July 21: Visiting Ba Noi

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Bac Phuc (Thu’s dad), his wife, his brother, Chu Nga, and two cousins (whose names I never remember or keep straight – there are a lot of cousins) met us at the airport and picked us up late on the evening of July 20/21. Our flight landed at a little after 10PM, and then we had to get landing visas (not a problem since we had our paperwork and photos ready – I did find it funny that one guy seemed to be working the counter while three older people were “working” by reading the newspaper), go through passport control, get our luggage, and go through customs. Getting luggage can be a near death experience, it seems, with hoards of people pushing and pulling to reach their belongings, but somehow everyone seems to make it out with little more than scratches or bruises.
The heat and humidity in Vietnam hits as soon as one exits the airport. It wraps around like a soggy towel and refuses to leave. Surprisingly, it was better than expected. Having been to Vietnam before, we had psyched ourselves up for pure misery in the first day or two while we adjusted to the new climate; in reality, it turned out to be only mildly uncomfortable. And we were blessed with an air conditioned taxi ride all the way to Dong Nai. All the long, long, excruciatingly long way to Dong Nai.
The weary travelers agreed that the worst part of a trip – any trip – is the last few hours: close enough to know you’ll be there “soon,” but far enough away to know that it’s just not soon enough. The drive from Saigon to Dong Nai seemed that way. In my memory, the distance was only an hour. Reality, however, was something entirely different. Two hours of driving after spending so many in airports and airplanes just seemed like an eternity. The reason for the extended time was twofold: our driver was, shall we say, overly cautious – when semis are passing as if the taxi is parked, it means the car is a bit slow – and in addition the road is being expanded, repaved (or paved), and enduring other general improvements because the new international airport (whose first terminal will open in 2015) will be in Dong Nai. There is something we learned about road construction in Vietnam: it pays to be cautious. There were numerous pot holes that were large enough that there was no way around them: the van drove down into the pot hole and then slowly made its way out again. Is it considered a pot hole when the hole is bigger than a van? Some questions don’t need to be answered. In Vietnam, it is what it is, everyone does their own thing (as proven by the driver who decided that a particular barricade was knocked over so he might as well drive over it and use the newer-but-as-yet-unfinished part of the road).
Last time we came to Vietnam, we stayed in a house that Bac Phuc built for Thu. This time around, two of the cousins are using that house for a computer business, so we stayed in a motel. Actually, the literal translation is “rest home,” which is appropriate – a place where people rest. As it turns out, we were actually the owner’s first overnight guests and it took the Chu Nga a bit of convincing to get the woman to give us keys to our rooms. That was when Thu’s dad explained that he thinks this place is usually used by men who want to cheat on their wives – they come here for just a few hours, so they may “sleep” there, but there have not been overnight guests who might have need of a key. Unlike in the United States, where I would be very concerned about the cleanliness of such a place, this rest home was very nice – it had air conditioning (of a sort, when it worked), running water (cold, of course – there is no need to heat water in this climate), and a lack of bugs (a blessing). After preparing myself to face cockroaches every night, this was a pleasant surprise. Micah did admit later that his room had one cockroach – it was quickly eaten alive by ants and pieces were carted away.
Although we did not get to sleep until around 2AM, we were awake and ready to go by 8AM when Bac Phuc came to take us to meet some of the family for breakfast. One of my favorite things about visiting Vietnam is all the street food or food stalls available. Micah, it seems, was excited about this, too, because upon seeing all the options he exclaimed, “Vietnam, where have you been all my life?” Dong Nai has developed so much in the three years since we were last here and it’s very exciting to see. We can hardly wait to watch it grow and develop even more as it gets closer to time for the airport to open. One of the benefits of this expansion is the additional food options. For breakfast, the options are usually some sort of soup. We went to a place that specialized in a particular kind of soup that is similar to pho and then we walked a few doors down so that we could get ca phe sau da. The coffee in Vietnam is very different than in the States, even different than what one can buy in a Vietnamese restaurant. I’m sure it has something to do with different roasts. Whatever the reason, it’s good and we like to drink as much of it as we can – usually two or three cups a day.
