The City of fatal ties
Can I use the word "Fatal ties" in good meaning? Here, I use
the word as meaning "to come across accidentally and become inseparable
relationship"
Talking about cities, there are many "city of fatal ties" to
me all over the world. For instance, Villejuif where is just outside of Paris, Torremolinos of Spain, Staten Island in New York and Dakar Parcel Unit 4 in Senegal are some of them. Mostly, they are neither big cities nor famous
tourist resort. Nevertheless, once I stay there for certain period, I have
local friends. Then I visit there again and again. This is the city of
fatal ties to me.
In the northern part of Vietnam, Ninh Binh is the city like that. Actually,
Ninh Binh is tourist place. Because it's close to the Tam Coc where have
a lot of exotic landscape which looks like Guilin in China. With 10 minutes
bike ride, you can see the strange shaped rocks stick out from rice paddies,
and can take a small boat for sightseeing too. Going through the streams
in the rice paddies, you would see the beautiful landscape.
However, the sightseeing never takes whole day long. Maybe, a half day
is enough. Ninh Binh is in day trip distance from Hanoi and passing point
on the Route No.1 connecting between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. So there
are not so many people who stay there for long time. Add to that, the weather
of northern Vietnam is cold and wet especially in spring. Therefore, the
tourists who have finished the sightseeing tend to escape from Ninh Binh
so quickly. Perhaps the thing which the tourist expect for Vietnam must
not cloudy sky and cold rain.
I stayed in Ninh Binh without any reason. If let me pick a reason, it's
the fact that I was lazy.
While I stayed in Ninh Binh, I got know the people made business with sightseeing
of the strange rocks, but at same time, they blew up the rocks with dynamite.
The regional industry of Ninh Binh was "Bricks". Crushed rocks,
means soils, were brought to the open air kiln of brick factory. Labors
molded the clay and put it into the huge kiln. Therefore the city was always
dusty and once rain falls, the street became so muddy. And smoke and smell
of baking the bricks flew over the city. The people's palm bringing the
bricks also muddy same to the city.
It's enough to make me gloomy that cloudy sky and cold rain continues day
after day. But once I made familiar person, the city became comfortable
to me. And next year, I visit Ninh Binh again. The people remember me very
well. In this way, another "city of fatal ties" is made.
Apr. 2006
Today's piece
" Palm held a brick " Ninh Binh, Vietnam 2004
Show it to me! Photographing Vietnam with Christine
|