Our flight out of Hong Kong was delayed 4 hours, which made us miss our flight to Baltimore. So many problems with the airline that we are stuck in Chicago for the night. We hopefully catch a flight to Harrisburg in the morning in time to catch the Superbowl.
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T
Saturday, February 2, 2008
A frog, a squid, an eel, a turtle and ALMOST a snake
Aside from Nha Trang, we ate some different things during our trip. Our first day here Joe ordered frog satay and I had a hunch then that we would be eating some exciting things.
Clams at Halong Bay that aren't available at home. Squid that was a lot thicker than anything I've ever had before. And ... A turtle. I wanted to try turtle just to try it and know what it was all about. I got to pick him out of the tank and everything. i was excited and then when it came to the table I felt bad. And then when I saw the head and feet I got scared. But both Joe and I ate it, thought it was pretty good although it leaves a sticky aftertaste in your mouth. Joe made me have the head since I was responsible for the poor guy's death.
And then there's the snake. Our last night here and my dad took us to a place where we could order the scary stuff. This is the same place we had turtle. I had wanted to also try snake (why not, right?) and had one brought out in a bag and weighed and everything. But my dad was scared of snake, my dad had already ordered 4 other things and the dinner was getting expensive. The waitstaff told us we would never be able to eat it all. So the snake was spared from the Sophie guillotine. I was willing to try it once and know what the fuss was all about. You can't say I'm a picky eater.
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T
Clams at Halong Bay that aren't available at home. Squid that was a lot thicker than anything I've ever had before. And ... A turtle. I wanted to try turtle just to try it and know what it was all about. I got to pick him out of the tank and everything. i was excited and then when it came to the table I felt bad. And then when I saw the head and feet I got scared. But both Joe and I ate it, thought it was pretty good although it leaves a sticky aftertaste in your mouth. Joe made me have the head since I was responsible for the poor guy's death.
And then there's the snake. Our last night here and my dad took us to a place where we could order the scary stuff. This is the same place we had turtle. I had wanted to also try snake (why not, right?) and had one brought out in a bag and weighed and everything. But my dad was scared of snake, my dad had already ordered 4 other things and the dinner was getting expensive. The waitstaff told us we would never be able to eat it all. So the snake was spared from the Sophie guillotine. I was willing to try it once and know what the fuss was all about. You can't say I'm a picky eater.
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T
Return to the fatherland
We took a 3 hour drive out of saigon to my dad's hometown, Ben Tre. We had to ferry the taxi twice over two different rivers to get there. We thought maybe the driver would wonder what he got himself into.
Once we got to Ben Tre, my dad picked up 2 gift baskets and headed toward his childhood home. It is typical for a house to pass from generation to generation. My grandfather's oldest brother is the current owner of the Le house. And his children and nieces and nephews own the houses next door and across the street. The houses were simple, nicer than I expected though. I thought we would be dealing with dirt floors. The houses are surrounded by coconut and durian trees and pineapple bushes. They had 2 dogs and a teeny tiny little kitten that kept jumping on the table as we shared a meal.
All the distant family members were excited to see me. They would put their hands on my shoulders, squeeze my arms and face as if to size me up. They did the same with Joe, shaking his hand and remarking on his height.
We dropped off the baskets and all the things we brought with us from home- Hershey's chocolates, Dove soap, Starburst candy. We shared a meal, met all the relatives, spent some time and then headed back to the city. It was probably the most interesting day of our trip.
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T
Once we got to Ben Tre, my dad picked up 2 gift baskets and headed toward his childhood home. It is typical for a house to pass from generation to generation. My grandfather's oldest brother is the current owner of the Le house. And his children and nieces and nephews own the houses next door and across the street. The houses were simple, nicer than I expected though. I thought we would be dealing with dirt floors. The houses are surrounded by coconut and durian trees and pineapple bushes. They had 2 dogs and a teeny tiny little kitten that kept jumping on the table as we shared a meal.
All the distant family members were excited to see me. They would put their hands on my shoulders, squeeze my arms and face as if to size me up. They did the same with Joe, shaking his hand and remarking on his height.
We dropped off the baskets and all the things we brought with us from home- Hershey's chocolates, Dove soap, Starburst candy. We shared a meal, met all the relatives, spent some time and then headed back to the city. It was probably the most interesting day of our trip.
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T
Preparing for the new year
Typically families make gift baskets of dried fruit, candy, tea, or liquor to give to their elders or to dead relatives. You can also buy pre-made baskets, like the ones pictured here.
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T
Disappointment in nha trang
We spent 3 days in nha trang, a supposed beach town, but we were unfortunate suckers that booked whole day tours and only were allowed 2 hours at the beach. Instead they took us to creepy deserted amusement parks that were still in construction. And we spent so much time on the bus, we became very annoyed.
It's a shame nha trang is commercialized (or at least a poor attempt). They have very very nice beaches. The day tours left a bad taste in our mouth. We were actually happy to go back to the city.
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T
It's a shame nha trang is commercialized (or at least a poor attempt). They have very very nice beaches. The day tours left a bad taste in our mouth. We were actually happy to go back to the city.
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)