Yes, sweaty is the first word I'm going to use to describe Vietnam today. Not in a negative way, just a "this is how it is" sort of way. I arrived last night about 11 pm, and even then, the air was hot & humid and it was nice to get into the hotel's air conditioned car. The ride from the airport was pretty short, maybe 15 minutes, and the hotel is quite nice. Of course it is, it's an asia business hotel. Which means it's nothing short of completely glamorous, complete with the king size bed, the 6 foot tall larger than life flower arrangment containing at least 30 bird of passion (right name?) flowers, and more hotel staff than you know what to do with. The guy at the door with the big smile each time you get close & he opens the door for you, the 3 or 4 waitresses fawning over you while you are getting breakfast in the hotel, and the 20 or so motorcycle guys you meet as you step out of the hotel all offering to give you a ride for the "best price." yes- this is a pretty typical asia business hotel.
I stayed up until 2 am and as a result, managed to sleep straight through until 7 this morning. Dozed for about 45 minutes more then got up & went for breakfast before heading out for a walk about 9 am. Mission: Paintings.
I had a plan this morning: first- go find paintings. You can buy a copy of paintings by absolutely any famous artist you have ever heard of- all sizes, all "colorways" (yes I've seen many different shades & hues of greens in many different versions of Monet's famous lillies..), and if you can't find the painting you're looking for, nothing to worry about! They'll just paint it for you! They only need 2 days! Amazing but true. And what does this all cost? Well, a painting about 12" x 18" will cost you around $12 usd. Yes, that's US Dollars. Yes, they are oil paintings. Yes, they are good. A painting about 24" x 36" (or larger? I'm such a bad judge of size) will cost you around $35-$40 USD. True True True. You want it framed? Only another $20. Amazing.
I have bought a few paintings here in the past, and thought I would find one today. Found a few but have not yet decided which one.
Part 2 of THE PLAN was to buy painting, return to hotel, exchange big painting for camera, go take photos.
So after walking around for the last 3+ hours, I came to a conclusion that the bulk of what I'd like to bring home from Vietnam are photos. The touristy kitsch stuff is just that, kitsch. Lots of Laquer, lots of carved wood things. Maybe I'll get a painting....but I just bought a super tiny backpack (perfect for my mongo size camera) and now after a few minutes cooling down in my hotel room, I'm heading out to the history museum and the zoo, where I have been told I can find a water puppet show, at 2:00, 3:00, 4:00....etc.
I also walked through one of the largest markets I've seen outside of Thailand....a huge indoor market that is selling absolutely everything you can imagine. But- I'm going back with camera in hand, so more on that later, with pictures to accompany it.
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2 comments:
I hope you get to see the water puppet show! Loved it when I was there. Brought home two puppets sold conveniently outside the theater.
The American War Crimes museum is interesting for a different perspective on the Vietnam Conflict/War.
Wow, I'd probably overbuy on paintings. I think that sounds awesome.
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