Good ride but still hot and humid

  I pulled out of Binh Chau at 6:03, a town that I don’t need to visit again.  There are vibrant towns I have visited and towns that were definitely third world with little if any development going on. Finding Peter Doan’s Condominium took awhile.  By the way, Peter is totally Vietnamese, his name given to him as a catholic was Peter.  He is the only Vietnamese person I have met who has a western name legitimately. Anyways, once at his building, across the street from the ocean, Peter, who was in Saigon, called his cleaning girl to let me in.  A nicely laid out efficiency on the fourteenth floor with a balcony and view to die for.  Two nights here is much needed since I have been on the road five straight days.  The television is set up for his son’s videos so I have two books online which I have been reading.  Out in the bay are dozens of ships anchored and moving to and from the docks. Both container and tankers of medium size are spread out for miles. Fishing boats are trawling in between the larger ships.
  Restaurants and luxury hotels line the waterfront.  I tried one restaurant across the street for lunch and another for dinner.  They both had delicious seafood dishes.  A micro convenience store, located strategically across the road, enabled me to stock on juice and bottled water. Given the afternoon heat I treated myself to two popsicles. Ice cream and smoothies are lifesavers given the heat.
     Peter messengered me at the end of the day saying he could not make it down from Saigon because of his business load.  So, tomorrow morning I will ride down the towns long shoreline and his top at  the supermarket and bank along the way.  Everything over here is so different but I am becoming quite accustomed to it.  Looking at everyone as Asians is no longer a factor. On the other hand, everywhere I go, people perk up and either stare at me, smile or say hello with a thumbs up as they motorbike by me or hail me from the side of the road. The older folks rarely react which may be because of the ‘American war’.  An interesting observation is the respect level the young generation bestows upon me. The same treatment in Japan, it is refreshing to see.
     One observation which I failed to comment on yesterday was when I saw a motorbike pass me with a three foot by three foot  cage piled up with dogs. The dogs are beagle size, all mutes and everywhere.  There is no leash law and the dogs are a bit under fed.  Most appear to be pets but none have collars and they are all scratching due to flees. Dogs are no longer eaten over here or at least that is what they want you to believe.  I felt very sad for the dogs in the cage. Pigs, chickens and ducks are what I usually see, being taken to market but dogs are another matter.
     A day of rest tomorrow and then my last major ride to Bien Hoa then a very short one to HCM/Saigon.  It will be a month on the road as if April 7.  What an amazing trip.