Vũng Tàu: 30 Hours on the Southern Coast

The entrance to our nearby beach.

Note: I'm currently in Chicago and it's -12 C. These pictures are making me really happy.

Vũng Tàu is about 2 hours south of Ho Chi Minh City, and there's an awful lot there to make an excellent weekend of it. Whether you go by bus or motorbike (and, of course, I highly recommend traveling by motorbike), there's enough to see, tons to eat, beaches to loiter on, and of course, enough Banh Khot to kill a horse (an ok death, I assume).

The city itself is situated on a southern outcropping of the nation, with a few atypical hill-mountains near the shore, and features a relatively compact city center as well as several important historical sites. And Banh Khot.

While we were unable to get a hotel room in the city center, instead ending up in a new guesthouse about 7 km away in an unfinished division, we did have a whole beach essentially to ourselves at night and BANH KHOT GUYS, THIS IS WHERE BANH KHOT IS FROM! And... Jesus?

Click through to check out what 46 hours in Vũng Tàu looks like, as well as some of the most fun you can have for a stoopid cheap weekend not far from the crazy hustle-bustle of Saigon...

Da Lat's Hằng Nga Guesthouse

Lisa's Butt in her New Pants approaching the second spire of Crazy House by cement ivy walkway.
It makes sense... trust me.

Note: This summer took me to many new places... so many, in fact, that I'm only just now realizing that I have a zillion more posts to write about those three short months! Oof.

In July I went to Da Lat (again) with my friends Erin and Lisa. We had a BLAST.

Part of the experience was that we were staying in what I can easily call the most unique guesthouse I've ever seen. It's so absurd, I have a hard time even describing it with words. Even my gift for analogy seems like too fine a point on it when trying to talk about this astounding creative vision.

On second thought, that won't stop me from trying. Click through for a tour of one architect's vision made concrete (literally and figuratively, I assure you) - a kaleidoscope of nature, wire, stone, and wood brought together in an unforgettably eccentric manner.

Mui Ne: Resort Life at The Cliff

In early July I went with a group of Vietnamese to a bona fide RESORT. I've never been to such a classy, blatantly rich-people destination before. Goodness!

We stayed at The Cliff Resort near Mui Ne. It really had it all. Great food, great service, clean rooms, amazing acrylic artwork in the rooms, and a private beach. This was the off season, so there weren't a million billion people here on their holidays, which was so pleasant.

I don't have much to say about this place, except that it was absurdly relaxing. This was the same trip as our stop at the waterfalls in Dong Nai. Click through for some pictures of my stay, and see why it's basically always the best time to visit Mui Ne... but that early July is exceptional.

Park Life: Thac Giang Điền

I wish I'd found this place myself.

However, it's so far off the beaten path of my everyday travels that only looking for it specifically would find it - it's not in Ho Chi Minh City at all, but rather, about about 60 minutes (~45km) outside it in the countryside of Dong Nai Province, northeast of Bien Hoa City.

Join me in the Dong Nai countryside for a relaxing surprise!

Hội An: Ancient Town, Lovely Beach, Magic Atmosphere

Beaches, textiles, cacti, seafood, and old, old, old buildings are just a few of the pieces of the puzzle called Hội An - one of the oldest, and most immaculately preserved, trading port towns existing in SE Asia today... and definitely one of the most unique.

In July 2014 I visited with my good friend Lisa, after spending several (extremely mild) days in beautiful Da Lat and a bit in Saigon. It was only 700 km from the south-central highlands to this central port town, but the weather couldn't have been more different! We got a lot of variation on our trip together - a key characteristic of Vietnam.

Da Lat required me to buy a sweatshirt and scarf (a scarf, people), but there was zero need for them here. Although it was the beginning of the rainy season, we were blessed with three days of beautiful, hot, sunny days, and we took advantage of each one to the fullest, eating, drinking, biking, and walking our way around this sleepy and beautiful town.

