March 2007 Archives

VroooommmClickVrooooooooommmmmmm

Where are all these people going, quick quick?

Why they're heading to bia hoi corner, a part of the Old Quarter where three streets converge and there's a bia hoi stand on each point.

Just look for this sign and a buncha ppl drinking in front

Now what is bia hoi? Well, it's a locally produced brew that gets distributed daily to the various bia hoi stands throughout Vietnam. It's definitely a local tipple, costing the grand sum of 2000 dong (that's 12 cents US). That's right, 12 measly cents! Cinguliar charges that much to receive an SMS! You can find that much in your car underneath the seats. You can find that on the street back home (cuz 12 cents dun buy much). But in Hanoi, it can purchase one cuppa bia hoi!

Well, technically this is 1.5 cuppas but we'll ignore that

So how does one try? You approach, grab a chair to sit on and motion for "one". Who ever's on duty will pour you one and charge you. If you sit for a while and fit in, you can easily run up a tab of 10,000 dong! 5 beers at 2000 dong each. Break the bank lah!

It seemed on my visit (twice in one day) that bia hoi stands are the centerpoint of the neighbourhood.

To get a feel of the place, you gotta drink here, not just snap! In his defence, I think he did...

Besides seeing more close calls that any other intersection in Hanoi (maybe they're thirsty and thinking about getting a drink?), there's street theatre. 7 times I was approached to buy overpriced bootleg Lonely Planet guides. Twice, I was approached to purchase some fried donuts.

You eat donut, eat donut now!

And once, the Hawker Control unit (AKA shakedown squad) came by and made a LOT of people scatter.

You eat more vegatables, more veggies now! OK, not say lah...

The man who owned the stand I was drinking at motioned me to move my bike from in front to the sidewalk across the way. Good customer service! Try finding that in San Francisco where some places seem in cahoots with the parking nazis! In the end, I spent a total of 5 hours that day at the bia hoi stand. The first 3 hours, I stumbled upon it and enjoyed. Then a few hours later, I wound up there AGAIN with a couple of blokes from the hostel. How much did I spend? 26000 dong. That's a buck sixty four! What a deal!

That's a bloke from Oregon, me with 5 cameras pointed at me and the big boss of the bia hoi stand

Wealth = mobility and Hanoians luurve their motorbikes! For the last two days, I was one of them. For the sum of US$10, I hired a Honda 125cc bike (helmet and gas not included) and puttered around much of the city.

It's small but sturdy, 125ccs of vroom vroom

Made in Vietnam by Honda...

I decided to take the splurge after a day of walking around the old quarter and wanting to see more. Also I was not a big fan of walking that much. First reaction of most of my frens was "are you insane?" Here's a short clip of a typical pack of Hanoi riders.

You see, it's not really that bad! Just replace 7/8 of the bikes in the video with urban assault vehicles and reduce the driver skill level by 9/10ths and you're in San Francisco! Goods get transported on them. Families go out on them. People eat on them. Mobility, yeay! (take THAT Muni!)

Drive thru, Hanoi style

You can carry stuff like a 55 gallon oil drum

Or even the day's bia hoi (beer) delivery!

And as for crossing the street, what worry? Just pick an opening, make eye contact and walk at a constant speed. We will see you and ride around you. Don't make any sudden changes in your path, OTW you may be hit...

crossing the road for yet another bia hoi...

On the grounds of the Army Museum in Hanoi is the usual collection of war booty and exhibits. There's also a coffee shop that serves light meals and all sorts of coffee. It's very popular with young Hanoians, more popular than the shrine memorializing "the American war".

So there's a gaggle of girls having green tea smoothies with their motorbikes parked nearby in the shadow of a MIG-21. That's the peace dividend.

Hey y'all! I'm having pho for a late lunch.

Here's the view out the window.

Here's the pho:

It wasn't too bad. The broth was a bit more "beefy" than what I'm used to. Not as "zingy". The noodles were the flat vermicelli type. The beef was well done compared to the self cooking rare beef strips that come with the steaming hot broth. Not bad for a first meal.

