Today began somewhat mundane, again, until Hung came up to wake me up. I remember that I was dreaming rather vividly, but I can't remember about what. Oh, well.
The girls were ready to go out and get photos taken. I didn't think a ton about what this would mean, but being the deductive genius I am, I've concluded that only a grade A numbskull would think a photoshoot, of girls, on the beach, would entail anything but a couple lovely ladies in bikinis.
I contributed a little, but I didn't exactly come prepared. I still ended up enjoying it quite a bit. I should have had my legs sunscreened, and my pants zipped to shorts so I could get in the water more. Linhh and Thảo posed while Hung and I shot, and Hằng watched and was regularly assailed by the ocean.
The photoshoot went well, although Hung probably knows better, as he could communicate better, and thus get more and better shots.
After some further shenanigans with the tailor, I finally got my shirt. It's okay. For $25, I'd probably prefer to get it back home, but I may have been able to get a better price or better service elsewhere. I don't really know. Regardless, I donned the thing and for the night we chose to go to Da Nang (30 minutes north) and stay there for the night in a hotel.
Hằng actually lives here, so she went home while Linhh, Hung, Thảo and I stayed in the hotel.
Hotels and homestays and hostels in Vietnam are all their own unique strange thing. This hotel is just one of a kind. It's the sort of high-end thing that has the name on everything, electronic locks and keys, and an HD TV in the room. It's about $30 a night, which at home would be spectacular. Here, it's a bit pricey, so the fact that I'm splitting the cost with Hung is comforting. They also have a breakfast "buffet" tomorrow, which I will critique excessively when the time comes.
I'm going to attempt to list the toiletry related things they have in the bathroom. There's a comb, a shower cap, a box of cotton swabs, soap, a toothbrush with toothpaste, a razor kit...there are at least two other things, maybe three, that I'm forgetting. It's ridiculous. I left my toothbrush back at the homestay intentionally, completely forgetting first that I really do want to brush my teeth every day, and second that almost every place I've stayed (and even a couple of the flights I've been on) provides a free toothbrush and toothpaste. This hotel, high-class as it is, is no different.
You must forgive me for getting ahead of myself; we arrived directly at the hotel when we came to Da Nang, but before we actually went to bed, we went out to eat at a fairly typical Vietnamese street restaurant. It has an actual roof and walls, but the chairs and tables are still tiny and everything. There are many beer cans and bottles, napkins, and random trash on the floor, but the fact is that this is the way Vietnamese eat a lot of the time. The name of the place was Lẩu Bò Cô Lan, and Hằng and the rest discussed among themselves what we should eat.
Being from Da Nang, Hằng knew most about the food we could order, and specifically about what we did order. First came something rather hot and spicy, consisting largely of vegetables and the stomach of a cow. I believe there also might have been some blood in a gelatinous sort of state, which tasted okay.
Second, we had a hot pot sort of thing, but with a pan on top. This pan had some oil in it, which we used to fry a sort of beef. Once cooked, we rolled the beef in a green not unlike a lettuce leaf, and then dipped it in a salty seasoning mix. This we ate, hot. I found it a lot easier to handle the food once it was in my mouth than leaving it in my hands until I could hold it. It was still very hot, but somehow once it got in my mouth, it was bearable. This was delicious, and simple enough that I think I can remember it and try it myself back home.
Our final dish was a proper hot pot, with sections of a cow's tail. There wasn't a bit of hair to be had in it, thankfully. The consistency of the tail's meat was something like fat, and somewhat like meat. It strikes me as something that an American would discard rather than eat, out of habit and ingrained preference. I suspect it's quite healthy in some way, much like I believe the stomach is.
Finally, before we returned to the hotel, we had some Vietnamese deserts. Two of the ones we got were contained in coconut shells, and then there was a custard yogurt that I tried a single spoon of, and probably should have ordered a proper cup of it on the spot. I ended up primarily eating this coconut, which I think had caramel in it. It was delicious, and I would have it again were it not for the priority of the custard yogurt that Thảo ordered.When traveling, you have to make a habit of just not trying some things, and other things (sometimes directly next to the first option) are significantly better. An example would be the banana pancakes and donuts offered on the street. Having tried these options, I would probably avoid the products sold by these street vendors, but last night I had a crab cake purchased from one of these same vendors, and it was delicious and hot. I may have to specify that I want a fresh product, especially if I don't really like the price, but whatever.
In the same manner, I might never have found this dessert shop if I hadn't been going around with Hung and his friends. Eating with the locals is truly critical to finding the best food around.
!Noah!
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