a few delectable things

Chillies, garlic, basil, peanuts... Oh my goodness, how I was in gastronomical heaven in Vietnam. River eel with banana in coconut sauce. Delicate soups scented with star anise, and phở-- my most favourite soup in the world. Phở is a noodle soup that in my belief, cures all ills. When I lived in San Francisco, there was this little Vietnamese restaurant around the corner from my apartment, which made a marvellous phở. Anytime I felt down, sick, or concerned about something, this delicious and comforting soup would melt away anything wrong. To have it in Vietnam, was to have an even more perfect perfection-- and I enjoyed it for breakfast with dumplings every day.



Fish soups were particularly yummy, and in the Mekong Delta, I even ate... a rat! I am not sure why I did not photograph the rat, but I did sketch it. It was pretty good, and a little rabbity.

floating market

back to the mosquitoes and motorbikes

So let's go back to the mosquitoes and the green, the motorbikes, the brown river, and the blazing sun.
I still have photos from Vietnam to share, and after all that snow, I could use some heat!
 

a wonderful week

I've got the left and Pedro, the right.
Gulls photo by PeF.

one with sugar, one without

interlude

I thought I would disrupt the flow of images from the steamy Mekong Delta to show you what has been happening here at home, in Istanbul.



We've had a solid eight days of snow falling on our fair city. Glistening icicles stabbing toward frozen ground, frosted domes, and that delightful crunch under boots... it has been magical!

thirty-three

I feel so lucky.