Sunday January 22

We actually set an alarm this morning (on vacation???) as we wanted to make sure we made the breakfast which we had heard awesome things about, and WOW was it good!

We were first surprised to see how many people are actually staying at the hotel!  During the day yesterday there were seats at both the pool and beach,and we are wondering what people do during the day!  The island is very up and coming, but there isn’t a ton to do.  There is a prison that was used during the War (no thanks for us on vacation) and there are other beaches and then there is a Vinpearl amusement park which we think maybe families might go to!

Anyway, the breakfast was the biggest buffet breakfast we have ever seen, it was crazy!  We liked that we filled out these little forms for eggs/omelets that they would come around and pick up and then return with our order!

After an awesome breakfast we decided to, wait for it – plop ourselves by the pool again!  We spent a little time at the pool and a little time at the beach, mostly in the shade, as the sun is HOT!  There is a nice breeze though which means the heat (85ish) feels nice.

They came around at one point offering quick back massages in the hopes to get you to come to their spa.  However, their prices were VERY expensive (even more expensive than at home) so we decided to look up another place on the island that was cheaper.  They also came around with green tea ice cream, which wasn’t our favorite but was very refreshing. 

We made appointments at the other massage place so we headed inside to shower and changed and then got a cab.  We hadn’t been outside of the hotel yet, so didn’t realize we really could have walked.  The cab starts at 10,000 VND and that’s exactly what it costs when we got there, ooops!

This place was no frills (with the cost to match which was nice) and it was so nice to enjoy a massage!  The beds here are comfortable, but we are still a bit sore from the orphanage and just traveling in general.

From there we got a cab (more reasonable this time) to the night market and the more downtown area of the island.  The night market was nice to walk around, although mostly seafood, sort of like the Portsmouth of Vietnam!  We started walking back through the town (not a whole lot, some restaurants, hotels, some shops) and then decided to take a cab back to the hotel.

We decided to try the other restaurant tonight and I think you would all be proud, we had Pho!  It was delicious!  We also spent our dinner learning new things (thanks to Google)  For example, there was a nice live band that was playing music (soft American rock) and Mom was saying how they didn’t sound Vietnamese, but were!  We then started learning about why they might sound American when singing.  We learned a few things but the most interesting was about how when people sing they have to slow down and pronounce words more clearly, and their tone becomes more neutral, and American English and a very neutral tone!

We were also interested in why it is suggested that you check in 3 hours early for an international flight and only 2 for a domestic.  We understand that when leaving another country (us leaving Vietnam) we need to go thru passport control, etc. but when we left from Boston, why did we need arrive so early?  It felt, for us, no different than leaving to go on a domestic flight.  Check your bag, go thru security, and arrive at gate. 

Anyway, we really ponder life’s questions while we are in Vietnam, although our concern is that next year, if asked why those who speak with accents don’t sing with them, we wont remember, so hence, the blog post!