Music Man

The great trumpet valve oil hunt was concluded this week when Lulli and Gumps came back from Bangkok with some. We had found this trumpet for Silas about three weeks ago, when we’d gone to the music store to get my guitar fixed (played it outside; came back inside; tuned it, broke the nut — presumably its glue a victim of the extraordinary climate variance). Anyway, we saw this trumpet and figured, why not? But no valve oil. And so began the great valve oil hunt. There doesn’t appear to be any in the entire city of Saigon. We solicited several recommendations re. substitutes; they all agreed (even the crazy guy from Wilmington, N.C. whom Scott and I met after watching some Fulham match at the Bhudda Bar) that vegetable oil would work so long as we cleaned the entire instrument out with soap and water each week. We seemed poised to try this a few times but never got around to it… Besides, Silas picked up a new musical obsession last week in Cambodia: a two-stringed instrument, a trol, which he bought from a vendor outside Ta Prohm. You play it with a bow (there's a picture of a fellow playing one in the Angkor Wat gallery) and some Chinese dude gave Silas a lesson in the Siem Reap airport while were waiting for our flight out. Cool moment actually. Silas screeching away on the thing with Lulli looking on, offering some advice from the somewhat relevant perspective of the cellist she is, and this old codger comes shuffling over and just stands in front of the boy watching him. Finally Lulli asks him if he knows how to play, and the guy nods and reaches for the trol. He sits down and starts in on it, a bit rustily, but he gets it down quickly and tunes it and shows Silas how to hold the bow. Played Frere Jacques, then reveals he hadn’t played one of these in 60 years! He had a great time. We had to get to our gate but I think he’d have gone for hours… In an case, the trol was broken when we got back to HCMC, coming through the final security check, the smushed victim of two oversized bags belonging to a less-than-attentive, Gucci-bedecked Viet Kieu family. So we’re off the music story again today to get it fixed. Remains to be seen what we’ll come home with.

Personal Training

So Sharon is way modest to blog about it, but during our 10 weeks in HCMC she has solidified and built on the weight she dropped last fall. She’s working out nearly every day, in the fitness room downstairs here at the Ava, in the pool here doing laps. She’s been obliged to take in a bunch of pants and looks great, i.e. better even than usual. Ironic because she, and we, as a unit, are not eating nearly so responsibly, or macrobiotically, as she (and by extension we) ate during the fall when she embarked on a healthy eating and exercise kick and dropped the weight. We eat out a lot here cuz it’s convenient and cheap, and for some reason we seem to keep a lot more soda and chocolate in the apartment. Like we deserve it somehow? Maybe it’s because despite all the work and school, it does sorta feels like we’re in vacation mode. Or maybe it’s because Sharon and I have been working out so much, and the kids are so active, biking around in the heat and swimming every day. Maybe we have earned it. I know I have. I’ve been working out like a fiend and have definitely lost some weight, and I’m as fit as I’ve been during any winter period since god knows when. We went to a sorta dressy dinner last night and Sharon stepped out in a killer new black&white dress that is suited to her new svelte shape. Obviously, I like the dress — and I’ve been warned that I had better like it: Because the other one she has on this trip doesn’t fit. Too big. And the dresses for sale here in Vietnam are mainly designed for women WAY smaller than her, or so she says. So everything’s relative.

Clara: All In

So Clara came home from her school concert Thursday night and despite a triumphant turn alongside her classmates, performing a traditional North Vietnamese folk dance, she was bummed. We had watched her palling around with her friend Phuong Anh and others; she was totally at home and in the moment. And yet: “I can’t do this…” Do what? “I can’t believe I have to leave all my friends.” This was exactly what she had moaned about in December before leaving for Vietnam, only she had referred to her New Gloucester friends, and how she’d miss them, and why did we have to be away for FOUR months? Well, that’s one of the reasons we love Clara: She’s all in, all the time. We’re very proud of her, and Silas, for the way they’ve adapted to life here, made new friends, traveled around, tried new things. But we were more worried about Clara because, well, she’s 10 and she’s not so computer literate that she can stay in good touch with Louisa, with Melody, with Suzie and Clementine — or not so well as her big brother does with his friends. But she has done pretty well ramping up her computer skills, and she has done better than that making new friends here. After the concert, when we’d had a chance to snuggle and talk about all this, she left me with this admonishment (without the slightest irony): “We have to come back. And we have to stay for more than four months.”

I take it back...

I just read this article in the NYT online: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/09/business/09dollar.html which leads me to believe the lack of visible NGO aid trucks in Cambodia is more likely due to a decrease in aid as opposed to a rising economy...yep, more doom and gloom even on the adventure blog...

