Vietnam

Vietnam was amazing.

Hot, humid and amazing.

For 17 days we jet-setted around the country going from South to North and back again.

We did the classic cyclo tour and were ripped off royally.

Cyclo Tour of Ho Chi Minh

We saw temples, tombs and pagodas galore. We saw Ha Long Bay, Cu Chi Tunnels, the Mekong Delta and everything in between. We saw Hat Street, Shoe Street, Idol Street, Blacksmith street, Tin Street and even stayed on Bamboo Mat street.

Ha Long Bay

Great Cao Dai Temple

Tomb of Khai Dinh

We bartered, haggled and Dave even flirted in Vietnamese to get the lowest deal. We ate spring rolls, rice rolls, meat on a stick, meat in a bowl, and meat wrapped in strange leaves. We ate snails, clams, eels on a stick (see previous blog for that lovely picture) and Dave even ate a boiled "unhatched" duck egg.

Dave and Matt eating the "duck"

We met amazing people from around the world and connected with distant family which finally puts a face to many of the names and stories. We met the one year old daughter of Dave's cousin who is studying in Canada trying to bring her family over. We met her father, husband and saw the remarkable resemblance in this precious little girl.

Our motor bike tour to Marble Mountain

Our trip to Vietnam was nothing short of spectacular. We made fabulous friends and reconnected with family. It was literally the trip of a lifetime.

Taking in Ha Long Bay from a kayak

In Sickness and In Health

After 15 amazing days in Vietnam of sightseeing & cultural immersion, Vietnam finally claimed a Tran. Not the Tran that you were all thinking would go down... but Dave "Iron Guts" Tran.


But first we must back up two months when we went for our travel vaccinations. As I loaded up in $400 of shots, Dave refused to get all the vaccinations that I did because as he said, "I'm Vietnamese". 

Famous last words.


Actually Dave... you're Canadian!!


So needless to say Dave ate EVERYTHING in Vietnam and got sesame/ peanut poisoning only once. However, when we visited his family down in the Mekong Delta we were forced to try all the "local" delicacies. Things like snails (and the garden/ sludge kind), clams (not oysters or mussels), eels on a stick (with teeth and eyes still intact). 

Of course we both tried everything and felt instantly ill. However, in order to save face with the family we knocked back a Saigon beer and kept going. Finally, I couldn't do it anymore and stuck to the noodles but Dave was the show pony of the family and had to stick in there. After 3 days of eating like this in 38 degree heat and 99% humidity our bodies were hating us. 

After a painful six hour bus ride back up to Saigon, Dave crashed for two days and then we made the long 20 hour journey back to Perth. It turns out that he simply had a terrible case of traveller's diaaheria, which I was vaccinated against. (I highly recommend everyone get Dukoral before you travel!)

However, as Dave recovered I went down like a ton of bricks. With massive headaches and vertigo for a week, my body finally gave out and I decided to check out the Perth medical system.  Why not?? We have seen so much of Perth, why not meet a few doctors, neurosurgeons, and nurses. After CT scans, IVs and a fabulous  Spinal Tap, I was sent home with the diagnosis of "one hell of a migraine". With my plethora of pills in hand and the best bed side nurse a woman could want, I have recovered... for the most part. 

Looking back at the past month and our pile of medical bills, one thing I know for sure is that Dave and I have fulfilled our vows of taking care of each other in "sickness" this past month!