But thats not the end of my anatomical woes. The mattresses here are quite possibly full of old porridge and the pillows more like a giant's beanbag. I went to a shop to buy a smaller pillow, which at first scan didn't seem to exist. I picked up one of the huge ones and mimed that I wanted a flatter one. She grabbed it and started pulling out the stuffing. I went home and did the same. As for the mattress, well it seems they only have them rock solid here so we've given up and are trying to adjust. Now I just need to figure out a way to strangle the rooster living next door without anyone suspecting me of fowl play (boom boom).
Despite how it sounds, we're both loving our house and Dalat in general. The weather is quite possibly the best out of anywhere I can imagine - especially as its highly likely to remain like this for our whole stay. That could get 'boring' after a while I imagine but right now I love never being too hot or too cold.
You should, by now, know that Vik is studying away, every day, from 9 till 5 and often longer. She set her own tight deadlines for each chapter of the thesis and so far hasn't missed one. But there's been a few concerns about what exactly I'm doing every day! Well, I have done a few small bits of work for old companies in Wellington, including some follow up work to what I was doing in Bougainville. Working on websites often requires just a password and a fast enough laptop and so I'm lucky that my bosses know me enough to let me work remotely.
In between work, (and the occasional proof reading session) I've been doing a bit of study myself. Earlier this year I found two websites offering free online courses from reputable universities. Both edx.org and coursera.org are chock full of interesting sounding classes. Who wouldn't want to learn The Fundamentals of Rehearsing Music Ensembles? Programmed cell death? Search for Vernacular Architecture of Asia? Or Organic Solar Cells - Theory and Practice. Actually I think I might sign up for that one. In reality, despite not working full time, there are way too many courses available. So far I've done Climate Change Science and Brain and Space and currently am doing a Mathematics one, rapidly relearning all that I was taught age 17.
And really that's taking up all my days. A bit of shopping here and there and occasional reading of my book and I've not felt bored since we got off the 9 hour bus ride to get here.
Luckily our recent dining experiences have fared better than the 'duck foetus' incident. A few doors away is a hot spot restaurant. Or hot pot as its more conventionally known. The owner and her teenage son both speak English and seem happy that we're visiting them on a weekly basis. Each time we order a different base (chicken or beef so far) for the steaming soup and they bring over piles of greens, noodles, bread and eggs to dunk in and cook. And each time we order a different drink from their menu. The "herb hot wine" was probably sake and quite nice. The Da wine doesn't seem to have a translation but came in an reused plastic water bottle (which I almost sent back as we hadn't ordered any water) and turned out to be lethally strong (and cost 50 cents) . The last half of the bottle is still in our freezer, awaiting an unsuspecting visitor to ask for a drink.
One of the best purchases so far have been a pair of glasses - each. I need mine coz I'm blind and Vik just looks good in hers. After trying on every pair in the shop I settled on thick plastic frames and watched the guy slot my lenses in, taking less than 2 minutes. In NZ they'd have sent it off to a lab somewhere. But they are pretty funky and I feel a bit like Gene Hackman in Enemy of the State.
Theres of course more to say but will save that for next week, when we may even have tales of a trip down to the coast for some sunshine and microbrews.
The lovely Viktoria
My first attempt at spring rolls
Stooping at the sink
Check out the gloves they give you
Afternoon storm
One of the top reasons we choose to come to Dalat
My new glasses. Maybe Michael Caine?
