Hey everybody,
it is October now, the middle of autumn. Less extreme weather. Temperatures between 24-31 degrees usually. Less intense sun and also barely any rain. But with less rainstorms, the pollution of this huge city has no chance of dispersing. So since about a month the "Air Quality Index (AQI)" has been on our minds. The summer might be super hot. But the air quality is a lot better. When we move towards the winter, AQI levels start to go into red and purple levels... So yeah.. Pollution mask sales are on the rise. People stay indoors. And suddenly we are all happy with the occasional day of rain.
When the rain is over we enjoy the moderate temperatures and go into the, relatively, fresh air.
Is your view blocked by a tree? Don't worry. Take this opportunity!
Chat with the local nước mia (fresh sugar cane juice) lady and hear about all the gossip of the neighbourhood.
Scooterfolk
So with the polluted winter months ahead of us, I am already day dreaming about the spring and Tết Holiday. The time of year when people are not driving around in nature, but with it, on the back of their bikes.
Tết Holiday is also called Lunar New Year, and for most Vietnamese people this is the only time of the year that they go to a Buddhist temple. In general people are not religious. So much even so that Vietnam is in the top countries when it comes to percentage of population that says they hold no religion whatsoever. This is of course also a remnant of its communist history. Religion is very chilled out in Vietnam. People are respectful but do not take it too serious. As you can see with this driver's cargo.
Can you imagine Jesus Pears? Let alone, Mohammed Oranges? Well. Buddha Apples is a thing. "Go Farm Fresh, a name you can trust."
Vietlish
Mixing food with religion, why not right? Everybody loves food. Why not mix it with all kinds of things?
Okay. Maybe not mix it with everything though..
Hot pot and BBQ buffets are a huge thing in Vietnam, and in the whole of Asia, for that matter. You go with a couple of friends. In the restaurant you get a table with a built in grill or a big pot. They give you the ingredients, and then you start to cook it yourself. A real sociable thing. And you always get way too full. So maybe I should try out this restaurant's advise:
Having munchies will surely help me eat twice as much! Maybe next time.