Day Forty-Four - 3/1/26
Another sleepy start this morning. Kia had set her alarm to go for a run, but was having a hard time getting out of bed. So I nudged her and said, “Well, off you go then.” That quickly turned into a better idea. We got the kids on the resort bikes and decided we’d all head out together.
Everyone was keen. We chucked our gear on, headed downstairs, and made sure the bikes fit. Emmett had to learn how to ride a bike where he couldn’t touch the ground, which was fun to watch, and he did really well. We headed off for a lap around the local streets. The kids were flying, which meant I had to run a bit harder to keep up. We stopped at each turn to regroup and then took off again. At around 2.5 km we reached a point where you could either head back to the accommodation or keep going. Kia and the kids turned back, and I kept going to loop it out to 5 km.
It was a really good run. The temperature was perfect and there was a bit of wind, which meant a headwind in places, but it still felt great to be out moving. By the time I got back, Maddie was sitting waiting for breakfast while Kia and Emmett were already playing in the pool. I jumped straight in to cool down and we all had a bit of a splash before drying off and sitting down to another really good breakfast.
After breakfast, the kids were straight back into shop mode. They’d stocked up at the minimart the day before and were keen to get going again. They set up some chairs, brought their table out the front, and laid everything out near the gate. I was sitting at the breakfast table watching them when Hung, the resort owner, walked past. Without saying a word, he grabbed one of the pool umbrellas and set it up out the front for them. He had this big, cheery smile on his face and just seemed genuinely happy to see the kids having a go.
They were out there from about 9:30 until 12:30, a solid three hours. In that time they sold wafer biscuits, lollies, coffee, and a few other bits and pieces, and ended up with 186,000 Vietnamese dong. Not bad at all for a morning’s work. They didn’t want to stop, but we knew if they went any longer we’d be dealing with hungry, cranky kids. Packing everything up took a while, and by the time we were sorted it was already about one o’clock before we headed out for lunch.
We finally found the more local food area that ChatGPT had pointed us towards and sat down at a simple local spot. Chicken and rice, pork and rice, and a few bottles of water. Ten dollars total to feed the whole family, which was exactly what we were hoping for. After lunch, Kia wanted to check out an organic store to find some new toothpaste. I made a conscious effort not to rely on my phone and instead navigated the old way, remembering landmarks and roughly mapping it out in my head. It felt really good dusting off a skill I hadn’t used much since before constant GPS.
The organic store was just like something back home. The kids then spotted another shop across the road and, between the two places, they reinvested some of their shop profits into new stock for tomorrow. Kia and I were well overdue for a coffee. Cedric, who’s staying at the resort, mentioned a café called Cafe Slow where his friend had just started working. Reviews looked great, so we headed out.
The café was unreal. It was set in a rural area with acres of vegetable gardens out the front. Rows and rows of lettuce, herbs, and greens, with locals planting, watering, and harvesting everywhere. We sat down with our coffees. I tried an iced coconut latte, which was nice, but I’m still firmly on team traditional Vietnamese coffee with condensed milk. After that, we wandered along the little paths through the gardens. The kids were off exploring but always within sight, and Kia and I just walked and chatted. It felt slow, relaxed, and really grounding, and the kids clearly loved the freedom.
On the way back, we stopped near an area Kia had noticed during the morning run that looked like it would be good for dinner. It was quieter than expected, but we found a restaurant that was incredibly welcoming. The food was excellent. The staff were lovely with the kids, gave us a free bottle of water at the end, and even climbed up to grab Emmett a fresh coconut from the tree, even though we told them it was fine.
They asked Kia if she’d leave them a Google review, and it turned out she was their first ever review, which made it even nicer. The place itself was beautiful, with upstairs seating, downstairs dining, and a small deck area. Dinner and coffee were a bit more expensive than we would have liked, but it was still a really nice way to finish the evening.
As we were walking back up the stairs to our room, Maddie asked if she could see Emmett’s coconut. He handed it to her and almost instantly it slipped out of her hands, hit the hard tiles, and cracked open. Coconut water went everywhere. Emmett was absolutely devastated and started melting down because he really wanted that coconut. Kia ran it downstairs to stop it spilling everywhere while Emmett stood there in fits.
He wanted another coconut straight away. I suggested we just drink it then and there. So we went back downstairs and started pouring the coconut water into glasses. It just kept coming. Emmett had about three full glasses, Maddie had a sip, I had a glass, Kia had some. There was so much coconut water in that thing.
While I was pouring it out, E, the wife of the owner, came out and started chatting with us. She asked if I wanted her to split the coconut properly. Emmett immediately lit up and said yes. She disappeared for a moment and came back with it neatly cut in half. There wasn’t much coconut flesh inside for the kids to eat, but it didn’t matter. It was just such a kind thing for her to do. I stood chatting with her while the kids played with the coconut and slowly calmed down.
And that was kind of it. A really chill day, but one that somehow felt long in the best possible way. We even managed to get the kids into bed early for once, which felt like a win. I think all the running, riding, selling, wandering, and adventuring finally wore them out.
Hopefully we can ease back into a bit more of a routine. We’ve been a bit all over the place lately, but days like today feel like they’re gently pulling us back into rhythm.