Derek Riley

I'm a Good Sandlapper.

[Derek Riley @DerekRileySC]

Me (as Side 2 ends): I'm on the fence... Is this Elvis Costello album worth keeping?
Debi: I liked it better than Krokus.

[Derek Riley @DerekRileySC]

Love that 1990's section of the @SCPhil Chamber Concert Series is warranting Shazam sleuthing.

[Derek Riley @DerekRileySC]

Didn't realize quite how many records I have, pre and post Ike-split, including an all-Country one. Always loved her in-studio laundering. #RIPTinaTurner

[Derek Riley @DerekRileySC]

Exhibit designer for the Met: "In museums, the best crime deterrent is wide-open, highly visible spaces."
Tom Savory: "And in libraries."
Doug Quackenbush: "And schools."
.
.
Me: "And roads."

[Derek Riley @DerekRileySC]

Four weeks away but the newspapers don't stop. Glad for online Washington Post & Economist subscriptions, otherwise my vacations would require a bigger coffee table.

[Derek Riley @DerekRileySC]

Our hotel is next door to a great tennis complex with a retractable roof, apparently subsidized with restaurant funding. Don't play on an empty stomach!

[Derek Riley @DerekRileySC]

Noise artist Loïc Guénin shows up to accompany this live dance troupe. Worlds colliding!

[Derek Riley @DerekRileySC]

Excited to see National Public Radio back on Twitter with one final update... encouraging everyone to follow them elsewhere.

[Derek Riley @DerekRileySC]

Turns out fine Japanese knives are wasted on Vietnamese cooking, which warrants lots of brute force bone hacking. But we learned how to sharpen the fine blades, regardless.

[Derek Riley @DerekRileySC]

Since COVID, most all apartments have a dedicated outdoor (white) string-line to collect deliveries without face-to-face interactions. Or taking the stairs.

[Derek Riley @DerekRileySC]

Last minute re-schedule puts us on the high-demand noon Hanoi-to-Saigon flight... a 787 Dreamliner (along with 272 other passengers). Thanks, @Boeing Charleston!

[Derek Riley @DerekRileySC]

Loving the private rooms we're always given at the Japanese restaurants. But I can't shake the suspicion it's to keep the middle-aged tourists hidden from the walk-ups.

[Derek Riley @DerekRileySC]

I didn't count but this 6-foot tall Buddha supposedly contains 1,000 hands and 1,000 eyes.

[Derek Riley @DerekRileySC]

Electricity and Internet cables coordination is strangely similar in Cambodia and Vietnam.

[Derek Riley @DerekRileySC]

Guide: Do you want a pho or bun cha restaurant?
Us: We've never had bun cha. Let's try that.
.
.
Us: This is great.
Guide: Yes. By the way, you're sitting next to everything President Obama touched when he ate here in 2016.

[Derek Riley @DerekRileySC]

Afternoon reverse commute heading into Hanoi on the no-cars Eiffel Tower Bridge (Debi on the yellow-trunk bike).

[Derek Riley @DerekRileySC]

Day #16: trip is over halfway done and Debi has had more massages than showers.

[Derek Riley @DerekRileySC]

White Lotus/ Triangle of Sadness boat portion of our trip, shared with only four other couples. Debi with the upper deck to herself (right next to the hot tub).

[Derek Riley @DerekRileySC]

"I'd like the banana dessert special: ice cream, bread, steamed, & fried."

Waiter: "Excellent choice. But it will require about 15 minutes so I'll be back with some tea and cookies while you wait."
.
.
[Aside to Debi]: "Do they have to go kill the banana?"

[Derek Riley @DerekRileySC]

Us: "Could you find us something a little more local, less geared toward western tourists?"

Guide's solution: an event rental facility, empty at peak lunchtime.