Sloth

I have been tremendously lazy today. Since I’ve never been able to sleep late (I think it’s genetic), I only slept until about 8 am, but then got up and did…nothing. Not a darn thing. I watched a little tv, checked a little e-mail, and that was about it. I didn’t think that it could get more pathetic than watching “Justice League” on the Cartoon Network while munching on my corn flakes yesterday, but then I saw “Rocky IV” was on this morning, and decided that everyone has her limits, and I had reached mine. It looked nice outside, and I started to feel guilty about being such a slug. The nature of my time here, largely spent in a 9 – 5, Monday through Friday schedule, means that I have to be very proactive if I want to take advantage of seeing the city. I’m thankful that our office is located downtown, because it makes it easier to see things there, but I still spend my days in an office, so my exploring time is a little more limited. In that spirit, I decided to set out down the street to check out this pagoda that I’ve driven past a bunch of times, but have never stopped to check out. It’s not one of the big ones you see in guidebooks, so I have to admit that I know absolutely nothing about it. But I walked down to see it, since it’s only about a kilometer away.

The cool thing for me about walking around in big cities is just the sensory experience of being there – the sights, the smells, the sounds. There’s the roar of motorcycle engines, the nasal sing-song of people speaking Vietnamese, the smell of food cooking in restaurants and roadside stands, the sharp, musky smell of incense burning, the blare of Vietnamese pop music from the bootleg CD store, the mass of people crowded onto their scooters and motorcycles, the girls wearing face masks, hats, and long gloves to protect their skin from the sun and protect their lungs from air pollution, the old women crouched by their fresh coconut juice carts, the sidewalks that are almost completely taken over by parked scooters and people selling things like t-shirts that say “Punky Girl”. The one other ubiquitous sight is the motorcycle “taxis” – men who are constantly asking if you want to pay for them to take you somewhere on their motorcycle. It’s an officially-sanctioned activity, although I don’t know how many people who offer are actually licensed. In my two kilometer walk from my place to the pagoda and back I had at least eleven offers, and I didn’t start counting until halfway through. They wave their arms around, as if they’re trying to communicate with you in semaphore code, and say “motorbike, Miss?” ingratiatingly. The thing that’s puzzling is that you could have just told someone you weren’t interested, and a guy perched on his bike two feet away from him will leap into your path, frantically waving his arms, as if he knows that you really did want a ride, you just didn’t like the look of the other guy. I suppose that happens, but I don’t know if it’s really the reason behind the majority of rejections. I’m guessing that “self preservation” is probably the reason, more often than not.

I made it down to the pagoda fairly quickly, and took some pictures. It was really pretty, and surprisingly quiet for being on such a major road. There were people inside praying, so I mostly stuck to the outside so as not to disturb them. I do, however, think I got some nice pictures. It wasn’t a really long excursion, but I was glad to have made it outside!

I walked by a bunch of places yesterday that sell luggage and things like that – in light of the shopping that I’ve been doing, I think I may need to stop by there. I don’t know how reliable the merchandise is, and if “Samsonite” really means that you’re buying a piece of Samsonite luggage, but I suppose that, as long as it stays in one piece for the rest of my journey, I don’t much care. Besides, I think it’s my best option at the moment, since the reality is that I’m coming back with lots more than I left with! I packed the things that I’ve bought today, and it almost filled my suitcase (just a carry-on), so I think that getting another bag is inevitable.

I went running earlier today which prevented me from feeling like a complete slug, since I fell asleep for a few hours this afternoon after my only excursion for the day, which lasted for maybe 30 minutes. I’ve noticed that my running has really improved, and it’s easier for me – although don’t ask me about it during the first 10 minutes, when I probably wouldn’t mind quitting. I accidentally hit the “emergency stop” button the other day, which sent me lurching over the treadmill, but apart from that, it’s been good. This is the definite good thing about traveling for work – my social life isn’t exactly hopping, so I have nothing to keep me from working out, making time for it is really easy, and as a result, I don’t think I’ve ever been in better shape.

It’s back to the office for me tomorrow, and the PM wants to be in at 7:30. Oy. He mentioned that I could come in later if I wanted, and I might… I’ve made a few changes since I’ve been away, but becoming a morning person is not one of them.