Van Den Bondes in Vietnam

My friends Carey Van Den Busch and Jason Bonde came to visit me in Vietnam for the holidays! I've asked them to write a guest blog entry sharing their favorite moments and memories.  Thanks for your post, and thanks MORE for visiting me!  Come back soon.
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After 42 hours of strenuous travel, we finally arrived in HCMC.  Samantha was the light at the end of a long, dark tunnel.  All we wanted to do now was shower and change clothes.  We soon met her roommates, jumped into a couple of taxis, and headed over to the Caravelle Hotel for a wonderful Christmas dinner buffet, complete with Vietnamese Santa!  The food went on forever and the drinks were non-stop.  There was something for everyone from fruit, to seafood, to sushi, ham, sweets… even picky eaters were stuffed.

Welcoming committee

Xin Chao, Santa!

The next day, we were picked up by our private driver and Phu, who would be our travel guide for the next day and half.  We headed out of HCMC and into the Mekong Delta region, with Phu basically grilling Samantha on her Vietnam knowledge.  To Samantha’s credit (and Phu’s surprise), she answered most of his questions correctly.  After a quick stop at a roadside rest stop, we hopped on a boat which headed out to one of the islands in the Mekong River.  In short order, we enjoyed honey kumquat tea, checked out a bee farm, held a fairly large python, enjoyed many varieties of local fruit and finally jumped into a small canoe for a river ride one can only describe as intense.  The waterway was packed full of canoes jockeying for position in an attempt to get down the river.  The person at the front of the canoe pushed boats out the way, paddling when the waterway was clear, while the person in the back steered us down the waterway.

Fruit and tea

Bravery at its best

Mekong Delta traffic jam

After another short boat ride, we stopped at a shop that made coconut candy, and then found another lady that made super thin coconut and banana pancakes.  (We made sure to stock up for our soon-to-be relaxing time on a beach.)  But still we weren’t done!  Onward to a bumpy horse and carriage ride, then finally a chance to sit down and breathe at lunch, where we enjoyed a feast of red snapper, mixed vegetables, grilled shrimp and fried rice.

Pancakes drying in the sun

Bumpy ride

A quick boat ride back to the car, then onward to our homestay family.  After entrusting our bags and suitcases to strangers on motorbikes, we walked approximately a kilometer down river until we came across this beautiful house and garden, just in time for dinner that we would be responsible for cooking (thankfully with help)!  On the menu were spring rolls lightly grilled in oil and omelet/pancakes with mixed veggies.  After such a busy, fun-filled day and delicious dinner, we were ready to turn in.  Jason and I shared our own room and Samantha was in the room next to us.  We were separated by a few thin boards, but were able to have some privacy from each other.  Other guests at the homestay stayed in a different area of the sleeping quarters.

Mekong Bell Hop

Learning to make spring rolls

The next morning, we hopped onto another boat to tour the largest floating market in the Mekong Delta.  Each boat displayed their wares on long sticks for potential customers.  After a few stops to see how rice noodles are made and more tasty fruit at a home that also grills snakes (!), we headed back into the city of Can Tho to check out a city market that could only be described as bustling with a “distinctive” smell.  A quick lunch, then onward to the airport – the beautiful island of Phu Quoc awaits!

Mekong River

Produce displayed on boats

Floating market

Can Tho Market

Few words can describe the beauty of Phu Quoc.  Our tiny bungalow was quite cozy for the three of us.  Samantha quickly had a cot delivered for her to sleep on and remedied the situation of having a very open concept bathroom – thank goodness for the privacy curtain!  We were mere steps from the beach and bar.  For our first full day at the Thanh Kieu Resort we lazed on the beach enjoying the warm weather, blue water and tasty drinks.  Jason decided to get a beach massage (for a paltry $5 USD) that ended up with an upsell to full back threading!  There’s a story that will never get old.  Carey opted for a safe manicure from the persistent beach vendor.  For dinner we ventured up the road and ended at Itaca Restaurant and Lounge.  The atmosphere was trendy, the food was scrumptious, and the company was beyond compare. 

