Good-bye Vietnam

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Our last day in Vietnam started off very early in the morning - 6:00 AM ... and this is what we call vacation. We are all dressed in our biking gear and after breakfast head off on our bikes to the boat dock for our boat ride up to Phnom Penh, Cambodia. It's a short ride - maybe 5km at the most - but a sad ride. We say good-bye to our Vietnam tour guides who have just been the absolute best. I have to admit that I think I had a bit of a crush on both the driver, Tan and our bike guide, Tung as they just took such good care of me. Tan, who spoke little English, learned my name (I think I was the only one of the group that he would call by name) and Tung would give me lots of details about what I was seeing that really made the trip special for me. Next adventure a boat ride up the river .... but first a few recaps of some of my favorite Vietnam memories.

1. Learning to cross the street in Hanoi and feeling a sense of accomplishment and joy that I survived each crossing.
2. Waking up on the Junk Boat and watching the sun rise over the water and limestone rocks from my bed.
3. Feeling like I was in the NY Marathon each time I rode through a village and had the locals (especially the children) run to the road and say hello.
4. Never knowing what type of bathroom one would encounter on the road - let's just say that there are holes in the ground and then there are upscale holes in the ground.
5. Screaming when I found a lizard in my room and trying to explain it to the man at the front desk (I had to go down and draw a picture and then act it out) so that he could get it out of there. He didn't. They are actually good as they eat the mosquitoes.
6. Learning to shower over a toilet. This might explain why my hair is up in braids a lot!
7. Tiger Beer - I think it might be giving Stella a run for its money when I get back home.
8. Having custom clothing made - the experience makes me want to find a tailor when I get back home.
9. Getting beat up (they call them massages here) - I can't believe how much damage these little girls can do to you. I think they count for the majority of my bruises on my body.
10. Actually riding in 95+ degree heat and able to still smile about it.
11. Reaching my breaking point and hoping into the bus and having Tan play disco music (that bus officially became known as the party bus).
12. Rickshaws - climbing in and out - not so easy and then of course our loud race through the city. I don't think our drivers/peddlers knew what anyone was saying in English or Italian (but we continued to yell ... FASTER, FASTER... I now think that might have been bad but at the time it was funny)

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