BONDI BEACH, AUSTRALIA
January 1, 2002!!!
Last night we had another exquisite dinner at the hotel restaurant before heading down to the Circular Quay and the Sydney Harbour / Opera House courtyard area to watch the fireworks over the Sydney Harbour bridge. I have lots of pictures of the Opera House - too many: Opera house from the ferry, Opera house from the bridge, Opera House from the quay, Opera house with New Year's Eve Crowd, Opera House with Hani in front, Opera house from the east, Opera House from the west, opera house with fireworks, Opera house with full moon, and so on. Kim took her own set. We ended up meeting a bunch of Columbians who were there studying and headed to Hyde Park afterward for some salsa dancing (at least for the Columbians), which they were all born to do and I was not. So Kim and I turned in early, leaving the park close to 2 am so we could get an early start today.

The Sydney bush fires caused a bit of haze and smoke our second and third days here, but by today it's completely cleared up although it's a bit hotter than the last few days. We just got back from Watson's bay, which has a nice eastern seaside small town feel to it, and where there's The Gap (perhaps namesake of the clothing brand?). Kim and I just walked ourselves to the beach, will check out the lay of the land, and set more to report later as we're both ready to get to the sandy front and out of this internet cafe!

Now to the beach - Kim and I are going to be sure we "Stay between the Flags" and I suppose that means "within the shark nets" as neither of us would like to be dinner for Jaws tonight.

Happy Happy New Year!!!

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA
December 31, 2001

Kim and I set foot on Australian soil two days ago and so far managed to get ourselves into a five star hotel only blocks from the Circular Quay and started off with a magnificent dinner that I will describe in detail later! Our days have been full - we've hung with some sharks, seals and man rays and touched an anemone at the Sydney Aquarium. We took a cruise around the bay, had a massage at our excellent japanese restaurant during lunch, and we head to the zoo this afternoon. More to blog later.

Hope you all have a happy happy new year!
Love,
hani

Bangkok, Thailand.
December 27, 2001

I've arrived safely and I swear, the hotel must have a cable or DSL line, AT LEAST ! for I am not left waiting for byte by byte to download.
I'm at the Narai hotel, and will rest for an early morning awakening to head to the Grand Palace, a load of Wats, and a walk through Chinatown. Am not feeling up to much right now for wandering the city alone at night as it's my first night and it feels so incredibly foreign. Am not much in the adventuring mood yet. That'll kick in when I go hiking in the rainforests in Australia. Or maybe by daylight over here. I'm right in the heart of downtown on Silom Road, which is great - everything is really in walking distance.

It's strange - how foreign Asia really is to me! Although in Bangkok, the roads are much better - more like in the States and the variety of cars and vehicles is similar - I keep seeing my Honda Civic everywhere, which is a rarity in Saigon (Saigonnese who own Hondas usually get the higher end Accord). Of course, the language is totally new and so is the script. Gratefully, everything is also in English.

Prices are relative to that in Vietnam, and bartering is similar common practice. Hopefully I'll be better at it here than I am in Vietnam. I'll mostly do some sightseeing, and doubt I'll do any shopping since I don't want to lug it all around Australia with me. On the way back, I am only here overnight for about 12 hours so doubt that I'll head back into town.

OK. A shout out to my peeps back in Saigon. Gone one day and already, I miss them. You know who you are.
Love
Hani

Saigon, December 25, 2001
Christmas does NOT feel like Christmas here. I had chicken noodle soup for dinner tonight and I'm exhausted - I'm going to bed soon.
Spent all night playing cards (teaching Gin Rummy & Hearts to my vietnamese friends) and then went straight over to the Mekong Delta and across the new My Thuan bridge which was built in conjunction with (or by) Australia. It was a 3 hour drive that really resulted in a small boat ride to a lychee orchard, and then back 2 hours to Saigon.

In my exhaustion, I fell asleep while grammy was talking to me earlier about past life events, after she told me that my brother (Forrest Gump) got a 100% raise and how that good news has made her aching bones a little bit less achy. So, good night. I'll try to log on from Australia.
h.

by the way, emails are always appreciated.
you've got the address.
knowing what you're all up to gives me incentive to actually keep blogging, even if you're just describing a visit to the grocery store. It makes me less homesick!

saigon, december 24, 2001
so tonight i'm going to a vietnamese christmas party - who's to know how it'll be, but i'll send a report afterwards.
tomorrow i head to the mekong delta with cousins Hung & Heather only for the day. Reports on that as well. should be fun.

day after i gather things for the trip to australia and then i'm off down under
hope you're all enjoying your holidays
cheers,
h.

I've added the Halong Bay photos and I'm working on the Perfume Pagoda ones...
Sapa Valley photos to come.
H.

Okay, just got through writing a blog report when the computer crashed. So, in brief – I’m hanging out here with Hung and Heather who’re visiting from Northern Cal (Hung is our first cousin on dad’s side) and I get to speak ENGLISH and it’s GREAT.

Bought my one-way ticket on Thai Airways today to Bangkok – I travel on Thursday and then leave on Friday for Sydney (arriving Saturday morning) and meeting with Kim at the airport. Then we’re off to enjoy some rainforests, hiking, camping, coastal driving, snorkeling, maybe some glacier walking and we’ll pass on the bungee jumping.

Hope you all enjoyed your latkes without me, and the rest of you I’m wishing juicy turkeys for Christmas.

Happy New Year, all! I’ll try to write from Sydney!
Love, Peace, and JOY
HANI

Nha Trang photos are up!

I added photos to the Hanoi link - check it out again.
I'm moving Chuong's stuff in tomorrow & the day after, holiday party at the ex-office, and running around to the Consulates to get my visas for Thailand and Australia (none needed for New Zealand!).
will be spending only one full day on my own in Bangkok before heading down under. Anyone have any suggestions?
h.

Saigon.
It's late. Sorry you had to read about such boring topics as moving into a new apt. However, much is going on, and I've little time on the computer nowadays as I am retired and do not own one.

I will ink more later.
h.

Saigon, December 18, 2001.
Okay, and how cool does THIS sound for Australia:

Rainforest Adventure Hiking
Day 1 (LD):
Travel up the Goldsborough Valley to the Atherton Tablelands. Spend the day trekking along ancient Aboriginal rainforest trails. Swim in crystal clear mountain streams and explore the rainforest before reaching camp for the night, at the top of a 50 metre waterfall. After a hot meal and discussing the days events, snuggle into your sleeping bag and waterproof hammock for a good nights sleep under a canopy of stars and suspended over a luminous mushroom plateau, in the middle of an ancient rainforest wilderness.
Overnight: Hammock Camp
Day 2 (BL):
Experience the joy of waking up to a myriad of bird sounds in the wilderness. After breakfast and a relaxed start to the day set off to explore one of the last unspoilt rainforest areas left on earth. Returning by a different route we cross mountain streams and pass magnificent waterfalls in the shadow of Mt Bartle Frere. At lunch, swim and relax at the Upper Chucka Lunga crossing, leaving in time to walk out and return to Cairns.

Let me answer that. VERY cool.
I will tell you all about it.
Hani

A forward from my sister, Kaly. It's a Thomas Friedman editorial from the New York Times and worth the read:

December 9, 2001
Ask Not What . . .
By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN

News anchor Tom Brokaw tells the story of meeting a young New York City fireman a week after Sept. 11. The fireman had just participated in a memorial service for some of his fallen colleagues and the two of them talked about the tragedy. "As I said goodbye," Mr. Brokaw recalled, "he grabbed my arm and his expression took on
a tone of utter determination as he said, `Mr. Brokaw, watch my generation now, just watch us.' " As the author of the acclaimed "The Greatest Generation," the story of the World War II cohort that saved America from Nazism, Mr. Brokaw told me he knew just what the man was saying: " `This is our turn to be a greatest generation.' "

There is a lot of truth to that. I have nothing but respect for the way President Bush has conducted this war. But this moment cannot just be about moving troops and tracking terrorists. There is a deep hunger in America post-Sept. 11 in many people who feel this is their war in their backyard and they would like to be summoned by the president to do something more than go shopping. If you just look at the amount of money spontaneously donated to victims' families, it's clear that there is a deep reservoir of energy out there that could be channeled to become a real force for American renewal and transformation - and it's not being done. One senses that President Bush is intent on stapling his narrow, hard-right Sept. 10 agenda onto the Sept. 12 world, and that is his and our loss.

Imagine if tomorrow President Bush asked all Americans to turn down their home thermostats to 65 degrees so America would not be so much of a hostage to Middle East oil? Trust me, every American would turn down the thermostat to 65 degrees. Liberating us from the grip of OPEC would be our Victory Garden.

Imagine if the president announced a Manhattan Project to make us energy independent in a decade, on the basis of domestic oil, improved mileage standards and renewable resources, so we Americans, who are 5 percent of the world's population, don't continue hogging 25 percent of the world's energy? Imagine if the president called on every young person to consider enlisting in some form of service - the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Coast Guard, Peace Corps, Teach For America, AmeriCorps, the F.B.I., the C.I.A.? People would enlist in droves. Imagine if the president called on every corporate chieftain to take a 10 percent pay cut, starting with himself, so fewer employees would have to be laid off? Plenty would do it.

I don't toss these ideas out for some patriotic high. There is a critical strategic point here: If we are going to be stomping around the world wiping out terrorist cells from Kabul to Manila, we'd better make sure that we are the best country, and the best global citizens, we can be. Otherwise, we are going to lose the rest of the world.

That means not just putting a fist in the face of the world's bad guys, but also offering a hand up for the good guys. That means doubling our foreign aid, intensifying our democracy promotion programs, increasing our contributions to world development banks (which do microlending to poor women) and lowering our trade barriers for textile and farm imports from the poorest countries. Imagine if the president called on every U.S. school to raise money to buy solar-powered light bulbs for every village in Africa that didn't have electricity so African kids could read at night? And let every one of those light bulbs carry an America flag decal on it, so when those kids grew up they would remember who lit up their nights?

The world's perception of us and our values matters even more now, and it is not going to be changed by an ad campaign, or by just winning in Afghanistan, as important as that is. It will be changed only by what we do - at home and abroad. This war can't end with only downtown Kabul on the mend, and not downtown Washington, Chicago and Los Angeles. Remember: the victims on Sept. 11 were a cross section of America - black, white, Hispanic, rich, poor and middle class - and that same cross section has to share in the healing. If we've learned anything from Sept. 11, it is that if you don't visit a bad neighborhood, it will visit you.

