The streets get a lot of attention and care, the sidewalks do not. Sidewalks here serve many purposes The following photos have my notes right under them.
Right around the corner from the hotel is a set of vendors selling fruits, vegetables, flowers and even a meat seller. It is 10:30 AM Sunday.
This woman just sold some of her fruit to one of the vendors I just passed. She is headed across the street to some on the other side. Note the lack of customers. I hope it’s because it is Sunday. This is a guy getting a shave on a sidewalk next to a very busy boulevard. This is the low rent district where when the police come by the guy gives him some dong (Vietnamese money) and all is well A busy scooter repair shop reconstructing some engine, there is no sidewalk. The little boy was the reason for the photo. But when I saw it I realized that the very mysterious word PHO was there in a new context. I thought the word mean soup. But no everything depends on the symbols over the O. It could be noodle soup or it could be the word for street. Or it could be a sign for a COpyshop.
I watched a woman walk her scooter into this alley to a set of buildings behind the buildings on the street. There seemed to be doors and washing hanging on lines and lots mor scooters. Notice the black wire cut from one that goes back to the transformer on the nearby pole. As in lots of developing countries power is a rare commodity for many people and there are creative techniques employed. But sometimes people get caught.
daily woodring 