Spring Break 2018 - Vietnam - Part IV - Coming Home

Saturday morning we woke up and checked out of our apartment and were picked up by a van to take us to the airport.  It was interesting to notice all of the construction on our way to the airport.  They are really turning the area into a resort with large hotels and big housing subdivisions.

We checked into our flight with no problems and followed along with the Jazz game on the spotty wi-fi while we waited to board.  The flight to Ho Chi Minh was about an hour and it went quickly.  Once we landed it took awhile to get our bags, and then we walked from the domestic terminal to the international terminal.  Our flight wasn't until late in the evening - around 10:00 p.m. and it was only 12:30, so  we found a luggage storage area at the airport and put our suitcases there for a few hours.

We walked out of the airport and had to dodge a million scooters as we crossed the street.  We went first to a shopping mall and found a food court on the top floor.  We had one last bowl of delicious Pho with fresh vegetables.  After we had finished eating, we went out on the street and started walking.  We walked past the hotel where we'd stayed our first night and kept walking.  Within about half a mile we found a large park that was located between the two lanes of the road.  We crossed over (a dangerous and exciting proposition without stop lights) and walked through the park in the shade.  It was a beautiful and quiet oasis in the middle of the bustling city.

We stopped and bought some coconuts and other drinks and rested in the shade before heading back to the airport.  We still had time at the airport before we flew out, so we lounged around in the air conditioned terminal waiting to check into our flight.

The flight back to Kazakhstan was uneventful.  We had to wait for a few hours in Almaty for our outbound flight, but then made the last leg to Astana without any problems.  We caught the bus home.  As is our tradition, we arrived to a cold and stormy day in Astana after being in the tropics just the day before.  Spring break always seems to end that way.

We had a wonderful time in Vietnam.  We loved the pace of life, the way that things were clean and people were friendly.  We were happy to have the experience.

Pho for lunch?  Pho sho!!!

Park picture with the family.

Refreshment at the little cafe.

Kids' table.

The park was really beautiful.

More view of the park with some city buildings in the background.

Yulia and Spencer

A ring of flags at the end of the park.

The street heading back to the airport.

Street vendor and the scooter patrol heading our way.

Scooters were everywhere.

Home.  In the snow!

Heading back into the University - The "Nauryz" or Spring holiday banners nicely contrast with the snow.

Making our way through the university Atrium to our home.

Spring break 2018 - Vietnam- Part III - Our Snorkeling Adventure

Friday was our last full day in Nha Trang.  We had moved our snorkeling date once Alexandra had gotten sick.  Nika was the last of the four children to pick up the stomach bug and she had to stay home from our last big adventure.  Poor kid.  She had really been looking forward to snorkeling on a real tropical reef.

We were picked up at the hotel in a van by Andrey, a Russian who worked for the snorkeling company that we were using.  We stopped along the way at a few hotels and picked up some more people, a couple, a family with a teenage daughter, and a couple of single folks.  We got down to the dock where there were a number of boats - fishing boats and other tour boats.  We waited for a few minutes until our boat was ready and pulled up, and then we loaded up.

On the way out to the reef (about an hour ride) we passed a number of small islands and had a beautiful view of the aquamarine waters of Vietnam.  All the other people on our tour were there to scuba dive, and so they were having some lessons.  We were kind of left on our own.

A boat like ours pulling up to the dock.

Heading out of the marina past the different boats.

The beautiful water and islands.

Sophie and Lexa gearing up.

When we arrived at our first dive spot, we all got geared up and jumped into the ocean to start snorkeling.  We were near some islands and the reef came up to within four or five feet of the surface in many places.  There were also some deeper areas.  There were dozens of different types of coral, and we saw about 15 different species of fish. Lina and I also saw a squid in one of the deeper areas.  The snorkeling was amazing and we had a good time.  Yulia had a few misadventures with her equipment, but eventually got things figured out and joined us.

We snorkeled the first time for about 45 minutes or an hour.  Once the scuba divers surfaced (they had seen barracuda in the deeper waters) we picked up anchor and moved to another area about ten minutes away.  In the second area we snorkeled for about twenty or thirty minutes and then spent most of the time on the boat.  Lexa and I jumped off the front of the boat and did a bit of swimming while we waited.

Once we were done, we were fed an excellent lunch with different fixings for ban-mi sandwiches as well as rice and other delicacies.  Once lunch was over, we sailed back to the marina where we disembarked and were shuttled back to our hotel.

