Please Sir, I'd Like Some More.

    Bit of an awkward morning, you'll understand as you keep reading. Our morning started off with Sally the Vietnamese student coming in to get us since they showed up 10 minutes early. The field trip today was to the Vietnam military museum detailing all the conflicts that have happened in Vietnam. We started out with the Chinese invasion and 1000 year occupation of Vietnam. The Chinese fell for the same navel tactic twice which the student explaining all this to me found that fact funny. Then we got separated from the main group and went off on our own adventure. We ended up in the American-Vietnamese war section of the museum. The students asked me how much I knew about the war and what my opinion of it was. One of the students said her Grandma hates Americans because of that war and I told her my Grandma is the same about the Japanese because of WWII. Side note: I FINALLY TALKED TO THE STUDENTS TODAY!! The room filled with memorabilia from the Vietnamese-American war interestingly had no English translation of any of the signs. Everything was either French or Vietnamese. Guess they did not think any Americans would visit that room. 

    We finally caught up with the rest of the group and climbed a guard tower. Originally we were told that we could climb to the top but we could only go half-way. Then we were lead over to where there was the remains of an American ship that had been shot down during the war. This field trip did get a tad bit uncomfortable at times. 

    Then the students took us out for what they called meatballs and noodles. These were the flattest meatballs I've ever had. We were crammed into one room for the meal. After we got back to the school some of us went out for desert. Weirdest thing I have ever eaten. It was coconut milk with caramel plan and a whole bunch of jelly things thrown on top of it. There's a picture below but the weird crunchy stuff is still on top. It was good but I know I never would have ordered it if the Vietnamese students had not recommended it. 

    We had another lecture on Vietnamese art today. This time it covered pottery, paintings and singing. Interesting thing from the lecture was that the older generation of Vietnam doesn't care for artwork like the younger generation does. We watched a video of an old woman who passed away last year who was the last person in Vietnam who still performed a certain style of singing and became famous for it. She was a little too open about her story but that also came out in her songs. One thing I forgot from yesterdays lecture: Vietnamese people are more comfortable with peeing in the streets than they are kissing in public. Quite the contrast from home. 

    After school Deanna was supposed to meet with her host sister but the student wasn't there to meet her. So after a few moments deliberation Drexler  left her with enough for a cab fare back and took us home. Since it's not on the schedule but is highly recommended on every tourist site Karen, Donna, and I went to see the Vietnamese water puppets. It was completely different from what I was expecting and much better. The performance was only 50 minutes but it was very entertaining. 

    For dinner we had a cultural experience. One I am not willing to repeat again. We were wandering around looking for somewhere to grab a bite when we noticed a busy restaurant and a guy beckoning us over to him so we caved in to his call. It was a completely different restaurant style than anything we have done. You ordered up front but they put the food on a tray to take to your table and they kept trying to give you more. Then you paid. Next you located a table. Finally you got your food and we had little to no idea what we had ordered. Karen had already eaten so she nibbled on bits and pieces of dishes but that was good since they had given us a feast. The food was different from what we might have normally ordered at a sit down restaurant with a menu and time to make a good decision which was a good thing. Not going there or to another restaurant like it again though. It was pretty pricey even though we ordered a feast. 

Our first look at Ha Long Bay. 

The fishing village. Well, part of it. 

The sunset. Very lucky to get this shot, the sun disappeared less than a minute after I took it. 

The view from the pagoda we climbed to.

A different view from the pagoda

Yet another view from the pagoda!!

The boat we spent a night on

I swear this will not kill you. The students had us decorate a mask and after we left the students... added to it. It's getting painted over. Right now it's hidden from sight to prevent children crying. That's Karen wearing it. She didn't want to take it off.

A mural with Ho Chi Minh in the middle that depicts the major battles the Vietnam has been in.

Tried to take a picture of this mural. Oh well.

American pilots carried this with them in case they were shot down in battle. It basically says "I am an American soldier and cannot speak your language. Please take me somewhere safe and you will be rewarded by my government."

Some of the planes in the museum. Not sure if they were shot down or what happened to them

The remains of a US fighter plane after being shot down

The crazy desert

The water puppet stage

A picture during the performance (I now understand why American theaters don't allow flash photography, it's really annoying)

Some of the puppets up close.

Donna and I with our feast. I'm still not sure how we were able to eat so much of it. We had stir fried beef (I think), cold chicken, those things that look like egg rolls tasted kind of like yellow cake batter but not as good, and stuffed tomatoes.

Picture Count: 32