Dad and I decided to wake up at 6:30am this morning to visit the fish market in the town of Mui Ne. We had a really neat experience thanks to a stupid choice by me.
I thought the fish market was within town, so I didn't think to bring food with me or have breakfast before we left.
We stopped at a point before town where the women sort and sell the net-catch of the morning. From the road you go down a long stair case to the beach. Here the smell of fish and shellfish is overpowering. Women rapidly shell thousands of scallops while others sort through a wide mix of crustaceans and vertebrates, picking out small fish and eels. Others haggle aggressively over the price per kilo of shrimp. It was fun to take pictures, dad and I observed for scene for over half-an-hour.
We turned to head up the stairs back to our bike to go to the town and eat. Walking up the stairs, my legs felt heavy and my head felt light. When I reached the top I felt the sudden need to escape the fishy smell blowing up to us, but I also felt too lightheaded and nauseous to get on the bike. I moved to a small concrete wall next to the road and sat down against it, hoping it would block some of the smell. I put my head between my legs, certain I was about to faint and cursing at myself for not having eaten something earlier.
Dad went to get a roll of bread when I felt a strong hand on my shoulder. I looked up. A woman was sitting on the wall, leaning over me, bracing me and smiling. I smiled weakly and put my head back down. I felt her move in front of me to the ground. She lifted my head and looked at me. Other women started to gather around me. They were all speaking and pointing, apparently diagnosing me. The woman in front of me reached forward and started to pinch me between my eyebrows, pulling my skin forward and letting go, over and over again. Then a woman came from across the street with a little bottle of dark oil which she rubbed on my temple and chest. It was menthol. I started to feel better and dad gave me the bread. I ate and drank water and sat up on the wall. The women continued to watch me, concerned. The woman pinched me a little more, just for good measure. I could tell if it was a form of pressure therapy or perhaps she was removing something "evil" from me, it felt like it could be both. Either way, it seemed to do the trick and I felt just fine after a couple minutes. Dad was extremely amused to see the group of 15 or so women around me, fusing over me. I could tell we were both thinking the same thing, that this was a really good sign for my upcoming travels. The people here are so willing to care and help, we knew I would be in good hands.
I said thank you to them all, "Cam An." And dad and I headed into town for some breakfast, sandwiches with cucumber and cheese and tea with condensed milk. Yum!
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