Chuyện thường ngày ở biển

Everyday Story by the Sea

Met Barry again this morning, as usual. He was all smiles, proudly telling me he’d just gone hiking 21 km with his girlfriend yesterday and then slept like a baby last night. Mr. Old Man isn’t sure whether his girlfriend is Vietnamese or a fellow Westerner — but from experience, most retired Westerners living in Southeast Asia tend to have “local” girlfriends.

The other day, Mr. Old Man met another Western guy who spoke a bit of Vietnamese. I told him that having a Vietnamese girlfriend would help him learn the language much faster. He laughed, eyes twinkling:

— “Vietnamese girlfriend is very expensive!”

Of course, he was joking. Mr. Old Man knows another American retiree who gets only $1,500 a month, so he has to live somewhere in Southeast Asia to make ends meet. He has a Thai girlfriend — which might sound costly — but it actually saves him money compared to living alone, since she cooks, does the laundry, cleans up, and takes care of just about everything.

Turns out, having a “local” girlfriend doesn’t just help with language skills — it might even help balance the budget!

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P/S: When I go swimming, I only bring myself — no camera, no phone. So here are a few photos I took yesterday afternoon while cycling.