LIVING A LIFE EXTRAORDINARY
It’s not appropriate, no. But it is gosh darn delicious. Seen above are the bony remnants of a “blow skin chicken” dinner. According to American expat, food writer and new friend, Richard Sterling, the cook actually blows air (yes, from his mouth – sadly more details are fuzzy) between chicken skin and meat prior to…
I think it’s impossible – at least I hope it is – to be an American traveling through Vietnam and not be periodically overwhelmed with the thoughts, sorrows, guilt, tears, imagined horrors and ultimate futility of the Vietnam War, or as it’s called here, the American War. There are moments when I’ve been in a…
I’ve been no stranger to eating fish here in Mui Ne. Before sexy Russians in small bikinis and, well, travelers like me arrived, the town was a thriving fishing village. The fish are still abundant, with many now digested by yours truly. On the outskirts of Mui Ne’s busy stretch of geared-for-tourists restaurants (which are…
My first night in Hanoi, we sat at a sidewalk bia ho’i, a local hangout favored for drinking lots of home-brewed beers while perched on minuscule plastic stools a mere 6 inches off the ground. We were a bit puzzled by bia ho’i protocol, but decided to roll with it and see how things played…
After a whirlwind trip to a local supermarket on a mission to make merry, Ayaz and I have decorated our bungalow for the holidays. It’s lovely to spend the holidays in a bathing suit, but really I miss my family and friends tremendously, and want to wish you all the merriest of Christmases and the…
“Madame! Madame!”Their pleading cries (sounding like “Ma-DOM”) greet me like clockwork every morning, within minutes – but more often seconds – after I set foot outside my bungalow door. And more often than not, I smile and shake my still bleary-eyed head, “No, thank you.” First, it’s the fruit vendors. They arrive in Vietnamese style,…
I took out a broom and swept the floors of my beach bungalow in Vietnam yesterday. It was the first time I’d done any real manner of cleaning in 2+ months – the gift, I suppose, of living out of hotels and guesthouses. And yes, I’m still staying at a hotel, but as it happens,…
There I was, dangling upside down, at least 20 stories above the South China Sea at Vinpearl Island Amusement Park, eyes scrunched shut, belly clenched in terror, gripping the metal bars strapped across my chest with what I hoped could be classified as superhuman strength. In those minutes where I was uncertain if I’d make…
Oh, come on. Who can refuse a good Christopher Cross reference when it’s just parked at your Vietnamese doorstep? Post-gorging on street food in Hanoi, a trip to magical Halong Bay was in store. We chartered a trip, met a crew of fabulous Dutch, Germans and Italians and meandered our way among a smattering of…
I have loved Hanoi unexpectedly much. Here’s some pics, most to do with food – because I cannot STOP EATING. Oh lordy it’s good here!