Rain and Rooster Testicles.

(trouble with uploading pictures and video... they will come later - be patient!) If the title didn't catch your interest enough, then you should stop reading now. I am in Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam enjoying an overcast day WITHOUT rain for the first time in a week or so. We had our fill of shopping in Hoi An, spent way too much and walked away with 14 lbs of gifts each to send back to the states. We had a brief stop in Hue during a 5 hour bus layover which consisted of me running back and forth between ticket agents trying to get a real ticket to Luang Prabang, Laos, my next stop after Hanoi. I finally got the sketchist ticket I have ever been suckered into (a piece of paper with a flight time and date on it, my name, and a official "paid" stamp, all in sloppy writing) and instructions to go to Hanoi to get the real ticket printed out at a "friend's" office. I am not usually caught by this kind of funny business, but the woman was very comforting and worked for a travel agency that we have been very pleased with. So I swallowed my fear, put a little trust in someone else and handed over 3,000,000 dong, expecting it to hurt later. Rain in Hue (oh a video!): Upon arrival to Hanoi, we found our $4 a night palace and I found the "friend's" ticket office, where I was promptly printed a real airline ticket (looks official, we will see), to my great relief. Again, sometimes you have to look someone in the eye and use your gut, not your mind to see if they are telling the truth - especially in less developed countries where you are at everyone's whim. There is a lack of this trust, most true in the states and I encourage everyone to have a little faith sometime in your fellow man and just go with it.... enough of the tirade - I am sure you want to know about the rooster balls. It took a few beers for strength. Ricky and I sat 5 stories up and drank Tiger and Hanoi beer until the tab got expensive ($3, ouch). In a easier mindset we started the search for Bao Khanh street, famous for its pigeon, frog, weird chicken pieces, deer, and yep, rooster testicles. It didnt take long to find, but we were a bit perplexed by the absence of anyone in the restaurant of our choosing. Unphased, buzzed and hungry, we marched up the stairs to find the best seat in the house, only to find guards, suitcases and seemly unwanted faces staring at us. With no words exchanged with the vietnamese mafia we took our seats at the second floor balcony and flipped through the menu. The verdict was reached in a few seconds, tofu with tomato, tofu in chili sauce and a shared portion of frogs legs and "Cock Testicles" (as said on the menu). Yummy. The tofu was not appealing, but we were more set on savoring those famed balls. We both took first bite and while the waiter was laughing at us, we were delighted to find that male chicken balls are not half bad. The garlic helps dwarf the pretty large size of the testicles, and the fried batter helps frog leg go down smooth. Beer helps as well. So next time you in Vietnam, try the cock balls. Taylor