Hoi Chi Minh or Sai Gon?

Vietnam is a bit of a shock after Cambodia and Thailand. You can feel the Western influence. The general feeling here is that people are looking inwards, not outwards. I'm missing the instant human connection, the fleeting eye contact that leads to a smile. The respect and acceptance shown through body language. Crossing the street took some getting used to. The best trick is to walk beside a local and weave through the 4 lanes with them. I strangely don't feel at all nervous even with a bus coming straight at me!
However, despite the more anonymous feel, once again, I feel so grateful for the music. The wonderful Russ saw posts that we were playing here tonight and contacted Joe through Facebook. Turns out that he went to school with a mutual friend in Portugal. What a beautiful coincidence. He opened up his home to us and we spent a fabulous night there for Jess's 40th birthday. I'm now sitting in Yoko Cafe waiting to play. The reception from our support band and the club staff is like that of long-lost family. True connections through music and we didn't even play yet.
The Universe was smiling at our endeavours today. Joe and I went for a stroll down to the Riverside. I asked him to keep his eyes open for a flower shop (we're dressing the stage with fresh flowers every show), in the blink of an eye he spotted some uprooted marigolds lying by a bin. We did draw some strange looks for the rest of the walk carrying uprooted flowers.... looked like we pulled them out of a Tet (new years, 10 Feb) display. A lesson in not worrying about the judgement of others, we only answer to our own conscience.
We're staying in Little Japan. A warren of streets lined with stunning, young women in uniforms of white robes, red dresses or tartan mini skirts. Sadly, they are indeed all offering massage with extras. I'm not sure how a punter would choose which of the damsels to approach... they are all on their phones and avoiding eye contact! Our window looks into their backroom, playing cards and bank notes are flying. At least they seem to have fun between shifts!
The last 2 shows of the Wild Flowers Tour are coming up. Let's rock!!Baca selengkapnya