Escape to Iceland

A friend of mine wanted to go on a vacation and asked if I was in. Of course! What kind of question was that? So naturally my next question was to where? The answer: Iceland. Not what I was expecting, but why not? 

So off to Iceland I went. We landed in Keflavik in the early hours of the morning. It was the easiest airport to get through as far as security goes. We hopped on a bus and headed for Reykjavik. Our bus dropped us off not far from our hotel, but with my sense of direction, didn't find it right away. We walked in a few circles before finding the Hotel Centrum. They were kind enough to let us check in a few hours early. By the time we reached the hotel, we were exhausted! After a quick cat nap, we decided to check out Reykjavik. I wouldn't call it a city, but it is one of the cutest towns I've ever been to. It was full of quaint coffee shops, restaurants, and  shops. The first day was low key. But a perfect way to kick off vacation. 

Rather than taking a tour, we decided to rent a car through Hertz. This was the best idea we had the entire trip. It was so simple. They picked us up at our hotel and took us to the airport to pick up the car. We were in and out in 10 minutes. I did manage to fall on some ice while heading to the car. Great start to the day! Our first place to go, the Golden Circle. This included a drive through Thingvellir National Park, the Golden Falls, and the valley of Haukadalur (which has to popular geysers). These were cool to see, especially the geyser. I can't say I've ever seen one before. After the Golden Circle tour, we headed south to find Highway 1 and make our way to the coastline. Along the way, we maybe saw one or two other cars and drove through countess sheep. We were even held up because of a sheep fight in the middle of the road. (Never thought I'd say that!)

When we made our way to Highway 1, our next stop was another waterfall, Skogafoss. It's another great waterfall to check out with hardly any crowds. You can even hike to the top and if you go just off the path, like me, there's a small piece of land the goes out in front of the waterfall that makes for a great sight. Just behind this waterfall is Eyiafjallajokull Glacier, which I can't pronounce, but you probably know this glacier! It erupted in 2010 causing so many airports to close in Europe. Our last stop for the day was to a black-sand beach. We drove to the top near a lighthouse, a place called Dyhrolaey. You could see a lot of different kinds of birds from the top. After that, we attempted to loop around the glaciers, but it go dark and the roads we covered in snow, so we turned around. 

The next few days were a little more low key. We stayed closer to town. We hit up the Reykjavik Art Museum, the Volcano House, a photography exhibit, and the Kolaportio Flea Market on the weekend. We also went to Hallgrimskirkja, the most famous church that sits at the top of the city. It's a church like I've never seen before. The outside had an unusual design, while the inside was traditional and beautiful. We went to the top to the church behind the clock where you can soak up the sights for miles to come. It was breathtaking and anyone who visits needs to make a trip to the top of the tower! Also just near the church is a ceramic workshop that was amazing. The artist is the 3rd generation to sculpt. The ceramics made for the best souvenirs. 

One thing that was disappointing, the Northern Lights. All week the tours were cancelled because of clouds. Finally one of the last nights there, the tour was on! I was jumping like a little kid I was so excited. We left just after 11 p.m. and drove to another waterfall to look. After 5 hours of travel time, no lights. With defeat, we drove back to Reykjavik. The Northern Lights were supposed to be a highlight for me and I didn't get to see them. Yes, I was angry.

The next day we were supposed to return stateside, but that didn't happen. Just so happened that the same day we were supposed to leave was the same day Hurricane Sandy hit. But since Icelandic Air was the last to cancel their flights, we were already at the airport. We found a bed and breakfast down the road and made arrangements. The man the picked us up was so friendly and helpful. When we told him where were from he said that guest just before us left something from Pittsburgh, but he didn't know what it was and that perhaps we could help. We got to the front desk and what did he pull out? A Terrible Towel! I couldn't contain myself. What were the odds? The only downside to this place was that it was on an abandoned army base so there was nothing to do in the area. 

Save the best for last! What else than the Blue Lagoon! The Blue Lagoon is a geothermal spa in the middle of no where. We went early, which was smart. It gets quite crowded after 12. It was as good as everyone said. It was relaxing and the perfect ending to a trip. Although most people usually go in the beginning since it's close to the airport. 

Finally our flight was scheduled on time the second day. The airport was chaotic because of the cancelations from the days before. We got into Boston on time but had a massive layover. Which resulted in me sleeping on the Boston Airport floor... Not the best place to sleep but at least we were finally going to make it home. Overall, Iceland was a much different vacation than I'm used to but well worth it! Stay tuned...

Peace & Love,
Elissa Rae

Vacation in Vietnam

Better late than never! Here's a few highlights from my vacation to Vietnam this summer. I hope you enjoy a brief rundown of Ho Chi Minh City, Da Lat, and Nha Trang! Stay tuned...

