Phabulous Phnom Penh

Arrival and Orientation
As soon as we landed in Cambodia we could tell it was a very different place. The airport was decorated with golden statues and moldings of Khmer and Buddhist motifs. It was more directed at tourists than HCMC and it smelled different. We quickly got our bags and visas with minimal calamity and headed outside. First of all, Cambodians are dark and look more Thai. Second of all, there were people hawking at us from all directions “take this tuk tuk” “take that bus” – a little bit more pushy, like in Thailand. Andrew had a driver waiting for us, so we hoped in the bus and headed to our guesthouse.

I had heard a mix of good and bad things about Cambodia and I was not sure what to expect. Some said the people were warm, others said that they seemed like their “souls were lost.” All travelers know that Cambodia has a bloody history, but few people can explain it to you clearly. I was expecting it to be like Thailand – and in some ways its was – wide streets, lots of wats and heavy curries. But it was different too, less traffic, different regulations and a different approach to tourists. We saw many different sides of Cambodia throughout our two weeks there, but all I could really say whe I left the airort on that first day was that I would find it different from what anyone could have told me.

The Golden Bridge Guesthouse (next to several other guesthouses of similar names) was pretty nice. No windows, but free laundry. We went for Khmer/Thai food for lunch – it was delicious but enormously filling – we tried local specialties including laab a spicy meat salad, fisk amok – a curried fish dish, and curries. It was such a change from Vietnamese food!

We were pretty exhausted and we had a presentation to perform for the Royal University of Phnom Penh Environmental Studies class, so we were pretty low-key all afternoon, wandering the area, preparing for our presentation, receiving an “orientation talk” from Andrew (go out in groups, lots of pickpockets), and used the internet at various cafes. Facebook worked – exciting!! Dinner was the longest ever, they freshly made all the Indian food we ordered. Talked to a kid selling books who we bought a $3 guide book off of (honestly don't ever buy a guide book in the US if you are going to south east asia – they are way cheaper and almost the same in country). He was a funny kid – also made you wonder about the status of these kids. He spoke English really well and his dad was on a motorbike outside but he was wearing tattered clothes and we saw him at all times of day so who knows if he goes to school. In Mongolia, they would chase these kids out of restaurants and such, but here people are free to wander in and out. Maybe its because in Mongolia things are in more distinct buildings because they have to keep out the cold, but in Cambodia and other SEA countries, buildings open onto the street so people are always wandering in and out.

Learning About Khmers

In the morning we went to a symposium of sorts at the Royal University Phnom Penh (RUPP). We learned about the Tonle Sap, the bounty and threats to the fisheries, sustainability and hydrology from Cambodia researchers (mostly affiliated with the University). We also had the chance to present to the 40 or so Cambodian students and the researchers about the Mekong Delta. Though we all worked on it, only Mairin, Kyle and I presented. It was a good overview and the presentation came out pretty well even though we did it on short notice. Afterwards, the Cambodian students (with pretty great English skills) asked some really interesting and insightful questions about improving the sustainability of the Mekong Delta and its environs. So it was pretty awesome to get to talk.

Lunch was an integrated affair. We sat at the school cafeteria and had amok, fried fish and Vietnamese-style vegetable soup. It was pretty good. In Cambodia (like Thailand) they eat with a fork and spoon. Took us all a while to re-learn how it use a fork. There re 40 students in the Environmental Studies program, and only 8 of them were male (seems similar to American ratios, I think). Many were in the program because they had received scholarships in the field or they had a deep love for the environment. The students wore white and blue uniforms, and still stylish though not as ostentatious as the Vietnamese as a whole. Over lunch, we talked about the difficulty of the Khmer language (36 constants, 44 vowels and 3 types of using your mouth) and the beauty of its alphabet. We were all really interested in each other’s culture and what was the same, what was different and how we like to spend our time. It is really great to hang out with students because it really gives you an on-the ground perspective of what your contemporaries are doing in foreign countries. I had so much fun at lunch!

After lunch we went to visit tuol sleng- the infamous prison of the Khmer Rouge. It was pretty intense. Though I have been exposed to lots of Holocaust memorabilia and exhibits, this was altogether a different experience for me. First, it is much more recent and much more close (I was in Cambodia and I have never been to Eastern Europe or Germany). Second, it is not my people which changes the perspective on it. I grew up knowing about the Holocaust, I am the last of a generation who are able to talk to survivors (though I never really know what to say to them about their experiences). This was new and unfamiliar and though it happened during my lifetime, I knew very little about it until I arrived at the museum.

The museum walks you through the torture rooms, the holding cells and the burial grounds of some prisoners. Though the English is pretty thorough, it was hard to get the entire story and convoluted timeline (to determine who was killing who and when). In the reign of the Khmer Rouge, led by Pol Pot, millions of people were killed and many starved to death in the ensuing chaos. A good place to read more about this is HERE The most moving part of the museum was not the 3 x 4 x 6 cells, nor the torture devices, but rather the photographs of men and women young (like 7 or 8) and old (up to 60 or above I would say) of people who went through this prison. Some were resigned, some were fearful, others were defiant. Some looked beyond the camera, seeing something of the past or the future, others seemed completely ignorant of the fate that lay before them. When the prison was liberated, only 23 o so people were found alive and only 7 bodies were found, This is out of the 10,000 or so people who passed through the prison in a ten year period.

