Hanoi Life

Should Auld Acquaintance

Another year is drawing to a close and as we don't have to wax the floor, we can wax philosophical. We are completing our 17th month of living in Hanoi so far away from friends and family.

The Internet is sort of a miracle.  As recently as twenty years ago, when we traveled, we were pretty much out of touch with everyone.  Phones were expensive and unreliable and post cards got home long after we did.  Now we can "Skype" people for a few cents a minute and can email and chat and send photos so at least we know what everyone is up to.

The days sometimes pass slowly but the years go quickly.  We were fortunate this year that both of our families remained intact.  Carol's father, Earl, is in great shape at age 86 and still doing volunteer work!  Ira's mother, Pearl, is 83 and has a vocation for pottery.  We proudly display a dish on our coffee table.

Millstones or milestones?  Leslie Barrows turned 21 on December 10, Carol celebrated(?) her 60th on 9/11.  Dick and Sue Barrows' restaurant, Starfish Brasserie completed seven years in business.

What do we miss?  Well we already get great pizza and in Singapore there are burgers and custom brewed beer.  Ice cream is not too bad, especially the Melia, New Zealand Prime and Fanny Kem.  We did see some opera but the Met is still the best.  We have three symphony orchestras that play quite well.  Pastrami, prime steaks, real mashed potatoes and New York cheesecake are essential dietary elements that we lack.  No one has heard of starching dress shirts and finding spray starch in the store is a challenge.  Vietnamese corn does not compare to New Jersey sweet corn and neither do the tomatoes or peaches.

Highlights of the year(other than waking up each morning and seeing ourselves in the mirror):

Visiting new countries like Sri Lanka and India; returning to Myanmar and taking weekends in Hong Kong, Singapore, Saigon and Bangkok.  We still can't believe that we are so close to such exotic destinations!

Our trip to the states where we saw our families and renewed our acquaintance with the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

The "Magic Flute" week when all of Hanoi was caught up in the opera.

Ralph and Lea's visit and all of the talking, running around and the "adventure" in Tam Coc which we somehow were able to survive.

Ira's progress in Vietnamese to the point that he can actually be understood and he conducts most of his daily transactions in that language.

Hearing from all of you and what you are doing halfway around the world and knowing that you are with us in spirit despite your busy lives.

What are we resolving for 2007?  Lose weight although we are in much better shape than when we first arrived and we don't stand out as Mr. and Mrs. Humongo.  Live life to the fullest, enjoying every day and everyone we meet.  Ira intends to write his Sherlockian paper so that he is not the oldest living journeyman in the Sons of the Copper Beeches.

Finally, what would we change about 2006?  Not a thing!  Since we know we can't change the past, why even think about it. 

What will 2007 bring?  We wish all of you peace and happiness and of course good health.

Let's all do something about global warming!

Chúc Mừng Năm Mới=Happy New Year!

Nature abhors a vacuum

Actually, when we heard from Shelli Oreck, who had been reading our blog, we thought that she and her husband, Gene, might be from that Oreck family, but they proved to be two lawyers from San Francisco who enjoy traveling.  They were visiting Hanoi and wanted to talk to us about what it is like to live abroad.  We met for drinks at the Met Pub in the Metropole and we wonder if they were at all impressed by Ira's command of Vietnamese or the fact that the servers know what we like to drink.  We passed a very pleasant hour and a half discussing all manner of things and we now know some nice people in San Francisco.  Not that it matters, but of course friends in San Francisco might be more likely to receive a visit that in, say Fargo!  The next day, Gene and Shelli were off to that place that every visitor to Vietnam always goes....Yes it's Halong Bay! How did you guess it?

We attended a good symphony concert the other night.  The VNSO plays quite well and we very much enjoyed the familiar overture to "The Marriage of Figaro," the Mozart Violin Concerto Number 5, played by a young Vietnamese-French soloist and the rousing overture to "Die Fledermaus" accompanied by a live bat who lives in the rafters of the Opera House.

Last year, Ira's brother Dick and his family were our only visitors. This year, after a wonderful couple of weeks with Ralph and Lea Basch, First we met the Orecks and then had a great evening with Chuck Hannon and his wife Fortunee Massuda, a couple whom we met on the boat in Myanmar. We had dinner at Wild Lotus, one of the most beautiful rooms in Hanoi, and learned a lot about them that had not come out on the cruise.  Chuck is a retired lawyer who grew up in Nebraska and he has recently converted to Judaism.  At age 60 he began serious adventure travel and has ridden the Trans-Siberian Railway, climbed Mount Kilimanjaro and taken the Silk Route through the "Stans."  While he and Fortunee were in Saigon, he went into the Cu Chi Tunnels, that elaborate network of underground rooms that proved an effective escape route during the American War.  Fortunee is an Egyptian Jew who left during the 1967 war and her idea of adventure is more like ours:  a hotel suite looking out at the scenery!  So let's see:  Boulder, Colorado, San Francisco, Chicago.  If anyone has friends in Paris,  Venice or some such places feel free to give them our number!  Oh, can anyone guess where Chuck and Fortunee were going the next day?  Well it rhymes with Halong Bay!   One day we WILL definitely visit this UNESCO World Heritage site.  for now we are likely the Guiness record holders for days spent in Vietnam without venturing there.

