unusual stuff we saw in hanoi

we came across this gas cylinder, topped with something that looked like a home-made rocket. there was a hose attached to somewhere near the base of the rocket. what do you think is this object standing by the roadside? is it a lamp? or is it a petrol pump? i had thought it was used to illuminate the roadside stall but my friend told me it was an illegal petrol pump. they sold petrol to motorcyclists mainly. there were a few of these pumps on that short stretch of road.



these bundles on the sidewalk look like chop-sticks. i do not think they are chop-sticks. they were outside a shop selling incense papers and joss-sticks. joss-sticks are made out of bamboo and covered with sawdust or sandalwood. those coated with sawdust tend to be more smoky.



this man was smoking the local tobacco (thuoc lao) using a bamboo pipe. it is commonly smoked immediately after a meal to 'aid in digestion'. it reminds me of the opium pipe which i had seen my former neighbour in the kampong used. the old man would recline on his bed to smoke his opium.



the vietnamese woman carrying two shallow trays of large water apples used an old fashioned weighing scale called a daching. a daching is a weighing scale used in the old days, and it is still being used in some chinese medical shops to weigh the herbs.



these are not half bras. these are masks which the vietnamese wear over their mouth and nose to protect themselves from the dust and dirt. they are especially popular with women on motorcycles. some pedestrians were also spotted wearing such masks on the streets. each mask costs around $0.60 - that was the amount we paid.

air travel in the 70s and today

how air travel has changed over the years! but this picture of passengers on the tarmac boarding a plane brought me back to paya lebar days. i do not remember walking directly into the plane via the aerobridge when i first boarded a plane in the 70s. i remember walking, unprotected from the elements, from the airport building to the waiting boeing 737.

i first flew in a passenger plane when i was in my 20s. the other day, when i was flying budget from kota kinabalu to kuching, young school children in uniform were taking the plane as though they were on a bus. it was quite evident that that not their maiden flight as there was no photo taking, excited chatter and unfamiliarity with the procedure.

these days, hardly anyone take snapshots of their friends or family members when they are in the cabin of a plane. in those days, when travelling by air was more like a kind of a privilege, you would see holiday makers taking pictures.

even before the advent of budget airlines, by the late 70s, plane travel had become less exclusive and glamorous. before that, the rich and famous who flew across continents, especially across the ocean from america to europe or vice versa were referred to as the 'jet-setters'.

planes have grown bigger. first came the 747 jumbo jet. for a while, there was the concorde. these days, we have the a380. however, bigger planes have not resulted in more space for the economy class passengers. in fact, i feel more squeezed than before. that is the reason i always opt for an aisle seat; otherwise, if i am seated next to the window, two persons will be inconvenienced each time i need to answer nature's call.

in the past, nobody really bothered about what you hand-carried into the plane, as long as it was not some explosive stuff or some dangerous weapon. after the september 11 incident, metal and sharp objects are forbidden. subsequently, liquid and gels are limited to certain amount and they have to be packed in a regulated way.

one other change is the way we booked our tickets. in the 70s, we would get our air tickets through some tour agencies or we would go to the airline office to buy the tickets. today, most of the time, i book my ticket online. i also choose my seats online and check-in using the internet.

however, because of goverment regulations and competition, the price of an air-ticket has not gone up that much over the years. in fact, in some cases, the air-fare has become 'cheaper'. air-port taxes, however, have increased many folds in most countries.

pilgrims bound for mecca boarding a plane at paya lebar international airport

(picture from national archives of singapore)