One of your best, Linh. Thank you. It's almost as fascinating to follow your various states of mind as it is to read your postcard descriptions of where you are at the time since the two are often, but not always, linked.
With your latest description of Don Det it seems that you've found your Xanadu. Well - if you haven't, I think I have.
Thanks! If ten people are told they could have a week in heaven or hell, how many would choose hell, I wonder? Besides curiosity or bravado as a factor, there's also self-punishment. Having found Xanadu, I may just tell it to go to hell! :)
A man dies and goes to hell. Once there, he finds that there is a different hell for each country, so he tries to seek out the least painful one.
At the door to German Hell, he is told: "First they put you in an electric chair for an hour. Then they lay you on a bed of nails for another hour. Then the German devil comes in and whips you for the rest of the day."
He does not like the sound of that, so he checks out American Hell, Russian Hell and many more. They are all similarly gruesome. However, at Nigerian Hell a long line of people is waiting to get in. Amazed, he asks, "What do they do here?"
He is told: "First they put you in an electric chair for an hour. Then they lay you on a bed of nails for another hour. Then the Nigerian devil comes in and whips you for the rest of the day."
"But that's the same as the others," says the man. "Why are so many people waiting to get in?"
"Because of the power cuts, the electric chair does not work. The nails were paid for but never supplied, so the bed is comfortable. And the Nigerian devil used to be a civil servant, so he comes in, signs his time sheet and goes back home for private business."
It used to be Mexican Hell...... and Nigerian prince$
As Chirriwrri's joke alludes to - heaven and hell are in our own minds. We make that choice daily.
I live in a tropical paradise yet constantly find myself reading, watching and listening to a plethora of media that are devoted to alerting westerners to the danger of systemic social collapse or elimination of freedom via immgration, digital currencies and overarching government control. It's depressing almost beyond measure as most of my family and old friends are still there.
In some sense I'm no different to the children you watch as they sit in the middle of their unappreciated idyll - glued to their smart phones. But they've not yet learned that grass is always greener over the septic tank. Hopefully they'll realise before they're lost to Vietianne or to the west itself.
For those of us that have experienced the west and read your detailed observations about wherever you happen to be, yours is the voice of reason that can pull us back from constantly returning, even if only electronically, to the places we left - like a dog to vomit.
The horrified fascination of watching a supposedly sophisticated culture self destruct comes a poor second to enjoying life right now, as it unfolds in front of us, away from the fripperies of developed society.
I just interrogated Miha about the chicken, and here's some more info. Besides looking at you and following you around, he loves to nest in people's hair when they're dozing. As you prepare your joint, he will come by to pick out the seeds and eat them. It sounds like he's more of a chick than chicken. His owner is a Finnish man with a blonde mohawk.
P.S. I think the concept here is to get high on quality weed or mushroom with a cute chick around. Miha told me the mohawked Finnish and his chick also hunt ants together.
Is cannabis legal in Laos? Btw, watched a wonderful film about Laos last night called Rocket. Highly recommend it. DVD from Netflix. My husband wondered if you had recommended it. My weed addled brain couldn't remember!
Great article! I, too, want to know about the chicken. You may have to write about it to meet popular demand, judging from the other commenters here.
When I was in the Navy years ago, it was full of guys who seemed to be marking time until they reached the day of their discharge, as though that was when their lives could finally begin. This despite the constant exposure to things more unique than what many of them would ever see again. And in my specialty, we were all volunteers for 6-year minimum stints, so we're not talking about draftees there against their will. I felt somehow that having that attitude was a big mistake and did my best to avoid that outlook. That is why I liked the the way you put it when you said that "to be impatient for anything, be it a result or a destination, is to shrink, cheapen, or erase all the life in between."
I am taking this opportunity to thank you for supporting truth in your online publications! I would now like to return the favor. I welcome you to read my poems and The Unhappy Science for your pleasure and edification. https://james-a-verner.com/
One of your best, Linh. Thank you. It's almost as fascinating to follow your various states of mind as it is to read your postcard descriptions of where you are at the time since the two are often, but not always, linked.
With your latest description of Don Det it seems that you've found your Xanadu. Well - if you haven't, I think I have.
Hi Jon,
Thanks! If ten people are told they could have a week in heaven or hell, how many would choose hell, I wonder? Besides curiosity or bravado as a factor, there's also self-punishment. Having found Xanadu, I may just tell it to go to hell! :)
Linh
A man dies and goes to hell. Once there, he finds that there is a different hell for each country, so he tries to seek out the least painful one.
At the door to German Hell, he is told: "First they put you in an electric chair for an hour. Then they lay you on a bed of nails for another hour. Then the German devil comes in and whips you for the rest of the day."
