Day 26 - Hue Ancient City and Citadel

Took another early sleeper bus ride from Hoi An to Hue, which took about 4 hours. I pre-booked a hotel on expedia just to save the hassle of dealing with all the motorbike drivers hounding you for a ride the moment you exit the bus. It wasn't too expensive, so it saved me a little stress and gave me a lot more luxury. I don't know if it's psychological, but I just assume the rooms are cleaner because I'm paying more than $5 to $7...

Hue was the former capital of Vietnam before Ho Chi Minh and the Communist Party took over the country and relocated the capital to Saigon. The last dynasty before this takeover was the Nguyen Dynasty, probably one of the most common Vietnamese Surnames in the country (or at least Little Saigon?). The family's ruling lasted 13 generations over the span of 143 years and they are remembered all over the city with mausoleums, tombs, and an Imperial City called the Citadel, which included a Forbidden City that the emperor and a select few people were only allowed to set foot in.

I gave into a tour again. Not 1 hour after checking into my hotel and roaming the streets looking for food (I tried one of the Hue specialties - Bun Bo Hue), I ended up booking a full day tour, which I would start today and finish tomorrow. Bad idea....as I should have rested from the bus ride and just relaxed in the city. I was tired the whole time, and didn't pay as much attention to the tour guide.

We walked through the Citadel, which was the former Imperial City for the Nguyen Emperor. The entire area was surrounded by brick walls and water to prevent attacks. Inside the city were palaces, theatres, libraries, and living quarters, among other things. Much of the city was destroyed during the war, and is currently being restored. The restored structures will be complete replicas, which takes away from the authenticity of the site. I almost thing it would be better to leave it alone, or at least try to use some of the vestiges in the replicas.

Afterwards, we headed to the Thien Mu Pagoda, which is recognized by a seven-story octagonal tower in the front. We were there during one of the Monk's chanting sessions, which was very mesmorizing to watch. What I found interesting was the way some of the younger monks cut their hair. Normally I'm used to seeing Monks with their hair fully shaved, but these monks had only their bangs unshaved. We stayed there for a short period before heading on yet another boat ride down the Perfume River. Both my travel books for Vietnam recommended a boat trip down the Perfume River...but again, I was left underwhelmed as there was nothing going on in the river! Maybe it's just not the right season?

At the end of the night, I met up with two CSers who lived in Hue and had dinner and coffee with them. They took me to a restaurant to try another Hue speciality - Nem Lui, which has become yet another favorite dish of mine. We talked a little about the education and interests of Vietnamese students. Both of them spoke very good English. One of them wanted to study English literature and one day become an interpreter or translator. The other wanted to be a secretary or work in tourism. What I found very surprising from our conversations was that most Vietnamese students were not interested in history, politics, or law. They were more interested in economics and English. There's so much history within the country that I would think the students would be fascinated by it all, but apparently that isn't so. They said that most students are bored by it all.

We also discussed the aspirations of these students. Most people who can speak a foreign language have desires to either travel outside the country, or relocate to another country so that they can make more money. They believe this is the case because with the skill of another language is greater access to general knowledge of everything outside of Vietnam. They are more aware of the possibilities than other Vietnamese students who aren't as good at a foreign language.

Of course, getting a Visa into another country is a difficult, timely, and expensive process for these students. For one, the U.S. does not want to make it easy for these students to come to the country, even with a sponsor or relatives living there because they know that these students will most likely stay in the country. The application process is difficult. To top it all off, you basically have to pay your way just to get an interview for a Visa. There are so many people in between you and the American interviewer, that you have to save up a ton of money to gain access. One of the CSers friends had to pay around $10,000 USD just to get a 2-3 year Visa to Canada...

We spent the rest of the night on more trivial topics. I taught them some new English idioms like "Its raining cats and dogs" or "Don't let the cat out of the bag" and one of them interviewed me for 15 minutes for her English class about my experiences in Vietnam so far. 

Bun Bo Hue and the local Hue Beer, Huda

Citadel - Cot Co (Flag Tower)

Citadel - Ngo Mon Gate

Citadel - View from inside looking towards the front

Thien Mu Pagoda

Thien Mu Pagoda

Monks chanting inside the Thien Mu Pagoda

A young monk deep in chant

Nem Lui - DIY spring rolls

My new friends, Thanh and Mimi

Day 23 - Nha Trang Hot Springs

Spent the last day in Nha Trang relaxing for the most part. We stopped by the Long Son Pagoda to see a 46 ft tall Buddha statue, which could be seen from Quang's house. After that, we headed to the Thap Ba Hot Springs to soak in the mud and swim in the mineral water pools. It was a pretty lengthy process where we rinsed in warm mineral water, soaked in a tub of mud, dried in the sun, washed the mud off, soaked in a tub of mineral water, and then swam in the pool.

We had another English lesson today when Quang started talking about his company Pepsico and their biggest competitor, Coke. He wanted to know the correct pronunciation of "Coke" vs. "Cook" vs. "Cock." I tried to throw in "Kook" but he didn't want to get confused trying to learn slang.

Somewhere in all these English lessons I also taught him the saying "Ignorance Is Bliss" after he decided to tell me some of the horror stories about Vietnam, like people refilling bottles of water and reselling them, even though it is plastic-sealed around the cap. There was also a huge accident on the boat river cruise my family and I had dinner on in HCMC where most of the people died after the ship capsized... And last, they was also a huge accident on a ship to Halong Bay where the ship sunk at night when everyone was sleeping. I plan on heading to Halong Bay after I reach Hanoi... which is the reason why I taught him "Ignorance is Bliss..."

