Good Morning, Good Afternoon, and Good Evening VIETNAM!

Hey All- sorry for the delayed Vietnam post....I sent it to my blog but apparently it did not get there!!!

Mom and Dad-hope you enjoy this one=) Sorry it didn't go through!

Love you!

I told my parents that I would not title my blog “Good Morning Vietnam,” but I had to do it, no matter how cliché it is.  I feel like it has been forever since I have written in my blog and the more I think about it a lot has been happened since the last post!

        School is really heating up now that we do not have that many days in between ports. When I went from Brazil to Namibia I think that I had a week to get back into the swing and the same in between Cape Town and India. Now that I have hit Asia I only have about one or two days in between each country. I will have to learn to recuperate rather quickly so that I have enough energy for the rest of my adventures.

Vietnam was extraordinary! I am not just saying this because my parents came and visited me. (Of course this was the highlight of my trip though). In the past my ship has either anchored or docked at the pier rather early around 8 or 9 A.M.  However, because the only way to get to the pier in Ho Chi Minh City is to go through a river, we had to wait until high tide around noon to take us down through the rest of the river.
        I was so anxious to see my parents that the minute I found out we were not going to be at the dock until noon I was not the happiest of campers. But, I did quickly recover the moment I saw them on the side of the pier trying to find me on the seventh deck of the boat. When the ship was close to where the parents were located my Dad called me and said, “Kristen we are about 400 meters away from your ship.” I immediately hung up the phone and flew up the flights of stairs to the outside deck. I completely forgot that it takes a little while for the boat to actually dock at the pier, but I did get to see my parents from the upper deck and wave to them as my ship pulled in.
        Writing this right now is reminding me of how happy I was to see them and the tears of joy that were flowing from my eyes watching them wave to me from below. It was surreal to think about them being there after flying half way around the world to see me. I wanted to share each and every bit of excitement and fun that I had been having for the past two months and I was finally able to do just that.
        They were eventually able to board the ship at about 1 P.M after having been standing out in the sweltering sun and humidity for two hours. The heat that we experienced was unbelievable, but I think both of my parents handled it quite well considering the tour company told my Dad not to wear or bring shorts :/ Ask him to tell you about the shorts story in the market; it is priceless =)
We finally reunited in the hallway leading into the dining room and it was great!!! I missed them like crazy and already do. After hanging on the boat for an hour or so we decided to pack up some of my things so that I could stay at their hotel for a few nights. I am really glad that I did because I was able to spend more time with them and be away from the ship for a while.
        Over the course of four days we did a lot of shopping in the markets, ate at some delicious restaurants, and went on a few tours with Semester At Sea as well as on our own.
        The first night in Vietnam we went out to dinner with a student from the ship and his Dad that my parents met on the parent trip to Thailand and Vietnam. We also were accompanied by eight of  “big Al’s guy friends. The stories that were being told from the ship were hilarious because I could relate to all of them! It was a fun night and the Vietnamese style cuisine was tasty too!
        The next day we set out with a Semester At Sea tour to a Cao Dai Temple and the famous Cu Chi Tunnels. The temple was extremely unique with intricate colors and shapes of different patterns and animals. It was the first temple that my parents and myself had visited where there were actual monks and people praying in the temple. I like going to different temples and comparing and contrasting religions and countries traditions.
        Next was time for the Cu Chi Tunnels. When we arrived we were escorted down into these huts to watch a movie which was pretty much propaganda. The movie clip was talking about Americans and how their impact on the war really messed things up. Let me just say it was not a fun video to watch. We then were able to see the tunnels that thousands of men lived in and crawled through in the war. These tunnels were incredibly small. The men that were down in the tunnels were about 100 pounds. You had to be that small though or else you wouldn’t have fit through these openings. I was able to go down a bigger tunnel and it was an adventure. I do not normally get claustrophobic and hot that easily, but these tunnels put a new definition to sweaty and no airflow.
        The story that our tour guide told us about the Vietnam War and all that they went through was mind-boggling. I don’t think that we will ever be able to understand what went though their mind and all atrocities of war in general, but learning and being educated about what happened makes me understand a little more about the world we live in. 
        That night we went to a great restaurant called “Level 23” and it was on the top of the Sheraton Hotel, on you guessed it the twenty-third floor. The view from the top of the hotel was breathtaking! You would not believe how many motorbikes were in Vietnam -so the view from up top was also seeing an insane about of motorbikes and cars. My parents and I were really surprised that there were not more accidents in the city. They say that there are ten million people that live in Ho Chi Minh City and there are at least five million motorbikes! I can’t wait to show all of you pictures!
