Happiness to Everybody

View from our balcony at the guesthouse. The other side of the river, mostly fishing-family houses.

Another view from our balcony. That's the Mekong River, btw.

Quite possibly the most flattering picture taken of me this trip. Featuring "Comrade Repsol", my bike.
"Glorious Feats. Waste Basket. Happiness to Everybody"


Today was our first full day in Can Tho, and the beginning of classes for the next 6 weeks. We've bought bikes, helmets, cell phones, SIM cards and some other long-term items for our stay. Three of us had bike troubles, myself included, though my mishap was a bit less serious than the others. It appears that the people who sold me my bike didn't tighten the pedal bar to the bike very well, so it came loose (and off) while I was biking in the middle of the road. Luckily we were traveling with an envoy of Tien's (the program assistant) pals on motorbikes, who were able to locate a guy on the street who could fix it. It cost 3,000 dong (about 17 cents american) for him to put a new nut on the pedal bar (which he got our of a coffee can filled with a variety of nuts and nut like pieces). Best of all was his hat, an old old white and red Michigan hat! This whole process, from breakage to fixage took less than 5 minutes, which is one of the many reasons I'm beginning to love this city. Unfortunately, one of my groupmates had a less fortunate accident, when his chain broke clean off his bike, and he had to be towed to the guesthouse by tying his chain to the back of another bike and holding it while on his own bike. His hand is still recovering.
I had bread for the first time in almost a week, a small pastry at the University cafe; it cost about 6000 dong (40 cents).
Yesterday we went to a public pool on bike-back, and made a LOT of friends. Us westerners are quite the spectacle, expecially to the younger generation, who are less timid and always want to practice thier english. We had a blast, though I did loose my bike lock keys, which meant breaking the lock with a hammer. No big deal, I guess.
Today: saw Vodka for sale: One Liter = 14,000 dong ( 60 cents)
Pictures of Can Tho tomorrow.