Peace & Love,
Elissa Rae

Down and Dirty in Boryeong

Back in July I finally went to Boryeong. Why did I want to go there? Simple. The annual mud festival! I've heard about this "mud festival" that so many foreigners had gone to and had such a great time. I mean, who wouldn't have fun. You have a beach, mud, and slides... Unfortunately for me, my first time around I wasn't in the country to go. I was on my vacation in Thailand and Cambodia. And at that point in time, I thought Korea was only a one year thing for me. So naturally I was disappointed. Luckily, I made the wise decision to stay a second year and another try for the festival.

This time around, I was so excited to go. We had a group set up. Plans were made. Then last minute work announced we had meetings that same weekend! Nooo! I thought, "this cannot be happening. I've waited an entire year to go." So the week before we had to cancel all plans. But wait! We were unaware that there was a second weekend! This festival is so popular that they hold it two weekends back to back. Sadly, most people I knew were going the first week, but I could finally go. 

Ready to go. Two of us started to head out earlier than others. (Even though we woke up late!) We headed to the Anyang bus terminal and waited for the the bus. So excited we hopped on only to find no empty seats. The driver handed us some styrofoam squares with an awkward circle drawn on it. We weren't sure what to do with the styrofoam. People began pointing and it clicked. It was a seat for the floor... Two and a half hours later, I was happy to get to Boryeong. We met some nice people that helped us out because where the bus let us off and where the festival was at were not the same place. We bought tickets to another, shorter, bus and in about 15 minutes we made it. Finally! It wasn't as crowded as I thought it would be, but I believe the first weekend is much more popular and busy. I was ok with that. 

First things first, we had to find a room (if there were any). We only had to search for about 30 minutes and were able to stay right next to the beach and not far from the attractions. We dropped off our stuff, changed into swimsuits and browsed around the beaches. We were still waiting for two other that had to work that day. We held off doing any of the mud activities and figured we'd wait for the others. The beach wasn't the nicest of beaches, but we had great weather, a band, and warm water. We spent the first day mostly like this. When the others arrived we just relaxed, and drank a beer outside of a convenient store, Korean style. 

At night, there was plenty to do. There was a concert, none of us knew about, that couldn't be more random. It featured the k-pop group, Wonder Girls, and the American (singer/maybe rapper?), Akon. Ok? Oh and fireworks while they were singing. There were shops and food stands all over the streets. I even salsa danced with a man selling jewelry. He was quite the dancer! There were also these mini motorcycles people were driving around. I couldn't find out where people were getting them from. I finally got fed up looking and asked someone driving one if I could drive it. I promised to bring it back in 5 minutes. And guess what, they actually gave it to me! Go figure that would actually work. The rest of the night, a lot of people drink on the beach and make their own party. Although, you're not allowed in the water, probably for good reasons. 

With basically no sleep, we headed out early to the festival. There were two times available to go into the mud. So we went to the beached and got food while waiting for the second time. The food there was limited. You better like seafood or your options are 7/11 and GS25. 

When the time came, I couldn't wait. We covered ourselves in the mud reserved at the stations before the gate. People take their time painting on the mud. There were even  a variety of colors if you wanted to make a cool design. Strange, yes, but why not. Then we lined up for the rides. It was filled with slides, wrestling rings, and inflated obstacle courses. This all seemed like a good idea, but realistically it was painful. 

After a few hours playing in the mud, we headed back to Seoul. The lines for the showers were insanely long, so we took a dip in the ocean grabbed out bags and went to the bus terminal. Not thinking this out. We didn't buy our tickets beforehand and turns out we missed all the busses back. So in a last minute resort we found a train station not too far away. Luckily there was a train in 2 hours. Downside, there were no seats left. So again, we sat on the floor covered in mud for a total of 3 hours. But at least we made it back. 

Overall, I'm glad I finally got to go to this legendary festival I'd heard so much about. But in the end, I ended up with more bruises than I could count from falling so much. So if you go to the Boryeong Mud Festival, be prepared for some bruisies! Come back soon to see about how my trip to Iceland goes! Stay tuned...

Peace & Love,
Elissa Rae

Next up, Nha Trang

After our time in Da Lat, we went to our third and final destination. I saved Nha Trang for last for the simple fact that a beach is the best part of a vacation. (At least for me!) We arrived in the afternoon and had no idea where we were going. We found a cafe that had wireless to look up the directions to the place we were staying at. Yes. I should've printed it out before, but I forgot... That would've made things too easy. 

