Excesses

A quick comment on the amount of plastic and other packaging. This is something I find easy to whine and bitch about. Well, honestly, what don't I find easy to whine and bitch about? This picture, for example, is of a box of green tea cakes I purchased at the airport. A box wrapped in cellophane containing a bunch of miniature boxes that contain little plastic bags containing aluminum-lined paper containing the actual item I purchased. They were good, thanks for asking, but this is irrelevant.

The point is, that aside from this, there is so much unnecessary packaging or at least so I thought. At first I thought there was a definite overuse of plastic bags here in southeast Asia. And while I still find this generally to be the case, it could be worse. Everything could be processed and wrapped and sealed in multiple containers just like at the grocery store. Take Trader Joe's for example. King of overpackaging. I'm not bashing, just stating the obvious.

So, when I lament the fact I am getting fresh produce in plastic bag or 100 grams of cashews in a plastic bag or some street food wrapped in plastic - what the hell else are they to do? No bag for me. Just drop those cashews right into my mouth. It may not always be necessary, but it is often convenient and there just isn't another real viable alternative. Not here anyway. Well, at least not a blatantly obvious viable alternative. Sure there are, you say and I agree that for me, there is. I could reuse the bag, but I'm not going to forgo the fresh produce or the street food or the cashews. Never!

This is going nowhere. Thanks for taking notice. Instead of lamenting the overuse of plastic and excess packaging over here, I will instead direct some attention to the land of excess: the United States. The size of our automobiles, the size of our homes, the amount of gasoline we use, the amount of fast food we eat, the portion sizes, the size of our waists, everything in excess! Is it all necessary?

The streets of Hanoi

Just a photo of the madness that is Hanoi. Really a crazy city, but fun. It's seems like it is every person for themselves, but everyone is really conscious of each other. That's why it works I suppose. That's why it would never work at home because most people are only conscious of themselves. I don't miss the noise or the feeling that someone is going to run into me from behind, but I do miss the vibe. The energy of that place, like most places in Vietnam, is insane. Insanely invigorating.

Sitting on the street corner

Watching the world go by. That is thing to do in Vietnam. And even better if you can sit at one of the local bia hoi joints where draft beer flows and it flows cheaply. It may not be the best beer in the world, but at the price of around 15 cents a glass it's hard to complain. I should be enjoying one of these beverages right now since I am a little tense and dry in the mouth. Yes, I agree, maybe I should find other avenues of releasing stress. Perhaps I will get a massage instead. But hey, loosen up, perhaps it's you that needs the beer.

So, in Hanoi, there was an intersection of bia hoi establishments. Usually filled with a combination of locals and tourists, it was an interesting place to people watch. It, like seemingly every intersection in Vietnam, was a blind intersection. And therefore, it was especially fun to see cars, motos, bikes and pedestrians enter at the same time and watch who would put on the brakes first. Needless to say, there was a lot of honking, braking, speeding - a lot of entertainment. Add to that, some kid practicing wheelies with no intention of watching who was coming from the other direction. The art of living dangerously.

The most beautiful girl

This is Cha from Sapa. She was one of the H'mong girls trying to sell to the tourists. I didn't buy, but I did get enthralled by her presence and enjoyed our brief conversation. I normally don't do many double takes and can't fathom a triple take - I'm totally lying - but I made an exception for her. I didn't even notice the kid on her back until I looked to review my pictures. By that time the drool had frozen on my jacket. Anyway, I felt like a kid again, a kid who couldn't have the girl and who couldn't get to sleep because he couldn't get her out of his mind. It felt nice to know I was alive.

Sapa

A week ago, maybe two weeks by the time you read this, I was in Sapa. Sapa is close to the border of China and is in the mountains. It was cold as it is winter in northern Vietnam, but it was bearable. Not only bearable, it was beautiful and one of the highlights of my trip. The mountainous region is home to many hill tribes or ethnic minority groups that originally emigrated from China some time ago.

Although the area was fairly touristy, it was a ton of fun communicating with these people and learning about their way of life. I could live there. Well, I could for a little while. In the summer. I don't know if I could tend to the rice paddies, but I could wake up every morning feeling refreshed and constantly awed by the magical scenery of the place.

