Preserved vegetables of Hanoi

Had a little adventure - my luggage didn't arrive with me the first day. It was left in hong kong cos I only had less than one hour stopover because the fucking secretary was not only stupid, she was lazy to check the time difference when booking my flight. Very unglamourous traveller was I; who frantically washed her underwear with soap; sans make up to work (praying clients won't be there to wonder why a dirtbag with funny smell is listening to the research). Whoever said biz travelling is fun must be joking.

Other than that, I really like Hanoi. Very simple, open and laidback, much like Thai people. There's alot of Chinese influence here because the China government supported the North to fight against US forces. Its traces are left in the architecture, buddhism belief in moderation as a way of life and mindset of the people - the men, chauvinistic and stoic; face having to be upheld that the women suffer a pretty hard life under the men. They play multiple roles (as such is with most of SE asia) of mother, wife, caretaker of parents & parents-in-law, she is the master of detail - all details of life. While the man has 'bigger picture' to preoccupy himself with, which is basically - nothing much other than bringing back the dough :P Even my translator who is a Hanoi woman jokes if it is the right decision to have married her husband. She shared with me that she will raise her son differently, to encourage him in the future to share the household chores with his wife; she doesn't want her future daughter-in-law to lead a similar hard life as her. Their feminine wiles stripped away by reality of living day by day in drudgery, they accept their lives and try to find optimism, especially for their children. This is totally in contrast to my moderater Lien Phuong (pronounced as Lian Feng) who lives in Ho Chi Minh city (south). Her eyes shine brightly, full of energy as she speaks of her daughter who she is trying to raise to be a woman - both feminine, not overly independant and hard to ensure she is never too independant, whose mirror sibling is can be loneliness; yet able to be decisive and choose her life away from being under the thumb of a man. Same with her son who is to be born in July, he should be a man to take care of the family, using his strength to protect and not to oppress. A precarious balance this is... And this may be the ideal role of a man and woman, each embracing their root character, complementing each gender.

But we all agree: the smartest woman is one that pretends to be a little dumb and uses her feminine wiles intelligently to soothe her man's ego by making him feel useful and strong, yet slowly persuading, shifting him to her way.

I ate at a small stall near the research agency I was with but stuck to hot steaming pho (fur with silent 'R'). No preserved stuff or silkworms...for me although I was tempted to try but will not risk it seeing there will be another three more days of work to go. Will just have to behave. It is amazing to me though, that preserved vegetables are served at food stalls - reminds me when I was young preserved vegetables was a familiar whiff in Chinatown - it means food is never wasted.

Motorcycles in Vietnam are like bicycles are to China. Public transportation slow and infrequent, everyone wants to be in better control of their time. So motorcycles are everywhere, weaving through the traffic recklessly. Families of four traveling to and from work, girls hugging their lovers tightly while cruising, farmers transporting a cage of piglets at the back.

Such is life here, strong tasting like preserved vegetables leaving a lingering taste on your tongue; you try to savour its simple taste like how you will want to remember everything about Hanoi.