Thaler Travels

Finally Sapa!      When my students at Mickelson Middle School and I first spent a day looking at images from Vietnam, I KNEW I had to visit Sapa in the northeast of the country, fairly close to the Chinese border.  The town of Sapa is best known for its beautiful, terraced rice paddies.  Although our tour guide was apologetic that this was not the best time of year to visit because most of the fields are still not planted, we found the entire area to be strikingly beautiful!  (According to our guide the most beautiful time is at harvest in October when the fields are golden.)  We've seen Ha Long Bay and Ninh Binh, but Sapa and the walk (hike) through the neighboring villages was by far the best!      So, we took the night train from Hanoi to the town of Lao Cai, which is two kilometers from the Chinese border.  We booked a berth which included two sets of bunk beds and found ourselves traveling with two English teachers, o...

Speaking Vietnamese- or Not   Almost every day someone says to me, "I'm sorry, my English is very bad."  As if they should apologize to me that we are having trouble communicating in Vietnam.  For  Christmas I received a book and tape to learn Vietnamese.  I had great intentions and managed pho (noodle soup), xin chao (hello), and cam on (thank you) before I left the States.  And that's where it stopped, unfortunately.  I found myself thinking Vietnamese was too hard to master- or even attempt.  After all, it was a tonal language, which means that the tone for a sound can mean a different word with a different meaning.  Also, I fell into the American thought that I could get by because everyone speaks English.  In fact, not everyone in the world speaks English! (What a concept, right? It's not all about us!)  So, I had the book, I had the tape, and I had some motivation, but what I didn't have was tenacity or discipline....

Van Phuc silk village            Silk was definitely on my "must buy" list when I came to Vietnam.  The history of silk dates back to the fourth century in China.  According to legend/history, the title of Goddess of Silk was given to Lady Hsi-Ling-Shih, wife of the Yellow Emperor.  She introduced the art of silkworm rearing and the invention of the loom. China protected the secret of this very valuable product for 30 centuries by searching those travelling along the Silk Road for hidden silk worms, eggs, or cocoons on penalty of death! However, now the secret is out and many countries have thriving silk worm farms with Vietnam in the top 10 countries of production and export of silk.     So, let's start at the beginning.  It all starts with the silkworm. Here- watch the process  from silkworm cocoon to fine silk.    This process is called sericulture- which starts with feeding silkworms lots of mulb...

Mural Projects in Vietnam Mirror House exterior      As with many pieces of art, the ceramic wall in Hanoi, Vietnam, clearly reflects the history and culture of the country.  This incredible piece of art, created for the 1000 year anniversary of Hanoi, has been joined in prestige by another mosaic project in Hanoi- the renovation of the Mirror House in Reunion Park.       The idea of the mosaic wall to celebrate Hanoi's 1000 year anniversary was the brain child of artist Nguyen Thu Thuy who won a Hanoi architecture contest to transform the dyke which prevents flooding from the Red River.  Bringing the idea to life involved 20 Vietnamese painters, 100 craftsmen, 15 international artists, 50 art students and 500 children.  The pottery for the project came from the famous pottery village Bat Trang- just across the Red River from Hanoi and across the road from Bob and Karen.         This beautiful wall ...

Reunification Day      In Vietnam we are celebrating Reunification Day, a national holiday, today. While I was researching the history of this day, which obviously takes place on the day after the fall of Saigon, now Ho Chi Minh City, I found an article that explains it very well without bias.  Rather than trying to explain it myself, today I will just share that article with you.  So, here it is from the Public Holidays Global site at  Reunification Day .      Don't want to look for it?  Here it is: Aside from the political and military victory of Vietnam’s reunification, the Vietnamese people celebrate Reunification Day because of the development that occurred as a result of the South’s and North’s cooperation with each other. Also known as Liberation day, Reunification Day is officially recognized on 30 April each year. To understand Reunification Day, you must first go back to the years of the war in Vietnam. History ...

54 Ethnic Groups Call Vietnam Home       Ever since I arrived in Vietnam I have heard about the ethnic minorities and one would be blind not to notice the textiles and handicrafts made from these groups in the Old Quarter.  The very best place to get an insight into these groups would be a guided tour of each of the small towns and villages scattered about the country, of course.  However, a good substitute would start at the visit to the Ethnology Museum and the store 54 Traditions in Hanoi.  of course, my little bit of reading and visiting these places only makes me more interested- and far, far from an expert!  But let me tell you the little I have learned.      The largest ethnic group, between 84-86% are the Kinh, who are sometimes referred to as the Viet, although there is some discussion that the word Viet applies to all ethnic groups in Vietnam (?)  The remaining 53 ethnic groups are classified in eight groups based...

