Nha Trang

Hong's parents rented a boat for the entire family to tour the island chain off of Nha Trang. The boat vibrated alot due to the lack of engine mounts. Several of the family members got sea sick and we all know what that leads to. I luckily kept my breakfast down!

We went to several islands that are uninhabited but for a few cliff dwellers who collect birds nest to harvest the bacteria that the drink is made from. We went swimming for about an hour off the first island. We just jumped off the boat and swam. The water is very clear and you can see all the way to the bottom. Zebra and Angel Fish could be seen swimming around us through the clear water.

Next we went to an island resort for lunch and relaxing on the beach. We had our own thatched roof to kick back and take a nap. We snacked on Rombuton, lychee, and lomgon. These are all fruits that are popular throughout southeast asia. We went snorkling off the island and found several coral reefs to observe.

For lunch we went to another island where we took small boats made of Bamboo, Grease, and the kicker, cow manure. The entire family got a kick out of the two americans nearlly plunging into the ocean while trying to keep our balance. One small child could make the trip from the boats to the peer without any oars, while another was super fast with just one oar. When I get to a better internet connection Ill put up more pictures.

The next island featured an aquarium with beautiful fish. We had fun looking at the different varieties of fish that thrive in this area of Vietnam.

We went out with two of Hong's friends here to a Trung Nguyen, a popular coffee shop throughout Vietnam. We had fresh fruit, passion fruit juice, and strawberry shakes. We walked around and did some exploring of the town.

I decided to call it an early night becuase I was exhausted from the jet lag and the swimming in the ocean.

The Road Trip Begins

Hong's family has been the empitmy of Hospitality. We arrived on Friday night to our own guest house just down the street from their house. It is a really nice 4 story house. The ground floor is the entry where it serves as a sitting room, garage for the mopeds, and the back kitchen. The second floor has a formal living room, third floor is our bedroom where Charles and I are sharing one and Hong and his little brother are sharing the other. The fourth floor is a Karaoke room where we have fun challenging each other. The first day we met his family that lives on the same block in Saigon. His aunt runs a business that manufacturers clothing. She has about 70 workers and is doing really well. She enjoys sitting and talking English with us over coffee. I love the dark chocolate with condensed milk. One of my favorite things about Vietnam!

On Saturday we went to ramification Palace, this is the palace that was captured by the South Vietnamese troops during the Vietnam War. I have been here before during my last trip but it was worth seeing on a self guided tour. We got to see the underground bunkers to see where the war efforts where organized! It was interesting to see where a war was conducted only 30 years ago. I guess you could say it is like going to Baghdad 30 years from now.

We also saw the Notre Dame Catholic Cathedral in downtown Saigon. This isn't the same as the one in Paris, but is left over from the French influence! Saturday night we went to dinner at the neighbors house with the family. I swear I am going to gain 20 pounds in Vietnam alone! We eat amazing meals every half hour it seems! There is never a shortage of food! Charles and I have learned to watch taking of second portions! We know there will be food shortly! Following dinner we went to a nice Disco. We met up with some of Hong's friends and danced the night away. Techno music and American Music are very popular here! We met some people touring from Minnesota at the club.

Sunday we went to the Saigon Water Park and Amusement Park. We went to a place similar to Schlitterbahn with tube rights, wave beaches, and lazy rivers. Charles and I became a tourist attraction in ourselves. We where the only two Caucasians in the entire place! Talk about feeling what it is like to be in the minority! The children are really fun to play with in the water. We would splash each other back and forth. We went and rode a roller coaster, Ferris wheel, and several other amusement type rides following the water park.

Monday we left for a 5 day road trip with about 15 members of Hong's extended family. Hong's dad rented a bus for the family to take to Nha Trang, the most beautiful beach in southeast Asia following the Sunami. We drove past several areas that I have heard of as American bases during the war time. I remember my history professor talking about Phang Rang his base and we drove through the area. It will be interesting to talk to him about that when I return to the US. We left at 7:30 AM and arrived at 4:30 PM in Nha Rang. We rested and went to dinner and hung out at a touristy bar where we met several Europeans. The people from Holland really didn't like Americans at all. We met two lovely ladies from New Zealand named Renee and Charlie. The where walking around looking for a table but everyone was occupied so we invited them to visit with us. It was fun to talk about their adventures in Vietnam so far. We didn't do much yesterday but we have a tour of the islands and scuba diving planned today! I have never been scuba diving before! So the first experience will be in the South China sea!! Im sure it will be amazing.

Hope to hear from you all soon! Take care and Ill update when available!

Good Morning Vietnam

Well the trip was amazing. Non stop flights no delays or anything! Arrived in Vietnam at 10:05 and met up with Hong and Charles at 11 following immigration. We where extremely tired and went straight to bed when we got to Hong's. We woke up to a breakfast of lychee, longum, and durian. Very good fruits. We went around today and visited with Hong's family at their businesses. We are heading to the waterpark on Sunday! Monday we're heading to the Da Lat for a 4 day road trip. Ill catch up with you later! Just wanted to let everyone know I am alive and arived. PEACE

VIETNAM here I come!!

Thursday is the big day! I've been packed for a week already! Can you tell Im waiting in anticipation! I will board a plane at 8:54AM in Houston, Texas to start my journey to southeast Asia. It takes approximatly 20 hours of total flight time to arrive in Saigon. Houston to Dallas is an hour, Dallas to Tokyo 13 hours, and Tokyo to Ho Chi Minh/Saigon 6 additional hours. I am flying on Japanese Airlines and from the sounds of it I should have plenty of entertainment with my personal television set at my seat with on demand movies, tv shows, and games. I plan on getting lots of rest on the plane so we'll see how that all goes. The next update will be either enroute or in Vietnam. I cant wait till I get there!
VIETNAM HERE WE COME!

First Post

Howdy Friends and Family,
Welcome to the newest way to learn about the many adventures around College Station and the world I will be partaking in. This blog will allow you to keep in touch with me as I travel throughout Southeast Asia this summer. I will be leaving from Houston on June 23rd for Ho Chi Minh City. My Aggie friends Hong and Charles will be meeting up for two weeks of fun and relaxation. Hong's parents still reside in Ho Chi Minh city where they are retired workers. The adventures should be pretty amazing!
Following Vietnam I will travel to Singapore for my MSC LT Jordan Internship with Royal Halal ,a food distributor, manufacturer, and restaurant business that caters to the Islamic Community. This should be an interesting experience.
Throughout the summer I will have opportunities to travel to Hong Kong, Bali, Idonesia, Malaysia, and Bangkok. I hope to be able to update with pictures and stories atleast once a week!

Catch you next time as Brandon's Adventure continues!