First I’d like to thank everyone for their love and support since my last post. I am slowly recovering, but it’s taking some time. I still have to be very careful with what I eat. I tried to be adventurous yesterday morning by adding jam to my toast…. and I vomited almost immediately. This morning was the same. So, I’m continuing on my strict diet of plain rice, bread and electrolyte water (my doctor gave me packets of electrolyte and vitamin powder to add to my water to give me more nutrients), in addition to the numerous medications I have to take. I’ve also been able to eat bananas and a few cooked vegetables (with no sauce or oil). I’m really hoping this will only last a few more days! I’m missing out on some amazing Vietnamese food!
On June 14 we flew from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, to Nha Trang, Vietnam. Nha Trang is a very touristy spot, known for it’s beautiful beaches! Since I was sick the whole time I was in Ho Chi Minh City, I hadn’t really experienced the Vietnamese way of life.
The most terrifying thing I’ve done since arriving in Vietnam has been learning to cross the road! It seems so simple, but crossing the road in Vietnam is a challenge! A terrifying challenge! At any moment when you look on the road there are hundreds of motor-bikes, all packed together like a school of fish. And they don’t obey the crosswalks. So in order to cross the road you basically have to start walking onto the street… and keep walking all the way across… and the motor-bikes will swerve around you. As long as you keep walking and do not stop then you’ll be fine. But if you start to run suddenly, or if you stop in the middle of the road then they don’t know what your next move will be and you’ll end up almost causing an accident (this was learnt from experience… luckily no one got hurt, but it was pretty scary!). If you try to wait for an opening in the traffic before you cross, then you could be waiting for hours. The photo below isn’t very good, it doesn’t really capture the number of bikes, but it gives you an idea.
My strategy has been to find a Vietnamese person who is also crossing the road at the same time as me, and then I walk beside them so they are my shield to the traffic.
It’s really funny to see the people on motor-bikes, and the number of people they manage to fit on one bike! One time I saw a whole family sitting on one bike: mother, father and two little children! They also talk on the phone while riding, or talk to the bike next to them. It’s one of the most popular ways to get around here, but it’s also one of the most dangerous. There are about 30 deaths per day from motor-bike accidents.
On June 15th we spent the day relaxing on a boat. It was amazing to be out on the water, and to swim in the ocean! The views were really beautiful as well:
The boat would ride around for a bit, and then would stop at different areas so we could hop in the water, or do water sports (parasailing, jet skiing, etc). I decided to go snorkelling!
The water was so clear and beautiful! It was so refreshing to be in the ocean finally! The only downside were the tiny jellyfish that kept stinging us! I came out of the water and my body had stinging red patches all over it! Luckily the redness went away in a few hours! It was a really relaxing and fun time on the boat!
When we got back to the hotel I went for a walk along the beach. It was crowded with people. There were lots of kids playing soccer, tons of people swimming and tanning, in addition to food vendors and lounge chairs for all the tourists. They also have an inflatable water playground!
Nha Trang was amazing. I would have really liked to have spent more time there! But the tour must move on! The following morning (June 16th) we took off for Hoi An, Vietnam, another amazing city!
Crossing the road does sound does sound rather terrifying. Imagine me trying...glad you are seeing some beautiful beaches and sights...will send send you an email, luv ya, Ren
ReplyDeleteHey Gaby! Glad to hear you are on the mend. Jam is pure sugar. In a food poisoning situation your body is already on high alert for things that trigger the wrong type of bacterial growth (i.e. sugar) so your body is just telling you that you havent got a neutral environment to introduce anything too sugary yet (from a very basic nutritional standpoint). Please have some lemon and water. The lemon will cleanse the liver and hopefully flush out any remaining toxins
ReplyDeleteGreat to hear you are finally feeling better, most of my week in Vietnam I had the flu but I didn't want to miss anything so just had to power through.
ReplyDeleteI was laughing when reading your road crossing experiences, I thought I was going to die on my first day in Ho Chi Minh city, but by the end of the week I was just crossing almost without looking at what was coming. Wait till you get to the capital city Ha Noi, the roads are narrower and more congested!