Tanya Pham

  • Welcome
  • Blog
  • Itinerary
    • The Philippines! Banaue and Baguio

      Posted at 3:50 am by tanyapham, on August 1, 2017

      IMG_3138

      Once upon a time, I went on the adventure of a lifetime with my partner and inadequately tried to describe our incredible experiences in this blog.

      We traveled from Bangkok to northern Thailand, riding our scooter through misty mountain roads, stopping for coffee and pastries at tucked away mountainside cafes. We journeyed for two days on a slow-boat from northern Thailand into Laos where we accidentally came across Hmong New Year celebrations and learned about UXO. We traveled back down through less-traveled eastern Thailand where we made some friends and ended up at a Thai social justice rock show. We hopped on over to Burma to experience the magic temples of Bagan, the peaceful serenity of Inle Lake, and the city rush of Yangon. We spent the better part of a week lazing around on an almost uninhabited Thai island before tasting an explosion of flavors in Penang, Malaysia. We bused down to Singapore to meet up with friends we made along the way, experiencing hospitality like no other. We spent over one month exploring Vietnam, epitomized by our weeklong stay in a tiny fishing village on the central coast.

      And then we made our way to the Philippines where life seemed so wonderful, it almost slowed to a stop.

      This last, most special part of our trip never got recorded in my blog because — and I’m not trying to be dramatic — it’s impossible to accurately describe our experience there. Every time I attempted to sit down and write about it, the task seemed too overwhelming, but I was sad to have never recorded our time here. So I’m finally just going to do it, knowing that these words can’t truly capture the magic of our time in the Philippines.

      We spent the first half of our time in the Philippines exploring the rice terraces around Banaue in the Ifugao region of the Philippines and cooling off in the hill-station city of Baguio, but what made our travels in the PI especially wonderful was the second half of the leg, meeting up my dear friend, Arra, and spending the last two weeks abroad with her family who live in the Bicol area and on a little heart-shaped island called Marinduque. This post will cover the first part of our trip in the Banaue area and Baguio, and I’ll revisit the magic of Bicol and Marinduque in the next post.

      Banaue

      After spending a day or two in Manila, Mitch and I took a sleeper bus north to the Banaue region, known for its incredible rice terraces. Much like our sleeper bus in Burma, this bus was absolutely frigid, and I caught a little cold. We stayed in a comfortable Airbnb guesthouse nestled in the hillside of Banaue and run by a man named Randy. The accommodations were basic with no extras but just what two budget travelers needed for a few days. As we travelled, we learned that the local people typically point out the best sites — it’s how we ended up on the best adventures — and Randy was very insistent on what we should see and do each day. As usual, I was glad we followed his advice.

      On our first day, we took a tricycle/tuk-tuk to the top of the Banaue rice terraces to hike back down to the guesthouse. The view from the top was astonishing and took my breath away. The terraces are enormous individually and altogether cover vast mountainsides and valleys. Incredibly, these handmade agricultural steps are about 2,000 years old and still in use to this day, although the ancient farming techniques and practices are fading as younger generations choose more modern lifestyles.

      IMG_2765

      I’m thinking: “What is my life right now!?”

      It was a hot day, but we reveled in every moment as we picked our way down the terraces, seemingly the only people on the mountain. Since we chose not to use a guide, we tried to follow the very unmarked paths and were forced to turn around many times upon discovering we had gone astray. I have to say that it was so much fun and the childlike explorer in me was giddy. To this day, this is still the best hike of my life.

      Batad

      IMG_3028

      One of my favorite photos from our trip of the Batad rice terraces

      On Day 2, our guesthouse host, Randy, recommended a hike through another famed terrace valley in Batad, a short distance away. We took another tricycle to the trailhead and spent the day hiking through the lush valley of Batad. This valley was a smaller but much greener and no less impressive than the Banaue terraces. There were more travelers hiking through this area though, as it was smaller and easier to navigate than the winding paths of Banaue.

      We were rewarded with a beautiful waterfall at the bottom of the valley.

      Hapao

      Our last day in the area was drizzly and gray. After two full days of hiking through valleys, our legs and muscles were sore, and we planned to use the day to rest and recuperate; however, Randy insisted we use our time wisely and encouraged us to hike through the Hapao terraces. He successfully guilted us into going, and we enjoyed yet another day wandering through lush rice fields and terraces.

      IMG_3133

      We hiked through Hapao on a cool and misty day, which gave the valley a much different feel than our last two terrace experiences. Hapao is unique in that it shelters wonderful hot springs, nestled in the valley. We rested our sore and achy muscles in the hot springs as well as the crystal clear, freezing stream beside it.

      That evening, I joined Randy and the village at a Catholic mass and enjoyed the service in Ifugao, Tagalog, and even a bit of English. One of my favorite parts of traveling is experiencing the daily traditions and rituals of the people.

