Vietnamese Street Food and Brides for Sale

We went to Vietnam with the goal of eating delicious and unusual street food. Also, Barry was experimenting with taller hair. There were chickens everywhere for the lunar new year.

However, everything was closed. Even the rusty chain store!

And the infrastructure, but that's a longer story.

We were confused. Bearly!

But we took to advice the words of St. Ruggle (which is fake news, since we have to be clear nowadays): "I will now that only those with inferior ability can always be at their best, and I am constantly not inferior. Constantly struggle struggle There will be constantly days when I MUST IN THE WORLD." (sic. and yay!)

So we made our own fun.

And we did manage to find some delicious street noodles.

Upon returning to Singapore, we found this (actually real). Here are some quotes from their website (still real): "If You have the heart, You come You meet and You have wife."
If you do not find any ladies that you like, we can go to Vietnam and search for suitable ladies for you.

Here are the quotes that were not on their website: "If you are a human trafficker, we are your one stop shop." "Want to buy a prostitute for life? We're here for you."
So, after 9 years, there are things in Asia I will never understand.

The best we can do is wash our hands with this confusing graphic, donate to an appropriate charity, and stock up on Corny, because 5 flavours are on sale.

---

Tet Balloons

Every time we've been to Vietnam, we've seen bunches of bright balloons. This time, it was near the Dragon bridge in Danang.

Many of the balloons were chickens for the occasion, and we saw more than one fly the coop.

So, what you do, is you dress your kid up warmly, because it goes down to 20C, and you get them a balloon. The kids below got theirs tangled together.

Then you try to get your kid to sit and smile for a picture.

This, like Santa pictures, usually doesn't work - robed child got away.

Despite rocking the pink blazer/short pants look, this kid isn't feeling it either.

Finally, a perfect picture. Except that these 2 kids are complete strangers - the one on the left is photo-bombing.

Barry started to suffer from balloon envy.

So we retired to the comfort of the local rice wine.

---

End of Sloth Season, Start of Chicken Season!

Well, the holidays are over, and the hand-painted ornaments are now moldy.

But luckily Barry and I looked festive in our matching festive sloth sweaters (Barry's is scrunched).

Barry is trying to cope with the January blues by learning to appreciate Tequila, which is not easy so far.

In Canada, we were enthralled by the middle eastern food, above (buckets of hummus and garlic sauce), and confused by the chip flavours below.

And revolted by the "If you could eat one burger before you die (because you would die quickly)" burgers with candy and deep fried cholesterol inside.

Air Canada, known to be flexible on timing, is here also making jokes with weather, or there's a deep freeze in Mexico.

But the biggest shock of the holidays was discovering Barry's dad, the professor's, until-now secret literacy issues!

We were back in Singapore long enough to see the re-decoration, now for Chinese New Year!

These chickens are surprised to be in a cage.

But this one has escaped with decidedly un-chickenly wings.

Also in Singapore, I saw Captain Obvious. He is standing in traffic to unnecessarily direct buses around his clearly broken-down car. He has not learned the "pushing it out of the way in neutral" trick that Canadians somehow know from birth.

And now we're back on our fabulous business trips. Barry is in a scary scary hotel.

And I'm amusing myself by learning about tamarinds. Did you know they are the only fruit with an exoskeleton?

---

Jakarta Holiday Wishes

Happy ice world from Jakarta!

Here, Christmas decorations are inclusive of bi-polar animals (seals, penguins, and polar bears), and various religions.

Nearby, there's a 6 story "tree" made of Star Wars spacey things.

Only the melty snow-donut dudes seem worried.

I was more worried about what pesticide and anti-mold solutions were required to maintain this gingerbread house in the hotel. Note the holiday mushrooms again!

Let's hope that Adi and Steph's marriages fares better than the festive Styrofoam and floral wedding signs outside our hotel after the storm.

Barry and I went to a traditional colonial restaurant.

We thought their representation of colonial times was more appropriate and less glamourous than elsewhere, with this picture of "Dutch Treason".

We had great food in Jakarta, but we missed the poorly-named Poutine imitation.

We had amazing sate. We may have gone back for more.

---

May your days be Barry!

This year, Barry has been ready for the holidays since October, but I made him wait before decorating with the traditional wine-making nutcrackers.

Singapore is bedazzled with lights and flying reindeer.

But some of the malls eschew tradition.

Happy Bunny holidays!

Naturally, the mushrooms have doors. Maybe this is where the elves go when they fall from the shelves?

Another mall has just plain got confused!

Yes, it's a whimsical underwater Christmas! No, I don't know whose whimsy this represents.

The decoratiosn are extensive, complete with glowy bubble blobs,

And scary protrusions, which glow at night, to harm those who have been naughty, I guess.

---