For dinner, we explored the waterfront and tried to find the night market. We found a large wat instead and had a good time exploring the riverfront area. It is nice that here the city is not completely quiet at ten pm and that we could easily hail a tuk tuk home.

The next morning we visited a Cambodian NGO and learned about the issues and pros and cons of centralized hydropower in Cambodia. The amount that Cambodia relies on its water ways is incredible. Actually, Cambodia means that kingdom of water, something that is evident in the wet season, but not this drought of a dry season. The country is clearly looking for investment and expansion to catch up with its powerhouse neighbors, Thailand and Vietnam, but the government and big business seem (on a whole) to have very little interest in the regular people. However, it is not all corruption and bad news, it is just that there are many considerations to be made, especially on something so crucial such as the Mekong River, and that often (and this is true for all countries on the river) critical social and environmental issues are not considered.

We are lunch at an expat owned café – so many expats in PP – its crazy! Lots of internet access everywhere and comfort western food available. I went to a supermarket to buy snacks, I was soo overwhelmed. Poptarts, cptn crunch, Doritos, food I had not seen in ages! Lots of foreigners shopping there and I even saw the Chabad rabbi. It was soo exciting. After lunch we were off, on an 8 hour drive to Stung Treng to get to know the Mekong River even better!!!

Red River Delta

For our comparative ecology section, we went to Xuan Thuy National Park in Nam Dinh Province, three hours north east of Hanoi. Nam Dinh is gray (and rainy likemost of the North while we were there) and full of huge churches - like someone had a cookie cutter for huge cathedrals and decided to dump all of their efforts in Nam Dinh - very strange. We stayed in a tiny town, Giao Xuan where MCD (great NGO - I'd recommend looking them up) has an ecotourism.

Ecotourism is not the easiest sell in this small town. The main industries are jelly fish catching (for the Chinese market) and clamming. We did get to see HUGE jelly fish, and watch the processing and women clamming. There was also a culture show put on by a group of Vietnamese students and local community members, and it is right next to the national park which is great for bird watching and shrimp. However, there really is not that much there, its a very quiet town, not that impressive.

Being a Western tourist in this small town automatically made you something of a spectacle - everyone came out to stare. Some people said hello and waved. It was fun at first, but it got tiring. We rode bike through town to see the different livelihoods and got many hellos. We did get a few strange looks, people trying to pet our (white) arms and our (light, wavy) hair. It did get some members of the group a bit stressed to be watched like animals in the zoo, but over all we made the best of the situation. We even made friends with some of the young girls there.

MY BIRTHDAY

Time passes everywhere - even in small town Vietnam and it was soon April 18 - my 21st birthday. Its hard to keep track of days when you are always traveling and there is no facebook to remind you of important dates. However, my friends and I definitely made the best of the situation. Got our hair washed and face massages (with whitening cream - oops) in town in the afternoon and spent the later part of the afternoon boating the red river delta. After dinner we had saigon special and karaoke (how the Vietnamese party!) and enjoyed mangoes because there were no cakes in town! Hooray for my friends - a decent birthday all around.

We returned to Hanoi (a totally different town in the sunshine by the way - so much busier and happier), did some souvenir shopping, ran into the other SIT group, had a super interesting lecture on integrated water management and then went to dinner and tried some specialty apricot and apple spirits of the north. We were all really excited because the next day we were heading to Cambodia!!

Visit to Cuc Phuong

Cuc Phuong
is the oldest national park in Vietnam, established by Uncle Ho himself. It is full of old growth forest and beautiful animals and ethnic minorities live right up to the border. It is really a wonderful place to visit.

Our trip was off to a slow start on account of sickness. But we started the trip with a full contingent and thoroughly enjoyed the ride as we watched the narrow, windowless buildings and crowded shops of Hanoi pass by and slowly change into green rolling rice fields with white flags waving on them to keep away crows, punctuated with tall, narrow houses, stone tombs (found on fields across Vietnam) and canals. It was pretty drizzly the whole way through, the entire countryside seemed engulfed in a low cloud.

We met with out guide, Tein and sat down to lunch. They really enjoyed fried spring rolls in the north (unlike the fresh ones in the south). Even from the outside, the park seemed lush and there were many bright flowers blooming.

Animal Refuge Centers

It is good to note here that parks in the north are better funded and researched than parks in the south. This is due to their proximity to Hanoi and the nearby (and powerful) vested interests that surround them. This has many positive aspects to it because it helps the parks to get the support they need. In the case of Cuc Phuong this has been highly advantageous for its local fauna.

