Day 75

7 am when I wake up and Chi Mi already has Thach Thao and Phuc ready to take them to school as Carlos and Xuan went to Da Nang very early this morning. While Chi Mi tales them to school I get ready and do something I’m very proud of: I go out and buy, all by myself, 2 breads, 1 soybean milk and 10 eggs! All without saying a word in Vietnamese and with everybody understanding me, I guess that’s a victory right?! =)

At home, Chi Lam fries the eggs and I have breakfast. She asks me if I need food to take to the nail salon and I explain to her that she doesn’t need to worry with it, as I’ll buy something on the way. As it’s still to early to leave home, I just go and do some stuff on my Mac and after a bit I fall asleep… only waking up around 10.30 am! It’s too late to go to the nail salon and in fact I’m feeling like having a tourist day so I get ready and go to HCMC’s streets armed with my camera and a book.

I start walking towards District 1’s center. I go by the park; I pass Ben Thanh Market, go for a look at Saigon market and make a stop at Highlands coffee shop for a cà phê sữa đá while reading my book.

Around noon I leave the coffee shop and continue my stroll around HCMC. I go to the post office again because I want to buy dragonflies and because it’s a beautiful building.

the opera house

the post office

the post office

Then I stop by the Little Notre Dame Cathedral hoping that I can visit it but unfortunately the visiting hours are only from 9 am-11 am and 3 pm-4 pm.

Little Notre Dame

Then my feet take me to Vincom Center and after walking around and do some window-shopping; I finally do a proper shopping and buy these amazing wedges.

I’m happy with my buy and starting to be a little bit hungry so I go to Tous Les Jours bakery and grab something to eat. When I finish I leave Vincom Center and continue my walk.

the palace

Vincom center II

I take a couple of pictures to the Palace and end up in the second Vincom Center (this one has much better shops than the first one as you can guess by the Versace, Hermés, Hugo Boss, Donna Karan and Jimmy Choo just to say a couple of them). After walking around and look to everything that it’s too expensive to buy and leave the center and walk towards the market.

In the market I walk around without buying anything and I even get to meet with some Brazilians who are very pleased to talk with a Portuguese lady. As there’s nothing new to see at the market I continue walking and go towards home by the park and in my stroll I meet Thuong’s boyfriend. We talk for a bit and I continue my errant stroll which takes me to the touristy street and where I have to say a couple of times that I really don’t need a motorbike, I know where I’m going, I’m not lost…

It’s still early so I head to another coffee shop and stay there reading until I start feeling the waiters are trying to get rid of the clients outside by piling all the chairs and closing all the sun hats, so I pay and head home.

It’s not the first time the thought that I feel happy here and that I’m so grateful to my parents, Carlos and Xuan for this opportunity comes to my mind. I call my dad but he doesn’t pick up, he was going to the doctor today and I’m worried…

At the home door, I ring the bell, I scream for Chi Lam and Chi Mi until I resign and call Xuan asking to call them so they come and open the door for me. Finally I enter at home, I take my boots off and head to my room. I only have time to copy today’s photos to the computer because Thach Thao and Phuc arrive from school and want to play.

Then it’s time for their shower and after it’s time for dinner. They have mixed eggs and I have beef and the dinner runs peacefully… until the craziness starts! They cry one at a time, they complaint, they hurt each other and they finalize it by watering the telephone and so the poor little guy doesn’t work anymore… I know they’re sleepy so lets close the lights and ordering them to sleep otherwise there’s no salvation for theirs ears, they’ll end up like Dumbo! Of course I only look mad with them so they take me serious because in fact I’m not, I just think sometimes they need some though love…

It’s almost 10 pm so it’s time for my shower, and go to bed to rest not only my eyelids but also my legs as I walked so much today. In the end I go to bed with the feeling: I’m happy… =)

Night night peeps!

P.S. – I almost forgot to say that during my stroll I was very glad to find an old friend… Ash Stymest you still mess with my head… hehehehehe =)