HCMC/Saigon

We are staying in Saigon's District 1 at a place with a jamming air conditioner and an elusive wifi signal. We tried holding hands while clutching our iPads to extend the reach of the antenna. In the end we found that being near a much older network (the sewer-net) enabled us with the best connection.

We did not do much today other then a little shopping and looking around. It is a little wind down time before we head South tomorrow into the Mekong Delta where they keep the real heat and humidity...and bugs.

Our first stop was the Ben Thanh market which was a cramped, non-air conditioned mass of tiny stalls just loaded with clothing, shoes, hats, underwear etc. I must have heard "Mister, you buy" a hundred times. In some cases I think it was "Mister, you buy?" And in others it was "Mister, you buy!" Saying 'Thank you' in Vietnamese is considerate, but saying 'No thank you' is even more useful. I did buy a shirt that Tara and I like, but Mom and Riley do not. In fact, Riley says "The more I look at that shirt the more hideous it becomes." Nice articulation. I think Patti agrees. I saw a few shirts in China that I should have purchased. I am now making good on those regrets. At a few dollars it seems hard to go wrong.

Riley is quite the bargain shopper. She is leveraging newly invented shopping tactics to complement last years neophyte ways. I stood nearby and tried not to laugh as Riley bludgeoned one particular saleswoman with 'cute' club.

Riley: "How much is it?"

Seller: "140,000"

Riley: "Too much, how about 20,000?"

Seller: "Laughing "You cute, but no"

Riley: "Too expensive"

Seller: "What your max price?"

Riley: "I have not counted my money in a while"

Seller: Pinching Riley's cheeks "My best price for baby"

Seller: "C'mon, I sell you this best price because you so cute"

Riley: "40,000"

Seller: "OK, only for you, because I love you so much"

Narrator: The deal completes

Seller: "How old your are?"

Riley: "9"

Seller: "You very cleaver"

Here she is behind the counter already running the place.

The girls managed to find the Vietnamese version of Clair's, but it is still cheaper to buy in the U.S.

I did spot this must have item for the jet-setting Apple lover in your life.

We spent some time today trying to coordinate our next three days. We are headed to the Mekong Delta and will meet someone there Friday-Sunday. Getting there in a way that coordinates us with our guide is proving more challenging than anticipated. We think we have it figured out, I guess we will see what God has in store for us tomorrow.

For dinner we had some of our favorites, Pho Bo and Bun Cha. We also found the $0.15 cone-o-rama but had to convince Patti that it was a necessity. Riley had the cone winning logic - "Well, we only have a few days left here. So, live it up." We added cones 10,11,12,13,14 and 15 to the count tonight.

This is the hotel alley that we are staying in, pretty cool.

I have only taken a few pics in HCMC/Saigon thusfar. I will create an album Monday sometime and will put today's pics and our Cu Chi Tunnel pics in there.

I am now headed to the bathroom to post this.