First and foremost, there is the Cuc Phuong Primate Research Center. 5 of the worlds 25 most endangered primates live in Vietnam. There are also 20 species of primate in Vietnam. The primate research center is run by a german scientist and recieves lots of foreign funding, researchers and volunteers. In CPNP (Cuc phuong national park), species have been rediscovered and discovered. It is pretty exciting. There are a ton of monkeys, gibbons, lorrises (though we did not get to see them), delacours, all in cages either being rehabilitated or in transition stages so they can be released to the wild. Quite exciting to see, and the reearchers were interesting too. The assistant director (Vietnamese) commented that a Vietnamese person can be trained in a week to be comfortable with the animals, but a Westerner usually takes about three months. This reflects their different approaches to wildlife and nature. I thought this was a really interesting and i could see how it may be true in some cases.

We also went to visit the turtle conservation center, which had some of the best posters I have ever seen in Asia. Tons of different kinds of turtles. It was really exciting to find them in their enclosures and learn a bit more about them. So many different kinds! (30 in Vietnam in total) Also made me a bit excited for my ISP on the role of turtle conservation in Vietnamese society. So much to learn! So many turtles to watch!!!!!!!!!!!

Trekking

Our first night, we drove through the park to the trail head. From there, we tucked our pants into our socks (for protection from leeches) and turned on our headlamps and got ready to go into the forest. It was really exciting to walk through the forest in the dark, so many different sensations than you are used to. First, since you can only see a few feet in front of you, those few feet are examined with greater attention to first discern what you are looking at and to make sure that you are on secure footing. Second, the forest is anything but silent. It is less like a jungle-noise CD, but more like a symphony of insects and animals calling back and forth, leaves rattling in the breeze rising and falling at different times, noises interlacing with one another. It was great to just stand there and listen to it. Since it was dark, we had to be careful not to touch anything (so as not to hurt ourselves). We spoke quietly pointing out obstacles and animals in the path, and made sure to check up on each other as we passed through.

We saw quite a few interesting animals - but we were too loud and on paths too well traveled to see anything super incredible (like a loris). Did see many crazy spiders, fuzzy caterpillars, tree frogs, and lizards. It was cool to be in the forest and see so many small animals so clearly.

The next day we hiked through a gray dripping forest to see a 1000 year old tree. The night before had been a particularly strong rainstorm, and there were several trees fallen across the road. The first few were moved pretty easily, but then we were stuck behind a particularly large and entangled tree. Though we managed to move half of it (the trunk split) the other half was beyond our ability. A traffic jam arose after about a half, but luckily there was a motorbike caught as well. A park ranger took it to the closest ranger station to get some tools. He returned with a machete and a hand saw and the road was cleared in no time after that. A great morning adventure!

The hike was a loop. Again we tucked our socks into our pants (people had gotten leeches the night before - ew) and did our best to start on the trail before 200 middle school students who were unloading from their school buses. The forest (sub tropical seasonal monsoon forest) was incredible. Tall trees, lianas winding their way through, strangler figs, streams and stream crabs, open up to sinkholes (the forest is on likestone soil - poking out from the ammonite range which is the border between Vietnam and Laos) with long grasses and dead trees. These are something to watch out for - our guide almost fell in one and could have been lost forever. The limestone does make many beautiful formations though. The forest was quieter during the day, but there was still a lot to see.

There are many old (hundreds of years old) trees in Cuc Phuong, but only one tree that is known to be a 1000 years. It is originally from india and is incredibly tall with hug buttress roots. It was really great to see (though sadly our visit was interrupted by the tweens we sought to avoid). We got to swing on a vine like Tarzan (fun!) and learn that 2 -1 = 0 (humans minus nature = 0). Also visited a limestone cave that had been inhabited since prehistoric times. It was fun to explore and see the few remaining artifacts and paintings on the wall. Went into the back of the cave, and stood in the dark for a while just thinking. Twin played the stalactites (great echo), making it an incredible experience. Hiking is one of my favorite things to do, and I really enjoyed it in Cuc Phuong.

Visiting Ethnic Minorities
When Cuc Phuong was established, the original inhabitants of the forested hill sides, the Moung and the Hmong (divided by topography) were displaced. By the early 1990s all of these communities had been moved out of the park to live among the edges. They were able to practice their traditional farming techniques - rice stepping in the valleys, corn and cassava on the hillsides, aided with plenty of spring water coming out of the park.

The majority of the Mung people we visited were established in the area before the park. They live in wooden houses on stilts - made of beautiful hardwood timbers - and almost no nails. When they have to move they just dismantle the house and rebuild it somewhere else - ingenious. They also keep water buffalo (who almost charged us), cows, chickens, pigs, and deer for their antlers (very profitable). The village is lush and misty and people seem curious about us as we are about them.

We enjoyed a delicious dinner with a Moung family and afterwards had the opportunity to share cultures. We sang American pop songs and did another rendition of cotton eyed joe (not our best though) while they impressed up with their well practiced folk songs and dances in traditional costume. It was fun even though some member of the group have difficulty getting excited / not being self-concious. Honestly, we would never perform in front of toher Americans this way, but I like to see it as a sharing of culture and we should be excited for it for the viewer's benefit. Its ok if they think we are ridiculous - thats part of exchanging cultures and learning about each other and ourselves.

After dinner, we enjoyed some traditional rice wine, fermented in a big ceramic urn which you stick long straws into. Making drinking even more communal. Sat around a campfire and had bonding time, a great night overall.

