tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31160369338081770242024-03-15T02:36:20.667+08:00 sketches from the other sidearchitarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13124702208354709765noreply@blogger.comBlogger1047125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116036933808177024.post-3998220589936247042022-07-27T00:45:00.001+08:002022-07-27T00:45:43.437+08:00tentative steps<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOXUCwFUnmIZJgufsLjAfa20lRaI_8u9hkk7zdoZoawLkqZCoNDQWT0DMbHe3GjhCkKUc4TABKqiuPlkzEL_ra6gZwliC6eKDAP-Rly_oHv531FyVZKMzkV44-zC0aq6fYQ6ncdtxSut4j/s1600/1658853940339200-0.png" width="400">
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</div><div><br></div><div>I didn't think it would end like this, with paranoid silence followed by a rush of activity to flee the place that I lived longer than anywhere else in my life. Democracy protests that seemed so doomed, yet brave, descended into violent oppression. Police turning into oppressors overnight.</div><div><br></div><div>So now, a new place and a new life but still so much to say about the other side. Thoughts still finding their way out. </div><div><br></div><div>I'm back. I think?</div>architarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13124702208354709765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116036933808177024.post-46463127824512326572019-02-25T14:16:00.000+08:002019-02-25T14:16:16.933+08:00Sunset at High West<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3GOIv2byqhyh2jgJwrkh9iZiupVPuzXsvAsyyv5PGZXTdku57mPCDA5yjDqA31IJFJGae2RMirHMoZ4knuidrvhbFzZhh4noH7ijqek9LVIbp_LxYnYwVvNtdM7yKDLTc0dZC7jdBxCmA/s1600/Overall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="672" data-original-width="1215" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3GOIv2byqhyh2jgJwrkh9iZiupVPuzXsvAsyyv5PGZXTdku57mPCDA5yjDqA31IJFJGae2RMirHMoZ4knuidrvhbFzZhh4noH7ijqek9LVIbp_LxYnYwVvNtdM7yKDLTc0dZC7jdBxCmA/s320/Overall.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The Mount High West overlook isn't on an official trail, but it is popular enough that it is easy to follow. Many people start their hikes from Kennedy Town, climbing 2100 steps out of the urban area and often lugging photography equipment. A less vertical route would be to come across from the Peak along Harlech/Lugard Rds. SB and I took the furbabies with us on a longer route, starting from our home in Happy Valley, across Black's Link (first part of HK Trail Section 4), past Wanchai Gap, past Magazine Gap, around Victoria Peak (after getting somewhat turned around a few times), and then on to Mount High West in time to enjoy sunset. </div>
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Even Google Maps shows the path to the overlook.</div>
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Along the way, we enjoyed lovely views back at the city while also being above all of the noise and hubbub.</div>
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We always enjoy encountering historic markers; this one is for the Victoria Hospital for Women and Children, that existed on Barker Road between 1897 and 1947.</div>
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We enjoy seeing the social strata, stratified often literally in the city. On this top layer, the grand houses looking over the mid level layer, and finally the base layer of shops along the coast.</div>
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ICC, the tallest building and a beacon in the afternoon light.</div>
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Finally, we made it to the overlook. Hong Kong has some impressive sunsets with a watercolor effect of color and haze.</div>
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Our dogs became the points of interest for many amateur photographers. They posed for some shots but we had to move on to make it to our destination further down the slope.</div>
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Here we are! Not a bad view, eh, Elsie?</div>
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Elsie would rather hunt for snacks.<br />
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There is something simply magical about the harbour of Hong Kong. We have seen it from every angle and it never fails to amaze us.</div>
<br />architarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13124702208354709765noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116036933808177024.post-9648353462155822722018-11-11T14:33:00.003+08:002018-11-11T14:33:59.796+08:00the glorious deadThe Cenotaph, Central, Hong Kong<br />
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<br />architarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13124702208354709765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116036933808177024.post-11691054915634376642018-10-09T18:03:00.000+08:002018-10-09T18:03:06.635+08:00zhan pianyi, or misbegotten joyWhen I try to verbalize a trail of living in Hong Kong and China that wears me down, my friends don't understand; they think that I'm describing the struggles of living in a mega city and rubbing elbows with millions of other people but that's not it. I understand the hustle and bustle of a city but this is something that has been creeping into Hong Kong culture over the past several years and it exhausts me.<br />
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I live in Happy Valley, and SB and I chose to live here because it's not as easily accessible as the MTR proximate neighborhoods, thus there is a bit of a community feeling. The community groups are vibrant and active, and most of us are neighborly with one, glaring exception: public transportation.<br />
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If you ride the tram into Happy Valley, you are most likely departing at the terminus, along with almost everyone else. When the tram pulls up to the terminus, all neighborliness goes right out the window. There will be three or four passengers who have given up and remain seated until the end but most of the passengers begin rushing for the doors if they haven't already been clustered around the exit since the previous stop (and woe to any passengers who needed to get through to depart at the previous stop). I have seen women using their children as battering rams, teaching them how to be the most absolutely rude, uncharitable trolls. I have experienced old ladies humping me from behind to prevent other passengers from slipping between our fused pelvises. I have seen helpers ducking under and around taller passengers, and men in natty suits deploying the stiff armed fend. It will make you lose hope in humanity. I suspect that at least half of the passengers understand critically that exiting in an orderly fashion and alternating between those coming down the stairs and those departing from the bottom level would be more efficient than say, everyone shoving in a giant viper mating ball, but the lure of getting one up on the passenger whose turn they took is too great.<br />
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If you ride the bus out of Happy Valley, you have likely experienced trying to sit and finding a two person seat occupied by someone who is apparently in a coma, only capable of being awakened at the exact moment their stop comes up.<br />
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New Yorker columnist Jiayang Fan wrote a <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/10/15/yan-liankes-forbidden-satires-of-china">remarkable essay on Yan Lianke's satires of China</a>, which addressed the concept of zhan pianyi, which translates to "occupy small advantages". Yan describes this legacy of communism as the compulsion for people to only be satisfied if they feel that they gained an unfair advantage. Apparently the act of preventing someone from exiting until you go first in their turn, or enjoying the extra bus seat while they have to stand, is intensely pleasurable to some people. It is more than just asserting yourself, which has to happen in big cities that practice a form of social Darwinism; in Hong Kong and China I am apparently living a Trumpian dystopia where the art of the deal is all that truly matters.architarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13124702208354709765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116036933808177024.post-28274924135620752442018-09-05T14:09:00.000+08:002018-09-05T14:33:26.529+08:00down another rabbitholeEvery so often I discover something new that takes up all of my attention, maybe to the point of obsession. Last year I became obsessed with tropical flowers and scents of my childhood, and spent months hunting down niche perfumes that were evocative of tropical scents. I finally found Les Nez' Manoumalia, a scent so powerful and literal that I would never subject any members of the public to its pungent exuberance, but it's something that I really enjoy dabbing onto my wrists when I'm stuck indoors in inclement weather. Why don't I wear it in public? Because it is not an easy scent and quite the opposite of the more subdued, unisex "skin scents" that I prefer. It leaves a trail that can compete with the sillage monsters of the 1980's (I'm looking at you, Drakkar and Poison); but it is not a "power fragrance" with all of its white flowers and strangely rotting, vegetal undertones. I both love and hate it, and thus it does not leave the home with me.<br />
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So my latest foray is into the world of fountain pens. As someone whose AP art portfolio consisted of ink drawings, and who ended up becoming an architect, this seems a natural progression. I have always been very particular about my pens. My office kit consists of several varieties of the Pigma Micron, Pilot and Pentel sign pens, and the Pentel Stylo. In fact, the Stylo is a disposable fountain pen. I dove into fountain pens for a reason not at all related to aesthetics: earlier this year SB and I did an audit over how to be better at environmental consciousness and eventually I reviewed that large number of pens that I go through on a monthly basis in the course of my work.<br />
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I am now in the middle of a full fledged pen and ink obsession, testing out colleagues' pens and I've already ordered several beautiful inks for the pen or pens that I don't yet own. I had a friend pick up some Robert Oster "Fire and Ice" ink when she was in Australia, and another from Maryland is bringing to me Organic Studio's "Walden Pond". Now I just need the vessel to set sail.<br />
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<br />architarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13124702208354709765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116036933808177024.post-91518693203071577492018-07-23T14:14:00.003+08:002018-07-23T14:14:50.603+08:00in which I rant about sporksYes, this is a blog post dedicated to ranting about the spork.<br />
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SB and I are soon to be embarking on some backwoods camping in the Adirondacks. Unlike our HK beach camping experience where we were a bit casual about provisions owing to a village within a 15 minute walk, this excursion requires proper planning. There is no village that will sell water, or rent out sleeping bags when we discover that our bones do not appreciate sleeping on the sand. I mean, even our dogs were trying to climb onto us for softer bedding than that packed sand that seemed so comfortable when we were not trying to sleep.<br />
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So I made lists and checked twice and then checked thrice. I love planning and entered into the backpacking provisional list with joy and military precision. We have sleeping bags and very comfortable, lightweight air beds. We have our trusty cookware and water filters. We have an ultralight tent, but one made for four people because we appreciate comfort and bringing our gear out of the probable rain over those 250 grams that we would have saved with a 2 person tent. I finally overcame my frugality and invested in some highly recommended, technical, ultralight outerwear. As a result, each of us will be carrying packs that come in under 6kg, including the pack base weights.<br />
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I didn't want to go truly ultralight because I appreciate my luxuries and comfort. However, I did not want to be slogging for several hours into the woods with an excessive burden, so I lost weight where I could and read through many, many ultralight packing lists. On a side note, there are a lot of backpackers who enjoy publishing their packing lists.<br />
