Beyond Halong Bay

Halong Bay

A World Heritage site for 18 years, Halong Bay is a stunning collection of limestone islands  jutting up in the ocean.

Also stunning, though in a bad way, are the sheer numbers of tourists out there. There were literally hundreds of us, on dozens of boats, jostling for space. Sea Kayaking was fraught with the risk of being run down by a speed boat. A cave exploration was brief, to keep on schedule. A beach visit was crowded, the water definitely too cold (and too polluted) for a swim.

Sea Kayaking

Granite Cave

Volleyball on a beach

Halong Bay is naturally beautiful in spite of the hordes, and the boat I stayed on was great, with good food and a really rather posh bedroom with ensuite bathroom. But I was very happy to spend a second day out on the sea, travelling to the far less crowded Lan Ha Bay.

Lan Ha Bay

Here, the karsts had white beaches and almost zero tourists. I was with a group of seven other people, and we didn't see another group of foreigners until we hit Cat Ba town for the night.

Beach in Lan Ha Bay

Fishermen in Lan Ha Bay

On the way, we got to explore Monkey Island, spotting half a dozen of the eponymous residents before climbing up a jagged granite path for great views from the top of the island.

Monkey Island beach

View from top of Monkey Island

Monkeys!

More Monkey!

Then it was on Cat Ba National Park, and a jaunty bike ride through hills and fields to a local village.

Cycling through Cat Ba National Park

Local kids

Cat Ba National Park

We stayed the night in Cat Ba Town, which had numerous hotels and bars. Then the next morning, we got to enjoy a leisurely, if a bit chilly, four hour boat ride back to Halong City to catch a bus back to Hanoi.

Oyster & Mussel farms

To anyone thinking of visiting this area, I highly recommend adding on a visit to Cat Ba National Park and Lan Ha Bay. It was a far better opportunity to appreciate this incredible landscape.

Karst Islands

Oi Gioi Oi! Hanoi!

Old Town Hanoi

The old town in Vietnam's capital city is a seething mass of motorbikes, street food, shops, peasant fruit sellers, cobblers, knife-sharpeners, and tourists. It felt like everything was for sale, with entire streets are dedicated to specific items like shoes or bags. That tradition dates back to the 13th century, when the 36 guilds in Hanoi each took a different road to ply their products.

Street Food

I spent my first 24 hours in this city just wandering around, slurping down bowlfuls of delicious food wherever I went. There was the Bun Cha Nem Cua Be Dac Kim, grilled pork patties, noodles, fresh herbs, and crab spring rolls. And Banh Ghoi, fried pastries stuffed with vermicelli, mushrooms and pork. And Bun Oc, the traditional snail noodle soup. And Bun Bo Nam Bo, beef and noodles and garlic and bean sprouts and lemongrass and green mango. All so very tasty.

Alleyway

Every inch of pavement is taken up, with armies of hawkers, street-food cooks, banana sellers, massage purveyors, beer-drinkers, tea-slurpers and fellow pedestrians. Not to mention the people eating at all hours perched on tiny children's stools, the piles of hot coals and cooking paraphenalia, the baskets of vegetables and the rows of parked motorbikes vying for space. This means you have to walk in the street, hoping the motos or buses don't knock you over. It is exhilarating, overwhelming and terrifying all at once.

Shoe shop street?

I could have spent a week just getting lost in the hustle and bustle of the old town, but as I only had two days, I quickly pottered round some of the sights as well. I didn't go to see Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum, where "Uncle Ho" himself is on display, preserved in a glass sarcophagus. But I did go to see the Temple of Literature, a Confucian temple where huge groups of local debutantes and graduates dressed in traditional ao dai gather for group photos.

Photo shoot at the Temple of Literature

I also took a tour of the "Hanoi Hilton" prison, the old French colonial jail where John McCain and other US pilots were kept during the Vietnam war. McCain's flight suit is actually still there, on display.

"Hanoi Hilton"

And finally, I woke up at 8am on Sunday morning to catch a 9:30am showing of the ancient Vietnamese art of water puppetry.

