Chiang Mai

Despite my hesitancy to like it, I’ve enjoyed the stay in Chiang Mai thus far.  It’s a lot bigger than I’d hoped, and it has all of the same tourist stuff as the other towns, but the weather has been pleasant, the food good, and there’s a nice river walk and night market that we’ve enjoyed.  

Doi Inthanon National Park was supposed to be our opportunity to get out in nature for a day while in Chiang Mai.  We hired a driver for $55 to drive us the 1 ½ to the park and were anxiously awaiting the beauty to unfold.  And it did, it just wasn’t what we were expecting.   We first stopped at a waterfall that was stunning, but it provided no hiking opportunity.  Then we went to the king and queen shrine that was enshrouded in clouds, mist and rain.  The grounds and view were probably beautiful, but we were unable to enjoy them because of the weather…and again no hiking was available.  On the way back to town, we stopped at park headquarters in the hopes of finding a short trail, but all we found were nice cabins, pretty streams, and a coppersmith barbet.  Finally, we stopped at another waterfall, which provided a short walking trail through developed gardens, but no serious hiking.  So our nature adventure was definitely filled with beauty, but not the outdoor experience we were hoping for.

 The following day we headed to an Elephant Sanctuary...a must while in Thailand.  Going to the elephant park is one of those things that you just have to do when you’re in Thailand, so we went to "Save the Elephants" and it lived up to the hype.  It’s a bit hokey, but when 10 giant freely roaming elephants fight and play with each other, and could charge at any moment there is a bit of exhilaration that is sure to accompany.  After an hour and ½ drive we arrived at the park and quickly began to feed the giants.  They picked watermelon, bananas, and rice balls right out of our hands with their powerful and dexterous trunks.  I’m not going to lie, I was a bit nervous at first, but soon settled in and felt comfortable handing the food to our new friends.  Despite all of our preemptive talk, Rosemary chose not to feed the elephants, and I don’t blame her.  I can’t imagine how overwhelming it must have been for her staring at the huge elephants.  After the feeding, we walked the grounds and met a few of the elephants.  We were able to pet them, and learn a bit about their history.  Most of the elephants have some sort of disability (blindness, broken leg, digestive issues, land mine wounds) and many were old logging elephants.  Touching the gentle giants and feeling their course skin was pretty special and something I never though that I’d do.  We proceeded to have our own delicious lunch full of all the Thai favorite dishes.  

After lunch, we walked in the rain to the river where our elephant was waiting for us to give her a bath.  It was pretty fun splashing water all over the elephant and she seemed to really enjoy it.  Rosemary on the other hand was more interested with playing in the river than the elephants around her, but oh well.  At one point, an elephant snuck up behind me and as a stepped out of the way, I left Rosemary stranded between two huge elephants.  Luckily, Andrew and Priscilla were there to pull her out of the way.  We concluded the day with another tour of the grounds where we watched a herd of about 10 elephants play, fight, eat, and protect their young.  This is where we had to be on full alert, as you were never quite sure when a giant would turn and run towards you.   

There were many heavy eyelids and light hearts as we drove back to Chiang Mai after our day with the elephants.

Luang Prabang

What a beautiful little city this is!  Situated on a peninsula formed by the confluence of the Mekong and Khan rivers, this little riverside town has all the charm and serenity of the best retreat villas in the world.  The pace of life, friendliness of the people, and natural beauty are hard to match. 

We arrived late, around 9:00pm, and went straight to our hotel.  MyDream Boutique hotel is set back from the Khan river about 100 meters upon a small cliff and is surrounded by beautifully manicured gardens.  There was some music across the river that was a bit loud, but the hotel concierge assured us that it was a wedding celebration of some sort, so we didn’t think much of it...it turned out to be a bar across the river, that thumped each night reverberating around our room...oh well, I guess nothing's perfect!

The following day, we lounged around the hotel, eating breakfast and swimming, before heading into town to see what it had to offer.  Borrowing one of the free bikes, we rode the short 15 minutes to the town center.  No horns, no crazy drivers, and wide roads were a welcomed change from the madness that we were used to in all the other Asian cities we'd visited.  The only challenging part was crossing the old bridge that had large cracks in between its planks waiting to swallow our thin bike tires.  Luckily, we made it across without trouble. 

Huge Sandwich $1

Once we entered the town our first order of business, per usual, was to get some lunch.  We stumbled upon a row of sandwich and smoothie stalls so decided to avail.  Anna and I each got a huge sandwich and large fruit smoothie for a combined $5, and they were both delicious. 

Wat Huangphon

After our fulfilling lunch we decided to ride our bikes to the most prominent Wat in town, Xien Thong.  Here we ran into quite a treat, outside of the usual beauty of the Wat, the King of Thailand’s daughter, the princess, was visiting the Wat at the same time.  An entourage of dignitaries, military personnel and media moguls accompanied her.  At first, we had no idea who or what all the fuss was about, but after some investigating we discovered that we were in the presence of royalty.  We felt obligated to greet her, and get a good photo, so we joined the other 'receiving women' until she exited.  Everyone noticed Rosemary, of course, and the princess herself gave a little nod in our direction.

