ask us for a proof of return, probably since we were traveling as a family. My dad was a little nervous about coming back here. He was born in Vietnam and the last time he was here, he fled with one of his brothers to America (after one year in Malaysia) due to the Vietnam War. I'm sure it will be a culture shock for him, but hopefully he will recognize places and reconnect.

Hailing a taxi at the airport took forever. We were pretty cautious about choosing the right taxi since some of the travel guidebooks warned of sketchy taxi drivers who would work with certain hotels and "unknowingly" take you to the wrong hotel or convince you that the hotel you booked was dodgy or unsanitary and that you should book a room at their hotel... We finally found a "Venisun" taxi cab to District 1 in HCMC for about 6-7 USD.

My friends warned me about all the traffic in HCMC, but I finally got to witness the chaos of it all. Almost everyone drives a motorcycle or moped. The roads are filled with these vehicles, along with buses, taxis, and the occasional cyclo. There don't seem to be many road laws to follow as there are rarely any stoplights and people are driving from all directions. There are also a ton of turnarounds scattered throughout the city, which makes for even more interesting traffic action.

Being a pedestrian among all these drivers is stressful. I feel like they risk their lives numerous times a day just trying to cross the street as the motorcycles zoom past them from all directions. It's sort of exciting but also scary. The best thing to do is just walk slowly so that the drivers can dodge you. I suggest walking slowly, but also consistently so that you will remain predictable, and the drivers can avoid you.

My family had trouble all day with the currency conversion here. Due to extreme inflation over the years in the country, 1 USD equals roughly 20,000 Vietnamese Dong. Imagine buying something that was 1,000,000 Dong...It's actually just $50 USD... Except 1,000,000 Dong can buy you so much more than $50 USD worth of stuff since everything is so cheap here!

It is uber-humid here, but I expected it. There was no rain today, even though it's monsoon season. Hopefully there will be clear skies throughout my trip.

Walking around an open market, I noticed a man taking a break from the sweltering humidity underneath his business.

A collection of Vietnamese Beers in a supermarket - probably one of the safest things to drink here, and about 50 cents a can! Hooray!

Dinner - Bun Bo Hue - Hot and Spice Hue style noodle soup with sliced pork tenderloin, sliced beef brisket, and Vietnamese pork sausage, garnished with white onions, green onions, and cilantro. A decent bowl of noodles, although I thought the soup base was not seasoned enough. Instead of the usual bean sprouts and mint leaves that I'm used to being offered at restaurants in Westminster, CA, they brought out banana flowers, which served as an excellent garnish.

Dinner - Stuffed Snails with Meat - This dish was very good. It consisted of minced snail meat, mixed with mushrooms and pork. Sugar Cane was added so that the meat could be pulled out of the shell easily. The meat was soft but chewy, and blended well with the bitter taste of the mint leaves and the sweet/salty flavor of fish sauce.

Day 1 - 13 Flight to Taipei

Took a 13 hour flight from Los Angeles to Taipei through EVA Airlines. Was able to watch No Strings Attached, and eat a dinner before dozing off for a good 8 hours. Woke up to eat breakfast and watch Country Strong.

Typing away at the Taipei Airport, which surpasses any sort of amenities that LAX has to offer. I once stopped in South Korea en route to Beijing and I believe that was the MECCA of airports in terms of cleanliness, technology, and shopping.

I do like the free internet here! Seems like internet is free everywhere except in America. Had a little trouble logging onto facebook since it recognized that I was in Taiwan. I had to have my mom translate the text on the screen so I could verify my identity. The question? What was the first concert I ever attended?

Had some Taiwanese Cuisine at the airport, which was very good, considering you wouldn't expect there to be high quality foods at airport food courts. My family and I had Shao Long Bao, Pigs Feet, and Noodles. I didn't try the Feet though... We'll save the exotic foods for when I actually arrive in Vietnam...

t minus 24 hours

I finally finished packing. I didn't realize how small my backpack was until I tried to fit everything in. It's funny how weak my estimation skills are. Even being alive for 25 years, I still have trouble with my spatial reasoning. Unfortunately, I had to leave some of my clothing, but I figure I packed enough. I brought some tanks, some white tees, a couple button up shirts, shorts/swimming trunks, two pants, and some delicates - outfits for different occasions, whether I'm slumming around, hiking, or going to a bar or nice hotel...

BEFORE

AFTER

picture perfect 3

There is less than one more week before I leave! While I didn't get a chance to do everything on my Los Angeles bucket list, it was worth while getting to see as much of what the city had to offer.

It's definitely a strange feeling revisiting West Hollywood, not as a resident, but as a guest. Going to the local grocery store or bar or even the neighborhood has a different vibe and it's a little unsettling, but I should get over this perception, as I'll be a guest everywhere I go. Rather than think about how I'm an outsider, I should just enjoy being there.