It was hot. We were tired. Once we found the Backpacker's House we were excited to rest for a bit. But this wasn't the case. One thing was missing. The room key! Whoever was there before us forgot to give it back. So we sat around in the lounge for a little while... waiting. We were eventually let into the room, but without a key. They told us to go ahead and put our bags in the room and by the time we come back there would, fingers crossed, be a key for us. What else could we do at this point? So we locked up our passports in my bag and strolled around the town. It was much different than Da Lat. I had heard both good and bad things about this place. Good: the beach. Bad: everyone seemed to have been robbed there that I spoke with. I found this out soon enough.

The first thing we decided to do at our final destination was find a place to scuba dive. There were an overwhelming amount of places to choose from. After a while they all started to seem like the same packages. We decided to go with a place called Angel Dive. They seemed like a fun group and were close to where we were staying. The rest of the day was mostly relaxing and we spent some time in the sand. I did however realize that on the way I was given Cambodian money. I though, ok this is easy. I went to the nearest bank and handed them a pretty large amount of bills only to find out they couldn't exchange it. Just my luck. Moving on, After some hot showers and clean clothes we went downstairs to the hostel's sister bar, the Red Apple. It was a fun dive bar. It was packed every night with tourists staying in the area, most from the Backpacker's House. We called it an early night and wanted to rest up for scuba. 

We got started early the next morning and walked down to Angel Dive and hopped into the van and went to the dock. We were lucky enough to be in a small group. There was a couple snorkeling and an open water diver. We were the only 2 doing the SSI program so it was just us. The water was warm and so clear. It was a perfect day to be out. The first part of the diving was going over the signals and practice the basics needed for an emergency and what to do. Afterwards, we went back to the boat to take a short break before really diving. This time was much more fun and more freedom. We swam around and saw some beautiful fish that I'd never expect to see just hanging out at the beach. It was tiring, but worth it. I think everyone should give diving a try! (It even made me go get my open water certification.) It was a crowded area of divers, but we couldn't of asked for more. Perfect weather, warm water, and friendly instructors. On the ride back we picked up a local that lived in a floating village and gave him a lift, or rather a pull in his makeshift boat. It was a fun experience that I'd recommend to everyone. They provided lunch at a local restaurant near our place before ending the tour. We got back later in the day and again decided to relax. So like the night before, we cleaned up and headed to the Red Apple. We sat outside mingling for a while before heading down the street to watch some Euro Cup games. Lucky for us they aired around 3 a.m. so why not? It was a little more fun being surrounded by so many Europeans that were obsessed with it. 

The next morning we headed to Vinpearl Land we some of the people we met the previous night that were also going. We were told about this place by some people in Da Lat. They were right about it too. We had a blast. We took the cable car over. (Fun fact, it's the longest cable car over water.) First we went to the water park side of the resort and I think we rode every ride, sometimes twice. They were a blast, minus one that was a little slower and I got stuck in it. But it was only a minor hiccup. We bounced from slide to slide like we were kids again. Once it got a little later we ventured to the other side that filled with amusement park rides. They had all the basics like swings, a carousel, and a pirate ship. They also had a kind of roller coaster similar to the one in Da Lat. This one was undoubtably better. From the top you could see the ocean for miles and going down was full of twists and turn that can go as fast or slow as you want. Then when night fall hit we went to the indoor games. We played every game possible. They're all free there so you have free range at everything. We rode the bumper cars and even rode the mechanical bull. We left laughing none stop and probably could've spent a second day there if we had the time.  At night we socialized in the streets and walked around. We looked from some sites that we'd seen online but ended up lost and never found it. So it turned into our own personal tour of the local parts of town. Truth be told, they were a little scary to be out late and wandering. When we finally made it back a few hours later, we joined the local group of tourists and headed to a bar on the beach, The Sailing Club. The Sailing Club was one of my favorite bars in the area. It had a great atmosphere with everyone having a good time. Then again, who wouldn't want to kick back with a cocktail and dip your feet in the water after walking around all day. We ended up here again the next night too. Although after the first night, I did experience my first pick-pocketing. I was chatting with others staying down the hall from us when 2 older women were sneaky enough to get some cash from me. I made sure my bag was behind me and against the wall secured, but they were pros. On the plus side, they were very friendly women. Once I realized they only got some money and nothing else, I dropped it. That seemed like an appropriate time to call it a night.

