tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38596122249053524962024-03-20T23:39:01.554-07:00Crossing Ho Chi MinhViet Pathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12375505800262373607noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3859612224905352496.post-47472403657295345532007-08-24T07:41:00.002-07:002007-08-24T09:27:09.370-07:00Last Post from Viet Nam...but not last post ON Viet Nam, I don't think. My apologies for the long delay - one month exactly, in fact - since my last post. In the interim Midori and I have written a 77-page document on just a few of the ins-and-outs of housing and microfinance in Viet Nam and Cambodia. Now that That's over with, and I have had three nights of 12-plus hours of sleep in the week since, on to Ha Noi!<br /><br />Visually, two themes keep recurring for me in Viet Nam: color and infrastructure. The former usually catches me through some juxtaposition of weathering and vibrancy. The latter, evidence of increasing national wealth, manifests visually in a haphazard accretion of roads, pipes, and, everywhere, electrical connections. Ha Noi has 'em both, though in the transitions from Real Life -> diggity-film -> iPhoto -> blog, the colors lose some of their punch. Also, in Ha Noi, awesome architecture:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA_v90yax6ToPy4ooSX5Y57NR5lpzj0QAVnCnLo05vvPH6xiaaHVG0V-Fk5uzNJcc4VLfaDAnzgfobizpYdE-CKEajGCd7V7diYnXiKruCuKx0PYHp7pNZrmZR66w6wMyW2gC_DAp9Uvg/s1600-h/P1010030_1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA_v90yax6ToPy4ooSX5Y57NR5lpzj0QAVnCnLo05vvPH6xiaaHVG0V-Fk5uzNJcc4VLfaDAnzgfobizpYdE-CKEajGCd7V7diYnXiKruCuKx0PYHp7pNZrmZR66w6wMyW2gC_DAp9Uvg/s400/P1010030_1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5102288827042982098" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE_mDL2fxRi1puZ2C3gCN-sG3PxVLKQk6R5AaeCfYLTKNDRAW3A0fs1NIAq9ho4qQPnTxjFq_FekQm7kh0t24a5VyCo7m8-kpSYpkVU7qAS5sxRnr_PsjL15N7YR6-TQYMT-VmNZeanRo/s1600-h/P1010038_1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE_mDL2fxRi1puZ2C3gCN-sG3PxVLKQk6R5AaeCfYLTKNDRAW3A0fs1NIAq9ho4qQPnTxjFq_FekQm7kh0t24a5VyCo7m8-kpSYpkVU7qAS5sxRnr_PsjL15N7YR6-TQYMT-VmNZeanRo/s400/P1010038_1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5102288848517818610" border="0" /></a>The old market has entire blocks dedicated to a single product. I spare you the photos I have of the cardboard stores, near (really) the tape-only stores. Instead, toys:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkJc00CEFhWYFwxT1X4_601RvGqbMGIXH4qxSLIo_rBEezq3Dl8unz0eIJBLdHAKMHPtCYZbFVgU5d_1fFo1T8DNPnBg6d-qGS_LAyZojNRDPzEu5uqD5sc7L51gPOWJ6mR5elUvp9y0w/s1600-h/P1010013_1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkJc00CEFhWYFwxT1X4_601RvGqbMGIXH4qxSLIo_rBEezq3Dl8unz0eIJBLdHAKMHPtCYZbFVgU5d_1fFo1T8DNPnBg6d-qGS_LAyZojNRDPzEu5uqD5sc7L51gPOWJ6mR5elUvp9y0w/s400/P1010013_1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5102290660994017554" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYgIh-DZpO9R5xPlBDWxrBQK5iFyqtPnUN8l_YM8pQCvGVcqn5kJEIkc1g17OLIocAfJrBA509kgmxf_8VJAJtzrD5OeVlrb8-eYXDS2lHQotrb_7SPNhbk2QV87GDxFiDISkZaVsZG9A/s1600-h/P1010019_1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYgIh-DZpO9R5xPlBDWxrBQK5iFyqtPnUN8l_YM8pQCvGVcqn5kJEIkc1g17OLIocAfJrBA509kgmxf_8VJAJtzrD5OeVlrb8-eYXDS2lHQotrb_7SPNhbk2QV87GDxFiDISkZaVsZG9A/s400/P1010019_1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5102288818453047490" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSs7gwngY6VHXYNVIsb1kPRNzZLxLk5hgCkbf62loGcujDPD_XiSk1KZCK0wVPswTatwo-uRouQkkvDIcnge6WqcwB1wuslVjOgjSrTDQs-1qTZG4Kmx3zIXgIOfN9Kg9bnbpMOVjvruM/s1600-h/P1010026_1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSs7gwngY6VHXYNVIsb1kPRNzZLxLk5hgCkbf62loGcujDPD_XiSk1KZCK0wVPswTatwo-uRouQkkvDIcnge6WqcwB1wuslVjOgjSrTDQs-1qTZG4Kmx3zIXgIOfN9Kg9bnbpMOVjvruM/s400/P1010026_1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5102290708238657842" border="0" /></a>This apartment block sits somewhere in the north end of the old market in Ha Noi. I like the repetition: many lives making identical units their own.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfcRKwqjpsGJhomqC0AtLhuX6xLlyL9t2vdtP68wbis1DhDDnHC9Zu2hHt70euq9i0xBcjSHxgcqGNvQaRq3vdcqmaQaGnoifA-oXzC1I3LN7_Vhsh-l7XFT19lbSp6X2VTx3JDZsYCuE/s1600-h/P1010014.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfcRKwqjpsGJhomqC0AtLhuX6xLlyL9t2vdtP68wbis1DhDDnHC9Zu2hHt70euq9i0xBcjSHxgcqGNvQaRq3vdcqmaQaGnoifA-oXzC1I3LN7_Vhsh-l7XFT19lbSp6X2VTx3JDZsYCuE/s400/P1010014.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5102288835632916706" border="0" /></a>I will ROCK this style when I am (a little bit) older.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDAys6wIlEhAvhNmWKGTTys_g67OjcpDp4tIxfxgL26eEQ3yIZ0kRWyDIXb5y-20rCzlwdT0M21bsohq1o79VYlF3K5fn_u2ATTfZfNyf5hjN3DVzHEe6rHdZweD_07LINkSF6L-scmAE/s1600-h/P1010016_1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDAys6wIlEhAvhNmWKGTTys_g67OjcpDp4tIxfxgL26eEQ3yIZ0kRWyDIXb5y-20rCzlwdT0M21bsohq1o79VYlF3K5fn_u2ATTfZfNyf5hjN3DVzHEe6rHdZweD_07LINkSF6L-scmAE/s400/P1010016_1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5102290682468854050" border="0" /></a>I haven't yet figured out if the toilet paper is crucial to the Look, or merely to the photo.<br /><br />Central Ha Noi surrounds Hoan Kiem Lake, which opens Ha Noi up and provides a breeze. In the middle of the lake is Ngoc Son Temple, reached by way of a v. scenic red bridge. Father and daughter on the grounds of the temple (Midori took this one):<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlIq_S8Tyb5lMcXxwvgcE5UzSQe7HgV_6DlvNNw2ZAds6mFmRaa2VaE5GC3NB-5N3FCbxjjmIGr47mJ4j0JwbJA0abvVpHHLtg7dlJjgskQ-zqtp1Ol2f1qNiBlYilbiTpZ5FWPnMclwo/s1600-h/P1010021.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlIq_S8Tyb5lMcXxwvgcE5UzSQe7HgV_6DlvNNw2ZAds6mFmRaa2VaE5GC3NB-5N3FCbxjjmIGr47mJ4j0JwbJA0abvVpHHLtg7dlJjgskQ-zqtp1Ol2f1qNiBlYilbiTpZ5FWPnMclwo/s400/P1010021.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5102290725418527042" border="0" /></a>Inside, fantastic light.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7gbgwqgoByC7b9w-5VBSCX7CZxo9lkdAzuacqpV7zYSUmG0NyG6TlzA9wUT8YrCMHxlinJwvUpT9_b0LL7jWVBk_KyhmV6gegJOPk3eLdQPdja4zZvFGjeanUw4OFQYVcPPuR8UJzGNk/s1600-h/P1010032.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7gbgwqgoByC7b9w-5VBSCX7CZxo9lkdAzuacqpV7zYSUmG0NyG6TlzA9wUT8YrCMHxlinJwvUpT9_b0LL7jWVBk_KyhmV6gegJOPk3eLdQPdja4zZvFGjeanUw4OFQYVcPPuR8UJzGNk/s400/P1010032.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5102288857107753218" border="0" /></a>The lake features in Vietnamese mythology: in the 16th century, a turtle bore a magic sword from its depths in answer to the prayers of a fisherman named Le Loi, who used it to fight Chinese occupation in the North. Afterwards the turtle took back the sword. Oddly Arthurian.<br /><br />Ha Noi also has a pretty good army museum; better than the War Remnants museum in HCMC, mainly since it goes far back into the early occupation of, and resistance to, the French. (It isn't any less wrenching.) It also had more artifacts alongside its collection of photographs, including the following note and translations, from the pocket of a downed pilot:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1QgsP5yukvOSqqDno8KGrNJivGEn2kVuiXLUMu6MSJpK41QyX8F_GjfaFNDcV8wfrZqx_75W5_VAUu4f4zJYIUvUjuNfIUd9KVW3auMD0k7U8Y9enjdiN4psDZxrNtLU3HrnjMyNTEQo/s1600-h/P1010081.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1QgsP5yukvOSqqDno8KGrNJivGEn2kVuiXLUMu6MSJpK41QyX8F_GjfaFNDcV8wfrZqx_75W5_VAUu4f4zJYIUvUjuNfIUd9KVW3auMD0k7U8Y9enjdiN4psDZxrNtLU3HrnjMyNTEQo/s400/P1010081.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5102298817136912754" border="0" /></a>I mean, seriously: "misfortune"? I too would hope very much for sympathy were I to suffer the extreme "misfortune" of bailing out of my plane after being shot down on a bombing run. But I don't think I'd put much faith in that note eliciting it.<br /><br />This stack of wreckage, about 30 ft high, includes pieces from many different planes:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4g9_idDF3jBND8E5EA2NNsX5GJslrRPfSDcYICZlPwT89rwiT4t69EOufXOUTuN9AH3MFtWyfYqAP0QC8OTHoBhZ2v2SAE1gdtpu4HzkxYDvNbfxDhAd_bd73aUbpYQtF7i-qk0dcMvs/s1600-h/P1010077.