Almost end of week round up

We've been back from Ho Chi Minh city since Sat and I'm still dreaming of the pho. Connor loved pho. We were at this pho shop just a few doors away from our hotel. I ordered pho with the works - soft tendons, tripe, beef brisket, slices of beef. Dear Hubby shuddered with horror and ordered the safe gwailo option which is broken rice with pork chops. At the next table, the same scene was played out - local girl orders pho with the works, gwailo guy sticks with meats that he can identify. Connor ate almost all of my noodles and the beef slices. So Mummy was kinda hungry since she only had a few spoonfuls of noodles left, the tendons and the tripe. It's very hard to eat things like tripe when your husband is staring at you in horror so I passed.

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I'm absolutely convinced I have Vietnamese heritage. There were a lot of people on the streets who looked just like me, more than there are on the streets of KL. (There were also plenty others who looked more Chinese than what we think of as a typical Vietnamese.) At every shop, I was asked politely and shyly, "Ma'am.. are you Vietnamese?"
I said to Dear Hubby that I'll have to learn the Vietnamese for "Sorry I am not Vietnamese." and do the same in Thai for when we go to Phuket. He said, "Why don't you just learn to say 'I am Malaysian' and learn just ONE thing?" I don't understand. It's two different languages innit?

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Vietnamese girls heart Connor.

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I've got the bloody Chanel bag itch again. *sigh* Maybe because my birthday's coming up. The last time I had the itch, it was during Christmas. Funny how my handbags itch normally coincide with gift-giving season.

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Had lunch with F today. She's married to G who is a good friend of Dear Hubby's and works in the same office as him. I took her into a pre-loved designer bag shop and she said to me, "I never knew such places existed in KL!" I said, "Oh there are a few, I know them." She gasped, "No! Really! You *have* to take me to them!"
My apologies upfront to G for introducing his wife to more credit card unfriendly activities but perhaps it's payback time for the Jag he bought. Teehee.

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We may be headed to Jakarta end Sept, tagging along Dear Hubby again for work. I never thought I'd say this but I am delighted to be going back to our adopted city for a visit. I'm sure I'll change my mind once I get stuck in a stupid macet but for now I am hoping the trip is on.

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Hello from Ho Chi Minh City!

What an interesting city this is! We touched down yesterday morning and waited half an hour at the airport for Connor's visa. Just when Mummy couldn't wait any longer and had just announced she was going to the loo, they called our name and we had to go pick up the visa. Had to tahan until we got into hotel room.

HCMC reminds me of Bangkok + Jakarta. But it's not as crowded as both and a lot, lot cleaner than Jakarta. Mummy and Connor have been out walking, popping into shops along the way. I've just bravely ordered a take-away bowl of pho (their most delicious beef noodles) from a roadside shop and will have it for lunch. We ate at shops along the way yesterday and we've not been sick so I figured what the heck. All of my friends who've been here have eaten at the road stalls and not been sick either. Then again, it takes quite a big ugly bacteria to floor a Malaysian tummy.

I'm getting to be quite the expert at crossing Vietnamese streets. As far as I can tell, there is no such thing as right of way. They do obey traffic lights albeit quite reluctantly. I was quite worried at first as I had Connor in his stroller. But after a few roads, I've realised the advice I've gotten off old hands is true - just walk out. As long as they can see you, they'll know how to avoid you.

We went by the Roman Cathedral today and peeked into the Post Office. What glorious architecture the Post Office had! We walked past the Opera House but that was shut so I couldn't go in. We also walked past the old US Embassy but it was also shut. I took pictures of it from the gates. Wish we could have gone in because they had a fighter jet on display in the grounds and Connor would have loved it.

We went to a street night market last night. It's like Walmart but out on the street. You can do your weekend shopping here. There's a meat and fish section, a deli bit, bread, toiletries, nappies, baby formula, clothes, toys, vegetables, fruits - all sold from little stalls packed neatly and tightly from top to bottom with stuff. People just rode up on their bikes, shouted out their orders and the seller would hand it over before the rider zipped off. A ride-thru supermarket! I loved it.

If you want something more upmarket, I passed by plenty of stores with LV, Marc Jacobs, Tod's logos on them. But I didn't fly all the way here just to look at stuff I can get anywhere else in the world. I like the little stores like the one we saw selling old watches and a stuffed (erm, if that's what it was) turtle.

Last night, we ate at a shop called Red Hot Wok. I don't know where it is because we were just wandering along and saw the sign. To reach it, you have to walk down this little alley. We had two dishes. One of them was definitely steamed fish with ginger, soy sauce and spring onions. The other... I'm not very sure because it was Dear Hubby who ordered. The menu was in Vietnamese, Chinese and bad English. He pointed to something and I didn't get to see what it was. He thinks he ordered chicken in black pepper sauce. I think he actually ordered frog in black pepper sauce. Because 1) I never found any chicken bones 2) the meat texture was all wrong 3) the looks on the waitresses' face when he pointed to it.

No taxi driver I've met speaks English but all are very friendly and very good at driving in this haphazard traffic system. Everyone I've met thinks I'm Vietnamese and will prattle happily away to me. Next time I will learn the Vietnamese for "Sorry, I am Malaysian". There are plenty of Malaysians and Singaporeans around though, I can tell from their accents when they speak.

Oh and we went by a shop that was selling beautiful silk dresses. Dear Hubby picked out a few for me to try and so did the seller. After kissing me goodbye, he went off to a meeting. The seller told me with a smile, "He loves you very much. He good man." Yes indeed.

What a lovely time we've had. Eating and shopping - just the way to make my world complete.

Off to Vietnam this week

The Top Monkey family are headed to Vietnam this week. Dear Hubby has meetings to attend and decided that we should all come along.

I've never been there even though I've always wanted to visit the country. The reason is I have always suspected my heritage is part Vietnamese. My ancestors came from Hainan Island, China and if you look at a map, Hainan Island is off the coast of Vietnam. I have often been told I don't look like a typical Chinese. When Dear Hubby showed my picture around the Vietnam office, the general reaction was "Oh your wife looks like Vietnamese!" My family name is not very common among Chinese (it is however a very common surname on Hainan) but I've just discovered that it's the 3rd most common surname in Vietnam and is the name of the emperors of the longest-ruling dynasty in Vietnam.

I am looking forward to the trip... especially since Dear Hubby has been talking about how cheap it is to get tailored clothing there! Friends have all said Vietnamese food is great and I'm always ready to try new foods, hehe.

Can't wait for the holiday, I could do with a break!