Aimlessly wandering the streets of Hanoi (in our inimitably dislocated fashion), we were slightly taken aback to see a Rickshaw Walla leap from his saddle in the middle of the street like a circus trick rider, (leaving his customer also more than a little flabbergasted).
Padding over to the street corner on which we stood, he reached behind a pile of refuse and tangled wires (some sparking) and pulled out this fine implement which he proceeded to ignite and pull on as if his grandmother’s life depended upon it.
Peddle on you crazy toker !
About the author
A Tropical Cruise – Two Dislocated Hippies Relocate
The great day of our departure sprung upon us, and we sprang back and embraced it, wrestled it to the bed, tickled it and left it lying there panting as we packed our bags. Two weeks sailing through the tropics from Sydney to Singapore! Romantic? Mais Oui Mon Chers! We hustled down to Circular Quay, with darling Wally at the wheel, suitcases trundling along the pier, smiling crew with snow white uniforms disabused us of our belongings, took our mug shots, lanyards were hung around our necks and we wheeled past an underwhelmed line of customs officials, round the bend, up an escalator than a lift, onto the gangplank and aboard the splendid Voyager of the Seas. Hurray! What joy it was to be alive and to be on this gleaming 15 story floating skyscraper. Scuttled below to inspect our […]
Saigon Beef Phở
It took a while for my head to adjust to hot soup in a hot climate first thing in the morning – but it makes a lot of sense. The best joints open at 6 am and are closed by 11 am. There's a little spot in the alley next to St Joseph's Cathedral in Hanoi. If you get there early you'll see the crowds of happy locals. The meat is fresh from the markets and consumed immediately and the delicious, complex Phở broth gives you extra liquid to sweat off and stamina to last until lunchtime and your next gastronomic adventure. Saigon Beef Phở In a bit of vegetable oil caramelize onions and ginger turning occasionally, until deeply brown on all sides, about 10 minutes total.Combine beef shins, marrow, knuckles, oxtail, chuck, and brisket in a large stockpot. Cover […]
Hanoi: The Pause That Refresh
Aimlessly wandering the streets of Hanoi (in our inimitably dislocated fashion), we were slightly taken aback to see a Rickshaw Walla leap from his saddle in the middle of the street like a circus trick rider, (leaving his customer also more than a little flabbergasted). Padding over to the street corner on which we stood, he reached behind a pile of refuse and tangled wires (some sparking) and pulled out this fine implement which he proceeded to ignite and pull on as if his grandmother’s life depended upon it. Peddle on you crazy toker !
Angkor Wat: Two Boomers Get Stoned
We two elderly travellers, baby-baby boomers and recent retirees have been dreaming of Angkor Wat...and tomorrow our dream is about to miraculously transform into hundreds of thousands of tons of intricately carved, elaborately ornamented, beautifully decorated, spiritually profound reality. But even our dreams couldn't conjure the fantastically outrageous images we'd encounter; elaborately intense cosmic battles, Gods and Demons churning a sea of milk, dancing girls Ziegfeld would have wept for and a hypnotically seductive woman with two tongues, (one of those girls, evidently, that Mother warned you about). We've settled in nicely to our rather lovely and ridiculously cheap hotel in the charming and well appointed town of Siem Reap. Our hotel has a pool, hot water, a colour TV, wifi and two bedside lamps straight from the set of Ben-Hur. Even as we gazed upon them night fell, quickly, […]
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