On this, the penultimate day of a year 2006 that has passed all too quickly, we had a lovely surprise.  Huong, our maid from last year has returned from her maternity leave.  We saw pictures of her beautiful daughter and she gave us a treat that she had made.  While the other young women who work in the apartments are nice, Huong is just the best!  Today, she left us a wonderful handwritten not in good English and a room full of pink roses!  Carol just knew Huong had been here because everything in the room was just the way we like it.  One day she will definitely be a supervisor or perhaps own a hotel.  Welcome back Huong!!!

With just one day left to accomplish everything that we have put off, we will likely just reminisce about the year that was and speculate on the year that is to be.

Where the Flying Fishes Play

Most people, at least those of a certain age know the song that uses the words to the Kipling poem "On the Road to Mandalay."  That brings to mind the old joke to which the punch line is "I don't know, I have never kippled."  If you don't know the question, it will be supplied at the end of this piece.

We visited Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, some years ago and only had time to visit the capital city, Yangon, which was known as Rangoon when under British domination.  Carol had always hoped to visit Mandalay and Bagan, old capitals that have many fabulous pagodas and temples.  She had also dreamed of one day taking the E & O Railroad or the boat trip down the Irrawaddy, which they now call the Ayrewardy.  We decided to combine the two dreams and signed up for the cruise, hang the expense.

In order to catch the 7 am flight from Yangon to Mandalay, we had to be in Yangon the night before.  We had a nice surprise when we got an email from USAirways informing us that we had miles that were about to expire.  this led us to the discovery that we could use them on Thai Airways, a Star Alliance "partner" of the infamous USAirways, formerly known as USAir, formerly known as Allegheny.  Perhaps we too should create an alias to distance us from our misdeeds.

We arrived in Yangon and checked into the Savoy Hotel, a boutique establishment that was quirky enough to be different but not so as to be unlivable.  On our previous trip we had booked the Traders Hotel, a more modern business and tour group hotel that would not be so different from our present situation in Hanoi.  It proved to be quite nice and the service was excellent as well, including the restaurant and the bar, which had a Happy Hour and reasonable prices.  We met the GM, a young German woman and her boyfriend, the chef, who is a Luxembourger.  We also talked with some expats who frequent the place and were able to discuss the differences between Vietnam and Myanmar.  for once, we were the ones living in the more developed country!

Yangon is somewhat modern looking, with wide paved streets and some modern buildings.  It does have some older buildings and not too many high rises.  The Yangon River is rather a busy place and all sorts of boats are moving about and being loaded and unloaded at the many jetties.

The most notable site is the Schwedagon Pagoda with the golden dome and finial that rise above the city.  It is easily visible from the Savoy Hotel and is quite an impressive sight. On the day we visited, it was a holiday so many people were walking about, visiting the many  small temples that make up the complex.  There are more Buddhas than you can possibly see or photograph so we just walked around and enjoyed the people in their local costumes and the grandeur of the pagoda.

 

We also visited a pagoda that has a large, really immense, reclining Buddha and another temple  down near the river before strolling the streets and stopping for a refreshing drink at the Strand Hotel.  This remnant from the British Colonial period is very old fashioned and elegant and rooms go  for $450 US and up!

We rose at 4:45 am, had a quick breakfast and took one of the old broken-down taxis to the airport for the flight to Mandalay.  The cars in Yangon have right had drive, yet traffic moves on the right side of the road, making it a bit dicey, especially given the skill level of most drivers.

In the airport, we tried to figure out which passengers would be our companions on this luxury cruise.  We imagined that most would be Westerners, probably Europeans and that they would be at least our age, probably older.

When we arrived in Mandalay, we were met and divided into three groups:  English speakers on the three day cruise, English speakers on the seven day cruise, and German speakers on either cruise. Each group had its own guide, with San being the one assigned to our little band of about 21.            

He proved to be quite knowledgeable and his English was easily understood so we learned a lot as we went to the various villages, markets and pagodas on this trip.

Having never been on a cruise, we had no idea what to expect.  Should we be introducing ourselves or waiting for others to make the first move?  Were there topics that should best be avoided?  We found that, as expected on a rather expensive tour, in a country not so often visited, that most of the passengers were pretty well off and had already traveled to many other places.  The group included a Japanese couple who we now believe to be the Ambassador to Myanmar, since their mobile phone worked and they were met after the trip by a private sedan.  There was a Russian couple with their young son and "Andrei," who may or may not have been a bodyguard.  He was a large, quiet fellow whom Ira used as a guide to whether or not a space was too small to go through.  If Andrei made it, then Ira could surely follow safely!  There were several Americans, including Jane and Ralph, former British subjects who have lived in Fort Lauderdale for 25 years; Mark and Roseanne, denizens of Ohio who were formerly in the wine and spirits business; and Dan and Rhea Choy of the Upper East Side.  Dan is 81 but acts much younger.  He has had so many interesting experiences, from being born in Shanghai and going to school in Hong Kong to driving through Tuscaloosa in the 1950's and performing surgery on Rhea just a couple of years ago.  Talk about trust!  We had many enjoyable conversations with most of the other passengers.  We were fortunate that the boat had only 37 passengers on board, giving opportunity to interact with most of the other guests and giving us better service than we might have gotten had the capacity of 110 been approached.