Hạ Long Bay: Natural and Economic Marvel of North Vietnam

'Tornado Light' - all afternoon!

"Twisters!" is an unexpected thing to hear where I live - not just because I immediately wonder what Helen Hunt is doing these days, but because I don't read much weather news here in Vietnam (why bother... it's either Hot and Dry or Hot and Rainy).

So when my mom and I did hear it, it only lent another interesting layer to our overnight daytrip to Hạ Long Bay, Vietnam, one of the new Seven Wonders of the World, in June 2014.

This is an ancient place, one of the first cradles of humanity in the Vietnam region, and a huge, interesting business built on the fickle whims of Mother Nature. Read on...

Closing Time

The Principal speaking.

Yes, people: you don't have to go home, but you can't stay here. Because it's SUMMER VACATION!

Well, if you insist, HCMC. If you insist.

This past Wednesday was formally my last day in the Vietnamese public schools for the 2013-2014 school year, and I really couldn't be happier. Because, seriously, I've been at sweat level Cannonball In The Deep End (which is the highest sweat alert level, if you didn't know) for the past three weeks - I'm soaking wet seemingly all the time.

It's been a real slog to the finish line, both for teachers and their kids. Everyone knows the end is nigh, and as the humidity goes up and the heat stays the same (HOT), concentration becomes a serious chore.

The Vietnamization of Normal

This still isn't normal, and I hope it never is!
They look like little molars. 

Traveling to a new country, into a new (albeit temporary) job/career, has entailed a lot of major changes for me, but none has been more surprising than discovering the ability to adapt to changing circumstances. Sooner or later, you find yourself becoming a part of your environment, and your environment makes up an integral piece of your reality.

It was in the past few months that I've noticed that my version of normal has been undergoing some serious behind-the-scenes upgrades. New motifs have been trotted out, old relics have been (temporarily?) retired, and a new synthesis is being created between my outer and inner worlds.

So today, I thought I'd draw up a quick illustrated guide to my new "normal" - the elements that have slipped so far into the background that they can only be identified by scanning the negative spaces around them, the supporting pieces that hold each in place. The moments when, for just an instant, I forget to marvel at the world around me, when the wondrous and bizarre become mundane and nothing more than background static.

Without further ado: Things That Are Now Somehow Normal

Cambodia: Phare, the Cambodian Circus

After our fantastic Indian dinner at Curry Walla, we availed ourselves of one of Siem Reap's most highly flaunted attractions - Phare, the Cambodian circus.

Cambodia: Amateur Foodies Run Amok

Oh... rice. Hello.

The food and drink we enjoyed in Cambodia was enjoyable, but not life-changingly memorable... with three very notable exceptions.

Rice is THE primary crop here (and pepper, if you go to the Kampot region) and, with the kingdom still in a rather steep process of post-war recovery, frankly the cheapest - the result is the "rice with stuff" syndrome, but kind of bland. Rice with chicken. Rice with pork. Rice with beans. There's not much deviation. I've had these dishes hundreds of times before in Vietnam. In many ways, it was staples, and not much else... the 'meat and potatoes' of SE Asia, the 'bread and butter,' but not much in the way of a historical 'jam' to spread on top. In other words, it was good and nourishing but kind of boring - although you probably could have guessed I'd say that, after spending some time exploring the ridiculously intricate palette of Vietnamese culinary traditions.

But... BUT. He said, Three Things! Three Really Great Things! Read on to see just what I did think was AMAZING, and what I'll do again in a heartbeat next time I'm in Siem Reap.

Cambodia: Temples Grandes

Honestly? There's so little I can say about the Angkor temple complex that I haven't already mentioned: it's vast, jungle-y, ancient, and absurdly intricate. It may not be as great a mystery as Easter Island, or the perfect geometry of the Great Pyramids, but it's more than enough for me to take hundreds and hundreds of pictures (which, by the way, are turning out pretty good! I LOVE having a smartphone!) and provide commentary so obvious that a manatee could have written it.

