Goodbye Nepal, Hello Vietnam!
Assigned to e.apt.d...@gmail.com by me
Eric Apt-Dudfield
Goodbye Nepal, Hello Vietnam!
Selected Photos: https://plus.google.com/photos/107217323667214807000/albums/5944809200722895777?authkey=CJ-Zq8iD5LST2QE
All photos: https://plus.google.com/photos/107217323667214807000/albums/5944805287469348769?authkey=CNrmq6zr1_mBqwE
Sin chow (Hello!) from Vietnam! We arrived here to Hanoi last Monday (11/4) and are already enjoying ourselves thoroughly! But before delving into details, we wanted to share a few more observations/thoughts about Nepal with you…
Nepali language essentials:
Namaste- Hello!
Bye- Goodbye!
Danyabhad- Thank you!
Mitosa- Delicious!
Suba bihani/ratri- Good morning/night!
Currency: Nepali Rupee, ~ 100rp/ US dollar (easy!)
Kate’s public health observations: Aside from the Himalayan Rescue Association staffed by volunteer foreign doctors during the peak trekking season, we didn’t have any direct contact with health care providers in the region. I did however make a few observations. I was glad to see some small clinics established in a few of the larger, lower elevation villages we passed through, but on the whole it wasn’t obvious that healthcare was easily accesible, and it’s hard to know the extent of services those clinics we saw were able to provide. Also, this general region is likely more well connected and wealthy than other Nepali districts without nearly so much tourism…I have no doubt there is serious room for improvement in access to care for most Nepalis. As an passerby, I wasn’t privy to the meriad of potential neglected health conditions, but I did observe:
1) a number of elderly women with extreme osteoporosis of the back leading to total forward bending while standing
2) many, many kids EVERYWHERE- access to birth control may be an issue. We even met two cute Nepali brothers who were 10 months apart in age- yikes! (So far, this is very different from here in Vietnam where kids are not ubiquitous, though we are in an urban area and we just learned there is a strict 2 child policy in this country)
3) People generally seem to have very labor intensive work that exposes them to the elements for their entire lives too- hard on the body I’m sure.
That said, we did also make some really positive public health observations:
1) a group of young kids returning home with books and tooth brushes in hand after what appeared to be a children’s workshop on tooth hygiene
2) many, many Nepalis brushing their teeth, and beautiful smiles of full, healthy teeth- unlike some places in the world where golden caps or missing teeth are the norm
3)signs in certain villages advertising “open defecation free zone” and “we are proud of our toilets”- signs of improving sanitation
4)multiple public water spigots dispersed in every village we crossed, extremely well used and functional, it seemed collecting water from streams was a thing of the past- though public washing and bathing in them is still common (of course it is very possible this running water supply comes from the nearest stream).
Our brief Nepal bike tour in retrospect: Although our bike tour didn’t meet our initial grandiose expectations, we are still content with what we accomplished. In those 7 days we were able to get off the tourist track, to get our first glimpses of the Himalayas, to observe Nepalis living and working in both urban and rural settings, to see the countryside, to stay with a local family, to stay in a hotel of local standards, to eat and drink in local eateries, and to challenge ourselves physically. It was a sort of “mini adventure” that gave us insights into Nepal we would never have had otherwise, and we’re glad we did it. It also made us realize even a short cycle tour can be a very rewarding way to visit a new place- no need to cycle across the whole country (although I’m sure that’s interesting too!).
After hiking for a month, we’ve also realized that one month stints of adventures suit us well. It’s enough time to really get into a rhythm, but also to see a lot. It also is enough time to have highs, push through lows, and feel good and ready to move onto the next thing. So in that vein, we feel really good about having spent 6 weeks in Nepal (4 weeks hiking) and moving onto our next adventure of about 6 weeks in Southeast Asia!
