August 2003
 A
big hello to all our readers and I hope you've been getting
better weather than we have. Its been a rainy month here
in Hanoi and ideal timing for the local council to dig a
three foot wide trench directly outside our house. Why?
I don't know but it was something to do with blue plastic
pipe……It led to a day of work and my new nickname of The
Fair Weather Teacher, not sure the boss saw the funny side
though. Anyway, if, like me and most others who live here,
you ride a motorbike, rain sucks. Apart from getting wet
obviously, you've got the associated dangers of not being
able to see more than a few feet and not knowing when the
next bicycle, road sweeper or pedestrian will decide to
idly stroll right in front of you. I really have no idea
how Hanoi's population continues to survive. As if a series
of wars wasn't bad enough their road safety knowledge is
absolutely non-existent. No head light, no problem; no indicators,
well never really use them anyway; driving on the left,
no big deal; stopping your moped in the middle of a busy
intersection to answer your mobile, positively mundane it
is so frequent! Mind you I must admit that although they
are dangerous beyond belief, Hanoi's roads and streets are
kept marvelously clean by the legions of road sweepers the
government employs.
Found Gino, my friend and flat mate passed out on the sofa
at 9:00 in the morning yesterday and soon found out why…Wednesday
night out on the town, a few beers down (if you ever come
to Hanoi check out the beer hoi; a glass of home made lager
for the equivalent of a few cents and entirely palatable)
and they decided they needed to move on to the stronger
stuff. Shots of Jack? Nope. A bottle of Vodka between the
three? No. Bear wine. Yes! Bear wine! This isn't a brand
name or anything but rice wine in a huge glass jug with
a pickled bear inside to, I don't really know, spice it
up a little? Snake and scorpion wine you see all over town
but bear? Apparently the bear was quite new and didn't taste
so bad but that's something I will never seek to verify.
If your looking for an interesting book to read then I can
recommend "Jim Thompson - The Unsolved Mystery" by William
Warren. About the American who single handedly kick started
Thailand's silk industry only to disappear under mysterious
circumstances in the Malaysian jungle it offers some interesting
insights into an amazing man and his adopted country, Thailand.
Anyway I'm off to Cat Bah Island next month, not long now,
which is a small island off the North East coast of Vietnam.
I fill you in on it when I return. Happy traveling
|
