Goodnight Siagon

Gosh I love Vietnam; it’s just so pretty here, even when it rains. Everyone is really nice, and it’s so easy to get around in the city. There was this one coconut seller that recognized us every time we passed and made a point to say hi to us and try to sell us a coconut. The one time we went by, he saw I was holding my camera and insisted I take his picture!

Yesterday morning, Laura and I went to the market in the morning, because she hadn’t been there yet. Then we walked over to the Notre Dame cathedral, which is beautiful I might add. It started to rain as we tried to find the U.S. consulate in Saigon. We found it, and tried to take pictures to prove it, but the security guard gave us the “no pictures’ and wave, so we didn’t. Then it started to downpour on us so we went back in for lunch.

After lunch, we went back out into the wet to try to find the art museum. But, it was far away, so we walked through the market again and I picked up all the seasons of the West Wing. Sorry Dad, I’m keeping it until Miami! We came back to the ship for dinner, and then went out again afterwards to see the water puppet show with Leah and Julie! We got a little lost, so we ended up 20 minutes late, but I’m so glad we got there. It’s so cool! The stage is the surface of the water, and the puppets are controlled under the water via poles back behind a screen. We couldn’t really understand the story line, but the music and the puppetry was great!

We left from the puppet show to then go get our dresses! And they’re soo pretty!!! I love mine, it’s beautiful. Fits me like a glove. Laura’s needed taken in, but other than that, hers is gorgeous too.

As for today, our last day in this wonderful country, there was a lot to do. I started off the day by heading down town to pick up Jordyn’s dress because she was on a trip all day. After lunch, I went on a field trip to the War Remnants Museum.

The war museum was rough. Most of it was pictures, of napalm victims, agent orange victims, torture and massacre victims. Those pictures were hard to look at. I couldn’t bear to take pictures of anything there. It’s one thing to study the Vietnam war in class, and hear that there were horrible things going on during the war, but it’s another thing completely to see the hard evidence of what happened.

There were easier parts to look at were those of just general war happenings. I took a few pictures of those for this blog. The nicest part was the pictures drawn by children. There were some about the atrocities, and lots about a hope for peace. Very pretty pictures.

Post museum, I went out with Laura and Leah, and Landon to Pho 24! It was good. It’s a broth base with noodles and beef (or chicken) and you can put greens and sauces into it to flavor it more. I’m glad I tried it. The chopsticks were a little hard at first, but I got the hang of it again. We took a motor bike ride back to the port, a $1 ride back for each of us! It was sooo cool, a little scary around some of the bends, but sooo cool!!

We leave at 6am tomorrow. I'm sad to leave, but I'm really looking forward to Thailand. I"m going on an overnight trip there to see the temples, and I can't wait!