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The Fat Lady (and me?) Sings

A deep dive into an alien culture is a first for me. I not only saw as a tourist, I learned as a traveller -  about people, about history, about similarities and differences, about me. I have a deep respect for these SE Asian cultures. There were Jamie challenges to overcome - the constant demanding requests to buy or give money for an unasked service (a man on the street in Ho Chi Minh City started to clean the sole of my shoe with a toothbrush and wanted money; a 6 or 7 year old girl put a live tarantula on my chest and wanted 1000 riel, I didn’t even know it was there); the bargaining and negotiating over price (there is a locals price and a tourist price; I’m lousy at that and rarely did); often no sticker prices or receipts given (making for an interesting trip through customs); the lack of personal space given (street vendors often grab your arm of block your exit; sometimes members of the tour group are nose to your nose); the kamikaze scooter/motorcycle cowboys and cowgirls...
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Out Takes

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  Do it yourself salt and pepper Karma cautions Bikes are parked on the sidewalks so pedestrians walk on the street. Paid valets park the bikes sardined together and get it when it’s time to leave   3D Cutlery Art U flush toilet Will wrap up trip blog with a few reflections in the next and last post. 
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Cultural Moments

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 The idea sounded great. We were taken to a family home in Hué, Vietnam to dine with and learn about “real” family life. The family served a variety of normal everyday dinner recipes for us which were tasty. However, none of the family spoke English. Our guide told us a bit about their family, we asked a few questions, he translated, and other than that it was like eating in a restaurant. I had hoped to have some dialogue with the family.We started with home made saké and the courses kept coming, served by the grandparents and their daughter. The two grandchildren came in later from evening learning classes. I thanked the family with one of my laser cut baskets and gave the kids a Connect 4 marble game. Nan in Grade 5 beat me! An incense stall had literally thousands of sticks and 7 fragrances. The process is to take a stick of sandalwood and roll it in a scented paste that slow burns when it’s dry.  A cultural evening of music and dance in Hoi An. This is where I first saw an...
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Rock of Ages

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 Imagine a cave that would snugly fit a cathedral. And in fact, there was a feeling of reverence in the cavern we visited in one of the karsts. Limestone is solvable and because of the age of these Methuselahs, water has had time to do its job.  Even though it was tenish degrees outside we sported a sheen of sweat on our faces from the underground heat.  On the way back to Hanoi, the group stopped at Green Life that turns scrap plastic into sturdy bags for shopping or the beach etc. Many old Communist posters are used. They also recycle strapping that holds heavy loads together to  weave smaller bags.  In 1999, Jimmy Pham, a Viet tour guide, started a charitable organization called Know One Teach One. He funds two year programs open only to disadvantaged and underprivileged young people to become certified in the hospitality industry. His KOTO restaurant in Hanoi helps to fund the program. We were served by some recent grads and others cooked in the kitchen. Int...
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