Same same but Different

The next morning I had my first bowl of Pho in Vietnam. Pho-ann tastic. I had tried it years ago in Toronto but I really enjoyed having the real deal. It was very satisfying having soup for breakfast. The coffee. The coffee really blew me away. It is a drip process that creates very intense espresso like coffee. Same same but different as they say in Vietnam. I was so excited by the coffee that I wrote down some tasting notes when I got back to my room.

Amazing! Big, chewy, earthy, musty, musky, sweet, chocolatety, nutty, mossy, masculine. Very unusual yet familiar. It reminded me a bit of the coffee from Lombok, Indonesia.

Later in the day I tried an iced coffee with sweetened condensed milk. Heaven. I also tried, what I think is the most amazing thing I have ever tasted. Fresh squeezed passion fruit juice. Sweet, sour, refreshing and so tasty. Nectar of the gods! Say my tasting notes.

Hanoi is filled with motor bikes and is crowded like most noisy Asian cities. It looks a bit different because of the former French occupation. Crossing the street is an art form, especially after a couple of stiff drinks. I found a quiet moody little bar, an oasis in these parts, and had two long island ice teas. The first one wasn’t very good so I showed the bartender how to make the next one. He doesn’t drink. I don’t trust a bartender that doesn’t drink.

But I’m willing to give the place a second chance. The manager is a beautiful blonde woman from New Zealand who said that she has only been in town for two months. Perfect. I can’t figure out why she would leave paradise for this place? I guess I’ll just have to find out why.

Earlier that day I was approached by a street vendor who tried to sell me a guide book. I refused. His next offer was opium. I thought it was funny that he went from a guide book to opium. I was beginning to wonder if there was something wrong with this place as I had not been approached by a single motorcycle pimp all day.

As I was walking back to my hotel at night a Vietnamese used-car salesman type guy with a snakey smile approached me and asked me if I needed a girl, an underage girl. This creeped me out but I was not the slightest bit surprised.

I told this story to a Swedish girl I met here in Nah Trang. She said I should have gone with him so that I could have gotten the address so that the police could bust him. With my luck the police would raid the place right upon my arrival and I would have ended up in the Hanoi Hilton instead of the Hanoi Opera Hilton. Explain that one to the judge. I just went there to get some information for you guys. Honest. Yeah, right. Lock that boy up and throw away the key!