Even before we reached the boat, we saw some of the sights of Mandalay, including a local market which was, frankly not a whole lot different from our own local market in Hanoi, and a monastery where the monks have a daily procession to their midday meal.  Actually they get two meals a day, one at around 7 am and the last one at around 11 am.  There are over 500,000 Buddhist monks in Myanmar and the country is quite religious.  The monks can leave when they no longer feel they have the vocation so most are not in it for life.  On the second morning, at 6:50, we trudged over to a nearby village and saw the monks receiving their meal from the townsfolk and also from the boat's crew as the Road to Mandalay tries to give back to the community.  Some of the novices are extremely young like the one at the back of the procession who was about five!  These young ones are permitted to have snacks and do not have to be as ascetic as the more mature monks.  Unlike some Roman Catholic orders, these monks are often seen smiling, chatting and singing and even using cameras.

We had thought that a cruise might be leisurely with perhaps too much time on our hands.  This was certainly not the Case on the Road To Mandalay!  We spent our first afternoon in Mandalay visiting a temple, a pagoda, a palace, the gold leaf making factory and the silk weaving factory, all to the beat of San's commentary.

After the monastery visit, we went up into the hills at Sagaing, to a nunnery(only 30,000 nuns compared with the half a million monks)where we heard the young  nuns chanting the Buddhist scriptures, to another famous pagoda after a jolting uphill ride in a little truck and then to a pottery village where we saw the pots being made and then carried by the young women in rather striking fashion as per the attached photo.  Ira observed that these were true "pot heads."

You can't help but observe that the villagers are not exactly prosperous.  This brings up the question of how much should you do for them?  Some of the passengers were giving out dollar bills to the precious young children.  However, when a factory worker makes about that for a 10 hour shift, perhaps some candy or stickers might be more appropriate.  It has also been said that giving money will turn the children into beggars.

The actual cruising began on the second day, as we pulled out of Mandalay for the 200 km journey downstream to Bagan.  This was a thriving city of nearly 300,000 people from the 11th century up until Kublai Khan and the Mongols invaded in 1287.  It was a major Buddhist center and at its peak had over 10,000 temples and pagodas, of which 200 are still standing.  Many had to be renovated after a major earthquake in 1975.  The cruise down the Irrawady goes by small villages and a few pagodas.  The river is reasonably wide and quite peaceful so there is not a lot of motion.  During the trip we were able to go to the bridge and converse with the captain and crew as well as view the instrument panel and watch the zodiac boat go out to scientifically check the depth of the channel.  Actually, they have a bamboo rod which they stick into the water to see if the ship's five foot draft can be accommodated.

As we sailed smoothly downstream, we had lunch and chatted with Chef Yannis, conversed with our fellow passengers, enjoyed a lecture about Myanmar history, geography and culture and relaxed from the heavy sightseeing of the previous day.

  The women and children of Myanmar wear a sort of face paint, known as thanaka.  It serves as decoration and also as protection from the severe sun.  there was an on board demonstration and several of the women were treated to a sample of this art.

The national dress of Myanmar is the longyi(pronounced long-jee) which is a wraparound skirt worn by both men and women.  Together with the other passengers, we both got to try them on.  Perhaps we can bring the trend to Hanoi and then to the US. 

The meals were quite nice. The first courses at breakfast and lunch were buffets, while the entrees were served.  Dinner had mix-and-match Asian and Western set menus.  Wine and cocktails were offered at reasonable prices, while mineral water, Myanmar beer and soft beverages were available throughout at no additional charge.

We had been told to be on deck at 21:45 for a special surprise.  The boat anchors at dusk as sailing after dark is dangerous.  Everyone speculated as to what the surprise might be.  Many thought it  might be fireworks while one joker(we think you might know his name!) suggested either crocodiles or pirates.  In fact it was many candles that had been placed in the river by the villagers.  The effect as they floated down past the boat was spectacular and even better than fireworks!  Another special effect was the beautiful starry sky.  Orion is as easily visible in Asia as it is in Newtown, PA.

It was interesting to see the interaction between the various people on the ship.  There was actually no one who was wildly obnoxious or offensive or contentious, but there were those who made some rather vocal complaints to the staff or who had strong opinions on many subjects and were not afraid to express them.  We did notice some people dining with other couples and one such pairing that disengaged for unknown causes.  We were given a great table in the dining room and kept it for every meal.  While we dined alone, we did interact quite often with the other passengers and often sat with various people up on the observation deck.  Many of the people had traveled to the same places we have been and it is interesting to hear their opinions on the sites, the hotels and the people in various countries.

