No Exit?

The flurry of construction in our alley has reached new heights, or actually new depths. Now they are tearing up the whole front section of the alley itself to install new drain lines.

What lies beneath.

This has not only added greatly to the dust and filth level, but has completely blocked our closest access to the street.


At first we could squeeze through the blocks they put up, but then it became totally impassable.

We therefore have had to discover new outlets. So we have spent the last few days exploring parts of the maze of tiny alleys we live in and finding all sorts of interesting locales.

The area we live in was once a small walled village known for flower growing.

We have found several of the old gates.

Many old temples and lakes.

There are dozens of stores and street vendors selling everything from meat, vegetables, and fruit to plastic shoes. There are barbers and beauty salons and tailors.

In one shop we saw them making blocks of fresh tofu using an old wooden press.

Just about everything most families need is available right in their neighborhood, so most would never need to leave the maze except on rare occasions.

So far we have found at least five additional ways out. The way to the west eventually leads back to Doi Can, but the way is long and narrow and tortuous, with many places barely wide enough for a motorbike (which doesn't stop everybody from barreling through it at top speed when possible).

There's also a section that is always awash with foul-smelling water,
the source of which we prefer not to contemplate.
We are very glad that it's cool enough to wear close-toed shoes.

The way to the east is less daunting, but quite a bit longer.

No filthy water, but lots of obstacles like construction zones.

Vacant lots where everyone dumps their trash.

It eventually leads to the east end of Doi Can through this construction area we call the War Zone:

Turning north on this route leads us past the B-52 lake, or with a slight turn, almost directly to our favorite beer garden behind the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum.

There's at least one other route that runs north and west. It's actually reasonably clean and wide enough for a taxi almost all the way to the alley that leads to our alley. Altogether it has been a fascinating exploration, and there's still more to see. But we'll be glad to have our old access back.

P.