        Third day was devoted to some sightseeing in the city! We booked a private tour to take us all around Ho Chi Minh. The first place we went to was a Buddhist pagoda with a huge Buddhist statue that we took a picture with. We went on to visit another pagoda, which was intricate and was partially open from the outside. Unfortunately for us it was raining- but we managed getting around and taking it all in. Our final stop before lunch was to a Chinese market. This was probably the hottest and most humid place in the city. There was everything in this market from thousands of shoes, hair accessories, different varieties of every food, etc. You could just imagine what this place smelled like, and believe me I definitely want to forget the smell. This gets me real excited for China! Hehe.
        After lunch, our tour guide by the name of Sonny took us to the War Museum. After going through each and every room of photographs, newspapers, guns, depictions of the children’s view of the war, etc, it was incredibly powerful. I don’t think that I have ever completely thought about war in this way after seeing these strong and powerful words and pictures. Of course I have thought about war in the sense of the word, but after being to this museum you need to sit down and wrap your head around what you had just seen.
        We proceeded next to the Reunification Palace which was dedicated mainly to the bringing together of North and South Vietnam after the fall of Saigon. By the way they still say Saigon on a regular basis. I was told that it was just easier to say then Ho Chi Minh City.
        The palace was not like any other palace I have ever seen. It was unique in its own way, but did not resemble anything as far as the palaces in Europe go. The history was cool and our tour girl took us to the different rooms of the palace. It was without doubt a major tourist attraction but not a place where I am itching to get back to. My parents and I were going to go to Vietnam’s version of the Notre Dame Cathedral but we were way to exhausted to take another step. Not to mention the city was in complete torrential downpour. I decided instead to show my parents my pictures while having a drink in the lobby at the fabulous Renaissance hotel.
        I think that I may have skipped a day because I am already to the point of writing about my last day. Oh yes I remember what we did the first day. We went shopping around town and I bought a beautiful wrap around black dress that I am very eager to wear! I also bought a very nice blue skirt that will look good with a few blouses at home!
        Sorry about that detour. I hope I didn’t forget anything else that was important. I am sure my parents can tell you all about it when they get home.
        The last highlight of my stay in Vietnam was an excursion to the famous Mekong Delta. We took a two-hour bus ride out to the Delta with all of the other Semester At Sea parents and kids. When we arrived at the Mekong River, we boarded a small riverboat where we were escorted all around the different islands.
        We first stopped on a cute island where we tasted some of the local fruits. We had dragon fruit, mango, pineapple with strange salts, and more fruits that I don’t remember the name of. After tasting fruits we went to another island where they make coconut candy! It takes like taffy and there were many flavors to choose from. We bought the chocolate and the peanut ones =) After that it was honey tea time! They made a certain type of tea and put their homegrown honey into the tea! It was awesome!
        Finally we made it for lunch, not that any of us were really hungry after all of the taste testing…but oh well! Our first course at lunch took us all by surprise. They brought out a fried “Elephant Eared Fish” to every table at our group. I am talking about every part of the fish was still intact. The waitresses took a piece of what is called “rice paper” and wrapped that with noodles, vegetables, and the fish. It probably doesn’t sound like best, but after having tried it- it was rather scrumptious!
        That night was my final night in Vietnam, and therefore I had to be back on the ship at 9:00 P.M. My parents came onboard one last time and we had dinner and attended a lecture together. The goodbye was not as difficult as the one in August, but it was still rough. I am grateful to have parents that came and visited me, and I am pretty sure they had an awesome time just like me. When you get home Mom and Dad, Thank you for an extraordinary time in Vietnam. I enjoyed every moment of being there with you and will cherish it forever.
        Well now that I am to the point of tears, let me tell you what is next! The day after tomorrow I arrive in Hong Kong! I am only spending a half of a day there because my friends and I are doing a SAS sponsored trip to Beijing and Xi’an. I think that this trip is five days long including all the traveling. After five days we spend two days in Shanghai.
        Tonight we all had to get our temperatures taken in order to disembark the ship in Hong Kong. Apparently if you have a temperature the officials immediately think that you have bird flu. Sounds a little strange to me. I am perfectly healthy though!
Hope you all enjoyed my blog!!! Oh Yes and today is election day- go out and vote!!!! We are getting coverage all day tomorrow- well for me tomorrow will still be your election day! Talk to you all real soon and take care!

Love You,

Kristen