That evening we attended a water puppets show accompanied by live singers and musicians. It was considerably better than the local folk music we heard in Hoi An....which sounded a lot like somebody strangling Glen Campbell while he's trying to sing "Wichita Lineman"...after he took a couple big hits of helium. Not my cup of tea, so to speak. During the puppet show there were live singers and musicians playing cool Asian instruments which you just don't see at Open Mic night at the local neighborhood coffee house. Very interesting when the play concluded and the puppeteers came out behind the curtain standing waist deep in water. They manipulate the puppets from underneath the water instead of from above. Great fun to watch and the Asian music was great.
Everything is very compact in SE Asia's big cities. Shop owners with a 100 sq foot business, (that's pretty big), normally make their residence in the back. Along with a wife or husband, a couple of kids and maybe Mom and Dad....makes for a cozy little family nest. Everybody works the store. Every one does there part for the household. On top of that shop is 4, 7, 8, maybe 10 floors or more. The buildings are not very wide but sometimes very talI. I have a couple of pictures.
A couple of observation here about the Vietnamese in Hanoi....many shop owners like to have a beer after their morning coffee. Beer and coffee just seems like it would upset my stomach. Call me crazy but that could make for a long day when beer is number one on your 9 a.m list. Secondly, somebody forgot to tell these guys that smoking is bad for you. All the men smoke, for cryin out loud. But hey, if you're going to have a beer in the a.m.....might as well light one up while you're at it.
As you can see by the picture, Hanoi is a busy place.....And your local Hanoi Telecom at work
We visited Hanoi Hilton where thee Vietnamese imprisoned the pilots they shot down in the war. Vietnamese propaganda in high gear showing the prisoners enjoying a Christmas party, a basketball game and some arts and crafts. I thought much of it was a bunch of bullshit until it donned on me...what the heck were we doing over there anyway? Everbody trying to put their own spin on it to save face. All the countries in SE Asia call the conflict "the American War". So when will we understand, as an American society, the wasteful cost of human lives in wars like Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Iraq? And consider NOT doing that again...? I sure hope it's in my lifetime, otherwise, its just heartbreaking to think about.
We spent a couple days in the rain, than returned to Bangkok.
3 comments:
Great pictures! Breakfast beer would just make me want to nap. Maybe it's a good way to drink clean water.
Mr. G and I are really enjoying your blog. Didn't know you were such a good writer, we're impressed! So glad you two are having such a good time, we think you've both needed and deserved a great trip and some excellent together time. Love to you both, Mrs. G
Maybe the beer is a way to drink "clean water". Or you know what they say, you can't drink all day if you don't start in the morning, ha.
Post a Comment