It was Tuesday, and Fr. Khue (in the sporty white hat) promised that we would spend the day in Sam Son, a famous tourist spot in the north. It is only 2 1/2 hours away, so we packed up the van with the bunch.
Here are Fr. Khue, Minh, and Thich getting ready. Fr. Khue is the Vicar General and Minh is a deacon who will be ordained a priest this fall.
While waiting for the van to be loaded, Vinh, Tuyen, and Hieu enjoy a laugh at my expense.
Here is Tuyen pretending to be asleep. Actually, that's how he looks most of the time :).
Yup, we're cool and we're the best. Here is Thich taking it easy and that's my forehead. We talked a lot on the ride and enjoyed the scenery.
The delicacy of Sam Son is coconut milk, and Hieu drinks it by the gallon. It is cold and refreshing in this sticky hot climate.
It is also good to eat the meat of the coconut as Fr. Khue shows here.
Ming is one of our favorite people. He is large by Vietnamese standards, about 180 pounds and 5'10". The children love him because he is always smiling...well, almost always.
More coconuts, only this time Tuyen goes for one.
Here on the left is Fr. Hien. He speaks great English and says a wonderful English mass. What is great is that he is getting an American accent. Go for it, bro.
Dad, here is Thich wearing the USC hat you bought. He loves it and is happy that it was yours. Now he has a team to root for in the Pac-10.
After swimming (I spent 1 1/2 hours in the water and introduced Frisbee to everyone on the beach), we went to Trong Nhi, a famous and beautiful restaurant in Sam Son. It is across the street from the parish church and is owned by a wonderful Catholic family. The place is very neat and very clean and is known for its seafood.
Following the meal of squid, crab, and lots of fish I do not know the names for, we went to the store of the parish that was staffed by one of the sisters. Here are Thich and Minh posing with the young sister who tended the store. I got some presents here for the family.
Another picture with me in it. Notice that I'm wearing shorts, the first time since I've been here. These are only acceptable at the beach or when playing sports. Otherwise, it's pant for everyone.
This is a view of the parish church across from the restaurant. I like the steeples very much because of their detail.
A view of the statue of Mary in the church's courtyears. She is surrounded by trees to shade the people who sit here and pray the rosary.
Just like Phat Diem, there are students who stay in the summer at the parish and study. Here are some of the girls. They were shy at first, but like all kids, they really wanted their pictures taken.
Here is a better shot of the students with their teacher, a seminarian from Hanoi. What a great way to spend a summer.
Here is the young owner of the restaurant holding up two crabs - yes, two crabs. He ties each of them up with seaweed to keep them from pinching. They are sold this way. To keep them alive, water is sprayed on them every once in a while. There is also a tank with live crabs.
Here I am with two crabs. They wriggle a lot in your hands so they are weird to hold. Notice the crucifix in the background. The Catholic business people have either crosses or statues in prominent display. The Buddhists usually have small shrines.
A young couple manages the restaurant and these are their children. I have to say that the boy was quite the entertainer. Look at him and he would strike a pose.
Here is the boy with his father. You can just tell that he is going places.
The live crabs in the tank have a ribbon attached to them so they can be picked up and inspected. Tuyen decided he wanted to play with his food.
The gap between the haves and have-nots is striking in Vietnam. Transportation can run the gamut from expensive Mercedes to small Chinese cars, to motor bikes and bicycles, all the way to an ox cart. Well, here is an oxcart.
