They're grrrreat!

Thao has seen in movies that many westerners eat some kind of food for breakfast, something in a bowl with milk. So I thought it would be fun to buy her some cereal so she could try it for the first time...



She ate a few spoonfulls, but then stopped suddenly and her eyes went wide as she saw the cereal box... She quickly pushed the bowl away and shouted "IT'S FOR DOGS!!!!!" :))



It took a while to explain that "Tony the Tiger" was just a cartoon character so that children would want to eat the cereal, but she was ok after i agreed to eat some too to prove it was people food! :)

BaVi contryside visit

This weekend I had the great opportunity to visit Thao's hometown of BA VI` ("Mountain with 3 tops"). So many great pictures that it was tough to decide which to post, so I hope you don't mind that I just put most of them up here :)









Breakfast to start the day was at a famous Banh Cuon restaurant, where about 500 people a day eat these wide rice noodles,

even though the shop is small and not so clean :P











Finally arrived at Thao's parent's house. Luckily her family was very nice, so there wasn't anything to be scared of... ;)











Cooking the countryside way! Yes, her parents have a new gas stove and electric oven, but sometimes the food tastes

better when cooked over an open fire.



BUT the whole town soon heard the story of how Thao and her mother started

to eat dinner, forgetting all about their poor guest Kyle, who had to go to the cupboard himself and get his own chopsticks

so he could eat too!! So much for Vietnamese hospitality! :))











Getting ready to go on a motorbike trip through the countryside. No, I didn't drive yet, but maybe soon :)











Stopping at the rice fields with mountains in the background.











We came across the wedding photo shoot of this great looking bride and groom.

It's easy to picture yourself getting married too....... ;)











At the Ao Vua ("King Pond") resort.











The big grounds of the resort are amazing, with many small waterfalls and plenty of things to see.











"Tarzan Thao" swings on a big root of a Cay Si tree!

















As you can see, some branches have long roots that grow back down into the ground.

Sorry, I didn't want to try swinging myself, I was afraid the whole tree would fall down! ;)











Wowow, an amazing waterfall appears out of nowhere!











A little less graceful, but still great looking :P











Awww, Thao helps me look good for the camera :)











A great picture of the two explorers in the Amazon Rainforest! :P











We were lucky that the person we asked to take a quick picture of us turned out to be a professional photographer!!











He started to get really into it, and had us do so many different poses :)











Ok, it's getting hot out here, time to go for a swim!











Such an amazing picture! With some posing help from the photographer, we were taking so many great pictures like this!











The photographer is actually right in the lake taking the pictures at this point! I don't know if you've ever been

under a real waterfall, but it's c-c-c-cold!!











The happy couple in paradise :)











I was just sitting peacefully under a waterfall, holding some flowers, when Tiger Thao came and attacked me!! :P











It really felt like we were doing a photo shoot for our own wedding :)











We needed to dry off on some rocks... Simply amazing picture!











Wow, sexy picture :)











"Now play with the water with your hand...."











"Great, great! Now look at each other lovingly...."











So many good memories of that day!











Early the next morning, I wear my new shirt I bought for 40.000 dong ($2 USD).

Yes, it is in the countryside, but Thao's parents have all the modern amenities like satellite tv, 2 computers, ADSL, etc :)











From the balcony you can see all the different fruit trees and plants in the garden.











It's a jungle down there! :)











In the other direction, the mountains can been seen in the distance.











I peek out from the balcony. The sun is still so hot, do I have to go outside??











The garden has many fruits and vegetables, like these hot chili peppers











Some very nice flowers in the garden











Tigon flowers - the flower of love











Kyle gets too close to the flower of love! Oh wait, no that is just the sun in my eyes....











You can still see the house, so it is safe to go further out into the jungle / garden :)



In Vietnamese wedding traditions, when the man goes to the woman's parent's

house to ask permission to get married, he must take wine, cakes, and la' trau` and

qua cau fruits. Luckily the garden has both fruits already, so I won't have to bring

anything, right?? ;)











I like to eat Qua Nhan











Qua Du Du











There is even a big pond in the garden filled with fish. And a chicken. But I'm pretty sure the chicken shouldn't have

gone in there, because obviously chickens can't swim...











I spent some time snacking on fresh Qua Doi











Qua Sung











The garden has so many different kinds of fruit trees, there is something for everyone :)











I'll just sit here and eat some fruit while Thao takes the pictures... :)











Qua Hong











Qua Oi











Hoa Phong Lan, a very nice smelling flower that only grows wild in the highest mountains.











It was a loooong bus ride back to Hanoi... And my shoulder is good for strangers to sleep on....

Ok ok, I just look so happy because I was fighting with Thao not to take this picture, really that's why!! :P









We made it back to Hanoi in time for the Mid-Autumn Festival, where the streets were crowded with people.











Many people bought costumes like these angel wings.











These masks were kind of scary...











Some masks with a more Mardi Gras feel











The wings look good, but Thao thought she was too old for that and they were too expensive :P











The famous Chinese dancing dragons











Some people wanted to try out a different hairstyle :)















Lighting the Sky Lanterns. The sky was filled with these and it looked very pretty with the full moon.

It's another fun thing that would never be allowed in the west, because it's "too dangerous" :(





It was another great weekend filled with many nice memories and lots of good photos to share :)