      The next day, we bid farewell to Randy and hopped into a minivan on the way to Baguio.

      Baguio

      Baguio used to be a hill-station for Spanish colonizers to escape from the tropical heat of the Philippines, and when we arrived, the weather was cool and rainy. After three days of hiking through enormous rice terraces, we slowed down for a bit, taking our time to enjoy the famous local hot chocolate in a cute little cafe. We also stopped by the Philippine Military Academy as quick nod to Mitch’s days at the Naval Academy.

      Next, we headed back to Manila for our favorite part of the Philippines trip: to meet up with my dear friend Arra and her parents on our way to visit family in Bicol and then Marinduque!

      Posted in Backpacking, Philippines, Southeast Asia, Travel | 3 Comments | Tagged Backpacking, Banaue, Batad, Hapao, Philippines, Rice Terraces, Southeast Asia, Travel
    • Central Vietnam – Da Nang, Hue, Hoi An

      Posted at 8:10 pm by tanyapham, on December 19, 2015

      With heavy hearts, we left the secluded little fishing village of Bai Xep and continued north towards the beach town Da Nang where we met up one of Mitch’s friends from the Navy, Andrew, who was on a quick vacation before starting business school at UCLA-Anderson this fall. We spent the next week exploring three major cities in central Vietnam — Da Nang, Hue, and Hoi An.

      Da Nang

      OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

      Our hotel was on the Han River in Da Nang

      Our Da Nang hotel was right on the river and smack dab in the middle of food central, so being three brazen foodies, we were pretty excited. Da Nang has its share of foreign tourists, but for the most part, we encountered mostly locals and Vietnamese tourists.

      First things first: we found ourselves the best banh xèo in town at Ba Duong (Mrs. Duong), thanks to the awesome food blog http://danangcuisine.com. To find it, we walked down a long alleyway filled with banh xèo restaurant copy cats, but the real deal at Ba Duong’s was at the very end of the alley — a large, completely packed restaurant serving only this dish. Banh xèo is a savory rice pancake filled with shrimp, bean sprouts, and herbs. To eat it the traditional way, you wrap it in lettuce and rice paper, dip it in perfectly seasoned fish sauce, and take a bite for a mouthful of the some of the best flavors and textures of Central Vietnam. Mitch and I still dream of Ba Duong’s to this day.

      IMG_2604

      Andrew and Mitch are immersed in wrapping their banh xeo at the best banh xeo ever: Ba Duong in Da Nang

      We explored the famed Marble Mountains and its crowded caves as well tiny hidden beaches along a small, north-eastern peninsula above the city, but ultimately, the food in Da Nang was the highlight.

      OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

      Andrew and Mitch at the Marble Mountains

      OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

      The locals were really into Mitch’s gnarly beard and wanted to get photos with us, haha!

      OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

      At the top of the Marble Mountains in Da Nang

      OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

      Driving around Da Nang on our motorbike, we found a secluded local beach after walking down a flight of stairs.

      OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

      Glamor shots! The water was incredibly warm, and we were the only ones swimming in it!

      OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

      Driving around the northeastern peninsula above Da Nang, the views were incredible

      OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

      An incredibly amazing bowl of Bum Mam (again, thanks to the Da Nang Cuisine food blog)

      Hue

      Our next stop was the ancient city of Hue, famous for its 19th century citadel and incredibly expansive emperors’ tombs. Here, we ate our way around the city and stopped by to see the citadel and tombs. It was incredibly hot and humid in Hue, we could barely make our way through the sites. Mitch and I were a bit grumpy and thankful for Andrew for being so incredibly patient and flexible.

      OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

      One of the emperors’ tombs — they were incredibly elaborate and expansive.

      OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

      Andrew and Mitch in front of the citadel at Hue

      OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

      Hue Citadel

      OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

      Mitch and Andrew enjoying some street food. This was Com Hen: a mixture of rice and tiny clams with veggies and herbs for breakfast.

      Hoi An

      Our last stop in Central Vietnam was the charming little trade stop called Hoi An. Despite being incredibly touristy, we enjoyed our stay here partly because the food was amazing and our guesthouse was incredible (Lemongrass Homestay) and out of the tourist city.

      IMG_2719

      Andrew and I chow down on the BEST banh mi I’ve ever had at Banh Mi Phuong, an Anthony Bourdain recommendation.

      OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

      Mitch and Andrew goofing off in an old school in Hoi An

      OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

      The streets of Hoi An are filled with beautiful paper lanterns and bicyclists, making it especially attractive at night and a huge draw for tourists.

      OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

      Outside of our guest house

      OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

      Mitch and Andrew tried some authentic duck blood soup/salad

      OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

      Day trip from Hoi An to My Son ruins

      Overall, our experience in Central Vietnam was memorable because of the amazing food everywhere. Despite being a bit burnt out on tourist attractions, we enjoyed what we saw, but ultimately remember the food as the highlight of this part of our journey.

      And now I’ll leave you with some photos of Vietnamese women covered from head to toe in sweats and hoodies in 90 degree, 90% humidity weather. The fight against the sun is real.

      IMG_2554 IMG_2556 IMG_2557 IMG_2559

      Next, we fly back down to Saigon and head from there to the Philippines!

       

      Posted in Uncategorized | 0 Comments
    • World Toilet Day

      Posted at 6:42 pm by tanyapham, on November 19, 2015

      My sources on social media tell me that today is World Toilet Day. It’s a bit funny that this is what brought me back to this little blog, but during our travels, bathrooms and toilets became one of the major concrete indicators of my privilege back home.

      Sometimes bathrooms are funny. I admit that I often find myself laughing at a well-timed bathroom joke, and to be quite honest, the poop emoji is one of my favorites. And check out this toilet instruction sheet that I found to be especially humorous:

      12185041_10104749500789153_8569780341698417013_o

      “Wash for male users” and “Bidet for female users”? What’s the difference? “RHY” for varying spray pressure? Who knew peeing could be so complicated?

      But sometimes toilets are not funny, especially if you don’t have one, which is the case for about one BILLION people. Not to mention the billions of other people who do have toilets but do not have the resources to maintain them to sufficient health standards.

      Many of the toilets we used were luxuries in the countries we visited. They were typically squat toilets in the ground but with plastic/porcelein-like fixtures without a flushing mechanism. Large buckets of water (the size of small trash cans) were stored next to the toilets and one would flush their waste using a small pail and water from the large buckets. This was a pretty messy endeavor, so bathrooms were not as clean as home. I also noticed that this method seriously attracts mosquitoes: the giant buckets of water are breeding grounds for mosquitoes which carry diseases like malaria and dengue fever. Let me just be candid here and say that I was bitten many times on my rear by mosquitoes while using toilets in Asia.

      But my minor injustices were nothing compared to the struggle of young girls who have to stay home from school during their periods because they don’t have access to proper bathroom facilities to dispose of their feminine products. At many schools, there is only one bathroom shared between boys and girls, and girls on their periods are shunned or made to feel embarrassed and ashamed when their feminine products are spotted in trash receptacles.

      It’s mind-boggling that such a seemingly simple item can have such an impact on education and self-esteem, not to mention hygiene and sanitation on a larger scale.

      So on today on World Toilet Day, start to think about our global neighbors by doing this with me:

      • Think about how lucky we are if we do indeed have access to private, clean toilets at home, at school, or at work
      • Spend a moment educating ourselves and learning about the lack of toilets for billions worldwide and the impact it has on health and education (here’s a great place to start)
      • Donate and find more information here

      I’ll leave you with one of my favorite toilets from our trip. It was basic and simple with the bucket flush system I mentioned, but it was clean and functional. I also had the lovely company of little frogs friends. How lucky I was and am…

      toilet

      Posted in Uncategorized | 0 Comments | Tagged World Toilet Day
    • Haven Near Quy Nhon, Vietnam

      Posted at 10:11 pm by tanyapham, on May 28, 2015

      OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

      Bai Xep Fishing Village

      The next day, we headed north to the more central Quy Nhon area, which was recommended to us by our friend Tho from Hanoi. Instead of staying in Quy Nhon, we booked a room about fifteen minutes south of Quy Nhon in a tiny, local fishing village called Bai Xep, and it was one of the best experiences of our entire trip, despite the grueling journey to get there (7 hours in a 15 seater minivan filled with 30 people and all their luggage — seriously! I counted! — with no air conditioning, so windows were rolled down and we were covered in a not-so-fine layer of street dust at the end). Gotta love public transportation in Southeast Asia!

      Our little hotel, Haven, was situated in a small cove behind the fishing village, looking out to the sea and a vast, uncountable blanket of fishing lamps reaching far out into the ocean. The area was perfectly secluded and more peaceful and wonderful than we had hoped for. In fact, despite having to stay at the backpacker’s hostel (owned by the same people) next door, we extended our stay because just loved the cove and village so much.

      We met some wonderful people during our stay here — Greg and Jade, the Aussies who reside in London; Karl, a wonderfully colorful Liverpudlian with wildly colorful stories from his work as in the police force; Kiem and Thi, the two fisherman who spoke no English who befriended us and took us snail diving; and Le, the sassy 14-year old who showed us around the village. Walking through the village, we made friends easily, since everybody was curious about Mitch’s beard and then became explosively excited to hear I have a Vietnamese background, haha!

