I slept in til 8 or so and decided I wouldn't do any more temples. I had a leisurely morning and walked around looking for a place to have breakfast/brunch. I picked a cafe and had an omelet. After brunch I did some more gift hunting in the markets. I wasn't too hungry, but was going to be horseback riding at 2 so I decided I'd get a snack and found a really nice cafe-I wished I had room to actually try a meal there, but instead I ordered a juice and lemon bar. The cafe was started by two sisters from Australia. Their mission was to help provide jobs for locals so they could afford to go to school and get higher education.
I returned to the guesthouse ready to go for my ride. I was supposed to be picked up at 2 and I stood outside from about 1:50 waiting. By 2:25 I decided to call the ranch to tell them I didn't have a driver. I called and they told me to wait outside. I went back outside and the driver said he had been there since 2. I was kind of upset because originally I had signed up for a 3 hour ride but I wasted 30 minutes just waiting. I got to the ranch and decided I would do a 2 hour ride instead. I did the paperwork and then met my guide, Sophie. My horse was Paris, a 3 year old. We rode through some villages and along farms. We ended up trotting a couple times and also cantering. It was a lot of fun. I really miss riding. Once when we were cantering, Paris spooked and he took off. I was able to stay on even though I lost my stirrups. Thank goodness for all of those riding lessons.
After the ride I returned to the hostel and waited to meet Olivia and Brett for dinner. They got lost trying to find my hostel again and were a little bit late. We found a restaurant for dinner. The service was slow and the food wasn't that great. But we enjoyed the company and hanging out. After dinner I returned to the hostel to get my bag and take a tuktuk to the airport. I said goodbye to my Aussie friends and 20 minutes later arrived at the airport. I checked in and then waited in line through security. An American travel group was behind me in line and the woman commented that my bag was so big and I had a lot of stuff in my backpack. I told her that my backpack was all that I had used to travel for the last 16 days and she was so shocked! I chatted with them a little bit as we moved through security and immigration. While we were in line, a Korean woman ahead of us turned and started talking to me as well. She was in Cambodia on a missions trip with some other members from her church. She asked why I was Korean but couldn't speak Korean. I explained I was adopted and she told me her daughter had volunteered one summer helping international adoptees. After speaking with me a bit she told me she wanted me to meet their Priest so he could give me a blessing. It was very sweet of her.
In the departure area, I saw a sight for sore eyes: DAIRY QUEEN! There aren't any Dairy Queens in Korea and I decided I would get a blizzard before getting on the plane. Instead of a regular flavor, I tried the green tea blizzard with chocolate chunks. I was going to get a small size, but the young man working told me I should get a bigger size to save money. It didn't take much to convince me. We chatted a little bit in English before I left with my ice cream. I sat down near the gate and ate my ice cream. As it got closer to boarding time I saw people lining up, but recently I don't like waiting in the line and wait til the end so I don't have to stand in line so long. I was sitting and waiting kind of oblivious when I realized they were making a FINAL CALL for my flight! I jumped up and went to the gate-I was THE LAST PERSON to have my ticket taken and the last person on board. I was seated around the group of Americans I had talked to earlier and also the Korean woman was a few rows behind me. She said, "Oh, I was wondering where you were!" The return flight was only 4 hours, and we left around midnight. After a few hours we were served breakfast. It was weird eating at 2am...
Saturday, February 28, 2015
Friday, February 27, 2015
Sunrise and Small Circuit
I woke at 4:30 this morning to go to see the sunrise at Angkor Wat. I signed up to share a tuktuk and do the small circuit tour through the guesthouse again. This time I met Curt from Georgia and a young woman from Germany and a guy from the Netherlands.
On the tuktuk ride we chatted a bit and Curt impressed us with his giant camera. He was excited to take photos of the temples. The guy from the Netherlands gave us a great tip-he said that it starts getting light around 6, but the sun does not actually rise until 7 and most people assume that there is no glowing red sun when they don't see it around 6 and they all leave. The trick is to stay til 7. So we arrived at the temple and walked in the dark to find a spot inside to watch the sunrise. It was so crowded, maybe 6 or 7 rows of people from the small pond to the grassy area behind. Curt and I found a spot on the left hand side to stand and wait as it got brighter. As expected, most people dispersed as it got light and then started walking around the temple a bit. We also explored a little bit, but stayed close to the pond to catch the reflection as it was less than an hour til actual sunrise. It was very beautiful once the sun did finally rise. Then we headed out to the tuktuk.
