APRIL II

Vietnam randomness April 12th-13th, 2006
Vietnam was a crazy adventure that I will never forget! The whole gang of teachers skipped Danang altogether and headed staright for Hoi An, a UNESCO world heritage city about one hour taxi ride from the port. It was hot and dirty, but with a fruit shake (or cheap beer) in hand it really didn't matter. I think I had fresh spring rolls at every meal, and made sure to try the Hoi An specialty Cao Lau soup, which turned out to be my favorite meal eaten while in Vietnam. It cost 7,000 dong (approximately 45 cents) and had mint leaves and a sweet lemony broth. yum!!
Besides the massive amounts of eating, my friend Dannette and I (both serious shopaholics) did massive amounts of shopping. We got a ton of clothes and other items tailor made (they can do it in a day - isn't that fabulous?) I think my total came to about 57 dollars for two pairs of pants, a jacket, a bag, and a pair of the cutest slipper shoes you will ever see.
The truly random part of my Vietnam adventure occured in the evening, when I was sitting outside drinking a beer with Dannette and I noticed a funny-looking Sicilian guy pass me on the street. It took a couple of seconds to figure out that it was my friend from Japan, Sergio! He just happened to be on vacation in Vietnam in Hoi An on the only day I was in Vietnam with Peaceboat - totally amazing.