Mm Mmm... Grasshoppers!

I had my first taste of grasshopper on a bus in Cambodia, somewhere between Battambang and the Thai border. Oh what a magical experience it was!

My seat neighbor was a generous woman who shared her snacks with me. The first bag 'o finger foods contained a coral-colored paste rolled up in a leaf. ...Okay, not bad... The second bag contained shiny, purple, blueberry-sized fruit with small pits, which had been prepared somehow with salt. ...Alright, could see how salt-lovers [Rebecca] could keep poppin' these babies... The third bag, was purchased during a short stop in a small town...

In typical fashion, the food vendors were ready and waiting for busloads of potential customers to roll through, holding their products up to the bus windows and pushing hard sales. My seat partner waved over a girl who carried a basket full of insects. A business transaction was made. And as my new friend reached over my lap and out the window to exchange currency for the goods, I prepared myself for the moment of truth. My friend opened this new bag, full of shiny copper-colored grasshoppers, and gestured for me to take one. And so I did. Their bodies were in such perfect condition. I wondered how they killed them without crushing legs or antennas. I suppose that they catch them in wire nets and dip them in the deep fryer. I watched the woman pop a whole bug in her mouth, chew it up and swallow--just like a potato chip. And so, I thought, "What the heck!" and followed suit.

And what do you know? They weren't bad at all! I actually preferred them to the first two bags of snacks. They reminded me of BBQ flavored chips, only with an aftertaste reminiscent of shrimp brains. Needless to say, I ate quite a few. Hee hee!

Hey, you can't knock it 'til you try it!

The Temples of Angkor (I'm in Cambodia!)

Wow! Visited the Temples of Angkor the other day--incredible! My two favorites were Bayon (the one with the faces) & Ta Prohm (the one with the trees taking over). I'll plan on writing more later, but for now will just send a pic.

The English Corner

Friday night I attended The English Corner. Volunteer native-English speakers (usually tourists to Ho Chi Minh City, like me) get the opportunity to meet Vietnamese English language students. And Vietnamese university students get to practice their language skills with fluent English speakers. Great learning opportunity for everyone.

Eight other people and I got a briefing on the evening's agenda. Then we split up, and each received 13 Vietnamese students. Each group sat in a circle, on short plastic stools. The theme of this evening was "History Makers". There was a crossword puzzle of international, historical figures. And then discussion began.

So interesting talking to these students. They were a few years younger than I (ages 20-24), most of them are majoring in things like business marketing or material engineering, or like subjects. Everyone was really motivated to practice both their English speaking and listening skills.

We discussed the nature of history and history-makers. Then we wandered from the subject to talk about other things. I wanted to know about their impressions of Americans. The first two automatic responses were promiscuity and gun violence, in that order.

The first student wondered how two people, just having met, could get intimate in such short amount of time. He wondered if Americans' romantic lives were as they are represented on the news and movie screens. The second student said he thought of America as a frightening place where many people have guns and violent acts are prevalent. (Actually many travellers from other western countries had this same impression.) The whole group was curious to find out if these representations were realities. I tried to assure them that we're not all nympho- or homocidal-maniacs.

For most English-learners in Asia, speaking and listening are much more difficult than reading and writing. This is because they have plenty of tests, but not much opportunity to talk to fluent English-speakers.

The host of The English Corner, SOZO, runs two cafes in Ho Chi Minh City, where they provide employment training, etc. for underprivileged people.
http://sozocentre.com/

Eden in HCMC

Today I visited the Vietnam branch of Eden (the non-profit org I volunteered at in Taipei). One of the projects they have here is employment support for blind masseurs. So after a brief tour, I indulged in a 2 hour massage for $4 after tip. Some of the ladies at this office invited me to go out with them tonight. I don't know the details 'cause my Mandarin's not up to par, but it sounds like fun.

Tomorrow (thurs) I think I'll visit the 15 May School, which works to help street kids.

NGO Enthusiasm

I'm back in Saigon, and just returned from dinner with my friend Kerry's friend Tom. (he he, just had to say it that way.) Tom started this wonderful thing called The Library Project (see http://www.nomadicmarketing.com/). He opens low-cost libraries in orphanages, and like-places, in China, Vietnam and Cambodia--the average cost of one library is $150!

Anyway, it was great to learn about his experience with non-profit work abroad, especially the difference between the Asian countries. And how to overcome obstacles and maneuver within cultural/political/social/economic/historical contexts--ahh, it's a sociologist's dream.

Tom's day job is contract work, website design. The Library Project is his charity work. Another check mark to add to my mental list.

