Walking the city was the first on the todo list, along with finding lunch. Walking through this city requires the general same set of standards from Hanoi; motorcycles move around you, cars and buses don't (so don't jump out in front of them) and some mopeds take the sidewalk as another version of a road. Any-who. We wandered, saw the Palace of Independence (ever seen the famous photo of the tank crashing through the gates of the palace at the end of the Vietnam war? Yeah, that), some shopping districts, city hall (old french architecture- loved it, couldn't get enough of it) and a few other sites. Tomorrow will be our big sight seeing day with the cu chi tunnels, war museum, and more wandering. One large difference between here and Hanoi is the open spaces and trees. I never realized how much I missed trees as well. The gardens and city floral landscaping here is amazing. Most of the floral landscaping is actually bonsai tree type things, which I'm in love with. I also am dying to buy some of their orchids (which apparently grow like grass here) but alas, tomorrow we depart for home. I really could imagine living in this city, were it not for the heat. Hmm.
We ate at a more westernized restaurant, which, after a week of Pho, rice, spring rolls, and noodle dishes, was amazing. Never before have I enjoyed a Caesar salad so thoroughly. And bread. Oh how I've missed bread. Most of the Vietnamese food is made from fresh food consisting largely of meats, seafood, or vegetables. Carbs outside of rice and noodles are lacking, and often the food gives you the effect which is famous for Chinese food: stuffed one minute, searching for left overs in the fridge 2 hours later. It felt good to have a hearty western meal, as bad as that is for having such a small amount of time to experience the food here. Oh well.
After lunch we cruised over to the Vietnam National University of Social Services and Humanities where we were greeted by a group of approximately 15 of their students who are active in a type of international experiences club. Apparently, Carroll University is in the process of making a connection with this university for future study abroads, and we helped strengthen that connection by making a presence on their campus. They hosted a presentation about their country, taught us a bit of Vietnamese, and chatted with us about our country, school, hobbies, etc. It was a brief meeting; only about an hour, but it was enjoyable. I regret not making further contact attempts with some of them, seeing as they were truly great people and would be great contacts for the future.
After all of this bouncing around we decided to take on the biggest task of the day: attending the market. There is a huuuuuge market located right near our hotel which sells literally everything and anything from food, to flowers, to knock off brand purses and wallets, souvenirs, clothing, and whatever else you could dream of. It was enjoyable due to the bargaining and great deals we were getting, but I soon found myself annoyed and frustrated with the pushiness of the sales clerks. If you even glanced at something, they honed in on you as though you had already began throwing money at them. Additionally, they do not take no for an answer, which actually landed me in a sticky situation. I was looking at a purse for myself for quite some time, and decided it was not a good deal, and the woman grabbed my arm and would not let me go, screaming I was crazy for not buying the purse and blah blah. That annoyed me and caused me to seek shops outside the market shortly thereafter. I found myself some lovely knock off brand purses and such, and an amazing travelers backpack (hello future adventures!). I'm truly going to miss the steals and deals of Vietnam; it is insane how cheap things are here and how much you can barter. I'm not the best at it due to my guilt factor and lack of a backbone in such situations, but a few people in our group are beasts. It's awesome.
After we returned from shopping we went to visit a Vietnamese Carroll student's parents at their home where they invited us for dinner with them. It was a great meal of the most amazing, mouth-watering spring rolls, Pho, and sweet soup (which really isn't my thing.. sorry Vietnamese friends). Sweet soup is a soup which is sweet (wow, right?)) and has lotus seeds in it. The flavor just really isn't my favorite, but oh well. The family, like everyone else I've encountered thus far' was insanely nice and extremely hospitable. They even gave us good bye gifts even though they barely knew us, or for some of us, not at all. I love, love, love the hospitality and open hearts of the Vietnamese. I cannot stress to you all enough how amazing of a culture this is. Relationships mean the world to them, and I love it. We could all learn so much from them, truly.
I am now beyond exhausted and about to crash. Only 24 hours until take off back to the homeland. It's so disturbing how fast this week flew, but I also can't wait to return and tell everyone about the trip and show them the vibrant colors, stories and memories of the trip. Good night from Ho Chi Minh.
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