Day 8: Nha Trang - Mun, Mot and Tam Islands

        I was so excited when we landed in Cam Rahn.  Our final destination - a coastal city called Nha Trang which was a 20 minute drive away.    On our way there, the air smelt so sweet and refreshing.   

        Nha Trang  is widely considered to have one amongst the world's most beautiful bays.  The area has beautiful beaches and is a popular place for scuba diving.  For today's agenda, we're going to mun, mot and tam island to snorkel and laze on the beach. 

We arrive at Cau Da harbour and sail out!  That's Mun Island.  

        The first diving sites are located around the bay of Nha Trang.  After an hour of boat riding, we arrive the islands of Hon Mim, and Hon Mot where I get to swim and see all the fishes.  The water here is extremely salty Q_Q I can only imagine that this is what it must feel like if I were to be swimming in Alice's tears.

        

        One the rare occasion, you will see people in these boat devices.  It's kinda cute.  I wouldn't dare try to steer in that round boat though.   I would totally go in circles and get sick.

        

        By the time we were reached Tam Island, I had some bbq seafood on the boat.  We can the option to grill if we caught any fishes while on the trip but nobody caught anything!  

 

After a few hours in the sea, it's nice to relax on the soft sandy coral shores of these islands.  

       There are many islands in Nha Trang.  There are a few islands that will charge you a very small entrance fee and you are free to use their  amenities from lounge chairs to water skiing.

Day 7: Tay Ninh - Out in the Boonies

       I stayed over in the capital of Tay Ninh province.  It is famous for being the hometown of the Cao Dai religion.  I stayed at a place that was mostly surrounded by farmland.  A nice change of pace from waking up to the buzzing noise of the city to  quietness of the boonies.    

        Around the house was a pool filled with goldfishes and the never ending longan fruit orchard.  I can also see Ba Den mountain (A.k.a Black Virgin mountain) from a distance.  The mountain happens to be the highest mountain in southeast Vietnam.

There was also mangosteen and lychee trees there too.

      

        Lychees grow on bushes while the mangosteens grow super high in the trees.  I had to poke them a stick to get them down.  I collected a batch of fruit.  Victory for me! 

           

       Separate from the house I stayed in was a kitchen area (right) , what seems like a large gazebo  and a storage building.   I absolutely love places with thatched leaves for roofing.  They could be made out of  banana leaves or grass, it doesn't really matter to me because they've saved me from the sun and the rain.  They are surprising sturdy and oddly enough I like the smell.  Reminds me of sleeping on a bamboo mat or something, it has a really earthy and natural smell that is really pleasant.

      I got to feed some chickens that day as well.  When you look around, you see baby ducks and a few adult chickens wandering around the orchard but barely any smaller chicks.  That is ...until you scatter food.  They just start running and waddling out of nowhere O_O.

Some looked like tennis balls, soooo fluffy.  I love it when they chirp chirp chirp, it's so cute! 

         There was not much to do in Tay Ninh except for going to the Cao Dai Temple and the local markets.  I went to say hi to the neighboring houses in the afternoon.    They were extremely nice and chill.

You know you're in the boonies when people start offering you moonshine in broad daylight!  Oh gosh, bless these kind souls XD

Day 6: Tay Ninh - Cao Dai Great Temple

      We went to Tay Ninh to go to the Great Temple.  It is the main place of worship of the Cao Dai which unites some of the world's major religions.  

The temple itself was built in 1880 and is set within a large complex of schools and administrative buildings.  

     I managed to catch one of the many ceremonies that occur during the day. 

      The ceremony was lovely. In the video, people worship in prayer and song.  Cao Dai priests are dressed in white and black turbans while priests done in red, blue and yellow robes signify Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism.  

   

 I wandered on the area and saw more of the grounds. I meet some very  nice people ...

and monkeys chillin in a stadium.

Hmmm, is that who I think it actually is in the portrait?

 
        On the grounds there are many smaller temples for worship.  It is customary to take off your shoes and avoid walking in the center aisle unless you are there to worship.

When I came closer to the alter I noticed a variety of props.

Here is an example of what an alter in a smaller temple.  Alters vary depending on which building you are in.  In this one, the alter depicts a man on the bottom right fanning the deity  towards the sky.  

Day 5: Ho Chi Minh - Museum of Vietnamese History and Water Puppetry Shows

    There are many museums in the city of Ho Chi Minh but the Museum of Vietnamese History was the most memorable one for me.  

     Their collection is large and exhibits includes a wide range of objects from the prehistoric and the Dong Son periods, Cham sculpture as well as other national historic relics from various Vietnamese dynasties.

I also got see some water puppetry.  Hoorays!

     It is pretty cool how puppeteers manipulate the puppets. They move puppets by using strings passed through underwater bamboo poles :O

Day 4: Ho Chi Minh - Binh Tay Market and Crossing the Street

        Today's plan was to go to Binh Tay Market.  Binh Tay Market  is one of Ho Chi Minh's largest and exciting markets stocked with clothes, lacquer wares, food, souvenirs and all sorts of goodies.  It's a no brainer that I had to go there.  However, crossing the streets in Vietnam on my way there was  probably one of the scariest experiences in my life .  
        There are crossing light for pedestrians in some areas of the city but it seems like most of the time, nobody follows them.   I found myself launching into full on traffic just to get from one destination to another if I wanted to walk. 

 

        The picture above is a quick snapshot following a local closely.  I definitely remember saying "OMG, I'm going to die" every time I had cross the street for the first few days because traffic is crazy chaotic there.  Motorcycles make up the vast majority of traffic.  Motorcyclist drive relatively slow there and many of them will swirl around you if you are in their way. What's interesting about the rules of the road is that the largest vehicle has right of way, all the time, in all situations so GTFO if you are in its way.   It's kinda funny that Vietnam driving signals consists mainly of honking.

I made it safely to Binh Tay Market.  Hoorays!

Day 3 : Ho Chi Minh - Notre Dame Cathedral and the Opera House

The Notre Dame Cathedral sits in the middle of Paris Square.  

The cathedral overlooks a statue of the Virgin Mary. 

Later that night we went to the Opera House.  It was designed by a French architect known as Ferret Eugene.  It is a small opera house but it's a pretty one!  

Day 2: Ho Chi Minh - Pho and the General Post Office

       It was a pleasant surprise to see the rise of pho franchises such as "Pho 24".  Sadly they don't open 24/7 but the place up to western standards, affordable and not to mention delicious.  My meals were under $3 dollars for pho and fresh coconut drinks.

     For those that I don't know, pho is a soup made from stock flavoured with various spices such as star anise, ginger and herbs.  It is served with  chicken or beef and is eaten during the morning.  Restaurants will offer you a plate of fresh green leaves and it's not a salad!  The plate of fresh greens will have items like basil, mint, spiky ngo gai, been sprouts, chillis, and lemon in which you can add to your bowl of hot soup to customize it to your taste.

A stop to the General Post Office. 

   
         Inside the post office you can see a curved ceiling designed by Gustave Eiffel. I found it to be a lovely place to scribble a postcard and buy stamps as souvenirs for friends and family.