Yesterday we drove past a wheelbarrow shop. Not an ironmongers or a hardware
store. The equivalent of a car or motorcycle sales place,"We got wheelbarrows,
sir. What style and color did you have in mind? Later we passed the entrance
to a new toll expressway. The sign indicated were forbidden. Imagine the
disappointment of someone arriving fresh from a purchase and wanting to see
what a new wheelbarrow can really do when you open it up
Yesterday was pile o' bricks day. As we drove through villages we noticed a
decorating motif. "What would complete the front yard, do you suppose? I
know, let's add a pile of bricks."
"Avant garde art?"
"Some people might think so, but I'm just keeping up with the neighbors."
It wasn't until we reached the coast that we put two and two together: there is
such a massive construction boom there are few builders to do small projects in
the countryside. My guess is that a builder secures the job by delivering a
pile of bricks, and then doesn't quite get around to arriving to do the actual
work. Just a guess.
We also saw an UNESCO world heritage pile of bricks. The same people who built
temple complexes in what is now Cambodia also built one here. The site is in
poor condition. Bombing by b52s is blamed but the holes the guides point to as
evidence were only ten feet across. More like mortar size? Winners get to
write the history.
We are currently doing two free nights in a fancy hotel complex, perched on a
slope that runs down to a bay and a beach. Checking in, I found myself
expected Emilio Largo to come striding out, "So glad you could join us, Mr
Bond." Word of my assassin aspect must be spreading. One of the activities is
going out in a fishing boat. I've watched fishermen here. Like everywhere
else, they tend to be active in the morning and the evening, which makes me
think that this is when fish feed. Our hotel offered the activity at two.
When we called to book,they said they were full, but could take us at one. You
think it's important somehow that guests don't catch anything? Maybe Socialism
in action? The fat capitalists must not be allowed to exploit our fish?
Possibly it's green tourism- virtual fishing?
And I was so looking forward to filling my new wheelbarrow with fish.
David Ritchie,
Da Nang
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