Early in the third morning, we weighed anchor(about 200 kg) and negotiated the final couple of hours to the dock in Bagan.  Right after breakfast we were back on the bus for a long morning of sightseeing.  Bagan is a great place to view Buddhist temples and pagodas as they are everywhere along the route.  It is unlike Europe where you see countryside, town, McDonalds and then a famous cathedral.  In Bagan, you will go by pagodas and temples before reaching the ultimate destination.    Our morning included a temple, the Schwezigon Pagoda which is the most notable in Bagan and second only to Yangon's Schwedagon in the entire country, the inevitable local market and finally a lacquer-ware shop, where we saw the entire process of creation and where our fellow passengers nearly bought out the shop.

We arrived back at the ship with barely an hour to eat lunch and prepare for the afternoon's sightseeing.  As it was our final day, we voiced no complaints about weariness.  A few people did opt out of the afternoon but we still had twelve of our original 21 who were ready to board the bus for the afternoon.

The agenda for that last roundup included two more famous temples, a visit to a typical village.   Actually the ship company pays the villagers to allow guests to walk through and take photographs, but the houses and activities are what you would see in most  other villages in Myanmar.  As the afternoon wound down, we rode up to the top of a hill to the Tayoke Pyay Temple where we had been promised a wonderful sunset.  The temple and the views were wonderful as was the sunset over the river.  We were all a bit tired from the climb and the long day, but none of us regretted having come along.

Besides all of the sightseeing, meals and other events, each night there was an activity, though it  was boiled down to a short sound byte.  The Burmese dance performance was only 30 minutes rather then several hours and the puppet show was just a glimpse into the traditional marionette show that also can be a couple of hours in length.

We also had a cocktail party one evening before dinner and of course the floating candles were a special treat.

Wakeup calls came around 5:30 on the last morning so that we could have breakfast at 6 and be on the bus at 7 for the short ride to Bagan Airport to fly back to Yangon.  We did exchange information with several couples and it remains to be seen whether we will be in contact. It was a very enjoyable time, but we have not yet been converted into cruise people.

Flight logistics dictated another day in Yangon, so we went to Aung San Market, a maze of shops  offering food, crafts, gems and cloth. Carol got a ready-made longyi, one that does not require special skill in tying it up.  Ira sampled a sweet coconut treat, but mostly we walked around watching people and looking at the goods.

We decided to follow the restaurant recommendation of one of the passengers on the cruise and ate at Le Planteur, a French sort of place where we ate outside despite the cool weather.  It is beautiful with many trees and fine linens and dishes.  The tabletop had little pinpoints of colored light that shone through the cloth.  The food and service were excellent but we were a bit surprised at the cost, especially since most things in Rangoon are quite cheap.  However, for the quality of food, the innovative cuisine and the portion sizes, the price was considerably less than it would have been in other world capitals.

After breakfast on Sunday the 24th, we took a taxi to the airport for the trip home.  Of course, the flight was delayed but we still had plenty of time to make our connection in Bangkok and to arrive home just in time to see dozens of children leaving Sofitel Plaza's Christmas Eve celebration.  As always, the staff greeted us cordially and enthusiastically, welcoming us back home.

Oh right, the question is "Do you like Kipling?"  Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!

The student will appear

Or is it the other way around?  At any rate, Ira is taking Vietnamese lessons and also teaching English.  He finds that he learns from his students and he is able to show his teacher a few things about English and things American.

Last year, Ira's teacher was Mr Huy, a septuagenarian with impeccable credentials and a classical background.  Huy is extremely formal and gave Ira good grounding in grammar and pronunciation.  If there was any flaw in his presentation, it was that modern Hanoians had loosened up their forms of address so that sometimes Ira was speaking like a character in an old novel.

Ira did learn quite a bit "on the street" by conversing with hotel staff, taxi drivers and anyone else who would talk to him.  Many gently suggested that Ira should change course and employ a younger teacher.

This year, after reviewing the comprehensive notebook Mr Huy had provided, and doing the best he could on his own, Ira located a language school that uses university students as instructors and at about half the hourly rate he had been paying. 

The school is serious and they took Ira's notebook to see what he had been taught and then Ms Son gave him a short test to evaluate his status.  Though she is about the same age as our niece Leslie, she is quite the old fashioned woman, in some ways more conservative that Mr Huy!  She is a serious student, though she does laugh often and dresses like a US college student.  The lessons are geared to the student's wishes and needs.  Pursuant to Ira's request, some of the lessons are held out in the city, walking and talking and interacting with people.  There was a test, on which Ira got 7.5 out of 10, not too terrible a result considering many of the errors were formal, particularly those of syntax.  The most difficult part of language is listening, so future lessons will involve sharpening Ira's skills in that area.

A friend of a friend of a friend of a former colleague works at University of New South Wales here in Hanoi and recommended Ira for a position teaching English to lawyers.  The group of eight students, which surprisingly has only one man, aspires to a Master of Laws degree, involving a lecture series in English.  The idea was for Ira to lecture and have the students take notes and then discuss the subject.  Unfortunately their skills were not at the necessary level so the course had to be redrawn to go back to basics.  Ira has found that his abilities, such as they are, in Vietnamese are helpful in the teaching of English.  The members of the class are bright and funny and they are starting to open up and to progress by leaps and bounds.

