Saturday night's Alright...

After a busy day of cruising around town on my new wheels, sitting in a cafe blogging and enjoying fresh beer and a Saigon coffee..oh and that 1hr head massage....I headed out to dinner with Karen and Sinh (FYI...Sinh is Karens' adopted son. He is 24, Vietnamese. he is an artist and works with Lifestart teaching people to paint, thru the tours we run for the tourists. He married a lovely girl last-year called  Nge. Nge is an accountant in a bank. Sinh has the most wicked sense of humor, and loves his mumma Karen dearly. They have been family for a number of years now, as Sinh and his brother were brought up in an orphanage.

They took me to a small restaurant (more like a family run food kitchen) ..called "Beer in a bowl" as traditionally years ago everybody only had ONE bowl each, and everything was eaten or drunk, out of that One bowl.

 So we shared a meal of all sorts of wonderful flavours. And during that meal I learned more about the Vietnamese cultures. For example, when a person dies in Vietnam...the funeral process lasts for a number of days..3 or 4. And the body is laid out usually in their home in the bed, and different family members would take turns sleeping in the room with the deceased. To keep them company while their spirit transcends into the next world. So different to our culture, where we put them on ice, stick them in the ground, celebrate or commiserate for an hr or so......and then go home!!! Food for thought!!

After dinner Sinh headed home to Nge who couldn't join us as it's audit time and she was working out the books..(Some things don't change no matter what country you live in).

Karen and I went out for "Snow Cones" .....Mmmmmm Mmmmmmm Mmmmmm. That's the only way to describe them... Just shaved ice and magical flavours of lime marmalade....Divine!!!!

We had to ride a way down by the river..where we sat in a beautiful Japanese garden overlooking the moon on the river. So tranquil. Again I had the privelige of spending time with Karen asking all sorts of questions as to how this whole venture she has created began and has since evolved. I am in total Awe of this magnificent woman who has the biggest heart I've ever met..it is a privilege and pleasure to be able to spend some time in her company and learn and be inspired by her...She truly walks like Jesus walked on earth.