Dress Ups with the kids

Emma and I have asking the kindy teacher Xuan to play dress-ups with the kids since we arrived and the day finally came!!! I think me and Emma were more excited than the kids. They looked so so so adorable! Tom Tom especially in his little bee outfit and Meo as a chicken. They are so chubby so they looked so cute. All the girls wanted to be princesses and put on a show for us on the stage. Their favourite song is “Call me maybe” and they stand their waving to us like queens. I have plenty of videos!! I of course managed to fit into a dress (when I say fit I mean the top bit went to my belly button but the skirt was perfect). The girls loved me being up on stage with them. We played lots of music and the kids just ran around and danced while us volunteers were all paparazzi taking so many photos of them. I could have taken a million more photos. It was such a great afternoon and well worth the wait. I didn’t think they could get any cuter but the costumes proved me wrong. I want to bring them all home.

I also discovered that my favourite little girl Happy loves the ball pit. I spent the whole morning with her as she lied amongst the balls in a baby’s bath tub. She was throwing them around, lying in them, kicking her legs and walking on them. It must of been such an exciting sensation for her and something different than our normal routine. I can’t believe I have to say goodbye to the kids on Monday. I don’t want to. I love them all way too much. Please Mum can we adopt Happy!!!!

Halong Bay

Note: I have been writing this blog since Sunday and have finally had time to finish it haha.
Emma and I had initially planned to go to Halong Bay when we first arrived but we decided to wait to see if more volunteers wanted to come. And it worked!! We booked halong bay for the weekend just gone with a total number of 9 volunteers from all over the world. Being all on a backpackers budget we were super excited when the travel agent upgraded us to a 5 star luxury cruise for the same price complete with a jacuzzi in each room. WOOOOOOOH!!

So after a big night Friday night for our housemate Emma Hai’s (Emma #2) birthday we all met bright and early Saturday morning for a 4hr bus ride to Halong Bay. There was 2 girls from house 1 from France and Denmark, 3 girls and 1 boy from House 2 from Denmark, Iceland and Australia and of course house 3 was made up of myself and the 2 Emma’s. Everyone speaks really good English but they will often swap mid sentence to their own language and me, Emma and Sophie are left trying to work out if they are speaking English or not. It’s so funny.

So our boat was totally amazing! We were like 5 year olds running around all excited looking at the different parts of the boat and opening up all the cupboards in our room. My roomie was Halldor from Iceland. The boat is designed for around 50 people but we only had 20 so it was great. Once we set sail, we sat down for lunch. At the lunch the food just kept coming out, dish after dish after dish. A plate of squid made an appearance but I struggled to even look at it. I knew it was fresh but I’m still scarred from Ho Chi Minh City. We counted 8 dishes in total, like who has 8 dishes for lunch…we did eat them all! It was amazing!

We then got off the boat and explored a local cave and a lookout with the view we had been waiting for. It really does look like all the photos on postcards and on the internet. As per Emma and Eliza standard we took plenty of photos, lost the annoying tour guide and were the last ones back to the tender boat. Two minutes at the lookout was not an adequate amount of time to capture the beauty of the view and our standard poses. We then had 2 options: go hiking up to a lookout in a different location or go kayaking. Despite it being freezing cold, at the last minute 6 of us chose kayaking. When we were told it was best to wear shorts cause you get wet, we somewhat regretted the decision. Of course we didn’t wear shorts but we did take off our shoes and socks because in the cold weather these items have become so precious. It would have been the end of the world if I had to trudge around the boat all weekend in wet socks and shoes. Since we were first told about kayaking Emma had been telling us every 5 minutes that she had never been kayaking without capsizing it and that she was probaly going to fall in. So she was ditched as my partner as I did not feel like a swim in my warm clothes. So me and Sophie from Australia, jumped in a kayak and went adventuring through a cave and into the most beautiful bay. It was so peaceful and pretty. There was even little monkeys on the cliff faces and at the waters edge. When I say kayak I mean paddle around in circles and lie down in the kayak. We did try lying down and paddling but it was more an ab workout out than paddling. When we had to race back to the boat it was more of a zig zag motion and trying to not run into the cliffs but we got there in the end. I would love to return to the bay in the summertime, it would be nice to swim and lay in the sun. We spent the rest of the afternoon playing how many volunteers can you fit into a jacuzzi…six!! I miss baths so much so it was so good and of course siping cocktails made it better.