The first Greatest Generation won its stripes by defending America and its allies. This Greatest Generation has to win its stripes by making sure that the America that was passed onto us, and that now claims for itself the leadership of a global war against evil terrorists, is worthy of that task.

Mr. President, where do we enlist?

-Thomas Friedman, New York Times, December 9, 2001

Spent most of today running more errands for the apartment.
In between, I invited my entire office to Dong Du Cafe for lunch, 11 of us, and ice cream for dessert.
Yum.

Saigon is a small world. Today I met a french man who knows my aunt and he recognized me from a restaurant wherein I had dinner the other night. "Tres forte, sa presence," he exclaimed. Then I met a couple who has been to my parents' home in Arlington and the guy is a first cousin of my now former boss from my job here in Saigon.

Life is generally good. I'm planning a few more trips over the next weeks. I'm getting things done in Chuong's apartment. Soon it will be livable!
Oh, and I saw Hung and Heather a couple of days ago. Hung is our first cousin (his mom is dad's sister) who lives in northern California and they're in town for a visit. Hopefully we'll head to Mui Ne together before the holidays. More to write, but I'm feeling lazy.
h.

Just posted a few pics of Hanoi from my first trip...

Sai Gon. December 16, 2001
Have just spent lots of time over the weekend eating good French food with dear French friends and working on improving Chuong’s (my) new apartment. I carried a chair up to the third (Asian third is like European third which is American Fourth) floor even though the cab driver didn’t think I could do it. Hell, I used to lug the mountain bike all over New York up and down the subway stairs (why does one take subway when one has a bike? Ask a NYC biker in training). I can carry a chair up a few flights of stairs.

The ugliness in the apartment is slowly subsiding with small improvements. Hopefully by week’s end, I’ll be able to move in, although I still have much to do before I go to Australia.

Vietnam is funny right now because there are Christmas decorations everywhere. Although there are quite a lot of Catholics here, almost all Vietnamese celebrate Christmas for fun and they are sooo un-P.C. about it all – they don’t know about dreidels and Hanukkah here. But it’s odd to see Christmas trees and garlands while it’s still in the upper 80’s and we’re all in shorts.

Kim and I are getting the details ironed out for our trip to Australia. We’re going to try to drive up the coast, go to a rain forest, do anything cool that we encounter and head to New Zealand. I’m also going to squeeze in a trip to Bangkok in the beginning of my trip, and spend two days there. So cool. I can’t wait.

It's nearly 3 am. I'm still online 'cause Kim - who is going to Australia & NZ with me - and I have just decided to skip Melbourne so we can go scuba diving in the GREAT BARRIER REEF in Cairns. HA! We're spending New Year's in Sydney. It's summer in Australia! (Not that it isn't tropical here, but hey...)
cheers
h.

December 12, 2001.
A day and a half off and besides sleeping in, i've been pretty busy.
Last night, Chuong and I went to the remembrance ceremony commemorating the 3 month anniversary of the attacks in America, held at the US Consulate here in Saigon. It was brief, though moving, and I'm glad I went. I then dropped in on a friend's holiday party where we had an authentic turkey & homemade stuffing dinner. I was THRILLED. For an evening, I felt like I was back home.

I spent all day today running around town with my friend Tina (my former boss's wife) to buy lighting, shelving, furniture, linens, and everything else I’ll need to be comfortable in my new apartment. New apartment? Oh, it’s Chuong’s, really, but he’s out of town about three weeks a month and his place is yards away from Dong Du Cafe, smack in the middle of the city center (about 100 meters from the Opera House). So, as his lucky auntie, I get to be the official housesitter and interior decorator. [sigh of relief!] Finally, my own space!

Once I’m finished dealing with the construction and cleaning, I’ll be ready to move Chuong in at 10 am on Saturday morning (mid-lunar month) which we’re told is a “prosperous” day for us to move him in according to the laws of geomancy. His friend Phung is bringing the fruit and incense to offer to the Buddhas and then I can let the movers bring his stuff up. I told my friend Lan to get me a bag of rice – it’s what mom and dad give us when we move into a new place – symbolic for always having food on the table.

I’m trying to upload as many photos as I can for the albums, but I don’t have much time. I’ll try to get the rest up by Monday.
I am still being eaten by mosquitos.
xo,
H.

December 11, 2001.
I've been damn busy so sorry to the last 10 hits... I've only had time to change a bit of the blog look, but none to update.

In brief:
I stopped working.
I am on vacation until March or April.
I am going to Bangkok, Australia, and New Zealand from December 27 to January 18.
I am going to eat like a queen for the Tet holidays in Vietnam.
I am going to Angkor Wat in January.
I am returning to the USA on February 18.
I am going to Dalat, Danang, Hoi An, Phu Quoc, and the Mekong Delta sometime in between now and my return.
Life rocks.
H

December 6. Saigon.
i'm working out new templates and looking for some color palettes...
of course, also recommended by the lovely Lisa, who introduced me to Blogger in the first place!

Oh - AND DID YOU NOTICE? NO MORE ADS!
Lisa has generously sponsored my site to be AD FREE!
So a round of applause and bacione for Lisa, since you guys don't have to see those pestery things anymore...

Saigon, December 4, 2001
I’m at the office – on another deadline as we send films out day after tomorrow. I plan on working till around the 21st and then, if all goes as planned, head down under. If I can help it, I’ll spend Hanukkah in Vietnam, Christmas in Australia, and New Years in… New Zealand? Flights from VN through Bangkok are only about $600 to get to Australia. That’s as cheap as NY-CA!

Last week I went to see the London Festival Orchestra at the City Opera Hall. It’s a beautiful building, built in 1900 most likely by the French. It’s very western and made me feel (a tiny bit) like I was back in NY listening to live orchestral music (and I wasn’t in a loud horns/soft strings dead spot like in Avery Fisher Hall). There was a bird fluttering around the dome near the upper tier of the hall – I actually wondered if it was a Vietnamese stunt or a poor trapped bird. By the time we were through with Tchaikovsky, the bird disappeared just at intermission.

Life goes on in Vietnam. It’s still hot, though it’s winter. That means bearable heat, opposed to unbearable heat. Much construction continues in Vietnam, including the main road along the Saigon river where we live. They’re working on expanding the road and gentrifying the area over the next two years. It also means that a lot of people will lose their businesses and their homes (on property that actually belongs to the government anyway, but then again – the government owns all the property in Vietnam).

Oops. Mike just popped up on messenger. I’ll finish up later!

All right – word just in on what a blast Lisa's brunch was. For the New Yorkers that missed Lisa Kirt’s fabulous Sunday Brunch and Holiday Studio Sale in Brooklyn today, YOU STILL HAVE ONE MORE CHANCE! And if you have good taste in design, and a stomach for authentic Italian pastries, then you MUST present yourself at Lisa’s on Sunday, December 16 for your chance to get gorgeous KleinReid Ceramics and a first hand visit of their studio.

Here’s the excerpt of Lisa’s invitation (extended to all of you), and you ought to RSVP (to lkirt@yahoo.com) to make sure you get your share of the pastries!

you are warmly invited to my annual december brunch and holiday studio sale

for those of you receiving this email for the first time, this is your chance to buy near perfect seconds and discounted firsts at KleinReid, designers and producers of hand-cast porcelain. dansk has produced several lines of KleinReid dinnerware, they've been profiled in the nytimes, their work has been featured in every major design magazine, and their vases are sold at fine stores around the world. all objects are useful, beautiful, and affordable (prices start at $10). and the boys are from OHIO! go figure!

italian pastries, coffee, juice, holiday salsa & jazz at my house, then visits to the studio, which is just one block away. you can drop in any time either day. you can also
just come over to hang out or mambo in my kitchen with me -- shopping is optional. and i can point you toward bedford avenue, if you want to check out the hip shops and cafes.

i'm doing two brunch/sales this year, to offer people more options -- and to try in some way to make up for the fact that KleinReid is not opening its own store (read here:
economy). it's been a hard fall for everyone, and artists are no exception.

here's the scoop:

sunday december 2
AND
sunday, december 16
11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

RSVP by responding to this email with the date you'd like to attend. feel free to forward this email along, and to bring friends. the more, the merrier. ALWAYS.

566 metropolitan avenue, #4 / williamsburg, brooklyn / 718-963-0879
lorimer stop of the L train / metropolitan ave stop of the G train

detailed directions upon request - my house is just 10 minutes from union square.

and you can also check things out on www.lisakirt.blogspot.com (I’m clickable)

So, on my recommendation, GO! And you will NOT be disappointed!

I will write more about Vietnam when I can find more time, as I seem to have left some of it in Hanoi. Just back from a 2 week vacation and we're preparing for films for the new magazine so I'm off to get more work done (I have to remind myself sometimes that I'm retired, and this is really just for fun...)

November 26, 2001
If you have an online log or website, click on Link & Think which is dedicated to World AIDS Day (December 1) and connect your site!

I have been back at the office only one day though it feels like an eternity. I heard from the bike tour company today that they will be sending applications at the end of December so it is still hopeful that I can be a bike tour guide in Europe. Of course, that all depends on how the tour season might turn out this coming summer. I'll keep hoping and we'll see.

I ran into my aunt's fortune teller at Dong Du Cafe today and she wanted to tell me my fortune. Since I was in a hurry and on my way out the door, I told her my fortune to save her the trouble - that I'll only encounter happiness and ease and luck in my life. The others around her asked if that was true and she said "you can see it in her face" so I guess that's a good thing, huh? I didn't have time to tell her the rest of my future - that I'll never be rich in dollars but I'm rich in family and friends, and that I'll be happier working with people outdoors or in schools or other meaningful places, and not in 9-5 office buildings. I'll especially be happy if I could be a bike tour guide in Italy and France next year. We'll see how lucky I really am.
h.

Sai Gon, November 24, 2001
Jeff has just headed back yesterday and stopped in Singapore. We had a very full trip that began in Hanoi with beautiful weather. We took a day trip out to the Perfume Pagoda outside of Hanoi and hiked two hours to the cave pagoda. The highlight of the trip is the boat ride to get to the Pagoda path. I'll send pictures, as I can't really begin to describe it to you.


A couple of days spent in Hanoi, and I also met with some friends in the north. I saw a surprisingly well performed play in Vietnamese while Jeff got caught up on jet lag his first day in Hanoi. Another evening, we went to see the water puppetry, a traditional and ancient Vietnamese entertainment.

