More Impressions From David

Hello,

We went out to eat last night and I ordered the Mullet fish. It said
something like "Grilled Mullet in Vietnam style" so how could you go
wrong. Lana's plate of mustard greens cooked with garlic (that she dipped
in the spicy soy based sauce - it has cut up red peppers in it - it is
quite good, but spicy) and her battered shrimp (which turned out to be
whole shrimp skewered, battered and fried - eyes, legs and all - it was a
bit of work to extricate the meat, she only ate one, Gretchen and I ate
the rest.), and Gretchen's beef and noodles came quickly to the table. I
assumed after about 20 minutes of waiting for my fish (assuming it was a
grilled fillet of mullet) that I had not actually ordered it (something
that is quite possible, as the waitress spoke no English and my vietnamese
is laughed at by my daughter.) A few minutes later a large plate came to
the table, on it was a 2 kg fish, head, fins, and eyes attached.
Thankfully it was gutted and cooked. I know it was 2 kg because that is
how they charged me for it, of course they could have just charged me for
a 4.5 lb fish and brought me a smaller one, I don't know. It was good,
but in an unexpected form. After the turtle blood cocktail we saw the
other night, we have become less suprised by things not being what we have
anticipated - it really is a good way of going about things.
The Ho Chi Minh musuem is a bizarre blend of modern art and Ho Chi Minh
stuff - things from his home, letters, things from his time in France,
etc. It is difficult to describe - suffice it to say that there is a
replica of Picasso's Guernica mixed with other images from Dali, Matisse,
Chagall, etc. It is very interestingly done, just completely unexpected.
The art is very interesting. We went to the top floor first, intending to
see the lower stuff later, on the tip from a guidebook that it was the
most interesting. We, however, were not allowed to go back down once we
were at the top.
Today we toured Hanoi and blew through three million dong. (I originally
typed that as "we blew three million dong" then changed it on the advice
of my attorney.) We got some nice silk purses and ties, and laquered
plates and stuff. It was nice, but I am considering starting to smoke on
the thought that smoking through a filter would be better for my lungs
than breathing the smog, my throat hurts and my nose and eyes are running.
Even if there was a treadmill in the hotel, I am not sure I would be able
to use it, it is very hard to breathe. And most of you know how obsessive
I am about running...
It was good to walk around the city, some of the old quarter is accessible
by foot without fear of being run over. There are very few children out
and about with their parents. We are already a spectacle, but with a
Vietnamese child as well, we stand out more. The people are very friendly
and often tell us that our daughter needs more clothes on. It is 65-72
degrees here and people are in parkas with fur hoods. Lana is often hot
and sweaty and when given the chance, she takes her coat off. The stores
that are indoors are also very warm. I am a bit concerned about how she
will deal with the cold of Ohio...
Today Lana was interested in me alone. She sat on my lap during meals and
even went up to the room with me while Gretchen stayed in the lobby to
talk with some people. She seems to often find me amusing - pulling my
beard, throwing stuff at me, making fun of my attempts at speaking
vietnamese or singing the songs she is singing. Today, she wouldn't hold
Gretchen's hand and only held mine while we were walking.
It seems her passport is in and we have to get some medical stuff done for
Lana - a standard check, then an interview at the Embassy on Friday. The
Visa for Lana should be issued Monday or Tuesday next week. Maybe we will
be able to get home mid week, but we heard that everything is booked until
the 25th and that is on standby, we might just be stuck here until the
27th.
We are going to try and get some food now.

Dave