Vietnam Day 18 (6/25/09)

A small dragonfly with a lime-green head and amber-colored tail landed delicately on the spoon of my cafe sua da. I sat motionless, examining every feature and movement it made. I looked up to find the Vietnamese man who'd joined my solitary table watching me in much the same way. We exchanged polite smiles and I went back to my writing. I've almost completely adjusted to people staring at me all the time (just as many are doing on the bus I'm writing from). Their motives aren't malice or suspicion, it's simple curiosity. Since that's what drives me in life, I'm certainly not going to denigrate it in other people. In fact, I feel a certain connection with anyone driven by curiosity.

My adventurous spirit was put to the test today as I set out into the city on my own for the first time. Van Anh had her internship so I was going to Cafe Zoom by myself to conduct surveys. I hailed my very first solo cab like a pro. Sadly, I had poor luck in cab drivers. I was pretty sure he'd overcharged me but of course had no way of confirming or communicating this so I accepted it. The bigger problem was that he took me to a semi-deserted alley at the end of the street. It was the right street so I got out to see if I could find it but I saw nothing remotely touristy. I asked in a travel agency and I was pointed down the street but the addresses weren't adding up. Some guys sitting on the curb across the street started calling out to me in a disconserting way so I hastily made my way to the main road, deciding that was a safer place to wander around like a lost tourist. That turned out to be the best decision of the day, because after looking around, I soon found the cafe just across the main raod. They were expecting me in the cafe so I just took a seat and took out my clipboards.

At this time of day however, there was only one Westerner in the joint. He was an older man with snow white hair and large glasses. Sitting next to him, listening to his story with vague disinterest was a young beautiful Vietnamese woman. This is exactly the kind of Westerner I've been trying to avoid since I started, the one who comes to Vientnam to find a woman at a reasonable price. I heard his American accent and suddenly felt ashamed. I know I shouldn't judge like that, but when I saw him leaning in with his arm gradually moving further around her backside, my gag reflex kicked in. I'm still curious about how other Vietnamese feel when they see a couple like this, but regardless, my Western eyes see a woman being taken advantage of by a slimeball that I don't want to be associated with in any way. Despite my repulsion, I had a job to do and this guy was definitely a tourist so I went over to give him the survey. After some coaxing, he agreed to take the survey, but was quick to point out that his companion didn't know English. This information made his earlier attempts at inane conversation with her that much more objectionable. Though I suppose I should be grateful that he took time out from his "business" to answer my questions at all.

After him, I only got a few more surveys, but I still enjoyed sitting in the cafe in the meantime. It was a Western restaurant serving pancakes and burgers while playing popular American music and Western television shows including boxing and the Pink Panther cartoon. I spent a good deal of my time looking out at the street, observing the people. Many of them were looking back at me, particularly the children, who laughed and hid their faces when I smiled at them. One passenger on a motorbike couldn't look back at me because he was fast asleep, a dangerous plan if you ask me. Among the motorbikes was a government truck that read "tourist security" but held no soldiers or security of any kind. It might have been unusual circumstances but it does make me wonder if the government is really concerned for tourists safety (although I would imagine they'd have to be).

Before grabbing a cab back to the gurest house, I decided to walk around a bit. Being in the city by yourself is very different than with a group. I was completely focused on observing what was around me, noticing different shops and smellsI didn't know were there though I've walked down that street before. Eventually I grabbed a cab, again successfully (it took a decent amount of effort to get his attention this time). Unfortuanately, all my success with cabs lasts only until I enter the car. This time, I showed the driver the CET card with the guest house address, but the card turned out to be outdated since we soon arrrived a tthe former guest house. It was an easy fix though and, after laughing at me for a while, the cabdriver got me safely to the correct place. Even after this whole fiasco, the cab fare still ended up being half the cost of the ride to the cafe, confirming (too late of course) that I had been ripped off earlier in the day. It's alright though, I'm going to choose to focus on the good parts of my day. I enjoyed the ability to walk around a new city iwth confidence, even putting other foreigners next to me to shame with my skill in crossing the street. I think I could survive pretty well here if I decide to come back.