The Final Post

Ladies and Gentlemen,

We arrived yesterday afternoon into Portland. The students were definitely excited to be home... a bit tired, but also excited.

Thank you everyone for following our trip and for supporting your children with emails throughout our journeys.

We wish you the best in all your future endeavors...

Take care.
Dr. Brent Wilson (bwilson@georgefox.edu)
Dr. Jeff Duerr (jduerr@georgefox.edu)

About to head home...

Well the trip has come to an end... I ordered a bunch of pizza's to be delivered to the hotel. We leave for the airport in under two hours.... they're here, time to eat!

I'm back... that hit the spot. 18 college students, 2 faculty, and 10 pizza's.... that was like locusts at harvest time :) Definitely worth the 2,200,000 dong.

Thanks again everyone for allowing your children to participate in this juniors abroad trip. I feel as though I have 15 more children (3 on the trip were already mine).

One hour to departure... signing off...

"Happy Budda" & "Jay Dawg Fresh"

(nicknames given to myself and Dr. Duerr by the students)

Temples, Pagodas, and Propaganda

The picture above is the entrance to Hoa Lo Prison (now a museum), a.k.a. "Hanoi Hilton." Today we spent the day touring many historical sites within Ha Noi. We started with the Temple of Literature, this is the first University in Ha Noi. It was only for students from the royal family. It is a very beautiful place.... although not all that peaceful with the large crowds and constant horn honking that can be heard outside the temple walls. Since it was the weekend of Ho Chi Minh's birthday, there were many people from the country that had traveled to see the historical sites themselves. Many of these people have never seen a foreigner and were asking to take photos with various people in our group. I personally had two young school girls want to take there picture with me. As you will see in the photos, Garrett had a very nice old lady want her picture with him. After the Temple of Literature we headed to the Ho Chi Minh complex with included the mausoleum, his home, and the one pillar pagoda.

After lunch we head to Hoa Lo Prison. Most of the prison is dedicated to the persecution of the vietnamese people by the french during their rule. There are two rooms dedicated to the Viet Nam War and the capture and imprisonment of US pilots. Our guide told the 'history' of the war and the prison. He was very clear about how the US pilots were treated very well and how they nicknamed the prison 'Hanoi Hilton' because their conditions were so nice.... ok, I forgot to brief the students on this part of the trip before we went, however we had a debriefing after we returned to discuss the propaganda items that were not correct. While this country has really opened up to the idea of capitalism as it pursues the tourist dollar, in the end it is still a communist country and is state run. Last night on TV, (on Cinemax) there was a movie scheduled called "Intrusion Cambodia". When it was suppose to start all of a sudden the Cinemax logo was displayed on the screen for the next 2 hours. Hmmmm.....

To end the day we took a cycle ride around Ha Noi and enjoyed the sites.

Tomorrow we begin the long journey home. It has been a great trip and I know the students have learned a lot and have most definitely increased their world view. This trip will have an impact on them for the rest of their lives. Thank you for the opportunity to share these amazing countries with your children.

Photos from today: http://bwilson.cs.georgefox.edu/GEED365/May-20/album/

Good night everyone...

Ho Chi Minh's 122nd Birthday Celebration

Today (Saturday 5/19) was the 122nd birthday of Ho Chi Minh.... We went and watched the celebration this evening at Hoan Kiem Lake in the Old Quarter of Ha Noi. Before I get to that, let me update everyone on the past couple days....

Yesterday We went to the Water Puppets show. This is considered the most prestigious and honored cultural event in Viet Nam. Puppeteers must go to 5 years of university training and then  must complete a multi-year apprenticeship before they are allowed to perform before an audience. http://www.thanglongwaterpuppet.org/homepage.asp

Today was our vietnamese cooking class.... it was fantastic!! Everyone learned a lot. I now know how to create the vegetable spring rolls that my wife and I had every day when we were here.  I learned all the things I have been doing wrong... and that was a lot.  The most interesting part of the class was the description about the "balance" of the food... the "ying and yang." All dishes need to balance hot with cold, spicy with mild, salty with sweet, etc..  Before we began our class, we started with a market tour. There are three types of markets in Viet Nam.  First is the "moving market", these are the ladies with baskets on bicycles or the two baskets balanced on their shoulder with a bamboo shaft. The second kind of market is called a "frog market", these are very small street vendors selling mostly fresh vegetables, meat, and seafood. They are called frog markets because they are illegal. When a policeman comes by, they disappear until he passes. These markets are cash only... under the table... they do not pay state taxes.  Our chef/guide told us that many police ignore the frog markets because their wives like to shop there.... they are very convenient. Lastly is the large market where there are many vendors and you can get anything... and these vendors pay taxes... it's the legitimate market. We cooked a ton of food... I asked the owner what she does with all the food we couldn't eat. She said that many of the ladies that work for her will take some home and then she feeds the neighbors, which explains why the neighbors were watching us... we paid for (& cooked) their dinner.  Another interesting point about the vietnamese... they eat seven meals a day, breakfast, after breakfast snack, lunch, after lunch snack, then they take a nap and then.... after nap snack, dinner, and finally after dinner (late) snack.

