Saigon Pic o the Day

Read about today's business meeting here.

This picture of a street vendor is definitely my favorite shot of all those taken today. Strange that I didn't notice her beautiful smile when I was taking the picture. After the business meeting in the morning, I had the afternoon to myself so I went to Ben Thanh Market. OMG! When I came to Saigon last October I didn't take advantage of the opportunity to go to Ben Thanh, as some others in the delegation did, but I sure did hear about it.

This is an amazing, somewhat disturbing place. You can buy just about anything imaginable here. Some very nice stuff, and some absolute junk. Beautiful silks or costume jewelery.

Whether you like your fish and shrimp dried and stinky (pic #2), or still alive and stinky (pic #3), the choice is yours.

Fresh fruit and vegetables, or jellied beef brains and dried pigs ears, again you can take your pick. Bootleg DVDs of newly released movies for a dollar, or a brand new tailored suit for $100 that you can pick up in 24 hours. It is an experience in sights and sounds, and especially smells, that have to be experienced to believe it.

I shot lots of video while there, so I'll try to get that put together in the next couple of days, if time allows. Unfortunately, I'm not on a proper sleeping schedule just yet, so I'm about ready to call it a night, at 7:30 PM.