This railroad track reflects an important part of Vietnamese history. During the Vietnam War, assistance came to the north via rail. However, the gauge on Chinese tracks was wider than Vietnamese; hence, the extra rail.
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Fresh-plucked chickens sold in East and Southeast Asia come with heads and feet, since they are consumed as well.
Despite the heavy weight of these basins, they will be transported by a single bicyclist - irrespective of heat
This semi-rural factory produces pitchers and pots from local clay, using these kilns
Professor Ludwig steaming eggroll wrappers
Eggroll wrappers in Vietnam are steamed before being stuffed as eggrolls.
Artisans in this village specialize in producing bamboo privacy mats.
Nem/egg roll wrappers drying. These are used in creating one of the region's culinary specialties.
Despite increased industrialization and links to major manufacturers, Vietnamese artisans continue to produce mats like these.
Hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese families live on houseboats, testimony to high population density and long-standing preferences.
The southern part of Vietnam, watered by the Mekong River and many tributaries, is criss-crossed by streams. Ferries are a must!
Floor tiles dry in the sun in front of the seller's combined shop and home.
After the woman has sliced a slab of sticky clay, it is forced into a tile mold
In a laborious, dirty and health-threatening fashion, cooking and heating coal is formed into briquets by hand.
Pink concrete or marble often marks graves of Vietnamese who died in what's called the "American War" there.
An estimated 1.1M Vietnamese soldiers died in the protracted war for independence and unification. They are often buried in cemeteries like this.
According to official government estimates, two million civilians and 1.1 million Vietnamese soldiers died in the conflicts with France and the USA. These tombs mark the final resting sites of many soldiers.
Unlike Vietnamese cemeteries devoted to war dead, this graveyard includes a variety of civilians, whose affluence is shown by the size and nature of the graves.
Vietnamese farmer scooping water into paddy
Growing rice - Vietnam's dominant food - requires a great deal of labor, especially ensuring adequate water for the fields.
Vietnamese woman scooping water into paddy
Wedding parties being photographed at the Hanoi Opera House
Two wedding parties are being photographed on the steps of the Hanoi Opera House.
The Hanoi Opera House (Vietnamese: Nhà hát lớn Hà Nội, French: Opéra de Hanoï) is an opera house in central Hanoi, Vietnam. It was erected by the French colonial administration between 1901 and 1911. (from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanoi_Opera_House)
It is said that Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre is the ideal cultural place for visitors. It offers the “unique” water puppet program which is the extremely attractive spiritual “speciality”. For many last years, the brand name Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre has been known as an exploit which possesses a specially “uncanny” attraction, becomes a destination which is fonded of by many domestic and foreign visitors and tourists. (from http://thanglongwaterpuppet.org/en/general-introduction/)
Masks play an important part in Vietnamese drama, conveying emotions
The poster praises the Communist Party of Vietnam, which has controlled the country's political scene since 1975.
Rapid urbanization in Vietnam can be seen in this juxtaposition of new, brightly-painted buildings and older, smaller ones.
With more than 95 million people crowded into the country, urban Vietnamese increasingly build narrow, high homes, with the ground floor devoted to business.
To remember loved ones after their death, Vietnamese often include photos on the memorial plaques
These figures represent persons held in the 'Hanoi Hilton,' where Senator John McCain was held for five years. The prison itself now serves as a museum for the Vietnam war itself [which, in Vietnam, is known as the 'American War'].
Hỏa Lò Prison (Vietnamese: [hwa᷉ː lɔ̂]) was a prison used by the French colonists in Vietnam for political prisoners, and later by North Vietnam for U.S. Prisoners of War during the Vietnam War. During this later period it was sarcastically known to American POWs as the Hanoi Hilton. The prison was demolished during the 1990s, though the gatehouse remains as a museum. (from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H%E1%BB%8Fa_L%C3%B2_Prison)
Banners for Chinese New Year decorate trees, while a myriad of electrical and cable wires show rapid development.
Vietnamese markets include itinerant vendors as well as fixed shops.
Fruit seller with food over her shoulder
To avoid paying rent for a formal shop, this barber plies his scissors on a Hanoi main street.
These women play percussion and string instruments native to Vietnam.
The monks atop the stairs wear brown to symbolize their simple lives.
Although Vietnam doesn't recognize any official language, Buddhists (8% of the populace) tend to gather in the north, Catholics (6.6%) in the south. These Buddhist monks may come from Tibet.
A ceremonial guard stands by this building, built as a home for Ho Chi Minh.
Fresh fruits, flowers and a religious symbol decorate this family altar
Fresh fruits and flowers decorate this home altar, used for ancestor worship. Vietnamese overwhelmingly follow this practice.
Vietnamese frequently eat outdoors, always seeking the freshest food. This cook provides seats for customers.
The universal thirst for knowledge, Vietnam
The Dar, or house, is the central element of a Moroccan old city. These old homes have high walls, sunken-in pools, and beautiful gardens. Interior spaces are tiled with zellige-style terra-cotta and decorated with ornate furnishings and fabrics. The Dar represents the pure blend of Islamic art and architecture with Moorish Andalusian influence.
African countries, as a whole, lack the developed infrastructure of the so-called "modern" world. There is no better example of this need than the mountain switchbacks, which appear quite perilous to any driver, especially when viewed from above.