Sunset on Long Beach

The next day was an all-day Southern Island Tour.  First stop was a Pearl Farm where we learned a bit about the creation of pearls, browsed an enormous showroom with so much jewelry that it’s surprising Carey didn’t have a heart attack.  Next stop:  a SIM wine factory with samples that no one loved and a quick walk into the fields to show us the Myrtle flower, which is used in the creation of the wine.  After another quick stop (come to think about it, every stop was quick) at a second pearl farm, we headed to the Coconut Prison, which was used during the Vietnam War to keep North Vietnamese POWs.  The depictions of prison life were extremely graphic, and the descriptions were very anti-American propaganda.  A whirlwind stop at a fish sauce factory completed the morning itinerary.  Finally a two hour break at Sao Beach for lunch, and to cool our heels on the beach chairs and in the breaking water.  That did much to recharge our batteries, after such a hectic schedule in the morning.

Pearl

Coconut Prison

Fish Sauce / Stench Factory

Sao Beach

After our lunch and swim, we drove to a waterfall on Thanh Stream that promised beautiful photo opportunities.  What wasn’t made clear to us was the 600 meter roundtrip uphill walk on small boulders to get to there.  It was beautiful as promised, but after we got back to the van, nerves were frayed and feet most definitely sore.  On the way back to the resort we stopped at a pepper farm that really wasn’t much more than pointing out the pepper plants, and finally we headed back to the resort.  We couldn’t wait to walk in the water and enjoy the sunset from our beach.  Dinner at a neighboring resort, capped with alcoholic ice drinks ended another fun-filled day.

Thanh Stream Waterfall

Sunset dip

Carey was up early making sure the Packers pulled out a win over the Bears (and they did!)  The next day we headed down to the beach for a relaxing morning and afternoon before our night squid fishing adventure began.  We were picked up at 5:00pm and met another terrific couple from England staying at our resort.  We became fast friends.  Once on the boat, we relaxed on the upper deck to watch the sun dip below the horizon, then headed down below to get ready to catch (not so monster) squid.  Overall, it was an ‘A’ for effort, but an ‘F’ for execution.  Not one person (save the tour guide) caught a squid, and that seemed to be fine for everyone.  Nonetheless we were served a nice dinner as we made our way back to shore.

Squid fishing boat

Casting a line

Catch of the day

Early the next day we sadly said good-bye to Phu Quoc, nearly dragging Carey to the airport.  We had forgotten how busy HCMC was and were quickly thrust back into city life. Samantha took us to have our first taste of Pho.  Jason loved it!  Carey had a difficult time with the spoon in one hand and chopsticks in the other.  We then made our way across the world’s busiest round-a-bout (or so it seemed) and checked out the Ben Thanh Market for some souvenirs.  After a quick drink on a rooftop bar (bottles of beer for less than $1 USD – wow!), we taxied back home to get ready to ring in the New Year.

Ben Thanh Market

Saigon from the rooftop bar

We headed over to a Western bar called McSorley’s, where a meager $25 USD cover included one hour of free beer, buffet snacks, dancing and revelry.  Also, we were given a playing card that could be matched up to create Poker hands (flush, full house, etc) giving us the opportunity to mingle with other partygoers.  In short order Jason, Samantha and her housemate Nick matched up a full house with two other people and were gifted with a bottle of Champagne.  Not to be outdone, Carey quickly found some other people and won a free bottle of bubbly herself.  Although the countdown to New Year’s wasn’t as grand as Times Square, we can now check off “celebrate NYE in a foreign country” from our bucket list.

Champagne!

January 1st marked our last day in Vietnam, and as expected, the day started off slow.  The plan was to spend the day walking around doing typical touristy stuff.  We checked out the Notre Dame Cathedral and the Central Post Office, both beautiful buildings featuring French architecture.  Our last stop for the day was the Reunification Palace, which was the main government building when Saigon was the capital of South Vietnam.  It was also the site of the end of the Vietnam War when North Vietnamese tanks crashed through its gates.  After a few hours relaxing back at Samantha’s place, we headed to the Opera House to see a performance of “AO Show”, which can best be described as Cirque de Soleil with baskets and bamboo.  Our verdict: simply amazing!

Notre Dame Cathedral

Inside the Post Office

Reunification Palace

Zipping up our bags for the final time and hauling them out to the street was certainly bittersweet.  Hugs and goodbyes were shared, then onward to the airport for 28 hours of travel ending in Milwaukee, where temperatures hovered in the single digits.  Even in the frigid Wisconsin cold, memories of HCMC and Phu Quoc won’t soon be forgotten.  Thank you for being a wonderful host, Samantha!

Hen gap lai!

~Carey and Jason