Viva Vietnam...

March 27, 2009


I had the most wonderful time in Vietnam and its probably my favorite place so far. I know I’ve been saying that about every country, but everything I’ve been doing has been so great and so different, its hard to say. But I loved Vietnam. The people are so nice and friendly here. We we’re lucky in this port because unlike Thailand where we docked about an hour away from the city, in Vietnam we docked right in the middle of the city of Saigon so we could easily get around. The first day, I left with a friend I met the previous night at a meeting, Liz, who was also on the Facebook Vietnam trip that was put together independently. We decided to go out together and get fitted to have dresses made for us. We went to a tailor and picked out some fabric and a style. The women measured us and that was that. Getting dresses and suits made in Vietnam is something that everyone on SAS does every year, so we decided to all do it too. Things are pretty cheap here, its 1 US dollar for about 18,000 of theirs. We were paying in the 100,000’s. After the dress thing, we decided to get some lunch at the famous Pho 2000. I had some roasted seasoned chicken and rice with some soup. Turns out that Bill Clinton had eaten there when he was in Vietnam as president. They had pictures of him all over and even had a plaque made for the seat he sat in and his family, and also a copy of the menu that he ordered. It was really good food. After lunch we decided to just walk around the city. It was so hot outside and we we’re tired from walking everywhere so we decided to chill in the park for awhile. We ran into this funny man who lived there. He wanted to take us anywhere but we had big bags with us because we were leaving for our trip that afternoon. He was very helpful and pointed out on our map some things that we should do and see and how to get there. He also showed us a few journals of his. Inside we’re pages of letters and pictures of people from all around the world that he had driven in Vietnam. It was really neat to see. He calls them all his friends and writes back and forth with them. It was really cute. After wandering around the city we decided that we should get a cab to the airport. We stopped in a hotel and had the manager there call a cab for us, that way we would know it was reliable. Just a tip for people traveling and taking a random cab with a meter. Their meters are not like other places, these particular cabs with meters don’t charge right at all. The price doubles every minute. Our friends learned that the hard way when they each had to pay over 50 dollars for a short cab ride. We got to the airport and met everyone from our group. I didn’t know anyone on this trip but I ended up making some really good friends! We all checked in to the gates and went through security. Turns out that our plane was delayed a few hours and kept getting delayed more. That night we missed a water puppet show that we we’re scheduled to see. While we waited we all chatted and got to know each other better, I made good friends with Jeff, Gaylen Mary, Liz and Pepper while waiting to board. We all told each other of ourselves, talked about different things and played some cards to make the time go by faster. I didn’t mind too much about the plane being delayed because I enjoyed just talking and hanging out, but we we’re all a little disappointed about missing the water puppet show, we heard those we’re really neat to see.




We got to Hanoi finally, late and checked into our 2 star hotel which was pretty sketch but an interesting and fun experience anyway. We we’re all hungry cause we hadn’t eaten so we decided to see if there was something open. There wasn’t anything open because the market had closed. The small group of us ended up finding a small bread store so some people bought some roles to eat, I just had my animal crackers that I brought with me from home. We ran into some British guys who we’re also here visiting. They we’re really nice and gave us some good tips. They seem to just be vagabonds, traveling all over and staying in hostels. They we’re really cool and it was nice to talk with them. After getting something to eat we all headed back to the hotel to sleep and whatever. I was rooming with Mary who I had just met that day, she’s really cool and we got to know each other better which was nice.

The next day we got up and checked out of our hotel and met up again with our tour guide whom we called Mike. He was great, so friendly and helpful to us. We we’re driving up north further that day to Halong Bay (which is beautiful and a must see in Vietnam) I wasn’t sure what to expect out of this trip because I wasn’t really sure what we we’re doing. And because it wasn’t an SAS trip but independently planned. The bus ride was long, about 4 hours with some stops. We really got to see to real Vietnam, the country side. There we’re many people in fields working and it was really neat to see not only the bustle of city life in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) but to see the simple country side and rice paddy life. We arrived at the port to board our new home for the trip, and authentic Chinese Junk. It was a really nice boat!! The bottom deck we’re our cabins, the middle was the main dining area and the top was an open deck for laying out and spending time on. We all got settled in our cabins and came upstairs for lunch which was all seafood. I’m not a seafood person but I tried everything for the most part and took pictures. I was a little uncomfortable about eating the crab and fish when the head was still on it and it was staring at me so I turned it around. It was a really good lunch, and I was surprised that I’d like it. After lunch the 13 of us decided to hang out on the top deck and just talk and get to know each other better. I’ve never had such a good group of people on my trip. The last independent overnight trip I did was in Namibia, and those people we’re all really concerned about making sure they we’re drunk for everything. Some of them we’re on this trip too, but they we’re in another group and another boat, they we’re add-ons at the last minute. I was so happy to be in the original group so I didn’t have to deal with all the drinkers again. I was with really chill people, and some had some drinks but they weren’t getting drunk. It was a really great group and we all became friends right away. It worked out perfectly.

