Halong Bay, continued...

As we navigated through the islands of the mystical Halong Bay (there are over 2000 islands) we saw fishing boats of a variety of sizes. We saw single man row boats, multi man boats with a motor and larger outfits. I was mesmerized by beauty of the islands and boats.

At lunch I was taught by a wonderful woman from Singapore, how to crack open a crab which was cooked but still starring me in the face and enjoy its meat. If all the meals were going to be as delicious as lunch I knew I would be a happy woman. What I didn't realize then was that each meal I would eat for 3 days would be virtually the same...but you didn't hear me complain! I'm perfectly happy to eat shrimp, crab, fish and calamari over and over. The need for variety is over rated!

We stopped to explore a cave passing a funeral ceremony on our way in a floating fishing village. It was difficult to see the ceremony itself but we were able to hear the songs and speeches, although not able to understand Vietnamese hindered any understanding. We were told that after the cave tour we would return to the floating village.

Caves are such a beauty to me! To envision what it took for nature to carve out a cave and the thousands of years required to create a stalagmite and stalactite is incredible. The clear pools of water often hard to detect for their complete stillness and transparency are so beautiful to me. It's fun to use the imagination to identify various shapes and images formed in the rock. I've explored a good share of caves during my life and this one wasn't necessarily at the top of the beauty and magnificence scale but nonetheless, the small area of the 2 km area of the cave we were shown was nice.

I was excited to get back on the boat and be taken back to the nearby floating village where we kayaked through the small village and around some of the islands. I was kayaking with a woman from South Korea (she was in front and I was in back). During our time together I learned an important lesson in communication and shared vision. If we had different ideas of which direction we wanted to head and didn't tell the other we found ourselves working against each other and going nowhere. Anyway...this experience of kayaking through the fishing village and through the bay was definitely a highlight in my list of life experiences. The tiny, one room homes of the fishing village with hammocks hung on the porch, laundry hung outside, children playing in boats sparked a desire for an experience of living in a fishing village for a week...another experience for another time. As we kayaked through the tall islands it was easy to feel a sense of my individual insignificance and then remember that God created all this for our benefit, a thought that suddenly made me remember my tremendous importance in the eyes of a loving heavenly father.

All too soon it was time once again to board the Elizabeth Sails and move on our way through the bay. In late afternoon we anchored the boat and it was time to go swimming! I started by jumping off the 2nd story of the boat into the refreshing water. Then it was time to go up a level. Several of us "younger" folk climbed to the top deck of the boat and plunged down 3 stories and deep into the water below. The swim felt good and worked up an appetite for dinner...more delicious seafood! But before dinner was served we enjoyed a beautiful sunset. Sigh, another very magical moment.

After dinner I looked forward to returning to the top deck of the boat to enjoy the view of the heavens unpolluted by city lights. Since I couldn't figure out how to turn off the lights on the top deck the view of the stars, while still very beautiful, was not what I had hoped. I laid there watching for falling stars and enduring the pollution of the night silence by very mediocre karaoke coming from the next boat. Asians LOVE karaoke. I tried to put it out of my mind and focus on the beauty of the sky. I found myself singing one of my own favorite songs...Oh Lord, My God, when I in awesome wonder, consider all thy hands have made. I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder and then proclaim, My God, how great Thou art. I saw four falling stars that night and then retired to my quarters.

Halong Bay, Vietnam

I made a last minute trip to Vietnam this month, leaving the same day my parents left Bangkok. I had decided to head to Hanoi but hadn't had much time to plan. I'd also never traveled internationally by myself. I'm sure that had I had more time to think about it I would have been nervous but it was all so last minute I didn't have time to get nervous. The day before I left I had booked a hotel and a driver from the airport (I find that airports are where scammers love to attack so I'm willing to pay a few extra bucks to not have to deal with it). After gathering my luggage I found the man holding my name and he took me on one of the most beautiful drives in my memory. Vietnam countryside was covered with fields being worked with by their owners, each one wearing the traditional pointed straw hat Vietnam is known for. The roads were filled with motorbikes loaded high and wide with various goods including food, toilet paper, huge vases, families of 5 and much more! As we pulled up to an intersection there was an overloaded motorbike tipped on it's side. None of its leafy contents had been spilled and the owner approached with a helper and they were able set the bike upright after a bit of a struggle. I was absolutely fascinating to be introduced to Vietnam like this. On the highway we hit a top speed of maybe 80 Km/hr. Traffic was slow but moved fluidly, each vehicle honking its way down the roads ensuring everyone knew of their location and intentions. It was slow but it was loudly communicative.

