Thursday, January 28, 2010
Singapore and a New Hard Rock Cafe
Our trip to Singapore last week was sucessful. I had to spend hours waiting to see the Rheumatologist because I also needed lab work and then he was an hour behind. A book is a good thing to have. After seeing him and being told all was well I was able to refill my meds for another three months. We then left to go meet our friends for dinner. After another delay on the road, there was a seven car pile up, we made it back to their flat and they asked if we wanted to try the Carls Jr. We had not been to one since last home so we went to their local mall and I got my favorite chicken club and Mark had some huge hamburger. It turned out to be a little pricey but so is almost everything in Singapore. We spent Sat doing some shopping for things we cannot get in HCMC and I found a tension rod to hang my shower curtain. We could not find one anywhere in HCMC. It was too long for our suitcase so I ended up carrying it on the plane and after being asked if it was a fishing rod I told them no it was a curtain rod, we were cleared. Thankfully they did not think of it as a weapon !! Sunday we were able to attend our friends church and heard a great message and then we headed back to the airport for our late afternoon flight. We love getting away to the clean little country of Singapore.
Yesterday we had to make a run into District 1 for our Western food supplies. Mark had seen that a new Hard Rock Cafe had opened so we thought we would have dinner there. That was until we looked at the menu that was posted outside the door and saw that they wanted almost $20.00 US dollars for a hamburger and $7.00 for a milk shake. Mark refused to eat there. I was disappointed but agreed that it was a bit much. I guess they are hoping to attract only the tourist that will spend that much or the wealthier Vietnamese. Either way that is not us. We ended up at an Australian place that Mark likes. They do good chicken fajitas. I had a pretty good steak that was cheaper than the hamburger at the Hard Rock !!
Yesterday we had to make a run into District 1 for our Western food supplies. Mark had seen that a new Hard Rock Cafe had opened so we thought we would have dinner there. That was until we looked at the menu that was posted outside the door and saw that they wanted almost $20.00 US dollars for a hamburger and $7.00 for a milk shake. Mark refused to eat there. I was disappointed but agreed that it was a bit much. I guess they are hoping to attract only the tourist that will spend that much or the wealthier Vietnamese. Either way that is not us. We ended up at an Australian place that Mark likes. They do good chicken fajitas. I had a pretty good steak that was cheaper than the hamburger at the Hard Rock !!
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Monday, January 11, 2010
On The Road Again !!
Last week Mark and I flew up to northern Vietnam to Hai Phong. It was a two hour flight but due to airline cutbacks they cancelled our original flight and booked us on another leaving several hours later. I am learning to always have a book with me or my ipod for just such occasions. We were invited to share with a group of young people about dating and marriage. We were driven to our hotel about an hour outside of the city and well lets just say we felt like we were on a camping trip. The weather was much colder and because it is on the coast we had a lot of fog and rainy days. The hotel was older and we got the usual box springs to sleep on and as I checked out the bathroom I discovered wet towels and they were about the size of a wash cloth. I had our friend call and ask for more towels and surprise they brought us more of the same, our friend informed us that due to the cold and fog towels do not get dry and as for the size, oh well I guess we were lucky to get any. Have you ever tried to dry your hair and body with a mini towel, quite a trick ! We were also visited by mosquitoes, my face looks like I have been a fight. I have about 8 bites on my face alone, I am very sensative to them and they tend to swell up, its a good thing I am not vain. I would have had to hide in my room for days.
There were about 30 people attending the training. Most in their twenties or early thirties. All were leaders or workers in their groups. We shared for two and one half days with a question and answer time at the end. It was interesting to find out more about what their culture says about dating and marriage. There are still some marriages that are arranged by the parents but most have a say in the decision.
After our training was finished we took a 4 hour bus ride to the south to do some visiting. We rented a van and took four leaders with us to visit some homes. We were told some amazing stories of what they have to do to survive and the pressures they are under. Mark will share more in our newsletters. It is customary for them to serve tea to their visitors. We were even treated to lunch in one of the homes. After our fifth home I was pretty teaed out. They serve a very strong green tea, fortunately it is in very tiny cups. The last day of our trip we took a three hour bus ride back to the north and stopped at one final home. This family runs a cafe. They sell drinks and snack type food and because of the great soccer interest they have been able to buy a plasma tv for their customers to watch the games, he told us no smoking or alcohol allowed in his cafe. They served us a great lunch and then we hit the road for another two hour van ride to the airport and another delay of our flight to finally arrive home in the late evening. It was a great time of seeing the sights and hearing the amazing things stories of so many people !!
There were about 30 people attending the training. Most in their twenties or early thirties. All were leaders or workers in their groups. We shared for two and one half days with a question and answer time at the end. It was interesting to find out more about what their culture says about dating and marriage. There are still some marriages that are arranged by the parents but most have a say in the decision.
After our training was finished we took a 4 hour bus ride to the south to do some visiting. We rented a van and took four leaders with us to visit some homes. We were told some amazing stories of what they have to do to survive and the pressures they are under. Mark will share more in our newsletters. It is customary for them to serve tea to their visitors. We were even treated to lunch in one of the homes. After our fifth home I was pretty teaed out. They serve a very strong green tea, fortunately it is in very tiny cups. The last day of our trip we took a three hour bus ride back to the north and stopped at one final home. This family runs a cafe. They sell drinks and snack type food and because of the great soccer interest they have been able to buy a plasma tv for their customers to watch the games, he told us no smoking or alcohol allowed in his cafe. They served us a great lunch and then we hit the road for another two hour van ride to the airport and another delay of our flight to finally arrive home in the late evening. It was a great time of seeing the sights and hearing the amazing things stories of so many people !!
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