The Beach VIII: melancholic and magical morning musings and a trip North

4:30

Good news at a very early hour.  Some money will cross the Pacific.  Money that back 'home' would could be used to buy a stupid car and that over here might establish a real home.


Fragments of lyrics are swarming my mind; I don't think it's a coincidence that these songs are some of my favourite ones.

....you pay for this but they give you that ....

.... I need to be myself, I can't be no one else ....

... the touch and feeling of free is untangibly technically ....

.... lately, did you ever feel the pain ... in the morning rain ... as it soaks you to the bone ....

....dream life the way you think it ought to be ......

... anyone that needs what they want and doesn't want what they need, I want' nothing to do with ....

.... but I'm going on, and I'm prepared to go it alone, and I'm going on, to a place in the sun that's nice and warm ....

.... you can keep my things; they've come to take me home ....

And it brings home a truth that has been bothering me for a while.  I'm good at taking care of people.  But I have to take care of myself first, otherwise I'm useless.  That realization came partially too late for George, which is a pain I will carry in my heart for the rest of my life.


5:00
Time for my beach walk.   One of the roughly 8 regular morning walkers already familiar to me is crossing the beach at the same time.  "Excuse me", I hear. "Where are you from?" obviously is the next question, LOL.   But then he surprises me "You are the first."  I don't think he means 'the first Canadian here' but maybe he noticed that I am the FIRST foreigner EVER at this beach, in this village, to participate in the Viet's morning beach walk ritual.  And he's right.  

This will do ....

When I finally finish this post in miserable Vancouver on Friday the 13th of October, I am looking at these pictures with tears in my eyes.  My Beach seems surreal seen from the frigid Canada.  But I KNOW that it's real, LOL.  I MUST get back there and must regain the mental and physical well-being that was lost during the last month.

6:00
Grandma is sounding rested, energetic, and content today.  I am relieved.

And I'm listening to Phil Collins' "Another day in Paradise".   And it leaves me sitting in my chair with tears streaming down my face.  Because I'm sitting here in a true paradise, where people still feel a connection and don't think twice about helping each other and I'm listening to a tale of the cold concrete creepy mentality of the places that used to be my home.   This song could be written about the treatment of First Nations people in Vancouver, so I call my Kookum. Yet another real family apart from the dysfunctional I was born into.

10:00
Time to wear yet another hat. 
M has been in Vietnam for over 10 years but never in his life has driven a scooter.  Since he knows how to ride a bicycle the next step is trivial.  We head for a deserted road and within 3 minutes M is already managing a U-turn on the road.   Now he just has to get used to it.

Back to translating ;-)

12:30
Time to head to Life's a Beach for ruou vang thrang, some food, and a language lesson.   

Ung ruou according to Quang and Binh means drinking wine.  
When I type it into Google Translate it only has one translation "Alcoholism"!  

Ridiculous Americans !

WTF?

Is the complete inability to understand Vietnam STILL prevalent in the US?

Now who is right?    I ask the waitress here at Life's a Beach and she confirms that ung ruou refers to simply drinking wine (as in with friends) and NOT alcoholism. 

Now WHO is responsible for the Google Translate content?  Someone from Salt Lake City?

It's good to know how much one can trust Google Translate

Again, the stuffed squid is not available ;-)  But the Calamari are amazing today.  Not only the presentation of the cucumber slices, but today they also made the sweet chili sauce from scratch and it is VICIOUS !  Chili sauce doesn't usually come with this dish, so someone must have remembered my strange tastes.

15:00
I'm in Quy Nhon.   I hit the gas station and two bank machines. One of the bank machines makes me re-consider my choice of bank. While it is slowly processing, it displays a Black Screen with the PIN number in the top left corner. TWICE !   Fire that programmer, you MORONS !

I stop by The Kiwi Connection and the owner and scooter rental-woman just waves my offer of paying for the broken mirror away.   Oh Viet Nam !  UNCOMPLICATED !