3/3/09

Osnos to Vietnam

I am on a visa that requires me to leave and re-enter the country every 90 days. Yunnan borders Laos, Burma, Vietnam.... so after a 12h bus ride, I could theoretically wake up in Norther Vietnam, say, tomorrow. As I currently scheme to make a living, I am considering another trip to Sapa across the border in March or April.

That is why it was so exciting to see Osnos' posts about his trip to Vietnam last week. He noticed a swiftly-implemented helmet law that is decreasing head injuries by 30%. (China, take note!) He noticed that Vietnamese translators had granddaughters who craved the new Miley Cyrus biography and the Vampire series books in English. And he noticed that China has claimed natural domination in the region for thousands of years, thus diminishing the reveberations of the "American War" that are so quickly fading into touristic memory.

I need to get back to Vietnam. But first, I want to study my Google Earth to remind myself that vast metal detritus of American ordinance still scars the Vietnamese countryside. I want to review that whole French War, American War, Chinese War historical progression. I wonder how Vietnamese industry and trade and tourism are being affected by the economic slowdown to the North.


Two faces of Sapa.
So many little girls... So many faces...
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Why Lotus? Why Pine?

The lotus signifies the progress of the soul from the primeval mud of materialism, through the waters of experience, and into the bright sunshine of enlightenment.

The pine signifies longevity and endurance because of its green foliage year round. In both good and bad weather, the pine thrives year after year thus it also represents pure life and constancy in the face of adversity.

Yunnan Province is a mountain landscape created when the Indian Sub-continent crashed into the tropical lowlands of Burma. It is a place with hundreds of unique species and dozens of amazing topographies. When I walk the mountains of Yunnan, I breathe fresh pine air and marvel at the indigenous wildflowers. Yunnan is also the conduit through which Buddhism came to China, along the caravan trails from India. The lotus is a Buddhist symbol of purity and perfection. When I photograph these flowers, I am always captivated by their geometry and peace-inspiring colors.

my motto

Look well to this day For it is life The very best of life.
In its brief course lie all The realities and truths of existence,
The joy of growth, the splendor of action, The glory of power.
For yesterday is but a memory. And tomorrow is only a vision.
But today well lived Makes every yesterday a memory of happiness And every tomorrow a vision of hope.
Look well, therefore to this day.

--from the Sanskrit