Saigon - not the Little one.

30 January - 5 February, 2011
Saigon, Vietnam.

Rice paddies along the way south from Hanoi, rather early into the 36-hour train ride.

Large, crater-like ponds... I'm not sure of their origin, but the landscape and region correspond to a violent history.

Closer to Saigon on the coastal approach between Hue and Danang, we were greeted by this wide expanse of warm, well-protected bays.

Truly, the end of the line. Behind Chris converges the terminus of what, in whole, is often billed as the Reunification Express. Its over 1,726km of track links North with South, and is the entirety of the Hanoi-Saigon rail line.

So, honestly, I'm not sure if to use Saigon, or Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Who you ask, and how you beseech the answer, is likely to yield varying advice - and even then it may totally depend on where you are when you ask.
Truthfully, I prefer Saigon - and apparently the roots to that name run slightly deeper than those of Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC). Regardless, the respect for the man who is the inspiration for the contemporary nomenclature remains great, and I am inclined to conclude it is rightfully deserved.  He and others led the first post-industrial peasants revolution in Southeast Asia - in the context of a in increasingly interdependent and quickly modernizing, global capitalist economy, dominated by the West - and his reputation here and abroad stands rather sustained.

Serious, all over the world; but here, aggressive public stance.

Hardy travel compatriots enjoying a meal break from the heat. Yup, mist spray.

The unsung heroes of Saigon - street sweepers, after 11pm, attack refuse with abandon.

We spent nearly a week here, during the major national and cultural holiday of the year. We were graced with stern, local advice for foreigners that greatly enhanced our stay, and intensely enjoyed the esteemed company of all members of my very good friends' family (the invitation was extended from his grandmothers household!!!). I still feel like the surface was barely scratched, and it retained through my stay a lush, explosive sheen of celebratory cheer!

Ostentatious, colonial architecture, clearly Western. Presumably French...?

Peace. Solidarity. Friendship. Cooperation. Development. & Tanks. War Remnants Museum.

I dream about buildings and city blocks that look sport this motif in the U.S. One day...

Notre Dame cathedral & Mary.

Elaborate mosaic of glass and ceramic plates. Le Van Duyet Temple.

We were fortunate in Saigon at this time for another reason - we arrived during a major national holiday celebration in one of the capitol city's major parks. At Cong Vien Van Hoa park, in the center of the city, we found a massive, green public space converted into a showground for exhibits of Vietnam's plethora of natural and cultural treasures. Flowers, bonsai, gems, birds, fish, butterflies, handicrafts, art, sculptures, and more were on display across acres and acres, showcasing among the best of 2010's pieces.

Butterfly tent at the New Year's fair. Cong Vien Van Hoa Park.

A favorite photo, came out so crisp.. Cong Vien Van Hoa Park.

Hedgerow and flowers dragon, easily +35 ft. long. Cong Vien Van Hoa Park.

Elaborate sculptures using local foodstuff - chilis, peppers, fruits, nuts, & flowers. And this was a basic one... Cong Vien Van Hoa Park.

Year of the Cat, a rotating homage in flowers. Easily 15 feet tall. Cong Vien Van Hoa Park.

Plagued with nauseous nicotine withdrawl and something akin to delayed cabin fever from the train, didn't visit the People's Committee Building and the nearby holiday night fair/markets. Chris K., photog.

Traditional ethnic weaving, employing an ingenious array of rope&pulleys, and such deft motions as to nearly render me hypnotized.

The pace is far from breakneck. Food must be approached with caution. And learning the local driving etiquette is more like taking instructions to etch-a-sketch a Hieronomys Bosch painting with your hands behind your back - to quote Jim Bruer's Brian, in Half Baked (1998), it's "fuckin' impossible, man". Which is all exactly what contributes to its all-pervasive sensation of being at all times both a beautifully gritty and harshly serene, while remaining a consistently dynamic city of world-class cultural richness and depth.

Moments into the Year of the Cat, sharing in cheer.

Yangshuo - South Central China

Yangshuo, Guilin, Guangxi Zhuang Province, China

25 - 27 January 2011.

While our overland excursion began first in Beijing, China - and to there we returned in our final week on the continent- the real deal of this journey began after our brief stay in the capital city. Admittedly, we were still on something of a main travelers trail in this region, but we passed through at a time when in these rural spots we were among few other trekkers. To be in China during this period, when the prevailing aim of the peoples' focus goes almost totally 'local', was wildly refreshing and more than a treat to say the very least.

Inspiration on the first leg of our trip through Asia - take it from Mao, he knows whats up. Is it still propaganda if you agree....? Yangshuo, China.

