BREAKING NEWS: KALLIE HAD HER PUPPIES! 4 boys, 3 girls. Apparently our power went out at home, so Dad and Gma delivered the pups by flashlight, haha. What an experience! No pictures yet…
A lovely little rooster woke us up around 4AM this morning! There were also men scooping dirt or stones down on the street below. Even though we didn’t go to bed til nearly 1AM, we woke up at 6:30 to start our day. We went out on the balcony to check out the morning scene, complete with a group of men sitting on tiny stools enjoying their breakfast, women in traditional hats carrying fresh goods in baskets, and lots of motorbikes zipping down the street! I went out to take pictures and the men across the way spotted me. They waved for me to take a picture of them, haha.
The guesthouse provides a few breakfast options included in the whopping price of $18/night. Mom and I both opted for bread with butter and jam rather than pho (noodle soup) because of the heat. The bread (baguette) was delicious – all 8 inches of it! We signed up for a city tour through our guesthouse and just sat around chatting with the friendly staff until our driver came to pick us up. One of the young guys who works at the guesthouse told us that he started riding a motorbike at 15; however, Vietnamese people must wait til age 18 to get their licenses. Motorbikes are definitely the most popular form of transportation here. All riders are required, by law, to wear a helmet. It’s amazing how much stuff people can pile onto the motorbikes! When we return to the guesthouse after our cruise, I’m going to try to convince the guy to take me for a spin on the motorbike. I figure it’s a safer option than picking a driver on the street because I know he’ll bring me back to where I need to be!
Quick note on traffic: There’s LOTS of honking. Despite the fact that there’s lines on the roads, most drivers don’t really pay attention to them. Mom’s most frequently used phrase in the car was “Oh shit!” because of the crazy traffic. The majority of drivers wear face masks, some even wear gloves, to protect themselves from sun/pollution. We were given our very own complimentary face masks upon arrival! Although motorbikes are the most common form of transportation, there’s cars and buses as well. Mom and I were surprised at the number of women who drive motorbikes wearing heels – sometimes even stilettos!
We departed around 8:30AM for the city tour. The tour guide’s name was Thim, but pronounced “Tam.’ Her friends sometimes call her Tammy, so mom liked her right off the bat! There was a couple from the UK, Italy, and Vietnam, on the tour. The couple from Italy didn’t speak English well, but they were friendly nonetheless. We chatted with the couple from the UK. They’re here on a 3-week vacation because they have friends who are teaching down in Ho Chi Minh City. The women, who must be in her late 50s or early 60s, plays field hockey! Cool, huh?!
Our first stop was at the Ho Chi Minh Complex. We were unable to enter the mausoleum because it’s closed on Fridays and Mondays. However, we were able to tour the grounds and see the various buildings “Uncle Ho” worked and resided in during his presidency. Ho Chi Minh, also known as the “rich father of the nation,” was the first president in Vietnam. We found out that he was fluent in 7 languages! Vietnamese people aim to visit his mausoleum at least once during their lives. Our next stop was at an embroidery workshop for people with disabilities. We saw them working and browsed all the goods available. Though the pictures were beautiful, we didn’t buy anything. After that, we traveled outside the city to a ceramic village. We got to tour the workshop and then browse in the store below. I could have stood there for hours watching them paint! Again, everything was beautiful, but no purchases.
We traveled back to the city and enjoyed a yummy lunch in a hotel. We weren’t quite sure how to approach the meal. All the food was served family-style on platters and each of us were given a bowl and pair of chopsticks. We could pick and choose from the following items: brothy soup, veggies and meat, breaded chicken, spring rolls, rice, and a whole fish. After lunch, we went to the lake and toured another pagoda. Then, we went to the Temple of Literature, which was the first university in Vietnam. It was bombed years ago and since then, it has been rebuilt and converted into a tourist site. There were turtle statues on the grounds that were engraved with the students’ names who passed the national exam. Although this is no longer something they do, I thought it was interesting! Perhaps someone will engrave something for me when I pass my boards in November?! Finally, we ended at the water puppet theater. Mom was doing the infamous head bob for almost the entire 45-minute performance. By that point we were so tired! I think the jet-lag was setting in. Anyways, it was a neat cultural experience. There was a traditional “band” on the side and the puppeteers, hidden behind the stage, manipulated the puppets in the water.
Quick note on sun protection: Unlike Americans, Vietnamese people think being pale is beautiful. Most of the people in the city use umbrellas, gloves, jackets, etc. to protect themselves from the sun’s rays despite the unbearable heat! Skin color is almost an indicator of class because most farmers have dark skin, whereas people in the cities have lighter skin.
After all that excitement, we found our way back to the guesthouse and enjoyed much needed naps! I’d like to point out that it is 87.6 degrees in our room with the “air con” on high and the fan blowing. It feels very refreshing compared to the temp outside! By the time we stumbled out of the guesthouse around 8PM it had already gotten dark! We wandered around the streets and did some shopping at the infamous night market. We each bought t-shirts for $1.50 each. I got 5 DVDs for a little less than 4USD. Let’s see…mom picked up a few things for Claire and I bought a silk nightie for 4USD. We didn’t see any NorthFace stuff, but did see knock-off designer bags and shoes!
Up Next: Halong Bay!