Halong Bay is absolutely beautiful, I was so glad that I did this trip. I didn’t think I would like it because I didn’t know what was going on, but I’m so glad I did this trip because I had the best time there than any of my other trips. It was a small group of us and everything was very relaxed, we all liked each other and enjoyed each others company a lot. We we’re cruising through Halong Bay and it was really neat. There we’re mountains around us and giant rocks the size of icebergs towering over us. There was a fog that covered the water and we felt as if we we’re in a pirate movie or something. It was really neat. We stopped at a mountain to get off and explore “the amazing cave” which was so sweet!! I’ve never been in a real cave before and this really was amazing!! I felt like the goonies or in Tom and Huck when they get lost in the caves. I loved it, it was so cool! I want to explore caves more often. After the cave visit we boarded our boat again and sailed to a house boat where we tied up and were able to get off and do some kayaking. I never kayaked before but I enjoyed it very much and want to do it again for sure. It was the coolest thing I’ve done yet. The scenery was amazing and I couldn’t believe what I was doing. I was so lucky. I wish I could have brought all my family and friends here because I wanted to share it with them too. It was beautiful and so peaceful out there. I loved everything about it. After kayaking and some swimming we all got back on the boat for dinner. They make some of the best meals for us, it was ridiculous we got so much good food. I’ve never had so much sea food in all my life, and I’m still not a fan of it, but I did eat it so I am making progress in that area.

After dinner everyone just hung out of the top deck and we had some good conversations. It was getting pretty late and some went to bed and others stayed up for awhile chatting. All of a sudden we heard a bunch of noise from the other boat with the other SAS group who was tied to ours for the night, so we went to go check it out. All of a sudden I heard 1, 2, 3 and then screaming and right overhead jumps off the top deck about 20 students, naked into the water for skinny dipping. That was sure interesting. And stupid considering it was dark and there wasn’t a ladder up. Pepper and I and one of the boatman put a ladder down for them to climb up. It was funny, they all had a good time and we all laughed at them. It’s not something I would do ever though. After that fiasco we all decided it was time for bed on out boat. After some more deep conversations with my new friends, I retired to my cabin, read a little bit more of “Pride and Prejudice” and then fell asleep.

The next morning we got up early and had some breakfast, today was a busy day with lots of activities. We cruised along some more and we’re able to go out kayaking again in the bay, which was a lot of fun. We transferred our things to another smaller boat that would be sailing us to Cat Ba Island. Before arriving there, we stopped on the opposite side of the island to do some cycling in the villages. I was so happy to go bike riding again and the scenery was amazing. I could believe where I was. I was riding a traditional Vietnamese bike through the mountains and farms in Vietnam. We rode to a small village where we we’re able to chat with some locals. After arriving there, we left our bikes and started a hike in the jungle to see the Snake cave. It was surreal to take in everything. Cycling in the mountains through villages, hiking in the jungle, exploring caves. I had a blast!!! After exploring the caves and the nature surrounding us, we headed back to our bikes and cycled back to the dock. I took a lot of pictures of the views from my bike so I would be better able to share them with my family. Most of the things I’m doing I find really hard to explain in words the feelings, the sites, sounds, emotions etc. A picture can help to better understand a little at least, so I did my best.



For lunch we sailed to a small beach area where we unloaded the tables and chairs on our boat and set them up on the beach. The boatmen unloaded the food they cooked for us and we had a really nice meal on this remote beach. It was wonderful! Seriously, who does that everyday? It was so much fun and we all we’re having such a great time! I collected some shells of all different colors to take home. After lunch we sailed to “Monkey Island” which we we’re all so excited about, especially me! It’s a remote island where monkeys live free and wild. Our boat was too big and the water was too shallow to pull close to the island so we got off in little lifeboats and were rowed in the rest of the way. I had a banana to give to the monkeys. People we’re freaking out. Monkeys, although they are really cute are not the nicest animals and will attack you. They are nasty little things. When I got off the boat a monkey started to run towards me and my friends yelled to just give it the banana, so I did and it left us alone. Some others took pictures of the monkey eating the banana I gave it saying it was a classic monkey picture. We tried to get as close as we could to them, but some didn’t like it and chases after the students who ran into the water for safety. I loved the monkeys! We we’re only there about a half –hour or so but I had a great time on Monkey island and was really happy that we went.

We continued sailing to Cat Ba Island and arrived there in the late afternoon and checked into our hotel. The island was really pretty and seemed to be the hot spot for the tourists. There was a lot of life on the island. Families and locals kids playing, many shops and things. It was really nice and our hotel was amazing as well. We had a waterfront view. It was beautiful. After getting freshened up we headed down to where we would be served dinner, which was really good. I sat with my new friends, Mary, Liz, Jeff, Thomas, Lianna, Jake, Emily, Craig, Gaylen and Pepper and others and we had some good conversation. I learned also how to use chopsticks, I could never do it before but now I’m a pro at it and its kinda fun. I think I’m a natural at it now. I think I’ll by my own boxed set of chopsticks in China if they sell them there. They did here in Vietnam so I’m sure China will too.