Okay, I tried to call another contact (one who knows about refugee work in Asia), but Skype fails me tonight. So now that I've spilled my NGO enthusiasm into this blog, it is time to get back to my guesthouse and get some sleep.

Lots of love to you all!

Hanoi, Vietnam

Kristina and I arrived in Hanoi on Sunday morning (via cheap-ish flight). We had the day to get oriented and booked ourselves the trip to Halong Bay. After the trip we had another couple of days...

The last two days in Hanoi, Kristina and I spent with two friends from our Halong Bay trip--one from London and the other from Vancouver. We've been staying at a comfortable but inexpensive guesthouse in the Old Quarter.

What we did:

• Explored the Old Quarter district


• Eaten fabulous local specialties


• Saw the last five minutes of a traditional water puppet show


• Visited a few temples and museums


• Discovered all sorts of other interesting daily activities of locals in the area

What we ate:

• Pho (rice noodle soup with beef tendoins)


• Bun (vermicelli noodles with vegetables and fish sauce)


• Eel dish


• Spring rolls


• Fresh pineapple


• Coconut ice cream pops (w/ real coconut!)


• Many dishes unintentionally ordered (most of which were a delightful surprise, but a couple that were less than welcome; for example, soups with beef parts--think rocky mountain oysters)

As of tonight my travelling companions have all left for their next destinations. I will have one more day here, before taking the Reunification Express (train) south, back to Saigon.

Halong Bay

This week Kristina and I did a 2day/1night trip to Halong Bay. This was a fantastic time! The name Ha-long, which means "where the dragon descends into the sea", comes from a myth about a dragon from China who decides to make Vietnam her new home; the 1000s of rock islands were formed when she dove into the sea.

We were picked up early Monday morning for a 3 hour bus ride to the bay. Then we boarded a houseboat, where we were served a terrific lunch. We visited a cave on one of the rock islands--reminded me of Carlsbad Caverns. Later in the afternoon, Kristina and I took in the view from a sea kayak. Swimming was warm. Delicious dinner. Wonderful conversations with fellow travellers under the stars on the roof of the boat.

Halong Bay reminded me so much of Lake Powell. Only with different land masses jutting out of salt water.

Kristina and I shared a cabin that was wonderful in every sense except for smells wafting from the head's holding tank. Luckily, we had a window, a fan, and sheets that smelled like fabric softener. The next morning was spent in the sun, enjoying more talking with new friends. A seafood lunch at the marina before the ride back to Hanoi.

The whole trip was very relaxing and rejuvenating.

Hoi An

Hoi-An is a town about mid-way down the coast of Vietnam.

Day 1: Kristina and I wandered around town, checking out the market, the nearby sights and of course the inescapable shopping scene. The streets were lined with shoe shops and bag shops and tailor shops and souvenir shops. There's so much competition and of course these vendors depend on sales to tourists. So they were incredibly aggressive. You all know how much I love saying "no", and especially to small children or little old men. Ai-yo! Such mixed feelings, the complexity of human relationships on this planet... One could write a book about it--or rather a disertation.

Day 2: Kristina and I rented bikes today and rode them to the beach, which was a bit of a distance. (Dad, Chris, you guys would be proud.) This was the first overcast day of my time in Vietnam, but it was still nice to hang out on the sand. Before dinner, I picked up a pair of zip-off pants from the tailor (exciting since couldn't find any that fit in SF before departing), and a jacket too. It was fun riding through town. We had little baskets and bells--which was good 'cause there was so much foot and motorbike traffic (no worries, it was slow traffic).

We've been trying all the local dishes. And we haven't run into anything we haven't liked.

Nha Trang, continued...

Following up with Nha Trang (from the last blog), that spa we went to was awesome. $4 USD and we got to soak in a mud bath, boil in spring water, and sit under a waterfall. And after all this relaxing, we had a fabulous Vietnamese dinner for under $2, before boarding our 12-hour bus ride to Hoi An. This time the air-conditioner worked. :)

Been eating banana/pineapple pancakes almost every morning for breakfast.

I'm in Vietnam

Tuesday night I arrived in Saigon! I met my friend Kristina at our hotel, and actually saw my friend Kimmy and her boyfriend Jensen for a minute in passing. :)

Kristina and I hopped on a bus early the next morning, for a ten hour ride to Nha Trang--a beach town north of Saigon. We stayed in a nice and inexpensive hotel with a balcony and satalite tv last night. And today we're headed to a spa with mud baths. This is the first morning I've had to sleep in for a few weeks, and it was great. This morning we ate banana pancakes in bed while we watched "50 years with Larry King Live".

It is hot hot hot here! But according to Kristina, Thailand and Cambodia will be far hotter. Dun Duh Dun!

Okay, gotta go find a rickshaw.