Album 22
(3 to 30 May 1999)
Vietnam isn't the Evil Empire. They are neither trying to conquor
the world nor do they think that American is the enemy.
The government there is hard-core, unreformed communist;
the people sometimes seem to be as well.
It's tough to enjoy yourself when the merchants insist
that you pay double for mangoes.
A joke takes place during Tet (Vietnamese New Year):
"Comrades, in honor of Tet, please stop ripping each other off.
Instead, let's rip off the foreigners..."
So - onwards to: the unusual customs,
(scraping the inside of eyelids)
the amazing markets,
the beautiful girls in ao dai,
the claptrap buses that are too expensive for foreigners,
the lovely old people,
(whoops - the mean ones too...)
the lovely old people, part 2,
the kids,
the "authentic, carried by GI Joe" Zippos,
the soldiers (boys?) that they came to fight,
the tribal people, with their own style,
(photo by Sandra Basic)
and tiny sellers,
the road food,
(photo by Sandra Basic)
road warriors
Andy, Ben and Colm (Oz)
and the sheer beauty that eventually overwhelms everything else.
How about Chinese??
(3 ....)
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