The correspondence with Eddie about Tu, pictured below

led to a friendship, albeit over the internet, with Eddie, who has a homestay home, Lucky Daisy, in TaVan, near SaPa, Vietnam. He also has a delightful coffee house, Buffalo House, in the village of TaVan where he and his beautiful wife provide coffee, tea, hot chocolate, and the warmest, friendliest experience you can imagine.

I stopped there with my group a couple of weeks ago and although Eddie was away, his sweet wife, Hien was a most gracious hostess who offered me a very special surprise…

Tu, all grown up, and her precious baby!

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http://danviet.vn/68790p1c29/nong-thon-viet-trong-treo-thanh-binh-trong-mat-nu-du-khach-israel.htm
http://danviet.vn/74264p1c29/viet-nam-tuoi-dep-hon-hau-trong-mat-ban-be-quoc-te.htm

The writer of course asked permission to use my pictures and posts and he sent along this note:

These links include funny and amazing pictures that you took in Vietnam. Thank you very much for your help. I feel really grateful 🙂
Nice weekend for nice couple 🙂 I hope to see you in Lao Cai city one day. Please contact me if you have that plan
Peace,
Thu Thao

Gate in Forbidden City-- Hue, Vietnam

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Until then, how about some pictures of one of my favorite sights, a rice field! This one is in the village of Pho, not far from Bac Ha.

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You can find our itinerary here

and read about the tour here and here

Vietnam and Cambodia are photographers’ paradises. I am including just a few more photos, but I could have easily added another 50. Please come and join us on this fantastic tour!

My email is drsavta@gmail.com

Inside the grounds of the Temple of Literature

Traffic in downtown Hanoi

Walking beside rice terraces in the north

Girls talking in the market

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For example, in the lobby of our hotel we saw a lovely arrangement of flowers. It was only as I looked a little more carefully that I saw that among the flowers there were cabbages!

Centerpiece in lobby at Rex Hotel, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Leaving the hotel that morning, we came upon the following scene.

Some people thought that we were seeing a parade. There were people in white uniforms who were playing music and there was what looked like a float at the front.

But people were fascinated when we told them that what we were seeing was a funeral. A dignified funeral in Vietnam consists of a parade with music, mourners often wearing cheesecloth over their clothes or faces walking along the route, and an intricately decorated hearse.

We were on our way to the Mekong delta. On the way we stopped at a rest stop. There we encountered another surprise- a beautiful garden.

This garden was not adjacent to the rest stop. It was the rest stop. There were outdoor pavilions where people can eat and a beautiful, elegant shop with reasonable prices as well as clean bathrooms (Western style.)

The garden with a pavilion in the background

Our visit to the Mekong Delta was very lovely. We ended the visit with a delightful boat ride back to our bus.

This is the life!

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One aspect of pain reduction is relaxation and I copied from a book, perhaps Husband Coached Childbirth, an exercise that I read to the couples (yes, I had the husbands relaxing too) while they relaxed on the mats on the floor. It contained images that would help a person focus on another place and experience to distract them from some of the tension in their body.

I am long past the childbirth stage. I have, however, used many of the techniques over the years for uncomfortable medical and dental procedures. Sometimes, I use the images to simply reduce tension. Sometimes I use them just to make me happy.

So here are just some of the places I go– in no particular order:

1. A Chinese garden. Once of my favorites is the “Good Luck” Garden in Hangzhou, China. Not only is it lush and green and with some of the trees decorated with red ribbons, but it contains lovely sculptures and has beautiful Chinese music playing in the background. It’s a first class stress-reliever.

Good Luck Garden

Liu Hai and the Golden Toad

Looking through a doorway

2. Bamboo raft ride on the Martha Brae in Jamaica. Sorry, this was in the days before digital photography! You’ll have to picture nearly still water with trees of all sorts on both banks of the river forming almost a canopy over us and lush vegetation everywhere. Except for the sounds of the birds, and the gentle poling of the gentleman taking us on this ride, there was silence. A fine mist contributed to making the experience magical.

3. Halong Bay in Vietnam. It is beautiful– breathtaking, actually.

4. The Rice Terraces at YuanYang, China. They are majestic. There’s something very clean and pure about the fresh stalks of rice, planted in rows, sculptured into the landscape.

