Rain, rain... has come again (another day)!

Rainy season is starting up again.  This means that I need to bring my rain poncho everywhere, just in case.   This also means that I can't wear my comfy Birkenstocks as often.  Has anyone ever tried walking in wet Birks?  Don't do it!

Last week I took a few photos of the lotus flowers at school after the rain.  Pretty!

After not raining for months, it's been raining in the evening most days lately.  When we return to Vietnam in August, I'm sure there will be the usual downpour every day.

Hello?

Someone posted this near the photocopier in the staff room and I had to laugh... how can you not?

Click photo to zoom in.  The song "Hello" by Lionel Richie seems to be strangely popular in Vietnam, along with "Careless Whispers" by George Michael.  Weird.

Tokyo Deli

After going to Tokyo Deli nearly every week (including twice this past weekend!), I thought I'd write a little restaurant review.

"The Crescent" ... the area where Tokyo Deli is located

Tokyo Deli is a great place to go for a casual sushi lunch/dinner.  We like to go to the location at The Crescent, where you can eat outside and people watch.  I'm not a sushi expert, but it seems like this place has pretty good variety on the menu for the price.  My friends and I agree that any sushi roll on the menu that has the word "dynamite" in the title is definitely DYNAMITE!  I always get the Dynamite Shrimp roll (crazy, I've been ordering, eating, and actually ENJOYING it).  The roll comes out to 55,000 VND (or about $2.70 for 8 pieces).

Dynamite Shrimp

Dynamite Shrimp... ready to be eaten!

I also get the Inari Sushi every time.  I discovered this type of sushi, aka "Yubuchobap" (유부초밥) while I was in Korea.  Inari Sushi is the Japanese name, and it is basically a roll of rice and vegetables wrapped in fried tofu.  At Tokyo Deli, you get 2 pieces of Inari Sushi for 45,000 VND ($2.20).

Inari Sushi

So there you have it... Tokyo Deli!  Come visit and I'll take you here.

First visitor!

Last night we had our first visitor stay at our apartment... Charmaine!  Charmaine is a university student from Hong Kong.  We met her on New Year's Eve in India when she was travelling with her boyfriend.  This was her first trip to Vietnam and first time doing a full trip alone.  It was good to see her again and have her stay at our place for a night.  It's great travelling and meeting people from all over the world, and then meeting up again in other countries!

I showed her around the neighbourhood and we walked to The Crescent and ate sushi at Tokyo Deli there.  She said that our neighbourhood was so different from the rest of the city (it really is).  I always feel like our neighbourhood is not the "real" Vietnam, but I still enjoy it.  It's like living in our own little westernized bubble.

Charmaine is travelling for about 2 weeks and is doing something called "Couchsurfing" on this trip.  Instead of staying in hotels she has decided to use the website http://www.courchsurfing.org to meet up with locals and learn about their lives.  On Couchsurfing, she can arrange to stay with or meet up with people living in the cities she is visiting.  Users on the website get "ratings" from people who meet them, so you can see that you're not staying with a total weirdo.  On this trip she stayed with a Vietnamese college girl, and also met expats from Slovakia and Canada here who she found through the Couchsurfing website.  An interesting way to meet people and learn about the local culture!

Who will the next visitor be... ???

Canada in 1 month!

In one month from today, I will be back in Canada!!!  I just got confirmation today that I'll be departing here on the evening of the 23rd and arriving in Toronto at 10:15am on June 24th!!!  It's exciting to know that I'll be home SOON!!!!!!!!!

With one month to go, I can say that it's been an interesting year both inside and outside of the classroom.  I've enjoyed having my own class but that does not come without challenges.  Honestly, Kingston last year seems like it was ages ago.  It really feels like (and is) a world away.  I can't believe last year I was supplying and this year I'm in Vietnam teaching grade 1.  Totally different experiences... crazy!  It's also been exciting to get the opportunity to travel again.

While this was a good year, I'm very excited to go home to see my family and friends.

So, my calendar is marked... June 24th!!!  See you soon... :)

Movie night in Saigon

Last night we went with some friends to see a movie (21 Jump Street) at the cinema in the new mall called The Crescent, only a few minutes away by cab.

What is a movie theatre like in Vietnam?  Let me tell you...

-  Assigned seating (you pick your seats at the ticket desk based on a computerized map)
-  Hardly any lines!
-  Good quality theatres with big, comfy seats
-  Somewhat limited variety of concessions - popcorn (sweet, or salted... no butter added on top!), candy, a few drinks, that's pretty much it... at least there's no peanut butter roast squid like in Korea though!

