i start out in the afternoon, after the heat has peaked. this is the time when the outlying city-center streets are filled with white ghosts: white people, ghosting through the city on their ways back to the hotels, sweaty and heat exhausted, in pairs or singular, hostel folk. the more central city is filled with tourists, older couples and couples with kids, french, german of course, adn obnoxious americans. this is also where the shop owners are most aggressive, inviting you to come in and eat, regardless of time of day, pressing menus into your face.
the city navigation makes me angry, so i traverse the city with a permanent RBF, cursing loudly at people on the street. mostly, traffic. tehre is no traffic rules; lights or direction of traffic do not matter, the only rule is go, regardless, of whose right of way it, who is in front of you or what direction you're facing. bikers ride on the sidewalk, with or opposite of traffic, honking loudly at you as if YOU are in their way. this is why, i curse, because fuckers, are on the sidewalk.
similarly, i curse at dudes that offer rides. they hang out on street corners, lounging supine on their bikes and half a block away will scream at you: 'hello madame, motorbike?" some of them are more persistently obnoxious and will continue to talk to you while you're actively ignoring them. 'no, i dont need a bike, asshole! if i did, i'd talk to you'. cursing also flows in the direction of catcalls and obnoxious comments in my direction. inappropriate and totally disgusting, is that how you talk to your sister, are you fucking kidding me?
the parks is where you can sort of escape the heat. the greenery offers protection from the sun and park alleys, away from traffic, are slightly cooler than the streets. the parks are filled with people working out, running slowly around the park, or exercising on the park apparatus(es??)--these exercise machines, metal, like ellipticals and bikes--all in street clothes. there are group classes--dance, aerobics, martial arts of sorts--one can take for free. the park alleys are lined for badminton; alleys are filled with people playing vietnamese hackey-sac: same idea i think but the hackey-sac resembles a shuttle-cock. park benches are filled with old folk, couples, adn groups of vietnamese youth attacking foreigners. i'm not sure if these are organized or if white people are simply accosted on street corners and are asked to participate in political debates or general english language practice. parks are also where pictures are taken: leaning against a tree, staring into the sunset, looking at a leaf. this is where match.com vietnam happens. on weekends, parks are used for party group team meetings (more on that later).
the sidewalks are filled, at all times, with parked bikes, vendors, people sitting and eating, or just sitting. somtimes it seems the entire city is just hanging out on the sidewalk. there are chickens on the street, belonging to vendors, and it's unclear if they are pets or tonight's dinner. there are cafes that have all of their seating outside on tiny little plastic chairs, or just cart vendors that park on whatever tiny area of sidewalk they can claim. this makes the sidewalk impassable, forcing one (me) to navigate between bikes, carts, people, hanging feet, and stepping into traffic. it's all about magical thinking because no one moves over, ever. large trees and sidewalk cracks frequently have little incents and buddha offerings of food and coffee, presumably, for good business.
ignoring the heat and the anger provoking traffic, the city is quite beautiful. old colonial buildings meet traditional asian architecture in an seamless blend. the city is living, moving, exhaust-ing, cooking, eating. it is green, it is loud and sweaty, obnoxiously forcing itself into your face.
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