The Eagle has flown

Dear family, here are some pics of Nana's recent visit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kevjblack/tags/nanasvisit/

Note that Asha is getting more curls.

Fruit hardships

We have it very good here in Vietnam in terms of the variety and richness of fruits. But of course I need something to complain about, so here goes...

Today we will look at a couple of fruits. First, a Vietnam grapefruit (bưởi). The Vietnam grapefruit must be stalked by some vicious prey. Look at the thickness of the rind in proportion to the diameter of the juicy innards!! It's almost 3 cm thick in places! I can't imagine a bird ever being able to drill through this rind. And I tell you, it's a bugger to rip the rind off the fruit, requiring lots of assistance from a knife.

After all the effort to remove the rind, one would think that it's time to enjoy the fruit, but nooooo there's still another line of grapefruit defense. The skin around each grapefruit slice is thick as aluminum foil and tough as rawhide. Maybe I'm doing something wrong, but no way my teeth are getting through that skin. Before savouring the juicy goodness, I had to pop each slice out of its skin. By the end, the mass of rind & skin is about the same as the mass of the harvested fruit innards. Maximum effort, inadequate output.

Next, custard apple (Mãng cầu). A little reptilian in outward appearance, but not nearly as tough to crack as a grapefruit. The scaly specimen here on the left is about the size of a softball.


However, ye old custard apple must suffer reproductive issues. Shooting some blanks, or very difficult to take root, judging by the number of seeds peppered around the interior. Very high on the SeedVolume-to-FruitVolume index. Here on the right, you can see the nearly 50 peanut-sized seeds discarded from the custard apple fruit. Tough little fellas too, could almost crack a tooth on one if I'm not careful.

Ok, ok, I'll stop my complaining...

The Eagle has landed

The package has arrived. The hen is in the coop.

Mr. N. made it into town last night. Option #1 was the workable option: the letter from the police visa department faxed to Bangkok, then obtaining the visa in the Hanoi airport.

Naveen got to stay up late past his bedtime and ride to the airport to pick up Nana. On the way he says:

• "I'm a little bit happy".
• Geeta: "Why are you happy?"
• "Because I'm not sleeping in my bed."

Oh dear, he's going to be a night-time party animal. He must have been pretty happy, because (against all expectations) he did not fall asleep to or from the airport.

As a "welcome to Hanoi" activity, I took Mr. N. along with me to kung fu class this morning. Kung Fu class was not the "welcome to Hanoi" activity; the ride there on the back of my Piaggio was the welcome activity. Although he had just been in Bangkok, he was still amazed at the Hanoi traffic. He was a wee bit nervous -- I know I was nervous on my first moto rides. If you want to live the Hanoi traffic, don't forget to view my Driving in Hanoi video (turn up the sound for the Moby MI mix!).

Twice we had to brake hard for motos turning left directly in front of us; these motos were on the verrrrry right hand side of the 3 lane road, then decide they need to turn left. Dear moto drivers, Please plan ahead & move into the left hand lanes before turning, Please stop cutting me off, especially with my father-in-law on the back of my moto, I don't want to have him broken or injured.

A visit to the Park

• parking: 10,000 dong
• admission: 20,000 dong
• 13 person rides: 58,000 dong
• a morning in the park: priceless

We finally ventured to Lenin Park / Unification Park (brought to you by Unilever) here in Hanoi - a little entertainment for the kids in the children's playground on a weekend morning. Carousels, a train ride around the lake, cheap plastic toy vendors, balloon vendors, dried fish vendors, ice cream, and climbing equipment just like the playground at the corner of Bird & Coe in San Jose, CA. (no, we didn't partake in all of the above) What more could a child ask for?