The best thing about seeing movies here is the PRICE!  On a Saturday night it only cost 100,000 VND which is about $5.  If you go on Wednesday night (cheap night) it is about half price!

Once, we went to the "M Theatre" which is Megastar Cinema's fancy VIP theatre.  We paid more for tickets (maybe $10) and were able to recline in what was basically a leather arm chair.  They also gave us blankets and a choice of free soft drink, served to us in a glass with ice and placed on the little table beside the seat.  In the "M Theatre" you can also stay in the special VIP waiting lounge before the movie begins.  We didn't go there early enough to take advantage of the lounge, but I imagine they served some drinks/snacks there too.  One cool thing about buying a ticket to the M Theatre was that we received "VIP memberships" to the cinema and can get 10% off tickets and concessions by showing the card every time we go to the theatre.

Not bad!!!

Passion for passion fruit

Here's another fruit post... this time, it's about the delicious passion fruit.

The passion fruit... boring on the outside, but delicious on the inside!

The first time I ever tried passion fruit was in Bali, at the end of a cycling tour in Ubud.  We went to the tour director's home to eat one of the most delicious meals I've ever had.  Passion fruit was served at the end.  I'll always think of Bali when I see passion fruit!

A passion fruit is one of the easiest fruits here to eat.

Step 1:
Cut the fruit in half.

Step 2:
Spoon out the seeds, and eat!  You don't need to spit out the seeds.  Enjoy!

I know that it looks a bit weird inside, but do not be put off by the colour of the inside of the fruit.  It tastes a bit sweet, but more tangy/sour and it smells really good.  It's very juicy!  I often drink passion fruit juice here.

Passion fruit also has health benefits.  It contains lycopene, is a great source of vitamin C, and is also good for people with high blood pressure.  Have you ever tried passion fruit before?

Supersize me

An interesting tidbit that we discovered today...

One of John's students visited NYC recently and got him an "I love NY" t-shirt.  The size was Medium and fit perfectly.

Last week at the Saigon Heat game, John got a t-shirt that was 3XL.  It fit him perfectly.

Most of his t-shirts from back home are a Large.

So... in Canada you can be Large, Vietnam 3XL, and USA Medium.  Now you can see how sizes vary across the countries!  In Vietnam he's bordering on The Hulk, but that's only a medium in the USA.

If you want to drop a few sizes, just visit NYC.

Everyone should have this at work...

A friend gave me some of this, and I thought I'd share the pic... you can click all photos on this blog to zoom in!  I enjoy the fine print on this chocolate bar.

Something that every teacher (or anyone!) should have in their desk at work!  :)

Fruit of the day... mangosteen!

After seeing some friends bring a strange, small, round, purple fruit with a funny green stem on the top to school, I just had to know what it was.  Turns out, it's MANGOSTEEN.

Behold... the mangosteen!

What is a mangosteen?  Is it like a mango?  Nope... not even close, but definitely delicious like a mango!  I researched this exotic fruit on the internet, and found out that mangosteen has a lot of health benefits.  It contains antioxidants and is also used to treat things like inflammation.

How do you eat a mangosteen?  It's very easy.

Step 1:  
Cut around the circumference of the fruit with a knife.

Step 2:
Twist apart the 2 sides.  One side will come off and the fruit will remain in the other side.  It sort of looks like a white clementine (or cloves of garlic!) when you open it.

Step 3:
Spoon out the fruit and eat it!  Take out any hard seeds if you find them.  Enjoy!

It's hard to explain what mangosteen tastes like.  It's soft, sweet, and a bit citrus-y.  I don't really know what to compare it to.  Some people online compared it to lychee, peach, strawberry, and some other fruits.  I guess if you want to see what it tastes like, you'll have to try it yourself!

The good news is, buying 2 mangosteen and 1 passion fruit here cost me 9000 VND today.  That is about 43 cents!

Bridge Club Champ!

Last night was the final night of "Bridge Club," and the founders (Gary and Julia) arranged a timed tournament at their home.  We played at 2 tables and switched up partners after playing several rounds of this complex card game, and in the end I was somehow victorious!!!

I wouldn't call myself a pro at Bridge (I usually feel like I have no idea what I'm doing), but I got lucky last night.  Gary actually had the most points but didn't want to give himself a prize, so I gladly accepted 1st prize... a gift certificate for a spa!  Will got 2nd place and Greg got 3rd.  John the card shark was stunned that he wasn't on the podium, ha ha ha!  :P

It was a really fun night!  We were lucky enough to be taught the basics of the game by the 3 experts Gary, Julia, and Bart, who have been playing Bridge for many years.

