Another week, Another trip

HaLong Bay

HaLong Bay (learn more)  is a beautiful site. The water, the islands, the atmosphere is all just amazing. We took a bus from Hanoi about 2 ½ hours to HaLong Bay and boarded the Aquamarine Cruise. We did a quick stop at a pearl store along the way before arriving at the port. Let me tell you, the food never stops. Lunch was 7 or 8 courses of seafood, chicken, salads, soups, and more.

As we cruised out to the first stop we ate, took pictures, ate, took a few more pictures, ate…you get the idea. Our boat anchored in the bay and the first stop was kayaking at Hang Luon (Luon Cave). Konstantin went for the trip while I stayed back and read a book in the shade on our balcony. Then we headed over to TiTop Island where Konstantin hiked up 450 steps (110 meters/360 feet) to the top and saw some beautiful views, and I sat in the shade at the beach and enjoyed people watching.

After a brief swim we headed back to the boat and got ready for a cooking class, dinner, and karaoke. More food! Again the food was fantastic and we had a great time meeting new friends from Crimea, Ireland, and India. We watched and sang along with karaoke before crashing. The next morning Konstantin explored Surprise Cave before we had lunch and headed back to the port. I highly recommend this side trip if you are in Hanoi. The bus ride was not so great for me, so next time I will definitely get better transportation. 

Back in Hanoi

Back in Hanoi we again visited 4 P’s Pizza and got the cheese pizza recommended by my friend Becky. I was hesitant about the honey at first, but wow was it delicious. We headed over to the US Embassy and toured the Fulbright area of the Embassy. The staff is truly wonderful to work with and I enjoyed meeting everyone in person, sharing ideas for STEM, and our delicious lunch. Seriously the food here is amazing…I know it seems like all we do it eat, but well yea.
Then we headed over to the Temple of Literature (learn more). We saw the turtles students rub for luck before exams and even got to watch a taping of a television show with lots of kids. We did some walking around the Opera House area where we were staying. Traffic is overwhelming here and once again I was reminded how blessed I am to have been based in DaNang at Skyline School! I may have gone a little overboard on the shopping for gifts…and Konstantin may have added 10 shirts or more to his collection while i SIngapore and Hanoi, but it is all worth it!

Well what about your work?

It hasn’t been all play! While Konstantin went out exploring I finally started building my website for my Fulbright project. My advisor, Dr Vachel Miller from App State, has helped me narrow down ideas and figure out the hows and whys. I am happy with the look for now and have gotten some feedback from my family and friends I shared it with. If you want to take a look, let me know! 

Home again, Home again Jiggity Jig

We are now back in DaNang, hooray! Less people and streets I can walk without as much worry about getting run over. But we are only here a few days before we head to Ho Chi MInh, Pleiku, and a new destination Da Lat. Fulbright is having a conference with all the researchers and they asked me to join. I will be sharing my research and meeting other Vietnam participants. I am excited to meet others and see another part of this beautiful country. 

We are now off to pay phone bills and run errands. Gotta get repacked and reach out to all the schools I hope to visit during my explorations of south Vietnam!

As always I would love to hear from you! Any ideas for places to visit, schools or teachers to contact, or just say hi!