Driving hazard

Malaysians are no good at parking. Anyone who has ever had to maneuver their cars left and right whilst driving on a straight road will know what I mean.

There’s a morning market 2 minutes away from my parents home. Due to the close location, we have had inconsiderate drivers who park their cars right in front of our gate while they happily go about their shopping, leaving the entrance to our home blocked for hours. There are also drivers who park their huge expensive cars right in the middle of the street while they go run their chores. So a two-lane street for two-way traffic becomes a one-lane street due to these inconsiderate people.

But that’s nothing to what I witnessed this morning. A lady parked her BMW on the street, obstructing traffic flow. With one lane left unobstructed, cars coming from both ways had to take turns maneuvering their cars out of the jam. One unfortunate car grazed the lady’s BMW which caused her to come out of her car and threw a hissy fit worthy of a drama queen. I wonder if she realized that the whole incident wouldn’t have happened if she had parked her car in a proper parking lot, but no, she had to park her car in the middle of the road and then get upset when her car is grazed. The cheek of some people!

Do you think she deserved the graze on her car? I wonder if there'll ever come a time when drivers will show some consideration to others.

Markets in Hanoi, Vietnam

Morning markets are a bustle of activity in Hanoi. They are colourful, noisy and packed with people.

I managed to squeeze in two visits to the morning markets, one of which was located just right next to our hotel on Ly Thong Kiet.

My exploration started innocently enough. There were pottery stalls outside but the real deal is in the interior of the market. The first thing I saw upon stepping in was a row of stalls selling roasted dog meat (thit cho). Dog meat is considered a delicacy in Vietnam and I’ve been told they are delicious. However, one man’s meat is another’s poison. I could not muster up enough courage to stomach these just yet, so it’s best I gave it a pass. Anyway, I'm still thinking whether I should post the photos. Should I or not?

Further down are stalls selling vegetables and noodles. The interior of the market is dark and dank with the occasional motorbike coming in or out.

At the further end of the market there are sundry shops selling instant pho and all sorts of sauces for a Vietnamese meal. I love my pho so I bought some to bring home too!
The last stalls at the market are flower and fruit stalls with huge strawberries, blueberries, custard apples and dragonfruits. The burst of colour at the fruit stalls are such a huge contrast to the stalls inside the market.

The other market I went to was one that I stumbled on in the Old Quarter. It’s an open-air market which is bright and airy. There were lots of stalls selling all types of food crowded with people eating their breakfast.

The stalls are similar to the market at Ly Thong Kiet although I don’t see any dog meat stalls here.

Male Chauvinist?

Something happened in the market this morning. I was at a stall buying breakfast and next to the stall, a lady was setting up a stall selling brassieres. To me, that was normal activity. However, it is obvious to the man now standing beside me that it wasn't. He muttered to the woman, "Sakit Mata!" ("Eyesore"!). I could see the disdain in his face. He stood in front of the stall for a good minute glaring at the lady vendor. There was a woman with him whom I assumed to be his wife. Maybe it is just me, but I could not understand his reaction. What's the big deal anyway? Was he offended by the sight of women's undies in the market? What was he thinking?! The woman with him just stood by and smiled. Now it is me who was offended! Here is a man who was acting so condescendingly to another woman and this one just stood by him and smiled. *sigh* Hello? How is this acceptable?