Day1 (December 23, 2005)
We began our journey
by taking a two hour flight westward to HCMC (Ho Chi Minh City). This
meant we'd be in a different time zone (minus one hour from Manila) and also that there'd be no jet lag. I find the idea that
I'd be an hour "younger" after the flight is amusing. I settled down on
my seat and read the first part of my book/gift to self.
My
parents, who were also with us, either casually read the newspaper or just slept for
most of the flight. I am very happy for the both of them , really, because this
trip meant a lot to them, because this is the only time that the family - our family -
is complete. They are already into that level in life where somehow material
objects are not the ways to happiness anymore.
Dustin knows how to
keep himself occupied while travelling on a plane: he just needs the
in-flight music channels to make his trip less boring (I discover that
he still likes Green Day but he seems to be also going for techno).
When the playlist already looped, he brought out his I Spy book and we gingerly searched for hidden objects until we touch down.
After
less than an hour of going through immigration, baggage, and customs,
we were met by my sister, Lyn, and my nephew, David, at the Arrivals gate.
Since this wasn't our first time here, I spotted familiar places on the
van ride to my sister's place and its surprising the number of cars seemed to increase (ahh, progress). We then spent the rest of the day
catching up on stories from home with glasses of refreshing Cafe Sua Da (Vietnamese Iced Coffee) and doughnuts.
Later
that evening, Andy, my brother-in-law, joined us for a simple supper in
one of the food courts. Eventhough dinner was fast-food, it was
Vietnamese fast food, so it was also something new but affordable. We
walked back to burn some calories and admired Christmas storewindow
displays.
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Day 2 (December 24, 2005)
One thing great about
this trip is that we get to stay in one of the best hotels in HCMC -the Sheraton- and
not pay a cent. Let me explain: the hotel has two towers, one serves as
the hotel part and the other as a residential tower where the expat
employees live along with other expats who are executives here. A
definite good thing is that the residents still get some of the basic
housekeeping services the hotel provides like room cleanup and free
laundry. Lyn and her brood live in a large two bedroom unit on the 7th
floor which has a great vantage point because of the sweeping view of
the city (well, part of it) and of the busy street below.
Today,
I did nothing. I just vegged out and watched DVDs with Dad. Lyn picked
out some films that we haven't seen yet from her collection. So, while
she and my Mom went out to do some shopping, Dad and I stayed home with
the kids.
Dustin, meanwhile, was already playing with David, and at their
age, they really didn't need that much supervision. I am, so far, satisfied that they
haven't argued yet. Could it be because they are big boys now or is it
because they are up to something again?
Lyn tells me that Andrew,
the head chef of the hotel, has prepared Christmas dinner exclusively
for us. It consisted of turkey with the works, salmon, some kind of
vegetable, and the fantastic chocolate dessert that was soo good.
We
were joined for dinner by the good-natured and friendly Penny, Andrew's wife and Lyn's best friend. The kids, after eating, proceeded to open their
Christmas presents and had a grand time. Of course, I helped in putting
together the toys that needed assembling. We then capped the evening
taking turns on everyone's favorite household appliance: the Magic Sing.
Despite my horribly shameless energy to keep on singing, we had to hit the sack esrly
because we were off to the sunny beaches of Muy Ne in the morning.
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Day 3 (December 25, 2005)
It is around 10:00 in
the evening and I can't sleep. This is probably because of the coffee I
had after dinner. I figured if I did some writing I would eventually
feel the weight of my eyelids increase. So, I am doing this "old
school" on the resort stationery while sitting on the day bed.
We
left at 9:30 this morning and went to Muy Ne, a 3-hour drive to the
north of HCMC. In the van were our driver, Mom and Dad, Lyn's brood, and
Dustin and myself. Most of us slept during the trip because the previous
night's celebration. I couldn't sleep, though, so I just listened to cd's
and watched a VCD during the journey. We bought some sandwiches before we left to serve as
our lunch. A stopover at a petrol station/ restaurant/ fruit market
gave us the opportunity to stretch our legs and take a leak. The girls
and the kids milled around the fruit stands while the men had some iced
coffee at the restaurant.
