earned all about the war. Curious, she inquired to her grandfather about his opinion of Americans. What he told her was this; "We cannot hate them because they came to kill us. If they hadn't killed us, we'd have killed them. We have to understand that it wasn't something that any of us or them wanted to do. They had lives back in America; families, jobs, houses... Just as we have. But you have to accept that war is apart of any country, and you have to move forward, build back what you lost, and just live." Whoa. After hearing that, I was moved by the ability of this young, seemingly proud nation to have such a mature and wise concept of what happens in war. The mood lightened as we tasted coconut candy, lots o' fruits, tea, honey, and all kinds of really cool Vietnam specialties. After wandering through the trails on the islands surrounded by the Delta we rode in a cart pulled by a donkey to the most beautiful canal. There, I got consumed (only part way) by one million mosquitoes. I counted. Then, we frolicked around in the oh-so beautiful coconut candy factory place... Where Gail and I ate waaaaay too much candy, but not enough to spoil our delicious lunch. Lunch consisted of 'elephant ear fish' (yeeeeah, that's what I thought at first too), but it was actually pretty tasty. Then we drove back to Siagon. It was a nice short trip that was packed with history, and of course tasty treats.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Delta! Delta! Delta! (not the sorority, thank god)
Baby girl had the best day ever, so I had to get on to share it right away. Today, I went to the Mai Cong Delta with Gail, Linda, and Debbie. Other than being 'the best day ever', the Mai Cong Delta really gave me a sight into how the Vietnamese living in the country really thrive. First we got on a boat that took us to the biggest 'unicorn' island. Unfortunately, there were no unicorns... But, there was a HUGE Boa Constrictor! And, I held it! It was roughly the scariest experience of my life. As I walked by the cage our guide asked if I wanted a picture of the snake. I figured why not, and bent down to snap the picture. Just then, I noticed another lady pulling the thing out of it's safe cage, and heading for me like she was just going to let me try on some scarf of something... It was gigantic. Huge. I cannot get over it. Fear Factor has nothing on me. Anyway, we learned all about the foods grown in the region and how they are special to the Vietnamese people. Our guide Dieb, told us all about the attitude towards Americans. This isn't something I've been brave enough to ask about, seeing as the answer would seem to not be something pleasant. But, the response brought tears to my eyes. Seriously. When she was studying to become a travel tour guide, she l
earned all about the war. Curious, she inquired to her grandfather about his opinion of Americans. What he told her was this; "We cannot hate them because they came to kill us. If they hadn't killed us, we'd have killed them. We have to understand that it wasn't something that any of us or them wanted to do. They had lives back in America; families, jobs, houses... Just as we have. But you have to accept that war is apart of any country, and you have to move forward, build back what you lost, and just live." Whoa. After hearing that, I was moved by the ability of this young, seemingly proud nation to have such a mature and wise concept of what happens in war. The mood lightened as we tasted coconut candy, lots o' fruits, tea, honey, and all kinds of really cool Vietnam specialties. After wandering through the trails on the islands surrounded by the Delta we rode in a cart pulled by a donkey to the most beautiful canal. There, I got consumed (only part way) by one million mosquitoes. I counted. Then, we frolicked around in the oh-so beautiful coconut candy factory place... Where Gail and I ate waaaaay too much candy, but not enough to spoil our delicious lunch. Lunch consisted of 'elephant ear fish' (yeeeeah, that's what I thought at first too), but it was actually pretty tasty. Then we drove back to Siagon. It was a nice short trip that was packed with history, and of course tasty treats.
earned all about the war. Curious, she inquired to her grandfather about his opinion of Americans. What he told her was this; "We cannot hate them because they came to kill us. If they hadn't killed us, we'd have killed them. We have to understand that it wasn't something that any of us or them wanted to do. They had lives back in America; families, jobs, houses... Just as we have. But you have to accept that war is apart of any country, and you have to move forward, build back what you lost, and just live." Whoa. After hearing that, I was moved by the ability of this young, seemingly proud nation to have such a mature and wise concept of what happens in war. The mood lightened as we tasted coconut candy, lots o' fruits, tea, honey, and all kinds of really cool Vietnam specialties. After wandering through the trails on the islands surrounded by the Delta we rode in a cart pulled by a donkey to the most beautiful canal. There, I got consumed (only part way) by one million mosquitoes. I counted. Then, we frolicked around in the oh-so beautiful coconut candy factory place... Where Gail and I ate waaaaay too much candy, but not enough to spoil our delicious lunch. Lunch consisted of 'elephant ear fish' (yeeeeah, that's what I thought at first too), but it was actually pretty tasty. Then we drove back to Siagon. It was a nice short trip that was packed with history, and of course tasty treats.
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