We headed to Halong Bay on Monday for a day trip. There are over 1500 islands that dot the landscape and small grottoes and caves worth exploring. The Vietnamese tourism has done some work to assist tourists, but they've only managed to make the caves look a little bit like the It's a Small World ride at Disney World.


Sapa Valley is a wonderful cultural exhibit and we went with a small tour (seven people total) where we had the opportunity to sit with some of the local ethnic minority families of the H'mong and Dzay tribes. It was like a field trip to the Museum of Natural History, only real and contemporary. We hiked three hours our first chilly day there, and five hours on our second day, which happened to be sunny and beautiful. Jeff and I took the overnight train back to Hanoi and I froze for the 10 hour trip in my bunk as it was only 12 degrees Celsius on the train and I hadn't a blanket.

In Saigon, Di 10 treated us royally and had wonderful meals prepared for us, as I had expected she would. All vegetarian / seafood dishes and lots of Nelly Natural Italian Ice Cream. Jeff and I spent a day going to Cho Lon (Sai Gon's Chinatown) where we rented cyclo drivers who took us around the city to seven different pagodas.

Mr. Ngoc & Mr. Thuong, directors of Saigon Mui Ne Resort paid same kindness and VIP treatment to us in Phan Thiet. They invited us for drinks at the bar, then dined with us, and Jeff was given all the free Nelly ice cream he could consume. They also gave us a sauna & massage treatment on the house, and a souvenir t-shirt to each of us. We again were met with great weather, and were able to take side trips to the Cham temple, the red sand dunes, and the Mui Ne bay.

After rest and relaxation on the beach in Mui Ne, Jeff and I headed back to Saigon and home where we had a very beautiful Thanksgiving seafood lunch ("like eating at a gourmet restaurant," Jeff says). We then headed back to the city to run our last errands, go on a final shopping spree, and eat auntie's great pizza and gnocchi at her restaurant for our Thanksgiving dinner before getting home to get packed.

Friday morning we were off to the airport, and although I had hoped to get to Dalat to meet up with Chuong in the afternoon, flights were full and so I said goodbye to Jeff at Tan Son Nhat International and played hookey from work for the day. Our trip really seemed to fly by, and in some ways, it's hard to believe that Jeff was really here in Vietnam! It was wonderful to hear my native English and to be able to really go around Vietnam like a tourist with Jeff. I have lots of pictures to show for it!

Anyone else interested in visiting? I'm running out of time here (and mom and aunt 5 and aunt 8 are all coming in January)

Sai Gon, November 19, 2001
I'm back in Saigon with Jeff and we wandered about a little bit today. We spend another day in Saigon and then on Tuesday head for Phan Thiet / Mui Ne to the beach. It's late and everyone in the house is asleep but I can't rest, though tired. However, I am too lazy to really write much except to say that Jeff and I have been able to visit Sapa Valley, Halong Bay, and the Perfume Pagoda in northern Vietnam. Much to report that I'll send later.
h.

Hanoi. November 13, 2001
Jeff and I are okay and traveling well. We leave for Sapa Valley tonight by night train and arrive there early in the a.m. tomorrow. We had a relaxing day today since it rained (our first day of rain as we've had beautiful and perfect weather these last few days) and each had a massage. Yesterday we were at the renowned Halong Bay and got beautiful landscape shots of the countless limestone structures jutting out from the sea.

We heard the bad news today and it's sombering, but we are moving forward with our travel plans despite how depressing the news is.

On Friday we return to Hanoi and will head southward. Till then, H.

November 7, 2001.
Saigon. In the midst of a deadline. I’ve been at the office late. It’s nearly 9 pm and I still have much to do before we prepare films tomorrow. Jeff is really on his way (got an email from him while in transit in Seoul) and I’ll see him on Friday.

Can’t wait. More later
Hani

Belated posting
Saigon. November 5, 2001
Just back from a long weekend in Nha Trang, one of Vietnam’s coastal towns, with Chuong. I left the office at 2 on Friday and was sitting on the beach in Nha Trang by 4. The flight is less than an hour, and the airport is about 200 meters from the coast. Chuong picked me up from the airport and took me straight out to the Café Lousiane where we hung out on the beach chairs in the unseasonable sunny weather we were lucky to have. We then dropped by some friends’ where we were staying, and later in the evening went back out around town. Chuong also took me to the Ana Mandara resort – one of Vietnam’s nicest – where we sat at a private table on a dock and shared Grand Marnier’s with the full moon and its glorious reflection.

Our weekend in Nha Trang met us with perfect weather – it rained only at night or while we were indoors – and we managed to take a little motor boat along the Cai River, where Chuong owns some property. He also drove me all around the small town by motorbike along the main roadway where kids play soccer in the middle of the street. Nha Trang is really sweet, but unfortunately, it’s undergoing a lot of construction. Chuong and I have decided that what each town in Vietnam needs is an Aesthetics Director. The Vietnamese have supremely bad taste in quite a lot of things, and the construction of a WATER PARK along BEACH FRONT property is typical of their inanity.

Chuong was raised in Nha Trang, and half the town still knows his father. We had a jellyfish noodle soup at a place he frequented for 40 years. I also got to go to Hon Chong, a rocky overlook near a small bayside area of the ocean (I’ll send a few photos later) and had snails, cuttlefish, and clams by the shore. Sunday afternoon we spent outside of the city at Anh’s house, a friend of Chuong’s, where we had a local dish called “Goi Ca.” It’s a salad dish with fresh fish and endives that you roll in rice paper and dip in a special soupy egg-drop sauce. By late afternoon, he and I were back on the plane to head for Saigon and I was ready again for western cooking (this time, I’m craving good salsa and enchiladas).

I’m back in the office with a book to layout by Thursday and a flight to catch on Friday. It looks like Jeff is coming for REAL and we’re gonna visit the north by week’s end.
H.

i'm writing to mike online right now and thought i ought to post a little bit since it looks like blog hits are up, and i've been a slacker.

So far, it looks like Jeff is REALLY coming this time. He's written for his fourth Vietnamese visa and will be here on the 9th if all goes as planned. For me, I just sent another book to the printers on Saturday, and we have another one going out on Monday the 5th. Hopefully I'll be squared away for my two week trip with Jeff along the coast of Vietnam. We'll have many more pictures to share by the end of the month.

This Thanksgiving, I'm sure we all have plenty to be especially grateful for, and I'm glad to know that my entire family will be together for dinner in New York City. I only wish I could be with the rest of you over there (my last Thanksgiving was at the Dolby's in DC with a Turducken) but luckily, I will have Jeff to spend Thanksgiving dinner with me, albeit a vegetarian one...

Sai Gon, October 24, 2001
Oi vey, what a birthday! About two and a half dozen friends gathered on the rooftop patio of the 14th floor of Diamond Plaza Building (Hey New Yorkers, that’s high for Vietnam), complete with bar, grille, swimming pool, and a great view of the city lights. Di 10, the talented hostess and entertainer, prepared marinated beef ribs, fresh shrimp for the grille, roasted chicken (ga roti) with our family recipe for ketchup-garlic-buttered rice, fried calamari, garlic bread, salade nicoise, garden rolls in rice paper, and rice noodles with shredded shrimp. Of course, we had ice cream cake to top off the delectable meal.

Although strictly instructed – no gifts – nobody listened and so I came home with six dozen roses, a basket of orchids, a potted orchid, a bouquet of orchids, a bouquet of extraordinary mixed flowers, a bouquet of carnations, a bottle of gin and a dozen gifts to accompany the flowers (and gin). The weather was perfect for our outdoor barbecue with a nice rooftop breeze – it rained days before my party and again today, and I’m told we were really lucky. We all really enjoyed ourselves - I'll send you pictures if you ask and maybe Souris will post them on her website.

After the party, a group of us went off to a nightclub (with Di 10, of course!) where it was noisy and smoky and at the closing midnight bell, there was actually a P.A. announcement of my birthday and Phu’s, whose birthday is the 24th, and we had a round of champagne. Off to another bar for a short while, and then over to a Pho eatery where the gang had some noodles before the night ended. We all got home around two in the morning, and by the time I went to sleep, it was after three. Needless to say, waking up for work today was not pleasant.

Sai Gon, October 21, 2001
I’ve had a super busy week out late at night nearly every day. Thursday night I went out with Linh, Khanh, Thang, Thien, and Phu to a very American bar where we consumed a bottle of Hennessy, and then went to another bar afterwards where I ran into two other groups of people I know in Saigon (both very different), and the people I was with also ran into familiar faces. Saigon is very very very small that way and this bar was one of maybe two that closed at 2 am instead of midnight like the rest. The following night I went to meet some friends at billiards (it’s only 25000VND an hour which is about $1.67 USD) and we went off to another bar (and was gratefully home before midnight as I was exhausted from the week’s play). All bars are relatively the same and play basically the same limited repertoire of music that Vietnam offers. It’s amazing how the conformity reaches into everything the people here do.

I had a very relaxing weekend - Saturday I lounged at home till evening, when I went out with my aunt and Chuong to a nightclub where there was live music, and then off to a very cheesy dance club where there were tens of dancing girls for rent by the hour (for dancing, of course). Chuong went back to the house with Di 10 and I to watch “Proof of Life” which I hadn’t seen. They fell asleep and I stayed up till 4 a.m. to watch the movie. Today Chuong, Di 9, Di 10, Phu, Thien, and friends of Di 10’s met at Binh An, a sort of resort-restaurant with live jazz music on Sunday afternoons, owned by Di 10’s friends. We had an excellent Vietnamese lunch and spent the entire Sunday afternoon lounging in the beautifully landscaped gardens (complete with lotus ponds and tiny patches of grass for golfing) with the live jazz band. Very nice way to spend a Sunday.

Tomorrow I’m back at work, and I will have two new employees working for me this week. Hopefully they’ll be capable of learning, as we’ve got a lot of deadlines coming up. Our new magazine is nearly a week late at the printers. Typical.

Sai Gon, October 6, 2001.
In the meantime, I return to Hanoi, which I can only describe to you with a tiny bit of melancholy as Jeff was not there as had been planned. I went out early Monday morning of last week, and in the afternoon met with Khai, a friend of Linh’s. Khai drove me around town on motorbike, and all around Hanoi’s many lakes (Ha Noi means “River Exterior” as the Song Hong (Red River) runs through it. We drove through the charming Old Quarters (made up of 36 crooked streets), and then visited the newly renovated library for a drink called nuoc mo, which is kind of like xi muoi, which is a salted & sour sort of dried prune. Yeah, sounds weird, but it’s good.

