Cheap Drugs & A Smarl (Hanoi, Vietnam)

Oct 9th, 2009 - I am a bit pathetic. I have been in Hanoi on and off for more days than I care to admit and I have seen very little. Not sure what my problem is but my motivation to take in the sites is nil. I am sitting in a café sipping jasmine tea and thinking about going for a walk. In a way I suppose it is necessary to take a break from sightseeing and just, well, be. I have been traveling for almost ten months. Sometimes I think a hiatus from the globetrotting fray is mandatory. But don’t worry , I’ll be going balls out in Nepal.

Know what I love about Vietnam? Drugs. I am speaking pharmaceutically, of course, so don’t go signing me up for rehab just yet. Today I purchased amoxicillin (40 tablets), doxycycline (50 tablets,) and ibuprofen (40 tablets) for less than ten dollars. Ain’t the developing world grand?

I just saw a near collision between a man on a motorbike and a woman transporting oranges on her bicycle. Although there were no injuries a few pieces of fruit managed to escape. The man made an adjustment and sped off without even a thought of helping the woman reclaim her errant produce. It warms my heart to discover that I am not the only object of indifference and that it is not simply a matter of discrimination. It makes me want to smarl.

Tomorrow I will be in Nepal. I am planning to stay in the Hotel Ganesh in Kathmandu. They have “Our home is open to God, guests, friends, and sunshine’” written on their website. Sounds lovely.