Yesterday we enjoyed touring scenic Hue - pagodas, temples and tombs - oh my! Unfortunately, the lunch we had at the hotel didn't agree with several people in our group. Brenton got so sick, he had to go to the hospital for treatment. They said it was food poisoning. He's feeling much better now, but several others are still a bit queasy and had to sit out our visit to Hoi An today. I've been avoiding the meat for several days now, so I think that's what has kept me safe. I hope we are all feeling better tomorrow for our trip back to HCM city...
The beaches here are incredibly beautiful. Even a little rain didn't keep us from sticking our feet in the water. China Beach looks like it could become the next Tampa - resorts are just starting to pop up. I'm glad we got to see it before development.
Many in our group are getting a bit homesick and are talking about what they are most looking forward to when they get home. Only one more day before the long trek back. It has gone by so quickly!
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Andrea's pox
Andrea got the pox (aka mass amounts of mosquito bites) one of our nights in Da Lat. Here are some of the pics.
she itches.
Once bitten, Twice Shy.
It is a good thing I was questioning all the locals about Marriage chapels in Dalat yesterday, because someone has fallen in love with me...mosquitoes. Yes, it is true I am their favorite thing and I imagine if they could they would propose.
Two nights ago Christina and I heard a few of the guys on the trip talking about how they slept with their windows open, and how amazing it was. The breeze, the sounds, just everything! They went on for what must have been 10 minutes. We decided to give it a try, and I woke up covered in large red welts. While I thought I was dreaming about buzzing, it turns out I was wrong... I was being attacked.
Well two days and quarter size welts later I am still truckin'. We had our long bus ride back to Ho Chi Mihn city yesterday and each group gave a cultural presentation about their city on the way back. It was great fun learning about the longhorns, and the spaceneedle and we were back by around 6 p.m.
For dinner we had the Vietnamese McDonalds as our leader, Jeff explained. There were five choices:
1. Grilled Chicken Combo
2. Fried Chicken Combo
3. Hamburger
4. Cheeseburger
5. The Loteria (The Big Mac of Vietnam)
Playing it safe after my upset stomach earlier in the week I went with a grilled chicken combo and fries. Mind you I still anticipated this being different than a US grilled chicken sandwhich. If you are asking why I played it safe wait until later. Our friends Lee and Brian however attempted the Big Macs. They were lured in with promises of special sauce, and visions of grandeur.
They both received slices of beef with chili sauce on a bun. Playing safe paid off, and I received a strange but edible grilled chicken sandwhich. Brian and Lee offered to escort Christina and I to the night market (my new passion) so I could buy a backpack I had my eyes on. Brian and I bought matching backpacks and we attempted to haggle.
Haggling is an art-form. Whether a God given talent or a honed skill- everyone haggles in Vietnam. It is expected, built into the price, yet still extremely satisfying The exchange usually goes about like this.
Store Owner: "Hey Miss, do you like t-shirts? I have your size."
Innocent Shopper: "Oh, well yes I do like t-shirts, and you have my size! Well how much is this one?"
Store Owner: "Usually 70 dollars but I like you, so 35 dollars for you"
This is how it starts, on anything for any price. However when you get down to a third of the original price, it is hard not to become addicted. That's when the hardcore haggling begins-- walking away instead of countering, pretending to only have a $5 dollar bill in your pocket. I'm sure there will be a support group started soon enough...Hagglers Annoynomous and whatnot.
We ending up buying our backpacks after being out-haggled, but were satisfied none the less. We all went back to our respective rooms and after watching Suite Life on Deck in Vietnamese for a bit we went to bed for our early morning wake up at 4 a.m.
Today we flew to Hue in North Central Vietnam. We were a bit delayed due to fog, but soon boarded our flight and were headed North. We landed and were greeted by a new bus and a new driver. I find our new guide and driver very difficult to understand which is leading to me learning what I'm sure is some very wrong Vietnamese history. It is fun none-the less to attempt to dechiper it.
We took a boat ride down the river, and visited several Pagota's. We took a tour of the Imperial Gardens of Vietnam and walked through the ruins. Our Dinner was delecious and entertaining as teh restraunt we went to served all our courses disguised as animals. Rice in the shape of a tourtoise, papaya as a dragon, ect.
Tomorrow we head to the beach so I am going on a hunt for a Vietnamese nail salon. I have a lead so I'll let you know how the search ends. As for tonight I'm sure it will end with some phase 10 and another night of memories.