The last full day in Nha Trang we rented motor bikes and drove around with friends from the night before. This was the best day by far. We drove along the coast. We did the tourist thing first. We drove through the city looking for gas to fill up first. Unfortunately for one bike, it didn't make it. It stopped just short of the gas station and had to pushed the rest of the way. The first stop of the day was the the Long Son Pagoda. It was at the top of a hill. My exercise for the day. I saw an old woman ringing a bell and she motioned for me to come over. When I got there, she signaled for me to go in the bell. Confused, I did it. She rung the bell so many times and helped me out. I guess some sort of blessing? It was neat. Many people have left wished and notes inside in many different languages. We continued our sweaty trip towards the top to the Buddha. We slowly made it and stopped for drinks to cool off from the heat. Yes. After that short walk, we needed a break. The Buddha was beautiful. It was different from the others I've seen in other countries. From there we drove not far down the way to Po Ngar Towers. It was like a mini Angkor Wat. It was small and had traditional dancing that was entertaining. You could also see the Buddha from the cliffside. By the time we finished here we were ready to get out of the tourist areas for a while and see the natural sights of the country. We stopped at a restaurant in the middle of no where along the beach and had some of the best seafood I've ever had. It looked like an upscale restaurant that was misplaced. The highlight was when we hit a dead end and had to turn around. The only thing in sight was an unfinished hotel/resort that was now abandoned and a small hut on the opposite side of the road. Two small toddlers ran out in front of us. Naturally, we didn't want to hit them so we stopped. They were trying to find anything that they could take. One stood against the headlight of my bike and refused to move. I wish I had something to give them, but my things were in someone else's bike. The other confiscated a water bottle from our friends and ran off with joy back to the hut. It was actually cute and saddening at the same time. We also did get lost for a little while and ended up on a road that I'm pretty sure we weren't supposed to be on that wasn't finished. It was a long detour but it worked. It was our last night in Nha Trang and we took it easy with the same people we had been the nights before. 

It was a perfect ending to a great vacation. We stayed up all night and hung out on the beach and watched the sunrise. What more could you ask for. To find out what happened on my next trip to Boryeong, stay tuned...

Peace & Love,
Elissa Rae

2 Days in Da Lat

After our time in Ho Chi Minh City, we flew first thing in the morning to Da Lat. You have to love being ready by 4 a.m.! Because we didn't have much time, it made more sense for us to fly. It was a lot faster and decently cheap. I've got to say that I was not impressed with Ho Chi Minh City's airport. We anticipated a long ride to the airport, but in reality we got there in no time. So we sat around for a while. Most of the airport was still asleep. You could see people sleeping on the floor behind the counter of their shops. When it was time for our flight we walked outside to small plane that was waiting. The flight was a little less than an hour. We got to Da Lat by 8 a.m.. 

This turned out to be a highlight of my trip. I read online that it was a quiet town but people seemed to really like it. I was glad we went. We stayed at the Pink House. This was by far the best hostel/guesthouse I've ever stayed in. When we walked up to the door we were quickly greeted with hugs and smiles. Everyone was so friendly. Our rooms weren't ready so we grabbed some breakfast and asked about what we should do while we were in town. We jotted down some ideas of things to do, but didn't really set a plan. They were quick to start marking things on a map for us. We had also read online about a tour that a guy does at the Villa Pink House. When we asked about it, he said that he did do the tours but only on certain days. If we wanted to go we'd have to wait and go the next day. Originally we were only going to stay for a full day and leave the following morning. I was in somewhat of a rush to get to the beach! That quickly changed and we tacked on an extra day. Everyone raved about this tour so it seemed like a must. So we decided to spend the first day doing the main tourist attractions and the second day on Rot's tour. 

We rented a motorbike for the day. They asked if I'd ever driven a motorbike. I said I did.... a year ago. I did a quick test drive and seemed fine so we headed to the gas station. I will admit I was a little rusty at first. I was trying to turn left when I noticed something in my mirror. One of the guys that worked at the guesthouse was following us! He said he was worried and wanted to check up on us. I didn't even make it 5 feet down the road. It was a nice gesture on his part. The first place we went was to Datanla Falls. It took some time to get there because of my fantastic sense of direction. A lot of the roads seemed to go in circles so it took a little longer than it probably should've. At one point we pulled off to the side near the center of town and I just yelled at the closest person for help. It worked! They gave us good directions and we made it in no time. To get to the waterfall you can take a kind of roller coaster that you can control to the bottom. It was a lot of fun and something different. Once we got to the bottom it was very touristy. (Like we had been warned.) It was pretty, but small. It's something I wouldn't go out of my way to see though. Beside the waterfall was a man dressed like a cowboy with a horse that you could pay to take a picture with. I didn't realize it was like the wild west in Vietnam?! This wasn't the first time I saw this! If you walked a few more feet over, there was s cable car. We weren't sure where it went but figured why not. It was short and just took us to another waterfall. Actually, that one was much better and in more of a natural setting. We ended up with a cable car with 4 others speaking another language. What was funny, they were speaking Korean and certain words stuck out. For example, "foreigner". My friend was quick to speak Korean back to them. Their reaction? They pretty much stopped talking when they realized we knew anything they were saying. It was a good laugh. Once we got to the second waterfall we snapped our photos and went back to the roller coaster to head back up the hill. 