For dinner it was just your casual ten courses! It was crazy! I of course ate it all, my stomach has tripled over here, I’m always hungry. Dinner was followed by karaoke. Yes I have managed to lose my voice for the second time this trip so I happily watched. Why does my voice hate me!!

Halldor and I had promised we would wake up at 6.30am to do Thai Chi on the sun deck. And that we did. Except there was no sun and just rain so we did “disco Thai chi” on the dance floor inside. It was actually so relaxing! We then had a very early breakfast and were on traditional paddle boats in the freezing cold rain by 7.45am. We paddled through a floating village, it was quite interesting. But man was it cold. And the rain didn’t help. Halong bay though is so peaceful and beautiful so despite how cold I was, it was again an amazing experience. I really need to find another world than amazing haha. If I come back to Vietnam (which I will be) I will definetly be returning to the gorgeous Halong Bay for a longer cruise. I had the best weekend with the best people. I have made such good friends over here and now have a place to stay in every European country haha.

The week at Bo De

Last week started off quite cold on Monday and then it got colder and colder and colder as the week went on. My amount of layers had tripled by Friday and I had to buy gloves so my hands didn’t fall off from being frozen. A lot of new volunteers have been arriving from different parts of Europe and to them, this is not freezing cold weather. They laughed at me wearing gloves and we are constantly reminding them that Australian Winter is considered super super cold if it gets under 15 degrees. So 10 degrees is freezing to me! And you definitely know it’s cold when you go to the orphanage and each kid has 4 jumpers on and the cutest little beanies on. It really was a week of trying our best to keep the kids warm in the cold weather.

With the cold weather, the Nannies of the disabled children were quite difficult and did not want the children walking the 40m to the kindergarten so they wouldn’t get sick. So myself, Emma and Halldor the new physio volunteer brought all the activities into the room of the disabled children. And they loved it!! Happy Boy has become so fond of us taking him out of his cot every morning and afternoon to do exercises that he now cries when we put him back which means we literally sprint out of the room before the Nannies start yelling at us in Vietnamese. Which has happened to me quite a few times, except I have no idea what they are telling me. In the little bit of not so cold weather, I was able to take my favourite little girl Happy for a play on the playground. Happy is completely blind and is constantly saying “happy, happy, happy”. I really want to bring her home with me. We often go on long walks around the orphanage and pagoda to increase her awareness of the surroundings. But we tried the playground and did it the same way about 20 times. Up the stairs, through the tunnel, over the bridge, up the steps and sitting down on my lap for the slide and then walking back around to the stairs. At first she was very hesitant and would not let go of my hand but after we repeated the same process so many times she was able to use her and feet to do it by herself while saying “happy”. I was so proud and I find it really interesting to work with the blind. She is so clever! And such a happy little girl. She’s the highlight of my day and always manages to make me smile.

The week in the kindergarten started off with me have a panic attack 7am Monday morning as I found lice in my hair. It was disgusting. So Monday night we spent combing nits out of each other’s hair. Fun, fun fun. So now my mop of hair is in a bun or tight braids everyday and covered in prevention spray. Anyway In the kindergarten not only am I the morning dance teacher (I am so unco so I have no idea how I was appointed this role but you should see me do the chicken dance…perfection) but I am now the hair stylist. It started when monkey boy (I can’t pronounce his real name) found an elastic and wanted me to put it in his hair. He looked so adorable. Walking through the Old Quater at Lunch I saw a packet of colourful elastics and thought the kids would love it. And that they did. As soon as I showed them after lunch the girls and monkey started queuing up for me to do their hair. Not only did it allow me to identify the girls who were the nit carries but I also really enjoyed putting about 20 spiky pony tails in each girls head. They looked super super cute! It was quite the effort though but I had a little helper Lan Ahn handing me the elastics and making sure I was doing it right. Her hair unfortunelty was shaven off by mistake and is not long enough at all. Now everyday at least one of the girls will point towards the packet of elastics in my pocket and want their hair done. It’s quite cute. So anyone that wants a funky hairstyle when I get back just let me know, it’s the new fashion!!