I then visited Hoan Kiem lake, notable for the pagoda that sits on an islet in the lake. Hoan Kiem means “Restored Sword” and the story goes that Emperor Ly Thai To returned his battle sword to a gigantic turtle in the lake upon his return from the Chinese Ming invasion. It is believed that the sword is still in the lake, and that perhaps the giant turtle found in 1968 – at over 2 meters in length – is perhaps the legendary figure. There is a pretty little red bridge that brings you to the Den Ngoc Son (Jade Mountain Temple) on an island in the Hoan Kiem lake where small groups of old men play co tuong, Chinese checkers. The temple was built some time during the Tran Dynasty (1225-1400) and lent a good view of the Hoan Kiem pagoda. Along the lake are weeping willows, stone benches, beautiful landscaping. Couples sit by the lake, vendors vend, promenaders promenade. (see photo when Souris gets a chance to post it)

After spending our afternoon there, Khai took me to have luong for dinner with his friend Trieu. Luong is a kind of scaleless eel / snake – I don’t really know what it is, but it’s a specialty of Hanoi. It was worth a taste. We drove around Hanoi some more and Trieu let me take the driver’s seat. I handled the Honda from there to Truc Bach lake (in my last blog I thought it was another one) where we sat for hours and hours having tea and drinks. Around 9:30 the streets were packed, as were all the tables and chairs around the lake as it was Tet Trung Thu – the mid Autumn moon festival. There was a full moon out, a few paraders and music-makers, and thousands of motorbikes. From our view across the lake, I could see streams of motorbike lights driving endlessly, like a chain of white Christmas lights. Chuong and a friend of his met up with us at the lake, and when we all parted, Khai and I cruised the streets a bit more before I finally headed back to the hotel.

Next day I slept in (Khai was in school – he’s studying to be a cosmetic surgeon in Vietnam) and I got up to walk the 3 km to Van Mieu (c.1070), where Confucious once studied. When I got there, Khai called so he drove over to join me. When I got to the ticket counter, I asked for 2 tickets. “Foreigner or Viet?” she asked me. “Viet,” I said, and handed her a 50,000 dong bill. The sign in the window said 12,000 dong per person. She asked me if I had a 2000 dong bill and I wondered why, but figured it was for even change. I handed her a 5000 dong bill instead. She then gave me my 3000 dong in change and my 50000 bill back. It turns out that it only costs Viets 1000 dong (about six and a half cents) for admission and foreigners nearly a dollar. In the end, it’s nothing either way, but the discrimination drives me crazy.

Van Mieu is set up in five courtyards, landscaped differently, and was once a University in Hanoi. Eighty-two turtle stellae (c.1484-1780) line one of the courtyards where 1,037 names of former graduates are engraved in the stones. Art students lingered about in the courtyard drawing and painting its structures and gardens, while Vietnamese and Western travelers alike wandered within it. There were some beautiful water puppets there (we didn’t manage to see a show) and you can see a photo of them if you go to Souris’ site (after she has time to post them).

October 12, 2001
Khai took me around the old quarters for some souvenir shopping, and when I was in one of the shops, I asked the shop girl how much for one of the bags they had, and she said “oh, I thought you were a foreigner.” And then she gave me the “Vietnamese” price for the bag. Good to know that my Vietnamese has improved enough that I can actually pass as a Vietnamese.

Later that night, Khai and Trieu drove me out of town a bit to the Cau Thang Long (Dragon Bridge) as the sun was setting. We drove through an entire strip of dog-barbecue restaurants (unimaginable) before we could get there. Driving along the river, we passed a soccer game with grazing cattle on one side, and oxen on the other. When we reached the bridge, we stood in the middle and I turned around and saw a huge red circle in the sky over the Hong River. At first I thought it was the sun still setting – it was so red and round. Then I realized as the minutes passed that the ball of light was rising, not setting, and that it began to glow an even red-orange as it rose and eventually the lunar spectacular lightened in the sky over the course of an hour. It was amazingly beautiful.

Finally on my third day in Ha Noi, Chuong and I spent some time together eating, drinking, visiting the History Museum, eating some more, and drinking some more. Cafés in Ha Noi are cute and charming, and it’s easy to find a nice place to hang out.

The following day, Chuong and I went to a family wedding (the daughter of one of my first cousins on my dad’s side) where I met about a dozen or so relatives (mostly first cousins and their grown children). It was a well produced Vietnamese wedding where the food was actually pretty good (and not Chinese) and the décor not tacky. Of course, there was the typical show of singers karaoke-style.

Eventually, life returned to normal upon my re-entry in Saigon, and I am now busy at work again, having just finished a deadline.

Sai Gon, October 6, 2001.
I'm back from Hanoi, but busy at work. While away, it seems things were not taken care of and the onus has fallen upon me to design a magazine that I don't wish to design. I'll get it done, however, and in the meantime, anticipate my next vacation.

On Thursday when I returned from Hanoi with Chuong, we stopped in Di 10's Café ¤irectly from the airport. I saw a face I recognized, and instantly asked, "Xavier?" Upon the look of confusion I received in reply, I then immediately realized -- "Manu??" Sure enough, there was Manuel, the son of an old friend of mom and Di 10. Manu is Xavier's brother, and they are beautifully French-Vietnamese. I met Xavier for the first time in February during his visit here, and met Manu 15 years ago in Arlington when he stayed with our family for a month. As it turned out, Manu has been in Vietnam for a month, and was leaving that very day. Neither of us knew the other was in the country and unfortunately didn't manage to meet earlier (Di 10 was in Europe for a month, and she is our link). So we had lunch, caught up on life, and will hopefully meet again. It was incredibly nice to see Manu again after so many years. Our families share a mutual affinity for one another that transcend from our parents to us.

I'll write about Hanoi tonight and send pictures to post on Souris's site.
Till then. Bacione, H.

Ha Noi, Vietnam. October 3, 2001
I’m visiting the office of one of Chuong’s friends right now (after a really wonderful french meal prepared by orphan students of a vocational school). I’ve spent the last few days wandering around Hanoi on motorbike with Khai (Linh’s friend) and Chieu (Khai’s friend). The sweetest part of Hanoi is its lakes. The other evening we spent about six hours drinking tea around Hoan Kiem Lake where it’s cool with weeping willows surrounding the lake.

Hanoi is much cooler than Saigon, although still hot, and the people in general seem less agressive. I’ve spent all my time riding around on motorbike, eating, and drinking. Yesterday, Khai took me all around the old quarters, with street names like Hang Bong “flower vendors,” Hang Giay “shoe vendors” and so on. There were once 36 streets in Hanoi where the locals would buy their specific goods at these little thoroughfares. Now, only a few remain, but thet all still have small boutiques and shops and many retain their old french charm.

There’s much to describe, but I will save it for when I return to Sai Gon. Only wanted to touch base here a bit and say hello. More upon my return tomorrow or Friday...

Saturday, September 29, 2001
Early birthday wishes for Nam-Tan for tomorrow as I'll be in Hanoi on Monday through Thursday with Chuong.

Linh and I had a change of lunch plans this afternoon. She came over instead and brought over a noodle soup called “bun moc” which is specialty of the North. Then we went up to Di 10’s room so I could work on the computer while she read some Vietnamese poetry, and then we watched “The Thomas Crown Affair” which I happen to think is pretty good mind candy. After dinner, I decided I was too lazy (and still to congested) to go out to Trinh Cong Son’s concert, so I stayed home to compose this rather bland blog report.

I will, however, brighten it up a bit by telling you a story about my brother, Forrest Gump. Lobo is, in Uncle Mike’s words, “the luckiest son-of-a-bitch” you ever met. Somehow, things always fall into his lap. And the thing is, he is inexplicably affable and absolutely charming. He’s the nicest kid you ever met. He’s an avid sports fan and music lover. He gets free clothes, free shoes, free CDs and free movies. He alphabetizes his DVD collection and likes to show you his organized household cleansers when you visit his apartment. Basically, super cool.

To give you some background, Lobo works for Fred Durst, lead singer of Limp Bizkit, among other things. Bo is Fred’s right-hand man. This job fell into his lap which was prefaced by the internship at Interscope which is thanks to Uncle Mike, of course. So the first time Lobo ever goes abroad, he is granted with an all-expense paid first-class airfaire trip to London where he stayed in a five-star hotel while on tour with Limp Bizkit just this summer. That’s just the beginning.

Kiki and I were instant messaging last night on Yahoo and here is the story I got from her after we were talking about how we (my siblings and I) all treat famous people like janitors (with the same due respect). Here’s her story:

kiki_h98: Have you heard about Lobo and the Seahawks?
hanihong1973: no, what's with forrest gump?
kiki_h98: Oh MY GOD!
kiki_h98: You'll love this.
kiki_h98: Lobo got to be friends with some agent guy who manages some players, one of whom is a player for the Seattle Seahawks.
kiki_h98: That player wants to be a rap artist or something so he and Bo have chatted lightly a few times.
kiki_h98: Bo saw them play some pre-season games where the guy got hurt. He called his agent friend and said, "Hey tell him I'm really bummed he got hurt but I'm looking forward to seeing him in the playoffs cuz I know they'll make it."
kiki_h98: So the PLAYER calls Lobo back and says, "Hey man, thanks for calling, that was really nice of you. I wanna fly you and five of your friends to Seattle for any of our games with all access passes and you can watch from the sidelines."
kiki_h98: So Lobo's flying three friends from Arlington and is taking the nephew of the guy who owns Interscope and another Interscope executive to the game.
kiki_h98: Friends + networking.
kiki_h98: This is our brother.

It’s all really too funny. Typical Lobo. Forrest Gump.
So that’s really all I have to tell for today. I love my family. They rock. xxoo Hani

Sai Gon, September 28, 2001
Birthday wishes to Kim and Marc…
Everything here has been continuing as I like it. Last night I went to bed with a raging headache, a sore throat, and stuffy sinuses. I woke up to much the same, only several degrees worse. Anticipating taking next week off, I dragged myself out of bed and went to the office like the prudent worker ought to be. As it turns out, I improved over the day, although I opted out of two evening social invitations to come home and rest. I accepted two invitations for tomorrow, however, and will see how I’m feeling.

Tomorrow evening I am invited to go see Trinh Vinh Trinh sing at a Trinh Cong Son concert held nearby his “mo” (gravesite). TCS is the famous Vietnamese singer who passed away several months ago whose sister is married to my paternal grandmother’s cousin. Got it? So anyway, I am going to try to go if possible as it is somewhat far from the center of town and I’m without a car.

