Not that this reality is shocking in any way, but it doesn’t make it any easier. The only real reverse culture shock I experienced was the price of gas and beer. The rest of my life was sitting here waiting, just as it had been before, as the alternate universe of my Korean lifestyle got ripped off like a band-aid. Fortunately, I have 2 huge events to look forward to so I don’t have to look into the endless, question mark abyss that is my life until Mid-June. One is the wedding of my wonderful sister to her amazing husband. The second is the World Domination Summit in Portland, Oregon.

The World Domination Summit, or WDS, is an event being held by the inspirational, non-conformist blogger, Chris Guillebeau. It is a convergence of like-minded individuals who are set on living life by their own means, and have found career paths and endeavors that are unconventional. I hope to one day be in the same league as these groundbreakers, and look forward to hearing their stories and getting motivated as I decide what direction to take next in life. This is also the first purely solo trip I have taken, and I am excited and nervous about having to push myself out of my comfort zone.

After Portland I will be flying to Baltimore to spend a much-anticipated week with my sister leading up to her wedding. When I return, my plan consists of getting back in shape, reaching old goals and finding new ones, and pursuing anything and everything I find interesting until the universe unfolds as it may.

This post marks the end of this blog. We had a great year documenting our experiences and I have a feeling new blogs may be in my future as this has become quite a habit. Thanks so much everyone who has followed our journey, we really appreciate all the support. Until next time!

50 Baht Changs? Hellooo Bangkok!

Bangkok is not for beginners. Scams. Crime. Drugs. Sex. Noise. Traffic. People. We were lucky to have quiet a bit of Asian travel experience under our belts before we got to this city, and it would take everything we learned over the past 14 months to make it out of here with our bodies and wallets intact. Thankfully, it was our last stop before heading home, because when we were through with Bangkok (or maybe, when Bangkok was through with us) we had had enough.

I’m not going to bother describing the good aspects of Bangkok because those are easily found in any travel resource. Palaces, temples, restaurants, etc. Instead I’ll briefly write about some major things to look out for. This will be a longer post than usual, but we recommend you read it if you’re planning a trip to the real city of sin. “Holla, city of squalor!!”

Tuk-Tuk Drivers

We dealt with aggressive tuk-tuk drivers throughout Cambodia and Vietnam  (the ones in Laos were sweethearts) but the guys in Bangkok were on a completely different level. Whereas in other countries we were primarily concerned with getting a fair price for a ride, in Bangkok we had to look out for the guys offering deals that were too good to be true.  Occasionally among the shouts of “tuk-tuk sir…you want temple?…you want palace?….” we would hear, “…all day tuk-tuk only 10 baht” which is extremely cheap. Luckily, we were aware of the scam. Regardless of where you ask to go, the drivers will take you to shady jewelry stores where you are pressured, intimidated and according to some reports, secretly drugged until you buy knock-off jewelry for exorbitant prices. Naturally, the drivers get a cut.  Although we didn’t fall for this scam, it became extremely difficult to just find someone to take us where we wanted to go. Basically, they refused to do any actual tuk-tuk driving to earn money and would rather just sit around waiting for a sucker.

Tuk-tuk drivers were also the number 1 peddlers of the quintessential form of Bangkok entertainment, the ping-pong show. Ping-pong shows are sex shows where girls insert various objects (such as ping-pong balls) into their bodies and perform tricks for crowds of international perverts and all-around scumbags. Bangkok has a huge human-trafficking industry. Many girls from neighboring countries are kidnapped, forcibly addicted to drugs and are made to perform in these shows. If you kindly ask a tuk-tuk driver, they will gladly provide a menu detailing the various talents these young girls have. It became impossible to even make eye-contact with a driver without being offered to be taken to a ping-pong show, day or night.

Finally, the most innocent but seemingly most common of the tuk-tuk scams was claiming that whatever particular site you were looking for was closed for the day, but they would happily take you to a nicer place. This scam was of course tied into the jewelry scam. We half fell for this one. When we approached the wrong entrance of the king’s palace, a very official looking gentleman wearing a tie with a very official looking palace pin on it informed us that the palace was closed during midday. We knew this was actually common in some places as a way to avoid the noon heat. The gentleman began to list the numerous places he could take us instead right in front of the palace guards, police officers, and other very official looking people. However, we decided to find the main entrance to the palace and, surprise surprise, it was open. It became very clear that the priority in this city was not their image in the eyes of foreigners or the tourism industry, it was quick and easy money.

