Is it Possible to Find a Place on Earth that is Untouched?

Sapa Market...Sue Mae (oldest sister) and me (no bath, no hot water, no makeup)

There really are places you can go see the past. There may not be a McDonalds so you might not be able to get a burger. I am sure you will survive. But it is tricky. Did you see that 1000 people were lined up at base camp to climb Mt. Everest in the last few days of the climbing season? One thousand people dropping oxygen bottles and trash on the highest most remote mountain in the world! What was an adventure enjoyed by only a few has now become a tourist destination! It is getting hard to find places where the McDonalds culture has not evaded. But it can be done.

The New York Times featured at article in the Art and Design section about a region near Oaxaca, Mexico. A village close by has remained untouched by the modern world. The article was aptly titled The Past Has a Presence Here.

The past is visible in the landscape. The past casts a sharp shadow here, wherever you look. You see it on mountaintop plateaus, where the ruins of ancient pyramidal staircases and capital-I-shaped ball fields hint at mysterious rituals that disappeared over a millennium ago.

When you stand on a flattened hilltop above the village of Atzompa, some seven miles outside of Oaxaca, and look over at a nearby peak, you can glimpse the immense ruins of Monte Albán, a pre-Columbian plaza of breathtaking expanse used for ceremonies and games. Below those ruins, where perhaps 25,000 people lived in the early part of the first millennium, you can make out faint remnants of terraced farming on the hillside. New York Times, June 15, 2012

The Times article pointed out that even in this place the stalls in the market feature Sponge Bob Square Pants t-shirts. And yes, McDonalds came to Oaxaca in 2002. In this case, you must travel the 7 miles from Oazaca to Atzompa to escape the omni-present fast food business. The truth is, in order for a person to get a glimpse of what was, most humans must be left behind...a distant hill or village has to be the destination.

H'mong woman

When my husband and I visited Sapa, Vietnam this last winter, we could not believe our good fortune. The food was authentic and the only tourists we saw were trekkers. There was not a McDonalds in sight. We shopped in markets run by H'mong people that did not call Vietnam nor China home. They belonged to a culture of their own.  The H'mong women that were sent to town each week for a few days followed us relentlessly asking us to buy their trinkets. I was adopted by a woman named Jan. She trailed behind us like a puppy for a whole day. She could not read nor write. Western culture had not ruined her true nature. The face she showed us was one of a childlike innocence. She let us know that all the women talked about our family. My husband and I were a rarity because of our age.

When we were in Hanoi, the real Vietnam was still very much in evidence. Vendors began crowding the street to set up stalls at 5:30 a.m. so people that lived in that neighborhood could do their daily shopping. They brought the produce on their shoulders to the street balanced like a scale while riding bicycles. A loud speaker outside our bedroom window woke the neighborhood at 7:00 am with daily announcements. (Shades of Good Morning Vietnam with Robin Williams)

French Villa style setting.

Here again, the difficulty of getting to the place determined how authentic the places would be. We flew into Hanoi from Shanghai on a Vietnamese airline that was actually held together with duct tape on the interior.  The trip to Sapa required an overnight train ride and a bus ride north to a place at the foot of the Himalayas 40 kilometers from the Chinese border.  

Night Train...open windows?  WOW!

Cat Cat Village, Vietnam

A few French villas left from the times of the French colonization dotted the hillsides. The people in the country side lived as they has been living since heaven knows when.  But, in order for us to see that, we walked down stairs and paths that made the adrenaline rush as the thought that, if you fell, you would die flashed through the mind.  It was only then that we saw the H'mong people  living much like generations before.  

I suppose the lesson here is that the real cultures of the world are disappearing at the speed of light and, if we want to see something authentic, we need to dress in suitable clothes, bring a helmet in case you fall and wear good walking shoes.  It is not physically easy.

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I recommend you read Seth Kugel, of the NYT.  I especially recommend this article he wrote about Mexico.  

Picking a Spot, Any (Undiscovered) Spot, in Mexico

By SETH KUGEL

15 HINTS TO MAKE TRAVEL SAFE AROUND THE WORLD or The gypsy baby stole what?

Notes about travel: I know it is a lot but take your time, think it through and see if any of this information may be of some help.You really shouldn't be paranoid. Bad stuff can and will happen. Being informed makes life a lot easier.

2003 Plaza Major in Madrid.

Purse was stole within minutes 

after this was taken.