Here's the place. More later!

I've got four frens that all turned 40 within the month of March. Typically, for most people, that's a cause for self-reflection and the beginning of the mid-life crisis (for any wisecrackers out there, there's no Porsche in my future). Here in the reality-distortion field that is San Francisco, it's just another special occasion, to rally the troops and to eat and drink well!

The pre-party began on Friday night where six of us assembled at the party venue for wine and steak. Bone in Rib-Eye! And some very fine reds. And last minute party-planning.

Hellboy cuts return! MMMMMMMEAT

After a salt and pepper rub and a thin coat of olive oil, off it goes into the All-Clad!

This is where wine, mushrooms and jus go. Reduction!

Dinner!

The next night's highlights (besides the attendees) included a BV Tapestry Flight. Bottles from 1996-2003 were to be opened and tasted. We opened. And tasted.

Part of Saturday's flight

The wine flowed...

...and was drank

Good wine and happy people

Just so you don't get the wrong idea about these parties, they ARE family friendly. For the first two hours.

Jeon and Son, Solicitors

Christine and a new fren (so shy lah)

This is more par for the course!

Kawaii ne? She wants to learn how to ride a motorcycle. Good for her!

From the left, David, Garren, Wal, Mark. March brats.

Typically, you knew the evening was winding down when karaoke began.

I'm singing i'm singing

Actually, our parties end like this, in a mugging!

When the evening started, this was empty

Unlike the previous parties, this was quite tame. Only about 2/3 of the usual suspects showed up, there was actually more wine at the end of the party than at the beginning and no one wound up barfing in front of the house. Also, there was no X-rated kissing and cleanup was almost Japanese in efficiency. Hopefully, since cleanup was easy this time, there'll be another party here soon!

Definitely! This was the meal this evening at the California Culinary Academy. They have a restaurant where you can dine while the chefs in training "practice" on you. When I say "practice", I mean cook for you. Look out! Food ahead!

This was so good, I forgot to take a pic of it before I started eating!

It was a medium/medium rare NY steak and lobster tail with a hunka smashed potatoes in the middle. Looks pretty too.

Dessert was a combo plate. Looks good and devoured quickly.

Oh yeah, there was rabbit food at the beginning, but since I wanted to rave about how good the meal was, I left this first part for last.

Rabbit food, how exciting...I mean HOW EXCITING!!

California Culinary Academy
625 Polk Street
San Francisco CA 94102

She's heading home to Tokyo, lucky gal!

またあいましょ!

At last there's another option for getting into Tokyo cheaply without a JR Pass!

Before, the two cheapest options for getting into Tokyo was taking the Keisei Skyliner (Y1920, 62 min) or the Keisei Tokkyu, (Y1000, 74 min). Both trains drop you off at either Ueno or Nippori Stations on the Yamanote Line.

Now as of 28 March, JR East is introducing a combo Suica bundle for Y3500 that has a one way journey on the N'Ex (Narita Express) for Y1500 and also has a Y1500 Suica card that can be used on all the other trains and buses in the Tokyo area. Y500 is the card deposit. The Suica card can be used in stores and some fast food places and can be recharged and reused like an ordinary Suica. It's a good deal since you'll be spending money in Tokyo ANYWAY on things like snacks and transport. With this deal, taking the N'Ex into Tokyo, Shinjuku or even Yokohama is Y1500! Now that's a good deal, and good deals in Tokyo are hard to come by. So now there's one less excuse not to go for Hanami!

Think of this as being JR East's answer to the Hong Kong MTR Tourist Octopus.

(hat tip: Mari's Diary)

So after my Friday night plans fell through (grrrr), I decided to do the San Francisco thing and geek out on the computer.

Walking Ixus has had the same look for three years; I figured it was time to freshen it up. Still working out some of the kinks, but the new sitemap goes something like this:

Archives and Categories are on the left.
Fun Stuff is on the right.

Kinda matches up with your left/right side of the brain thing, huh? Here's something else for your left/right side of the brain thing...