Week Five: The Highs, the Lows & Everything In Between

This week was about fun peaking early, then gently tapering. Big shared experiences, followed by quieter days, looser plans, the gradual emotional shift as the hub period came to an end and Christmas abroad.

The Highs

• The boat trip magic
  Easily one of the best days of the trip so far. Skipping ropes turning into a spontaneous kids’ group activity set the tone, then a full boat day with fishing, snorkelling, inflatable slides, backflips, GoPro chaos, and everyone leaning into the fun. Kids and adults mixed effortlessly, and the group vibe was unreal.

• Simple mornings that worked
  Skipping instead of running. Pool cool-downs after hot runs. Breakfast together. These small tweaks made the days feel lighter and more connected.

• Waterfall day
  A scooter ride with another family, a strange-but-fascinating entry area, rainforest walk, and kids swimming at the top waterfall. One of those days where curiosity outweighed expectations.

• Christmas Eve ease
  A split day done well with Emmett and I running and hanging while Kia and Maddie headed out shopping, followed by pool time, computer work, errands, and a low-pressure evening. Calm before Christmas.

• Christmas abroad

  Our first Christmas abroad as a family. This was something we were all excited about.

The Lows

• End-of-day meltdowns
  Emmett’s wet-clothes meltdown after the boat trip was pure exhaustion. Not bad behaviour, just a kid who’d wrung himself out emotionally and physically.

• Breakfast inconsistency creeping in
  Not disastrous yet, but the early signs were there: off coffee, odd food, needing to duck out for better options.

• Mental load of “what’s next”
  As the hub neared its end, there was an underlying sense of transition with people leaving, plans diverging, energy shifting.

• Sick on Christmas morning

  Everyone feeling a bit off for Christmas morning wasn’t ideal, but we pushed through and still had a fun day.

Standout Moments

• Fishing chaos on the boat
  Everyone catching fish, kids yelling, lines everywhere. Simple, hands-on fun that pulled everyone in immediately.

• Flying fish sighting
  One of those blink-and-you-miss-it moments that makes you realise how wild these environments really are.

• The toilet-in-the-ocean reality check
  Equal parts hilarious and gross. A very “this is not a Western tour brochure” moment.

• Snack-based recovery win
  Snacks + drinks + dry shorts = emotional resurrection. Parenting lesson reinforced once again.

Lessons Learnt

• Big days require gentle endings
  When the excitement stops suddenly, kids crash hard. Building in decompression time matters.

• Transitions are emotional, even when they’re good
  Ending the hub wasn’t sad, but it wasn’t nothing either. There’s a real shift when community chapters close.

• Slowing down isn’t losing momentum
  This week proved that tapering intensity actually helps everyone stay regulated and present.

Reflection

Week 5 felt like the crest of the wave.

Christmas abroad was something we were all looking forward to. In the end it was a fun day but also didn’t really feel like Christmas, or what we have become accustomed to. We missed the big family lunch and broader family present time. It wasn’t bad, just different.

The boat trip captured everything that’s working about this journey, openness, shared joy, kids and adults blending together, and moments that feel impossible to manufacture. From there, the week naturally softened. More rest. More routine. More awareness that one chapter was ending and another was about to begin.

Five weeks into Vietnam, it’s clear this isn’t just travel anymore, it’s a lived rhythm. There are meltdowns, missed runs, strange toilets, and tired nights… but there’s also connection, confidence, and the quiet knowing that this choice still feels right.

Absolutely loving it.