I don't think I've mentioned here that I've been skyping home morning and night each day to talk to the boys and keep everyone up to date on our progress.  The video feature is great and the fact it is free is incredible.  I can also call to a land line for nearly nothing and Arn's missed skype calls are forwarded to his cell.  So I'm feeling more connected than I thought possible.

Today I thought we'd go to the cable car up to the Big Mountain, but arriving there I discovered it was closed.  Given it was along a stretch of beach I hadn't seen yet we got out anyhow and started walking.  Across the steet was another museum/park that had paths leading partway up the mountain to the 'White House' which was built by the French (1898-1916) as a summer holiday house of French Governor General Paul Doumer. The building was named Villa Blanche after his favorite daughter. The name Villa Blanche or Bach Dinh coincides its appearance.  From its balcony there's a panoramic view of Front Beachand inside are exhibits of hundreds of antiques collected from a shipwreck.

It was a bit hot trekking up and back, but lots of shady and breezy spots and really not that far.  Admission was 5000 Dong, cheap.  After that I kept walking and soon discovered I was back at the tourist trap I mentioned previously.  Turns out it is kitty corner to 'Tommys' which is a popular expat hangout.  I thought perhaps I'd give finding those baby shops a second try.  So I got out the map Gina had drawn for me and was looking for 'the big TV'. 

The 'Tourist Trap'

Tommy's Restaurant

I should mention, for the first time today, I had english speaking motorcycle drivers asking me, with baby in sling, if I wanted to go for a tour!  So when one stopped and asked what I was looking for and I said the big TV he pointed it out to me.  Anyhow...right in front of the tourist mart there is a stand of cyclo drivers and the first bunch of ladies I have seen here selling books and pastcards from bikes.  I got some very out of date Vung Tau postcards and a real map of Vung Tau!  The english speaking cylco driver was quite funny...bargaining down the price for me.  120,000 dong for 2 packs of postcards and the map.  She also had travel guides and the loney planet Vietnamese phrasebook.

I circled back to Tommy's as it was now lunch.  If you go here do not sit at the street edge unless you want to be approached by a steady stream of T-shirt, postard and map salespeople.  Interesting...another lady offered me good deal on 2 packs of postcards for 250,000 Dong.  On one hand it's nice to get  a deal, on the other, the few dollars means much more to them than it does to me.

So, real map in hand I launched off and found the baby stores basically just down the street and within sight of the tourist mart.  They were DARK...in the first one a boy followed me with a flashlight illuminating things.  Anyhow, I was really only looking for one of those formula carrying container sets and found one.  It was easy enough to find a cab as this is a major street with a median and parking in the middle where cabs congregate.  I was ready for come A/C at the hotel.

We had a quiet afternoon, I tried to get some nicer shots of Trinh, let her have a good rest.

I saw on F's blog about the Garden Restaurant and while I would have liked to have walked I couldn't get clear directions so thought I'd cab it there and walk home.  The restaurant was beautiful.  However it get dark while we were there and while Gina had assured me the streets were safe I could see myself getting lost and since these are very quiet streets not being able to find a cab.  So I grabbed a pastry to take home with me, toured the block a bit then went back and asked the gal at the pastry counter to call a cab as I hadn't seen one on the mail street. 

Home in time for bath, bottle and bed for Trinh shortly after 7.  I am expecting a midnight feed and then sleep to 6am.  That is what I am expecting...we'll see.

Haven't decided what is on tap for tomorrow except the necessary preparations for a busy Friday.  I am to be picked up at 8:30am to join another couple on a tour of the Long Hai Centre, then back to the hotel to meet Loan.  Then meeting my sponsored daughter, hopefully lunch, G&R, back to hotel for luggage and to hydrofoil and back to HCMC.  I had hoped to be able to spread these tours over a few days, but Loan's schedule necessitates all on one day...so be it.

So  may just stay close to the hotel tomorrow.  Drop by the orphanage to say one last goodbye.  Check out the markets.  We'll see.