Again, I can't really recall all the temples we visited. I do know our first stop was breakfast and we went to our driver's sister's food stall. The food was overpriced compared to what you would find in town. Then he dropped us off at one temple and told us to make our way through about 3 or 4 of them in a row and to meet at the end. The first one was one that had 4 faces carved into the stones on each of the 4 sides of the pillars. It was pretty neat. Curt and I were really enjoying photographing everything and he gave me some tips as we went along. Our European friends were not so much into the photography and they moved through the temple rather quickly. We went on to the next one and they said we should try to go faster to make it through all of the temples before our meeting time with the driver. The 4 of us agreed to meet at the entrance before moving on. We picked up our pace and went through; this one required a steep climb up to get to the top of it. All was going well until the end when the signs pointed visitors to the backside rather than the front where we had agreed to meet. I found the Europeans but we waited and waited for Curt. The guy went in search of him and found Curt waiting for us on the other side. We continued on to the next two a bit faster and when we finally ended, our driver was kind of cross with us and told us we had taken too long. The main temple that the Europeans wanted to see was Tah Prohm (Tomb Raider temple) and so we ended up skipping a lot of the smaller ones to make it to Tah Prohm (as we had a noon deadline according to the driver). We asked to return to Angkor Wat, but as we got close to the temple he said we'd have a 10 minute walk to the complex and it would leave us with only 5 minutes to even see it. So we just returned to the hotel.
At the hostel, Curt and I had lunch together. Both of us were debating whether or not to return to Angkor Wat. We agreed we'd head back out around 3, giving us about 2 hours to relax. I was going to take a nap, but realized I wasn't that sleepy. Instead I took a fast shower and then went to the market to look around, not sure of what I would have time for the following day. We met up at 3 and got a tuktuk to Angkor Wat. It was neat to return there again at a different time of day and get a feel for the temple. We wandered around a bit and enjoyed the different lighting on the stones. We ran into Ellie and her friends and I shared the "wait until 7am tip" with her since she was going to see the sun rise the following day. There was a temple on the top of the complex and we had a very steep climb up. Once we were up there, we thought maybe we could stay there and see the sunset from way up high, but at 5:00 the temple closed and they were kicking people out. We climbed down and walked around the complex a bit more and found another place to kind of see the sky change colors.
I had made plans to meet with Olivia, Joanne and Brett for dinner after their group thing. When I returned to the hostel and I saw Kim. I invited her and Curt to join us for dinner. The three of us went into town and met up with the Geckos group at a restaurant. I stole Olivia, Brett and Joanne. We went for dinner, but they had already eaten so they just ordered drinks. It was fun catching up with them, even though it had only been a few days. We walked through the market and called it a night because the Geckos crew had the sunrise at Angkor Wat in the morning. I was on the fence about seeing another sunrise or not, but decided I'd see how I felt in the morning.
On the tuktuk ride we chatted a bit and Curt impressed us with his giant camera. He was excited to take photos of the temples. The guy from the Netherlands gave us a great tip-he said that it starts getting light around 6, but the sun does not actually rise until 7 and most people assume that there is no glowing red sun when they don't see it around 6 and they all leave. The trick is to stay til 7. So we arrived at the temple and walked in the dark to find a spot inside to watch the sunrise. It was so crowded, maybe 6 or 7 rows of people from the small pond to the grassy area behind. Curt and I found a spot on the left hand side to stand and wait as it got brighter. As expected, most people dispersed as it got light and then started walking around the temple a bit. We also explored a little bit, but stayed close to the pond to catch the reflection as it was less than an hour til actual sunrise. It was very beautiful once the sun did finally rise. Then we headed out to the tuktuk.