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4g9_idDF3jBND8E5EA2NNsX5GJslrRPfSDcYICZlPwT89rwiT4t69EOufXOUTuN9AH3MFtWyfYqAP0QC8OTHoBhZ2v2SAE1gdtpu4HzkxYDvNbfxDhAd_bd73aUbpYQtF7i-qk0dcMvs/s400/P1010077.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5102298821431880066" border="0" /></a>Finally, Midori doing her best "Marilyn Monroe next to a Russian Built, Vietnamese Flown, American Killing Fighter Jet" pose:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvmDg3Rdl8imErta3Na-SvN8CMh2w31_EtaKH_UKspJ2IUh-NNvaPOAWZ_wkFLeMJCghzCnGyx4YcH0Ek9dKFxkvhgv35ZzA6kKv42-zhawoQV3y840zHBcjMsR70E2-Drbr3oYUJD9kc/s1600-h/P1010049.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvmDg3Rdl8imErta3Na-SvN8CMh2w31_EtaKH_UKspJ2IUh-NNvaPOAWZ_wkFLeMJCghzCnGyx4YcH0Ek9dKFxkvhgv35ZzA6kKv42-zhawoQV3y840zHBcjMsR70E2-Drbr3oYUJD9kc/s400/P1010049.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5102290734008461650" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7gbgwqgoByC7b9w-5VBSCX7CZxo9lkdAzuacqpV7zYSUmG0NyG6TlzA9wUT8YrCMHxlinJwvUpT9_b0LL7jWVBk_KyhmV6gegJOPk3eLdQPdja4zZvFGjeanUw4OFQYVcPPuR8UJzGNk/s1600-h/P1010032.JPG"><br /></a>Viet Pathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12375505800262373607noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3859612224905352496.post-55651686717644700042007-07-24T08:38:00.000-07:002007-07-24T09:46:26.018-07:00The Mighty Tay HoOh the praises I can sing of the mighty Tay Ho! So big! So rectilinear! So very, very strange!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqFtycUx56WJB1lS4lxwsSsk3xdUuHEKdx5dz9R2f5EnRxJ3HUup3CvHx9LL_ZaDLUdrNxrJ1ji4EKS75xi7SiSS6YmJAl-0P35raEybmoWfPNmiJslB-JXhGdiOgl_VS13EAIVuFHwbY/s1600-h/P1010048.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqFtycUx56WJB1lS4lxwsSsk3xdUuHEKdx5dz9R2f5EnRxJ3HUup3CvHx9LL_ZaDLUdrNxrJ1ji4EKS75xi7SiSS6YmJAl-0P35raEybmoWfPNmiJslB-JXhGdiOgl_VS13EAIVuFHwbY/s400/P1010048.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5090794552674213026" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGGkdutOm-ruW7bsAY6KI7P2hFoTcw4CsyWBdpwBtRyBfYSTKlDWPBe5z2wYVKfAqZCYd5H5swkidP4SkXUcelWgHS4YpJzJQYrLHQ4xJpFYobBbVlWyFBujTFwzZW8Dc5OX02LmDg550/s1600-h/P1010058.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGGkdutOm-ruW7bsAY6KI7P2hFoTcw4CsyWBdpwBtRyBfYSTKlDWPBe5z2wYVKfAqZCYd5H5swkidP4SkXUcelWgHS4YpJzJQYrLHQ4xJpFYobBbVlWyFBujTFwzZW8Dc5OX02LmDg550/s400/P1010058.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5090798937835822274" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHjt2R6G43pCVIPa62epI4inl-GyazX45Xxo7JDlKwXxgd9hnNoBFH-cjbXvRk7yiPe4S7OcrpOKs0FTEwWUOhZh5MQVU_DYPku4kqHXjB17Yybl8tQycEIp1Iq2GfttjNMQw5KTuGf5c/s1600-h/P1010001.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHjt2R6G43pCVIPa62epI4inl-GyazX45Xxo7JDlKwXxgd9hnNoBFH-cjbXvRk7yiPe4S7OcrpOKs0FTEwWUOhZh5MQVU_DYPku4kqHXjB17Yybl8tQycEIp1Iq2GfttjNMQw5KTuGf5c/s400/P1010001.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5090794509724540018" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYuaUnc0xz_I7tXEpZnq-LZhGUXfrbdNz8UMYW6waSappzo5CqatyaUA-5XE6gewBrXagqS_bg7N-ojai5BXxQATNGTPRwQobad_o1pp46daICLIbj5pJnYBc35ac-6bLcNwJfs0a8lIk/s1600-h/P1010039.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYuaUnc0xz_I7tXEpZnq-LZhGUXfrbdNz8UMYW6waSappzo5CqatyaUA-5XE6gewBrXagqS_bg7N-ojai5BXxQATNGTPRwQobad_o1pp46daICLIbj5pJnYBc35ac-6bLcNwJfs0a8lIk/s400/P1010039.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5090798955015691522" border="0" /></a><br />Where the lobby always celebrates New Years with Christmas Decorations!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhghxhbqMp5aYlj6zd7Q28k7ha5RhMh4WX1SY6PBgDRchgUc7qaZQeVG_WPjVR5ZbnLECWDQut651cp1CJYI39tWZ0LHR6Gt0MMf5sqo3p7taTnau7GmfyeEunceBNRPM6kw41oQ-CtdS4/s1600-h/P1010046.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhghxhbqMp5aYlj6zd7Q28k7ha5RhMh4WX1SY6PBgDRchgUc7qaZQeVG_WPjVR5ZbnLECWDQut651cp1CJYI39tWZ0LHR6Gt0MMf5sqo3p7taTnau7GmfyeEunceBNRPM6kw41oQ-CtdS4/s400/P1010046.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5090794535494343826" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgePQMFCgaqFF0TtzK74yojHHijD1XQsu3UhDoYKjD0W4It6jzU9LYsnNkWx1EYpZUARi-SaJIdwnQxyS4EpsLTUmgswXfDJB7LCpuL9JvZGNAAB8cDGPufpGIgSSQHyckMcoTwCN7M8cU/s1600-h/P1010066.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgePQMFCgaqFF0TtzK74yojHHijD1XQsu3UhDoYKjD0W4It6jzU9LYsnNkWx1EYpZUARi-SaJIdwnQxyS4EpsLTUmgswXfDJB7LCpuL9JvZGNAAB8cDGPufpGIgSSQHyckMcoTwCN7M8cU/s400/P1010066.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5090798946425756898" border="0" /></a><br />Where you always know what time it is in Moscow!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZfVxc4CzdT2iuEGM_5P8E8fa1KNnCmws7LSOIojoHfWAFfFex_dmj28nuyHyzbHs_mLMpwN9NjulOry6kCqQZRl9EQB-vYJPIZBBcWgHppTlCco31PJVCmp-186sFd9kF9i1fiYy3DBY/s1600-h/P1010051.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZfVxc4CzdT2iuEGM_5P8E8fa1KNnCmws7LSOIojoHfWAFfFex_dmj28nuyHyzbHs_mLMpwN9NjulOry6kCqQZRl9EQB-vYJPIZBBcWgHppTlCco31PJVCmp-186sFd9kF9i1fiYy3DBY/s400/P1010051.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5090802008737438994" border="0" /></a>Where the architecture sings the workers' praises even in the stairwells!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiusWgE-XQEmlsAub78O3HHtDMBtqneznbQZz7XsIZ2MaRwc_02V8JkNFLdGhTUT6FzCF1akTRbR0Q3rB6LCx6gTo5pSHbDssKU8e_zBvi6igVCiyW-jNmA90x_hSzI12a_OGvulbfE4pw/s1600-h/P1010037.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiusWgE-XQEmlsAub78O3HHtDMBtqneznbQZz7XsIZ2MaRwc_02V8JkNFLdGhTUT6FzCF1akTRbR0Q3rB6LCx6gTo5pSHbDssKU8e_zBvi6igVCiyW-jNmA90x_hSzI12a_OGvulbfE4pw/s400/P1010037.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5090803207033314594" border="0" /></a><br />Where one counts as blessed each day he did not have to press THIS button:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiKN9YLf-ljB8UXF9M882p3KVOhJfnf4OGxDCioMVqMB31oM-GkNIOnLFWk65K4_4NwO2pkAsip7jnUyyRbYq3c4hFbE5jTUT56sFOpARrXSx21qOMZrIjEX5sL1Cp6U0HBPOdcMkFG2s/s1600-h/P1010064.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiKN9YLf-ljB8UXF9M882p3KVOhJfnf4OGxDCioMVqMB31oM-GkNIOnLFWk65K4_4NwO2pkAsip7jnUyyRbYq3c4hFbE5jTUT56sFOpARrXSx21qOMZrIjEX5sL1Cp6U0HBPOdcMkFG2s/s400/P1010064.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5090798942130789586" border="0" /></a><br />Where Chinese and Korean tourists come by the busload to admire the greatest disco-kidney-bagpipe-pool-lamp fountain this side of the Urals!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTHHOI2kNyTflaLzONf0mqIRoc8Wr872JI46qX6PaFMxeRMWAce6KcevEJu3swQu7GsiHuANOXHl285ORHx1ipecZ0jjn_x5mJ8trPPvTYc5sCuTLEg-DDW02HVKJO147pSgV0Qo-Gd3w/s1600-h/P1010013.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTHHOI2kNyTflaLzONf0mqIRoc8Wr872JI46qX6PaFMxeRMWAce6KcevEJu3swQu7GsiHuANOXHl285ORHx1ipecZ0jjn_x5mJ8trPPvTYc5sCuTLEg-DDW02HVKJO147pSgV0Qo-Gd3w/s400/P1010013.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5090798950720724210" border="0" /></a><br />(Nice view, though:)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbK4f2f6EfRUcPqIRV1-vVBukkFgk-gSz1vOuZrFu4GIjbEBI5Goo73avNrHaRSlZIBuot7QrOZI8F1hHw6514VlEISQaQZfOY5dcFDvzcjv8g3gP-STdB5WwJC3_xCD9VrVX-C39SAwg/s1600-h/P1010063.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbK4f2f6EfRUcPqIRV1-vVBukkFgk-gSz1vOuZrFu4GIjbEBI5Goo73avNrHaRSlZIBuot7QrOZI8F1hHw6514VlEISQaQZfOY5dcFDvzcjv8g3gP-STdB5WwJC3_xCD9VrVX-C39SAwg/s400/P1010063.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5090805427531406642" border="0" /></a>Viet Pathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12375505800262373607noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3859612224905352496.post-74716139264478533932007-07-22T08:37:00.000-07:002007-07-22T09:02:54.945-07:00Out: Phnom PenhIn: Ho Chi Minh. It's good to be back.<br /><br />My Anh guesthouse welcomed us back; the (unofficial) Lotus Salad Place around the corner - inexplicably closed for a period before we left for Cambodia - is open once again; and it took just 20,000 VND ($1.25) to buy an alarm clock, available at 9:30pm on a Sunday night at the clock&watch shop three blocks away, to replace my CELLPHONE, which I LOST on the EFFING BUS TO SIEM REAP (and which I had been using as an alarm clock).