Thai Princess

Reception line for princess

As we left the Wat, we rode by Phousi Hill and decided to do the 380-step climb, and it was well worth the trek up.  The summit provides 360’ views of the valley below displaying the beauty and isolation of Luang Prabang. 

$2 all you can eat

View from Phousi Hill

The relaxing atmosphere of the town, good food, night markets and bike rides highlighted the rest of our stay in Luang Prabang.  On our final day, I woke up early and went for a little bike ride.  This provided an interesting insight into how the city comes alive, and it allowed me to see some of the lesser visited streets and alleys.  This short ride was one of my highlights because it offered an excellent overview of the simplistic beauty that Luang Prabang has to offer.
As we were leaving, sadness befell us for we knew that Luang Prabang is a town close to our hearts.

Paper Making "Factory"

Rosemary's a hit at a local school

Morning Alms Giving

Mmmm Beer

   

Annoyed in Hanoi

Enjoying the park

Not sure why, but Ha Noi did not quite do it for me…it actually kind of annoyed me.  We walked the streets, enjoyed museums, visited the lakes and parks, went to the pottery village, watched water puppet shows, ate street food and at fine dining establishments, but at the end of each day I was left a bit unsatisfied, and I can't quite pinpoint why.  Maybe it was just the heat or the fact that a taxi driver tried to rip us off, something just didn't feel good about Ha Noi.  

Rosemary Enjoying the Rose Petals

We stayed at a lovely budget hotel, Hanoi GEM, situated on a street lined with backpacker hostels, cafes, and tour agencies.  This location may have contributed to the annoyance, as I felt like I was surrounded by Westerners, providing a less than authentic feel. 

Water puppets

Ha Noi wasn’t all bad and there were definitely some highlights which included: the Water Puppet Theater, Cho Dong Xuan wholesale market, and just walking the streets.  Rosemary adored the Water Puppet show, as did we, with the traditional wooden puppets, folk music, and fiery dragons.  The show lasted about 50 minutes and we had front row seats to enjoy the action.  Rosemary clapped her hands and danced along making for an even more spectacular show. 

The traditional band

A little "creacked out" but she loved the show

Another highlight was the Dong Xuan market.  We stumbled upon the Dong Xuan market by happenstance and decided to look around for a couple of hair bows that Rosemary "desperately needed". Here we were able to get a taste of local life.  Markets tend to be the best way to get a pulse of the city or town, and this one did just that.  Although it wasn’t too crazy and there weren't many shoppers, the stalls were filled with spices, nuts, cheap plastic items, knock-off clothing, and just about anything else a person could want.  Being a wholesale market, most stuff was only sold in bulk, but there was an interesting and exciting buzz in the air that we caught just by walking through.  The vendors seemed a little shocked to see the three of us perusing the aisles, and that is always a good sign for us.  Unfotunately, we didn't find the much desired bows, but a break from the tourist circut was just as good.

Some of the other attractions that we visited included: the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum complex, Fine ArtsMuseum,  Hoan Kiem Lake, West Lake, Tran Quoc Pagoda, St. Joseph’s Cathedral, and the Ethnology Museum.

Traditional ceremonial house - men only

Burial House Figurine

Although we chose not to buy the tickets to enter the mausoleum, the complex and sheer volume of people paying their respects was impressive.  We walked the grounds and tried to get a glimpse of the One Pillar Pagoda, but to no avail.  We weren’t too motivated by any of the sites at the Mausoleum Complex, so we called it quits and got some lunch.  

Afterwards, we visited the Fine Arts Museum, which had interesting exhibits of local modern and ancient artists.  My favorite exhibit was the ancient artifacts that showed various religious and cultural symbols.  The museum was modest and manageable and we enjoyed wandering the halls, but museums don’t typically leave a big impression and this one was no different.

Some huge vases

Factory work

Our most lasting memory of Hanoi however, came from our day trip to Bat Trang ceramic village about an hour outside of Hanoi.  We decided to try to escape the city one day, so we asked our hotel concierge how far to Bat Trang.  There is literally nothing in Bat Trang aside from a few restaurants and ceramic shops.  We wandered into a couple of pottery workshops and the workers were extremely inviting.  We were able to witness the different stages of pottery process, with each person responsible for a different part of each piece. The most impressive aspect, was watching two women create an intricate bird and tree seen on one of the pots freehand.  

So impressive!

However, seeing this process and the beautiful potter that resulted isn’t the lasting memory.  The thing that we’ll never forget about Hanoi, and Bat Trang specifically, is the tower of pots that Anna knocked over with Rosemary’s baby carrier.  There we were simply taking Rosemary out of the carrier, when Anna swung around and sent a tower of 10 pots crashing to their demise.  The falling pots seemed to gravitate toward the ground in slow motion, but our diving hands could do nothing to hold back the carnage.  There was nothing to do, but pay the shop and laugh.  

