A visit from my American friend Andy has been such a breath of fresh air for me here. We traveled to Ho Chi Minh City last week to visit the War Remnants Museum and the Independence Palace. We also bought some decent beer in Ho Chi Minh City, the first time since I've been able to buy interesting beer in Vietnam -- there isn't much in Bien Hoa. We ate at a top-notch seafood restaurant in HCMC, the Ngoc Suong. Typically and unfortunately, we were hassled by a couple of HCMC's finest: a motorcyclist purposefully swerved to nearly hit me, Joanna and Phuong while I was carrying Joanna on my shoulders; we had just come out of the Ngoc Suong and were walking on the left side of the small street when the helmet-less creep came from behind us to pull his intelligent maneuver or "joke" or whatever it was. The second incident on the same walk to our hotel was standard stuff. I was forced just off the sidewalk by a motorcyclist when a car parking on the curb refused to stop for me and Joanna. I had no choice but to hold my ground with Joanna and the car stopped about two feet from my legs. Andy said it reminded him of the guy who faced off with a tank in Tiananmen Square in 1989. Aside from the boorish behavior of the motorists, almost everyone here has been extremely civil and welcoming to Andy. They should be. He's one of the kindest and brightest people I know. In addition to being a quality photographer, he plays an incredible harmonica. In fact, gift-bearing Andy arrived here with a harmonica for Joanna. Our daughter has decided to be shy with Andy, clinging mostly to my wife Phuong when Andy is around, but Joanna took to the harmonica immediately. (The video of her jamming is on Facebook since videos can't be uploaded to blogspot.)
The Independence Palace showed mainly offices, conference rooms and the opulence which the South Vietnamese government enjoyed during the war. The War Remnants Museum displayed weaponry and countless disturbing images from the war. The museum showed the conflict from the perspective of the victors, which is rarely seen by Americans. The United States had 58,220 military personnel die in the war, while some estimates put the number of total Vietnamese deaths at about 1.5 million. I found the War Remnants museum fascinating. I recommend it.
Andy and I are planning a trip to Hanoi this week for more sightseeing and museum visiting. I've never been to Hanoi, so I'm really looking forward to it. Sage Andy made the observation that this stage of our lives should be about experiences, not about acquiring "stuff". We're both in our 60's. Like I said, his visit has been a breath of fresh air.
On a culinary note, we ate so much delicious seafood at the Ngoc Suong that I didn't even have room for dessert, a first for the White Monkey. The staff at the restaurant was wonderful to Joanna, who mostly wanted to look at the fish tank. She discovered the grouper we had for the main course and ate with gusto. I enjoyed the meal and margaritas so much that the moto-drama afterward didn't even upset me.
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Andy also had endure a tennis match between me and Phuong. The heat wasn't as bad as usual, a mere 90 degrees fahrenheit, which was more grueling for us than our guest. We'll play again Sunday. Andy wants to visit a Catholic church and attend mass, but I've warned him the church is hot and the services are long and extremely serious. We'll go to Vincom and then see about the church service.
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