Wrote out notes from yesterday.  Getting ready to leave now at eight.  Will connect with B and M after their workshop day finishes (maybe 16:30?) and we will walk back together.  Going to look for a city map and try to get that damned SIM card today.

Walked to the so-called mega-mall next to this tower to get a SIM.  No such stores there.  I talked with a security guard and eventually through gestures and gesticulations he understood I wanted a SIM card for my phone.  He sent me to a specific store we found on the ol’ gmaps.

On the way to get that I stopped to visit my new Brazilian friend and to see his dojo.  Very nice dojo just a couple years old.  Also with cross-fit and other exercise machines.  He told me to go “the yellow store” and I showed him where I was going.  He said that was the one.  We promised to do something together and I left.

Mapped to the phone store to see the facade was, as you may have guessed, yellow.

Got a SIM.  I guess I can make calls.  Is that important?  Maybe.

Next I hit a couple of bookstores to fin a city map for Ho Chi Minh.  Neither had any but the second one took my phone number (what?) and would get back to me.

Then I took off for some more wandering.  I bought a one of these fresh squeezed sugar cane and lime drinks.  Pretty tasty.

As I wandered I heard some French.  I introduced myself to two friends who were both Basque, one from France and one from Spain.  We talked for a long time and the Spaniard returned to work, so we two remained and talked until noon.

He invited me to lunch at a nearby Vietnamese place he knew and we had a noodle dish with beef.  I had a coconut water (which here means they hand you a severed coconut and a straw) and he had a beer over ice.  The ice here tends to be big long not quite cubes and not quite tubes.

After we parted I wandered more and found a series of narrow passages and finally a promenade along a small river.  Of course many photographs.

Finally made my way back home.  We will bbq at the pool soon but the lady from the bookstore (the manager it turns out) called my phone!  I know!

B and M wanted to go for a run so I make the fast walk (maps said 11 minutes) back to the bookstore to get the map.  The manager was not there yet.  I beat her.  So I wanted for her and selected a couple of pens to try for writing.

You may know I’m picky about my writing pens.  They must be thin and oh so very fast.  Anyway, I bought one I knew from before and two more so I can fall back if neither of the two new ones pans out.  We shall see.

Back home again waiting on B and M so we can get to grilling.

More a picnic than a proper bbq but we had a good time eating weird chips and other nibbles along with some crispy pork belly.  We were four with a work friend of B and M.  Dipped toes in the pool.  Drank some drinky-poos.  M had made pickled daikon.  Good times.

Now half-past nine and we are talking about what to do tomorrow as we venture into Dist 1.  Food, friends, and fun.