Vietnam, Time For Lunch

 

 

Having dispelled with deserts first, we are headed back down the Mekong River for lunch. Again, we get to witness life on the heart and soul of Southeast Asia.

 

 

We pass the local ferry as it is leaving its dock carrying a light load of passengers for less than about US$0.50 per person.

Other vessels traverse the brown waters of the Mekong some of them so laden with goods that they almost seem on the verge of sinking.

Although it sounds interesting, I hope one thing that is not on the lunch menu is water lily salad. We are told this plant that lines the river bank to prevent erosion is also used to make salads.

 

About 35 minutes of cruising the river and we make our stop for lunch.

On the property of the restaurant one of Vietnam's hottest cash crop is being harvest.

 

 

We are told that due to its popularity the price per kilogram has increased ten fold. I wonder quietly why my broker still has me heavily invested in pork bellies.

 

 

Vietnamese Lunch Plate

 

Our lunch is a typical Vietnamese meal with rice, meat, vegetable and spring rolls nothing special except for the plate of treats on the table.

 

 

As if an eyeball is looking at me when I break its skin, a few minutes later I am on the phone to Zurich, Switzerland.

 

 

 

 

 

Vietnam, Calling All Dentists

 

 

Besides all the cool stuff I am learning about Vietnam by touring the Mekong Delta, I discover I might have at least one thing in common with the Vietnamese people, a weakness for sweets.

 

 

 

As we watch syrup and another sweet being made, our tour guide points out that being a dentist here might not be a bad profession.

 

 

The resourcefulness of different cultures is amazing to experience as I have learned so much about the many uses the Vietnamese have for coconuts and rice. Even the kernel of the rice is used to fuel a fire for cooking.

 

 

This portion of our Mekong Delta tour ends sipping some Jasmine Tea with me have some regrets that I did not have the stomach to try the Medicine Wine. Maybe next time.

 

 

Norway, First Night Tromso

 

After settling in, Samuel one of the owners of Home Sleep gives me a ride into town. He is headed to the marina to meet his brother-in-law a fishing boat captain who has a fresh halibut waiting for him.

For me, the weather is surprisingly warm although it is still cold with a temperature of about 36 degrees. Samuel explains that it is actually warmer up here because of the circulation of tropical winds from the Caribbean. An odd connection that I would have never thought about. It is actually warmer here than in Minneapolis, Minnesota!

 

 

A stroll around town and the streets although showing signs of holiday decorations are quiet for a Tuesday night.

 

 

 

 

A stop at the Radisson Blu to book a tour for tomorrow and I am disappointed that the booking machine does not work. A local restaurant for a dinner recommendation is also a bit of a failure as the desk clerk informs me that most of the restaurants in the city centre do not serve traditional Norwegian cuisine.

A stop at a local convenience store and it's a slice of pizza for K$20 that turns out to be pretty good. Meeting a local student here that is having what seems to me to be an oversized hot dog wrapped in bacon and I get the local dining information that I am looking for. He recommends a local Norwegian Tapas style restaurant that is popular with him and his other college friends. I am already three bites into my pizza and decide it's my dinner plan for tomorrow.

 

More walking around the town and along the waterfront I stare across the harbor at the lighted Arctic Cathedral as highlighted snow capped mountains tower in the background.

 

 

 

A stop at a local pub to end the night and at about US$11 a beer I am going to have to curtail my drinking or owe Capital One a lot of money by the time I get back home.

Prices at a local supermarket are a little better as I secure some items for breakfast or maybe a midnight snack. As I discovered on my ride into town it's an uphill climb back to Home Sleep. I could still catch a bus back for K$40 but the weather is still nice enough for a walk.

Although I forgot to drop some bread crumbs on the way into town with the help of a local I manage to find my way back home around midnight. The skies are still cloudy and I spend the next hour or so making plans online for tomorrow. I arrange a Northern Light Chase excursion for tomorrow evening K$720 but will have to wait until Thursday morning for my dog sledding adventure as there has been so little snow so far that it is putting a cramp on the dog sledding activities.

As I retire for bed another look from the balcony and although the skies are starting to clear all I see is one lonely star, no Northern Lights.

Norway, A Few Days Without Sunlight

 

 

After about twelve hours of flying I am at 69 North, 18 East in “The Land Of The Midnight Sun” except I am here to experience life without a few days of sunshine.

 

 

 

 

Arriving in Tromso I am met at the airport by my host for the place I will be staying over the next few days. After dropping off another guest at a different location, I am driven to a “Home Sleep” apartment in a local neighborhood.

 

Here I will be staying in a private room sharing an apartment with a family from South Africa.

Already I feel like I am having a more real Norwegian experience.

 

 

 

A few minutes spent chatting with my fellow guests and my excitement has already grown at all the possible fun things to do.

Door sledding tomorrow where I can drive my own sled, a Northern Light excursion, Skiing & Snowshoeing so much to do.

 

 

For now, it's a walk into town for dinner then maybe time to explore Tromso's nightlife as I wait for the skies to clear and hopefully some Northern Lights to appear.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Arctic Cathedral Across The Bay

Vietnam, Snap, Crackle And ….

 

 

Having spent some time over the last few days on the brown and almost muddy waters of the Mekong River, what I am now looking at surprises me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mekong River Black Sand

 

I am standing a few feet away from a cooking wok type pot that is about one quarter filled with black sand that we are told is from the Mekong River.

This black sand is being heated with oil to about 180 degrees and will used to make our next sampling product, pop-rice. As rice is added to this black mixture and vigorously stirred we soon begin to hear the snap, crackle and then the pop as the black color disappears. The wok becomes filled with white pop-rice.

 

A few filter processes that involves a swinging sifter to remove the black sand which will be used again and I am sampling a handful of the warm, light and fluffy finished product.

 

 

 

Our guide then offers to take us back to Ho Chi Minh City but I along with a few others voice our opposition. I want to see and experience more of the Mekong Delta.

 

 

 

Vietnam, One Useful Nut

 

As a kid growing up in the Caribbean, the coconut has always been a sweet part of my life. From drinking fresh coconut water to enjoying homemade layered coconut candy, as an islander it is difficult to not have this nut be a part of your being.

 

However, it is on this tour of Southeast Asia and in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam that I learn so much more about the usefulness and commercial production of the coconut.

 

 

Did you know that in some countries (not in Vietnam) monkeys are used to harvest coconuts?

 

 

 

Coconut Purse

 

 

 

From coconut candy, that is not as good as the homemade one I grew up on and still enjoy as an adult, to ladies purses, they sure have found a lot of ways in the Mekong Delta to use this nut. It is almost insane.

 

 

 

 

Vietnam, Rice Paper

 

Our tour of a Mekong Delta village goes from discovering interesting wines to learning more about a product I would associate with Southeast Asia. Our learning begins with sample tastings of the finished products then we head over to one corner of the large open air shop.

 

In this corner, “weighing in at less than 110lbs”, we find a lone woman ready to rumble as she is tending to a sort of boiling pot oven. Stretched over this pot is a silk type skin onto which a mixture of rice powder and water is poured.

 

 

 

 

Making Rice Paper

 

 

Our tour guide claims to have done this process for many years but needs a little help as he is trying to give us a demonstration. When he tries to remove the tissue paper thin finished product, it falls apart . Even he gets a laugh when I give him my Trump impression, “You're fired!”

 

In the end, his work is tasty dipped in soy sauce and he still gets a thumbs up from me.