Sadly my camera battery was dead so I didn't get a photo of Bridge Club, but we're hoping to have another game at some point before the end of the year.  For now, I'm happy to hold the title of Bridge champ!  :)

Laos!

Laos is one of those places where not many people back home have heard of or visited.  Although it's right in the middle of Southeast Asia, it is quite unlike the surrounding countries.  Laos lacks the traffic/noise of Vietnam, the tourism of Thailand, and the epic temples of Cambodia.  It's a quiet, peaceful country that you can easily spend lots of time in, lazing around and admiring the natural beauty.

Our first adventure in Laos was the Gibbon Experience (which John and I had done 2 years ago).  You are taken by truck into the Bokeo Nature Reserve (aka jungle in the middle of nowhere) where you live in a treehouse for 3 days, only accessible by zipline.  The whole experience involves hiking and ziplining high above the trees in the jungle.  The 7 of us (John, Greg, Will, Angela, Brittany, Alex, and I) shared a treehouse with 2 lovely people from Switzerland, Simone and Sasha.  We stayed in treehouse #7 (the best one in my opinion!) again, and had a great time!

Dinner in treehouse #7

At night there were some huge spiders around the roof of the treehouse, so you have to tuck your tent/tarp thing under your mattress when sleeping so nothing gets in!  Food in the treehouse is basic, but tasty.  You get it ziplined in to the treehouse by the guides.  In the morning, you can hear the call of the gibbons which live in the jungle.  They have a weird call that sounds sort of like a car alarm.  We spotted them far away in the treetops, but they moved quite close to our treehouse since we were very quiet in the morning!

John zipping out of our treehouse!

I'm glad we got to do the Gibbon Experience again.  It was mostly the same since the last time we visited.  I highly recommend it to anyone visiting northern Laos!

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The rest of our trip in Laos was spent in Luang Prabang, a beautiful town on the Mekong River.  After finishing the Gibbon Experience, we took a horrible night bus ride which was something like 16 hours to get there.  The town has a strong French influence and there is not much traffic (only tuk tuks and some motorbikes).  The streets are lined with gorgeous flowers and lovely shops and cafes.

On the first day in Luang Prabang, we visited the Kuangsi Waterfall.  This place, less than an hour away from Luang Prabang, is like something you'd see out of a fairy tale.  The trees around the waterfall are so green and lush, and there are many unique flowers growing nearby.  The waterfall is multi-tiered and the water is a brilliant blue.  You can go swimming there, and even swing into the water on a rope, Tarzan-style!  It was our second time visiting Kuangsi, but this time was even better since there wasn't any rain and the water was more clear.  There were also a ton of butterflies flying around.  This sounds a bit cheesy, but it was magical!  I'm glad we got to visit it again.

Kuangsi Waterfall

The evening was spent at the night market in town, which is the best I've ever seen.  I bought a bunch of stuff there for not a lot of money.  I wish I could have bought more, but there is no way I could have transported everything back to Vietnam!

Our second day in Luang Prabang was spent hanging out in town.  I woke up early to watch the monks' alms procession.  They walk down the road and receive sticky rice offered to them in their bowls.  It wasn't too exciting, but I'm glad I set the alarm to wake up for it (5:30 am).

Monks in the morning!

We had breakfast on the Mekong River and decided to charter a boat to take us on our own little cruise around.  The scenery was stunning and the ride was very peaceful.  After the boat ride, we made our way to Tamarind, a restaurant that came highly recommended to us from fellow travellers.

Stunning boat ride down the Mekong River

At Tamarind we got to try some delicious Lao food.  Some people ordered water buffalo and said it was amazing.  John got a pumpkin soup and chicken-stuffed lemongrass, and the rest of us tried the "make your own wraps" and a dip platter.  To drink, I had an iced jujube cooler which was very interesting/refreshing.  I also had an iced Lao coffee which was so delicious!  I'll definitely make another visit to Tamarind if I'm ever in Luang Prabang again.

Make your own lettuce wraps at Tamarind Restaurant

After lunch, we climbed up the big hill in the centre of town - Mount Phousi.  There is a spectacular view from the top... if you're ever in LP, you have to go there! 

