Well Christmas has come and gone here in Vietnam. Of all the days of the year we were worried about being homesick, this was the big one. It's only the second time I've spent Christmas away from home and I wasn't thrilled about it the first time. As it turns out, it wasn't too bad. It probably helped that all my family are on a beach somewhere themselves. Best of all, though, the resort we are staying at took a very low key approach. They had some classy decorations and a lovely Christmas dinner, but they weren't trying to recreate the North American experience or make up for something they couldn't do justice. We spent Christmas Day lounging on the beach, drinking outstanding Vietnamese coffee, Facetiming family and cooling off in the pool.
If it didn't take 30 hours to get here, I would make Vietnam's south central coast my beach destination of choice. The waters of the South China Sea are incredibly warm. Calm in the morning and windy and wavy in the afternoon, which makes it a kite surfing Mecca. The sand is powdery white like I've only ever seen before in southern Thailand. You can find five star service here at three star prices. Even the backpacker joints have nice pools and great beach access. Slightly removed from the road, I got my wish of silence and am still not ready to venture back out into the madness. Last night as I took a Christmas night stroll on the beach, I got a great view of Orion. It was like seeing an old friend.
The kids have made friends with two little girls their age from Saigon. We hardly see them all day long, but are often asked to sign for drinks and food they charge to our room! We are giving them a complete break from school and music and letting them savour the company of their own kind while it lasts. We're enjoying it too, but I would love to have a buddy to run passing routes with on the beach and speculate ad nauseam about whether the road to the Super Bowl runs through Seattle or Denver. I'll be in the hills of Nepal in early February so I guess I shouldn't give a damn right? Wrong.
We decided today to extend our beach vacation by two days to make it a full week. That will still give us ample time to explore Saigon and the Meekong Delta before heading to India on January 7. This place is truly lovely and we are just getting into the groove. We are switching hotels tomorrow for the last three days. This place is full (and only within our budget for four days!). The girls will have to live without the outdoor shower in the bathroom, turndown service, fresh fruit kebabs and cool face towels delivered to our chaises lounge on the beach.
Our time in Hue and Hoi An was very enjoyable. The former is ripe with recent and ancient history, the latter with old world charm and shopping. We all had clothes custom made and the experience itself was as fun as the final product was exceptional for the price. We crossed paths with our Dutch friends Mark and Frank and shared a fun evening meal with them. Just before catching the bus we met a Canadian couple. He is a former CF pilot and we were able to identify a number of common friends. We will meet up with them for dinner in Saigon next week. What a small world, as the old saying goes.
The 20 hour bus ride from Hoi An to Mui Ne was every bit as miserable as we expected it would be. The bus itself wasn't too bad actually. Every passenger is allocated a seat that fully reclines. Some are on top and others on bottom. We all managed to sleep reasonably well. It was the service that was the killer. We didn't expect much, but were shocked to be treated with outright hostility by the bus staff. We were literally screamed at to remove our shoes before boarding the bus. Even the kids. After taking a seat near the middle we were yelled at to move to the back, even though there were not four seats together there. It became obvious that the best seats in the front of the bus were reserved for Vietnamese only. All the honkies were being shuffled to the rear. It made by blood boil. When I refused to move on the second bus I was screamed at to get off! I ignored that demand but eventually moved back, not sure if this was the right time or place to teach my kids to stand up for what is right. I also failed to ascertain if the cheeky b****** knew kungfu before I heaved into him, as Johnny would say. I know it's hard for a middle class white boy from Canada to complain about discrimination, but it gave me a small taste of what the experience of many many people has been throughout history and well into the present day. It was our first experience with truly awful hospitality, or the lack thereof. I hope it doesn't continue as we conclude our journey south. Everything in Mui Ne has been outstanding and we are soaking up the relaxation and the rays. Tonight we enjoyed an outstanding Indian meal off resort. $30 including beers and fancy drinks for the kids and we left lots on the table.
I sat on the balcony of our bungalow on Christmas Eve listening to Fireside Al Maitland recite the Shepherd, drinking a scotch and passing imaginary winks and nods to you all (you know who you are). It was 'strodinry, quite 'strodinry. It seems like just yesterday that I put our Christmas tree away with a note on it that reads "wow, that was a fast two years!" God willing we will be back in our old routine next year with new vigor. Until then, we still have half a year and half the world to cover before we reach the shores of home again.
Happy Christmas one and all!