Jan 31. 15:45

Rice
Walking Tour
Food

Rice first. Havé been thinking about the history of Vietnam, a history of war and repeated attempts for control. Our recent past may have been for oil but double that two millenia were anything but rice and resources.

This was not clear until I got to the North. In SaPa one rice crop in a good season. In Hanoi and a bit South one crop and maybe two a bit further South.

Mekong – up to four crops let along fruit etc.

Rice is food to stop the starvation, power and money. Easy to see why adjoining countries all wanted the resources as well as the Ocean for fish. Then oil. These wonderful people sure have suffered from a bounty of relative wealth.

Took a longish walking tour of the city today.

The North and South are culturally, architecturally, economically, and socially two different countries.

HCMC is small entrepreneurial commerce on every square inch. Dirty and alive and vibrant.

Hanoi is closer to a modern city without the really heavy traffic that they will soon have. Wide streets, crossable streets, taller older buildings with lots of history and tourist items to see. Old city of markets, large lakes with a very special one in the center, many pagodas, some from the 11th century, several Catholic churches.

Finished walk too late to eat at a restaurant. Lunch starts and stops very early and 14:00 is too late to get served. So, resorted to the hotel. Glad that I did.

Fab buffet. Fresh, moments old, sweetwater crab. Boiled while I waited. Giant prawns grilled while I waited, small fish similarly prepared. I munched on shrimp, spring rolls, clams, lotus beef salad and Pompalo (close to grapefruit) salad mixture. The crabs were sweeter than Dungness but had to compare as mine was right out of the pot and still too hot to eat.

Fruit, cheese and non-mentionable ( to Tom at least ) chocolate, French style, deserts. I will most definitely eat again, often.

Will close this section with a comment on the Pagodas. Each are set in lovely places, are landscaped with Bonsai and old trees with benches and cool spots to sit. Another perfect weather day – the tourism office should be paying for my travels.

It is a hard life here. Might go for a massage.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend