Wanderlust: near temple, no onion

The only two things I know how to say in Vietnamese. . . near temple, no onion.

Vietnam for Christmas. It felt just like any day, well any day in Vietnam, so not like just any day, but definitely not like Christmas. On the eve we decorated our potted Norfolk pine with cranberries and popcorn and a big red bow for the top. We ate home-made (by me) pumpkin curry soup, focassia bread with goat cheese and layered grilled zucchini and red pepper, banana flower salad, arugula salad and spring rolls, with pomegranate and cava drinks; not the traditional Toussaint Paella or chilis en Nogados, but delicious none-the-less. It was 70 degrees and sunny, and no snow to be found except for the fake frosted windows and tacky sparkly tinsel that hung from the palm trees. . . surreal.

Hanoi itself is overrun with rats and motorbikes, probably the same number of each. The danger of crossing a road downtown I liken to wrestling crocodiles, it is possible you might not get hurt, but unlikely. Babies, being held between the mother on the back and the father driving, men carrying plasma TV's off the back of their motorbike, ten pigs in baskets tied on to the back, entire flower shops teetering off the seat of a moped. All the men and women with masks to keep out the thick exhaust.

The city is exhausting (exhausty and exhausting), if it isn't the thousands of mopeds, it is constantly haggling for a price, or watching to make sure someone doesn't steal your shoes right off your feet. We had a shoe shine kid follow us, and as soon as noogleson stopped, started buffing the thin strip of leather (pleather? leather uppers?) on her shoes and as she lifted her foot, took the shoe off! So there she is standing on the street, the dirty, rat infested street, one shoe on the other off. The boy takes out a piece of tire and begins to re-sole the shoes! It was pretty incredible, for 3 dollars, newly shined and resoled shoes. . .

Christmas Day: The fabric market is a maze of small stalls from floor to ceiling covered with bolts upon bolts of fabric. Some vintage because they have just been sitting there since they were new bolts and others lovely silks and cottons. Haggling over the price became wearing, and the choices and disorganization of it all did me in, in less than two hours. Leaving worse for the wear with red checked cotton and stretch navy blue thick blend with some thick woven silk. I was ready to be done making decisions and bargaining.

Off to Hoi An tomorrow where the yards of fabric will be transformed. Merry Christmas.