Our borrowed Palace garb. After we finally made it inside.

Pigeon Ladies

If you happen to be walking around the large park near the royal palace, and you see a roving band of homeless women surrounded by large flocks of pigeons, be sure to give them a wide berth. Anybody that knows Gina knows that her biggest fear is homeless people, so naturally a crowd of Thai homeless people and pigeons (the hobos of the animal world) are absolutely terrifying. If you’re thinking of the friendly pigeon lady from Home Alone 2, you’re way off. We noticed the women (pigeon mahoots as our friend Zisko called them) had their arms full of small baggies filled with dried corn.  As we neared, the women quickly approached and attempted to stuff our hands, bags and pockets with the baggies and refused to take them back. As they  demanded money for the feed, the pigeons smelled our increasing panic and came in closer. Seeing no other option, we emptied our pockets of the feed and sprinted through the pack with dirty street hands and diseased birds flying at our faces. Needless to say, Gina was not happy.

Sukhumvit Road: The Red Light District

One evening, we decided to venture out to the red light district. We were under no illusions about what goes on in these sorts of places. But we had seen red light districts in other cities, and they really never looked too sleazy or terrible. This place was different. A quick stroll through the main streets quickly revealed a healthy clientele of elderly pedophiles sitting outside of bars and restaurants flagging girls down as they passed to inspect the merchandise and negotiate. We walked through a hallway lined with bars and saw everything from heroin addicts full of track-marks to young Eastern-European girls that couldn’t have been older that 16 trying to drum up business.

In case you assumed this massage parlor was like all the others...

The scenes of sex, drugs and pornography being openly sold on the street were bizarrely juxtaposed by the devout muslim population that lives in the neighborhood. For every prostitute we saw, there was a woman in a burqa silently shuffling behind her husband. After about 15 minutes, we decided we’d seen enough and actually felt quite unsafe, so we walked over to the main street to flag down a taxi. We stopped in a convenience store to buy some water  and while we waited in line, a man walked in covered in blood and with his hand wrapped in a bloody rag. He calmly walked up to the counter and asked the attendant to call an ambulance. That was our cue to leave.

By the end of our time in Bangkok, we were completely drained. Unless you’re a high roller and plan to stay in expensive hotels and can dish out the cash for taxis everywhere you go, expect some hardship. However, it is worth seeing for two or three days, but no more than that.

Here's to you Bangkok. Can't say I'll miss ya.

Laos/Thai Border

Getting to Thailand was an epic journey of two eight hour boat trip days, and then one final bus day to get to Chiang Mai. Knowing that we’d be meeting our friends on the other side kept us optimistic when we wanted to throw our kindles/iPod’s off the boat after playing hours of Word games. And the thought of showing our friends the joys and challenges we’d experienced traveling SE Asia, and getting to live through their fresh, excited traveler eyes was just what we needed to finish out the last two months of our trip.

Upon arriving in Chiang Mai after our odyssey, we proceeded to kill time until we could eagerly await our friends on the hostel porch like it was Christmas morning. When their taxi pulled up it was such a relief to see familiar faces after feeling foreign for so long. The rest of the day we all enjoyed each other’s company and started planning our future escapades.

The highlights of our stay in Chiang Mai consisted of a few different trips and outings:  Flight of the Gibbon, the Elephant Nature Park, and a cooking class at Siam Rice.

Our first stop was the Flight of the Gibbon ziplining trip. We were somehow convinced into signing up for the 6am group, and it turned out to be a fantastic choice. We were the very first batch out for the day, so we had no one to wait behind, and the forest was cool and clear. The thrilling blasts through the forest got our adrenaline pumping, leading up to the longest zipline in the world at 120m. Our guides were both charming and hilarious and led us through the canopy confidently. To top it all off, they led us to a family of gibbons calling out to us through the forest. We watched as a mother and baby gibbon swung through the branches, warning us not to get too close, as the father gibbon sat nonchalantly in the distance. Truly a breathtaking day.

