TAM COC (Three Caves)
This morning we were woken by the hustle and bustle of the local market at 5am, as the villagers gather together to sell their wares and purchase the food for the week. Cabbage and carrot is a lunch time staple, plus a multitude of unrecognizable carcasses were also available for the early risers.
One of the highlights here is the boat trip along the river that meanders between the stony limestone karsts through- you guessed it- three caves! The tinny is rowed, usually by women, with their feet mind you, an hour up and and hour back. As we stayed the night in Tam Coc we experienced the river and it's beauty in relative solitude. Apparently in rush hour, the number of boats and noisey tourists can detract somewhat from the ambient journey.
The only unfortunate thing about this obvious tourist attraction is the underhanded attempts locals make to increase their income. Once you reach the half way point, which is an hour up river, you are almost obligated to purchase items from the accompanying vendors- if you manage to refuse those (which is an effort in itself) the lady rowing your boat then brings out her box of embroidery and basically you don't move until you buy something extremely over priced- God knows how long we would have sat there if we had not bought enough, to her satisfaction. Thankfully she had a couple of things we'd been considering previously, but we're waiting for a better price. Persistence is their strong suit. The part that saddens me is that we were going to give her a decent tip- after all rowing us 2 hrs was appreciated. But to be pushed into buying something to ensure our return was definitely not loving. Had she returned us, then showed us her work we may have genuinely purchased something from her anyway- its the manor in which it all occurs that did not feel very nice. For me- it did taint the experience. Yes, I could have totally refused based on the lack of honesty and integrity- but it was a long swim back in cold water that really I'd rather not be absorbing!
Even after all this they ASK for a tip! Mmm.
This arvo we road a pushy a few km up the road to view the 2nd best Pagoda in north Vietnam. A Pagoda is a spiritual house dedicated to Buddha and is usually set within a cave and has some form of water in front. In Vietnam culture according to our guides beliefs, even though he is Buddhist, they pray more to their ancestors for help and guidance rather than Buddha. They do not believe in a creator- nature and balance just exist and the maintaining of it. A temple on the other hand is a house of respect and dedication, a house for the spirit of the person who has made great contribution to the Vietnam people- like the kings of the 9th and 10th century, also like the Temple for Ho chi minh who was revered by the people as a king, because he dedicated his life to unifying the country and achieving independence. Independence of Vietnam occurred the year after Ho Chi Minh died. An alter in the family home or businesses are again usually dedicated to the ancestors- providing food, money, transport etc in the spirit world. Only wealthy families build miniature pagodas in their home for Buddha.
It was certainly interesting talking to Hung about how he feels about the French, and Americans who tried to take over and occupy their country. He has no animosity- says the past is in the past, I open the door to the future- besides it is not good for the soul ( as he puts his hand over his heart) to old onto the past hurts.
Hung was amazingly open to sharing with us about his feeling and beliefs- it was really great to spend time with him. We can highly recommend him and his services to anyone who has had the desire to visit north Vietnam. Just brilliant!! Cam on Hung!
Tonight we are making our way down to Hue (hway) via the sleeping bus. It's a 10hr drive which leaves at 9.30pm. Apparently the seats lay flat, not sure how that works but I'm certainly ready for a big sleep. In fact there's a chance the bus seats are more comfortable than the very firm beds here!! Another adventure!