GOOOOOOOOD MORNING VIETNAM!

Nha Trang, Vietnam October 27th 2011

Today will go down as one of the best days I have had on this trip so far....and that’s saying alot! Well, after the long, hot and sticky raft drill in the morning, Eli, Sam and I went to meet Jess and David out where the free shuttle drops you off. It was so hot, but right outside the ship there was a market and they sold young coconuts to drink, so naturally Eli bought some for us :) We then got to where the shuttle drops you off and bargained with a cab driver to take us all for 60 us dollars to a remote area where Eli had read about waterfalls and cliffs to jump off of. We knew it was far, but we really had hoped the cab driver knew exactly where it was. I was a little nervous too, I remember because in the cab ride, I got bit a few times by bugs and I had remembered, I totally sprayed myself with sweet perfume before stepping outside. Not the best idea to wear perfume while trekking through the jungle of NAM! So, we drive down a really bumpy and un-paved road and finally arrive at a park where we were to walk to the waterfall. It was right out of a movie. I wanted C.C.R’s “fortunate son” to be the soundtrack of going through these bushes and stepping through marshy water. I could hear the cicadas chirping so loud, it sounded like construction. There were moss covered rocks we had to climb over, and tons of areas with rushing clear water. We knew the waterfall was close, but we didn’t know how to get there. Suddenly, tada!, there was a guide and a few other ladies who showed us to the exact piece of paradise we wanted to see. The picturesque, tropical, booming waterfall we all had hoped for was right in front of our eyes. Deep breath.....this was a dream! I was so thrilled to be here, I thought I could step into a shallow part of the water off the rock, but I slipped right in, dress and all, and floated down the strong current! haha I was soaked, but it felt so refreshing. It was so hot and humid, that the water is exactly what we needed to cool ourselves off. We then all climbed further up, only to jump from the high up cliff all the way into the water. I was flying, but when I hit the water, I went bottom first and screamed cause it was the most painful slap! :) but the pain went away when I got back out and heard the waterfall. We then all climbed up to the top of the waterfall and our little guide (guardians) yelled at us not to jump. I guess we would have gotten hurt from there because it was so high! It was so gorgeous! I could have stayed there forever, I kid you not. However, we did have to start heading back, and so we all headed to one last place. The chum towers were another part of our day. They are old temples carved out of stone, and they were so stunning. It was like a mini-Petra in Jordan (as David called it).  What a day, seriously. I love Vietnam. It was kind of crazy to think about how we were here just a few decades ago, and now, a new generation is here to visit, with new and refreshed feelings. Tomorrow, we are in Singapore overnight! hooorahhhhh!