The next morning Ellen and I woke up early to walk around the village. Many water buffalo, chickens, people plowing their fields, reinforcing the terraces. It was relatively quiet (the roosters had done all their crowing about an hour earlier) and it was fun to just walk around and enjoy. Breakfast was potato pancakes - a nice change! and we visited farmers who were clearing their hillsides for gardens. They said the rain was late and some people lost their crops already. Also, the land (since it is farmed over and over, this ethnic group is more suited for rotational farming) is less and less productive every year. They do not know what their children will live off of in the future, but they are optimistic. The farmer invited us into their house for pink juice and offered us some of the traditional tobacco pipe. We passed it around as we learned more about their way of life.

Powering Vietnam
The majority of electricity in Vietnam is fueled by hydropower. This is especially evident in the north where more of the rivers are dammed for electricity / industry. Vietnam is a country that does not have enough electricity for everyone and there is arguably uneven distribution of the resource resulting in power outages and political arguments and impacts people's livelihoods. We went to visit the Hoa Binh Dam, one of the biggest inVietnam, which was created with huge amounts of soviet help (great mural inside with a huge blonde russian man and a tiny vietnamese man) and displaced many indigenous hilltribe people, both in constructing the reservoir and in the downstream effects (instead of dry and wet season, the water fluctates in height 2 times a day). It also had a very barebones environmental impact statement when created. The dam is pretty incredible - a great human work.

However, it does make one wonder about the future of Vietnamese electricity - whether centralized power from dams is effective and how it will impact surrounding people. It is important that Vietnam gets the power it needs and distributes it evenly. The communities that were displaced by the dam did not recieve power until ten years after the dam went on line and poor areas in the north get more electric cuts than almost anywhere else. This is a crucial issue in Vietnam (and southeast asia as a whole) as the pressure for electricity, industry, conservation and natural resources increases. In this tangle, it will be very hard to appease all interest groups...

Welcome to Hanoi

Train Through Vietnam

We took the train from Nui Chua to Hanoi - a 30 hour trip. The girls stayed in one cabin that had AC, 6 beds (the middle bunk folded up so you could sit comfortably) a table and a light. The boys, Andrew and Tein were the same next door (plus a random Vietnamese man with a mustache. Quick side note about Vietnamese facial hair - it does not come easily to most Vietnamese men (unless its on a mole and then its one or two super long hairs) and truth be told most Vietnamese men look better without it…). Equipped with snacks, charged ipods, computers, journals, books and rice wine and honey we were good to go.
We spent the evening hanging out with each other (as always), sipping rice wine, telling stories and singing old pop songs. The train whistled on, though we did make several stops but we had no idea where we were in the dark. I had a top bunk, which was comfortable to lie down in (too close to the ceiling to sit up).

Had Hanoi-style pho for breakfast - more garlic, less vegetables and complexity to the broth. We were all pretty quiet all day, reading, journaling, just hanging out and watching the Vietnamese countryside go by. WE saw legitimate mountains - off shoots of the Ammonite Range that goes between Laos and Vietnam which was really exciting and beautiful. Many rice fields, river bank gardens and towns. Stone is used much more in the north. Also saw many factories. I caught up ten days in my journal (I always seem to be behind on that, but I did get up to page 100! Hooray - hope I do not run out of space). Had some interesting conversations with Andrew about Vietnam, mining, and research. Good use of time. Did get a bit stir crazy, so Gaby and Carly and I tried to do ab workouts with Ellen as a DJ and Mairin as our recorder. Bit of a failed experiment but still a lot of fun.

Reconciliation

I met a man on the train who was a Vietcong soldier during the American War. He was really excited to meet Americans really happy that we could “talk about our families and our jobs and our lives” - translated into direct English meaning put aside the past and build new relationships. Which is pretty awesome. He grew up in Uncle Ho’s Hometown. I showed him photo of the US and we shared some snacks. That’s generally the response here - so refreshing.

Hanoi - the Cultural Capital

Stepping off the train in Hanoi is very different from HCMC. People rush you right away for taxis, the air is more humid, cooler the night smells different. After checking into our hotel (Hotel des Artistes) we went for a walk around Hoan Kiem lake, which was surrounded in decorative neon lights and couples. Legend has it (and fact too) that there are giant turtles in the lake - and a 200 kg one was found dead there a few years ago. Enjoyed some sinh to and were very excited for our morning ventures.
Noodles for breakfast, a walk around the lake and through the Old Quarter. It has loud, windy streets that are organized by item - a street for shoes, a street for home goods, a street for jewelry, etc. pretty fun. Found our way to a gate built in the thirteenth century. Pretty sweet. So many cool things to buy its hard to decide.
Lunch was buffet style “pick 2” but the rice was delicious - yes I have been here long enough to be discerning about the types of rice I eat…I also don’t know how to eat rice with a fork anymore either…
Went to the Temple of Literature to visit the stone turtles, then wandered back through a forgotten pagoda (literally - it was set behind a stone wall, the windows were shuttered, the statues were half built/decaying and it was very quiet), Lenin park where we went on the carosel, played on the super cool playgrounds and watched people play soccer and meandered around the city.
Dinner was an exciting affair - pizza! Pasta! Nachos! It was really nice to have some decent western food, though it did make me value Vietnamese food even more.