The Elephant Nature Park is a conservation reserve for rescued elephants that used to work in logging, trekking or any other spirit-breaking labor.  For 2 days we lived on the preserve and had the chance to watch the elephants just live happily and interact with other elephants in their natural environment. Visitors could fed and bathe the elephants, but no riding is allowed due to the abusive nature that goes into elephant training and since the park believes elephants should be allowed to live wildly. This park is an inspirational and peaceful oasis away from the overwhelming, crazed cities of Thailand.

We decided to sign up for another cooking class in Chiang Mai so our friends could get a taste of cooking the local cuisine. During our time at Siam Rice, we learned how to cook about 5 dishes, including curry, pad thai, and spring rolls. Our instructors were knowledgeable and entertaining, and taught us how to cook delicious Thai food. It was a fun day, and we couldn’t finish nearly everything we had cooked.

Amidst all the day trips we took from Chiang Mai, probably the most popular, outrageous holiday of the year was taking place. Songkran – or Thai New Year. This holiday consists of a week long celebration where people try to get each other as soaking wet as possible. The streets are packed with merry-goers dragging up buckets from the moat to douse passer-bys, people shooting water guns, and – the most unfair – people sitting in the back of trucks with barrels of ice water that they throw on their freezing victims. We knew this holiday would be occurring and had greatly looked forward to it, but didn’t expect it to last that long. For the whole week, you couldn’t leave your hostel before 7pm at night, without having to dodge water, and there was barely anywhere you’d be safe. We spent one whole day running from restaurant to restaurant trying to stay dry, but watch the festivities from a safe place. Thankfully, we were successful for the most part.

The nine days we spent in Chiang Mai were probably the most action-packed of the trip, and we had a great time sharing the experiences with our friends. But since we neared the end of our travels, we couldn’t help starting to think, only one more city to go and then we’ll be HOME!

Immediately we noticed a contrast between the sometimes harsh and overwhelming Vietnamese to the calm and soft-spoken Lao. Life definitely ticked by at a different pace over here and it was thoroughly refreshing. The vendors at the daily night market left you to peruse at your own will, offering help if you asked. Tuk Tuk drivers sheepishly asked you, just once, if you wanted a ride, and orange clad monks quietly peering out of their temples added another air of calm to the town.

We took a cue from the locals and let our days slip by, casually biking around to see Wats, weaving in between side streets, whenever we weren’t eating or napping. The highlights of our time here were probably visiting the Kuang Si waterfall, taking a cooking class, and just interacting with other travelers or locals along the way. We even woke up at 6am one morning to watch the monks collect their alms.

Kuang Si waterfall is 32 km away from the city, and after all the hype we expected it to be oversold, but we were not disappointed. When we arrived, the first stop is a bear sanctuary within the waterfall grounds. The sanctuary housed rescued bears and they actually did their best to create a natural, stimulating environment for them. We watched as they foraged for their hidden food in toys and spaces around the compound.

We moved on through the cool greenery, refreshingly empty of vendors or any other forms of civilization. The falls were a series of turquoise pools and little rapids, leading up to a towering cascade at the end. Visitors could swim in crystal clear waters as huge butterflies flew around and leaves gently spiraled down from trees. It was truly otherworldly space and a good example of how it’s possible to let people enjoy a natural environment without contaminating it.

On another random day I walked alone through the Wats when a young bunch of monks said hello. I asked about the homework he appeared to be working on, and he asked me to come up and help him. I sat with him and his friends for a while answering his questions about English grammar and me. They behaved like any other teenage boys, making jokes about my phallic shaped Laos drawing and trying to get me to say inappropriate words in Lao as they laughed.  When I left, the boy said “Thanks for the tits” and smiled, trying to get away with the mispronunciation. I laughed as I said bad kids, and went on my way.

