Hi everyone!

Sorry I haven't had a chance to write in a while. I arrived to Vietnam safely and it has definitely been an experience since stepping off the plane. We are a huge minority here and there are very few tourists. We've done a lot since being in Vietnam. Two days ago we went on a Cu Chi Tunnels tour which was extremely cool to see. It was interesting to watch the short video and read the signs they had posted by the tunnels because of the obvious Vietnam bias. Some of their posters would say things like, "The American enemies run away from the ferocious Vietnamese guerillas because of their fear." It was interesting to see it from the other side. I actually got to crawl through the tunnels and it's absolutely amazing that people lived underground like that for 20 years!! They had everything from a kitchen to sleeping quarters to a restroom. The next day we went on a tour of the Mekong Delta. It was so much fun!! Probably one of my favorite parts of the trip. We got to get on a boat like the one pictured above and they paddled us down river. All of this took place in Ho Chi Minh and the surrounding areas. Last night we jumped on a coach bus at around 10 pm and drove all the way to Nha Trang. It was a 10 hour bus ride with cramped seats and barely any air conditioning...completely uncomfortable. On the drive here we passed through a lot of the Vietnam countryside. Within about a two hour period I saw a dead motorcyclist on the side of the road as well as two men slaughtering a cow on the side of the road. Talk about a reality check. In the villages there is a distinct smell of sewage and trash and although most people treat us decently, there is still a stigma associated with Americans.I think that's been one of the greatest learning experiences; to realize how much America is frowned upon across the rest of the world. That's not to say that we've been treated poorly, but there is a significant difference in the way we were treated in Thailand and the way we are treated here. Right now, in Nha Trang, my hotel is directly across from the ocean and I have a room overlooking the ocean with a huge, breezy balcony. The water is beautiful here, it has a greenish tone but is absolutely clear. When we finally arrived this morning most of us changed into our swim-wear and headed directly for the beach. For lunch we stopped a lady who had fresh seafood and she steamed us whatever we wanted on the beach. A bunch of us shared 4 crabs, 3 lobsters, 4 prawn, and an assortment of oysters (yes, Dad and Blake...I ate oysters) for a little less than $20 USD! Yum!! Tonight we are probably just going to take it easy because tomorrow we have a day-long tour of the surrounding islands. I'm pretty excited about that, especially about monkey island!! Monkeys everywhere!!! We check out on Monday morning around 7am and head back to Ho Chi Minh (another 10 hour bus ride). We then eat dinner at the hotel we were staying at in Ho Chi Minh, jump on a flight at midnight back to Tokyo, and then I'm on my way back to Dallas. I feel like time has passed so quickly! It's incredible to think that this has been nearly 3 weeks. Because of the constant go-go-go I barely have time to realize what day it is, much less when I'll be coming home. I'm definitely ready to head home...I'm just not looking forward to the almost 40 hours of travel that I'll be going through. I miss all of you!! See you in a few days!!! :) :)

Love,

Shan