pitch black morning

only a couple minutes to report before we leave on a loooong day's worth of adventure.

 

we had no trouble getting up in the blackness of 4:45 AM this morning- we chose to sleep on the open second floor of our private bungalow, which seemed like a good idea at the time. we nestled on the daybed in our 'fort,' which consisted of many large pillows and a cascading mosquito net. there was a gentle breeze and the sound of surf. as the night wore on, the wind began to howl, and things crashed about. strange birds landed ON our railing and cawed in loud, eerily human voices.

 

it's pitch black still now, at 5:23 AM, and we've successfully showered outside, picking our way over these amazing black slugs with narrow red racing stripes, and packed our things. we'll hike to the beach in a minute to take a boat to the mainland, then a van to the airport, then a 30km ride to lunch, followed by more van transfers and riding. we'll apparently still have time for a walking tour of hoi an before dinner.

 

my personal butler (i'm not kidding) just informed me that the boat is ready, so i'm off! happy holidays to everyone!