<br /><br />Anyway. Much blog backlog ("backblog"? "blogback"? "blacklog"?), and still no photos of Ha Noi posted. I will save a Very Special Post for Ha Noi's Tay Ho Hotel, a place where it is always New Years Day, and which sheltered us for a week in its weird, weird Social-Realist arms. Also other stories as I remember them.<br /><br />In the meantime, if I had only one photo to illustrate urban street life in Vietnam, this is it:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuU3oPU15a915dfz4aUGOWg7vbNGlGA_vDloRd06hyphenhyphenoxd3DZeXsXIpTb36cB4SMoSmwv7SD2Xvl2LC0Zs2Uj5aeSEugWryVOdwgMYmDsz2LWWlosRswaO_SEt362zOhvN03Tx8kyuPy9I/s1600-h/P1010037_1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuU3oPU15a915dfz4aUGOWg7vbNGlGA_vDloRd06hyphenhyphenoxd3DZeXsXIpTb36cB4SMoSmwv7SD2Xvl2LC0Zs2Uj5aeSEugWryVOdwgMYmDsz2LWWlosRswaO_SEt362zOhvN03Tx8kyuPy9I/s400/P1010037_1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5090048413775682642" border="0" /></a>Shot in Ha Noi. Note the bullhorn on the front of the bicycle, out of which comes a looped jingle a few bars longs that I couldn't capture on film, but that everyone who has spent some time here will immediately know.<br /><br />I haven't processed Cambodia yet, but while I'm grasping for Essentials, the following is on the right track:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsfBDw4oMLShDs09btjj_aTTcdRzkFoHuItKTkswaTmZmo5Rrattihuu4eQj3n9c0jUGPowHI-FR3iQfNrWgmxwaJVL-83-TGhVewrlhp8mHKG4Jv-f35lepXHztc2VUTlQGeL3GZA8Vk/s1600-h/P1010010.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsfBDw4oMLShDs09btjj_aTTcdRzkFoHuItKTkswaTmZmo5Rrattihuu4eQj3n9c0jUGPowHI-FR3iQfNrWgmxwaJVL-83-TGhVewrlhp8mHKG4Jv-f35lepXHztc2VUTlQGeL3GZA8Vk/s400/P1010010.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5090048418070649954" border="0" /></a>The single largest age bracket in Cambodia right now is ages 10-14 (though this guy looks maybe a little younger). Gad Khmer children are cute. Midori suggests it's their flat noses.Viet Pathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12375505800262373607noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3859612224905352496.post-37996636559068167712007-07-02T09:52:00.000-07:002007-07-02T09:54:39.703-07:00Lost in Translation<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_3rJvyRQGjHlyIXCy0TcHAs884kHsiqrDLyReSasoOstp3cGXq0aH8URYNLk01pWlCya3jBP4Ub6gezafRXnuVdOvdSWbNskEnCHDD-fJ8pX3CEL6eh-2NeSYC9P2mgsQmHt-l5q-O-o/s1600-h/P1010011.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_3rJvyRQGjHlyIXCy0TcHAs884kHsiqrDLyReSasoOstp3cGXq0aH8URYNLk01pWlCya3jBP4Ub6gezafRXnuVdOvdSWbNskEnCHDD-fJ8pX3CEL6eh-2NeSYC9P2mgsQmHt-l5q-O-o/s400/P1010011.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5082638723580536626" border="0" /></a>After we left our third family visited in KG, I realized I hadn't seen the toilets in any of the houses so far, and, given the threat of water-born illness, I thought it might be good to check out. My request to our guides, however, who were quasi-government officials from the Women's Union, got translated<br /><ul><li>from "Tell me about those families' toilets"</li><li>to "I need to go to the bathroom."</li></ul> First we stopped at the above commode cantilevered out over the canal, which was very instructive. I took this photo. Because I didn't have to pee, I didn't, and we got back on our motorbikes.<br /><br />We stopped again after a few hundred yards at a modern, "permanent" house, and these nice, besuited women, accommodating their prissy charge's delicate Western sensibilities (no wonder we lost the war!), politely gestured towards the house, from whose resident they had received permission for my use.<br /><br />I like to think that they were relieved (har!) that I was not, in fact, being picky about my choice of facilities, rather than disappointed that they could not help me.Viet Pathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12375505800262373607noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3859612224905352496.post-62629481432091250322007-07-02T08:53:00.000-07:002007-07-02T09:52:08.941-07:00Kien Giang Province, and purpose<span style="font-style: italic;">now listening to: The Mountain Goats, "Going to Georgia"</span><br /><br />So the "other" Pat Thrasher, my aunt, e-mailed me to ask what, exactly, I am doing in Vietnam. A fair question, given that I have have not explained much in Crossing HCM. So:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuHhyphenhyphenTjEtsM9EmmihWevAm7fAM3XLb8m2aJtOD7IUIg5YY_h15N3In3airhCLYj0v2lJhJN9tLmJ2enTd8EOwJQbGwXycU-Kr8WfPfXrQGS5gNlUyVL0slYI4RGHRq0pZ6lC9K1XeY_m0/s1600-h/P1010006_1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuHhyphenhyphenTjEtsM9EmmihWevAm7fAM3XLb8m2aJtOD7IUIg5YY_h15N3In3airhCLYj0v2lJhJN9tLmJ2enTd8EOwJQbGwXycU-Kr8WfPfXrQGS5gNlUyVL0slYI4RGHRq0pZ6lC9K1XeY_m0/s400/P1010006_1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5082632109330900722" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJno54r3YosGfPaZZPhhQp1pYAkL_UQqAkbtkBRpUh2LPhcZ57HY3u50JaqEekXlT2SOe_tS5My0V_NFGODj7-6ggp_g2qAcnsV42p7cJGMDLdhn0KCKCsoPG8MVAMyxJ9v8tKUfPkzYc/s1600-h/P1010013_1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJno54r3YosGfPaZZPhhQp1pYAkL_UQqAkbtkBRpUh2LPhcZ57HY3u50JaqEekXlT2SOe_tS5My0V_NFGODj7-6ggp_g2qAcnsV42p7cJGMDLdhn0KCKCsoPG8MVAMyxJ9v8tKUfPkzYc/s400/P1010013_1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5082632117920835330" border="0" /></a>The Vietnamese government classifies these houses, and 48% of the houses in the overall Vietnam Mekong Delta, as "simple" or "temporary," which I take to mean, "will blow away in the next typhoon" (the last one, the equivalent of a category 1 hurricane, <a href="http://www.cnn.com/WEATHER/9711/03/typhoon/">leveled over ten thousand houses in 1997</a>; at over four people a household on average, that's a lot of homeless people).<br /><br />Another 43% of folks in the Mekong Delta live in "semi-permanent" houses, which I understand to mean that the foundation raises the floor above the annual floodline, and the floor will survive the next typhoon, but the walls and roof will blow away (or some similar combination). That leaves 9% in "permanent" housing. So 91% of the 17.3 million people in the Delta live in substandard housing.<br /><br />I'm here with Habitat for Humanity to crunch some of these numbers, systematically articulate the need for housing improvement in Vietnam, examine some of the larger forces at play in the real estate market at large, and get a handle on the policy framework surrounding housing and housing finance. In particular, Habitat is interested in developing its nascent housing micro-finance programs, and my <a href="http://isabette.blogspot.com/">Partner-in-Crime</a> is focusing most of her energy on the micro-finance industry in Vietnam, and how Habitat fits into that world.<br /><br />Habitat's longest running housing microfinance programs are in rural Kien Giang province, of which Rach Gia is the capital, so Midori and I trucked out there to see what's what. I encourage you to <a href="http://isabette.blogspot.com/">check her blog</a> for more photos and experiences; she was in the field three days compared to my one.<br /><br />Meanwhile, my Xeom driver in KG:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb4E2HojZh5PHRae3y4JMednfEpub3HCpMZuBk6I79fivvs_P1RnoFE-EX-cVgOdEBdkj18roMuTMT-_cxue2kPWMIOc8g4_YJFH38Mm4eKe5EXhT6UE9SonbLoPTye6w_bQ8IlciGepw/s1600-h/P1010005.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb4E2HojZh5PHRae3y4JMednfEpub3HCpMZuBk6I79fivvs_P1RnoFE-EX-cVgOdEBdkj18roMuTMT-_cxue2kPWMIOc8g4_YJFH38Mm4eKe5EXhT6UE9SonbLoPTye6w_bQ8IlciGepw/s400/P1010005.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5082638714990602002" border="0" /></a>Midori and I simultaneously taking photos at 30 mph:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3DspNEoFklIWMCPKMb_By1kaMKcqpCL7T0WPVLUsUh291lx_H4a-3Y7-cOTkBz24P0W6DxfuU2ZfZ4EIdxo2JiK6qsi9VFWl9IKhLcaR5TUFNoTlOwHTTo_firouihcTX7gvpmZN79oU/s1600-h/P1010012.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3DspNEoFklIWMCPKMb_By1kaMKcqpCL7T0WPVLUsUh291lx_H4a-3Y7-cOTkBz24P0W6DxfuU2ZfZ4EIdxo2JiK6qsi9VFWl9IKhLcaR5TUFNoTlOwHTTo_firouihcTX7gvpmZN79oU/s400/P1010012.