Siem Reap, Kampuchea...

...now known as the Kingdom of Cambodia. The faint tinkling of the gamalon greets you as you arrive at the airport and permeates the air wherever you happen to be. It is the weekend and as in Vietnam, the distinct acrid odor of burning trash mingles with the perfumed blossoms adorning every plant.

Hal's parents are traveling with us and we have made the beautiful Sofitel Angkor our haven from the heat and the dust of the day.

Angkor Wat has the least shade so at 8:00 a.m. Saturday we headed there first. It is a single complex built by King Suryavarman II in the 12th century and originally dedicated to the Hindu God Vishnu - the protector of creation. The layout is "of sacred Hindu cosmos design". I love my DK Eyewitness Travel Guidebook. The lotus-shaped temples in the middle stand for the center of the universe, the outer walls are the outer edges of the world, and the moat represents the cosmic ocean. As in the other temples, the architecture is amazing along with the bas relief carvings in the hallways of the outer walls.

Nearby Ta Prohm is a temple complex overgrown by and glued together with the roots of kapok trees. You meander down a shaded lane to reach it, serenaded by a group of land-mine victims playing local instruments. Once there it is an amalgamation of ruins and roots. It was much smaller than Hal remembered it and we're not sure if that is because more of it has collapsed and been shut off, or if we wandered the grounds in a different way last time. You exit down another shaded path at the opposite end where you are again serenaded by land-mine victims playing regional instruments.

Angkor Thom differs in that it is a complex of buildings in a very large walled area - you cannot see the walls as you wander about. It was built by King Jayavarman VII late in the 12th century. We entered through the south gate (do they spec the van to fit the gate?) and started at the Bayon - a large complex of 54 towers with over 200 carved stone heads! This was Clara's favorite - there were a lot of places to climb around. The slight breeze and overcast day made for a more comfortable experience. After moving down the road a bit and wandering through Baphoun we decided temples that start with "B" were enough for one day and a swim and lunch were in order. You must understand this is an extremely warm climate. To avoid heat exhaustion you must constantly drink copious quantities of water. You must also pack plenty of clothing because once you are done sightseeing you will be soaked in sweat. Those of you who know Clara know how happy she was about that!

Silas and Lulli wrapped up the day by returning to Angkor Wat for sunset. Looks like it was a pretty mellow scene, and from their account it sounds like even the desperate merchandise hawkers took a break to end the day. We're having a good time with Gumps and Lulli and it was fun to explore the temples with them.

Hal and I were here in August of 2007 and feel things have changed. More tourists, less accessability at the temple sites, fewer signs indicating the country restoring the site, and the absence of militarily escorted foreign aid delivery trucks. The streets too seem less congested and there is an order to be found in the traffic along with a marked lack of oxen drawn carts. Chickens and dogs are still prevalent, hotels and food are still inexpensive but it feels like the local economy is benefiting and moving forward from the promotion of their national treasure - the ancient temples.

If you click on the temple pictures they should open for you in another window with captions underneath.

Dai Nam/Water Puppets/Food

Last weekend we took a ride to the new Dai Nam Amusement Park - about an hour out of the city. It is a sprawling complex themed after the Great Wall of China. There is a stage, large hotel and conference facility, temple, amusement park, water park, and safari. After you enter you wait for a shuttle to take you to the area of the park that you want to go to. We made it through the rides at the amusement park and to the water park before we called it a day. The kids give it a higher rating than Suoi Tien and apparently there is one more park within the city limits that is supposed to be EVEN BETTER YET! I'm afraid Hal will have to venture out to that one - two in the span of four weeks is enough for me. We were quite an attraction at Dai Nam in our own right. All the tweenish girls grab each other, point at Silas, laugh, giggle and try to hide their faces when they notice us noticing them. A gentleman at the restaurant where we had lunch sat with us and had a long chat about the park, the country and the state of America. In the wave area of the water park a young man became so fascinated with Clara that she became uncomfortable and had to slip away. It made me uncomfortable too - I was on "the pier" taking pictures of Silas and Clara and had to run around to where you could enter the water to get to her, though by that time she had made her escape and mixed in with a larger crowd of kids.

Hal's parents are in and out of the country for the next few weeks. We went to a water puppet show with them Monday evening. It was pretty amazing how they make them work, all the movements they can do and the stories they can convey. Water puppetry originated in the northern part of the country and we will try to see another show when we go to Hanoi near the end of April.

You'll see various restaurants in the "fun with Gumps annd Lulli" photos. Quan An Ngon is a fabulous local eatery that is always packed. A couple of young girls brought Gumps a plate of food, wanted to take his photo with it, and asked him if it was delicious. We took their photo too. There are also pictures of the view from the restaurant Saigon Saigon which is at the top of the Caravelle Hotel. The night photos of all of us were taken at one of our local eateries - The Dragon's Nest. We can bike there and there is always a nice breeze in the evening at this rooftop quan (that means restaurant). Lulli brought a pattern and some fabric to have a dress made. We picked a tailor from the International Ladies of Vietnam guide. We'll know Friday how it turned out.

The children in the building have been sharing a virus. It began in the penthouse and is literally working its way down to our floor - yesterday Clara came home from school with a fever. She should be fine in time for our trip to Siem Reap Friday, though we're hoping Silas (a.k.a. "the viking")doesn't get it then!

Week 8

We've had another great week here in HCMC. Sunday we sustained ourselves with brunch at the Riverside Cafe before heading out to the Cholon District of the city - otherwise known as Chinatown. The Riverside Cafe is a peaceful oasis on the banks of the Saigon River within a sprawling apartment complex where the cafe is just one of many amenities. The Binh Tay Market in Cholon is very busy and our rapid tour revealed an array of household items for sale - much of it wholesale only. There is a lovely fountain in the center of market. We also briefly wandered the surrounding streets, though we opted to skip the local temples and pagodas this time. It has been unseasonably warm here and one of my most vivid recollections of the Cholon area, in addition to the market fountain, was searching for cold beverages.


Monday found us dining at the historic Caravelle Hotel which is located in the heart of downtown - also known as District 1. Our dinner companions included James Beard nominated French cookbook author and chef Patricia Wells and her husband Walter - former executive editor of the International Herald Tribune. After drinks at the rooftop Saigon Saigon Bar we headed to a private dining room for a lovely 7 course meal. The Caravelle is about to celebrate its 50th anniversary and the chef presented us with many items I'd never had before like soft shell crab; crispy veal sweet bread on beetroot carpaccio with sauteed wild mushrooms, brown butter and mushroom aioli; Jerusalem artichoke soup with seared deep sea scallops and basil brioche; salmon confit on saffron celery puree, roasted fennel, baked tomato and bouillabaisse vinaigrette; and red wine braised veal cheeks with tomato onion jam. For dessert - spanish white chocolate soup with plum and red wine aspic on mixed fruit compote and reduced milk sherbet. At the close of the evening Hal headed off to the airport to collect his parents - Hal and Lucy - and I headed back to the apartment.

Tuesday after letting Hal and Lucy acclimate we lunched at the fabulous Quan An Ngon - roughly interpreted it means "delicious restaurant". Picture three rectangles next to each other - around the perimeter are situated cooking stations featuring vietnamese specialties - a station for noodle dishes, a station for rice dishes, and station for spring rolls, a station for salads...you get the idea. It is like having all the best authentic street food brought together under one roof with a menu created for your dining pleasure. There is nothing better than sipping a cold Tiger beer whilst sampling your favorite dishes and discovering new ones. If you ever go, here is the address: 138 Nam Ky Nghia in District 1. Not that you'll need it - all the taxis know where it is.

After building up our strength we headed over to the War Remnants Museum. It was interesting to read about the French and American history here in Vietnam. Although, as you can imagine, it was all pretty grim I found the section of the museum dedicated to the photographers who covered the war the most interesting. It is something you should see if you are ever here.

Another local favorite restaurant here in the neighborhood is called the Dragon's Nest. I'd like to post some photos of it but I keep forgetting to bring my camera! I'm not sure the food is anything special but we like the ambiance and the fact that we can ride our bicycles there. We'll have to have a neighborhood photo essay soon - things like the supermarket, our favorite fruit vendor, and the local restaurants. One of my neighbors told me about a great organic farm in Dalat called Organiks. On Saturday morning between 7:00 - 9:00 am they will deliver to my door green beans, lettuce, celery, red peppers, mushrooms, potatoes, onions, strawberries, peas, corn, mulberries, black beans, garbanzo beans, mint, cilantro, cucumbers and pasta sauce - all for 407,000 VND (about $23US) including the delivery fee. Crazy. It is going to be hard to go to Hannaford after this.

We do eat out here a lot more than we do in Maine - it's hard not to when you can feed four people with drinks for 255,000 VND - that's $15 US dollars for those of you who aren't up to dividing the VND total by 17,000 to get the US equivalent. Something else we'll have reverse sticker shock with when we return.