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A Writer's Explication. And Notes on Mystery Meat
Entry 21 of 34 | show all | print this entry |
For the 1st time since I arrived in VN, I'm caught up with my logs. Not entering them into my blog, but at least writing them. There are so many thoughts, memories, opinions, flowers, and experiences that I want to capture. I think that this blogging and avid picture-taking is a very important endeavor, and I would want for others to see things through my eyes. Near-sighted though they may be, they are those of an unknown son, not of a faceless visitor. I can look back and reflect on my own writings later too. They are time-consuming to put on paper and I am not a natural writer. I hope that oases of poetry lend some life to my vast desert of prose. Additionally, the busy travel and family schedule does not permit much opportunity to dedicate my energies to this task. Most often, I write while others sleep, so my weary mind sputters its last output before succumbing to the seduction of fatigue. I compose in bathrooms, on beds, in lobbies, while flying, lying dow, sitting up, bent over a bus counter, while conversing--in short, I commit to it as much as I can. All while keeping you, my beloved constitutents, in mind.
Look up Fan Yang, a VN native who does what I would describe as bubble magic--try to catch some videos of his acts.
Also, go to www.world-heritage-tour.org/asia/vn/halongBay/island.html - check out the panoramic view
My micro-handwriting and my extremely fast typing have made me an absolute hit at internet cafe's across VN. Perhaps I can be a freak show here one day.
Back to our regularly scheduled broadcast already in progress:
At Hanoi Airport, we checked our bags, got our tickets, and headed to security. I realized then that I had forgotten to remove my pocket knife and 2 bottles with >3oz. of fluid. Shoot. who knows? Maybe we'll get through. Unlucky for me, an anal-retentive stickler was wo-manning the X-ray. She asked for all 3 items from my bag as I went through the metal detector. Mom told me to throw away the bug spray and fabric freshener, both VERY valuable items, but I couldn't part with the knife. OK. Back out to the check-in counter. The airline put it in an envelope and sent it along and I went back through security. Ms. Anal-Retentive was now taking care of ID's and tickets. A woman was turned away b/c of some strange thing with her middle name. Another foreign traveler was told to go get a ticket re-issue b/c there was 1 letter that was typoed on the ticket, despite requests to ease up by her comrades. In the terminal finally, I noticed 2 injuns sitting towards the back---one with a turban chatting away in a self-important manner on his cell, and the other completely stone-faced.
When our flight was called, there was a bum rush to the gate, and more gipping ensued. No one gipped me--I was having no more of it at this point. As the 2nd and final shuttle shut its doors to head to the plane, the 2 brown guys ambled their rather obese bodies down the steps at a nonchalant leisurely pace. Whispers erupted almost synchronously from the crowd in the bus "Dao thu" which means "to start a business", but it's often used slangily to indicate a foreign investor) I was mistaken by the internet cafe proprietor in Hanoi as being a Chinese national visiting Hanoi to "Dao thu". Viet ppl embrace foreign investors with the same warm spirit as they would embrace a cactus. They know they need the cash flow but do not like to see foreigners on their soil. As we boarded the plane that woman got pushy with Mom which angered me so I got in her face. The plane ride was spent writing and watching my Mom catch flies while the she napped (her mouth was open). Abd pain was still present, mostly in short bouts. At least not diarrhea, but still loose stools.
We arrived safely to Tan Son Nhat Airport in HCMC without incident and hit the road with Grandma (Gma), Aunt Thuan, and Uncle Fa. Grandma was wearing more comfortable clothing than I had seen her wear in previous days. She had on an ao ba ba, a relatively looser-fitting shirt of thin polyester? that is more commonly worn as a casual and cool alternative to regular tops. We visited some relatives (2 of Gma's cousins who co-habitated a small abode) who had a child?nephew?grandson? with mental disorders. In their 80's, they had to take care of ALL of his A.D.L.'s (activities of daily living) while barely keeping up with their own ailing health. I barely want to walk the dog on a daily basis, but here these elderly people were providing everything for a handicapped person, and his tendency to throw temper tantrums made things worse (how's that for alliteration?).
