For the first time in 2 weeks it isn't raining!! Oh glorious sunshine-we have missed you.
We took breakfast on the porch (cold ham & cheese sandwiches & yoghurt), lathered on sunscreen (or so we thought) & headed into the beach. I wanted some beach photos before we climbed in the water. The selfie stick was cooperating & we got some squinty eyed, joyful smiles.
I wouldn't believe it-the sun was beating down on us. Blue skies & whispy clouds. How nice to be hot before climbing in the cool water. I love the first minute the waves crash up and touch your feet. I'm accustomed to cold water from Lake Michigan, but the Indian Ocean is warm. It's also strong, beckoning you to enter when the tide pulls out.
Chris of course, was the first one to go & play. Can you see hit head as the waves crash over?
I had my own fun riding the waves.
The tide was coming in and the waves which typically come in pairs-were coming in sets of three. They were so much fun-and it was sunny outside!! ☀️This was exactly what we had hoped for when returning to Thailand for a few days at the beach. Chris couldn't believe his fast paced, see it all wife was willing to slow down & wanted to just sit at the beach & do nothing for a few days. Today was exactly what I had envisioned.
As the tide comes in, the waves come stronger & the under current is stronger. Most of the time we're floating on our bellies, we could easily stand up if we wanted, but it's so much more fun to be in the water. We found a fun place where the waves come at different directions and you wave jump & sometimes get pulled back out before the next one comes in. In looking at a wave, you can see where it'll crest, but you can't tell its strength. A few times I got free Netty pot sessions (water up my nose). I sputtered & gasped & stood up to recover.
You'll notice that I wear sunglasses. My eyes are very sensitive to the sunlight as well as water-especially the salt water. My sunglasses just give me an added layer of protection against the splashes & droplets that come from playing in the waves. A few times I had to climb back on the shore to dry out my eyes. A couple times Chris had to lovingly lead me there.
Well, remember those waves coming in but you can't tell the strength? I was recovering from water up my nose & in my eyes & trying to stand up when another wave came & knocked me down & tumbled me to shore. This wave was huge & came over my head & left me on the beach-sans sunglasses. I was still recovering from the near drowning before I realized they were gone. Chris was laughing from the thrill of it, asking if I was OK & as he chased after my sunglasses. We could see them the first few moments & feel them-but the tide kept them at bay. They disappeared into the foam zone-they were gone.
Chris lovingly searched the waters for them long after I gave up. That's our second pair of sunglasses casualty on this trip. That's why all the guide books & blogs state to leave your good sunglasses at home & just bring a cheap pair. I've never lost a pair traveling. This is a trip of firsts. That means a mandatory trip out to find some sunglasses tonight.
We had a lunch of noodles out on the porch-with some bread. I told Chris I wasn't leaving the bungalow except for dinner. He thought I was kidding. Nope. Just want a lazy day-took an afternoon nap & played ticket to ride. I started re-reading Outlander in my Kindle (I highly recommend to anyone needing a good book). We played Cribbage on the lounge chairs.
About this time we also made a sad discovery: sunburns. I'd just been chatting with a fellow ginger friend about how Chris is really good about applying my sunscreen. She insists to only trust another ginger. She was right. I have an odd upper back burn, except for my bathing suit ties.
And Chris' white back & shoulders are of
Lobster proportion. He asked me to do his back, I was doing something else-and neither one of us remembered. He was un-sunscreen-ed. We even sat outside on our lounge chairs in the sun to dry off, basking in the heat. What fools we were.
This picture is the day of the burn-it has since progressed & gotten worse. 😞 I did not bring aloe on this trip. I brought $30 worth of sunscreen. Two bottles for the body. Two sets of face sunscreen. Plus my Laura Mercier sun shield (SPF 40) and my face lotion that has SPF 15. I quit wearing make up after day 1 in Hanoi, but I do have 2 tinted moisturizers with SPF 20-35 with me. Plus a couple of my shirts have built SPF 50. With all that SPF, who needs aloe?
We do. Aloe was $8 and regular lotion was $3. We got the regular lotion-it was hard to find some without whitening. I asked Chris, if we apply lightening cream to a sunburn, will it go away faster? Lol.
We headed out in search of aloe, sunglasses, and some dinner. This time we headed towards the 7 Eleven, hoping there would be more food options. Most places were closed. We wondered how a Big Boy statue made it to the island-where his name is Bobby. After finding nothing, we returned to a road side stand. 
I tried the mango salad with a piece of chicken and a side of sticky rice. Chris tried to get something new, but they wern't serving it (low season) so he got-you guessed it, pad Thai. At least we alternate who gets it.
The sticky rice was quite fun. It is rice that is stickier than regular rice so that it can be rolled into balls & dipped into a sauce. We dipped it into the mango salad liquid. We more so just wanted to try it.
We headed back near the 7/11 for some shopping. I got a new pair of sunglasses for $4.30 which were not only the best we'd seen by far-but also fashionable. The shop also had goggles. Wouldn't that make playing in the waves more fun? As I hemmed & hawed over these non-budgeted purchases on our already over extended budget (due to last minute flights), Chris insisted. I bargained her down a bit-saved a total of $2.84 in bargaining-and off I walked with new sunglasses & a pink pair of goggles.
Those goggles may win best purchase on this trip. Even more so than my elephant pants & shorts. Maybe they tie with each of our sunglasses as sunglasses really are necessary...
We returned home and the tide was out. Chris quickly threw on his bathing suit & went in search of my sunglasses, hopeful the tide had left them on the beach. I adjusted my new goggles and off we went into the water. They was the MOST FUN I have had in the water. I could dive into the waves and splash around. I could play with Chris in the waves. I felt like a fish-no wonder Chris had loved playing in the ocean-it was a lot more fun when I could get my face wet. I loved letting the waves crash into my face. We don't have any photos-we were too busy playing. Yes the current was strong. Yes, the tide was going out. Yes, we stayed within arms reach of each other. Yes I thought my mom would have called me in if she was here. Eventually it got too dark to be safe & we came ashore.
We ended the evening on the porch, playing Cribbage as our swim suits hung on the line to dry. Today was a perfect day at the beach.
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