Scooter Skulking

Not being able to resist, I went to another new shop, looking for the ultimate pho in my immediate area.  This one was easily the best one yet.  Big bowl, nice strong flavour, lots of herbs to add if one so desires.

Delicious, pho sho!

The one thing that oddly struck me was the price of this particular bowl of pho.  When I first visited this region of Asia I found that initially I was really pleased with how cheap things are compared to back home.  Then something I call "The Stingy Gene" gets activated.  You become aware of the local prices and roughly what should cost what; What is a rip off, what is a good deal etc.
This bowl was 40,000 Dong.  All the others I have had, have been between 25,000 and 30,000.  This was outrageous!  How can it be 40,000??  The gall!  The nerve!
40,000 Dong is only ~$2 USD.  Sometimes you have to stop and slap yourself and deactivate the stingy gene.  I had an awesome meal for $2.  Sure, maybe a local might think that is on the dearer side and fair enough... but for me?  Nope.  Stupid stingy gene, I shall thwart thee!

So I walk home, satisfied, through the quaint little back alleys and narrow streets to my share house.

After sitting in my room for a while, internetting, I decide it is beer time.  I head downstairs and I hear someone else down there on the ground floor.  Turns out it is Alex, our German housemate, returned from Bali!  We introduce ourselves and chat for a bit.  Turns out he is going on a beer run as well, so we join forces and buy six Saigon Red beers from the shop next door to our building.
We sit and chat for about an hour, drinking beer.  We end up buying four more beers and then it is bed time.  Luckily, before we finished up, he showed me how to activate the data network on my smart phone here, so I can use the Internet, GPS etc, which turns out to be vitally handy the next day.

So in the afternoon, the next day, I get a moto ride to Bui Vien with a local so I can go to Chi's Cafe and sort out a long term scooter rental.  I certainly need to be able to get about this place.
I get to Chi's Cafe and sort it all out, no problems at all.  My new steed awaits me -

Le Scooter

After figuring out how to get home, I set off in the throng off bees that is Saigon traffic.  Everything is going well... until I get totally lost.  Here is where I am very fortunate that Alex helped me set up the Internet on my phone.  Without GPS and maps, I would have been in a serious pickle.  I pull over and start using my phone to find my way back.  Just as I finish, I flip the cover closed and lower my phone towards my pocket, JUST in time to avoid two thieves on their own scooter who come zipping right by me in an obvious attempt to snatch it.  I sat there for a minute absorbing what just happened and how close I came to losing my phone and my only way home.  Much more stringent caution is needed in the future.
I head off a little bit shaken after that event and backtrack to the right way home.  All the while I am thinking about what Chi said to me when I was organising the bike rental.

"Sometimes the police might stop you to check your license.  Because you don't have one, there could be a big fine... maybe 2,000,000 dong.  But usually you can just bribe them about 200,000 dong and they will let you go."

So what happens next?  I stop at a red light, at the very front of a huge pack of scooters.  To my right on a traffic island are 5 police standing there, all staring at me.  Wonderful.  I gritted my teeth, didn't look at them and maintained a cool outward appearance.  One steps out on to the road in front of me... pauses but then continues out into the middle of the road where he proceeds to signal for us all to start driving.
Woohoo!  Got away with that one.

So I eventually get home, park my scooter inside on the bottom floor and call it a day.  Cheers Vietnam, you great big crazy, you.