Emma is in love with a baby approx 11months old named Bridget. She is blind and has a bad skin condition but she is adorable. Emma has been taking her out of her room everyday and into the kindy but on Wednesday the Nannies allowed her to come to lunch with us. So with her trillion layers on, a beanie, gloves, a bottle in a heated bag and 3 nappies in Emma’s backpack we took Bridget to our local cafe and into the old quater. Mum Emma on duty. The nannies were super excited for us to be taking her. After lunch 6 volunteers and a baby went exploring the old quater. The amount of weird looks we got was hilarious. They must of thought we had stolen her haha. The next 2 days Bridget was once again allowed to come exploring and now every time Emma walks into the baby room the nannies think she is taking her out haha.

On Friday afternoon, the weather had warmed up just enough for us to be able to take the kids down to the river. The orphanage is part of a pagoda that is on the river. There are huge stairs that lead down to the jetty and then a grass trail along the water. So the seven of us each took a child each from kindy and went walking down to the river. We spent about 20 minutes walking along, looking at the boats and the cars across the bridge and playing in the dirt. We then walked back and got the another child each and did the same thing. The kids had such a great time so did we. They rarely leave the orphanage so it was great for them to be able to get some exercise and fresh air. We had time to spare so we took some disabled children and a toddler for a walk. Happy was my little partner and she was so good. She made it up and down all the stairs by using her feet to feel the way, I’m so proud. Can I please adopt her?! She’s just too cute for her own good. It was such a rewarding afternoon and a perfect end to another week at Bo De.

The cooking class

We had planned to ride around West Lake (approx 18km) on both Saturday and Sunday but the rainy cold Hanoi weather made it’s return and didn’t permit it. So myself and my housemates Martine, Sandy and Sylvie attended a cooking class at a the Blue Butterfly restaurant in the Old Quater on Sunday afternoon out of the miserable weather. Emma was unfortunately sick and stayed in bed. We were more drawn to the fact that you got to eat the food rather than cooking part but it was totally worth it. My housemates also share my love for food.

It started off with our guide Mr Tinh taking us through the local food markets. It was really interesting to have a local show us different Vietnamese vegetables and fruits and how to pick them. We were also able to try all the different fruits which I of course loved. I didn’t love walking through the seafood street though. When a large fish that I thought was dead jumped towards me, I picked up the pace and walked back to the non moving veggies. At least I know the seafood from that market is fresh unlike my old friend the squid from Ho Chi Minh City.

After we had picked up a few ingredients from the market we went back to the restaurant to find chef hats, aprons and very big knifes awaiting us. It was the type of knife that anyone who knew me and my lack of skill in the kitchen would not let me use. It was a weapon. Sandy started to get worried when I began copying the chefs fast chopping skills and waving the knife around. But see photo proof below that I kept all my fingers and no need for a second hospital trip.

So we cooked: Hanoi style fried spring rolls, green papaya salad and lemon grass chicken stir fry! And I can confirm that we are masterchefs, they were delicious. Vietnamese food has so much flavour and it was great to see how they balance the flavours for different types of food. However despite me explaining my dislike of spicy food, it was spicy in the end. But for once in my life I enjoyed cooking. I can’t wait to try them at home. The best part of the class was of course eating the food. After cooking for 3 hrs it was a huge reward. We were all presented certificates and mine will be going straight on the fridge when I get home. And no this does not mean I can cook dinner every night. I was such a good chef I got to wear the chefs hat haha not really I begged him to let me wear it. I was probaly the worst in the class…I was cutting herbs the wrong way ooppsies. In my head I’m a masterchef. So glad I took the class though because it was a great way to experience the Vietnamese culture and traditional cooking methods. I’m now even in more love with Vietnamese food!!!

