Woke up way too early after passing out from travel-induced exhaustion. Harry and I went for a walk about 4am, and found a 24-hour pizza place across the street. This was perfect, since we were very hungry. Some of the pizza was exactly what you would expect – pepperoni, cheese, salami, peppers, etc. But one of them… had oyster mushrooms on it. That’s not a flavor I am used to experiencing on pizza lol. It wasn’t bad, just strange.
Ken and I walked down to the beach early this morning – it’s only about 4 blocks away! It’s beautiful – the sand is white and clean. The water is cool enough to cool you down, but warm enough that you don’t freeze – even at 6am. On the way back, we found a Corgi Cafe at the end of the block our AirBnB is on. The girl that runs the cafe is super sweet – I showed her pictures of Bennie and Blue and she told me where to find another cafe that has Frenchies! Tried the Caramel Latte and a Tropical Smoothie – they were delicious! She’s got three Corgis – two that appear full-bred and one mixed. They are all super sweet and lazy. Until someone on a scooter rides by with another dog – then, they tear off after them, barking. It’s hilarious. There is also a Corgi Yoga studio around the corner, where we believe these three have a nemesis.
Found a really cool area filled with restaurants – it’s sort of food court style, with several eateries around, and a nice open seating area. All types of cuisines – Vietnamese, Italian, Steak, Seafood, Chinese, Japanese, Korean – there’s a little something for everyone. I can’t wait to show it to Harry – I have no doubt he will have some thoughts about where we should start!
Got picked up by our new private shuttle service around 8am lol – Nguyen is great – he was right on time. He was so excited to take us everywhere, that before we knew what was happening, he had already stopped to buy us coffee! He noticed we were ooohing and aaahing over some really gorgeous statues, so he asked if we would mind a slight detour. We had more than an hour of buffer before the school tour, so we agreed. He took us to the base of Marble Mountain, where there was a family business that had been carving statues from marble sourced on that mountain for many generations. We were able to go to the back and see some carvings at multiple stages – some being just started from a large raw block of marble, some being polished to a beautiful shiny sheen, and several other stages in between. Got a few souvenirs to bring back to the States!
Next, Nguyen took us to the International School we’ve been eyeballing for Skipper. We toured the school for about an hour, got to see all the classrooms and meet several teachers and students. But the best part was being able to FaceTime with Skipper so she could see the school in real time. The music class did a little performance for us, and Skipper knew the song!!
We got to see the library (I’m jealous and would totally spend all my time in that library’s loft!), the science lab (I know Skipper is over the moon about all the real professional equipment), the pool (Olympic size!) and gym, the canteen where she’ll eat lunch (OMG!! The lunch area is pure magic – a curtain of vines covering the entrance, outdoor couches and chairs, and space to really stretch out and enjoy your meal), the outdoor spaces (play area, gardens, soccer fields), and the art rooms. OH THE ART ROOMS! Skipper’s whole face lit up at all the art supplies, the art projects currently in process, the possibilities. At several points throughout the tour, students would come over and say hello to Skipper, already excited to welcome her into their ranks. I can tell this is an amazing place – and Skipper will be right at home, surrounded by other creative, high-achieving students with a variety of interests to rival her own. I’m a little sad we never had an opportunity to bring Harry to a place like this, and a little jealous that I never had the opportunity either. But I’m incredibly thankful that Skipper will be able to experience what none of the rest of us has – a school environment that truly SEES their students, cares about their overall wellbeing, and nurtures the whole student rather than just the academics.
We were exhausted by then, so we had Nguyen drop us back off at the AirBnB for a shower and a nap.
Later in the day, we went out to the city center to try Timo again. And again, we got there too late in the day to actually accomplish much, but we left with a checklist of things to bring next time. Nearby, we saw a pizza place – where you can get a pizza with pesto, shrimp, squid, and imitation crab… and a hot dog tucked into the crust?? I’m not sure how I feel about that one, but I gotta take a picture for Harry. No doubt he’ll have some opinions about these ones lol.
Took Harry to the beach after another round of Banh Mi (OMG, a girl can get used to this!). He started out just dipping his toes in, and ended up just dunking completely lol. It was good to see him letting loose a little. Bought some sandals for Ken – we’re hoping his feet won’t give him too much trouble on this trip, but it’s not looking good. Anyway – we’re gonna hit the sack early tonight. Still getting used to the time zone along with all the other things – heat, smaller portion sizes, more exercise. It’s pretty exhausting, but in a good way.
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