Day 64 - Trending in the Right Direction

Another rough night, but slightly less rough than the one before. Still plenty of coughing, plenty of up and down, but enough improvement to feel like we’re finally trending in the right direction. Not there yet, but not sliding backwards either, which felt like a small win.

Morning came and it was cold again. Proper cold. The kind that makes you pause before getting out of bed and question every life choice that led you to this exact moment. We dragged ourselves together, layered up, and headed down for breakfast. Appetites were still pretty minimal. The kids barely picked at their food and Kia wasn’t much better. No one really felt like eating, but we went through the motions anyway.

Despite everyone still being a bit flat, we decided it was better to get out than sit inside all day, so we grabbed the bikes and rode into town. I took Kia past an adventure store I’d spotted a few days earlier. I wanted to show her a different style of carry-on backpack. The ones we’re using now are big and floppy, which is fine until you’re constantly on and off bikes, buses and boats. Something more compact and structured would just be easier to live with day to day. She liked parts of it but wasn’t fully convinced, mainly because there was no bottle holder. We didn’t buy anything, but we did manage to sort Emmett out with some snow gloves and a beanie. He didn’t pack a beanie and he’s somehow outgrown his snow gloves in the last couple of months, so that felt like a solid practical win.

From there we rolled down to a coffee shop right on the water and grabbed a table outside. The view was hard to beat. Long, narrow paddle boats were gliding past constantly, coming and going through the main channel. These boats are one of the main ways people explore the river here. They’re usually paddled by local women who sit low in the boat and row with their feet instead of their hands. It looks strange at first, but it’s incredibly efficient. They’ll do this for hours every day, ferrying tourists slowly through the waterways, past limestone cliffs, rice fields and caves. It’s quiet, unhurried, and kind of hypnotic to watch. Just a steady rhythm of feet pushing oars through water.

I grabbed a coffee. Kia had a tea. Emmett ordered a tea. Maddie ordered a tea. Neither kid drank theirs. Apparently tea was a bad call, but my coffee was excellent, so at least someone was happy. While Kia and I sat and talked, the kids rode their bikes up and down the paths nearby, completely absorbed in their own little world. That freedom felt really good to watch.

Maddie, especially, has come leaps and bounds with her riding here. She’s more confident than I’ve ever seen her. Standing up on the pedals, pushing speed, really committing to it. It’s been awesome to see that confidence build day by day. Emmett, too, considering the bike he’s riding. It’s a tiny pink bike with slightly bent handlebars, a basket on the front and a little rack on the back. Not exactly built for performance, but he handles it surprisingly well.

After coffee and plenty of bike laps, we decided to head out for a short adventure and ride toward the mountains. Nothing big. Just enough to show Kia and the kids a slightly different side of the area. Maddie wasn’t loving it all that much, but Emmett was having a great time, so we kept it short and easy.

Eventually we rolled back toward town and stopped at another café, this one indoors and warmer. Lunch ended up being beef nachos all round. They were okay, nothing amazing, but fine. The bigger issue was the wait. About an hour. We’ve come to expect that now, but it still requires a bit of patience, especially with kids who aren’t feeling great. We sat, chatted, killed time, and eventually the food arrived.

After lunch, Kia was pretty done. She just wanted to get back, get warm and lie down. So we rode back to the accommodation and she took the kids upstairs to rest. I headed back out, keen to have another crack at a couple of Strava segments I’d ridden the other day. I was feeling alright and thought I might be able to take a crown or two. That plan fell apart pretty quickly. Every time I put any real effort in, the chain on the bike came off. After a few failed attempts and greasy hands, I binned the idea and rode back.

By then it was around two o’clock and we all just hung out for a few hours. No one really wanted to be outside in the cold and no one felt good enough to do much anyway. Eventually I got restless and mentioned heading out for another ride. By that point, Kia was starting to feel a bit better too, so we all went out together and cruised around the countryside at an easy pace.

That ride ended with an early dinner at a place just outside of town. It had outdoor seating, fire pits, pool tables, a dartboard and plenty of space for the kids to move around. The vibe was relaxed and the people running it were super friendly, young guys who clearly enjoyed having families around. Food was reasonably priced too.

Kia and the kids still didn’t have much appetite but they were willing to try spaghetti. We haven’t had much luck with spaghetti anywhere in Vietnam, and this was no exception. It was pretty rubbish and barely eaten. I ordered barbecue pork with rice, which was excellent, and had a couple of local beers. Played some pool with Emmett, tried to start a game of chess with Kia, but she wasn’t really feeling it. The kids half-started a chess game of their own but didn’t finish it. Still, it was nice just being outside, sitting near the fire, doing normal things.

Eventually we rode back to the accommodation. The kids did some drawing in their books, winding down, and then it was into bed. All in all, a pretty cruisy day. Nothing big, nothing dramatic, just steady and gentle, which is probably exactly what everyone needed.

We keep saying it, but hopefully tomorrow everyone wakes up feeling a bit healthier so we can properly explore this place before we leave. We’ve extended our stay by an extra day to give ourselves a better chance with weather and health. Fingers crossed.

We also need to lock in a car booking for Austria and sort accommodation for Hanoi so there’s a bit of admin looming. But that’s tomorrow’s problem.