Oh I almost forgot that we got shown how to make a flower out of carrot and a tomato rose. My carrot was a masterpiece but I could not do the tomato. I would get nearly to the end and it would break and fall off. They ran out of tomatoes for me to try with (note the five flowers in the photo not six) I will be trying again when I get home!

</a

I coy

The Weekends activities

So yes we did the cooking class but we also explored some more of Hanoi. After not being able to do it last time, we finally got to see Ho Chi Minhs body. His actual body. We gave up Saturday mornings sleep in to get to the masuleousm nice and early (it’s only open until 11am). Myself, Emma and Sylvie met new volunteers Kirsten and Halldor. It was the first tourist attraction they had been to and asked who Ho Chi Minh is to Vietnamese People and the best answer we could give was “God”. With the big building he is in and the guards standing everywhere he really is.

We had to walk in pairs in a long line, no talking, no photos, no hands in the pocket, no large SLR cameras, no explosives, no weapons. I was paired with Sylvie and I cannot count how many times we got in trouble from the guards. Apparently photos outside the building is not allowed either. So you walk in on the red carpet following the line of people, walk into the room where he is lying…a huge big glass coffin with guards surrounding it, walk around the coffin and then straight out of the building. It was such a weird experience. Uncle Ho looks almost not real, like a wax figure (which I’m sure he is not). He does look so peaceful just lying there with thousands of eyes staring at him daily. On the way out sylvie and I were giggling and once again got in trouble. But now I can say I’ve seen Ho Chi Minh’s body. And despite many spitting on him threats I did not go through with it, I would have been shot in a second!

Saturday night was spent rugged up inside drinking wine and eating chocolate. Seeing as Emma and I are outnumbered with French housemates they tried to teach us some French. Our house mate Martine only speaks French so I’m constantly trying to imagine the conversation in my head or sylvie has to translate hahah. It was so funny watching Emma trying to pronounce the sounds let alone pronounce the words. I wish I could upload the video. We all could not stop laughing. The only words we can say correctly and not forget is “wee” and “see”. If I ever live in France I will have to take a million language classes to be able to make the sounds. It’s really hard with an Australian accent haha.

On Sunday we all had a lazy day before the cooking class but I went for a walk around the streets near my house and found some more local markets. We live in a residential area so it is really interesting to walk around the houses and streets. I am the only westerner walking around which attracts attention but I feel right at home here. I also finally went to the smoothie cafe about 50m from our house which I have been meaning to since we got there. I went in there to get a takeaway smoothie but got talking to the two Vietnamese waitresses and ended up staying there for 2 hrs. One had studied in Brisbane for 4 years and spoke really good English. They couldn’t believe someone my age would come to help kids in their country and that I was living around the corner. I assured them Id be back many times to get another mango smoothie and chat.

After the cooking class, we bought tickets to a traditional Vietnamese Water Puppet Show. It was all in Vietnamese but really interesting. Each act told a traditional story. Some were about fishing/farming and others dragons and turtles living in Hoan Kien Lake. The whole time I tried to figure out where the puppeteers were (at first I thought they were under the water but realized it was impossible to hold your breath for that long) and how how they were doing it. They stand behind curtains in the water with long sticks that are hidden under the water and only briefly shown. Very skilled people!! I really did enjoy it!

So that was our last weekend exploring Hanoi because the next 2 weekends we will be travelling to Halong Bay and Sapa. Really looking foward to it!!

wit

n

me

Back in Hanoi

So we survived the 20hr bus trip!! Once we arrived in Hue, we swapped to a sleeper bus and I was actually able to get a good night sleep. The driver drove calmly and I didn’t fear for my life like the previous times. We arrived back in Hanoi at 6am this morning. Hanoi put it’s usual show on of overcast clouds and misty weather. So glad to be back home!!

We headed out to the orphanage at usual time to see the kids. They were extra adorable today! There are 2 new children in the Kindergarten class that were left over the TET New Years holiday. As they told Suan the kindergarten teacher that they missed their family she translated to me in tears before I started crying. All the kids started staring at me and saying “happy, happy happy”. They are such strong and inspiring little vegemites. I really wish I could speak Vietnamese though. The kids have so many stories to tell and I wish I could listen to them! If only learning an Asian language was easy.

