2nd Day

I woke up this morning, feeling great !! My host sister brought me to the bus stop (we didn't find it at first because they had removed the sign !), and she explained to me how it works : Basically you wait at the stop until a bus passes but there are no fixed schedules and of course the bus never really stops, you have to get on while it is still moving ... So very funny !! And my host sister warned me : The bus drivers drive even more crazily than the motorcycle drivers !!

I arrived at Ben Thanh Market (all the busses have their terminal there) where I was meeting my two new friends, Melanie and Carlijn, who are also members of the organisation I'm doing my internship in, and we stroled around the whole day, looking at all the funny shops, the little markets, and trying to cross the road without being run over each time (basically you must never stop walking and with a little luck the motorcycles let you pass by). We had a very nice lunch in a vietnamese restaurant, every thing for less than
3€ each !!

At about 4 pm. we returned to the Ben Thanh Market, where I tried (!!) to get into the right bus, but as it was rush hour and the bus station is right at the boarder of a huge round about, you can imagine what kind of agitation must have been there at that moment. Simply : There were motorcycles and people e-v-e-r-y-w-h-e-r-e, and also busses letting people in and out, driving through the masses of people waiting or running, the cars honking at every little obstacle, and me trying to find the right bus. When I finally saw it, I ran across the station and wanted to get in but the driver said something in Vietnamese and pointed at the other end of the station, where the other busses were driving off. So I thought ok and I ran to the other side, but the bus didn't stop and drove off. A bit confused, I went to ask some one and they told me just to wait there - that's what I understood - so when the next bus arrived I wanted to get in but it wasn't even really stopping and the driver pointed his finger to the other direction (where I had been waiting at first), so well I didn't have an other choice but to go there and wait again, a bit frustrated ...

Luckily, the next one finally let me in and I showed the ticket collector the name of my station, and she was kind enough to tell me where to get off. But in the mean time it had started to rain, and in Vietnam when it starts to rain, it's not only a few drops, it's directly the flood !! So by the time I was home, I was completely wet, my shoes and my bag as well, and I was feeling like the only dumb person in whole Vietnam without a rain jacket or an umbrella ...

This evening I had my first meal with my host family, and I must say it was delicious !! They are really charming people, and even though they can't speak very well english (except for my host sister) they still find a way to make conversation (the father is really funny : He told me that he eats one or two raw chili peppers a day and that if he doesn't have them in front of him when he eats, he doesn't find the food very tasty) ... Tomorrow I will meet with the girls again and we will prepare some day trips in Vietnam and also a three days trip to Cambodia (Angkor Wat) and then we might have a nice asian massage !! Have a good night every body !!