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5082638727875503938" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs5vF0yvrpjjP6igc5AKZRKVVDin2csCu-b8W4KTzpAXaEM0zO2GwXTt8-tEAdHKDApsXEebOl1kyna9hDn4bLSoWxodZsnQj9MaBVIXvygwJtHX-uhxm6BgtU2H7ODexhte5xxLnBIDM/s1600-h/P1010010.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs5vF0yvrpjjP6igc5AKZRKVVDin2csCu-b8W4KTzpAXaEM0zO2GwXTt8-tEAdHKDApsXEebOl1kyna9hDn4bLSoWxodZsnQj9MaBVIXvygwJtHX-uhxm6BgtU2H7ODexhte5xxLnBIDM/s400/P1010010.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5082638719285569314" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgtWQ7guAERIGDkRLXP031x_BnfOPaDAoZNVXFAaq3EfhFLH_eCZ90u6Sd5elOJAsFAyNBcIMb38kiPzOouH3leBmqKGgFAUoBmJMBHiVL-epGekg4Mm3BDss7iorpWKlf9tWyf8HNkjs/s1600-h/P1010016.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgtWQ7guAERIGDkRLXP031x_BnfOPaDAoZNVXFAaq3EfhFLH_eCZ90u6Sd5elOJAsFAyNBcIMb38kiPzOouH3leBmqKGgFAUoBmJMBHiVL-epGekg4Mm3BDss7iorpWKlf9tWyf8HNkjs/s400/P1010016.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5082638732170471250" border="0" /></a>Viet Pathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12375505800262373607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3859612224905352496.post-40039888731956638392007-06-28T08:28:00.000-07:002007-06-28T09:21:22.350-07:00A Three-Hour TourMidori and my excuse for going to Phu Quoc was that it was "on the way" to Rach Gia. Rach Gia is a small fishing city that serves as the base of Habitat's operations in Kien Giang province, which in turn is a fairly poor, very rural southern province in the Mekong Delta. By "on the way" we meant one could fly to Phu Quoc, sit on the beach for two days, and then take a boat from Phu Quoc to Rach Gia. Unsurprisingly, the boatride was an adventure.<br /><br />To start it off, our hosts in Rach Gia had pulled some strings to get us on this boat, and the logistics of those strings meant we would take one company's boat, but the tickets would be waiting for us at a different company's office. I was pretty sure even from the onset this arrangement would end in failure. The company with the tickets - whose office is located, as far as I could gather from my attempts to find it at the dock, in St. Louis - even sent someone over to give the tickets to us. Some punk-ass other westerners ended up with the tickets instead.<br /><br />Props go to Midori, who made an ally early on with a woman in one of the booking offices. She ultimately found us <span style="font-style: italic;">one </span>ticket, which I thought should pose a problem, since <span style="font-style: italic;">two</span> of us wanted to get the hell off the island, but with some handwaving and, on my part, standing around looking incompetent in a way only an American in S.E. Asia can successfully pull off, we got on board. I was glad to contribute something to the cause.<br /><br />Midori got a seat in the passenger cabin, but when I tried to sit next to her, I was directed instead to a hatch in the ceiling that led, by way of the cockpit, to a covered area on top of the passenger cabin that was the manufacturers had probably not intended for passenger transport. It was small and crowded when I arrived - I got the only remaining seat on a bench - but just before setting sail another 12 or 15 people popped up through the hatch. It was sort of like the State Room scene in <span style="font-style: italic;">Night at the Opera, </span>but with a monsoon rainstorm that started halfway through the 3-hour trip.<br /><br />The storm did mean that I got to meet my neighbors (all of us on the windward side), as we all tried to shelter from the driving rain. This is how I met Tien:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi89OImMtA2hm3sNsugHVFCRfNiK9H3evqb5cbW-3YME3wshP1TpNxCKu0_47Ko7c9cvPj6igmmNjdv2tu9I54DCx-zaGRgQvS3ciiZWL8ApnhLwexT1L3FqqUWcsbCYyl_gbrbYjpMxZg/s1600-h/P1010017_1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi89OImMtA2hm3sNsugHVFCRfNiK9H3evqb5cbW-3YME3wshP1TpNxCKu0_47Ko7c9cvPj6igmmNjdv2tu9I54DCx-zaGRgQvS3ciiZWL8ApnhLwexT1L3FqqUWcsbCYyl_gbrbYjpMxZg/s400/P1010017_1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5081144500163290770" border="0" /></a>an 11th-grader from Cao Lanh City. She and her mother, aunt, and brother graciously invited me to their house if I'm ever in Cao Lanh. And Tien did an admirable job translating their questions, including, "Do you have a lover?" (They all responded enthusiastically when I pulled out a photo of Blair.)<br /><br />Righto. Some photos. The boat's crew at work during the storm:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibZhyMX7_Ug7ygwDQ0xP_9UpmWimevMmbcxWepl3I5SWncHKejnjIN69UXqqra_f7RAqYkAOzSJEQUQQAyVK6Dv7AZli4Mu3HGFQBbmQXZHC3TABWYTzbbTeDm9nGjXGJBZyViulkWcHM/s1600-h/P1010018_1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibZhyMX7_Ug7ygwDQ0xP_9UpmWimevMmbcxWepl3I5SWncHKejnjIN69UXqqra_f7RAqYkAOzSJEQUQQAyVK6Dv7AZli4Mu3HGFQBbmQXZHC3TABWYTzbbTeDm9nGjXGJBZyViulkWcHM/s400/P1010018_1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5081147313366869666" border="0" /></a><br />This photo makes it look less crowded than it was, since everyone is crammed to the left of the camera frame, on the lee side, to avoid the rain:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqaasH4GiubLpuUYq2DmR0xkJ7ouzBy2uKwz2Ppat-akYxFsDMpm6zEbZhvZJ6-kMp-1YJDY26Z8RZbftL5DUVi2y7C30t8jyzmQVAc1qbT-YvytAlP1uUVPoE5b74NSQ9w_RwF0lVlCE/s1600-h/P1010016_1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqaasH4GiubLpuUYq2DmR0xkJ7ouzBy2uKwz2Ppat-akYxFsDMpm6zEbZhvZJ6-kMp-1YJDY26Z8RZbftL5DUVi2y7C30t8jyzmQVAc1qbT-YvytAlP1uUVPoE5b74NSQ9w_RwF0lVlCE/s400/P1010016_1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5081147317661836978" border="0" /></a>Rach Gia, as seen from the Habitat offices:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0ZKZ6hAlNF-hFNR5pxAFctXdPPPUQgNZj_DpeBRlXbbqvMmLlyRUr7CpL6LtAa-mo-C3I0SMyzpknuZ05Z7scWrgCGlH3ZF1VEpsYxz1dDKUgb9Kkc3D9-Kn7AdLwIaO1Wsw0O6TaZnk/s1600-h/P1010022.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0ZKZ6hAlNF-hFNR5pxAFctXdPPPUQgNZj_DpeBRlXbbqvMmLlyRUr7CpL6LtAa-mo-C3I0SMyzpknuZ05Z7scWrgCGlH3ZF1VEpsYxz1dDKUgb9Kkc3D9-Kn7AdLwIaO1Wsw0O6TaZnk/s400/P1010022.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5081147326251771586" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv25MFZXlgKu5SYgJUkhBIRgZadONjlYuraIlE_PI20_W96NfDWNNFPjHibQhAoi76_iFnE5Fg-u5WDx3HvVhG394ApXrtDOO9mCHCZLoEc-RqI2hwl7gjZFr_fgKXr7IdqrGgJNcIblc/s1600-h/P1010023.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv25MFZXlgKu5SYgJUkhBIRgZadONjlYuraIlE_PI20_W96NfDWNNFPjHibQhAoi76_iFnE5Fg-u5WDx3HvVhG394ApXrtDOO9mCHCZLoEc-RqI2hwl7gjZFr_fgKXr7IdqrGgJNcIblc/s400/P1010023.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5081147334841706210" border="0" /></a><br />Citimart!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSqpYQ9NGdZedq0Oe0faEy36PBzx8rOtck-gZBRsHjq2LgdoZghCDRZYrD_OxVP0zzs1Pss-6aMLR1Opmcrsp3aAZ6YPJJLGa-GT7s-3mqgqw1QmlC6JRcRCKyrRNtl7-uC2BfQjOQ7f8/s1600-h/P1010024.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSqpYQ9NGdZedq0Oe0faEy36PBzx8rOtck-gZBRsHjq2LgdoZghCDRZYrD_OxVP0zzs1Pss-6aMLR1Opmcrsp3aAZ6YPJJLGa-GT7s-3mqgqw1QmlC6JRcRCKyrRNtl7-uC2BfQjOQ7f8/s400/P1010024.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5081147330546738898" border="0" /></a>All of the vacant land you see in these photos has (unlike vacant lots in most American cities) never been developed. It's all landfill, claimed from the Gulf of Thailand over the last twelve or so years. The center of Rach Gia looks like a normal city, but out here it's like a mall in a marsh. I particularly like how tall, skinny, and occasional the buildings are, an indication of the lots' size and the developers' dreams of density.<br /><br />Starting posts on Kien Giang this weekend: the road to Ha Noi goes through the Mekong Delta.Viet Pathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12375505800262373607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3859612224905352496.post-5130930186523708502007-06-23T19:39:00.000-07:002007-06-23T20:16:23.024-07:00We are the Best Expert! [Phu Quoc, part II]More photos from the island. I'm now about two posts behind real time. We're currrently in Hanoi, and I hope to begin those posts this week. Hanoi is Excellent.