It’s crazy to think we left Australia 3 weeks ago today, it’s going too fast! I’m loving every minute of this adventure!! We have exactly 3 weeks left and I don’t want it to end! Here some photos of the sleeper bus, our first day back and of course my dragon fruit!

Hoi An!

Hoi An is a beautiful magical city of latterns. The photos do not capture the heritage and beauty of this little town. Our hostel is a short bike ride to the main city, finally some exercise! We rode the bikes in yesterday morning after getting off the sleeper bus at 6am. Each street is covered in colourful lanterns and lined with small tailor shops. Everyone is riding bikes or strolling through the streets at a relaxing pace. Such a change from the busy cities.

They have such nice hippie pants here too, I’ll have a zillion pairs by the time I get back. I had a 15 minute bartering face off with the pants lady over 10,000 Vietnamese dong which is equilivant to about 60 cents. Yes it sounds little but it’s not the point. After 3 weeks of being ultra stubborn refusing to let the salesperson win (I have been very successfull…Emma on the other hand is hopeless at the trade) I finally met my match. She was a stubborn old lady who did not give into my convincing or sad pout when I started to get desperate. If I didn’t love the pants so much, I would have walked out knowing she wouldn’t be one of the people chasing me down the street accepting my price. I also knew if I didn’t give in id be regretting the decision for hours after. I walked out paying her price and whinging to Emma how I hate losing bartering battles. So the pants lady won. In the end she deserved the victory…man was she a stubborn bitch. My sort of woman!!! I was quite proud of her really.

They also have really nice jewelry…which I of course bought (at my price). I miss all my bracelets and rings at home. I’m sure I’ll have quite a collection to add to it though when I get home. At night time, the lanterns are lit up and it looks even more spectacular than the day. As part of the New Years small latterns with candles were floating down the river. Just so pretty!

Unfortunately we only had such a short time here and didn’t have time to go to the beach which we have been told is better than Nha Trang. We planned to spend quite a few days here but with me getting bloody sick it didn’t work out like that. Ahh well, gives me an excuse to come back to this amazing town! And I will be back!!

I’m currently writing this in my notes section of my phone. We have boarded our first bus to get back to Hanoi. 3 hrs down, 16 hrs to go….wooooooh! Bus lyf 4eva!! I am excited to get back to Hanoi though and the kids, I miss the kids! So this is the end of our little TET (new year) holiday and time to go back to work. I think for us it’s a very big accomplishment that we will make it back to Hanoi in one piece!! (Let’s ignore the hospital detour).

Nha Trang!

You’d be pleased to know I am feeling much better! Nha trang is so beautiful! For starters it’s a beach town and the weather is hot and sunny so perfect for me! We have been lazing around under beach huts and soaking up some rays. Well Emma lies in the shade while I enjoy the sun. She can’t wait to get back to the cold weather in Hanoi while I will start having summer withdrawals again!! It’s quite amusing to lie on our deck chairs and watch Japanese and European tourists attempt to go in the water and scream at the waves haha (there’s about 1 small wave). I miss the beach!!

Yesterday we visited the Thap Ba Hot mineral springs. On arrival we were given the option of a communal mud bath or a private 2 person tub. Not wanting to share our mud with others we chose the private tub! The mud is so green and looks gross but once you are In it’s so much fun…it did take us a while to finally sit in it hahah. As we played around with the mud and I used the “fresh water spoon” ( I hid it when the spa people looked hehe) to tip mud all over Emma and put it on my face, we noticed that everyone surrounding us were romantic couples giving each other shoulder and foot massages haha the honey moon suite. And they were taking the whole experience very seriously and well we were not. So we thought it was only right to pretend we were romantic lovers. That was until Emma complained “why arnt I getting a foot massage like the other couples?” That was the end of the relationship. She was too needy anyway hahah. After our 20min mud bath, we had a 30 minute bath in hot mineral water. Finally got our bath that we had been wanting since we arrived (unfortunately our house doesn’t have one). After our bath, we rinsed off under a freshwater waterfall. Now my skin is so soft and silky!!

