day o2

google's weird. facebook tells me everyone else is in the future. the vietnamese sim card changed my phone's language settings to vietnamese by itself, and i can't understand enough to change it back, so now i don't know how to save my phone number. plus they use big words. my mum couldn't do it either.

familly photo guys! that's everyone! well all of my mum's sisters, and they're on the phone to her brother. so that's everyone!

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Marlene's Guide To Not Getting Ripped Off at the Market

I swear everything's more expensive than it used to be here. its supposed to be cheapcheapcheap! Like, more than double of what i remember things to cost, heaps worse than any of this inflation, CPI business. Also, the dollar is sucky, which doesn't help. So here's how not to lose at the markets, y'know, probably based on how i actually slipped up.

1. If you happen to be Vietnamese, try not to speak english. Try not to speak Vietnamese as well. they can tell! Just try not to speak at all. Which leads me to my next point.

2. If you know someone who lives in Vietnam and is actually Vietnamese, drag them along. Force them to do all the talking and bargaining. This saves you from the vendors hiking up the price at least twice. Its even worse if you're not asian. If they ask you where you're from, feign ignorance. My mum likes to pretend we're from Dalat, which is in the middleish of Vietnam, and slightly cooler - explaining our paleness. I fail at this, everyone thinks i'm Japanese/Chinese/Korean. Not saying excuse me, thank you, smiling too much or being too polite probably helps also.


3. Try not to whack your sister in the head too obviously when she starts speaking in english.

4. Try not to clutch onto your bags too obviously. But still, watch out for pick-pockets, esp if the market is squishy.

5. Never look too interested in what you actually want to buy. Defs do not squeal, OMG! I LOVE IT SO MUCH. It helps if you pick some sort of flaw with it. Or pretend to hate some aspect of it. For example, oh but look its scratched! even if you get me a new one it'll probs get scratched easily. its nice, except for that bit, if it didn't have that bit i'd like it.

6. Bargaining: Probs best if you start at roughly half of whatever it is they want for it. Things you could include:
- in response to the price: "No, tell me the truth now. Be serious, what's the price really?"
- if your friends like something from the same store, or you like more than one thing from that store: "How about if i buy lots/more than one thing?"
- if that fails "that other store offered me the same thing, for *insert price that is less than whatever they're offering, whether or not its true* and i even walked away from that."
- could also try: "it was cheaper over there" (usually they say that even though it LOOKS the same, theirs is superior quality etc. lies!) /"i bought from here last time, see i remember you, i'm such a good customer. discount please!"/"look i just stood here, and look at the luck i've brought you. look at all these other people who're at your store now! i'm good luck, you HAVE to give me a discount". seriously.

7. Don't believe anyone that tells you they have "fixed prices". Its never true. Everyone loves some bargaining. They account for it, they totally win big if you buy it for the marked price. Howevs, most things don't even have a marked price on purpose - that they can say whatever
they like.


8. Try not to get too attached to things you want. You need to walk away. Like actually, if they don't give you the price you want. 50% of the time they'll call you back and already have your stuff in a bag. If you really do like it, you can always come back and up the price a bit.

9. Try not to take obvious tourist photos like this in clear view of the vendors.

omg! its a really big pretend diamond! and a christmas tree! i don't know what its for! lets take a photo!

10. If you have specific wants, you're probably gonna fail. Like, my sister has photos of the fake-but-not-fake-looking bags she wants. Whereas i wanted nothing (except work shoes, which i didn't get), and got heaps.

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Things consumed:
- pho, twice (that's my actual bowl, when i remembered halfway through)
- vietnamese iced coffee
- spring roll (yeah just one)
- rice, some green leafy vegetable
- papaya, custard apple and green star apple?
- croissant with cheeese
- chrysanthmum tea

we ate lunch at this chain called pho 24 which is kinda expensive - for vietnam, because my sister wanted air conditioning. the waiters are super attentive and it freaks me out. i want to eat on the street.

Places we acted like tourists:
- pho 24

- an dong market (or plaza like they like to call themselves) - old and new sections.

outside "an dong plaza". everyone seems to be REALLY into christmas atm, the last christmas i spent here, i don't remember it being so big. someone was playing christmas carols in our street, i'm scared.

Things i bought:

- 2 pairs of heels
- 2 shirts
- underwear - bras are kinda "expensive" now. i'm waiting to go to "ong ta" market to get some, where hopefully, i won't repeat the marlene-fainting-at-the-market- onto-a- pile-of-bras incident of '07.
- a fake LV wallet to replace the maybe fake, maybe not chanel one that was stolen


Mosquito bite count:
- three. i'm actually doing pretty well.


omg guys, i found peanut butter and chocolate oreos at the supermarket. i was VERY excited. i jumped around alot. i think my family were embarrassed. i thought they stopped making those! i can't find them in Australia anymore! they were a year 12 staple/constantly in my locker along with tea and migoreng! okay i think i have to go eat one now.