Until Tomorrow,
Andrea
Two nights ago Christina and I heard a few of the guys on the trip talking about how they slept with their windows open, and how amazing it was. The breeze, the sounds, just everything! They went on for what must have been 10 minutes. We decided to give it a try, and I woke up covered in large red welts. While I thought I was dreaming about buzzing, it turns out I was wrong... I was being attacked.
Well two days and quarter size welts later I am still truckin'. We had our long bus ride back to Ho Chi Mihn city yesterday and each group gave a cultural presentation about their city on the way back. It was great fun learning about the longhorns, and the spaceneedle and we were back by around 6 p.m.
For dinner we had the Vietnamese McDonalds as our leader, Jeff explained. There were five choices:
1. Grilled Chicken Combo
2. Fried Chicken Combo
3. Hamburger
4. Cheeseburger
5. The Loteria (The Big Mac of Vietnam)
Playing it safe after my upset stomach earlier in the week I went with a grilled chicken combo and fries. Mind you I still anticipated this being different than a US grilled chicken sandwhich. If you are asking why I played it safe wait until later. Our friends Lee and Brian however attempted the Big Macs. They were lured in with promises of special sauce, and visions of grandeur.
They both received slices of beef with chili sauce on a bun. Playing safe paid off, and I received a strange but edible grilled chicken sandwhich. Brian and Lee offered to escort Christina and I to the night market (my new passion) so I could buy a backpack I had my eyes on. Brian and I bought matching backpacks and we attempted to haggle.
Haggling is an art-form. Whether a God given talent or a honed skill- everyone haggles in Vietnam. It is expected, built into the price, yet still extremely satisfying The exchange usually goes about like this.
Store Owner: "Hey Miss, do you like t-shirts? I have your size."
Innocent Shopper: "Oh, well yes I do like t-shirts, and you have my size! Well how much is this one?"
Store Owner: "Usually 70 dollars but I like you, so 35 dollars for you"
This is how it starts, on anything for any price. However when you get down to a third of the original price, it is hard not to become addicted. That's when the hardcore haggling begins-- walking away instead of countering, pretending to only have a $5 dollar bill in your pocket. I'm sure there will be a support group started soon enough...Hagglers Annoynomous and whatnot.
We ending up buying our backpacks after being out-haggled, but were satisfied none the less. We all went back to our respective rooms and after watching Suite Life on Deck in Vietnamese for a bit we went to bed for our early morning wake up at 4 a.m.
Today we flew to Hue in North Central Vietnam. We were a bit delayed due to fog, but soon boarded our flight and were headed North. We landed and were greeted by a new bus and a new driver. I find our new guide and driver very difficult to understand which is leading to me learning what I'm sure is some very wrong Vietnamese history. It is fun none-the less to attempt to dechiper it.
We took a boat ride down the river, and visited several Pagota's. We took a tour of the Imperial Gardens of Vietnam and walked through the ruins. Our Dinner was delecious and entertaining as teh restraunt we went to served all our courses disguised as animals. Rice in the shape of a tourtoise, papaya as a dragon, ect.
Tomorrow we head to the beach so I am going on a hunt for a Vietnamese nail salon. I have a lead so I'll let you know how the search ends. As for tonight I'm sure it will end with some phase 10 and another night of memories.
Until Tomorrow,
Andrea
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Dalat...The Gatlinburg of Vietnam
Yesterday we enjoyed the longest bus ride yet, about 8 hours from ho chi min city to Dalat. When we arrived we I was immediately questioning our guides about the frequency of marriage chapels, but to no avail. My suspicions were wrong, Dalat is not the Gatlinburg of Vietnam- Da lat is it's less expensive, once french colonized, Asian little sister.
The first thing that strikes you when you arrive at Dalat is the drive itself-- it is very steep climb up mountains, on very narrow roads, on a VERY large bus. It's hard not to wince when playing a game of chicken with a semi-truck on a cliff 3000 feet above the next road, however I have found the driver does not appreciate my anticipation of the wreck.
We arrived at the hotel and it is by far the nicest one we have stayed at since being in Vietnam, large full sized beds, nice linens, and a quality bar which has nightly performances of such hits as "They call it puppy love" in Vietnamese. A quick meal of Vietnam Pizza, then we followed that with a trip to the night market.
