It's hard going back to work after a four-day weekend…

Friday I went to a karaoke bar for the first time ever. For some reason I thought one sang along to the original music minus the vocal track, so it really threw me off to have to sing to cheesy arrangements. My first song was Mas Que Nada- a bad choice since I hardly know the words and the musical track was nothing like the Sergio Mendes version I'm familiar with. I had a bit more success with The Police's Don't Stand So Close To Me-although the lyrics were not exactly accurate- and had the most fun with Should I Stay or Should I Go? by the Clash. I finished off with a horrible rendition of Tammy Wynette's Stand By Your Man. The receptionist girls I went with wanted me to sing a bunch of sappy songs that I had either never heard or which I refused to sing e.g. Lionel Richie. It was sort of fun though.

Saturday and Sunday I went on a two-day tour of the Mekong Delta. It was good to get out of the city, but it was also very tiring. We spent practically the entire two days traveling on buses or boats, stopping only to eat or have bathroom breaks. Can Tho was much bigger than I expected, but the floating market was a bit disappointing. Despite a traffic jam and getting rained on, I had a pretty good time with F. and A. If I were to go again I would want to actually spend a couple of days in the countryside and relax.

Monday was a holiday. "The fall of Saigon", as it is known in the U.S., is known here as "reunification day" or "the liberation of Saigon." There were a lot of flags put up, but I didn't really see much patriotic activity beyond that. I had lunch and spent the afternoon with Kat. She's the girl I've been teaching Spanish to. She's quite bright and has picked it up very quickly. We also spent yesterday afternoon together having a "fruit lunch" (delicious mangoes!), going to a Vietnamese products fair (I bought a couple of shirts) and then going to an ice cream shop.

I think she's a little embarrassed to give me rides on the back of her motorbike. I guess it's a macho thing, but you almost never see a Vietnamese man riding on the back with a woman driving. I've asked a couple of other girls about this, but although they say it's not a big deal it's my impression that it is embarrassing for them. A couple of them have told me that I should learn how to drive. We'll see. I certainly don't feel like I need to buy a motorbike. Xe oms (motorbike "taxis") are plentiful and I'm probably only spending about $15 a month on transportation.

I write about motorbikes because they are such an integral part of life in Saigon. I can't imagine this city without them. There are also some amusing fashion styles to go along with it. Almost everyone wears a baseball cap or hat, and many women wear scarves that cover almost their entire face and make them look like bandits on their way home from a bank robbery. Many women also wear long, ballroom-dancing/cocktail-party type gloves that cover the entire length of their arms.

At first I thought they covered themselves up because of the dust and air pollution. This plays a part of course, but they do it mostly because they associate dark skin with being a peasant working out in the sun. It's a shame because the few Vietnamese women who I've seen with a tan look lovely indeed. I'm trying to get Kat to give up the gloves.