Our last week in Vietnam was so much fun; a great way to end our adventure! For the most part, the trip was a success. One downside: receiving counterfeit money from an ATM. Really?No wonder no one will take our U.S. bills if their crinkled or slightly ripped...We spent the first part of it at Kataba island, a big vacation spot for the Vietnamese during the summer, and the second half of it in the city of Hanoi. It was hilarious to come around the corner and see so many of the Vietnamese swimming in the ocean, fighting for the shady parts of the water to avoid any kind of suntan.
We kayaked around the lime stone cliffs at Hanoi Bay- beautiful!!
While Chris did most of the rowing, I valiantly called out the direction we should steer. Some might say that's just the natural born leader in me. We came upon some locals farming oysters. They scoop up buckets of sand where oysters grow and cultivate until the fishermen harvest them to sell.
We boldly rock-climbed 6 different cliffs on a small island. It was beautiful! We both got pretty bruised up, but are anxious to continue such a thrilling hobby- so much fun!
After rock climbing, we rode by a small water village on our way back to the big island. The guide told us that the families there have never known anything different other than being raised in their boat homes on the sea. It was beautiful!
Chris got his fill of "good sea food" one night.
A persistent lady wanted me to buy a pineapple and had us take a picture like this.
Souvenir shopping. Love it.
There are rarely any trash cans anywhere- but when we do come upon some, hold your nose!!!
If only we could get live animals through customs...
It rained and poured the entire time for our last two days in Hanoi. This is us just after visiting the temple of literature. We also went to a nearby museum to see the body of Ho Chi Min that has been preserved by the russians since the 1960s! Unfortunately, it was closed for the day. We did google pictures of it at the hostel- kind of bizarre! I told Chris if cremating my ashes and setting them free over the ocean doesn't work out, then this doesn't seem like a half bad idea either to properly preserve my legacy.
We kayaked around the lime stone cliffs at Hanoi Bay- beautiful!!
While Chris did most of the rowing, I valiantly called out the direction we should steer. Some might say that's just the natural born leader in me. We came upon some locals farming oysters. They scoop up buckets of sand where oysters grow and cultivate until the fishermen harvest them to sell.
We boldly rock-climbed 6 different cliffs on a small island. It was beautiful! We both got pretty bruised up, but are anxious to continue such a thrilling hobby- so much fun!
After rock climbing, we rode by a small water village on our way back to the big island. The guide told us that the families there have never known anything different other than being raised in their boat homes on the sea. It was beautiful!
Chris got his fill of "good sea food" one night.
A persistent lady wanted me to buy a pineapple and had us take a picture like this.
Souvenir shopping. Love it.
There are rarely any trash cans anywhere- but when we do come upon some, hold your nose!!!
If only we could get live animals through customs...
It rained and poured the entire time for our last two days in Hanoi. This is us just after visiting the temple of literature. We also went to a nearby museum to see the body of Ho Chi Min that has been preserved by the russians since the 1960s! Unfortunately, it was closed for the day. We did google pictures of it at the hostel- kind of bizarre! I told Chris if cremating my ashes and setting them free over the ocean doesn't work out, then this doesn't seem like a half bad idea either to properly preserve my legacy. 
Goodbye Vietnam!
And now for the long awaited "after shot":
Classy.
Classy.
We are so grateful and feel very blessed to have had such amazing experiences, growth opportunities, and chances to serve others across the world. Thanks again friends and family for all of your support! If anyone is interested in following up with the projects we helped to begin in Thailand, the Help International Web-sight has a team blog with updates and the status of the service projects.
Sawadikaaaaa!
No comments:
Post a Comment