Sunday Adventures -- part I

Sunday 5/28 -- part I

Today was amazing! I deffinately felt like I made up for some lost time I had spent lounging around. Yesterday Kara set up motorbike drivers for herself, Emily and I to take us to the beach and we later decided to get as much exploring in as possible. So we headed for their corner on this morning around 8:15 and were eagerly greeted. As we strapped on our helmets we logistical chatter kept us from introductions and formal choosings of who's driver was who's. As we were heading down the street I was thinking how much I hoped these were good drivers and that there would be no need for our helmets. At that same moment we came to a quick and complete stop nose to nose with a truck...I pondered whether I should stop hopeing and start praying. The rest of the ride out to the coast was quite smooth though, my driver and I in the rear of the pack. We made and unexpected stop at Ho Chi Minh's house that he lived in for two years while his mother was ill and his father was in prison (1898-1900). He took care of an infant sibling during these years I believe.
While Kara and Emily signed the guest book I looked around the garden and took pictures. I also met the caretaker who is an old an with a cigar attatched to his lip almost perminately. He was beautiful and I would have loved to sit down and hear his story. He was a hardworker from the looks of the beautiful surrounding garden. After having a moment shaking his hand, we went next door to a small museum documenting teachings and historical content (though the building ws huge compared to the shackes surrounding it). We said our thank yous and goodyes, strapped the helmets back on and made our way down the narrow path way and crowded market entrance back to the main road and back on our way to the beach. The sites and sounds on the way to the beach surpassed anything we experianced while there...in my oppinon. Huge houses mixed in with shacks, fishing areas sectioned off in the bays, grave monuments raised on grass platforms in the middle of rice feilds, huge hay piles that we later found out were for drying or cooking rye. The commissoners mansion, gate and all. Some kind of grain spread out on the side of the road, Kara says was rice. On the way back from the beach people were raking this grain. Schools: secondary, high school and college. Hundreds of fishing boats in the harbor, the mountains in the distance. All incredible sights that begged to be seen at a slower spead. When we got to the beachthe drivers said they would wait for us. We walked down to where a few people had already settled and lathered on the sunscreen. Soon after arriving and being warned about watching where we stepped (poop) we were bombarded with children with baskets of shrimp flavored chips and gum they were trying to pawn off on us. We're beginning to learn that the children who sell for a living don't know NO as an answer. While Val searched diligently for shells and others were off exploring, Danny, Jonah, Jackie and I played frisbee witha guy who was quite entertaining and someones motorbike driver. It soon ended up just being myself and the driver who encouraged me to throw from where I was standing when I had to run after a throw that went over my head. He was very good and we played until my feet were smoking from the sand, in which case I dunked my feet in the water. OUr small four person tent soon turned into two tents together and all of us and the vounteer in terpretors under one roof. They brought watermelon and vietnamese strawberries and after taking some time out of the sun I took my one and only swim in the South China Sea. It had to have been at least 75 F though felt great considering the nearing 100F tempatures outside the water. After some more snacking Emily, Kara and I decided to call it a day at the beach and made our way back up to uor older male companions for the day. We rinsed our feet of sand and one more time with the helmets and we were watching the se4a, the tents and the posse of child laborers surrounding the others fade into the distance.

To be continued...