We didn't leave the hotel until lunch, heading out for a family competitive scavenger hunt through Old Hoi An. I'd found the Scavenger Hunt and Painting class for the girls in our attempt to give experience-based gifts out of want, but also need - where would anything go in our luggage? We also just don't like stuff ;)
Through a bunch of Googles, I found the Hoi An Mystery Trails scavenger hunt. It was created by a 10 & 11 year old in Hoi An and we were excited to give it a try.
Get Competitive
I paired with Paige to take on Sarah & Sadie. We battled back and forth, at times running through the crowded streets. Paige has a fierce competitive streak in her. This reminded Sarah and I that we need to find ways to nurture that while we're on the road; she just loves it.
We all had good fun and it took us to some really interesting small side streets we hadn't noticed before. Paige and I held the lead most of the time, but we struggled with the last clue. Sarah and Sadie pounced on the opportunity and took the title by a hair.
It was great fun for all of us. We'll be looking for other scavenger hunt opportunities throughout our travels.
Lantern Making
Sarah had passed by a lantern class drop-in, another great kid activity in Hoi An for the girls. They spent more than an hour hands on creating their own. They knew we wouldn't be able to keep them ahead of time, which they totally got, but that in no way deterred their enthusiasm.
After finishing up, we all took a quick stroll down to the waterfront. I hung back a few steps embarrassed by the girls and Sarah's behavior, acting like they owned the place. Apparently, I wasn't the only one, as I captured this conversation.
Dinner With An Old Friend
I got in touch with Minh, an old friend I competed against in Junior tennis tournaments in California. Since college, he's been living in Asia - 10 years in Japan and 10 years in Vietnam. He's currently in Ho Chi Minh city with his wife and son Liam. In fact, we got an AirBnb for our upcoming three night stay in his apartment complex.
We were messaging a bit and by some dumb luck, realized that we were actually both going to be Hoi An at the same time. That quickly turned into a meet-up for dinner (I'll do a separate post on hanging with Minh in Ho Chi Minh later this week).
What the dinner did was give us an excuse to put on our custom made threads from Hoi An, a fitting way for our last evening in the city.
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