Chào mừng trở lại to Vung Tau Vietnam

Chào mừng trở lại means welcome back in Vietnamese and it is very fitting for my first trip here.   That may not make sense to everyone but in just a few short days the people of Vietnam have welcomed us into its culture and make us feel like it is a second home.    Greg was working in Vung Tau back in 2010 and fell in love with the warm weather, the food and the ocean and always wanted to return.   This spring we have jobs in Asia and the Middle East so opted to use Vung Tau as a home base in- between.   We arrived at Vung Tau via Chattanooga via Detroit via Beijing via Hanoi via Saigon (which is a story for another day) and I immediately fell in love with this town.    Vung Tau is a beach town in Southern Vietnam with many Australian and New Zealand expats,   but it is also a working fishing village with a large source of its revenue coming from off shore oil and natural gas drilling.   The bay is filled with fishing boats but you see huge support ships right behind them.  

Many of the tourists and ex pats that visit or have retired here are former military from the US, New Zealand and Australia.    They are drawn to the warm 90 degree ocean breezy days, beaches, cheap living and for many of them good memories.  Vung Tau was not part of the fighting during what we call the Vietnam War but the R&R place for the military to come and rest.  The locals welcomed the military and of the 100 pubs that were built during that time most were given American names to make them feel more at home.  The majority of the population speak English, some better than others but compared to our three months in China we have no trouble communicating at all.   I have only used our Vietnamese dictionary a handful of times.

The larger fishing boats are powered by motors but you see many one man row boats throwing nets out.   As we walk along the ocean during low tide you also see locals harvesting oysters, snails and clams along the sea bed. 

Harvesting Oysters

We were eating at a local ocean side restaurant and watched as the fisherman pulled their nets in as they rowed their oars with their feet.   

The locals have street markets filled with fish caught that day and the restaurants have tanks filled with live sturgeon, red snapper, shrimp, and oysters the size of dinner plates.

The local currency is Vietnamese dong and there are 20,000 dong to every dollar.  The first time I went to withdraw 1 million dong from the atm I had a small panic attack, but keep in mind 1 million dong is only $50 US dollars.   To give you an idea of how far the US dollar will go the high end resorts catering to tourists go for as much as $100 US dollars a night, but we found an ocean front room with a huge balcony, wifi, and A/C for $27 dollars a night.   A few other examples of day to day living…..

Hotel serviced laundry (you know how expensive that can be) for a pair of shorts

            18,000 dong or 90 cents   

One hour foot massage
             100,000 dong or $5     

Lunch for two with huge bowls of beef pho (beef noodles) with 2 ice cold beers…..

            125,000 dong or $6.25

Extravagant two hour dinner with grilled oysters, along with 3 additional courses including deep fried bull frog and sautéed morning glories, 2 mojitos, 1 beer and 1 margarita….

            501,000 dong or $25. 50

A stop at the open stall market for a 6 pack of beer, 2 large bottled waters, ½ lb of carrots, 1 whole fresh pineapple, ½ dozen limes, mint, fresh spinach, and cucumbers……           

            150,000 dong or $7.50

 The living here is relaxed, the people are wonderful and even the elevators are friendly.   We got on the elevator after waiting longer than usual and the recording on the elevator said “I am sorry for the long wait”

Stay tuned for more Good Travel and even better adventures

Celebrating Life Peruvian Style

We had 2 days in Lima before heading to Chincha, Peru and getting back to work.   We don’t arrive at the hotel until after 1am , but the next morning after a late breakfast we meet up with work friends, Tim and Kristine,  to explore parts of Lima.   First stop- we want a  Pisco Sour!     Peru is known for Pisco which is technically a grape brandy but I personally think it has a bite and reminds me of  tequila. The Pisco Sour is essentially made with 3 parts Pisco, 1 part simple syrup, 1 part tart fresh lime juice, and 1 egg white.   Shake for 30 seconds with ice and pour into a glass and finish with a splash of bitters.    You may wonder about the egg white but it adds a froth and substance to the drink that makes it something you won’t have any other place.   Every restaurant and bar has their own recipe that they claim is the best… we are willing to try as many as we can.

As we wander around Lima on our first day we stop at local restaurants and discover half the male population of Lima seems to be named Roberto.   Our first stop was Jiron Bar which offered a handful of pisco drinks and a dozen different types of ceviche.   We wandered throughout the historic district of the city and window shop and try ceviche and many other popular dishes at several restaurants. .

