Day 7
Sunday, March 25, 2001

Today was our first day of full relaxation. We awoke to a beautiful sunshiney day.

After eating some wonderful Vietnamese cuisine, we went for a swim in the clear blue pool. We then went snorkeling in the sparkling ocean. The temperature of the ocean was surprisingly warm, about 85 degrees. We found a few starfishes and a couple of interesting shells. This kept us content for a few hours.

The only problem was that we forgot to put on sunblock! After a few minutes of discussing what to do next, we decided to get some ice cream at the pool side bar. Then the bartender offered a game of connect four. So we gladly beat him.

After having some lunch, we explored the town to see what we could see. When we came across a small roadside restaurant, which are so common in Viet Nam, we talked to the man by means of charades. Eventually we bargained with him and got a couple sodas for about 3000 dong, which is equivalent to 20 cents.

Then it was time to head off for the sand dunes. When we arrived we were greeted by the street vendors who were glad to offer us some nice refreshments. We then were overwhelmed by the enormity of the huge sand dune, which was not very far from the Ocean. Having rolled around in sand, we were pretty tired and hungry.

After taking a brief shower, we went to eat dinner, which was spectacular. We then came back to our beautiful resort, and played a few games of pool, and now, we have to go to sleep, good night!

T.J. and Edmond

Today's photos: fishing village just a few miles away from the Palmira; Adrian inspects some graffiti in the sandstone; scaling some very large sand dunes; sand dunes and the south China Sea in the background; the Palmira view to the ocean; Mr. Daum practicing on his new 1 string Vietnamese violin--it is rumored that he may be the first one voted off the island

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