HCM's revenge is still ravaging my body. I have no problem keeping things down, it's keeping things in that's the problem.
"What problem?!!! It's perfect, you can eat whatever you want and you just poop it out! Where's the downside?!!!"
I have to be chained to a toilet is the problem. And in this area, I'd be scared to just use any toilet off the street or in one of the street restaurant. *shiver* But I certainly am taking advantage of this misfortune by eating whatever the hell I can get my hands on.
It's been chilly and drizzly here in Hue so we bundle up to head up to the Citadel, home of the Imperial City. Cat wasn't feeling well so decided to stay behind and rest so that we can go shopping at the market in the evening. I've been coveting her Northface backpack haha. Hue is considered a backpacker's haven so there were a multitude of stops selling these packs. Janice, Rich, George and I start walking towards the Citadel. Cyclo riders abounded trying to give us rides but we've learned our lesson. We opted to walk, plus I don't mind the exercise.
As we crossed the bridge, my feet tread on freshly laid bricks and the sounds of jackhammers. Ahhhh the signs of progress. I looked over towards the river and saw a tiny figure hunched in the field picking greens. The dichotomy and significance of this scene struck me. This one scene summed up the inevitability of progress and how people live with change. It was bittersweet. Progress grants us efficiencies like new roads and bridges, but at what cost? How much are we willing to sacrifice and does what we lose outweigh the gains? I wondered what this area was before the bridge came to be. Possibly a vegetable field where this lady used to grow food for her family that now has her resorting to gathering what she can? Sure, I may be dramatizing but it's something I will be mulling over for a while.
The Citadel must have have been a sight in it's hay day. The last emperor inhabited the Imperial City up to the mid 1900's and is now a historical site undergoing restoration.
The moat encircles the outer perimeter of the city. We entered through the Southern wall and explored the remaining buildings. Most were destroyed during the war.
We left the Imperial City to grab a bite. We saw a parked cab, it looked like the cabby was taking a nap but as we approached, he waved us in and drove us to the other side of the river for lunch. The weather has turned even more chilly with then wind kicking up, brrrrr. Where the hell is the warm weather?!!! We decide to walk back despite the weather so that we can do some shopping. I'm still on the hunt for a Northface backpack, I will prevail!
I didn't find a backpack but I did get three paintings on silk for $3.50. Rich and George decide to book it back to the hotel. As Janice and I were strolling along the river, we saw what looked like a kid working hard on a boat. At first I took photos just to see if it was a child or an adult, but this was the end result.
It's interesting that some days are full of funny adventures, while others present scenes that strike a chord. I don't know how to feel about this photo other than it just seems so...right. It seems to exemplify the identify of Vietnam.
We pass a street food cart with something we'd never seen before, little flat round disk looking things that seem to have been fried. Janice and I wonder about it but weren't brave enough to try one, it just looked so....greasy. But as we get close to the hotel, we see another cart with similar pastries and there was a local on a scooter making a purchase. Hmmmm...I was feeling safer seeing others eat from the cart so decided to brave it.
[pic to be attached]
It was surprisingly good. It was coconut and sweet potato and piping hot, yummm. Back at the hotel we drop off our goods and Cat is up and about feeling better. I still wanted to hit the market to see about the backpack (it's become an obsession) so I swap out Janice for Cat and head back out. We get to the market and...wait what do you mean it's closed?!!! I guess these people do need to sleep at some point rather than cater to tourists but I need my backpack dammit!!! And we were leaving Hue tomorrow. Since we're not leaving until 11, the plan was to hit the market early.
As we crossed the bridge back to the hotel, we saw lights of a market! Excitement course through us at the possibility of a successful purchase. We browse the wares but it looks like we've hit a locals market. They were carrying some knicknacks but mostly clothes, jammies and underwear. At the end of the market street, a few food vendors were frying up some yummy smelling skewers of dumpling of unknown origin. Shall we try? Sure! It's been fried so how dirty can it be? We pick one that supposedly contained shrimp...wow, it was really good! I happened to see a rat scurry across the lawn by the cart and tried not to think on that too much.
As we get closer to the hotel, I got hungry again! What the hell?!!! It's like my body is trying to make up for all the calories I've pooped out. I decide to try local cuisine so we headed to a restaurant right across the hotel. Hmmm...bbq pork with rice vermicelli for $2. The food arrived smelling incredible. I look suspiciously at the brown wooden chopsticks and opt for a cleaner looking pair from the next table. I try the food and....wow, it was really really good! The bbq pork was perfectly sweet and savory especially with the peanut sauce. I finish the entire plate happily even knowing the possibility that HCM may rear his ugly head later.
Tomorrow we head to Hoi An on a three hour bus ride. My stomach felt pretty good today, I hope that hold up on tomorrow's ride otherwise, it'll be a long one...
No comments:
Post a Comment