He does not like the sound of that, so he checks out American Hell, Russian Hell and many more. They are all similarly gruesome. However, at Nigerian Hell a long line of people is waiting to get in. Amazed, he asks, "What do they do here?"
He is told: "First they put you in an electric chair for an hour. Then they lay you on a bed of nails for another hour. Then the Nigerian devil comes in and whips you for the rest of the day."
"But that's the same as the others," says the man. "Why are so many people waiting to get in?"
"Because of the power cuts, the electric chair does not work. The nails were paid for but never supplied, so the bed is comfortable. And the Nigerian devil used to be a civil servant, so he comes in, signs his time sheet and goes back home for private business."
It used to be Mexican Hell...... and Nigerian prince$
God Bless
As Chirriwrri's joke alludes to - heaven and hell are in our own minds. We make that choice daily.
I live in a tropical paradise yet constantly find myself reading, watching and listening to a plethora of media that are devoted to alerting westerners to the danger of systemic social collapse or elimination of freedom via immgration, digital currencies and overarching government control. It's depressing almost beyond measure as most of my family and old friends are still there.
In some sense I'm no different to the children you watch as they sit in the middle of their unappreciated idyll - glued to their smart phones. But they've not yet learned that grass is always greener over the septic tank. Hopefully they'll realise before they're lost to Vietianne or to the west itself.
For those of us that have experienced the west and read your detailed observations about wherever you happen to be, yours is the voice of reason that can pull us back from constantly returning, even if only electronically, to the places we left - like a dog to vomit.
The horrified fascination of watching a supposedly sophisticated culture self destruct comes a poor second to enjoying life right now, as it unfolds in front of us, away from the fripperies of developed society.
C'mon guys, the bars serve Korean beer, the cafes dish out chicken feet and the hotels have hammocks and no beds. Think twice before "Doing Don Det".
It's mine, all mine, you hear!!!?
Really loving these articles. Thanks so much. Hear anything more about the interesting chicken?
Hi Peggy,
I just interrogated Miha about the chicken, and here's some more info. Besides looking at you and following you around, he loves to nest in people's hair when they're dozing. As you prepare your joint, he will come by to pick out the seeds and eat them. It sounds like he's more of a chick than chicken. His owner is a Finnish man with a blonde mohawk.
Linh
P.S. I think the concept here is to get high on quality weed or mushroom with a cute chick around. Miha told me the mohawked Finnish and his chick also hunt ants together.
Is cannabis legal in Laos? Btw, watched a wonderful film about Laos last night called Rocket. Highly recommend it. DVD from Netflix. My husband wondered if you had recommended it. My weed addled brain couldn't remember!
Hi Peggy,
Weed is illegal but tolerated, and here in Don Det, mushroom is also widely available.
As for the movie, I didn't recommend it. I go years now without seeing a movie.
Linh
Rocket from Australia https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2178256/
Chekhov's Gun/Dinh's Chicken
wonderful article, the man and his books, a pearl.
May we never be globalized
Did the Victor Charlies later kill Pierre for being too Bourgeois? I am trying to find my own Don Det in the USA. Great article.
Great article! I, too, want to know about the chicken. You may have to write about it to meet popular demand, judging from the other commenters here.
When I was in the Navy years ago, it was full of guys who seemed to be marking time until they reached the day of their discharge, as though that was when their lives could finally begin. This despite the constant exposure to things more unique than what many of them would ever see again. And in my specialty, we were all volunteers for 6-year minimum stints, so we're not talking about draftees there against their will. I felt somehow that having that attitude was a big mistake and did my best to avoid that outlook. That is why I liked the the way you put it when you said that "to be impatient for anything, be it a result or a destination, is to shrink, cheapen, or erase all the life in between."
"As I was typing in One More Bar, Ken the owner, Miha and a Brit from Bradford, let’s call him Ian, told me they’re going to look at a chicken."
flat brain on a flat Earth
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhMo4WlBmGM&ab_channel=SavilleProductions
Would love to hear what happened with "Ian's" chicken
"OK, so you will die without ever having seen a Vermeer, but your mom cooking is already a Vermeer!”
Encapsulating the meaning of life.. Pure Zen, Mr Dinh!
or as John Lennon said "Life is what happens to you
while you're busy making other plans."
So... What about that chicken that follows you around? I was curious to find out how that went.
Nice story about the man with books.
Hi Tom, I had more on the chicken in two replies to Peggy Bean.--Linh
James
I am taking this opportunity to thank you for supporting truth in your online publications! I would now like to return the favor. I welcome you to read my poems and The Unhappy Science for your pleasure and edification. https://james-a-verner.com/