Happy Lunar New Year in VIETNAM!

I returned to Korea on Sunday morning from a very interesting trip to Vietnam. Not too many places I visit surprise me anymore, but Vietnam was still able to do that. And for that reason, I loved it! The most shocking thing was the traffic. I just could not get over the madness of thousands of motorbikes weaving in and out of cars and pedestrians. It was quite a sight! I also enjoyed learning the history of Vietnam. I guess in the north there is still some hostility towards Americans, but we didn't experience that in the South. It was definitely eye-opening to hear about the war from the other side. We spent two days in Ho Chi Minh, where we were able to spend some time in a beautiful park, eat lots of phó (Vietnamese noodles that cost about $1), see a water puppets show, and visit the CuChi tunnels. Anna, Lyndsey and I crawled through the entire thing. Parts of it were so small that we had to crawl on our hands and knees. And it has even been made bigger for tourists! The entrances were also very small and well-hidden. Our guide also showed us some traps that were used during the war. Very cool to see.

After a couple days in the city, we spent two days touring the Mekong Delta area. As a part of the tour we visited several small villages, traveled everywhere by boat, and did lots of crazy things: held a boa constrictor, ate "elephant ear" fish, drank honey tea, tried all kinds of new tropical fruit, slept in an...interesting hostel, bought pineapple from a boat at the floating market, and even saw a water buffalo.  The tour was relaxing and gave us the chance to meet some fellow travelers.

For the last few days of our trip we headed to the beach at Mui Ne. We arrived at about midnight, went to the hotel, and discovered that are booking was not received. Because of Lunar New Year everything in the country was shut down so people had a week-long vacation. It turns out that everyone goes to the beach during that time! We were told by the hotel owner that there were no rooms available anywhere because of the newear. The security guards helped us by calling a few hotels and finally said that the Saigon Mui Ne, a large resort, had one room available. The 7 of us then piled into a taxi to snatch it before someone else did. However, when we arrived we were told that they were completely booked. By this time it was approaching 1 AM, and I was prepared to sleep on the beach. As a last resort Jenn and Anna when one way and Lyndsey and I went another asking every place we came to if we had room. After walking for about 20 minutes (and feeling like we could relate to Mary and Joseph) Lynz and I were about ready to turn around when a woman ran out to us, pointed towards her guesthouse (it was dark and we hadn't even seen it!) and asked if we needed a place to sleep. We said yes and she led us to a clean, large room (2 queen size beds...enough for at least 6 to have a bit of mattress). She even had another room available for the next two nights. So at 2 AM we found a place to stay for the duration of the trip. Whew! It was quite an adventure!

The rest of our time in Mui Ne was very nice. We swam in the warm ocean, laid on the beach, watched kite surfers, visited sand dunes and went sand sleddin, creek-stomped in a beautiful stream, ate more yummy food, shopped, and played mini-golf. It was fun and relaxing. I felt so disconnected from school and work; it was great!

Now we are back in class for three more weeks until our next break. I will be going to India for a mission trip with a group of high school students. I am sooooo excited because I have wanted to go to India for quite some time now. We will be working at an orphanage near Bangalore. The week before that Tami and Colleen will be here!!! I can't wait! March will be here and over before I know it!

Click here for pictures from Vietnam. Also, check out the video below. It is incredible!