<br /><br />But first, the shout out, to the Olympus D-490 zoom<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyK5x34fQi_FprQy9VOjf8ik8ALiUoMz-bccWpV8pRqCSW5PMktFahFlso-dxVlEd49cuhCh7NHgpsTrpTktbQIQm0EzgH1132FteXqX011x49cjtSqgK_g2uPgL88KJNHDqUhUKMc_kA/s1600-h/41J4FXA0DNL._SS500_.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyK5x34fQi_FprQy9VOjf8ik8ALiUoMz-bccWpV8pRqCSW5PMktFahFlso-dxVlEd49cuhCh7NHgpsTrpTktbQIQm0EzgH1132FteXqX011x49cjtSqgK_g2uPgL88KJNHDqUhUKMc_kA/s320/41J4FXA0DNL._SS500_.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5079456219704986674" border="0" /></a>and to Robert Smythe, who gave it to me. It has taken most of the photos posted so far on this blog, and has served me admirably. Many thanks Robert, and well-done D-490.<br /><br />Okay. photos:<br /><br />We are the Best Expert!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Dk-ZNxdhoTmz0-NG3pF2Bf01IZPSCS2P0obEJldO0ANbiafhK7Jkdgqy4im9pEJOTP2d8skeSCMmYXxN4Kw7D2T2MGdpGKLDMWgboloajHyugyrNUV8mYeR0xzJ_sqDdELvrwPqDLuc/s1600-h/P1010008.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Dk-ZNxdhoTmz0-NG3pF2Bf01IZPSCS2P0obEJldO0ANbiafhK7Jkdgqy4im9pEJOTP2d8skeSCMmYXxN4Kw7D2T2MGdpGKLDMWgboloajHyugyrNUV8mYeR0xzJ_sqDdELvrwPqDLuc/s400/P1010008.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5079459810297646146" border="0" /></a><br />Some neat water effects. Again, I like the colors in this one:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXTXbj0YzVGzL2aFWqivniQ6c0MUC5XUsptOTPZyzd9Hejg7yDX-xm4NwDCycr_0LnnNRiC-dvFQnwrE0h424PHA2FjU4B_uA2-hABQfHmwNoGZWcdRSqEtfv-snIHlTFDk4LYnk2A5K0/s1600-h/P1010030.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXTXbj0YzVGzL2aFWqivniQ6c0MUC5XUsptOTPZyzd9Hejg7yDX-xm4NwDCycr_0LnnNRiC-dvFQnwrE0h424PHA2FjU4B_uA2-hABQfHmwNoGZWcdRSqEtfv-snIHlTFDk4LYnk2A5K0/s400/P1010030.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5079459814592613458" border="0" /></a>And this optical effect:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixwFgIIb0ZJBQ1hmQv0ezX1ccnHoO62PxbwYxDETgYFaibrOoW4YEhNbJYtfdQiiNSNGL82SshG-ZcozoAGiHnMrC2FHQMabMOlTsS-Vpjuwn1khBnhAhcdzxbtF_eZ3rlNtZ5NbnaR4A/s1600-h/P1010035.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixwFgIIb0ZJBQ1hmQv0ezX1ccnHoO62PxbwYxDETgYFaibrOoW4YEhNbJYtfdQiiNSNGL82SshG-ZcozoAGiHnMrC2FHQMabMOlTsS-Vpjuwn1khBnhAhcdzxbtF_eZ3rlNtZ5NbnaR4A/s400/P1010035.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5079459823182548066" border="0" /></a>Life on the beach:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbrr9Na4NNSi48af1oj76bhI2OskJ6LRyfU6lLhf4sZ_SgZVvLcQHtN9z7ZE8doyfZOCaeQLAWIG0kmEZZOoKtlM8u1LCjgifYUNDg3u4hNFX392mmlgw3aVWB98aXPqCOMpcfMAroGko/s1600-h/P1010052.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbrr9Na4NNSi48af1oj76bhI2OskJ6LRyfU6lLhf4sZ_SgZVvLcQHtN9z7ZE8doyfZOCaeQLAWIG0kmEZZOoKtlM8u1LCjgifYUNDg3u4hNFX392mmlgw3aVWB98aXPqCOMpcfMAroGko/s400/P1010052.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5079459827477515378" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghUJ0ObokpW0gsbTuoc9NoDFyeUvJp5_ggdSn7nbL_kwe3QCD4Wiw2tKlH2z2Mf187-5tB-reEBQhCpgiCaUY5eXHMu9HZPYjEaKCpIUaPgGEBkaAQS-Sadj9RG9w96qh4Gh1rNdz4gss/s1600-h/P1010055.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghUJ0ObokpW0gsbTuoc9NoDFyeUvJp5_ggdSn7nbL_kwe3QCD4Wiw2tKlH2z2Mf187-5tB-reEBQhCpgiCaUY5eXHMu9HZPYjEaKCpIUaPgGEBkaAQS-Sadj9RG9w96qh4Gh1rNdz4gss/s400/P1010055.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5079459831772482690" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2dm9f1Ztd0fDKdGJO5RdKGSvbiAwEV6eqICM9oISo_qgor0CeUbX20iHSggeOGjHa-q0H0ls8yXJyM00pDcIuaAEA5XudaywptIQC0me9sycdAVDJiwjNBXp3J3WdpF8lUxg-PBDt6XU/s1600-h/P1010052.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2dm9f1Ztd0fDKdGJO5RdKGSvbiAwEV6eqICM9oISo_qgor0CeUbX20iHSggeOGjHa-q0H0ls8yXJyM00pDcIuaAEA5XudaywptIQC0me9sycdAVDJiwjNBXp3J3WdpF8lUxg-PBDt6XU/s400/P1010052.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5079462099515214994" border="0" /></a><br />The view from my bungalow's porch ($40/night):<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqtlv9uCvm5k0-hfElKtH4_B9eOZ1y-Pq50d6FHqzUgEd_elBxOWWk5lxJl_54QY9nV7JYCMYYy87o7Ty5FwGv421ly-V7eoUy7SwPFcr6sCq49TJDluqRkYN-9KnYeK4cOQAA6k_6Qh4/s1600-h/P1010007.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqtlv9uCvm5k0-hfElKtH4_B9eOZ1y-Pq50d6FHqzUgEd_elBxOWWk5lxJl_54QY9nV7JYCMYYy87o7Ty5FwGv421ly-V7eoUy7SwPFcr6sCq49TJDluqRkYN-9KnYeK4cOQAA6k_6Qh4/s400/P1010007.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5079462103810182306" border="0" /></a><br />The bungalow, from the beach:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTPN4yVGfupaas5mDsemQaQsDx4XaCyQ6ovSYxwfFKodMGCMF8tfVWRooX31Q40UnyU4XVfZPUO3aldrq08vQNp2cokIMbR8HWQw-hssDQRBAcXWrdgJDu_zkPfCJcKcLfF_B5We4aPFw/s1600-h/P1010020.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTPN4yVGfupaas5mDsemQaQsDx4XaCyQ6ovSYxwfFKodMGCMF8tfVWRooX31Q40UnyU4XVfZPUO3aldrq08vQNp2cokIMbR8HWQw-hssDQRBAcXWrdgJDu_zkPfCJcKcLfF_B5We4aPFw/s400/P1010020.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5079462108105149618" border="0" /></a>The local flora:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMZH1jJmQuILX7Ydue6r7jAVzoubimJsS2wts6zdt3dZYZ88wPTWZpB68bDtysZGu2RJhKfg9Ny6wxIFaZuvW73o-EGtUC6EeKv90XMjsbaAAXvRU_roOt4F0owKEUyiI2yZ2MIuegOnY/s1600-h/P1010059.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMZH1jJmQuILX7Ydue6r7jAVzoubimJsS2wts6zdt3dZYZ88wPTWZpB68bDtysZGu2RJhKfg9Ny6wxIFaZuvW73o-EGtUC6EeKv90XMjsbaAAXvRU_roOt4F0owKEUyiI2yZ2MIuegOnY/s400/P1010059.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5079462112400116930" border="0" /></a><br />One of the groundskeepers outside my bungalow:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLyz9dUg_PfBZaCZSSgwMAeE9WQj2bIndNp0VK_nhlkyqi2ip2CmcN4Y-bVHKnv4YZK1oUutVGPJaJXIk1Q20YNxNgb_BOwAP6U4082I_FNoP-pmkYukIgKvCe3VrLsFiZ4R28S_ivdhk/s1600-h/P1010058.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLyz9dUg_PfBZaCZSSgwMAeE9WQj2bIndNp0VK_nhlkyqi2ip2CmcN4Y-bVHKnv4YZK1oUutVGPJaJXIk1Q20YNxNgb_BOwAP6U4082I_FNoP-pmkYukIgKvCe3VrLsFiZ4R28S_ivdhk/s400/P1010058.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5079462120990051538" border="0" /></a>I think he is mute - we communicated entirely by hand signs (if I hadn't seen him sign to others on the staff, I would have assumed he had figured out that hand signals were easier than trying to speak Vietnamese to me).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhae47-Cq-emhq5krp5t0Ocfg08UUbaKqEVFK23CcH6xb3xahfWGKMcw644Nah6aWnataBdpQE_4P67Nu7sqY8FH3V8V7wRKS2HMYI0rSVdx5K-I8Nx_Y4U48OIF_9YbBlIezadGlGfyAU/s1600-h/P1010004.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhae47-Cq-emhq5krp5t0Ocfg08UUbaKqEVFK23CcH6xb3xahfWGKMcw644Nah6aWnataBdpQE_4P67Nu7sqY8FH3V8V7wRKS2HMYI0rSVdx5K-I8Nx_Y4U48OIF_9YbBlIezadGlGfyAU/s400/P1010004.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5079464264178732258" border="0" /></a><br />Next, a boat ride, Rach Gia, and the Field.Viet Pathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12375505800262373607noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3859612224905352496.post-11312464686725810632007-06-19T08:38:00.000-07:002007-06-20T03:26:03.807-07:00Elemental?<span style="font-style: italic;">Now Listening: <span style="font-style: italic;">Silver Jews, "I Remember Me"</span><br /><br /></span>On our way to survey some of the project sites Habitat has in Kien Giang Province, in the Mekong Delta, Midori and I passed through Phu Quoc island. Phu Quoc is essentially off the coast of Cambodia, but during one of the many recent convulsive S.E. Asian wars prior to this relative calm, Vietnam laid claim to it. During the Vietnam War, the U.S. kept a prison for suspected V.C. on it; the prison is still in operation.<br /><br />We saw none of this, because we sat on our asses on the beach for a day and a half. I also took a Lot of photos. I'm trying to set up a Picasa account to post 'em on, but I'm having some technical trouble. So in the mean time, a smattering, and then later (I hope) a link to the rest.<br /><br />This is Midori (the smiling, non-Vietnamese one) immediately prior to boarding. We arrived at 3:45am for a 5:55am flight; the airport wasn't even open yet. More sleep and less caution next time.