last night in the mekong

This is my second straight night in the Mekong Delta, one of the world's largest deltas in the world. I'm sleeping at homestay in a small town about four hours south of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam's largest metropolis.


Whereas yesterday was a lazy one spent reading in a hammock, today was spent exploring the area. The Mekong is lovely albeit dirty too. Boats of different sizes and purposes traversing its mighty river and adjacent canals. Its water is brown due to the silt that deposited from up north helping to make this region the most fertile part of the country and one of the largest in the world. Locals are fishing, growing crops, transporting materials, guiding tourists, and selling commodities. It's as much a place of bustling commerce as it is an idealislic waterway far removed from the chaoitic frenzyness of Hanoi and HCMC.


Like the past several days, the weather was gorgeous today with some of the most captivating cumulous clouds that I've seen in awhile. As its the rainy season, it poured heavily for about 40 minutes beginning shortly before 5 this afternoon cooling the humid afternoon air.


Some of my most memorable experiences during these past three months have been in places removed from the urban jungle. The Mekong was no different.

After visiting a few more sights in the area early tomorrow morning, I'll take the bus back to HCMC, where I'll spend the next three nights before departing Vietnam on the night of September 3rd.


Even while I've been enjoying this amazing experience abroad, I've been contemplating my next overseas adventure. If possible, I've been thinking about maybe checking out Honduras or Guatemala during the winter or spring breaks. And then, granted that I receive my doctor's approval, I'd be very interested in visiting West Africa next summer: notably Ghana, Togo, and Benin. If I had three months off as I did this summer, I should be able to easily cover these neighboring countries.


There's so much to see. Although I'm not bitter, seven long years had passed between my original diagnosis and this year's trip. Imagine the places I could have visited during that time. The longing to travel has always been there, but physically I was unable to do so. Now that Ican again, I don't want to stop.

"That is the charm of a map. It represents the other side of the horizon where everything is possible."

In addition, my travels have inspired me to become more diligent about my foreign language study once again. Once I get settled back home, I'd like to return to Arabic and French.

more from hoi an

Rice Fields of Sapa,Vietnam

Sapa, Vietnam

Yangshou, China

Above are some recent snapshots. Again, the vast majority of the shots I've taken have been in RAW.

August 21st marked three years since my allo transplant. Wow. Three years. . . .

Vietnam has been great. I'm digging it. Much more relaxed than eastern China. This morning, my hired motorbike guide drove me to the UNESCO ruins of the ancient Champa kingdom at My Son, which is about 1 hour north of Hoi An. We left Hoi An at about 5:30 this morning to beat the tour bus crowd. It was great. The weather was warm and lovely. One of the most beautiful days so far in Vietnam. Feeling in my element, I took loads of photographs. Often throughout my travels, I've felt as if the quality of my images have been poor but this morning at Champa, I think I did okay.

From My Son, we then went on to the Marble Mountains famous for its marble quarries, of course. At one of its sites, there are fascinating caves decorated with shrines to the Buddha and other Buddhist and Hindu dieties.

Back in Hue, where I was prior to coming to Hoi An, I visited a few famous sites nearby and in what was the DMZ during the Vietnam War. Traveling around Vietnam today, one would not know that there was such a bloody and devestating conflict here not that long ago. Life bustles on and when I tell people that I'm American, there is no palpable animosity or resentment. However, all along Highway One in and around the DMZ are cemeteries of the Vietnamese war dead. Powerful and sad. Eventhough I of course was born years after the conflict ended and have no honest connection with it or its veterans, my heart felt heavy with shame for the unneccessary destruction and death that the US created. It was illuminating to there.

Tomorrow I plan to spend the morning and early afternoon doing something that I have yet to really do: explore Hoi An. Then, at 4 I will participate in a Vietnamese cooking course. Should be fun!

about halfway there

I was hoping to post a few recent photos this evening, but for an unexplained reason the computer is not even recognizing my camera. Oh well....

