Waiting for My (Wo)Man
Sunday, December 10th, 2006
With 126,000 dong in my hand…
(All apologies to Lou Reed and the Velvet Underground)
Most all of the towns I have visited so far cater to tourists of course. The average wage for most Vietnamese is about $5 a day, and that is if he/she is working a job, rather than laboring in the fields.
So, many people sell trinkets and other assorted items and services to us. It’s a way to make a dong, especially if the mark doesn’t barter.
Here in Sapa, the nearby Hmong and Dzao hill tribes come in and sell local handicrafts (and chinese-made items that resemble these goods). Most are women. The grannies are a hard sell – even tougher than the little kids. Bartering is good fun.
Come dark, the Hmong have other items to sell: marijuana, hashhish, and opium. In other parts of Viet Nam it’s the moto-taxi drivers or the cigarette vendors who offer a connection. [read on]
Adventure changed to trouble when I rounded the bend of a narrow road that had long ago turned to a sloppy single track of red mud.
I've just returned from a 3 day visit to one of the more spectacular places I've seen so far - 
Sometimes I do wonder just what in the hell I am doing.
I've been in Hoi An in Central Vietnam for just over 24 hours and I just came from the final fitting for 2 suits I had ... 
jpb