Monday, November 17th, 2003 – Day 272
Vietnam cleans up after deadly floods as new storm advances. Latest storm News is death level is now 58. The good news (for me) is that the new storm will hit the north of the Country. Last week’s rains fell just before the rice harvest, destroying crucial crops as well as devastating shrimp farms, leaving thousands without food. It was unclear whether coffee crops, mainly located in upper areas notably in Gia Lai and Dak Lak provinces which I was in – Dalat City), were really badly damaged or not. According to World Bank figures, natural disasters have cost Vietnam 1.25 billion dollars between 1995 and 2002.
I was up at 5.15am. Reception rang as promised at 5.30am. I took a moto to the bus station. There were only two uses going to Kon Tum but thy were owned by the same company. Worse, they were going at 7.00am (not 6.00am as I was told). Worse again, as foreigners (everyone who is not from Vietnam) are not allowed to buy tickets from the official booths and where prices are fixed. Foreigners can only buy tickets from the conductors and touts. Its a crap situation in Vietnam. Imagine if a Vietnamese businessman came to Ireland and we charged him or her 200% more because of his nationality.
They do not distinguish between foreigners. If you are white, they expect you can afford the price hike. I was told locals pay 45,000 Dong for the ticket. I was been asked 70,000 Dong. No one will take your side or intervene in your behalf. A Vietnamesse person will not loose face with another by helping out a foreigner. Its unheard of.
I waited around until 7.00am keeping the 3/4 hawkers selling tickets for the bus company in suspense to whether I would be making their pay day. With I left the station to buy water, two of them followed me around.
I have no choice in the matter. I had to bite the bullet. We left on time with the collector who sold me the ticket onboard. He saw I was pissed off and tried to placate me with free water, refresher towel and his foreign currency, but I ignored all overtones. I was in a mood. It was only 4 hours to Kon Tun.
Vietnamese girls are terrible travellers. While 2 male kids and a girls puked all there way to Buon Ma Thuot, another girl puked all the way to Kon Tum. The road was fine and we passed the town on Pleiku.
I was still in a mood when I got there. At least they moved the bus station which was 13km out of town a few months ago into town. I did not accept offers from moto drivers and instead starting walking down the VERY long main street.
Kon Tum is a province belong to the North end of the the Central Highlands with the important strategic position: Crossroad of Indochine, adjacent to Laos and Cambodia with its border of 275 km. Topography is complicated, difficult transport system. Ngoc Linh peak is 2,845 m high – The highest one in the Sourth. There are National Route – 14, Route – 24 leading to Quang Ngai, Route – 18 leading to Atopu (Laos), Xesan river is a combination of Dakbla and Krong Poco river, creating Yaly waterfall – the second largest hydro-electric work in the whole country.
There are many hill tribes in this area, some only 4/5 km of the town. Catholicism is the main religion here as well. Overall 10% of the population in Vietnam is Catholic.
Kon Tum province lies in Central Tay Nguyen Highlands and shares a border with Laos. More than 50% of the Kon Tum’s population comprises numerous minorities such as Xo Dang, Ba Na, Gie Trieng, Brau, Gia Rai, and Ro Mam.
Kon Tum is the largest plateau on the central Highlands. It is more than 800 meters above sea level. The majority of the local inhabitants are made up the Ba Na, one of the several ethnic minority groups in the Central Highlands. The second largest group is the Kinh which is followed by the Gia Rai people. The provincial capital of Kon Tum is the townships of the same name which is located on the northern part of Central Highlands. The town is situated on the river bank of the Dac Pla river, a tributary of the town is in a small flat land area which is just 525 meters above sea level.
Kon Tum was an administrative centre of the French colonialists who ruled the Central Highlands as early as the 19th century. Some French missionaries arrived in Kon Tum as earlier as 1651. They came in a greater number in 1838 to pave the way for the French troops to invade the country . to oppress insurrections repeatedly launched by the Vietnamese people the French built a big prison in Kon Tum where many staunch revolutionaries were jailed. Vietnamese soldiers in the French army were dispatched to guard the prison and a severe prison regime was applied there. The forming of the highway 19 that runs through the central Highlands to lowland areas to the east were the result of flesh and blood of prisoners from the Kon Tum prison.
At last, I am on a town which was part of the Ho Chi Minh Trail. As I was walking down town I had a coffee where the owner tried in vain to converse with me. They do not get many tourists here and you get stared at and frienzed HEKKOS. I walked to a Bahnar Village (lang bana). The village here is very poor. People live in wooden shacks whicha re so stilts. Most adults were in the fields so there were many kids and old people. I walked around for 20 minutes before meeting an old man who though I may speak French. He had a reasonavle amount of it. He invited me into me home. Again it may ahve been a wooden shack but it was spotless.
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Kon Tum – Hill tribe (17-11-2003)
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Click on the picture to see it in it´s original size
Kon Tum – Hill tribe (17-11-2003)
In this part of the world, guets drink from home fermented rice wine. It is brought to the middle of the main rooma nd a large plastic straw is put in. The vase may contain 10-15 litres. The old man drank, then I and then his son, It was passed around for about an hour. the old man was drunk at this stage and slurring. I had a good time and i was happy to be invited to his house and partake in the hospitality.
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Kon Tum – No carts and horses on this street (17-11-2003)
i walked onwards and back to Vietnam proper, who show litle regard for these tribes. I walked 20 minutes to theDakbla Hotel. The Lonely Planet does not really recommend although it said there were only 3 state owned hotels in town. i counted at least six. I paid 8 USD for a fan room. It was basic abd not entirely clean. Again they get few people staying.
It was only 3.00pm and I walked to another vilalge about 4 km from town. The rain clouds were gathering. I called into two local Catholic Churchs and the old Kon Tum village.
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Click on the picture to see it in it´s original size
Kon Tum – Oxen are viery important (17-11-2003)
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Click on the picture to see it in it´s original size
Kon Tum – Marriage Cermony begins at Seminary Hill catholic Church (17-11-2003)
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Click on the picture to see it in it´s original size
Kon Tum – Lots of bikes at this school (17-11-2003)
Again I had a good view coffees. There was little to do that evening. I found a NET cafe and read up on the major battle of Kontum from the Vietnam War. These sites are blocked from computers in Vietnam but I found way to read them. Indeed its hard to find information on the Vietnam War from here.
Kon Tum and Pleiku are places we heard during the war. Terrible battles took place here, one on Charlie Hill nearby where a Vietnamese commander determined not to retreat or surrender, and lost a large number of soldiers. A Vietnamese song was written: Nguoi o lai Charlie — the people stayed in Charlie.
I found another site where a visitor mentions the wild prices we foreigners get on buses and te way passengers back up that deception.