Day 114

Since Thach Thao and Phuc don’t have school anymore there’s no need to wake up as early as before so around 7 am sounds pretty good. I get up, go for my shower and get ready for breakfast. I hear the kids upstairs and I know that in a bit, Xuan will come down, when she does it, we go first to the market and then breakfast at Lady Bulldog. It’s a special day as I managed to make a photo with Lady Bulldog and even her husband! She’s always with a bad face but today she laugh for the 3^rd time in 4 months when asked for the photo.

After breakfast we go and do our thing: Highlands coffee shop. We don’t need to order anymore our cà phê sữa đá as the waiter already knows us. We stay there for a bit while drinking the coffee and also a bottle of water, as it’s very hot. Today Xuan as a couple of stuff to do so we don’t stay long there, around 10.30 am we leave and head to Ben Thanh Market so I can go buy the watch for Gustavo. We manage to get a cheaper watch than the one we had seen yesterday and looks exactly like the original one. When we finish our negotiations Xuan leaves me at Saigon plaza so I can go buy a couple more shorts and a pair of leggings I’ve seen from Forever 21. I walk around the market until I find the place where I bought my shorts and buy 2 pairs more, dark jeans and blue, then continue walk around and find another place with pink shorts with my number but before buying I try to negotiate, as I’m not successful I leave and go try to find the stall where I’ve seen the leggings. I try it right there and buy them in a minute, the leggings are really nice so I don’t even argue the price. I head back to the stall where I saw the pink shorts and try once more negotiate with her, fortunately the girl where I bought the first shorts show up and after a little talk, I manage to have the shorts cheaper than before.

I’m happy with my shopping so now it’s time to head back home and I do it gladly walking through the park.

When I arrive home I just have time to seat for about 5 minutes and then it’s time for lunch. Later will go visit the Bitexco Financial tower, the tallest building in HCMC, so after lunch I relax a bit while watching some TV shows.

At 5.30 pm Xuan, the kids and me leave the house to go to Domino’s order a pizza for me, I’m craving junk food and what better than eat a pizza that I can not have in Portugal? So we arrive there and I go order my pizza and I like pineapple on my pizza, so when I finish my order a girl arrives and tells me they don’t have pineapple… no pineapple, so how they sell all the other pizzas they advertise with pineapple, guess the answer is with no pineapple. I can’t believe in what my ears are hearing so I just cancel my order and leave… how they don’t have pineapple?! In this country there’s more fruit that I ever seen, and sweet one, so why they don’t go to the market and buy it? Don’t get it… my craving for junk food finishes right there so I jump on the motorbike and we head to the tower.

After buying the tickets we head to the 49^th floor and when I see the view I get without words…

After walking around and making a couple of pictures, we head down and because it’s raining very much we head to the little shopping mall inside the tower.

We walk around a bit and I make some pics of Xuan and the kids and then it’s time to brave the rain in order to be able to leave the kids at home and go for dinner.

So… after leaving the kids at home, we go for dinner at the stalls in front of the market at the roundabout, we order noodles that are made by Chinese-Vietnamese, which means the way they’re cooked is different of what I’m used to.

The food is good and, for the first time I see a cute Vietnamese! This kid as 22 years old but as a really nice face and lots of style, my kind of style. When finish our meal, Xuan gets avocado for us and we stay there talking a bit with the kid and waiting for the heavy rain to stop.

Then, when the rain slows down for a bit it’s time to head home and while jumping on the motorbike, I’m proud to say that a guy while speaking with Xuan says I have 18 years old… I laugh but I also get very pleased, 18 years old… I guess the guy needs glasses! Hehehehe

At home, I take a shower and go to bed. I watch a couple of TV shows and then fall asleep…

Night night everyone, sleep tight don’t let the bedbugs bite!

Day 113

Today I wake up later than usual, around 7.30 am, so after rolling for a bit in the bed I get up and go for the shower. When I’m getting ready I hear the kids, which means they already woke up and now it’s time for the food fight. When they finish breakfast, Chi Mi, Xuan, Phuc and me go to the market buy lunch and after choosing what to eat, Xuan and me go for breakfast at Lady Bulldog while Chi Mi takes Phuc home.

After breakfast we go home to pick up the motorbike and go for our morning coffee at Highlands coffee shop. While we are there, this guy starts talking with us and I learn that he lives in Orange County, likes tats but has afraid of doing it and has gangsters’ nephews that already have been arrested… no comments! It’s with all this excitement that we finish our coffee; we pay and go to the hair shop buy curling and straighten hair machines for Xuan. Then we head to Ben Thanh market to buy more fabrics to make clothes and when we’re leaving I see the watch a co-worker of my dad, Gustavo, wanted so I ask the price and keep it in mind in case I have to buy it.