For my birthday, we signed up for a cooking class offered by Tamarind restaurant. We’d tried the food previously, and it was delicious so we were looking forward to it. Our guide Joy took us to the market first to educate us on all the Lao produce and spices available. He also took us through the butcher section, which was a little too much to stand. Full of every animal part imaginable, including brains, intestines, massive buffalo heart and congealed blood, we were pretty eager to get out.

After the market, we arrived at the cooking school grounds, which lay in a beautiful setting amongst streams, ponds and flowers. Throughout the day we learned 5 traditional Lao dishes and enjoyed our bounty for lunch. It was definitely a unique and memorable way to spend my birthday.

All the rumors about Luang Prabang’s mystique and lure rang true for us. The city itself is beautiful, sitting on a peninsula between the Mekong and Nham Khan rivers, and has endless wats and streets to explore. If you’re ever on this side of the world, Luang Prabang is absolutely worth losing track of time in.

Our trip began with the overnight train to Sapa. Since the train rooms had 4 beds, we crossed our fingers for quiet, but friendly, non-snoring bunkmates. The couple that showed up were even better. A friendly, older couple from The Netherlands, they had tons of stories from their country, and shared their box of Chilean wine with us. Fell asleep after an hour or so of talking and drinking.

Arrived to Sapa at the fresh hour of 4:30am, with the train station shrouded in complete fog. Stumbled off and found our driver quickly, and hopped into his car for the hour drive into town. Within 10 minutes, I was already fearing for my life as the roads tight curves bent around the mountain and you could barely see 5 feet in front of the car due to the fog. Thank god I had taken motion sickness pills.

When we arrived in town, we met up with our guide Dat to have breakfast and plan out our trip. We decided to go for a longer hike the first day, ending in his native village where we’d stay the night in his house with his family. On day two, we planned to take motorbikes deeper into the countryside for a chance to see more of the landscape and villages. For day three, we planned to take a short hike down from Sapa, and then do some shopping in the local markets.

During our excursions on this trip, we learned that the native people, at least in this region of the world, weren’t as foreign and isolated as we’d imagined. They lived day to day like many other cultures in the countryside, farming, selling their goods in markets, taking care of their families, and stalking tourists to guilt them into buying souvenirs. Most of the people we encountered were very friendly, more than willing to try and talk to you about their life, if you would then buy one of their wares in return. After a group of four Red Zha tribeswoman walked and talked with us for an hour they wanted us to purchase something from each of them after we reached our destination. They almost convinced us until we noticed the scarf one woman had “stitched herself” and spent “hours and days working on” had a Made in China tag on it. Nice try, but no thanks ladies.

When we arrived to our guides’ village that night, we were impressed by the sturdy wooden house he said he’d built in just a few short months. His family was a gracious host and we enjoyed playing with his adorable children. That night we were surprised that an animal we’d seen sitting in a trap in his house would actually be served for dinner that night, after we thought our host had been joking with us the whole time. The animal was some sort of weasel, and the people of Sapa considered it a delicacy to eat. We should have been flattered, and I guess we learned our lesson for next time that when asked by someone in a foreign country if there’s anything you don’t like to eat, you should make some specifications.

Over the next two days we explored the tremendous countryside, but like in Halong Bay, a heavy fog clouded our view of the vast scenery. We glimpsed views of cascading rice paddies, streams trickling down into waterfalls, and people farming among their water buffalo and potbelly pigs. The weather was also uncharacteristically cold for that time of year, so in addition to us trudging through freezing mud, greatly under dressed for the chill, farmers lost some of their water buffalo because they weren’t ready for the cold either. Unfortunately, to lose a water buffalo in Sapa is a great loss since their farming depends heavily on them, and they can’t sell the meat for anywhere near what the animal is worth.

Traveling through Sapa, we learned a great deal about the fascinating culture of the region from our native guide. The only thing we wished for during the trip was warmer weather and clearer skies, but it’s definitely a destination in Vietnam that can’t be missed in between its sprawling cities and fast-paced life.

Hey YOU! Come to Sapa!

On the bus ride over we met another couple from Canada that would be our company for the next 2 days. The rest of the travelers consisted of 2 groups. One was a group of crazy college girls and 1 guy from England. They spent the entire trip being loud and obnoxious and trying to get thoroughly drunk. The other group consisted of older, soft spoken Euros who spent the whole time glaring at the crazies.

