Vietnam is the 4th Asian country I've visited so far. I've been to Japan twice to visit family, with the most recent trip being in 2010. It was more of a short vacation and it was so easy to travel there because of the kind people, convenient transportation, and I had my own translator, my mother. I got to check-out a bit as she did most of the communicating since Japanese is her mother language. I recently spent 3 weeks in the Philippines with the nicest people, most of whom speak English and there is also a lot of vocabulary similar to Spanish. Then, Hong Kong was fairly easy as well, with so many ex-pats and English speaking people.
Vietnam is different. I guess I've taken it for granted since I've spent so much time in Latin American countries and I speak Spanish. I love connecting with locals, and the only way to do that is to speak their language. I have to admit, it's different traveling in Asia. The language is so different and the characters are so foreign to our eyes. I guess this is when sign language gets used to communicate and a lot of smiling and pointing! I don't like ignorant travelers who expect people to speak English. But on this trip, I don't know how feasible it's going to be to learn such different languages with only 2 weeks in each country and then moving on to another. I'll do my best to conquer the basics.
My first impression of southern Vietnam are kind people, great food, and a curiosity about travelers. My friend and I took a bus from Vinh Long to Rach Gia today. We sat in the last row, behind a sweet older lady and her husband. She kept turning back and staring. I smiled politely. Then, out of nowhere, she spoke French to this young French-speaking couple who sat in the seats next to her. It was a 3 hour bus ride and she kept handing out a taste of all the treats she was eating. She handed us a lychee-looking fruit we had to peel open from a thin brown shell. Then, towards the end of the bus ride, she turned around and gave us 2 huge mangoes. We said we couldn't accept it, but she just smiled and insisted. It was a heartfelt gesture. She must have wanted to remember us, so she took out her phone (it wasn't an iPhone or galaxy) and took a headshot picture of each of us! I'm talking about a close-up picture of each of us, individually. It was great! I wonder what stories she's going to tell her friends about the foreigners she met on the bus.
The food in Vietnam has been delicious. Lots of pho, banh mi, French bakeries with baguettes and pastries, and strong, strong, strong coffee. It's only been 4 days in this country, so I have a lot more to experience. I love the energy of Ho Chi Minh city, the tranquil and simple life in the Mekong Delta, and now I'm off to explore the white sand beaches and diving on Phu Cuoc island!
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