Were we talking about travel? I can't remember but I do know it has been on my mind recently. I was looking at one of my favorite websites published by midlife women on Midlife Boulevard. The travel section caught my eye. Traveling vicariously is almost as much fun as really going.

Susan Fluhr wrote a story about her trip to Masada in Israel and the photos were beautiful. The best travel articles, I think, are those that bring back wonderful memories of vacations past. We visited Jordan last December. Israel is on the west side of the Dead Sea, Jordon on the East. The wheels began turning.

Then I received an email from a cyber security company concerning traveling safely. The timing was perfect.

The mention of safety and risks in travel struck a chord with me because most of the places we have visited in recent years have not been what most people would consider "safe". I cannot tell you how many times friends have told my husband and I that they would never go to the places we like to go.

Where have you traveled?
We have been to China, Vietnam, the Philippines, the Middle East (Dubai and Jordan). Most people find that just plain crazy especially since we do not travel with a tour group. Even Mexico is frightening to most of those people that do not travel without fear. Yet the worst things that have happened to us was in Spain where a Romani (Gypsy) woman carrying a baby stole my wallet.

Could I ever change any one's mind about travel safety? Probably not. So for those adventurous people new to this world of travel, I have a few thing that might be of interest.

2003 The storm on the Mediterranean the day before the war in Iraq began.

Demonstrations in the street of Malaga in 2003 right before the war in Iraq

Look closely at the armament attach to the truck under the camouflage. This was a check point along the Dead Sea.

Our Jordanian taxi drivers took us from Amman to Petra by the scenic route.

The Dead Sea is very large yet no boats are ever allowed on it according some agreement between Jordan and Israel. No one could ever be safe if it were allowed.
(from Marriott Hotel room balcony)

The Middle East
Staying safe in places like Jordan is a little iffy. Our government did not recommend travel there when we went. Jordan is at war. I am not sure that even they know who the enemy is but their security is very tight. When they talked about "the war" we were not sure which one they had in mind. We hired local taxi drivers recommended by Lonely Planet Guide. Those drivers were associated with the US Embassy so we felt relatively safe.

We traveled with our son, his wife and our two granddaughters. We payed attention to where we were and who was around. Hotels practiced the same security but even tighter than our western airports. Wandering into a busy market place in a bad neighborhood would make me nervous. But visiting with a local merchant would not. We would walk any place that was close enough. The truth is we have an attitude that being safe anywhere is not possible!

Note: If you have been in Israel you cannot go into Muslim countries as a rule. I am told that Israel does not stamp the passport itself. The reverse is also true. I don't know if Dubai, for example, would do the same thing.

Communist Countries
I know this is not what people believe but most countries that do not allow a lot of freedom are much safer than those that are liberal. A communist country is a prime example.

We flew from Shanghai to Hanoi, Vietnam and then traveled north on a night train to a community at the base of the mountains. From there we took a private van to Sapa. Sapa sits in the Hoàng Liên Son Mts. and is about 15 kilometers from the China border. It is a "trekkers" paradise. The Viet, H'Mong and Chinese mingle but not with ease. There is a lot of distrust.

But visitors from Europe/America are welcomed with open arms everywhere we visited in Vietnam. They liked our money. We never felt fearful at all...ever!

We stood on the parade grounds where the communist party would hold rallies in Sapa.

In Hanoi we slept in a hotel in the very old part of town. We were woken in the morning by the loud speakers announcing the activities or news for the day at 7 AM. It was time for that country to get to work.

In Ho Chi Min City (Saigon) we saw bunkers remains at the airport and went past the museum the communist had erected to commemorate the fall of Saigon. We saw prison camps as we traveled south to a port on Pho Quoc Island.

We flew from Saigon over the Mekong Delta to the island where we stayed in a resort. That was where we took a boat to see the people living on boats/fish farms. We were never afraid of anything but food poisoning and crossing the street! We were in fact safer there than we would have been in Tucson AZ.

Sapa, Vietnam...A famous vendor in the market. 

14 Safety Hints

Having said all this, you need to know that we are careful, very, very careful. These are the precautions we take because we do not want to travel with a tour. We see and experience a lot more on our own.