Rice Terraces

5. Austria, just south of Salzburg. It’s just beautiful. I love the snow-capped mountains and this really isn’t a painting. It’s a picture I took myself in the month of May.

So tell me, where do you go??

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SaPa map

Well, last night I received an email from someone in SaPa who gave me her name and email! Looking at the village, one might be surprised that anyone there has email. But actually, it shouldn’t have surprised me because the children of TaVan were very impressive and it was clear that the adults charged with educating them were doing an excellent job.

So hello to Tu and to her classmates and friends and warm wishes to all of them!

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After a wonderful shabbat, our group was ready to discover the wonders of the Saigon night market. Now I am sure that in a city the size of Saigon, there are probably tens of markets, but this one just happened to be about 3 blocks from our hotel, across Le Loi Street from Chabad, a very convenient location. It consisted mostly of clothing, shoes, luggage, handbags, and jewelry. The prices were very good.

The night market

After buying a sufficient number of items, we had to buy a suitcase to put them in… Actually, that really isn’t the truth. We had bought a very cheap suitcase a couple of years ago and by this point on the trip the luggage handlers had pretty much destroyed it, so it was time to get a new suitcase and the one we found was large and not so heavy and seemed practical. However, it does seem to me that you can’t really leave this market without buying a serious amount of stuff, if only T-shirts for souvenirs.

In the morning, after a good night’s sleep and breakfast in the roof garden, bright and early, we made our way through the traffic and the rubber plantations to Cu Chi. Cu Chi is where the Viet Cong had constructed an entire city under the ground. They were able to live there undetected by constructing a series of tunnels at three levels, by directing their cooking smoke through enough conduits that by the time it emerged, it was barely detectable, and by constructing entrances that were invisible to all but those who had placed them there. They had entrances from under the river and through tiny holes in the ground that were completely covered up most of the time.

The opening, in time of war completely covered by leaves

The soldier emerges

We were treated to a tour of the Viet Cong’s instruments of torture and death. They certainly were innovative. There were any number of traps where if a soldier was caught, he would pray for death. It did eventually come because they made sure that the stinging edges of their spikes were also able to infect or poison the soldiers. Of course, when asked, the Vietnamese will all tell you that the war is over and this is another time and there is no reason for any bad feelings.

What was a bit disconcerting was that from time to time we would hear shots fired. There is a rifle range adjoining the area we were touring. It made for some not so pleasant authenticity.

We made our way from Cu Chi to an amazing place. How can I describe it? Well, perhaps only through pictures. In the 1920s a new relgion was founded called Cao Dai. Here is some information about it. Their main temple in Tay Ninh is quite impressive both outside and inside.

Cao Dai Temple, Tay Ninh, Vietnam

The religion attempts to unite all religions and to emphasize kindness toward people and toward the world. High priests are strict vegetarians, and all adherents must follow a moral code.

Inside the temple

During the service which includes chanting, playing of bells and gongs and the people prostrating themselves, visitors are asked to watch from the balcony. Wearing shoes in the temple is forbidden and so a large pile of sport shoes and crocs waited for us after the service.

During the service

Since Cao Dai incorporates several religions, there are priests representing each of the three major contributing religions, they are dressed in red- for Christianity, blue- for Taoism, and yellow- for Buddhism.

Here is another photo of the worship at the Cao Dai Temple.

Worshipers at the Cao Dai Temple

Next: What is Angkor Wat? and why is it special? and what is Angkor Thom? and aren’t all Cambodian temples alike? Find out the surprising answers next time…

Continuing…

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When we returned from the Mekong Delta, we had enough time to get ourselves ready for a relaxing shabbat. What a delight to be wth Rabbi and Mrs. Hartman at Chabad for services and shabbat dinner! It was wonderful seeing that there is a community developing among people who had until recently been isolated. We enjoyed eating and singing and hearing stories about life in Vietnam. Shabbat morning too was enjoyable.

