Vietnam

04/10/07

First, Happy Easter!!! Or belated Easter I guess. I went to church on board with Archbishop Desmund Tutu. This time the whole student body was invited for a large service. The dinner was better than usual. We had turkey and ham and the usual pasta and potatoes. I’ve been trying to eat as much as possible because I’m losing weight for some reason. I bought a ceramic painted egg in India and Celina and I were going to hide it from each other and have a hunt but we never got around to it. I felt more homesick than usual because I knew you all were together eating great food and visiting. I missed the Quiche this year :(

GOOOOOD MORNING VIETNAM!!! Geez, this voyage is really flying by quickly! I can’t believe that I only have a few more ports left. Anywhooooo…I guess I’ll just start by saying I love Vietnam. Surprising right? I betcha woulda never guessed…haha ;)

First, Happy Easter!!! Or belated Easter I guess. I went to church on board with Archbishop Desmund Tutu. This time the whole student body was invited for a large service. The dinner was better than usual. We had turkey and ham and the usual pasta and potatoes. I’ve been trying to eat as much as possible because I’m losing weight for some reason. I bought a ceramic painted egg in India and Celina and I were going to hide it from each other and have a hunt but we never got around to it. I felt more homesick than usual because I knew you all were together eating great food and visiting. I missed the Quiche this year :(

We got in a couple days ago and just moments after stepping into port, we found a taxi driver who ended up taking us around town all day. The first stop we made was to a tailor to make custom-made suits for Michael and Greg. Celina and I ended up getting dresses as well. I’m not sure why but I guess a custom-made dress will always come in handy and plus it was cheap. We have to go pick them up tomorrow so we’ll see how they turn out.

While Michael and Greg were measured for their suits, Celina and I walked around and looked at different shops. We met a guy from England who seemed really excited to meet some American females. He was interesting to talk to. Everyone is very friendly here and I think I’ve been smiled at more here than any other port. The traffic is INSANE! It’s a close race between India and Vietnam on which is crazier. There are a lot of motorcycles and in order to cross we’re supposed to slowly walk across the street even when 50 are speeding in our direction. They swerve around us. I took video of it and if I can figure out how to post it, I will. I sound look a goof ball but the fear and shaking voice are not staged whatsoever. We had pho for lunch and it was amazing! It costs about a dollar for a large portion so that makes it even better. We went to an indoor market and the people there were just as aggressive as they were in India. A woman had me and Celina trapped in her shop and wouldn’t let us out until we bought something. We didn’t even have to bargain, she did all the work. I really didn’t want what she was trying to sell me so I kept saying “No thank you” and trying to leaving but she kept going down lower and lower until eventually she made it from $40 US dollars to $10 so I had to take her up on her offer.