The evening view of Hoi An in Vietnam made me feel nostalgic and lonely.
The golden and black Chinese-style patterned decorations and the beautiful red Vietnamese lantern decorations were hung vertically on a railing. I was looking at the bridge crossing the water. The reflection of the dark red lanterns were depicted on the slightly brownish surface of the water, and the lanterns sometimes made a sound depending if they were swaying or not.
This sound could be heard in the bustle of people walking along the bridge. Under the centre of the bridge, red and white mixed carp and black carp were swimming slowly as if they were waiting for food. When I approached the river and touched the surface of the water without meaning to I felt the coldness of the water.
The ripples from my right hand drew a semicircle on the water, and as it spread it slowly passed through the shadow of the lantern projected in front of me and beyond, but not quite reaching the fish.
When the carp noticed the ripple, they swam away. I felt bad for the carp.
There was a bridge on my right hand side, but on the left hand side the orange sunset cut between the boats like a sewing thread. The shadow seemed to extend straight in my direction and I thought it looked beautiful.
The sunset reminded me of the walk back from the summer festival in Japan when I was a child. My memory of the journey back from the festival is walking along the river, walking back along the concrete embankment.
I had to go home before dark because I promised my mother. The shadow of the sunset extended across the river seen from the embankment. The commotion of the festival, the sound of gorgeous drums and flutes, and the music gradually fading away in the distance. The beautiful sunset seemed to be gently watching over me and my loneliness.
I was able to remember this feeling when I closed my eyes, and remember its sweet aftertaste. The rhythm of the music, the sweet smell of cotton candy, the glow of the ornate stalls, the chirping of the cicadas, and the exhilaration of the people before the fireworks start. When I was a child I used to close my eyes and be transported back to the festival. Closing my eyes and imagining the sights and the sounds was one of my favourite things to do.
I was a little bit sentimental and i felt a little hungry, so I left the place to look for a restaurant. All the restaurants were crowded. So I entered a restaurant which didn’t have many people and had a wooden tile roof.
The waiter guided me to a seat at back of the second floor and I ordered the vietnamese omelet and a beef pho. Pho is noodles, boiled in clear soup with a sticky texture and soft beef in it.The noodles and soup had a gentle taste.
The Vietnamese omelet was placed on green banana leaves on a round wooden plate. It contained mushrooms, peppers, carrots, etc., and the contrast of green, yellow, and red was vivid to the eyes. It was also very large but I ate it all quickly.
I finished, paid and when I left it was already night outside. The lanterns were lit up in the city and they were even more beautiful at night. The streets were reminiscent of the French and period when they ruled Vietnam. These streets, illuminated by the faint lights, were fantastic and fascinating.
At night, I felt a little chilly, but I wanted to go to the bridge again. What kind of beauty lies there now? I walk through the crowd speedily.
I got out of breath and arrived at the bridge, but unfortunately the lantern was buried in the darkness because the railing and the bridge were not lit up. I felt a little sorry. One difference, was that the crowd of people had increased in size.
コメント