Not long in Long Hai

As I suspected, it was a quiet day today. Jessica and I didn't leave the hotel in Long Hai during the day, until, of course, it was time to go back home to Saigon. We ate breakfast, watching a Japanese company party that had just arrived for the weekend. We decided that the hotel was improved by the arrival of some other guests, but even so that the black interior was a grave mistake, adding to the sense of cold isolation. We went for a quick dip in the pool before checking out. It was a windy morning and the slate-grey sea was rolling far up the beach, ruling out any chance of a walk. After checking out of our room we took advantage of the half-price offer open to hotel guests at the adjoining spa. I chose a hot-stone massage, which was quite nice. The spa area was outdoors and it was very nice being able to watch the sea view while having your back, arms and legs rubbed with warmed oily rocks. Jessica had picked the short straw, unfortunately. Because of her injuries obtained on the poolside steps in Vung Tau yesterday, she didn't think she would be comfortable with a body, face or foot massage. She chose a sixty-minute hair care treatment, but this was abruptly cut to a two-minute hair care treatment when it was discovered that there was no hot water. We had lunch before a long taxi journey back home. As Jessica is working tomorrow, we stayed in and watched a film together tonight.

It was a shame we didn't have the time or opportunity to see the town of Long Hai. Our stay at the Tropicana hotel was a bit of a surreal experience as there were barely any other guests, the hotel was isolated in its location, and its dark interior made it seem unfriendly. I'm sure on a bright, busy summer day it could have been cool, relaxing and stylish. But for us, at this time, it wasn't right. Our time in Vung Tau, on the other hand, was very enjoyable. The Valley Mountain hotel was pretty and charming with good staff, and we had a lot of fun in our day-and-a-half spent in the town. Now it's back to life in the big city. Jessica has to return to work and I have to re-focus on my project and think about how next week will be spent.

Jessica at the spa