Something Wicked This Way Comes

Zach received the following email from the head of his office last week. The funniest part is the somewhat 'posed' photograph of the supposed threatening subject that was captured on the security cameras.

Dear colleagues,
Some of you may have been aware that a strange lady visited CS offices on the 17th floor of Shanghai Stock Exchange (SSE) for a few times during and after the Chinese New Year holidays. The lady called herself Eva and apparently was in mental disorder. Upon our request, property management of the building has enhanced security measures to prevent further access attempts by this lady. The lady may be harmless in all probability, however, mentally imbalanced individuals can sometimes turn violent with little or no provocation and/or warning. Accordingly, to be safe, it is recommended that our staff avoid all contacts with this lady if you encounter her in or near the building. Please also call the building security immediately if you see her in SSE. A photo of the lady is attached below for your reference.

Best regards
Michael

Goooood Morning Vietnam!!

Tiffany and I just returned from Vietnam, where we celebrated Tet, or Vietnam's version of Chinese New Year. Thankfully we made it out just in time, as bad weather conditions across China were jamming up transportation everywhere, and right at the busiest travel time of the year.

Here, can you pick out Tiff and me in the crowd?Just kidding, that was the situation at the Guangzhou train station the day we left, where around 500,000 people were trying to get out of Shanghai! Luckily we were flying. Here we are during our stop at the Guangzhou airport:
(insert cricket noises here.) Lesson learned: Air trumps train travel in China during the holiday season, particularly during fluke, country-wide cold snaps.

We were expecting to warm up in Vietnam and duck the Chinese New Year's crowds. Little did we know, Vietnam was hit by the same cold weather as China, and they were celebrating Tet, Vietnamese New Year!

Here is Tiffany wearing 6 layers of clothes and feeling quite at home with all the traffic.

We visited the infamous Hanoi Hilton, built by the French during colonial times. It was flipped by the Vietnamese and used during the Vietnam War to hold American troops. Sort of looks like a nice French bakery!

I would never make it in the Big House...

They have kept on display the jumpsuit of John McCain, from when he was shot down during the war and held here. The placard next to this flight suit indicated that it belonged to the next US president! Tiffany was befuddled as she thought it looked a bit small for Barak Obama.....but then I jumped in and pointed out that it would fit Hillary perfectly.....

We then went to visit Ho Chi Minh, or as the locals call him, Uncle Ho in his mausoleum. He looked a bit shiny, and the rumor is they send the body back to Russia for an annual tune-up. We had a sneaking suspicion 'Russia' is a code name for Madame Tussaud's in Hong Kong.
Bobby Chinn, famous for World Cafe Asia on Discovery Travel and Living, has a restaurant in Hanoi. The food is a fusion of Egyptian and Vietnamese, and the restaurant has an interesting 'love den' feel (note the rose petals).

We also checked out the Temple of Literature, ancient collection of buildings, gardens and statues dedicated to scholars.

Tiffany goes nose to nose with one of the many turtles (a symbol of wisdom) that filled the temple grounds, while I search for inner peace through the sweet scent of incense.

Here Tiffany caught me looking debonair sipping coffee at Cafe Moca, a cool restaurant in which of my best friend's, Cali, has invested.We then headed to Halong Bay and spent the night on a Junk. It sounded a bit too close to camping for me, but Tiffany was sure to book us on a boat with individual cabins that included private bathrooms and heat. The views were fantastic.

We then headed south to Hoi An, a Unesco World Heritage site.

The city had beautiful architecture and was a nice break from bustling Hanoi.
We also welcomed in the New Year in Hoi An with plenty of fireworks (just in case we were homesick for China). After the show, we walked back through the deserted main market and came across a giant rat looking for food. We tried to keep our disgust at bay and told ourselves it was an auspicious sign for the year of the rat. Tiffany wasn't convinced, particularly when she almost stepped on a flattened mouse a few minutes later.
We also grabbed bikes and rode around the countryside.

And took a cooking class to perfect a few Vietnamese Dishes.
Unfortunately, the cooking class didn't go so well, as I got food poisoning the next day.While I was recovering, Tiffany trekked out to My Son, the ancient imperial village from the Cham Dynasty.

It reminded her of our trip to Angkor Wat.
Unfortunately, part of the area was bombed heavily by the US since the Viet Kong used the area as a hideout during the war. But it was still a beautiful and peaceful walk through the ancient ruins. Historians still haven’t figured out how the original builders managed to hold the big stone pieces together.

All in all, great trip, great country!