happy new year of the pig

A good start to the new year- returned to Hanoi and received notification that an on line journal Arabesques has published an article I wrote on Thich Nhat Hanh
http://www.arabesquespress.org/journal/war-and-poetry-the-work-of-thich-nhat-hanh-by-hoa-pham-1354202
for the link. So if the Chinese superstition holds true I will travel and publish this year.
Last night went to the fireworks in Hue and ate ice cream by the river. Durian ice cream is not as potent as its namesake but I won't seek it out much I'm afraid. Also had buon bo hue in Hue (beef noodle soup) which of course was not as good as my grandmother's. It is the fourth time i've been to Hue (my father comes from there) and it's very relaxing compared to Hanoi. It is surrounded by mountains and the ruins of the Citadel (partly restored) and the tombs are very evocative and atmospheric even though it was bloody hot (yes it's winter and even the locals don't know what the weather is doing!)
Hoi An was a blur of shopping and ancient wooden houses- bought far too many dresses and Buddhas- the Marble Mountains and Hue are best for Buddha statues and other relic like objects- Hoi An turned out to be more expensive than Hue to get stuff tailored. The food though was excellent had cao lau (noodles with spicy sauce and pork) white rose (dumplings) and banh xeo (Vietnamese pancake) very cheaply- my uncle whom lives in Nha Trang and travels with us is a master at the one dollar meal.