Again, I can't really recall all the temples we visited. I do know our first stop was breakfast and we went to our driver's sister's food stall. The food was overpriced compared to what you would find in town. Then he dropped us off at one temple and told us to make our way through about 3 or 4 of them in a row and to meet at the end. The first one was one that had 4 faces carved into the stones on each of the 4 sides of the pillars. It was pretty neat. Curt and I were really enjoying photographing everything and he gave me some tips as we went along. Our European friends were not so much into the photography and they moved through the temple rather quickly. We went on to the next one and they said we should try to go faster to make it through all of the temples before our meeting time with the driver. The 4 of us agreed to meet at the entrance before moving on. We picked up our pace and went through; this one required a steep climb up to get to the top of it. All was going well until the end when the signs pointed visitors to the backside rather than the front where we had agreed to meet. I found the Europeans but we waited and waited for Curt. The guy went in search of him and found Curt waiting for us on the other side. We continued on to the next two a bit faster and when we finally ended, our driver was kind of cross with us and told us we had taken too long. The main temple that the Europeans wanted to see was Tah Prohm (Tomb Raider temple) and so we ended up skipping a lot of the smaller ones to make it to Tah Prohm (as we had a noon deadline according to the driver). We asked to return to Angkor Wat, but as we got close to the temple he said we'd have a 10 minute walk to the complex and it would leave us with only 5 minutes to even see it. So we just returned to the hotel.
At the hostel, Curt and I had lunch together. Both of us were debating whether or not to return to Angkor Wat. We agreed we'd head back out around 3, giving us about 2 hours to relax. I was going to take a nap, but realized I wasn't that sleepy. Instead I took a fast shower and then went to the market to look around, not sure of what I would have time for the following day. We met up at 3 and got a tuktuk to Angkor Wat. It was neat to return there again at a different time of day and get a feel for the temple. We wandered around a bit and enjoyed the different lighting on the stones. We ran into Ellie and her friends and I shared the "wait until 7am tip" with her since she was going to see the sun rise the following day. There was a temple on the top of the complex and we had a very steep climb up. Once we were up there, we thought maybe we could stay there and see the sunset from way up high, but at 5:00 the temple closed and they were kicking people out. We climbed down and walked around the complex a bit more and found another place to kind of see the sky change colors.
I had made plans to meet with Olivia, Joanne and Brett for dinner after their group thing. When I returned to the hostel and I saw Kim. I invited her and Curt to join us for dinner. The three of us went into town and met up with the Geckos group at a restaurant. I stole Olivia, Brett and Joanne. We went for dinner, but they had already eaten so they just ordered drinks. It was fun catching up with them, even though it had only been a few days. We walked through the market and called it a night because the Geckos crew had the sunrise at Angkor Wat in the morning. I was on the fence about seeing another sunrise or not, but decided I'd see how I felt in the morning.
Thursday, February 26, 2015
Temples!
I had a relaxed morning. I got breakfast from the hostel for $2! Then around 11 I met with Ellie, Kat and another young woman Kim to go on the big circuit tour of the temples. Our driver Randy was funny and tried to use as much English as he could.
Of course now I can't remember the names of all the temples; I could barely remember them even at the time. In total we went to about 7 temples. The ones that stood out to me where Ta Prohm, where Tomb Raider was filmed, Preah Khan (had a lot of trees growing out of the temples) and one that had 4 elephant statues on each corner. All of them were pretty amazing to see and unique in their own way; a photographers delight! I brought my DSRL camera and did not regret it at all. We had one stop for lunch and shared some dishes to try more foods.
We attached a sunset to our tour and met Ellie's friends from her university in China and sat with them for the sunset. After the sunset we dropped of Kim at the circus so she could see a performance. The rest of us went back to the guesthouse and Ellie left to stay at the same place as her friends. Kat and met up with Vivi and we went to dinner together.
Of course now I can't remember the names of all the temples; I could barely remember them even at the time. In total we went to about 7 temples. The ones that stood out to me where Ta Prohm, where Tomb Raider was filmed, Preah Khan (had a lot of trees growing out of the temples) and one that had 4 elephant statues on each corner. All of them were pretty amazing to see and unique in their own way; a photographers delight! I brought my DSRL camera and did not regret it at all. We had one stop for lunch and shared some dishes to try more foods.
We attached a sunset to our tour and met Ellie's friends from her university in China and sat with them for the sunset. After the sunset we dropped of Kim at the circus so she could see a performance. The rest of us went back to the guesthouse and Ellie left to stay at the same place as her friends. Kat and met up with Vivi and we went to dinner together.