In Praise of Bamboo- Who Knew?      Now this is one of those posts you might just shake your heads and say, "Duh, Karen, we all knew that!" I had never really given bamboo much thought until about a year ago.  Yes, I knew in China pandas loved to eat bamboo. (99% of their diet!)  I knew that I could buy bamboo shoots for stir fry in the store- it comes in a little can.  But a year ago, while shopping for clothes for baby Charleigh, I came across the softest outfit made from bamboo- from bamboo!! I felt as if I had made some incredible discovery.Unfortunately, I have had trouble finding blankets and sleepers made from bamboo since then.       Then the other day, browsing through a local store, I happened upon baby sleepers made of 95% bamboo!  Yes, I had to buy a sleeper for each grand baby.  More importantly, it got me thinking about the uses of bamboo, so I did what I always tell my students to do, I looked it up....

Welcome to Hanoi's Vietnamese Women's Museum      While there are many great museums in Hanoi, I visited one of my absolute favorites this week.  The Vietnamese Women's Museum is devoted entirely to the role of women in the country with permanent exhibitions of women's role in the family, in the history of Vietnam, and in fashion.   The first exhibition focuses on marriage and childbirth customs.  Good thing I visited this just in time because I took notes on childbirth customs for daughter Allyse and marriage customs  for soon-to-be daughter-in-law Erin.  Let's start with customs for you, Allyse.  The first is a ritual involving the blood of a sacrificed dog to be rubbed over your stomach to chase away evil.  See, I bet you hadn't thought of that yet.  Then one should make offerings of 3-5 jars of alcohol, one pig, one dog, four bracelets and a bowl of rice.  Let's just focus on prayers for health.  And f...

From Hao Lo to Chi Hoa            Early on when I knew I was off to Hanoi, I determined that I would visit the "Hanoi Hilton" the nickname given to the prison which held American pilots, including Senator John McCain, who were shot down during the Vietnam War.  The true name of this prison, built by the French in 1896, was Maison Centrale but the locals called it Hao Lo, or Fiery Furnace, in reference to the village of Phu Khanh, the village known for making earthen pots and kettles which was displaced in order for the building of the French prison.  It was a large prison, the largest and most secure prison in Indochina at 12,908m2 or about eight square miles.  The remnants of that prison are now a tourist site in Hanoi within easy walking distance from Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum and Truc Bach Lake were McCain was shot down.          It is no surprise to me that this prison, where many political prisoners were h...

History in the Making and We Were There                   Bob and I had a great few days in DaNang with our friends Todd and Michelle Van Maanan right on China Beach.   I would be very hard pressed to tell you what the highlight of the few days was because there were so many: the SDSU sweep of the Summit Tournament (Todd and Michelle are from USD), the gorgeous sunshine and beautiful beach, the fresh seafood, the Marble Mountains and Buddhist caves, or the golfing at the Montgomerie Links.   At every turn: on the beach, at the golf course, and at the top of the Marble Mountain, it seemed we met men and women from the USS Carl Vinson . The historic nature of this landing was obvious immediately, as it was the first time that a US navy aircraft carrier had docked in Vietnam since the end of the Vietnam/American War.   It was here in DaNang that 3,500 troops landed in Vietnam- over 50 years ...

A Night at the Hanoi Opera House   This past week we played tour guides and had great fun.  We toured all around Hanoi and ventured out to the Bai Dinh Pagoda, sailed down the Tam Coc River, braved the rain at Ha Long Bay, watched the traditional water puppet performance, sighed at the agony of prisoners held in the Hoa Lo Prison ( called the Hanoi Hilton by American prisoners), and spent an absolutely incredible evening at the Hanoi Opera House amazed at the acrobatics and traditional music performed by the Cirque du Soleil troupe.   Rather than try to describe the performance, please click on the link and enjoy it for yourself!!! " My Village   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsnjbfrn_zk Busy Monday at the Bai Dinh Pagoda- still celebrating the lunar new year Bai Dinh Pagoda and Buddha      Ready to sail down the Tam Coc River.  Notice the captain rowing with his feet!

Happy TET!      Good morning and Happy New Year!  The long anticipated TET has arrived. TET, the lunar New Year, is a combination of Christmas, New Year, and Memorial Day, from my perspective, limited as it is. Folks here in Vietnam have been getting ready for this- the most important, sacred holiday of the year, for weeks now.  Our first sign that something was up was the transporting of kumquat trees- dangerously strapped on the backs of motorcycles.  I was amazed to see these trees, one after another, transported in this manner.  I was told that these were definitely NOT mandarin oranges; we don't eat these; they are for decoration only.  (Bob will tell you that I stole a kumquat from a tree outside a store and brought it home to try it.  It was tart- think lemon or lime- but I actually liked it- nothing a little sugar wouldn't fix!)  The kumquat tree   The other early indication was the purchasing of branches...