SAIGON DAY 6

I woke up to a beautiful morning without alarms or incessant knocking at my door. It's so nice to wake up naturally and let the Sun shine on my butt. Abby was like a nurse delivering water to the bed. My throat really needed that though. So thankful. The cards she made were so beautiful! And she planned everything already, lunch with Chuong and Hung then head to the airport. 

We were wearing Maxis as planned. Felt that it drew too much attention on the way to church! While walking in, people just kept staring. It didn't help that we had pink and yellow luggages. I felt so sad seeing them. Knowing that it would be the last time already, there was an ache in my heart. Besides, I barely could make any sound so I sat there in silence taking it all in. 

I decided to ride with Chuong since I've never taken his bike in the past 5 days. I think he's the best driver. Or probably he's just the most heck care. Everyone that rode me all rode very carefully. For Bi, it's because his license was stolen along with his wallet. For Hung, he just knows how I'm so easily scared. He'd always ask, "Is it okay if I go faster?" Haha. Chuong just does his thing which is actually fun. 

We decided to dine here which is overrated but Abby and I just wanted to spend our money. 

 Now it's my turn to take candid pictures. They are like best friends and it's so cute to see that their relationship is so close and deep. They have like a secret connection. 

 Rice. It looks so little but it was really filling! 

 It was a good lunch and we finally got to treat them! It was like a million dong which honestly wasn't worth it. I told them that it's Singapore priced. 

 I kind of like this perspective on the motorbike. Seeing the scenery change on the bike's mirror. 

We reached church and it was half an hour to the time we were supposed to leave. So we took pictures with everyone! This is Chuong's Mum :) She's perpetually smiling and excited which is so cute. 

Of course we had to take pictures in our Maxis :) 

The four of us again! We are really a gang :) *bro fist*

The cutesy aunt. Her nails are painted ORANGE. Hipster much. She always puts on make up even though she never leaves the house. Tooo cute. 

Chuong called his Taxi driver friend and he sent us to the airport. We told him he didn't need to come but he said that he had to MAKE SURE. Two things he always said to us: Make sure you are safe, take care of you. Like a grumpy old man. 

We parted at the airport and went to buy souvenirs and dinner. Can't believe I spent like more money at the airport than in the 6 days in Vietnam. 

 It rained before we took off. 

 Gloomy skies. 

We met a really nice lady on the plane and we talked to her. I made a really lame pun, "Having tiger biscuits on tiger air." Haha! We smuggled burger king into the plane and ate it secretly. It was a pleasant flight back. 

So beautiful but my camera was malfunctioning and it kept focusing on the window instead of whats outside the window. Still, it's beautiful to watch sunsets. I love sunsets. I prefer sunsets over sunrises. 

Sissie came to the airport to fetch me back and Abby and I parted. It was an amazing trip, one that I will never ever forget. The people, the places and the food. The entire experience was novel to me. 

I loved it. I love it. 

SAIGON DAY 5

Waking up at 4:30am in the morning really isn't my thing; but I got up anyway. I was so tired I thought that I would fall asleep in the shower. We left the house half asleep and hailed a cab. I'm so thankful that we live in an area where there is always a line of cabs just outside the place. 

We made it safely to the church even though it was still dark outside. We were way too early! Had maggi mee for breakfast which was interesting. I've never had instant noodles for breakfast before, another first. I felt so nauseous after that probably because my body was still in sleep mode. 

Bi arrived to my surprise and he said he received a call from Chuong at 5am to join us. I'm really glad he did come so that there was an even number of people. His eyebags were so bad! All of ours were actually but his was just worst. Chuong's mum offered a whole lot of Vitamins and supplements to us but I declined it. Chuong and Hung just took the whole lot. Now, I know why both of them are so smart. Soon, it was time to set off. Chuong's mum is like the cutest ever! She always insists we take pictures in a certain way! 

So here's us, all ready for the three hour ride. They gave us jackets and said that it would be dirty. Initially I was like, no thanks. But I'm really glad they insisted because it really was so dirty. Heh, this picture makes it seem like I'm the one riding Bi huh? Fat hope. He rode me all the way ^^ The journey with him was fun, we talked a lot and laughed a lot. Told him about the past two days where he didn't join us which was hilarious. 