When we leave the market it has start raining and we just want that the heavy rain doesn’t start while we’re out so we jump on the motorbike and go very fast home. A few drops fall but luckily the heavy rain only starts when we arrive home and start lunching. Thach Thao and Phuc are making their afternoon siesta and even if I feel like it, I prefer to finish a couple of things on the blog and then rest.

Miss Hoan shows up with our things from the tailor next to her house and the dress I had make for my mother is astonishing! My mother will be even more beautiful than what she already is! =) I’m impressed…

After checking everything and finishing the calculations on how much it would be, I go to my bedroom and rest a little bit more, at least until Xuan tells me she’s going to take the kids to the park and then we’re going for dinner with Chi Mi’s cousin and Xuan’s friend.

While she takes them to the park, I put a little bit of make up and get ready for dinner. Before Chi Mi’s cousin show up we still have time to go to the tailor in front of our house to order a couple more stuff to be done and then, when he arrives, we go to the barbeque place near our house.

Finally I’m able to take a photo with my waitress friend and her daughter. =) Now I just miss the friends who park the motorbike when we go there…

After dinner we go to Viva Coffee shop and while Xuan and Chi Mi’s cousin talk, I entertain myself taking pictures and watching S.W.A.T. or, as I like to say, when Colin Farrell was hot… =)

Around 9 pm we head back home where I take a shower and watch Snitch with Dwayne Johnson and Susan Sarandon. The movie it’s ok and I have to say I see Dwayne Johnson being beat up without giving it back… oh and there’s also Benjamin Bratt in the movie and he’s kinda cute too…

After Snitch I still don’t feel that sleep so I watch the 3 last episodes of New Girl and they can still stole a couple of laughs from me. Very funny!

It’s 12.30 am now and it’s already a brand new day but it’s also time to sleep so…

…Night night peeps!

Day 112

Today’s the last day of school for Thach Thao and Phuc, which means no more 6.30 am waking up! =) But today is still the same: get up, shower, get dressed and ready to take them to school. After leaving them we go for breakfast at Lady Bulldog and for cà phê sữa đá at highlands coffee shop. We stay at the coffee shop for a while, relaxing, and then we head to Saigon Plaza to buy more swimming wear for Thach Thao and Phuc. We walk around and walk around until we find what we really wanted, and we find it so well that I ended up spending money on a pair of jeans shorts from Victoria’s Secret and got my eye on a pair of Forever 21 cosmic leggings… anyway, before leaving we also buy a shirt for Chi Lam and then we go home for lunch.

Today we’re active and don’t stop much at home. As soon as we finish lunch we go for massage and steam bath. Then we drive until the photo store and before getting the photos we ordered, we visit the Cholon Mosque.

We were very curious about the architecture and Xuan about how was it inside but when we arrive there, there is this nasty woman who’s really not nice to us, telling us we cannot enter the mosque. Xuan and me ignore her and go look around; there they also give Arabic classes to the youngest and Xuan gets really disappointed in the fact that there’s nothing decorating the Mosque.

We leave, pick up the photos and head to the school to pick up Thao and Phuc but it’s too early when we arrive so we seat in the shop in front of the school and Xuan orders 2 chai latte, that tasted not that good but I was so thirsty that it disappear very quickly!

A little bit before 4 pm the school gates open and we can pick up the kids, they won’t be coming back to this school anymore so we give the photos we had made to their teachers and then we head home.

We leave them at home and then go out to go buy a pair of shorts for Xuan. We go back home, leave the shorts and pick up the food for Xuan’s mother. We go out again towards her house, leave the food, get the stuff from yesterday, give her a ride to the temple and then head home again. At home we leave the empty stuff and go out again, this time we go to the supermarket. I buy a couple of sweets to take to Portugal and Xuan lots of instant noodles to take to Portugal. I think it’s very funny because, we also have it in Portugal but who cares… when I leave I’ll be missing this! Going to the supermarket and take everything in the motorbike, it’s very funny and such a nice experience. We take lots of time at the supermarket because it’s really crowded so when we’re ready is already time to dinner and when we arrive home, dinner is on the table.

While having dinner the tailor’s daughter, Terry, shows up but Chi Mi tells her we’re having dinner so when I finish dinner I go to her house to talk a little bit with her so she can continue practicing her english.

At 9 pm I come back home and I really need a shower! I go directly there, wash my hair and wash all the impurities away, and then it’s time to blow-dry and straighten the air while watching a TV show.

When I’ve finish all my stuff, I watch Bruce Willis’ A Good Day to Die Hard.

My comments? It’s funny; you can watch it even if it’s not the best movie of all times! =) Time to go for the beauty sleep…

Night night everyone, sleep tight don’t let the bedbugs bite!

