The peaceful side of Vietnam ...

... comes in bright colors, soft fur, quiet minutes with your favorite newspaper, a happy smile, bright cakes, your community evening massage, a 5 EUR-dinner at a comfortable restaurant. And motorbikes. Everywhere. Preferred method of transportation for families of five, the recent acquired 3-seater couch or close to due-pregnant woman. Don't worry, they will not run you over - especially not, if they actually can see where they are going ;-). There is no such thing as waiting for a free road, just blend into the flow, it will never stop anyway.

The Cao Dai Temple was an oasis of quiteness in bright pink. The mass could have been a 30-min escape of the busy world outside - if it wouldn't have been for "Klaus-Dieter" and "Ingehold" (all names changed; no similarites intended!) busy trying to trample down every inch of the temple in their white tennis socks (including throwing their camera down the gallery and ignoring the rule of covered arms & legs). Grrrr, tourists! Cao Daismus has some famous followers around the world (one of them was Shakespeare; so says the Lonely Planet) and is actively practised by about 3 Millions around the world. How tree grooming exercises fit into the charta remains a secret to us.

Buildings here in Vietnam come in toast-slices. Does anybody know why? We already learned it is all about style, feeling relaxed & comfortable and the proper view. But we still are not quite sure whether the "Beauty Salon" I visited for a Manicure & Pedicure (EUR 3,20 in total) actually performes these activities on a regular basis. Quote from the advertising: "touch your sense - Staffs are young, beautiful and professional". Aha ... ;-)

So far, so late - again. Hmm, these New Year's resolutions (like: getting enough sleep) start off really bad. Of course all Vietnam pictures (and yes, there are more) can be found in the new apactravel album on facebook. We are off to Mui Ne for the next 2 nights before cruising through the Mekong Delta into Phnom Penh.

Do something fun today!

Travel back in time (to today?)

Our last two days were a journey through time - back into the Vietnam War (like it or not, there is no way around it here). We have visited the Cu Chi tunnels, an underground network of caves & bunkers which served as a hiding & living place as well as strategic "tool" for the Viet Cong. The guided tour included (admittedly "slightly" propagandistic) insights into the structure and history of this scary world buried beneath the ground, some hands-on crawling experience (imagine you "run" down here to seek shelter from gun & tank fire ... and don't forget to hold on to your pink Longchamp bag ;-) ) and the rather hair-raising stories told by a former flight attendant who used to fly in American soldiers and fly out mere survivors at an age of 21. "They were not well, the still are not well" was her summary, still shaking herself today. One wonders, is that the reason why some soldiers volunteered to become the so-called "tunnel rats"? Special forces to destroy the tunnels (and their inhabitants) from the inside. Why the hell would you sign up for a job like this? Crawling in pitch black, claustrophobic narrow tunnels where each turn & corner surely did not contain a pleasant BBQ invitation (not to mention the exploding, slightly hostile world on the outside).

The War Remnants Museum in Ho Chi Minh City succeeds well in making you even more sick to your stomach with 100s of pictures of kills, tortures, genetic birth defects due to Agent Orange (be aware, the pictures are painful to the eyes!) and documentations of the sheer madness of this war (any war!). While the Cu Chi tunnels lively highlight the traps & tools to "defend" the Viet Cong against the American attacks, the museum rather eloquently focuses on the "gruelty" of the the Americans towards Vietnam people. The Ho Chi Minh City Museum adds a little more background information around the activities & reactions across the world and allows for different viewing angles. But still, massively one-sided "sightseeing" over here. Very moving, though. Hard to digest ... what would I have done? Why do people fight?

And: Did we learn anything?
Can we make the world a better place by being better people? Does it make a difference? Can we, can you stop fighting? Not there, but here.

Where are we?!

Our dopplr badge led to some confusion - according to dopplr Philipp is back home already. He's not! But we will be (unfortunately) soon: Arrival in Frankfurt is planned for Jan 31, 2010. If nothing happens to Gulf Air or we decide to simply stay in Thailand for the rest of our lives. ;-)

We are currently in Vietnam. But let's connect to our last "route description".

1. On December 26 we visited Karekare and Piha Beach. Great views and some serious magic.
2. Dec 27 we flew to Nadi on the Fiji Islands and spent the night with a couchsurfing host in a real Fiji village - not the ones made up for tourists.
3. Dec 28 & Dec 29 we enjoyed Manta Ray Island Resort - perfect snorkeling & awesome food.
4. Dec 30 - Jan 2 we spent on a very remote island, celebrating New Years until the generator was turned off and sleeping most of the time.
5. Back in Nadi for one night and a big day.
6. Another 2 nights in Auckland to watch Avater 3D and meet big fellas at the Auckland Zoo.
7. On Jan 5 we left Auckland for Hong Kong with a comfortable Air New Zealand Flight - love their entertainment program!
   Btw - question: How do you reduce your hotel prize by 30%? You book 1 night more than you actually need (sure, that was the plan ...) and pay less than you would have paid for 1 night less. Comprende? Ok, Hotels.com helped a little ...
8. Jan 6 strolling around Kowloon, exploring the markets and specialty stores. Either the Sushi that night or a rotten dragonfruit kept us busy with window-sightseeing from the hotel for the next day.
9. On Jan 8 Hong Kong lit up a little - time to visit the Peak. And meet up with some well known guys ...
   Ever wanted to be a Consultant? There is a consultant for every skill set! It's all about a self-explaining name, but we were not quite sure if it would help to make the description even bigger ...
   
10. Jan 9 was even more sunny and put Victoria Harbor and Hong Kong Island in amazing lights. And with a 3h delay we left to Vietnam that night. Arriving at 2am in the morning at an absolute fabulous hotel.
    
11. Jan 10 - City Sightseeing and tour bookings, but above all: enjoying 30 degrees celsius and a bustling scootermadness around us.
12. For Jan 11 we booked a 1 day trip to the Cu Chi tunnels (German) which were used by the Viet Cong during the Vietnam War. Can you imagine living 3-10m below the earth, moving through tunnels about 60cm wide and 80cm high? We tried today - fun for 10 mins, no fun for any second longer. And the traps they used to "capture" soldiers hurt by looking at them.
    
13. When did you attend a guided tour the last time? We haven't for years so we decided to change that. On Jan 13 we leave for a 2-night tour to Mui Ne and on Jan 16 we will leave Vietnam towards Cambodia with another 2-night tour through the Mekong Delta.

So far our travel plans. What are you up to lately?
The Hong Kong pictures are online, start with picture 165. Vietnam pictures will follow soon.

Not quite ...

... all pictures from New Zealand were online before - but now they are (start with pic 181). Hong Kong pics are in preparation while enjoying "backpacking deluxe" with another Business Class flight to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.*like*

PS: Ever seen a giraffe chase after zebras? no? Here you go.