Berry's SEAJ trip Day 2: Finding religion while losing our mind (6/7/15)

Today I went on the tour that I booked through the hostel that combined the Cao Dai temple visit and the Cu Chi tunnels. First was the temple. Cao Dai is a blended religion that draws from Buddhism, Confusiousism, and Christianity.

Berry is all about learning about all these different cultures/religions. Their temple being so colorful/pretty doesnt hurt.

Even though the area was relatively dry for what I was expecting, they had some well maintained and beautiful gardens.

The grand entrance to the Cao Dai grounds. Only certain vehicles were allowed to enter the gates (most of the vehicles were scooters)

The actual entrance gate at the end of the long walk with a rainbow fountain pyramid. 

Men and women had to enter at opposite sides. We also had to leave our sandals outside (finding your shoes after was like a needle in a haystack).

Walkway along the right side of the temple. So many colors, I think a rainbow would be jealous.

At the "Alter" and there are dragons, lanterns, and other decorations in various colors.

Front look of the alter with the all seeing eye on the orb. Us plebes were not allowed to walk in the middle so all the shots are from an angle.

Berry wanted to play the gong bell but I told him that probably wasnt the best idea (boys will be boys).

View of the living quarters from the back of the temple. Parts of this compound seemed cultish but to each their own.

Side entrance with spiral staircases to get up to the second floor landing. If you couldnt tell by now, this temple is very ornate/colorful.

Long view of the temple floor with praying practitioners.

I believe this was a artistic representation showing the formation of Cao Dai with the 3 founders collaborating to make their rules.

Temple is in session. Their ceremony was essentially a giant music festival with a band near us helping lead the chants. 

We get there about 30 minutes before the service is to begin, which allows us time to explore the temple and the massive compound. After walking through the temple, I walk around outside and meet one of the Daiist with whom I sit and chat for 5-10 minutes. His English is pretty good, and the old man keeps bringing more of his fellow followers to talk  to me and hang out until it is time for service. The temple was beautiful and the service was cool with the monks? Chanting continuously and a group up in the rafters playing instruments along with it. After the temple we head to lunch, which is not the kind of place I would have gone normally on this trip (was a little expensive for the kind of food offered but I guess that's how they offer the low prices for the tours, making you eat at certain places). After that, we headed towards the Cu Chi tunnels.

Berry was done with religion, so we moved to history. This is a map at the entrance of the Cu Chi Tunnel grounds.

This guy was crawling around our first stopping point. Cool little millipede just hanging out.

Our first stop was an overview of the construction and use of the tunnels. Berry was very interested in this diagram of the tunnels and their arrangement underground. Apparently these tunnel systems had rooms for living, eating, hospital, etc. Also had traps set in various places. Quite spectacular.

Berry doesnt want to go down there. I dont blame him. This was one such trap that would have been found in the tunnels. Ground just disappears from under you then BAM! spike! No bueno!

I am a little bigger than normal but these entrances/exits from the tunnels were ridiculous tiny. No one else would try in my group so I tried to fit in. As you can see, I am a sardine.

I should probably start worrying about Berry. He keeps finding these tanks to ride. This tank was destroyed.

The entrance to the "Americanized" end of the tunnel. Even this one was too narrow for my shoulders (without turning on my side and worming my way in). They only get more narrow from here so Berry and I decide to depart.

Was a pretty cool thing to see, as you learn about the ground making the tunnels possible because its so hard, learn about the tunnel system and how they lived down there and how they were able to use it to their advantage. There is also a tunnel they widened (Western sized tunnel) that I tried to go through but at the entrance my shoulders got wedged in there and I didn't want to crawl 20-100 m so I just got out and said screw it. I cant imagine what it must have been like to be a tunnel rat (the American troops who were trained to go down there) during the war. One example when bigger is not better. We then returned to the hostel where I found a nearby bahn mi place and had my free beers. After the beers, I did some trip planning and packed my bag as tomorrow I begin a 3 day tour of the Mekong delta area. My euro to US adapter got stuck in the outlet so I went and bought an all in 1 adapter. Turns out I only used it once I got to Singapore cause all the places in SEA had general outlets that would easily take US and Euro plugs without needing an adapter.