Our boat was pretty nice once we finally got on it, after a while of waiting on the pier for undisclosed reasons. They welcomed us with a cup of tea and a lunch of bland, unappetizing Vietnamese food. We were pretty full already from all the $5 packs of oreos and crackers we’d eaten anyways, starving on the pier.

Our mighty steed

That day we sailed to our first destination – the Amazing Caves. The caves actually were pretty amazing, with 3 huge caverns that went on and on. Of course it was made into a tourist attraction with everything lit up in neon lights and guides pointing out the “lions” and “buddhas” and “fingers” manifested in the rocks. Can imagine it would have been quite terrifying though to have been a pirate hiding out in the endless black abyss though.

After making our way through we got back on the boat to sail to our next island. The only one that a “temple” had been built on the top as a lookout. We set off to climb to the top for the view, but the increasingly bad weather hindered our plans. All day it had been cold and immensely foggy so it was pretty hard to see the hundreds of magnificent limestone karsts that were supposed to be unfolding before us. So we climbed up for about 10 minutes and when all we could see was cloud around us we gave up and went back.

That night back on the boat dinner was another unexciting meal, but there were promises of entertainment after that. While our new friends taught us Cribbage, the Euros started off the karaoke. Ten minutes of calm singing later, the college Brits stroll out and take over, obviously hammered from the forbidden alcohol they’d brought.

That Euros just accepted their time was up as the Brits belted out song after song, getting on the nerves of our guide while they taunted and insulted him. We’d seen enough after an hour and called it a night.

The next morning at breakfast, half the rambunctious crew were still in bed as rumors floated around they’d stolen 2 bottles of wine. Oh the drama. We left them to sort it out and went to sit on the deck and sight see before we were brought back to the city.

The fog had cleared up a bit so we had better views of the amazing watery world we were promised. Old fashioned junks sailed past with their dragon sails, the cloak of light fog still lending an other-worldly air. We enjoyed the scenery while we could and then were shipped back on a bus to Hanoi.

Hanoi had some ancient historical sites that were very well preserved, like the Lake of the Restored Sword and the Confucian Academy. The lake was a mythical site in the center of the city where a giant turtle was said to have reclaimed a magical sword that helped the emperor conquer faraway lands. The people of Hanoi then killed the turtle, embalmed it, and put it on display in the small temple at the site. I guess that’s one way to honor your history.

The academy was one of the oldest colleges in Asia and is full of the usual Chinese architecture and symbolism. It was a pleasant, quiet place walled off from the noise of the rest of the city.

During our trip to Beijing last summer with Gina’s sister and brother-in-law, we missed our chance to see Mao’s preserved (and reportedly spray-tanned) body. Since Ho Chi Minh is also preserved in classic soviet style, we headed over to his mausoleum on one of the only sunny days we got in Hanoi. After relinquishing all cameras and electronics, we walked a hurried and hushed lap around the glass casket in the pleasantly air-conditioned viewing room. Folks, it’s worth making the visit for the AC alone. Old Uncle Ho looks perfect and waxy, which makes many think that it’s not his real body. As any true communist knows, the mausoleums of dead leaders should always have visitors exit through the gift shop. Just past the plaques espousing allegiance to the state and bashing the capitalists, you’ll find everything from t-shirts to snowglobes bearing Uncle Ho’s image. The poor guy just wanted to be cremated.

A sneaky snapshot of the giftshop taken from the iPod. Mausoleum on the right.

We finished up our time in Hanoi by seeing one of the famous water puppet shows. The presentation originated in the rice paddies hundreds of years ago, and was pretty interesting to watch. At one point the puppeteers were getting a little fancy with the pyrotechnics around the curtains and we expected the whole place to go up in flames.

In the end, we appreciated what we saw in Hanoi but were ready to move on. Ahead of us we had our Halong Bay cruise and a few days of trekking with hill tribes through Sapa before heading to Laos.

