I've Caught the Travelling Bug

It is official. I have caught the travelling bug, but I’m not the least bit sad about it. South East Asia and Vietnam in particular have completely stolen my heart and it’s very hard to believe that I’m here for only three more months. Where does the time go? There is so much I have already done but so much more I want to do and as the next three months unfold, I know one thing for sure – I’m going to take every chance I get at a new adventure.

This past weekend I took a trip to Saigon with Vicky and Akua. We fit quite a lot into two and a half days, so I’m pretty impressed! Since we reached rather late on Friday night, we decided to wake up early on Saturday and go around the city. The War Remnants Museum was one the most memorable activities for me and not only because I am a huge fan of history, but as geeky as it sounds I just love learning. On Sunday we piled into a sleeper bus at 8 am and drove to a town 6 hours away from Saigon called Mui Ne. It is largely a resort town with tourists galore, but a definite must see if you’re ever in Vietnam! We rented a jeep (and driver), drove to the fishing village, and toured the sand dunes. A couple of years ago, I could not even imagine that a place like the sand dunes exists in Vietnam; it just goes to show that there are gems all over the world you may not know about. We stayed in Mui Ne till about 1 am, our night consisting of dinner at a local restaurant, talking about the lessons this placement has taught us so far, and even meeting some friendly Russian tourists. It is safe to assume that on the night bus back to Saigon, we completely passed out! The following day, we went to the Ben Than market and spent the afternoon shopping! I liked the market, but it was very overwhelming and salespeople kept hovering and shouting at us to buy things from them – a very stressful experience! I did manage to get a nice bracelet for only $2.50 out of it though :P.

The next stops on my travels are Thailand and Bali; though, I feel like I’m not completely done travelling around Vietnam. This country is truly glorious with countless treasures to offer. 

Some Pictures from the Trip:

Museum of Ho Chi Minh City

Feeding the Elephants at the Botanical Gardens and Zoo!

War Remnants Museum

Mui Ne Fishing Village

Sunset Over the Mui Ne Sand Dunes

This monkey just kept on doing back flips! Pretty Sweet!

Focus Points of 2013

Since the beginning of December I’ve been looking forward to writing an "end of the year" post highlighting some of my biggest moments and best memories of the 2012 and my resolutions for 2013. As the year came to a close, I kept putting this post off because I found it difficult to choose the best memories since I had so many. Even more so, I found it difficult to create a list of resolutions for 2013. The past year has truly been good to me and I believe I've done 5 years of growing (figuratively; physically I’m still small :P) in just 12 months. This year came to a close perfectly as I got to spend it with my loved ones in MALAYSIA! I have to say, seeing my family during the holidays was the most perfect Christmas gift and start to the New Year, especially since it tends to get a little lonely in Vietnam (combating loneliness). I stayed with my cousins in Kuala Lumpur and we did all sorts of things like shopping, visiting the Batu Caves, eating, visiting the Genting Highlands, more shopping, visiting the Putrajaya Mosque (one of the most breathtaking architectural pieces I have ever seen), more shopping and of course more eating.

Instead of creating a list of resolutions for 2013, I want to create areas of focus with specific goals. Even though 2012 has been filled with countless experiences and learning opportunities, I know there is always room for improvement and growth and I have a long ways to go. I thought about and decided on three areas of focus and what goals I will try to achieve in each area.

1) Become more religious: Aside from practicing faith regularly if you’re religious, I think it is also so important to understand what you believe in and not to have blind faith. I have always wanted to learn more about the history of my religion and its roots. This year I’m going to educate myself on my religion and re – learn the meaning of our prayers.

2) Keep more up to date about world issues: Many times I just read the one or two articles discussing a major current event and I leave it. This year I’m going to read more articles, and watch the documentaries that I’ve been meaning to watch for some time now to become more knowledgeable about what goes on around me (many of these documentaries are ones my dad recommended and since he is the most intelligent man in the world, I know they would be nothing short of insightful). This is terrible, but I also don’t check the news every day. In 2013 my goal is to wake up every morning and check the news before I check my text messages like they’re the morning paper.

3) Get Healthier: I know this one is pretty vague but fitness and healthy eating have always been important to me and this year I want to take it a step further. Aside from regularly doing cardio, I’m going to try and eat at least four servings of green vegetables every day (green vegetables are the most nutritious and in Vietnam it’s pretty easy to find them).

So these are my areas of focus for 2013! Hope everyone has had a great couple weeks of the New Year so far! xx

Some Pictures From Malaysia:

On our way  up to the Genting Highlands



The cousins in front of the Batu Caves



On our way to the top! 500 stairs!

Can you believe I got this close to a monkey? (I'm very very afraid of them)

The Putrajaya Mosque. Women had to cover up prior to entering