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One thing that came up over and over again on the lists was a spork. Not only have backpacking suppliers found a way to make lighter, strong titanium cutlery, but they decided to save even more weight by combining everything into one utensil.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg8Q9WFipqIR5HWuRF99GyjhG6IjF_4JvcJKLk-jnP5xI_iVetUgGk4V_68PHcXS0XO1DXyZQP2pYe47eufd_cjQpYfgF2dRZjVMAXC9F4jVI2p0YXsX8g0mIFRfFktyCcb4ymX3UIBL8s/s1600/lmf.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="530" data-original-width="699" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg8Q9WFipqIR5HWuRF99GyjhG6IjF_4JvcJKLk-jnP5xI_iVetUgGk4V_68PHcXS0XO1DXyZQP2pYe47eufd_cjQpYfgF2dRZjVMAXC9F4jVI2p0YXsX8g0mIFRfFktyCcb4ymX3UIBL8s/s320/lmf.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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This is the most popular spork for backpackers, the Light My Fire Spork<br />
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Now, let the ranting begin:<br />
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<ol>
<li>Ultralight backpacking has become an fixation, with many a trekker obsessed with reducing their overall weight by the gram to the point of obsession. I'm talking to you, camper who is slicing their toothbrush in half to save weight. I might forgive the people who are thru hiking the Appalachian Trail, Pacific Crest, or Continental Divide, which take months to complete, but for the average backpacker, this is crazy. The weight savings of combining your spoon, fork, and knife into one utensil simply cannot outweigh the costs in terms of utility.</li>
<li>I have a plastic spork that came with my lunch kit. It sits at the bottom of my utensil drawer, where it will stay until I move. If you ever wanted a fork with such shallow tines that you can only use it to stab at carpaccio, but with the risk of the carpaccio sliding off onto your blouse, this is the utensil for you. If you ever wanted a spoon with pointy bits to stab the side of your mouth, this is right up your alley.</li>
<li>And then there is the cutting edge. My spork does not have a cutting edge but the most popular spork does. So there you are, wanting to cut your food and thankfully you brought your spork. You start to saw away with the pathetic, serrated side when you realize that you need something to hold the food in place while you saw at it. If only you had something like a fork with you.</li>
<li>Most sane backpackers bring a folding pocket knife. It is used for things such a cutting. Or stabbing the person who is offering you a spork.</li>
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architarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13124702208354709765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116036933808177024.post-81966786241447496372018-07-17T14:20:00.000+08:002018-07-17T14:20:35.226+08:00fit for posterity<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirnPVT5WVXj92fnlB10S2GZIdALondLFBlJzj6NjL9ixPrb4emc4X3hWorBg1gy47gMSGS9p4hVxkDoTQIVXVgQp8XZaud42d3tb2fgTfWHQ7vbW6rim6FbfjR1wGujxaJzoLQZX1vjCCy/s1600/headline.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="929" data-original-width="1258" height="472" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirnPVT5WVXj92fnlB10S2GZIdALondLFBlJzj6NjL9ixPrb4emc4X3hWorBg1gy47gMSGS9p4hVxkDoTQIVXVgQp8XZaud42d3tb2fgTfWHQ7vbW6rim6FbfjR1wGujxaJzoLQZX1vjCCy/s640/headline.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I saved this screenshot of Fox News so that I can remember how they reacted differently than most of the rest of the world, including many Republicans, to Trump's boot licking of Putin.</div>
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Although it seems that a couple others are going to hell with their leader. Via <a href="https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2018/07/republican-senator-rounds-says-trump-lied-about-russian-meddling-during-helsinki-summit-as-a-bizarro-form-of-statecraft.html">Slate</a>:</div>
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VP Pence offers a rose-colored view of Trump's Putin summit: "What the world saw, what the American people saw, is that President Donald Trump will always put the prosperity and security of America first."</div>
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Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) who is the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Cybersecurity Subcommittee, offered up this explanation: "Everything I’ve seen and all the facts are very clear: Russia did meddle in our election. That was very clear. So I think what actually happened, I think Mr. Putin just got out-Trumped by Trump. If Mr. Putin thinks he can tell a whopper, he’s not gonna be outdone by this president. And so if Mr. Putin is going to look at him and try to straight-faced tell him that they didn’t meddle, our president can look right back at him and tell just as big a whopper back to Putin as Putin told him." </div>
<br />architarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13124702208354709765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116036933808177024.post-43673627730759381832018-07-15T14:31:00.000+08:002018-07-15T14:31:40.147+08:00vomit cometWhile I was splashing about the reservoir with the dogs, SB was on a hydrofoil on his way to Macau with a large group of mostly Canadian hockey players, to celebrate the impending nuptials of the largest of the group, a 6'3" boulder of a man, and Happy Valley neighbor. According to his professional career stats, he shoots left, something that might be helpful if you run into him at your local and want to arm wrestle. SB reported that the seas were rough and that their group was surrounded by vomiting passengers, not an auspicious start to the festivities. The groom, a former Navy diver on top of his hockey creds, was reduced to sweats and shakes by the time they arrived. SB noted that an army of mop bearing cleaners invaded as soon as the doors opened.<br />
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The rest of the weekend went very well. SB didn't share all of the details because it would be unsporting, but the rain didn't present an issue at all once they were on land. They even managed time at the pool, albeit without much sunshine, but this might have been a boon for a group of people of the tundra. Now, because the other details of the weekend aren't forthcoming, I must surmise that they spent their time cloud-bathing and drinking clamato.<br />
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I imagine that the return trip will be even more exciting, with passengers not being in their best sea form.architarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13124702208354709765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116036933808177024.post-5951243515785747572018-07-09T13:14:00.001+08:002018-07-09T13:14:20.233+08:00never such a believerOn Saturday evening, SB and I attended a house party attended by a large number of Brits. You would have thought we were attending a funeral, so morose were the guests. While stating that they were going to cheer for England in the upcoming match against Sweden, they were the saddest, droopiest group of football fans that I've encountered since SB sulked his way through the Denver Broncos, his team, winning the Superbowl.<br />
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These ardent England fans reminded each other how the Three Lions hadn't won since 1966. They sang like a Greek chorus about the failed exploits of their football gods, struck down in their Olympian feats by equally Olympian tragic devices of hubris, injury, and women. Well, this time around Helios will have no objection to their success considering how humbly their supporters are showing their support. I half expect them to wear black and wail through the final should they reach it.architarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13124702208354709765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116036933808177024.post-76874987110391179062018-07-05T13:26:00.002+08:002018-07-05T13:26:40.261+08:00for barking out loudWith the summer temperatures, the only safe hikes with dogs occur along streams and/or during dawn/dusk. There is also the option of night hiking but I've all but abandoned that because of my dogs' fondness for rooting out boar and porcupines.<div>
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Of course, dusk hikes present similar problems because as the forest creatures begin making their treks toward food and watering holes, the dogs' prey drive goes into overdrive. Tippy is especially prey driven and likes nothing more than darting into bushes to flush out irate ground birds or offend a hapless boar with eardrum splitting yelps of excitement. Thankfully she is only about the chase and not interested in any follow up action, not that this reassures me when she's after quilled or tusked prey.</div>
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This weekend, Tippy seemed much more focused than usual and it was not especially surprising when she darted off into the brush and disappeared for five minutes. She kept disappearing into the brush and appearing somewhere ahead of my plodding pace until finally she took off like a furry rocket after something. After a few minutes, we heard her excitedly barking in the distance and called her back (recall when she is in this kind of a state does eventually work but not immediately). She returned, panting hard with her tongue practically dragging on the ground and looking mighty excited.</div>
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A few minutes later, we came upon this set of tracks, clearly from our Tippy.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyvT6BzQz4RzdQHm2eGReg9VGPJcJjh2MCzkkDPMnlB0jhWLgAJKR2WYEiEQ-upbe289Q0D9LnNs3qReBPH3hV5NcSAyprPwpCgjPi7fHiAVSJTfdYoI4gN_pgdgT4o6ZrSxQu_rgdBs_U/s1600/WhatsApp+Image+2018-07-02+at+21.27.59.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1599" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyvT6BzQz4RzdQHm2eGReg9VGPJcJjh2MCzkkDPMnlB0jhWLgAJKR2WYEiEQ-upbe289Q0D9LnNs3qReBPH3hV5NcSAyprPwpCgjPi7fHiAVSJTfdYoI4gN_pgdgT4o6ZrSxQu_rgdBs_U/s320/WhatsApp+Image+2018-07-02+at+21.27.59.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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And then...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX0iDghVgqSbA8_Bs26nhYvHWVF5h-2Hy-gGky1z6y6D9mQ9lNnlvHNOdqoKTwNTVhKI6k5kRLxgWng2LrAMx5zZ2JSSVvXMkyv_Hq6wiRw-h2evX2ni0ktyYX3WKupml5lPWuEyHlAK-v/s1600/WhatsApp+Image+2018-07-02+at+21.27.58.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="864" data-original-width="1152" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX0iDghVgqSbA8_Bs26nhYvHWVF5h-2Hy-gGky1z6y6D9mQ9lNnlvHNOdqoKTwNTVhKI6k5kRLxgWng2LrAMx5zZ2JSSVvXMkyv_Hq6wiRw-h2evX2ni0ktyYX3WKupml5lPWuEyHlAK-v/s320/WhatsApp+Image+2018-07-02+at+21.27.58.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Well, it looks like our barking mad dog was tracking and chasing a barking deer. The best response to being chased is to stop running, like our neighborhood cats have learned, because Tippy is not interested in stationary prey. I doubt that the deer cares much for this advice. </div>
architarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13124702208354709765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116036933808177024.post-86692681461430600122018-06-22T11:20:00.000+08:002018-06-22T11:20:51.759+08:00Bowen Road Fitness Trail<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4-OAgnwZbjd3CPkSjLTmDzrbYJEA74tyaQQizFJSkBAkn2_R_RMLyXi5RhcN3AVmBB-TeNZyvXZNQoShSZ2iqHYMNx2MvqXZeTE-ToR3oVVS5nxDsgrrysceqPsLKUelFcqMt0WSmF_dY/s1600/20180610_150640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4-OAgnwZbjd3CPkSjLTmDzrbYJEA74tyaQQizFJSkBAkn2_R_RMLyXi5RhcN3AVmBB-TeNZyvXZNQoShSZ2iqHYMNx2MvqXZeTE-ToR3oVVS5nxDsgrrysceqPsLKUelFcqMt0WSmF_dY/s320/20180610_150640.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The Bowen Road trail is popular and infamous. Thanks to a psychopath, or likely more than one of them, leaving poison and killing family pets, I have not really visited Bowen Road in the years since SB and I adopted Tippytoes and Elsie. Today SB took the little weasels to splash in the stream so I took the opportunity to revisit the urban trail. I walked out of Happy Valley and steamed my way on hot pavement along Kennedy Road to Bowen Drive, which is opposite a Sinopec station. The incline up Bowen drive will get your heart rate going. If you want to get the full 4k Bowen Trail experience, you would walk slightly further down to Kennedy Road and up Borrett Road.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLgeAYR-ZPDlO4nm6yf9glL6WyCukYhjPIpZEK3AbQVadTvcTNi8TEaSm910mVlTyX6B7YvPgfWUNiBHwT_nrCPnLT7s3EAkkS_WYDDD0ryUlYvpLFwTbv7XX2Czp2vw4zuOYKWeW3XMbQ/s1600/20180610_144617.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLgeAYR-ZPDlO4nm6yf9glL6WyCukYhjPIpZEK3AbQVadTvcTNi8TEaSm910mVlTyX6B7YvPgfWUNiBHwT_nrCPnLT7s3EAkkS_WYDDD0ryUlYvpLFwTbv7XX2Czp2vw4zuOYKWeW3XMbQ/s320/20180610_144617.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivFbs8MBVX2TQVv3R7zv8U0LTS5MkhcSyaQM4wTMiCvR_8UorxiPSMytb_ngqul3ORuo4nFMRd6s_YofDJycF_EDckQhzwl_HDMqRA51ckUyHyR-BVx7oatAmZod2DVDI1dkYzvHi3KDzg/s1600/20180610_144621.