Sugar Daddy for 3 hours

What are they selling

A person never knows what will happen next here. My plan today was to make contacts to promote the hotel and try to get some influential people here to recommend my place. It has been working out pretty good. Most tourists here have just arrived and intend to travel to the north. Hopefully they will stay with me. My wanderings took my thought e park close by and then it happened….. I got side tracked and everything changed.

My pal Tang

I have mentioned before that this country is boiling slowly to a climax. Another day closer and new things are happening. The park magically filled with flowers of all sorts. The downtown area is turning into a giant flower and light show. I was particularly admiring the dragon fruit displays. Everything was set up so beautiful that I lost track of time. A cyclo driver was trying to get my attention for a fare, however, I was not interested so I told him in Vietnamese as much. I do not know how or why, but we ended up in deep conversation and quickly became pals. He never asked for money and because of that, I decided to hire him for the afternoon. I needed an education about Saigon, so he showed me. We went to the area where all of the embassies and consulates are. We also went by the zoo and into a part of Saigon that very few westerners ever see. Deep, deep in the maze of alleyways and tiny houses we stopped to interact with the locals. At first they were a little suspicious of a foreigner being in their midst, but after talking with them in my bad Vietnamese, they warmed up and it was good fun. I left promising them that I would return. Here is some sad news about cyclos.

The government has deemed that cyclos are too dangerous in Saigon and Hanoi. The driver of my cyclo was saddened. He enjoys driving his bicycle and will be now forced to become a Xe Om driver. In two months the cyclo will disappear from the two cities. I think that this is going to be a big loss to the flavor of Vietnam. The cyclo driver has to be one of the hardest working, and poorest of the working class. They are responsible for much more than simply driving tourists around. They act as a low cost courier to deliver all kinds if goods. They are also used to transport children to and from school, or weak people to pick up groceries at the market. I cannot see an 80 year old woman using a motorcycle taxi to go shopping. Knowing Vietnamese

Motorcycle taxi

people, they will probably come up with some ingenious way of coping. This sudden end to the cyclo reminds me of other events that happened here. When the government speaks, the whole population acts. About two years ago the government announced it was introduced helmet laws and in a single day, the whole country went to wearing nothing, to wearing helmets. Another announcement at the same time was that any air

A road side massage

 polluting vehicle was to be outlawed. Literally overnight the old chugging busses, Tuc-tucs and old style vehicles were gone.  When a law is made here, it is acted on immediately by the people, and alas, sadly the cyclo is the next big new change.

The young woman that cleans the hotel I am staying in was standing in the doorway looking bored when I returned. I asked her if she was going out, but she replied she has no friends here and nowhere to go. I told her I would take her somewhere and she was delighted. I decided to take her atop the tallest hotel in Saigon to a small lounge for a drink and see the view. The Sheraton hotel is expensive even by our standards and she was a little reluctant, but I was able to persuade her. When she saw the price of the drinks she wanted to leave, but I assured her it was OK. Sh sat and marveled over the balcony at seeing the city from such a height. After one drink, I took her to another bar in the hotel that had a live rock band. They were excellent and we were treated to the added bonus of some Korean and Japanese business men being there with their sexy and slinky concubines. The way they wriggled on the dance floor and entertained the old men was a sight to behold. Khuyen  I spoke of her in an early December blog) sat with jaw agape. She had the time of her life and is still telling stories to her co-workers this morning. I am glad I was able to give her a little happiness, if even for only a short time.

Work horses with wheels

Last night we met with the hotel building owner to hammer out some deals and details. She is a nice woman. There are things she should, and will be responsible for in the renovations of the building. There are things we also will be responsible for. After some hard negotiation, we are very close to finalizing some of the last details. I think I have surprised the people that I have been dealing with that I am so aggressive and concise in what has to happen for all of this to come together. Being a hard ass seems to be getting their respect unlike some of the westerners in the tourist area that seem to be a push over to them. Only one final hurdle co jump tomorrow and we can have the renovation materials delivered……. Speaking about delivery…..

There are large cargo vehicles in the country, but I wish to talk about the main method of delivery of goods. Most things are transported locally by cyclo, motor cyclo, bicycle and motorcycle. A cyclo is a bicycle version of a rickshaw. It has a hooded carrier in the front and can seat 2 people a bit uncomfortably. They are quite often kept in good shape and always kept clean to attract the paying customer. The competition amongst themselves for the tourist dollar is fierce and can sometimes break into fist fights. A person will also see many older run down machines. These are usually used not only to ferry people (if it is in acceptable condition) to moving furniture and industrial supplies. They are pro ably the cheapest way to move large goods such as mattresses and other not too heavy but bulky items.

 Then there are the real work horses. Motorized cyclos have a flat deck in front similar to a small trailer. The cargo placed on these vehicles can be anything. I have seen loads of granite stones, 20’ lengths of rebar, and complete living room furniture including a sofa, chairs, and tables. I am no longer surprised when I see something new. I have never seen one that looks new, and have also never seen one in a dealership. Perhaps these machines are obsolete, but keep on getting rebuilt. They all look ancient.

 Bicycles are generally used by individuals to move their goods. Many of them are recyclers, or people to poor to have a motorcycle. Again, they can be loaded beyond anything you can imagine. For example in the picture attached. The flats of beer look un-remarkable in the size being transported, but imagine the weight, and how do they not fall off?

Lastly there is the true work horse of Vietnam….. the motorcycle. It is absolutely amazing at what you can see being transported by these things. Most stores in Vietnam will deliver a product direct to your door and install them within hours of the sale. In an earlier post I had mentioned that I purchased a fridge, stove, microwave, and rice cooker. These items arrived at my door on two motorcycles. Remember that these little beasts are only 110 cc’s on average. I have seen everything behind a driver from giant panes of glass, to a cow…… yes, a full grown cow! Perhaps the most memorable cargo to me was a person had made some kind of wire structure to wear around him shaped like a giant bell. The bell shaped cloak ( for lack of a better word) had four to six rings to which was attached DUCKS! They were tied at the feet and hung from the garment. Perhaps as many as 60 to 80 ducks. As I drove by him, all that was visible of the driver was his head sticking out slightly above the ducks which enveloped him in a bell like circle from head to foot. For all intents and purposes….. a cloak of ducks. As I passed some of the ducks looked at me and quacked indigently at me as if to ask what the heck was I looking at!! Smart ass ducks!!