Preparing for Departure
I finally fell asleep sometime after 4 this morning and awoke to the sun coming through the glass backsplash in the kitchen. It was just after 7 and though I had only slept a few hours I felt surprisingly refreshed. The acclimation roller coaster was operating at full speed. Content for now to be up, I took the opportunity to call home.
While I caught up on events back home Diễm ordered breakfast. The smart phone has influenced every aspect of life here, sometimes it seemed even more so than back home, and you could order anything from anywhere in the city. To be delivered to your door in remarkable speed and efficiency.
As I finished my call home the food arrived hot and smelling wonderful. I have no idea what it was, I didn’t ask, I just ate. It looked like Mi Quang, could have been who knows. Diễm places our breakfast in bowls and we sat down to breakfast.
A whole braised shrimp, cooked in a manner where the head and shell were edible. A boiled egg, strips of pork, thick and tender rice noodles, fresh greens, Thai chili and a squeeze of lime and roasted peanuts. Accompanied by a light and very flavorful broth. All that was left in my bowl were the chopsticks.
After breakfast we began to pack for our trip to An Lao and beyond. There was discussion of potentially going into Laos and maybe Cambodia. I had a multiple entry visa as we were headed to Thailand in a few weeks and at this point anything was possible.
It was about 8:30 when we finished packing. Our transport wasn’t scheduled to pull out until 11 so we headed to grab a coffee or two. We headed back across the street to Le Petite Cafe, or go to coffee house near our apartment.
Coffee Break
Diễm and I both had milk coffee and little Xú had two scoops of ice cream. One strawberry and one coffee. I snuck a few nibbles of her dairy delight and I must say it was delicious. Extra rich and decadently creamy, the butterfat content must have been at maximum. When Xú had her fill, I finished it off.
After a couple caffeinated cups it was time to head to our pick up location. We gathered our luggage, locked up the apartment and climbed into the taxi waiting for us outside.
The taxi crossed the Han River and headed back towards the airport to the rendezvous point. We were only sitting at the cafe that doubled as the transport station for a few minutes when the van pulled up. It was the same van and the same two guys operating it from the last time I rode to An Lao.
Departure
They began packing the van with packages, supplies and even a 49” television. Vans like this cross cross Vietnam in every direction. They are couriers of not only people but goods. Cases of beer, building supplies, televisions and whatever else someone was willing to pay to have transported in our direction.
These clandestine postmen are the lifeblood of the villages and open spaces that fill the areas between the major city centers. There is a postal service her, but nothing as organized or resemblant to anything back home.
And so it goes, we would pick people up, drop people off and swap, drop and trade packages all the way to An Lao. It made for a slow and laborious trip in an already less than speedy highway system. However I will say this, their effectiveness was impressive.
We very rarely came to a complete stop. The sliding door would open as we rolled up, you got off or on and we kept rolling on. At one point we slowed down, the door slid open and like an old mail drop on a train, a bag of banh mi sandwiches was scooped out of the air. Lunch time. So I didn’t mind, I enjoyed the show, wrote a bit and mostly just sat present in the moment.
In an effort to put some perspective on distance and time in the rural areas of Vietnam, I wish to share some comparisons. The distance from Da Nang to An Lao is about the same as Atlanta to Montgomery, San Diego to Malibu and Washington DC to Philadelphia. I believe it’s safe to say that on any given day these trips can be made in under 3 hours without traffic or catastrophe. In Vietnam that same distance takes just under 6 hours. I do take into consideration stops and exchanges, but it’s still a slow going journey.
We arrived at the Home of my in-laws around a quarter to 5 in the afternoon as the sun was just beginning to set. As per custom I was immediately ushered in for my arrival bath, one must remain fresh and clean after all, and we prepared to head out into the village for dinner.
Dinner With The Family
As the sunset was complete and darkness had fallen the family loaded on a pack of motorbikes. We raced into the darkness of the village in search of something delicious. We found it in a small humble restaurant at BBC the entrance to the village. Ban Xeo and rice papers hit the table as well as beer and ice. Shortly after a bowl of those delicious warm Trứng vịt lộn were laid on the table. Vietnamese for balut or fertilized duck eggs, I couldn’t wait to crack one open.
We finished up dinner and headed back to the house. Diễm and I took a stroll through the village to see an old friend. It was wonderful to be back in the sleepy village. The smells, sounds, people and atmosphere never get old. It is good to see My father-in-law Ba again. Everyone always welcomes me with open arms and excitement. It’s only been three days on the ground in Vietnam and already it’s been amazing.
Click Here for a short film of our journey to An Lao
Click here for a short video of dinner
Click Here for more post about An Lao