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivFbs8MBVX2TQVv3R7zv8U0LTS5MkhcSyaQM4wTMiCvR_8UorxiPSMytb_ngqul3ORuo4nFMRd6s_YofDJycF_EDckQhzwl_HDMqRA51ckUyHyR-BVx7oatAmZod2DVDI1dkYzvHi3KDzg/s320/20180610_144621.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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You can gauge your incline by comparing the floors on the adjacent buildings as you climb. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnwO9qnSboH0fAno3i0PDbgw2wYmnJISrqtihM_Qat84Uyg584aAP8ymqpGhbnXUCDik2hAPf_r_GcWeug7Apcc90MT-KAE846BSxONfeEc06-qlY-AR3isN1s5ReCZbLD0OqFCxzE-1K8/s1600/20180610_144801.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnwO9qnSboH0fAno3i0PDbgw2wYmnJISrqtihM_Qat84Uyg584aAP8ymqpGhbnXUCDik2hAPf_r_GcWeug7Apcc90MT-KAE846BSxONfeEc06-qlY-AR3isN1s5ReCZbLD0OqFCxzE-1K8/s320/20180610_144801.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Just when you start wondering how much further, the trail entrance comes into view. There is a park next to the trail. Along the trail are stops with fitness equipment for people who want to do circuits. There are also areas with seating for the more sedately paced users. At the halfway point of the trail at Wanchai Gap is another park and playground area, as well as toilets. A bit further down is a tennis court. It's really a great amenity for all types of residents to use and it's such a shame about the dog poisoners.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRK_9Qz_uvl51sLPdTJx678je5k8cOMGOjxd0bamKBuYwIqHpi7fyNibzWWLdwEtel6Om_OdlOA7f6ZTVxW7_dyfvAsWWmT_UwA1xXeN-hJnQTx3IFoqwxetXKzsRwPvDNBCg0-WH8Cxzc/s1600/20180610_145122.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRK_9Qz_uvl51sLPdTJx678je5k8cOMGOjxd0bamKBuYwIqHpi7fyNibzWWLdwEtel6Om_OdlOA7f6ZTVxW7_dyfvAsWWmT_UwA1xXeN-hJnQTx3IFoqwxetXKzsRwPvDNBCg0-WH8Cxzc/s320/20180610_145122.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBNGMT46JVgz4NNrPQtm_wtOJFWzl8_jvil4f3S7jMkoN5DA4oxZPe2ei-1f9_fM17A8c2n0QzowFFuV4G1e3CCMFhEC0rjVg1M_NXpWQ_n_6X3zbaMJ2ipqgUIcdwMnlibJS71wV1rHqh/s1600/20180610_145135.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBNGMT46JVgz4NNrPQtm_wtOJFWzl8_jvil4f3S7jMkoN5DA4oxZPe2ei-1f9_fM17A8c2n0QzowFFuV4G1e3CCMFhEC0rjVg1M_NXpWQ_n_6X3zbaMJ2ipqgUIcdwMnlibJS71wV1rHqh/s320/20180610_145135.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The trail begins</div>
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I like that the trail offers the feeling of being up in the trees while winding among buildings and civilization. It's different feeling than a country park, where you are more immersed in the natural environment. It is around 3.25km to go from entrance to entrance, plus another 0.75km to follow Bowen Road to it's termination point.</div>
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The view looking at Wanchai </div>
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Toward Causeway Bay</div>
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the Opus by Frank Gehry</div>
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The park within the trail</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs1L9VL4bNPIWUVJ8mmVAo7vtiZ0KepNJONNJgTQQWE8__I2BK4Q80JKNuei_zUBKnpCWw3BU4Z9DUyNKlcb6panGgWe6bsAXgdp0H6140WD2vSHyRCLfrbmJIupeL0Dgxuj2uu1dWcuoA/s1600/20180610_150315.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs1L9VL4bNPIWUVJ8mmVAo7vtiZ0KepNJONNJgTQQWE8__I2BK4Q80JKNuei_zUBKnpCWw3BU4Z9DUyNKlcb6panGgWe6bsAXgdp0H6140WD2vSHyRCLfrbmJIupeL0Dgxuj2uu1dWcuoA/s320/20180610_150315.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Wanchai Gap</div>
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A playground and tennis court appear in a surprising location</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQrJ5SE3KDlE04Dmukn7FD0zZxVAj5Qp3pGriPUzYZ7kf5tAc0mUEYz8vF38yWE8fttUJ6fxHydJdJf7S7jbjTJYBZYDy9w7IcJ1wM8K3j5i7FnnkqQohKKkoOwiy_d55SmObfNtj2oiQ_/s1600/20180610_150909.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQrJ5SE3KDlE04Dmukn7FD0zZxVAj5Qp3pGriPUzYZ7kf5tAc0mUEYz8vF38yWE8fttUJ6fxHydJdJf7S7jbjTJYBZYDy9w7IcJ1wM8K3j5i7FnnkqQohKKkoOwiy_d55SmObfNtj2oiQ_/s320/20180610_150909.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Lover's Rock is a place where women can pray for partnership or fertility. The steps leading up to the rock have several landings with offerings from believers, or at least hopers. At the top of the stairs where the rock is located, you can have nearly panoramic views of Hong Kong. I didn't take pictures because there was a woman who seemed to be seriously praying at the top and I didn't want to interrupt her. So go have a look for yourself. If you want the full on experience, wait for the scorchingly hot seventh day of the seventh moon of the Chinese calendar (in August) for the Maiden's Festival, when the shrine is most frequently visited.</div>
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One of the fitness exercise stops along the way</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigSmNGbNUNjDW17hbZ5dT8HtXN8oULjnAXTnN3ykDG-kovLOhn7lALABfjlyFdFEPGRE1nJNYOFlMrsPrrzHR4oMw2EhVb3JzzA-_LrARxMe07cY-Hurkqc4JMJe0LW3d0Xaz_Hgxmj61W/s1600/20180610_151255.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigSmNGbNUNjDW17hbZ5dT8HtXN8oULjnAXTnN3ykDG-kovLOhn7lALABfjlyFdFEPGRE1nJNYOFlMrsPrrzHR4oMw2EhVb3JzzA-_LrARxMe07cY-Hurkqc4JMJe0LW3d0Xaz_Hgxmj61W/s320/20180610_151255.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The trail winds in and out of neighborhoods</div>
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Wong Nai Chung gap in the distance</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYegIOYRi4WB0I6z3gvFZC5sD1OJcKLeZ93UCfodNiky97wxr6jHn1-VHV_g97h_wvU-kl5Vm39WRWpwkvYdTk4Gq4otOMadz8flZYgNUBwKllP4dJWcZamQSAEAeMFH3mIW7WTUAvrqFT/s1600/20180610_152448.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYegIOYRi4WB0I6z3gvFZC5sD1OJcKLeZ93UCfodNiky97wxr6jHn1-VHV_g97h_wvU-kl5Vm39WRWpwkvYdTk4Gq4otOMadz8flZYgNUBwKllP4dJWcZamQSAEAeMFH3mIW7WTUAvrqFT/s320/20180610_152448.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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A peek at Happy Valley</div>
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The old boundary marker when Hong Kong was a smaller, contained city</div>
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Upper Happy Valley and near completion</div>
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The Eastern entrance to the trail</div>
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<br />architarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13124702208354709765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116036933808177024.post-22382089676632599462018-06-20T14:14:00.001+08:002018-06-20T14:14:46.479+08:00unconscionable, inhumane, intolerableIt shouldn't matter what side of the aisle you sit on when issues of human rights are brought to attention, and the support that our president is receiving from most Republican voters is horrific. The majority of my family is Republican and SB leans to the right of center, and they are appalled by what is going on with the separate detention of children. SB tells me that there are many like him but from what I've seen of his party, I don't think so. I am beginning to believe that 49% of the US population is racist, and that the party of "family values" only view family values in terms of "traditional" (white) families. Ivanka Trump, the self styled champion of women and children for the Trump administration is busy fundraising while children are ripped from their parental comfort and caged.<br />
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Anyone who has taken AP or beginner college psychology will have heard of the experiments on attachment theory conducted by Harry Harlow. It is in my opinion the single most important lesson in behavioral and early childhood psychology. While of great importance, it was also intensely cruel. Harlow discovered many times over that separating baby Rhesus monkeys from maternal care affected them immensely and irrevocably for the rest of their lives. He repeated this experiment in many variations and the results were compelling and heartbreaking every time. You can read about his experiments here: <a href="https://exploringyourmind.com/harlows-experiments-on-attachment-theory/">https://exploringyourmind.com/harlows-experiments-on-attachment-theory/</a><br />
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I found reading about the experiments to be difficult as a teenager despite how self involved my teenage self was, and now as an adult I can barely tolerate thinking about those poor animals who were subjected to what amounted to mental torture. The idea that anyone could stand behind public policy carrying out such cruelty upon children is almost beyond comprehension. The god that Jeff Sessions and Sarah Sanders are using to justify their horror is not one that I recognize in any religion. I must ask where is their humanity?<br />
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I am reminded by my aunt Nine telling me that if anyone were to harm her children, she would wish them dead. All children are our children, our FUTURE, and to those who harm children, I wish them dead.architarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13124702208354709765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116036933808177024.post-78063660439713707242018-06-14T14:29:00.002+08:002018-06-14T14:29:34.420+08:00Sir Cecil's Ride <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhalIfO0d5QJtSWNxobjY_IET7qJEUN6g08pmhnHiPegk03acmPMkjakn9s5Izflf-0cC2WWV565spWc7Znw5hB1frT8FQSNYBUn0kwXhbfA9ImT3s0BJy6kgjRwAPbgiOscM8eRepIkJNE/s1600/20180609_150216.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhalIfO0d5QJtSWNxobjY_IET7qJEUN6g08pmhnHiPegk03acmPMkjakn9s5Izflf-0cC2WWV565spWc7Znw5hB1frT8FQSNYBUn0kwXhbfA9ImT3s0BJy6kgjRwAPbgiOscM8eRepIkJNE/s320/20180609_150216.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Our frequent hiking friend will be out of action for a little while, because she has opened her own practice in North Point. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/NorthPointVets/">North Point Animal Hospital</a> will have two resident veterinarians, Dr. Ruth (BVSc MRCVS CertAVP) and Dr. Tim (BVSc, MVS, PgCertVs, MRCVS). SB and I took Tippytoes and Elsie to the grand opening, which was probably the only time that they were excited to go to the vet. We were given a tour of the compact facility and the architect in me was impressed at the space planning and customized metalwork. It was interesting to see the surgical area set up more like a human hospital than a lot of vet hospitals that we have seen. The surgical area had custom stainless steel 316 grade counters in an open area with easy wash down and sterilization. </div>
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After our tour, we watched some very impressive lion dancers mark the grand opening by scaling posts held by their friends, and spewing lettuce at the lucky vets. Interestingly, Elsie who likes to sit at the window and enjoy thunderstorms, was really unhappy about the drumming and made SB carry her away. Tippy, who cowers at thunder and cringes when our neighbor's child bangs on his door, was fascinated by the drumming and performance.</div>
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SB hauls away his sensitive hound</div>
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Tippy had a blast</div>
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Tippy wants to know when visiting hours are</div>
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We walked home via Sir Cecil's Ride, which is a favorite summertime hiking area because it's shaded and has plenty of water features sources. There are dozens of paths to choose from all over Braemar Hill so that your walk on Sir Cecil's Ride can be as easy or difficult as you want. Usually we like to start off from Mt. Butler Road and then join up to the Wilson Trail but this time we walked up from North Point, climbing up the stairs through Tin Hau Temple Road Garden, walking past Choi Sai Woo Park, and then entering at the Braemar Hill Road Playground.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Wqn4fY50Z8jGZotplNufhUxrvCZbXlRHonuCeOGPtPvG-uPyzY72SjU_FsvxNt0W7pxIKMdrjTkr-8IRyhe17p-J443BaqFduMHlcNCz2mPMUnLtpcaIAfCgo_qpSfARmKptbzWrEaCn/s1600/Untitled-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="807" data-original-width="1054" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Wqn4fY50Z8jGZotplNufhUxrvCZbXlRHonuCeOGPtPvG-uPyzY72SjU_FsvxNt0W7pxIKMdrjTkr-8IRyhe17p-J443BaqFduMHlcNCz2mPMUnLtpcaIAfCgo_qpSfARmKptbzWrEaCn/s320/Untitled-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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We walked around 3.5km on the trail, stopping to splash in the streams and enjoy the amazing views of the city and harbour. Then we walked down Mt Butler Road and picked up another small path that led us to the top of Happy Valley, and onward home.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhecSmGjb38HUn2SQNArGBsXqmi0E-5caBzdAEAhivETBslwA5vlCGr1Gjdf1enZvAlOKsyE9yLGVn4U1jwArX-H1tLmfAefD6HJZ8Pi5ssxvYfT2Geebdp_nWAlWgK-ODSFsKSaeRWKMI3/s1600/Untitled-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="882" data-original-width="937" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhecSmGjb38HUn2SQNArGBsXqmi0E-5caBzdAEAhivETBslwA5vlCGr1Gjdf1enZvAlOKsyE9yLGVn4U1jwArX-H1tLmfAefD6HJZ8Pi5ssxvYfT2Geebdp_nWAlWgK-ODSFsKSaeRWKMI3/s320/Untitled-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Sir Cecil's Ride from Breamar Hill to Mt Butler Rd</div>