      Life in the Village

      Nearly everyone in the village made their living from fishing. The shores of our little cove were lined with traditional Vietnamese row boats, which looked like large buckets powered by one oar. A bit off the coast floated many colorful fishing boats which were reachable by using the bucket boats. As I mentioned, farther out to sea, we saw hundreds and hundreds of lights fixed at the top of pyramidical, wooden structures about four or five feet tall. These lights turned on at night to attract squid, which the fisherman then caught to sell and eat.

      OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

      Bucket boats! These boats with single oars are what the fisherman used to paddle out to their fishing boats.

      OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

      Mitch enjoys the hammock outside of Haven.

       

      Snail Diving

      We were invited by our village friends Kiem and Thi to go snail hunting one morning, which was an incredibly interesting experience. We hopped in the traditional bucket boats and rowed out to Kiem’s fishing boat, which we anchored near an island. Kiem and Thi — who were expert snail hunters — donned their goggles and their breathing devices. By breathing device, I mean they attached one end of at least 50 meters of tubing to a generator pump and tied the other end around their waist with enough on the tail end to reach their mouths. The pump just pushed air through the tubing, so while under water, they’d exhale into the water and then use the tube to get more air. Kiem and Thi stayed under water without surfacing using this technique for an hour! Since Mitch and I were just holding our breaths and diving, we couldn’t hunt as deep into the water and we became tired much more quickly, but it was so fun! We enjoyed the fruits of our labor on the floor of Kiem’s home with a handful of townspeople as well as Greg, Jade, and Alex, the owner of our hotel who was also friends with the local villagers.

      OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

      Mitch, Greg, and Jade hang out in front of Khi’s place before our snail feast.

      OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

      These are the snails we found!

      OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

      Beer and snails… mmmm!

      OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

      In addition to our snail hunting and other adventures, Mitch and I were able to spend a good deal of time unwinding and relaxing on the beach. The scenery in our little cove was indescribably peaceful and calming yet full of vibrant colors and life.

      IMG_2564

      Just soaking in that beautiful, Vietnam sun! (Samsung Galaxies are severely lacking in the quality #selfie department)

       

      OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

      A view of the beautiful Vietnam coastline and local fishing boats

      Fishing Festival

      Originally, we had only booked three or four days at Haven, but throughout our stay, we heard whisperings of some sort of fishing festival that was to take place after we planned to leave. So we booked two bunk beds in the hostel next door and extended our stay in Bai Xep.

      On the morning of the festival, we and our fellow travelers woke up at 6am in order to observe the beginning of the festival in the town temple. Something must have gotten lost in translation, since the only thing happening at the temple was a breakfast feast for a bunch of men. We were disappointed about missing the festival, but the men invited us to eat with them and then peer-pressured Mitch into downing six shots of rice whiskey… at SIX A.M.!

      OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

      Karl, Jade, and Greg head home after our morning temple breakfast

      Luckily, we found out the festival was actually later that evening in a small town about fifteen minutes away. Upon arriving there, Mitch and Greg were instant celebrities (being tall and white), and the children swarmed us, showering us in glitter and laughter. We walked around the festival (which included a stage, tons of street food, and games), stuffing ourselves with the amazing grilled quail.

      IMG_2589

      Karl enjoys some grilled quail while lightly dusted with glitter, haha!

      Last Moments

      We were so sad to say goodbye to Bai Xep and all of our friends, but there were new places to see and people to meet! We will never forget our time in this sleepy fishing village or the wonderful people we met!

      OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

      Kiem, his brother, and Mitch have a drink on our last night.

       

       

      Posted in Vietnam | 1 Comment | Tagged Bai Xep, Beach, Fishing, Haven, Quy Nhon, Vietnam
    • One Day in Nha Trang!

      Posted at 9:45 pm by tanyapham, on May 28, 2015
      OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

      Sunset over Nha Trang from our hotel room

      After Dalat, we were cooled and ready to hit the beaches of Central Vietnam!

      Our stay in Central Vietnam began with the popular beaches in Nha Trang where we just spent a day and a half, really. We knew it wouldn’t be our favorite spot, but we wanted to check it out, and we wanted to meet up with Mitch’s cousin and his partner again.

      Nha Trang is interesting in that there are a ton of Russian tourists due to the fact that the Vietnamese and Russian government have an agreement that Russian tourists may visit Nha Trang (and southern island of Phu Quoc) sans visa. So, all street signs and menus and anything written included Russian! The streets are also filled with an electric party vibe, which is why we knew it wouldn’t be our scene. It almost felt like a mini Vegas on the beach!