Everyday I pass by a fairly busy street market below the bridge near my house (not quite the same meaning as 59th Street’s Bridge Market), and the fruit stands have pricing signs such as 5000 dong/kg. The funny thing is, if you tell them, “make sure it’s a kilo” then they say, “well, that’ll be 6000 dong.” Sometimes there are signs even that will say “5000 dong/kg – 6000 dong/true kg”. Too funny.

Jeff made his final decision not to come to Vietnam this time. We’re going to wait and see how things turn out in this world. In the meantime, I am going to go ahead and go to Hanoi on Monday with Chuong, my cousin, who happens to already be going up there. I’ll stay till Thursday and then return to go to a wedding of a cousin once removed in Saigon that evening. She’s the granddaughter of dad’s oldest sister. So instead of parading around the country with Jeff, I’m just going to make a pit stop in Hanoi and get out of the office for a week. I’ll be back at work next Friday, October 5th. The cell phone can be used anywhere in the country so if you call, use that number.

Will possibly write more tomorrow or Sunday, but if not, then I will be in touch again next week. Ciao now.
Mille baci
Hani

So I got my macaroni and cheese today. Good homemade oven baked real cheese stuff, i.e., no powdered cheese (scary).
Jeff and I are still debating our trip. Today it looks like we won't be going. If that's so, I will decide another time what to do about traveling within the country.

Couple of nights ago, I went with my cousin Chinh (from San Francisco) and friends Daniel, Thierry, and Youri, to Tuan's birthday party at a nightclub called Hazard where we were met with Saigon's elite gay community, loud music, and dancing. It was an incredible lot of fun. The day after I went out with Linh, Chuong, and Chinh again and had dinner with some other relatives, then off to a small music club where they play live Peruvian music as well as some of Vietnam's typical repertoire of American oldies.

Have had a stomach ache most of today. Work is still super busy. Sent out another proposal today, designed a spread on Harley Davidson's new V-Rod for our auto magazine, and edited some of next month's new Guidebook.

This morning Souris called me from NY. That was fantastic. It's always good to hear from all of you at home. Suddenly I have a bit of a head cold. Gotta get some rest.
Ciao carissimi.
hani

Sai Gon, September 24, 2001.
It's nighttime now, and I've just received several notes from Jeff. We are going to reschedule our trip for next week, and spend two weeks travelling along Vietnam’s Pacific Coast. Surely, our mood is a bit more anxious than before, and a bit more subdued, but we are glad to be moving forward with our adventure as we had planned since March. We are still taking time in our lives to discover a faraway land that is new to both of us (I have only seen about 5-10% of this country in the last eight months). I will take lots of pictures of these extraordinary places and send them to Souris to post on her soldier site and you can all finally have some new landscapes to view.

Today my 93 year old grandmother was supposed to make homemade macaroni and cheese (using the staff at home as her eyes & hands) but the head cook was out, and so I came home somewhat disappointed. You know that feeling you have, when you are really really craving something, and you are about to get it and then you suddenly discover that it’s not available? Utter disappointment. So I settled for some lo mein noodles with sauteed veggies & chicken.

I have just returned from a very relaxing weekend to Phan Thiet with Linh, my cousin Chuong, and his friend Oanh. It was good for me, as it always is, to go out to Phan Thiet. I spent time walking along the warm sandy beach with Linh at night, and in the afternoon, spent some time sleeping on the beach. In the mornings, I never wake up early enough to see the sun rise over the Pacific, and got quite a bit of rest instead. These last two trips out there, I’ve spent a lot of time idling aimlessly, and this weekend there was an unusual view of all the Mui Ne fishing boats close into the beach front.

Work in Saigon is normal. I am bored of it, and am being forced into added unpaid responsibilities that eat into my travel time. Unacceptable. I think people forget I am retired. I only work for fun.

Tomorrow I’m going to a birthday party for my new friend Tuan, whom I met through new friends, Daniel and Thierry, also from out in Phan Thiet. And speaking of birthdays, I am wishing a good one to Greg Smiley, albeit belated.

The Autumn Moon Celebration is the end of the week. Moon cakes are selling, well, like hot cakes, and are made with a variety of ingredients ranging from roasted duck to lotus seeds. They’re a bit too sweet for my taste, but they’re an important part of the festivities. The festival, called Tet Trung Thu (Lunar Autumn new year) lights up the night with colorful paper lanterns, family gatherings, dancing, and singing.

Reports on life in Vietnam will continue on Thursday.
Baci,
Hani

Sai Gon, September 24, 2001.
Below is a letter from my friend Lisa, who works for Robin Hood, an innovative, inspirational foundation (like you've never seen) whose objective is to end poverty in New York City - done in Robin Hood smart fashion and which means many pioneering programs. Their Board underwrites all administrative expenses so that every penny (100% of your contribution) Robin Hood receives goes to the organizations they support. I ask you for your capable support. So many of you have always been so generous to me in the past efforts I've encountered for the AIDS rides and friends of mine from the rides. Many of you who read my blogspot have never met me, and so I post this letter here, for those whose email addresses I do not have. Even if you can not donate at this time, I would emphasize again, that browsing their website is worth the visit. Thanks for reading.

Hi,
This is a letter from my dear friend Lisa in New York City. I am sending it
to you because you have shown me your kindness and generosity before, and if
you are able, I hope you would do the same now.

Robin Hood has many many programs that I find wholly worthwhile and
inspirational, and encourage you to browse their website. It is an
incredibly innovative program and the people behind it are absolutely
amazing, if I can generalize by what I know of Lisa Kirt.

Please email Lisa or call or contact the numbers below if you can help. Lisa
is at lkirt@yahoo.com
With much love and thanks,
Hani

----- Original Message -----
From: lisa kirt
To: Hani Hong
Sent: Friday, September 21, 2001 11:34 PM
Subject: Robin Hood Relief Fund

Dear Hani:

THANKS for spreading the word about the Robin Hood Relief Fund. In response
to the World Trade Center attack, Robin Hood is raising money to ensure that
those who are unprotected financially, socially, and emotionally receive
essential and effective support services in recovering from the disaster.
Since 1988, Robin Hood has built a donor base from the Wall Street community
which supports innovative and effective programs to fight poverty in New
York City. As you can imagine, our donor base is devastated by this event.

Donations can be made online, by mail, or by phone.

To donate online:

www.helping.org/donate/rhf_donate.adp

To donate by mail:

Robin Hood
attn: Lisa Kirt/Robin Hood Relief Fund
1211 Avenue of the Americas, 18th Floor
New York, NY 10036

please address checks to ROBIN HOOD RELIEF FUND

To donate by phone:

212-901-4325

To learn more about Robin Hood:

www.robinhood.org


If any of your folks donates online, I'd appreciate an email, so I can track
the Hani Hong progress for you! (I can't promise candy bars this time, but
I *will* make sure people get thanked profusely.)

Hani, many thanks & mucho amor. I am still suffering shock & stress -- but
working on this project makes me feel better.

love, Lisa

I'm back from Phan Thiet. Had a good trip and spent time sleeping on the beach.
Jeff and I are in the process of re-planning our trip, and hopefully we will take up on our adventure in just about a week, if we can.
I will blog more later.
H.

Saigon. September 20, 2001
I'm going back out to Phan Thiet tomorrow with some friends and family. Will be at the beach through Sunday.
Will blog again when I get back.
Have heard much from those of you back home and am grateful for it. Keep your letters coming.
I plan on remaining in Vietnam through February, to celebrate Tet with the locals before I return to the States.
Am relatively well. I've been spending a lot of time out lately and it has peaceful.
Much love to everyone.
un bacione,
hani

September 19, 2001. Sai Gon.
I am registered at the US Consulate here in HCMC under my legal name, Lan Dung Thi Hong. My home address is
1B Cu Xa Ngan Hang
Tran Xuan Soan, District 7, HCMC
Tel: 84-8 872-4539
DongDuCafe: 84-8 823 2414

Work is Minh Nhat Company (ask for Hani)
51-53 Vo Van Tan, District 3, HCMC
Tel: 84-8 930-5812 / 930-1388

My cell phone is 84 091 343 8920

My permanent home address in Arlington is
5508 N. Carlin Springs Road
Arlington, VA 22203-1202
Tel: 703-525-2784
Emergency Contacts:
Chuong Giu Hong / Bach Tuyet Hong – dad & mom, Arlington, 703-525-2784
Kiki/Cathy Hong – sister, Atlanta, work 678-336-2000, chong@atv.com
Kelly Hong – sister, New York work @ BMG, 212-930-6727, Kelly.hong@bmgdirect.com
Souris Hong – sister, New York cell - 917-687-2332, souris@fakefunk.com

All friends and family have access to my whereabouts through the Vietnamese US Consulate & Embassy offices. I have signed a waiver for such information to be distributed to any of you in case you inquire.

Over the past week, I have had a thousand thoughts, and have communicated often with all of you back home. Instead of writing a compendious blog about what I thought and felt, below is a conglomeration of messages sent to different friends and family that describe what I’ve been going through.

---------------

My family is safe. I was out on Tuesday, and arrived home at 10 p.m. Saigon time. The phone rang – it was mom. She called to tell me that she and dad and Kiki were all okay in Arlington and that Kaly and Souris were both in contact from New York. I asked her what happened so she put Kiki on to tell me. I didn't really believe it, and my reaction was almost comical "I miss everything!" I said to Ki. But there was nothing funny about this. I immediately bolted upstairs and turned CNBC on and the internet and got online with Souris and other friends in NY. I watched and I wrote and I cried and I cried. My sisters are both safe. Souris watched the explosion of the second building upon impact, and the crumbling of the towers from outside of her home in Soho – she’s at Sullivan & Broome where it meets 6th Avenue – in direct view of the Towers. A man next to her fainted. Everyone stood on the street and cried.

I watched live CNBC coverage till 5 a.m., and managed to contact many close friends immediately. Both New York and Arlington are my homes; the two places I feel closest to, and I didn’t think anyone in Vietnam would understand the proximity of the tragedy for me. Our skyline is forever changed - it is really difficult to grasp, until I go to New York again and see for myself that our towers are gone. It is also difficult to see the footage, and think - "I KNOW that corner. I've BEEN there. That's my HOME." It's very frustrating to be far away. In many ways, I wish I was in NY to be with those I love who consider NY their home as well. It is as shocking to anyone around the world as it is to anyone in America, but to New Yorkers, the Towers were a part of our everyday visual landscape.