In addition to this class, Ira has been assisting Khanh, an 18 year old high school senior who is applying to colleges in the US, with his essays.  Khanh has the basics, but his writing needs refinement.  He is talented in the field of computers, winning prizes in many IT contests.  He is also not without ambition as his list of schools includes, Stanford, Duke and MIT!

Networking can work, as Khanh's aunt, Tu, is looking to upgrade her English speaking skills so that one day she may work for an NGO that does social work.  Tu currently works at the main post office.  She and her husband spent time in Russia and their 6 year old daughter attends the Russian school.  Her English is already quite good so she just needs practice.  The sessions are held at the home of Tu's sister-in-law, not too far from Sofitel Plaza.  It is not too difficult to teach advanced students as they can understand concepts and all the teacher must do is get the student talking.

The legal course lasts for about 9 weeks with Ira hoping to pick up more work from NSW, perhaps some more private students and a consulting job or two, all the while improving his Vietnamese language skills by learning from his students.

A la recherche

Having Ralph here did bring back all sorts of memories and, while we had no madeleines to dip into our tea, we did enjoy all manner of food and fun.  Lea noticed how Ralph and Ira interact and perhaps "quirky sense of humor" might be too polite a term to describe the constant stream of consciousness!

As difficult as it may be to believe, Ira and Ralph were once young.  While they were in school they were pretty much inseparable and teachers often called them by the others name.  The Basch and Barrows homes were about five minutes apart, if you cut through a neighbor's yard, which required a bit of stealth and sometimes quickness.  Both of the boys had total privileges in the other's home, including the right to walk right in and go straight to the refrigerator.  Since Frances Basch and Pearl Barrows were excellent cooks, it was common to find an extra place at the table.  This was particularly gratifying to Ira and his brother Dick because it meant eating in the dining room.  It was not the ambiance that they found so enticing, but when they ate at the kitchen table, the seating was configured so that the boys could not leave the table without a parent getting up.

Perhaps some of the memorabilia should be placed in a time capsule because it is too soon for the world to know all.  Ralph and Ira had their own secret club, with many members, only two of whom were actual persons,(where is Don Tunderscore these days?) and their own language, that few could understand, although an eighth grade teacher once shocked them by speaking to them in their mother tongue!

Although Ralph and Ira have not spent much time together in the past few years, they picked up as if there had been no gap in time.  They chattered away about things past and present and the time flew by.

Looking back on the past couple of weeks, it was sort of magical, having friends around and being able to show them the wonders of Hanoi. 

On the last weekend of their visit, Ralph and Lea surprised us with a beautifully framed silk embroidery picture that now hangs proudly in the apartment.

We look forward to returning the visit in Boulder, where they promised to take us to their favorite restaurant, Chez Thuy.  The cuisine?  Vietnamese!!!

PS  While we miss their presence here, we are pleased to report that Ralph and Lea arrived home safely.

The Bulls Get So Bored

We must be straining now for titles.  All Jacques Brel fans will know the lyric "On Sunday, the bulls get so bored...."  for us, Sundays are sometimes quiet days, with breakfast at home, some pool time and maybe pizza for dinner.  Other times we have things to do like shopping or going to a film or perhaps a concert.  Once a month, we wind up at the Melia Hotel for their unbelievable brunch.  We had to make sure that Ralph and Lea got the opportunity to experience this meal for themselves.

Since Ralph and Lea had not yet been in cyclos, Ira tried to hire four of them to take us first thing in the morning.  For those of you who have not been paying attention, the cyclo is a bicycle rickshaw where the driver sits behind the victim.  Oops!! We mean passenger of course.  These were once a mode of transport but now are mostly for tourists and photos.  Unfortunately, there were none available for the morning, so we had to table the suggestion until later.

Our first stop was Hoa Lo Prison, the old French colonial building that the Vietnamese later used for American POWs, including John McCain. Ira tried to tell the taxi driver "nhà tù" for prison and he kept saying "nhà thờ", which is the cathedral, back to us but it turned out fine in the end.  At least he didn't take us to "nhà thổ" the house of ill repute. It is a grim "museum" devoted to the horrors perpetrated by the French against the locals and without any reference to the unfortunate events of the 1960's and 70's. The prison is the sort of place that makes us sad to realize how people have so often mistreated others for no particular reason.

We have written before on the Melia's fantastic Sunday brunch so we won't go into detail on the food.  Suffice it to say that Chef Jurgen runs an unbelievable operation and he is a great guy to boot.  At $20 US, including unlimited sparkling, white and red wine, beer, cocktails and soft drinks, it is the best deal in town.  We stayed from 11:30 until well past two and sampled pretty much the whole array.  The day before Ira had sms'd Jurgen to tell him we were coming and bringing friends and to warn him we might need a second buffet!

As Ralph and Lea were leaving the next night and had not yet ridden in cyclos, Ira got a group of the Melia cyclo drivers to run us around for a while.  First stop was Ipa Nima, a shop that sells upscale handbags and other accessories.  The prices are high but still a fraction of what you would pay in the US or Europe.  Don't we wish we had invested in Euros  when they were 84 cents instead of $1.30??!! Regardless, this shop and many others attest to the wealthy class that is emergin in Vietnam.  There are not enough expats and tourists to support them so it is a sign of the coming prosperity, at least for some.