But let's be real... when did not having anything original to say ever stop me?

This is just a smidgen of the central part of the complex. For scale, Angkor Wat is 3 km wide.

Let's look at more pretty things that humans were able to do without computers...

Picture-heavy post ahead!

Cambodia: Siem Reap After Dark

The days were hot, but the nights were cool. So cool!

Siem Reap has, as I've noted, a substantial tourism industry, and at the heart of it (for the younguns, at least) lies Pub Street and the compact but energetic bar scene in the city's core. There are all kinds of venues, for all kinds of people, but the tourist and expat reigns supreme.

Sadly, we didn't go to a Cambodian bar (technically I suppose they're all Cambodian, but you get the idea), but the nights we spent hopping between western-style pubs an clubs were relaxing and fun - just like the rest of the city.

Cambodia: Angkor Wat Short Circuits My Brain

The next afternoon we secured a tuk tuk to Angkor Wat, which lies about 15 minutes from the city center.

You can buy passes for 1 day, 3 days, or 7 days. 7 days seemed excessive, but there's really just too much cool stuff for 1 day, including temples of all descriptions (those descriptions being square, stone, jungle-y, and headless), hundreds of square miles of jungle, ruins, and tourists. So many tourists! The 3 day pass, sold for 40 USD, was a good fit for our plans.

Tuk tuk tours are generally divided into two main offerings: the large circuit and the small circuit.

Cambodia: The Sideshow of Siem Reap

Our next destination was Siem Reap, which I discovered was more than just the gateway to Angkor Wat. The city was a fascinating place in and of itself.

After the speed boat ride, we alighted on a red, sandy dock area, climbing some crumbling steps past the throngs of tuk tuk drivers and children hoping to carry luggage and score a dollar. Getting situated in the tuk tuk we'd reserved (but paying an additional ), we pulled out of the lot and onto the main road, a gravel affair running along the top of a sort-of berm. To either side were planks leading to houses, which rose on stilts above the rice paddies and marshy land that led off into the distance.

View Larger Map

Cool. Cool cool cool.

About 5 minutes into our trip I had the best surprise of my trip - Chris pulled up in a tuk tuk next to me! He signaled we follow him. I had the absolute honor to say, "Follow that tuk tuk!," and only discovered when we got back to Chris' house that he'd said the same thing to his tuk tuk, but wearing his Indiana Jones hat. Scout badge to Chris.

Cambodia: Waterworld

After taking in the cities, towns, countryside, and sheer scale of the lakes and rivers we traversed the next day, I find it's true - there's (yet) another world that exists on Cambodia's lakes and rivers, and Erin and I got to see it all firsthand as we took a speedboat ride from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap.

From modern construction to traditional rural houses and dense riverside populations to the shifting patchwork of floating communities, the experience was leaps and bounds more interesting than what we would have gotten on a bus ride. The skies were perfect, the sun was sunny, and for six hours we lounged and watched a new world unfold around us.

Cambodia: There and Back Again

Ah, Cambodge! What can I say about you that hasn't been said a thousand times before?! Well, maybe a few words. If you insist, Internet, if you insist.

I will never get tired of taking pictures of palm trees. NEVER.

I absolutely loved my Tet vacation to Vietnam's southwestern neighbor, the Kingdom of Cambodia. This was my first time just goin' to another country, checkin' it out, you know. This entailed all sorts of new things like border crossings and currency exchange.

View Larger Map

I mean, look how close I am to Cambodia! I'm practically there already, might as well go see what's what, right?

I've got a ton of photos, so consider these next few entries in the blog my finally getting down on paper the memories, moments, sights, musings, and observations that I made over the course of 8 days in early 2014.

One more thing - I wanted to add some more history into these, but virtually everything I learned was after I visited. To give you a sense of me when I took these pictures, I'll keep the historical commentary short and relevant, and try and let my pictures speak for themselves.

