Saigon: December 14, 2016

The hotel ($400 a month) is in the middle of a 4 block street which dead-ends at a prison and opens on a larger street.  There is no reason I can think of why you would ever have to go outside these boundaries as everything you need is available.  Each small alley leads to many thousand homes.

 An alley. Constant motor cycle traffic in and out between noon and two, the nap time.

 Lawyer.

Hot Vit Lon . The trick in this dish is to find a vendor whose eggs have just matured sufficiently. If necessary, drink 180 rice whiskey to get you going :)

 The banana lady.

 

Bánh bao. In smaller neighborhoods, a man will pedal by on his bicycle with a container on the back which contains the hot, steamed goodies. 70 cents.

 The picture is deceptive as it was enough for two meals.  60 cents.

 Hadn't thought of this before.

An independent man who collects trash from businesses and then sorts  recyclables to sell.

The neighborhood doctor.  The sign says 5 until 10, but  my friend who has the coffee shop, says it opens at 3PM, which I observed, and closes at 5AM.  He has a full service pharmacy and performs emergency room services. People start lining up outside in the morning.

Businesses are always sweeping their front entrances. 

Hard boiled quail eggs.  Delicious.  They come with little bags which contain a mixture of salt, pepper and red pepper.

A picture from the coffee shop owner.  I have seen men rush outside in a deluge while in their shorts and carrying a bar of soap.  Looks to be fun. :) By the way, the coffee shop opens at 6AM and closes at midnight 365 days a year.  Run by a husband and wife who have some help from their two children after school.  Just imagine...........now compare this work ethic with others. They also baby sit children after school as well as advertising the same for the elderly, but I have yet to see one.  Their daughter teaches English at home in the evenings, just about everything possible to make a buck.  The wife is sweet as can be, but appears tired always which is certainly understandable.

 

Only 8.3% of Vietnamese are Christian.

 

Hoàng Nghĩa Võ, a first year university student and very pleasant.  He stated he enjoyed talking to foreigners, but had a difficult time understanding me, but we did OK.  Once we started on Vietnamese food though, it was smooth sailing. :)  Two meals only for me per day and this was it. $1.10.  Excellent as usual. The hotel's wash girl.  I have been here for a week and my 7 shirts and 7 shorts hand-washed, air-dryed and ironed = $3.50.