Same same, but extremely different

  Something tells us that we're not in Asia anymore... 

The Bielefeld Weihnachtsmarkt was the perfect way to embrace 0 degree weather and the Christmas season.

Vacation was fun, but we're glad to be back with friends and family!

Zurück in Deutschland

  Der erste und letzte Tag unserer Reise ist geprägt von REGEN...somit schließt sich der Kreis.

Nach knapp 20 Stunden auf Achse sitzen  wir im Zug Richtung Bielefeld...

...mit unserem gesamten Gepäck...

...noch ein kleines Bisschen und wir sind zu Haus :-)

Last day in SE Asia

   We said farewell to Vietnam by wandering Saigon once more.

Here, a Buddha shrine in the lobby of our hotel. Each morning, staff put out offerings to keep the spirits happy. On Sunday it was a coconut and coffee offering.

We had our fair share of street snacks, but only on our last day did we indulge in a freshly pressed sugar cane beverage. Sooooo tasty.

And finally, to round out the trip. Iced Vietnamese coffee and another smoothie.  :-)

Pets, etc. of the Mekong

  Today we traveled back to HCMC. Rather than ramble on about how our bodies are too big for sleeper busses /sigh/, enjoy some photos of animals of the Mekong.

Guinea pigs enjoying a feast at their "mansion."

Chickens partying in a tree.

A puppy snoozing in rice husks.

Bonus blog: Tra Vinh

  After a hot, long, and frustrating bus ride deeper into the delta...

...we can proudly report that, Ernie, we made it to the city of Tra Vinh!!

We are the only tourists here, which is surprising because there are incredible Khmer pagodas/temples worth exploring.

A thorough investigation of Ernie's old stomping grounds: Check!

Mekong Delta Tag 2

 Gestern haben wir bei einer Gastfamilie übernachtet...samt anderen Touristen.

Nach einer Nacht im "Dschungel" sind wir im Dorf der Gastfamilie spazieren gewesen und haben danach...

...eine kleine Bootstour gemacht, um den Cai Rang Markt auf dem Mekong zu besichtigen.

Ein kleiner Schnappschuss über eine perfekte Installation eines Abflusses, welche unsere Abenteuer am Nachmittag  und die Fahrt nach Tra Vinh widerspiegelt ;-)

Clueless in the Delta

  We adventured to the Mekong Delta today and (maybe) visited the city of My Tho, although in all honesty we have no clue where our tour bus took us...

We saw the end of an AM floating market, where everything from watermelons to onions were being sold.

We also watched locals make rice and coconut candies. Nom nom!!!

In the afternoon we visited an island in the Mekong and stalked some fishermen/ladies.

And, we took a Mekong canal ride (aka "Mekong gondola"). One of our favorite selfies...

HCMC zu Fuß

  Wir haben den Tag mit gutem Straßenessen begonnen...lecker!

Weiter gings mit ein bisschen Geschichte und wir haben Einiges über den Vietnam-Krieg gelernt...

...es war sehr interessant, aber auch intensiv.

Ein Glas Wein und eine Flasche Hofbräu-Weisse haben die Stimmung angehoben.

Morgen gehts weiter ins Mekong-Delta...bis in ein paar Tage, HCMC.

Hello, Saigon (HCMC)

  Hello from Holland... we mean Ho Chi Minh City... or HCMC or Saigon!!!

We arrived in HCMC this afternoon and quickly began exploring what we believe is our "favorite" crazy city of the 3 crazy cities that we have visited on this trip (the other 2 being Bangkok and Hanoi).

Below, the most impressive electrical wiring in our 'hood.

Here, we'd be impressed if you could explain the reasoning behind this traffic pattern.

After some shopping, scooter dodging, and awesome food, we are hibernating for the night.

Letzter Tag in Mui Ne

  For our last day in Mui Ne, we opted for another scooter ride...

And in case anyone was curious, we thought we'd show you what the "gas stations" look like here... :-)

Once fueled, we had more quality beach time at our favorite spot, including a little boogie board action. 

  While we are sad to leave, HCMC beckons!! Farewell sleepy beach town.

How to surf a kite :-)

Step 1: While waiting for the wind to cooperate, snuggle with cute kitten.

Step 2: Suit up.

Step 3: Prepare the kites for launching, drag into the water, pull out of the water, repeat...

Step 4: Make it out alive. (Sara with her instructor... 2013 Asia Kiteboarding Tour Freestyle Champion... No biggie)

Surf surf und Kitesurf

  Vorgestern waren wir am Suoi Nuoc Strand und haben richtig schoen gesurft!

Gestern ging es weiter mit Kitsurfen...hier unsere ersten Schritte...es macht Spass, aber wir haben grossen Respekt vor dem Wind.

Mehr Fotos sind auf dem Weg :-)

Mui Ne wins. The end.

  In the morning, we alternated between cannon balls in the pool and in the ocean. Here: Andi impresses the masses.

In the afternoon, we walked through the "Fairy Stream" which cuts into red and white sandy cliffs and ends at a waterfall.

We then checked out a rather fragrant local fishing village.

Next, we visited huge sand dunes. Here: I attempt to sled on the dunes via a piece of plastic... It kind of worked.

We are happy pandas.

Der Strand in Mui Ne

  Heute sind wir in Mui Ne angekommen. Dies ist das Kitesurf-mekka in Vietnam...und wir mittendrin :-)

Zusaetzlich zu den vielen Kites waren wir auch ueberrascht ueber die Fischerboote, welche wie Schalen aussehen...Mui Ne ist auch bekannt fuer eine Vielfalt an Meeresfruechten.

Es war ein super Start hier mit einem schoenen Ausblick und Abendessen.

Smoothie, beach, sun, and repeat...

  On Tuesday we didn't take any pictures other than this one ... of delicious smoothies (watermelon and banana, resp.). 

Why?? Well, we are in complete lounge mode and life is good. Tomorrow, we mosey down the coast to another beach town, Mui Ne.

Surf's up

  We rented a scooter and headed to Bai Dai Beach and Cam Ranh Bay (thanks for the hot tip, Ernie!) to escape the crowds. We "found" a 10km stretch of sand nearly to ourselves (+\- 8 people), managed to wrangle a surfboard, and enjoyed some rides on knee-high waves.

The trip was delayed slightly by some very friendly pedestrians.

We enjoyed having the water all to ourselves.

After a scooter ride on the beach, we explored the northern part of the bay before heading home.