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg1waf6m3ZvBy48nRRdBCW_qdzGGxM5LmjmyOtfUGiX72A_Gw8woWOrOw5gxeu2FqFZSplJXsokoMlIQk9fxpIuhEnwmPjoc31CYBS5Itp_WzKM8-MkxdaUkGxSZow2UA8trlWNAqol_o/s1600-h/P1010007.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg1waf6m3ZvBy48nRRdBCW_qdzGGxM5LmjmyOtfUGiX72A_Gw8woWOrOw5gxeu2FqFZSplJXsokoMlIQk9fxpIuhEnwmPjoc31CYBS5Itp_WzKM8-MkxdaUkGxSZow2UA8trlWNAqol_o/s400/P1010007.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5077803116857527106" border="0" /></a><br />Uhm. Paradise?<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUz6GS1UoySYFkOpKHq8RFZQzs3txlA6kMe-LysQXPrXpVLkO-v-30Fro4BJpLYVASV2lhyphenhyphenStps2vpiPc3nJf-UEp0tMNbDC0reQLuc32R75nsb9muln_eaJ9L64WqfkE-01tredBeiL8/s1600-h/P1010011.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUz6GS1UoySYFkOpKHq8RFZQzs3txlA6kMe-LysQXPrXpVLkO-v-30Fro4BJpLYVASV2lhyphenhyphenStps2vpiPc3nJf-UEp0tMNbDC0reQLuc32R75nsb9muln_eaJ9L64WqfkE-01tredBeiL8/s400/P1010011.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5077803116857527122" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5oKk39Wm022qmQWMFSLRO4ej8st4DAU-seCdJS3fHkFua4LmsvSnCyMjEUOx7avY7UMjCIjNyqgxWVFmu7Et2jTztY0yjvOqaTqWHkm0jH1nOmKA8Tal0A2unIz7V4gsoftxxsC-ayCo/s1600-h/P1010026.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5oKk39Wm022qmQWMFSLRO4ej8st4DAU-seCdJS3fHkFua4LmsvSnCyMjEUOx7avY7UMjCIjNyqgxWVFmu7Et2jTztY0yjvOqaTqWHkm0jH1nOmKA8Tal0A2unIz7V4gsoftxxsC-ayCo/s400/P1010026.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5077806698860252066" border="0" /></a>Well, sort of...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjilUjfhsKCIFrI0LTHMXPaCxyG9X0I7J3pAxMwqiKTLRXjL6wHVf4zuJCtT_aE-VsejbvCQwYqamwcAj3IvKEltdaE2-8I8cmYb27J_UfdD503vd5jmkpslszkGfjl0aLggP0a18zx1rc/s1600-h/P1010041.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjilUjfhsKCIFrI0LTHMXPaCxyG9X0I7J3pAxMwqiKTLRXjL6wHVf4zuJCtT_aE-VsejbvCQwYqamwcAj3IvKEltdaE2-8I8cmYb27J_UfdD503vd5jmkpslszkGfjl0aLggP0a18zx1rc/s400/P1010041.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5077806746104892370" border="0" /></a><br />I like the woven boats,<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBjxLZqTujBqSwLsMJNKnaLw2i2NpV7sU3qUnfOArBffhNIoG3l9HZDXZxZgiZo5a7Yy_5Yew4aCDSabB7ZlyUnxOCyBFWoSse5NaH_-Z8BFFlBP91D0fbcehO1rZxu7BvGkI3fp1LHq8/s1600-h/P1010018.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBjxLZqTujBqSwLsMJNKnaLw2i2NpV7sU3qUnfOArBffhNIoG3l9HZDXZxZgiZo5a7Yy_5Yew4aCDSabB7ZlyUnxOCyBFWoSse5NaH_-Z8BFFlBP91D0fbcehO1rZxu7BvGkI3fp1LHq8/s400/P1010018.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5077806698860252050" border="0" /></a>and this blue.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyCzJwEEK5HxRU67RnweGs7nGjBltcqP0rtreBQt14_B1dA_WEhgcFoLobzhkLSFZj8LQNyhwCYOXlZcxVKY8oZZ7eUywyVYn8z98mcaCgB7GYKwK6ejDECwhJEEwdXoHoSn4tXLfByNo/s1600-h/P1010050.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyCzJwEEK5HxRU67RnweGs7nGjBltcqP0rtreBQt14_B1dA_WEhgcFoLobzhkLSFZj8LQNyhwCYOXlZcxVKY8oZZ7eUywyVYn8z98mcaCgB7GYKwK6ejDECwhJEEwdXoHoSn4tXLfByNo/s400/P1010050.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5077809821301476386" border="0" /></a><br />They're hard to see, but I pulled one of these guys' spines out of my foot after about three minutes in the water.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHvA2kSUd6ZBYvgpgomPDMJPmAplHQ7KNUl16JzPZJq0LBeXyBUb7iLn9yLDXstCq-SL6GjN2t6jUoB7BDBRo4095d6Wr0BW_ygCsf3X_hzmPPmeMnpucGpSYmm19APsFwGUMkwHP0d3c/s1600-h/P1010033.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHvA2kSUd6ZBYvgpgomPDMJPmAplHQ7KNUl16JzPZJq0LBeXyBUb7iLn9yLDXstCq-SL6GjN2t6jUoB7BDBRo4095d6Wr0BW_ygCsf3X_hzmPPmeMnpucGpSYmm19APsFwGUMkwHP0d3c/s400/P1010033.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5077806720335088562" border="0" /></a><br />And, of course, it's monsoon season:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7ltYHbbv8xcCc7NdJo8JcEd7bgGnFnVS-92LZ02K7nXNtDa3pz7vfJLzdI3sEjbVBsLNhT9nBCOVtSi9I4O2udCJoI29e2VQ1DaG2CtkM0aTK39ZQQl5CBT1f8WxGrz0bMP-ozIbTDCE/s1600-h/P1010049.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7ltYHbbv8xcCc7NdJo8JcEd7bgGnFnVS-92LZ02K7nXNtDa3pz7vfJLzdI3sEjbVBsLNhT9nBCOVtSi9I4O2udCJoI29e2VQ1DaG2CtkM0aTK39ZQQl5CBT1f8WxGrz0bMP-ozIbTDCE/s400/P1010049.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5077809748287032290" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Bhf3JwAJ5uivCSte8rR-MBwFn3GEownv6LA3gBWbiBhQU3nbqnTrjQjV4ATAMmEm18PDP3w6TvWS92u6tjMqGojzXaz5rng9Nq02Jamg4ksWaIJQgsc8cJnFOO5dcRSGGCPmCD54Jlg/s1600-h/P1010018.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Bhf3JwAJ5uivCSte8rR-MBwFn3GEownv6LA3gBWbiBhQU3nbqnTrjQjV4ATAMmEm18PDP3w6TvWS92u6tjMqGojzXaz5rng9Nq02Jamg4ksWaIJQgsc8cJnFOO5dcRSGGCPmCD54Jlg/s400/P1010018.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5077803129742429042" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1dFCc9KNh3QtXV7IvsMDK_hI8OoCWQnSRN1j-KQRdrz7I5o7ij9qRd8cMxI-shCVZZQSnQGRuPPNfV3fUcrWFuIG-ISDq1HJPIGcsWUnl0IOxcEDtHG0-eaqQA16f5c0Tm4KIUB__FPA/s1600-h/P1010054_1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1dFCc9KNh3QtXV7IvsMDK_hI8OoCWQnSRN1j-KQRdrz7I5o7ij9qRd8cMxI-shCVZZQSnQGRuPPNfV3fUcrWFuIG-ISDq1HJPIGcsWUnl0IOxcEDtHG0-eaqQA16f5c0Tm4KIUB__FPA/s400/P1010054_1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5077803134037396354" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLRKXalfMzBpVqh0XRt9-pbgDuAJA4MvaHhg9GSusPw3zXKArczz3Q9BsKMj6cTmURAEbwZXqWZvG0gOYFEyLcR2eZHGajA8fivEoour_5sIdB_ZrbI_dIKFh63aKoQVM9mYlySzqm1fc/s1600-h/P1010058_1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLRKXalfMzBpVqh0XRt9-pbgDuAJA4MvaHhg9GSusPw3zXKArczz3Q9BsKMj6cTmURAEbwZXqWZvG0gOYFEyLcR2eZHGajA8fivEoour_5sIdB_ZrbI_dIKFh63aKoQVM9mYlySzqm1fc/s400/P1010058_1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5077806724630055874" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSW4nriGlV6jI-Cq9Bcz9s2zN8wtNIl3E6-FvUX_-8M_4rKMUccvPXbqaeX5t4GXgh9G39kr7Ww9CbS_WNXQCJMBM10GvRJZBCaYu8BycpuUrZmTKd0Xa6QNBp6y5I1afXFbSIIwD1J_4/s1600-h/P1010013_1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSW4nriGlV6jI-Cq9Bcz9s2zN8wtNIl3E6-FvUX_-8M_4rKMUccvPXbqaeX5t4GXgh9G39kr7Ww9CbS_WNXQCJMBM10GvRJZBCaYu8BycpuUrZmTKd0Xa6QNBp6y5I1afXFbSIIwD1J_4/s400/P1010013_1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5077809786941737986" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsOhs0b10YwaIZUMzGJqUx1gjgDr2JnTfzNj10N3EpV2hGVQk8zYg38cXJLqIaQpgvYI4jDxQNqlwrbe2-629IPLpPVIPScSDhXrFm8Z8Pw_xTwT6Yp9rOaBL78X1l6FPbYs3f09LgLCQ/s1600-h/P1010007_1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsOhs0b10YwaIZUMzGJqUx1gjgDr2JnTfzNj10N3EpV2hGVQk8zYg38cXJLqIaQpgvYI4jDxQNqlwrbe2-629IPLpPVIPScSDhXrFm8Z8Pw_xTwT6Yp9rOaBL78X1l6FPbYs3f09LgLCQ/s400/P1010007_1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5077809778351803378" border="0" /></a>Finally...they are <span style="font-style: italic;">beautiful</span>, these cattle in the sand:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioeID100Vdoh6h-c47UsHjnr6ctVwz6l_tGOyAiWBw6caNWwUpZPUBdXHy6wcae4ImZmLWbb3evGnGo7dFEnJ7m9-5-3F4kQJUoTtz6inDtJIiTldVD4f23-f8sq57yeNFiEO4BStC8O0/s1600-h/P1010065.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioeID100Vdoh6h-c47UsHjnr6ctVwz6l_tGOyAiWBw6caNWwUpZPUBdXHy6wcae4ImZmLWbb3evGnGo7dFEnJ7m9-5-3F4kQJUoTtz6inDtJIiTldVD4f23-f8sq57yeNFiEO4BStC8O0/s400/P1010065.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5077809812711541778" border="0" /></a>I think I have plenty for a second post. Unless public outcry is overwhelming, I'll post more specific (and interesting?) photos tomorrow (I hope). Also, an overdue respect-is-due...Viet Pathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12375505800262373607noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3859612224905352496.post-5546481939092458292007-06-12T07:08:00.000-07:002007-06-19T09:24:21.073-07:00Pat's Night OutLast night I was invited out by Mr. Tan, whose friend (brother, perhaps?) was celebrating the opening of his new cafe in Nha Be District of HCMC:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje3CpI44Wt-jift6zOe9BtOPCiyWdKJp1NtfP6fLO3TBmqm5dHHT628Ocy3ThBKWuqSxgkFiIQ1vyZpLwiLIjxSlVPoyYFYuxhNV87vUO156_Zjxbsbm_cb2L9ukfYDIXhc5DscnRxYig/s1600-h/CIMG2641.