Second, I'm sitting in a cafe in Sapa, a mountainous town in northern Vietnam, which supposedly offers some of the most stunning scenery in Southeast Asia. The only problem is we're completely fogged in, with visibility of less than 20 meters, so we're forced to trust our guide books and our instincts (both of which have been wrong in the past). The past two weeks have been both hectic and magical, filled with a lot of activity, a lot of exploration, and a lot of amazing food. While I don't have any photos to attach since my laptop is patiently waiting for me in Bangkok while my 32-gig memory card accumulates memories, here's a brief synopsis of what we've been up to:
Chiang Mai: a full-day Thai cooking school, complete with seven sumptuous courses, the highlights of which were the sweet and spicy green papaya salad (som tam) and rich coconut green curry. Yum. Post-cooking, we took off for a three-day trek in the northern province of Chiang Dao, where we did two home stays in local villages, played a lot of cards, drank a lot of beer, and slept under the stars. Our fifth day in Chiang Mai was adventure day: four hours of flying through the jungle via 36 zip lines, the highest of which was 45 meters, and the longest of which came in at 300 meters. Our guide "Lady Gaga" made sure we were safe.
Mekong River Cruise: a "slow boat" took us from Huay Xai on the Thailand-Laos border down to Luang Prabang, stopping overnight in the very charming but equally undeveloped Pak Beng (they're clearly still getting used to tourists...our waiter at breakfast cheerfully greeted us with "good morning, never mind!"). Enjoyed the beautiful, rural mountain scenery along the river while playing cards (the crowd was equally divided between Rummy and Spades) and drinking every last bottle of Beer Lao on the boat.
Luang Prabang: a sleepy, romantic town on the banks of the Mekong. Cafes and restaurants line the riverbanks, and are illuminated by lanterns in the evening. The town's 1130PM curfew ensured we didn't have too crazy of a time, but we certainly got our kicks in with a traditional Lao BBQ (meat grilled at the table with steamed vegetables and noodles simultaneously cooked in a broth over the coals), and, as I'm sure you can imagine, our fair share of Beer Lao. It's good stuff. Really. First day in Luang Prabang brought a 2-hour massage for $10, while day two had us at a cooking class, learning how to make jeow - traditional Lao dips with lots of fresh herbs, used to coat balls of finger-food sticky rice - and fried chicken stuffed inside lemongrass stalks (nearly impossible if your fingers aren't the size of pencils). Fun fact about Laos: when you're referring to the country, you pronounce the "s" ("Laos"). When you speak about the language, the people, or the food, you say "Lao". And this whole time I thought pronouncing the "s" sounded uncultured. Turns out it's the other way around. Who knew.
Hanoi: Lonely Planet calls Hanoi "the Asia we dreamed of from afar", and I'm inclined to agree. While French architecture and cafes dot the streets, harkening back to the colonial days, Hanoi is possessed by the hustle and bustle of a modern Asian city. It's terrifying to cross the street because at any one point in time there are 2,627 mopeds careening toward you (the trick is to walk verrrrry slowly, so you sort of turn the road into a slow-mo obstacle course), and it takes all of your concentration to snake your way between the men drinking Bia Hoi (traditional Vietnamese beer, brewed fresh every morning and sold on the street for 5000 dong, or 25 cents) and women in straw hats carrying baskets of pineapple. But despite the complete chaos, the place is quite charming. And it doesn't hurt that the food is INCREDIBLE. From Bun Cha (look it up) to Pho to Banh My, everything I've put in my mouth has been absolutely delicious (insert raunchy joke here). The winner, however, is Banh Xeo, a crepe made of rice flour folded around sautéed pork, shrimp and bean sprouts, then wrapped in a sheet of rice paper with fresh mint and lettuce leaves and dipped in a sweet chili sauce (Lulu! It's gluten-free!). Thanks to our new Vietnamese friends, Lily and Tuan, for introducing us to all the good stuff over a fabulous traditional dinner.
Ha Long Bay: "where the dragon descends into the sea". Halong is world-renowned as one of the most beautiful places on earth, and recently earned a spot on the "New 7 Wonders" list. We rented a private junk for 9 Kellogg folks, made the 4-hour minibus ride to Halong City, and embarked for two days of sailing through beautiful...fog. Luckily, the fog cleared up for sunrise on our second day (even if our heads didn't - what else are you supposed to do on an anchored junk boat but drink beer and play cards?) and we got a glimpse of the limestone outcroppings that make Halong so famous. Worth it.
Sapa: well, at least we made it here. After a harrowing overnight train ride (I likened it to being inside a popcorn maker), we arrived in Sapa around 7AM and embarked on a wet, cold, and generally miserable 12km trek through a variety of ethnic villages. While we didn't see any mountains, we did get to walk through a number of Black H'Mong tribal villages, which was a unique experience. Ahmad, even though my feet are still wet, I slept only 90 minutes last night, and I may have hypothermia, yes, you were right, it was worth it.
I'll close with a report on two "firsts" I experienced yesterday: seeing my first dead body, and eating my first beating snake heart. The body was Ho Chi Minh's, who rests in a giant marble mausoleum in the center of Hanoi. Thousands of Vietnamese people and tourists alike visit each morning to be pushed and shoved around the glass case holding his corpse, which receives a 3-month holiday to Russia each year to refresh the embalming fluids preserving it. I am nearly convinced said embalming fluids have turned him to wax, however, I would like to think it was actually skin and bones, and my first dead body experience was that of a highly-revered (in Vietnam, anyway) political leader.
Now for the snake heart. I'll cut right to the chase: no, I didn't chew it, and yes, it was still beating. No, I couldn't feel it beating in my stomach, but yes, it was gross anyway. We arrived at Bamboo Snake Garden (Ran Rao) in Le Mat, 10km outside Hanoi, just in time for lunch yesterday. We were welcomed heartily by both the family who owns the joint, as well as some drunken snake-eating locals. Within 5 minutes Joe and I had selected our 6-foot bamboo snake, watched the heart get ripped out and placed on a plate, and toasted with shots of blood wine. It all happened too fast for us to even think twice, and apparently I am now as strong as He-Man (thanks again, Joe, for so graciously letting me have the heart). Post-blood, we feasted on a variety of dishes all made from our little snake (aptly named Ross, who wasn't there to join us): crunchy snake bone with lemongrass and peanut, BBQ snake, sticky rice with snake fat, snake meat wrapped in local leaves, and snake spring rolls - all washed down with gecko wine (moonshine brewed in a bottle containing an entire dead gecko). What a lunch.
Up next? Hoi An, a Vietnamese beach town reported to be a "step back in time" to the colonial era set on a quiet beach, then onto Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) and Siem Reap before heading back to Thailand for a few weeks. Thrilled about what's behind us, and looking forward to what's to come. Great times, great company, and great food - what more could anyone want?
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Location:Hanoi, Vietnam