The next day we had a lecture about the red river delta (as part of our comparative studies section). Interesting, very different approaches to development, climate change and sea level rise. Also met with MCD a new Vietnamese-run NGO, which was really fun. It is spearheaded by two dynamic and powerful women who were really motivated to mae change through community based natural resource management and ecotourism. So far, they are doing well. Carly and I discussed later how refreshing it was to see women who were so passionate and powerful in Vietnam. Not to say that we have not met many interesting and successful women yet, because we have (Carly’s host mother was a politician, my host mother lived on her own in Saigon for 5 years and worked hard, Dr Nga is incredibly intelligent and respected in her field) but these younger women (early 40s) had something else about them - maybe a feeling of equality and confidence that most Vietnamese women do not express as much. We then considered our Vietnamese peers to think about how they may grow up. It was interesting food for thought.

In the evening, we went to a water puppet show and were almost overwhelmed by all the Westerners there (crazy!) Water puppets are made of wood and fabric and perform on a watery stage to traditional music and traditional themes. Had dinner - fish, noodles, oil and dill (dill is popular here) and then found ice cream cones.

I really enjoy the pace of Hanoi - it is quick but not rushed like HCMC feels. People are a bit more reserved when you try to get to know them and a bit pushier about selling you things, but the architecture is great and there is great variety in the fashion on the street. The food is good but different from the south. The damp (it rained while we were there) and misty feel of the city makes it seem deceptively sleepy (maybe I’m just tired) but the greenery on the streets and around the lakes is a refreshing change from the Mekong Delta.
It would be nice to spend more time here and visit more places (like Uncle Hos mausoleum or the ethnology museum, both of which were closed when we tried to go) and Ha Long Bay. Well, its always good to have a reason to return someplace, and I intend to enjoy the time I do have.

Surf and Sun in Nui Chua

And….we’re off! To go see the coast, the north and Cambodia! Our first stop on the Journey was Nui Chua National Park (est 2003), Nui Chua is really a unique place - sheltered by mountains on the tropical coast. It is in rain shadow, so it is one of the driest areas of Vietnam (lots of cacti and spiky plants to watch out for!) and the park is relatively new so it exploring a lot of options in terms of ecotourism, biodiversity studies and more. There is also an ethnic minority community (1/54) the Ragalay living outside the park.



We took a (brief)5 hr train ride from HCMC to Nui Chua and enjoyed dinner with Skye (an AYAD), Dr Vinh and his helper. Our resort (!!!!!) was right on the beach so after dinner we walked down to the sand and put our toes (and knees) in the ocean. It was incredible to be on a beach, staring at the stars and just loving life. Our resort has really nice bathrobes, so we enjoyed a bathrobe party together while watching MTV - none of us know whats going on in the American pop scene these days…

Woke up early the next morning to walk on the beach and swim a few laps (I do miss swimming (for the sake of swimming) maybe I’ll find a team to coach this summer!). Had “Good Morning Vietnam” soup for breakfast - egg drop soup with veggies and seafood bits. I prefer Good Morning Vietnam pho but it was fun to try.

The Ecotourist Experience

Nui Chua is in the process of developing their ecotourism model and we were their guinea pigs. Fun! We had a few lectures about biodiversity, context and future plans. Gave us a good general background to the park. We almost saw a langur (primate) that someone poached and was selling on the street (a park ranger bought it to release it). Lunch was by the seashore in a traditional fishing village. Fresh mackerel for sale and many people in motorized fishing boats dragging their traditional fishing boats behind. The traditional fishing boats are quite the invention - they are a huge round circle (like a basket) that they stand in and use a short little paddle. Not sure who would invent something like that as it seems to be hard to paddle.

After lunch we hiked into the hills carrying 3 liters of water, hammocks, tents, and cooking supplies including 3 live chickens (we like dinner to be fresh) through low trees, grasses and native fruit trees to our campsite, led by 4 Ragalay guides. It was hot (but not as hot as Can Tho) and there were many spiky plants to look out for, and times when we may have walked in circles, but it was only a 90 minute hike or so. Learned about Buddha trees - they use their seeds for bracelets and a tree that the Ragalay use to cure venomous snake bites. The Ragalay know 800 medicinal plants and their uses in the forest - so incredible!

Dropped our gear off at the campsite and hiked higher up the mountain to “the big rocks.” Here the vegetation was even denser and my hat was often picked up by the low branches. We had to climb up and over many rocks on the path and trying not to slip in the leaf litter. Part of the group got lost for a bit, but we finally found our way.

The rocks were incredible - limestone (the whole area was once covered by an ancient sea) protrusions high on the hillside that over looked oter beautiful and forested hills, as well as a tiny sliver of the ocean. The entire group climbed on to them. Some of us made it to the top for some pretty sweet photographs. Had a lecture, stared at the clouds and took a group photo. Jesse accidentally knocked his glasses off his face but we were able to find them and then secure them to his head with string.