I had a message from Jeff. As you know, he was to come visit and he was scheduled to be on a flight from JFK to SFO on Tuesday afternoon at 4:30. He was to go on from California to Singapore to Vietnam. We are grateful that he was not on a cross country plane at the time. We have cancelled everything we had planned for our two week holiday, and here I am at work instead. Jeff and I were both supremely disappointed about our trip.
I cancelled our plans to Hanoi, postponed my ticket, and made measures to change our two week plans. I wrote to Handspan, a tour agency that Jeff and I were planning on using, to tell them we will not be coming. They replied with this:

Dear Hani Hong,

We are very sorry about terrorist happened in NewYork and Washington.
It is horrible that I can not imagine. Everybody was shocked in Vietnam. We welcome you to Handspan at any time if you would like to come to Hanoi another time.
See ya another time.
With best regards
Linh Chi

I have been getting live CNBC and CNN feed here, and am getting thorough coverage. I was surprised that the Vietnamese community is totally aware. I received many calls from friends here who know that I call NY home, and who were concerned for my friends and family. I am so deeply deeply saddened by this. I never watch TV here, but of course, have been watching news since Tuesday. There is no normal programming here, as we only get cable, and only about 5 channels of which CNBC is one so there is constant coverage. I only watch every other day or so now. They repeat everything anyway.

I have to say that watching the news, and the way people are treating the rescue workers in NY, I think OFTEN of the AIDS Rides, and the way the crew treated us. It is the same sort of outpouring of appreciation for "heroes" and the sort of situation where total strangers bring out their best sides to help everyone. Again, it is because the entire nation, like AIDS riders on a smaller scale, are facing a common adversity and this is what human beings do when faced with such. And so, it seems that the only thing that will bring the world together is a newer more powerful enemy from a galaxy far far away.

It did not even occur to me to return home soon. I did, however, call the US consulate office here in HCMC and registered my name and my presence in the country. Security – expectedly – was tight. They even checked inside my cup of coffee. I should have done it when I first arrived but recent events made it even more pressing that I did so.

I do, however, feel safe here, and I am sure that I will be protected by my family should I become stranded (I will still have a job and be able to do many other things, though may perhaps postpone a trip to Angkor Wat for another time). Life very much goes on here, although my friends comment about how very sad I am and wish that they could help me in some other way. I think being home and holding friends and family and seeing them with my own eyes and seeing my New York skyline are what I need to continue to heal.

I saw a photo on the Washington Post web site last night that made me reel with pain. It was of a little seven-year-old black boy dressed in a yellow rain coat who grievously had his head in his arms, leaning against his mother's white casket, with his grandmother behind him, and there was such pain in that image. His mother was one of the rescue workers who came to the WTC to help those in need. I must stop looking at those kinds of pictures. I look at Souris' pictures of all the rescue workers, police department, and fire department in NY. It's really wonderful. NYC is truly a great city. I can't wait to return.

I've just realized that I've only got my Alaska newsletter here with me (which I've posted on the AIDS Ride blog) and the rest of my AIDS Ride letters are back home you'll have to wait till I return in the Spring to read them. In the meantime, the other blogs are ready for bathroom reading. Enjoy.

All my Blogs:
Life Is Grand, for my Annual New Year's letters (only 1999 and 2000 so far, but since I plan on living till I'm a hundred, you can be sure to see a few more in the future)
Home Sweet Home (doublehappiness.blogspot.com) for just a few logs I wrote in the States during my brief six week visit home this summer.
It's a Small World, my small world experiences (themayor.blogspot.com)
AIDS Rides, my AIDS Rides newsletters - from Philly DC to Alaska, the fundraising letters and the experience letters (moralcourage.blogspot.com).

Saigon.
The other day, while I was out, there was a little girl, about six, carrying a sleeping newborn around, and a plastic jug, begging for money. It is an incredibly pathetic sight, and worse, when I was told that many people often bear children to send them begging (children bring home more money than their working fathers). Even more heinous, people rent their babies out to beggars!!! And when children don't bring enough money home (or if they don't sell enough lottery tickets while their parents gamble with friends throughout the day), they come home to a beating. So what do you do? Well, feel a lot of pain inside, and then help out the churches and such shelters where you know your charitable donations will go to food and shelter rather than tobacco and alcohol. Oi. It's really disgusting the way it is here. I have trouble forgetting such vivid images.

Last night I went with Lan for a long (by Vietnamese standards) walk in town after work. First we headed to the Diamond Plaza department store which is a lot like Hecht Co. We then walked over by Di 10's cafe and went to a place called "Godfather Ice Cream" where we sat on the sidewalk, teeming with locals, and enjoyed some coconut ice cream in a coconut, topped off with lychees and what I am sure is cool whip. It was nice for me to do that - to get out and WALK and to break the routine of going to work, meeting up with the aunts, and going home. I wonder how it was that I would on occasion walk home from work in Soho across the Brooklyn Bridge to Carroll Gardens... about an 8K walk and very pleasant, after work. The best part was hanging out on the bridge and watching the sunset behind Lady Liberty, but timing it so that I'd hit home before dark. Just a few kms now is a lot more than I'm used to. I've gotta get back to New York and let my legs move move move. No biking, no walking, and I can't seem to convince any cyclo drivers to loan me their pedicabs for a day.

A week away and Jeff will be in Hanoi, as will I, and we will enjoy the splendors of Ha Long Bay (rent Indochine with Catherine Deneuve), Sapa Valley, and central Vietnam, and then head out to the beach of Mui Ne (Cape Ne) in Phan Thiet. We will try to scan & send photos, but most likely you'll have to wait till I get back on the 26th to do so. The blog won't be updated during that time (14th - 26th), but do check back afterwards.

I am still busy with work because of the two week vacation I will be taking (this is untimely of course, as I've just returned from a six week vacation). October and November to be sure will be jam packed, but after Christmas, I plan to be totally free of work, and will concentrate only on traveling and spending all of my hard earned cash. Not much left for New York, but if you've got job ideas (or if you know a publisher who wants a story about rediscovery and roots) then let me know, so I can continue with my retirement. I'm quite liking it.

Sai Gon, September 6, 2001
Printers are behind again... A full day lost today because there was NO ELECTRICITY in their district. Looks like my book will be delayed a day or so. I went to the printer's yesterday, and they wanted me to return to press in the evening. I told them I wasn't coming. They said, "you can't?" and I said, "no, I don't WANT to." It was pouring out and I spent my Saturday there, and was not planning on spending this evening, yesterday evening, or tomorrow evening there either.

Speaking of pouring. The rain came suddenly and it came in torrents. It seems that most homes in Vietnam are sheltered with corrugated metal sheets and so the decibel level rises with the clanging of the rain drops. And the upper levels of corrugated metal create a sort of waterfall to the ones below, each with their distinct clamor in which thin lines of water flow between the corrugation to the ground. Children find the heavy falls and shower beneath the cold rain. Others squirm together beneath a single poncho, trying to stay dry in vain, and everyone else moves about by bike or motorbike drenched in the six inches of water that have accumulated on the roads within a matter of minutes, all the while trying to avoid the backsplash from vehicles and buses.

This is life here for the locals, and they all say... "There are only two seasons in Vietnam - Rainy Season and Sunny Season." And they're right.

Sai Gon. September 3, 2001
Happy birthday Eva and Les!

Today is Vietnam’s Independence day, and much like the U.S., we have the day off from work and the country’s flag flies over every home. Unlike the U.S. however, hanging the flag over your home and business is mandated by law. Such is communist life.

I’ve got the day off from work (which makes up for my long day at the printer’s on Saturday), and will go over to Linh’s today for banh khot, which is a specialty of Vung Tau (a nearby peninsula). Di 9 and 10 have gone to France, Amsterdam, Belgium, and Italy for a month, and Thanh the driver has gone to his home for a week. I feel FREE.
Only two weeks till Jeff arrives, and I will be in good old American company.

Off for lunch now.
Hani

Sai Gon, September 2, 2001.
Two nights ago, Kiki called me to tell me that my beloved Grampa (Arthur Grey) Bone passed away in the morning EST. Though I did not get a chance to say goodbye to him, I was lucky enough to spend time with him when I was in Atlanta for several months last winter. I will undoubtedly always think of Grampa when I see a Waffle House, or when I'm having bacon, eggs, and grits for breakfast! I'm grateful to have heard from Ki in person, and not via mail, and though I have no one to share in with my sadness in Vietnam, I am happy to hear from those of you at home who knew A.G.

Our lives with Grampa and his family really go full circle with my nuclear family. Dad met A.G. and Edna (gramma) in 1957 while at Fort Bening and none of us would have ever guessed the impact our two families would have upon each other. Perhaps Souris would not have met Silvio during her stay with Mike & Lori in Santa Monica. Lobo would not work for Fred Durst and Kaly might not be in New York. I would not have had the joy of working with and loving Mica, which has since led me to my “retirement” (as I like to call my current living situation).

So, I have come to some deep thoughts about the impact people have on my life. And the point is, if you are reading this, know that you have impacted my life and that I know that you have contributed to it in a way that has made me as happy as I am right now.

Since my return to Vietnam, I have had extreme emotional reactions to nearly everything. I have a brand new attitude at work (which is to not work as much as I previously had) because my reason for being here is not to work, but to travel. And I spent most of the last six months working. I shall now spend most of the next few months traveling. I have a new attitude at home (which is to go in and out as I please, whether I’ve got the driver or not) because I cannot stand the lack of privacy or restrictions on my freedom while living with a relative.

I am searching, searching, searching, for what is new here. For the things that made me happy on my first trip here. The new discoveries about the old life. I need to explore and to venture into new territory. So, I am. I am going to go to lots of places, I am going to spend lots of time in the mountains, at the beach, in the forest, and among the Vietnamese.

I am fighting my desire to be back in New York City, which can be difficult, until I remember that I’m living the good life here. I haven’t washed a dish since I’ve been here, my laundry is laundered and pressed for me, my room is cleaned, my food is cooked, I have a chauffeur, I have unlimited access to ice cream, and I have more trips planned to more countries than I ever did when I lived in the City. No matter where I place myself, the grass is always greener where I stand.

PS. For my really rosy feel good fun descriptions of Vietnam, just click on February's archives.

SaiGon. August 30, 2001
Response from most of you leads me to believe that you might be somewhat disappointed in my new view of Vietnam. Fear not, it is still relatively rosy. Good life seems to follow me where ever I land, so I am not having such a terrible time of it.