Next day- Miraflores!   Miralfores is the “ tourist” beach area of Lima.   The beaches of Lima are not the sandy beaches of Florida or the Caribbean islands you envision when hearing the word “beach” .    On one side you have cliffs and on the other a thin strip of sand and then “dunes” and a beach made of egg sized pebbles.  We obtain an umbrella and are basking in the Lima sun when I spy a local who is camped out in-between the pebble dunes with a pile of 5 gallon buckets.   I notice someone gesture to him, and  he grabs a bucket, takes the trek over the pebbles to the ocean and fills it up with cool seawater then  floats  a small sand bucket on top and delivers it next to her beach chair.   The savvy locals use the sand bucket to splash themselves with water and stay cool without having to take the “treacherous” walk over the stones to the ocean.  I signal to him and after a few minutes he delivers us a bucket of cold ocean water for 3 sol ($1 US dollar).   Even with the bucket of cool water we make our way over the rocks to the ocean to jump in and cool off. The walking on the beach can be tricky and painful but it’s worth it as we sit and listen to the music of the ocean over the rocks. 


We finished off the afternoon at La Rosa Nautica restaurant on the pier looking over the Pacific enjoying fresh seafood and yes, more Pisco.

 

On our last day in Lima we ended up enjoiying Sunday Brunch at the Marriot in Miraflores.   A sumptuous buffet offering everything from chilled squid in black olives, to purple corn pudding, to Peruvian baby goat stew.  It was all wonderful!   Next to us was a large family of twenty or so family members made up of all ages, from  young children to grandparents. They were talking and singing along with the musical trio that  was wandering around the restaurant.   The family sang song after song, laughing clapping and hugging.    All of a sudden we hear “ da da da dant” and they snap their fingers and break into a chorus of The Adams Family theme song.   Our table cracks up, starts snapping our fingers and sings along, after the song is over I approach them and tell them how much we have enjoyed watching their family.  They inform me their last name is Adams (hence the theme song)  and they are celebrating not only a birthday but today they buried a loved family member and they were celebrating his life the best way possible; the gathering of family, wonderful food, drink,  music and love.  

It was a wonderful happy way to finish our stay in Lima, joining a family in celebrating a wonderful life in a beautiful city.

Cheers, and may we always be so lucky to celebrate life Peruvian style.

Lionfish, Kava and …….Miller Time!

We returned to the US for the holidays expecting to stay for 2 weeks before heading to Vietnam for rest and to catch up on paperwork, but this job changes at a moments notice and we found ourselves booked to go to Peru at the end of January.   Not wanting to go through 13 hour jet lag twice in 2 weeks we opted to hang out in the states for a few extra weeks and visit friends and family.    Chattanooga had a cold front coming through unexpectedly so Greg took one look at me over the morning paper and said “let’s head south”.    South we did… Cocoa Beach and Melbourne to visit our daughter Anna along with an impromptu cruise to the Bahamas to escape the cold front that was threatening Northern Florida.

We were lucky enough to be invited to spend a few days with friends and our first stop was in Boca Raton at the Miller household.  Two days turned into five and we had wonderful meals and laughs.    Maureen came home from a scuba diving expedition with a huge lion fish that was speared by a fellow diver.   Greg Miller carefully removed the venomous spines and fileted the fish and pan seared it perfectly with white wine, lemon and capers… picatta style.

   

The lionfish is a beautiful but invasive species that is killing the fish in the coral and pose a major threat to reef ecological systems.  We are happy to do our part for the cause by eating as much of the tasty flaky mild fish we can when visiting the area.  

 

On our last night in Boca we were invited to join the Millers in a beer tasting at a local beer, wine and liquor store.  A great variety of beer was available, but unfortunately I’m not a beer drinker.  The store owners did allow me to buy a bottle of wine (and provided me with a glass) so I had something to enjoy as I went from beer vendor to beer vendor with the others.   After the event it was suggested we continue the party across the street at a local hookah and beer bar.   Nothing on the menu caught my eye to drink but then Maureen tells me they offer Kava… now in my head I heard “Cava” which is Spanish sparkling wine.   I should have known better, but I order it and I am served what looks like mud in a bowl.   I come to find out “Kava” is a root ground into a powder then mixed with water and traditionally served in a carved wooden bowl or coconut.  Kava is known for its sedative and anesthetic properties…. Not exactly what this girl needs after a night of beer and wine tasting.   Not knowing what it is I take a sip and grimace as it tastes like the bottom of a creek bed.    I end up gulping Greg’s beer just to get the taste out of my mouth.   I share the kava with the rest of the table and several strangers at the bar and chalk it up to one more new taste.

