Tram Chim Excursion and Life in Can Tho

 

I saw these and a knew something big had to be in the park...

...and then a saw A WATER BUFFALO =)

            This is going to have to be a weird blog entry (sorry!). I have several rather unrelated topics =p.

            First off I finally got out of Can Tho and into a park =). I definitely have missed open spaces with no houses/development.

Tram Chim

Lecture out "in" the field.

The park itself has an interesting history. It is the low point of a large regional basin (Geology connection!!) whose rim was slowly developed over the last 300 years. During the war this was an important hideout area and as a result the entire region was deforested by the US. Canals were also built to drain the wetland and make it easier for the US army to access. Following the war the region was developed for rice cultivation. This national park represented the last undeveloped area (the lowest point ie swampiest point in the basin) and in 1985 some forward thinking individuals set it aside as a conservation area and fishery. It wasn’t until 1998 that the park was officially started. However, the natural flooding of the rainy season and hydrology of the region had been forever lost due to the artificial drainage by canals. The park then built a dike around the area to keep water in during the wet season and allow drainage during the dry season. Interestingly, the local community doesn’t necessarily like the park much because it prevents access to an area they previously depended on for food and income. While the government is now allowing limited access there is a lot of tension with the locals. Park rangers will give chase to poachers illegally using resources and locals have learned that setting fires as a distraction is a good counter. (Clever!) Therefore, the park has forest fire problems in the dry season. Fascinating management issues. Sorry that might have gotten a bit nerdy. 

Swamp with methane bubbles coming up. 

Wildlife sighting on the boat ride to the campsite.

            The park was gorgeous. It is a refuge for a highly endangered Sarus Crane ~ 100 left in the world mostly in this park. 

Sarus Cranes - Sorry it is a bad picture. They were super far away.

We stayed at a guesthouse for night one. 

Guesthouse mosquito nets =)

  During the day we took a boat out into the wetland to measure soil, water and plants. 

Testing the water.

Catching critters. 

The large catch!! (Two Minnows)

We camped at a watchtower/platform for night two.Wonderful place to hang the new hammock I purchased =). Why can't class at college include a two hour hammock nap??

Campsite

Interestingly, the army was also posted there to watch for forest fires and illegal poachers. It was kind of ironic/awesome that on an old Vietnam War battlefield American students spent an evening interacting with the Communist Army. 

            During the excursion I also got a chance to sample rat meat served on lily pads at our campsite. The verdict – AMAZING! Probably one of the best meats I have ever tasted. 

Dinner at campsite.

That brings me to the second topic I wanted to address today. Meat. Yea so my host family mentioned that dog meat was really popular here and so I mentioned it would be interesting to try. Well sure enough last night we went to try some thit cho. I didn’t realize it but we were going to a dog meat restaurant. We sat down and right next to our table was a really cute puppy tied up to a post. So dish one is a dog sausage with fermented shrimp sauce. It smelled like dog poop for some reason and I couldn’t stop looking at that puppy. Then came dish two. I didn’t even know I had signed up for a multi-course dog dinner. This was a marinated meat. Tasted alright. Still couldn’t stop looking at the puppy. Third dish was a boiling pot of strew brought out on a small bucket of coals so it cooked on the table. That was rather intoxicating. The next day I also learned that most dog meat here is obtained by stealing people’s pets in the countryside…sigh my soul is slightly disturbed right now.

            On a happier (but also sad) note I went to volunteer at an orphanage today after class. One of my Vietnamese friends invited me. We just hung out with the kids. At first we visited a bunch of babies which I had no clue what to do with. I was just hoping that I didn’t drop them by accident! They were so cute though and I had a lot of fun trying to remember children’s songs and how baby toys worked. There was also a Dutch couple volunteering there. Apparently they were part of some Dutch travel volunteer program – on the road for about 6 months traveling and volunteering in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia.

We also played with the special needs kids. That was really sad. In Vietnam there are a lot of disabled children/adults because of Agent Orange used in the war. People who grew up during the war and were exposed to the chemical will have a much higher risk of having a disabled child and/or developing cancer. Often these children end up as orphans. It is really sad to realize that even some children born today will never live a normal life because of a conflict that happened forty years ago. 

            Sort of related to my visit to the orphanage I went with my friend Imy to her Grandpa’s house for dinner. Good times =). Here I met the vice-director of Can Tho University where I currently study. He was talking to me about my stay here and why I came to Vietnam. Like everyone in Vietnam he was amazingly friendly and told me multiple times that he personally feels responsible for the SIT students because they are guests of the university and therefore his guests. There was also an older farmer there who started a conversation with me saying that the war ended forty years ago and what has happened in the past is for historians. The future is what we live in. He made me promise not to forget him in America and to tell my people that Vietnam is a new place that welcome Americans. No hard feelings. Interesting especially in light of my afternoon with the orphans.

Sorry this one was a lot of ramblings and musings and random references to the Vietnam War. I was hoping to not focus on this topic much while I am here. However, these experiences were particularly thought – provoking and I thought they might make a good blog.

Also, I am hoping to update more frequently so I don’t have to jam everything into one entry. Hope life is awesome! Oh, and you really ought to try rat meat at some point in your life. =) Klaus says xin chao (hello)! He and I have to get practicing for a Vietnamese language final on Thursday!

Group Shot (minus me)

In case you wondered...I'm having a blast (need I mention I was in class during this photo =p)