 
1. Let your financial institutions and credit card companies know you will be traveling.
2. Keep your passport in the hotel safe. I cannot say this often enough.
3. Bring duplicates of all your papers.
4. Keep original and copies of all travel documents plus valuables like jewelry, computers, even cell phones in a safe. Keep your passport in the safe in your room or at the desk.
5. Take one credit card with you when you venture out, leave another in the safe. Keep help numbers for those cards in a safe place. If by chance your credit card is stolen, you will find that the card company will stop credit and issue you a new one, even delivering it to your hotel in very short order.
6. Do not strut your stuff...looking wealthy is not a good idea. You just set yourself up for trouble.
7. Always be courteous even when you are frustrated. 
8. Being an ugly American is not a good thing. Remember "When in Rome do as the Romans do."
9. Use the concierge in your hotel. Carry business cards from the hotel you are staying at. It will be a huge help when it comes to using taxis.
10. If you can afford it and are not experienced, hire a guide. You will be surprised that it does not cost that much.
11. Keep meds close at hand. Any chronic illness that might flare up requires a plan. Travel with sunscreen, bug spray, Imodium. Check to see if you need any shots. We have had all those shots many years ago. (A trip to Thailand for example requires some precautions.)
12. Do not be taken in by con-men. Be wary of people approaching you with help on the street particularly in Thailand and perhaps anywhere in that region. Even in  Mexico or Morocco I recommend that you just not making eye contact. (That is very hard for American in particular.) You will save yourself a lot of grief by simply not acknowledging or simply saying no (or neine in Vietnam might work better).
13. If you decide to go on an adventure even with a guide, let someone know where you will be and when to expect you back. 
14. We all know that the Romani (Gypsy people) in Europe will steal anything that is not taped or nailed down. Just avoid them and keep your purse/wallet close. Don't carry anything of value. Leave the passport in the safe!
15. Avoid back alleys and shortcuts. Mainstreets are much safer. I have a story for that one but it can wait. 
16. If you travel in a time of war, be very low key. Usually blending in is a good idea. We were in Spain when the war in Iraq began and the people took to the streets in protest. We actually feel safer alone than on a tour because we dress like the locals when we can. No one knows we are American.

I know it is a lot but take your time, think it through and see if any of this information may be of some help.You really shouldn't be paranoid. Bad stuff can and will happen. You need to be calm, embrace the adventure and learn to think of each day you make it through as giving you bragging rights. You will have a wonderful time.

Questions anyone? 

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• Find the Travel Guide Book that Fits Your Needs
• 10 Days in Vietnam...planes, trains and automobiles!

Foreign Travel Myth? "I get a better exchange rate if I bring cash with me!"

"I am taking a trip to Thailand, Cambodia and Laos going through Vietnam. My friend told me to bring cash and I would get a better exchange rate. "

I was sitting in the chair with the back rub device running. I had slipped into the coma I always experience when I am getting a pedicure when the woman next to me began talking to her pedicure girl.  Everyone in the salon is from Vietnam so when the lady announced that she was flying into "Saigon" the next day, the girls were very excited.  I sat up and took notice. Of course I wanted to know what her plans were because my husband and I had been in Vietnam a couple of years ago. That was when she told me that she planned on taking cash so she could get a better exchange rate.

My radar went up immediately. She had already had the conversation about not taking expensive jewelry and the girls in the shop warned her about con-men but I don't think she was really focusing in on what she was proposing to do. It sounded very iffy and even dangerous to me.

Here is what we have always done:

1. We take two or three credit cards but only carry one and we put the other two in the hotel safe (along with our passport). We make sure they are international credit cards that charge no foreign exchange rate. Photo copy the cards and keep that in a safe place. Then, if you have it stolen, you will know who to call
2. We go to a reputable bank and get enough cash to last a day or two.
3. We bring very little cash into a country...just enough to get us through airport, etc.  Usually taxi drivers don't even want our US dollars. Our first stop is usually a bank machine. You need cash for taxis, etc.
4. We haven't carried travelers checks for years.

Shanghai, China 2007 by b+ (Flickr)

See the thing is, I had my wallet stolen by gypsies in Spain. I only had a few Euros but the one credit card I was carrying was gone. It was a big hassle! Thankfully we were prepared for that to happen.

Check your travel guide and online to see what customs about money are in the country you are visiting. Don't plan on saving big money by playing the "exchange rate" game. MSN says that even the big players in that area only save a few dollars. But most importantly, do not carry a big amount of cash. Even the savviest travels can be tricked.

