Parking HCMC

With all these damn cars on the roads, parking limitations in the city may soon be called into question. However, the situation currently seems under control. Roads around the city center now include parking bays for cars, with the central boulevard of Nguyen Hue heavily utilized. I say 'now include', but they may have always been like this and I never noticed before -- the increasing relevance of the topic of cars in the city however negates any fundamental errors of judgment I am making (crossing fingers).

On questioning one of the uniformed ticket officers, I discover that parking is only 5,000 dong for an unlimited time period...! It goes to show that despite all the talk, the city is still way off crisis point. Also on Nguyen Hue is a parking lot inside a huge disused warehouse.

I can't help thinking that this place has numbered days. It is a prime piece of land sitting in the middle of the town center, and the profit the land area currently takes as a car park is nothing compared to what it could be making as a high rise -- but then that would be another valuable parking area for the city gone. Maybe this should become the first multi level carpark in HCM. Currently it does have two levels, although the capacity must be about ten vehicles. There is a lift which takes cars up and down.

In other trance-inducingly boring news:

Saigon Raiders claimed a well deserved victory against RMIT Students in the second annual Saigon Cup. We lost the first game in our group of 4 teams against Phone Viet 2-1. Next up is a team representing Petrolimax.

The game yesterday included RMIT fielding the same referee for the third time on their home pitch, who preceded to gleefully award a ridiculous penalty. Thankfully self titled 'penalty killer' goalkeeper Christian tipped it away. We played a 53 minute second half, but eventually the ref couldn't continue the game any longer (it was nearly dark) and Raiders deservedly plundered the three points.

Also, I read on the BBC that a hotdog at the new Wembley stadium costs $8, fish & chips $14. That's just wrong. Although when they come out the other end you'll be ok, the stadium has '2,618 toilets - more than any other venue in the world'.