What's over there?
HANOI, VIETNAM – Back in the United States I often found coins on the ground… pennies mostly, sometimes a nickel, occasionally a dime or even a quarter. And one time I found a $20 bill. Whoo-Hoo!
Being the frugal person that I am, I’ve always picked up the coins (as long as I could do it safely, that is) – even the pennies that were so banged-up you could barely tell what they were (OK, I admit it; I’m a cheapskate).
Continue reading “Even in Hanoi I find money on the street…”
HANOI, VIETNAM – OK, I’ll admit that title isn’t entirely accurate. Not everyone hates me, and I’m sure there must be a couple people who actually like me… at least a little. And I know my wife likes me (most of the time anyway).
But I did eat a grub the other day. Several of them, in fact.
Continue reading “Nobody likes me, everybody hates me. Guess I’ll just eat… grubs”
HANOI, VIETNAM – As slow travelers, John and I always try to connect with the local culture, so we were thrilled to be invited recently to join a family for their traditional Tet (Lunar New Year) family lunch in a rural village just outside of Hanoi.
We really did not know what to expect, besides lots of food, so we saved the entire day for the experience, and brought a box of chocolates for our host, Khai, the number two son in the family.
Continue reading “Our traditional Tet lunch experience”
HANOI, VIETNAM – Our Christmas and New Year’s celebrations were certainly a bit different this year. We don’t usually do much, sometimes go to a movie, usually fix ourselves a nice dinner, but we’re not big gift-givers.
We both hate that in the U.S. the “Christmas season” seems to start even before summer ends. Continue reading “Christmas and New Year’s in Hanoi”
HANOI, VIETNAM – Another tasty stir-fried chicken lunch today reminded me that Vietnamese cooks let nothing go to waste; they use every part of the bird… including the lips.
What? You didn’t know chickens have lips?
Continue reading “Chicken lips and noodle Heaven”