When we returned to the hotel, we put on comfortable shoes and headed out to see some of the sights. First we walked to the post office (fortunately, on a previous tour, we done this excursion during the week, so I have photos)

Post Office, Ho Chi Minh City

The post office is, of course, from the period that the French were in Vietnam, and so the architecture is European. In fact, the French reproduced the Notre Dame Cathedral just across the street.

Notre Dame, HCMC

We then walked on to the Palace of Reunification. This had been the Presidential Palace of South Vietnam when Vietnam was divided. Inside, now, there are reception rooms and the building is used for ceremonial purposes. However, they have retained the furnishings and equipment that were used in the Palace during the war, including the war maps and communications equipment.

The Palace is very impressive.

The Reunification Palace, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Here is the former presidential office

Former presidential office

Here are some reception rooms. All are decorated in exquisite taste.

Reception room

Reception room

After our lovely walk, we returned to the hotel to change (those who wanted to) because it was already time to go back to Chabad for Mincha and Seuda Shlishit!

After a wonderful shabbat, we made havdalah and bade farewell to Chabad and went back to the hotel to get our money because Saturday night was just made for shopping!

Next: Come along with us to the Saigon night market, learn how the Viet Cong defeated the US Army, and see for yourself a most colorful and interesting religious group and their Disneyland-like Temple!

Continuing…

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After a brief (very brief) stop at one of the tombs of one of the emperors, we got onto a plane and left for Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC). This is the name given to Saigon when the country became one after the US withdrew all of its troops. However, the name never really caught on in the south and people who live in Saigon call it Saigon. Even those in the north and central part of the country are more likely to refer to the city as Saigon. But, officially, it is still called Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC).

Saigon is a bustling metropolis. It is large, noisy, and full of activity. The streets are full of motorbikes and motorcycles which are the chief method of transportation in the city. And it is lucky that more people can’t afford cars because there would simply not be any room for them. At schools, parents line up outside on their vehicles to pick up their one, two, or three children and transport them home on their motorcycle/motorbike. It is not unusual to see three people on a bike and I have seen up to five.

Crossing the street is an art. One of the most important things that a guide in Vietnam must do is to teach his/her people to cross streets. It is not something for the faint of heart.

Saigon traffic

Saigon on wheels

Here’s the trick: You wait until there’s a slight break in the traffic (that’s the best it ever gets) and then you walk into the street and keep walking. Yes, motorcycles and motorbikes are coming at you, but you don’t stop. Ever. You see, they watch you, gauge how fast you are walking and cross either to the front or back of you, but stop and guess what happens? That is why when I take my people across the streets the first couple of times I sound somewhat strange as I repeat the entire time, “Walk, walk, walk, walk, walk, walk, walk, walk, walk, walk!”

So, after arriving in Saigon, we went to our hotel and shortly afterwards, set off for Chabad where we ate dinner. If you want to know about Chabad Vietnam, you can find them here. But only I can tell you how kind and friendly and warm and welcoming the young Rabbi Hartman and his lovely wife, Racheli are. In the short time they have been there, they have accomplished amazing things– building a community where there was nothing– having 50 people (NOT including our group!) for shabbat dinner, and starting a nursery school. Israel TV made a documentary about their arrival in Vietnam which you may be able to see (not always available) at this location.

The next morning we set out for the Mekong Delta. You may have heard of the delta, primarily in regard to the Vietnam War (which they call the “American War”), but the size of the delta is quite amazing. It is 39,000 square kilometers (15,000 sq miles). Compare that to Israel, 20,329 square kilometers (7,849 sq miles)!

Along the delta, there are floating markets. Here people bring fruit and produce and sell or trade it each morning. They advertise their wares by hanging them from bamboo poles on their boats, much as one would hang a flag.

Selling potatoes

Selling rambutans

You can read about rambutans here.

We enjoyed watching the local cottage industries using the available produce and making puffed rice (it’s fabulous to watch), rice bars, rice paper, and coconut candies. It was all fascinating. Then we enjoyed cruising around the byways of the delta.

On the delta

On the delta

We also enjoyed a private concert of Vietnamese music which we listened to as we sampled new and different fruits.

House concert

Next time we answer the question: What do a post office, Notre Dame, and the Reunification Palace have in common?

Continuing…

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