After we left Datanla Falls we drove our motorbike up to the Crazy House. I wasn't sure if we were going to make it here, but I'm glad we did. There wasn't much to do there, but it was a cool place to see. I've never seen anything quite like it. We didn't spend much time there before moving on. We had worked up quite an appetite driving around all day. We ended up at a small vegetarian restaurant that I think was the one recommended to us by the staff at our guesthouse. We got a little confused following the map.  What can I say, my sense of direction isn't the best... Once our bellies were full, on to the next site. We headed down the hill to the Flower Park. From the outside it looked beautiful. From the inside, just ok. The were some beautiful flowers, some that I'd never seen before and wish I could figure out  the names of them. We saw some funny looking animal shaped plants, but that was about it. We ended the day across the street at the famous lake in the middle of town, the Xuan Huong Lake. We rented a goose-shaped paddle boat and spent an hour racing random people and battling the wind. It was an exhausting day considering how little sleep we'd been getting. So back to the guesthouse to get ready for the famous 'Rot' tour the next morning. But we had a little detour. I couldn't find our way back. We pulled over to look at a map and a guy came up to us and asked where were trying to go. We told him and he said he show us the way. We didn't know where to go, so why not. We just kept a little distance to be safe. But turns out he's also a teacher and just wanted to practice his English. We found the Villa and parted ways. 

Finally, it was time for the tour we kept reading about online. We woke up early hurried downstairs just in time to grab a quick bite to eat and have some coffee then rushed outside to meet the group. Everyone stood in a circle, holding hands and introduced themselves. It was a fun way to start the tour. We grabbed our motorbike from the day before and lined up. Naturally, I went to the front of the pack. (I don't like to be in the back. You could say I have a need for speed so I prefer the front.) We all filled up and began our journey. There were 3 guides on the trip to make sure no one got lost. Good thing for this, we lost some within 10 minutes of leaving! But no worries, we found them a little while later. 

The ride was a little far out of the city. Some winding roads, but a gorgeous view the entire time. It made staying worth it just for that. We sped a long the country side until we came to our first stop, a cricket farm. There wasn't much to see, but we didn't leave before having a snack. Weird snack number one of the day. Yup! You guessed it, we ate crickets dipped in chili sauce. Can't say it was terrible either. It actually didn't have much taste. Mostly you could only taste the sauce. Here was where we found our lost drivers. They picked up a friend along the way, a weasel. They rescued it from another man. They bought him and left him in the bag until we could let him go in the jungle. The gang was all here, so back on the bikes. This time they were watching me. I maybe passed the leader and went a little too fast for there likings. (No worries though, I never wrecked!)

 Our next stop was a small market. This was a lot of fun. We learned about some customs that concerned burying loved ones. The celebrate the anniversary of death more than a birthday. Every year on the anniversary of someone's death they leave these children-like toy sets of clothes, money, and cigarettes to burn and pass on to the spirits. It was funny because we thought we had seen US dollars on the side of the road but never stopped. I'm glad we didn't because it turns out it was fake. But the families toss the play money along the road as the drive to the resting place for good luck. After that we went on to the food part of the market. We saw everything from fruits and vegetables to fish and live chickens. I spared myself from the meat section. A little too graphic for me. My friend and I spent out time buying some fresh beans to eat later. At the end of the market, Rot collected a variety of mostly tasty treats for us to try. There was a thing or 2 I could've gone without. 

Just down the road was a silk farm. We got to see the entire process of how the go about making the silk from the beginning to the finished product. As soon as we walked inside we saw a woman working with a bunch of silk worms in a bowl of hot water. As our one of our tour guides was explaining things and walking around, she came in front of me. I thought she was going to say something. Nope. Instead she popped a silkworm into my mouth! I can only imagine my facial expression. I seemed to be the only one that this happened to. Being the trooper that I am, yes, I ate it. Honestly, it wasn't horrible. Once I was over the shock, I kept walking through to see the different stations throughout the factory. It was amazing to see, especially how many of the women were wearing sweat clothes and it was ridiculously hot outside. We ended up seeing the how it ends. It's crazy to see it go from a a silkworm to a beautiful  sheet of silk with a pattern across it.  We had a short rest time and back on the bikes.

Also just down the road was the Elephant Falls. At first glance, you could see a few elephant statues and nothing else really. But if you walked over to the edge you could see the falls. It was gorgeous. The trek down was actually quite dangerous. There wasn't much of a path and everything was wet. A few times I slipped and was a little nervous. But it could've just been my lack of balancing skills. The trek was worth it though. The waterfall was amazing to see from directly beside it. Then I followed everyone else, thinking we were heading back up. I was wrong. We actually went underneath it! It was extremely windy and we got soaked, but I would do it again. Even though we had to drive around wet for a while. When we got back to the top I saw a guy that had climbed the large elephant statue for a photo. In my head, it looked easy to get up. I couldn't of been more wrong. I took his advice to climb onto the smaller one and jump. I didn't make it. I did a splat right into the side of it. And yes, it hurt. He helped me crawl up after that so I could at least get a picture. It would be a waste to get a massive bruise and not even get the picture. I also got stuck getting down... Confession: I'm terrible at climbing statues, but it probably won't stop me. 

