Saturday, July 29, 2006
Deleted Scenes 1 of 3: Untold Stories
Those that know me know that I’m somewhat of a movie buff. For example, I’m spending my last days of the summer catching up on movies we missed (any suggestions?) on Netflix. One of my favorite things are the “Special Features” on DVDs. If I like a movie, I will spend hours watching interviews, outtakes, deleted scenes and even commentaries. If you’re like me and indulge in such cinematic excess you may have said, “It’s interesting, but yeah, I understand why they left it off.” Well, it might be the same with these stories that we originally left off the blog. With that warning issued, here are some deleted scenes from our trip for those that are still checking this:
This is in Lijiang, China in one of the many restaurants. What makes this one different from the rest is that they participate in a chanting contest of sorts with the adjacent restaurant across the canal. It begins with a lively song, which usually involves clapping and increasing volume. Then, much in the vein of “We’ve Got Spirit,” it’s the other restaurant’s turn to answer in kind, and the process repeats as such. Much fun to watch. The videos are better.
These two pictures are from the Ho Chi Minh Museum in Hanoi, Vietnam. What could have been a boring history museum surprised us with its interesting and artsy displays, which for me outshined the old letters and relics from the revolution they housed. (Erika is the blurred figure)
These are cells in the American POW prison called the “Hanoi Hilton.” Senator John McCain spent 4.5 years here while others spent as many as eight.
Due to the French occupation, Vietnam has a relatively sizable Catholic population, so we visited a couple churches. We entered this old, run-down church in Sapa at the front near the altar where large white sheets billowed in the air. A man in the front pew practiced his keyboard which was set to sound like an organ. We felt like we had entered a dream or something. It was very cool and surreal.
This church in Hanoi was well kept and alive. A cute family was posing with the priest after baptizing their infant. (notice Erika’s shopping bags in the top picture)
These foot maladies were omitted because I thought if they were posted, especially after the blistered knee and leech pictures, our parents would charter a flight to Asia to come save us from ourselves. The first was my toe after a mysterious bug bite in southern Thailand very early in the trip. After some lancing, draining, scabbing and peeling my poor toe survived. The second is my foot after an early morning hike from the tree houses in Laos. A minor cut suffered early in the hike, it had plenty of time to bleed everywhere and look dramatically more serious than it really was.
Alright, the next post will have pictures I liked that we never put on. Until then…
--Brent
This is in Lijiang, China in one of the many restaurants. What makes this one different from the rest is that they participate in a chanting contest of sorts with the adjacent restaurant across the canal. It begins with a lively song, which usually involves clapping and increasing volume. Then, much in the vein of “We’ve Got Spirit,” it’s the other restaurant’s turn to answer in kind, and the process repeats as such. Much fun to watch. The videos are better.
These two pictures are from the Ho Chi Minh Museum in Hanoi, Vietnam. What could have been a boring history museum surprised us with its interesting and artsy displays, which for me outshined the old letters and relics from the revolution they housed. (Erika is the blurred figure)
These are cells in the American POW prison called the “Hanoi Hilton.” Senator John McCain spent 4.5 years here while others spent as many as eight.
Due to the French occupation, Vietnam has a relatively sizable Catholic population, so we visited a couple churches. We entered this old, run-down church in Sapa at the front near the altar where large white sheets billowed in the air. A man in the front pew practiced his keyboard which was set to sound like an organ. We felt like we had entered a dream or something. It was very cool and surreal.
This church in Hanoi was well kept and alive. A cute family was posing with the priest after baptizing their infant. (notice Erika’s shopping bags in the top picture)
These foot maladies were omitted because I thought if they were posted, especially after the blistered knee and leech pictures, our parents would charter a flight to Asia to come save us from ourselves. The first was my toe after a mysterious bug bite in southern Thailand very early in the trip. After some lancing, draining, scabbing and peeling my poor toe survived. The second is my foot after an early morning hike from the tree houses in Laos. A minor cut suffered early in the hike, it had plenty of time to bleed everywhere and look dramatically more serious than it really was.
Alright, the next post will have pictures I liked that we never put on. Until then…
--Brent