The cyclo men took us through the streets, both old and new, past shops and cafes, between cars, bicycles and the ever present motorbikes.  Ralph was dying to drive and we were able to get his driver to permit this.    There were many surprised people watching a man with round eyes and a shock of curly hair pedal through the streets with a slim Vietnamese passenger in front of him.

When you have the brunch at the Melia, you usually do not need any more food that day, so we went back to the apartment and talked and also watched a couple of episodes of "Curb Your Enthusiasm," a show that Ralph loves.  We searched the DVD shops and finally found a disc.

It was hard to believe that Ralph and Lea had only one more day to spend with us.  Can two and a half weeks have passed so quickly? 

Adventure???

Adventure means different things to different people.  Some thrill to parachute jumping, mountain biking or wilderness trekking.  Our usual adventures include unfamiliar wines, trivia contests and downgrading to four star hotels.  Ira once said that the only reason to go outside was to catch a taxi!

In truth, we appreciate nature as much as the next couple, especially if that couple is city-dwelling and shares Carol's fear of boats.  Did we mention that Carol is not too thrilled with boats, particularly small ones?

But seriously folks, we have seen and loved the Grand Canyon and we have driven through a redwood tree(Yes it had a hole through it before we got there!) and into the Rocky Mountains.  Still, we are many times more likely to be found at La Scala or the Bemelmans Bar than out hiking through the woods.

Last year, Ira won a free day of travel for two to Tam Coc, sometimes referred to as Halong on land, for its natural wonders, caves, waterways(did we ever tell you how Carol feels about boats?)and large rock formations.  The voucher stayed in our safe and his attempts to give it away were unsuccessful.  We thought that Ralph and Lea might enjoy a day out from Hanoi and offered it to them.  Since we were thinking of taking a day trip together anyway, we decided to make it Tam Coc.  The fact that the tour company is called Handspan ADVENTURE Travel gave us pause but we went ahead and booked it and by 7 am on Saturday we presented ourselves for the trip.

A young Danish couple, Troels(he was never found under a bridge) and Natascha had also signed up and they proved to be delightful companions and they did not seem visibly distressed at the prospect of a day out with four 60 somethings(sorry Lea, we know you have not yet reached that pinnacle from which the inevitable descent must follow).

The trip begins with a three hour van trip to Hoa Lu, an ancient capital of Vietnam where we visited the temple of King Dinh.  Our tour guide Ms Trang was very personable and extremely knowledgeable.  She filled us in on the details of Dinh's rule and the court intrigue including one of the sons killing his own brother in order to gain the throne, and the story of Queen Nga who married both Dinh and his successor.  Trang(pronounced more like Chang), like most young Hanoians, is a university graduate and her English is at quite a high level.  Ira did get to chat with her in Vietnamese during part of the journey and she diplomatically praised his language skills.

From Hoa Lu to Tam Coc, a distance of about 15 km, we were expected to use bicycles!  Of course we knew this in advance, but that didn't ease Carol's fears.  Regardless, we all had a good time, stopping periodically for photo ops as the scenery is quite striking.  Ms Trang cycled along with us and we chatted with her and with our new Danish friends as we stayed pretty much in a pack during the trip.  Yes there was lunch in a little restaurant but unlike so many other posts, we won't bore you with the details.

There were no falls and no collisions along the way and the path was mostly flat although sometimes over unpaved areas.  Motorbikes and the occasional car passed us honking gently as is the style in Vietnam.  Local residents, particularly children, greeted us as we passed and a few paparazzi would snap photos, hoping to sell them to us later.  Ira did anticipate this and took the photographer's   picture first, telling him he could have a print for only 20,000VND. Carol was a bit worried that the small boat in which she would be riding would not be sturdy enough for Ira's 100+kg and his propensity to shift or "rutch" around.  Her fears proved to be justified as the attached photo will prove(note the expression on her face).

Each sampan holds two crew, oar lady and pole lady, both of whom double as high pressure sales clerks later in the voyage.  "Captive audience" does not begin to describe us as they peddle items from antiques to t shirts before bringing us back to shore.

The trip passes by people farming, picking chrysanthemums for tea, and otherwise working at their daily activities.  There are many large rock formations and finally a small, no a tiny cave through which the three boats had to pass.

Along the route, everyone heard Carol saying "No! Don't turn around to take Ralph's picture!  Don't  stand up! You are shifting, you'll sink us!"  This despite the fact that we could see people standing in the water, which was only thigh-deep.

The cave experience was even more "exciting." We had to go through a rather narrow opening and then, once inside, were forced to duck our heads to avoid being scraped by the low ceiling.  The acoustics in the cave are quite good, so the other five of us in the party(MsTrang was clever enough to remain on the dock)heard a stream of "IG! Get your head down!  Look out!" and other warnings echoing in the darkness.  There was a brief respite after we got out of the cave as we were able to go ashore and visit a small temple before boarding our boats for the return trip.  Although Troels, at 6'2" and Ira at about 6'0" had to duck down a few times, there were no reported injuries and no one fell overboard.  Ira's only comment was that if all he wanted to see was the floor of the boat, he could have done so back on the dock.

