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Published: January 1st 2013
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Day 03 - 26 December Today starts early for Craig and I. Very early. By the time the sun is trying to break through the light blanket of pollution shrouding Ho Chi Minh City we have already negotiated rates with a cab driver (ensuring we paid twice the metered fare) and arrived at Notre Dame Cathedral to put our photographic equipment to good use. A friendly cyclo driver, seemingly amused by our activities strikes up a conversation with Craig and soon we are embarking on our own private pedal powered photo tour of the city. He introduces himself as Tahn, and chats and laughs with us as we stop to take some photos in a nearby park. A cyclo driver friend of his happens to bump into us while we're at the park, and in the interests of not killing the 42kg Tahn, Craig and I agree with him that it's best to get his friend to take one of us. At this point it occurs to me.... we probably should have agreed a price for this first.
The very early morning traffic in Ho Chi Minh isn't so bad. The cyclo drivers make pretty good time and we
make it to the river in time to capture a few shots with the sun low to the horizon. Craig is keen to get back to the big park where we've been told lots of the locals practice Tai Chi in the early hours and our cyclo drivers are happy to oblige, stopping to show us a temple that we are assured is on the way. It's the temple Tahn goes to we discover. He tells us how he's had no work for ten days, so yesterday he came to the temple, and today he met us, his new friends. And how he is very happy, because he can feed his family now. It's hard sometimes in places like these, to find the right balance between compassion and healthy cynicism. I don't ever want to be the hard-hearted tourist, beating down every price to the absolute minimum for the sake of a dollar or two, yet at the same time, I am getting the distinct feeling this cyclo tour is going to be a little overpriced.
Eventually, our drivers deliver Craig and I back close to where they picked us up. Somehow we never quite made it to the
Tai Chi park, but Tahn and his friend are so happy they have met us, and they hope we are happy too with the very good tour they have shown us. It is time for payment. It turns out that my inkling that the tour would be a little overpriced is wrong, it is
a lot overpriced. And yet somehow, neither of us argue. Tahn and his friend kindly offer that they can take us to an ATM if we need them to, however we don't take up that offer. As we walk away, both our wallets significantly lightened, I'm amused at how cheeky Tahn was and easily we were taken for a ride (pun intended) but also a bit sad, knowing that next time I probably need to remember to be just a little more cynical, or perhaps a little more guarded in connecting with the people we meet in our travels. I guess it's all about finding that balance.
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mum
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good morning vietnam
hey love the photos and chit chat, it sounds such a wonderful experience. did you get to visit Notre Dame Cathedral, i guess there is so much to see and do. am going to show these to ken tonight.