So dim the lights, make yourself some rice dish or whatever you're into right now, and click through...

Dong Nai Football Opening Day

Last week I got an irresistible proposition: opening day of the Dong Nai Football Club.

It provided several very fun firsts: my first chance to visit a different province for fun and pleasure, my first ever FIFA soccer (no... football!) match, and my first "extended" motorbike trip.

People come and go so fast when you're traveling... when you're planted in one place, it's easy to miss all the people that are spending less time there than you. The possibilities seem endless when you have a set amount of time ahead of you. The trick is to avoid that sense of complacency and make the most of every moment - something that doesn't always come easily to my introverted nature.

Saigon Sights: The Saigon Zoo and Botanical Gardens

Recently, I visited a place I told myself I'd never go again. On my previous excursion, it was the most depressing zoo outside of Minnesota (looking at you, Little Falls, MN): the Saigon Zoo and Botanical Gardens. And here I was again, ready for round two.

We weren't even supposed to be there!

But, alas, the History Museum was on naptime lockdown (sigh. I feel I'll never get used to that) for an hour and a half, and, with no where else to go, my friend Kasia and I ventured into the zoo next door to take some pictures, stroll around, and generally be snarky and judge-y about the whole thing. We'd both been there before, and, unlike her, I wanted to return to capture the sad on my upgraded camera. We were both afraid of being bummed out, but with nothing else to do, we reluctantly drifted in.

What a shock we had. Merely four months ago, this place was a decrepit wonderland of depression. Animals were skinnier and more despondent, attendance was lower, and it felt kind of run down. This time, admission prices had doubled (from a scant 6000 VND to a slightly less scant 12000 VND, or about .60 cents USD), the grounds had been given a makeover, several new habitats were under construction, and there were people! People everywhere! The most exciting animal in the park!

Continue on to see a few of my favorite pictures and my suggestion for a plan...

Tropical Santa Cosplay Time

Every year my dad dresses up to play Santa in his Illinois town. This year, to my general dismay, I joined his taste in santa-wear and dressed up as the jolly man himself (Santa, although my dad's pretty jolly, too!) to bring guava and yoghurt flavored candy to the children of Song Lo Primary School.

Let's just say that it was real, real hot, and that they should wash that santa suit after I sweat all over it. This is not a forgiving climate for wearing fur!

Also, check out my ridiculous sandals. Santa went tropical this year. Forget that boots nonsense: when Santa is in Rome...!

At left is a picture of me with my cooperating teacher (the regular English teacher, who magically becomes my TA when I'm there). She's really great, and we have good first grade classrooms together. They're sometimes so smart it's scary!

Click through for a photo album of Santa's trip to Phu Nhuan District...

Saigon Sights: À Ố Show at the Saigon Opera House

Wow, finally... a post about the theatre! A fitting choice for my 100th (!) post!

Theatre's usually a dress-up time for me - the closest thing I could manage after 12 hours in my work clothes was jeans and a snazzy bow-tie (I have LITERALLY been waiting since I got to Vietnam to pull out the bow-tie!!), but I shouldn't have worried. The house was packed with expats and visiting tourists in casual duds.

The visitors were there with good reason. The À Ố Show currently in residence at the Saigon Opera House brags that it's changing the guidebooks, and they're pretty much right on the money. That is no undeserved brag, my friends. This is an honest-to-god piece of art, and I enjoyed every second of it. If I hadn't seen it's artistic antecedents several times in America (Cirque du Soleil, you've gone and had a love child with Vietnam, didn't you?) I would have had absolutely no idea where this came from.

As it turns out, the show was a blast. My inner theatre professional thought it was practically perfect in every way - funny, moving, beautiful, well-designed, well-choreographed and executed, thoughtfully-conceived, and an all around pleasure!

Click through for pics, the Opera House, and my thoughts...