This morning I woke up at 7am and had breakfast at the house I was staying at, which was Thao's aunt and uncles'. After giving them the gift I had bought them for their business (a magnetic etch-a-sketch thing; they run a childcare) we took a picture together and then it was off to the bus stop. Although a huge language barrier kept us from talking, her aunt did say that next time I was in Vietnam I was welcome to stay with them. Once we got to the bus station, we bought our tickets and settled in for the 5 hour bus ride back to HCMC.
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| My breakfast, featuring noodles, pork stomach, fried spring rolls, fish cake, and fried fat. Wrap it in rice paper with fresh herbs and it is delicious! |
Stepping off the bus was like stepping into another world. While I had quickly become used to the cool and dry weather in Phan Thiet, I was greeted by the heat and rain of HCMC. I also realized very quickly how lucky I am that people in HCMC speak English, or at least want to practice with you. While I was in Phan Thiet, which is more of a family town filled with little kids and high schoolers, I longed for the parks of HCMC where I could sit down and expect someone to come talk to me.
Since I had arrived back to the dormitory around 2pm, I spent some time doing homework before heading to environmental science class. After class, it was back to the dormitory. I met Binh, and we went to a place where you can get fresh beer. Since I hadn't eaten yet, he also ordered some food, and we ate seafood rice and fried tofu. One of his friends also joined us, and we were definitely the three youngest people there. We sat there for awhile, eating food and drinking beer, and soon we were seeing who could eat limes and chili peppers without making strange faces. A perfect way to end the night!
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| One of the best snack foods I've had while in Vietnam. Ham, duck egg, bread, and a sauce fried on rice paper, which is then all rolled together. |
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| Our supper the first night. |
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| Breakfast my second day in Phan Thiet. Tasted like chicken noodle soup! |
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| Some part of the squid tentacles. Tasty, but be careful of the bones. |
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| Squid, squid, and more squid. |
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| Banh can, or a soup with duck egg and pork that you dip little egg pancakes in. |
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| Thao and I visited the house where her mom lives, which is on a dragon fruit farm. These are some of the weirdest trees I have ever seen! |
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| A baby dragon fruit. Fresh dragon fruit is sooo much better than that bought at the store! |
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| Lights are hung between the trees to help the dragon fruit grow faster. |
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| The sand dunes of Mui Ne, about half an hour from where we were staying. |
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| Thao and her friend from junior high. |
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| Just chilling on the sand dunes. |
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| We visited a stream, and a random guy asked if he could get a picture with me. |
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| The woman he was with also wanted one. |
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| The banks of the stream, which have been carved by the wind and rain. |
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| The views were amazing! |
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| Thao's aunt and uncle, who were kind enough to let me stay at their house for the weekend. |
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