Lotus beans



Yesterday Chi brought in what amounted to a bouquet of petal-less flowers. As it turns out, they're lotus stems.  I'm not sure where in the blooming process they are: pre-bloom or post.  According to Wikipedia, the dried seed heads of the lotus flower, "which resemble the spouts of watering cans, are widely sold throughout the world for decorative purposes and for dried flower arranging."  Take note, global florists!

In any case, the seed head is full of beans which you pop out individually.  Once popped, the bean is peeled and eaten.  They taste pretty healthy and are said to promote a good sleep (which could have come in handy the last couple of days).

If all goes as planned, a fellow co-worker, Mr Thanh, and I hope to take a bike ride to Ba Vi National Park, west of Hanoi, on a day trip tomorrow.  We're also planning to stop at an "authentic historical Vietnamese village" en route, so I'm really looking forward to that.  And, of course, hope to have lots of pictures to post.

Finally, to my dear friends Jim, Sylvie and Amanda, I'm so sorry about Aaron's passing.  I have so many fond memories of our time with him. 

Please know that you're in my thoughts.