Our next stop was to learn how to make the traditional conical shaped Vietnam hats.
Again, I will mention Tet. The village was celebrating with a carnival type festival when we arrived. Children’s rides were nestled with food vendors and anything which may have been called a ‘street’ before this day was completely hidden by people. That did not deter the death scooters from pushing their way through, and again, no one appeared to notice nor care.
We had ventured from the big city into the countryside, and yes, tours do come regularly through the area, but usually kids are elsewhere and seeing foreigners a rarity. We were gaped at, commented upon and touched by almost everyone we passed under the age of 20. I realize this is not an unusual experience for some people, but I am rarely noticed at all and the attention was neither wanted nor comfortable.
We eventually made it through the crowd to what I will call a patio at the house of the hat maker family. Again, we were greeted by the mini chairs, or the option to sit on the floor. I took a chair and may comment upon, but not complain about their height in the future.
Because we were outside, and the festival was in full strength, I could hardly hear a word to be honest. Scooter horns, and crowd noise did battle with huge drums being beaten to scare away evil spirits as dragons danced around and teens commented, I imagine, on the heat.
The hats were beautiful, and I did get a passing idea of how they were made. These village share several products, such as waste from the incense making process goes into the hats. Bamboo leaves are used in the hats and the stalks in the incense. Nothing is wasted and if it is not useful, it is shared.
Beyond that, it honestly ends up in piles of garbage along the sides of the road. I am told the garbage pile up is not usually as extreme as it appeared on this day, but because it was a government holiday, the few waste disposal people were on vacation too. For the amount they recycle and use everything, I can’t imagine where all the garbage comes from, but here we are.
I did catch on to some tid bits about the hats. There are different kinds for women and men. The military has a hat, and there is a type of hat only worn by the royal family.
This family made hats for the royal family for generations, and had one on display they were very proud of. It was the only thing not for sale in the entire village or so was indicated.
We were given bamboo leaves to iron, and taught the method of using the iron, which is essentially a bag of sand and a hot plate. We were shown the ‘bones’ of the hat, and then told how the leaves are layered and tied into place, eventually sewn to the bones.
I am ever so glad I did not need to demonstrate my sewing skills.
In the end, we were given (sadly yet obviously mass-produced hats) to paint a design on and take home.
How the hell am I going to get a pointy hat back to Iowa? I do not want to do this, I was tired, and hot and annoyed by the noise.
But I sat with my extremely limited drawing skills debating what magical prose I could put on this hat which would renew my spirit.
I thought about Leo, and after realizing I had no idea how to draw a lion, I realized I had not brought him along today.
Then I realized I did not remember seeing him in the hotel last night, but I was so tired…
I had no idea what to do. I was panicked that I had left him behind, and I was sitting facing this stupid hat I wanted nothing to do with with everyone happily painting and carrying on around me. Although you couldn’t tell because of all the noise.
My mind was a blank, and now I just wanted to run back to the hotel and check on Leo. How silly is that? A stuffed animal of no special meaning other than to be a mascot of this trip.
Still needed to paint something on this stupid hat. I can write…
John’s Grocery. God I’ve been brainwashed.
There. Now Doug will have a souvenir. How the hell am I going to get it home? Can’t leave it behind now that I branded it. Do not want to wear it because that would be weird.
I want to go home.
Every time I travel, especially to new places I have a moment of melt down. I am not unaware of this, and as I have aged, I roll with it better than I used to.
A few times I have melted down in public, but very few, and I am happy to report this was not one of them.
I finished the hat thing, and I will say the hats these people make are incredible. Covered in silk and painted or embroidered with amazing designs I would have bought some if I could have folded them flat. And if I was not having a melt down. Or, perhaps the new non hoarder me would not, but they really are stunning.
The experience could have been happier for me, but that was the me part of the equation and does not reflect at all on the experience. We had an excellent tour guide, and stunning hats, but all I wanted to do was get to the hotel and check on Leo.
To be honest, that was the last visit of the tour, but the rest of it was lost on me. Cordial, nice, smile when appropriate and put positive thoughts out there. One step after another and I will move through.
