Believe it or not I spend about 4 hours everyday between downloading photos to the computer, compressing them, uploading them and writing this silly journal. I don't know how many people are actually reading this but if you are, please do send me an e-mail in the guestbook and let me know. I figure if nothing more I'll have a good recount for myself of this entire, fascinating journey. This website isn't the easiest to navigate and that, combined with the spotty, inconsistent internet services, makes it difficult to accomplish the task, especially on a timely basis. (as I write now, it's 3am and I'm sitting on a hard chair in the lobby typing by the faint light on the desk of the concierge who thankfully is off duty. the lobby is very faintly lit and there's not a soul around except one maintenance man who wanders through every half hour or so and two cats who are either mating or fighting intermittently. the good news is I'm only about 50 yards from the ocean and can hear the surf splashing against the shore).

Our Young Escorts

Kelly and I have gotten so attached to all four young people who have been with us during our stay - Thiem (the only male), Uyen and Ngoc from the Hue Friendship Office along with very efficient Thu from the Mayor's Center for International Cooperation. And I think they've gotten quite attached to us as well. At any given time we are with one but usually two or three of them. They love practicing their English on us and we're having great fun trying to interpret what they're saying, learning about their lives and aspirations. Thien, the 24-year old who's only been with the HueFO office for a month or so, is oh so anxious to please. He studied English at college but since he doesn't get a chance to use it frequently is not as proficient as he would like. Ngoc is just a fun-loving, beautiful young girl of perhaps 22 with the traditional long black flowing hair and bright eyes. Thu is probably about 30 but all business. Her English is good and her desire to please is over-the-top. She is very concerned about overstepping her bounds yet wanting to make sure our visit is success and that we leave happy. And Uyen is a married woman of 32 whose husband is studying in France presently. By Vietnamese custom, when a young man takes a bride they must live with his family so she's staying the in the home of our her in-laws while her husband is overseas in spite of the fact that her parents area close by. She says its been a little difficult because she misses both her husband and her own family but this is the custom and expected so this is what she does. Uyen has travelled quite widely including places in Europe and her command of English is very good. She is very sweet, soft spoken and knowledgeable about her country, its history, culture and customs and has been a fountain of information for us.

All of them are happy to practice their English on us, although I must say, much gets lost in translation. Also, since the Vietnamese language is based on tone as much as on phonetics, their pronunciations often make it difficult to understand their English, which has no such requirements. Multiple words in Vietnamese are written using the same letters but an up or down-swing in the pronunciation can change the meaning of the word dramatically. Since English has accents and draws its foundation from so many different languages, these poor Vietnamese struggle to know how to pronounce anything. So often they have the word correct but you still don't know what they're saying because they're trying to apply Vietnamese pronunciation rules. At one point I was talking to Ngoc about the various people we'd met on our visit and mentioned how professional Thu always seemed to be. "yes", Ngoc responded, "thu is a sorry-ass one". I was a bit taken back by this response, never imagining that these young vietnamese would know such an American expression, until I realized she was actually suggesting that Thu was a "serious" one.

The Good-byes

Ngoc appeared first at 8am to bid us farewell. She now enters our hotel room like she belongs and lays on the bed or sits on the chair, all chatty and anxious. She's never been to Hoi An and wishes she could come. She's not really here with us now on official business but she's enjoyed being with us so much she had to come to say goodbye. She had to usher the Koreans last night and did enjoy herself with the two young male visitors but insisted they are married so no prospects there! She would have rather stayed with us. We suggested she take the bus to Hoi An on Friday when she gets out of work and stay overnight before we head on to Hanoi Saturday afternoon but we all know we may never see each other again. However, already she and kelly have "friended" each other on Facebook so I know we'll continue to hear from her. She couldn't stay long but rushed off to the office after about 15 minutes.

Long about 9am Thien found his way to our door. He had managed to get himself assigned to accompany us and the City driver on the trip all the way to Hoi An. Thu was originally assigned but Thien said he "begged" her until she relented and agreed to let him come in her place. By 9:30 he was pushing us toward the door saying the Mr. Anh was coming to say goodbye and best that we get downstairs (i think he was trying to say be early for a change). Mr. Anh arrived at the appointed time and several more representatives from the Mayor's office, including the smiling Mr. Nyien, showed up to also bid farewell. We were loaded in the car and on the road by 9:58am, handshakes all around and promises of most successful future collaborations.

The way to Hoi An, which is about 100km or so south of Hue, passes through Danang, the central city of the Demilitarized Zone (or DMZ) during the Vietnam War. We passed through a very high mountain range en route to Danang, our vehicle climbing higher and higher into the hills til we reached a peak overlooking the bay and the city of Danang below.

