So, this Christmas I spent in Vietnam. I got to go with my good friend Priscilla who i met here in Korea. She is a nurse in the army. I also got to meet my friend Dan who i met in Kroea. He was a teacher at my school but is now teaching in Vietnam. So we first went to Ho Chi Min, where Dan took us to an amazing restaurant. He took us around the city and taught us how to cross the street full of hundreds of scooters without dying. The scooters do not stop for you. You just have to start walking slowly and not stop. We survived so he must have been a good teacher. From there we jumped straight on a 6 hour bus to Mui Ne beach! The beach was not as pretty as some of the other beaches I have been to in Southeast Asia, but I loved that my hotel was right on the beach. I had to walk a whole 10 steps to reach sand from my room. I also loved that there were very little people so we did not have to fight for a bench to lay on or just overhear people's conversations. So Christmas day was spent sleeping, reading, lounging, buying pearls from women selling them on the beach, and getting massages. And, of course, more food! We could only spend a day, however cuz we had to catch a flight to Hanoi. So after another bus ride back to Ho Chi Min and an afternoon walking around and dodging scooters we headed to Hanoi. But not before Dan and Priscilla decided to try some of the local food which involved fried bees and lizards. NO JOKE. I did NOT eat any! lol Hanoi we spent the first evening shopping!!! You would not believe how much you can spend on souvenirs that cost about $1-$4. The next day we jumped on another bus to Ha Long Bay. We took a boat ride through the bay. It was beautiful, unfortunately it was very foggy and chilly that day. That didn't stop us from going kayaking and adventuring through a cave though!! Back in Hanoi, Priscilla enjoyed a city tour while I did a cooking class!!! They took me through the local market full of disgusting food I will not elaborate on but I did not eat any of it. But I learned how to make an amazing fish bbq, beef bbq, chicken salad, and eggplant salad. That night we went to a traditional water puppet show. It was really interesting as the stage is water and the puppeteers are behind a curtain. The controls of the puppet are a stick that is hidden under the water. That next morning we were off to Hong Kong!
Hong Kong was an amazing, big busy city. I hate to say I was really impressed and surprised by the diversity of the city. I am so used to Korea where it is a rarity to find anyone that is not korean other than teachers and army. We did some bargain shopping, always fun, buying knock off designer purses and shoes. I have decided I don't particulary like Chinese food compared to other ethnic foods because it is so greesy but the food was still good. The city is horribly expensive, and they love to charge you for EVERYTHING!! But I survived. We got to meet up with another teacher, Hunter and watch fireworks for new years, although we didn't get a great view. And we partied the night away. We did also get to see a giant Buddha statue up on a hill. You have to take a 20 minute cable car ride to get to it.
Overall, it was a great holiday!
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