This sign says “Teeth maker” on the top and “Abdulsalam” at the bottom, referring to a person who has dental laboratory to make dentures or crowns, named Abdul Salam.
Two men lounge outside the tent in their Djellebas, or hooded tunics, and offer souvenirs for purchase. Tourism is one of the largest industries in Morocco today.
After the advent of Islam, nomadic Berbers were among the first to convert and support the faith in the Mahgreb. Settled Christian and Jewish communities were less enthused, and they soon found themselves outnumbered severely. Today, the population of Morocco is 99.9% Sunni Muslim, with tiny Christian and Jewish minorities residing in the cities. The Berber population hovers around 20 million.
A father and his three children sit by the side of the road to sell shoes and toys to passersby. The desert can reach temperatures as high as 116 degrees and as low as 45 degrees Fahrenheit
A poor black sheep awaits his fate as dinner for a group of hungry Moroccans and tourists. Meanwhile, three men raise a bonfire that is even taller than themselves.
In Morocco, killing and preparing animals for consumption must follow the Islamic guidelines for halal preparation. In the foreground, three men tear apart a slain sheep. In the background, two men prepare a large bonfire over which to cook the meat.
Sign directing people to a medical center.
A man prays at a cemetery in Morocco. Muslims do not generally mark their graves in outward ways, though this varies by regional custom. This Moroccan graveyard is littered with stones marking gravesites.
Nomadic Berber life is communal at its core. Family comes first, and they believe that women should marry earlier than men. The two girls in this photograph may already be engaged, or even married.
Written into a desert cliff lies the Arabic words for Morocco's three-fledged motto: God, Homeland, King.
Moroccan jewelry is a splash of color; each piece is painted beautifully; earrings take a long, scimitar-shaped look, while necklaces are thick and ribboned.
Doors, floors, and walls are spots worth looking at in every Moroccan structure. Doors are often ornately carved or else made extremely sturdy with heavy iron bolts.
Foothills of the Atlas Mountains, Morocco
The Atlas Mountains stretch across three countries: Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco. The highest point is Mt. Toubkal, which is in Morocco. It is roughly 40 miles south of Marrakesh and is just under 3 miles above sea level.
Seminomadic Berber populations live in scrublands closer to the Atlantic coast and the Atlas Mountains. They are often quite poor, lacking the extensive tourism industry of those leading camel tours in the Sahara. Extreme poverty in Morocco is common in rural areas.
Moroccan homes have flat roofs and tend not to exceed four stories, per a set of old French laws governing the building codes of Moroccan cities. Nevertheless, the buildings' tallest points are often their television antennae…situated right next to their clotheslines.
Luckily for foreigners, the stop sign is an almost universal shape and color, making this sign easily decipherable to the unsuspecting American!
Security is necessary in the open and covered markets of Morocco; sadly, harassment and pickpocketing are quite common. Police brutality is also, unfortunately, all too familiar to Moroccan citizens.
Throwing pots in Morocco takes far less time than the glazing process - artisans spend hours producing the perfect glaze pattern on their terra-cotta pots.
Protective layers of enamel take hours to dry and weeks to cure. The craftsmanship of each individual zellige piece drives the prices up, but the artistry remains stunning.
Nowhere is westernization more shocking than in the austere North African landscape. The inexorable pervading advertisement has not overlooked Morocco: the sign reads "Coca-Cola" in Arabic characters.
Soldiers participate in a military parade in Fès , Morocco. They wear the characteristic fez, along with uniforms containing the official colors of Morocco: red and green.
Detailed woodwork is highly prized in Morocco, mainly because interior spaces are viewed as a refuge from the busy world of work outside.
Preparing onions is an art form in Morocco. Entitled mezgaldi, the onions are spiced, caramelized and broiled to a golden brown - a hearty treat.
The sintir is a fretless, plucked string instrument that sounds like a cross between the Egyptian oud and the American banjo. Its sound is guttural, rather than light and airy.
Moroccans wear a type of slipper called a balgha, which are often soft, yellow, and made of leather. More colorful designs may be sought after for the more fashionable and wealthy.
Street musicians set the tone of Morocco: the country's rich history, combined with its heavy emphasis on marketplaces and its prime location between the Islamic and Andalusian worlds makes it a musical destination as well as a cultural one.
Merzouga, a tourist town on the edge of Erg Chebbi, caters to foreign travelers aiming to spend a night or two in the Sahara.
An erg is a vast sea of dunes. In this case, the Erg Chebbi near the Algerian border provides visitors with unparalleled desert scenery.
It's about two hours after sunrise in southern Morocco, so cool in late December that travelers must bundle up against the cold. Because of recent rain, the sand is hard packed, making the trek relatively easy for camels and riders alike. The near-horizontal beams of sunshine make for a dramatic picture.
Berber tribes can be nomadic or semi-nomadic. They are found all over Nothern Africa and have reached prominent positions in government of modern nation-states, while simultaneously being persecuted in others. The modern world is changing the culture of the Berbers; some anthropologists believe that Berber traditions will die out within the next few hundred years.
Tourists on camels obscure the faint but still-present tracks of a dune buggy - a true juxtaposition of old and new.
Travel by camel is the only way through the punishing Sahara, home to sand, date palms, scarab beetles, and more sand. Towns and oases are far apart; one marvels at the efficacy of our ancestors in braving such conditions!