I know, I know, anyone who comes to Asia will go home and talk about how great the shopping is here. They will rave about how they bought a conical hat or a pith helmet for practically nothing. How they spent hours bartering for that oh-so-special table cloth and finally got it for pennies on the dollar of what they would have paid in America. The stories go on and on.
Well, I am here to tell you that in this land of "shopping" I would give... well, not my left nut as so many men seem to carelessly offer up in exchange for decidedly ephemeral things (especially not knowing exactly which one I favor)... but let's just say I would love to see a Wal-Mart or a Target in Hanoi, Danang and Saigon (even in Hue at this moment). Sure, we have Big C's and Metro shopping centers here, but they rank below K-Mart in my mind... Truth be told, they lay somewhere between the Dollar Store and T G & Y (Who remembers that place?)
So, as I sit here patiently waiting for some real shopping centers to make it to Vietnam, along with a Taco Bell, McDonalds, Papa Johns and Dairy Queen, I will continue to love my Amazon! Amazon.Com rocks because I can shop for just about anything and everything I can think of. I can buy anything from Power Bars to Computers; Cameras to Gift Cards to books. Amazon is my one stop shop for just about anything I need and I never worry that it won't get to me if I order it. Amazon can track what I have purchased and does a very nice job of knowing what I like to look at. I can literally go shopping online and spend hours looking - and dreaming - for things I want. Regrettably, I can't pick up these items, feel them for quality and build, but for that I still patiently wait.
So, while I will continue to see these tourists come to Vietnam and fill my airline seats and hotel rooms, I can rest assured that they will buy every nik-nak and piece of crap souvenir that I will never long for. They can lust for the laquerware, rattan, embroidery and silk cloth all they want... and I will continue to love my Amazon.
1 comment:
I'm an Amazon fan myself. I usually only by books from them though mainly because I have Target and Walmart close by.
By the way, I meant to tell you I love your new header pic. It looks like a photo you would see in National Geographic magazine.
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