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje3CpI44Wt-jift6zOe9BtOPCiyWdKJp1NtfP6fLO3TBmqm5dHHT628Ocy3ThBKWuqSxgkFiIQ1vyZpLwiLIjxSlVPoyYFYuxhNV87vUO156_Zjxbsbm_cb2L9ukfYDIXhc5DscnRxYig/s320/CIMG2641.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5075181017848482514" border="0" /></a>That's Mr. Tan, breaking it down on the left. You can tell he's an architect because of his black-framed glasses.<br /><br />Going out Vietnamese style is an all-male affair. Apparently on Friday nights men go out and drink themselves silly while their wives and mistresses wait at home for their husbands/lovers to come home feeling randy, presumably Not listening to Loretta Lynn's "Don't Come Home a Drinkin' (with Lovin' On Your Mind)." Anyway, so this outing was all men, and included many men dancing with other men, as above. And that's how -- VERY far from home, the guest of a friendly co-worker, with no reasonable way to leave politely -- I found myself in THIS position:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq3n-xWx5n7F2VugDKAGfw9G2jajDPHtkHHJyf5Hu4SlKADO6TTZ2FyBCB3sh7fdyvMPpzfirI-A1qu09ird_B2am2ZvUXfQj6UJupQa7kOdbE4QFrIdFfqJ0DU-N-gXVDyNFkFz41XHA/s1600-h/CIMG2649.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq3n-xWx5n7F2VugDKAGfw9G2jajDPHtkHHJyf5Hu4SlKADO6TTZ2FyBCB3sh7fdyvMPpzfirI-A1qu09ird_B2am2ZvUXfQj6UJupQa7kOdbE4QFrIdFfqJ0DU-N-gXVDyNFkFz41XHA/s400/CIMG2649.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5075185849686690530" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-mtiWr2zNkUT0MZfz3Vf5q8a7I4D6TdYjUM_q3-2IHkaO9jqJEfL82LxFYQE8leOPPN0WpS9mOnKPRfAsWq3dyw0m_CU4T-yRpekczCmPY5I2-a5T2nRQckm-vhVSyyi0Y4eLkmy7FtE/s1600-h/CIMG2653.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-mtiWr2zNkUT0MZfz3Vf5q8a7I4D6TdYjUM_q3-2IHkaO9jqJEfL82LxFYQE8leOPPN0WpS9mOnKPRfAsWq3dyw0m_CU4T-yRpekczCmPY5I2-a5T2nRQckm-vhVSyyi0Y4eLkmy7FtE/s400/CIMG2653.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5075185853981657842" border="0" /></a><br />Yes, yes, that's me twirling a very nice, very drunk Vietnamese man, whose name I do not remember. And, of course, I had a dance with my host, too:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7gXgEqxNZ8tEHDFxD4aJPykcWUImxX5dSPDnVWQRH-f8Yghj7FqmIs2fdurT13VN04M8EXRcmScybmfFpvWx358ZqjbcxsKR-Nvafvtb7t-ODW5QXiDxcz9GzpZaF6w67voUVw_pmJK0/s1600-h/CIMG2656.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7gXgEqxNZ8tEHDFxD4aJPykcWUImxX5dSPDnVWQRH-f8Yghj7FqmIs2fdurT13VN04M8EXRcmScybmfFpvWx358ZqjbcxsKR-Nvafvtb7t-ODW5QXiDxcz9GzpZaF6w67voUVw_pmJK0/s400/CIMG2656.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5075188542631185170" border="0" /></a>You may thank Luke, an engineer who's also volunteering with Habitat Vietnam, for the photos.<br /><br />After the dancing, Mr. Tan showed me and Luke around the house, parts of which he designed. Then Mr. Tan drove me back to his home (nearby) where his not totally-pleased wife let us in, and where I spent the night quietly fighting for space under a Winnie the Pooh blanket with one of Mr. Tan's children, who had snuck into the bed when I had momentarily risen to use the bathroom.<br /><br />I won eventually, but it was hard fought.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo7WXvLw-X0LbpsG6POkzJiNjKfzF9oZx4nBm4l8B24e-FlTk8Ca0C61kLVuJFn5B8Leo0dpF5v7a-ppKvDT97L7KMRuCPPECKhAeUSGwC2HjlLCXVsWpLRXbxPE72UBl7xnhIxmZWEzg/s1600-h/CIMG2642.JPG"><br /></a>Viet Pathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12375505800262373607noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3859612224905352496.post-31997310372878340462007-06-12T07:05:00.001-07:002007-06-12T07:08:11.222-07:00Why people live in Boston<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdAscVdCVeIe1ajhIgigKiIT8xQJ8rF5scyy2RwZ7gOID-JoT29bpj7W2czCb-qXx1TvWjZX9kp8XJo4m-can5GCowkW-PW3BZo58GY9Y7z2salnkvTN0ZxTkYngrjb2n_cYKsPulOsoU/s1600-h/weather+trends.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdAscVdCVeIe1ajhIgigKiIT8xQJ8rF5scyy2RwZ7gOID-JoT29bpj7W2czCb-qXx1TvWjZX9kp8XJo4m-can5GCowkW-PW3BZo58GY9Y7z2salnkvTN0ZxTkYngrjb2n_cYKsPulOsoU/s400/weather+trends.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5075179291271629490" border="0" /></a>Viet Pathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12375505800262373607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3859612224905352496.post-9939580743777772762007-06-10T05:59:00.000-07:002007-06-10T06:53:11.555-07:00Not Crimes: "Remnants"The Ho Chi Minh City "War Crimes Museum" has been rechristened, since my increasingly-unreliable guide book was published, as the "War Remnants Museum." Clearly the exhibitions remain as they were.<br /><br />Not many photos to post, since most of the exhibits -- save the odd helicopter, tank or miscellaneous ordance sitting in the gardens -- were themselves photos. But (if you'll pardon the soapbox for a moment) a single thought.<br /><br />Most of the exhibitions were photographs, and the museum admirably paid due to the photojournalists who took them, honoring those on all sides who died in the process:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFuKRB3sIzeae2H7lg1F6rXgP65O2l_76wLxf-LCUFFF2tnqqfuKHTHIFKeLmQPJU1Zugu233aMorVVcPMkdFJ8pKqx4hrmdkqvt1lyrXILEmfPgnSU6Blm9C1QQrkL06jRNhsIxPd6KU/s1600-h/P1010011.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFuKRB3sIzeae2H7lg1F6rXgP65O2l_76wLxf-LCUFFF2tnqqfuKHTHIFKeLmQPJU1Zugu233aMorVVcPMkdFJ8pKqx4hrmdkqvt1lyrXILEmfPgnSU6Blm9C1QQrkL06jRNhsIxPd6KU/s400/P1010011.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5074422019817867938" border="0" /></a>And looking around at their handywork -- generation-defining photos by Larry Burrows, Robert Capa, Henri Huet, et al -- it's hard not to think that at least their work stands as a testament to why they risked their lives. These folks sent home the images that revealed the Vietnam War as it was, gruesome, cruel, and futile, and it profoundly changed American perception of the use of military force (right? Right?). None of this is new, and others have phrased it better.<br /><br />So what I don't get is, journalists are <a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5163826">getting scuppered left and right in Iraq right now,</a> but I don't see what's to show for it. We are all aware, vaguely, of the media black hole that is Iraq, but after seeing, again and all at once, images that shook us as a country, it is TOTALLY SCARY that little of the sort is coming out of Iraq. The images that do make us shudder collectively have all eluded censors, to reach us through informal channels: Abu Ghraib, a botched hanging filmed on a cell phone. There are some mitigating circumstances: we have a professional army now, and the force deployed in Iraq is a fraction of the 500,000+ in Vietnam in 1968. But we know from a few reports that we haven't gotten any nicer as an occupying force, and certainly fighting wars hasn't gotten cleaner. This void, of information but especially of images, is a smear against both government officials who want to fight a war without acknowledging the mess it makes and media outlets that refuse to push them for access.<br /><br />It makes one wish -- I cannot believe I'm writing this -- that Life Magazine were still around.Viet Pathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12375505800262373607noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3859612224905352496.post-63539548678134883012007-06-10T02:14:00.000-07:002007-06-10T02:29:51.176-07:00A Day in the Life...Some photos of my basic life in HCMC:<br /><br />The view to the left off of my "balcony" (it's about 2'x2'):<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP3-3aJ5sAzfd9m8Z89I4SBOs3YvEtS-b6847rr6zMSPY00ZrQVxK-zaDR9AtQ_9Jrkgbf15LsKA27VCNSm-Y3Pm9O-XrUt6xHEHY3x8L_cm3hslXJFujHGbzn53jLuVEFJcCGqZrxcs4/s1600-h/P1010011.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP3-3aJ5sAzfd9m8Z89I4SBOs3YvEtS-b6847rr6zMSPY00ZrQVxK-zaDR9AtQ_9Jrkgbf15LsKA27VCNSm-Y3Pm9O-XrUt6xHEHY3x8L_cm3hslXJFujHGbzn53jLuVEFJcCGqZrxcs4/s400/P1010011.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5074362461506374242" border="0" /></a><br />The view to the right:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmtmuJzuFr5x3rC36PKa2pb5QDJ2I-HIUs6twK9QCXnUpXhsdMpyiMVSc3CtF1XHEUBK4Ww4qECBwt8QSbu7TtrfxSmh54HLWRM8fpXtdzo4xyTNGIpCpdffCmOnuQoI6XdwQhuyJ8Zko/s1600-h/P1010002.