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Walking home</div>
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Isn't this gorgeous!?</div>
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The day was perfect</div>
architarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13124702208354709765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116036933808177024.post-83971691935925470132018-06-13T13:05:00.002+08:002018-06-13T13:05:35.510+08:00behind the scenes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The 2019 HK Sevens have been announced to run from 5-7 April. Unlike the past two years, the upcoming sevens will not coincide with any public and school holidays so demand for tickets will be back up to crazy. It's been good for the past two years that the child members of <a href="http://www.scaacwbrugby.com/">SCAA rugby</a> have mostly been able to obtain tickets to play in the mini showcase. We have not yet been presented with the challenge of having to exclude anyone. In 2019, it may be a problem.</div>
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One aspect of helping out with the mini showcase that I greatly enjoy is the ability to see the back of house prep work. It's really quite complicated putting together all of the coordination to make the sevens go off. There's the marketing/publicity requirements, security requirements, safety aspects, player management, anti-doping requirements, hospitality, maintenance, etc, etc, etc. Everyone has a role (or two, or three) and everything has to come together at exactly the right time.</div>
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Everything ready for the first spectators, some of whom have queued overnight </div>
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(Fiji fans, I mean you)</div>
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A medical officer passes the hospitality group</div>
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Police and the maintenance crew wait</div>
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One of the bands' equipment is ready for their showcase</div>
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a player warmup area</div>
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designated seating at the union box</div>
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Security guards do a quick review at the run on area</div>
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waiting to open the gates</div>
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marketing and publicity</div>
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Here we go!</div>
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<br />architarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13124702208354709765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116036933808177024.post-84602059028521993502018-06-11T15:21:00.001+08:002018-06-11T15:21:32.366+08:00there was a time whenThere was a time when I read about Nikita Khrushchev <i><b>banging his shoe</b></i> on the table at the United Nations General Assembly and thought, what a clodpate. What kind of a backward, hick country puts forth a leader who is such an uncouth toddler?<div>
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Oh, oh the irony.</div>
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architarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13124702208354709765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116036933808177024.post-12168555926934426552018-06-10T16:47:00.002+08:002018-06-10T16:47:48.376+08:00Flower Market<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Flower Market Road is located to the South of Mongkok Stadium and near Boundary Street, which was the old demarcation line between Hong Kong and China before the New Territories were annexed. The flower market is close to the bird market and it is worth it to see both. I like the design of Mongkok Stadium and would also recommend catching a football match, or the odd rugby match, there if possible.</div>
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You will want to bring cash and your own bags. Some of the bigger stores may accept EPS/credit cards, but it's easier to have easy spending money. You can spend as little as $15 for herbs or $500 for a small tree. The market was very popular for young men who walked by with lovely bouquets for the special someone in their lives. I came with the goal of picking up herbs and left with herbs..and more. The reason that I recommend bringing your own bags is because you likely will leave with more than you planned to buy, and it would be nice to the environment to avoid carrying dozens of small bags for each plant purchase.</div>
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I had to exercise a tiny bit of restraint but in the end, I went home with the planned mint, basil, Thai basil, and rosemary plants. I also picked up two succulents and a tiny air plant in a little terrarium. The house plants flourish at my North facing window, while the herbs live on the roof in shade. </div>
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<br />architarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13124702208354709765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116036933808177024.post-37365192647441360562018-06-10T16:12:00.001+08:002018-06-10T16:12:52.655+08:00hindsight is 20/20Reflecting upon the trip preparations, there is little that I would change. For the most part, we packed the ideal amount for two weeks of warm weather. I've noted a few tweaks for the next time I go on a similar excursion (SB already is talking about returning to Huế and I would love to see Sa Pả, Nha Trang, Đà Lạt and Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng National Park).<br />
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<u>Things I would have done differently:</u><br />
<ul>
<li>Packed a skirt. I brought one pair of longer, dressy shorts but a skirt would have been a good idea for flexibility. I did not plan to go anywhere fancy, so when we ended up at the chic restaurant for drinks, a skirt paired with my acquired silk scarf would have passed muster. Also, a skirt would have been a better choice for entering temples. I utilized available wraps but a few times at smaller temples, there were no wraps and I abstained from entering the inner sanctum because I felt awkward about showing my legs. SIL had a versatile, grey skirt that seemed like a perfect choice.</li>
<li>Packed a small purse. I had a wallet from LeSportsac that was ideal except that it was slightly too small for my phone. I didn't mind carrying my small backpack most of the time but a small purse would have been great on the boat or in the evenings when out for drinks.</li>
<li>The bicycle seat. Well, it's a toss up. I didn't use it very much because we didn't ride as much as planned, but if we had, then the bike seat would likely be on the list of perfect choices.</li>
<li>Read up on scams. We heard that some taxi companies run fast meters and to trust Mei Lin and VinaSun, so we saw a VinaSun and hopped in. Well, you live, you learn. The taxi driver did not turn on his meter and his cohort quoted us a price that was 50% higher than we anticipated based on reading costs for taxis from the airport to city center. Then, when we arrived, he doubled that quote and got a bit aggressive so we ended up having to pay him three times what we should have. I'm still fuming about that injustice. If possible, go Grab. A Grab car or bike will quote you the price in advance, so you don't have to deal with taxis driving in circuitous routes and madly running meters, both of which we encountered in Hanoi. On the other hand, loathing to drive in circles should inspire you to walk more.</li>
<li>TripAdvisor cannot be trusted for food, at least in Vietnam. All of the restaurants that I found through word of mouth or Lonely Planet were good, but almost everything recommended by TripAdvisor were the pits. Thankfully we only used TripAdvisor twice before becoming suspicious of the ratings.</li>
</ul>
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<u>Things that were good choices:</u><br />
<ul>
<li>4 pairs of shorts. They were the ideal number and variety. I had one, nice pair of shorts, one lightweight, sporty pair, and two lightweight casual shorts that were easy to wash and dry overnight.</li>
<li>Material, material, material. Three pairs of shorts and all of the shirts were made from material that dried quickly. Laundry services were easily accessible but I was happy not having to worry about dwindling supplies of clean clothing.</li>
<li>Antimicrobial undies. It's a very nice thing to have.</li>
<li>Trainers, sandals, and flip flops. They were all that we needed. Not too many, not too few.</li>
<li>Moleskin. SIL and I had very comfortable sandals but we needed to use the moleskin for a few problem areas and were thankful to have it. Niece wore a cute pair of slightly heeled Birkenstock sandals out of the box and they were apparently perfect. She never had any foot issues.</li>
<li>The 40L and 55L bag. We saw so many people with <b><u>gigantic</u></b> packs and large, wheeled suitcases struggling around in the heat. Our bags were perfect. I even had spare space to buy a small basket, two scarves, and many snacks to bring to my colleagues. SB was able to add a large, embroidered Hmong blanket to his bag. We had not planned to find souvenirs but the opportunity presented itself in the form of an outstanding shop on Hàng Dầu street, near Chợ Hàng Bè street and we couldn't help ourselves with gorgeously embroidered fabrics at dirt cheap prices (IMO considering the skill involved).</li>
<li>Booking small tours. Half of our tours we booked in advance (Cu Chi, My Son, Halong Bay) and others we booked easily with our hotels (Hoi An, Hue). It was totally worth it to book in small groups. In Hue, we simply booked a 15 passenger van for ourselves without a guide, which was ideal; even more ideal would have been to have two days in that van because Hue was wondrous.</li>
<li>Auntie Cel and MIL. We had the best dog sitters you can find. Cel, our neighborhood dog walker, stayed in our flat with Tippytoes and Elsie, and sent regular updates and pictures. Luna found herself a nice spot to lie on MIL's bed and seemed to enjoy her own vacation. </li>
</ul>
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Overall, I had a wonderful time traveling throughout Viet Nam with the family and am looking forward to the next vacation. I've also been inspired to cook more Vietnamese food; I cook a few dishes each month but it's been difficult finding fresh herbs unless I go all the way into Kowloon City to the Thai markets so I had become uninspired. Also, I never could convince SB to put MORE herbs onto his plate because westerners don't eat herbs in large quantities, but now that he's been in restaurant after restaurant and watched locals demolish plates piled with greenery, I think that he understands.<br />
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Since SB has developed a green thumb with our small but verdant plant collection, we may even start growing our own herbs; just there is one herb that will not be joining our collection. In our travels, we ran into an herb that I am not fond of, which I always thought my mother called "fishy leaf" because that's what she and I thought it tasted like. As it turns out, the common name for it is indeed "fish mint" (diếp cá) so we're not alone in our summation. SIL thought that my description that it tasted like what I imagined the water from a koi pond tasted, was apt. There was nothing more horrifying than biting into your rolled up bánh tráng creation to discover that a leaf of fish mint had snuck into the pile of greenery.<br />
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<br />architarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13124702208354709765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116036933808177024.post-53459421753347139232018-06-08T15:37:00.001+08:002018-06-08T15:37:14.439+08:00day 15, bon voyage<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwsaH_IuhOTNThyphenhyphenel0T6zgPkCTIOskH_FjRqRrf_U4TW8X9E5SJXQ_I6PHGzMcwsk1qpjhOd72EwaZz11ye7h7Y4tT9OfFRBVZLrs5UsbcGk2Z_AWuiIKkUvFh8dXacRcMuislkXt0tJtl/s1600/IMG-20180401-WA0004.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwsaH_IuhOTNThyphenhyphenel0T6zgPkCTIOskH_FjRqRrf_U4TW8X9E5SJXQ_I6PHGzMcwsk1qpjhOd72EwaZz11ye7h7Y4tT9OfFRBVZLrs5UsbcGk2Z_AWuiIKkUvFh8dXacRcMuislkXt0tJtl/s320/IMG-20180401-WA0004.jpg" /></a><br />