      On our single full day in Nha Trang, Jake and Thuy were so awesome and took us away from the tourist beaches of Nha Trang to a smaller beach about thirty minutes north called Long Beach. We spent the day hanging out with Jake and Thuy, drinking coconut juice from coconuts, munching on fresh seafood, lounging in the sun, and cooling off in the water. The beach was a popular spot with locals, so we watched tons of kids playing in the water and sand. Perfect way to spend one day in Nha Trang! We miss Jake and Thuy so much already!

      IMG_2530

      A fresh coconut, a good book, and the beach: can’t get better than this

      11050228_415752655256560_3214355126128888675_n

      The adorable Thuy and me and Long Beach

      11053419_415752675256558_3916071564457120319_n

      Mitch, me, Jake, and Thuy at Long Beach

       

      Posted in Vietnam | 0 Comments | Tagged Long Beach, Nha Trang, Vietnam
    • Cooling Down at the Dalat Hill Station

      Posted at 9:43 pm by tanyapham, on May 28, 2015
      OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

      Insanely crowded night market in Dalat

      After hot and humid Saigon, Mitch and I were ready to head to the hills of Dalat, a hill-station town created by the French during their colonial rule as an escape from the heat humidity of Saigon. It’s also a hot spot for Vietnamese honeymooners and family vacationers.

      We didn’t spend too much time in Dalat, but with what time we did have, we enjoyed. One day, we rented a motorbike and drove ourselves to Elephant Falls. The second day, we headed to the hills to check out the surrounding views.

      IMG_2425

      Elephant Falls

      Making Connections Around the World!

      Something interesting and special did happen while in Dalat. Mitch and I wanted to visit a local dessert cafe, Che He, that was once run by our close family friend’s mother. I asked a few people if they’d heard of it, but no one had and I sort of gave up trying. On our last night in town, our homestay host, Binh, kindly took us out to dinner. We had our first xoi (sticky rice with chicken, sausage, onions, etc.), and it was fantastic! Growing up, xoi was one of my favorite dishes. My grandma would make it and package it in ziplock bags for us when we went camping.

      IMG_2441

      OMG, I think this was one of the best meals we had in Vietnam! My mouth is watering now just remembering it…

      IMG_2442

      Beef soup/stew: also incredibly delicious!

      After our lovely dinner with Binh, he told us he wanted to show us a really popular, locals-only dessert spot, and we started walking there. On the way, I casually mentioned that I had tried looking for Che He but to no avail. Binh actually stopped in his tracks, “That’s where I’m taking you!” What a coincidence!

      Che He means Closed Door Cafe because the sliding metal doors are halfway closed, making it look unopened for business, but it was anything but! It was filled with locals enjoying classic Vietnamese desserts. On terrible internet connection, I managed to pull up a photo of my Aunt Trang (in Vietnamese, we call all close family ‘aunt’ or ‘uncle’) and her mother. We asked the lady serving desserts if she knew them, and she was so shocked! Aunt Trang’s mother was her grandmother. She instructed me in Vietnamese, “Tell Co Trang to come back to Dalat! We haven’t seen her in a long time!”

      IMG_2443

      Che He: Closed Door Cafe!

      IMG_2445

      Our host Binh and me enjoying dessert at Che He!

      It was very special to make a connection like this across the world and a perfect way to end our stay in Dalat.

      Posted in Vietnam | 1 Comment | Tagged Dalat, Happy Homestay, Vietnam, Waterfall
    • Chúc Mừng Năm Mới (Happy New Year!)

      Posted at 9:41 pm by tanyapham, on May 28, 2015
      2015-02-20 20.39.03

      Backpacker’s district in Saigon: we spent one evening here enjoying street food and people watching

      While in Hanoi, Mitch’s cousin, Jake, asked us what we were doing for Tet (Vietnamese Lunar New Year) and said he would be in Saigon after all. While we were trying very hard to leave the smallest carbon footprint possible by flying as little as possible, Lunar New Year with family is so important, so we booked some incredibly inexpensive ($30/person), last minute flights to Saigon, where my father grew up, for the celebration.

      Saigon During Tet

      I was so surprised when I landed in Saigon. The streets were incredibly clean and almost empty! We quickly found out that during Tet, most people from Saigon leave the city to return to their families for the 10-day government holiday. The city had pretty much shut down — 90% of restaurants were closed and those that were open featured increased pricing for Tet. There were, however, some beautiful celebratory exhibits for Saigon natives who didn’t leave the city. We wandered up and down the huge flower street exhibit and through the park near our hotel, which featured beautiful bonsai displays. On New Year, we watched the fireworks show from the river, and it was amazing.

      OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

      There were beautiful flower exhibits throughout the city

      OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

      People waiting for hours to watch the Tet fireworks. So much good street food!

      OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

      The Saigon Tet fireworks were actually really good — it was a long show with beautiful, huge fireworks over the Mekong River.

      We did get to see Jake and his partner Thuy one night for dinner, which was so nice. They were busy but planned to meet us again in Nha Trang a few weeks later.

