Happy Woman's Day
Trip Start
Feb 04, 2009
1
20
31
Trip End
Apr 2009
Quang Tri, Vietnam
Monday, March 9, 2009
In the evening I was just coming down to get some food and there's another party in full swing, yet again a load of teachers. I was forced to join them (not that I minded) and once again I experience Vietnamese hospitality at its finest. Banquet of food (I'll have to list all the yum and odd things I've eaten at the end of this), bottles of Vietnamese rice wine, karaoke (yes more karaoke), and middle aged teachers dancing how middle aged teachers dance at a school prom. Good fun.
Of course it didn't take long for the 5 guys dancing to pull me up to get the party shaking, within a minute or so I got all 30 people up out of their chairs and in even less time the vodka and glasses were being passed around quicker than I could say "churm fuhn churm!!" (bottoms up/one hundred percent).
Eat your heart out Micheal Palin (and David Milliband).
Not only is the headmaster frantically asking the English teachers to translate something for him, so is the Chairman of the district I'm in. Now it makes sense why their suits fit them properly. We have a good chat for about 20 minutes (some of it on video) about how he hopes that all Vietnamese people I meet will be as friendly as this school (ha) of teachers and that relations between England and Vietnam can always go forward. Some other general talk and the conversation ended with him giving me his business card, insisting I call if anything happens to me within his district and his secretary will translate.
Swapped phone numbers with a few people that night. Didn't expect to be invited to one of the teacher's house to join his family for Woman's Day lunch, yet another banquet with some amazingly gorgeous food. After that he take's me to his neighbours garage and I get my bike fixed up (throttle cable came loose) and just get chatting (he's an English teacher and likes practicing) also another person looking out for me in case something happens and I need a local to sort it out.
Anyway.......
Shark fin soup
Steamed conga eel in beer
Shrimp in a tossed green mango salad
Chicken black pudding (wasn't sure if Chicken blood would be safe, but hey, I read this guide book that says not to eat green vegetables in a place like Vietnam, and only drink bottled water, well I guess I'll be immune to Sars by the end of this as I've had no problems whatsoever)
Best roast duck in Mandarin sauce I've ever had
Minced shrimp in rice pancakes
Oh, and a chicken killed about 5ft away from me as I ate my chicken and noodle soup. Lovely.
PS. Drove through my first mountain pass yesterday. Wow. Words won't do it justice. Perfect road, no one in site except a few school kids struggling up the hill and waving at me, the most beautiful mountains capped in clouds and the purr of my engine. I just started laughing to myself that I was here, experiencing this for myself.