I was dropped off at my hotel and then I began to consider where I might spend my time. I had heard of the beauties of Halong Bay and thought I might look into that option but wasn't sure what that would entail. I took off on a walk around lakes, passed outdoor barbershops where hairs were being cut leaving hair all over the sidewalk, declined numerous offers by taxi drivers, and found my way into the city center, thanks to a map and my handy compass...a gift from my dear aunt. Once inside the city center which was packed with traffic going in all directions on narrow streets lined with vendors selling produce, sweets, spring rolls, souvenirs and much, much more. I stopped at a tour office and spoke with a sweet woman who helped me plan my time. She told me I could spend 3 days 2 nights on Halong Bay where I would enjoy the beauties of hundreds of mostly, uninhabited islands protruding out of the water. I would spend 2 nights on the boat, go kayaking, see floating villages, explore a cave, hike and enjoy delicious seafood meals...all for a very, very reasonable price! I said "sign me up." I just needed to find my way back to the office the next morning. Until then I still had some time to kill. I learned about a puppet show held on a watery stage. It was unlikely I would be able to get a ticket for that night as the show is popular among tourists but I thought I'd try. Approaching the ticket office I saw the "sold out" sign and decided to purchase a ticket for Saturday night, my last night in Hanoi. As made my way towards the window a woman asked me if I needed a ticket. Her friend was unable to attend the show and the woman was selling her ticket at 1/2 price (she didn't know I would have paid double the price for that ticket!) . I purchased the ticket and went straight into the show. The wooden puppets danced in and on the water, the operation of which I'm not entirely clear on. It looked like somehow there were polls attached to them. I dunno...but I know it was fun and very entertaining.

The next morning I loaded a van with several couples and we went on a 3 hour drive through the picturesque countryside. We arrived to the dock of the bay and loaded a small transporter boat that took us to our boat, Elizabeth Sails, a 3 deck boat. My room, located on the bottom deck, was very lovely with the exception of the roach I found crawling around on the second bed in the room. Needless to say, I decided not to sleep in that bed. We made ourselves comfortable and then lunch was served as we began to make our way into the bay. The view was breathtaking and I knew I'd made the right decision for my time in Vietnam.

More to come!

A Visit From My Parents

I recently received a visit from my parents. Before coming to visit they had spent 2 weeks helping my little sister, Ruth, and her husband and 3 kids (the youngest less than a month old) move from South Korea to China where my brother-in-law is enrolled in a Master's program. By the time they arrived in Bangkok their desire for adventure had fizzled. You see, my parents aren't as young as they used to be. My father is now 72 and my mom is 68 (plus or minus a year or 2). On top of that my father was recently diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease, and on top of that both are cancer survivors and they raised a family of 14 children and are still active in the lives of over 60 grandchildren! I decided that the best approach would be not to plan out our time together but to present them with options and let them decide what they were up for.

Thursday evening after work I took the sky train to the airport to greet them. After about an hour of waiting I began to wonder if they had gotten lost or if, a more likely alternative, I was waiting in the wrong place, although I had asked and it was very clearly stated on the arrivals board that they would come from exit C. My phone rang and my mother's voice was on the other end, "Elissa?" Indeed, they had exited out exit B. What fun to see my parents! We took a taxi to my apartment and I introduced them to my home. I don't think it was what they had expected. After seeing my sister's place in Korea (and maybe China although I haven't seen it but it is, as my 4 year old nephew states, "more big") my apartment is quite spacious (the benefits of not having to pay for my living quarters).

We sat down and discussed what the options for our next few days together were and we made a general plan which included resting around mid day. We chatted together that evening as they updated me on their adventures with Ruth and other updates and then we made our way to bed.

DAY 1 we had planned to go to the ancient city park and cruise around in a golf cart but the sky looked like it would rain at any moment so we decided to start with a tour of the Jim Thompson home/museum. With 3 of us running around together it was cost effective to take taxis most of where we went and not hassle with using the sky train, thus saving my parents from numerous stair ascents and descents. The museum was very enjoyable, I hadn't been there since my first trip to Thailand 4 years ago. After a guided tour and then taking time to poke around a bit we opted for the sky train to take us to my office. By now it was about 1:30. The sidewalks were fairly empty in front of my office but after climbing down the stairs from the sky train there was a man who insisted on crowding my father. Dad stopped to let the man walk by but he then quickly turned and walked the other direction. It was then that we realized that this man was a pickpocket and making an attempt on my father who had his cell phone clasped to his belt with a latch making it difficult to remove.

We went into the office where I introduced my parents to various staff and showed them the work I am engaged in. This visit took longer than I had anticipated and we didn't leave until nearly 4 pm. As we left the office we, again, opted for the sky train as it would be the quickest way home. On our way up the escalators I was telling my parents something and I turned around and saw a man, again, crowding my father although there were only 2 other women around. Then I noticed this man had his hand on my father's cell phone and was trying to undo the latch on the case. I'm afraid instinct took over and I yelled at the guy and got in his face in a very un-Thai way telling him to get away. He just looked at me as if to ask why I was so mad and what had he done wrong. That made me more angry and I pushed him and told him to go. He finally went the other direction but the woman and baby with him continued up the stairs with us. I looked for a police officer or security guard but none was there. I also apologized to the women around us as my behavior was not appropriate in Thai culture. I realized that by yelling at the man in public I was causing us both to loose face...I was ok with that. The experience had left me a bit shaken though the pickpocket had gotten nothing it made me angry that he would prey on my sweet father who had once been pick pocketed in Italy and then taught us all a lesson by praying for the children who had stolen his wallet.