After this elephant debacle we drove for a good while before reaching our next intended destination. We did make a quick pitstop to look at some of the coffee beans since it's become a large industry for the highlands of Vietnam. They're now number 2 in the world of producing coffee behind Brazil. Fun fact! Rot was kind enough to throw a fake snake at us and scare us half to death. This was a common theme on the tour. I fell for pretty much all of his antics!

Moving on, we reached the highlight of the tour. Rot's home village where he grew up. We drove on an off beaten path and came up upon some rice fields. We stopped to take a look when a truck driver passed by and decided to stop and see what all the foreigners were doing. He was entertained by letting us climb on his truck for some fun photos. Then kept on his way. We parked our bikes at Rot's family's house. His parents and siblings all live next to each other. His sister, a Buddhist monk, had offered to take us in and cook lunch for us. While she was cooking, he took us on a tour of the village he grew up in. He doesn't live there anymore, after getting an education he now resides in Da Lat working at the Pink House. (Lucky for us!) A few of the women invited us in to their home for a humous hour about their village. Rot had us speak their native language to us and vice versa. Maybe some words we shouldn't of said. But it was all in good fun. It was crazy to think of how different of a life it is from the one I know. Women give birth outside by themselves with nothing but a bamboo stick to assist them. Families pay in money, livestock, or jewelry to afford husbands for their daughters. Once a suitor is paid for he comes to live with the wife's family, Many homes were 1 room with as many as 12 people living there. But they were all very happy. I was definitely intrigued by all of it. They even shared a few of their customs with us. They passed around a hollowed tube with ginger in it and said to try it. Afterwards, we learned they also grind up mice and mix it with the ginger. So yes, weird snack number 3 for the day, ginger and mouse. They showed us how they weave and make skirts for special occasions like weddings. And at the end, with a donation, we were allowed to take a skirt. It was the best part of Da Lat. For me, it really put things into perspective more than anything else. 

After that we went back to Rot's sister's house for lunch. She made an insane amount of noodles for us to eat. It was impossible to finish. But it was delicious. While we rested before our return home, another tour guide spoke to us about Vietnamese culture. It was quite different than that in the village. She told us about how different tones can change a word to the extreme. She also spoke to us about the fruit there. She brought a giant bowl of mixed fruits that I'd never seen before like jackfruit, rambutan, mango, dragon fruit, and durian along with more. We had a taste-testing of each. Some good. Some not so much. The last testing was of "Vietnamese" chocolate. To this day, I'm not sure what it really was. They told us about a popular delight that is feeding weasels coffee beans and using their coffee flavored "droppings" to cook, dip in coconut, and eat. I'm pretty sure this is what we ate. But no positive. They just kept laughing so I couldn't tell if it was a joke or not. What are you going to do? Too late now. So we drank a little more coffee then began our drive back.

On the way back we made a few pitstops again. This time to check our the elephant mushrooms. We also stopped to free our friend, the weasel. It was a long time coming. We waited all day to free the little guy. We only pulled over for a few minutes then continued before it got too dark to drive. 

Once we got back we played a few games in the driveway. (Which of course I won a round!)  Then showered off and Rot took us all to dinner. He ordered a bunch of dishes for us and just said to try them all and didn't really tell us too much about what they were. Most were pretty delicious. But one I had a problem with. Mid-chew, he made a "woof, woof" sound. My jaw dropped. I've avoided dog living in Korea for 2 years. I'd been in Da Lat for 2 days and didn't make it! I wasn't a happy camper about it. 

After dinner we went to watch Rot sing and danced around. He was having a blast picking everyone up, including the big guys and dancing. We ended the night at a bar we heard was a good place for us since most closed earlier here. Saigon Nite Bar.  I felt like at any moment vampires were going to come out and kill me. My drink tasted like toothpaste, there were barely any lights, and the bartender just plain creeped me out. Needless to stay, we didn't stay long. I was terrified. We walked back because we had an early wake up time the next morning to head to Nha Trang. When we arrived back at the guesthouse, surprise, the gates were locked and we couldn't get in... again! I've never seen this happen before going to Vietnam. I'm sure it's for safety, but not great for me when I'm on the outside. 

