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Huong Family Visit
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During my stay at Friendship Village I met Huong, one of a group of university students She's the woman on my right She emailed me, told me she was going north to Lao Cai to visit her family |
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So I managed to get myself invited along.
It's an overnight train ride from Hanoi to Lao Cai |
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There are 4 classes of passage on this train: hard seat, soft seat, hard sleeper, soft sleeper Soft means padded We could get only hard seats--and they definitely were that But my 72-yr-old bones managed to make it through the night |
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Upon arrival in Lao Cai, we booked a minibus ride to Muong Khong, |
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Muong Khong is in an area where many hill tribes (i.e. indigenous) live |
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We turn up the path to Huong's sister's house |
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and share our first meal
Dung (Huong's brother-in-law), Chieu (Huong's mother), Tham (Huong's sister), Huong |
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Dung, Tham, Lee |
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Lee and Dung |
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Huong's mother Chieu is currently living with them, a great helper Chieu, Dung, Loan |
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I took a hotel situated on the corner of the town's main intersection Looking from the balcony outside my room, up that street is the big Sunday market |
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I returned later to find them hosing down the entire living room It helps to have tiled rooms with good drainage |
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After one night in Muong Khong we return to Lao Cai, where Huong's father and other siblings live First on the agenda was dinner at the home of Huong's sister Thu |
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Setup is simplicity itself Spread newspapers on the floor, put all the food out |
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no furniture, just the floor |
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and even in this spacious kitchen, with cupboards, sink, and workspace... |
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...the dishwashing is done out back, in basins on the floor and when I tried to help, I was politely but firmly told No, this is not men's work |
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the men gather in the living room |
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Huong was delighted to see her nieces Chi... |
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...and Ngan, a feisty little toddler |
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After dinner I was taken to a hotel
and the next day invited to lunch at the home of Trong, Huong's father
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joined by Tranh (Huong's sister-in-law) and her daughter Anh |
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and Huong's mother Chieu
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In Vietnam--as in the other SE Asia countries I visited--kitchens are most often, by Western standards, quite rudimentary, often primitive
this is a solidly middle class home |
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but kitchen facilities are not given the same priority as other rooms in the house |
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and again, cleanup is accomplished with minimal fuss, and is very floor oriented |
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So after 3 nights in the north country, Huong and I again
board the night train and return to Hanoi
And again, on hard seats But I have a soft spot in my heart for Huong and her wonderful family |
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This gallery is meant primarily for Huong and her family. It consists of "outtakes" from the above blog segment Though it may be of little interest to the casual visitor, feel free to browse |
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