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The family have boarded and are on their way home, a journey that is long, but not as grueling as the trip to come over. As SB and I were sleeping in and reading their messages, I hoped that eating all of that fruit the night before a long flight wasn't a bad idea. One of the things that I missed most during the years that I lived in the US was tropical fruits. Mangosteen is my favorite fruit while mango is SB's. Right now he is up to his elbows in the annual taste off between Indian, Pakistani and Filipino mangoes. Along with those fruits, we also fed the family custard apples, bayberries, and dragon fruit.<br />
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Update: they had a remarkable flight. It was their pilot's final flight before retiring and he was granted a fly by New York City. He landed and was greeted by water trucks. SIL sent pictures. What a spectacular way to say goodbye!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4nxE2zqv9RRxW99FIsxdm8J1V8fjWvva4TryN63QdTZA7D2yHp4THd05sWT0_MAzV5R23PeE_jvde4trxfKFG80GXKujP5uIWMmPr3rAs7KztY86xQWBhTs5SGAMWrRylla9kj7VUBIAD/s1600/IMG-20180402-WA0008.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4nxE2zqv9RRxW99FIsxdm8J1V8fjWvva4TryN63QdTZA7D2yHp4THd05sWT0_MAzV5R23PeE_jvde4trxfKFG80GXKujP5uIWMmPr3rAs7KztY86xQWBhTs5SGAMWrRylla9kj7VUBIAD/s320/IMG-20180402-WA0008.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi99pxG9nN37g3VtlOL7x8crhYvAM1ECLwbZy8kgoxtyjcYSAp87kobG4eRJascQCFdZ8gZuCqDHozs0AHd-Y0deG5IrMRr3x8dvLD8NAIn48nTXl9kYN75bqX3ifQvk4zZddQHYXRBAMeg/s1600/IMG-20180402-WA0009.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi99pxG9nN37g3VtlOL7x8crhYvAM1ECLwbZy8kgoxtyjcYSAp87kobG4eRJascQCFdZ8gZuCqDHozs0AHd-Y0deG5IrMRr3x8dvLD8NAIn48nTXl9kYN75bqX3ifQvk4zZddQHYXRBAMeg/s320/IMG-20180402-WA0009.jpg" /></a><br />
what a fantastic fly over!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1TV05A4s7mKJwJxKu-H-kzf8oskgcNWZSFUwLoc1j6a3WjaLEnPk_5xQT7xssQMzqH0nwf1SAOjBcWrMTWNzmg8dP8Hd4A4Dv4JlT9RuS8dE2A63pBlS-s7aBr1WcFM_qd8phnY7dEnQK/s1600/IMG-20180402-WA0010.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1TV05A4s7mKJwJxKu-H-kzf8oskgcNWZSFUwLoc1j6a3WjaLEnPk_5xQT7xssQMzqH0nwf1SAOjBcWrMTWNzmg8dP8Hd4A4Dv4JlT9RuS8dE2A63pBlS-s7aBr1WcFM_qd8phnY7dEnQK/s320/IMG-20180402-WA0010.jpg" /></a><br />
the fire brigade welcome for the retiring pilot<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH1Uo-GYaNHzl8HJEras4_OUtxhDx0M97YriECuWJzsb1VYCNDsXC9IQwnA8nkz_a_CV9HBa6vqc9y_pU8GSYMLtoCzFYFaIUZ6FJshMdDlfGqESTHCt1tPBau-2mhTwHAbP42erIoIuD3/s1600/IMG-20180402-WA0011.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH1Uo-GYaNHzl8HJEras4_OUtxhDx0M97YriECuWJzsb1VYCNDsXC9IQwnA8nkz_a_CV9HBa6vqc9y_pU8GSYMLtoCzFYFaIUZ6FJshMdDlfGqESTHCt1tPBau-2mhTwHAbP42erIoIuD3/s320/IMG-20180402-WA0011.jpg" /></a>architarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13124702208354709765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116036933808177024.post-31182867356601817332018-06-06T13:56:00.000+08:002018-06-06T13:56:51.607+08:00day 14, goodbye Hà Nội, hello Hong Kong<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOav_mBpmLI2g-E4KDRqeQiRuBbzciMfhERJAvi3niG_LpP7fYmmsfILC9eljVS9X86a3xQeshBWahW3E0jYzhjaawbmVfbNNDK8qAhO6-vvaqGLWNEEbKiR39PgFNX5LBm8T6myb_cYTp/s1600/IMG-20180331-WA0026.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOav_mBpmLI2g-E4KDRqeQiRuBbzciMfhERJAvi3niG_LpP7fYmmsfILC9eljVS9X86a3xQeshBWahW3E0jYzhjaawbmVfbNNDK8qAhO6-vvaqGLWNEEbKiR39PgFNX5LBm8T6myb_cYTp/s320/IMG-20180331-WA0026.jpg" /></a><br />
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On our last night in Hà Nội, we had dinner with two of SB and SIL's former teachers from Colorado Academy. They are now living in Hà Nội where C works as a guidance counselor/academic adviser at an international school and L is retired and busy taking part in long distance bike rides. They have been living in Hà Nội for six months and seem to enjoy it.<br />
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Youngest nephew is the age of SB when he was L's student<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2zzX1oOqknFNeOy_lqoargKyDXVNBmkhmD0NnqzM-R210zzkVg3_y5GYwNMeFr52ykXbjyfE0pSYS0EQEUUe1xvfBAa302hZZ_DHzYgjz4ocK14bHkMEQuUW1Tus94712l6MPXeaj9u4S/s1600/20180330_193313.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2zzX1oOqknFNeOy_lqoargKyDXVNBmkhmD0NnqzM-R210zzkVg3_y5GYwNMeFr52ykXbjyfE0pSYS0EQEUUe1xvfBAa302hZZ_DHzYgjz4ocK14bHkMEQuUW1Tus94712l6MPXeaj9u4S/s320/20180330_193313.jpg" /></a><br />
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There was a lot of catching up as well as finally being allowed to find out the gossip that the parents had kept from the kids years ago (yes, the headmaster really did write an erotic book and seemed to think that the school was a dating show). After dinner, SB and I joined C and L for a drink at <a href="http://labadiane-hanoi.com/">La Badiane</a>, a very beautifully decorated and upscale French restaurant. All of the staff spoke French natively, and I thought that they were likely Việt Kiều (overseas Vietnamese who grew up in France). We were very under-dressed but made up for it in charm and by asking to sit at the bar and not in the dining room where men in black suits and women in cocktail dresses sampled the degustation menu.<br />
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I did not do anything so gauche as pull out my camera to snap images of the drinks while already committing enough fashion faux pas to cause the maître d' to swoon (I was wearing the aforementioned safari shirt and cruise ship escapee looking sandals), so you will have to be satisfied with my verbal account. C ordered a fizzy coffee cocktail that sounded revolting to my ears but it was in fact a well balanced drink with lightly sweet coffee flavors in a martini glass. L ordered a piña colada that the bartender made by hand, vigorously shaking fresh juices and rum together. It was not overly sweet like expected, and probably the best piña colada that I have ever tasted. SB and I ordered alcohol free (damn you, gout!) smoothies with mango, passion fruit, and ginger, but later the bartender, convinced that I resembled a movie star that I do not vaguely resemble at all, plied us with some experimental concoctions for feedback. </div>
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He mixed gin, cinnamon infused gin, lime, sparkling water, a splash of sweet, red wine, and a splash a bitters. I thought that the ingredients sounded insane but the drink was refreshing and again, not especially sweet. It tasted like something that I would love to wear as a perfume, if that makes any sense. It was lightly sweet, not cloying, with citrus, warm cinnamon, and an effervescence reminding me of 1970s chypre perfumes (Eau de Rochas meets Paco Rabane 1 Million). I was sad for the evening to end but our holiday was coming to an end and we were departing early in the morning.<br />
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It was only to soon that we had to say good-bye and leave the paradise to return home to our jobs and life. </div>
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the last cup of cà phê sữa in the airport<br />
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a market on our way to the airport<br />
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Driving to the airport<br />
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This is the plane from the Paris Air Show<br />
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Throughout our trip, SIL and SB had been on the lookout for a specific Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner flown by Vietnam Airlines. It was famous for a steep, vertical takeoff at the 51st Paris Air Show in 2015. They find its sibling, registration number VN-A862, in HCM when we were flying to Danang but finally on the morning of our departure, there it was parked in the gate next to us, VN-A861.<br />
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Source: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5_8D8HCnS4">Cargospotter</a><br />
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We landed in Hong Kong at lunch time and made our way to a Shanghainese restaurant at the airport express station, which is a favorite restaurant of SB's. He always orders the la mian noodles swimming in hot chili oil, with a side of xiao long bao (soup dumplings).<br />
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SIL and I split the locally microbrewed <a href="https://youngmasterales.com/pages/our-beers-collaborations">Bun Bong Be</a> wheat beer, infused with 15 Chinese botanicals to celebrate Crystal Jade's 15 year anniversary. The botanicals include osmanthus, red dates, goji berry, chrysanthemum, rose, jasmine, da hong pao, pu-erh, yangmei, lu hing mui, roselle, zedoary, ginger, liquorice and chan pei. I was skeptical of the beer, with so many ingredients, but it was pleasant.<br />
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The usual crowd at the Peak<br />
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After lunch, we went to the market to purchase fruits that the family wanted to eat before they left: jackfruit, custard apple, and mangosteen. I also found Chinese bayberries, which was very good luck because they are only seen for a few weeks every spring. Everyone else then departed to the Peak to catch the views of Hong Kong while I went home to collect the dogs. I received ecstatic greetings and squeaks of joy, especially when I picked up their leashes. <br />
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We finished the day walking the ring road around the Peak with the dogs and taking in the amazing views of the city from above.<br />
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architarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13124702208354709765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116036933808177024.post-65045272181082278782018-06-05T13:07:00.000+08:002018-06-05T13:07:57.746+08:00how to cross a street in HanoiLook but don't look like you're looking. This is the ultimate game of chicken and you want to win. Remember, you are not squishible and that is to your advantage. Keep calm and keep moving, steady, steady as she goes.<br />
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architarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13124702208354709765noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116036933808177024.post-48424020924459108842018-06-04T20:40:00.000+08:002018-06-04T20:40:16.695+08:00take a minute<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHRBmWLmGFXdVZFWVTIQOkc6b332cddh4RIvqMAizYNrJPia76LShVVye0RT_dGHw-lziZkNf61yxAoMM8YSYBCqe8P7RLUyvNFhIcez7_7nYfqmex77gNqfclB3CwYwsVDH9P7AivGIh6/s1600/WhatsApp+Image+2018-06-04+at+20.21.34.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="864" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHRBmWLmGFXdVZFWVTIQOkc6b332cddh4RIvqMAizYNrJPia76LShVVye0RT_dGHw-lziZkNf61yxAoMM8YSYBCqe8P7RLUyvNFhIcez7_7nYfqmex77gNqfclB3CwYwsVDH9P7AivGIh6/s320/WhatsApp+Image+2018-06-04+at+20.21.34.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Take a minute from your day and remember the June 4 incident in 1989 when Chinese citizens, many of them bright and young students, were massacred by their government. It had echoes, on a larger scale, of the despicable Kent State Massacre on May 4, 1970. It is a monstrous thing to shoot upon peaceful sons and daughters.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2dUONums8MjZ5sDp575Q1A5_07hJN9ssTdFpSKh0JvBqbmMPjd07kkEclouxF9dIhAFZyPvG7sw9M3Sz2icXmZ6FIvZejnwgfpu7sA-YatxbajF1bqCMJ5YCogjtpIPGsr2tbP38TC1oi/s1600/WhatsApp+Image+2018-06-04+at+20.21.34+%25281%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1599" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2dUONums8MjZ5sDp575Q1A5_07hJN9ssTdFpSKh0JvBqbmMPjd07kkEclouxF9dIhAFZyPvG7sw9M3Sz2icXmZ6FIvZejnwgfpu7sA-YatxbajF1bqCMJ5YCogjtpIPGsr2tbP38TC1oi/s320/WhatsApp+Image+2018-06-04+at+20.21.34+%25281%2529.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
architarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13124702208354709765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116036933808177024.post-28746873537736347172018-06-02T19:05:00.004+08:002018-06-09T22:48:02.827+08:00when's our next feeding?We certainly weren't suffering from lack of dining choices on our trip. From the comforting bowls of phở and bò kho on the first night to the last bánh mì sandwich before boarding, we had plentiful food options. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgIuYmby56CdXoKAJiPuOSy89tUFOpIx6qrywfwkydY0z5nnEhMbL6U1sI456fGZtoo3s-uFN161Uuzopb0O-jlAdl4ezkqX10wc3ohfPYZdNSOzkC3m-aa2L4SYPDNRtIvIz3EnCSFr4V/s1600/20180320_064141.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgIuYmby56CdXoKAJiPuOSy89tUFOpIx6qrywfwkydY0z5nnEhMbL6U1sI456fGZtoo3s-uFN161Uuzopb0O-jlAdl4ezkqX10wc3ohfPYZdNSOzkC3m-aa2L4SYPDNRtIvIz3EnCSFr4V/s320/20180320_064141.jpg" /></a><br />breakfast on the first day: bánh mì with scrambled egg <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju-LcRkdFLWs-2uCdaVsb0GA9YsJSpKhCB9qlioVPDiUA48rqVnJGL6YGJYWv1VpiqKBmq7Uik0tyCAy4IauTx5tTYe5BqZdkHdZnxn_LQHwa2O-_VJj8EAtUwC4mcCJIS7LhESAj8cWwk/s1600/20180320_165436.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju-LcRkdFLWs-2uCdaVsb0GA9YsJSpKhCB9qlioVPDiUA48rqVnJGL6YGJYWv1VpiqKBmq7Uik0tyCAy4IauTx5tTYe5BqZdkHdZnxn_LQHwa2O-_VJj8EAtUwC4mcCJIS7LhESAj8cWwk/s320/20180320_165436.jpg" /></a><br />very large cà phê (coffee) makers - you can see the cups to the left for scale comparison<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbq3BtC91-EyaNXPJ-2XVoQCc5RI-me3Gwa9A4Pf5Eu1ED56FGPl85TBszoOJB3g76rLjffMid7EMflWqT5ut02Fxo_H9zVBnz5pdRy3iVh2fDmKNdKwzUbgzYS_C4i-nJUgpHq239WPw0/s1600/IMG-20180319-WA0027.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbq3BtC91-EyaNXPJ-2XVoQCc5RI-me3Gwa9A4Pf5Eu1ED56FGPl85TBszoOJB3g76rLjffMid7EMflWqT5ut02Fxo_H9zVBnz5pdRy3iVh2fDmKNdKwzUbgzYS_C4i-nJUgpHq239WPw0/s320/IMG-20180319-WA0027.jpg" /></a><br />The remains of an amazing Bánh Mì Huỳnh Hoa (watch out, the chilies are hot!)<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqCnLRen9xUXv1vTw-RInaarWdzYPwU5vxbxYfdN-ZOwJA6U6hEfWy0IxYKEKhwSA_E9GztWbEdFIl_nfwQf-iRWWMZGR2XNhqJC9sqfuBfGUPkoR3Kk18WvhoMW_TwyGjxYbXTWsQIb68/s1600/IMG-20180319-WA0028.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqCnLRen9xUXv1vTw-RInaarWdzYPwU5vxbxYfdN-ZOwJA6U6hEfWy0IxYKEKhwSA_E9GztWbEdFIl_nfwQf-iRWWMZGR2XNhqJC9sqfuBfGUPkoR3Kk18WvhoMW_TwyGjxYbXTWsQIb68/s320/IMG-20180319-WA0028.jpg" /></a><br />There were a half dozen different homemade meats<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTjG-Khw29GBaLgsggwKUHGbuZ2lsM2Y2ojxUKdAOtt1mDJdmfGWsygkSH3ieP-8tWvgzwt-c8zCKnb98patej57gvdjL2MbKHjVxe3M4Na2zrad2-q4SK6jkbjrwI-KuIoKT7UQGcwR3y/s1600/20180321_153159.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTjG-Khw29GBaLgsggwKUHGbuZ2lsM2Y2ojxUKdAOtt1mDJdmfGWsygkSH3ieP-8tWvgzwt-c8zCKnb98patej57gvdjL2MbKHjVxe3M4Na2zrad2-q4SK6jkbjrwI-KuIoKT7UQGcwR3y/s320/20180321_153159.jpg" /></a><br />Hội An style bánh xèo (rice pancake)<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyQX_DeanF3iYR2xY_KWZpwbLNUyUQF0in1prqvaLaOL4E90MN7J3ZgdXKltSeeWudQy6Unu_G3t12104EvDZh00esrDIXb6iUrNYp0xm4NVHaKYKPfkLoo-NTdQCREeStvxCZnAMUxZ9_/s1600/20180322_112506.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyQX_DeanF3iYR2xY_KWZpwbLNUyUQF0in1prqvaLaOL4E90MN7J3ZgdXKltSeeWudQy6Unu_G3t12104EvDZh00esrDIXb6iUrNYp0xm4NVHaKYKPfkLoo-NTdQCREeStvxCZnAMUxZ9_/s320/20180322_112506.jpg" /></a><br />produce sellers at the roadside in Hội An<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXpTs-EQ41gsqL79-FdVO5wP78p0iQS15-VdkJmkKd3xIe_2gKqIRXs0ALzBAUK9C8yL2KczO7temB7xv80_Nc4TFzaINVaGrTve8h6UfCJH68G8o6yEwcU9qMw9TQRot7iF_Tmxeq64dN/s1600/20180322_112607.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXpTs-EQ41gsqL79-FdVO5wP78p0iQS15-VdkJmkKd3xIe_2gKqIRXs0ALzBAUK9C8yL2KczO7temB7xv80_Nc4TFzaINVaGrTve8h6UfCJH68G8o6yEwcU9qMw9TQRot7iF_Tmxeq64dN/s320/20180322_112607.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZrNDob-ECIwBZ_0S6rWKlBDTJXhirS8Sosx7W8IbahgnjGRkCuh6A6u5YLEwgC22F0W5i4BCHjq4C9FrdjGFNPRho1Nmoql8nOLZ2jz1C7-GLeEGMot6QFW7thcssqNveuX7-eb9GnoF3/s1600/20180323_130153.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZrNDob-ECIwBZ_0S6rWKlBDTJXhirS8Sosx7W8IbahgnjGRkCuh6A6u5YLEwgC22F0W5i4BCHjq4C9FrdjGFNPRho1Nmoql8nOLZ2jz1C7-GLeEGMot6QFW7thcssqNveuX7-eb9GnoF3/s320/20180323_130153.jpg" /></a><br />Hội An style bánh cuốn (steamed rice roll)<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin1P8go2b9WO_OWbMTLUK5sAH62qY8jXH-cqV9ZtWJzzuN-2Pmhen2Wl9Jv0lfVQTS7x4rO2apQDCSz-Ms7RkbwShx_4JY2tfg6vDy495QaS4QWIOvjrEnIE-M1G2S5-jHd7JmMoM9OX5m/s1600/20180323_130156.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin1P8go2b9WO_OWbMTLUK5sAH62qY8jXH-cqV9ZtWJzzuN-2Pmhen2Wl9Jv0lfVQTS7x4rO2apQDCSz-Ms7RkbwShx_4JY2tfg6vDy495QaS4QWIOvjrEnIE-M1G2S5-jHd7JmMoM9OX5m/s320/20180323_130156.jpg" /></a><br />bánh ướt thịt nướng (grilled beef spring rolls) waiting to be rolled<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuFWgP99T58ltHUUaDPdGVNwXA7MWiGlkm2bF-7oL8DZZsEa_Hlxguq5IufbXgQP74S4hDc1J821L0u0wTz9VRe1iHGZjZzoQ01BymPommm3DtbBnuqklQGwlgFWif65RqVXlzMN02Ajqz/s1600/20180323_130204.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuFWgP99T58ltHUUaDPdGVNwXA7MWiGlkm2bF-7oL8DZZsEa_Hlxguq5IufbXgQP74S4hDc1J821L0u0wTz9VRe1iHGZjZzoQ01BymPommm3DtbBnuqklQGwlgFWif65RqVXlzMN02Ajqz/s320/20180323_130204.jpg" /></a><br />bánh xèo bún thịt nướng đà nẵng (Danag specialty crispy crepe with pork and satay sauce)<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkesEiKCmfNz0IKydWM7zkilYs9mSryxl0sjyT2o1Ah3V9EfVFoD43W1UK1DJW-_7WFgmrl8i0QTFVGJ84CnBDCoDvIsgowP5QyX5iD3lXB2BxA37e8BJcJuCVI-tly8hHCOt3wbdLB77J/s1600/20180324_080522.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkesEiKCmfNz0IKydWM7zkilYs9mSryxl0sjyT2o1Ah3V9EfVFoD43W1UK1DJW-_7WFgmrl8i0QTFVGJ84CnBDCoDvIsgowP5QyX5iD3lXB2BxA37e8BJcJuCVI-tly8hHCOt3wbdLB77J/s320/20180324_080522.jpg" /></a><br />Hội An specialty mì quảng<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEQI4sP5kCBKtGxt2qzmN0oAf34Uzq15m18DdAtztOdkPBRehkIQdbntD05APobx-8a8CkQbIcd169PKvBVmpoZVUnmaZRzbtUCSl3_sk8sgDL2FfmOMZbf0wE4nlYDAU80oN-WSvApYWV/s1600/20180324_084231.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEQI4sP5kCBKtGxt2qzmN0oAf34Uzq15m18DdAtztOdkPBRehkIQdbntD05APobx-8a8CkQbIcd169PKvBVmpoZVUnmaZRzbtUCSl3_sk8sgDL2FfmOMZbf0wE4nlYDAU80oN-WSvApYWV/s320/20180324_084231.jpg" /></a><br />SB demolishes a mango (one of many)<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix0YQBo7L7hvYSZ5k8VvgMCe-suBfhZ01iRqit2ko0-fnhyMSC14zGTQCk0S1inWzHN1hbkPBRLACPUGchaabWqkLfndEVWpapFDJifDw_ZDP5jPapKV1vS2jbYgCqeWuwzWv3eiHRM3UO/s1600/IMG-20180322-WA0016.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix0YQBo7L7hvYSZ5k8VvgMCe-suBfhZ01iRqit2ko0-fnhyMSC14zGTQCk0S1inWzHN1hbkPBRLACPUGchaabWqkLfndEVWpapFDJifDw_ZDP5jPapKV1vS2jbYgCqeWuwzWv3eiHRM3UO/s320/IMG-20180322-WA0016.jpg" /></a><br />bánh canh bò (thick rice noodle soup with beef)<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRonuWXB_Q9oRaWILFK8sMRdh70qnlrw0w7jBC1NFCjtM1MvEPEOnBwqmgyTiYiIhcRO0uzgNvj2AMpiw2XXSAbjcWXhKqzzzBhwycQGHAALZQJfNTK8oPt_18iRmPHMAlrSUI9-PhngD8/s1600/20180324_130208.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRonuWXB_Q9oRaWILFK8sMRdh70qnlrw0w7jBC1NFCjtM1MvEPEOnBwqmgyTiYiIhcRO0uzgNvj2AMpiw2XXSAbjcWXhKqzzzBhwycQGHAALZQJfNTK8oPt_18iRmPHMAlrSUI9-PhngD8/s320/20180324_130208.jpg" /></a><br />fixings for gỏi cuốn tôm thịt (summer rolls with pork belly)<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_55XKRNhrAYUVs9YWIZyclhRMwBvD6zXhX1kDCIeyj_vVEmBsZ3LHBbWzbiSFvQjBlDGDLOWIKJMIwyrp8JRRFxbVo3dNOTXMq-C3TmGgOwkXF4sd7XIUSaMXw_aDlsj8eb59MWhlJAn4/s1600/20180324_130231.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_55XKRNhrAYUVs9YWIZyclhRMwBvD6zXhX1kDCIeyj_vVEmBsZ3LHBbWzbiSFvQjBlDGDLOWIKJMIwyrp8JRRFxbVo3dNOTXMq-C3TmGgOwkXF4sd7XIUSaMXw_aDlsj8eb59MWhlJAn4/s320/20180324_130231.jpg" /></a><br />Vietnamese herbs<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFjsdU_FrNUcv_JCxy9-9Nh_jrsiEwMKoIJF0bnpXre6x5JigrBG-55ubJGW0jvBirf25OoNH-wmtVZSs7BgTz0wYacKHOmog7tfWnE1-BNwbDne3YpEA3AfWOzG-8l3cvyDQSyNGCicoa/s1600/20180324_130335.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFjsdU_FrNUcv_JCxy9-9Nh_jrsiEwMKoIJF0bnpXre6x5JigrBG-55ubJGW0jvBirf25OoNH-wmtVZSs7BgTz0wYacKHOmog7tfWnE1-BNwbDne3YpEA3AfWOzG-8l3cvyDQSyNGCicoa/s320/20180324_130335.jpg" /></a><br />nicely made up gỏi cuốn ready to be rolled<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPSyCXQvvaAl2LPXa6ecl8d3onzncwDK_cPT8LAfoOq82srVcBekySv1lkUdMMAZoqDNRVWsAos5umUmx9StznJw8hLkwvwzq766igoew89SHGUjYIiW7EP4uINv7u0QkE6wDBu0CthGY4/s1600/20180324_130706.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPSyCXQvvaAl2LPXa6ecl8d3onzncwDK_cPT8LAfoOq82srVcBekySv1lkUdMMAZoqDNRVWsAos5umUmx9StznJw8hLkwvwzq766igoew89SHGUjYIiW7EP4uINv7u0QkE6wDBu0CthGY4/s320/20180324_130706.jpg" /></a><br />delicious mystery greens<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg20gM4oelv_5eP4OJ4oJYEfiTQNGyO65l99GaUxE9AoDdQBntBtugBeq5ekrvurq_VIx8JX2xLp0WX7Iba74AQDkD-zkyE236d7uWv1FojW6xYhhYrTN8jxj-1o2l6mESgsHVdJBgoO8mS/s1600/20180324_132501.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg20gM4oelv_5eP4OJ4oJYEfiTQNGyO65l99GaUxE9AoDdQBntBtugBeq5ekrvurq_VIx8JX2xLp0WX7Iba74AQDkD-zkyE236d7uWv1FojW6xYhhYrTN8jxj-1o2l6mESgsHVdJBgoO8mS/s320/20180324_132501.jpg" /></a><br />a very fishy dipping sauce<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyMKqGnXFoyQUe179OvWwCMbASOJQWMMQqKi6I_aNsAJ2J16whOQnABy12NekqGmwkipaAwWnwGBmXmtLVMhetx59gXdbnQrJsfX39ub_2S7j_ccTtmf3I00cTsn8ZXKfQDU5a-q-YkrX7/s1600/20180324_184210.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyMKqGnXFoyQUe179OvWwCMbASOJQWMMQqKi6I_aNsAJ2J16whOQnABy12NekqGmwkipaAwWnwGBmXmtLVMhetx59gXdbnQrJsfX39ub_2S7j_ccTtmf3I00cTsn8ZXKfQDU5a-q-YkrX7/s320/20180324_184210.jpg" /></a><br />Nem lụi Huế (Hue specialty pork lemongrass skewers)<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfhnTI7EIDgGeLetoqJnXK05iQKo156G2Lx31_WZxggiLbSIn1rRHnBS3AD90hApTn4EFms9U5NsocZCmm0M1MsCMq5Oz5_inx37HHeyGrP-SrtcX9p1N-o0quVfdA1NYWyYCwmLB-LieP/s1600/20180324_184309.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfhnTI7EIDgGeLetoqJnXK05iQKo156G2Lx31_WZxggiLbSIn1rRHnBS3AD90hApTn4EFms9U5NsocZCmm0M1MsCMq5Oz5_inx37HHeyGrP-SrtcX9p1N-o0quVfdA1NYWyYCwmLB-LieP/s320/20180324_184309.jpg" /></a><br />passion fruit juice with bánh bèo (steamed rice cakes <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBivK1XhyphenhyphenCKoMkOAbGMbB0AjxB04GXDVyt1FoWv9rs0NFaxhMPp_ZR29XEDWaMX5APbWbd4TBNyeo1QhFqWet0yGyZifj-QwJ7ea-uJiHmsYt0Ad83tDryL8PepasbQgWYEJiEgsXmhwJv/s1600/20180324_184443.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBivK1XhyphenhyphenCKoMkOAbGMbB0AjxB04GXDVyt1FoWv9rs0NFaxhMPp_ZR29XEDWaMX5APbWbd4TBNyeo1QhFqWet0yGyZifj-QwJ7ea-uJiHmsYt0Ad83tDryL8PepasbQgWYEJiEgsXmhwJv/s320/20180324_184443.jpg" /></a><br />Bánh cuốn (steamed rice roll)<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2dibwuk6zKvnzC8eb1dR3Oj82ScvMrjOqPPFN0FDF8zNTKdUzy2O4CU0lUdeoCDPyLruzUlxRsF9tnsGwdB2dkvBS9V6kAeQWS3VGz9s3sSERZX13bp7CMgpXjE8U2craASxSk5oL7-lV/s1600/20180325_071615.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2dibwuk6zKvnzC8eb1dR3Oj82ScvMrjOqPPFN0FDF8zNTKdUzy2O4CU0lUdeoCDPyLruzUlxRsF9tnsGwdB2dkvBS9V6kAeQWS3VGz9s3sSERZX13bp7CMgpXjE8U2craASxSk5oL7-lV/s320/20180325_071615.jpg" /></a><br />breakfast in Huế<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8FjUIg_rFZc4vhxIHnp2s9MCW0GlCfk3or7aSI2jO3tdNKHAPgIs_z5JD99H81KEnfJ7Npq3KsBhizVdNlAABBpHcFz5ZE-rM_L0UYmzCAu2LqD4i3OXMV3_V1cI_HBGAy9qZbzUA1XDq/s1600/20180325_151200.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8FjUIg_rFZc4vhxIHnp2s9MCW0GlCfk3or7aSI2jO3tdNKHAPgIs_z5JD99H81KEnfJ7Npq3KsBhizVdNlAABBpHcFz5ZE-rM_L0UYmzCAu2LqD4i3OXMV3_V1cI_HBGAy9qZbzUA1XDq/s320/20180325_151200.jpg" /></a><br />cà phê trứng (egg coffee)<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaJUaTOOJm6XmdB3DfiRf2C0OAhRPR5NAVnIKB8MsCJabKfnfjOFs-ivr4Blz4NnXEh_aIivvdTURx0jYZ5aw4V5bo5ox_ny5PGl899cMswmOukn8FKePjQW519F-b7eNTA9EZms3eq5I7/s1600/20180325_174216.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaJUaTOOJm6XmdB3DfiRf2C0OAhRPR5NAVnIKB8MsCJabKfnfjOFs-ivr4Blz4NnXEh_aIivvdTURx0jYZ5aw4V5bo5ox_ny5PGl899cMswmOukn8FKePjQW519F-b7eNTA9EZms3eq5I7/s320/20180325_174216.jpg" /></a><br />cơm tấm (broken rice platter)<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie4m6EKo3wYezi5uDArw2OCdEBpm70VqeyDjJARSpsgcOLvxbNgX7O1_hCD_4j5ZIeAzrbJvDrMce1BygB6a7qWX-jJ2rKlTau-4iWKPf5r14Uc5hEFXUuUAXbXy7QNoJIOAi9vR6QyfD0/s1600/20180325_184612.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie4m6EKo3wYezi5uDArw2OCdEBpm70VqeyDjJARSpsgcOLvxbNgX7O1_hCD_4j5ZIeAzrbJvDrMce1BygB6a7qWX-jJ2rKlTau-4iWKPf5r14Uc5hEFXUuUAXbXy7QNoJIOAi9vR6QyfD0/s320/20180325_184612.jpg" /></a><br />chè (sweet soup/pudding) topped with coconut milk<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgawwV_Wx2JOTjlSqen1Fcjw1daBtmhTx_SpSCTlyOW2COmnBVYMRK0YLufegMhp64nwRGjYCLkhVGAkG4gZGMmAUBUmI6xUIskAFkXN26jZu-z3SjqfLaBgk6kFD8aOqcxpwbfkUc5GWdD/s1600/20180325_193241.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgawwV_Wx2JOTjlSqen1Fcjw1daBtmhTx_SpSCTlyOW2COmnBVYMRK0YLufegMhp64nwRGjYCLkhVGAkG4gZGMmAUBUmI6xUIskAFkXN26jZu-z3SjqfLaBgk6kFD8aOqcxpwbfkUc5GWdD/s320/20180325_193241.jpg" /></a><br />colorful chè options<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7GQ14LanJy_bqB2Fb43LnmKzBMqBlqTVNPo0aqqWj1XtCSIXo9i_-idjMAzJ7-D75YRY652ujYLVMWDIF-PhQn7svM1sXnCAEI2LnLEgt8CQxwDg3mBpIahUfIUKd4qvD85QZRTKx7naH/s1600/20180325_190228.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7GQ14LanJy_bqB2Fb43LnmKzBMqBlqTVNPo0aqqWj1XtCSIXo9i_-idjMAzJ7-D75YRY652ujYLVMWDIF-PhQn7svM1sXnCAEI2LnLEgt8CQxwDg3mBpIahUfIUKd4qvD85QZRTKx7naH/s320/20180325_190228.jpg" /></a><br />Green mangoes and guava with chilli powder<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkYHZ7NvVHdm1vuYyR-Thty10UCG5n4nbsa-5Pf18EM9vKzOAUWX236M1lYJZSQszX8yd8Xb-LdUVo4_Ch8BPrrgwG66bj9DnDTSd6pzTT70_XQz-uF0E3OkVf5bIhYcz2bVnkwz4RjV6n/s1600/20180325_205932.