March 10th, 2010
Hai Van Pass in Vietnam
This view is probably familiar to many in my generation who served in Vietnam in the 1960’s and 1970’s. It was taken, looking north, from a headland jutting out into the South China Sea, forming a barrier to weather, and no doubt troop movements, between South Vietnam and North Vietnam. The two Vietnams are now officially one country, but we found, as we pedaled from the DMZ south, two fairly distinct cultures. In Hue, the former Saigon where Claire was born, is called Ho Chi Minh City, south of Hue it is still called Saigon, even on train schedules.
The Vietnamese people are increasingly entering the world economy, and will challenge many other Asian economies in coming years. They are incredibly industrious, and highly intelligent. Economists should keep their focus on China, but watch Vietnam out of the corner of your eye. They are not far behind.
February 27th, 2010
A Slice of Lao Life
This woman was selling fresh pineapples at a roadside market in Laos. We bought one, and she expertly peeled and sliced it in finger friendly pieces and put it in a bag so we wouldn’t get our bicycle sticky. It was a pineapple I will remember forever, because it was so perfectly ripe. Our interaction was fun with the few Lao words we know, but smiles go a long way when language is short. The price was a few cents, and sustained us on a long hot day. I hope our small sale helps that bun in the oven get an education one day, something few Lao children get.
Click here for the beginning of just one of our adventures in SW China and SE Asia:Lost in Laos
February 24th, 2010
I’ve been blogging about food so often since we came back from SW China and SE Asia, that people think this is a food site. Far from it! I’m a simple cook into healthy cooking, and I’m blogging about it because we’re between adventures. Don’t miss the links to the left on our travels around the world, mostly on our tandem bicycle. If you’re not into healthy food, ignore the middle and check out the 100,000 or so words, and who knows how many pictures.
Buddhist Monk and Ruins near Angkor Wat
January 22nd, 2010
There has been no Internet in Far West China (Xinjiang) since the violence between Han Chinese and the native Uighurs. Some reports have as many as 500,000 Hans leaving Xinjiang since the violence, and the Chinese government now allowing Hans to sell to anyone other than a Han if they leave. This could put a big time kibosh on the governments’ plans to flood the remote province with Hans.
Uighur in Far West China
We were there a few years ago on our Silk Road Crossing on our tandem bicycle. Relations between Uighurs and Hans were strained then. Neither side will give up easily.
We recently crossed Sichuan Tibet on our tandem bicycle and saw even more stress between the majority
We were stopped at least once each day, to check our passports
Han and the Tibetans, though they are still the majority in mountainous Sichuan. China has its hands full with minority populations, and it only will get worse if economic conditions do not improve for the poor.
China is a big and complex country with wide racial divides and challenging economic conditions. We should be aware of their major issues for the betterment of future relations.
