My new friend Huynh came in her scooter ready to pick me up.



Here's where you park your scooter bike before entering the restaurant.



When a very good restaurant opens up in a hidden alleyway, everything starts to light up around it. Here is the entrance way to where the locals get their fill of Banh Xeo at Ba Duong.

I made a new friend in Danang and she came by on her motorbike to show me a bit of the nightlife here.  First, she took me to a very popular local restaurant that serves banh xeo.  It was all the way at the end of an obscure and narrow alleyway that was quite crowded when we got there.  Knowing where the good food is travels fast in Vietnam, a country that is passionate about eating.  When you meet someone you like here, instead of asking them, "How are you doing," to show care and concern, you ask them, "Have you eaten yet?"  Take note of this if you have any Vietnamese friends.  Eating is a special social occasion and is one of our most primal ways of sharing.



Inside the very crowded Ba Duong restaurant.



The Banh Xeo spread at Ba Duong.

This was one of the best Banh Xeo's I've ever had.  You wrap the crispy, yellow Banh Xeo into the rice paper and add some jicama, cucumbers, fresh garlic and some salad and dip it into a thick peanut sauce.  The combination of  crunchy warm yet soft texture and citrusy and salty flavor makes your eyes roll backwards from such a pleasurable and tangible oral experience.  I now find Huynh to be a very good friend indeed.

We then went to a cafe bar, which is a mixture between exactly just that, coffee, tea and alcohol.  Again, very Vietnamese in a sense that we always like a combination of a number of different things to add to our taste buds.  At Hop Pho, they also played live traditional music which was quite a nice treat to the ear buds especially with Huynh giving me the historical and cultural significance of each song.  I'm very grateful for her company.



The cafe bar called Hop Pho in Danang, which serves tea and cocktails.



The waitress at Hop Pho lights up a candle at your table.  She is wearing a traditional Vietnamese dress called an Ao Dai.

The interior of Hop Pho had a very traditional aesthetic, it felt like you were going back in time when you entered into through the door.

dalat




Monk at the temple Chua Truc Lam

I was inmediately mesmerized upon entering the temple Chua Truc Lam.  The melodic chimes echoed in the air transporting you into that inner realm of peace.   This is the first time I entered into a Buddhist temple where I was surrounded by sound. It was enchanting and the bell chime patterns really swirled into your brain melting away all the rigidity and minor distractions of the mind.   I wandered around in a trance and it was such a strange coincidence when I ran into a monk contemplating in his room.  The moment I caught sight of him, I felt this familiar warmth and I felt compelled to communicate with him.  Normally when I encounter a monk I greet them by putting my hands together in prayer form to pay my respects and then calmly move along.  He saw that I had a camera and he asked what I used it for.  I said I used it to remember.  I'm not quite sure if that was the most Buddhist answer, because its best to forget and move forward, no sense commiting your actions based on the past.  I do use it to remember, but more so it is a form of meditation for me.  I am easily distracted and I think I even have ADD, and photography literally helps me focus on the present. 



danang




Reflection of the huge Quan Am statue in a water lily pond at Monkey Mountain.

You can enter into the Quan Am statue, which overlooks the ocean during the Tet Festival .

Danang is very much a beach town.  Right now the beaches are foggy, but the water is still much warmer than the coasts of California during the summers and many locals do their daily fishing there.   The Quan Am statue at Monkey Mountain has just finished its construction and it is quite impressive.

hue

Boys riding water buffalos in Hue.

  Hue city is known for its rainy days, and this day was no exception.   This region is also known for its darker overcast skies and most Vietnamese find this to be a very sad feeling place.  Again, I don't mind the rain, and it was quite light in comparison to Quy Nhon.  Hue people have a a very distinctive dialect of the Vietnamese language, I have a very difficult time understanding it.  Vietnamese is a tonal language and each tone gives each word a different meaning.  The Hue people have ignored all these rules and somehow still manage to be comprehensible to most Vietnamese.  I have always recognized the Hue for its food, to me its like southern comfort food and it has a very notable flavor.

The centerpiece is called Lau, vegetables are boiled and mixed with spices.  The left dish is called Va, which is a tasty leaf from a tree that you put on a crunchy piece of sesame rice paper. The temperature of the food has a big impact on how it tastes and feels in your mouth.



