One Month in Asia!

This past week marked my one month in Asia! Sometimes it seems like I have been here for longer than that and others times I feel like I have just arrived. I have 5.5 weeks left in Asia till I head back home and I have exciting journeys ahead! Stace comes to Ho Chi Minh City in about 2.5 weeks and we'll go on a tour of the Cu Chi Tunnels and then take a bus to Phnom Penh, Cambodia to start our 3 weeks of traveling! Lots of planning ahead for us.

This week I was on my own as a volunteer at the shelter. I really felt the women at the shelter opened up to me which is a incredibly special feeling. Throughout the week they would practice English with me (previously they would only try to speak English while I was teaching English class) and would invite me to help out with the babies or teach me how to make something for the shelter. It's really touching to know that they feel comfortable around me!

This is Su (nickname for a long complicated Vietnamese name). He always needs attention but he's just so cute I can't bare to see him cry so much. His personality is two extremes - screaming crying and giggling for the end of time. I had to snag this picture for all the yogis out there - is this where the "Happy Baby" yoga pose came from??

I went to the hospital twice this week to observe rounds with the doctor, once with a translator and once without. I'm trying to not have my translator with me as often because it can be annoying (sorry!!) having the same person follow you around for 8 hours of the day and I've become comfortable with getting around in this city and with my volunteering. This next week I will only have my translator in the afternoons from 2-3 when I teach English! 

There's been a bug going around this backpacking district and unfortunately, in classic Whitney fashion, I caught it. My throat started to feel sore Thursday morning and then Thursday night I barely slept and when Friday morning arrived, it hurt to swallow and I had the chills from a fever. With my parents' nudge, I asked for a recommendation for a clinic I could go to. When I arrived, I was the only foreigner there but luckily there were 2 people who spoke English that worked at the clinic and it was very clean and organized!

I had a translator to relay my aches to the doctor and he put a scope down my throat and nose to take pictures. I had the screen right in front of me so I could see everything - I have to say it was pretty awesome!! I've never had that done in the US! The translator told me I had ---itis (couldn't understand her) but then I read on my papers I had sinusitis and pharyngitis! I have lots of antibiotics and they've been working well - I probably need just one more day of rest and a good night's sleep to fully recover.

Thursday night I was able to meet up with my friend Laura's cousin, Angus! He's traveling around Asia for a couple months and I was so excited to see a familiar face!

I met up with Angus and some friends he made on his tour (he went to the Cu Chi Tunnels) for dinner after a long day of napping/resting. A girl chose a restaurant for us on our street called La Casa which serves Mexican and Vietnamese food....weird combo. I stuck with getting Vietnamese food though I am CRAVING Mexican food like no other. 

Saturday morning a group of us from dinner booked a tour to the Mekong Delta to see the floating markets. Unfortunately our tour bus left an hour late so we missed most of the markets...ugh and it was raining on and off all day but it was a fun time with the group nonetheless. 

Really REALLY obnoxious tour guide that made cheesey jokes in broken English and would not stop talking. Also we had a Vietnamese baby on our bus that had his diaper changed twice and they threw the dirty diapers on the side of the road...interesting!

Floating markets! The poles on each boat hold up what they are selling. The boats have giant fishes or crocodiles painted on the front of their boat to scare off predators in the Delta.

Snake wine...big touristy thing here and most of the time the snakes are plastic. I decided not to try it either way!

Coconut candy, a delicacy from the Mekong Delta...soso good. Best when freshly made so it's gooey and warm!

Canal ride with Angus and Ben (Aussie) - it was drizzling the whole time hence the hats! (Those hats are actually clutch for any type of weather...)

Last night Angus and I were walking down our street to grab a drink and people watch and saw some military cars slowly going down the street. One car had a speaker on it and was saying something in Vietnamese and then in English it said "Please help us by participating in a civilized manner." Then all of a sudden the hostels and bars (every place on this street has cushions and chairs on the sidewalks for people to sit and drink) ripped up the mats off the ground and threw chairs into their bars/hostels. The military men jumped out of the cars to rip down signs for alcohol and confiscated chairs and cushions. We were so confused by what was happening! Then a yelling match broke out between the owners of one hostel and the military. A huge crowd formed around them and everyone was shouting and shoving. No tourists were involved thank goodness. It was upsetting to see this as the "backpacking culture" of drinking every night, all night has taken over this area and the local people obviously capitalize on this to make money but then have to fear that the military will roll through, take their stuff, and fine them. A woman tried to explain it to us saying that the military looks the other way when tourists are drinking but if they see locals drinking, they will come and bombard the streets because Vietnamese people are supposed to be "civilized" and should not participate in drinking with tourists. I have no idea what's the truth but either way, it was crazy to see! 

After the commotion, Angus left for his night bus to DaLat (haha I've done that before!) so we said our goodbyes. It was great couple of days and we may cross paths later in our trips!

Today I'll be resting, maybe getting a spa service and preparing for this next week ahead - hoping I'll be 100% soon7. Only 2 full weeks left! 

Hope you enjoyed the pictures - I'll try to remember to keep taking them!

Love and miss you all,

Whit