Tuesday, August 21, 2007

the secret's in the soup ...


Sometimes it's the little things you really enjoy when travelling.

Like the traditional Vietnamese breakfast called "Pho Ha-noi" that they served up at our hotel in Hanoi - basically noodle soup with beef, served with red hot chillies and freshly squeezed lime.

When we got to Laos I was pleased to find that it's also the traditional breakfast here - but much better and just 50p for a massive bowl complete with a big plate of herbs, chillies and limes.

I was just coming to the end of the bowl when I discovered an added bonus - an authentic relic from the secret war. A US military issue spoon.

Now I'm no expert on warfare - but surely if it's supposed to be a secret war you really ought to remember to take your spoons home. Although I guess I should be grateful - the other thing they left behind were landmines, and you really don't want to find one of those in your soup ...