While I can only imagine what it was like 45-50 years ago when our boys were here, it's quite bustling now. The bay facing the city is ringed in white sandy beaches but a lot of industry is present as you enter the town. The town itself has grown considerably, I"m sure, as most of the buildings seem to have been built in the last twenty years or so. We reached Danang in early afternoon but there wasn't anything pressing us to stay, so we continued directly to Hoi An, which is probably about 30km south of the city.

Hoi An is supposed to be a lovely historic old city, basically untouched during the war with lots of great architecture - both traditional Vietnamese and elegant French colonial style - and great shopping. It's actually known for its clothing and I understand the tailors and cobblers there can copy any article of clothing or shoe or handbag or suitcase to your precise request. I know of people who have had dresses and suits and tuxedos made here - all within a day at prices not to be believed.

The town of Hoi An sits on a river just a few km inland from the ocean. After speaking with friends prior to the trip, and feeling in very strong needs of some relaxation and time around a pool and a beach after our grueling schedule the first 5 days, Kelly and I decided we'd forgo a hotel in town in favor of this resort we'd heard so much about. It's outrageously expensive by Vietnamese standards - US$127/night including full breakfast - but we agreed it was time to splurge. We arrived at the Victoria Resort at about 1:30pm. We were promptly greeted and told to ascend this very broad staircase from the street to the lobby reception area where we were greeted with chilled wet washcloths to refresh ourselves, followed by a short glass of iced tea, wrapped in a narrow strand of banana leaf folded over a delicate frangipani blossom. It doesn't get much better than this.

Since our room wouldn't be ready for 20 minutes, we took Thien and the driver to the main restaurant for lunch (Kelly & I would have opted for the poolside restaurant/bar but we deferred to our guests). The meal was way overpriced by VN standards - $11.50 for a panini but it was good to have Western food for a change and elegantly presented. I ordered more of that wonderful lemon scented tea as well. Thien and the driver both stuck with familiar Vietnamese fare.

As soon as we finished eating the driver said it was time for goodbyes - they now faced another 3-1/2 hour ride back to Hue - but not before Thien got a peek at our room and had his photo taken both with each of us as well as lying on our veranda overlooking the beautiful garden not far from the beach. We could tell he did not want to leave and was calculating how on earth he could ever afford anything so luxurious.

Thien, our must trusted guide and now friend

We've grown quite fond of Thiem and really hated to say our good-byes. Of all the 4 we got to know, he was the one who spent the most time with us and worked the hardest to meet our crazy requests and explain Vietnamese culture and way of life, to say nothing of making repeated calls on our behalf to assist with travel arrangements and other needs. He wants so desperately to visit America, especially to visit Maine where his uncle resides and teaches at Bard College. His manner really epitomizes the Vietnamese way - congenial, appreciative and quite accepting of the order of things. He's a very hard worker and tries very hard to please.

Thien tells us he makes 1.2 million Vietnamese Dong per month, the equivalent of about US$56 a month. He still lives at home and if he ever gets married, by custom would bring his wife to live there as well. He gives his mother his paycheck to help with the family expenses and he gets back about 20% for his personal use. At this rate, I think it will be a very long time before he saves the fare to America. When I asked him how much it costs him for petrol for his motorbike or how he managed to save for one, he explains that his mother takes care of all the finances for everyone in the family so he really doesn't know. Currently he has one other brother living at home as well as two cousins from the countryside who are attending college in Hue.

It's been a great marvel to me how in spite of limitations on their finances and worldly, materialistic opportunities, many people in other cultures are seemingly much happier nonetheless. At least on the surface, all the Vietnamese we've encountered are smiling, happy people. Thien tells us that he is expected to go home each morning by 11:30 in preparation the the family's noontime meal together and doesn't return to work til about 2pm, working til about 6 each day. Kinda makes you wonder about the role that extended family living and connections like that make in people's attitude about life and what it contributes to their sense of belonging, contentment and overall happiness. It's the Buddhist mind-set of being accepting of the here and now and recognizing that material things cannot bring joy; that everyone gets what they deserve in the end. Hence as it's been explained to us, the reason there's little if any animosity as a left over result of the war. How can these people have been so repressed for more than a thousand years by the Chinese, the French, the Americans and their own communist leaders and not feel any animosity. It's been an eye-opening experience for sure. There seems to be such strong bonds of family and friendship connecting so many of those we've met on this trip and virtually everyone has gone out of their way to make our experience here an enjoyable one.

So we said our farewells, lots of heavy hugs for Thien, with handshakes for the driver, our visit to Hue now officially ended.

To be continued...

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