We were able to get inside and make our way to our beds for a little R and R. The next morning I had a mini dance party/wake up session with one of the workers there who does break dancing while we waited for the bus that was late. To find out what happened in Nha Trang, stay tuned for part 3...

Peace & Love,
Elissa Rae

How About Ho Chi Minh City

I'm sure by now you've all thought that I fell off the face of the planet! But don't worry, I'm back! And I've got plenty to blog about. In the past few months I've been busy not only with work, but visiting lots of new places. To kick it off, I'm going to start with my most recent vacation to Vietnam. 

Again this year I saved up most of my vacation days to take one big trip in the summer. Last year I made it to Thailand and Cambodia. This time, I finally made it to Vietnam. It's somewhere I've heard so much about and now I can finally cross it off of my bucket list.

This trip was a little messier than in the past. Because of some complications I basically planned this trip the week I went. I booked my flight less than 2 weeks prior and that was the most I had planned. I jotted down a few ideas of places that might be fun and figured I'd just wing it. I had planned on going alone because my travel partner had to back out. I was indifferent about it, but it wouldn't stop me from missing out on my vacation I'd been looking forward to all year. Luckily for me, I got some good news the week before and a friend from work was able to come. We set a rough itinerary which basically consisted of where we'd go and nothing more. The list began in Ho Chi Minh City. From HCMC to Da Lat. And to end on a good note, Nha Trang. Unfortunately we didn't have enough time to do the north as well.  

First up, Ho Chi Minh City!

I flew into Ho Chi Minh City early on a Friday afternoon completely sleepless. I've fallen into a routine of not sleeping the night before a flight because I always end up packing just hours before I go. It's a bad habit I should probably work on. I went a day earlier than my friend so I figured for the first day I would just explore and relax. Possibly catch up on some sleep at some point. I love how vacations are supposed to relax you, but in reality I sleep way less. Getting my VISA and a taxi to the airport was easy enough. The driver dropped me off in front of a shady alley and just pointed. I wasn't sure what I was getting myself into, but I figured I needed to find the guesthouse I book the night before and he was my best shot at finding it. He seemed like he knew the area. Fortunately he was right and I found my place, Siagon Youth Hostel. The people working at the counter were really friendly. They gave me a key for a room on the 5th floor. It was a hike. Between my heavy bag, a narrow staircase, and humidity a lot higher than I was used to, I was ready to find an air conditioner and a shower. Nope. Not happening. I open the door to a girl already checked in and not happy to see me. Turned out there was a misunderstanding. (I'm still not sure who was right.) But after watching her argue with the front desk, I just asked them to give me another room so I could settle in. So I ventured back up to get my back and returned to my new room on the first floor. I took a much needed nap and decided for the first night I didn't want to do too much since my friend wouldn't be there until the next night. So I strolled around the streets for somewhere good to eat. I found a place quite close that was in a prime spot to check things out. It turned out to have not only good food, but some good people. The waitress, a girl named Loan, was so friendly and helpful. She taught me some useful phrases like hello and thank you for my trip. In return the teacher side of me came out to teach her as well. It turned out to be an eventful meal. I spent the rest of my night with some people I met later at the restaurant at the Hard Rock Cafe Ho Chi Minh City for some burgers and drinks. It was a low key, but good first night. Although when I went back to my guesthouse, I was surprised/shocked to find the doors gated and locked. My reaction? Panic and bang on the doors. Luckily one of the guys that worked there was passed out on the couch on the other side.  I was even able to get a good nights sleep because the others in my room didn't come back until the following morning. 

The next afternoon Cat came. I browsed around the streets and found a good pho place recommended to me for a quick bite. Once Cat and I settled into our new room, the one on the 5th floor, we thought about going to the Cuci Tunnels, but didn't have time. My suggestion? There's a tattoo shop down the street. I was half joking, but we decided to check it out anyways. We spent the majority of the night getting tattoos. Who would've thought I'd actually get one. Bob Tattoo was a good place to go. We love our new tattoos! Since we took most of our time here, we spent the night roaming around the city and the markets. We were staying close to the Ben Than Market so that's where we ended up. It was fun to walk around, but we got there towards the end so there wasn't as much to see as I expected. But I was able to get a few things I forgot to bring so it proved useful for me. 