On our taxi into town from the Danang Airport, our driver picked up a friend to help him along the way to “help him with directions” since he didn’t know where he was going. Uh huh, sure buddy. His friend ended up owning a tailor shop (ohh, what a coincidence!), which she was happy to tell us about. We were suspicious, but she seemed nice, so we told her maybe we’d stop by during our stay. The driver dropped us off in town and we bid them farewell to look for a place.

We found a room in the charming Thien Nga and got settled. The next few days were spent biking around the quaint streets and shopping for dresses.  The first shop I tried was the highly recommended, upscale, Yaly. The process began by sitting down with an attendant and flipping through magazines to find the style you want.  I choose a top of one dress and the bottom of another. Next is the challenge of choosing a fabric. If you have a knowledgeable, accommodating salesperson they would give you advice about the type of fabric you are choosing which is best for the style of dress. Unfortunately, mine was rushing around a bit, not answering any questions, and just kind of leaving me to it. I ended up choosing the wrong type of fabric for the dress because it was in a color I liked, but this I wouldn’t learn until the end. Finally they measure you and take any final requests and you’re on your way, fitting scheduled for the next day.

The next morning I ventured back to the shop with high hopes, only to have them crushed when I tried on the dress. The top was completely off and the rest looked quite strange since it wasn’t done yet. I tried to stay composed as I voiced my concerns. She was willing to make the changes but kept asking, “Are you SURE??” No! I’m not sure lady, I have no idea what this dress is going to look like when it’s done so why don’t you give me some freaking advice!

A little disheartened, we ventured out on the quest for a second dress. Decided to try a new shop this time and went to Hugo, the woman’s shop from the taxi ride. Joel picked the style for this dress, so as soon as I choose a fabric and got measured we were on our way. A pretty easy experience compared to the first shop.

Over the next couple days, a few more changes were made to both dresses before they were ready to take home. Overall, both dresses I wouldn’t say I 100% love, but it was a fun process and I definitely have some unique pieces to take home. If you’re interested in getting clothes made in Hoi An I would totally recommend it. Just have a clear idea of what you want (style AND fabric), be firm with changes you want made, and choose a different shop if you aren’t getting the service you want at the current one. Happy Shopping!

For our second day trip out of Saigon, we went about 4 hours north to a beach town called Mui Ne. The town is famous for the windswept beaches that make it a haven for kite surfers from around the world. However, the main draw are the giant red and white sand dunes that push right up to the edge of the ocean .

Mui Ne is essentially a tourist town with countless hotels and resorts spread across the main seaside road. Although the hotels right on the beach can be extravagantly expensive, the ones directly across the street are cheap.We showed up with no plans or reservations and quickly found a nice hotel with all the basic amenities for about $15. After finding the hotel, our next task was finding a driver to take us out to the dunes. Hired jeeps are available for four hours through agents all over town, and after some shopping around we booked one for about $11 per person. However, this was after our own hotel tried to rip us off on a driver, which taught us a lesson we’ve seen over and over again on our travels: always shop around and never trust the first price you hear. Even if it’s from someone you think you can trust.

Our first stop was at a place called Fairy Stream. I want you to imagine what a place called Fairy Stream should look like. Now think of the exact opposite, and that’s where we were. We waded into the ankle-deep water at the entrance of the stream to find garbage piled up on the banks and a horrible smell everywhere. I could just imagine the little parasites and bacteria burrowing into our feet with every step.

In fact, there were some weird, alien larvae stuck on the rocks and floating with the current that we tried to avoid

To make matters worse, there was some strange type of animal pooh everywhere. After walking about a hundred yards downstream, we found the culprit; an ostrich. Some local kids had managed to procure a full grown ostrich and were offering tourists rides. As soon as we made eye contact with them they yelled “no problem, no problem!” as if reading our expressions of “you gotta be kidding me.” As we watched some British girls go for a flailing ride, we lamented the plight of poor Mr.Ostrich and continued on down the stream.

Fortunately, the scenery improved as we walked on. Rock formations and small dunes of soft white and orange sand formed a miniature canyon along the stream. In the end, the stream was interesting, but not really worth the trouble.

