If the cap fits

Dear Marms

I have been on a journey of discovery and at last I know who I am. I am Godess Mother. The Women's Museum in Hanoi has room dedicated to her. Dau Mau is the Vietmanese name and she represents the path to a better life and contact with the spiritual world. The hat suits me well, I think. Even my bed for the night was most welcoming for a Godess and an affirmation of my new esteemed status.

For me, the museum is an important celebration of the power of women. The many and various hill tribes all have a prominent place for women. These tribes are mostly matrilineal and the youngest child is the heir. For you, Marmite, you are lucky you are in Singapore. The Ede tribe sacrifice a dog for its blood to guarantee a healthy pregnancy. They are certainly not the sort of people you would want to mix with.

Women also played an important part in the war against the Americans and French. This conflict lasted for two decades. Forty percent of the fighters were women. It looks as if they took an equal share of the burden in all aspects and they were treated just as cruelly when captured.

From a Western perspective at that time, when women were still part of the "chattel" this might have looked like communist coercion and another opportunity for propaganda against the ideals of the region. From the stories in the museum the women fought with zeal equal to or more than the men. This place is a celebration of women in society. The West take note!

The Food Walk in the afternoon was also an interesting experience. Between tasting food that sounded more like a Spike Milligan poem and dodging the rain, a group of nine of us got to chat to the university student who was moonlighting to be our guide and practice her English. As ever, motorbikes blocked the paths and roared around us as we attempted to be as one snaking along the roads /paths /gutters.

The big thing we missed was the eclipse. The sky was dark and gloomy here  with cloud a heavy blanket. I am sad that I didn't see it. I hope you manged to look up and admire, Marms.  In the past we have been on treks together around the Dairy Farm area to look at previous eclipses. These memories we have shared.

And so, replete with mulled wine, the Godess retired to her bed.

Until my next missive,

Love and stuff

Hugs all round

XXX