Sunday in HCMC
We wake early (as usual), enjoy an extensive breakfast of seasonal vegetables, fried rice, and delicious fruits. Papaya, banana, watermelon taste better than ever here!
Judy, Jim and I meet Paige in the lobby. She is on her way out to the park for a jog. We caution her to be careful because it is so hot today. She assures us she is always careful.
We head out toward the center of Saigon past the man selling bobbing toy horses, past the people eating their breakfast on the sidewalk, past the women peeling the fresh jack fruits, past the hair salon where I make an appointment for 1 o’clock and down to the statues of Ho Chi Min, the People’s Committee Building, the Opera House and the famous Majestic Hotel on the Saigon River.
It is HOT today. We drop in and out of little shops along the way. The store offers beautiful jewelry and clothes from the Sapa minority region in the mountains of Vietnam. Jim laughs while Judy and I try on various clothes and scarves. Judy buys a fabulous backpack to hold all the things she hopes to buy at the market.
We marvel at the old Majestic Hotel, built in 1925, it has undergone many modifications but still holds the majesty for which it was named. They are planning a huge new wing/skyscraper attached to it that will drastically change the amount of people who can enjoy this kind of luxury.
A little place called Paris café beckons us in to enjoy a mango smoothie and cappuccino. Not sure what we enjoyed more, the beverages or the air conditioning!
We had fun bargaining with sidewalk vendors for t-shirts, paper cut cards, “Ralph Lauren shirts” and even fresh jackfruit! The wide-open streets with open sidewalks make walking in Saigon easier than walking in Hanoi. We find our way back to the market. Whew! What a lot of stuff for sale! We wander through the narrow aisles as the clerks try to entice us to purchase their wares. Whew it is hot! This year I prefer the sidewalk venders to the market venders – too hot in there!
When you have your hair washed in Vietnam, it takes an hour. They give you a cucumber facial and an upper body massage at the same time. I love this!
When I meet Jim back at the Dragon Hotel, I am exhausted. Jim is awake sipping a coffee going over his talk for tomorrow. He tells me he had a headache and took a nap and now feels fine. Before I know it, I feel a headache coming on and need to drink water. I realize I had not been drinking all day. I lay down for a nap before our meeting with Paige.
We receive a phone call from our colleague, Laurie Nelson, with bad news about Paige. While jogging, Paige tripped and fractured her kneecap. She was in the hospital and needing to wear a knee immobilizer.
I really want to see Paige, so though I am not feeling that well, I venture down to the lobby. Jim and I meet Jackie Patton, our colleague from Sunshine Cottage in Texas. Paige arrives on crutches with Laurie carrying her backpack. We get an update on the knee. I am feeling worse by the minute.
I need to drink water. Jim gets me some. I find it difficult to sip. It’s like my body is saying “No, don’t drink”, but I know I have to keep trying to sip. I say to myself;“swallow swallow swallow”.
We all go upstairs to get ready for a welcoming party that the hospital is hosting. As I try to get ready, I realize I am dizzy and cannot move. I choose to stay and sleep.
Everybody goes to the party. I sleep for 4 hours. I wake up when Jim comes back and feel much better! I think I suffered HEAT EXHAUSTION.
Jim can tell you about the “very Vietnamese” party that I am not sorry I missed!
Jim says: “The traditional food served at the party included some unusual items to my palate. We enjoyed most of it, but some things like large rubbery snails, sweet & sour fish soup, and stuff I could not tell what it was, along with the typical chicken feet, and beaks! It was at this outdoor restaurant with outdoor ponds where people were trying to catch their dinner! It was a huge, place, too. Hysterical! I don’t know what to compare it to; little thatched houses with fake ponds in between with tables! It kind of reminded me of a campground or Shorty’s Spare Ribs from my childhood in Florida. Crazy place.”
Good night from Saigon.
Judy shares a photo of her son Scott and his family. Scott has a profound hearing loss, is now a lawyer in Ontario, married with there boys!
Jim lectures to the group of therapists, Thuy interprets, Lea helps with videos.
Jim, Lea, and Paige at hospital entrance with one of the hospital professionals.
Group photo:
