Day Forty-Five - 4/1/26
Day 45 started nice and slow as is the usual now. It was raining, which ruled out any outdoor activities. Instead, Kia and I did a short indoor session in the room with resistance bands and some bodyweight exercises. We tried to get the kids involved, but they weren’t interested at all, so it ended up just being the two of us getting it done.
We headed down to breakfast and, because of the rain, had to sit in the covered area at reception rather than our favourite spot by the pool. It was still a really nice breakfast. The kids went straight for noodles again, which still feels strange compared to breakfast back home in Australia. Kia and I had omelettes with bread rolls and the usual amount of coffee.
As soon as breakfast was finished, the kids were desperate to get their shop set up out the front again. They’d bought a few more things the day before to sell, so they were well stocked and ready to go, umbrella out and everything. They actually had a few customers, which was great to see. We did have to rein in Emmett’s enthusiasm a bit though. He was convinced they needed more stock, more people, and better marketing, like he was running Coles or Woolworths. I tried to explain to him that he’s a seven-year-old running a roadside shop in Vietnam and that they were already doing an amazing job, but that didn’t fully satisfy him. Still, they ended up having a really good run.
The shop went well past lunchtime, even though we kept reminding them we needed to pack up and find some food. Eventually, we managed to close it down for the day. By that point the rain had stopped, so we went for a short walk up the road and found a small local place near our accommodation for lunch. We had teas, coffees, and lunch there and it turned out to be a great little spot with really good food. The kids also wanted to go for a bike ride so we told them they could ride to the end of the street and back and I followed them on the scooter.
After the bike ride we went back to grab the scooters and headed into the markets. We wanted to pick up a few things for Emmett’s birthday the next day and just have a general look around. It didn’t take long to find what we needed. We got Maddie a puffer jacket for Austria and a new hat for Emmett to replace the one that went missing back in Phu Quoc, either left on a bus or at Starfish Beach and claimed by someone else. Once those were sorted, we had a bit of a wander.
Emmett eventually hit his walking limit, so I convinced him to head back to the accommodation early with me for a swim. He was very keen on that idea. We spent a good chunk of time in the pool playing games, hiding his goggles and just mucking around. It was really good fun. Kia and Maddie eventually made their way back after an extended shopping trip.
We then got ourselves ready for dinner and headed to the restaurant just around the corner, the same place we went on our first day for lunch. The food was just as good as we remembered. This time, the owners’ kids were there, and it turned out the kids already knew each other, so they all started playing together straight away. It was really nice to sit back and watch that happen.
After dinner, we went for a short bike ride just for a bit of fun, then headed back to the accommodation. Showers, bed, and that was it. Day 45 done.