day 2

yesterday i spent the day wandering the streets, back alleys and marketplaces of HCMC. the streets are not set out in any kind f grid so it is quite easy to get totally lost. the congestion or main roads is easily escapably by stepping into the maze of alleyways that create the real heart of a block, filled with little shops, cafes, and merchants of all kinds. everyone was very friendly, the children all saying hello, and most people offering a smile or a wave to the foreigner off the beaten path. i ducked into a courtyard to seek refuge from the oppressive sun, and the little old woman who sold me soda was the cutest thing i have ever encountered. she spoke no english, and i no vietnamese, but she asked a million questions of me and we laughed under the shade of old tree. with my thirst quenched, and smile across my face, i set back out to the streets to explore my new home and before long i realized i was completely lost. after wandering through a sprawling but tightly packed market full of exotic sights and smells, i came to the canal and came to the conclusion that i was much further from my district than i had guessed. so with the sky filling up with clouds i hopped on the back of a moped and the driver quickly piloted me through a swamp of traffic back to my hotel. his salvation from my aimless wandering cost me 20,000 dong, which is about $1.10, and worth every bit because open returning to my room the heavens opened with a rainstorm that for an hour flooded the streets. i rested up listening to the rain washing the streets and when it had subsided i met carmen for dinner, we ate pho sitting on the sidewalk outside a cafe, the sidewalks here are not for walking, and she told me about working in HCMC and what to expect. after dinner we went to another cafe to drink beer and eat snails. the vietnamese love to drink beer on ice and eat snail, cockles, and some shelled creature that translates to finger snake. they have a name for this kind of sidewalk evening snacking/socializing but its pronunciation is beyond me. this city is gonna be really fun.