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...
October 29, 2001
October 24, 2001
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.
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.
October 21, 2001
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.
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.
October 12, 2001
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.
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.
October 06, 2001
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.
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.
October 03, 2001
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...
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...
