Day Four, Hanoi
It is hard to describe what it's like to be in Asia for the first time. It's noisy and hectic and beautiful and pungent and friendly - I am just overwhelmed and loving it.
My friend Malik happens to be travelling here and met me for the first couple of days. Last night, after dinner, we walked back to the hotel. As we walked into the lobby he said, "How odd." I asked him what was odd and he laughed because I hadn't even noticed that there were about 12 scooters parked in my lobby and a man sleeping on the floor. I had become so used to seeing really strange and foreign things that I no longer had the critical ability to notice a really odd sight when it was right in front of me.
I am eating the most amazing things. Yesterday, I ate five fruits that I had never eaten before -- once I get it together a bit (more about that below in "geek notes"), I'll be able to show you pictures of them. The best thing I ate today was grilled pork from a street vendor wrapped in "la lot" -- a pepper/betelnut leaf. Wrap that all in lettuce and add spices and fresh herbs, and it makes for an amazing snack. I also have had to learn to be comfortable with having the locals laugh at me, because we Americans trying to eat local food seem to be their entertainment.
I am having a lot of trouble posting from here. In fact, if you are reading this it is thanks to my good friend Rachel who put the post up for me. Hopefully I'll get the hang of it soon. Also, keep an eye on my Flickr page because I may have an easier time posting photos there than here.
I'm going to leave you with a few photos and hope to bring you more in the near future.
One day this week, Malik and I went to go see a temple that was a bit out of town. There is a point near the temple where tourists have to leave their taxis and walk. When we were done and ready to find a taxi again, we had to talk to this boy ... a real wheeler-dealer who has a local business of calling cabs for poor abandoned tourists and then getting a commission from the cabbies. The boy demanded Malik's cell phone and then used it to call the cabbie (who we suspect may have been his father). Aside from being a crack-up of a kid, he was a real ham for the camera.
This is UFO Fruit #1. Can anyone identify it? It's apple-ish tasting, but did not have black seeds like an apple. If I remember correctly, they had a pit.
Fruits and vegetables on the street. Many of the vendors sell pre-prepped vegetables. Given that most people buy vegetables the day they are going to use them, prepped food makes more sense to me here than it does in the States.
Whisks and brooms from a street booth.
GEEK NOTE: I have been shooting with my Nikon D70. Days 1 and 2, I shot purely in RAW format until I realized that getting photos to my blog from RAW was going to be complicated. So now I am shooting RAW + JPG and putting the JPGs here when I can. They are unprocessed on this end, as I am using random computers in Internet Cafes.
I am travelling with 3-1GB compact flash cards and uploading the photos to a Wolverine 60GB Flashpac each evening. So far, that plan seems to be working well.
The other decision that I'm happy with was to bring my small Canon Powershot, which is nice to have when I don't feel like lugging the D70, or when I want to be less conspicuous.
I think that's the fruit they call rose-apples in Thailand. Not sure if they have a more official name. :)
Posted by: anita | January 21, 2007 at 09:50 AM
Jen it sounds like you're having some wonderful experiences. I've been to Hong Kong and Beijing, so I understand completely when you say it's hard to describe being in Asia for the first time. I thought the movie "Lost in Translation" captured it pretty well. Look forward to reading/seeing more of what you're doing.
Posted by: Kalyn | January 21, 2007 at 09:53 AM
thanks for taking time out of your trip to post--I love reading a bit about others' adventures. Have fun!
Posted by: erin | January 21, 2007 at 11:22 AM
I remember seeing them in Malaysia, and somehow their name ("jambu air") came back to me. Wikipedia has an entry about the fruit, which starts with "Syzygium samarangense (syn. Eugenia javanica) is a species in the Myrtaceae, native to Malaysia and Indonesia. Common names include wax apple, love apple, java apple, water apple, mountain apple, jambu air ("water guava" in Malay), wax jambu, and bell fruit."
Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jambu_air
Posted by: Marc | January 21, 2007 at 03:42 PM
Chompoo is the name in Thai, not sure what they are called in Vietnamese. Rose Apple is the name I've heard translated into English.
Have a great rest of your trip!
xx
Pim
Posted by: Pim | January 21, 2007 at 05:42 PM
Honey, I knew your photos would be amazing and I was right. I'm just so impressed. Keep on keeping on. Can't wait for my lesson when you get back!
Posted by: Stephanie | January 22, 2007 at 09:33 PM
Wow wow wow
glad you managed to get this post out.
cheers and keep your chin up even if you feel like a sore thumb at times...
Posted by: McAuliflower | January 22, 2007 at 09:39 PM
Love the pictures above! Sounds like an awesome trip!
Posted by: fer | January 22, 2007 at 10:40 PM
It's terribly exciting that you're posting from there! All I want to do is write a lot of !!!!!!!!! because I am so so excited for you.
and of course I'm so excited for us to see and hear more. Your eye is as keen, astute and compassionate as your voice. The photos are amazing, and only getting better. zow.
Posted by: shuna fish lydon | January 22, 2007 at 11:26 PM
They are called either Rose or Wax apples in english. They have other names as well, but those are the two most common.
In mandarin they are called "Lian Wu". It is found all over southeast asia. Its is a wonderful sweet fruit, which has the odd texture of styrofoam to me, but is by far my favorite. I miss it everytime I leave Asia!
They are particularly good here in taipei. it is now past high season, but I believe in Vietnam it is still in season.
It is always fun to hear a new voice or opinion about a first trip to Asia. It's beeen nearly 12 years since my first trip, so I've long since lost that sense of bewilderment. I love living and travelling here, but I think I've hardened around the edges!
Posted by: Rose | January 23, 2007 at 12:19 AM
Love hearing about your time in Vietnam. I have been to Bangkok so I know exactly what you mean when you say "It's noisy and hectic and beautiful and pungent and friendly - I am just overwhelmed and loving it". It's so true.
Posted by: Paula | January 23, 2007 at 04:03 AM
this is os much better than hearing about Oscar theories about the Dream Girls! :-)
still envious and eating pho daily @ Bodega...
Posted by: jeanne bee | January 23, 2007 at 10:09 PM
Jen,
how are u doing w/ the bathroom situation? Squat toilets are totally disgusting to me. Do you have to drink bottled and broiled water?
Posted by: ann | January 25, 2007 at 08:45 AM
The traditional way to eat those water apples, at least the way I was taught by mom, is with a sauce made from dark soy sauce and sliced red chillies.
Posted by: Norlinda | January 27, 2007 at 03:01 PM
Syzygium aqueum - Water Apple. There are many species but all are fairly tasteless and are used to add the crisp texture to the dish - fruit or salad. Don't buy to eat as fruit
Posted by: Roger | February 09, 2007 at 02:41 AM
Rose Apple is a relative, Syzygium jambos.
A better picture of Syzygium Aqueus in Vietnam.
http://www.thewonderingeye.co.uk/Scripts/ImagePage.asp?ImageID=451
For reference, to satisfy that its not Rose Apple (Syzygium Jambos). check here http://www.hear.org/starr/hiplants/images/thumbnails/html/syzygium_jambos.htm
Posted by: | May 05, 2007 at 09:08 AM
UFO Food #1, in Malay we call it Jambu Bol. (i'm not sure what they call it in english) Its rare and hard to find these days. i remember eating this fruit when i was 7-12 (now i am 30) and i havnt see this fruit eversince in my village (i live in Kuala Lumpur since y2000). Perhaps some asian countries like myanmar, philippines, thailand and indonesia still harvest this one.
Posted by: annie sulaiman | May 23, 2007 at 07:25 PM