After a few rides, we strode towards an octopus whirl-a-gig ride in a quiet part of the park. There were no other children in the immediate vicinity. At closer inspection, there were 4 attendants playing cards in the ticket booth adjacent to the ride. Money in hand, kids in tow, I approached the booth, expecting someone to come kickstart the ride. The card playing continued. Had I become invisible again? Was the ride broken? A 5th attendant pulled up on his motorbike and stood in the doorway of the booth. I can only imagine the conversation that followed:

• 5th attendant: "hey, I'm here now, deal me in!"
• "no, no, you go give a ride to these pesky foreigners. we're ignoring them, and they're still standing here."
• "what!?! It's someone else's turn to operate the ride! deal me in!!"
• "go on, get out, give them a ride. Then we'll deal you in."
• big sigh.
  

So we did get our ride, but it felt like they were pretty reluctant. I know they get paid a pittance, but here's a new incentive for improved customer service: "you fired!!"

Swing & 2 Strikes

Or "you know the fates conspire against you when..."

G's father, Mr. N., was to arrive this weekend via Bangkok.  His travel agent said he could simply obtain a Vietnam tourist visa at the Hanoi airport upon arrival.  Airline/airport officials in Bangkok said otherwise -- before he could board the plane to Hanoi, either he must already have a Vietnam tourist visa, or he needed a letter from the Vietnam police stating he will be granted a tourist visa upon arrival. Doh. That threw a wrench into his travel plans.  Apparently if he had remained in the transit lounge all day (rather than leaving the airport & going back in through security) he would have been allowed to go on to Hanoi.  Silly rules.

Option 1: from the Hanoi end, we can arrange with the visa section of the police department to fax a letter to Mr. N. in Bangkok, with which he can board the plane.  We then have to meet him in the Hanoi airport with the original copy of said letter, whereupon he can be granted a tourist visa.  Strike 1: the police are having a holiday on Monday and the visa section is closed.

Option 2: from the Bangkok end, Mr. N. can obtain a tourist visa from the Vietnam embassy.  Strike 2: Thailand is having a national referendum (1st in its history) and everything is closed on Monday.

There better not be a Strike 3, or we'll be very perturbed.

So unfortunately, when/if Mr. N. makes it to Hanoi, he will have less time to spend with the kids.  They were looking forward to his visit.  Fortunately Mr. N. has friends to visit in Bangkok, so all is not lost.  And I'm told Bangkok is a pretty nice city in which to spend a few days.  I really must look into that $19 USD one-way deal to Bangkok that Vietnam Airlines is currently offering...

Ha Long Bay

We recently took a weekend trip with some friends to Ha Long Bay, one of the most popular tourist destinations in Vietnam.

Short, picturesque version: http://flickr.com/photos/kevjblack/sets/72157601416340803/.

Short, wordy version:
We arrived on Saturday morning to find the parking lot crammed with vans and buses, and throngs of folks waiting, or looking for their bus, or embarking and disembarking.

There were oodles of tour boats (all made to look like Chinese junks) trying to nose in and get an inch of space on the docks. Since there's only so much dock perimeter available, often the tour boat cannot shoulder in through the crowd of junks and the clientèle has to hopscotch across a boat or 2 before stepping onboard. Try that with a heavy bag, a playpen, and an almost 3 year old.

We took in a cave tour, a couple swims on sandy beaches, a kayak ride, lots of scenery, good food, and lots of time up on the upper deck enjoying the breezes.

It's non-stop work for the boat crew. We had to clear out of our cabins by 10 AM on Sunday morning so they could clean the rooms. And as we were just starting to get hungry for lunch, they set the dining tables for lunch. But, psyche, we don't get lunch onboard, they're only preparing for the next batch of tourists. Dock, boot us off, restock the linens and fridges, welcome the newcomers, and off to the Bay again.

Unfortunately the rugrats didn't nap during the 3 hour afternoon (when they normally would be napping) van ride back to Hanoi , so we were all pretty beat on Sunday evening. Surrreeee, the kids in the other 2 families napped, and all the other adults got to nap, but noooooo, our kids decided to stay awake and prevent us from napping. eeesh.