We finally made it home, took a nice rest, ate dinner, visited and retired to bed.

DAY 2 was Saturday. We took a taxi to the National Museum for a tour guided by a friend of mine. The tour was insightful and delighted my parents as well as wearing us all out. My father was feeling dizzy and so after the 2 hour tour we just sat for a while until our stomachs urged us to find our way out of the maze that was the museum. Outside the museum there were vendors selling some fried snacks and fruit. We got a few items and as it started raining we found a bench partially sheltered from the rain by a large tree where we sat huddled under mom's umbrella and ate. Feeling refreshed we made our way to the Jim Thompson outlet store where my mother enjoyed looking at the 3 floors of fabrics. I think in her younger years she would have made a nice purchase and looked forward to new sewing projects. On this occasion we just browsed and then enjoyed mango smoothies after a hard afternoon of browsing.

Leaving the outlet store we happened on a little market which we walked through before heading back home. The plan for the evening was to attend a puppet show. We didn't have tickets and I couldn't get through to the ticket office but we decided to show up and see what happened. What happened was that we found out the puppet theater no longer exists! Luckily there was a night market nearby so we wandered through giving my parents to pick up a few gifts for folks back home. It turned out to be a long night and after eating dinner at the food court in the market where I introduced my parents to Thai noodles and green papaya salad we fell into the taxi and were glad to find our way to bed.

DAY 3 we attended church in the morning and then headed out for the 2.5 hour drive to the pier where we took a speed boat to a beautiful island. I get my love for the ocean from my mother who could spend several days just sitting and watching the waves, which is just what we did Sunday night. We found a nice hotel on a quiet beach who gave us a great discount on a room. The woman at the front desk (a Thai woman in her late 40s) told me that she would take care of my and my aged parents :-). She gave us a room for about 1/3 of the normal price. I suspect that it also helped that the hotel was almost completely empty and they were just happy to have customers. We spent the evening sitting by the waters edge, collecting shells and enjoying the peacefulness of the surroundings until after the sun had set. Then we fell asleep to the sound of waves washing onto the shore.

DAY 4 ended too quickly. By the time dad and I rolled out of bed mom was already on the beach. We joined her and had a beautiful start to the day. When stomachs began to rumble we decided it was time for a breakfast of fish, veggies and rice washed down with fruit juice. We then headed to the room to change into swim suits but by the time we got our suits on the rain had begun to fall. Luckily I only lasted about 30 minutes and we then headed to the water. We took snorkels and masks out with us to see what was happening beneath the surface. Over near the rocks there were various fish of different shapes, colors and sizes. I called dad over to take a look. This was my fathers first real snorkeling experience. The problem was that he was trying to walk around the rocks and found it difficult to keep his balance so he scraped his legs on the rocks and came out of the water with scratches all over his legs, some even bleeding. After our snorkeling experience mom and I rested on the lounge chairs trying to stay out of the sun and dad went for a swim. Too soon it was time to shower and pack and head back to Bangkok. We left grateful for the beauties of the earth.

DAY 5 was the final day with my parents. With dad's sunburned feet we decided it would be a good day to explore the ancient city park by golf cart. Dad was feeling dizzy today so we just drove around the park admiring the replicas of significant ruins, temples and buildings around Thailand. The day was warm. After 3 hours at the park we refreshed ourselves with water and ice cream and headed back home to rest before our dinner cruise on the river. My parents celebrated their 48th wedding anniversary this month, a dinner cruise with their daughter seemed like a proper celebration! Sadly, it was raining by the time the cruise began. Happily, the rain was not enough to cancel the cruise. We enjoyed traditional music and dance, a large, delicious buffet dinner and then dancing afterwards. All this as we cruised up and down the river admiring points of interest lit up, highlighting their significance. It was a delightful evening and a good way to end our time together. We returned home, packed our bags (mom and dad packed in preparation for an early flight back to the US and I packed for a trip to Vietnam) set our alarm clocks for pre-dawn hours and crashed into bed.

In the morning I said goodbye to my parents, helped them into a taxi and sent them back to the airport grateful for their visit and grateful for such wonderful parents. I then returned to my bed for a few more hours, finished my preparations for my trip and headed to the airport en route to Vietnam...my first international adventure trip on my own...but more about that later!

Thanks mom and dad for coming to visit me in my new home.