It's my last night in Vietnam. I am not quite ready to leave as I have only sampled a tiny morsel of what this diverse little country offers. I leave for my Indian ashram tomorrow, where I will immerse myself in meditation and a vegan diet. I decided my last meal should be especially meaty. Vietnam was just the place for that! I stuffed myself on ginger beef papaya salad, pork hot pot with cinnamon, mystery meal spring rolls, and a Tiger beer. My most expensive meal cost me $7. I love this place.
As I ate I pondered the strongest memories I have of the country:
1. School children furniture. The Vietnamese like to sit on the side of the street eating in small plastic chairs built for gnomes. An Australian man tried his luck sitting down and got promptly stuck. 'Help I've sat down and i cannot get up."
2. Fish sauce. The aroma lingers in the street. No meal is complete without it. I am reading a book about a Vietnamese refugee and he states how his mother, once in America, had problems cooking the Thanksgiving turkey ("large chicken") the American way. She insisted on basting it in fish sauce.
3. Motorbikes. Everywhere. Honking, racing, littering the streets. Men shout out every 4 minutes trying to sell their services "Motorbike? You? Where you going? I take you. motorbike?" It doesn't mater if it's raining or if you have three over sized suitcases (ahem) ...they still insist on being your transport.
4. Bad dubbing. Think of your favorite movie. Now imagine the voices of ALL the actors being replaced with one single woman. Yes one movies does the voices for everything----Julia Roberts to Jean Claude.
5. Amazingly good, cheap...(insert noun here). Examples would be massages, food, beer, hotels, Cucchi (their fake Gucci), and photocopied lonely planet guides.
I'll miss Vietnam.....
1 comment:
sounds wonderful - must add vietnam to my growing list of places to visit. i'm loving your reports and can't wait to hear about your ashram adventures!
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