First off, many many thanks to Sam and her parents, without whom my experience in Vietnam would have been totally different (much less genuine). Its always great to travel in a foreign country with people who know the language, have friends and family, and know where to go.
Day 1: Saigon
-Got in at 3 AM and slept 4 hours in a hammock at Sam's cousin's place. Totally awesome. I love hammocks!
-In the morning we went to the Reunification Palace, and it was humbling to see the site of where the North overran (literally with tanks) and defeated the South. It was also ridiculous to see the extreme amount of bias in the "historical accounts" that were depicted
-Spent the afternoon visiting Buddhist temples-Had two dinners by the Saigon river and then took an overnight train to Nha Trang
Day 2: Nha Trang
-Definitely one of the best beaches I've ever been to! The water was incredibly clear and the islands out in the horizon totally made me feel like I was in a Lost episode
-The heat and humidity, however, was probably the worst I've ever experienced. If there's anything I learned from this trip, its that I will never ever survive in humidity. Upon seconds of going outside, I would completely soak through my clothes...any longer and I would have been reduced to a puddle. No joke.
-Went to some ancient Cham ruins and a really awesome giant Buddha on top of a hill
Day 3: Nha Trang
-Went scuba diving! My first time ever, and I didn't even need a license (well I'm sure I technically did, but in Vietnam, anything goes)
-Found and played with two large sea turtles! They were both about a feet and a half in diameter, and I tried to hang onto one like a kickboard...but he wasn't too happy about it and sliced my hand with his shell. I'm sure I deserved that, haha
And here are the rest of my pics from this leg:
Coming up next: Vietnamese Food!
Pretty amazing sights. If you had more time, don't you wish you could just sit by the ocean with a bunch of locals and fish? Keep the updates coming, and stay cool!
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