Berry's SEAJ trip Day 1: Tour of HCMC/Saigon, Vietnam (6/6/15)

***First let me introduce you to my travel companion for this trip, Berry. Berry is the stuffed animal of a good friend's daughter who asked me to take one of her animals to travel the world then donate him to a girl overseas that could benefit from having a stuffed animal (a request that most adults wouldnt even think of let alone an 8 year old kid). So Berry will be traveling through South East Asia and Japan with me on this trip before he moves on. So follow along as we keep each other company on this epic journey of a lifetime.***

Woke up at 6am and couldn't get back to sleep, so I went down to formally check in (night before was the security guard/janitor who gave me the key but I had to check in with the staff the following day) and get some ideas as to what I should do in the upcoming days. After grabbing breakfast (typical hostel breakfast of bread with eggs and maybe some veggies) I booked a tour of the Cu Chi tunnels for the following day so I had this day to explore HCMC. Fortunately for me, there happened to be a free walking tour put on by Adam Priestley – a history teacher in HCMC who runs the Trails and Tales group in HCMC. He was incredibly knowledgeable and put on a great tour of many of the nearby sites in the city. The tour almost didn't happen as when we met at the coffee shop to start, there was a giant deluge (first day and already monsoon rains – not a good sign). Fortunately for us, it subsided right before we decided to just sit in the coffee shop and for him to give us a virtual tour of the city (his walking tour was much better than any sit and talk tour could ever be)

My first and really only "monsoon" experience. I think it gets much worse than this as this was akin to a Houston downpour - 30 mins of heavy rain then open sky after.

Scooters EVERYWHERE!!!!! seriously it is as much a part of their culture as driving a car around America. Just walk purposefully and in a straight line to not die.

This is a street sign. This is why foreigners who try to ride scooters in this country without being comfortable on a bike are always bandaged up everywhere. But lets be honest, you know there are people in that right lane taking a left too. :)

We were in a giant round about. Some older buildings in the foreground with the giant modern skyscraper in the background.

One of the first stops of the walking tour - hindu temple. First introduction into religious temples in SEA

Top shrine of the hindu temple with many gods sitting atop it. Many colors used. Very decorative.

This, my friends, is the aforementioned Berry. He wanted to check out the Hindu temple too. 

Berry getting a picture with one of his besties. 

Beautiful flowers in a promenade in front of the city hall building.

The city's namesake, Ho Chi Minh, in front of the impressive city hall. 

Berry wanted to give the main man a high five, so I let him.

Berry checking out the Opera hall. Beautiful french colonial architecture. Like many of the older buildings in the city.

Berry has seen religious temples of various religions already. Busy day.

Old train station. Weird color but still beautiful. 

Inside was every more pretty than the outside. 

The Reunification Palace of HCMC. Was setting up for a party on the green. The grounds also had old war tanks around the perimeter. Friendly reminder not to mess with their city.

Berry and I were thirsty so we got some fresh squeezed cane sugar and lime drinks. Very tasty.

Believe this was a Buddhist shrine on a street corner. People came to pray and do their thing. 

Tour was over by ~noon and had some time to kill before the war remnants museum reopened after lunch (most places seemed to shut down over lunch over there) so I ducked into an alleyway and wound up ordering a bowl of pork Pho (at least that's what I think it was – I just found a place where people were eating, sat down on the little plastic chairs, and asked for 1 of whatever they were having) that was tasty but I don't understand how they eat hot soup in the middle of the day (or at any time for that matter) when it is ~97F.

Berry wanted hot-ass soup on a hot-ass day. WHY??!?! It was tasty and my first experience (of many) on the trip of SEA street food. Was delicious even though the exchange to order the soup was labored.