After coffee, we hopped on back of the cousins’ motorcycles and headed to Ba Noi’s (grandma’s) house to see the family. Many family members were there and Ba Noi was so happy to see Thu. The cousins who were so little when we were here last are growing up (and there are more of them now). And the dogs (which I notice, being a pet person) actually look like pets now. Last time, there were plenty of dogs and they all looked like jackals, half-wild. This time, there were many more dogs and most looked like pets –cute little things. One I wanted (want) to take home – a little terrier with Doberman coloring whose back and hips are all out of joint and so he walks with a severe limp. Poor little guy! I gave him a bone and a belly scratch, wishing I could take him home and bring him to Dr. Nao.
Ba Noi and the aunts made an incredible lunch for everyone – walking chicken, which was cooked in hot peppers and garlic (yum!), noodles and fish. The meal was excellent, as usual. What I noticed the most, though, was that all the leftovers – including bones – went to the dogs. This makes sense because the dogs need to eat, there’s no dog food, and there’s no refrigeration to keep food from spoiling. The interesting part was that the dogs were fine eating everything, including poultry bones. We’re always told not to do that. Maybe these dogs, being a few generations closer to the wild, are just heartier. Or maybe they don’t live for over a decade anyway, so it doesn’t make as much of a difference. Who knows.
We stayed at Ba Noi’s for a while, laughing and hanging out with family members. This would, perhaps, be a little easier if I knew what was being said all the time, but thankfully I can get the gist of conversations as long as I am paying attention, and it’s nice to watch Thu and her family enjoy talking with each other. (Next time we return, three years from now, we are hoping to be able to speak at least some basic Vietnamese – Rosetta Stone, we hope you work!)
In the heat of the day, most things shut down and people rest. This makes perfect sense because it’s hard to see how anyone can work in such high heat and humidity. We returned to our rest home rooms, showered (again – thank you, running water!), and napped for a bit so that we would be well rested for dinner at Chu Nga’s. This is the uncle that traveled through Vietnam with us last time we visited and he is a lot of fun. He hosted a large gathering of family and friends to honor Bac Phuc and Thu’s visit. Now, in Vietnam, when family celebrates in this way, it usually involves a lot of drinking. Thankfully it’s with light beer, diluted with lots of ice. They did have Remy Martin, of course, but we were able to avoid most of that – we all had to have a shot (or share a shot), but then we could return to beer. The food that accompanied this party was impressive – mounds of pickled vegetables with shrimp and pork, sliced pork, shrimp chips, hot pot, beef with vegetables, and who knows what else. At the end of the night we were full of food and laughter and good energy – and I was very thankful that I was not responsible for cleaning up the mess.
The family will not let us walk anywhere, and so we need to wait for the cousins or aunts to take us on the back of their bikes to wherever we are going. In this case, the celebrating was a bit much for the cousins and so the aunts stepped in and took us to one uncle’s house. From there, he walked us back to our rest home. Of course we had to stop for ca phe sua da first, and by the time we returned to our rooms and had showered one last time the caffeine kicked in and we were ready to stay up and chat outside. Thankfully, it gets dark around 6PM in Vietnam, so the night before we were actually back in our rooms by 9PM, even though it felt much later because it had been dark for so long. It was a pleasant night, about 75 degrees with a breeze – almost unheard of during our previous visit. As we were talking, an uncle stopped by and delivered banh bao, a pork-filled pastry. Thankfully we had Micah to eat a number of them. I know that we are all much bigger than most people in Vietnam, but I am surprised at how much they think we must eat. Of course it is an honor that they take care of us in this way and for that we are very thankful.

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Photos

Breakfast
Soup is good for breakfast.

Ca Phe
Coffee tastes better here -- must be the weasels.

Feeding the dogs
Aren't the all cute?

Matthew & Micah on a bike
Micah had to learn how to ride "the right way."

After dinner
What a mess!