Rainy Day in Da Nang so Van and Tam took me to breakfast and the market.  My Vietnamese is woefully inadequate, without family to take care of me here in Da Nang I would be nothing more than a victim.

 Our first stop was my favorite breakfast place in the heart of the city, Bò Né Lan Húóng.  Kind of like steak and eggs would be if there was no Texas.  During the meal we planned an upcoming trip to Kon Tum in the Central Highlands, near the borders of Laos and Cambodia.  Driver, hotel, route, dates, length of stay all decided through the use of Vietnamese/English Online Translator.  Thankfully every shop, restaurant, and coffee house has WiFi.

After breakfast, we went to a coffee shop nearby since coffee was not served at the Bò Né restaurant.  Over bac Xíu nam (hot Vietnamese coffee with milk) we concluded our trip planning.

We then traveled by taxi in the rain to the market to buy items for my apartment.  Of course the market has no WiFi, so now we are on different planets, speaking different languages.

 I am particular about my coffee cup.  I usually bring my favorite from home, but forgot it this time.  I like to drink strong, rich Vietnamese coffee out of a ceramic mug in the mornings.  Without WiFi translation in the marketplace, this concept was impossible to convey.  Tam and Van brought me plastic and flimsy ceramic mugs, one after another.  I’m afraid I taxed their well-meaning patience to the limit.  Finally convinced them I would take care of it another time.  I know just the place, but it’s all the way on the other side if Da Nang.  Called Play With Clay Cafe, you can buy a wide variety of hearty clay mugs, nicely glazed.  Or you can make your own using their clay and potter’s wheel.

Maybe I will.