 |
| at the market |
My tourist book from national geographic on Vietnam says not to even get off the boat at our city here, save for one pagoda. Just sail by here on a boat? Wouldn’t you want to get a real Vietnam experience? That’s what this Australian couple did for 15 months and they’re in their 50’s! I known I couldn’t do that, but they did it and said it lasted only a few months too long J They found good eats, traveled around the whole country only on sheer dimes. I’m a little envious that they have the spunk to do that sort of thing. They left today, leaving us, their white friends, bug spray, books, maps, and bags. Very thoughtful!
I’ve searched and asked twice for a post office now… apparently it’s across the street from the university. I’d like to shoot off some letters, but who’s to say that that’ll be happening any time soon. Sigh. At least Sundays here are workdays.. And Saturdays.. And everyday.. And every minute.
Except last night I woke up at some time in the middle of the night. I deduced it must have been between about 9pm and 3am because outside was dead. There’s noise and bustling every other time of day. Hammering I hear right now. Roosters every few seconds - three times since I’ve written this paragraph.
What I’m trying to plan and consider is how to spend my time the last few days here. I was thinking of going to Hanoi where apparently there are free tours given by school children. Sounds pretty third-worldy to me, but it’s worth a shot. Then again there are the junk boats in ha long bay.. And I think what I’m wanting is a resort stay on the beach. But it’s hotter in the north than it is here (??). Apparently the heat index is 105 there whereas here it’s 100. I think it’s a little more humid there. I had no idea the heat was this bad until I checked the weather on an actual computer today and saw that. The UV index is 12 (!).
Well I suppose I should tell you about my bout of bad luck yesterday. It was about 11 o’clock in the morning. I was doing fine, reading harry potter, ya know, the usual stuff, when I got a blazing headache. I was irritated, my stomach felt fine but I felt queasy and nauseous and before I knew it I had to get ready for a banquet. We left for the banquet and I was in the pits. I was just irritated. Felt aweful. It was the worst I’ve ever felt. I felt kinda achey, shivery, weird all over. I was kind of ticky and had a horrible headache. At the end of the day I think it must have been dehydration, but extreme dehydration. I concluded that because I had taken a run earlier that morning, drank little to no water, drank alcohol the night before, drank strong coffee and tea at breakfast, and kinda felt dehydrated like this the day before. I tried to sleep it off but couldn’t because my brain was wired. I felt like I couldn’t breathe too, on top of it.
Here today, I am fine. A new person. Still I wish I knew more about what was up with my body and how to prevent something like that from happening again!
For you, some photos…
Ahh, glad you're feeling better. The non-iPhone post feels better, too! Keep drinking water - is it sanitary?
ReplyDeleteNo it's not - and I need to obey the rules of the west while eating more often: no chopsticks (unsanitary), no ice or non-bottled water, no fruit skin or veggies. All in all and with social pressure to eat the meal a certain way, it's quite hard to keep up with all this. My stomachs still not quite back to normal, but I think only time and adjustment can fix it.
ReplyDeleteBe careful, Claire. Although, that conflict is understandable -- wanting to be accommodating to someone who is offering you food and enjoy an authentic experience, but then you also need to adhere to eating habits that will prevent health risks, and you don't want to offend said person by declining something. Try to be sanitary. We want you to come back.
ReplyDeleteI'm really enjoying this blog, by the way : )