Woke up around 3am again. I guess I’m having a little trouble adjusting to the time zone. By the time I adjust fully, we’ll probably be getting ready to head back to the airport.
We didn’t have much luck finding a belt for Harry yesterday, so while we’re in city center dealing with the Timo thing, we’ll have to check out a place that looks like it’ll have a good selection of belts.
Got to Tanaka (a local belt and wallet shop) to find that they were unexpectedly closed. Figured they might have just run out to get something, so hung out for about 15 minutes. It’s ridiculously hot, so we’re melting. Stopped in at the store next door to Tanaka to ask if they happened to know when Tanaka’s owner might be back. Google Translate is our friend lol. The couple running the eatery next door was super sweet – they actually just called Tanaka to find out for us. He was only about 5 minutes away, so they offered us stools in the shade to rest while we waited. I’m noticing that about people here – they genuinely just want to be involved in the good parts of your day. They take the time to talk with you (even through a translator app), help you if they can, or direct you if they can’t. It’s so unlike my experiences with people in the States – most people couldn’t give you the time of day. Ken kept the card from Tanaka to come back for some custom leather work after the move.
Stopped in at a few clothing shops (I’m hoping to buy a couple skirts or dresses and Harry would like some shirts and shorts), and discovered that I’m going to have to learn a little humility while living here. Locals don’t view bodies the same way we do in the U.S., so they are a little blunt in ways we aren’t used to. I asked if one shop had anything that might fit me, since everything looked made for very thin women (I’m a little overweight, but also short). Their response was “we don’t have anything that would suit you.” Ouch. I knew to expect this from some of the videos I’ve seen, but it hits a little different when it’s directed at YOU. I’m just going to let that one go – it’s not worth my energy to be upset about a body I’m not done optimizing in a country that has an average size that is half my width lol.
Harry found a really nice lightweight white linen button down shirt – it looks very good on him, and is a pleasant change from his typical uniform of all black clothing that consists primarily of baggy jeans and hoodies.
Went off in search of cold treats since it’s VERY hot. The ice cream shop was out of ice cream lol – so we got some cold fruit tea that was very refreshing. Harry and I hung out with the A/C while Ken ran down to Timo. Luckily, Ken was actually able to get things handled this time. Afterward, I just HAD to show Harry the McDonald’s and the pizza place. He was cracking up about the different types of things they serve, but he seems willing to try pretty much anything!
Because we are now getting used to a mid-day shower and siesta, we headed back to the Airbnb for a bit.
Early in the evening, we headed out to the Hoi An Night Market – we’ve been hearing amazing things, and I’m hoping to commission a couple dresses to help me stay cool while we’re here. If you know me, you know how odd it is for me to wear a dress, much less for me to go out of my way to find one. Harry gets his “jeans and hoodie” foundation from me lol. His is baggy and always black, mine less so, but still jeans and sweatshirts.
First thing we saw there was a group of men playing a game that looked kind of like hacky-sack, but with a big, hollow rattan ball. It looked like so much fun! If I were better at hacky-sack, I might have been willing to ask to join!
Ken saw a lady selling fruit, and noticed they had lychee (which he knows I love but barely have opportunity to eat fresh) and mangosteens (which we had all been eye-balling and wanting to try). So he went over to buy some. I noticed this lady kept piling fruit into his hands, then got up and gave him a huge hug. I thought that a little odd, but also very sweet. Turns out, he only had a very large bill on him and she didn’t take electronic payment of any kind… and she wasn’t able to make change yet. So she just gave him all her fruit! Ken’s a really good sport and understood that this might have a big enough sale to cover a whole day’s work for her, and it was only equivalent to about $20 USD, which we would have spend on far less fruit at home. So he decided to just go with it. Looks like he made her day 💜
Ken found another Banh Mi, and I found a sweet lady to take my measurements and tailor some dresses. She was wonderful – gave me tips for how to make the dresses compliment my figure better, and promised to have them ready by 4pm the next day. Wandered the market and got gelato to cool off again. Passionfruit and Mango for me, soursop and something else I can’t remember. There are so many different types of shops and restaurants – everything you could want – custom jewelry, custom clothing, souvenirs of all types, luggage, you name it. There was so much to see! But we didn’t have time to see it all before the shops started closing for the night. We weren’t too upset, since we knew we were coming back the next day anyway.
After we got back to the room, Ken had a call scheduled with his life coach, so Harry and I decided to go back down to the beach and roam around looking for something to eat. We hung out with our feet in the surf and talked about a lot of things. The things we’re excited to see Skipper experience here, the things we wish had been different for Harry growing up, and the things we’ve been quietly leaving on the back burner for a while now – Harry’s feelings about the move. He’s absolutely loving it here, but he told me that he’s just not ready to make this move yet. He thinks it is the absolute right decision for the rest of us, but he still has things he needs and wants to do in the U.S. It was hard to hear, but I understand, and made sure to tell him that I know he still loves us and will miss us. And that I understand this just isn’t his path right now. I wish it was different, but I get it.
That was a heavy one for us, so we decided to lighten things up with our first bowl of REAL PHO. It was the single most delicious thing I’ve eaten in a long time, and that is saying something!
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