The white dunes were our next stop as we made the long drive further up Mui Ne’s main coastal highway. Once we got away from the resorts and tourist hotels we realized what a special place it was. It looked like the Australian outback with orange dirt, cactus and scrub brush everywhere. Small cattle farms were spaced miles apart and their livestock roamed freely along the edges and sometimes right down the middle of the highway. Wind from the ocean constantly blasted sand across the road, making it completely disappear in some places.

Before the dunes, we stopped at a small fishing village where the fisherman bob around the bay in what looked like large bamboo bowls. It was amazing to see desert cattle farms and fishing villages, seemingly two different worlds, separated only by a thin road.

The giant, undulating white dunes were on the edge of a lake surrounded by pine trees. The ocean shimmered only a couple of miles away, just over the horizon. The entire scene looked like a mirage. Our driver hurriedly dropped us off and told us we had about 20 minutes if we wanted to make it to the red dunes in time for sunset. As we rushed over we noticed some more young, local entrepreneurs charging tourists $20 for about 15 minutes use of 4-wheeler to zip up the dunes. Extortion or not, I guess it’s better than ostrich rides.

We clambered in the soft sand up the nearest dune, which had a steep drop off right into the edge of the lake. The wind was even stronger up here and blasted us with stinging sand, but it made for some great pictures.

We arrived at the red dunes just as the sun was setting. These were much more crowded as people waited for the perfect moment to take pictures or slid down the dunes in sheets of plastic they rented from kids. When the sun hit the horizon, the view was otherworldly.

By the end of the day, we were completed encrusted with sand, but happy for having the experience. Mui Ne showed us so much more than we expected.

It started off interestingly enough as we were the only foreigners on a small 8 person local bus. After about 1.5 hours we got dropped off on a street corner in the middle of the countryside. We looked around nervously trying not to panic until we found a toll keeper who was able to call our guide to come get us. Fortunately he showed up shortly, just as another guide was trying to poach us, and motorbiked us to our guest house. It was a nice spot right on the Mekong River. Our room was a little grimy though as it looked like a prison cell with squished mosquitoes and dead roaches on the floor.

After checking everything out, we sat on the porch for lunch and booked 2 boat tours for the day. The first tour led us through the rivers with stops at a coconut candy factory, bee farm, and a few other islands, including one where a monk lived who only ate coconuts every day to protest the war. The stops were a little touristy, but the views along the way were picturesque. After cruising around for a while we came back to the guest house for a nap.

My reaction to a huge python in the middle of eating a huge chicken. Believe me you don't want to see it.

Where the coconut monk lived

The next tour was drifting down the canals at night looking for fireflies. Even though the moon was bright they lit up the trees like Christmas lights. It was amazing how the boatman was able to navigate the canals in the pitch black. Can’t imagine getting lost in there.  That night, we sat down for dinner in pitch black since the power was still out from their 3 times a week blackouts. Dinner was DIY spring rolls of fried Elephant Ear Fish that were really delicious once we mastered rolling our own. Our guide helped us until we got the hang of it, and then went into town for an errand.

Once we were left to our own devices we were soon joined by an old grandfather who started enthusiastically pouring us shots of coconut liqueur. We soon had a group of 4 as other elders joined us, and were being laughed at by the young waiter as we forced down shot after shot. When our guide came back with dessert for us he angrily chased off the older men to bed. Luckily the power came on soon after that and we called it a night as well.

The next day we had a leisurely afternoon biking around the countryside before getting on the bus back to Saigon. We cut through rice fields and passed tons of school kids on bikes waving hello. These moments turned out to be some of our favorites when you aren’t being led on a structured tour and can just meander around on your own.

Overall, the trip was a welcome jaunt out of the city, but was also where we started learning a vital lesson about Vietnam: No matter how nice your guide is, or how well recommended they came, they are still trying to squeeze the most money possible out of you. Another tip – if a guide ever says this is what the price might be, but could be less depending on what you do, don’t ever listen. The key is to negotiate the price and trip you want right from the beginning, because at the end, it will always be the most expensive price they mentioned, and then it will be too late to fix it. Don’t think we’ll ever master the fine art of negotiating in Vietnam!

After my previous attempt landed me on my butt in the mud.