More Pictures - Friends Visit to Hue

Even though it was extremely hot during the timeframe that my Florida friends were in Hue, we still managed to have a lot of fun -- singing kareoke, learning how to cook Vietnamese food and taking a motorbike tour to some of the city's highlights.

Below are a few more pictures from their Hue trip:

And The Heat Is On

In the months leading up to the hot Hue summer, I was warned repeatedly by my friends that I needed to prepare myself for the extremely hot June, July and August in Hue.

"This will be the hottest summer you have ever experienced," they would tell me. "I'm from Florida," was always my reply, as I laughed aloud.

But, WOW I am definitely not the one laughing now -- I was completely unprepared for the hottest summer I have ever experienced. And, I am not even kidding. The heat index makes it feel like a boiling sauna. This factor combined with daily power cuts (i.e. no fans or air conditioning during these periods) make it pretty hard to bare.

My poor Floridian friends who recently visited me in Hue got to experience the heat full force, along with the daily power cuts. We kept laughing about how their experience in Vietnam was truly "authentic".

So, here is my advice on surviving the hot, hot Hue heat (many of these were practiced multiple times during my friends' visit) along with some pictures for illustration:

1) Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate and then Hydrate Some More -- you can never have too many cold drinks in this weather. One day, we literally stopped at four different fruit drink stands within an hour and a half

2) Locate the Air Conditioning -- with daily power outages, sometimes you just want to find a place in town that has nice, cold air conditioning. This past Saturday, after spending several hours in the sun, my friends and I sat at an air-conditioned bookstore for about 3 hours to fully cool off

3) Ice Cream is a GREAT, GREAT Thing -- fortunately for me, there are many, many places in Hue to get really good ice cream which helps you feel cool for a little while

4) Go Swimming as Often as Possible -- My friend Hang and I have made swimming a weekly ritual

5) Be Positive -- It is really, really hot here right now, but I'm trying to stay positive. I am sure once the rainy season hits after summer ends, I will be wishing for the heat again.

Phu Quoc Island

Prior to visiting Phu Quoc island, I had read that this destination is a beautiful, relaxing beach getaway -- a few years ago, one of the beaches on the island was voted one of the top in the world -- but without all of the crowds you find at most big beach destinations. The island did not disappoint on this front. It was beautiful, calming and incredibly, almost unbelievably, uncrowded.

It was the low season, meaning that it rained a little throughout our stay -- which also enabled us to get such a great deal at our fantastic resort! However, this did not put a damper on our trip as we were still able to take a boat excursion to go fishing and snorkeling (I think this is probably one of the few locations in the world in which case you can get RIGHT next to the coral and see tons of tropical fish -- very neat experience!), lounge by the beach and pool at our resort while eating some amazing Vietnamese and Western food and rent a car to visit the major sites around the island including a pepper farm, the museum and a waterfall.

This was just the experience that I needed after a few busy, busy days in HCMC -- before I had to return straight to work upon arrival back in Hue.

Floridians Invade HCMC

My first experience in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) occurred in April when I traveled down south with my interpreter and supervisor for Vietnam's largest handicraft exhibition. While I certainly enjoyed my time at the Expo and I liked getting to experience the unique vibe of this particular Vietnamese city, I walked away with the predominant impression that HCMC is very crowded, busy and industrial.

So, when my friends arrived in HCMC from the US last week, I was very excited to see them but a little unsure as to whether or not HCMC would be a good place to vacation for a few days. I have to say that after spending a few more days in this city, solely dedicated to sightseeing, the city has certainly won me over. While it is very busy and crowded, it also has an elegant charm, the people are friendly and there are many beautiful sites to see in and around the city.

Highlights of the trip: taking a speedboat tour to the fascinating Cu Chi tunnels (an underground, VERY small tunnel network utilized in the Vietnam war), floating down the Mekong Delta in a paddle boat, experiencing lots and lots of really good food -- and lots of varieties! and visiting museums and the major monuments in District 1.

Slight downsides of the trip: my prescription sunglasses sinking to the bottom of the muddy Mekong Delta (good thing they have really cute, knock off sunglasses to act as temporary replacements), almost having my purse snatched (fortunately, I managed to hold on super tight and avoid what would have been a very bad situation) and being talked into seeing a Vietnamese Opera by two college music majors (the upside was that we got to leave early:)

After spending three action-packed days in HCMC, we headed to Phu Quoc Island for some down time on the beach.