Packing Up

There's a lot going on in this photo.  It's about 7:00 AM in Dong Ha and we are packing up the truck to head back to Hanoi. Mr. Thanh (see Kon Tum, A Palm, Two Botanists With Cameras) is on top of the truck tying down some bulk stem samples of Eurycoma longifolia Jack (Simaroubaceae), an important medicinal plant throughout S.E. Asia for its anti-malarial, aphrodisiac, anti-diabetic, and anti-pyretic properties. He is bringing the samples back to Hanoi to analyze them in the IEBR phytochemistry lab. 

The driver, Mr. Cuong, is standing off to the side doing what drivers do when they are not driving. The taxi driver to the right, convinced that the foreigner with the camera does not need a taxi, is having a cigarette and looking bored. [NOTE: The WIFI in the Hoàng Long Hotel was pretty decent].

Phú Vinh

Spent a rainy morning in the village of Phú Vinh, 20 km outside of Hanoi, interviewing rattan weavers. The artisan above is making a basket like those shown behind him to the left. He told me (thx, Mr Thanh) it takes him about three days to make one of these baskets.

The large needle in his mouth is used to thread the rattan through the frame as shown below. Although about 70% of the households in Phú Vinh make rattan baskets at some point during the year, the total number of weavers is decreasing as villagers take higher-paying factory jobs in Chuong My. [NOTE: I love the little wooden jig that he uses to steady the basket in his lap while he's working on it].

Rice Sickle

This Chăm rice sickle from Ninh Huan province is one of the most beautiful utilitarian objects that I've ever seen. The somewhat snake-like form of the handle may be explained by this. [NOTE: From the Vietnamese Museum of Ethnology in Hanoi].

Hang Be Street

Took a stroll down Hang Be Street in the Old Quarter of Hanoi this morning. One of the most interesting parts of this city is simply trying to cross the street (near miss at 0:54). The large street shown at the end of the clip is Dinh Tien Hoang which goes around the north end of Hoan Kiem Lake (see Lake Hoan Kiem). [NOTE: Music by El Ten Eleven].

Bicycle With Fish Traps

Look closely.  There's a bicycle in there. It belongs to Mr. Pham Dang Uy of Thu Sy commune in Hung Yen province, and it was used to sell fishtraps throughout the Red River delta from 1982 to 1997.  He would often carry, as is shown here, over 800 traps of differing sizes and configurations on his bicycle. [NOTE: From the fantastic Vietnam Museum of Ethnology in Hanoi (see Museé d'Ethnographie du Vietnam)].

Sầm Sơn Fish Market

The resort town of Sầm Sơn in Thanh Hoa province has a fish market right on the beach.  The fisherman pull their boats out of the water, flip them over to provide some shade, and start trying to sell what they caught that morning. "Cacophony" is probably an appropriate word to describe the experience. [NOTE: That's our driver, Mr. Cuong, buying the dried fish at the end of the clip]. 

Caretaker

Portrait of the gentle caretaker at the An Duong Vuong temple in Nghe An who with great patience tried to explain to me about Thuc Phan, the  Au Lac kingdom, and the legend of the magic crossbow. [NOTE: Go here for a brief review of Vietnamese history].

Riding Attire

I am fascinated by what women in Central Vietnam wear when they ride a motorcycle. There are numerous variations to this look, but the basic ensemble is illustrated by the young woman in Dong Ha shown above. Starting with the lower inset: 

Shiny, black high-heeled shoes are common footwear.

With brightly colored woolen, or thick cotton, gloves and a flashy golden purse with a lot of sparkles. And for headgear:

A black, Nike helmet over a floppy cotton, preferably pastel-colored,  hat with a protective face mask (calico print with blue trim, in this case) and then a pink scarf wrapped around to cover face and neck. It is important to note that it is blazing hot in Quang Tri province right now. [NOTE: I was told that women wear all of this stuff because they don't want to get sunburned. Probably also adds a certain degree of protection in case of a fall. Haven't figure out the adaptive significance of the high-heeled shoes, yet].

Driving Out of the Buffer Zone

A follow-up to yesterday's post. Driving down the mountain back to the reserve headquarters, the conversation in the truck was very animated.  As was the horn honking. 

Food From The Forest

Hiked into the buffer zone outside of the Ta Bhing commune yesterday at the Song Thanh Nature Reserve (see Song Thanh N.R.). Was accompanied by Mr. Thanh, two rangers from the reserve, and a villager from Ta Bhing. We stopped to rest on the way down the mountain, and the young man from Ta Bhing took advantage of the break to wash the greens that he had collected in the forest. [NOTES: Was a beautiful, yet strenuous hike. I won the fall-down contest (2x), while Mr Thanh won the leech contest (7X). The music in the clip is a recording of what was playing in the truck when I did the editing].