Mystery solved! At the urging of my neighbors, I bought a bag full of this mystery fruit from a fruit cart vendor and loved it. I didn't know what it was called until I saw a package of it at the super market yesterday. I knew the taste was familiar--it is tamarind! I was calling it the "peanut" fruit after the strange shape. I am going to miss all the variety of fruits and vegetables that I can get in Vietnam.
Saigon Post Office tile
These tile patterns were all part of the central hall floor in the historic Saigon Post Office. It was built by the French from 1886-1891 and designed by architect Gustave Eiffel--the same guy better known for the famous icon of Paris.
H'mong animals
The textiles from the Flower H'mong ethnic group were used to create these little guys. Nowadays, you can buy all sorts of products that utilize the old skirts meticulously hand made by the women in the tribe, such as bags, table runners, etc. In the past, the indigo design was intricately batiked. I'm having trouble verifying with the Vietnamese that the tribes still batik--most people tell me that the H'mong buy this cloth already printed to appear batiked and dyed with indigo. Nonetheless, indigo dying and hand embroidery is an important part of this tribe's culture. I hope someday I'll be able to visit the tribe and ask them myself.
Buddha by Lydia Miller
I met Lydia Miller at the International Ladies of Vietnam coffee morning. When she told me she was an artist and explained her inspirations and subject matter to me, I just had to check out her website. She has a wonderful eye for color, and her paintings have beautiful energy to them.
Dog Attack
On May 15th, Sadie and I were on a walk when my neighbor's very vicious Phu Quoc dog attacked us. We were both bitten, and my left tibia was bruised and fractured. I knew immediately that my leg was broken or fractured, but the French-Vietnamese Hospital released me after a simple x-ray and a rabies shot (yes, the neighbor's dog was un-vaccinated which meant that I had to safeguard myself against Rabies). I had to be half-carried out of the hospital that night, after being told by the Vietnamese ER doctor that my injury was insignificant. He completely missed my fracture (which showed on the x-ray) so he assumed I just bruised my knee, despite my protests that I was in immense pain, couldn't walk and the obvious tell-tale sign of having a melon where my knee once was.
After hopping around for a week, and being sick as a dog (no pun intended) from the rabies shots, I went to see an American family medicine doctor working in Vietnam. He order an Ultrasound, and then when that showed that my swollen knee was full of blood, he ordered an MRI. I had to go to a hospital in District 10 for the MRI, since these machines are scarce in this country. No one there spoke English except for the radiologist, who informed me that I had a fracture and lots of bleeding from the bone (hence the melon for a knee). I was handed my MRI scans, and sent on my way (walking-again). I limped out of that hospital and went home.
My family doctor called me late that night, and when I told him the MRI results showed I had a fracture, he had me come to his office early the next morning. My leg was splinted and I was given crutches (12 days after the accident!), and plans were made for me to fly to Singapore to see an orthopedic specialist at NUH.
The hospital and doctor in Singapore were fantastic--night and day difference from being treated here in Vietnam. No surgery was necessary, and I was able to go home in a few days. A little humour helped with the healing too: my night nurse's name was "Shita" and my day nurse's name was "Hwee Hwee".
Of course, there are no consequences in Vietnam for a vicious dog that attacks other animals or humans, or for it's owner. There are no laws for containing loose dogs or vaccinating them. The dog's owner insists that her dog wanted to "play fight" with my dog. The ignorance is overwhelming, especially when you think about what could have happened to a smaller dog or child.
The French-Vietnamese Hospital is sub-standard. Unfortunately, it is the only place I know to go to in an emergency where the staff can speak English.
After hopping around for a week, and being sick as a dog (no pun intended) from the rabies shots, I went to see an American family medicine doctor working in Vietnam. He order an Ultrasound, and then when that showed that my swollen knee was full of blood, he ordered an MRI. I had to go to a hospital in District 10 for the MRI, since these machines are scarce in this country. No one there spoke English except for the radiologist, who informed me that I had a fracture and lots of bleeding from the bone (hence the melon for a knee). I was handed my MRI scans, and sent on my way (walking-again). I limped out of that hospital and went home.
My family doctor called me late that night, and when I told him the MRI results showed I had a fracture, he had me come to his office early the next morning. My leg was splinted and I was given crutches (12 days after the accident!), and plans were made for me to fly to Singapore to see an orthopedic specialist at NUH.
The hospital and doctor in Singapore were fantastic--night and day difference from being treated here in Vietnam. No surgery was necessary, and I was able to go home in a few days. A little humour helped with the healing too: my night nurse's name was "Shita" and my day nurse's name was "Hwee Hwee".
Of course, there are no consequences in Vietnam for a vicious dog that attacks other animals or humans, or for it's owner. There are no laws for containing loose dogs or vaccinating them. The dog's owner insists that her dog wanted to "play fight" with my dog. The ignorance is overwhelming, especially when you think about what could have happened to a smaller dog or child.
The French-Vietnamese Hospital is sub-standard. Unfortunately, it is the only place I know to go to in an emergency where the staff can speak English.
Modern Vietnamese Calligraphy
Calligraphy written with Vietnamese characters :: This stylized work is by the painter Tran Dat, who is introducing a harmony between the shapes of Chinese characters and Vietnamese characters--which are based on the roman alphabet. If you turn the image on top counter-clockwise by 90 degrees, you can read the Vietnamese words. It is meant to be displayed vertically, so that it first appears as an ancient Chinese text. These four lines are from the poem "Travel in the South" by Nguyen Binh.
To the Vietnamese, calligraphic word writing expresses the soul of the people and their country. By using handwritten Viet characters, the artist hopes to make the Viet language more popular.
Art from Vietnam
I bought these two peices from Craft Link in Hanoi. It is a not-for-profit organization that seeks to assist small Vietnamese craft producers find market opportunities. The have sound basic criteria such as fair wages and environmental/employee safety and give preference to producers who are marginalized or disadvantaged. You can get some really great stuff here!
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