We arrived at the Seahorse Beach
Resort right before 1pm. I was instantly attracted to its architecture:
simple lines and forms accented with Asian details. I admire the
seemingly random arrangement of the plants and trees, thus giving a
feeling that the resort was built to adapt to environment and not the
opposite. Upon seeing the bed, I instantly wanted to sleep given last
night's singing spectacle. Although, I opted instead to read a book on the
terrace for the rest of the afternoon while the rest of them explored
the place. I joined them at around 4 by the pool to have some fruit
juice and ice cream. The two little boys were already noisily splashing about but
we had to let them stop and dry off a little later because the wind was
getting chilly and Dustin's lips were beginning to blacken due to the cold.
We
had a hearty dinner at a nearby resort that specialized in the obvious: seafood.
One could detect the French influence in the cuisine especially in the
clams that were smothered in a rich cream with onions. Dustin, as usual, was
picky in what he wanted to eat and it took quite a bit of coaxing and
empty threats to make him finish his dinner. David, on the other hand, has
no problem in choosing and finishing his food.
Now, we come full
circle to this moment that I am sitting here writing to get myself
sleepy. Actually, I felt a bit down after dinner tonight when we got
back to the resort. No, not because of the food; the food was fine.
It's just that when the beach reminds you of somebody you know
couldn't, by any way humanly possible, be there with you to enjoy it
and that anything that has got to do with beaches reminds you of that
person, you can't help not to notice that big gaping void inside you. I
mean, Dulce and I have always been going to beaches when she was still
alive and this is my first time to be in next to the ocean without her.
It isn't a torturing feeling though, I now discover, but it is still a
sad one. The good thing is that Dustin seems to be enjoying every moment of
his stay here. With that, I can be happy.
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I put my sad thoughts at the back of my mind for a while and enjoyed
the remaining days we had on the beach with family. I am truly grateful
that Andy and Lyn took time out from work and took us out there. So sis,
bro, if you're reading this, I think I haven't thanked you guys enough
for the memorable time we had.
The following is my last entry in
my travel log. I wish I could have written more like the day I spent
with D visiting video arcades, braving a lunch of Kentucky Fried
Chicken, mom's new fascination for cinema, the New Year's Eve party,
etc. but I just got lazy and the rest of the nights there were devoted
to DVD marathons.
Day 6 (December 28, 2005)Lyn suggested that I try Java Cafe, which is just a stone's throw away from the hotel. So here I am, drinking my cold
Cafe Sua Da
and munching my club sandwich after a morning of walking around the
vicinity. I visited Saigon Square, a shopping area near the old U.S.
Embassy, to buy some DVDs. Video piracy, like in other Asian cities, is
also prevalent here and I won't be a hypocrite and be all so
goody-goody about the matter.
I am a bad critic of interiors.
There would be always something, a bad element or detail that I notice
and it would, strangely enough, be its saving grace. Actually, Java's
interiors are nice and cozy despite the modern lines. Warm and earthy
colors blend well with the modern Asian furniture. I even appreciate
the tacky Christmas decor that stands out like a zit on a supermodel's
face. This, for me, adds to the cafe's character. See what I mean?
The
music here is nice: light jazz standards. I asked the waitress if I
could get the title of the CD they were playing. The artist turns out
to be Steve Tyrell and the album's title is
This Guy's In Love. Excellent, now I will have to look out for that back home.
Now,
all this music is making me think about being in love. Dang it! The
thing is, I thought I was a few months ago and, actually, I almost
started to dive into it but it turned out to be a bunch of misdirected
feelings coiled up inside me. I realized due to a chat message my son
had with his cousin (yes, I am a shameless spy), that it still wasn't
time and I still have Dustin as my priority. If ever I do have a girlfriend
in the future, she'd have to accept the fact that she has to take the
backseat. I know I'd pity her for getting her into a mess she'd regret
getting into and we'd both end up being depressed. I decided that I'd
rather not complicate my life or anybody else's, not just yet.
I am running out of paper space. I'll be off and will be resuming my great DVD safari.
Check please!
