Day Six

Today has been a day of exploring.  It's only partly sunny - which is a treat considering our hot little sun burns.  Not to worry - we're thuroughly lathered in Neutrogena's best today.

Why mess with a good thing was our thought this morning as we headed to the center for another great breakfast.  Omlets - ice milk coffees - fresh baguettes and we're off to explore the pearl farm about 3 minutes taxi ride south. As I went to pay the taxi driver he said that he'd stay and wait for us and he'd turn the meter off while he waited.  Ok - sounds good. We hopped out and he followed our lead by about 40 feet around the pearl farm.  Right as we walked up to the small compound of plaster buildings off of the sea, we were greated by a 20 something vietnamese woman at a table of freshly caught oysters.  She waved us over and began a little speach and demo of how exactly pearls are made and farmed.  Her small table was surrounded by a dozen or so other vietnamese women and children, but she spoke directly to us in very good english, almost completely ignoring the others.  She openned one of the oysters up and pulled out a pearl that was very shiny and very round and with a little excitement in her voice - a perfect pearl she called it, of which we learned only happens 10% of the time. Our demonstration came to an end and we were pointed into a large open building with a 60 foot long oval display case - workers inside the oval, shoppers racing around it.  Thousands of pearl necklaces, bracelets, rings, penants, earings, you name it were the center of attention for the women and children - while the men walked along the outer-most of the circle paying little attention to the potential investment. We walked down about 15 feet's length of the display case before we realized that the woman that gave us the demo was now to be our personal helper.  Jade looked closely at a necklace, the young woman smiled and took it out with compliments.  We continued down the line and so did she.  It didn't take long before she was, without prompt - putting huge strands of black pearls on Jade.  Jade of course looked at me with a twinkle in her eye and I was quick to ask 'how much' with a smile.  The young helper spouted out a number into the two digit millions, we looked puzelled as we hadn't delt with totals that high.  She smiled and gave us the US dollar translation of $6000.00.  Could have been a steal, for someone who frequents shops at Saks Fifth Avenue - of which we don't.  Jade handed it back about as quickly as the woman put it on.  The young woman figured out at that point that we wouldn't be her dream commition. Jade widdled her selections down to a necklace and a ring, and then to just a ring - we have plenty of shopping to do yet in Hoi An she said to me with a smile. I was agreable to the terms and we made our purchase and headed out. There wasn't really much else to see on the grounds - so we reconveined with our driver and headed to Duong Dong (the spot of the night market from last night).

Jade and I stopped at the cute little ice cream shop and cafe.  This is the same place we stopped last night to have a scoop of ice cream and to use their computer to post our day's adventure (cleverly titled Day Four and Day Five).  I typed and sipped an ice coffee - Jade read and sipped, and when I finished, Jade proofed for accuracy. Although a bit gunky, it was refreshing for my eyes to focus on a nice clean web page with sharp little text.  Phuong Bia Ngoc Phu Cong Cau Cuar everywhere in big block letters gets old - although I'm sure I'll look back at photos of the signage fondly. 

The local kids are very cute and outwardly friendly, shouting across the street in their little voices HELLO! Their little sibbling mimic with a slightly smaller Hello! Jade and I smile and shout HELLO! back to them and they giggle, and repeat Hello!  One of the older boys - maybe 6 years old shouted WHAT YOUR NAME?! I turned and told him Adam, and asked him what his was. He mumbled something in a quieter fashion looking all of the sudden a little bashful.  They all giggled some more.

Jade has come up with a new career path for me.  She says that I should write travel memoires so we'll need to travel a lot, and she'll write relationship madlibs (like the do you know your spouse one from my parents).  She says that I'm a good writer and that she's a good question maker.  (She said she'd put great questions in her do you know your husband book like 'does he like to turn the floor fan on oscilate or stationary.  I might have a hard time breaking the bad news to her that she may not be cut out for authoring relationship madlibs.) 

We stopped for lunch at a pizza spot with good reviews - not to mention their self proclaiming best pizza in town sign out front.  Turns out not to be an effecting marketing campain as the signs all down the street read 'Best burger in town, best cold beer in town, best tours in town, best massages in town, best laundry in town...'  But we gave 'em a try. The pizza crust was delicious and perfectly done - about the size and style of a Punch Pizza crust.  The red sauce might have been a mixture of ketchup and hot sauce, the cheese white Velveeta, and the authentic hand made sausage was awfully close to slices of bologne.  It actually wasn't terrible, perhaps a welcomed break from seafood soups. Reminded me of what a college dorm student might be compitent of whipping up in his dorm room with an illegitimate hot plate.

We walked down the road a ways and hit a recommended spa.
 -Earlier in the morning we bumped into the woman who owns the resort next to us called Paris Beach Club.  The owners are marketing professors from Vietnam but live in France.  They are back checking in on their resort.  She was very welcoming and asked us to come in and have a look around.  She asked us if we spoke French, I decided not to dazzel her with my romantic tongue with butchered declarations of what my name is, and that I like drum. The woman's english was very good but with a few gaps that weren't a big deal.  Jade enquired about a spa to get a facial - and the woman said 'oh yes - My spa, you go to my spa'. Jade responded with 'oh wow, you have a spa! Where is your spa? Is it here? Or in town?'  The woman said with confusion 'No... My spa.  You go to my spa.'  They repeat this line of who's on first a few more times before Jade gave up and smiled and nodded in agreement.
So back to walking down the road after pizza, we walked up to Mai Spa, pronouced My Spa...  We both chuckled.

Jade walked in for an extensive facial with wraps and honey and other magical potions of which I didn't pay attention to.  She also got a free 20 minute massage and manicure with the price of the facial.  The well manicured and pedicured gentilman working asked me if I would be getting anything done today.  I politely declined and he pointed me to their computer and free interenet, now we're talking I thought!

So here I am finishing up my report for the day and waiting for Jade to finish her services.  Looks like the sun is peaking out - so I'm guessing we'll head back and read under an umbrella on the beach and have a low key night tonight.