Two ways to tell when your Ma-in-law is hardcore:
1. On a day where you've biked 85km through torrential rain on hilly, winding, truck- and bus-laden roads where all the other vehicles are being piloted by mad-men and -women, and you're 10km from your destination, ask her "You keen to add another 55km?"... If she says "Sure, why not?" then she's made of nails, like mine is.
2. Invite her on a cycle-tour holiday. Promise 50-80km distances each day. Make her ride 85-167km each day. If she doesn't complain - or, better yet, is keen to crack into the next ride day every time - then she probably eats oyster shells instead of the giant snotball inside, like mine probably doesn't but probably could.
There are more things that Diane's done that are pretty awesome, like taking in stride the honored elder guest role she ended up filling at the Tet holiday celebration (including the exclusive "visit the ancestor-shrine on the back of the old Vietnamese lady's motorbike" invitation) and eating fish eyeballs, so we're not feeling bad about dragging her through what has so far been an arduous but incredibly interesting and sometimes enjoyable adventure.
We've biked 950km in two weeks, and are lining up two more ride days (mainly downhill, from Da Lat to the coast) before hitting Saigon for some shopping carnage. Then Diane heads to Oz, and we're back to Thailand for some underwater adventures (albeit hopefully less adventurous adventures than the adventures in the book "Underwater Adventure," which is one of the weaker adventure stories in the "... Adventure" series)
Highlights of Vietnam so far, in no particular order:
Critters we have seen, in non-food contexts:
- ducks threatening a kitten
- too many puppies
- huge piles of wriggly fuzzy ducklings
- geese geese geese
- chickens, including bald ones
- roosters, including fighting ones and dead ones floating in a canal
- dogs and dogs, live and dead
- pigs, many with pot-bellies (we're assuming these are Vietnamese pot-bellied pigs. If so, the name is appropriate), often in pig-sized woven cages strapped to the back of motorcycles. In fact, most of the animaliens listed here have been spotted in cages on the back of motorcycles. Some (chickens, ducks) have also been spotted with their feets clenched in the hands of motorcycle-riding elderly women.
- bats. We like them
- lizards. We like them also
Critters we have seen and/or eaten, in a food context:
- claypot pork at the New Day in Hanoi (eaten: delicious)
- grilled rats (not eaten: scary-looking)
- roasted dog heads (not eaten: very scary-looking)
- whole peeled chickens (eaten later, as parts)
- crocodile (eaten: bland)
- ostrich (not eaten: expensive)
- turtle (not eaten: very expensive)
- ugly fish (eaten but not by me: disgusting/delicious depending on who you ask)
- water buffalo (eaten: tasted like cow)
- snails (eaten: tasted like salty bogeys only chewier)
There have been other highlighty things also, like temples and people and bike-riding and scenery and adventures and stuff but right now it's nap time so you have to wait.
1. On a day where you've biked 85km through torrential rain on hilly, winding, truck- and bus-laden roads where all the other vehicles are being piloted by mad-men and -women, and you're 10km from your destination, ask her "You keen to add another 55km?"... If she says "Sure, why not?" then she's made of nails, like mine is.
2. Invite her on a cycle-tour holiday. Promise 50-80km distances each day. Make her ride 85-167km each day. If she doesn't complain - or, better yet, is keen to crack into the next ride day every time - then she probably eats oyster shells instead of the giant snotball inside, like mine probably doesn't but probably could.
There are more things that Diane's done that are pretty awesome, like taking in stride the honored elder guest role she ended up filling at the Tet holiday celebration (including the exclusive "visit the ancestor-shrine on the back of the old Vietnamese lady's motorbike" invitation) and eating fish eyeballs, so we're not feeling bad about dragging her through what has so far been an arduous but incredibly interesting and sometimes enjoyable adventure.
We've biked 950km in two weeks, and are lining up two more ride days (mainly downhill, from Da Lat to the coast) before hitting Saigon for some shopping carnage. Then Diane heads to Oz, and we're back to Thailand for some underwater adventures (albeit hopefully less adventurous adventures than the adventures in the book "Underwater Adventure," which is one of the weaker adventure stories in the "... Adventure" series)
Highlights of Vietnam so far, in no particular order:
Critters we have seen, in non-food contexts:
- ducks threatening a kitten
- too many puppies
- huge piles of wriggly fuzzy ducklings
- geese geese geese
- chickens, including bald ones
- roosters, including fighting ones and dead ones floating in a canal
- dogs and dogs, live and dead
- pigs, many with pot-bellies (we're assuming these are Vietnamese pot-bellied pigs. If so, the name is appropriate), often in pig-sized woven cages strapped to the back of motorcycles. In fact, most of the animaliens listed here have been spotted in cages on the back of motorcycles. Some (chickens, ducks) have also been spotted with their feets clenched in the hands of motorcycle-riding elderly women.
- bats. We like them
- lizards. We like them also
Critters we have seen and/or eaten, in a food context:
- claypot pork at the New Day in Hanoi (eaten: delicious)
- grilled rats (not eaten: scary-looking)
- roasted dog heads (not eaten: very scary-looking)
- whole peeled chickens (eaten later, as parts)
- crocodile (eaten: bland)
- ostrich (not eaten: expensive)
- turtle (not eaten: very expensive)
- ugly fish (eaten but not by me: disgusting/delicious depending on who you ask)
- water buffalo (eaten: tasted like cow)
- snails (eaten: tasted like salty bogeys only chewier)
There have been other highlighty things also, like temples and people and bike-riding and scenery and adventures and stuff but right now it's nap time so you have to wait.
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