I have one last tip that will save you a lot of time and maybe even money...when you arrive and are walking through the airport, never, never stop until you are standing at the taxi stand. Scam artists are allowed to set up shop in many countries. The scam artists look very official...don't be fooled!

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Find the Travel Guide Book that Fits Your Needs

We posted an article about the best places to travel in 2014 as suggested by Lonely Planet the other day.  Lonely Planet is one of those travel guides that take you down the back street of some of the most popular places in the world.  They have been a go-to source of information for my husband and I for many years.

Yucatan Wild Life

It has occurred to me that the travel guide you use and feel comfortable with is very much an individual thing.  For many years we used Fodor's because when we traveled here in the USA, we wanted to find very good food in every town and we didn't want to depend on taking advice from someone that had a relative running a diner down the road.  Fodor's guided us to great food in Lincoln Neb, Orlando Florida and every where in between. We have even used their suggestion in our home city of Portland Oregon.

Yucatan Penisula, Mexico

But when it came to traveling in the far east, we knew we needed to come up with a new guide that told us how to act and where to go. Lonely Planet was one of our favorite because we could depend on their tourist information.

When we visited Vietnam a couple of years ago, online Trip Advisor was the source our family used to connect with hotels and tour guides in North Vietnam, Hanoi north to Sapa. While we connected with our hotels personally, without TripAdvisor we would never have known where to start.

If you are the kind of person that likes a little taste of jet set life, I think that Conde Nast may be the source of travel inspiration for you. When they came out with the 25 best cities in the world this last fall, we immediately looked at taking a vacation based on their Reader's Choice awards. For Mexico the award went to San Miguel de Allende.  We have our reservations for next September.

It is a lot of fun to dream about your next vacation but if you want your dreams to come true, finding a travel guide that suits your personality is very important. Trip Advisor will tell you what they think is the best but it will not be the same as Conde Nast or Fodor's. Shop around for what works for you.

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Transformative Travel: The World Is Flat (Thomas L. Fiedman) and Me

This post was written for a Blog Hop on Generation Fabulous. Click the link at the bottom of the page to share yours. Powered by Linky Tools

In a book called The World Is Flat written by Thomas L. Friedman the question is asked:

Which is more important? "The attacks on the World Trade Center on 9/11 and the Iraq war? Or the convergence of technology and events that allowed India, China, and so many other countries to become part of the global supply chain for services and manufacturing, creating an explosion of wealth in the middle classes of the world's two biggest nations, giving them a huge new stake in the success of globalization?" The World Is Flat 3.0: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century

I know that Friedman's book is more about global competition in the world market than it is about the arrival of McDonalds in Toledo Spain (which horrified me). But I can somehow see the relationship between the two. When every country has good education and access to the world market, we are going to have to work much harder to keep up. When cultures around the globe learn about the world market they are going to want to do what other developing nations are doing. Poor people really do want a lot of what we have. McDonalds is only the beginning.

This is what happened to me when I complained about that McDonalds because the people of Spain were becoming more prosperous and it was changing their culture. "Yes" my son said, "watching poor people is very interesting!" He brought me up short when I regretted that all those beautiful third world cultures would never be the same. Then I realized why I didn't like those cultures changing. The attitude I had was selfish in that it said I didn't want people to have the privileges I have because it would not be interesting for ME.  My thinking was that technology and the resulting Wal Mart and McDonalds was going to take away all the texture of our planet. Where was I going to travel to learn about the world the way it used to be? I was not happy about the world economy and our ever flattening planet because I wanted to be entertained. His statement stopped me dead in my tracks.

See, I can remember the first time I visited Mexico many years ago. Ixtapa had just added a direct flight in from Los Angeles and even the stewardess were excited about buying the salsa to take home to share to friends. While the area had been a tourist destination for many years, the direct flight was going to make the place very popular with Americans. Waiters and waitress could not stop asking about the United States and they dreamed of going there. They were working very hard to learn English and their children wanted to practice with us to help themselves in school. While I loved the exchanges I knew that before long it would be changed. Nothing would be the same. I did not like that and bragged about being there back in the day before the Mexican people discovered the prosperity that a booming business might bring.

Tea Terrace in Sapa

Sapa women selling goods.