Since I’ve been back, I’ve begun to make good use of taxis, relied less on Thanh and my aunt for transportation, and I’ve met more westerners which have helped me feel closer to home. It’s true, I haven’t had a bowl of white rice since I’ve returned. It took me 28 years and two trips to the homeland to figure out that I don’t like Vietnamese white rice!

I feel a great loss at being away from New York all this time, especially with Tokion’s Neo Graffiti 3 party, Palm Pictures’ opening party, and Lisa Kirt’s birthday all in the same weekend! No matter, I have made up for it, by going to Phan Thiet last weekend and seeing life in a different light for now.

In two weeks Jeff will be here and we’ll visit beautiful landmarks in Vietnam that I should have visited on my last trip. I’ve told the office that I will be GONE FOR GOOD as of Tet 2002. I have written for my application to be a bike tour guide in France and Italy for next summer. And I am really enjoying my life right now.

Sai Gon. August 22, 2001
Feel sorry for me. I am using a 21600 bps connection (it takes approximately five minutes for one hotmail page to load), and I have six mosquito bites, one on the ball of my big toe. Ouch! The power went out early this morning (so imagine the heat I had to bear in the house without AC) and am recovering from jet lag. I went to work. I was happy to see that everyone was well at the office and even happier to see that I should be able to pass my work on to them.

It’s okay to be back. I’m looking forward to Jeff’s visit in September and a trip to Australia in January. It’s fucking humid. It’s RAINY season so it’s raining all the time and when it’s not, you’re wet from the humidity alone. It’s disgusting. My room felt drenched last night and the AC wasn’t ready to cope. Everything in my boxes were wet from the humidity.

Purposefully dressed “like an American,” I got through the international arrival line without bribing the sober fellow at the counter, and then proceeded through customs as if I did not speak a word of English. I had to carry each 70-pound box onto the x-ray myself while the airport officials sat on their green uniformed asses. The guy at the x-ray tried to pick a bribe with me, but the guy who had my paperwork responded with “she doesn’t speak vietnamese” and X-ray man waved me off. No one helped me with my luggage since people who are picking you up are NOT ALLOWED into the airport and the officials are useless. So my 95 pound back-packed self (hey, I gained 7 pounds) was left to push 140 lbs. with one hand on a cart with a shaky left-bound caster and a carry-on roller in my other hand. Of course, 100 pounds were mostly food & chocolate for people here (and then I have received complaints about not bringing other things!). I was thrilled to see aunt 10 and really wanted to see aunt 9 today, but haven’t had a chance.

The visor I bought is great. It’s especially good for browsing my vindigo downloads so I can feel like I’m in NYC or DC again. How sad is that? I must stop writing as my feet are asleep from being curled underneath me to prevent further bug biting.

Later.
H.

Arlington, VA
Just returned from NY today.
I'll be returning to Vietnam on Monday, August 20, and will continue to write in my blog until I return to the States (in February).
Check back soon.
H.

New York, NY
Spent my whole day today with friend Jeff whom I met last year while training on the AIDS Ride. We went to see Buster Keaton in "Navigator" and I laughed so hard, I cried. We saw an additional three shorts at the Film Forum today during the double feature. Then I headed into my beloved Brooklyn, and after a walk in Park Slope, I went to meet Lisa for dinner in her hood. Tomorrow I go to the museum of Natural History, and perhaps to another with Antal, a nice Hungarian boy I met on the ride up from Washington the other day, on his very first trip to New York. Told him I'd show him around.
Then lunch plans, after lunch plans, pre-dinner plans, dinner plans, and into Wednesday with breakfast plans, lunch plans.... the cycle begins over again.
I have overbooked myself.
no matter.
life is short.

On Monday I return to Vietnam. As it was, I didn't want to return at all, but in the last few days, I've begun to rethink my feelings here, and though I'm not anxious or excited or even looking forward to returning, there are several reasons for me to do so. Namely, Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, Malaysia, Jeff's visit in September (for our tour of Vietnam from North to South), and of course, the Tet celebration. So I'll return for a short six months. Upon my true re-entry to the States in February, I'll surely be visiting New York, and quite possibly Santa Monica again. There is reason to go to Portland, Seattle, and other cities, and possibilities for living and biking in Italy and France. Hell, I'll improve my French, my Italian, my geography, my culture, and my legs (I've logged zero miles this year on bike vs. 1500 miles from last year!).

Frankly, I've no idea what I'll do when I return. It's a toss up - any suggestions? Takers? I'm interested in working with cool people who love life. Maybe I can write the uncensored version of life in Vietnam, or maybe I'll be a toy engineer, or maybe I'll just do the bike tour guide gig. Do I sound confused? Fear not, I'm not. I plan on doing all these things in my lifetime. Who says you have to have one measly boring job for life? Certainly not I.

Arlington VA.
I've been back to 2 chefs for steak & cheese sandwiches, had bbq, and plenty of other American food recently. I spent ten beautiful days in Santa Monica, went to the Getty Museum, and played with the kids. Saturday I spent at the National Gallery of Art in D.C. where there is an excellent Jasper Johns exhibit as well as a collection from Nationalgalerie Berlin (including some beautiful work by Adolf Menzel).

Arlington is hot and humid, much like Vietnam, and I suppose New York will be the same. I go to NY later this weekend through the 15th and return to Vietnam on August 20. Much to do, and little time to do it.
h.

Arlington VA.
I've been back on U.S. soil for about 12 days, and IT FEELS GREAT. I've gone to 2 Chefs twice, had mexican food a half a dozen times, cuban food, and italian food. Went to NYC last week for a week and it was fabulous, as NY is in the summertime. The weather was perfect and sunny, and I went to see the Origami Architecture exhibit at the Arts & Crafts museum. Beautiful paper engineering (my next job, maybe).

Tomorrow (well, later today, as it is now about 2:30 am), I go to sunny California - Santa Monica - to spend 10 glorious days by the beach with Mica and Ari and Lori (and a Vietnamese wedding with lots of family too). Will report more some other day. Returning from CA on July 31.
h.

Sai Gon, July 7, 2001
Hi, I’m signing out. Tomorrow afternoon I take off for Singapore and arrive in Dulles at 10:40 Monday morning after stopping in Narita (Tokyo) and 30 hours of travel.

Spent some time with grammy today and recorded her talking for my mom and uncle. Gotta go pack.
h
By the way, when I'm in the states, I'll try to keep a log of life after 'nam if I have the time. www.doublehappiness.blogspot.com

Monday, July 2, 2001
Sai Gon.
Small World Experience: Eva Bullington, a great old friend from seventh grade in Virginia is very close with Trinh & Joe Murphy whom I met here in Vietnam just a couple of weeks ago. I’ll have to post this one up on my Mayor Blog. Just two degrees of separation.

Okay. My physical being will be in the following states on the following days:
Arrive in DC July 9 (I will be VERY tired)
July 9-12 in Arlington
July 13-16 NYC
July 17-20 Arlington
July 21-31 LA/Santa Monica
Tentative: Aug 1-7 Arlington
Tentative: Aug 8-14 NYC
Aug 15 – return to Vietnam

Plans? I don’t know how much traveling I’ll plan when I’m in VA, but if you can make it to No. VA, it would help reduce my travel time.

As for biking season, is ANYONE recording the CNBC/OLN (Outdoor Life Network)/Nike specials on behind-the-scenes US Postal Service guys? There’s a series of 9 pre-tour shows. If you have it, save your copy! I can’t get that here. The first 5 shows have already aired. (Check out RoadtoParis.com for details)
Here’s the schedule:
date eastern pacific
6.23 3pm 12pm
6.28 10pm 7pm
6.29 1am 10pm (on 6.28)
6.29 1pm 10am
7.1 4pm 1pm
7.3 2pm 11am
7.6 1am 10pm (on 7.5)
7.6 2pm 11am
7.8 2pm 11am
7.12 1pm 10am
And can someone please record Stage 1 & 2 of the tour de France (July 8 & 9) as I’ll be en route home. ESPN has the only coverage, derisory as it is, in the U.S.

Speaking of biking, is anyone interested in a 2 week bike tour of Vietnam? If you are, let me know. I’m going to try to organize a trip for friends from SaiGon to Hue (and probably fly from Hue to Ha Noi & Sapa). I’ll find the hotels & restaurants, support vehicles and other related issues, but if you have any experience or advice, send it my way. I do not plan on signing up with an existing tour, as they are outrageously priced for non-Vietnamese travelers.

Sai Gon, June 27, 2001
Over the weekend, I went to Phan Thiet with Di 9 & 10 and stayed at Novotel, part of the French Accor hotel group. As the weather was temperamental, we spent most of our time sleeping, eating, and watching HBO. The rest of our time was spent swinging in the hammocks hung between palm trees, playing foozball, and wandering around the hotel.

Saturday night we had a seafood buffet all-you-can-eat dinner. I had a plate of a half dozen clams, a half dozen mussels, a crab, 5 king prawns, and fresh fish all grilled over charcoal, and then followed with a plate of 5 different salads, bread and pate, bread and brie, bread and Roquefort, a dozen steamed shrimp, a slice of quiche, and thai noodles. Then I had 2 peach custard tarts, a kiwi custard tart, a scoop of coffee ice cream, a slice of apple honey crisp, watermelon, dragon fruit, and flan for dessert. It was all so good…

The only time we spent away from the hotel was when we went out to eat, and when we went to visit Ong 10 (my grandfather’s cousin) who gave me a bag full of star fruit that he picked from his tree in the back yard. Ong 10 lives across the street from my mom’s old house which is now an Exxon gas station. It's teeny; I don't know if her whole family lived there or if it was her home before everyone was born. We also went to visit Chu Ngoc at the Saigon Mui Ne resort where we lunched with him before returning back to Sai Gon.

Less than 2 weeks until I return home, and I’m counting the days until I set foot back in good ol’ U.S. of A. I miss NYC like crazy, I miss walking and I miss biking. I miss the Brooklyn Bridge. I miss driving and I miss steak. I miss reading English signs and hearing English spoken. I miss not having to bargain when I shop. I’ll be back in time to watch the Tour de France on ESPN (although ESPN in Vietnam will have more coverage on cycling than the measly 30 minutes per day we get in the U.S.). And I’ll get to go to California just in time for a – well, a Vietnamese wedding.

No blogs for a coupla days. Tomorrow I go to Phan Thiet with Di 9 & 10 for 3 days for some R&R. We’re not staying at Saigon Mui Ne Resort this time (Chu Ngoc’s hotel) since Di 10 has a voucher to stay at another place for free (someplace where she plays golf).

Went to print with issue 3 of the guidebook today.
Check films on Tuesday when I get back.

