My Travel Log
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84. Robert Hoffman in Viet Nam?
Dr. Robert wrote it all in a blog (no, I don't know what Mono_mundial means) and it intrigued me for several reasons. First, he's my nephew and I was interested to read of his adventures. Second, just the thought of wandering around Asia on your own was kind of exciting to imagine. Third, and the main reason for putting it here in my Travel Log, is because it really showed me some differences between my view of this area of the world and the way that Robert (and probably his entire generation) see it.
Reading this blog, I was fascinated by the fact that Robert views this area of the world as a neat place to visit, with beautiful scenery, intriguing temples, quaint back-country villages, and cities that are full of amazing opportunities for both nightlife and "daylife." When I hear names of places like Dien Bien Phu, Mekong Delta, and Hanoi, it brings up memories of war, death, and outright fear. Then something occurred to me -- I was born in 1941, World War II ended in 1946, and although I've done a lot of research and reading on WWII, I don't really associate places like France and Germany as places of death and destruction, as those of my father's generation very well might. Likewise, in 1968, just after I narrowly avoided a "vacation" trip to Cam Ranh Bay, Viet Nam, Dr. Robert was just starting his life. The Viet Nam war to him is probably very much like WWII is to me. Consequently, when he's driving around Hanoi or admiring the beauty of the Mekong, the ravages of the late 1960s and early 1970s are probably far from his thoughts. If I went there now, which I probably wouldn't want to in the first place, I don't think I'd be able to enjoy my travels at all, thinking of what went on there. I've got a large number of friends and relatives that spent time there, barely escaped it myself, and am more interested in forgetting it than going there for a visit. I'd have no problem at all enjoying myself in France or Germany, however, so that to me is probably about the same as Viet Nam and its neighbors are to Dr. Robert.
Enough preamble - on to the blog! I'm going to summarize it here, explain the best ways to access it (based upon my stumbling through it several times), and give you a little warning. The warning is that Robert wrote this for his friends, so he says things without concern of offending someone with his actions or language. If you're easily offended, you might want to skip reading the blog. In some spots it gets a little "raw", but certainly gives a clear view of what he's trying to describe. I really enjoyed the whole trip, right down to the explanations of the vomit in the Asian bathrooms in his Asia=Dangerous chapter.
On the left sits the author. When you go to his blog, you'll see this picture first, with a "Continue" button. Clicking continue takes you to a page that has a chapter of text with photos and, if you scroll down the page, a full table of contents showing all 15 chapters. If you click on a photo, you'll see a caption that doesn't show on the chapter page. Once on a photo, you can then flip through all photos by clicking "next photo" or use the slideshow option.
Bottom line: There are about 6 ways to get through this, but if you're not careful, you'll miss a lot of it. Click Robert on the left to go to the blog Welcome Page in a new window - or read my summary below first.
From here down, you can CLICK ANY PHOTO FOR A LARGER VIEW.
I've included some of the photos that I thought were especially interesting, either because they show some unique aspects of the country or people, they're simply beautiful scenery, or because they show Robert getting deep into the culture.
The trip lasted 7 weeks, starting out in NY, then to Japan, then on to Cambodia. There are some photos of the earlier stops, but my interest was more in those in Cambodia and afterwards. The first few photos below are in Cambodia and then moving up through Viet Nam. Read the blog to get Robert's impressions while helping at a clinic in Cambodia, his reception by residents of remote Vietnamese villages, etc.
Dr. Robert in Cambodia
So, did my title grab your attention? Well, this isn't about the oldguy Robert Hoffman. It's about my nephew, who's also a Robert Hoffman. More correctly, he's Dr. Robert Hoffman, a doctor in New York City, and (unbeknownst to me) he's also a seasoned world traveler. Seems he's been to the far East several times, and just completed a 7-week trip to Japan, Cambodia, Viet Nam, Laos, and Thailand. While I consider a few months in Quartzsite, Arizona to be an "adventure", this guy thinks nothing of wandering around Asia, apparently testing his ability to get out of precarious situations as often as possible.
Temple in Cambodia
Halong Bay, Viet Nam
Northern Viet Nam Villagers
Northern Viet Nam Visitor
The photos below show a little of the beautiful scenery that Robert writes about as he wandered through Viet Nam and down into Laos. What do you think of when you hear Dien Bien Phu? To me, it brings up thoughts of war and death. I thought it was famous during our "Viet Nam Conflict", but it actually was the turning point of the French's First Indochina War in 1954. Wikipedia says "In the 1950s, the town was known not only for its famous opium traffic, generating 500,000,000 French Francs per year, but more so for a fierce battle that would result in a major realignment of world geopolitics." It sure doesn't bring to mind lush, green mountains and valleys as shown here and in other of Robert's photos. It looks like a really amazingly beautiful area.
One day he's in a village meeting people who have never seen a Westerner. The next day he hops a boat ride down the Nam River. About that boat ride, he says "I realize that I am in the middle of nowhere, not really knowing exactly where I am with a captain who doesn't speak a lick of English and essentially no Thai, which I have a least a little of. The ride down the Nam river is surreal. There are several villages that are only accessible by river, and people who have never seen Westerners." Is that exciting or what?
Dien Bien Phu Scenery
Boat ride through Laos
Beautiful Laotian Waterfall
Sunset on the Mekong
And here a couple more photos showing scenery in Laos. Again, Mekong is a place that I heard a lot about during the Viet Nam war days. Nothing about it being beautiful, just dangerous.
Check the blog for more photos, plus a short video.
Altogether, there are 15 chapters in the blog. I guess they were much more exciting to read as he traveled along, not really knowing what would happen next. I actually had concerns whether he'd ever make it back to NY, when I was reading some of his passages about horseback riding in the minefield, being interrogated for hours in a foreign police station because he forgot to bring his passport, and doctoring his visa to get into or out of some country. I was actually relieved to read the "back in NY" chapter ... :)
And don't miss Chapter 14 Asia=Dangerous, where he shows some really surprising dangerous things that appear to be everyday occurrences in parts of Asia.
I'm also not sure how long that blog information stays online. It's now 12/05/2007 and it's out there. I can't guarantee it will still be there tomorrow.
