und vida que vivar

one life, live it!

Story of Sapa.

I wanted only to go to Sapa in the mountains of northern vietnam. I tried for hours in Saigon calling and emailing to get a train ticket but they were always full. But when I came to Ha Noi I came directly from the airport and spent a couple hours trying to find the tickets. At my last ditch effort, I got what I wanted. Its saturday morning 09 aug 08 and In just few minutes i will be on a boat in Ha Long bay. Im really excitied. I want to swim, lay on the boat, and sleep in my room on a near by island.

Lessons from a little country with big ideas

How I wish I could say I helped the people in Vietnam or that I have given my life to a larger purpose with the objective of helping others, but my reasons to come to South East Asia are almost entirely for me. But somehow I know that something larger is at work here. As the world becomes smaller when people travel, people can understand each other and empathize not only the differences among each other, but also how similar we really are. It seems that the few people that have opened up to me in Saigon have also the same worries as me. They want to make money for their families, pursue love, and escape this world filled with 90% work.

But even if I am similar with some people in Vietnam I have noticed some things that take time too see. Sometimes I glimpse a sense of emotion in this country. But sometimes I see a country so poor the people are callused from growing up around things that no person should ever have to feel or endure. Things I can't imagine are common place in this country. Some families are SO poor their daughters are sent away by their parents to do everything a richer family would prefer not to do, like, clean the floor, water the plants, and clean a spoiled foreigners room(me). I try to understand everyone in every society but sometimes I can not keep my voice silent when I feel things aren't up to human standards. And I thing very often I feel the tension of change in Saigon. I think the older people are more traditional and closed minded. And I can confidently say that at least once a week I see a blind person trying to navigate a dangerous city like Saigon. Or a old lady trying to cross the street, but you can tell she doesn't have complete confidence in herself as she tries to keep moving in life with motorbikes zooming by. Imagine if you knew that transport was mostly bicycles when you were born and now there are so many motorbikes you have t0 be careful crossing the street. If life were to change that quickly in life im not so sure how well i would adapt.

Ok, I will finish this later im in Hanoi, and people are getting impatient waiting because all the computers are broken.

Life and Attitude towards it

I rarely feel on top of the world but everyday I feel more a part of it. I was just talking with Nhung today and I told her " Mymind was at first dizzy in Vietnam, and then It was broken. And more recently I have rebuilt it. Hieu told me that as a interviewer he looks at the persons logical system in their mind. Sometimes I wonder if the interviewer really knows what's happening inside anothers mind. I'm now convinced we can't know. And a guess is probably far from the truth of what someone is thinking. Before I lived here in Saigon and before I ever stepped foot in Asia, I honestly had no idea how the minds of some people in Vietnam really worked. And now with 3 months behind me I can honestly say I still dont know. But I can truthfully say I know how to figure it out now. I hope that in time, I dont know how long, I can come closer to understanding the differences in the minds of people from every place and background, even if it hurts to figure out or if it tests everything I was told to value and model through my short life of 21 years.

City of Love, Romance, and chilly mountains

Da Lat is a really distinctive, romantic, and a slow moving place. Its so wonderful compared to Saigon. Except that Saigon has everything, while Da Lat only have beauty. But Da Lat is the mountains, and the streets curve every whichway. There is a lake in the center of city, which has a little path with tea, coffee, and Phu(soup) shops all around it. The people wear hats and scarfs, and there is no care in the world. Everyone moves and thinks slowly.

There are flowers lining the streets, and you can see tons of flower markets. At night the lower valley within the city is lit up with a low key yellow light. Its the green houses that are keeping the flowers, even though its chilly there.

This is picture of a nice restaurant in Da Lat we went to. It's nice in Vietnam, sometimes you can eat at a little shop, that would be hard to find again. Other times you can eat at wonderful restaurants like this one.

Tri is a traditional Vietnamese doctor. So he has been treating me by acupuncture for some time now.

Do you like Da Lat fashion? haha. It's funny, but I bought five hats and three scarfs here. Usually I don't buy much.