Because of timing (we’re meeting Kate’s family in Bangkok for a holiday trip to Thailand and also to Maj’s birthplace, Kodaikanal, India), we’ve decided to begin our SE Asia adventure in Hanoi, Vietnam, instead of Kunming, China. It was not going to be realistic to cycle from southwestern China to Thailand in one month- and the cost of the visas for China for a visit of less than 2 weeks was too high after all. We were somewhat disappointed to have to change these plans, but we are excited that our new route will take us through Laos- a country we hadn’t originally anticipated visiting,and we’ve heard GREAT things about it. We will begin cycling from Hanoi tomorrow, headed Northwest, towards the Chinese border and upper hill country which is supposed to be gorgeous. Then we will head Southwest towards Laos. We should make it to the Laos/Thailand border (if all goes well!) by early December. With time to get to Bangkok by December 13th. This route also gives us a nice buffer, as a Thai railway runs from Laos to Bangkok, in the event our travels are slowed. We are so looking forward to getting on our bikes for the next month! We have a good feeling this will be a more “successful” venture…and other cyclists have blogged parts of this route to show it’s definitely possible!
A few last photos from Nepal are in the intro of the last album- including Swayambunath “Monkey Temple”- really amazing! Thanks Luke for the tip!
Now back to our VIETNAM INTRODUCTION:
So we already arrived to Hanoi about 1 week ago, and took a couple days to explore the city. We took a thrilling bike ride through the motorbike-choked streets of Hanoi…it actually looks scarier than it is. It was a great way to see places and street scenes further afield than we would’ve on foot. In Hanoi everything seems to happen on the wide city sidewalks: motorbike parking, mini chairs and tables for eating/drinking tea, selling goods, markets, playing games. We also really like how the city is dotted with small lakes that are popular spots for locals to relax, play (roller skating, break dancing, bad mitton), and do daily calisthenics routines.
We then took a few days to visit the famous Karst islands of Cat Ba and Halong Bay via bus ride, then boat. A very touristy trip, but fascinatingly beautiful landscape and nice to be on the ocean!
While in Cat Ba we sampled the tourists activities. We first took a cruise of the bay to view the awesome limestone karsts dotting the bay. We were also able to see fishing villages made up of hundered of floating homes, whose families make their livelihoods farming fish on the water. Apparently over 5,000 people live on the water just near the shores of Catba Island alone! What an amazing/cramped lifestyle! (See album).
We also spent a really fun day climbing the limestone crags and towers in the bay. A unique feature of the gently overhanging rock is that it allows climbing directly from the boat. Climb as high as you want, jump in, get back on the boat and do again. There are lots of bolted routes and much potential for weeks of climbing for those interested. However, the need for a daily boat rental to reach much of the climbing makes it more of an expensive tourist diversion ($50+ per day for the boat) than a destination climbing area.
The island was also a great place to practice our fledging motorbike skills. The roads are wide and quiet, the bikes struggle to get above 25mph and with only two roads, near impossible to get lost. We still intend to travel by bicycle, motorbikes are merely two-wheeled diversions. The risk inherent in motorcyling is obvious to both of us so we plan to limit any future riding.
We’ll try to keep you posted on the next cycling leg of our adventure sooner rather than later, but we’re not entirely sure of internet access points along the way!
Happy Thanksgiving!
DONATION UPDATE:
In light of the recent trajedy of Typhoon Haiyan in the Phillipines, instead of donating to an organization here in Vietnam, we’ve decided to donate to International Rescue Committee. This is a highly rated international aid organization that has sent an emergency aid team to the area. Fortunately, the typhoon was downgraded to a tropical storm by the time it reached Vietnam, and we only experienced some heavy rain here and have heard few reports of any further damage (we DID, however, get to see the “parade” of fishing boats on the coast heading in for safe harbor- very interesting).
As intended, we have also made a donation to an organization in Southern India: Maher. Our good friend Mikaela Keepin regularly volunteers with them and she has nothing but good to report. Founded by a nun who saw the need for safe shelter for abused women, the organization has now provided safe shelter, education, and skills training to over 4000 women and children.