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmtmuJzuFr5x3rC36PKa2pb5QDJ2I-HIUs6twK9QCXnUpXhsdMpyiMVSc3CtF1XHEUBK4Ww4qECBwt8QSbu7TtrfxSmh54HLWRM8fpXtdzo4xyTNGIpCpdffCmOnuQoI6XdwQhuyJ8Zko/s400/P1010002.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5074364235327867522" border="0" /></a><br />My desk getting great warm light through the curtains, about 3pm:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit_OIClQJ-yLJStRlwmu71ACKLK24xGltENG6i7zglfG6RduT84gxUKTuePsGQ9olO4sgPmT5NRe-M-e4tFw5N9iq2sj2BHoiyztWzxnODkS5drVghv8Gb4_wxE1WlJBJ8pKyGt4jzQxI/s1600-h/P1010053.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit_OIClQJ-yLJStRlwmu71ACKLK24xGltENG6i7zglfG6RduT84gxUKTuePsGQ9olO4sgPmT5NRe-M-e4tFw5N9iq2sj2BHoiyztWzxnODkS5drVghv8Gb4_wxE1WlJBJ8pKyGt4jzQxI/s400/P1010053.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5074363462233754226" border="0" /></a><br />...and what I see when I shave:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii2UmBbZGaQrFemCwVmbpu9lekdQfAE3dYP2Jlg4KiuN11WR8kQ0cq3kr9s6ZD5lUj2hr3JnPs0-72XtG_MQULGXyjqoDOUFH1PJbiZ2975e6gb-GQ6Uyg860DjZ4KX7v0cEHxyJ9c49w/s1600-h/P1010035.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii2UmBbZGaQrFemCwVmbpu9lekdQfAE3dYP2Jlg4KiuN11WR8kQ0cq3kr9s6ZD5lUj2hr3JnPs0-72XtG_MQULGXyjqoDOUFH1PJbiZ2975e6gb-GQ6Uyg860DjZ4KX7v0cEHxyJ9c49w/s400/P1010035.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5074364239622834834" border="0" /></a>I'm definitely taller than the average VietBear.Viet Pathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12375505800262373607noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3859612224905352496.post-14689451559847782952007-06-08T22:36:00.000-07:002007-06-09T07:42:11.528-07:00INTRODUCING...My girlfriend Blair, who is off to The Gambia next week, for 27-months in the Peace Corps (go on -- try to find it on a map). You can read about her certain-to-be-zany exploits on her blog "the gambia on one blair a day":<br /><span class="on" style="display: block;" id="formatbar_CreateLink" title="Link" onmouseover="ButtonHoverOn(this);" onmouseout="ButtonHoverOff(this);" onmouseup="" onmousedown="CheckFormatting(event);FormatbarButton('richeditorframe', this, 8);ButtonMouseDown(this);"></span><br /><a href="http://wellmeaningwhitegirl.blogspot.com/">http://wellmeaningwhitegirl.blogspot.com/</a><br /><br />I've added the link under "Important Blogs & Sites" on the right. I leave it to you to figger out which one it is.<br /><br />This is what she looks like now.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_6RxV-qV8Ypo/Rmo-KguqClI/AAAAAAAAABE/OHBMI6vuJ24/s1600-h/CIMG0252_1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_6RxV-qV8Ypo/Rmo-KguqClI/AAAAAAAAABE/OHBMI6vuJ24/s320/CIMG0252_1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5073936280491526738" border="0" /></a><br />Note the cute cheeks and the warm smile. I'll try to post an "After" picture when I next see her - the Peace Corps can Do Things to a gal. I'm guessing she won't be wearing the sparkly dress...<br /><br />Okay food time now!Viet Pathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12375505800262373607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3859612224905352496.post-11825770373137351422007-06-07T07:55:00.000-07:002007-06-08T22:06:52.084-07:00Opinions Divided on Reunification HallMy guide book sez, "Reunification Hall is one of those take-it-or-leave-it destinations. Some like it, some hate it." He then goes on to make VERY CLEAR which is his camp: "...the rambling 'Hall exudes a sterile atmosphere and displays appalling taste in architecture and furnishing." Even giving him his normative perogative, I still think he's unfair:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxrVQLXzmvBO8us_YlzGgVDkcQ3_3b4bcvIZj0-B6Mf17qhgLV4vFGoiamqG6USsDm9k5oy3Uyx6JXcBWwFhug7sCLkBFKCMAaUsoB0rgKY280pzr0OGjVzfjF-lmwjbi-3UgkIqIx-aQ/s1600-h/reunification+hall.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxrVQLXzmvBO8us_YlzGgVDkcQ3_3b4bcvIZj0-B6Mf17qhgLV4vFGoiamqG6USsDm9k5oy3Uyx6JXcBWwFhug7sCLkBFKCMAaUsoB0rgKY280pzr0OGjVzfjF-lmwjbi-3UgkIqIx-aQ/s400/reunification+hall.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5073339121123592722" border="0" /></a><br />It's pretty commie on the outside, I grant, but the grounds are pretty, and those second-and-third story windows are great from the inside:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwvLV3Vm2xg2NsbB0nfxwk9QMXeJq41-iQiWuip6keOcSK0NnJp3r0Q21eeS5VV_sEekPi66UnifGli0Nr_-wSZ4VTljVFIko8pTlfsUUNHjdQA8M7T4H6_kKhWLzQELPGOwt0lIciPdQ/s1600-h/IMG_0956.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwvLV3Vm2xg2NsbB0nfxwk9QMXeJq41-iQiWuip6keOcSK0NnJp3r0Q21eeS5VV_sEekPi66UnifGli0Nr_-wSZ4VTljVFIko8pTlfsUUNHjdQA8M7T4H6_kKhWLzQELPGOwt0lIciPdQ/s320/IMG_0956.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5073924636835187250" border="0" /></a>Also, the open windows on both sides give great cross breezes, 'cause DANG it's hot here.Viet Pathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12375505800262373607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3859612224905352496.post-10778154205810495022007-06-05T07:21:00.001-07:002007-06-05T08:01:39.908-07:00How to Cross a Street in Ho Chi Minh CityPerhaps you already learned this skill, from experience in some other large city outside of the developed world. I have no idea if these conditions exist elsewhere (I suspect so):<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyjehlKBkIyoB7NFOTfldE4w5vTJ-ut3pp3COqbNXQRcz6GiU_FyyoPBn5UEMywiouT5sovqEh1vcOAw16wKCRNb5hVB_EvTsUyM1_lXrsxopLER0XoGLwsJj_A0g-DjqIl3po5EE5XIw/s1600-h/P1010003.JPG"><br /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyjehlKBkIyoB7NFOTfldE4w5vTJ-ut3pp3COqbNXQRcz6GiU_FyyoPBn5UEMywiouT5sovqEh1vcOAw16wKCRNb5hVB_EvTsUyM1_lXrsxopLER0XoGLwsJj_A0g-DjqIl3po5EE5XIw/s1600-h/P1010003.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 499px; height: 208px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyjehlKBkIyoB7NFOTfldE4w5vTJ-ut3pp3COqbNXQRcz6GiU_FyyoPBn5UEMywiouT5sovqEh1vcOAw16wKCRNb5hVB_EvTsUyM1_lXrsxopLER0XoGLwsJj_A0g-DjqIl3po5EE5XIw/s400/P1010003.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5072588923480967682" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br />During full rush hour, the sidewalk is also full of motorbikes. Really. Anyway, crossing the street in three easy steps:<br /><br />1) Step into the road.<br />2) Walk at an easy, predictable pace.<br />3) Do not hesitate, weave, avoid, shy, juke, or twist. DO NOT STOP.<br /><br />After a few seconds of forward motion, during which motorcycles will part around you like a school of fish, you will be across the street and ready for a drink. At least the first few times.<br /><br />Actually, I omitted the <span style="font-style: italic;">real</span> first step, which I learned entirely on my own:<br /><br />0.5) understand the pedestrian's place in the hierarchy.<br /><ul><li>Motorcycles will part around you.</li><li>Cars might go around you, conditional on them having space to do so (and the inclination).</li><li>Buses <span style="font-style: italic;">do not</span> go around you. That is not what they do. Buses go straight. They are Being-Unto-Drive-Straight. Going around you, or even slowing slightly, would cause existential crisis.</li></ul>All that being said, having traffic respond to you cooperatively as you step into the road makes you realize how a city is a responsive, living thing. It's Cool.Viet Pathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12375505800262373607noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3859612224905352496.post-61021015799670293402007-06-04T04:16:00.000-07:002007-06-04T04:18:59.614-07:00Sir! I exist!Yes. But the fact has not created in me a sense of obligation. or something to that effect.<br /><br />Photos and relevant posts starting tomorrow, including<br /><br />traffic in Ho Chi Minh City, and the naming of this blog; and<br />getting ripped off (episode 1).Viet Pathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12375505800262373607noreply@blogger.com0