Quy Nhon Day 3

Today we left right after breakfast for the coral reefs of Quy Nhon. Like yesterday, we went in tour buses with our huge group and drove for nearly 45 minutes to this small town right on the coast. During the drive the tour guide talked more about Quy Nhon and the coral reefs we were visiting. When we arrived in the town we waited at this small cafe on the beach until the boat could take us to the island where the reefs are. From the shore we could see nearly a hundred small boats that the villagers use to fish. Fish (just seafood in general) is featured in many Vietnamese dishes so for these people, fishing is their livelihood. When we set out for the island on the tour boat, I even saw tons of these tiny floating houses near the island, though I'm not sure if their purpose is for living or for rest during the day.

We got to the island probably around 9:30 and got settled at one of the small beach restaurant structures on the shore. Dung's parents weren't able to swim so they stayed with Anna while the rest of us went out on the boat again to see the coral. When I heard about our plans to see the coral reef, I imagined the colorful reefs of Australia with thousands of tropical fish and huge, bright corals; the coral in Vietnam is more neutral colored to blend in with the greenish water and native fish. There were still some vibrant patches, I saw one bright blue brain-shaped coral and a few fish swimming around it. The water was much more clear than the water at the beach near our hotel so I was able to see straight down to marvel at the coral below. After we swam around and saw the coral reef we got back on the boat to return to the island for lunch.

Lunch was served on a rickety table under the shelter of the tent-like structure on shore. We had rice porridge with fish, prawns, snails, rice, a local favorite - rice noodle cakes, and two different types of fish - both of which were served whole on platters. After we finished lunch we waited nearly an hour for the next available boat, then headed back to the mainland for the drive to the hotel.

The pictures are:
The path between houses that leads to the beach where we got in the boat.

A beautiful temple in the village - not part of the tour but definitely photo-worthy.

The sea view from the shore cafe.

The view of the boats from the shore.

The bird cage in the cafe.

A man in his little house on the water.

A local favorite - rice noodle cakes - served at lunch.

The restaurant on the island.

Our group getting in the boat from the island to head back to the mainland.

Dinner wasn't the best so I don't have any pictures of the meal but Dung brought some fruits and I got to try a new one that tastes like nothing I've ever had. It has the texture of an onion but a mild, slightly sour flavor similar to a granny smith apple. After dinner and our fruit dessert, we walked along the beach and stopped at a beach juice bar. I had some tasty pineapple juice while we sat and talked, watching Anna sing and dance and play in the sand. We finished our drinks and started to walk back to the hotel. After about 10 minutes we realized that the hotel was a lot farther to walk so we got in taxis and headed back to the hotel.

Tomorrow is our last day in Quy Nhon and we don't have any big activities planned so I think I'm going to swim in the morning after breakfast. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy all the pictures! Have a great weekend!