As Luck Would Have It...

It just so happened that the day before I was to start work was the day that my boss Thao was off to the Ocean Villas in Da Nang for a managers meeting for VinaCapital. It also just so happened that VinaCapital owns these villas and that there was an extra room...for yours truly. I wasn't going to be able to start work until Wednesday anyway, so Thao suggested I book a flight for the hour or so trip to Da Nang. We arrived at the villas just a couple hours after leaving busy, bustling Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC).

This is what the $1 million dollar 4 bedroom/4 bath villa looked like.

The villas are not open to the public yet so everyone on the grounds was a VinaCapital employee. That made it very nice for me because I was able to get to know the people that I would be working with. We took a buggie (golf cart) from our villa to the Rocksalt, the restaurant on the grounds overlooking the South China Sea.

The Rocksalt and I became very good friends as the next closest place to eat was Hoi An and I will tell you in just a moment why I decided it was best I stick to the beautiful restaurant, walking distance from the villa (though I took a buggie every time because I may have mentioned this before, but Vietnam is HOT).




















This was my view from breakfast if you can believe that! I mean really what did I do in a past life to have the chance to experience this kind of beauty!?! I was the only person eating at the restaurant as the rest of the employees were at a meeting all day (bummer they didn't get to enjoy the villas...).




When we first arrived at the villas in Da Nang, I could not believe my eyes. They were beautiful.

 
Right?! I got to sleep in that bed and lay by that pool. This is amazing for at home standards, now imagine having just left the dirty, busy city of HCMC and an hour flight later and BOOM! you're in paradise. Not a bad first day for an internship if you ask me. I suppose I shouldn't expect this from all internships? I don't know, at this point I may demand it. So what if I'm spoiled. ;)

That evening we took a cab into Hoi An to have dinner. Hoi An was so beautiful at night. All the lanterns were lit up and I was in love. I hung back from the group snapping every picture I could. It's hard to describe how beautiful it was, the pictures are really worth 1,000 words.

Pretty enchanting stuff, right? It was absolutely the cultural experience I had been looking for. We walked through the town in search of dinner. Everyone I was with had been to Hoi An before but no one was too familiar with it. We landed on a little riverside restaurant called the Mango Room.

 
At first glance, it looks nice. It looks warm, welcoming, comfortable (as evidence by the Aussie woman passed out on the bench there), and all around a place filled with local charms. Well, local charms it had indeed. Just as I finished my meal my eye caught something moving on the ground just to my left. I though, "No, there is no way." I was wrong. Seconds later there were two cat sized cockroaches running full speed towards me. I did what any brave adventurer would do and yelped, screamed and jumped upon on the bench I was sitting on. Of course this was followed by half-assed concern mostly because everyone in the restaurant had experienced cockroaches before from either growing up in this country or living there for a long period of time. I, the foreigner, was being ridiculous. OK. Seriously? Have you seen a Vietnamese cockroach? CAT SIZED. I kept my feet on the bench until they were all sufficiently done away with and basically until the bill was paid. Turns out they had all seen the cockroaches crawling behind me but decided not to freak me out. Sure, guys, the element of surprise added to the horror of seeing these massive creatures as I ate was much more comforting.

Don't worry, my love for Hoi An was real and I didn't let that one, little mishap ruin our deep relationship. I left the town (glad to be going back to my beautiful villa, yes I said "my") and was glad for the experience.

The next morning I slept in, while those guys had to get up to do something...oh yeah, they had this thing called work. I took a leisurely shower and grabbed a buggie to the Rocksalt, beach and pool. I had breakfast and walked down to the beach to take a gazillion pictures; I then headed to the pool for some serious relaxation and magazine reading. Though, its hard to concentrate on anything but the view.

There was this amazing natural breeze where I was laying and I almost forgot the heat. I decided, however, that Hoi An and I weren't finished yet. We needed one more encounter to really the seal the deal. I headed back to the villa for another shower (three per day here is not abnormal) and then took a taxi into Hoi An. The one thing I had not noticed before was the trash. On the drive in there was piles and piles of trash. It's ok though, I don't love Hoi An solely for her looks; she has amazing character. Closer into town we passed a river and some rice fields.

We entered the town and I was let off about where we were the night before, but in the light there was a whole new world of color and character. It was mid-afternoon, and therefore sweltering hot. But I couldn't get over the beauty of the town. I came upon some shops about an hour into my walk. There were some pants for sale that were very light and airy and I decided, necessary, for my wardrobe. The girl that worked in the little stall spoke English well and when I asked her how she could possibly be wearing a sweatshirt in this heat she said, "I want white skin." I looked down at my tan and instead of being offended, I was confused. I looked at her and she said "you funny." I guess, on this point the Vietnamese women and I will have to agree to disagree. I had spent my whole morning getting a tan and she was wearing a sweatshirt in 90*F weather. I guess it's what makes the world go round. 

 
From jewelry to architecture, Hoi An was beautiful and inspiring. It was a wonderful day and time to head back for dinner with the whole VinaCapital management team.

Dinner was at the Rocksalt, of course, and it was a full moon out that night. It was simply beautiful.

I'm sure you're all wondering who the girl to my right is. Well, I'll tell you. The girl to my right (yes, its my right, your left) is Hoa, my new Vietnamese best friend. She works for the sales department in DaNang for VinaCapital. Within in two minutes of meeting each other she asked for my number so that I could show her around HCMC when she came there in a couple weeks. Um. I thought that I had mentioned I was American and had literally just been in HCMC for one day? Either way, Hoa both called me and texted me that evening after dinner. Stalker. Just kidding, but seriously, I think may be expecting to stay with me when she comes...more on that as the events unfold.

Well that was my DaNang/Hoi An beach adventure! I truly cannot get over how lucky I am. 

Jessie xo