Vietnamese by the eyes of a Portuguese

Day 111

It’s time to get up, go for my shower and get ready to leave Thach Thao and Phuc at school. They’ve been coughing for the last weeks so they take their medicine and then we’re ready to go. After leaving them at school, Xuan and me go for breakfast at Lady Bulldog and soon as we finished we get up and leave before she can send us more deadly looks.

When we’re back home I finish the last pass partout for the last frame, which is more complicated than I first realized, while Xuan and Chi Mi go to the market buy lunch. After finishing with the frame we have a photo shoot session! Yes!

Xuan does the make-up to Chi Lam and Chi Mi, does her own make-up and I spend the next hours making photos of all of them. In the end I also put some make-up on and make a couple of pictures with them. Photos are done so it’s time for lunch.

Chi Lam and Chi Mi start preparing the table and finishing the last touches on lunch, while I go take the make-up and Xuan changes for more comfortable clothes.

After lunch we go to the photo store but it’s closed so we head back home. We decide to go wash our hair and I’ll also do manicure. While washing my hair and getting the facial refreshing massage I fall asleep, I don’t even know how long I stayed there but it felt great! While blow-drying my hair I have my nails done and then head home.

It’s almost 4.30 pm and it’s time to get Thach Thao and Phuc, it started raining heavily so we put the raincoat on and brave the storm. At the school, Xuan stays outside while I go pick them up and it’s always an adventure: the floor is all wet, Phuc and I slide over the floor and Thach Thao loses her flip flops twice in a 5 second-window.

After leaving the kids at home, Xuan and me brave one more time the rain to go give dinner to Xuan’s mother. We get all wet but that doesn’t stop us to go drink Chinese medicine in the way back and stop at the photo store to order this morning photos to be made.

When we arrive home it’s already dinnertime, before I’m still able to take a shower and then we eat dinner. I still have to go to the tailor after dinner so I go there to ask some changes to the things they did and then head back home, as quick as I can. I’m very tired so I just straighten my hair and fall asleep before 9 pm…

Night night peeps!

Day 110

The amount of days until I go home is starting to be shorter but that doesn’t mean I can run from my errands. =) It’s 6.30 am and I get up my lovely butt out of the bed and go for the shower. Then I get dressed and ready to take Thach Thao and Phuc to school with Xuan. The kids show up at my door with theirs good morning wishes and then we head to their school.

After leaving them at school, Xuan and me go for breakfast and just wishing that Lady Bulldog is in a good mood today, as we’d really appreciate to eat some beef noodles in the morning. We’re lucky! She doesn’t send us away, she just prepares our food, we eat and we go on our way. We don’t want to risk our next breakfast…

Once at home, we don’t stop. We jump on the motorbike and head to Highlands Coffee shop were we drink our usual while waiting to make time to go to the tailor. Around 10.30 am we pay and leave the coffee shop only to head to Ben Thanh market where we buy more fabrics for clothes and go around the market at least 4 times without founding the stall we wanted and where we could buy p-jays. We even thought the girls that sold us the p-jays the other day had run away today… in the end we found another place where to buy it but we we’re still intrigued why we couldn’t find the first place.

We head home to leave the things we bought, grab the lunch paper bag and head to Xuan’s mother temple to deliver her lunch. When she see us she gets very happy and thanks us for bringing lunch. Then we go to the tailor to check how our trousers and shirts are coming out. Surprise of the surprises: they have our stuff for the last month and they didn’t start anything! I get a bit stressed as next week I’ll be leaving and don’t have my things ready. After leaving the tailor we head home for lunch and I’m not feeling great. I feel dizzy and very tired so I text Mr. Tho cancelling our coffee in the evening.

At home we eat some beef with rice and some fried fruit that seems sweet potato and it’s really good. After lunch I go rest a little bit but it’s not enough and when it’s time to pick up Thach Thao and Phuc I’m still a bit down. As always, I pick up Phuc while Xuan picks up Thach Thao and then we meet at the school entrance.

We go back home. The kids want to play, I just wanna stay still but instead, I start doing pass partout for some frames Xuan bought and she goes to Ben Thanh market change one of the fabrics we bought this morning because it was all dirty and we didn’t noticed. Then, when she’s back, we go to the bookstore to buy more drawing paper in order to continue the pass partout. With all this activity, time passes and it’s already dinnertime so we eat and, after, go to the tailor in front of the house to give him the fabrics we bought in the morning.

Once there, Xuan starts talking with them and explaining what needs to be done, when their daughter shows up and starts speaking in English with me. We have a wonderful conversation about studying, what we like to do, culture and tattoos. We talk so much that I don’t even realize time passing and when Xuan and me leave it’s already 9 pm.

It’s the end of my day, which means go for my shower and out the p-jays on. I lay on my bed; watch Real World Portland and I’m ready to fall asleep.

Night night everyone, sleep tight don’t let the bedbugs bite!

