Met Tum in the lobby yesterday morning, and jumped on the back of his scooter. Not nearly as comfortable as the Easy Riders. Because the scooter is much smaller, any little shift in my weight is amplified, and affects Tum's balance. So I must sit rigidly still, quickly growing stiff, and with a numb bum. Riding my own scooter would've been preferable. It's no fun in traffic, but the majority of our day is spent taking shortcuts along causeways in the paddyfields, or through small clusters of houses.
The fields themselves are marvels of human labour - huge irrigation systems control the flow of water, and harvesting the rice is a community effort. Here and there the rice has been spread out on one half of the road to dry.
We arrive at Cuc Phnong park, and Tum drops me at the starting point of one of the 'treks', a 6km loop through the jungle. I amble along the path, not another soul in sight. I scare myself silly once or twice when a leaf lands on my head, or a creeper grabs at my ankle. Spider-like insects with long spindly legs scuttle across the path. At one point, grasshoppers leap off the path ahead of me as I walk, jumping into the foliage on either side of the path to create a sort of firework or fountain effect.
The walk culminates with a towering 1,000 year old tree. I pause to contemplate it, and am joined by Andy, a Watford man, who is on the same loop. We finish it together, exchanging pleasant smalltalk.
Next point of interest is a prehistoric cave, where I meet Andy again. Exploring with our headlamps, we realise the cave is massive! So big that there is a set of steep stairs /within/ the cave, but the sheer size of it is awesome.
Vietnamese guys share some rice-cake with me at lunch (some of the nicest pho I've had in the north), then I have a tour of the Endangered Primate Rescue Centre. I am taken around the enclosures with three older American men, while our pregnant guide gently explains what each species is, and how many are left in Vietnam. One species only has seventy individuals. The centre works with monkeys seized from hunters, or abandoned pets. They aim to release them into the wild, first releasing them into the semi-wild of the park to see how they adapt to freedom.
I buy some postcards, but they are hesitant to take my 100,000VND note because there is a small indent on one edge. I use it as a donation instead.
Tum offers to take me to a local fishing village, but after bumping into and chatting to Marie-Anna (the Dutch girl from the first morning in NB), I ask him to bring me to the Mua Cave instead. Here there is a set of steps to the top of one of the jutting rocks, offering a magnificent view of the surround landscape.
On one side, I can see down into Tam Coc park, where rowing boats saunter through the wetlands. The skyline is defined by a row of jagged, rocky teeth, with further rows behind protruding through the haps. It reminds me of the Terenji in Mongolia.
One the other side, the rice fields sweep toward NB. Small fires are burning where people are disposing of the rice chaff (I think). The rock formations are like brooding alien masses, dropped from the sky. Here they remind me of the mesa in the USA, single towers dominating and dwarfing everything around them. If they were in Ireland, we would say they were left by giants.
Make our way back to NB then, passing (as we have all day) a few more necropolises (necropolii?). The Vietnamese worship their ancestors, so a family is usually buried on their own land, to protect it and help it prosper. It also keeps them close while working in the ricefields, for ease of access for worship and memory.
Another aspect is that the children can't sell the land. The tomb and coffin are usually built (or bought) before the actual death, so that those who are about to die can ensure an appropriate amount of money and grandeur are used.
Met Marie-Anna for a final beer before her train to Hué, and then some Internet admin - 9,000VND for 90min = win! Turns out my visa expires early next week, so I might need an extension to visit Halong Bay.
The fields themselves are marvels of human labour - huge irrigation systems control the flow of water, and harvesting the rice is a community effort. Here and there the rice has been spread out on one half of the road to dry.
 |
| Rice drying on the road |
The walk culminates with a towering 1,000 year old tree. I pause to contemplate it, and am joined by Andy, a Watford man, who is on the same loop. We finish it together, exchanging pleasant smalltalk.
Next point of interest is a prehistoric cave, where I meet Andy again. Exploring with our headlamps, we realise the cave is massive! So big that there is a set of steep stairs /within/ the cave, but the sheer size of it is awesome.
Vietnamese guys share some rice-cake with me at lunch (some of the nicest pho I've had in the north), then I have a tour of the Endangered Primate Rescue Centre. I am taken around the enclosures with three older American men, while our pregnant guide gently explains what each species is, and how many are left in Vietnam. One species only has seventy individuals. The centre works with monkeys seized from hunters, or abandoned pets. They aim to release them into the wild, first releasing them into the semi-wild of the park to see how they adapt to freedom.
I buy some postcards, but they are hesitant to take my 100,000VND note because there is a small indent on one edge. I use it as a donation instead.
Tum offers to take me to a local fishing village, but after bumping into and chatting to Marie-Anna (the Dutch girl from the first morning in NB), I ask him to bring me to the Mua Cave instead. Here there is a set of steps to the top of one of the jutting rocks, offering a magnificent view of the surround landscape.
On one side, I can see down into Tam Coc park, where rowing boats saunter through the wetlands. The skyline is defined by a row of jagged, rocky teeth, with further rows behind protruding through the haps. It reminds me of the Terenji in Mongolia.
One the other side, the rice fields sweep toward NB. Small fires are burning where people are disposing of the rice chaff (I think). The rock formations are like brooding alien masses, dropped from the sky. Here they remind me of the mesa in the USA, single towers dominating and dwarfing everything around them. If they were in Ireland, we would say they were left by giants.
Make our way back to NB then, passing (as we have all day) a few more necropolises (necropolii?). The Vietnamese worship their ancestors, so a family is usually buried on their own land, to protect it and help it prosper. It also keeps them close while working in the ricefields, for ease of access for worship and memory.
Another aspect is that the children can't sell the land. The tomb and coffin are usually built (or bought) before the actual death, so that those who are about to die can ensure an appropriate amount of money and grandeur are used.
Met Marie-Anna for a final beer before her train to Hué, and then some Internet admin - 9,000VND for 90min = win! Turns out my visa expires early next week, so I might need an extension to visit Halong Bay.
No comments:
Post a Comment