Sapa pigs

Sewing machine parts

Sapa: Hike to Cat Cat Village

When we were in Vietnam last time, we visited Sapa where we saw the culture unchanged and even flaunted for the benefit of visiting European trekkers and tourist. The remnants of the Vietnam war could be seen if you squinted your eyes. It was enchanting and interesting. The women were set up in the market using WWII sewing machines and spare parts were sold from a bucket set along side a road. What a privilege it was to see that. But we also saw the Hmong and Montinor tribal children playing beside huge creeks and near black Sapa pigs that ran wild. Their only clothing was a coat to cover their little bodies. The hotel we stayed in collected soap to give to the people so they could learn about cleanliness. They fed the local tribe people a hot meal once a week. It was very primitive at the very best. At the time I found it charming in so many ways. Now, I see that these people may be happy but their children should not be cold and barefooted in December. There is plenty to go around. It would not take much to help these people see their true value in our world. Right now the world is simply using them for entertainment.

We all know that travel changes us in ways we cannot even imagine. We learn new tastes in food, discover the wonders of new cultures and listen to the sound of a language unlike our own. It broadens our horizons and expands our minds. But the most important thing to me was that it made me appreciate what I had. It was a feeling that I had I it pretty good even though I was not wealthy in my world. In theirs I had it all.

I occurred to me when my son said those words, that the Intel employees from Korea or India I see in my neighborhood all the time these days must be thinking it is too bad that there is an Indian restaurant on every corner or kimchi at our local grocery store. Don't they find that strange? Are they wondering what is happening to our world and wanting us to go back to an earlier time when we were more interesting? Maybe they would like the 1950's better? I can see when the shoe is on the other food, the whole concept takes on a new meaning.

Now the final transformation has happened. I have come to realize a flat world is not a bad place. If poor people can be educated and learn to compete in our flat world, then they can live in a house with windows. Learning could be the norm and cleanliness a right and not a privilege. That really is what I want. What was I thinking? Really, how could I have not seen that even though these people are happy, they would be healthy and well fed too in a world more like mine? There is plenty to go around and every one can be raised up. When they learn to be a part of the 21st century both their world and ours will be better.

Yes, travel has transformed me. I am not the same tourist I was. It is a good thing. What do you think?

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This post if part of a Blog Hop sponsored by Generation Fabulous called Transformative Travel. Leave a comment with a link to your blog about travel.

Blog Hop: 

Travel Experts and Me: Put the Travel Book Away

Tortoise Tower in the middle of Hoan Kiem Lake, Hanoi, Viet Nam. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

You know I have gotten into it with the Frugal Traveler from the New York Times. He called me an amateur and burned me so bad. The reaction of most people was that there is no such thing as bad publicity. Maybe so but it still stung! 

However, I do still read the Frugal Traveler in the NYTs. After all he is the expert on cheap travel. He gets paid to travel so he knows stuff that you may want to know. The other day he was talking about a travel website called TripAdvisor. People I know that also travel for a living use TripAdvisor. It is just a down and dirty, get real kind of web location. They have had 75 million reviews and opinions over the years so they are a well established authority. The beauty of the website is all of those comments from people that have actually visited the places they talk about. It really is very helpful.

When we went to Vietmam a year ago, TripAdvisor was the website that helped us get from Shanghai to Hanoi and then on a night train to Sapa. Following their advice is a good thing. So is reading Fordor's or Lonely Planet.

But in the end, what I enjoyed the very most was the things we did without a guide book in our hands. It was a though I was the first person to visit Vietnam. The Tortoise Tower you see above was located in a lake very near our little Hanoi Gecko Hotel. I have a picture of it somewhere in my files. The picture you see above was taken with my camera in Sa Pa and edited with the SnapSeed application on my iPad. I was looking out the window of the Sa Pa Rooms hotel second story over the roof tops.

Several years ago my husband and I were in Kowloon for a few days. We were just fresh off the boat and did not have all our technology with us. All we had was the sun and the seat of our pants. We wanted to walk to the water and I insisted that we needed to go to our right and not our left.  It turned out that right was wrong. That was when I discovered that confusion is the universal language. A Chinese man recognized that we were lost and helped us read an English Language map...in Chinese and got us turned around. We ate at a small restaurant and ventured in stores like the tourist we were. It was so much fun and really not anything we would have ever found in a travel book. I liked that day a lot.