I'm blogging from Hue, a coastal city almost midway between Hanoi in the north and Ho Chi Minh City in the south. It's famous for its impressive citadel complex and the various pagodas that surround it in the outlying areas. I arrived here at about 8:30 this morning after traveling 12 hours by train from Hanoi. Despite the almost constant heavy rain (September marks the official start of the rainy season in Hue), today I explored the citadel and three pagodas, all of which are very impressive. Like Hanoi, you can hire a motorbike owner to drive your destination. So, that's what I did except that I hired him for the entire afternoon. The cost: 250,000 dong (a little over 20 bucks). Riding through the city streets is a blast. Undoubtably, it's one of the highlights of Vietnam. Today's torrential downpour added a bit of drama to an already thrilling experience.

Another highlight of my stay has been Sapa. Before hopping on an overnight train here, I spent 2 days trekking through the countryside of mountainous Sapa. Famous for its lovely mountains and its minority population, Sapa is situated northwest of the capital. Although Halong Bay is touted as the country's premium can't miss destination, for me Sapa was it (so far). Laid back, not crowded, and just drop-dead breathtaking. Terraced rice paddies for as long as the eye can see amidst a truly spectacular setting. And then, there are beautifully attired people of the small villages around Sapa. Their women are famous for creating beautiful handcrafts and articles of clothing.

My travels have consisted of cities mostly. Yangshou, China and Sapa have been the most notable exceptions. The stark difference of Sapa from the densely packed metropolises of Asia is, I'm sure, partly why I was so taken. It was such a welcomed relief.

In two days, I'll take the bus to Hoi An, a city about 4 hours south of here. I've heard very enthusiastic reviews from travelers who have been there.

Well, this is it for now. I hope to be able to post some photographs next time.

in vietnam

As evidence by this post, Blogger is accessible in politically communist Vietnam. Facebook is too.

I arrived in Hanoi, Vietnam's buzzing capital, late this afternoon after about a 6-hour bus ride from China's southern city of Nanning. I'm staying in a hotel in the Old Quarter of the city. Having arrived here tired and late in the day, I didn't do any exploring. That will be left to tomorrow. However, I did walk through some of the nearby streets looking for a place to dive into Vietnamese cuisine.

Walking the streets of Hanoi is undoubtedly an experience. Until now, Beijing and Cairo stood as the most exciting but I think Hanoi might take the crown away. This place is buzzing with energy. Mopeds, motorcycles, cars, and bicycles are everywhere. Like locusts, mopeds and motorcycles saturate the capital's streets. And crossing the streets is a bit of hazard. Perhaps twice this evening, I might have spent at least 7 minutes waiting for a window to cross the street safely. While it's more chaotic and lawless than any Western city that I know, it is this very rawness and liveliness that makes it so appealing.

Right now, it's my intention to stay in Hanoi for 3-4 nights before exploring famous Halong Bay to the east and maybe mountainous Sapa to the northwest and then, heading southwards along the coast. In addition, I decided to extend my time in Vietnam. Instead of returning on August 30th, I will return on September 4th. Looking at my itinerary more closely and talking to other travelers who had visited Vietnam, it became apparent that two weeks here would feel rushed. Vietnam is a large country. It's larger than Italy. My two week itinerary did not include travel time which in a country of this size can be significant. Add in the fact that I don't know when I'll be back in the region again, I decided to stay here for a couple of more days. Yes, this will give me less time to unwind, unpack, and prepare for faculty orientation which begins on the 7th, but I'm hoping that I'll be able to manage.

While I slept through sizable chunks of the bus ride south from Nanning, I also found the time to look out at the lovely Vietnamese countryside. As you would suspect, rice paddy after rice paddy are everywhere as has been the case in China and South Korea. As in South Korea, it seemed like every slice of arable land has been set aside for rice production.

Although Hanoi is chaotic but invigorating, I'm hoping that some of the other parts that I plan to visit will be more relaxed. Yangshou, China, renowned for its scenic, poetic landscape, was the first real escape from the country's summer crunch in 4 weeks of traveling there. It was a welcomed relief to be away from the suffocating crowds and to relax in nature at a slowed pace. Vietnam, I think, will offer similar escapes like Yangshou.