Everywhere is the town dressed for lunar New Year. Yangshuo, China.

Li River quay. Yangshuo, China.

A landscape and its painter. Yangshuo, China.

Local transport hub - people, animals, cargo, etc. Yanghuo, China

Seems like all arable land in China is used to the fullest. Yangshuo, China.

Chris, on a long stretch of lonely (a rarity!) country road. Yangshuo, China.

Chris with a local 'masseuse'.  Services not employed  Yangshuo, China.

Cooking class - veggie dumplings, beer fish, and stir fry noodles w/veggies - and we kept the recipe. Yangshuo, China.

Fog-shrouded temple nestled within the karst landscape.  Yangshuo, China.

The lighting, the subjects - au natural.  One of my personal favorite photos. Yangshuo, China.

Upon our arrival we discovered another busy City mid-afternoon before the holiday. Yangshuo, China.

The photos laid out heretofore are taken with an Olympus Stylus 1050 SW

 
These works by Tim Paez are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License

Now! To tantalize your senses... a rough draft photo post.

Chuc Mung Nam Moi!! Happy Lunar New Year!
Year of the Cat in Vietnam; Year 4077, of the Rabbit, in China.

Very literally, the end of the line. Terminus of the main train system in Saigon, Vietnam.

Incense and offerings - recognition and deference to ancestors. Somewhat somber affairs in the West, here less so.

Early morning arrival to Hanoi, Vietnam.

Nearly 1 1/2 Billion people listen to Mao. So should you.

So we missed our train... Chris makes the best of our situation in full armament.
Appreciating the incredible photo op that is Beijing West Train Station.

Afternoon landscape and painter. Yangshuo, Guangxi Zhuang, China.

Yangshuo. Outskirts.

Main farmers market, Yangshuo. More on this later - and yes, dog really is a delicacy.

City streets, downtown Yangshuo. (We liked it here)

2 Feb 2011 - So it's bascially its the Lunar New Year's Eve here - only in this amazing part of the world this holiday takes on the significance of one's birthday, Christmas/Chanukah/Ramadan, and New Year's all combined. It's literally a mass celebration; most people have 2 weeks off from work, schools are out for longer, and special foods and festivities only prepared during this time are the norm. Travel logistics get tough, but the atmosphere and spirit abounds here. It's the perfect mixture to make a time- & money- budgeted traveler slow down and appreciate something so entirely unique...

That being the case, we're spending amazing days with the most incredible of families here in Saigon, Vietnam. A very good friend from Uni has connected me with his family and they are treating us like one of their own - in so many ways I feel direct parallels to the hospitality I expect of family in Colombia. I have not words to express how impactful it is to share our time together here, and during such a significant period of the year here.

That said, I won't even try! Without finding that blasted cable, some ingenious local proprietor devised something for me to get the digital photos off my camera and onto a computer. Following is just a rough draft of photos covering the first part of our trip - and 3 weeks still left in our Asian journey!! Chris will get online soon to update in text, and I'll work on uploading the best of our photos from gorgeous Southern China and the first part of our foray in amazing Vietnam.

Cheers.
Tim

The photos laid out heretofore are taken with an Olympus Stylus 1050 SW

 
These works by Tim Paez are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License

Asia - part the 2nd. And together

Greetings friends and family -

We're once again traveling together! This installment of Transcontinental finds us on another low-budget, high-impact, great photo-op-filled journey thru Southern China & Southeast Asia. In fact, I'm finally able to update here at 2315 on 31 January (local time) - live from sunny, tropical Saigon, Vietnam!!

Unfortunately during the first part of our journey, we were stuck behind the Great fireWall of China. Aka - no facebook (gasp!) & worse, no blogspot, or any blogs for that matter...

Also... I admit, I forgot the cable connecting my camera to USB in the US - so I am currently unable to upload my dozens(squared) of photos either!! That said, stay tuned here and we'll at least keep you posted of our goingson, even if without the visual aids at first.

Thanks for reading! Tell your friends!
-Tim P

Bogota - without the altitude sickness!!

June 2008. Bogota, Colombia.

I don't know much what to say about Bogota. The capital city deserves so much more time than the few days I was able to spend there - while I enjoyed lots of what this magnificent City has to offer a traveler (and with family!), I also missed so much of its diverse mash-up of all of Colombia's culture, arts, and food found here due to the brevity of my visit.   So for more proper commentary sprinkled throughout the post, I defer my words here to that of fellow traveler and friend, Matt Morrison - I only asked for his raw thoughts on the place.

Fog over mountain over coffee. Central Range (locally known as Cordillera Central), Colombia.