Water Puppetry

For at least a thousand years, rice farmers put on shows like this in their rice paddies. Now, you can see modern puppeteers maintain the art form at the Municipal Water Puppet Theatre in Hanoi. Here's a little of what it looks like.


Water Puppets from Tina Cone on Vimeo.

The puppeteers hide behind the green screen until the grand finale, when they pop out to greet the crowd.

Water Puppeteers

Hanoi was well worth a visit, for the bustling streets, the beautiful crafts, the historic sights, the puppet show. But most especially, for the food. I just wish I brought elasticated pants.

Oi Gioi Oi! (roughly translated, it means OMG!)

Little Trouble in Big China

Tai Chi in the park

This was my first trip to China, indeed my first trip to East Asia, and I was surprised by how difficult I found it. This had far more to do with me, and my own shortcomings, than with China. I didn't speak the language, I couldn't even read the language, and I was unprepared for how few people speak any English. I also struggled with the difference between my image of China, and the reality, often finding the cultural gap more like a chasm.

Traffic in Beijing

A friend of mine once said that New Yorkers place such extraordinary value on their personal and public space because they have so very little of it. I found the same to be true in London; people in both cities visibly react whenever someone violates the code of acceptable social behavior. Even relatively small infractions like cutting in line or eating smelly food on the subway produces disgust, or even open anger.

Train conductor

This is not the case however in China. As a product of current Western urban sensibility, I found the lack of personal/public space awareness astonishing and in some cases, just plain gross. I lost count of the number of people I saw and heard coughing up giant loogies and spitting them on the street. Even worse, I also lost count of the number of people leaning over on the sidewalk, closing up one nostril, and sending a flabbergasting amount of phlegm streaming out of the other. Hundreds of people coughed or sneezed on me without covering their mouths. One woman sharing a sleeper train carriage with me decided to cut her nails, sending the remnants flying all over my pillow. Another train-mate held her months-old baby over the trash can instead of taking him to the toilet, resulting in streams of pee all over the carpet. I saw a different child on the same journey squatting down in the train aisle to take a dump. Everywhere I went, the concept of queuing was non-existent; people just shoved their way to the front of line regardless of the children/invalids/pensioners in front of them. Cars, motorbikes and bicycles all routinely ignore traffic lanes, speed limits and even street direction, making crossing the street an act of faith. When I was growing up, the phrase "chew with your mouth closed" was almost as common as "get your elbows off the table". But in China, lip-smacking and soup-slurping is unremarkable, and surprisingly loud.

These are all of course, my problems. Nobody in China seemed upset/disgusted/perturbed by anything I saw, and indeed why should they be? I fully acknowledge that my issues were just that. MY issues. Not China's issues, mine. I relay them here in the interests of full disclosure only.

Wedding Pictures in Xi'an

And just in case I sound too much like someone who just spent months in utter misery, sitting in polluted air, in grimy cities, surrounded by rude people, let me share some of the other memories that pop to mind thinking back on the trip. There was the evening in Xi'an, when I got to play ping-pong with an old Chinese man who spoke zero English and trounced me solidly. There were the local people out in the parks at all hours, or on street corners, learning ballroom dancing moves, or practicing sword techniques, or playing dominoes. There were the daily Tai Chi lessons that I relished every morning with a Chinese doctor on the river boat. There were the couples I saw everywhere, decked out in their wedding finery, getting their pre-nuptial pictures taken, sometimes months before the actual event. There was the free ride a cabin-mate on the sleeper train journey from Kashgar to Urumqi gave me to my hotel. There were the kids who yelled "Hallo!" and "How are you?" and even "I love you!", before dissolving into giggles. There were the dozens of fascinating fellow travellers I met on the road, and the delicious food I ate, and the incredible sights I was privileged to see.

Zaijian China, and xie xie.

Kids in Karst country

Sino-Signos

One of the things I really struggled with in China was the language barrier. Not being able to read a language or even able to translate it in a dictionary, was a new and disorienting experience for me. Fortunately, I encountered some signs in English that cheered me up immensely, if unintentionally.