Now, to prepare for the father-in-law's arrival this Friday. Cheers.

it's only paper

Notice anything striking about these shots of VN vs CDN and VN vs US paper money? Other than the fact that US currency still lacks colour variety in comparison to currency of other countries.

It hit me today that all VN denominations sport the portrait of revered honourable Ho Chi Minh!

I know that HCM played an enormous role in the country's recent history, but are there no other heroes, or great leaders worthy to print on the bills? I guess no one else even compares to Uncle Ho's god-like status. And if a god-like hero is printed on the bills, who would ever want to change them?

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Hoi An tour

If you have been keeping an eye on my flickr account, you'll see that we toured to Hoi An last week for a holiday. We had a leisurely, relaxing time and spent many hours with the fish and crocs in the Palm Garden Resort pool.

Flights & Such
Compared to North American airport security, the security in Hanoi airport felt pretty lax. The guards allowed Asha to be wheeled through the metal detector in her stroller after the guard gave the stroller a cursory inspection. In North America we have to juggle a wriggly Asha while collapsing the stroller and throwing it on the xray conveyor. I beeped the metal detector on the way through (didn't bother to remove my belt - the belt buckle usually triggers the airport detectors). The guard asks me to stand on a little stool while he scans with his metal detector wand. I assume the stool is to make it easier for them to scan my shoes; less bending and all. But now rather than being only a head taller than the Vietnamese, I'm 2 heads taller and he's unable to reach to scan my head and find the shiv I've hidden in my thick hair. Seriously, he only went through the motions of wanding me, didn't reproduce a beep, and didn't even pass over the belt buckle area.

While in the pre-boarding area, we had another experience that derailed our North American sense of airport security. People would just walk away and leave their bags unattended for minutes at a time! Wow! In North America and Europe, luggage unattended for this long would soon be surrounded by bomb-sniffing dogs and anxious security personnel. Anyhow we soon relaxed and started to leave our own bags to fend for themselves.

The flight from Hanoi to Danang is just over an hour and the kids were really good on the flight. We can only hope they'll be nearly as good for the next umpteen hour flight back to visit Canada. oy.

Hoi An Town

Hoi An is a very peaceful, quiet break from the noise, bustle, heat & humidity of Hanoi. Many of the downtown streets are closed to cars and even motorcycles on some days, so are very pleasant for strolling. Colourful lanterns and old architecture offer interesting sights for the eyes. Many restaurants, cafes, art galleries and handicraft shops cater to tourists. Boutiquey, but not too souveniry. In terms of the galleries and boutiques, reminds me of Bayfield, Merrickville or similar towns in Ontario.

There are many old houses and temples to tour, but we didn't subject the kids to these tours.

Everywhere we went people loved the kids. Waitresses, and even the Vietnam News hawkers want to pick up Asha, or at least touch her cheeks. They would tell Naveen how handsome he is, then tell him how much he looks like his father. Which I hope implies that I am also handsome.

Food & Yummies
When staying at a hotel resort, we tend to get trapped and eat at the hotel restaurants. The Palm Garden food was adequate but we tired of it after 3 or 4 days. Didn't help that we had lingering tummy issues (see previous post) and tried to stick to fairly bland fare.

Toward the end of the week, we forced ourselves to venture into town for meals. Should had done it days ago. A spectacular find was the Mango Rooms restaurant. At least for us parents. The food was a little too spicy for the kids who have yet to find their must-have-spicy-Indian-food-right-now! genes. Great food fusion, taste, flavours, ambience, service; we felt we were in a hip NYC restaurant.

Goda restaurant was another good find, and we enjoyed traditional Hoi An & Vietnamese food. Fresh, tasty food and good news, the kids liked it! Although the green papaya salad was too spicy for all of us. Very personable service and as a customer appreciation token, they paid for our taxi back to the Palm Garden. Thanks!

