Somewhere In the Middle Of the Ocean, Vietnam

Our family visited Nha Trang, Vietnam back in October 2010. On one hand, I'm sure things have changed since then, and on the other I wouldn't be surprised if they hadn't. Vietnam seemed almost frozen in time, or at least very slowly shaking off the dregs of its past. 

Truthfully, my opinions of Vietnam up to that point had been shaped by Forrest Gump, Rambo and this song:

None of which are super accurate, and instead paint a binary picture for a country that is rich in tradition, culture, landscape and experiences.

One of the most vivid memories I have from Vietnam is the day we spent snorkeling and visiting the floating fishing villages.

So, here is where I was a little bit of a princess (GASP). I know, I never really am and I am sure that was hard for you to hear and if you're not already sitting down you need to, but, I calls 'em how I sees 'em and I was a "I've snorkeled all over the Caribbean" brat about snorkeling in Vietnam.

lol, look at my tanline.

In my defense, this is what we were snorkeling in:

Not exactly the most ideal conditions to observe underwater life, try as we might. So, while the snorkeling was a bust in comparison to places like Cozumel and St. Martin, I know my brother (who's never gone before) had a blast. Honestly, I think just being able to breathe underwater with his butt in the air was 99% of the draw.

After some fun, but uneventful snorkeling, our tour guide told us we would head towards a restaurant for lunch. We took this to mean that we would head back towards land, disembark and walk into a brick and mortar restaurant with a Vietnamese/English menu and charming waitstaff.

Ha.

Not far off Nha Trang Bay, there are shacks and one general store cobbled together with plastic drums, netting and wood, floating in the South China Sea. As a persistent rain beat down, our tour guide navigated the boat towards this village, telling us that lunch would soon be served. 

We all nervous laughed.

See, here's the thing. Our tour guide and the boat operators were all old enough to have gone through the Vietnam War, we were TOTALLY alone and my dad decided to introduce himself to everyone in Vietnam with his name and military rank. 

Holy $hit.

I mean, not that he could have kept a low profile with his buzz cut, cargo pants and Army Ranger rolled cap but geeeeeeeeeze.

So, we were all huddled together in a rickety speed boat, nervously trying to spot any other boats carrying tourists here. Because, surely, if this was a tourist destination we wouldn't be the only ones?

And yet, we were definitely the only ones.

Our boat pulled up to this floating general store that was composed of an open front with a small but remarkably well stocked store area, and one bedroom in the back where the owner and his family lived. Here, apparently, was the restaurant.

It was drizzling fairly steadily by the time we arrived and I remember that we were all pretty much scared to get off the boat. As I remember it, these are the reasons why:

• There was literally NO ONE else around
• For some reason we had a tour guide and also 4 additional shirtless Vietnamese men on our boat with us
• Lieutenant Tay
• The possibility that as soon as our combined weight set foot on the planks, the entire structure would collapse
• This scene from Tropic Thunder

But, we persevered. Each of the girls was given a non la style hat and towel and we were all ushered to a low table and chairs, similar to what we might use here for children.

lol look at our knees. 

Right about here is when the sun came out, delicious food started arriving and we all realized how narrow minded we were and how incredibly hospitable everyone around us was. This, despite the fact that my brother crushed one of the chairs like a paper cup.

The owner was friendly and seemed eager to communicate with us somehow, even though we didn't have a common language. I remember wondering why he had a tattoo of a Simpson's character on his chest, before (belatedly) realizing it was supposed to be a lady, it was probably just made with like a fish hook and squid ink, real bad ass style.

At one point, he literally reached over the side of the shack and pulled out a sea urchin which he cracked open and cooked for Jorge.

The floating shacks serve primarily as fishing stations, and there were large netted enclosures for different types of sea life. Here, his wife (girl friend, boo thing, it's complicated - I'm not sure) was feeding them with other, smaller fish or shrimp.

See.

The cutest kitty ever found its way under our table and knew she had hit on the softest mark there.

Although we were leery of this experience at first, I came away with a newfound understanding and appreciation for the way the fishermen in these floating villages live. Something that I never thought of prior to this trip was the fact that people make up just as much if not more of any country than the buildings, mountains and monuments. Even though I am sure I've barely scratched the surface, getting to spend moments with these people in their home and shop offered me a closer glance into what really makes Vietnam. More so than an entire day spent at a Buddhist temple or an aquarium.

I think this picture sums it up. Vietnam was amazing. Maybe not the weather (that day), maybe not the economy, maybe not the alarming level of water pollutants, but getting to experience something a little bit out of the ordinary. That was amazing.