Leaving Vietnam

  Hello! I am leaving vietnam and going to Cambodia today.

Vietnam has been way outside of my comfort zone, and I have not particularly enjoyed that. The worst thing about vietnam is how you have to walk on the street because there are motorcycles parked and food stands on the sidewalks. To make it even worse, there are motorcycles coming from every way and you have to dodge them while walking. I think the best thing about Vietnam though, has been how kind the staff are. All of them love kids and it is always so sad to leave. 

I went to 2 cooking classes in Vietnam, and it was totally worth it. For the first one everyone got to cook 1 dish, but some people left at the end. The second one was a private class at a restaurant, and there were 3 things that all of us got to make. The first thing was pho, which is a very common dish in Vietnam. It is made up of noodles, meat (chicken or beef), broth, and veggies (bok choy, cilantro, lime, green onion, carrots). The next dish is bun cha which is basically noodles, lettuce, and meatballs with a bowl of fish sauce, sugar, and spices. You put the noodles, veggies, and meat into the sauce, then eat it from there. The last thing is spring rolls with shrimp and chicken. 

The house I stayed in was 4 stories tall aka had lots of stairs, and my room was on the 4th floor. The floors weren’t very big (first floor had a kitchen and table and the rest had only a bed and bathroom) and the shower was just a shower head in the small gap between the toilet and sink. The house was very close to the market and shops, and things are also super cheap. 

 Before I left Vietnam, I went on a cruise in Halong bay. It was 2 nights long which sounds short, but I actually got a lot done in that time frame. I visited a fishing village, saw jellyfish, and went squid fishing. The fishing villages get money from the government, but they go by daily to give them food and fresh water. Schooling is also free for the kids in the fishing villages so that they get an education. To squid fish, you will have a lure in the shape of a miniature squid on a fishing line connected, to a stick. Then, just pull it up and let it sink, over and over until you catch a squid.

Overall, I loved Vietnam and will definitely come back.

Here are some photos

Fishing village

Ha long bay

Jellyfish 

Me with my squid

Fishing village

Ants! At the market before the cooking class.

Me questioning my life choices (eating dead raw ants)