Seasonal Affective Disorder

    February is notoriously a rough stretch of each school year.  This year has not been an exception.  I've been immersed in work.  Ayi, Bri and I have found a good routine.  My students are great and remind me daily why I want to be a teacher.  The main factor making me feel blah the past week few weeks has been the weather.
   
    For the most part since we've arrived in August the weather was better than we had anticipated.  We came too late for the hot and wet July.  August was hot and humid as expected but nothing you wouldn't experience in Kansas City about the time football two a days were starting.  Then fall came and we had sunshine and cool but pleasant temperatures until the December holiday.  Except for smoggy days here and there we thought the dreary weather was just an exaggeration.
 
  Here we are in February and I'm beginning to feel like I'm stuck in the film Ground Hog Day.  Everyday its cloudy and gloomy.  It hasn't rained a lot or been too bitter cold but is just a plain flat grey sky the whole day.  This isn't a cloudy sky or pretty sky with all sorts of shades of grey.  There is very little wind to give life to trees.  It just looks like someone put a grey tarp over the city.  Last week on Wednesday I was walking to the market after school and I looked up and saw the sun through the clouds.   It looked like the moon and you could just make it out as its brilliant rays were nearly all blocked by the clouds.  I grabbed my camera to take a picture so I could prove to Bri the sun still rose and set each day.  In the seconds it took me to turn the camera on....the sun was gone.
    
    Last Friday was forecasted to be partly cloudy.  Teachers starting talking about the forecast on Monday!  It was like if your team was playing in the Super Bowl. (Not that I would know about that personally)  The possibility of sun on Friday was all I could think about...yet I didn't want to talk about it too much for fear of jinxing it.  Friday morning the sun broke through and I felt like a puppy ready to leave its crate.  I literally smashed my face against my classroom window as my students chuckled.  I guess some of them have grown used to Mother Nature's attack on Shanghai each January and February.  One of my classes joyously received the days lecture from the back of the room.  I drew on the windows with dry erase markers so we could all enjoy the suns rays shining in to the room but still get our work accomplished.  Saturday and Sunday I walked all over Shanghai because the high pressure front had cleared all of the clouds for TWO WHOLE DAYS! 

    I just needed to be outside in the sun so I found excuses to go somewhere and then I'd walk.  I suffered the affects Saturday afternoon.  Not shin splints, bubble guts.  I have this problem when I walk, I see food or smell food and I eat it.  I look at it as stimulating the world economy.  Four breakfasts later....bubble guts.  It was worth it though.  That's a price I'm willing to pay for sunshine and too many dumplings. 

    As if the world were mocking us, Monday brought back the grey sky.  The mundane grey sky is all we've seen this week and all we're planning to see in the 10 day foreseeable future.  At least there might be rain...
 

    In high school I always thought it would be fun to live in the northwestern U.S. for awhile.  Rainy days were so pleasant and relaxing.  The air smells so clean after rain.  Wouldn't living in Seattle be neat?  I'd sit in coffee shops, read books and watch it rain.  I've changed that tune.  Oh what I would do to walk out the door to the school in Bethune and get pierced with some 30 mph wind and a -1 F windchill.  I'd rather have my breath stolen in an instant than have it seep out of me slowly, dreary day after day, like a week old balloon.  I miss the Eastern Colorado winds that you need to lean into before walking out the door or else they knock you over when they hit you.  I miss having to check the weather daily because you don't know what to wear or when to pray for a snow day.  I've gone weeks without checking the weather here because it never changes, but now I check daily just so I'm ready if the sun peeks through.

Cu-Chi Tunnels

     I had learned about the tunnels in a Vietnam War class in college and had to see them since we were so close.  These tunnels were used by the Viet-Cong guerrillas during the Vietnam War or as they call it the American War.  Cu-Chi was an area north of Ho Chi Minh and based on our understanding American soldiers were never really able to clear the entire area of Viet-Cong.   You can read more about the tunnels here. 

Can you see the hidden door?

There it is!

This was the second hole I tried to get into and I barely fit.  My shoulders would have been a tough squeeze but I imagine if I were being shot at I would have made it happen.

A tunnel rat.

This is the bomb crater from a B-52 strike.  There were a good number of these on the site.

     It was very interesting learning about the tunnels.  In some places they're dug three levels deep.  They would have dorm rooms, kitchens, medical clinics, meeting rooms etc.  We saw a kitchen with a exhaust tunnel that was about 50 yards away from the actual room.  The guide said they'd usually only cook in the morning when there was still fog on the ground to disguise the smoke. 

    There are over 75 miles of tunnel in Cu-Chi network alone.  The tunnels were tug by teams of four, working at night.  Two pairs would dig holes down a specified depth depending on the level they were digging that night.  Starting about 30 feet from one another they'd then connect the holes.  The dirt that was removed from one hole would be dumped in the empty hole from the previous nights dig so that only the tunnel would remain.  Also, in case you ever need to do this remember that the holes you dig to go down should be square shape not round so that when you start digging the tunnel you know which direction you are headed.  When you dig the tunnel it should have a point at the top to keep if from caving in as well.  If you need anymore help email me and I'll send you some blueprints.