      Cu Chi Tunnels

      While in Saigon, we visited the town of Cu Chi, a stronghold for the Viet Cong (southern Vietnamese guerillas who sided with the Northern Vietnamese Communists). Cu Chi is famous for its extensive underground network of tunnels that the VC used to hide, plan attacks, and live during the war. Although our tour was less than amazing, it was interesting to see the extreme extent of living conditions during the war. We went into one of the tunnels for a bit, and I actually had a small panic attack because of how incredibly small the spaces were.

      IMG_2409

      Hesitant smile immediately before a claustrophobia induced panic attack

      Traces of the Past

      One of the most special things I have done on this trip is to visit my dad’s old home in Saigon. Before I left on the trip, my dad drew me a simple map that i carried with me all these months. I finally took it out, and Mitch and I used it to find my dad’s old home. Walking down the alley where he used to play and go to school was really emotional for me, and I felt a connection to his past that I never had before. Sometimes you forget what your parents went through and left in order to make a better life for you, especially if you have immigrant parents. As a child, I definitely didn’t understand this, but growing up I did appreciate their sacrifices; however, seeing the country, the cities, the streets where my parents walked gave me an entirely clearer perspective on how much they left behind, how hard it must have been to live in a completely different country, and how much they worked to get to where they are and to give me all of the privileges I have.

      IMG_2410

      In front of my dad’s old street; a very special experience for me

       

      Posted in Vietnam | 0 Comments | Tagged Lunar New Year, Saigon, Tet, Vietnam
    • Halong Bay

      Posted at 9:37 pm by tanyapham, on May 28, 2015

      OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

      As another side trip from Hanoi, we had to visit the renowned UNESCO World Heritage site of Halong Bay. Our guesthouse mom Mrs. Dong booked our two day adventure on the bay for us, and we are so glad we went (we wished we could have stayed for three days, in fact).

      We boarded a recently renovated junk with 19 other guests at set off to explore the grandiose limestone rock formations that make Halong Bay famous.

      OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

      Hmmm, I think I still remember how to do this… 😉

      Since it was winter in Northern Vietnam, it was a bit chilly with some haziness, which affected our photos a bit; however, the views were still incredibly spectacular in person. We also were excited to be able to kayak through some of the limestone caves where we saw spectacular formations and monkeys. I’ll just leave you with some photos, since the majority of our time was spent sailing around just looking at the jaw-dropping views.

      2015-02-15 17.16.40

      Dorks in life jackets! #selfie

      OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

      The sun is starting to set over the magnificent limestone rocks of Halong Bay.

      2015-02-15 14.42.26

      Whoa

      OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

      These views are unbelievable.

       

      Posted in Vietnam | 2 Comments | Tagged Ha Long Bay, Halong Bay, Kayak, Vietnam
    • Mai Chau Misty Mountains

      Posted at 9:36 pm by tanyapham, on May 28, 2015
      OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

      Terraces of Mai Chau waiting to be planted with rice seedlings

      From Hanoi, Mitch and I wanted to take a small side trip to the inland mountains in order to see the famed terraced rice paddy fields. Instead of heading to tourist-saturated Sapa, we chose to go to Mai Chau, and we are so glad we did.

      We stayed in a lovely hotel with views of the local flat field rice paddies just outside our window. What we didn’t realize when we decided to visit Mai Chau was that mid-February wasn’t the best time for the classic photos of verdantly green and lush rice paddies. In fact, we were very lucky because when we arrived, the towns were in planting stage, which is just a 4-7 day period — something we could have easily missed had we arrived just a few days earlier! So we didn’t get to see the paddies at their greenest, but we did get to see how much hard work and labor goes into planting a rice field.

      From what we could tell, the seedling rice plants are grown in a small patch just a few meters wide and long covered by plastic to protect them from the mountain chill. After the seedlings are old enough, they are gathered into a bucket and planted one by one in a flooded field. Families were up to their knees in water while the air outside was quite cold. It’s backbreaking work.

      OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

      Seedlings are collected into tins (foreground) and then individually, painstakingly dispersed in fields (background).

      OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

      Hard at work planting rice to feed the family

      OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

      You can see here that the fields farther in the background have been planted while those in the foreground are about to be.

      Our first day met us with misty fog, which was a bit disappointing but it did give the mountains a magical, mysterious feeling. The next day was still cold, but the air was clearer, so of course, we rented a motorbike and took to the hills in search of hidden villages and beautiful scenery.

      OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

      Cloudy day, but less mist on the ground allowed for better views of the fields right outside our hotel

      OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

      I loved the magical scenery created by the fields and misty mountains in the background

      OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

      A small village in the mountains with rice terraces still bare but about to be planted

      Mai Chau is a beautiful area with hard working, kind people. The owner of our hotel invited us for several shots of corn whiskey one evening and talked to us at length about growing rice and life in the local villages, where he grew up.

