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LowComDom Performances Presents
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LowComDom Performances Presents
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Where's Svlad? - Banana Republics
Dexter was not sending regular updates to LowComDom world headquarters in Alviso. The staff was tracking him via credit card bills. Dexter was now in Santiago, Chile. This made sense because of the Agency's involvement in the over-throw of the Chilean Government. Telegrams and messages left for Dexter at the American Embassy went un-answered.
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Mongo, fresh from his trip to Hai Phong, returned to Hanoi for a day before heading to his next location. Biff had also been inserted in the pocket between Laos, The PRC and Vietnam. Mongo headed to this mountainous north eastern region to sift for clues. |
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The train to this area was not due to leave for another day. Needing to keep up the appearance of a tourist, Mongo took a day trip to the ancient capital at Hoa Lu. |
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Then onto Tam Coc where rice farmers row tourists down a small river straight through three mountains. |
Back to Hanoi to catch the midnight train to Sa Pa. The Victoria Sa Pa has two classes of passengers. Those who booked a hard berth, and those with a soft berth. Tourists almost always take the soft berth. This small cabin includes upholstered seats which swing down to create four beds. The hard berths are simply wooden benches.
The type of berth is quite important. This is a night train, you will probably be sleeping for most of the trip. Trains are not quiet.
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Mongo kept dreaming that there was a helicopter hovering over him during the night. In fact this was the sound of the engine some 13 cars ahead of his. |
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A comfortable bed makes coping with the noise a little easier.
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In the morning Mongo arrived in Lao Cia. From here it was a ride in a van over a very muddy mountain to Sa Pa. The hotel's lobby was at the base of a hill. All rooms were a steep walk upstairs to look out over an incredible valley. For quite a while, Mongo forgot why he was here. The view is spectacular. From his balcony Mongo looked down on clouds which floated through the valley. |
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The valley at Sa Pa is an agricultural marvel. The Hmong people have cut terraces into the mountains, which they flood and grow rice on. |
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The result is probably the most picturesque farm land in the world. Mongo took a hike through this land. There was a Hmong family he needed to ask a few questions of. |
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Mechanization is at a premium. Local agriculture is done by working the land with Water buffalo, and sweat. |
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Over lunch in a dirt floor house he learned that Biff had had a relationship with a Vietnamese woman. The woman could be found in the nearby town of Bac Ha. The ride was via pony. |
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Luckily, there was a large parking lot. |
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The woman would not allow Mongo to photograph her. Mongo asked her several questions about Biff. She had a remarkable knowledge about Biff in the early 1970's (back when he had all of his fingers.) Then she dropped the bomb. There was a daughter. Born after Biff left Vietnam, the daughter, now a young woman left the north. She was probably unimportant in finding Svlad, but Mongo picked up her address in Hue. |
Next Time: Part 7 Espana
