A day at the beach

---

I am hiding from a monster bug right now. Thu just walked out from the bathroom area and said that there was a giant cockroach above the sink. She asked Matthew to take care of it, but after looking at it he said that he has a policy when confronted with bugs that could reach back and punch him in the nose - live and let live. I’m hoping having all the lights on will scare it into a little hole.

Today was nice - the first day we could sleep in! We still got up before 8AM, but it was great to be able to sleep until we woke up on our own. This morning a large chartered bus arrived to take us to the beach, but first we had to go to Thu’s grandma’s, Ba Noi’s, house for lunch. She’s very concerned about making sure we eat! Actually, everyone seems preoccupied with feeding us. Good thing it’s good food! After lunch the bus drove around and around, picking up various people until we had 20 in our party and were ready for a day of fun in the sun.

The beach has undergone massive updates since Thu was last there. It’s a huge beach town and packed with tourists. I guess it’s a really popular place for people in Vietnam, especially people in Saigon, because it’s cooler there and the water is warm. The people there do make a killing! It rent a space on a patio with 12 chairs and 3 tables it was 400,000 dong -- $25!! Then to use the bathroom, a changing room, or a shower to rinse the salt, there is another charge ridiculous! Peter, Matthew, and I found that we could feign “ignorant white man syndrome” and just walk into the bathroom areas without paying. It makes them upset, but I figure it’s just the universe rebalancing itself for having the Ho Chi Minh museum only charge white people.

The beach was fun. And the temperature was just right! My guess is that it was in the upper 70s or lower 80s with a nice breeze - very livable after what we’ve had this past week. Thu and I were the crazy shell ladies again and this time we got Matthew to join in. We found some great shells! We also went “swimming” out in the ocean - we walked back and forth in deep water, having fun with the family. The water was probably really disgusting, but I told Thu we’d go with a “what you don’t know can’t hurt you” policy. It must not be too bad because there were hundred (if not thousands) of people out swimming. It’s a different scene than California or Florida, where bikinis reign. Here, women don’t like getting dark and they are more conservative - so there were plenty of fully dressed women out in the water. Maybe they need skin like mine - it takes a lot of make me tan, I think. Since I haven’t been outside in the glaring sun much I think I’m turning pale!

After the beach we went to a café for coffee and other drinks, and then went to dinner. Chu Ngia chose the place to eat. It was on the way back from the beach and a bit off the beaten path, but it was probably my favorite meal yet this trip because it was so simple. Lettuce and herbs, noodles, and egg rolls - wrap it up and eat it. Bac Phuc ordered egg rolls especially for me, the kind with just shrimp (unpeeled, whole) inside instead of shrimp and pork. It was very nice, but I really wish people would stop ordering food especially for me! I can never eat all of what they order because I really do prefer eating smaller portions throughout the day. And I really don’t like being a hassle.

We needed to do laundry this evening. Well, I only needed to wash pajamas since I brought enough clothes to wear each day, but the rest needed to do some wash. Thu said “how do we do that?” to which I replied, “get a couple buckets, water, and detergent and just start washing.” What shocks her, she says, is not just that I know these things but that I’ve apparently experienced these things before. Matthew is also used to hand washing clothes, which he does sometimes in hotel sinks on business trips. Thu’s aunt was very nice to let us go to her yard on the other side of the house where we’re staying so that we could use her “laundry room”: two large buckets, detergent, and scrubbers. We started a soapy bucket and a bucket for rinsing, and the aunt gathered hangers for the clothesline as Matthew and I started to wash. Pretty soon I heard rumblings in Vietnamese. Of course I don’t understand specifically, but I thought that they were saying “look at the white people washing clothes!” I guess that was pretty close to accurate because soon people started gathering - even the neighbors, momentarily - to stare. By the time Thu came out to join us, there was a bit of laughter. Peter took a couple pictures so we have a record of it. It was Thu’s first time hand-washing clothes! J

Tomorrow the plan is to visit Thu’s grandfather, who lives about two hours away. Another adventure! Thu's grandmother asked “when are you going to relax?” I guess when we do have some downtime she will make the Vietnamese "omlettes" that we all like so much. Yum! J

---

Photos

More crowded than California?
This is the view we had of the beach when we arrived.