    Bri's enjoyed reading and watching youtube videos about the American soldiers called tunnel rats upon our return.  It was their job to clear tunnels when American troops found them.  They were some brave/crazy men.  I guess there is a thin line between those two things.  I crawled through about a 30-40 meter stretch.  It was part of a 100 meter stretch that had been widened for foreigners to travel through.  It zig-zagged for the safety of the men in the tunnel and it was not a fun place to be if you were claustrophobic.  I didn't try it but I'm not sure I would have been able to turn around...I may have had to back out if needed.  It was quite an experience.

    We also went to the War Remnants Museum in Ho Chi Minh.  Mostly there was a lot photographs and it painted a very poor perspective of the US involvement in the war.  Bri was a little surprised at how harsh it was towards the American based on the little she'd learned about it in school and on the way the Vietnamese treated us while we were in the country as tourists.  The museum was a fine place to visit and it was interesting to see that perspective but it definitely felt one sided.  The Cu-Chi tunnels felt much more authentic and we'll never forget it.

Matt

More Motorbikes

    I hope to never know what real mortar rounds sounds like when they come down first hand but as the Chinese New Year finally ends today there are explosions happening every 5 minutes and from all directions.  It is fitting however that they're coming just as Bri and I finished watching the Super Bowl.  I almost feel like now that this football seasons is gone China is celebrating the new year...the year of the Chiefs.
    One tidbit of information for anyone planning a trip to China.  Don't order french fries from McDonalds when it is being delivered.  I've tried over and over and I regret it every time.   They just can't get them delivered hot and we all know cold fries are horrible.  Bri pointed out that it is nearly unamerican to order McDonalds and not get fries and I have to agree.  That's why I think they should have the delivery man fry them on the spot upon delivery.  It would also spread the smell of fries which would make other tenants of the building hungry for the Golden Arch.  That's probably enough of my good ideas for one day.  I'm posting some more pictures of things you might see on the road in Vietnam because Bri's last post generated considerable interest on the topic.

You can use a cyclo as a cab

Yes, that is a refrigerator on his motorbike

It must be iBike by Apple.

These yellow flowers were for sale EVERYWHERE.  They're good luck for the new year.  He's hoping the lucky flowers help him drive home safely.

This guy is holding what I can only guess is a frame while the guy in front drives.  Don't worry they have helmets on.  We also saw a driver and rider carrying a 10-12 foot pipe.

When your baby just fall asleep, take her for a drive.  Works every time.

There is only four here.  An American we met who has lived in Ho Chi Minh since 1998 told us that he doesn't bat an eye when he sees five but the most he's ever seen was six people on one bike at a time.  He said the last person didn't have a seat they were just piggy backing the person in front of them.

Babies don't need to wear helmets as long as you have a high chair for them to set on

We didn't see any livestock on motorbikes except for on postcards.  There were pictures of a slaughtered cow or live pigs balanced on the back of motorbikes.  I probably don't need to go on, you're surely getting an idea of why the motorbikes in Vietnam left such an impression on us.  Perhaps this fact won't surprise you but Vietnamese hospitals are among the world leaders in very few things.  They do however rank among the top hospitals in the world at treating head trauma....I wonder why.    If you still can't get enough motorbikes check out this blog for another fellow's top ten motorbike pictures.

Matt

The Road to Nha Trang

     The title of this blog sounds like a life changing non-fiction book.  Well, that is only half right; life changing.  Let me start at the beginning.  When we began planning our trip to Vietnam we planned on going to a small beach town partway up the eastern coast called Nha Trang.  I had found reviews of beaches and this was supposed to be the best.  We booked our hotel rooms and a commuter flight from Ho Chi Minh City to Nha Trang.  After everything was purchased we received an email from Vietnam Airlines saying that actually they did not have a flight for us and we were on a waiting list.  Chinese New Year is one of their busiest times of year and while I was not surprised that this happened I was disappointed that they did not mention any of this on their website.  We considered going somewhere else as staying in Ho Chi Minh was not really an option because nearly all of their businesses would be closing for the celebration.  I looked up other beach destinations and could not find accommodations.  We may have been able to get there easily but we would not have a place to stay when we arrived. I looked at the map, Nha Trang is only about 440 km from Ho Chi Minh City.  That would be the same as driving from Stratton to Denver and back. That didn't seem too far to travel so I began searching for other ways to get to Nha Trang.

By train: you cannot book these tickets on the Internet, you have to hire a travel agent to purchase the tickets for you.  Fine.  We try that...and they were sold out.

By bus: the tickets only cost $25 each and buses leave Ho Chi Minh almost hourly for Nha Trang.  After reading some travel blogs they said that this is an excellent way to travel……. if you want to die.  Hundreds of people die every year riding buses in Vietnam.  Last year a bus driver decided to try and beat an oncoming train, he misjudged it. Everyone died.  Hmmmmm, no thanks.