After eating, I went to the War Remnants museum and had my first experience with the unrelenting hawkers that would plague my time in Vietnam. I had 10-15 minutes to kill before it opened, and this driver kept asking me if I wanted him to take me to some nearby temple or something like that, I said no and he proceeds to keep trying to sell it by talking about the temple, and how its close, etc. and I keep saying no. Eventually he leaves me alone but then his friend comes over and tries to sell me a coconut. Luckily he stopped after the first no.

Berry wanted to know where to go so we checked out the map. Then on to explore the museum. 

After lunch, waited for the War remnants museum to open. We got in and Berry goes straight to the artillery. Tanks, Choppers, mortars, etc. littered the grounds. Was a great place to visit. 

I dont know why but both Berry and I love the Chinook. Good call my friend!

No Berry you cant play in there. (this was in the torture part of the museum).

Overcompensation much?

In front of a building with so much pain and suffering from over the years, Berry couldnt help but smell the beautiful flowers. 

Part of the museum had this information about the number of bombs we dropped in Laos. We dropped more bombs in Laos (a country we were not at war with) than any other country ever. Many of these bombs didnt explode. Today there are many non-profits that scour the jungles trying to find/deactivate bombs.

Museum opened up and I walked around it. It is essentially a photographic history of the war (was sponsored by some American companies) and the detrimental effects of agent orange, both back then and currently with its ability to alter genetics for the worse. Was very somber walking around that place, and kinda amazing to think that this had happened between 40-50 years ago and yet there are no lingering hostilities towards us or about the war that I could see/feel. Went back to hostel to recharge and find rooftop bars to watch the sunset. Went with Ally the Englishman whom I met in the hostel to a nearby hotel to watch sunset.

After a long day of walking around the city, the 2 of us decided to have a local beer and enjoy the night lights of the city at a bar near the hostel. (The other drink is actually a friend from the hostel, not Berry's)

Unfortunately, the clouds stomped that out, so we just chilled and talked about our travels over some beers before returning to the hostel to get our free drinks (they give 2 free drinks between 7-8pm for all who stay there). After that, we and some other travelers went to the street behind the hostel which is full of bars/restaurants with tons of “patio” seating (little plastic chairs expanding onto the sidewalk so you could watch people walk by and chill in the street) where we stopped at one, had some beers and then I bailed early to grab a bite to eat and then get to bed ~11pm as the traveling left me weary.

Berry's SEAJ trip Day 0: Journey to a land far, far away (6/3-5/15)

My backpack for my next 2-3 months in Asia. 

Initial flight was booked to leave on the 3rd however it was over booked by 20+ people so I got bumped (volunteered and got a 700$ voucher so essentially the flight was paid for :) ). Before leaving the airport, I got a seat assigned on the same flight for the following day as to not have this happen 2 days in a row. They also kept my bag so I didn't have to recheck it the next day which was nice. So after settling all that I went back to the parents house and hung out in the pool. The next day we repeated everything, though this time I got on the plane without any problems. They also gave me a economy plus seat because of the day before so I had ample leg room which was great since the flight was ~13h (to Narita). On the flight I watched the 3rd Hobbit movie, American Sniper, Guardians of the Galaxy, Into the woods, and Birdman. They were good movies, however that meant I also didn't get much, if any, sleep. Arrived in Japan and walked around the airport a bit until my next flight and noticed that Narita has many Duty free shops scattered all around the terminal (guess most airports do). One cool thing is the airport has many artistic displays around that gives the terminal some character and gives you something to look at other than the normal airport scene of people sitting in chairs and gates. Stopped and had a bowl of beef udon before the next flight. On this next flight, I fell asleep for a little bit once or twice as the day of travel had caught up with me. Once we landed in Ho Chi Minh City, I got my bag (I found out that if you check a hydration bag, it will make it – apparently no bag is too small to check) and quickly made it through customs and immigration (a benefit of arriving ~11pm). Since I was getting in late, I arranged with my hostel for a pickup for a few extra dollars than finding my own cab (17$ instead of 10 or so). It worked out nicely as they had a sign for me and I didn't have to work through the crowd and potentially have to pay more than that from one of the bad cabs. In the 10-15 minute drive to the hostel, I realized that I was in a different land; mopeds/scooters everywhere (probably more than we have cars in Houston) with everyone driving in an organized chaos that I would see more and more of in the coming weeks. After checking into the hostel (hideout hostel), I unpacked a little bit and took a shower before getting some sleep.