A lovely little rooster woke us up around 4AM this morning! There were also men scooping dirt or stones down on the street below. Even though we didn’t go to bed til nearly 1AM, we woke up at 6:30 to start our day. We went out on the balcony to check out the morning scene, complete with a group of men sitting on tiny stools enjoying their breakfast, women in traditional hats carrying fresh goods in baskets, and lots of motorbikes zipping down the street! I went out to take pictures and the men across the way spotted me. They waved for me to take a picture of them, haha.
The guesthouse provides a few breakfast options included in the whopping price of $18/night. Mom and I both opted for bread with butter and jam rather than pho (noodle soup) because of the heat. The bread (baguette) was delicious – all 8 inches of it! We signed up for a city tour through our guesthouse and just sat around chatting with the friendly staff until our driver came to pick us up. One of the young guys who works at the guesthouse told us that he started riding a motorbike at 15; however, Vietnamese people must wait til age 18 to get their licenses. Motorbikes are definitely the most popular form of transportation here. All riders are required, by law, to wear a helmet. It’s amazing how much stuff people can pile onto the motorbikes! When we return to the guesthouse after our cruise, I’m going to try to convince the guy to take me for a spin on the motorbike. I figure it’s a safer option than picking a driver on the street because I know he’ll bring me back to where I need to be!
Quick note on traffic: There’s LOTS of honking. Despite the fact that there’s lines on the roads, most drivers don’t really pay attention to them. Mom’s most frequently used phrase in the car was “Oh shit!” because of the crazy traffic. The majority of drivers wear face masks, some even wear gloves, to protect themselves from sun/pollution. We were given our very own complimentary face masks upon arrival! Although motorbikes are the most common form of transportation, there’s cars and buses as well. Mom and I were surprised at the number of women who drive motorbikes wearing heels – sometimes even stilettos!
We departed around 8:30AM for the city tour. The tour guide’s name was Thim, but pronounced “Tam.’ Her friends sometimes call her Tammy, so mom liked her right off the bat! There was a couple from the UK, Italy, and Vietnam, on the tour. The couple from Italy didn’t speak English well, but they were friendly nonetheless. We chatted with the couple from the UK. They’re here on a 3-week vacation because they have friends who are teaching down in Ho Chi Minh City. The women, who must be in her late 50s or early 60s, plays field hockey! Cool, huh?!
Our first stop was at the Ho Chi Minh Complex. We were unable to enter the mausoleum because it’s closed on Fridays and Mondays. However, we were able to tour the grounds and see the various buildings “Uncle Ho” worked and resided in during his presidency. Ho Chi Minh, also known as the “rich father of the nation,” was the first president in Vietnam. We found out that he was fluent in 7 languages! Vietnamese people aim to visit his mausoleum at least once during their lives. Our next stop was at an embroidery workshop for people with disabilities. We saw them working and browsed all the goods available. Though the pictures were beautiful, we didn’t buy anything. After that, we traveled outside the city to a ceramic village. We got to tour the workshop and then browse in the store below. I could have stood there for hours watching them paint! Again, everything was beautiful, but no purchases.
We traveled back to the city and enjoyed a yummy lunch in a hotel. We weren’t quite sure how to approach the meal. All the food was served family-style on platters and each of us were given a bowl and pair of chopsticks. We could pick and choose from the following items: brothy soup, veggies and meat, breaded chicken, spring rolls, rice, and a whole fish. After lunch, we went to the lake and toured another pagoda. Then, we went to the Temple of Literature, which was the first university in Vietnam. It was bombed years ago and since then, it has been rebuilt and converted into a tourist site. There were turtle statues on the grounds that were engraved with the students’ names who passed the national exam. Although this is no longer something they do, I thought it was interesting! Perhaps someone will engrave something for me when I pass my boards in November?! Finally, we ended at the water puppet theater. Mom was doing the infamous head bob for almost the entire 45-minute performance. By that point we were so tired! I think the jet-lag was setting in. Anyways, it was a neat cultural experience. There was a traditional “band” on the side and the puppeteers, hidden behind the stage, manipulated the puppets in the water.
Quick note on sun protection: Unlike Americans, Vietnamese people think being pale is beautiful. Most of the people in the city use umbrellas, gloves, jackets, etc. to protect themselves from the sun’s rays despite the unbearable heat! Skin color is almost an indicator of class because most farmers have dark skin, whereas people in the cities have lighter skin.
After all that excitement, we found our way back to the guesthouse and enjoyed much needed naps! I’d like to point out that it is 87.6 degrees in our room with the “air con” on high and the fan blowing. It feels very refreshing compared to the temp outside! By the time we stumbled out of the guesthouse around 8PM it had already gotten dark! We wandered around the streets and did some shopping at the infamous night market. We each bought t-shirts for $1.50 each. I got 5 DVDs for a little less than 4USD. Let’s see…mom picked up a few things for Claire and I bought a silk nightie for 4USD. We didn’t see any NorthFace stuff, but did see knock-off designer bags and shoes!
Up Next: Halong Bay!
It seems I didn't do this comment thing right the other day because it didn't post. I'm sorry for not wishing you Happy Birthday, but you know where my head was that day, with Sara and Emily and their 1st day in Europe. The fog has lifted, I guess that means time for another drink, haha. It sounds like you are both having an awesome experience together. Love you, both.
ReplyDeleteThanks...we met some musicians from Germany. We told them about Sara and Emily doing their Europe HS tour. They thought it was cool. I am amazed at how many Europeans who travel to this area for 4-6 weeks to multiple countries. It is really cool to talk to people from so many different coutries in just one place!! This is much more than a Vietnamese experience!
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