Back at the campsite, the girls and I strung up our hammocks (with local help) that would be our beds for the night - awesome! Dinner was forest vegetables, fresh chicken and rice - pretty good, especially the mushrooms. We stared up at the stars and talked about life, the universe and sat around the campfire talking to the Ragalay. It was an early night for many of us (as we had stayed up really late the nights before packing and doing ISP work). Getting into our hammocks was pretty easy, they zipped open and you had to slide in quickly before the mosquitos did. It was easy to rock myself to sleep comfortably under the stars.

The net morning we arose at 6:30, had rice, cucumbers, sausage, white bread and peanut butter for breakfast (we did get really excited at the prospect of peanut butter). We hiked out (pretty quickly), walked to a restaurant to change into our swim suits and sunscreened up. It was time to go snorkeling!

We all looked really cool in our orange life jackets, snorkel masks and socks (so we wouldn’t cut our feet on the shallows). We swam out about 300 meters to the reef and it was in the best condition I have seen a reef in, The coral sprawled out beneath us, lots of orange, brown, green, yellow and purple varieties. And incredible fish biodiversity! I wish I was a tropical marine ecosystem scientist so I sould tell you everything I saw, but I’ll just describe a few here: parrotfish,a fish that looked like DOry from finding nemo, yellow fish in a school, striped fish, sea urchins, anemones. The coolest thing I saw was a squid! it was pink and about 8 inches long and just whizzing by me! So cool! I’m living planet Earth!

Lunched, visited marine turtle nesting grounds, returned to the hotel, “dressed up” (showered and put on a skirt) and had a delicious dinner at the hotel. Afterwards, we stayed around for drinks and Gaby was so tired she fell asleep at the table. Since she is always pranking us, we decided to prank her. We ll got up quietly and left, will the bill in her hand and had the waitress wake her up (thanks Tien for explaining). Gaby was so confused - it was hilarious! All that Exercise made us t I r e D, so only a quick stroll on the beach and into bed.

“Free Day”
Woke up early (though not early enough to see sunrise) and went for a walk with Carly on the beach, talking about life and such. After buffet breakfast we drove to see the Cham (ethnic minority that lives in the region) temples. They were from the 13th century - huge and brick but well preserved. We only saw one temple and it was not that interactive. It was pretty interesting though. I think its so exciting that I will see so many ancient ruins on this trip - Ayutthya, Bagan, Angkor Wat - very interesting to compare and contrast them too.

Went for lunch (Tien always orders us waay too much food) and snack shopping (for our upcoming 30 hour train ride) at Coop Mart. Afterwards did some work (while I had reliable internet access). I wanted to go swim in the ocean but my timing was off from my friends. So Carly tanned while I made friends with 11 year olds whose English was about as good as my Vietnamese. Fun! I did silly things like shrug my shoulders, and they would make fun of me and I would make fun of them making fun of me. They were really cute though. The boys swam in bathing suits and the girls swam in their school uniforms…Did a few laps and packed up to go. We had a rushed/early dinner which included lizard (a bit stringy, not too much flavor) and we had to rush to the train station so that we would not miss our train to Hanoi! Hooray! North Vietnam here we come!

Can Gio

Can Gio, pronounced Can yuh or Can zuh, is a UNESCO biosphere preserve, meaning that it is preserved to protect not only nature but also the local livelihoods therein. It is a HUGE national park and is part of the hundreds of kilometers of wetlands that helpsprotect HCMC from floods. (cool!) We drove through HCMC to pick up Andrew and our lecturers. Its exciting because this is our last Can Tho based outing, and our ISP proposals are due soon. Ack!
The drive was alright, we played games and hung out and arrived in evening at our "resort" complete with a salt water and chlorine water pool, right on the coast. Don't worry, we do "rough it" later...

Woke up early the next morning, heard the ocean and just knew I had to walk along it. The ocean was all gray when I got out there but gradually became brighter and brighter as the sun rose. The resort is protected by a huge sea dyke and it was nice to sit along the dyke and listen to the waves crash and think about life.
The first day we went to the park head quarters, climbed a guard tower to get a feel for the land and saw some monkeys running around. WE also had about three hours / 5 power points of introduction to the mangroves, resource usage and allocation and sustainability in terms of urban sprawl and climate change. First of all let me tell you that mangroves are really really cool. They hold tons of wildlife, prevent erosion,act as filters, storm guards....you name it they can do it. Though there are about 60+ km of mangroves protecting the coast line now, in 1975, there were none, thanks to Agent Orange. Its amazing how well they grew back and how many species returned (very little build up of pesticides in this area bc they were washed away by the sea). Mangroves shelter fish, shrimp, crabs, clams, birds, monkeys and more.