One of the coolest things about Vietnam are the night markets. They are loud, bright, completely foreign and bubbling over with local activity. You can buy anything, eat anything, and see almost anything at the night markets. Rows of booths are set up for mile, each booth containing things specific to Vietnam. My purchases last night consisted of some vietnamese river snails cooked in chili's and butter, and my new fancy shoes (which I have already broken) which are left over COACH brand material with the words "Tommy Hilfiger branded on leather straps.
We went to a Cafe and enjoyed some traditional ice creams and drinks. Feeling adventurous I decided on durian flavored ice cream...that was a mistake. That actually may be an understatement, durian ice cream could be used as a form of torture. It's rough.. I'll leave it there.
Today we visited a Flower Garden, a Japanese style pagota and rode in a glass tram over the mountains. It was amazing. I was feeling a little under the weather today, my stomach had a bad reaction to something I had eaten. Luckily everything I did that morning, was breath takingly beautiful and I felt very fufilled. After lunch I asked if I could stay at the hotel and recoup a bit while the others went on to an embroidery museum and climbed a mountain (I was super pumped about the mountain climb, I even brought my inhaler.) before they could get to the mountain there was a quick but heavy rain storm that made the conditions too muddy and slick to conquest the mountain. They returned with a gift from the museum for me and tales of rebellious photo taking in leu of "No Picture" postings. I was thrilled I didn't miss the mountain but more touched by the James Dean like attitude of my travel buddies to ensure I could still see the museum.
All in all it was an amazing day just like every other day has been. It's hard not to fall, madly, deeply, and hopelessly in love with Vietnam. The sights, the people, and the overall attitude of the country is contagious and in the best ways. You smile a little wider, laugh a little harder, and any worries seem a little less important. Like begining any new relationship everything is just too smooth and too wonderful. If Vietnam is the new love of my life, I am definitely still in the honey moon stage.
Tam Biet,
Andrea
The first thing that strikes you when you arrive at Dalat is the drive itself-- it is very steep climb up mountains, on very narrow roads, on a VERY large bus. It's hard not to wince when playing a game of chicken with a semi-truck on a cliff 3000 feet above the next road, however I have found the driver does not appreciate my anticipation of the wreck.
We arrived at the hotel and it is by far the nicest one we have stayed at since being in Vietnam, large full sized beds, nice linens, and a quality bar which has nightly performances of such hits as "They call it puppy love" in Vietnamese. A quick meal of Vietnam Pizza, then we followed that with a trip to the night market.
One of the coolest things about Vietnam are the night markets. They are loud, bright, completely foreign and bubbling over with local activity. You can buy anything, eat anything, and see almost anything at the night markets. Rows of booths are set up for mile, each booth containing things specific to Vietnam. My purchases last night consisted of some vietnamese river snails cooked in chili's and butter, and my new fancy shoes (which I have already broken) which are left over COACH brand material with the words "Tommy Hilfiger branded on leather straps.
We went to a Cafe and enjoyed some traditional ice creams and drinks. Feeling adventurous I decided on durian flavored ice cream...that was a mistake. That actually may be an understatement, durian ice cream could be used as a form of torture. It's rough.. I'll leave it there.
Today we visited a Flower Garden, a Japanese style pagota and rode in a glass tram over the mountains. It was amazing. I was feeling a little under the weather today, my stomach had a bad reaction to something I had eaten. Luckily everything I did that morning, was breath takingly beautiful and I felt very fufilled. After lunch I asked if I could stay at the hotel and recoup a bit while the others went on to an embroidery museum and climbed a mountain (I was super pumped about the mountain climb, I even brought my inhaler.) before they could get to the mountain there was a quick but heavy rain storm that made the conditions too muddy and slick to conquest the mountain. They returned with a gift from the museum for me and tales of rebellious photo taking in leu of "No Picture" postings. I was thrilled I didn't miss the mountain but more touched by the James Dean like attitude of my travel buddies to ensure I could still see the museum.
All in all it was an amazing day just like every other day has been. It's hard not to fall, madly, deeply, and hopelessly in love with Vietnam. The sights, the people, and the overall attitude of the country is contagious and in the best ways. You smile a little wider, laugh a little harder, and any worries seem a little less important. Like begining any new relationship everything is just too smooth and too wonderful. If Vietnam is the new love of my life, I am definitely still in the honey moon stage.
