I get by with a little help from my friends

Hoi An is along Vietnam’s Gulf of Tonkin coast. It’s again another quaint town with ancient houses lining it’s streets. The top floors of the houses are still home to families, but like most in Asia, the first floor had been turned into shops, restaurants, art galleries, and tonight, a much craved delicatesson. Cheesecake, how I’ve longed for your calories. The anatomical energy in each bite plus the deep breath of enjoyment in each bite equaled one revitalizing piece of nutrition. Before this, we treated ourselves to Indian food, splitting an eggplant dish and pototato spinach dish with Beth. Both had a thick flavor and combined with the cheesecake, left our palets wondering what good it had done to receive such royal treatment.

Prior to this, Beth and I bicycled on town to the beach. An unarguable truth: I grew up on one of the most beautiful beaches in the whole beautiful world (I attribute half it’s beauty to my beautiful friends). Brushing way through the sand, my feet felt a recognizable touch, but my eyes felt nothing of the sort. I can’t pin point the physical differences, because for the most part I saw the same white sand, blue ocean, blue sky as my home beach. But there was a difference in intepretation. Leaving Beth to her book, I strolled to a natural ledge in the sand, a few short feet from the water’s breaking point. Sitting Indian style, I sat listening to the water’s song. Well fine, maybe I had my iPod playing, but I’ll explain it’s sameness. Set to shuffle, my iPod chose the song “I’ll Stand By You.” I felt at that moment it was the beach singing these words:

Let me see you through, because I’ve seen the dark side too
When the night falls on you, you don’t know what to do
Nothing you confess, could make me love you less
I’ll stand by you.

To me, any simple beautiful beach is my home and there will undoubtedly be a blanket of security around me. Well, more like under me.. because I’d be laying on the blanket.. You know for that sun tan girl. What fool would put it around them in the sun’s burning UV’s. Okay anways, that’s beside the point.

As one friend said, “two girls, girls is getting pretty philosophical,” so I’ll save the beach interpretation for further date. In two weeks, Beth and I will be basking in southern Thailand’s islands and revalations will be sure to come. And duh I’ll be sure to write.

I’ve been emailing with a bunch of buds from home this past week and can’t tell you the smile it puts on my face I even got to phone chat with Tap! I’m all smiles when I think of the friends who’ve changed my life. I’ve ranted and raved about all the kool kids we’ve met on this trip, but I’ve yet to mention my kool kids back home Irreplaceable and always the blood pumper of my heart.

Ooooooh I forgot about my purchases! This town’s handicraft is tailormade shoes and clothing. I got me a great winter coat, a foreign object to a Floridian, but with New York in the future, I foresee the need. And for 33 bucks.. Unbeatable. She made I entirely from scratch at my every (picky) wish. It turned out great! Can’t wait to strut..

I also got a pair of leather sandals made. Perhaps the cutest pair of flips to ever flop. I say this with all my American heart, OMG I like totally love them I tried explaining the specific design I wanted and instead she told me to draw it out. Took me 15 minutes to get my thoughts on paper, and it took her 15 seconds to summarize them into exactly how I wanted them made. After the design was understood, I agonized over which two colors of leather to use. Seriously an undecisive person’s nightmare, but all nerves were soothed when I picked them up a day later. Nothing but perfection. 7 dolla. Holla.