Today we started off our day by heading to the beach at Vung
Tau. We had to take a an hour and a half long hydrofoil river boat ride down the Siagon River to get
to Vung Tao. Along the river, we saw the dense jungle of Vietnam, as well as
some fishermen in boats along the shore. Vung Tao is a harbor-town with many
tourist attractions. It felt so nice once we got to the beach: the water was
warm, the sun was shining, we could relax, the sand was warm, and smiles were
beaming on our faces. There were organized games planned for us on the beach,
but it was really funny to see the locals stand around and watch us play them.
It is common here for the locals to treat us like celebrities, wanting to watch
us and take pictures with us. There was even a news reported taking pictures of
us look like idiots as we played the games. We then got to swim in the ocean,
which was so warm and fun! Later in the morning a group of us played soccer on
the beach to prepare for our soccer match at the end of the week. I am working
on a trick where I can pick up a moving soccer ball with my foot and balance it
on my foot.
We went to a seafood restaurant on the beach for lunch, and
they served us lots of traditional and exotic seafood courses. I ate my small
bowl of rice and green beans, but a few kids ate squid, fish, and other
Vietnamese foods. Sometimes we have seconds on the rice when we feel like living
on the edge. My stomach has definitely shrunk since being here because I do not
usually get really hungry and can now eat half the food I ate home and not feel
hungry.
Alex and a purple squid!After lunch, we climbed a giant hill to see a huge Jesus statue. There was a group of us that took that steps two at a time the whole way but everyone was drenched with sweat by the time we got to the top. Its over 90 degrees every day with a real feel around or above 100 degrees! There were cool gardens at the top, but we were not allowed to go inside Jesus and climb to the top because we were told we were dressed unholy (no pants and no sleeves). Some Vietnamese started taking pictures with us, too. I wore my rice hat the whole time too because it’s awesome and I love it!
We then took the long boat ride back to HCMC, and we all
slept most of the ride home. We hung out for a few hours when we got back
before going to the Black Cat as a group for dinner. The Black Cat is known for
their huge burgers and was ranked by CNN as one of the top ten best eating
experiences in the world. It definitely lived up to that award! I got a plain
burger and it even tasted like America! We all were stuffed after eating only
our burgers, but the feeling was so good. Next, our group went to GO2 for the
roof bar and had a fun time hanging out before heading back to the hotel.
Happy Mother’s Day Mom! I love you!
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