Wednesday, February 25, 2015
Off to Cambodia
Olivia woke early and left with Brett, Joanne, Anastasia and Claudine. The 5 of them were also meeting a few other people and making a group before continuing on to Cambodia. I had almost done that part of the trip, but the dates weren't perfect for me and I was missing one whole free day in Siem Reap. On one hand I regret not going because they first went to Phnom Pehn and I would have liked to see that, but at the same time I so enjoyed my time in Siem Reap. But more on that later. So that part of the group left quite early. I had told Ryan and Katie I would have breakfast with them and we would meet Jenn and Leigh, but then we were all running late and then I double checked my flight and it was an hour earlier than I was expecting! I had to pass on the breakfast and grab a taxi to the airport. I said bye to Bac and a few others down in the lobby and I was off!
The HCMC airport confused me SO much! I wandered around trying to figure out how to get to the check-in counter for a good 15 minutes. It was frustrating. Then once inside, I wasn't able to find my counter for a few minutes either. It was because my flight was operating under another airline so it was a little bit confusing. I wasn't pressed for time at all which was nice and found my gate and waited to board. We had to take a shuttle to our airplane and then a surprising thing is that the airplane had two doors open for boarding! I was in the back, the last row, and it was a pretty empty flight so I had the row all to myself. It was a short flight, only an hour and we were given a bottle of water but no snacks or food.
After landing in Siem Reap, I waited to get my Visa. It wasn't very complicated and didn't take long. After passing through customs, I went outside to find my driver. My hostel had a free airport pickup which was really great. After about a 20 minute ride on the tuktuk I arrived at my hostel. I was able to check in and settle in. There was another young woman in the room, her name was Vivi and she was from China. We chatted briefly and she headed out to get lunch. As for me, I wanted to sign up for a sunset tour at one of the temples and check out Siem Reap a little bit.
Around 4:30 I met at the desk to go with another couple to see the sunset. We all needed to buy tickets for the temples and waited in line to get them. After that, it was on to Phnom Bakheng to see the sunset. This is a temple up on a mountain. The Canadian couple I shared a tuktuk with to the temple were not wearing proper clothing for the temple. They said they didn't want to go to the temple but just see the sunset but they made them wait until the temple closed before making the 10 minute walk. So we split up and I headed to the temple. I waited in a fairly long line to go up the steep steps of the temple. When I made it to the top it was a bit crowded with people sitting all over to watch the sunset. There were also a lot of people running around and taking selfies. It made me a little bit sad watching them as they angled the camera to show off their best self, rather than to stop and take in the beauty of the nature around us and the hundreds of years old temple we were on. The sunset itself was just okay. It set over the horizon so it could have been a sunset anywhere. For me, I enjoyed watching the light on the temple itself, the way it lit up the stone creating an almost golden glow and looking at the shadows that appeared from the carvings on the stone. After the sun set, the temple closed and the guards ushered people down off the temple. I made my way down the path and found the couple and our driver waiting for me. It was dark by the time we returned to the hostel only 20 minutes later.
I returned to my room and saw some new faces there. I said I was going to get dinner and asked if anyone wanted to join me. The girl in the bunk below me, Ellie from England, Vivi and the newest arrival Kat all wanted to come along so the 4 of us went in search of somewhere to eat. We wandered around and finally settled on a restaurant called Karo. The manager/owner was really helpful and his English was impeccable. He ran out to grab items to make drinks if it was not already on hand-great service! We asked for his suggestion on menu items and picked 4 dishes for the 4 of us to share. Food was incredibly cheap, I think our total bill came to $20 with everyone also ordering a drink or two! After dinner we walked around and looked for ice cream. Kat and Ellie tried "magic ice cream" which looks like something in Korea-ice cream in a candy cane shaped cone. Vivi and I went to a convenience store and got cones there. We walked through the markets a bit before making our way back to the guesthouse.
