Day Forty-Three - 2/1/26

Day 43 was one of those quietly special days. Nothing big planned. Nothing rushed. Just a really good, cruisy day.

We woke up to sunshine and good intentions to exercise, which very quickly turned into a relaxed morning instead. No regrets. We chilled in the room for a bit, then headed down to breakfast together.

Same setup. Same win. Omelettes, fresh fruit, coffee for us, juices for the kids, all by the pool. We are absolutely loving this place. It just feels easy. Hung, our host, is one of the nicest people we’ve met, and his wife and kids are just as lovely. It genuinely feels welcoming here.

After breakfast, the kids announced they were opening a shop.

At first, it was set up beside the pool, but with not many guests around, the only customers were Kia and me. So they made an executive decision to move the shop to the front gate of the villas.

We were a bit hesitant at first, but figured why not. Let them have a go.

Out came the tables, the bits and pieces they’d decided to sell, and handmade signs written in English, Russian, and Vietnamese. They were determined to catch the attention of anyone cruising past. We’re not on a super busy street, but there’s enough foot and scooter traffic to make it interesting.

At first, they gave things away for free. Not because they had to, but because it gave them confidence. A way to feel seen and practise saying hello.

Kia and I just sat back and watched. For hours.

Eventually, someone stopped and actually bought something. Real money. That was it. Lunchtime came and went, and every time we asked if they wanted food, the answer was a firm no. The shop was more important.

Kids from across the road started interacting too, waving, pretending to shoot water pistols, laughing from a distance. Our two would sprint back to us, bursting with stories, then race back to their stall to put the sign up again.

They stayed out there until about 2pm. Hours of confidence building, creativity, problem solving, and social interaction, all without a screen in sight. Hard to put a price on that.

Eventually, we convinced them to pack up so we could head into Hoi An Old Town and wander the markets.

We jumped on the scooters and headed in, stopping first for a snack at a small Greek place. Yoghurt bowls with fruit and muesli, toasted sandwiches, Greek salad, coffee, and tea. The green tea was unreal, almost caramel-like. So good.

We ended up chatting with the owners, who’ve been living in Hoi An for 14 years and only just opened their shop. Always love hearing stories like that.

Markets next. We were hunting for a puffer jacket for Maddie. Found a couple, but prices were higher than expected. We’re terrible at bargaining. We feel bad, but also don’t want to overpay for knock offs, so it’s always a bit of a mental tug of war.

In the end, Maddie chose a hat and a bum bag instead, using some of her Christmas money. Emmett was on the hunt for a new hat too, but everything was just a bit too big.

Then chaos struck.

It started raining. Emmett urgently needed the toilet. We found paid toilets with no seat and limited toilet paper. While he was inside yelling updates, we realised we’d left the scooter keys in Kia’s scooter.

Cue me sprinting through rain and traffic to check the scooter. Still there. Keys still there. Crisis averted.

Back at the toilets, Emmett was now convinced he hadn’t wiped properly and had run out of toilet paper. We improvised with a napkin tucked down his jocks just in case. He spent the next hour walking around like that completely unnecessarily. Turns out everything was fine.

Parenting abroad at its finest.

Later, we finally did it. Elephant pants for everyone. Matching pairs. Comfortable, light, and something I’ve been eyeing off since we arrived.

Dinner was a Vietnamese “pizza”, more like a rolled tortilla with fillings. Not what I expected, but interesting enough. We weren’t overly hungry anyway.

There was a break in the rain, so we scootered home. On the way, the kids wanted to stop at a minimart to buy stock for tomorrow’s shop. Kia and I invested 110,000 VND and told them to have fun with it.

Back at the villa, straight to bed.

The weather’s been great. Cooler than expected, but still warm enough for pool swims. Emmett has been smashing laps, and his swimming has come a long way. Something clicked after encouragement from Ben at the hub in Phu Quoc, and he’s been on a mission ever since. So good to see.

Day 43. Another really great day.

Hard to believe it’s already been 43 days. Time is flying. Feeling inspired seeing friends now in Cambodia. That’s definitely on the list someday.

I’m behind on updating the website, juggling Instagram, Facebook, and everything else, but that’s okay. Life feels full in a good way.