Sounds like the nicest toilet ever

I made sure to resist Superstition at the zoo

Explosive reaction guaranteed?

I thought this was adorable

Necessities?

Suck it, France

I could get used to being "your excellency"

No janitors I guess

Looks so tasty

Good advice in general

The Tina Literary Supplement (#2)

While I was driving around the USA, I couldn't read much. At least, not without endangering everyone else on the road. But I did listen to a few great audiobooks, including Simon Schama's The American Future and History of Britain III, Ron Chernow's Alexander Hamilton, Rachel Maddow's Drift, Cormac McCarthys' All the Pretty Horses and Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett's Good Omens.

And while those audiobooks were brilliant, and saved my brain from atrophy, it is nice to once more be in a position to spend lots and lots of time waiting around. And therefore lots and lots of time reading. I'll spare you the details of all the pulpy romance novels that I'm still addicted to, and skip straight to the proper literature I've enjoyed since leaving for China in October.

When a Billion Chinese Jump, Jonathan Watts
As I've mentioned previously on this blog, this book is an absolutely brilliant look at China's environmental history, region by region. I keep re-reading it, it is that good!

The Secret Piano: From Mao's Labor Camps to Bach's Goldberg Variations, Zhu Xiao-Mei
The Cultural Revolution only ended 35 years ago, and the story of this talented pianist who managed to overcome the obstacles that it placed in her way was fascinating.

Spillover: Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic, David Quammen
Scary but incredibly informative and readable tome explaining just how our relationship with animals, wildlife and the environment intertwines with new and deadly diseases.

Half the Sky, Nicholas Kristof & Sheryl WuDunn
A heartbreaking but hopeful look at women's lives around the planet, and how empowering women makes everyone's lives better.

1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus, Charles C. Mann
A well-researched look at the pre-European Americas, that hopefully dispels for once and for all the old canard that native cultures were "primitive" and the land was all wilderness.

Birdseye: The Adventures of a Curious Man, Mark Kurlansky
Birsdeye of fish finger fame was real, who knew? Kurlansky did, and gives an insightful portrait of the enthusiastic and eccentric man who became the father of modern frozen food.

Swamplandia!, Karen Russell
I never knew Florida could be portrayed magically and whimsically. But this fictional account of a family alligator wrestling troupe proved me wrong.

Apocalypse Z: The Beginning of the End, Manuel Loureiro
I'm a sucker for a good zombie book, and this blog turned novel from Spanish writer Loureiro did not disappoint. Two severed and semi-nibbled thumbs up.

The King of Kahel, Tierno Monénembo
Wonderfully written book based loosely on the real life of a Frenchman who attempted a one man colonization of the author's homeland in the 19th century. Definitely stranger than fiction.

Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage, Alfred Lansing
All I really knew about Shackleton before reading this was that his abandoned whiskey supply was recently unearthed in Antarctica. Lansing's book filled in the rest very nicely!

The Greenhouse, Audur Ava Olafsdottir
Delightful novel following a young Icelandic gardener as he leaves home to pursue his dream of restoring a famous and neglected rose garden.

On the Cold Coasts, Vilborg Davidsdottir
Another Icelandic novel, this time set in the 15th century, focusing on one unmarried mother's personal journey while her country struggles against foreign and religious controls.

The Buddha in the Attic, Julie Otsuka
Wonderful novel, written in the plural voices, documenting the trials of Japanese so-called "picture brides" who were imported to the United States last century.

Thirst, Andrei Gelasimov
A Russian book that follows the fictional life of a young veteran, disfigured after a tank explosion.  Powerful stuff.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, Ransom Riggs
Gorgeous book using real vintage photos to paint a magical story about an orphanage of unique and gifted kids. I would love to read this again in hard copy.

Emperor Mollusk versus The Sinister Brain, A. Lee Martinez
Snarky sci-fi novel about an intelligent overlord from Neptune. It missed the mark a few times but was generally pretty good rib-tickling fun.

Breakfast of Champions: A Novel, Kurt Vonnegut
Another wonderful Vonnegut adventure, featuring Kilgore Trout and a mad midwestern car dealer. Thoroughly enjoyable as always.