The HCMC airport confused me SO much! I wandered around trying to figure out how to get to the check-in counter for a good 15 minutes. It was frustrating. Then once inside, I wasn't able to find my counter for a few minutes either. It was because my flight was operating under another airline so it was a little bit confusing. I wasn't pressed for time at all which was nice and found my gate and waited to board. We had to take a shuttle to our airplane and then a surprising thing is that the airplane had two doors open for boarding! I was in the back, the last row, and it was a pretty empty flight so I had the row all to myself. It was a short flight, only an hour and we were given a bottle of water but no snacks or food.
After landing in Siem Reap, I waited to get my Visa. It wasn't very complicated and didn't take long. After passing through customs, I went outside to find my driver. My hostel had a free airport pickup which was really great. After about a 20 minute ride on the tuktuk I arrived at my hostel. I was able to check in and settle in. There was another young woman in the room, her name was Vivi and she was from China. We chatted briefly and she headed out to get lunch. As for me, I wanted to sign up for a sunset tour at one of the temples and check out Siem Reap a little bit.
Around 4:30 I met at the desk to go with another couple to see the sunset. We all needed to buy tickets for the temples and waited in line to get them. After that, it was on to Phnom Bakheng to see the sunset. This is a temple up on a mountain. The Canadian couple I shared a tuktuk with to the temple were not wearing proper clothing for the temple. They said they didn't want to go to the temple but just see the sunset but they made them wait until the temple closed before making the 10 minute walk. So we split up and I headed to the temple. I waited in a fairly long line to go up the steep steps of the temple. When I made it to the top it was a bit crowded with people sitting all over to watch the sunset. There were also a lot of people running around and taking selfies. It made me a little bit sad watching them as they angled the camera to show off their best self, rather than to stop and take in the beauty of the nature around us and the hundreds of years old temple we were on. The sunset itself was just okay. It set over the horizon so it could have been a sunset anywhere. For me, I enjoyed watching the light on the temple itself, the way it lit up the stone creating an almost golden glow and looking at the shadows that appeared from the carvings on the stone. After the sun set, the temple closed and the guards ushered people down off the temple. I made my way down the path and found the couple and our driver waiting for me. It was dark by the time we returned to the hostel only 20 minutes later.
I returned to my room and saw some new faces there. I said I was going to get dinner and asked if anyone wanted to join me. The girl in the bunk below me, Ellie from England, Vivi and the newest arrival Kat all wanted to come along so the 4 of us went in search of somewhere to eat. We wandered around and finally settled on a restaurant called Karo. The manager/owner was really helpful and his English was impeccable. He ran out to grab items to make drinks if it was not already on hand-great service! We asked for his suggestion on menu items and picked 4 dishes for the 4 of us to share. Food was incredibly cheap, I think our total bill came to $20 with everyone also ordering a drink or two! After dinner we walked around and looked for ice cream. Kat and Ellie tried "magic ice cream" which looks like something in Korea-ice cream in a candy cane shaped cone. Vivi and I went to a convenience store and got cones there. We walked through the markets a bit before making our way back to the guesthouse.
Tuesday, February 24, 2015
Ho Chi Minh City
Today most of the group went to the Mekong River and some tunnels. While I think it would have been a really cool experience, I didn't have a lot of spare Vietnamese cash on hand and I also wanted to see what HCMC had to offer on its own and not go outside of the city.
Instead, I spent the day with Olivia, Ryan and Kate. First we went to Tous Les Jours, a bakery from Korea for breakfast! After eating, we headed to the War Museum. It mostly featured photographs from the war. We all agreed that whatever country you sided with, the photographs all still showed the real story and the real struggle and suffering that people, humans experienced because of the war. The saddest part was seeing the side effects of Agent Orange on both Vietnamese and Americans, even 2 or 3 generations later. Chemical warfare is absolutely horrible-the lasting effects on the ecosystem and habit of Vietnam is awful.