      Even though we missed the peak photography season, we still found Mai Chau incredibly beautiful and I think we have a greater appreciation for the process of growing rice, a major form of income in Vietnam.

      OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

      Misty view of Mai Chau from above

      Posted in Vietnam | 1 Comment | Tagged Mai Chau, Rice, Rice Paddy, Rice Terraces, Vietnam
    • Hanoi: Our First Days in Vietnam

      Posted at 9:34 pm by tanyapham, on May 28, 2015

      OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

      Throughout our journeys, I have been asked multiple times daily by curious locals, “Where are you from?” The answer is that I was born in the US, but my parents are both from Vietnam, which made our trip to Vietnam particularly exciting for me.

      Being Vietnamese was a huge part of my childhood. I still remember when my dad sponsored his family to come to the States, little by little — when Ba Noi (grandma from dad’s side) first arrived, when my cousins came over with their parents, and so on. I don’t forget about how my father flew helicopters for the South Vietnamese army during the Vietnam War or how my mother’s family — because they were more educated than most in Vietnam — moved to Europe when she was ten to escape Communism. All of these things shaped my parents and directly and indirectly shaped who I am, which is why visiting Vietnam was so special to me. I wanted to see the country that molded my parents and provided the bed of cultural traditions I experienced growing up.

      Our first stop in Vietnam was Hanoi, the capital city in the North where my mom was born. We arrived in the middle of winter, and were surprised by very cool and wet weather. It was a welcome break from the rest of  stiflingly hot and humid Southeast Asia.

      Much city life revolves around Hoan Kiem Lake around which the popular Old Quarter and French Quarter are located. Legend has it that a giant tortoise who used to make his home in Hoan Kiem Lake stole a warrior’s sword and carried it to its watery grave. There is a temple dedicated to this legendary turtle in the middle of the lake across a cute little red bridge. Locals say there are still two large tortoises who live in Hoan Kiem Lake, but they are rarely seen. Where are you, tortoises!?

      OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

      The red bridge over Hoan Kiem Lake

      The pace of life in Hanoi is intense, probably driven by the absolutely ridiculous amounts of traffic. The narrow streets are flooded by a torrent of motorbikes and vehicles, all in a rush to be somewhere else. It is impossible to cross the street the way we were used to in the States, even at crosswalks. By observing, we learned the technique to crossing consists of walking out into oncoming traffic at a slow and steady pace, so drivers can see you and have time to just maneuver around you. No sudden movements, and never turn back! The trick is to move slowly and clearly enough for everyone to see you. It felt ridiculously stupid and unsafe at first, but that is truly how to most effectively and safely cross the street in Hanoi. Now you know, ha!

      OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

      This photo doesn’t even begin to capture the insanity that is the traffic in Hanoi, but it will have to do and you’ll have to take my word for it!

      One hilarious part of staying Hanoi was the shoe repair men. These men wander the streets with shoe shining and repair kits looking for customers, and they are quite aggressive if they feel you need their services. Well, Mitch decided that this trip would be the last hurrah for his 9+ year old Sperry’s that he was issued at the Naval Academy in 2005. These shoes looked pretty terrible after years of wear and months of foreign travel, and this did not escape our shoe shining friends. Within one block, Mitch was accosted by at least three men who spotted his tattered kicks from across the street. They’d point to his shoes and almost demand that they be fixed. One of them even started trying to glue the soles back on as we were walking away. It was simultaneously hilarious and annoying, so after a few days, Mitch decided to avoid wearing those specific shoes at all in Hanoi, ha!

      For the first portion of our stay in Hanoi, I accidentally booked a guesthouse in the middle of the backpacker district — something we have managed to avoid our entire trip. We may be backpacking, but we are not the type to be out and about all day and still have energy to party into the wee hours of the night. After some sleepless nights, we moved to a wonderful homestay outside the tourist area where we were hosted by Mrs. Dong, her friend and colleague Narelle, and their dog, Caru. They were absolutely wonderful and took amazing care of us as well as giving us wonderful recommendations of where to grab some good eats and what to see around Hanoi.

