The "h" is not silent

So ferenge had the best night so far of my 2 week stay in Hanoi. I amused myself somehow all day, punctuating the time with walk-until-soaked. I grabbed a cab about 7:05 and proudly handed the chauffeur the address of the club I was going to ... 31 Luong Van Cam. I feel very secure and relieved when a cab driver reads my note and smiles or nods his head. The ride took about 15 minutes and we winded through some very interesting parts if Hanoi. I did see some familiar landmarks of which more and more I recognize as time marches on. Ended up at a lovely traditional fish outlet and had garlic onions with rice noodles and fish. They put a charcoal-fed furnace on the table so the food is not only sweet but piping hot.

Walked to the club and sat awaiting the entertainment that was scheduled to start at 9. Just about on time they started ... traps, bass (Fender Jazz at that), 2 saxaphones (one soprano and one tenor, the former always a special treat), and a baby-grand. The players were all great and the repertoire was very familiar. It re-confirmed my opinion that some modern jazz is simply a bunch of notes running around in between some very clever turnarounds, very commonly repeating 1-6-2-5. They did A-train and This Masquerade which were huge, as were many more. I asked for Desafinado at the start of the second set which they did immediately. The owner very inconspicuously sat in the corner, the one and only Quyen Van Minh (pronounced Minhe), playing on his cell. I imagine he is the special guest for the last set. There was no guitar which I missed but did not miss at the same time. I will be back at Minh's Jazz Club again now that I know where it is. I found the trip there in the cab went through some very funky parts of town so I am going to get in a cab sometime, give the driver that address, and hop out along the way when I like the surroundings.

Since I got the Viettel SIM card I have been able to text and receive replies from my Sweet Thing and have also communicated on a regular basis with my buddy Melaku in Addis. Shauna mentioned that it seems from my BLOG that I am not loving Hanoi ... not true; I am not loving the weather but all else is a pleasure, especially the people. Sunday is another lazy day then back to MoF early Monday morning.

It's now 11:35 and this ferenge is still wide awake so it is highly likely that I will make the US/Ghana World Cup match at 1:30AM (ya right, I've heard that before).