We also lunched at "Cafe des Amis" along the Hoi An waterfront. It does not stand out as much as some other restaurants, a very basic look and feel, and normally we would have passed it by, but it was a name we had recognized from the Frommer's guide. The service was very forgetful -- they forgot we ordered a bottle of water, and our food came before the gentlemen next to us who was in the restaurant long before we were -- they'd forgotten that he'd ordered his meal! We weren't sure if we should eat here because Cafe des Amis doesn't have a menu -- they only offer a seafood, meat or vegetarian set menu. The set menu apparently changes daily so it's not written down. Without seeing a written menu, we weren't sure what we would be eating. And with 2 small children, we feel much more comfortable knowing what's on the menu and whether the food is suited to their tastes. To stay, or to bail, that was the question. We decided to stay and very glad we did. Tonnes of food and very tasty -- highly recommended to anyone visiting Hoi An.

Eco-Tour
A highlight of our week in Hoi An was a fishing tour with the Hoi An Eco-Tour company. Most highly recommended if you're in the Hoi An area. The kids had a great time, lots of interesting sights, the tour guide is keen & knowledgeable, and the onboard meal was fantastic. We learned a little about the host's fishing village, heard stories about the American War, learned how to snag crabs, learned how to fish with big stationary fishing nets, learned how to paddle and ride a basket boat (coracle to you UK'ers), saw lots of local fishing vessels, and wore the pointy "non" hats.

The tour guide told us how the fishermen have to go farther and farther asea to find stocked fishing grounds. Further from home port can also be more dangerous. Some village members were caught in a typhoon off China last year. When they had not made contact for many days, the family members consulted the local fortune teller who stated the fishermen were lost at sea. The family purchased caskets to prepare for the funeral and grieving ceremonies. 5 days after the typhoon, the fishing boat limped into the village and there was much rejoicing for the dead had risen.

The four of us jumped into a basket boat with the tour captain and went looking for crabs amongst the river palms. We managed to snag 3 before Asha melted down and we had to head back to the main boat. A bit of cloth on a string on a stick; that's all it takes to snag the wee crabs. On the boat, the captain made the crabs safe for the children to play with -- that is, he bit off the tips of crab's claws. Naveen was a little reserved about touching the crabs, but Asha was not shy at all. She touched them, almost kissed one, then grabbed one and whiplashed him so hard that his 2 claws and a leg fell off. ouch.

When the other group members returned from their basket boat tour, we had a short boat ride toward the mouth of the river to try our own hand at piloting a basket boat, and to do a little fishing with a big net. I caught on fairly well to piloting the basket boat, at least better than the other tourists and the captain was clapping his hands. A figure 8 draw stroke works pretty well. Thanks to Misters Beaudette & Heginbottom for instructing me in the ways of the canoe :)

To catch little fish with a big net:

• rig big net to poles, ropes, and on-shore winch.
• drop net into water
• wait a bit
• winch net up out of the water
• boat out to the net
• using a stick, whack the underside of the net to flip the little fish over to a slit in the net
• drop the fish through the slit into your waiting basket
• repeat many times a day

Well, that's enough for this post. You probably don't want to hear about the struggles of getting 2 children to nap in a strange bedroom, or Asha viciously biting her sibling and us when she's angry (4 teeth can really pack a hurt-on). Cheers.

leafy remedy

A couple weeks ago, we had some minor stomach issues -- ok, ok, I'll say it... diarrhea.  Anyhow, the advice from the household staff was to eat young guava leaves.  Our driver scaled fences and gates to pick young guava leaves from the tree outside, and I munched 'em down.  A little bitter, but not bad with a touch of salt and chaser of water.  They seemed to help.  And an Internet search does turn up quite a few references for guava leaves aiding tummy issues.

Dosage: I'm told 7 leaves for men, 9 leaves for women. Don't know why men require a smaller dose.

So if you're out in the wild and have an upset stomach, try foraging on some guava leaves.