      10984061_1544734335779077_4258501032465264837_n

      Some of our fellow guests and friends at Mrs. Dong’s! Lily, Mitch, me (and Caru), Mrs. Dong, Lily, Meghana

      One of our first stops in Hanoi was the Maison Centrale, or the “Hanoi Hilton,” as it is sarcastically referred to by Vietnam veterans. This is the prison where South Vietnamese and Americans were held by the North Vietnamese army during the war. I was very impressed with the museum quality displays and the condition that that old buildings were kept. Everything was very well done; however… the information given was incredibly, incredibly one-sided and full of propaganda in favor of the North Communist Party, of course. I won’t go into detail, but I was actually very upset by some of the lies being broadcast to Vietnamese citizens and tourists visiting the prison. The plaques described how well-treated the US prisoners were and how “lucky” (their words) they were to be prisoners under the Communist rule. It’s no secret that the US committed unspeakable atrocities during the Vietnam War, but it was also insulting to be told that the North Vietnamese were nothing but gentleman to US soldiers. This type of propaganda permeated all war-related sites throughout Vietnam. It’s really interesting to think about history and how people in power can shape and change the narrative, history, and perspective of a country.

      OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

      The entrance to Maison Centrale, once controlled by the French during their colonizing days and subsequently by the North Vietnamese during the Vietnam War.

      On Valentine’s Day, Mitch and I spent a romantic morning visiting Ho Chi Minh’s mausoleum (ha ha!). It was a rainy morning, and we queued up and shuffled through the walkway to see the Communist leader’s embalmed body. The experience was quite strange: we queued up almost single file and were led into the mausoleum where we walked down a quiet corridor and finally into the main room where Ho Chi Minh was surrounded by an orange glow and ogling tourists. Did you know that Ho Chi Minh requested to be cremated but is now flown yearly to Russia for annual “spa” treatments (read: he has to get re-embalmed yearly in Russia)? Yea, talk about a romantic day! We also visited the Temple of Literature, which was built in 1070 as a temple dedicated to Confucius and served as the Imperial Academy.

      OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

      Ho Chi Minh’s sombre mausoleum dominates the skyline on the street where is located.

      OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

      Excited at the Temple of Literature because of turtles carrying engravings!

      One of our favorite days in Hanoi was visiting the Blue Dragon weekly football (soccer) games on Sunday morning. I heard about Blue Dragon from our friend Rebecca who we met in Koh Phra Thong, Thailand. She had volunteered for six months with the organization, which assists disadvantaged youth, and put us in touch with her friend Tho who organizes the weekly soccer games. It was eye opening to escape the tourist trail and see another side of Hanoi as well as the kids who absolutely loved playing football.

      After the morning games, Tho was so kind and took us to to some of the best local food joints, including a Hanoi original: ca phe trung, or egg coffee. Egg coffee consists of a small amount of very strong coffee topped with whipped egg yolk and cream or condensed milk. It tastes like a little bit of heaven flavored with tiramisu. This cafe was so hidden, there’s no way we would have ever found it without a local! In order to enter, you have to go through a storefront that looks just like another tourist store, walk down a narrow, empty alley, then into the cafe entrance. We climbed three stories for a seat with a beautiful view overlooking Hoan Kiem Lake and enjoyed our ca phe trung and the company of our new friend.

      OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

      Egg coffee: a little cup of heaven flavored with tiramisu — yum!

      Tho also took us out that evening to the Old Quarter Walking Street. This area of Hanoi shuts its streets off to motorbikes and vehicles on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday evenings. Droves of tourists and locals alike flock to the area to enjoy the relaxed atmosphere and drink Bia Hoi (fresh beer). Guys, this beer costs $0.10 USD per glass. It’s not the greatest beverage you will ever consume, but it’s a Hanoi must-try when in town.

      OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

      “Fresh” beer for ten cents! You get what you pay for in terms of flavor… 😀

      OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

      Locals line the streets of the Old Quarter on tiny, plastic stools, enjoying the company of friends with a bit of bia hoi (fresh beer).

      Our short stay in Hanoi was an interesting introduction to Vietnam where we found the government oppressive (more on this later), the food delicious, and the history fascinating. Even though my mom hardly lived in Hanoi at all, my grandparents did for some time, and I felt closer to understanding them as I walked the streets of this beautiful city.

      OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

      Life on the streets of Hanoi

       

      Posted in Vietnam | 3 Comments | Tagged Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh, Maison Central, Vietnam
    ← Older posts
    • search

    • Enter your email address to join us on our travels and get alerts via email

      Join 51 other followers

    • Follow Tanya Pham on WordPress.com
    • Currently, I am in:

      Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City), VIETNAM!
    • Recent Posts

      • The Philippines! Banaue and Baguio
      • Central Vietnam – Da Nang, Hue, Hoi An
      • World Toilet Day
      • Haven Near Quy Nhon, Vietnam
      • One Day in Nha Trang!
      • Cooling Down at the Dalat Hill Station
      • Chúc Mừng Năm Mới (Happy New Year!)
    • Featured in Purlou!

      ”featured
    • Instagram

      Mood . . . #shotoniphone (through a telescope lens)
      Three-years old at heart with Sar and Louis ❤️

Blog at WordPress.com.

Tanya Pham
Blog at WordPress.com.
Cancel