http://www.hiddenhanoi.com.vn/

After we got back from the cooking class we took a brief break/nap and then headed to the lake for dinner and birthday celebration. Dr. Duerr and myself took my daughter Alexa and two other students (Courtney and Kelli) out to dinner at the Hanoi Soul Cafe (3rd floor). We had taken the group there the night before and the manager/owner was very very very appreciative. I think we may have paid his rent and employee payroll for a couple months. We had dinner (Pho - pronounced fur). During dinner they were getting all set up down below for the big celebration. The Hanoi Soul Cafe has three balcony's that are truly the best seats in the house. A few folks tried to sit out there and the manager would not let them, he told them they were reserved. As we went to leave we asked if we could sit out there and watch, he said "Of course, you're VIP"... that was cool.  I think we'll be back in two years for our VIP box seats to Ho Chi Minh's Birthday Bash!

Lastly, I promised a couple "shout outs" to some of our students for some of their achievements:

Alex - riding the gondola at Ocean Park (Hong Kong) while being scared of heights.

Emily - for actually going caving in Ha Long Bay while being scared of enclosed spaces

Courtney - for trying a clam, a shrimp, cabbage, and fried winter melon, while having numerous 'food fears' 

Alyssa - walking over to check out the roasted animal (which is NOT a pig) while being vegan.

Pictures from today: http://bwilson.cs.georgefox.edu/GEED365/May-19/album/

A 2.5 minute video of the street around the Hoan Kiem Lake after the birthday celebration is over:  http://bwilson.cs.georgefox.edu/GEED365/HanoiStreet.m4v (~74MB)

Good night everyone. 

"Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale, A tale of a fateful trip. That started from this tropic port, Aboard this tiny ship..."

Where do I begin.... it was a rough 3 days... but someone had to do it! :)

On Monday morning we headed to Ha Long Bay for our three day tour. The bus ride is about 4 hours. The students have learned that lines on the road are simply suggestions to be followed if you wish. At least there is a pecking order among types of transportation... basically, bigger always wins and we were in a bus! Passing can occur anywhere at anytime, uphill, downhill, on a corner, in the opposing lane, it just doesn't matter! About half way to Ha Long Bay we stopped at a 'handicapped and disabled compound' that was selling their crafts to support themselves. Now my wife and I (and my mother) have been to this place 14 years ago when we adopted our daughter Aisya, and I have been back 10 years ago with a Jrs. Abroad trip... it is now a complete tourist trap. What used to be $3 is now over $100. The 'compound' is now a huge building with many non-handicapped workers. Hmmm... they have found the tourist dollar.

We eventually made it to Ha Long Bay, and were told that the overnight permits were revoked by the government because of a major storm headed into the South China Sea... to which one of our students remarked, "I'm not worried about a typhoon, we were vaccinated against that weren't we?" I am going to assume that was a joke and not their knowledge base of typhoid. We were able to get a day permit and headed out, our guide was hopeful the overnight ban would be lifted while we were out and then we just continue as normal.... well that didn't happen. We were on the other side of Ha Long Bay and they needed to get us a hotel on Cat Ba Island. We jumped into two vans and began the trip across the island  through the jungle and little villages here and there... there was definitely a sense of urgency from the drivers and guides to get us to a hotel very soon. You could see the lighting way off in the distance. I think they knew that if it started to rain hard before we got to a hotel, the roads would be a muddy slippery mess... we sort of compared it to a scene out of Jurassic Park, all that was missing was the Tyrannosaurus Rex. I am sure all the students will have stories to tell from this adventure.

We made it to the hotel safe and even dry... it just started to rain upon our arrival. Overnight, it was an amazing storm for those who stayed up to watch it.... so I was told in the morning. I fell asleep the second my body head the concrete bed, actually it probably just knocked me out.

