You’ve probably figured this out by now, but I’m not ashamed to say that I’m one of those Taobabes who are easily spooked. I am actually scared of ghosts and ghouls and such–but I am also curious about them and what makes them ‘tick’. As I have written in previous posts, Hungry Ghosts are not beings from a different dimension. Those are entities of a … Continue reading Hungry Ghosts 6: Mentally Ill Ghouls
Deep in the tropics of Southeast Asia, there is a colorful, bustling city that hugs the coast of central Vietnam. Its name is Hội An, and it is one of those mystical magical faraway places that you should visit at least once in your life. Hội An’s colorful houses and temples and businesses sprawled along the vital estuaries and islets, all the way out to … Continue reading Taoist Shrine in Ancient Hội An
On the banks of the Thu Bồn River in Hội An, Vietnam is a hidden gem of a place called Nghê Prana Villa & Spa. I accidentally stumbled across it when I needed to stay a couple of nights during a trip to Bà Nà Hills a few months ago (more on this site in a future posting) and let me tell you, it is a … Continue reading Hội An Mystique and the Toan Nghê
On my last trip to Vietnam, I noticed something that I had actually never taken into consideration before. It wasn’t because I had never seen it. It was because I’d seen it so often that it never registered in my mind how incongruous it was to the normal scheme of things. Allow me to clarify. Since I was going to be in Vietnam by myself … Continue reading Saigon Glamor and Lucky Gods
I am writing this post on the plane, only hours after my departure from an area of the US known as Silicon Valley. Normally, it is within the zone that is considered Mediterranean and therefore quite mild; however, it’s still smack dab in the middle of winter and still fairly cold. A heavy hailstorm hit my house earlier today and the sound of the pounding … Continue reading Flying on a Jet Plane
The Three-Boats Island is a rare jewel within a two-hour drive from the Pearl of the Orient. Located in the zone between the equator and the Tropic of Cancer, this area is a tropical paradise, mostly for the locals due to its close proximity to Sài Gòn. I’ve been wanting to write about this island for the longest time, but have been hesitant to do … Continue reading Three-Boats Island
There is an ancient tale–more like a myth really–that has to do with two non-human entities called Sơn Tinh (the mountain god) and Thủy Tinh (the water god). My family told me of this tale (and other) myths and legends when I was a kid, so I knew the gist of this story which was quite interesting. You have to admit. Gods fighting each other made … Continue reading Mountain God vs Water God
(Continued from Following the Ancient Scent of Trầm Hương 1) In one of my previous posts, Following the Ancient Scent of Trầm Hương 1, I touched upon the agarwood tree and how oud was processed. This post digs deeper into the dendrology (study of trees) of agarwood and the various types of agar resins. Ancient Origins of Dó trầm (Agarwood) Around 570 million years ago, when … Continue reading Following the Ancient Scent of Trầm Hương 2
The Seven Necessities In ancient Viet culture, there is a very famous old saying: Quan môn thất kiện sự, sài, mễ, du, diêm, tương, thố, trà” When translated, it means, “The seven necessities to begin a day: firewood, rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and tea.” It was very underwhelming to be honest. What in the world do basic kitchen ingredients have to do with … Continue reading Firewood, Rice, Oil, Salt, Soy Sauce, Tea
(Continued from The Original Asian Zodiac 5: The Twelve Earth Branches) Ten Heavenly Stems I have to state for the record that this subject is an exhausting subject to dig into. I kept running into a few issues, and although they are not huge issues, they exhaust me. Firstly, all the words are not modern. They are either Middle Vietnamese, or Old Vietnamese, or Ancient … Continue reading The Original Asian Zodiac 6: The Ten Heavenly Stems
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