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Published: July 22nd 2008
I have been working myself ragged which is maybe how I got sick. I went to the pharmacist and mocked some coughing and nose blowing and then rubbed my throat (glad I didn't have any diarrhea to act out). So she gave me cold/flu medicine that contained stuff I recognized and then four different meds that she indicated were for my throat. I didn't want to buy them all so I grabbed one and went home to look up the active ingredients. Evidently, it's a drug only found in Vietnam. It's still sitting unopened in my drawer...
Mom will be glad to know that besides the random cough I'm better. I worked a bit on Saturday, but devoted Sunday to the Sun Spa Resort. It's about $5 USD a day to swim in the pool or at the beach, which is actually a bit of a rip off in this part of Vietnam, but worth it for my first real day off since I got here. The Sun Spa was built to be a 5 star resort and has all the fancy amenities and landscaping of one, but since no 5 star clientele comes to Dong Hoi, the place is
The Lawn With Palms
Sun Spa Resort, Dong Hoipretty much vacation-land for upper class locals and the random Japanese or Chinese businessmen. Occasionally an international tourist visiting Phong Nha will stop by, but despite the right setting, the sub-par food and service make it much less than 5 star. So lacking an official rating, they've just added 5 metal gold stars under the name Sun Spa on the sign.
Sun Spa is my guilty pleasure. I'm working hard to introduce the exact opposite type of tourism (a fishing village was even relocated to build the hotel) but I cannot resist reclining on a cushioned beach chair reading a book with frosty cocktail in hand in relative anonymity before jumping into the sea, especially after earlier in the week having to pee behind a building in the village while kids sitting on motorbikes tittered nearby. (Don't worry potential future tourists to Chay Lap, there will be private bathrooms!)
But even after all the typical perfect day in the sun stuff, the best part of Sunday was managing to get the tiny gecko (less than 1 inch long) living in my hotel room to sit in my hand. I've never outgrown my childhood tomboy phase of delighting over
capturing lizards and frogs.
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#1 Mom
non-member comment
"your guilty pleasure"
I'm glad that you got to relax a bit. I have to ask, I'm your mom, "are you really better or just saying that to make me feel better?" Anyway the sun spa looks so appealing. Is Chay Lap going to look that good? Doesn't matter, it will be a "real" part of Viet Nam which is what you going for, isn't it? I'm also glad you found a new friend, even if it is tiny. Remember you can't bring him home, Woods would be jealous. I love you. P.S. E-mail me if you have time.