After the morning of plenary, we went out for delicious lunch and then hit the boats to go meet households engaging in industries related to the mangroves (aka seeing our lecture at work). The first household we visited were shrimp farmers. The shrimp farmers are essentially paid by the government not to cut the forest down and to use natural feed and seed (juveniles). They control water flow in and out with giant gates. when the tide comes in the gates are open to clean the areas out, when the tide goes out, the gates are closed to keep the shrimp in and they catch the shrimp by the gates. The gates are pretty awesome - made of mangrove wood and other natural materials. The farmer we visited has been living in the biosphere for several years, and though it is decently lucrative (though he doesnt make a ton of money he is not in debt) he wants his children to live in a nearby province because there are no schols nearby. The government has similar plans to relocate many of the inhabitants in Can Gio. It is interesting to note that the govt decides who gets the land concessions, and they may be going to friends or ppl in govt, bc they can be very profitable. We also wandered a bit through the mangrove forest on a trail to get a feel for the gray muddy waters, crazy above-water root systems and broad leaves. Pretty fun.

We also visited a lam farm, but since it was high tide it was very difficult to see anything. A big colorful boat pulled up to the clam farmer house (on stilts) and showed us the three different types of clam they harvest. Clams start tiny, take 1-3 years to grow and are very dependent on market price. At low tide one can see the fences that keep the clams in the plots and other people out of the plots. So that was interesting, and cool to be in a house on stilts. Both the houses we visited were built over water - you could see it rushing through the foor. They were not very rich - one walll papered his house with shrimp feed bags, the other had everything including a wife two dogs and children crammed into two rooms(though he probably also has a house on land too). It was interesting to peer in through the windows and have a glimpse of how these people live.

Went for dinner had our third hot pot, a southern vietnam specialty in which the fish and veggies are cooked in broth at your table, boiling fish in a cast iron pot (regional specialty) and ran into a girls 6 birthday party. We are all trying to do work on our ISPs but its ahrd when the internet is much less than reliable

The next day we were all ready by 8 in order to do a transect through the mangroves! We drove out to the core zone of the park geared with hats, one camera (that has since been lost along with all its photos), pH tester and a soil extractor. The tide was strill going out so we were from old mangroves (read: shallow mud (up to the ankles or so) to new mangroves (waist deep mud). It was awesome sloshing through so much gray oozy mud watching crabs scuttle away from our feet. It was a bit slippery, but what can you do. Every 50-100 m we would take a soil sample, talk about its qualities and take its pH. Near the old mangraves the soil is less acidic and contains more organic matter, but near the new ones the soil is very acidic (less than 1 pH) and the soil is really just goop. you can walk on roots (just dont fall off) they are very strong. Also stepping on the vertical air roots really hurts (by the way). We had a lot a lot of fun on the field excursion which culminated in a mudfight in the ocean.

Lunch was at the sae restaurant aas before, and hot pot of course. WE were still covered in mud from the excursion. We saw westrners our age - sooo exciting! We were besides our selves whispering and giggling like Vietnamese people. However no one actually said hello, so we dont really know anything about them - but why were they in Can Gio? Oh well

Spent the afternoon relaxing in the pools, hanging out, catching up on my journal and some isp work.... dinner was hot pot less, thank god.

The final morning we visited Monkey Island - an island of sorts with hundreds of monkeys (maques running free, a few nicer monkeys (like gibbons other kinds of maques) in cages, a croc pond, and some other interesting creatures like water monitor and snakes. It was fun, the monkeys hacve a bad reputattion for stealing things and attacking people but we got through pretty unscathed. Afterwards we headed back to HCMC for lunch and to drop Andrew and me off.
WE were off to visit WAR - an NGO that rehabs and refuges animals in Vietnam to see if I could do an ISP with them on Sun bears! Though I changed my isp topoc from sun bears to turtles, it was really interesting to see how meetings between SIT and NGOs work (how everyone tries to promote education and invovlement) and how Andrew and the dirctor knew many of te same people. So it was educational in many ways.

Headed back to Can Tho on my own on a bus and ot ready for a whirlwind 3 final days with my homestay family

Wild Times in Tram Chim!

Our first Vietnamese National Park, Tram Chim (established in 1994) is the remnants of what was once a vastwetland called the "Plain of Reeds" that extended from southwest ho chi minh city to cambodia. Now, the area is super fertile rice farming, exept Tram Chim which is a managed wetland. We had many interesting discussions, saw tons of wild life, learned about taking samples and best of all got to slog through the mud!

Learning Time
Our classroom learning time on this trip was relatively short. We had a few powerpoints introducing us to the history, management and beginnings of community resource usage. The nation wants to preserve (rather than conserve) the parks resources - even though that has never been the way these ecoystems function. As such, local people who need resources from the park (melaluca wood, fish, etc) are not allowed in and fires are prevented at all costs (disasterous b/c build up of organic matter), and park employees (poorly trained and underfunded) cannot implement many changes because they are governed by provincial and national laws. Even removing excess biomass so that the danger of fire decreases is not allowed.

This year has been a drought year so it is even more of a risk than usual. This is also true
because it is very hard to simulate a natural system and ensuring proper water levels go into each part of the park is immensely difficult and therefore sometimes unsuccessful. Additionally, community based resource management is a new and time consuming process, and no one is sure of its success yet. In the area it is a very tense issue. We had many great discussions as a group about these topics and how they relate to the larger picture, both in Vietnam and the world.

