Today’s themes: Food and Rain and Food

Rain
I don’t mind
Shine
The weather’s fine
-The Beatles

Today’s post will be short. That’s because Day 3 is fairly leisurely, with a brief shopping spree for socks, some remote work, and the beginning of our tour with a group dinner on the 20th floor.

The hotel includes breakfast and it’s quite a spread. I had plenty of vegetables on the flights so trying to balance my diet now more equitably with anything but. As you can see, beef pho for breakfast with accoutrements, a buffet longer than a bowling alley lane.

On Day 3 Adam goes on his own adventure while I plan to catch up on some emails and go to the Takashimaya department store, about a seven minute walk from the hotel. I have three objectives at the store: one, look for a sports watch that doesn’t use any metal with nickel in the bezel or band; two, buy some short socks; three, buy a shirt.

I recall that Casio watches are inexpensive so that’s my focus. My recollection is out-dated or at least completely out of touch with reality. I ask to look at a Casio watch with titanium (Ti) as I have a topical allergy to nickel. She shows me a watch — 40 million Vietnamese Dong (₫). My fascination with currency, currency conversion, and relative costs proceeds unabated. I perfom a quick calculation in my head — somewhere around $150. I would be wrong. At today’s currency exchange rates, one American dollar is equivalent to to 24,345 ₫. Forty million Dong divided by 24,345 is $1,643.05,

No Casio watch is purchased in Ho Chi Minh City.

I find a bundle of ankle height socks. They will turn out to be perfect.

I also find a baby blue polo shirt — XL. Looks to be the right size. I been purchasing similar L shirts lately so XL seems to be an apppropriate guess on the conservative side as Vietnamese sizes are slightly smaller than American sizes. I will be wrong. The shirt hugs me in the waste a little too tightly. Covered with a coat it won’t be too bad. End shopping.

I begin my walk back to the hotel and this is the sky. Ominous, right?

Soon the streets are wet (this is the Walkway).

Then I start to lose control, taking random pictures, slipping and almost falling in front of four men.

There’s the downpour to end all downpours, I think. But I am wrong. I leave that for another day. (Turn sound off before playing unless you like the soothing sound of rain and a police siren.)

Then the tour begins with an evening meal on the top floor of our hotel, with 19 of the 23 registered attendees.

We have a fixed menu.

The venue has an open deck on one end. And on that end is a view of the Adora Art Hotel and surrounding buildings, with the Thu Thiem 2 Bridge, completed in April 2022, in the foreground.

I promise Day Four will have more pictures and more rain… Time for some privacy, creativity, and inspiration!