You can see a market stall below.

We went to a flower park. It was downpouring outside but we still trecked on in the green houses looking at the flowers. It was relaxing.

I bought the seeds of this Blue Orchid below, but I fear the women would sell anthing to me. So I bought more types, just to be sure.

At the restaurant there was a Art Gallery in the beggining. You can see I have embarrassed Tri!

The life in Da Lat moves at a slow pace. This is a good example.

We took a boat to this island to have lunch on the water in one of those huts. Then you can take a hammic nap afterwards.

This is view from a mountain pagoda.
This is Tri again, and two french girls we made friends with in Da lat.
This is the boat we took to have lunch on the island.


Sometimes elephants appear.

You can see the traditional hat being worn by the women this this watercraft.
This is a little farm in Da Lat. You can see the clouds above in the mountains. I wish my camera and picture taking skills were better.

Mountain Pagoda





There is time to stop and smell the roses in Da Lat.

The first time i woke up early enough to sit and eat breakfast on a week day!

Usually I hop out of the shower, quickly get ready for work, run down the granite stair case, (crazy with no shoes and wet feet, we have to carry them in asia) leap into the street without dying from any traffic jams. wave to my friend motorbike driver, say "hello" to the sandwich making lady, so she start making it before i get there. prepare the money as im walking towards her, grab the bread with my left hand and give the money with the right. turn on my heals, lift my leg over the back of the motorbike and drive away. Sometimes I dont even know how it could happen so fast. BUT the picture above is one day when I got ready early for work, got my bread, sat down at this street restaurant next to my apartment, and relaxed with enough time to take this picture. You can see my motorbike helmet to the right, the necessary chopsticks signaling im eating, or maybe still hungry, a typical side plate of greens, and CHILI CHILI red CHILI! There is always a little jar with chili for you. and Usually a some whole chili that you can cut with your spoon and mix into the food.

Life in the New Office building.

Sometimes we can take a "snap" at lunch time! The new office is on Ham Nghi Street, District One. It's very near my apartment. I like taking snaps whenever possible in Saigon.

A desert Celebration

Tri wants to celebrate with come deserts. It's a example of some interesting foods we sometimes eat in Vietnam.

Inside the bag you can see a white blob. But actually its made of rice and its really sticky. So, we can take some meat pieces, then wrap the sticky white blob around it, and eat it. It's tasty! And the dish with the circular white thing is a bananna desert. Itside the white rice sphere is peas. Its really excellent. And the 3 red wrapper foods

are coconut desert made from sticky rice wrapped in bananna leaves. They are actually black inside, but you could never guess.

Sometimes we should take photos of normal days that we dont want to forget

Thuy Anh is a extradinary women. She can tackle any project, and in the end clear her mind for the next one! I've learned a lot from her! A small break for ice cream is always a welcome stop for me! But it's not Cooks Farm Dairy!
But actually maybe its better! I wish I could explain why, but Vietnamese food is always exceptional.

This picture was actually hard to take. because the motorbikes need to drive and park on the sidewalk. So sometimes there is so much movement to take a picture.

We like to make music in Vietnam, not listen!

Nam is one of the the HR Holcim Vietnam pimps! Every wonderful girl wants to sing with him!

Karakoke is fun in Vietnam. Thuy Anh(right) has many songs to sing!

Time to visit Long Khanh village!

This is my friend Oanh's village. I really liked this pig here, but I tried to pet and hold it. But in the end it didnt like me.





We don't have cars in Vietnam, so motorbike is the prefered way to travel.

It's like motorcycle diaries, except im not in South America, its not dangerous, and we can take bananna leaves of of the trees for a nap, or in vietnam "snap".
You see how beautiful Oanh is?
Her family has a bun bun or rambultin orchard. The fruit is in Oanhs hand. The best rambultin is here at this little farm. It was the best taste for me so far in Vietnam!


Ok, but sometimes we have to work. You see im really hard working, and so I can pick anything from the trees in this orchard.