Frugal Traveler talked about how the guide books and websites can be invaluable. But, in the end, he also said that putting the books down and turning off the computer is a good thing. Walk out the door and take a right turn at the corner. Just start walking. You may end up in some very interesting and unusual place. (Be sure to read the articles below...don't be afraid to venture out.) Think of the stories you will have to tell. Travel is about bragging rights anyway.

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Using TripAdvisor? Some Advice by Seth Krugel
Traveling Hopefully and Fearlessly, Retire In Style Blog
Retirement Travel, Retire In Style Blog

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Travel: Things I Wish I'd Brought When I Got There

Sapa Rooms early in the Morning (Photo credit: Always at Home)

It is just the small stuff I wish I had...not the camera or even a dress for evening wear. When I travel I always wish I had some small item I left at home on purpose or didn't even know I needed. For example,

When we were in Vietnam last winter I saw beautiful sleeping bag liners in shop after shop.  Honestly, I haven't camped for years and did not even know such a thing existed!  But there they were in Hanoi...stacks and stacks of them. What do you use them for I asked my daughter-in-law and she shrugged her shoulders. Did I need one of those?  Well, it turns out, yes I did. 

When we boarded the night train in Hanoi for the long trip in a sleeping car, I took one look at the bed and shuddered. I get it now...that is why I need a silk sleeping bag liner! 

An article on the Lonely Planet website reminded me that beds even in up scale hotels can be full of bed bugs and other critters/crud. A pretty little silk sleep bag liner would be so nice. Now I see that we can buy this item on Amazon and they are called Sleeping Bag Liners. Who knew!

Electronics are another thing...

I went off to stay on an island south of Cambodia. The island resort was a jewel set in a small village. I did not see why I should take my ipad or my iphone along...after all we had our computer and the resort said there was a hook up for computers. It did not occur to me that "wireless" means I can use my iphone AND my ipad. What was I thinking? It turns out that remote does not mean disconnected in any way.

Wash clothes...

The lack of a good cloth to wash my face and body will drive me crazy but it turns out the rest of the world just does without such a thing. In order to get one of those precious pieces of material I have paid extra in resorts and even bought small towels.  It is such a simple thing yet in my world a necessary item.

When do those people eat and sleep? Bring information with you...

As I look back on all of the places we have been I can see that the single most important piece of information we needed was the sleeping and eating habits of the country we were visiting. 

When we were in Spain I never did figure out when the people worked or what their breakfast time was. We ate Tortilla Espana every morning but we never were out when the Spaniards were.

Get that information before you leave home...the museums will be on the postcards in your hotel and someone will send you on your way. But if you want to truly enjoy a country, you need to sit down and eat with the people. Find out when they eat breakfast and evening meals.

Paper vs online...

The last time we traveled I bemoaned the fact that we didn't have a good paper map in English...I know you can go online and get directions but still I like the idea of seeing the big picture and being able to lay the map out in front of me makes such a difference. Whether you are in Saigon, Vietnam or Granada, Spain, the shape of the city and location of the rivers is important. How can you picture the history or commerce of a location without one? I am going to take one with me no matter whether I am on US Interstate 80 or driving between Malaga and Seville Spain.

Every travel website can give you a list of the latest and coolest travel gadgets. In fact here is a list I wrote. But has anyone ever told you to pack a wash cloth...I didn't think so.

I'm just saying!!!

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Sapa Vietnam, Sony #Cameras, #NYT Traveling more Fluently Article

Camera Travel Virus
Travel has been on my mind this morning.  The arrival of my new camera is making my feet itchy...it is a Camera travel virus....strange but true.

Now I wish I had owned my beautiful Sony NEX-5N camera when we went to Sapa,Vietnam...(read more) last winter. I think I would have come home with better pictures and more possibilities.  Here is a picture we took on the trail to Cat Cat Village last December.  They have been edited using iphoto and Snapseed.

Could I have done better before I downloaded the photo with the new camera?  Maybe.

Bottom of the trail to Cat Cat Village. Taken with my husbands Nikon, unedited.
I wonder how this would have looked using the black/white with only
the red showing.  Or how about more vibrant colors?  I set the camera to do that before I shoot.

This version was edited on my iphoto program using my
Mac.  

This one was edited using am application called Snapseed.  This
has been changed using a grunge setting, edge blur and frames.

Now I have added the Sony to my bag of tricks. I have discovered that professional photographers may be cheating just a little...it is amazing!