Once we reached shore, we had a fifteen minute cycling trip back to town, where our driver and van awaited us for the ride back to Hanoi.  All in all, it was a lot of fun and we all laughed a lot.  When we got back to Handspan we stopped off for bia do(red beer), a locally brewed product and then grabbed a taxi for the hotel.

No Strings Attached

We had kind of a quiet four days while Ralph and Lea went off to Sapa to meet the Red Dao and the Hmong ethnic peoples and to see the mountainous north country.

They arrived bright and early, well early at least, on Wednesday morning following an overnight train trip.  While they were a bit tired, they did not want to waste time sleeping so Ira, Ralph and Lea did a bit of shopping, including a search for Chinese robes that would actually fit.

Wednesday night we had dinner at Tara, a place where we are reasonably well known and which Ralph and Lea had liked when they had lunch there on their first day.  It is fun the way the staff chats with Ira in Vietnamese and generally treats us very well.

The Water Puppets of Hanoi are a special treat as the art form exists nowhere else in the world.  Originally developed by farmers to entertain their children in the rice fields, the show now takes place in a theater with a pool of water serving as the stage for the puppets, which are controlled by dowels by puppeteers operating behind a curtain.  The band plays traditional Vietnamese instruments and supplies dialogue and song to describe the action.

The puppets are extremely versatile and are capable of many amazing feats, such as a cat that scampers up and down a tree, fire-breathing dragons and fisherman that are successful in their quest.  The scenes are those of rural Vietnam as well as some of the old legends, such as the tortoise who recovered the sword in Hoan Kiem Lake.  Everyone has a terrific time and the hour long performance goes by far too quickly.

On Thursday, Ira, Ralph and Lea had lunch at Cha Ca La Vong, which they enjoyed early in their visit, and then they took a bus ride(!) down past the language school where Ira currently has a class of lawyers to visit a slik embroidery shop.  The store has a branch in Sofitel Plaza and Ralph and Lea wanted to visit the main shop to see the complete line of these exquisite works of art.  The young women who make these pictures are able to use a large variety of colors and patterns.

We had dinner at Nam Phuong, an upscale Vietnamese restaurant that has a beautiful ambience, OK food, a Thai manager who has to be seen to be believed and traditional Vietnamese music nightly, which was the reason we went.  Ira's request made in Vietnamese(he refuses to speak English except when absolutely necessary) resulted in our getting a table close to the three young women who entertained on traditional instruments, though their repertoire included bluegrass and Christmas carols as well as Vietnamese music.  They did have the name down as Mr. Roi, but at least we got the table.   Afterwards we taxied over to Fanny Kem, kem being the word for ice cream, where we sampled the French ice cream said to be the best in Hanoi.

Friday included more shopping and later a taxi ride past scenic West Lake to visit Carol on the UNIS campus.  Ralph give the dan bao a try.  This monochord is a one-stringed instrument with a  "whammy bar" that is used to provide a vibrato effect.  It is easy to make a sound but very difficult to actually play the instrument well.  We can report that Ralph is not booking a solo tour anytime soon.

We then had dinner at Sen, one of Carol's favorites which you have heard us describe before.   The mammoth restaurant serves hundreds every night, from tour bus groups to Vietnamese families, all of whom enjoy the buffet which includes many stations at which traditional Vietnamese cuisine such as cha ca(yes same as at Cha Ca La Vong), Bun Cha(noodles with grilled meat) and many others.  The young waiter seemed to take a liking to Ira as he helped carry food, mopped Ira's brow and even fed him some of his dinner.

After dinner we went to what we had been told was a wine tasting but turned out to be a wine dinner.  One of the large wine suppliers had invited us earlier in the week when we were at his shop but neglected to mention that it was a dinner affair.  We did wind up having a good time and sampling several nice wines in addition to somehow managing to at least taste the food.

During our sixteen month stay at Sofitel Plaza, we have become close with many members of the staff.  Ira gets to practice his Vietnamese and the girls(women actually) in the apartment office, the bellmen and the greeters all chat with him whenever he is down on the first floor.  Ralph and Lea also bonded with these wonderful young people, especially young Mr. Thinh, the newest member of the bell staff.  A tall young man from Sapa who arrived during APEC, he immediately fit right in.  Ira used to tease him about being a member of the Dao or Hmong and he took it all in good spirits  asking Ira where he was from.  Of course, like the Amish, members of the ethnic minorities don't usually move from their home villages.  Mr. Thinh knows that Ira means no disrespect, but has a quirky sense of humor.

We then went home and straight to bed because adventure was in the works for Saturday!

Snakes and Snails

Well the Vietnamese actually do eat snake and drink snake wine but the wonderfully catchy title of this blog installment comes from a real life sms(text message).  A certain Ms Chi of Ira's acquaintance had told him that her young son had fallen and injured himself, knocking out a couple of teeth.  A few days later, in response to Ira's inquiry about young Bi, she texted back "He is fine and went to his preschool but he refused to eat snakes."  When Ira expressed surprise that they feed snakes to three year olds, he discovered that she had actually meant "snacks."  Whew!!!

