Tranquil Yen Duc Vietnam

When planning our trip to Vietnam, I really wanted to experience, if possible, rural life.  We’ve been to several large Asian cities in different countries and they all share vibrant but chaotic environments. In my research about Ha Long Bay Vietnam, the beautiful UNESCO World Heritage site, a couple travelers described their amazing experiences at Yen Duc. It was exactly what I was hoping for to balance out Hanoi, the high octane 1,000 year old capital. Life here is very simple, rustic, colorful and full of tradition. And in this communist country, spiritual beliefs and religions, primarily Buddhism, are practiced openly.

Indochina Junk, a tour operator that I found to be the best fit for us (and the first tour company we have ever used), has a wonderful guide named Thuy (twee). She was born and raised in Yen Duc, is fearless, and knows everyone in this beautiful village including a number of neighbors who are happy to share pieces of their lives with nosey tourists. We stayed at Mr. San and Ms. Tam’s new homestay, one of the few in the village. They started this business now that their three adult children are gone and have families of their own.  San and Tam don’t speak English, but between body language and Thuy’s insightful and continuous translating, we were able to communicate; they were very sweet and wonderful hosts.

Yen Duc is made up mostly of small, simple homes surrounded by large courtyards made of stone or brick walls. It was fascinating to see courtyards and streets covered with newly harvested drying rice. Many daily activities happen in the courtyard and is an extension of the home. Home cooking is of primary importance, and makes up a lot of time each day. At Tam and San’s in the morning shade we had a traditional breakfast in the courtyard; in the heat of the afternoon we lunched on many fresh vegetables on the living room floor; and after dark, we dined on the open front room floor. Afterward, Thuy showed us how to make two dishes including a dessert, while a couple of San’s friends came by to play Chinese Chess. As a sign of respect, shoes are never worn in the house, slippers are provided or you go barefoot (This is common throughout Asia. It is so prevalent that we do not wear shoes in our condo in Singapore or at anyone’s home).

We had a number of fascinating experiences in our action-packed stay. When we arrived around dinner time from Ha Long Bay, Thuy had us jump on bikes and go to the fishing pond to try our hand at catching fish using wicker baskets. The pond was shallow with deep mud and water plants. We had on waders up to our waists and I thought for sure the mud was going to suck the boots off my feet and knock me into the muddy water.  I caught a few fish but not without the help of a local directing them to me. Afterward we threw them back. The next morning, we rode bikes to the fresh market which was filled with mostly women who seemed pretty interested in us. We met three girls who were preparing fresh river clams, tiny crabs and things I’ve never seen before. I bought the requisite hat that nearly every woman wears in Vietnam.

Thuy took us to visit a Bee Keeper and his wife at their home. We had some lovely tea, sampled honey, toured his beautiful gardens of exotic dragon fruit trees, and saw his many bee hives. Then we visited a broom maker and her husband. She tried to show Gene and me how to make a particular type of broom but we were pretty hopeless. You need strong, nimble hands, infinite patience and lots of practice. As time drew near, we didn’t want to leave.

For anyone wanting a rural travel experience, Yen Duc is a delightful journey off the beaten path in a very beautiful part of the world. Oh, and ask for Thuy to be your guide. We are still in touch with her.

Rural Ubud Bali Indonesia

We went on a beautiful 4 hour walk in the hills of Ubud (Ah-bood) just off the main street where rice fields and artists’ shacks dotted the landscape. We loved the swaying fields, huts where the farmers lived, numerous scarecrows that resembled farmers working, and palm trees set against the mountains. We met a number of fascinating people: several talented artists working in their small studios, a generous organic farmer, and a shy spice grower. We saw lovely holistic spas and retreats along the path and situated deeper in the fields and forests. I’m afraid we’re not good at actually getting any spa treatments. We even had one free massage from our hotel spa which we didn’t take the time to do! (see photos below the text).

The hike started up a large hill that opened to rice fields and became a very skinny, meandering path with some locals on motorbikes who were coming to and from town. And, as usual, it was hot, very hot.  There was a variety of structures along the way. Simple tents and shacks, one room art studios, and lovely two story retreats.

We had a lovely but also slightly disconcerting interaction with the organic farmer. He came over to chat with us in limited English and showed us the farm’s many fruits and vegetables that they grow for their restaurant downtown. He pulled a turmeric and ginger plant out of the ground to show me since I told him I enjoy cooking. He also gave us fresh peapods out of the ground to eat.  I ate mine while he showed me around. Afterward, Gene and I continued our walk and she said “I’m glad I remembered we’re not supposed to eat anything grown in water here so I tossed mine.”  “Crap, I ate mine,” says I.  Ok, if I’m going to get ill eating a tainted peapod at least this walk was worth it; fortunately I was fine. We’ve had several friends get ill in their travels in Asia and in Bali specifically.  So far, only Singapore seems to have safe drinking water that I am aware of, for travelers anyway.

The walking paths were so minimal that we took a wrong turn and ended up on a path by some small houses on the way back to town. we came to a lovely stream and small waterfall a few feet off the path where a handsome young man about 17 was standing bathing nude. He watched us pass and didn’t seem to mind the old white ladies walking by.

You may notice in some photos, and the feature photo above, small offerings to Hindu deities.  Twice each day, Hindus in Bali (mostly women I believe) create baskets of flowers, fruits and other significant symbols and place them at entrances wherever they are, work or home. Bali is one of the thousands of islands in Indonesia; I’ve read anywhere from 13,000 to 17,000 plus islands, but 8 of the islands have large populations. It’s one of the few inhabited islands that is predominantly Hindu (85%), the other islands have became predominantly Muslim, and Indonesia has the largest Muslim population in the world.

 

Bangkok Thailand: May’s Cooking Class

One of the many highlights for me on this trip to Thailand was our cool cooking class in Bangkok. Deb and I learned how to make nine Thai dishes and we hope this experience has a lasting impact on our cooking! I’m happy to learn a great way to cut and not mangle mangos, and discovered a cool tool that makes thin ribbons from vegetables. I am using these tips in Singapore with the many exotic fruits available year round.

Finding May Kaidee’s cooking school was its own adventure.  Our Thai host, Patcharin, Deb’s niece, made a valiant effort to make this place easy for us to find because there are so many small cooking schools in Bangkok.  She flagged a cab and went with us to the school which we weren’t expecting her to do. After the cab dropped us off at the school, we found out that we were at the wrong one. Fortunately, the owner was familiar with May’s school and gave us directions to it about 10 blocks away.  We did pretty well walking until we were about two blocks away. The major streets crossed with alleys that were packed with businesses and we weren’t sure where to go. After asking a couple of people, we found the school on an alley and never did see a street sign.  We were only 10 minutes late.  I always say that getting lost or taking detours are the best way to learn your way around. We certainly saw parts of Bangkok we wouldn’t have seen without this experience (so don’t fret Patcharin).

Click on the photos to scroll through.