Link:  TripAdvisor reviews
Frommers Packing List (great!)

Free Language Programs
I saw an article in the NYT called Paths to a More Fluent Vacation recommending 10 language programs...five for those of us that like free and five for people with deep pockets.  I didn't see any that taught any of the languages spoken in Vietnam.  I could have used that when we were in the country last December. But if you are going to Europe or Japan there are some that might be very helpful.

I wanted to learn a little of the H'mong language but the truth is the people could speak such good English in Sapa.  The first woman that began talking to me in perfect English surprised me.  I am sure I looked puzzled.

It turns out that in that part of Vietnam that is at the eastern end of the Himalayas there are still schools teaching English to the hill tribes.  I don't know if that is a left over from the Vietnam war. I am told that the American used the H'mong people as spies.

Have a wonderful day.  Let me know if you have any questions by leaving a comment.

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The Smart Way to Conquer Your Vacation Letdown!

Do you have the urge to tell all your friends in detail about your wonderful vacation? Well you are not alone. Why do we do that?  I don't think it is because your friends are REALLY interested in that museum you visited...I think it is because we want avoid letting the adventure go. The letdown that follows a vacation of a lifetime can be huge. There are BETTER ways to fight that feeling than chasing our friends away.  How? This is what we do.

Food
Isn't is wonderful that food can fix just about anything.  The sensory pleasure we get from great food becomes a memory that should not go away No matter where we travel we manage to come home with a new taste for the food of the country we visit.  On our recent trip to Vietnam we experiences the tastes of that country. Wonderful Pho (pronounced: faw) and fish curry dishes had flavors that made me swoon. Both of these dishes are ones that my friends at home would probably enjoy. This is what I do:

• Bring the recipe home with you.  It never hurts to ask the restaurant or resort you are eating at for that favorite recipe.  On this trip I asked the resort for their fish curry dish recipe.  A couple of days later the recipe translated into English appeared in my room.  
• Bring regional spices/condiments home as gifts to friends and use yourself.  We have always purchased spices.  In Spain the black pepper comes in large bags that you can purchase in street markets.  Saffron used in Paella can be found in grocery stores at a very reasonable price.  In Vietnam we bought the mixture of salt, pepper, garlic, etc. in jars.  This mixture appears on every dinner table.  We also bought star anise, black pepper.  We would have gotten the fish sauce but it appears that if it breaks in your luggage it will stink up the whole airplane up!  :)




Eh Ru (two-stringed Chinese fiddle, violin) more info

• Recreate the food at home. This is the part that brings back so many memories. Last night I made a Pho with chicken for my husband and I. I will make this dish for friends in the near future. I prepared the fish curry a couple of weeks ago. We both smiled as the memories came flooding back. After visiting Thailand we learned to make Pad Thai.

Music

I always try to make my way to a store or even knock off market to buy regional music.  I have cd's of Spanish guitar by the Pepe Romero, Thai music and the beautiful Chinese Er Hu songs.  I even found a Er Hu at the antique market and brought it home.  When I play the music I relive my vacation over and over.

Books 
I usually do not read travel books before I visit a country. I will read Lonely Planet as the adventure presents itself. My husband loves to read the travel stuff online and I let him feed it to me. I am more about the people from a country.  I love learning the culture but I am a bit lazy I think. If I am aware of some fiction I will read those before I go. However, when I get home I will read books about the country; fiction, documentary, travel. I relive that vacation while reading the words. It helps me get past the letdown.

When we returned from Spain I read Driving Over Lemons: An Optimist in Spain by Chris Stewart.  Stewart is a former British rock star turned expat living in the Spanish countryside. I loved the book because it helped me understand what I had seen and made me laugh. I will download Up Country: A Novel by Nelson DeMille on my Kindle very soon.  I am told that DeMille used his personal experiences in Vietnam when writing the book. It has been recommended to me by several people. I want to watch Good Morning Vietnam again too.

Back Home

Getting over that vacation letdown can be hard.  Fatigue, jetlag and emotional disconnect are going to happen.  But there is no reason why the experience has to die the minute we step off the plane.  Bring the vacation home with you to experience over and over.  

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It's a Small World...Vietnam, Groupon and me!

Image via CrunchBase

Thought #1

FYI:  One Kings Lane is a website very much 

like your Tuesday Morning 

Store only more beautiful.(If you want to join

 send me your email address to Orencoopinions@gmail.com 

and I will send you an invitation. 