Snails are served here but they are not as tender and tasty as the French variety and they have nothing to do with the blog, just the title.

Sunday was the annual Hanoi Women's Club Charity Fair at UNIS.  Carol had to play for a choral group so we had to be there early.  Bad news was that Carol forgot her music.  Good news was that we were still in a taxi so Ira could run back home and get the music while the taxi waited.  It was one of our regular drivers and he understood Ira's instructions perfectly.  In fact when Ira said "bia hoi" as the destination, the dutiful young man said "No.  Ciputra!"  We enjoyed strolling around and sampling some of the food and drink which was provided at booths manned by an international staff.  Norwegians offered akavit, while the Russians served vodka and herring.  Belgians, Danes and others had a variety of beers.  There was also some delicious food and many handicrafts for sale, all to benefit disadvantaged children.  We saw so many people that we knew, but by around 1:30 we were quite ready to leave.

Ralph and Lea just came back early this morning from a four day trip to Sapa.  We refer you to last year's blog if you don't recall Ira's broken vertebra and our skirmishes with the sales happy Red Dao(zow)tribe.

Although they had not had a lot of sleep, Ralph and Lea bounced back and hit Hang Gai Street in search of Chinese robes.  They found some great ones and Ralph bargained his way to a good price.  When next you hear from us we will report on the famous Water Puppets of Hanoi, which no vistor should miss.

Fo, Fo, Fo

Many years ago the philosopher Moses Malone, when asked how his team would do in the NBA playoffs, replied with the above phrase and it turned out he was a pretty accurate prognosticator.

Here in Hanoi, it is the answer to the question "What's for breakfast?"  Phở is the national dish and is served out on the street, in small restaurants known as quán and also in regular restaurants up to the five star hotels.  There is even a chain of shops called Pho 24 which offer this warming noodle soup in  more organized and tourist-friendly surroundings.

Carol noticed on her way to work that there was a shop that was always crowded with people.  they were dressed in business suits and work clothes and arrived in BMW's, motorbikes and even bicycles.  She figured that with crowds like that, it must be good and when we sampled it we were quite pleased.  Ira discovered that this particular shop sells out by 9 or 10 o'clock each morning so he told Ralph and Lea that they should call him by 8:30 so that they could have authentic pho.  Unlike restaurants with large menus, a place that sells only one thing is not dependent on language.  all we had to do was show up, lower ourselves very carefully on to the little plastic stools and wait for the steaming bowls to be delivered.  Yum!!!  Hot rich broth, with greens and beef and a side of crullers.  Hot sauce, garlic and chilis are on the table for those who need a bit of spice.

Naturally where there are doughnuts, there are........

yes of course, police!!!  A group of Hanoi's Finest was eating at the next table and one of them engaged us in coversation and offered us some shots of local vodka, which we graciously declined.

Ralph and Lea then joined Ira on a short bus ride to Veggie's, the upscale food shop where decent bagels can be found.  After that they toured the Chợ Yên Phụ, our local market where huge fish swim in tanks, waiting to meet a cleaver, and fresh produce is sold, as well as meat, eggs and rice noodles.

The street leading back to the hotel is filled with antique shops, so Ralph and Lea browsed and tried to figure out how they could take a huge stone statue back to Boulder.  Hmmmm....boulders to Boulder.

By the way, for those of you who don't know Ira's long time friend, Ralph's last name is Basch.  This is not so much for your information but he felt that if we wrote Ralph Basch in the blog he could now be "Googled"

A trip to Hanoi is not complete without a visit to Van Mieu, the Temple of Literature, on the site of the oldest university in Vietnam, which dates back to the 11th century.  It contains rows of stone tablets on the backs of tortoises.  These contain the names of people who received doctorates over the years.  There is also a memorable Confucian Temple that draws many visitors each day.

We spent our afternoon downtown, cruising Trang Tien Street so Lea could buy greeting cards. Carol knew a little shop and it proved to be just the place.  We then stopped for drinks in a little sidewalk cafe but had to move indoors as it was a bit chilly.  After that we browsed a DVD shop and then visited the Den(Temple) Ngoc Son, that sits right in the middle of Hoan Kiem Lake.  It is on the covers of many guidebooks and the red bridge leading to the temple is quite picturesque.

After a nice dinner at Brothers' Cafe, which features a Vietnamese buffet that is upscale but still only around $11 US, Carol had an invitation to a colleague's 50th birthday party.  The birthday girl extended the invitation to Ralph and Lea and we actually got a taxi driver who understood Ira's directions to the house.  Ralph and Lea got their first look at a Vietnamese house and got to mingle with the (mostly) expat group.  They are great party people while we are not exactly enthusiasts, but it was fun to see the guests who had dressed up as rock stars.  We are not totally, or actually not at all, in touch with that musical world so came as ourselves, though no one called us on it.  Even if they had, Ira was ready.  He would ask who they thought he was and then agree with their assessment.  Somehow we stayed out until midnight then went straight to bed to prepare for the weekend.