1/20/16
I know I joke about money a lot on this blog. I think part of it has to do with me insecurity over money, and weirdly, this long trip actually emphasized the importance of money to me. I do have to eat and sleep everyday, and paying for hostels, hotels, food, tours, coffee, beer and all other essentials actually cost money. Since I have no income, it is all expenditure, which also means I tend to be more cautious on spending as time passes. However, that is on a personal finance level. On a macro level, however I become a socialist: I think the government had a duty to safeguard its citizens, and hence should produce goods and services that market forces cannot. I know, I am a very conflicting person.
When I decided to stop by Nha Trang, I made a decision to be here longer than necessary (well, I define necessary as the time period needed to see all the famous landmarks). This is because after Vietnam, I do not plan to visit other beach towns. I wanted an extra day to relax and catch up on my sleep, emails, and other things aka the mundane part of life. The aim of today was pretty simple: spend some time on the beach, read a book, jump into the ocean and try not to get sun burnt. With that in mind, I left the hostel and went to he beach. One thing (or things) I immediately noticed: Have you ever wonder why people wearing bikini or speedo on a beach are never those you want to see in a bikini of speedo? That is the case with many Russian tourists, who seem to have a love affair with very skimpy swim wears. It was like a meat market on parade, with a lot of fatty flanks. Flesh was spilling everywhere, some of it bouncing around like a bouncy castle at an eight years old kid’s birthday party. I was so distracted by the parade of meat suits that knocked into a sign that explained the layout of the beach. Apparently, the beach is divided into standard, economy and VIP sections, and each command a price and services. For the grand sun of 100,000 dongs, you can get a chair, an umbrella, wifi, a locker and pool access (yes, they also built a swimming pool next to the beach. I have to admit: this is the most segregated beach I have ever been on, and I was even on some private beach. It reminded greatly of the first class seats on flights I could never afford, so I decided to spend that $4 and get the VIP treatment. Whike it was cool to have all these “luxuries”, I did what I Sialkot do on a beach (no, I do not flash people. I do like to take photos of children, but then feel weird about it. As I said, complicated): I ran, swam, read, listened to some podcasts, and mainly worried if the rest of the beach goers judged me. It was actually a fairly relaxing experience, and I felt a lot better.
In the evening, I went in search of laundry and then dinner. Since I already splurged on the VIP chair, dinner was a street food experience. I saw a seller grilling his meat (hehe), and so went in and ordered BBQ with rice. Not satisfied, I ventured a little further in search of a local delicacy: Banh Can. It is a little like cupcake, but with the filling of your choice on the top. I pointed to what I want, and the lady made the base (rice flour) on a metal pan, and then added the toppings. I had prawns, squid, beef with leeks and pork with onion. I was then told to dip each piece into a spicy sauce, eat the “cake”, and then eat some shredded mango. It was the best food I had in Nha Trang so far, and I am really surprised it is not on any restaurant menus. With that done, I went into a Brewer bar: only to discover it is full of Russian tourists, with the live band singing Russian songs.
As I sat drinking my beer and listening to Russian pop song, I wondered if the VIP experience was worth it. Sure, it was pretty cool to sit on a VIP section. The service was pretty decent, and the locker key my belongings safe (my biggest concern on a beach). However, at the end of the day, I did not do anything different: everything I did was the same as I would have on any other beach. Maybe it is a sign that I am not meant for luxurious experiences? However, one thing I was certain: i did not like the way the businesses tries to separate the beach crowd according to their spending. Funnily, most people just ignore the sign, and they just sprawl out anywhere they want. However, I did hear that once the whole area is developed, the businesses may hire enforcements to keep the limits. It would be a sad day when we have to be sorted by how much we are willing to spend on a beach. Also, if I am spending that much money on an experience, can I also limit the amount of jiggly flesh I see around me? I mean, I am a fan of all body sizes, shapes and height. But there is no need to inflict pain onto my eyes just because you want to squeeze into a bikini 2 sizes too small. Also, how is having a piece of string cutting into flesh comfortable? Doesn’t it look and feel like Christmas ham?!
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