I heart Vietnam

Vietnam was the icing on the cake of our incredible journey. Though I LOVED Cambodia and probably consider it my favorite country yet, there was something truly unique, lovely and special about Vietnam. As we arrived by bus, I immediately noticed how surprisingly modern Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon) was- everything looked thriving, clean and high-tech. But the biggest shock of all were the motos! Literally hundreds of motos crammed onto every block of every busy street, but as one friend put it, they seem to flow like a river through the city. They're small, fast and efficient, so traffic isn't really a big problem.

This is nothing compared to the big rotaries in Ho Chi Minh...

After getting over the craziness of the city, we found our way to the backpacker area and checked into a quaint, family-run guesthouse tucked in a quiet alleyway off of the main strip. Our first goal- eat some pho noodles! We went straight to the most well-known Pho restaurant, where Bill Clinton famously ate during his visit. With pictures of Billy hung all around, we felt right at home. And the vegetarian pho (beef is standard, but I don't eat it) was really amazing.


Then we saw a traditional water puppet show in which these puppeteers were submersed in water behind the back drop for a whole hour! It was quite fun and entertaining.


More Vietnam traffic...throughout the trip I'd been trying to get a photo of a "baby on bike." This is the best I could get!


After three days in Ho Chi Minh City, it was time for Alexis to head home, but I had one more week to explore on my own. I decided to join a 3-day group tour of the Mekong Delta so that I could meet some people, and sure enough the moment I got on the bus I made some friends! Daniel and Pete became my comrades for the week- we went on the tour, did a homestay, went to a water park, ate delicious seafood and more. That's what I love most about backpacking- how you just pick up momentary travel buddies until its time to go your separate ways.



As usually, I couldn't resist a little flirting with danger. But really, he was a very nice boa constrictor.


The first night of the Mekong Delta tour, a group of us had opted to do a homestay with a family who lives on the Mekong. We arrived, with all of our luggage on this tiny, rickety little river boat in pitch black of the night, but were welcomed with this amazing Vietnamese feast.


Elephant ear fish, fresh spring rolls, fried spring rolls, veggies and beer. One of the best meals of my trip!

The homestay family baby. Adorable!

The next morning we went to one of the famous floating markets, where farmers come to trade and sell their goods on the river. We got in on the fun buying lots of fruits and delicious Vietnamese coffee.



Back in Ho Chi Minh, I hung out with the boys for a few more days. We went to a water park, and had fun with the locals and considered careers as rickshaw drivers. I decided it wasn't for me!


On my last night, we enjoyed an amazing seafood feast on the street. We picked our seafood and it was cooked right there in front of us. I had never had razor clams before, but they are definitely one of the most delicious seafoods. Finally, it was time to say goodbye to my new friends and to lovely Vietnam. It's hard to describe my feelings at leaving. My incredible journey was over, and it had exceeded all expectations I ever had. I met so many incredible people, had seen places most people don't get to see, and had had adventures, mishaps, and overall a truly once-in-a-lifetime experience. I'll always look back on it as a time I was completely free to see the world and be exactly who I want to be.

Incredible Cambodia

Wow, I cannot believe I've neglected wrapping up my blog for this long! My sincere apologies, the only excuse I can give is that I'm very focused on getting on to the next chapter in my life! It's been nice to be home in the states (and I'll write a little about that later), but I'm very anxious to get a job and an apartment of my own, so all of my energy has been going towards that. Anyway, more on the later, here is a quick recap of the rest of Cambodia.


After spending five days in lovely but rainy Siem Reap, we caught a bus to the capitol city of Phnom Penh. Though the city didn't stand out as one of the best we'd been, there were some very impressive landmarks such as the ornate Royal Palace.


It also had the best market to explore. Covering at least a square mile of land, the market was full of every kind of souvenir, household item and asian food you could imagine. I especially LOVED trying all of the different types of fruit. Although the dragonfruit pictured above was by far the most impressive looking, it actually tasted similar to a very bland kiwi. My favorite based on taste was surprisingly a familiar fruit with a twist: grilled mini bananas! I can't even begin to describe how wonderful these little things are when grilled on a stick or wrapped in rice and grilled in a banana leaf. My favorite snack of the trip!





Since our brief stop at a shelter in India, we had been wanting to spend more time at an orphanage on our travels. So, when we heard about the Lighthouse Orphanage just outside of Phnom Penh we knew we had to take the time to volunteer.


I was so pleasantly surprised to see how incredibly loved and cared for the children at Lighthouse were. Though they didn't have much- each a bunk bed in a small cottage with a few classrooms and a great big dirt terrace outside- they seemed very happy and easy going. Plus, they all had wonderful english thanks to other volunteers and their school. Even the three year olds!


We had such a good time playing with these little guys and I really hope to go back some day to give even more.



His name, so he tells me, is Bit. So I nicknamed him "Lil Bit." He is a future rap star of Cambodia, look out world. Check the video below!