Motorcycle Diaries

Sunday, June 26, 2011

10:27 AM (Vietnam Time)

Definitely a lazy Sunday. Scott and I wake up at 9:30 am, which is late for us here. Last night we ventured out into the city and walked to dinner, where we had com ga roti (fried chicken and rice) and muc xao (fried squid). We headed back to the fancy Hai Au restaurant to order smoothies and to sit on the water and watch the sky change color from pinks to blues. It wasn’t completely peaceful because there was a wedding reception taking place inside the restaurant with very loud Vietnamese karoake. The people inside are definitely having a good time, even if their singing may not be as good as the time they are having.

I am slowly starting to feel more relaxed. The hospital is right across the river from the restaurant, and as I look over and see the ambulance rush out of the gates, it reminds me of any hospital back home. This comforts me somehow. And, somehow, in the fading light, the hospital doesn’t look as daunting.

A thought crossed my mind yesterday. I probably sound so funny to the locals here. I use all the wrong pronouns and leave out important conjunctions like “and”, “or”, and “but.” There is also a million different ways to address someone here or to address yourself. It depends on the age of the person you are speaking to, and I constantly mix them up, even within the same sentence. This is probably what I sound like, “Open today? Want to drink smoothie. Have soursop smoothie? From America. Figure money.”

3 PM (Vietnam Time)

Audrey's head

Scott and I took our first ride on a motorbike today, just the two of us. We rented it from the hotel owner for $6/day. We each took a test run around the neighborhood, and we rode off into the traffic of the city. Scott had rode one before, so the ride was smooth, and he was comfortable. We just rode with no destination in mind, but we wanted to go along the coast. We chose a street that just went for miles and took in the sights and smells of Rach Gia. I felt like we were in a scene from the Motorcyle Diaries. Two people trying to “find” themselves in Vietnam, both on one motorbike, zipping past the trees. The coast was browned with mud. I drove for awhile in a more empty stretch of street, slightly more cautiously and less smoothly than Scott. Sometimes I try to hold my emotions and joys in, trying not to get too excited. I think it’s a way of making myself feel stable. I could feel the enthusiasm bubbling up inside me as we rode.

We just drove and drove, the wheels eating up the miles. All the while, the sun was beating down on us, and even through the breeze created by the speed of the motorbike, the heat was almost too much to bear. We circled back into the city, in search of a banh xeo restaurant that Dr. Man recommended. We could not find it, so we headed back to the hotel. Scott circled us around the neighboorhood and showed me where he walked yesterday. Along the river, past huts, houses, and bikers slowly lugging their living, we gently explored Rach Gia. Mobility is liberating. 

Excited to be on a scooter #1

Excited to be on a scooter #2

Cruisin'

7:05 PM (Vietnam Time)

Tonight for dinner, Scott and I went to a new restaurant, Banh Xeo Thanh Nhi, recommended by Dr. Man. Having the motorbike for the day, we headed off without having to call a taxi. The restaurant was large with a courtyard of bamboo trees shooting through the center. It felt like we were eating in a jungle. They only had 4 items on the menu, banh xeo, banh khot, goi cuon bi cha, and something else that looked crunchy and delicious. We ordered 3 of them. They brought out a beautiful basket overflowing with rau thom, most of which I had never seen before. There were leaves of all shapes and sizes, of all textures and flavors. We wrapped our banh xeo and banh khot in the leaves and folded in herbs like basil and mint among others. What we got was an explosion of flavors and aromas. If I haven’t said it already, I’ll say it now—Vietnamese food is nothing without the rau thom. Satisfied and full, we headed off to chase the sunset. 

-Audrey
See the rest of Scott's full-size photos here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sbauer810/sets/72157627011360334/with/5855972348/

...and we caught it.