[text]While I was in Hanoi, I spent some time in Hoan Khiem district. Hoan Khiem is nearby the train station. I walked and thought and took photos. I was there to wait for the train that would take me home to Phan Rang. I wandered around the lake and that area. Near the lake, there is a well-known ice cream shop. Usually there is a long line, but at that time it was not busy. I got 2 ice creams…
[TEXT] txt1: “This morning I went for a walk in a pottery village.” txt2: “I was actually looking for a coffee shop and I didn’t know that I was in a pottery village. I kept seeing pottery studios and weirdly no coffee shops.” txt3: “Bat Trang is a traditional crafts village. There are many different kinds of crafts villages in Vietnam and pottery is just one kind.” txt4: “I’ve never seen so much pottery in one place. It was a…
I did my visa run by land this time. I booked with a company that manages the trip for foreigners doing this. We got on a sleeper bus in Nha Trang. I had never been on a sleeper bus before. I rode in that 10 hours to the Moc Bai border near Saigon. At Moc Bai, I stood in lines and went through all the exit and re-entry procedures. After that, we had to drive all the way back to…
I got off the train in the new city. The sun was very strong. The air smelled like a coastal city. The first meal I ate was banh canh. It was pretty good. It was different than the banh canh in Da nang. I have since found that this city has a lot of different foods. I went and bought a box and some sand at the pet supply store. My cat used them. What a relief. I was afraid…
I took the train from Hanoi to Phan Rang. I had been considering going by plane, but I ended up taking the train option. I’m glad I did. I was hesitant because I thought it would be exhausting. It wasn’t too exhausting. I was in a bed. I slept or watched Youtube the whole time. The whole ride lasted 27 hours and went most of the length of Vietnam. It feels like a long distance in a way that it…
I’m out of town now. I moved out. On the days leading up to it, I felt anxious. I couldn’t stop thinking, and I didn’t get much sleep. On the morning I moved out, I finished packing and cleaning. I took a photo of my full suitcase and my empty room. I said farewell to the people I met. Finally, I got on the bus to Hanoi. Q. What is your first thought when you wake up? Q. Have you…
I’m like that bug that hugs that tree. I hold on. The world moves along, but not me. The things I cling to now, these leaves fluttering in the wind. I am drawing flowers with a pen… and I’m stopped so still that I don’t think I’ll start again. Q. Do you feel ready for the future? Q. What are you holding onto?
At my work they’re doing a secret Santa. I drew a name from a hat and I know that the person whose name I drew really likes earrings. Today I’m going to go to a shop and try to buy some simple earrings. I’ll make banh chung ornaments and glue them onto the earrings. This morning was nice. I sat in front of a fire with my coffee and my cat. Someone was boiling papaya in a coconut, which is a…
One thing I would like to be able to do is to use a sewing machine. The auntie at the market whipped up this nice little dangly for my backpack. She made the strap from an old t-shirt. I rode my bicycle in the evening, looking for pictures to take. I found a nice little park with exercise equipment. I mostly just took pictures of the exercise equipment. Maybe I should have exercised. Q. What’s something that you’re proud of?…
On a dark, cloudy day, my wandering feet brought me Westward, over the bridge, to the outskirts of the city. There on the quiet highway is a historical stone structure. It is a beautiful structure, but in such an odd place. There isn’t anything else around. Up a dark stair to the top, I climbed and stood above the highway. It felt dangerous. People in the past lived with danger more than we do now. I would have liked to…