Renting a car: It is not easy for foreigners to rent cars and if this was an option that we were seriously considering we would have had to start the process much earlier.
Hiring a driver: This was the most expensive option but was safer than a bus and the first travel agent told us that it is a 4 hour drive. The second agent clarified that it would be a 10 hour drive. We found these time discrepancies were quite common in Vietnam.  They're similar to the time discrepancies in Shanghai.  Maybe something will be ready in an hour or maybe in about two days....

     We just wanted to get to the beach so we chose to hire a driver.  Our hotel arranged it for us and it was going to cost us $280.  They were going to pick us up at 4:00 AM because we wanted to spend as much as the day as possible in Nha Trang and we figured we could sleep part of the trip.  On our motorbike tour that day our tour guide said that his buddy would take us for $150.  He was sure that he would be there at 4:00 so we switched plans and hired our tour guide’s buddy to take us instead of the other driver.

4:00 AM:  Matt and I are sitting outside of our hotel all packed and ready for our driver to arrive.

4:10 AM:  The concierge calls the driver to check on when he will arrive and the driver says that he will be there in 15 minutes.

4:40 AM:  Still no driver.  He is now not answering his phone.

4:41 AM: Matt calls our tour guide (Matt’s baby kanagaroo) and asks him if he knows why the driver hasn't arrived.  Saul is very upset and does not know why his friend would do this.

4:41 and 30 seconds: I get sad.

4:42 AM: I decide that we should go to the airport and fly stand by to Nha Trang.

4:45 AM Hotel concierge gets a hold of another driver and they will be at the hotel in 15 minutes.  We will pay this driver $305.  That's more than two Greyhound tickets of comparable distance but much more comfortable.  We were just glad to be leaving.  Finding a driver on New Years Eve was a near miracle. It would be the same as finding someone to leave their family on Christmas Eve to drive strangers for the day and then drive back.

    We began our journey and I went to sleep.  Once in a while he would hit the breaks hard and I would momentarily wake up.  Then the honking began, I could not tell through my earplugs if we were the ones being honked at or doing the honking.  I had no idea what to expect when I sat up and I was shocked.  The cows, the chickens, the sheep, the goats, the buses, the shuttles, the semi-trucks, the motorbikes and the van we were riding in all share the same road.  There was no center-line, or outside line for that matter in parts of the road.  Houses, shacks and shops were only a few yards off of the ‘road.’  I figured out what we were honking at...anything that was in our way, regardless of which side of the road it was on at the time.

       When we would go around a slower vehicle whether it be a motorbike, a bus, a semi, or a man walking his cow we would honk.  It was a sign to both the person we were passing and the person coming straight at us whose lane we were now in, that we were in the area. If the honking did not move the oncoming traffic, a quick flashing of headlights was supposed to produce results.  This logic did not make sense to me because both cars were flashing their lights.  Whose job was it to get out of the way?  I don’t know because at that point my eyes were shut tight.

Just a stretch of the road.

     It was insane. Sometimes there were lines on the road.  Sometimes the road became dirt for a few yards.  It was unpredictable.  At one point our side of the road came to an abrupt stop due to construction.  There were no signs or anything... it was like a cartoon where the road just ends.  We had to drive on the other side of the road for a mile.  Luckily this was one of the small parts of the journey that was on four lane highway.  All but about 5-10 miles were two lane highways. 

    You can sum up their roads like this. There are to vehicle lanes.  The outer edge of each vehicle lane is actually the motorbike lane.  The vehicle lane also doubles as the passing lane for motorbikes.  The oncoming traffic lane is the passing lane for vehicles.  The shoulder of the road on each side is actually a sidewalk, made of dirt, and there will be an occasional motorbike on the sidewalk because he's going against the flow of traffic but doesn't want to cross to the correct side of the road.  Then outside the shoulder we're used to these things called ditches, that's where they put buildings. 

    I posted a mild video of the drive here. 

    Normally on a long road trip I like to read or listen to a podcast.  On this trip my full attention was on the road.  Always wondering when how we'd pass the next bus or whether that cow in the ditch would get spooked an jump into the road.  We saw five or six ambulances on the road during the day. They were probably for motorbikes we were told later, they're not very safe for long travels on the highway the source told us. 

Heading to Grandma's house for the New Year.  Many motorbike drivers wear masks to filter some of the dusty and polluted air they're breathing on the road.

     We stopped twice for bathroom breaks and some Vietnamese coffee and we ended up getting there in just about 7.5 hours.  By 3:00 we were showered, changed and eating on the beach.  More importantly, thanks to hotel concierge by 5pm we'd booked two tickets to fly back to Ho Chi Minh Thursday morning.  The cost for the 50 minute flight for two people... $130 total.  Memories from the "Road to Nha Trang".... priceless.