A mixed bag

I have been out and about, shopping in the famous Ben Thanh Market, people watching in the central Post Office, wandering in and out of bars and cafes to use their free wi-fi ( some very nice; some distinctly shady) and I think I have mastered the art of crossing the road with confidence. Have a look at this video......http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uK6ioaZn0M8   nevertheless, I was very happy to get the assistance of the city's Tourist Security officers when trying to cross the road near the cathedral the other day. Sometimes when buses, taxis, scooters and bicycles are all bearing down on you it can be a bit unnerving! 

Jo's home seems to be a magnet for artists and designers. Her lodger, Vincent (French)is a product (industrial) designer  who has recently been developing a range of designer toothbrushes. He is also a craftsman in his own right. He has built some small pieces of furniture and hand stitched the beautiful leather seat on the solid aluminium vintage Honda moped he has been restoring. Can anyone tell me what model it is?  


Two of Vincent's friend's have recently arrived from a few holiday in India; Zed, also French, is a Furniture designer ( quelle coincidence!!) and his girlfriend is a linguist. They have persuaded me to join a Vietnamese ( as a second language) course at the local city college which starts on Monday. So, for the next 40 days (and nights) I will be in class every morning trying to get my palette around this language!! Considering it's the rainy season that seems quite apt don't you think! I have my first text book and CD and a student badge to wear and I can't wait to get started. It will be good to be able to say a few words instead of just gesturing at people hopelessly.

Zed and Charlotte came round this afternoon to pick up a small black, fine grained hide which they are going to turn into a messenger bag with the help of a local laser cutting technician, some Adobe software and few lengths of cat gut. Leather work seems to be quite the thing around these parts.