Things continue to be not what we expected, but it doesn't matter, we're having a great time. We had expected to travel and stay with other families, but we are on our own. We had also expected to be taken shopping and/ or shown around a little by our agency representative, but she has not been available due to an emergency situation with the other family that was here (their children are fine - the surgery was a success - but that is their story to tell; they have moved to the Canadian Consulate so unfortunately we may not see them again before their return to Canada next week).
We did meet a nice woman from New Jersey who told us about a magic place called "Metro". It's like a Vietnamese Costco, and in no time at all we had spent almost 3 million. Dong, that is.
Our favourite place to shop was Ben Thanh market. We really enjoyed it the first two visits, but today's experience was a little intense. I'll let Woody tell it.
"So seeing that we had an extra day on our hands we decided to go back to Ben Thanh Market and have a good shop.
Seemed like with two days previous experience we should be able to round up the goodies we felt we needed to get. Well we did in the end but, I for one am glad we don't have to go back to that place. It's really not for tall folks. It's also not really for folks that like to barter, or for folks that have sensitive noses, or for folks that prefer to shop with a little space, and a little less noise. I recommend the team attack we used, and do not stray apart! The place is huge, and very easy to get lost. your sense of direction is tested as well.
To be fair, there are really only parts of the market that honked me off, and they are the areas as a fella, I fell prey to, or more specifically, the "sales associates" could see me coming, and they are the t-shirt racks and the DVDs...like we could even play the DVDs if wanted them. The sales girls at the t-shirt place may indeed be folks Home Depot might be more inclined to hire, (or perhaps Home Depot would like to see more of the aggressive aspects of their tactics on the staff they have and are seeking) it was just too much for this writer. Again, thanks to team work, we pulled ourselves from their clutches (literally), and moved on. Seriously, I..."
Sorry for the interruption. At this point Mom discovered that the place where she poured boiling water on her finger earlier was really starting to sting, so we left in search of burn ointment. Being the self-sufficient savy Saigon shoppers that we are, we had no trouble finding the drugstore, and got to experience the streets after dark as an added bonus. Mom would like to reassure everyone not to worry - the burn is on the hand with the broken wrist, so it's not like she was using it or anything.
(Note to future APs: Add burn ointment and gauze to the packing list. Paper towels or napkins would also come in handy. Oh, and while I am giving advice - never, ever take Imodium unless you are absolutely certain you really need it. That is all I am going to say about this matter.)
We did find lots of neat souvenirs, and we are becoming experts at finding our way around and crossing the streets. Today we also checked out the Saigon Notre-Dame Basilica and the Central Post Office. We plan to take the twins to the Zoo and Botanic Garden, the History Museum, and a Water Puppet Show, all of which are on the same street as our hotel.
Just think - in less than 24 hours we will be a family forever!