Quang also told me that one of the hardest things about English in U.S. was the naming of Foods. He worked at a baseball stadium when he was in the U.S. and had a hard time when people asked him for "Nachos" or "Snow Cones" or "Ice Cream Floats". If the names of these items were more literal, he'd have an easier time.

We spend the remainder of the day at his house, and took up the opportunity to get some more nem cuon and nem neong for dinner. Quang convinced me to take the sleeping bus again, since this time around, I was able to choose a seat near the front of the bus, so I was guaranteed not to have to sleep in between two stinky guys again. He dropped me off at the bus station at night, and the ride to my next destination - Hoi An, would take another 10 hours... I hope to meet up with Quang again in the future. Maybe in the States?

Long Son Pagoda - Reclining Buddha

Long Son Pagoda

Nem Cuon and Nem Neong with Sugar Cane Juice

Sleeper bus on the way to Hoi An. The guy in the center has one of the worst spots to sleep in.

Day 22 - Vinpearl Land Waterpark/Amusement Park/Resort

One of the attractions that the city of Nha Trang boasts is a huge island resort that includes an amusement park, waterpark, arcade, private beach, hotel, spa, golfing range, and the worlds longest cable car system over water. I think the entire resort is owned by the company, Vinpearl, as you see a huge Hollywood-like sign when you head towards the island by cable car.

This would be the first time I would ever go to a waterpark, so it would be a new experience. When we got to the ticket office, there was a huge one-hour line just to get onto the cable car to the island. Quang said that it is NEVER crowded and there are never any lines, but I guess everyone was in town for the Beach Festival and decided to take a visit.

We noticed a lot of flashy Vietnamese people with their LV purses and iPhones. Many electronics in Vietnam are much more expensive compared to the U.S. Quang told me about the some Vietnamese people's obsessions with the latest technology. People end up saving all their money to buy the new iPhone or latest designer purses, even though they could use the money to live in a better home or save it for something more important. I guess it's the same there as it is in the U.S. where consumer debt runs rampant and people save money just to show off their material possessions. I asked Quang how he could tell whether someone was actually wealthy vs. just playing the part...he said that everyone at the waterpark with iPhones and designers purses probably are just saving their money for these possessions, because the real wealthy people would be staying at the resort and spa on the other side of the island.

We had our first English lesson of the day, where he asked me to differentiate between the pronunciation of Sheet, Seat, Shit, and Sit. You never realize how hard it is to pronounce some of these words until you hear someone else attempt to do so. I gave him a sentence to recite for the rest of my stay:

"Sit on the toilet seat to take a shit and use the tissue sheet"

The water park was very fun, and there were not a lot of people in line, despite what we saw at the cable cars. Quang said that most Vietnamese people hate the sun (they desire light skin), so they didn't not go to the waterpark at high noon when we went. We went on most of the rides and I survived, although some of the slides hurt a little, especially the ones where you didn't use a raft or lifesaver.

After that, we headed to the aquarium which housed a huge walk-through underwater tank and a mermaid show. Towards the end of the night, we headed to the arcade to play some games (all of which were free, included in the price of admission) before watching a magic show and a part of the light/water show that had similar elements to the World of Color show at Disney's California Adventure. We left early and raced to the cable car line to ensure we'd get a quick ride back so that we could make it for dinner at his home. The cable car ride back in the darkness was scary. The ride took about 10 minutes to get from one side to the other, and all I could think about was what would happen if we were to drop from the cable line into the ocean...I don't think we'd survive!

Everytime Quang goes home to Nha Trang, his family has a seafood BBQ with his relatives on their roof. It was great to be included in the occasion, and everyone was so hospitable and friendly. They seemed to be a close-knit family, and I got to see 4 of his mother's sisters, all of who looked alike. The night was spent sipping beers and pepsi, and eating crabs, squid, and clams.

Another English Lesson for the day came up - The pronunciation of Squid vs. Sweet. To the native english speaker, you wouldn't think these words were very similar, but its difficult for a Vietnamese native to pronounce them.

Quang and I had an interesting conversation about the international issues regarding North Korea after dinner. It was interesting to see his view of the United States as a "superpower." I told him about the human rights issues in North Korea and he was skeptical about it because it was probably skewed by the U.S. media. I told him that there were first-hand accounts of some of these violations by people who escaped the country. He also wondered what gave the U.S. the right to tell North Korea to disarm it's nuclear weapons...which I had a hard time explaining without furthering the view of the omnipotence of the United States...

This homestay is turning out to be a very positive experience, being able to share, learn, and teach each other about random things in our lives. I even got to do laundry at his home, which would be the first time all trip that'd I'd be able to use a washing machine. I found out that I'd been using fabric softener instead of detergent for the majority of my hand washes...No wonder none of my clothes looked clean, although they smelled nice...

Cable Car ride to Vinpearl Land with the "Hollywood-esque" sign in the back.

Great views of the Nha Trang beach in the distance

The Multi-slide at the waterpark

The "Mermaid" show in the underground aquarium

Another homecooked meal - Probably one of the best soups I've had, which included sweet potatoes in a broth with small shrimps and ground pork.

Family Rooftop BBQ with Quang's family!