On the Central Range, a fog-laden mountain valley along the road from Cali to Bogota. Colombia.

Receding mountain fog on overland approach to Bogota, nestled in Colombia's Eastern Range. Colombia.

Another view of the Eastern Range, on approach to Bogota, Colombia.

"...Bogota was a strange combination of rich and poor. There was extremely affluent areas mixed in with people who need to choose which bills to pay. ...there was a strong reminder of how Bogota used to be (extremely crime ridden) in that every house is heavily protected by locks and gates. However I felt pretty safe there."

Tiny sliver of the valley plain that is Bogota, Colombia.

Another sliver of the city, at night. Like it goes on forever... Bogota, Colombia.

Another favorite photo - Bolivar Sqaure, skirted by la Catedral Nacional. Bogota, Colombia.

Colombian flag, cathedral, rainbow, Monserrate - view from La Candelaria. Bogota, Colombia.

In colonial style - la Casa de la Moneda - the old Mint in la Candelaria. Bogota, Colombia

So it's not just in the U.S., folks. Bogota, Colombia.

Escopetarra - "guitarifle' - from National Police Museum. Bogota, Colombia.

From rooftop of National Police Museum - orginal art & view of Monserrate. Bogota, Colombia.

I've forgot the artist and the title, yet it remains one of my most favorite paintings ever - Judgment Day; and its enormous. Note one of first-ever painted images of the female Succubus demon, bottom-right. Bogota, Colombia.

Main stairway entrance to Biblioteca Nacional - very democracy-themed. Look close... Bogota, Colombia.

Fernando Botero's many works were characterized by a style that has been often mimicked, but never duplicated, and often with a political glint. Here, a pictoral jest at a particular lady of means, and the aristocracy in general. Botero Museum, Bogota, Colombia.

An early draft of work supposedly incomplete. The style clarifies later.. Botero Museum, Bogota, Colombia.

A haunting yet jovial musician, playing. Botero Museum, Bogota, Colombia.

A clear political slant - finished after the documented massacre of peasant workers' assembly. Botero Museum, Bogota, Colombia.

Pueblo after an earthquake. Botero Museum, Bogota, Colombia.

House thief. Botero Museum, Bogota, Colombia.

One of my favorite Botero pieces - his Reclining Venus. Botero Museum, Bogota, Colombia.

Another favorite of mine - quirky smile & all. A fine study of Botero's prowess in his own style. Botero Museum, Bogota, Colombia.

Amazing study in the style of Botero. Botero Museum, Bogota, Colombia.

Aside from Botero works, the museum also included some works by his collaborators and visiting artist-friends.  Here, one of my own all-time favorites by Picasso - self-portrait.

"In [the city]... are so many beautiful parts. The old national cathedral next to the government buildings; that square is really cool. There's also la Candelaria and some really cool public places (the library, fields, etc.) that you can just go and chill.
What was strange is the weather and the temperature. It's a city in the mountains and it's either raining or not raining. It felt as though it were fall all the time."

The lone window-washer. I don't know the cathedral's name.. Bogota, Colombia.

Spectacular column inside 17th century Museo Iglesia de Santa Clara - a la colonial Baroque. Bogota, Colombia.

Barrel-vaulted ceiling of the same Museo Iglesia de Santa Clara. Bogota, Colombia.

One altar of la Iglesia de San Francisco, the oldest Church in Bogota. Colombia.

Rare and exclusive; an after-hours visit to Cerro de Monserrate brought me close and personal with the statue of Fallen Christ. Monserrate, Bogota, Colombia.

Catedral Nacional, seat of the Archdiocese of Bogota, and main church for the President and all Colombia's big-wigs. Plaza de Bolivar, Bogota, Colombia.

Pre-Colombian ceramic-work, showcased in el Museo de Oro. Bogota, Colombia.

More ancient Andean ceramic-work. Museo de Oro, Bogota, Colombia.

More art from el Museo de Oro, this time really of gold. Shadowed human figure serves as the ephemeral model.  Bogota, Colombia.

One of very few self-portaits; I look simply dashing.. I mean I like the sculpture - like the 'invisible hand' concept gone wild. Botero Museum, Bogota, Colombia.

"Overall the city of Bogota is slightly strange because it is a very old city with a lot of history that is struggling to keep up with contemporary problems, stressed by the economic situation of the world and South America."

Thanks, Matt!   Count on this: I will certainly return to Bogota, and with my camera once again at the ready.

The photos laid out heretofore are taken with an Olympus Stylus 1050 SW

 
These works by Tim Paez are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License