Eurotrip 2013 Overview of Countries

Austria: I found Austria to be beautiful (though could have been more so without the constant drizzle and looming clouds) and would love to go back to explore more of the cities I was in and the smaller cities around the country. Vienna seemed to be more modern with various modes of public transportation and a 21st century city skyline. Salzburg was very different, as it seems to stick more to its historic roots; limited but good public transit and the city still struck me as an old-timey village (which I liked). The only maps I could find (granted I didn't look very hard) in S were the hard maps at the bus stops, there were no paper maps to take with you so you can find your way later. I already mentioned how much I loved S for the castle on high, but one of the other reasons the city is great to visit is they have the Salzburg Card (I think you may have to order it before you go there but check on that) which is like a city pass allowing you access to all kinds of attractions and the public transport; essentially if you are going to S you need to get said card. Both hostels were great with the one in S (Yoho) showing Sound of Music daily. I would say the one downside that could be humanly controlled (we are still working on that weather control device I hear) was the amount of smoking done, inside and out. As seems to be the case in most of europe, here too there were bicyclists everywhere, which I also love seeing.

Munich/Oktoberfest: I fell in love with this city on my first jaunt around europe in 2007 and after visiting again, I still absolutely love the city and its people. I have yet to visit some key sites (olympic park, royal residence, etc.), but the ones I have seen both times (marienplatz, english garden, etc.) and the new places I discovered on this trip (other parts of the english garden and the gaudy part of town east of marienplatz) were great to check out. Oktoberfest is an incredible beast of a festival. The first day is crowded as all get out so I would almost avoid going that day, unless you just want to get accustomed to the atmosphere/energy and possibly go into some side biergartens. If you don't have reservations, you just show up early, find a table without reservations and hunker down. Trying to get into tents after ~5 or 6 was a horrible mistake as everyone in the city seemed to be trying to get into these tents so I would go before 3 or so. As is to be expected from the amount of beer flowing at this festival, the people you meet are incredibly friendly and fits right into the german beer culture of sitting wherever and your neighbors become your friends (at least that's what I have come to expect from my time/interactions there in Germany). As with many of the great cities in the world, the public transit is expansive and extremely useful, with people on bikes zooming by all across the city.

Switzerland: It is EXPENSIVE! I use the Doner index to get an idea of the cost in different countries/cities over in europe (for those who have been to europe and don't know what I am talking about when I say Doner Kebab, SHAME!). The cheapest Doner I came across (and it was definitely not the best I have had) in SZ was ~8-9$ while the ones I had in the rest of europe is ~5$ maybe. When people told me SZ was expensive I figured a 20-30% premium from europe; I clearly was wrong and should have mentally prepared myself for a 80% premium. That being said, the countryside/mountain views were definitely as amazing as people described. People there were nice just like the rest of europe. Coincidentally, I feel that L was the least diverse city of the trip while Z seemed to be the most. Granted I am not getting an appropriate sample size in my walkings around the city but that is the feeling I get. Z seems to have a nice and small old town but the city itself sprawls quite a bit. For such a big/popular city, I found the hostel availability in Z to be pretty lacking and the one I stayed in was pretty dirty (probably one of the dirtier ones I have ever stayed in) but it was fine and the drink prices were really cheap compared to some other bars around the same area so not too bad. L on the other hand keeps to its old timey vibe and offers great access to exploring the mountains.