Long Beach

The last time I was here there was only maybe twenty of us on the beach.  Today there was a flood of Vietnamese vacationers enjoying what little time they are spared from their jobs.  This did little to soil the beauty that is a secluded and pristine beach along a peninsula in the shadow of a lush mountain.  Part of the beauty of going to Long Beach is the forty minute ride down the coast.  The highway is sandwiched between the coastline and the hills and mountains that seem to rise up from the sea.  At one point in the highway just before you reach Cam Ranh we pulled off of the street and down some narrow dirt roads.  From the street one could completely pass by this beach with out ever knowing it was there.  As we approached the ocean it was not yet in view but the sounds of the wave beating upon the beach grew more and more apparent.  Bamboo and wood bungalows line the main part of the beach closest to the highway.  In the bungalows sit reclining chairs and tile topped tables, made so they can easily withstand the small wood coal barbecues we would cook with.  I like to walk out along the length of the beach (it goes for miles) until the bungalows and all the people are only a speck, a memory in the distance blurred by the heat of the sun.  There one can swim and be completely alone with the great Pacific ocean.  That is the beauty of Long Beach.  Also Jay and Ian fell asleep and I had a complete stranger take a picture posing with them, that was cool too.

very large fresh whole shrimp

shrimp, crab, and fresh squid