LIna adjusting her mask.

Lina and Spencer talking about what they saw.

Lina and Spencer snorkeling

Returning to the boat.

Yulia smiling after a successful snorkeling run!

Twins drying in the sun.

Another boat at our second stopping spot with the island in the background.

Lexa sunbathing.

Lexa getting ready to jump.  The sea in the background is so beautiful!

Lina catching some sun.

Lunch is served.

One more view of the water with some small white-caps for contrast.

Returning to the marina.

We found Nika at home doing okay, so we cleaned up and then went out to the small market near our hotel to do some souvenir shopping before we went to dinner.  We had a nice evening walk and a nice last night enjoying Nha Trang.

The little alleyway souvenir market near our apartment.

Spring Break 2018 - Vietnam - Part II

Monday morning we woke up a bit late - sleeping in.  We went downstairs to the pool - only to find out that we were not allowed at the pool.  It turns out that the rental place forgot to tell us that we needed to pick up some tickets from them in order to use the pool. We got the tickets and went back down.  The kids swam and Yulia and I lounged in the shade and read our books.

A real vacation!

Our girls love swimming

And jumping into water

Lexa is a happy camper.

Lina is too.

After swimming, we came up and changed and then went looking for "street food."  We found a little place a few blocks from our hotel and sat down.  The prices were about half what we'd paid the night before, the food was yummy, and the portions were bigger.  We all had fruit smoothies along with our meals and really had a nice lunch.

Walking the streets of Nha Trang in search of food.  Plenty of scooters were also found.

Our best lunch of the trip.  Very yummy food at this hole in the wall place.

We came home and changed again and this time we all went to the beach and swam for a few hours in the ocean.  It was a great day worth of sun and swimming.  After we came home and showered and changed, we went looking for dinner.  We did a bit of walking and ended up on our block at a little restaurant.  Our experience there was a little interesting, but the food was quite good.

View of the skyline, beach, and bay from our balcony.

Walking the streets at night looking for food again.

Lina ate snails.  Lexa had a whole fish.  It was another adventurous food night.

The moment of snaily truth.  Lina shared with everyone but Mama who refused her generosity forcefully.

We stopped by the store on our way home to stock back up on breakfast foods for the next day and settled in for the night.  But not for long.  Lexa came running into our room crying that she had thrown up.  Sophie followed because she had rolled over into the throw up.  The next hour was spent cleaning up the sheets and bed and getting the kids re-situated.  Then Sophie threw up and we were back to the races.  The two of them spent the night being sick. [On a side note, I'd bought the girls blueberry Fanta that they drank before bed..... Green throw up was exciting for everyone!]

Tuesday we spent our time inside for the most part.  Nika and Lina went with Yulia to the pool in the morning, but then Nika's stomach felt upset.  Lina, Yulia, and I went to the grocery store and stopped by to pick up some food from the nearby KFC while the three girls took naps.  They pretty much slept all day.

Sick kiddo hanging out.

We had been scheduled to go on a snorkeling adventure on Tuesday, but we wrote and asked to reschedule, which they let us do - so we postponed snorkeling until Friday.

Yulia and I walking on the beach in the evening.

Night selfie!

Wednesday was another sun and fun day.  We slept in and had a late breakfast and then went to the beach and spent about two hours swimming.  The waves were very high, but the ocean was still warm and nice to be in.  There were fewer people than on previous days, but still plenty that braved the ocean. 

Swimming in the bay!

The waves were relentless.

The face of a satisfied vacationer.

Lina in the foreground - Nika, Sophie, and Papa in the background.

Proof that Yulia came with us! (The curse of being the person with the expensive camera and a desire to use it)

Builders

We came home and cleaned up and then at 4:00 went looking for dinner.  We found a seafood buffet where you cook your own food at your table.  The price was about $50 for all six of us and we really enjoyed it - it was an adventure.

Dinner at the barbecue buffet.

Squid and octopus!

At most of the places we ate, we found some pet or pets that would come and hang out at our table.  The first night in Nha Trang it was a dog and cat that fought.  The next day it was a dog at our lunch spot and birds and fish at the restaurant in the evening.  At the barbecue we had two skinny cats that came to hang out near us.  Our kids must be messy eaters and kind souls because these pets always find us.

Pets under our table fighting - from our first night in town.