The Gods of Gotham, Lyndsay Faye
This was recommended to me by a publisher I met in Pingyao, and it was great! A murder mystery set in 19th century New York; it made me want to learn how to speak "flash" immediately.

The Snow Child: A Novel, Eowyn Ivey
Another great recommendation, this novel plays off a Russian fairy-tale in early 20th century Alaska. Wonderfully evocative and poignant.

The Graveyard Book, Neil Gaiman
The hilarious and touching story of Nobody Owens, a boy who lives in a graveyard. Neil Gaiman is fast becoming one of my favorite authors.

Those are the books got me across China. Next on my reading list?

Vietnam: Rising Dragon, Bill Hayton
First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers, Loung Ung
River Of Time, Jon Swain
Burma/Myanmar: What Everyone Needs to Know, David I. Steinberg
The River of Lost Footsteps, Thant Myint-u
Everything Is Broken, Emma Larkin
Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions, Gloria Steinem
The Horse Boy: A Father's Quest to Heal His Son, Rupert Isaacson
Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, death and hope in a Mumbai undercity, Katharine Boo

Bring on the waiting around!

Karst Earth

My final stop in China was one of my favorites, even though it rained for 80% of my stay. Even misty and drizzly, the countryside around Yangshuo, in Guangxi Province, is breathtaking.

Guangxi Province

The jagged limestone formations, the meandering Yulong river, the fresh air and full fields all combined to make this area one of the most pleasant places I visited in China.

Karsts & Fields

Hundreds of tourists take bamboo rafts down the Yulong river every day, travelling the same way that locals have for centuries. I stayed on (relatively) dry land but thoroughly enjoyed watching the rest of the world float by.

Yulong River

Bamboo rafts

A bicycle was my main mode of transport around the neighborhood. I was soaked through and covered in mud for the first few days. I also managed to get repeatedly lost, ending up off road, pushing my bike along narrow farmer paths through rice paddies. And I loved every second of it.

Chickens

One man and his water buffalo

The day I left, it was finally sunny. So I spent my last few hours back in the bike saddle, meandering around the local villages. A wonderful way to end my visit.

That's a Big Buddha

Grand Buddha, Leshan, Sichuan Province

The biggest Buddha in the world was carved out of a cliff face in Leshan over a thousand years ago. It was the brainchild of an 8th century monk, who thought that a statue placed at the confluence of the Min and Dadu rivers would make the shipping passage safer. And apparently that's exactly what happened after the Buddha was built. Though that was probably due to the rubble created by the construction changing the flow of the water, rather than divine intervention.

Grand Buddha's torso

The Grand Buddha, or Dafo as he is known in Chinese, definitely lives up to his name. He is 233 ft tall, his shoulders are 92 ft wide, his ears are 23 ft long and his big toes are even longer - stretching out for 28 ft each. Remarkably, Dafo has been sitting here for 1200 years, thanks in part to an ingenious drainage system built by his creators. But it isn't perfect, and thanks to weathering and pollution, the statue has needed extensive renovation in recent decades.

Grand Buddha crotch shot

A single file path down the cliff face allows you to see the Buddha from gargantuan head to giant toe, but even in late November, it was swarming with tourists. Fortunately, just a few hundred meters away, on an ancient cliff road following the river, it was possible to find some much needed solitude and serenity.

Haoshang Bridge

Following the path away from the Grand Buddha, I crossed the beautiful Haoshang Bridge, huffed my way up a steep forest path for thirty minutes, and arrived at the nearly deserted Wuyou Temple. There, I had a lovely time wandering unbothered through the monastery and its immaculate gardens.

Exiting the Haoshang Bridge

What I cherished most about this trip around Leshan was not the sights, though they were very impressive, but rather something I hadn't even known that I missed. Peace & Quiet. For one of the first times in months, I heard birds that weren't in cages. I heard the rustle of forest trees. I heard the rush of the river. I did not hear car horns, or tourists gabbling, or hawkers shouting hallo. It was an unexpected, and truly appreciated, moment of bliss.

Wuyou Temple