Vietnam- A Magical Boat Tour and a starfruit

This morning it was time to get back to work and we visited a multi-grade school where they performed for us and then we performed for them. I was a successful performance with minimal mistakes, and just like before, every time we sing the two Vietnamese songs, the crowd goes wild! As we walked into the school, all the students were lined up waiting for us. They were all so eager to meet us and so very kind. The school provided us with some snacks for the road, and then we took a 2-hour drive to Ninh Bình Province. We had a delicious meal, complete with many dishes of pork and fish, and ate lots of rice. I got to try some starfruit that was grown on my Vietnamese friend's tree in his backyard. It was very delicious and after our meal we all purchased ponchos and straw rice hats, we headed out on our boat tour.

I can't imagine that for the rest of this tour, or even for the rest of my life, I will ever see any place as beautiful and lush as I did today. Although it was a bit gloomy, the mist falling from the sky added to the beautiful color of the green jungle that surrounded us. The boat tour lasted around two hours, in which we went through caves and around pagodas in the middle of the water. We also visited the place where some of the King Kong movie, Skull Island was filmed. The kind of beauty that I witnessed today was unlike any other. To add to all that, we also visited a breathtaking temple and pagoda a few miles away. They were high on a mountaintop, and when it got dark, the lights on them lit up and looked so beautiful.

I had never before been so exhausted at 6 PM. These trips tired me out so much, so Sam and I got a bite to eat and then headed back to our homestays to sleep. We have become very accustomed to using Uber as our means of transportation. Our rides are never over $3, and they are very clean and safe. It is a quick and easy way to travel in the bustling streets of Hanoi. I recommend Uber and Grab to anyone traveling to a foreign urban area.

Soon we will be leaving Hanoi and travelling to Ho Chi Minh City. I am very sad to leave my host family, for I have become very close to my sisters. I am very grateful for Facebook so I can watch them grow up and maybe one day visit again! I hope the rest of my host families will be as kind and accommodating as this one was!

-ECM