Health-wise, I feel great. My supply of meds remains good. I haven't had any medical issues so far. In particular, I haven't experienced any diarrhea or even the slightest upset stomach to my surprise. And I've definitely enjoyed diving into the culinary riches of the countries that I've visited. I haven't been shy about this at all, which explains the wider waistline. So I've heard many people lose weight when they travel, but I also seem to do the opposite. I'll just have to work hard to burn it off these extra pounds when I'm home. Nevertheless, I'm having a great time. The foods of all these countries is awesome.

Sending warm greetings to all.

snapshots of Asia

I'm back at the Internet cafe in the Kowloon section of Hong Kong. Blogging about my travels has turned out to be more difficult than I had anticipated. Whether it's a question of access as in mainland China or just time to type, it has been challenging. At the same time, arriving in Korea I haven't recorded very much in my journal. Just been so busy. I might have to compose more detailed posts about my summer abroad when I return home.

I leave for Macau, the former Portuguese outpost, tomorrow morning. It's a short ferry ride from Kowloon.

Below are a couple of snapshots from my travels in Asia. Not much as most of my photographs were taken in RAW and it takes too much effort to see if I can convert them here.

Snapped yesterday, this is a classic shot of the financial and commerical center of Hong Kong Island and Victoria Harbor from atop Victoria Peak. The view is stunning at night. Truly, one of the world's great and most captivating port cities.

Traveling in China via train during the peak summer season can be sure craziness: 90 plus heat and humidity, millions of domestic travelers, no respect for the queue, and this year's Shanghai expo. The inability to find a ticket not even a standing ticket on certain routes has forced me to fly twice. I snapped this a few days ago in Hanghzou. With no luck, I flew from there to Hong Kong.

I learned that in China practically everyone owns a seal engraver, which imprints their signature. This is used for finalizing documents and other important transactions. While in Shanghai, I purchased one and had my name engraved in Chinese. I'm thinking about using this to mark the back of the Harlem River photographs that I sell.

This was taken of me when I was still in Busan, South Korea, by my friend, Chris. We attended a baseball game that night with a colleague of his. Late in the game, the Lotte Giants' fans were given orange plastic bags to which the fans instinctively blew air into them, tied them, and then wrapped the handles of the bags around their ears so they rested on the head. It was a bizarre, hilarous experience. Thousands of merry fans singing Giants chants were proudly donning these pumpkin-like bags on their heads. I couldn't imagine a scene like this in the States. Supposedly, this is done to encourage fans to pick up their own trash after the game. Funny and smart.

This may be my last post until I'm in Vietnam assuming Blogger and other sites, like Facebook, are accessible. Speaking of Vietnam, on Sunday it and the US demonstrated the strengthening of military ties to regional states, notably China.

in hong kong

After about 3 weeks of traveling in China, I'm finally able to post something. On the mainland, Facebook and Blogger (the Google service I use to host my blog) are practically banned. Hence, the long absence. But here in Hong Kong, where I arrived late this afternoon from Hangzhou, both Internet services are accessible. Except in the realm of foreign policy and something else which I can't recall right now, Hong Kong is free to administer itself. This is what the Chinese refer to as: "one country, two systems."

China has been great. A very different place in many ways from some of the other countries that I've visited. It's huge. I mean huge. It takes a lot of time to travel between cities. In this respect, it's very similar to the US. My original itinerary was a bit too ambitious which the time that I allotted for travel here. As a result, I've had to take some places off my list for the sake of time and ease. I also decided to not visit Cambodia from Vietnam because of this very thing. Had I visited Cambodia as planned, I would have had only 3 weeks in China but I realized that 3 weeks was way too short. I needed more time. So, I took the week devoted to Cambodia and transferred it to China giving me 4 weeks here and still leaving me with about 12-14 days in Vietnam.

There's so much to type, but it's about 10:35pm here and the cafe is about to close. So, I hope to continue from where I left off again soon.

Be well!