It looks like S. has found us an apartment in Ho Chi Minh City/Saigon–one bedroom, one bath, lots of light, and, most importantly, wireless internet access.  It is nothing special, certainly without  some of the comforts I’ve come to associate with Bangkok, but adequate and centrally located in the heart of District One, the section of town with the highest concentration of expats and western style restaurants, shops, and entertainment venues.  It’s a relief to know  this search may have reached a successful conclusion.

Or has it?  I’m a bit concerned that S. did not determine if the place has backup generators.  I had read and S. experienced the other day that electricity is not always available.  Monday, for example, her office had no power, and without the ability to generate their own electricity, her staff had to relocate to restaurants and cafes around  town that did have that capacity.  Not knowing whether we’ll have that ability frustrates me, especially since I don’t handle  heat very well and want to feel confident we won’t be without air conditioning. 

More comforting, however,  is the fact that I’ve finished grading my second batch of student papers for the semester–and even more exciting than that–the fact that I finished with a good chunk of Spring Break left to enjoy.  Yet,  it’s more the idea of recreation than recreation itself that I appreciate, since I still have gobs of other work to do.  But it would be nice to go into next week ahead rather than behind, and having the time to so position myself is actually a luxury. 

Plus, I suspect  the semester will move quickly once Spring Break is ended, and it will be no time before I find myself rushing to leave for Vietnam myself–and that  Saigon apartment  we may well swelter in this summer.  No, I  hope I’m  wrong about the generator issue, and if it gets too hot, maybe I can insist on a trip to the beach.   Maybe generators aren’t all they’re cracked up to be.