Go look in that building!

Go look in that building!

Bright and early we were ready and out of our beds for our scuba diving. I never thought if get to dive again on this trip so it was a bonus that I'd get to do it in Vietnam. Amelia hasn't come home until late so she decided to pass on diving. She did however let us borrow her go pro with the new red filter! 

Diving was such a different experience than in Koh Toa. They did everything for you so much so that it got to be a joke. The whole bcd was ready me they even lifted it onto my back. The diving itself was very cool. Although there wasn't that much to see fish wise the coral was stunning. We got to see a bunch of lion fish as well and many groups of fish hiding out in the coral that would hide when we got close.

My favorite part by far were the little colored Christmas tree plants. These suckers are cool!!! They are all different colors and when you get close and wave your handle swim over them they suck themselves back into a hole. The second dove had even more of these and I was like a little kid on the playground.

By the time we got back it was already one o'clock. We had been planning on starting our two day drive to hoi an. The plan was to go out of the tourist zone and go to the Ho Chi Minh trail. But after diving, coming back, finding our friends, showering, packing, and getting a map it was already 4. We figured two and a half hours of daylight is better than nothing. With a tip from our hostel worker with advice on where to stop we set off.

We followed the coast line for the first hour. My driving was improving and the sights were beyond stunning. The crystal clear water set against giant rock hills was just beautiful. Morgan and I could not stop smiling. The roads were clear of traffic and we cruised along.

After an hour we met up with the ah1 highway. Not fun. Trucks are constantly taking over the road and passing each other. There are potholes and construction everywhere and it's super dangerous. I now know why everyone warned us not to get our bikes until hoi an. We had to brave the highway enough until we could get to our turn off point.

Unfortunately night began to fall and we were no where close. Morgan pulls over n suggests we find a place to sleep. I pull out my map and realize we are in the town the hostel worker suggested. What luck! We ride up and down and find that there are a total of two hotels. I mentioned that I saw a beach resort so we back track a few minutes to find that.

When we get there the place is almost deserted and its not a resort, just a restaurant and some hammocks. We park our bikes and head to the beach to get look. After debating sleeping in a hammock we hear a very strange noise. What is that? It sounded like a high pitched cat being strangled. I spot the source of the noise and its a small building with some flashing lights going off insane.

Jokingly I bet Morgan to go peek her head in. Without hesitation she runs off towards the door. Oh no! What did I do now? She gets up close, hesitated for a second, and then opens the door. She turns back around and informs me that they are singing karaoke. I run up and also poke my head in. Inside is a group of older men and one lady eating fruit and singing karaoke at the loudest level possible.

One of the men motions for us to come in. Before you know it the both of us are sharing fruit and chatting with these guys were barely speak English except the one. He had lived in Texas for a few years and was eager to practice with us. For about an hour and a half we listened to them sing. If you have ever heard vietnamese karaoke you know how entertaining it is. They sing as loud as they possibly can while the words flash on the screen with random backgrounds such as the London bridge or Empire State Building. I'm pretty sure Disney even made an appearance.

Somehow we for suckered in to singing hey Jude together. We sounded half as loud and the song was twice as slow. Although they clapped for us they def thought Morgan had a better singing voice. Our Texas friend then took a shot at singing the same song. It was comically to watch him pronounce the words not matching up with the beat! I loved him!

Before making our departure we were forced to sing bohemian rhapsody and take some pictures with them. We set off hugging goodbye to finally get our hotel. We checked in and dropped our stuff off to find some food. Sure enough right next door are our new friends getting ready to eat. They ushered us over and served us some rice, soup, and squid. Super yummy! They wouldn't let us pay and offered for us to stay with their family once more. We politely declined so they walked us home. Still mesmerized that white people would be staying in their town. 

Morgan and I got into bed and couldn't stop laughing. What had just happened? We wanted a true adventure through Vietnam and were clearly getting it. Never in a million years did I think this would happen!