Disaster averted

Awake early so I went for a run just after 5am. The city is quiet then except for some street sellers getting ready for the day, including this man grinding meat. 

It was already 25° and very humid but it was great to get out and see more of the city. I tried running through the port area but two barking dogs and their owners made it pretty clear I should turn around. 

I did get to explore  a whole new area across the other side of the river I'd be curious about on the map. It seems to have been empty land before - or were some settlements moved elsewhere to make way for office blocks?

Interestingly the consulates of the two 'colonial' powers are next to each other - the French and American, with the walls of the American one touting the benefits of USAID. 

 Back to the hotel room and after repeated knocks on the door and messaging,  Elijah was awake and before too long we went down for breakfast. 

We split up for him to go shopping and me to go to the Jade Emperor Pagoda but 5 minutes later we were both interrupted by an unexpected rainstorm. I ducked into the old central post office and then settled in for a coconut coffee at the lovely cafe in Book Street. The ideal place to wait out a rainstorm.

Elijah eventually joined me, sopping wet - but he said it was worth it to get the shiny pokémon he proudly showed me. 

But maybe it wasn't worth it if threaten our holiday happiness. How? 

A water damaged screen on Elijah's phone - no chance of Pokémon Go then. (Brought  back memories of something similar on my trip with Isaac 7 years ago). We rapidly searched out the only authorised Apple repairer in Saigon and headed there as soon as the rain stopped. An hour later Elijah had a new screen. Holiday disaster averted. 

Time then to return to our original plan. Elijah went shopping and I headed for the Taoist pagoda. 

Not that impressive from the outside but on the inside quite extraordinary (though unfortunately photos weren't allowed). Four different shrines with scary and grotesque wooden statues and carvings. I was particularly struck by the depictions of women being tortured in a Taoist hell (not sure why the men were missing out). Local worshippers were buying josticks, candles and fruit to appease the deities and the ancestors, and a few of the western tourists were doing the same with their Vietnamese guides. All in the hope of having their prayers answered. 

What a joy that we have full and open access to our heavenly Father whenever we pray, without any need for a sacrifice other than the only sacrifice of Jesus for us. 

With Elijah headed for a Vietnamese-priced Big Mac meal deal, I was free to get some Vietnamese-priced street food. 

All this and a drink for $4 and it tasted better than McDonald's as well. 

Finally we met up to finish off Elijah's essential shopping at Uniqlo - at shopping centres the likes of which Chatswood has never seen. 

Yet more extraordinary contrasts in this communist country that the West tried so hard to prevent:

Ho chi minh pointing to the Times Square skyscraper. And just around the corner, the new car dealership for those who want to stand out from the city's 9 million scooters. 

Of course, not everything is gleaming but the capitalist spirit kept shining through. The apartments in this old block on the main  boulevarde have been turned into cafes,

this shoe-shiner insisted on cleaning my running shoes (and I was feeling too relaxed to stop him),

And this woman was maximising the economic output of her pedal power and eyesight