Buddhist monks enjoy the vegetarian hue food at Lien Hoa.  You know its good when the monks come here.

Lien Hoa is known for its exceptional Hue vegetarian food and its traditional Hue style interior decor.





This is a small alleyway in Hoi An, a city known for its traditional Asian architecture.


 

Hoi An is full of lanterns and bird cages.

The antiquated buildings of Hoi An age beautifully.


I bought a little pig whistle from this darling lady.



 

Cangio




Statues of Viet Cong Soldier re-enacting a scene from the Vietnam War in Cangio. 

 


Crocodile at Cangio



An uncaged monkey hanging out on a tree at Cangio.

An uncaged monkey peering into the caged monkeys.

Monkeys fighting over the rice grain feed.

Monkeys scattered along the entrance way at Cangio.

I dont know how I feel about Cangio.  Its part Vietnam War memorial and part wildlife zoo.  When you arrive, you are greeted by a crew of open monkeys scattered along the pathway.  As you make your way, they give you the up and down, scanning for any kind of treats you may have on you.  I am told by the zookeeper they are pretty aggressive and are known to steal food from patrons.  You can purchase bananas to feed them, but they are not responsible for whatever happens in the midst of the exchange.  My aunt and her friends who took me here, have claimed to have many personal belongings stolen from these monkeys, from hats to even eyewear.  My aunt who was wearing her only pair of spectacles was extra worrisome of this experience.  They find the monkeys to be quiet obnoxious and untrustworthy.  I however, found the scene to be quite sad just like any other zoo I have visited.  This one had a mixture between "free" animals and caged animals and we are assuming that the caged ones are the ones that have misbehaved.  I am by no means a wild animal expert, but these monkeys seemed a bit starved and I only saw them eating rice grains which they fought over with much aggression.  They kept their distance from you if you didn't have any food on you, and didnt have the least bit of curiousity about you, if anything many seemed more disinterested in you if you werent of any use.  There were a few that displayed some bewilderment, perhaps they are less jaded.  They are very much like us.  Take away the fancy clothes and our "jobs" and we all share the same basic tendency, whether it be good or bad.  I guess its not too crazy of a juxtaposition between a war memorial and a zoo, both to some degree display our basic human nature.



The rainy season in Quy Nhon

Fisherman boats in Quy Nhon resting after the rain.

 

The rain in Quy Nhon flooded the marketplace.

Ducks being sold at the marketplace.  They may be free range here, but once they are caught, life is downhill from there. 

The marketplace inspired me to go get some guilt-free clean vegetarian food.  This lady makes a really good vegetarian Bun Bo Hue soup. 





Quy Nhon is the province where my mom grew up.  Its basically a very quaint beachtown, and my mom usually comes back every year to swim in the warm ocean.  My uncle and aunt say that's all that she seems to do when she comes back to her home town.  Its as if she needs to feel the water of her birthplace to restore herself and gain back a sense of peace.  She usually comes just before the rainy season, and of course just to follow our typical relationship pattern, I ended up doing the opposite of what she did.  I like the rain.  The people in Quy Nhon find it to be a nuisance for good reason though.  It ends up flooding their homes and their markets and driving around in a scooter is bit more dangerous.  When I took the photograph by the beach, my uncle had taken me for a ride on his motorbike to get there.  The rain was hitting my face like a bunch of pellets and I could hardly open my eyes.  I dont know how he managed to safely get us around, but in true Vietnamese spirit he just got through it, no big deal.



I really wish I had brought my macbook for this trip.  Oh the unexpected tragedies that I have had working with different computers to manage my workflow.  My dad had a laptop for me to bring as a gift to my uncle, and he suggested that I just use it instead of having to bring two laptops.  I was trying to be good and listen to this advice.  What I've learned is always listen to your instincts.  Live and learn.  I think it would've been nice to post daily on this blog.  Again,  I really didn't think I was going to actually enjoy this process.  Anyways, good to know.  As for now, I think I have wifi and can update in the meantime:)

It gets pretty magical in Vietnam

There is so much natural beauty in Vietnam.  Its a shame that much of it is being altered due to the demands of tourism. 

Its all about the ride

Many people in Vietnam ride their bikes this way when they are bringing along a caption.