View of Luang Prabang from Mount Phousi

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The final night bus ride from Luang Prabang to Vientiane wasn't as painful as the first (only 9 hours), and at the small Vientiane airport we saw a familiar face.  When checking in, I looked over to see... Charlie from LOST!  Can you believe it?  We were all so surprised, and we HAD to go talk to him.  Charlie (aka Dominic Monaghan) was also on the Lord of the Rings movie.  Turns out, he was filming some nature documentary in Laos and was headed to Vietnam to continue filming.  He ended up being on our flight (sitting in first class).  I'm not going to lie, I was a bit nervous thinking about how he was on the flight with us since the whole TV show LOST is about a group of people who are on a plane that crashes and ends up on a mysterious island in the middle of nowhere!

With "Charlie" from LOST!

It was a random ending to the trip, and luckily we landed safely and avoided being LOST.  A fun trip with a great group of people!

Chiang Rai + Golden Triangle & an afternoon in Burma!

On Sunday we got back from our last big vacation of the school year.  We had a week off work which came at a great time!  This time, we were travelling with a big group of people (7) but everyone got on well and we had a blast!

After leaving HCMC and hitting up the Subway at the Bangkok Airport, we flew to Chiang Rai in northern Thailand.  This was the first time we'd ever been there.  Chiang Rai is pretty small, but is not without the delicious Thai food that I've come to love.  If I ever moved to Thailand, I'm pretty confident that I would eat pad thai every day and not get sick of it.

On our first full day in Chiang Rai, we rented motorbikes to drive to the Golden Triangle area (the region where Thailand, Laos, and Burma all converge into an imaginary "golden" triangle).  It took almost 2 hours to drive there, but the road was great... straight, not much traffic, and lovely scenery.  The actual place where the 3 countries meet is somewhere in the water accessible by boat.  We didn't end up seeing that, but we decided to drive to Mae Sai, at the border of Thailand/Burma instead.

Upon arrival in Mae Sai, we parked the bikes and proceeded to walk across this concrete bridge over to Myanmar, aka Burma.  We got stamped out of Thailand, brought our passports to the Myanmar immigration office, took photos, and paid some money to receive a Myanmar entry permit in exchange for our Canadian passports (which were held at the office, ready for pick up when we departed the country).  The whole process was easy and pretty cool because we got to officially visit Burma (country #26)!  We could have stayed within the specified geographic region of Burma for 14 days but we only stayed for the afternoon.  If you want to travel to other parts of Burma, you need a proper entry visa which you must arrange in advance.

The Burmese border town of Tachileik was interesting.  There is a decent market right near the border entrance where we went shopping.  After spending some Thai baht in the market, we decided to hire tuk tuks to bring us on a touristy trek around the city.

The first stop on our tuk tuk ride was a Burmese restaurant.  Actually, it wasn't officially part of the tour, but we were so hungry that we asked the drivers to bring us to somewhere good to eat!  We were the only people in the restaurant, and were served an interesting and delicious meal.  We got a complimentary plate of vegetables, as well as dill soup.  At our table, we ordered papaya salad which was vinegary and much better than the papaya salad in Vietnam in my opinion.

The next stops on the tour were a temple (not too exciting), and then the Wat Phra That Doi - a golden stupa on a big hill overlooking the town.  Around it were statues for every day of the week.  Some people at the temple showed us how to do the water ritual at the Sunday statue (it was Sunday).  You make a wish 3 times, then pour water 3 times over various parts of the statue.  It was interesting!

Wat Phra That Doi

 We also opted to visit the Karen long-necked women tribe, which was a total tourist trap.  It was interesting to see the women wearing gold rings around their necks.  The rings weigh their shoulders down so that they appear to have really long necks (a symbol of beauty).  I felt kind of awkward at the village since it was pretty obvious that they were just trying to get money from tourists!

Karen long-necked tribe village

The afternoon in Burma was a unique experience that none of us expected.  I still think it was pretty neat that we got to visit a new country!  Only 4 more to go before reaching 30, and only less than a year to do it.  Do you think I can do it?

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On our final day in Chiang Rai we drove the motorbikes to the White Temple.  This is a temple unlike any I've seen before.  It has a very modern design, as it was built in 1997 and still under construction.  Inside the temple is a mural with characters like Spiderman, Batman, Neo from the Matrix, etc.  On the outside it is totally white, and leading up to the entrance are sculptures of hands reaching up along the pathway... kind of creepy!

White Temple

After visiting the White Temple, we hopped on a local bus for the 2.5 hour ride to Chiang Khong, the city on the border of Thailand and Laos.  You visit immigration, go through, and buy a ticket for a boat that will lead you across the river to Laos, where you disembark and apply for a visa on arrival.

Keep reading for part 2 of the trip... Laos!