Today I slept in again and woke up at noon. Maybe because of the hormone medication I need a lot of sleep to recover. While thinking that I checked my work notifications and there were 14. Ahh—getting 14 notifications while I'm traveling around the world and having to deal with them. But I mustn't forget this.
How lucky I am to have work. Of course there are times I want to give up and times I feel like that's enough. But again, I realized that having a job means I can earn money; I find value in something, offer it, and someone accepts it—that's what makes it possible. I shouldn't forget that.
After dealing with work I headed to the beach. Ky Co Beach, a secluded beach in Qui Nhon, supposedly has an entrance very close to where I'm staying, so I decided to go. I put in my contact lenses for the first time in a while, put on the sunglasses I bought in the Philippines, put on a mask, applied sunscreen, and I was ready.
When I went to the front desk Huy was there. As usual he brought out a bike. I told him I was going to the beach today, and we set off.
To get to Ky Co Beach you have to race through about 14 kilometers of mountain road, and there was an attendant at the entrance. I paid 170,000 đồng. It turns out you can't ride a bike all the way to the beach—you have to get off midway and transfer to a bus. What a hassle, or rather, what a nice little business setup, I thought as I paid.
As we left, the altitude kept rising. Before I knew it my hotel looked very small and I had a panoramic view of the little town where I'm staying.
The scenery was beautiful. A Vietnamese couple who had gone ahead had parked and were taking pictures, so I stopped nearby and took some too. It looked just like that view from Kiki's Delivery Service.
We continued along the winding road and finally reached the transfer point. It felt like we'd crossed a mountain. I paid the parking fee and boarded the bus. I was the only passenger. We headed to the beach in a huge van.
The beach we arrived at was small but incredibly beautiful. Compared to Okinawa the water there might be clearer, but this was an abundant emerald green. Most striking was that there were almost no foreigners—just one European man with a Vietnamese woman; otherwise it was entirely Vietnamese tourists. It made me think how big the world is.
A beach surrounded by mountains with windmills and cliffs—it felt like a Ghibli world. I walked from end to end, taking photos and videos. By the time I was done I was getting hungry.
It was because I'd only eaten a banana today. I looked at a few restaurants and ordered rice, pork ribs, and kiwi yogurt at one that seemed busy. The rice was enormous—maybe meant for a family. The pork ribs were the right amount, and I ended up eating them all by myself.
Next was swimming time. I looked for a place to put my stuff, but the areas under the parasols cost money and I didn't know who to ask. I thought whatever and left my backpack on the beach and swam. It felt amazing. It was past 5 p.m., the sun was weaker, and it was cool. Only a few people were swimming; most had already left.
After swimming for about 20 minutes I drank a coconut. It was 50,000 đồng—kind of pricey but good for mineral replenishment. The return bus was packed with Vietnamese tourists.
We returned to the transfer point and rode the bike back. The steep slopes were scary, but the scenery was so beautiful I couldn't help but film it. I held the Osmo Pocket in my left hand and desperately braked with my right as I rode. And that's how the Ky Co Beach trip ended.
I stopped by the guesthouse to rest a bit, changed, and then set off again. I rode 20 km toward the town. I thought I wouldn't get lost, but of course I got confused along the way and had to check the map while heading to a gas station.
Showing the phrase "Fill it up" on a translation app didn't get through; I was replied to with gestures. I thought it was rude, but maybe that's normal in Vietnam. When I told the guy next to me the same thing, he filled it up right away. 40,000 đồng. Cheap.
Feeling relieved, I went to a Japanese restaurant. I wanted to try a different place to judge which was best. Parking always makes me nervous. I almost hit something turning right and it was a scare. Flustered, I parked badly, but it's all experience.
I ordered fried salmon sushi. It tasted good but the staff were curt. The wait, about 15 minutes, felt long. Maybe it's just me being Japanese. The salmon pieces were too small, so I won't go back here.
On the way back it turned into a bit of a race and I hit around 80 km/h. With a straight face I concentrated every nerve on driving. I must have been in the flow. Looking to the side it looked like a plane taking off, and I thought it'd be great if I could just fly like that.
I arrived at the hotel earlier than I thought. I made plans with Huy, who was outside, to go watch the sunset together tomorrow at 5 p.m. We exchanged Facebook info. He seems very self-critical, which applies to me as well. I should allow myself more self-acceptance. After all, I'm the only one who will truly affirm myself.
So I wrote in my journal at the hotel, did some work, and went to sleep.
Oh, I finished booking a hostel in Hanoi.
