Today’s subject is science. Téa has finished her Grade 5 workbook’s science chapter already, so today she did two lessons on TVOkids instead. Partly due to Grade 1/2 being a lot easier than Grade 5, Maylin finished all her school work long before Téa did. Joe ended up taking Maylin out for a walk, with the plan that Téa and I would meet up with them for lunch.
When we finally texted Joe saying we were done and on our way down in the elevator, he and Maylin were already on their way to Pho 65. Luckily, Pho 65 is a 4 minute walk from where we are staying, so we were able to catch up with them pretty fast. Téa literally ran to their table when we got there!
Joe had sent me the menu already, so I knew what I wanted, and Téa had picked something as well, but we still didn’t order until we got there. There was already a pitcher of (delicious!!) iced tea on the table, which we saw the other night at the Korean restaurant, but only at the neighbouring tables, nothing for ours. It seemed like the locals got iced tea for free, but we had to purchase all our drinks. Thank goodness this restaurant at least treat all their customers the same?
I’m glad the restaurant had gone through the trouble of translating their menu into mostly understandable meals, because Google Translate did NOT make me want to eat here!
After lunch, we wanted to go to the climbing café we walked past the other day, and to get there we had to go through the alleyway from the other night. Today I was able to get some pictures, like this one, of this mysterious tree that has both white and pink flowers! I love it, but can it be real?
The climbing café is a café, a climbing gym, a homestay business, and probably half a dozen more things as well. It has no front wall, just a giant gate, which only closes late at night, and reopens bright and early. We think the lady who served us was only helping out, I can’t really say she jumped up to help us the minute we walked up to her bar, but she made delicious drinks for us, eventually.
Joe and I both had coconut coffees, and Téa ordered a pineapple juice. Most places grab the juice carton or bottle out of the fridge, but this lady took an entire pineapple, peeled, sliced and juiced it for us. 5 stars on all the drinks we ordered, for sure!
Maylin went over to the climbing wall immediately upon arriving. Téa initially didn’t want to climb, but succumed to her sister’s begging shortly thereafter. Once Maylin got started, she did not quit… This girl, high and low, no challenge is too challenging. We have to find her a climbing option when we move back to Vancouver! This place provided kids climbing shoes for free (adult ones for a fee), and it cost us 40,000VND or $2CA per kid to climb. No time limit. We’ll be back, for sure!
After climbing, Téa and I left Maylin and Joe back at the AirBnb, and headed back out. I needed a pedicure, and Téa wanted a manicure. The nail place I tried to find on Sunday was still a dud, the door was open and two very bored construction workers were taking a break inside what maybe once was a nail spa, but for sure is no longer that! So we went to my number 2 spot that I’d found with great reviews nearby.
When we walked up, two bored staff members were on their phones and barely looked up. I asked if Téa could have a manicure and I could have a pedicure. I asked for “no gel” and they quoted us 30,000VND ($1.50CA) each, and so I knew something was not quite right. In any case, we each sat down and they started taking Téa’s month old nailpolish (and nail stickers) off. My feet were soaking, and they trimmed my nails expertly. Because I had just cut Téa’s finger nails the other day, after removing her polish, they told me they would only charge me 10,000 for Téa because there was no trimming to be done. Turns out, they only do gel polishes, so wouldn’t be able to paint our nails at all. That would have been great to know before we sat down, but oh well, what can you do when there are language barriers?
After my toe nails had been trimmed and pampered, they said “all done”. My heels are my problem area, so I asked if they could do them as well (which I always thought was included in the term “pedicure”?). She quoted me another 120,000VND ($6CA), and I eagerly agreed! I would get my feet done weekly if that was the price at home! What followed was the best pedicure I’ve had in a very long time. The little sander machine she brought out, I pointed it out to Téa and told her to tip daddy that THAT is what mommy wants for Christmas… Fingers crossed she remembers, and fingers crossed he’ll ask her? After about an hour in total, we walk out, one of us disappointed and the other absolutely delighted.
To make it up to Téa, I suggested we go get something fun to drink. We didn’t even get to where the nail ladies had suggested, because Téa spotted the tea place she wanted to try at the end of the road! Our very first day here, we walked by this place with a teddy bear bubble tea logo, but it was closed. When she spotted it open today, she ran towards it and said “Oh mom, look”!
While we were picking our drinks, Téa was looking at all the cute creations in the cake cabinet. Oh the cuteness! She wanted the one with a bear face that looked like a little cake, and we decided on a cute little dinosaur laying on its belly for Maylin. I figured Joe and I would share the dessert shaped like a little slice of cheese, and so we purchased three desserts as well. The minute the lady poked the dessert to place it in a container for Téa, our faces fell. It was squishy. It looks like it has a jelly consistency. Téa cannot stand jelly… So we decide to ignore that fact, focus on the cuteness, and we skipped all the way home with our drinks and our tower of desserts.
At home, Joe was flip flopping between going out or eating in. It is the hardest decision to make sometimes, especially when travelling. There is so much good food out there! In the end, he decided to make dinner, after all that carrot in the fridge would simply not survive much longer. One of our favourite meals while travelling is a Japanese Golden Curry, which we have found in all the countries (including Canada), it’s one of our family favourites, and you can put anything and everything in it. Tonight’s creation: fishball curry over rice.
After dinner, while I was doing the dishes, Joe grabbed this pink pomelo from the fridge. It comes with a small pouch of sugar and chilis, and while it definitely does not require sugar, the chili adds an interesting twist. I’m used to the green pomelos we get in Canada leading up to and around Lunar New Year, but this one was pink, much sweeter, and absolutely delicious.
Then it was finally time to sit down as a family for some TV time and our desserts. Maylin loved her little dinosaur guy, Téa was gushing over how cute hers was, and all was good! Until we set our spoons into them… The texture was so… je ne sais quoi… They were also filled with a salted egg yolk cream, which is a favourite Vietnamese dessert flavour. I loved it in my croissant with the egg coffee back in Saigon, but here? Encased in a squishy but flavourless colourful “shape” for lack of a better word, it just did not really appeal to any of us. Joe ended up finishing Téa’s dessert, I dutifully finished my “cheese” one, because I spent money on three desserts, and I cannot NOT eat my own… Maylin’s dinosaur went back into the fridge for another day.
We learn as long as we live, and today we may maybe have learned to ask more questions before buying something that looks super cute. We won’t know until the next time we encounter cuteness in a dessert case and manage to either ask the right questions, or maybe not even be tempted to buy? Only time will tell!
I’m interested that you say you’ve only had green pomelos in Canada. I have often bought them and always pink. I agree that they are quite enjoyable and less acidic than many other citrus fruits. Do the ones there also have very thick rind? I’m not sure why I include questions in these comments because you don’t answer. Perhaps the first doesn’t allow for answering.
Sandra! Are you saying that all these months I’ve been painstakingly replying to every single comment you make, and you don’t take the time to read the replies?? I am SHOOK! (And we never actually see the rind here, the pomelo comes peeled on a styrofoam tray, wrapped in plastic…)