View From the Tea Shop

Spent all day in the car driving back to Hanoi from Central Vietnam.  Every couple of hours we would stop for a cup of tea at one of the numerous little shops along AH 1. The view out the back of the one near Thanh Hoa where we stopped this afternoon is shown above. [NOTE: That's a water buffalo standing out in the field to the left. And that's a dove in the cage upper right. And the bike had a flat tire].

Phong Dien

Had the last rattan inventory meeting this morning at the Phong Dien Nature Reserve headquarters. Was well attended and there was a lively discussion about managing rattan in buffer zones together with communities. I'm a big fan of this idea and was delighted that the park staff brought it up. That's Mr. Biu Van Thanh (see Kon-Tun), my local counterpart and translator, standing up on the right. The white bust with the bouquet of flowers prominently displayed to the left of the screen is, of course, Ho Chi Minh.

Hoi An

Hoi An was an important Chinese settlement during the 17th to 19th centuries, and it has recently been designated a World Heritage site by UNESCO as a well-preserved example of a traditional Southeast Asian trading port. I spent several hours strolling through Hoi An yesterday - in the pouring rain. The insides of the houses are spectacular. The first image shows a writing desk in the study of one of the homes, the second shot frames the view through the split-bamboo partition between rooms, and the final image shows the bonzai pot flora of the courtyard. And to top it all off, the owner of the house served us tea. [NOTE: My wet umbrella was dripping water all over the floor of this nice man's house as I took these pictures].

Thien Mu Pagoda

I started Rohatsu Week (see Rohatsu) with three full bows at the main altar of the Thien Mu pagoda in Hue. The young monk in the picture is getting ready to ring the large bell every time I bow. Powerful way to start this week of intensive practice.

Time passes like an arrow. It waits for no one.
Exert yourself. Exhaust yourself.

Master Hakuin Zenji
Rohatsu Exhortations

Sao La Nature Reserve

Gave a presentation this morning at the Sao La Nature Reserve office in A Luoi on the preliminary results from the rattan inventory (see Where Are Those Transects II). That's Mr. Ho Van Sao in the image above providing information about how the field crews actually located and sampled the transects. We had a productive discussion on using inventory and growth data to develop a sustainable management plan for rattan in the reserve and a lot of good ideas came up. Stay tuned. Something wonderful - and unprecedented - may be happening here.  

Imperial City

The Imperial City or Citadel in Hue, was the capital of the Nguyen dynasty from 1802 to 1945. The sprawling complex, located on the northern bank of the Perfume River, was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993. Some of the buildings have been beautifully restored:

Others provide a stark testimony to the impermanence of imperial dreams. [NOTE: This was a wonderful place to spend a few hours while waiting for permits (thx, Ms. Ngoc)].

Commerce

The local markets are so picturesque that it's easy to forget that there is well-defined profit motive operating here. As is beautifully depicted by the vegetable lady in the image above, markets are all about commerce. [NOTE: Love the blue rain pants].

Hue Market

The central market in Hue is a riot of colors, smells, sounds - and plant diversity. This would be a fantastic place to study the ethnobotany of Central Vietnam.

Flat Fix

I met this little guy outside of a roadside tea shop south of Hue this morning.  Not sure he was fixing a flat as much as playing with his father's tools. Spent 12 hours in a car driving down from Hanoi yesterday. Tomorrow is the first "Returning Results" rattan workshop in the Song Thanh Nature Reserve (see Song Thanh N.R.).