The group of us decided that we wanted to go out that night. We walked to a local store and bought some drinks and walked around the island until we got back to the hotel where we hung out in Emily and Lianna’s room for awhile having some drinks and good conversation, we each used Emily’s Skype on her computer because she was getting free internet from the hotel and we each called home for a short while. It was a very enjoyable night. At about 11 or so we headed back out to see if we could find the rest of the group, but we couldn’t. They we’re out somewhere, but we weren’t sure which way to go so we all headed back to the hotel after another stop at the store for some people. We then walked back to the hotel to hang out again. Turns out “The Patriot” was on which is one of my favorite movies and happened to be one of their favorite movies as well! We we’re flabbergasted that we all loved this movie a lot, we all watched it together and talked awhile getting to know each other better. I had such a great night and this trip was my favorite so far because I was having such a good time with all of these people. We ended up all falling asleep in Emily and Lianna’s room. We got up the next morning and packed up our things because it was our last day. We headed back to the boat and sailed back to Hanoi from Halong Bay. Upon arriving in Hanoi we boarded our buses again and had a long drive to the airport, we mainly slept on the drive there but also talked as well. I talked to Craig and Pepper for a while and shared our views on different topics. It was fun talking with them some more.

We got to the airport and our plane back to Saigon was delayed so we tried switching to another flight, it was a stressful process but it was accomplished and we we’re on our plane back home. On this plane ride I sat next to Craig, Liz, Emily and Jake. It was a nice flight and I enjoyed talking with them. We had talked about going out once we got back to the ship. As soon as we we’re out of the airport we split into groups to get cabs back to the ship. I was starving so I changed into a new dress I bought in Thailand quick and went upstairs to get a sandwich to eat. I came back to the room and Val said they we’re leaving to go out so I went with her. We went to the grand opening of Club Buddha, which was really nice. We then walked to “Apocalypse”, a club nearby. It was huge and there we’re so many people there you could hardly moved. We stayed there and danced until close, it was so much fun! I’ve never been to a club before, I’m not a big fan of crowded, loud, hot places or dancing for a long time but I had a great time here!! We got back to the ship at about 3, showered and went to bed falling asleep to the movie “Juno” that was playing on our t.v.’s.

The next morning I got up early to meet up with Pepper and Courtney, we we’re going to pick up our dresses and walk to the market for shopping. We bought a lot of things at the market for really cheap and our dresses also turned out really good so we we’re happy about that. We all got some North Face bags, magnets, t-shirts, DVD’s and other gifts. We walked around all day and it was so hot outside so we stopped for a treat on the way back to the ship. After getting back to the ship. Courtney and I finished writing our postcards and headed up to dinner, it was BBQ night.

After dinner I started to feel really sick with severe nausea and cramping. I was in so much pain, I ended up going to the doctor that night to see if they could help me. They gave me a couple pills to take but nothing helped, I ended up sleeping in the bathroom that night because I had been getting sick all night. I’ve never felt so sick before in my life, it was awful. I didn’t go to any classes the next day, or even leave my room. I was so nauseated and was having really bad pains in my stomach and kept passing out during the day and slept for long hours. The clinic opened up again in the afternoon and I went back to see the doctors who did some more tests on me. The decided to give me a shot and some different pills to take, I stayed down in the clinic for awhile in one of the bedrooms so they could keep an eye on me. After awhile, they walked me back up to my cabin because I could hardly walk on my own without experiencing a lot of pain. I slept for awhile in my room and woke up to Courtney’s phone call, she had been stopping by to check on me and stuff. She ended up staying the evening with me to make sure I was okay, and running to get me some Gatorade and stuff which is something the doctor told me to drink. We watched one of the DVD’s we bought for a dollar that day. I got so many movies and tv series and even a boxed set of every Disney movie ever made and a collection of every movie nominated for a “Best Picture” oscar. I think the shot and pill must have worked because I was feeling a little bit better. I took a shower and when I was done, my dinner tray arrived. The doctor had put a note in for me to have all meals delivered to my cabin, they had me on a special diet because I was so dehydrated. They aren’t sure what caused me to feel so sick, but apparently there are about 5 of us or so from the Vietnam trip that have the same symptoms. They said it’s a combination and variations on TD, Heat exhaustion, food poisoning and dehydration, and its all just settling in right now. I still feel really sick. I haven’t left my cabin in 3 days except to see the doctor. I had time finally to check my email for the first time since arriving in Vietnam. The ship’s email doesn’t work unless you’re on the ship. So I’m unable to access email while in a country. For the most part, I had a lot of nice emails from my friends, so that made me smile and feel a little better.

The pills they gave me helped a little and the shot seemed to work for awhile. I had the most wonderful time in Vietnam and loved every minute of it except for the getting sick part. I’m still worried I won’t be able to get off in China because I’m still sick. We arrive there tomorrow and I’m really looking forward to the trip I’m on. I’m signed up for one of the University trips, I’m doing the Peking one. They say out of all SAS trips in all the countries, that these are the number one best ones you can do. I really want to go. I really hope I feel better real soon…


P.S. Happy 22nd Birthday Brinkley!!!! ☺ Miss you!