After the War Museum we walked around a bit to try and lighten up the mood. We stopped at a Hagen Daas ice cream shop for some ice cream. After our break we took a peak at the Catholic Cathedral and ducked into the post office which was famous for its architecture. We then went to the Independence Palace, where the South was "liberated" from American forces. It was difficult to think in reverse; that being liberated was the (communist) North retaking control of the South. After the palace we went to find a late lunch. I looked up restaurants nearby and we picked one called Propaganda. We ordered pho (noodle soup) and it was pretty good. We headed back to our hotel and decided we'd teach Olivia how to play Euchre! (I was pleasantly surprised my Canadian friends also knew how to play) We found a Starbucks and took a seat outside. After doing maybe one round, one of the employees came out and told us we couldn't gamble in public. We told him that we weren't gambling, but playing a card game. Again, he insisted that we were not allowed to gamble and that there was no card playing. So, we decided to leave and play in our hotel. It was kind of a bummer because we were enjoying the sun outside. Anyway, the biggest thing that surprised me was Ryan's adamant implementation of a rule I thought ridiculous--if your partner ordered up a card to you as the dealer, your partner had to go alone! WHAT?! So bizarre to me. They had also never heard of farmers hand and dealt the cards one by one instead of 3/2/3/2.... It's funny how some rules are a bit different.
While we were playing, Brett messaged me asking if we had seen the message at the front desk for us. Obviously we hadn't so it was nice he gave us a heads up and told us that we were having our final dinner and to meet in the lobby. We cleaned up and met with everyone, swapping day stories. Dinner was nice and Bac gave a speech and some of the guys thanked Bac for being a great guide. After dinner, we all went to a pub place for a few drinks. It was a nice way to celebrate the ending of a fun trip. Everyone was in good spirits and extra happy.
Instead, I spent the day with Olivia, Ryan and Kate. First we went to Tous Les Jours, a bakery from Korea for breakfast! After eating, we headed to the War Museum. It mostly featured photographs from the war. We all agreed that whatever country you sided with, the photographs all still showed the real story and the real struggle and suffering that people, humans experienced because of the war. The saddest part was seeing the side effects of Agent Orange on both Vietnamese and Americans, even 2 or 3 generations later. Chemical warfare is absolutely horrible-the lasting effects on the ecosystem and habit of Vietnam is awful.
After the War Museum we walked around a bit to try and lighten up the mood. We stopped at a Hagen Daas ice cream shop for some ice cream. After our break we took a peak at the Catholic Cathedral and ducked into the post office which was famous for its architecture. We then went to the Independence Palace, where the South was "liberated" from American forces. It was difficult to think in reverse; that being liberated was the (communist) North retaking control of the South. After the palace we went to find a late lunch. I looked up restaurants nearby and we picked one called Propaganda. We ordered pho (noodle soup) and it was pretty good. We headed back to our hotel and decided we'd teach Olivia how to play Euchre! (I was pleasantly surprised my Canadian friends also knew how to play) We found a Starbucks and took a seat outside. After doing maybe one round, one of the employees came out and told us we couldn't gamble in public. We told him that we weren't gambling, but playing a card game. Again, he insisted that we were not allowed to gamble and that there was no card playing. So, we decided to leave and play in our hotel. It was kind of a bummer because we were enjoying the sun outside. Anyway, the biggest thing that surprised me was Ryan's adamant implementation of a rule I thought ridiculous--if your partner ordered up a card to you as the dealer, your partner had to go alone! WHAT?! So bizarre to me. They had also never heard of farmers hand and dealt the cards one by one instead of 3/2/3/2.... It's funny how some rules are a bit different.
While we were playing, Brett messaged me asking if we had seen the message at the front desk for us. Obviously we hadn't so it was nice he gave us a heads up and told us that we were having our final dinner and to meet in the lobby. We cleaned up and met with everyone, swapping day stories. Dinner was nice and Bac gave a speech and some of the guys thanked Bac for being a great guide. After dinner, we all went to a pub place for a few drinks. It was a nice way to celebrate the ending of a fun trip. Everyone was in good spirits and extra happy.
Monday, February 23, 2015
Long bus ride to Ho Chi Minh City
We had yet another long bus ride day. The biggest event from this day was a mis-buy of ice cream. We stopped for lunch and I was craving ice cream. I got a cone from in the ice chest and bit into it. First bite was mostly chocolate, but I saw the ice cream color was kind of yellow. Next, Olivia said, "oh no, it says the flavor is durian!" as I was taking a bite and the horrible taste of durian filled my mouth. Durian is a tropical fruit that is known for its strong smell and taste. It is not delicious. About 4 or 5 of us unknowingly bought the durian ice cream and most of us tossed it after a few bites. One guy, Dan, said it wasn't so bad when he ate it with the chocolate coating. I asked him "what happens when you run out of chocolate??" He responded, "I don't know".