 

We continued our Florida trip south making fun memories drinking some excellent rum, playing Trivial Pursuit,  eating great seafood, steaks and have the occasional dolphin siting.

Good Travel!

Next Stop –Lima,  Peru

 

It’s the Little Things

Our time in Tianjin is coming to an end.  Not knowing if we may be returning to this area makes for very bitter sweet feelings as I pack our suitcases.   I can’t wait to go back to the US and see our family and friends but at the same time we have met many friends here in Tianjin who have made this stay very special.

I love going to certain street vendors and they know we like extra cilantro and onions in our noodles, or Jimmy at the YY Bar who knows when I walk in at 5pm I am getting coconut chicken soup and Tom Yum for take out, but the biggest impact of all has been the team at our hotel club lounge.

During the week when Greg is working , I am out exploring Tianjin or working in the room here at the Westin .  I spend a lot of time here at the hotel and have become very much a regular at the restaurant but even more at the Executive Club Lounge.   The team at the Club made me feel very special.   Yes, after 7 weeks we have gotten to know them very well and they us, but we have became friends as well.   They know what we like and all that  hotel stuff but more importantly they know how to make me feel welcome- not welcome like a hotel guest , but welcome like they are inviting me into their home.   They understand how to personalize service, being professional without being stuffy.   Over the last 2 months as I got to know them  there been lot of  hugs and laughter.

The Westin Club Team ended our stay by giving us a special gift- what I call “Chinese kissing dolls”. Years from now I know that when we see our special “kissing dolls” on our shelf we will smile and remember the time we called Tianjin our home and the friends we made.

Without trying to make this sound like a hotel commercial I want to say “Cheers” to all the people who make us feel welcome as we travel the world.   Not having a brick and mortar home to return to could make some people crazy, but because of the people we meet as we travel who make us feel so welcome we know that “home “ travels with us.  

Cheers and Good Travel!

 

 

 

 

Making Friends in Tianjin

I  stick out a little here in Tianjin… not too many westerners here.

Everyday people come up to me on the street, quite often it is children practicing their English wanting to say hello.  The shy ones are pushed forward by their parents who are proud they are learning English in school.   A group of college students converged on me last week asking me to sign their banner and started to sing “Born in the USA” and gave me a balloon.   Today in very broken English a cab driver asked where I was from.  I responded “America” , but he wrinkled his brow in confusion, I tried “USA”, and still no luck.   I then said “Obama” and he nodded and said “ooh yes—America!”

Today as I was on my way to the Dublin Irish Pub (yes Irish Pub here in Tianjin) for lunch and last minute Christmas shopping the electric “rickshaw” driver kept stopping at the wrong location.   I repeatedly showed  him the address for the restaurant written in Chinese and he would ask directions from a local and then motor on.   The third time we stopped I knew we were close so I got out and decided to walk the rest of the way.   I walked in what I thought was the general direction and at the corner saw a local getting ready to take off on their scooter and showed them the address hoping they would point the way for me.  Nope- instead they gestured for me to hop on their scooter and they would take me the rest of the way.   Just a few minutes later I was dropped off at the entrance and he refused to take any money for taking me to my lunch spot, but with gestures he agreed to come in and allow me to buy him a beer.  Neither of us spoke the others language but we enjoyed a cold beverage and a game of fooz ball before he went on his way.

This is the way it is throughout the city, people welcome you at every corner.   The food vendors make conversation with me in Chinese and I respond back in English -  most of the time we muddle our way through what is needed .  They are always very honest and lunch from vendors that I assume would cost 20 rmb ($3.20) they would shake their head and give me back 14 rmb in change.     The vendors who try and communicate with me I become loyal to and go back again and again.

The only time we wanted to avoid being pegged as an American was when we were at the Forbidden City in Beijing and we had a multitude of English speaking guides approaching us for “very special tour”.    In trying to shake the guides off we decided to pretend we were from another country and I started shaking my head at English and trying to look exotic started saying “ Parlez- vous Francais?” and Greg went with “Spechen sie deutsch? ”   It worked perfectly and we were left alone!  