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkYHZ7NvVHdm1vuYyR-Thty10UCG5n4nbsa-5Pf18EM9vKzOAUWX236M1lYJZSQszX8yd8Xb-LdUVo4_Ch8BPrrgwG66bj9DnDTSd6pzTT70_XQz-uF0E3OkVf5bIhYcz2bVnkwz4RjV6n/s320/20180325_205932.jpg" /></a><br />Tiger and Huda beers with chả lụa and nem chua (sausages)<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQSlhAjpa3N7pMDiGJs12zKcbrJQ-VmgU8I6jllNAI6bZVRGxqgiOaTjTw1CBY59MdKfM3Gyw5YFs9evCLg3fIScV7CjtvxDb8SScY3cwnqGwGYCHvrPERGxPRoODFAXas0JK6z1UG8GsI/s1600/20180326_084731.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQSlhAjpa3N7pMDiGJs12zKcbrJQ-VmgU8I6jllNAI6bZVRGxqgiOaTjTw1CBY59MdKfM3Gyw5YFs9evCLg3fIScV7CjtvxDb8SScY3cwnqGwGYCHvrPERGxPRoODFAXas0JK6z1UG8GsI/s320/20180326_084731.jpg" /></a><br />dừa nước (fruit/seed from a Nipa Palm)<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAaTAAtPc4noGLsIiDy-rQ_FNn-XcyhdcR7UeupPOxe9f5J_pmP7yY01D_DWpCeLEjIwgIXvy0gDZUehn6duO7N5efmbLN0qLCRgpeXVjiX7QTsAHuhH0ldzeXvPciAzM9WLljFJJzyEpH/s1600/20180326_175523.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAaTAAtPc4noGLsIiDy-rQ_FNn-XcyhdcR7UeupPOxe9f5J_pmP7yY01D_DWpCeLEjIwgIXvy0gDZUehn6duO7N5efmbLN0qLCRgpeXVjiX7QTsAHuhH0ldzeXvPciAzM9WLljFJJzyEpH/s320/20180326_175523.jpg" /></a><br />Saigon style chả giò<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikRs27me0dEMG1XCKJySUdvFhuzcvHT9mh57229HIp_cCc_N01Pvt6icjlDidRUWTMLX27QMeoaWFnEQ79SY3NKI500DImmHGULH3-o563C-YxyXKy7bspOqtEmQRuujhyphenhyphenTYVEHDHOki7N/s1600/20180326_180700.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikRs27me0dEMG1XCKJySUdvFhuzcvHT9mh57229HIp_cCc_N01Pvt6icjlDidRUWTMLX27QMeoaWFnEQ79SY3NKI500DImmHGULH3-o563C-YxyXKy7bspOqtEmQRuujhyphenhyphenTYVEHDHOki7N/s320/20180326_180700.jpg" /></a><br />cà tím nướng (grilled eggplant)<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSQWaDeAfL2lk5Y3BA-qnJNchZhQcBSUQcgkXo_f-W0HNbQtyY7LRGg-77ZbHfE3WXEK_EMZ5cbXFjpXB4HiIZJBZTnRx0-k2Zq1WWNbLszK737H_-CTtnclonEYho_JshduWSsa8XFOuW/s1600/20180327_124419.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSQWaDeAfL2lk5Y3BA-qnJNchZhQcBSUQcgkXo_f-W0HNbQtyY7LRGg-77ZbHfE3WXEK_EMZ5cbXFjpXB4HiIZJBZTnRx0-k2Zq1WWNbLszK737H_-CTtnclonEYho_JshduWSsa8XFOuW/s320/20180327_124419.jpg" /></a><br />bún chả in Hanoi's Bún Chả 34<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEHQVJc7n_2tJwESCtwG7IbXQOWOGwNUIKuXaphBmUNceJr0bxr3Msrk38PneWnVUSRtmBApXIjp06Jwh7vznTzZP7yQCf7HpIEwnMKPiW610CTsw91zN82oODwjKixMP-1AXrC0Z4pTCj/s1600/20180327_124426.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEHQVJc7n_2tJwESCtwG7IbXQOWOGwNUIKuXaphBmUNceJr0bxr3Msrk38PneWnVUSRtmBApXIjp06Jwh7vznTzZP7yQCf7HpIEwnMKPiW610CTsw91zN82oODwjKixMP-1AXrC0Z4pTCj/s320/20180327_124426.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiknCJ7rr_Nf7xRzfr8f447SGPAIZ-tAw32PbRut87LJE07Lc9pqjzrRvhsdXgrPo2_6g6vVkIK0stmEmTuL868m9GZv1F8Chtdb7nDKU8V0iaPd4tzW-aP0gZKY8wjK8wde_lOoAwYPLss/s1600/20180327_125700.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiknCJ7rr_Nf7xRzfr8f447SGPAIZ-tAw32PbRut87LJE07Lc9pqjzrRvhsdXgrPo2_6g6vVkIK0stmEmTuL868m9GZv1F8Chtdb7nDKU8V0iaPd4tzW-aP0gZKY8wjK8wde_lOoAwYPLss/s320/20180327_125700.jpg" /></a><br />Saigon beer<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNMlIVkLaCmP3akMiqVNvmZNtA12ILo4GEy94Ey9mJldvXqoNEDH-b9d8od1jahQZ4v7ysf6JgFHgeHneXLr8UKjJZ7PeILkxTH3h40lcrHytBsGj7vRgQtdp5mNhpPFDn2o_40FkpjOhs/s1600/20180327_201436.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNMlIVkLaCmP3akMiqVNvmZNtA12ILo4GEy94Ey9mJldvXqoNEDH-b9d8od1jahQZ4v7ysf6JgFHgeHneXLr8UKjJZ7PeILkxTH3h40lcrHytBsGj7vRgQtdp5mNhpPFDn2o_40FkpjOhs/s320/20180327_201436.jpg" /></a><br />Seafood for sale in Hà Nội<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx4anenYXuRFtQz2CP_Yp2ijSSOVRXdkTs8YboTlzk5tfgQ0d5HA5XmLw4O9Jg9wD-EkXw6-ew-IamSIDa8AaQ_Sz58-QOewxGtZZPs43P9H4cjY4DYNy-eZnTjjICmvnrITVI9WLXIw-J/s1600/20180328_060327.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx4anenYXuRFtQz2CP_Yp2ijSSOVRXdkTs8YboTlzk5tfgQ0d5HA5XmLw4O9Jg9wD-EkXw6-ew-IamSIDa8AaQ_Sz58-QOewxGtZZPs43P9H4cjY4DYNy-eZnTjjICmvnrITVI9WLXIw-J/s320/20180328_060327.jpg" /></a><br />early morning pop up market<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaDf4mG40hAvJZTRCAUrW74foWlT4KX5nxK3NHwazl69CTjwiPhEPN54GKEMRZ8wiIeexlk3DfHnvgrRRHClechiwSjwQ8hNoU4PdaZIuoNJz7G6g2ByxPIjxsIPQN3v2hZT7CWibzS1nV/s1600/20180328_060524.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaDf4mG40hAvJZTRCAUrW74foWlT4KX5nxK3NHwazl69CTjwiPhEPN54GKEMRZ8wiIeexlk3DfHnvgrRRHClechiwSjwQ8hNoU4PdaZIuoNJz7G6g2ByxPIjxsIPQN3v2hZT7CWibzS1nV/s320/20180328_060524.jpg" /></a><br />the banana stands<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii8pPG-79cfrwaPs_xhaX-Pjxwv0a1-7vPjMDwptPY_p7is0wxXe1btp8O5NLP0OdDrkvLN9AMY9BEd1oghfSfmB6HgD65WFxAn79w5Gdb31Vuz5cg8kQae5OTML_slK62-gM8SInmNWtA/s1600/20180328_061044.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii8pPG-79cfrwaPs_xhaX-Pjxwv0a1-7vPjMDwptPY_p7is0wxXe1btp8O5NLP0OdDrkvLN9AMY9BEd1oghfSfmB6HgD65WFxAn79w5Gdb31Vuz5cg8kQae5OTML_slK62-gM8SInmNWtA/s320/20180328_061044.jpg" /></a><br />fresh bún (rice vermicelli) being sold<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihOuDHjbwwVjit7m81wfFFg90k_HFL5g9DhCL-cipYOReELbE8NjA-SNMklXJcDmn2RZZKgxOY27BtclR8cHjfglLjavNS7JqBcfPaqO326aIZ_hIcFPUKaW2LeMvu6cGM4rs7Aih0juva/s1600/20180328_061606.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihOuDHjbwwVjit7m81wfFFg90k_HFL5g9DhCL-cipYOReELbE8NjA-SNMklXJcDmn2RZZKgxOY27BtclR8cHjfglLjavNS7JqBcfPaqO326aIZ_hIcFPUKaW2LeMvu6cGM4rs7Aih0juva/s320/20180328_061606.jpg" /></a><br />giant fish being fried on the sidewalk<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq3_Mgjm4iYPzG9crjMQpfRdDk9I8wq7UrS4q60dslD9sIzXAaPfyBjS7KETmiyiaVAQyGBf-BEZ2U60i85OPzHmAV9JbRqw0qGq2gcxSI77hidiAJJEoU3f-Yntd-Y_hPB3TieexXV0x4/s1600/20180328_062805.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq3_Mgjm4iYPzG9crjMQpfRdDk9I8wq7UrS4q60dslD9sIzXAaPfyBjS7KETmiyiaVAQyGBf-BEZ2U60i85OPzHmAV9JbRqw0qGq2gcxSI77hidiAJJEoU3f-Yntd-Y_hPB3TieexXV0x4/s320/20180328_062805.jpg" /></a><br />bánh bao (steamed bun)<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijiA-M_QeToc2ZsQmeNCOMDx49tTq1iiKkgl83p77qBmgggKXojf00ZRqjJjyxC3J0Mk_8NrQqjMyC9xF-WKiJugcatFD429I78idLPOt71JrZlUnV-00Bie-NMAk70V-rwMs6bYtooz_l/s1600/20180328_142114.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijiA-M_QeToc2ZsQmeNCOMDx49tTq1iiKkgl83p77qBmgggKXojf00ZRqjJjyxC3J0Mk_8NrQqjMyC9xF-WKiJugcatFD429I78idLPOt71JrZlUnV-00Bie-NMAk70V-rwMs6bYtooz_l/s320/20180328_142114.jpg" /></a><br />Hạ Long beer<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA28HW7uGQlE-L6rRJWGRIurZ3CtEbMSLZsh748wAMJos8zCI3J-HwymNinhnWc8fXHfpuNxQ0Tnc9X97XnbWuvGQuow9qHV9NudsCNr4f_97NHtpvpzICtZ7g6ld_Mhk2dySpq2QPuv4C/s1600/20180328_142136.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA28HW7uGQlE-L6rRJWGRIurZ3CtEbMSLZsh748wAMJos8zCI3J-HwymNinhnWc8fXHfpuNxQ0Tnc9X97XnbWuvGQuow9qHV9NudsCNr4f_97NHtpvpzICtZ7g6ld_Mhk2dySpq2QPuv4C/s320/20180328_142136.jpg" /></a><br />cà phê sữa with a view<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHspG_xTrQgW2WHLfgRMhQwwSNG71o5EPAjUgJXliX-v6Iw840BV9tThkit9tyP9w6YHbS0_rKd-kLifRLCrY8mZNL7W3uj42-U_aSD1_WbWUFHqagnKaUvv14OkZzLnUPxr1ljgpNTwCi/s1600/20180328_191031.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHspG_xTrQgW2WHLfgRMhQwwSNG71o5EPAjUgJXliX-v6Iw840BV9tThkit9tyP9w6YHbS0_rKd-kLifRLCrY8mZNL7W3uj42-U_aSD1_WbWUFHqagnKaUvv14OkZzLnUPxr1ljgpNTwCi/s320/20180328_191031.jpg" /></a><br />Seafood dinner on the boat<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW7epdqKDXS9ivgqtJufiOINfI8g9Q0l9OXT-dYGY6JDrtlnB-U6pWONfTx_vDs8xoVVmQJjRPTluMvr2L53gv0zstIMcqKxB-ENaH3Q63VGM2HFr1cOkPi9apXby4CNWA9d3mUWt5Y7u8/s1600/20180328_191840.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW7epdqKDXS9ivgqtJufiOINfI8g9Q0l9OXT-dYGY6JDrtlnB-U6pWONfTx_vDs8xoVVmQJjRPTluMvr2L53gv0zstIMcqKxB-ENaH3Q63VGM2HFr1cOkPi9apXby4CNWA9d3mUWt5Y7u8/s320/20180328_191840.jpg" /></a><br />chả giò or nem rán (the Northern Vietnamese term)<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgddt5p9YRctlZoHm2c-QB1UgRmipjNrP0MX-gHBcjAbGxwhckFEUzCMIPcIwBpt2tl0QnsHY7kv2wIilidbAIehGzwj8hKXUSN2zNQDOIe81LTD4p8th3AvxdsmULt8XVYGMLMQu3ikXDb/s1600/20180328_192912.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgddt5p9YRctlZoHm2c-QB1UgRmipjNrP0MX-gHBcjAbGxwhckFEUzCMIPcIwBpt2tl0QnsHY7kv2wIilidbAIehGzwj8hKXUSN2zNQDOIe81LTD4p8th3AvxdsmULt8XVYGMLMQu3ikXDb/s320/20180328_192912.jpg" /></a><br />rau muống xào tỏi (water spinach/morning glory cooked with garlic)<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo_ND1Y-6Wp6S-di0KRmGsd6dTS5uDysicKtXed2nKoIeOxQYfvd7jUPcEDN5GI-bL0tqpdHOLTQhTqaiSos2CHI3MiCMNU2npNZ-rcn3ErcIKML-qPKFXk1CbzJ2E2d608xwIPCJ-BJj0/s1600/20180330_182904.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo_ND1Y-6Wp6S-di0KRmGsd6dTS5uDysicKtXed2nKoIeOxQYfvd7jUPcEDN5GI-bL0tqpdHOLTQhTqaiSos2CHI3MiCMNU2npNZ-rcn3ErcIKML-qPKFXk1CbzJ2E2d608xwIPCJ-BJj0/s320/20180330_182904.jpg" /></a><br />Hà Nội style bánh xèo (rice pancake)architarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13124702208354709765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116036933808177024.post-68046554540250636922018-06-02T18:48:00.000+08:002018-06-02T18:48:01.508+08:00day 13, Hạ Long Bay<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9khSQzFnvp06PFUjfSwGoJWMVwAY27hs-LbqOYruqylWTgAt7JYTPp4I1FNNZEVf7opmL3BG70qwzQ5pI6OSbY3S1D-Ywp0e3iTCjE5jp_5IX5V1FCkwwN4Kswyf8Hm28xoxENbqd3VCs/s1600/20180329_141147.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9khSQzFnvp06PFUjfSwGoJWMVwAY27hs-LbqOYruqylWTgAt7JYTPp4I1FNNZEVf7opmL3BG70qwzQ5pI6OSbY3S1D-Ywp0e3iTCjE5jp_5IX5V1FCkwwN4Kswyf8Hm28xoxENbqd3VCs/s320/20180329_141147.jpg" /></a><br />
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It was sad to go when the weather was perfect: sunny and breezy; and the scenery could not be more beautiful. I am still in awe over the geologic landscape that makes up Hạ Long Bay. We also met several friends on our boat, and we spent a lot of time with a single traveler named Mark, who is the chairman of a rugby club in Northern Ireland, thus we bonded instantly. Mark is a retired firefighter (that explains the legs that rivaled SB's) and was the perfect tourist: engaged, easy going, and brimming with wit. He could always be found on deck, soaking up the sun or enjoying the evening breeze. Mark was also a fantastic replacement for the family that we rode up with, who we were deeply afraid that we were going to have to stomach for the next three days. They were two couples with children who could have been cute if they had any boundaries. The children sang and shrieked for almost the entire four hour bus ride. The parents communicated by bellowing over the children at each other, which was as pleasant to the rest of the passengers as you might imagine. They also managed to make a huge mess with spilled ice cream (the adults that is, not the children) and even after SB tried to help mop it up, no one in their group lifted a finger to contain the mess, allowing it to melt and spread all over the floor. Then they dropped a water bottle into the mess and didn't want to pick it up so it rolled all over the bus, spreading even more melted ice cream. I was almost in tears of joy when I found out that they were on another boat.<br />
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But back to happy thoughts. Let's take a look at the emerald waters that almost inspire me to spout bad poetry.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlnSV06kNWrXzaMsG18JOD4-_FbgFZeAEgF4uJY8u4ZhCIa3HRZs_PqmMVveHDrhq3Qi7qcc2t-Eeqr5WnMI3f5v_SLqPBdGBzUNtWIR27RCFheXe1noTAdvNib3rZ8gCUnCoT3PK243j-/s1600/20180329_152220.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlnSV06kNWrXzaMsG18JOD4-_FbgFZeAEgF4uJY8u4ZhCIa3HRZs_PqmMVveHDrhq3Qi7qcc2t-Eeqr5WnMI3f5v_SLqPBdGBzUNtWIR27RCFheXe1noTAdvNib3rZ8gCUnCoT3PK243j-/s320/20180329_152220.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyLVb3F9jZ9vhHmo1QhrUfN-24ITTwvCiQcSC1Siel4mjDJJ9I7jOz52GJqU1qIUE6PX1YBe_ee_WszXERa3xlgpsS6xzjdD9jozQDbFENw8HIIxiGGnFOWrqtlJ5-aS11uMmMyXf4Q9fk/s1600/20180329_140554.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyLVb3F9jZ9vhHmo1QhrUfN-24ITTwvCiQcSC1Siel4mjDJJ9I7jOz52GJqU1qIUE6PX1YBe_ee_WszXERa3xlgpsS6xzjdD9jozQDbFENw8HIIxiGGnFOWrqtlJ5-aS11uMmMyXf4Q9fk/s320/20180329_140554.jpg" /></a><br />
A fisherman setting out his lines. For a red, hot minute I imagined what if we became fishermen.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_I74bMsLO8AxG2-UBz1u-ewg92ih_6BNapCsAHZbYIs8kRJwP6Cse8Y5BhRHpPIUrxeaWXjJNxVn7XafhxgMyWwSZoyW_ztrkJanXUrF8QIu3GQ68vFvHXLJySVLvEfLzVqypFpejC61g/s1600/20180329_152736.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_I74bMsLO8AxG2-UBz1u-ewg92ih_6BNapCsAHZbYIs8kRJwP6Cse8Y5BhRHpPIUrxeaWXjJNxVn7XafhxgMyWwSZoyW_ztrkJanXUrF8QIu3GQ68vFvHXLJySVLvEfLzVqypFpejC61g/s320/20180329_152736.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyfx6-wvCFf7d8LVRtwqwOwL8aflEVelP_HPqDQu-821-2aa9sWS_UJCzoQcoMNTkQ1UW45s4UOyczgQp0KkGikYND5GvloR3_LhbIlxRxdda16kMmKHi1lI9yuCQfFTG-M8Xy5aTWwcEC/s1600/20180329_152748.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyfx6-wvCFf7d8LVRtwqwOwL8aflEVelP_HPqDQu-821-2aa9sWS_UJCzoQcoMNTkQ1UW45s4UOyczgQp0KkGikYND5GvloR3_LhbIlxRxdda16kMmKHi1lI9yuCQfFTG-M8Xy5aTWwcEC/s320/20180329_152748.jpg" /></a><br />