The hill tribes (as they are called) that we came into contact with include the H'mong (the H is silent), the Red Dzao (pronounced Zow) and the Xa (add a tilde over the 'a' and pronounce it Za).

These two H'mong girls, Ela and Lu, were extremely cute and fun to have on our treks.
Until they called me rat bastard for not wanting to buy any of their goods, which I have to say were not comparable in quality or price to those in the store. I eventually relented and purchased a few inexpensive items to keep them happy and keep away the evil eye. Because it was there and I didn't want it. I thought we were friends.
The weather was cold and the fog and mist rolled in during the evenings. It may have dampened the place a bit, but it didn't dampen my spirits. Yes, I am cheesy.
The H'mong women wait patiently outside to attack the tourists when they leave the hotel. First, they befriend you and then they make you pinky swear you'll buy something from them later and then if you don't, well, you don't want to know what happens. It was good fun. Such memorable people.
Terraced rice paddies were everywhere. The trails leading to the villages were very wet and muddy and it was so much fun to wear rubber boots and traipse through the muck!
There were a lot of animals along the trail including these water buffalo, chickens, ducks, pigs, dogs, a pony and many elephants. No, there were not any elephants. Don't be foolish.
These girls were also particularly memorable. And cute, but you can't buy something from everyone even though you want to. It's kind of distressing.
Big pig - need I say more?
The H'mong boys were a rare find. That is because they did not sell anything and therefore did not have to interact with the tourists. They were typically tending to the rice paddies, carrying bamboo or firewood, dragging wood for houses or otherwise doing manly things. Stereotypically manly things. They did not speak English in the same surprising fashion as the women.
This little piggy went to the market. Yes, that is a pig tied to the back of a moped, otherwise known as a moto in this part of the world. A squealing pig is a terrible, haunting sound and I think everyone should hear it before they have their next slice of bacon. Anyone who says animals don't experience pain or fear is just ridiculous.
H'mong treasures. This woman tried really hard to sell me this head band even though it was actually a waist band and in the end I decided against it. A wise move I must say in retrospect. But beautful treasures they are.
Typical view of the mountains.
More rice paddies.
This woman was great. So friendly. These people can move down a muddy, slippery trail with ease. Watching us must have been highly entertaining.
Yet more rice paddies.
We were on the bus waiting to leave and they still don't give up. I love them for it.

Out with the old

And in with the new. How original, eh? I'm talking about getting new ear plugs. I just wanted to give a quick shout out to Danielle for rescuing my ears from the sand, dirt and wax infested yellow buds of joy that have been inside my ears for a rather unfortunate amount of time - unfortunate for me and for them - but they have provided me with moments of sleep and sanity that I would have otherwise been without and I am appreciative of them and their presence in my life. Now into the trash with you and may you actually end up at a trash disposal site and not the Mekong River. There is nothing like fresh ear plugs and pretty blue ones too, let me tell you.

The flag

Do you know what the Vietnam flag represents? Neither did I until recently. Do you know what the United States flag represents? Yeah, yeah, the stars represent the number of states and the number of stripes represent the thirteen original colonies. But can you tell me anything else? I couldn't come up with anything. That doesn't mean there isn't any more symbolism, it just means I'm not that educated in such matters and I'm okay with that. Maybe you can teach me something?

The Vietnamese seem to be more knowledgable about their flag. Maybe I just happened to talk to the right guy. And maybe he was full of shit, but I doubt it. Flags are everywhere over here and people seem to be pretty proud of their country. Quite contrary to the state of our nation. If you doubt this, I have to question who you hang out with and what planet you live on.

Ok, on with the story. The color red represents the blood the Vietnamese have shed for their independence. The yellow star represents the color of their skin. And the five-pointed star represents the five main continents that Vietnam considers their friends: America (as a whole, not just the USA), Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia.

Yes, I know Antarctica is technically considered a continent, but apparently the population was negligible enough for them to actually consider a six-pointed star. And while we are discussing technicalities, we all know that America is actually divided into two continents: North America and South America. Again, maybe they didn't want the six-pointed star. I like the five-pointed star better myself.

So, basically Vietnam wants to be friends with the world. That's what this guy told me. And I believe it. Everyone has been amazingly friendly to me. Well, except that one guy who gave me the death threat, but he has been an anomoly and let's not get into that right now.