Today, I woke up at 8:30 to Heather’s voice. She had had a field program to volunteer at an orphanage, but she missed it. She got her times mixed up, and I was so sad that she missed it. This was the thing she was looking forward to most in Vietnam. Now the only thing to look forward to was getting our dresses.
Because we got back so late, we went back to bed for a little bit, and finally got up and moving around 10. Heather, Rachel, Oscar, and I took the shuttle to the Rex Hotel and headed over to the Ben Thanh Market. The market is in a huge building, and the entire place is packed full of things to buy. We started in the clothes section looking for pants. We were unsuccessful again, but Heather did buy a purse. Next we took a walk through nicknacks. I really think that I have an obsession for Owls. There were so many little figurines of them that I wanted to get, but I held off. The market also had a place to buy food, anything from poppyseed candies, to coconuts, to mangos, and even restaurants with menus. There was a place to buy backpacks, and I found a North Face that I liked for only 25 dollars, but I didn’t think I would use it, so I didn’t get it. The drawstring that I have works just fine and gets me to pack light.
After the market we went to get our dresses. I was told it would be done the night before, but it was not finished the first time I went to get it. The second time it was ready, so I tried it on. It fit perfectly, and it should have since a tailor made it for me. I really like the pattern and how the whole thing turned out. It looks great. I wanted to get a maxi dress, but I felt like I could get more use out of it if it was at the knees. Heather’s dress also turned out well. She got an all purple one that looks great on her.
The four of then stopped to get lunch at an Italian restaurant owned by Australian men. It was great; we got inside and were sent upstairs. We were the only ones on that floor. The place was very modern with black, white, and red everywhere. One of the owners came over to talk to us, and turned on music so it wasn’t so quiet while we ate. Heather and I told Rachel and Oscar all about our trip and things that happened. They just spent their days exploring Saigon. Heather and I got garlic bread and Margherita pizza. It was much bigger than we thought. The two of us could have bought one and shared it, but we both ate a lot of it, and shared the rest with Rachel and Oscar. For desert, we went to an ice cream place nearby, where I got “Eskimo Ice Cream.” It was in the shape of a heart, with vanilla ice cream. Half of it was covered in chocolate shell with sprinkles. It came with whipped cream, a piece of watermelon, dragonfruit, and a strawberry. The vanilla ice cream here has a different flavor than back in the states, but it is hard to describe. There is a picture of it in this post!
After that, I went back to the ship to get my laptop and phone to use the internet at the hotel. I wasn’t able to do it though, because the bus drivers made us wait half an hour, and when they were finally ready to leave, I wouldn’t have been able to do anything at the hotel but get the next bus back, so I stayed on the ship and napped until dinner.
Today there was a special dinner – a barbeque! There were ribs and potato salad, with vegetables and salad and bread. It was one of the best dinners. Better than taco night for sure. It was a great way to get people back on the ship, and a perfect welcome home.
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