Otherwise, nothing new. H.

Sai Gon, July 21, 2001
I had a dream two days ago where I was giving instructions to someone else over the phone IN VIETNAMESE. When I woke up, I was really quite amused with myself, as much as I would be I suppose, if I ever find myself thinking in Vietnamese (this has happened with French before, but never Vietnamese). I suppose dreaming in another language is a sign that it’s nearly time to go home.

Today is the middle of the month of the lunar calendar (am lich). It’s called Ram, and it’s of course, a vegetarian day for the Vietnamese, as is the first day of the lunar month. The 2nd and 16th of the month, however, are the days the vietnamese commemorate and pray for, well, everything. The verb is to “cun” and you cun your car, your house, your business, and anything else that needs protection or prosperity. Tomorrow we’ll have fruit (usually mangoes, lychees, longans, and dragon fruit) to snack on at work, since the process includes offering fruit to the Gods and burning incense at miniature shrines, which will be found in nearly every commercial and retail outlet, hotels, restaurants, and any other place you can imagine. The one at work I’ve never seen, though I’ve sensed traces of incense on my way out for lunch before.

Miniature shrines are most often produced of wood that is then most often painted red, and most often highlighted with gold stamping, and is generally rather tacky. Sometimes they include flashing holiday lights, fake candles with fake flame shaped bulbs and long electrical wires (who ever thought this was an improvement on the original?), a plastic Buddha with a lightbulb inside his tummy, or – so 80’s – flashing fiber optic threads in multiple colors. You have to buy a miniature tea set with your shrine (how else are you going to offer tea to your Buddhas?), and usually a small cup or bowl to hold the uncooked rice in which you’ll stick the incense sticks. If you’re going to cun your car, then all you have to do is place a plate of fruit on the hood, and stick a few incense sticks in whatever cracks you can find in the front grill, and then make a few offerings to the Gods and let the incense burn down. This will prevent you from having a car accident. Even boat homes, which line the Sai Gon River (and most other rivers of Vietnam) have miniature shrines. Boat homes are a whole other image I can write about some other time.

Vietnamese houses also have shrines that range from miniature to entire rooms and some can really be quite elegant. All homes have proper shrines for commemorating your late parents and other ancestors – this is no matter your religion, it is a vietnamese rather than a Buddhist custom. The Vietnamese believe that your parents are constantly watching over you, even in their death. We constantly offer my grandfather fruit, but sometimes we offer him some soup and tea in case he tires of the fruit. Now that I’m recalling this, I had mien ga tonight for dinner – chicken noodle soup – which was one of my grandfather’s favorites and I (for shame) forgot to offer some to him. No matter, my grandad had plenty of extra weight on him, and as perhaps the most self-actualized person I’ve ever known, he wouldn’t mind that I forgot, always being ever so forgiving.

Only 16 days until I leave SaiGon. I arrive in DC on July 9, tired and fattened (I've gained at least 3 kg which makes me over 90lbs), and will shortly thereafter be going up to NY for a weekend. Hoping to see much while home though I will be spending about a week and a half in California if I can get my ticket confirmed and bought soon. Imagine, I’ll be taking a ten day vacation to California from my five week vacation to the U.S. from my two year vacation from New York. I like this life. And after this vacation, I think I'll go vacation in Italy or Greece, though I've never been to either. There is much to look forward to, beginning with steak in the western world (forgive me, Buddha).

Sai Gon. June 16, 2001
I forgot about the conversation – or rather, the interrogation – I had in Buon Me Thuot with a group of young hotel clerks and waitresses. On our second evening after dinner, I happened to step just far enough away from my table to be considered standing alone, when a young waitress accosted me and asked, “Where are you from?”
“The States,” I replied.
Suddenly, there were three waitresses around me.
“What’s it like there?” “Is it true that American men don’t really mind if a girl isn’t a virgin?” “What state do you live in?” “You don’t live with your family? Don’t you miss your mother?” “I hear that you only have to be married for a year before you can get a divorce if you want citizenship.” “How old are you?” “Oh, my; hey Trang, she’s so youthful! Guess how old she is?” “Are you mixed? Your skin is so white! Your eyes are so round!”
Another waitress and the hotel clerk joined in or animated conversation.
“We knew you were a nice person when we saw you having dinner yesterday. We said to ourselves, ‘oh, she’s sweet.’” “What’s your name?” “Oh, that’s a nice name. Where did you get it? Do you know the story of the girl named Han Ni? Your name is much prettier.” “I’m going to name my kid ‘Hani’.” “Do you have a brother?” “Can you help us meet your friends?” “You only have one brother! Can you find four more available men? Don’t you have friends who want to marry asians?” “I heard that life is really easy in the States.” “Is it true that women are equal to men in the States?”

Their want for knowledge of life in the States was insatiable, and so it went for about 10 minutes before I was separated from them by excusing myself to go out for dessert with my friends who stood nearby waiting for me. And that is what people have in their heads about life in the States.

When I first arrived in Vietnam, I met an English fellow named Dave at an internet cafe (before I had access at home & work). We often ran into each other at my aunt’s cafe, where Dave once said to me, “I know you can’t be Vietnamese since you haven’t tried to marry me yet.” I was amused. It was nice running into Dave since he was one of few people with whom I conversed in English. He’s back in England now, and I’m not sure what he’s up to.

Time to go.

June 14, 2001.
Until I've got the energy and time to indite another blog, you'll have to to just be satisfied with a little hello, I'm fine, slightly stuffy nose, 2 scoops of ice cream in my stomach, (went to dinner with some girlfriends tonight) and counting down the days till I get a 2 Chefs steak & cheese sandwich.

And the fact that I'm amazed; I've been recently receiving responses from people who say "where have you been? What have you been doing?" when all I've been doing is keeping a blog since February...

Sai Gon. June 13, 2001

Hi!
:)

there is something amusing I've been wanting to write, but everytime I come close to a keyboard, I forget.
Must make notes. Stuffy nose, but clear headed today. Went to work as usual.

Souris hasn't had a chance to post pictures yet (sorry) but if you really want to see some soon, ask me and I'll forward them to you.
h.

Sai Gon, June 12, 2001
The WEDDING. I forgot to tell you about the WEDDING. On Saturday night I went to a true Vietnamese wedding (well, okay, the reception) of the forty-something son of my Di 9's sister-in-law, whom I've never met. I missed the morning session where the son and his parading family had to go collect the bride and her parading family (like we did with my uncle in February), but made it to dinner. Vietnamese weddings are extraordinarily noisy. There were tables of beer-drinking men behind us who would grab their brews, count to 3, and yell "vo!" which means "in!" and they'd all clink mugs, take a swig, and sit back down. They'd do it about every 7 or 8 minutes. On stage, there was great d飯r of red everything, balloons that popped confetti when the newly married couple walked in, silly string, and an emcee on the mic. The house singers sung and later passed their mics on to guests who wanted their turn at karaoke. Singers were rewarded with long-stemmed roses that were purchased (I think) by spectators from the girls in ao dais carrying them in baskets, the way you see flower peddlers in Olde Towne Alexandria in romantic restaurants.

In the meantime, while we were served our multiple course meal, as all respectable weddings of the Vietnamese must be (my mother once paled at the suggestion that buffet weddings were not only practised, but perfectly acceptable for Americans, though she's seen enough now to know that there isn't anything wrong about them), the bride and groom swept from table to table to table being photographed with all their guests. Of course, the bride changed into three different wedding gowns in this hour long process. The Vietnamese say "well, you're only married once. You might as well wear as many as you can."

No cake was cut (as the cake is fake, and only for show), and as soon as the dessert (lychees) was served, tables cleared as the majority of guests went home. The entire fantastic affair lasted until 9:00 (It was scheduled to begin at 6:00, but since we are on Vietnamese time, we did not arrive until 7:30). And that was it. A Vietnamese wedding.

Sai Gon, June 11, 2001

I haven’t had a chance to expand on my trip to Buon Me Thuot, and yet, much has happened since then. I’ve been feeling under the weather ever since the trip, and it caught up to me by the end of the week. Friday night I went to bed (after reading some Harry Potter, Book IV), and woke up about 14 hours later at 2 in the afternoon on Saturday. Talk about tired! I then spent the rest of the day working on menus for Di 10’s restaurants, and despite my cold, rode on a motorbike out to the city in the middle of a rainstorm in the evening. I met up with Thanh (who had a CAR) at Dong Du Cafe and showed him how to play Gin Rummy, one of the only card games I know (and I can’t even remember all the rules really), and we played till we had to pick up Di 10 at a wedding she was attending.

Sunday morning I went with Di 10, her friend Mr. Hoang, and Trinh Murphy. Trinh is a distant relation with Di 10, has lived in Paris and NY, and is settled in Williamsburg, VA with her husband Joe, a U.S. Diplomat. They are wonderful companions and it was such a relief to have a normal conversation with some Americans over the last week. I so enjoyed their company. Anyway, as Joe was not feeling well, he did not join us. The rest of us went to visit a home beyond the city that is taken care of by a man we call Thai (meaning “teacher”).

Thai’s home is built from scraps that he collects, and in it lives elderly women, and young children, most of whom are physically disabled, mentally retarded, or otherwise handicapped. Some of the children go to school. All are far below normal height and weight for their ages. All are loved and respected in this humble home.

There are about a dozen women in their 70s and 80s, and around 20 children. Older children care for younger children. Abler women feed the more disabled, abler children feed the more disabled. All are taught to be so very polite and kind to strangers. I took pictures, which I’d like to share when I get them from Trinh. If you could see what I saw, I don’t think you could ever go back to wasting the way we waste, and you would have total appreciation for what you have. It is incomprehensible to waste food, toys and clothes the way we do in the States. I’m guessing, but about ten US dollars could feed this family of over 30 for a week, $30 could send one of the children to school for a year. It's so easy not to think about this kind of poverty (even while in Vietnam!) when we're not facing it with our own eyes.

These kids sleep on the cement floors, black ants, bugs and mosquitoes biting them incessantly. Scrap food, of which ingredients are sometimes picked up from the piles of discarded and dirty legumes in the Sai Gon markets, cooked into hot meals and responsibility to each other are the core of their existence. One child was left mentally retarded from the ants that had attacked him when he was found abandoned and tied to a tree. The pain they have gone through is inconceivable yet they are able to find such joy in amusement from an object as simple as a rubber band.

I have to stop writing…
Mom, dad, my cold is wearing off. I’m okay and will be glad to be home in July.
H.