Day Four in Paradise, Part Three

I bicycled back the several miles back to the Bamboo Restaurant, against the wind, unfortunately. I still made better time going back, though, as on the way to Trang An, I'd taken a wrong turn and ended up on the current Highway 1, when the in progress Highway 1 was closer to my destination.

The sun peeked through the clouds occasionally on the way back, but it was by no means hot or humid; I wore only shorts and a T-shirt, and was comfortable, if slightly cool, on my way back. The wind was slightly chilly, but not unbearable.

Biking back was harder, in part because of the wind, but also because I'd biked there to begin with, and all told, I biked something like fifteen miles that day. Toward the end, my bottom was sore, and my hands and legs were exhausted. I looked forward to fresh fruit juice at the Bamboo restaurant, which tastes excellent even without exercise and fasting to excite the taste buds. I mentioned I hadn't eaten lunch yesterday, which was because I left for Trang An before noon, wanting to get there before the sun started showing its face.

I was thinking before I started biking back that I might visit Hang Mua while the sun still showed itself, but I was far too tired to go out of my way and climb those hundreds of steps; I returned to the Bamboo Restaurant again, to find Melinda, the owner, and his son relaxing and having fun on the front patio of the restaurant. Melinda led me in to be seated inside, and I asked for a lemonade and a large water (which is a 1.5 liter bottle, in the Bamboo Restaurant; I don't think tap water is served almost anywhere in Vietnam, so in every restaurant and most street vendors' selection is a half liter or more bottle of water).

I was indecisive again, trying to choose my meal, so I simply went with Melinda's recommendation again, which was honey roasted pork; I added some white rice on the side, and while it didn't initially look like a lot, it did fill me, and it was delicious. The pork was served on the cast iron cow-shaped pan that it was cooked in, which remained hot for much of the time I ate. Cooked with the slices of pork were slices of onion, and the subtle taste of honey throughout the pork.

When eating such delicious food, it feels wrong to take photos of the food before you eat it; it seems as if you're wasting time; there are better things to do than photography with food this good in front of you. I did take a photo of the fruit dish I was served afterwards, which was both beautiful and delicious.

Yes. I did take the opportunity to photograph the fruits; I wanted to be able to tell you what was what and show you the exceptional skill and cooking expertise they exhibit at the Bamboo Restaurant; this is merely an example of the way things are presented, and hopefully gives some idea of how delicious all this was.

On the left are bananas, fresh, ripe, and delicious. At 120 degree angles around the whole arrangement are pineapple portions, sweet, soft, and wonderful. There are grapes in the center, which surprised me the first couple times; they are different in a couple ways from grapes back home; the first thing you'll notice is the seeds, which typically aren't found in grapes sold at supermarkets and grocery stores back home. It took me a few solid grapes before I started searching for the seeds with my tongue to ensure I didn't chew and digest them.

There are also some kind of apples, which in some ways are like the sorts of apples you'd find back home, but they're smaller, about an inch and a half in diameter, and they seem to have more of a core than a bunch of seeds in a sort of pod. They taste somewhat like crab apples, if I remember their taste aright. They're somewhat sour, but at the same time a little sweet. I haven't been much of an apple lover in my life, but I enjoyed these.

Finally we come to the most interesting, quite delicious last fruit. I still don't know what exactly it is, but I'll describe what it tastes like. The fruit feels a bit like a kiwi in your mouth, and I wouldn't be surprised if the two were related. The taste is somewhat like a kiwi as well, but...different. It's hard to describe, as I chose not to write while eating. I'm not sure it would work well to try to describe a delicious fruit while trying to eat it, but regardless I loved this fruit; it was delicious and I hope to introduce people back home to it when I return. Gabriel, my brother, probably knows exactly what this is already.

After supper I stayed around and took some shots of the establishment, the results of which were merely alright, but then I asked Melinda if I could take her portrait, to which she quickly acquiesced. She stated that she didn't think she was very photogenic, but I told her I'd do my best. She smiled, I shot, and afterward, she said it was good; rare that she would like a photo, but that this one she did.

I gathered my things (I couldn't exactly pack up my camera when I hadn't yet taken her portrait), and paid for my meal. Melinda told me that the fruit plate was free, "An easy choice, as you smile whenever I serve you." I ended up paying less than nine dollars for the meal, and it was worth every cent, once again.

I biked back to the hotel like a bandit; sometimes I so fervently want to take a photo that when I finally do, I feel a kind of joyful fear that the treasure stolen from time might be lost once again therein. I rob the world of its impermanence, and then I run, hoping to incarcerate for eternity the beauty and wonder hidden between seconds. For photos like these does my photographer's heart beat.


!Noah!