Today we explored a local pagoda and walked along a a lot less touristy part of coastline. It’s just so pretty! I also really enjoy exploring the different pagodas in each town, they all have a different vibe to them. And of course we had a cheap full body massage…why can’t they be cheap in Australia?! In a few hours we are boarding another 12hr sleeper bus…I’m dreading it. But I’m sure it will be much better than my last experience (no more vomiting!!). I might have to reread the book theif again!!

P.S. I have a new obsession with dragon fruit and they are so cheap here!!

Ho Chi Minh City!!

I’ve been slack with the blog, sorry!!Where to even start, in my head I’m trying to recount the 3 days we spent here but it’s all a big blur. I’ve included plenty if photos though!! Before I start HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!! It’s the year of horse!! Ho Chi Minh city was covered in flowers, flowers and more flowers for this celebration. Sun flowers, yellow flowers, red flowers, flowers in the shape of horses…just flowers galore! And I loved it. You should be very proud mum but this doesn’t mean I’ll start taking an interest in your gardening obsession. But they were very pretty!

What did we do in this very touristy city:
-Ate glorious cheese cake on the 52nd floor of the financial business with 360 degree views of the city
-Visited China Town (not touristy at all) and looked around at the decorations and walked through traditional food markets and with the amount of kisses that was blown towards me I may have been asked on a few dates and not had a clue. Can I change my hair colour?
-Visited the War Remnants Museum. It was very interesting but an eye opening experience. Having studied it throughout the HSC (was nearly the death of me) I could tell it was very one sided and the photos were quite gruesome. Was good to see though!
-Drunk way too many vodka $2 buckets!
– Took a Tour to the Cu Chi Tunnels. Despite being extremely sick I stayed on the tour and had the chance to see some of the traps used by the Vietcong in the Vietnam war. I had learnt a lot about these and seen various photos but to see them being demonstrated right in front of me was breath taking. In some cases I had to turn away, they were brutal. I feel sorry for the poor buggars who got stuck in them!! Next we had the chance to crawl into the tunnels used by the Vietcong. Before hand I wasn’t sure of how I was going to react being trapped in a tiny, dark, hot space underground. It was fine for the first 10m until it suddenly became very dark and much deeper!! Sylvie our housemate was the leader and Emma closely followed while having a panic attack and me behind Emma. Emma was not a fan at all!! I honestly don’t know how the Vietcong did it! I don’t think I’ve ever been so relieved to see sunlight when we came to the 100m exit only to be told by our guide “congratulations you made 40m”…longest ever 40m of my life! The 3 of us were very proud that we made that far though and quickly refused the offer to try the next level. Such a good experience!

All in all they were a few great days in Uncle Ho city, exploring the crazy streets and hanging out with our housemates! Farewell Saigon! We are now in the beachy town of Nha Trang! The ocean and sun…my favourite 2 things!!

The Curse of the Squid

Yes everyone warned me not to eat Seafood and I didn’t until we were taken to an amazing restraunt in Hanoi by locals and ate delicious fish. I then mentally put all my trust in seafood. Mistake 1. Alarm bells didn’t go off in my head in Ho Chi Minh when I ordered squid to be cooked in front of me on a BBQ nor when I ate it. Mistake 2. I wish I could go back in time and punch myself in the face for ordering it! AHHHH well you live and learn.

Only did I realize 4hrs later lying on the bathroom floor trying to convince myself I drunk to much alcohol that I had food poisoning. Only 24hrs it will last I thought. Mistake 3. The next mistake was hopping on that tour bus to the tunnels. Let’s just say I had to run off the bus many times.

For the next 24hrs I recovered until we boarded our 10hr sleeper bus trip to Nha Trang. Conveniently the vomiting returned. The sleeper bus would have been lovely if I had not been so sick. Arriving in Nha Trang, the first stop was the hospital. 3 days had been enough. 1 night in the hospital, 4 bottles of fluids, 3 injections and 2 lovely nurses I am now on the mend. Despite them wanting to keep me in for another lonely night without Emma . I am out!! Yes we now have the rule no seafood!! And I’m super cautious. I can’t wait to get back to our amazing chef Ahn back at home in Hanoi!