I walk the city and people turn their head in surprise to see a Westerner but I always try and catch their eye and nod, then we both smile.  A smile means the same thing in every language.   

Cheers and Good Travel !

 

 

The Everyday Exotic

As we prepare to return to the states in less than two weeks I am more aware than ever of the everyday things I have become used to that will no longer be the norm.    The random things that I see all the time here in China;  street vendors selling wares in the alleyway,  noodles from a cart made to order with a dozen sauces to add (most we have no idea what they are),  the happy panda shaped buns and exotic starfish sold at the local grocery store and one of my guilty pleasures takoyaki.

I haven't eaten any starfish but have eaten more than my fair share of takoyaki.  Takoyaki  is a small ball shaped snack of batter cooked in a special pan and filled with diced octopus, bits of tempura scraps and onion.   Several are put in a to-go bowl then a dark takoyaki sauce , a wasabi sauce and a mayonnaise based sauce  are drizzled over them and then finally shavings of bonito are sprinkled on top.  Bonito is dried, fermented, smoked tuna that is sliced sliced paper thin, tasty but not a favorite of mine as they stick to the roof of my mouth.  I usually skip the bonito and go for double wasabi!

Takoyaki is a traditional Japanese snack which is a version of the Danish ebelskivers.  The overpriced  Danish ebelskiver pan can be found in the Williams Sonoma catalog along with “ebelskiver turners” for $12.95 otherwise known as wooden chopsticks here in China.   My older sister and I went through a phase of making those sweet ebelskiver concoctions on vacations and when I saw a street vendor in China making a similar pastry it brought many memories of vacation breakfasts in Bear Paw.   Instead of sweet chocolate and maple syrup I  get savory squid, wasabi and dried tuna but I have to say the savory ones are even more delicious.

I am not sure if the Danes or the Japanese invented this wonderful snack first, but I think they have been perfected here in China.

Cheers and Good Eating!

 

        

 

 

 

 

 

Traversing Tianjin

The biggest challenge in Tianjin?   Most of you  probably assume my biggest challenge is  communicating in a world where most people don’t speak English.  For example  trying to make sure you order chicken instead of snake hearts or not accidentally paying 1000 rmb instead of the 10 needed to pay a street vendor.   But that is not the case,  the true everyday challenge that keeps me on my toes and trying to avoid sudden death  is the simple task of crossing the street.

The streets are filled with cars, pedestrians, bicycles, scooters, vendor carts,  rickshaws of the electric type and human powered, along with the random street cleaner and cart laden with wood or cardboard at least 10 feet higher than the driver.

When crossing the street as a  pedestrian you must always remember everyone else deems that they have the right a way- even if they are going the wrong way down a one way street.    I think that is the secret here; if you act like you are going in the right direction and  if you pretend the light is green it gives you the confidence (or stupidity) to navigate your way through these streets and not get killed.    Going the wrong way down streets is quite common with the  rickshaw drivers; in fact we search them out for transportation during rush hour as it’s much quicker to get around.   Cars are also known to take advantage of this and in fact it is so  common that there are street signs requesting that people go the right way down the streets.

Most of the locals don’t look right or left when approaching the point of crossing; but I am still very American and not only look right or left but do it about a dozen times.   You must also be aware that cars can always turn right on red and not only are they not required to stop before truning it seems to be the law that they speed up.

To cross the street as if you were  a local you must act like you are going to start crossing as soon as you get to the crosswalk- no pausing just start walking in front of cars.  There could be dozens of cars going each way but that doesn’t matter—forge on!   If you are a rookie you should opt to wait for a break in the traffic or any car willing to slow down for you,  but even then you  must still take a step or two into the street.  NO ONE waits on the sidewalk,  in fact very few actually wait until  the light changes.  Quite often you will see multiple people in the middle of traffic waiting for a gap to dart to the next lane.

Once you commit to crossing do not hesitate, this is where I fail and Greg beats me in the crossing the street “survival game “ each and every time.  We walk the streets hand in hand all throughout China , however when we get to a street crossing there is no holding hands and I am on my own.  This is fine with me as  Greg likes to “Out Chinese the Chinese” when crossing the street (or as my daughter would say he’s a honey badger ) and  I am much more cautious so am quite willing to wait for the light to change .

 

(stay tuned for video - unable to attach at this time)

Good Travel and Good Street Crossing!