After the depressing visit ended with Mom and Gma each giving each relative a significant monetary gift, we went to see our tailor at Nha for final fittings on some ao dai, the traditional Vietnamese dress. Mom and Gma had had several to try on, and they would each have more to be made in subsequent days. I had learned this past week that most women do not have even one for themselves, unable to afford the cost of having one tailored correctly. This was a small luxury owned by many women only because it was a hand-me-down or it was an ill-fitting uniform from their school days. It puts things into perspective when I know that I often shop for more big-ticket clothing, despite already owning a tuxedo, a half-dozen suits, and another dozen sport coats.
Becoming increasingly indignant that the fittings were taking so long, I decided to get up from the comfortable couch on which I was seated to purchase some bottled water. I did not have any with me, because I could carry any on my flight to HCMC (I never drank more than a sip of non-boiled, unbottled water here in VN due to increased risk of contamination). I stood up and froze as I became lightheaded. My vision clouded over and things started turning black. My heart raced, as I slowly sat back down. Had I stood up completely straight or gotten up any more quickly, I believe I would have passed out. I took a breath and checked my pulse--92 beats per minute. I cautiously stood up again, still lightheaded. I walked to a nearby store and asked the clerk for water. She quoted me a price that was 66% higher than in HCMC downtown markets. I refused to pay it on principle. At another establishment, the counter attendant slyly faked an "I'm sorry? What did you want?" while she took the momentary delay to assess me and determine an appropriately high price. Same steep price. Fine. I will just go faint then.
I went back to the Uncle Fa's taxi to sit, and a few minutes later, Mom and Gma got in, announcing that they were changing the itinerary--we were headed home for dinner. Thank goodness we were not going to visit another person and going to another place to shop, as originally planned.
The following (between the line spaces) has been rated PG (Pro-pet Guidance) for images of canine edibility and suggestive humor:
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Home at last! Good to be on land and in a place with good food. My stomach was hurting a bit and stool still wasn't solid but at least it was normal frequency. Tonight's dinner featured a main course of spicy Lau (Thai-spiced fondue of seafood, beef, and vegetables--imagine a central pot situated on a burner with delicious broth at a roiling boil and Thanksgiving Day-sized heaps of fresh herbs, vegetables, raw squid, beef, fish and shrimp ready to be simmered in the soup and served). This was eaten with bun (thin rice noodle).
The appetizers were the money-makers. Gioi (stuffed intestines?), liver, sweet and salty Fido, and leg of Rover. At least Rover still has his tail. Just kidding. In all seriousness, the meat was not prepared well by the vendor and it was slightly chewy. Otherwise, it was alright. Since chicken is the standard of comparison, dog meat can be described as having a thicker outer hide/skin than chicken, with tougher, less tender, and less fatty meat. Would I eat it again? Sure. Would I try it by myself? Unlikely. I can at least check off the "to do" list for this trip.
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I went back to Hotel Volga to check in and move our luggage. They now wanted a higher daily rate for a lesser room so I called Mom and Aunt Thuan to handle it. Apparently a whole wedding party had checked into the place for the weekend. We then dropped Gpa/Gma off so they could retire for the evening, while Mom and I went back to Great Aunt's house. Realizing that this might be the only reasonable/feasible time to have nearly everyone relaxed and nearby, I decided to a broadcast a slide and movie show of our vacation thus far. Many a laugh ensued. To think, in 2 weeks I have seen more of the country geographically than most of them have seen in their entire lives. We returned to the hotel soon after to unpack and get ready for the following day. We planned a 6am start to head down to the mighty Mekong River Delta.
I still had loose stools. Hmm, looked like I've lost some weight or something? How would that be possible when I've been eating my face off? There is a scale downstairs. Will have to check later :-)
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