The following morning we took a tour of the Mekong Delta. The first part of the tour went through the floating market, even though we aren't allowed to buy anything at the market. It's only for locals. It reminded me a lot of the floating village in Cambodia. After that, we docked for a short while. We watched as they made several tasty treats, including these coconut candies that were delicious. They were so fresh and still warm when we got to sample them. We also watched them make things like rice popcorn, rice wine, and rice sheets. They use a lot of rice here! We strolled on down the path to have a tea party, small/play-looking tea cups and all. It was a kind of honey tea that came with a ton of small treats to eat with it. Once finished with the tea, we got back on the boat for a long ride. We spent around 40 minutes going down the river until we came to a more shallow and narrow part. Here, we got out of our tour boat and into a smaller canoe type boat. They weren't the most sturdy things. At one point, a guy in our boat tried to steer. He stood up to switch places with our driver and I actually thought we might tip over. Luckily, that wasn't the case. We got off in the middle of what looked like the jungle for lunch time. We were basically in the middle of no where. Lunch was good, but not what I expected. The trip sounded like there'd be more of an adventure through some orchards, but that wasn't the case. They brought out some fresh jack fruit at the end of the meal and that was the orchard, I guess. After lunch, I biked down the street of what I guess you could call a town. There were only a few houses here and there. Oh, and who could forget the kids that yelled every time you went by. That was the end of the trip. We backtracked to the main part of the river and made our way back to our tour bus. By the time we got back it was pretty late and our last night there.

To top off Ho Chi Minh City we grabbed some dinner and some street food back at the Ben Than Market again. Considering we had an early flight, nothing too crazy. All in all, Ho Chi Minh City was fun, but my least favorite out of all three places in Vietnam.

Stay tuned for Da Lat and Nha Trang. It only gets better!...

Peace & Love,
Elissa Rae

Traveling to Taipei

This past January, I traveled to Taiwan with a friend for the Lunar New Year holiday. After the mess dealing with the tickets, I was ready to just go and relax, no more stressing. So finally vacation day arrived and I was barely packed in time. I finished stuffing my suit case minutes before leaving. 

There were a few bumps along the way. First, my friend missed the first bus to the airport. Then after waiting in long lines due to the holiday, we thought it would be easier to just get cash out on the other side of security. Well, this proved to be a stupid idea. There are no ATMs or banks on the other side of security. After running around in circles we kept our fingers crossed that the card would work in Taiwan. (Luckily it did!) Finally we boarded the plane ready to go, only to realize that my carry-on was too big and had to be put with the rest of the luggage below. It seemed as if this trip was doomed from the beginning. The ticket scam should've been our first clue...

We finally arrived in Taipei and found our bus. Keep in mind, we didn't plan out one thing to do on this trip. We figured we'd wing it and find things to do once we got there. (Very prepared!) On the bus to our hostel, we met another girl traveling who happened to be staying in the same place and decided to stick together. We also met a group of guys who had the most detailed itinerary I've ever seen. Everything down to the minute was planned. And yes we did take pictures of it and used it as our own! What'd you expect... 

The hostel, JV's Hostel, was pretty easy to find and once we checked in, we headed right back out. We met a bunch of others staying here as well and went out together. We went out on the town to different things like Taipei 101, the Modern Toilet Restaurant, ate some dim sum, went to the Shilin Night Market, and hit up some bars. I'd say the first night was a success. 

The next day we attempted to go to some museums and do a beer run, but both failed. Being that it was a holiday, it seemed like everything was closed. But that didn't stop us from having a great time. We went all over the city and decided to go to a hot spring. So, we trekked up to Beitou and found a ton of them. We walked to the top of the mountain and finally all decided on one to go to. We went to change, but couldn't find a women's changing room. So what did we do? We took over the men's! We snuck in some wine and overlooked the city with fireworks included. The best way I could think to spend New Year's. On our way back, I did have a small run in with a train official over eating food in the station, but that was quickly solved since by the time he got to the platform, my burger was gone. 

The next day, my friend and I drifted away from the group. We went to the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall and the Longshan Temple. The temple was first. On the way there we ran into a group of drummers performing and people in dragon costumes. We couldn't help but watch for some time. The we finally made it to Longshan Temple. I didn't see any other foreigners in sight. I felt a little bad being there on such a big holiday when others were there for spiritual reasons. You can only take so long of being pushed around in a mosh pit before you have to get out. We wandered around the markets surrounding before heading to the Chaing Kai-shek Memorial Hall. This was amazing to see and not many people were around. Being that it rained the entire time, and it was a holiday, there weren't many tourists in sight at any of the hotspots. We finished the day with a visit to the local market and an impromptu party at the hostel with all of the guests.

The next 2 days I was by myself. People had either gone home or traveled to another part or Taiwan. I made friends with some of the guys that were staying in the hostel long term. One of which I hadn't seen until that point. They were fun to hang out with. I got to see Taipei from a local's point of view and eat at some out of the way restaurants I never would've guessed to go to. I even attempted to get a tattoo, but again because of the holiday, it didn't happen.

This turned out to be a great trip even with all of the hurdles and the rain. I can't wait to go back again! None of this would've happened without the help of my Gammie!

Stay tuned for the next adventure...

Peace & Love,
Elissa Rae