And that's fine by me. Here in Hồ Chí Minh, the days are hot and the nights are warm. Despite the heat and humidity, we spend almost all our time walking. Ten, fifteen miles a day, up and down the endless, endless streets of this city.
A lot of the things I see are exactly like what I imagined, which surprises me. Thousands of motorbikes go every which way at intersections (there are posters informing drivers about the new street lights), making crossing the street exactly the adventure described in the guidebooks. The streets are filled with vendors selling hot food and cold drinks out of carts. At the markets, turning any corner means you'll be greeted with a chorus of offers to help you buy something.
In fact I'm pleased to discover how out of place we really are. People stop and stare and wave with loud hellos, even twenty minutes' walk from the backpacker areas. Showing up at a food stand (they have plastic tables to sit at) means the workers run and get the one person who knows some English, or they immediately turn to pointing and holding up fingers. Even after a few days, there are generally smiles at the ridiculous foreigners who can't even complete the most basic of tasks. I love it.
Pictured: the inside of An Đông market in the Chinese district of the city. A middle sized market compared to the others we've visited.
looks like an airport to me! Ha
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