Tonight, I had conflicted interests. I spent the day wandering around a lovely restored part of town called Ping Jiang (Peace River) and the Couple's Garden (a classical Chinese garden). It started to rain, so I planted myself in a coffee shop for hours reading an on-hand book about Vietnamese history and drinking a rather unimpressive iced mocha.
When I realized I was hungry, I set out in the rain to find a famous pedestrian street that had been eluding me. I randomly turned down the right street and found it almost instantly. And here's where my dilemma found me.
I wanted a cheap dinner -- four kuai, noodles, fried. I wanted a nice atmosphere -- dim lighting, soft talking, moody music. I wanted a martini -- dirty, vodka.
These are three things that mix as well as Chinese and Japanese. A fear of heights and flights. High culture and pop culture.
Eventually, I let my desires favor my wallet and went for the cheap Chinese. I guess I only have a few more days to enjoy it. And I'll have plenty of opportunities to enjoy over-priced, adult, vodka based beverages...