The next day we awoke to a beautiful day and back to the boat we went... very casually this time. The next couple days we went through caves and kayaked, and just relaxed. Oh, and also ate and ate and ate... vietnamese meals just keep coming dish after dish after dish. The students had fun jumping off the boat... yes mom's and dad's we were very careful and always had several jellyfish spotters. That really doesn't sound good... but it was safe. That night, the students tried their hand at karaoke... the vast majority of them should not change their major to music. :)

On the way back from Ha Long Bay to Ha Noi, I took a couple pictures of interest. First you will see what looks like grave markers out in the middle of rice fields. I have seen them before when I have been here but they always look to be about 3-4 feet in length... vietnamese are short, but not that short. I finally found out what the reason is. (Disclaimer, the following explanation is rated PG-13) They practice cremation in Ha Noi because of so many people, but out in the countryside they practice burial.  A family buries their dead in a simple wood coffin with no markings or headstones for 3 years. After the 3 year, the family returns and digs up the grave and cleans the bones and then places them in a permanent concrete grave with appropriate marking etc. Now there is a place for the families to come pay their respect to their passed family members.

The last few pictures in this group are for my family but I will explain for those who want to know. My brother works for an electrical company so I thought he might like the power/phone/Internet/laundry lines... there might be a contract here he could pick up. The three photos after the spider lines are 1) Mrs. Thuy, she owned the hotel we stayed at 14 years ago when we were here adopting our daughter. 2) The little french restaurant on the lake that my mother, wife, and I went to have jasmine tea, and egg, and toast every morning. 3) the view from the restaurant to the lake now... it has been over grown with trees and shrubs. The very last photo is for my vietnamese daughter Aisya (who is home with mom)... Hey squirt, notice they even have Forever 21.

Take care everyone...

Photos of the last several days: http://bwilson.cs.georgefox.edu/GEED365/May-16/album/

Chúc mừng Ngày của Mẹ !

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY from Viet Nam

We are here and safe in our hotel... We are staying in Old Hanoi at the Medallion Hotel (http://www.medallion-honoi.com)  I loved watching the students' reactions today as we came into Hanoi. The first thing I heard was from Garrett, "Why do they paint lines on the roads if no one uses them?" and then from the back I heard, "Oh no... we are going to hit them (gasp)".  Ladies and gentlemen.... welcome to Hanoi!

Most of the group was a bit hungry so our guide said we would drop off our luggage about 2 blocks from our hotel and then the bus would drop us off at a restaurant for Pho (fur). A bus cannot get to our hotel due to the tight streets and massive people, so the bell staff met us at an intersection where we dropped off the luggage. Obviously they weren't suppose to stop in that intersection because within about 4 minutes we have quite a few police surrounding the bus and yelling back and forth with the driver. After some arguing, the driver got on the bus saying something we could figure out even without a translator and then got some money and paid the head officer and away we went to eat.

I was very nervous and yet excited and proud when our students actually crossed a road this evening in Hanoi. That may not sound like much but it is an extreme adventure. There is a continuous stream of motorcycles and some cars. There are no street lights, you have to simply step off the curb and begin weaving in between all the moving vehicles. The key is not to cross the street like an American,  stopping every so often for traffic to pass or because you're scared. Vietnamese see you crossing and assume you will keep a steady pace, if you stop you will get clipped. Here is an example of a successful  crossing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4ud844wlAg&feature=related 

This will be my last post to the blog until Wednesday evening here in Hanoi (Wednesday early morning for those back in the U.S.) We will be taking a three day tour to Ha Long Bay on the east coast of Viet Nam. We will be living aboard a boat for the next couple nights with no Internet connectivity. As soon as we return, I will post and upload a ton of photos. We will be touring with the following company: http://www.orientalsails.com/ Ha Long Bay is where the James Bond movie Tomorrow Never Dies was filmed... remember the stealth boat?

Lastly, thank you parents for emailing your children... it really matters to them and it helps them get through this long trip.

Take care everyone... will post again in three days. 

 Dr. Duerr and myself wish both our mothers and wives a wonderful and blessed Mother's Day. We love you.

Chore Day

Not much news today, it was chore day... cleaning, packing, laundry, and of course last minute shopping. A few of us found a laundry service (pictured above).  Seven pounds of laundry (washed, dried, and folded) for HK$32 (US$4.15), others stayed in the hotel and did their own for HK$40 (US$5.19). I am thinking about having a economic lecture on outsourcing tomorrow :) Note in the picture that they "100% Care"... whew, that was a relief. Laundry done with 80% care just doesn't wear well. 

As for the last minute shopping... both Dr. Duerr and myself feel that Hong Kong will have to revise their economic forecast after what we saw brought in today just from Emily, Kelli, Alyssa, and Amanda. (Haven't seen what the others did yet)

Tomorrow is a travel day for us... we will leave Hong Kong and head for Hanoi. The weather forecast for where we are headed is 92 degrees with 94% humidity... it says it will feel like 104. At least it's not a dry heat. 

Have a good night everyone.... I'll blog again from Vietnam upon our arrival.