 You will get the $15 discount.)

Good Morning World

I don't wake up by hitting the floor running.  My mind requires a cup of coffee or two. When my feet finally carried me out of bed this rainy morning, my mind went for a stroll dragging the rest of me along behind. Glasses on and robe wrapped tight I stumbled to my kitchen. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed the wrapping from an item I purchased from One Kings Lane.  I had purchased a duvet using my $15 discount I received when I signed up for the website.  The wrapping was so classy I have let it stay on my computer desk for a few days.  That is where my mind took a u-turn.  I had no idea we were going to write about this today. 

My Thought Process...sorry

So did you know that the wife of Groupon's founder, Andrew Mason, is one of the owners of One Kings Lane. You can see why I would know this...shopping and daily deals all in one family always catches my interest. (You can watch Andrew Mason's interview on 60 Minutes where this fact is revealed.)

Trekking with Sue Mae

The One Kings Lane wrapping reminded me of some people we met in passing while we were in Vietnam. I know, it is as if I were the mouse that found a cookie and needed a glass of milk.  A lot of my days are like that.

The Stream of Consciousness

We were on Phu Quoc located in the Sea of Thailand for over a week.  The weather is tropical and the landscape is lush.  Every evening as the sun set our hosts at Cassia Cottages would serve cocktail hour.  One evening while we were there during the Christmas holiday they held a cocktail hour by the pool and all the guest were invited. They served beautiful food and wine.  A small intimate group gathered to visit as the shadows grew long.

Isn't it funny that when you travel you are somehow attracted to people from your own country?  I suppose that is why we spent so much time with David and Amy Goldman. The Goldmans were a young couple from the Illinois, United States traveling around the world with two children.  They had just sold a business and were taking a year off to travel.  Their children were learning geography first hand and doing their school work on the fly.  The Goldmans had spent time in Shanghai where they had dinner with a former teacher of their teen daughter.  This teacher has worked for Shanghai American Schools for ten years.  When they discovered that my son and daughter-in-law work for Shanghai American School, Amy Goldman wanted to know if my son and his wife were acquainted with the teacher.  Well, now that you mention it, they were. Oh my gosh...Shanghai is the largest city in the world!!! Incidentally my daughter-in-law was raised in Illinois.

Sue Mae and me

I listened as Amanda (a former middle school math teacher) gave Maya, the Goldman's teen daughter, a short algebra/technology lesson on the patio.  This is what Amy Goldman had to say in her blog post called Another Small World Story:

Furthermore, Amanda used to teach eighth grade math and was very pleased to be able to give Maya an algebra pep talk in the way that only a math teacher could do. “You’re solving linear systems using eliminations? I LOVE eliminations!” You will all be happy to know that after Amanda’s motivational speech, Maya took her quiz and received 100%. Good job Maya and thank you Amanda.

But the connection did not stop there. The Goldmans had also been to Sapa in northern Vietnam earlier and trekked with the guide we had used. Her name was Sue Mae. Actually Sue Mae mentioned this very family to my daughter-in-law because of their round the world year. This small Hmong woman dreamed of doing that herself one day.

David Goldman also mentioned that a relative was one of the people involved in Groupon (ahhh, here is the cookie and the mouse part).  So there you have the connection to One Kings Road.  It turns out they call it six point of separation for a reason.  It could be that we are all connected to a shopping website like Groupon in some way.  Those of us that love a good deals are certainly hoping so. Seriously, I love it when real people touch our lives in small ways yet that connection spreads out like the rings a pebble makes when it hits the water.

You can read the post Amy Goldman's post about our chance encounter at Another Small World Story. (They even have a picture, with my son, my daughter-in-law and I.)

God Speed Goldman family.  Give my best to the rest of your family.  :) I hope you are still loving your life on the road.

b

Related articles

• 10 Days in Vietnam...planes, trains and automobiles! (retireinstyleblog.com)
• 10 Things about travel in Vietnam..2011 (retireinstyleblog.com)
• Another small Small World Story (goldmanstravels.wordpress.com)
• A day on an Island...Phu Quoc, Vietnam (retireinstyleblog.com)
• Traveling with Grandchildren in the Far East! (retireinstyleblog.com)
• Frugal Travel....Vietnam might be the place! (retireinstyleblog.com)