10th - Assault in HCMC. Not that sort of assault!! In fact HCMC is reportedly very safe place to get around. Yes, you are likely to loose valuables, phones, watches and jewellery but personally quite safe.
The assault I mean is the outright assault to all you senses. Sound, sight, smell, space and touch senses are attacked in a most exciting and amazing way. The endless honking from the traffic, the lingering smell of Asian food in the air everywhere, the sights most well bought up Australian boys should not see,: rubbish, raw food in the open, people sleeping wherever, people, bikes, signs, lights and did I mention traffic. Everywhere are businesses, stalls and people trying to part you from your hard earned. "We have what you are looking for", "We have your size", "What colour do you want", "Look at this", "can I help you madam" / sir", "What are you looking for".
In the Ben Thanh Market just down the road from our GK Central hotel it all comes together in culmination of thousands of stalls, thousands or sellers and endless negotiations on price. We are learning the method. Offer less than half what is put to you when try not to waver. Some thing starts at 350 and up at 200 or less. Depends on how much you keep your nerve. If you do not move and they are not making headway the old "switch" will be used to get you interested in another similar item and the dance starts all over again. Fun but tiring. They only have the now to get your business as 2 stalls up is the same product as is around the corner so just looking is no good to them.
We changed some Aussie dollars at a street side booth with 6 people inside handling millions of dollars in every currency possible. People lined 3-4 deep to get money changed. These guys offered the best rates.
We ate at some local eateries, nothing too special, and generally just looked at the passing parade of people and sights.
The GK Central Hotel is very comfortable, excellent service and attention and well located in the centre of all the action. We slept well. I woke at around 3:00am and the outside street was relatively quiet, only a few bikes and cabbies standing around waiting for it all to start again later in the morning.