World premiere

Our first adventure started with breakfast. They had “coffee jello,” to which I gave a hard no. After polishing off my eggs and toast, my curiosity got the best of me, and I changed my mind. I’m not exactly sure what it was supposed to be, but I don’t think a food can be in the jello family, if you have to use a utensil to cut it. The best description: hard brown gelatin cube. I’m guessing it should have had more of a coffee flavor.

Since my coffee itch wasn’t scratched with the jello, we found a lovely coffee joint a few blocks from our hotel. The drinks were good, but the atmosphere was delicious. Large trees created a canopy to block the searing sun, and plants dotted the courtyard, with a koi pond in the center; we pulled up two small chairs by the bubbling, rippling waterfall. We sat way longer than our two dollar drinks lasted. (That’s two dollars total-no Starbucks pricing here.) We’ll be back here tomorrow with Nikki.

Since it was our R&R day, we floated in the ocean for a while, after a lunch of seafood spring rolls. The main attraction for today is the world premiere of Nikki’s documentary, so we made sure to clean up before going to VEN. (Check out www.vietendangerednarratives.org)

We arrived at the VEN offices around 4:30, and Nikki gave us a tour of the place. She’s been sharing a room on the third floor during her stay. There is a good sized classroom elevated over the entrance, which is accessed via the courtyard. About a dozen or so people sat around tables distributed in a u-shape, with the TV at the end. After an introduction, Nikki’s documentary played for the crowd. I’ll link it later this week, when VEN posts it on their YouTube channel. Preview: it was terrific! From sea to summit, she covered the biodiversity of the Son Tra Peninsula, and the detrimental human impact to the animals and marine life. Following the viewing, Anna did a nice job asking inquisitive questions that Nikki thoughtfully answered. Everyone was attentive and curious.

Nikki treated us to dinner after the show. We walked to a vegetarian restaurant, where we ordered two bowls of pho, one rice dish, and a mysterious, yet delicious, appetizer. With three bottles of water, the total rang in just under $6. A terrific way to end the day.Read more