P.S.- a little bit of culture...

Day 109

It’s not a weekday but I still wake up with the chicken... as I can’t sleep anymore, I decide to get up and shower and get ready to breakfast whenever it will be. I go downstairs and Xuan’s teacher and her friend are already awake and they’re sat at the table talking. I wish good morning to both, I go to the fridge, grab a yogurt and ask if they want one, as they say no, I eat mine in silence and then head back to my room. It’s too early and besides them no one is awake so I guess I’ll just lay down on my bed and rest my eyes for a while. Around 8 am Thach Thao and Phuc and when Xuan is ready we go for breakfast or at least we try… Lady Bulldog is not on her days today and just tell us hat she doesn’t want to sell us noodles today… no comments… there’s no point on stressing and get irritated at the beginning of the morning, let’s just grab bread and eat some eggs…

At home we eat the eggs and the bread, I ask Xuan what she wants to do today and as she needs to take the teacher’s to buy some stuff I tell I’ll go for a walk by myself. At 9.30 am I leave the house with my backpack packed with 2 cameras, a computer, a charger and an external hard disk and I start walking. I know where I want to go, I want to go near the river so with the photo camera ready I walk my usual way.

Go by the park where I’m asked to answer a survey by two girls that are doing it for university, which I gladly answer. I continue walking through the park and when I almost arriving to big roundabout near Ben Thanh market 3 other girls come to ask me the same things as the two prior girls. These 3 girls where very nice and lovely and it was a pleasure to talk with them. I even took a couple of pictures with them and, later I learned that by giving my blog address one of them would find me on Google+ (Miss Hiền Phạm and Miss Như Nguyễn it was a pleasure to meet you both!). =)

At the roundabout of Ben Thanh market, instead of going towards the opera house and the highlands coffee shop, I go right towards the Bitexco Financial Tower.

Unfortunately this street I chose didn’t inspire me and beside a couple of photos to people resting their eyelids nothing was more interesting until arriving to the tower. There I got informed about the opening schedule and the prices and decided I’d like to go there twice, one during the day and another one during the night, so I grab a pamphlet and walk towards the river, my first objective.

It’s really hot and near the river there’s almost no trees and nothing to see except some restaurant boats and a beautiful hotel.

I make a couple of pictures and head back towards this open avenue full of trees, towards the opera house. You can notice that while walking here you’re walking towards an upper class part of the town…

when arriving to the opera house I turn left to go to my favorite Highlands coffee shop where I drink a my beverage of election while updating a couple of stuff on my blog and around noon I start walking towards home as lunch will be lau…

When I arrive home all the ladies are already there and before lunch I only have time to leave my stuff upstairs and seat at the table.

Lunch runs smoothly and everybody enjoys the time together or at least I think so as I can only understand the smiles and the laughs between them. After lunch I decide to rest because later I’m going to meet my friend Thoung for dinner.

At 5 pm I start getting ready and one hour after Xuan gives me a ride to the restaurant. As it’s still too early I make a couple of photos at the park in front; I’m even able to catch a rat!

I text Thuong and she’s already at the restaurant. When I see her she takes me to her table where her ex-husband and her son are already sat. Everyone’s very nice with me and we have a couple of laughs together while eating a very nice steak.

When we finish we decide to go for ice cream and we go again to the coconut ice cream place. While eating the ice creams we also play with Kahn’s ipad and have lots of fun.

Then Thuong asks me if I’d like to go see and hear some flamenco and I’m all in so she books us a table at this place called Carmen and around 8.30 pm we head to the bar.

The bar is amazing, very beautiful, with red lights that create a very intimate environment.

We order our drinks and a plate of fruits and shake our shoulders while the performances don’t start.

Then the band comes to the stage and this girl with a microphone starts singing.

She has an amazing voice! She sings in English and in Spanish and her accent is really good; I have to confess I wasn’t expecting it.

After a couple of songs, she leaves the stage and another singer fills in. this guy starts with Ricky Martin and stays in that register, he seems a guy full of life that really loves what he’s doing. His energy is passed to the audience and that’s very good!

Mr. Vietnamese Ricky Martin finishes his performance and it’s time for these 2 guys go on stage: a Philippine and a Vietnamese singing Gypsy Kings songs and some other great scores.

When I entered Carmen I never thought this would be so much fun!

At 11 pm is time to go home so Thuong tells the taxi driver where to take me, I thank her very much and tell her I wanna see her again next weekend. The taxi driver takes me next home; I pay and wake up Chi Lam to open me the door (yes, I didn’t take the keys with me and now I have to disturb poor Chi Lam, I’m a bad girl!). In my room I’m still able to talk a few minutes with my parents and wish them a good night. It’s late and tomorrow I have to wake up early so it’s time for bed…

Night night peeps!