The next day, we finally made it out of Hanoi and headed for Ha Long Bay.  We left Ha Noi having experienced museums, parks, good food, and water puppets, but just a little bit annoyed!

Sapa - Clean Air, Hiking, and Beautiful People

Beautiful Views

The moment we stepped out of the van in Sapa we knew that we’d love it.  The cool, clean air and evergreen covered peaks filled our souls with the respite we needed from the hustle and bustle of the city.  

Train to Sapa

Although the town of Sapa is much larger than I expected, it can be walked in less than a day and still holds the charm of small town. Unfortunately for me, the streets are mainly lined with hawkers selling their wears.  Yet, the sellers don the traditional dress of their native tribes making them appear beautiful, but no less pushy.

Walking through Hmong Village

We booked our stay in Sapa through a tour company in Hanoi, and I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed the ease at which it provided our travel. As soon as we arrived, we were treated to a buffet breakfast that left a bit to be desired, but filled our bellies well enough.  After breakfast, we were whisked away by our tour guide, May, for our first excursion.

Beautiful Faces

She led us through the streets and out of Sapa. Our destination was Cat Cat village an ethnic village that is completely devoted to tourism now.  Their doesn’t seem to be anything that remains of the village that was home to the Hmong rice growers that occupied it.  All that remains are souvenir shops and a staged cultural dance.  The setting, however, couldn’t be more beautiful. 

The Rains Stop!

Cat Cat Falls

The community gathering hall is at the confluence of three creeks creating one of the most beautiful settings that I have seen. 

After visiting the village, we looped back around through the caribou strewn rice terraces back to Sapa.  From there we were led to our lunch, and subsequently dinner spot, Café Michelle.  We were treated to a nice lunch of lemon grass chicken, sesame pork, cucumber salad, and spring rolls.  After lunch, we were taken to The Sapa Lodge, our house for the evening and where May left us for the rest of the day.  We couldn’t have been happier with the location and quality of the room.  The room overlooked the valley and was spotless.

Our wonderful guide, May

May and Rosemary enjoying the view

On day 2, May picked us up after 9 and we headed out for our homestay.  All throughout breakfast it had been raining cats and dogs, and I was a little worried that we would be trudging through rain the whole day.  We left our hotel umbrellas in hand and ponchos on, and walked through a substantial rain for a bout ½ an hour, just until we reached the valleys edge.  Then the clouds began to lift and it turned into a spectacular day. 

Beauty

The Sapa valley in June is filled with green rice terraces.  The rice plants are not quite in bloom, but they provide vibrant shades of green that blanket the hillside.  Our walk zig-zagged through down the mountain side, passing rice paddies, small streams, a hydro-power plant, and much more. 

Rice Terraces

We stopped for short lunch at a tourist spot that sat right above a pig pen.  The smell that emanated from the pig pen tainted my whole lunch, but left a lasting memory and reminded me that I was still in Asia.  As we ate, the restaurant began to fill with other hikers, mainly Caucasians, and with each new group the local sellers would gather around the them hounding them for a dollar. 

While we ate, two young boys were playing in the river below.  They were jumping, splashing and laughing about.  Then one boy picked up his fishing rod and began to fish.  Aside from the swimsuit, his underwear, and the color of the water, chocolate milk, that scene could play out n just about any river town in the world.  Boys will be boys no matter how rich or poor they may be.

Hemp

May led us through a couple villages and we stopped in her house to gather some clothes.  I was surprised to see how impoverished her family appears to be.  Her brother and two friends were sleeping on the dirt floor, there was a meager wooden table with 4 squatting stools around it next to them, and in the loft above was the family’s yearly supply of rice. 

Arriving at our homestay in the late afternoon, we were both happy to see that it was an actual homestay and not a hotel, dubbed homestay.  The women that we stayed with had one child, a young boy, and they spoke almost no English.  Their living quarters consisted of a large open-air room on the bottom floor and we stay upstairs where there must have been 20 cots strewn about on the floor.  Luckily, it was just us and another couple staying up there, so we had the run of the place.  

This will do - Beds at the homestay

We were served a delicious 4 course dinner again, and then May brought out some rice wine, and her brother and brother’s friend joined us.  This was one of the highlights of my stay in Sapa.  Sitting around with May’s family, including her sister Bam, brother Tu, and his friend drinking “happy water” and trying to carry on a conversation in very limited English.  For the first time, I felt like I was interacting with the Vietnamese.

Rosemary's a hit...again!

Enjoying some "Happy Water" with Tu and his friend

 

Our hike out began in a rainy downpour, but again the rain subsided, and we were provided a stunning walk out of the valley.  Along our way, we walked past a huge waterfall that was overflowing from the night’s rain.  Interestingly enough, as we approached and left the falls the water receded and cleared up substantially.   We arrived back in Sapa at about 2pm and spent the next few hours drinking coffee and wandering the city. 


Our Sapa stay was definitely a highlight of the trip thus far.  The beauty of the mountains, valley, and people will be etched in my mind forever.

Unnamed waterfall

Beautiful Hmong women

Working under the umbrella

Shadow poses in Sapa Square