Jan 10, 2013

Vietnam

Check out the new video I made of Yun and my trip to Vietnam. We go to Hanoi and Halong Bay. You should dig the groovy Pink Floyd music from the album, Meddle. You will if you are a freak like me. Clearly you will see how crazy this place can be. Weddings must be a big deal in Vietnam. In front of our hotel, we would see brides and grooms dressed up, getting their picture taken all day long. We were staying at the Hotel Metropole. That's where Graham Greene wrote, "The Quiet American." It was an over the top, opulent place. Loved it, by the way. It made a great backdrop for the wedding photographers to shoot their muses. There was also a lot of Christmas decorations around the outside of the hotel. I guess they were killing 2 birds, by not only getting wedding photos but also getting Christmas photos too. There was a little park next door where all the brides and bridesmaids were getting their hair and make-up done outside. The people are poor, so everything had a sort of make shift quality that was very sweet. The groom's tuxedos never quite fit. They would be wearing sneakers or some strange clogs. It was obvious it was all they had. It all would break my heart. All of them were so beautiful, happy and proud. Korea was such a poor country not too long ago. Now it is a super hip metropolis. The fashions are ahead of the curve. In Vietnam, there is no fashion yet. Capitalism is just taking hold. People dress for practicality, plus they have no extra money yet. After hanging out in Seoul, I can see what is coming down the road. I guess there is no stopping the fashion train from eventually getting there. If you read what I wrote in my drawing, I'm sure you'll want an explanation, so here it is. Yun loves food, so she seeks out places where the best chefs in the world have eaten. There is a tiny hole in the wall that Eric Ripert went to to eat fish. In fact, they only serve one dish. It is very small and rundown in a quaint way. The vines and trees from outside are growing into the place. Hanoi is located in the middle of the wilderness. Seeing a bug in there is like seeing a bug in the amazon. Anyway a small mouse ran near Yun and you know the rest.

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