In the Field
Despite these challenges, Tram Chim (TCNP) is still an incredibly beautiful place. The park is bordered by canals and so we went around from area to area by boat. We were lucky - there was not too much mud in the grassland because of the dry season. Learning is best by experiencing. The open grasslands are incredible. They are a little sharp, so we had many scratches on our legs. However, they are very quiet - green and brown sways in the wind. The grasses are between a few inches to about 4 feet high. On the edges is melaluca forest, and the grass whistles in the breeze. It is very flat, but the colorful mosaic of different species reveals the soil composition and topography underneath. In the wet season almost the entire area is submerged and it becomes a small sea. It would be incredible to see how it once was (about 60 years ago) when it was at full size.

We saw a good number of wetland birds - many herons, egrets, kingfishers and other waders. Unfortunately, I was rarely fast enough to get a good photo, but they were beautiful. Also many fish in the water, and quite a few bugs!

We were also lucky enough to see the Sarus crane, an endangered species that is native to the area, nesting in Southern Vietnam and Cambodia. It was presumed extinct for 17 years, because during war time no one bothered to track it (sad). However, it is still alive and even though its numbers are dwindling, it still has a sustainable meta population (scientists believe). We drove out of the park to a nearby rice field, to watch the cranes (from about 300 meters away) through binoculars, telescopes and camera lenses. Not too many great photos but it was incredible to see 20 of them flap their wings and walk around together.

Learning By Doing
Under the watchful eye of Dr Nganffrom CTU we conducted field experiments - taking soil samples, water quality monitoring, and biomass sampling! Fun!! (ok i know i'm an environmental studies nerd).

We were separated into groups, and I think our group had the most fun! The water quality in an area that grew wild rice was fun, but time consuming. Since we were the first group, so we had a lot of trial and error. But it was fun, we managed not to inhale most of the reagent powder... We also did soil sampling in an area for of euleocharis (food for the saurus crane). The sediment was a thick black goo that had a "sulphuric" smell (of decaying organic matter) which was a bit messy. The grasses were incredibly high and the soil was incredibly squishy.

The final test was for biomass of lotus blossoms. Lotus are beautiful flowers (used for tea, food, thread) but their stems are spiky- ouch! We slid (flopped) into chest high water and stuck large bamboo poles in the water to make a small quadrat. Our next step was to dive to the bottom and cut the lotus at the roots. The water was brown, and vwery turbid - and the soil was slimy. I was glad I was wearing pants, shoes and a long sleeve shirt to protect myself against the prickers. It was pretty intense and a bit crazy. Some cool pics of us looking hardcore. Everyone had a pretty good time doing the field tests.

Fun Times All Around
We stayed at a guest house the first and third night. The guesthouse was run by the park rangers and was pretty nice. We each had our own mosquito netting, and quite the time putting it up. The boys all had bright pink nets, hence we refered to their room as the princess room. The first night there was a HUGE tokay gecko (blue and orange and makes a boise that sounds like tokay!) running around. It was awesome. Unfortunately it wasnt too smart bc it ran really hard into the cieling and fell off the wall - almost on to Nick's bed. It did regain its composure quite quickly though and ran off. Sooo cute!!!!!!!!!!!

The second night we camped out under mosquito netting (though the bugs werent bad) on a platform in themiddle of the park. It was super fun. Watched dinner (snakehead fish) be prepared (stab a wooden piece through it) and cooked (in a bonfire). Enjoyed fish in the make-your-own-springroll style (with rice paper, rice noodles and herbs) along with rice porridge, field mouse (yum! tastes like gamey chicken, but a bit bony) and copious amounts of rice wine. Besides taking shots to one another, we also did "50-50" and then played a game, where we would sing back and forth between Westerners and Vietnamese. At first the game was if you sang with the person whose turn it was to sing, you had to drink. Then the game became if you sing you drink, if you dont sing you still drink. Surprisingly, did not get too messy.

All night we heard the call and response songs of many different kinds of birds, frogs, bugs and children. There was even a real rooster at 4 am. In the morning (most people did not sleep well) we watched sunrise from the guard tower. It was incredible, the whole area was covered in mist. The sun was red from the dust, and it was quieter than the night before. As we stared out over Tram Chim a flock of Sarus Cranes flew by - incredible! The birds are huge - up to 1.7 m in height and 3 m in wingspan!

As we continue to travel, we continue to become better and better friends. We play lots of games, and have lots of bonding time. This trip we pranked the boys - first with a 4 am alarm set to the sound of a rooster. We also stole thier clothes, stuffed them with blankets and gave Nick a new friend! Unfortunately, the boys were more confused than impressed at our antics, though they certainly amused Gaby, Ellen and I. They did get us back by locking us into our rooms one morning (putting a lock on the outside of the door) but they unlocked it so that we could be on time for breakfast. We can only hope that this will escalate.... Our trip continues to be incredible and we continue to learn more and more things every day. The Tram Chim trip was really an opportunity to do scientific field work. bond and learn more about environmental politics. It is crazy that we only have two more weeks left in Can Tho! So much happens everyday and I love all of it!