Tam Biet,
Andrea
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Da Lat is Beautiful
Da Lat is very different than what I expected. It feels like we're in another (European) country. It's cooler and not quite as humid and the streets are like walking in a maze. We walked down to the market last night in search of cinnamon, which proved to be a challenge. Even though the best cinnamon in the world comes from Vietnam, they don't use it in their cooking so no one knows what it is. We had to spell it out for all the vendors and finally one of them found some and came running after us. The sticks are about as long as my forearm! They should last us a while.
Friday, March 18, 2011
Off to Da Lat
I'll never forget the completion ceremony today. We enjoyed 12 performances from the kids - songs, dances and cheers and then we were presented with gifts of thanks and enjoyed yet another amazing home-cooked meal. Then the drive back to Ho Chi Minh City. Tomorrow it's an 8-hour drive to Da Lat where I hear it's cooler and there are mountains to be conquered!
Thursday, March 17, 2011
We've been busy!
We hit the ground running... after arriving in the Ben Tre Province, we set out to work on the medical clinic that the Houston Y built. With such a large group (25 of us) we were able to take on two projects - painting the medical clinic and the school. The clinic is in a very rural area - our bus was unable to cross a small bridge so we had to ride standing up in the back of 2 pickup trucks. The locals were amused.
It amazed me to learn that the clinic was built for only $2,900! Seems like a worthy investment to me. While we were painting, a mother brought in her sick child. I wonder if they would have had any other options for medical care.
The next day we began work at the new schoo, painting and tiling floors of two new Kindergarten classrooms. The people of the community have been so hospitable, feeding us incredible meals in their homes and making us all feel welcomed and appreciated. We're pretty exhausted by the end of each work day but it feels great to see how much we can accomplish in one day.
Yesterday the kids performed two songs for us - they were so cute. Very shy at first, at least until Doug started making balloon animals for them. I can't wait to see what they have planned for the closing ceremony tomorrow. I caught a glimpse of them practicing a dance.
I'm having trouble posting pictures, and internet access is spotty, but will keep trying!
It amazed me to learn that the clinic was built for only $2,900! Seems like a worthy investment to me. While we were painting, a mother brought in her sick child. I wonder if they would have had any other options for medical care.
The next day we began work at the new schoo, painting and tiling floors of two new Kindergarten classrooms. The people of the community have been so hospitable, feeding us incredible meals in their homes and making us all feel welcomed and appreciated. We're pretty exhausted by the end of each work day but it feels great to see how much we can accomplish in one day.
Yesterday the kids performed two songs for us - they were so cute. Very shy at first, at least until Doug started making balloon animals for them. I can't wait to see what they have planned for the closing ceremony tomorrow. I caught a glimpse of them practicing a dance.
I'm having trouble posting pictures, and internet access is spotty, but will keep trying!
Sunday, March 13, 2011
From Doug...
The property is quite different than home... having a rush of emotions and an enjoyable time. The heat is on!
Better late than never...
We made it safe and sound! It feels a bit like being dropped onto another planet...It was 95 degrees yesterday and humid (my hair looks extra lovely). Considering it was snowing when we left Kentucky, it's a bit of an adjustment but feels great! We're getting ready to leave to Ben Tre Province in a few minutes. We will get to meet the other volunteers from Houston and Seattle on the bus ride over. Will try to post some pics later, but haven't had a chance yet.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Flight Fiasco
Yesterday while trying to board our flight we hit a minor hiccup... We didn't get on. Due to weight restrictions about 25 passengers were denied boarding, six of those passengers. After working about an hour to be rebooked we all are boarding the same flight next day. Tiny hiccup in the long run, we are all together spent a great night in chicago and are on our way!
Until hong kong!
Until hong kong!
chicago to hong kong...take 2
We were bumped from our first flight from chicago to hong kong because the flight was overweight. We had a lovely night at the airport hilton. :) we are making attempt number two at leaving the country. Luckily we are all Y people with oddly chipper outlooks on the situations. NOW BOARDING!
Friday, March 11, 2011
Here We Go!
This is it! I'm getting ready to leave for the airport and meet up with my fellow Y's Crackers from Kentucky... the six of us will join the delegates from the Houston and Seattle Ys in Hong Kong and then finish the last leg of our trip together to Vietnam. Our entire group - 20 of us from the States and 5 Y Vietnam staff will be working on a school in the Ben Tre Province. This project is similar to a Habitat for Humanity build, but with schools. Very cool! More details and pictures to follow...
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