another fishing boat with huge lights that indicate squid fishing<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUSfPTHJ9Ofvq1W1NrzImiTTkJH8ehOmARYRywMmrm3leuLGwEXbaeG_05Tfj5ax0ulsF6mzHsnnvmNIV9SrWFzM3WNlWMR_7VudHhd8bgZ-HNTu89qs2jpEQhZMLdlKpYhWCSsir4gVSc/s1600/20180329_152801.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUSfPTHJ9Ofvq1W1NrzImiTTkJH8ehOmARYRywMmrm3leuLGwEXbaeG_05Tfj5ax0ulsF6mzHsnnvmNIV9SrWFzM3WNlWMR_7VudHhd8bgZ-HNTu89qs2jpEQhZMLdlKpYhWCSsir4gVSc/s320/20180329_152801.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCSxjWUOly4VswXoXlzn1pe_iMjVunzeJT5v-wlEqxoApJ0sTaLPLQf4mPhmcy4whY3iljs-UrtjcD2gwzKfE2SKVM-YUShVzZZtUCmFV4z2bzpW9CSvu0P8Q0jWhSTtfN0zVYPa6UdSq5/s1600/20180329_152923.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCSxjWUOly4VswXoXlzn1pe_iMjVunzeJT5v-wlEqxoApJ0sTaLPLQf4mPhmcy4whY3iljs-UrtjcD2gwzKfE2SKVM-YUShVzZZtUCmFV4z2bzpW9CSvu0P8Q0jWhSTtfN0zVYPa6UdSq5/s320/20180329_152923.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDygAa6Dj0Kt4esdvYbiD75syqJ8O0tfZ6_1we8ssswrqnPTz4ITJXTz8UsNw6sCTENRDglqb6ZQKMcpnKbc6J61oeBv7PF-oVYtrRAp29qADauxfeg9d9s13li2bUGwR_rVEetl7pbiqG/s1600/20180329_175220.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDygAa6Dj0Kt4esdvYbiD75syqJ8O0tfZ6_1we8ssswrqnPTz4ITJXTz8UsNw6sCTENRDglqb6ZQKMcpnKbc6J61oeBv7PF-oVYtrRAp29qADauxfeg9d9s13li2bUGwR_rVEetl7pbiqG/s320/20180329_175220.jpg" /></a><br />
My favorite place on the boat. Ever evening, youngest nephew would ply his trade in the kitchen, rolling chả giò (known as nem rán in the North) while the adults partook in frosty beverages and ate up the scenery.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLJPU-1H2H0ciaVFPVHHeOGPTJwqY_V01KDWORys050GuUQRh6K_j2rrEaN6VdSLI33EgJuJvVMz7SBogtJLFT6F-WueKGnonsmRRStSCl4id0_urFaGqtpoJC4kGLqd9OdEw7i5Ztgm-u/s1600/20180330_081512.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLJPU-1H2H0ciaVFPVHHeOGPTJwqY_V01KDWORys050GuUQRh6K_j2rrEaN6VdSLI33EgJuJvVMz7SBogtJLFT6F-WueKGnonsmRRStSCl4id0_urFaGqtpoJC4kGLqd9OdEw7i5Ztgm-u/s320/20180330_081512.jpg" /></a><br />
Looking down from Ti Top Island<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJXSj8IwyCuVnrCERk7xHs_SEnEU4ypFp1i3STAUjmOGKG0h_FjxRVsN73M4FhckbWWn2OjEeyF4w1vrxYQDHyhz2n2GBb9Ys8xVD8TXPVxGvj6tWcGg04GNmZ80Ylq2PmRudewoSkTgBP/s1600/20180330_084935.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJXSj8IwyCuVnrCERk7xHs_SEnEU4ypFp1i3STAUjmOGKG0h_FjxRVsN73M4FhckbWWn2OjEeyF4w1vrxYQDHyhz2n2GBb9Ys8xVD8TXPVxGvj6tWcGg04GNmZ80Ylq2PmRudewoSkTgBP/s320/20180330_084935.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuzRr_3MOpQVJzNQz1nCM2Or8IA2zyrP5f7PbEST3MxLtL20PHra668LDLMzdzuBdeKPE5jCldUa3CY8p1pV5ZrQHxBpauCRiyb5A8MkIaK0ITGanJ3u0CCg2rgobjuZQTvMCAys47Squ0/s1600/20180330_085431.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuzRr_3MOpQVJzNQz1nCM2Or8IA2zyrP5f7PbEST3MxLtL20PHra668LDLMzdzuBdeKPE5jCldUa3CY8p1pV5ZrQHxBpauCRiyb5A8MkIaK0ITGanJ3u0CCg2rgobjuZQTvMCAys47Squ0/s320/20180330_085431.jpg" /></a><br />
one last view out the door that we boarded at<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDYdISckiYb40JebIvSiHE1sBt6i1cAA9BgJyxQMxjUfkMgP_qoMew8V9q7uggqE6t87kU_mvKx6Pkiyxmj6VtOTzTP5BygYJtGtg6U9SgGlqPTkEvNt-08YiczIM4lJAmVR5qTatSFGYl/s1600/20180330_092055.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDYdISckiYb40JebIvSiHE1sBt6i1cAA9BgJyxQMxjUfkMgP_qoMew8V9q7uggqE6t87kU_mvKx6Pkiyxmj6VtOTzTP5BygYJtGtg6U9SgGlqPTkEvNt-08YiczIM4lJAmVR5qTatSFGYl/s320/20180330_092055.jpg" /></a><br />
our room with a view<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiih9xnHCsEV1L2ZU0ZXmECbHN0I-rdjRY3PvTjc1YaVII9r1SHlkZGhSL69EKB7e6s35Wuk9EO9oQQTnYoNrDH9cYAVbx79PFRrMbBpR5skYcFFgiMHkIGcbodmGqOVNStSHWx6iCksVEQ/s1600/20180330_092344.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiih9xnHCsEV1L2ZU0ZXmECbHN0I-rdjRY3PvTjc1YaVII9r1SHlkZGhSL69EKB7e6s35Wuk9EO9oQQTnYoNrDH9cYAVbx79PFRrMbBpR5skYcFFgiMHkIGcbodmGqOVNStSHWx6iCksVEQ/s320/20180330_092344.jpg" /></a><br />
Most of the family on the deck.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAvuYK13CUqtA4S7GLy2DTBArKoQQkjQ8EVMga891oqqNSB7bEakvl7dlXC7nXTMcwTEkhDehsjyTdPWD68Ehche_t0KbLmWeMnsSbqaM7QhZZ_2k6xJViCStTeYzPfTt0mOxYxQFrsi-p/s1600/20180330_092429.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAvuYK13CUqtA4S7GLy2DTBArKoQQkjQ8EVMga891oqqNSB7bEakvl7dlXC7nXTMcwTEkhDehsjyTdPWD68Ehche_t0KbLmWeMnsSbqaM7QhZZ_2k6xJViCStTeYzPfTt0mOxYxQFrsi-p/s320/20180330_092429.jpg" /></a><br />
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Goodbye for now, Hạ Long Bay!</div>
architarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13124702208354709765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116036933808177024.post-63721972870713858562018-06-01T15:16:00.000+08:002018-06-01T15:16:43.692+08:00Day 12, pearl farm<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjxe6Y1veo0T8ZSaw7ETHx4KFor5vkFy8CwnP9SCQBb3OmnslKMp2gDS2Z8EjIwhB6GJbZ_zOSxkl94rEwRMdvnu3fvSTDdw2_4XaLwz3drgN3RoTZSEEmKpN2rjAA5YZYtGJRUwnsZ8p2/s1600/20180329_145726.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjxe6Y1veo0T8ZSaw7ETHx4KFor5vkFy8CwnP9SCQBb3OmnslKMp2gDS2Z8EjIwhB6GJbZ_zOSxkl94rEwRMdvnu3fvSTDdw2_4XaLwz3drgN3RoTZSEEmKpN2rjAA5YZYtGJRUwnsZ8p2/s320/20180329_145726.jpg" /></a><br />
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In keeping with the theme of our trip, SB met another furry friend at the pearl farm. The farm was a tourist trap but nonetheless informative. We learned about pearl cultivation and viewed a demonstration of culturing. This particular farm harvests three of the major sea water pearls: Akoya, South Sea, and Tahitian pearls. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpD5MT-bMYvWRsoWtDrcysw5vQiN2PBC72c4dJuISPRsS9eH4hyphenhyphenXszxybPNH315ZHWhCcvE_Daf8rzOMCYU9YJO4DIIge-kp5GdZntFelq_GgqE2eLJ4HcADLe-dl2z3WXvfhKkUiq_OFO/s1600/20180329_142410.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpD5MT-bMYvWRsoWtDrcysw5vQiN2PBC72c4dJuISPRsS9eH4hyphenhyphenXszxybPNH315ZHWhCcvE_Daf8rzOMCYU9YJO4DIIge-kp5GdZntFelq_GgqE2eLJ4HcADLe-dl2z3WXvfhKkUiq_OFO/s320/20180329_142410.jpg" /></a><br />
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The "starter" oysters that have been implanted with seed pearls are placed in the water with hundreds of small fish, we guessed because the fish would keep them clean and improve viability.<br />
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Several women were hard at work planting seed pearls into the mollusks. A small piece of donor tissue, dyed red with fungicidal liquid, is wrapped around the seed pearl to form the base of the new pearl. The oyster will produce layers of nacre around this base to create the finished pearl. The oyster shell can only be pried open 2 to 3 cm to insert the seed pearl so a gentle touch is practically a job requirement for the workers. Once the mollusk is cracked open, tiny incisions are made to the "ovary" and the seed pearl base is inserted. The oyster is then shut and placed in a flat mesh cage, and dropped into the bay to feed and grow. <br />
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From time to time, the cage is removed to clean any barnacles, growths, or parasites. Even with monitoring and cleaning, only about half of the "nucleated" oysters bear pearls, and only a small fraction, around 5 percent, will produce high grade pearls. Pearls that develop odd shapes or blemishes are sold to be ground for applications such as make-up (pearly, luminescent foundations and powders).<br />
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We were not shown the process for treating the pearls after harvesting. I found out that they are often mixed with walnut shells or natural oils to gently polish them. Then the next step is to painstakingly sort and match pearls of similar color and luster for necklaces; this process can take months to find the perfect set. Pearls have recently undertaken the diamond treatment in terms of grading, and you can choose them by shape, color, luster, smoothness, and size. <br />
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We saw some outstanding pearl jewelry for purchase, ranging from dainty earrings to outrageously large necklaces. The prices were reasonable but our group didn't bite. Another group of Americans flocked to the high end counter and I saw a man buying a marble sized necklace for his wife. He made several people very happy that day.<br />
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Oyster cages in the bay<br />
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Fish for cleaning (and likely food)<br />
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Sleep with one ear open<br />
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Akoya oysters<br />
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South Sea oysters<br />
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Tahitian oysters</div>
architarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13124702208354709765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116036933808177024.post-89190960455835430152018-05-31T13:26:00.000+08:002018-05-31T13:26:17.789+08:00Day 12, Cát Bà Island caves and kayaking<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXvSVv72XaV9XaizKF8u44d2EcHC85GGVQeXCpS_nglrEoTyVydWR8o62D0PsmK5HB54Sc6MVIsB6iVT90qIxmtyiStiL8V4jqGp5Xf2QBff-zIePXY2BjiWJnOmX8l0V3UapyKATfbRjX/s1600/20180329_093329.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXvSVv72XaV9XaizKF8u44d2EcHC85GGVQeXCpS_nglrEoTyVydWR8o62D0PsmK5HB54Sc6MVIsB6iVT90qIxmtyiStiL8V4jqGp5Xf2QBff-zIePXY2BjiWJnOmX8l0V3UapyKATfbRjX/s320/20180329_093329.jpg" /></a><br />
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We transferred to a smaller tender with one other guest from our cruise to spend the day kayaking and exploring the Lan Ha Bay. First, we arrived at the Dark and Bright Cave (Hang Tối & Sáng). The cave is literal; the first part is dark and the second part is day-lit. Before Hạ Long Bay became a booming tourist mecca, the locals utilized the cave for weddings. The entrance area was cool and flat with high ceilings, ideal of setting up a small wedding banquet with family. The bride and groom would then retire further into the cave for their honeymoon. I was not expecting much from the "honeymoon" area because we first crawled through a small passage, but then we entered a chamber filled with sparkling stalactites and stalagmites. We went to yet another chamber of the cave, and there was an opening to look out into Hạ Long Bay and lush vegetation. It would have been a lovely shelter to spend the night.<br />
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SB found some stalactites of just the right size and depth to entertain us with a percussive concert.<br />
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Bat Cave (Hang Dơi) seems to be named as such because of the stalactites hanging from the entrance, which resemble bats. We paddled to the cave and then climbed up into the chambers. It's a deep and large cave that continues to the other side of the karst. On the other side, we could hear monkeys rustling in the bushes. We sat a while, enjoying the breeze and rusting of creatures around us.<br />
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Niece and youngest nephew climbed like monkeys.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXCKVFvdpUBZVijTyaVAOOsrOiSy930vRaDNHRqeBd1KXdtK_NedyWdMSrC6ZPM6O5D04bZ26-gTfqRcgb5c9yjvz9p2Vl-XRsPkqHAt5CVMY7hHr18SQ7bkFx6xm1AprikhWYAXNRT1Ic/s1600/20180329_111939.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXCKVFvdpUBZVijTyaVAOOsrOiSy930vRaDNHRqeBd1KXdtK_NedyWdMSrC6ZPM6O5D04bZ26-gTfqRcgb5c9yjvz9p2Vl-XRsPkqHAt5CVMY7hHr18SQ7bkFx6xm1AprikhWYAXNRT1Ic/s320/20180329_111939.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV-ont-pwTwubuhih48D1SqvKsLwh1SXkRD6N94RZG5b6Jw0xrz3n5o6mykNDToJrrwTwQNMv4VhyEM5uVS9_qIyZcQ5Nuhkrco8MP-B6JofW4pcEiguypR70l5Qy4XqPjsetSxlsnBh7e/s1600/20180329_114427.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV-ont-pwTwubuhih48D1SqvKsLwh1SXkRD6N94RZG5b6Jw0xrz3n5o6mykNDToJrrwTwQNMv4VhyEM5uVS9_qIyZcQ5Nuhkrco8MP-B6JofW4pcEiguypR70l5Qy4XqPjsetSxlsnBh7e/s320/20180329_114427.jpg" /></a><br />
A floating dog house and its two occupants watching us<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRBQPBRtTw57VXTk_CQ1BEn8XdbsSwAh1l5dD1qG8-qzrGqTmbLoUnMUx9Rd4t9v9_sWqyhrcKkXzJTFjg6p0g0AwbhyP4yabPQtWH7_hQFplRNJXSXa2ElBdUdOFuVWbhzZCv03KGEVmk/s1600/20180329_135619.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRBQPBRtTw57VXTk_CQ1BEn8XdbsSwAh1l5dD1qG8-qzrGqTmbLoUnMUx9Rd4t9v9_sWqyhrcKkXzJTFjg6p0g0AwbhyP4yabPQtWH7_hQFplRNJXSXa2ElBdUdOFuVWbhzZCv03KGEVmk/s320/20180329_135619.jpg" /></a><br />
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