Odds n' Ends

Howdy Hoi An

I put on my big (cow)boy pants and rented a scooter today and joined the street rodeo. An automatic Suzuki that has a few miles on it. 

 My motorcycles had a totally different weight distribution and turning radius, so it took while before I adapted to Susie. The road trips are not as daunting as I thought. The fact that there are virtually no road rules means everyone is focused on "anything is likely to happen so keep a sharp eye out." Left turns are a bit of an adventure mind you. I did an enjoyable run along the ocean and then back on the dikes through the rice paddies. 

I visited upstairs Mark's wine bar this afternoon. He sells higher end wine and a few beers and finger foods - olives, nuts, cheeses, goose pâté on crostinis etc. It was happy hour which meant a select wine list was discounted by 25%. He suggested the Pumo Negroamaro - an Italian red - which was lovely. I sat on the patio overlooking a channel of the delta. Mark has made wine and been a vintner in both S Africa and Australia and really knows his stuff. 

I met Eric there so we sat and chatted. He's a retired engineer from S Africa. He tutors kids in speaking English and it's very lucrative. The parents want their kids to get college degrees in Canada or the US. His wife is in Hanoi on a six month contract teaching young adults to speak English. She lives with their  daughter while in Hanoi. Their son is still in S Africa. 

When I left the bar it was dark and I discovered that the lights on the bike weren't working at all. I did make it home OK as the streets were well lighted.  I have not seen a policeman or woman since arriving so wasn't afraid of getting stopped. the motorcycle rental shop is 5 minutes from me so I'll do a switch tomorrow morning. 

Garbage is collected twice a week. I live on an alley that barely fits a compact car. So my "alley garbage truck"  collects and then on a wider street it transfers to a regular looking waste disposal truck like we have, but smaller. 

Saw this sign today, so I guess "bespoke" is not a pejorative term here. 

There could be rain the next four days, but forecasted to be late evening, overnight and/or early morning. The Lunar New Year is Wednesday so hope the rain holds off for the celebrations.