A new friend of mine told me he thought of me as the type of person who is always thinking ahead, planning the next few steps in life, not really enjoying the moment of being with good company. I agree with this assessment, but I do hope to just take a deep breath every now and then and just smile and be satisfied, taking a pause in life to just exist. Not everything needs to have a specific purpose that we have to understand.

While I have this urge to meticulously plan every day of my trip, I hope I'll just let go and enjoy and appreciate the chaos and spontaneity of it all.

The Museum of Contemporary Art - The Geffen Contemporary (Little Tokyo, Los Angeles, CA) - There is a new exhibit called ART IN THE STREETS that will continue to be shown until August 8, 2011. This is the first major U.S. museum exhibition of street art and graffiti, which traces the roots of the movement in the 70s to the present day. I'm not too familiar with most of the famous street artists, but there was quite an extensive collection for you to acclimate yourself with. They had many works by Banksy (two of which are shown above), Keith Haring, Spike Jonze, Terry Richardson, and there was also a special focus on local movements like the "cholo graffiti" and "low rider" movement in Los Angeles, as well as the Dogtown skateboard culture. Even if you aren't a street art fan, I think anyone can appreciate the visual overload of colors when they visit. Admission is $10 general, $5 with student ID, or free every Thursday from 5p-8p.

The Getty Villa (Pacific Palisades, CA) - I've always gone to the other Getty museum near the 405 freeway but never took the time to check this one out until now. This museum was originally built by John Paul Getty to house his permanent collection of ancient Greek, Roman, and Etruscan art. The museum was built as a replica of the Villa of the Papyri at Herculaneum (located somewhere in southern Italy). Sadly, Getty never was able to see the final product before his death in 1976. The museum is free with advanced reservation, although parking costs $15. It's worth it just to walk around the premises just to sit and relax and appreciate the architecture of the building itself.

Langer's Delicatessen (Westlake, CA) - I tried my first pastrami sandwich at a Jewish deli about three years ago and have been curious to find out where I could find the best pastrami sandwich. Would it be in New York? Los Angeles? I came across this deli on the eaterLA website and there were over 1,000 reviews with a 4.5 star rating! I expected big things with this deli, but for some reason, I was underwhelmed by it all. The sandwich looked small (see first picture) compared to something I got at the 2nd Avenue Deli in New York City (see second picture)... I can't really compare the two, since the sandwich I got in NY was half corned beef and half pastrami, but look how ginormous it is compared to Langer's! It was just so much more fatty and juicy compared to Langer's...

Peace Awareness Labyrinth Gardens (Los Angeles, CA) - Situated in the middle of the busy streets of Los Angeles is this place to retreat, relax, and meditate. Located in the back of a renovated mansion, guests are free to roam around, walk the labyrinth, or sit in the gardens in the back. The property is owned by the MSIA (Movement of Spirtual Inner Awarness) group, although they don't try hard to push their beliefs onto you.

The labyrinth was designed after the labyrinth at Chartres Cathedral in France. It is about a third of a mile in length to walk to the center and back out. People use the labyrinth for different reasons. Some people use it as a kind of walking meditation, seeking to empty their mind of whatever problems they are facings. Some people use it to determine where they are in life, what questions and concerns they have, or what goals they have at that moment. Some people use the labyrinth as a metaphor for how they live their lives. They use it as a self-reflective tool.

toughening up before the trip

I will inevitably be introduced to many different types of foods and I do intend on being adventurous and open-minded about trying the various cuisine that is available to me, yet I wonder if I will be able to stomach it all without hurling chunks onto the pavement of the street markets.

Two nights ago, an uninviting feeling in my stomach emerged after eating crawfish at the Boiling Crab in Garden Grove. I tried to recollect whether this feeling had to do with the hangover I experienced after the drunken night prior (or was it the absinthe flavored vodka?), or if it was indeed from the crawfish. I mean, when you really think about it, anything you eat at that restaurant is excessively unhealthy, despite how yummy it can be.

It was one of the most horrible nights where I would wake up every 30 minutes to vomit and diarrhea just so my stomach would feel minimally better. The next morning, I developed a fever of 103.4, chills, nausea, and the continued diarrhea. At least the vomiting subsided. My mind turned into panic mode once I saw my temperature and I went to see the doctor. After describing my symptoms to the physician and getting my stomach palpated, she explained that it was probably due to the crawfish. Although my parents and friends did not experience any of these symptoms after eating it, toxins, bacteria, and/or parasites can still be in the stomach lining of any individual crawfish. I took home a goodie bag of antibiotics and peptol bismol, and hopefully this will be the cure to my discomfort.

At least some of the benefits from this experience were: 

1) I lost a few pounds 

2) I tightened my abs from all the vomiting 

3) I saved the cash I would have spent on any other Friday night.

And hopefully this has conditioned my stomach to be better for my trip?

Trying silk worms at a street market in Beijing, China - Summer 2006

And no, it did NOT taste good...

EDIT: 5/7/11 10:26PM

All I've had to eat so far are saltine crackers, jello, chicken noodle soup, and bananas. All I'm craving is a Big Mac right now........