Finally we arrived to HCMC and again Bac warned us to be careful with our bags. We found HCMC to be another big and bustling city, more modern than Hanoi with sky scrapers and less motorbikes but they were still quite present. We were assigned our final rooms together and then we all met for a dinner. Olivia and I again shared a meal. After dinner I went with Brett, Dan, Adam, Ryan, Kate and Olivia to get a drink together. It was nice to have more one on one time with Dan and Adam as they usually were with Hass and Erin so we didn't know them too well. Adam is really funny and always joking around; both of them are very easy going guys.
Finally we arrived to HCMC and again Bac warned us to be careful with our bags. We found HCMC to be another big and bustling city, more modern than Hanoi with sky scrapers and less motorbikes but they were still quite present. We were assigned our final rooms together and then we all met for a dinner. Olivia and I again shared a meal. After dinner I went with Brett, Dan, Adam, Ryan, Kate and Olivia to get a drink together. It was nice to have more one on one time with Dan and Adam as they usually were with Hass and Erin so we didn't know them too well. Adam is really funny and always joking around; both of them are very easy going guys.
Sunday, February 22, 2015
Boat Day in Nha Trang
Today we spent the day on a boat! We were picked up and our guide introduced himself as Lambchops. At the dock, we boarded our boat amid tons of other groups getting on boats in the busy harbor. First stop was a fishing village. It was neat to see the old boats that they used-bamboo with cow dung to seal it together. These days they buy boats in the similar style (small circular boats) but made of plastic, though those boats are much more expensive. We were then given a boat ride to a floating fisherman's "store". He had several wooden pallets tied together and nets in the water holding fish or other sea critters that had been caught. Our boat came to pick us up and we went to a spot near an island.
We parked the boat there and were given items to go snorkeling. It was pretty amazing! I think the coral and variety of sea life I saw in the Philippines were a little bit better, but it was still an incredible experience. I got tired from treading and was struggling with my flippers so I went back on the boat. I grabbed a towel and laid out on the top deck with a few others. A little bit later they called us down for lunch. We had quite a feast! There was rice, fried noodles, spring rolls, shrimp, grilled beef and chicken, green beans, omelets and fish. Everything was so delicious and we could hardly believe they were able to cook a big feast for us on the back of a tiny boat. After lunch a bunch of us went back to the roof to lay in the sun. Later Olivia, Brett and I went for a short swim around the boat, sans flippers. We dried off in the sun again and then got pineapple and watermelon but we all agreed they must have used the same knife to cut onion as the fruit. Whoops.
Finally it was time to head back to Nha Trang. We were given the option to meet up for dinner or do our own thing. Olivia and I were getting ready when Ryan and Kate asked if we'd like to join them for dinner. We went to a place we saw on the way to the port earlier, a brewhouse. I tried a strawberry beer and shared a meal with Olivia. After talking a long time we went in search for dessert. We found a place called Olivia and had crepe type pancakes. Delicious!
We parked the boat there and were given items to go snorkeling. It was pretty amazing! I think the coral and variety of sea life I saw in the Philippines were a little bit better, but it was still an incredible experience. I got tired from treading and was struggling with my flippers so I went back on the boat. I grabbed a towel and laid out on the top deck with a few others. A little bit later they called us down for lunch. We had quite a feast! There was rice, fried noodles, spring rolls, shrimp, grilled beef and chicken, green beans, omelets and fish. Everything was so delicious and we could hardly believe they were able to cook a big feast for us on the back of a tiny boat. After lunch a bunch of us went back to the roof to lay in the sun. Later Olivia, Brett and I went for a short swim around the boat, sans flippers. We dried off in the sun again and then got pineapple and watermelon but we all agreed they must have used the same knife to cut onion as the fruit. Whoops.
Finally it was time to head back to Nha Trang. We were given the option to meet up for dinner or do our own thing. Olivia and I were getting ready when Ryan and Kate asked if we'd like to join them for dinner. We went to a place we saw on the way to the port earlier, a brewhouse. I tried a strawberry beer and shared a meal with Olivia. After talking a long time we went in search for dessert. We found a place called Olivia and had crepe type pancakes. Delicious!
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