Dam Sen

I got to ride on an elephant today at Dam Sen Amusement Park. It was strange to see the culmination of Eastern and Western cultures in the same park; rollercoasters imitating the Vortex at Great America spiraled though the air, above a lane of interesting sculptures of Asian animals and mythical creatures made entirely from diningware: spoons, plates, saucers, and teacups.



A mini Splash Mountain ride coexisted with a habitat for cows, water buffaloes, and goats. We dub the shot below the "Ziggy and Argos" picture--Tung's dog Ziggy is the color of the goat, and my dog Argos is about the size of the boar.


Entering Dam Sen, we walked through a large area showing beautiful varieties of cultivated orchids and bonsai trees.




We also got to see the lovely lilies (after which the park was named) shyly open their petals to drink in the morning sun before shutting them again to "go to sleep" after noon.


This is also a popular destination for brides and grooms--before the wedding because the scenery made for good engagement photos, and for the wedding because there were several restaurants in the park with a large seating capacity. It was strange to go to an amusement park and be the only ones eating lunch at a restaurant so empty we initially thought it was closed. Our various taxi drivers told us that this year, there were less "Viet Kieu" visiting than before, and they've been closely following the U.S. economy because it makes a big impact on their own business. There was so much to see in Dam Sen:

Interconnected shady pavilions modeled in the Chinese style. . .


Dragon sculptures. . .


Sculptures of historical leaders. . .


Exotic flora. . .


Creative architecture (the "lan" below has scales made from CDs). . .


Prehistoric creatures in a dinosaur park (that homosapien on the right is just Tung). . .

A cactus garden. . .


A film crew shooting a movie. . .


Disgusting clusters of snakes. . .

Lovebirds. . .


However, we promise Co Xuan we'd come back to make a brief visit to her, so we only covered a little more than half of the park. That night, we visited some of Tung's former neighbors in a housing complex where only those who worked for the government can live. Here's a little cutie of some-relation-or-another. She can nail the splits way better than I can.


Here is Tung's mom with her goddaughter, whom she hasn't seen in many years:


Bac Loan and Bac Dung invited us over for yet another very filling dinner of several courses: seafood and asparagus soup, chicken soup with peas and a French bread loaf, boiled prawns, and spicy-sour Thai hot-pot. This was how we ate most nights, with friends and family eager to see us again and treat us out, and with us eager to treat them back and return the favor.