Good morning Vietnaaaaaaaammmmmm - Robin Williams
Or more like good morning Ha Noi.
After a night bus trip from Hue on the Sinh Cafe, we arrived in Ha Noi during the wee early morning (5am’ish). Once checked into the hotel, I decided to trek to the Hoan Kiem Lake park which was just a block away.
To my amazement the park was filled with loads of people doing their morning exercises. To my right were people holding fans doing a choreograph workout. To my left was a group of joggers coming towards me. Down the street were ping pong players.
You don’t see this everyday in the U.S..
I envy this simple lifestyle.
The Citadel. A palace that once housed the Kings and Emperors of Vietnam’s past. An area that housed the North’s military. The equivalent of China’s Forbidden Palace. A lot of it in ruins.
The government has spent millions in restoring this now tourist landmark. Contrasting elements of the “restored” portions with the old doesn’t sit well with me. If anything, it looked tacky and designed to be something to wow and fulfill the Western tourist cultural perceptions of the East.
Hoi An, a World Heritage Site, is known for many things throughout its history, but one particular item it it is known for is the lantern. For the two young girls inside the store, building and selling these lanterns is their livelihood.
Laying on my lounge chair under my bamboo roof, I noticed a local seafood vendor setting shop in front of me. With her granddaughter by her side, they removed their coal burning makeshift stoves from their rugged old-style vendor poles. Behind me sits a high-end German brewery/restaurant. I sipped my 50,000VND (US$2.50) stout from the pint glass and proceeded towards the vendor.
Browsing her goods, something caught my eye: live lobster.
I asked her how big were they.
Answer: 1 kg (roughly 2 lbs).
I asked her how much.
Answer: 20,000VND (roughly US$1).
Without hesitation, I ordered one. Chopped right down the middle, the crustacean was immediately placed on the coal grill. A good quarter of an hour later, a plate of grilled lobster plus three different homemade dipping sauces dispensed from 20oz soda bottles sat right in front of me.
I scarfed it down…. quickly.
Delicious.
Smelling like seafood, I went up to the lady and without any shame ordered another lobster.
Located at the highest point of a Buddhist Temple and orphanage in Nha Trang.
Beach bumming on a private beach in Nha Trang.
Beginning of a new day.
Wishes for the New Year.
Crossing the infamous Shibuya Crosswalk.