 

Our mid point! 70km into the journey, we stopped at this dairy farm to have ice-cream! Cheap yet satisfying :) 

The journey to Vung Tau was long and arduous and my BUTT hurt so bad after that. When I got off the bike, my legs were so numb from bending I could barely stand. But the sight of Mother Mary holding Jesus simply caught my eye and took my breath away. When they said we were going to climb this thing, I didn't think they meant it. I thought it was just to that statue. But on top of this hill, was a cross which was a thousand steps away. 

A glimpse of a small section of the flight of stairs we took up to the cross. These steps are known as pilgrim steps. They were made difficult so that we can feel, just a bit, how difficult it was for Jesus to carry it to Calvary. Even though my bag was maybe a kg or so, I really felt like I was going to die. At every rest point, I was so determined to give up. In my head, there was NO WAY that I was going to continue. But somehow, I did anyway. Maybe it was the wind, maybe it was the thought of reaching the cross, maybe it was the idea of accomplishing something I've started but maybe- it was the Spirit. 

Here was about the middle of the hill.

Pretty flowers and withered leaves on almost every step. 

 Finally, we made it. We reached the cross. The scenery from the peak was beautiful. Seeing the cross, something touched my heart. It touched me so close to my heart. There was pain but there was beauty in that pain. It's love, it's grace, it's Jesus. I said a little prayer in my heart as I stared at it. I thanked him for dying for me when I don't deserve it at all. I thanked him because that was all I could do. 

 I was busy snapping away the picturesque scenery and Bi was busy snapping away candid shots of people, so here I am. 

 I really really LOVE this picture. Even though we just climbed a ridiculous flight of steps, we still look so glam and happy. That triumphant moment is written all over our faces. 

Another one of Bi's candid shots. I never knew I cut my hair that short until I saw this picture. And it's brown, I love how my hair turns brown in the Sun. 

 I was also trying to be like Bi and I just started taking pictures and playing with my camera effects. I thought this picture was really cool. We had lunch and then we headed to the beach. 

 CAN YOU ALL CONGRATULATE ME BECAUSE THIS IS MY FIRST JUMP SHOT EVER? Haha! Being a very girly girl, jump shots to me are really unglam and ugly. Like why would you ever want to do that to yourself. Since this trip was full of firsts, I decided to try it. It didn't turn out so bad I guess... It was fun :)

 More candid shots. I like how pictures at the beach always look so sad. 

Candid again. We were preparing for the camera, just not prepared yet! But I like it like that! 

 My super cool tan line. 

 Can't imagine going through this trip with anyone else, love you Abby <3 

I actually got dragged into the sea. I was so traumatised I thought I would just cry. I seriously have a deep rooted fear of the sea. I hate the taste of saltwater, I hate how it makes my eyes hurt. I love looking at it, being in it is a whole different story. They all promised to hold me but they totally abandoned me. How evil. Best friends ever. After a while, after being washed away by several huge waves, I gave up. I needed the shore. So Chuong brought me back! Went to shower and soon we left Vung Tau. 

 I wasn't ready for another 3 hour drive and I felt more sick after the experience in the sea. Besides, my legs were still trembling from the flight of stairs. But, there was no choice. The journey back was so bad. The dust around was like a sandstorm. I had such a tough time breathing and my mask rendered useless because the wind was so strong and there were so many huge trucks around. My mask turned black, so did the jacket they lent and my legs. There was a layer of dust formed on my legs and the particles pierced like needles. It was horrifying. Please never take a motorbike to Vung Tau. 

Our mid-point. By this time I was already about to die, my lungs felt so polluted. My nose was so blocked. Breathing through my mouth felt too gross. Therefore, my smile was like FORCED. Still, we had to take this picture because it's too pretty how we were so pastel. Blue, pink and mint. I really love pastel. And I really suit pink. 

On the way back, I told Bi more about my family and I guess he didn't really know how to respond to me but it felt good to be open and just share about life. He told me about his baptism and I did too. It's nice to know that I've gained a brother in Christ. God is too amazing. 

After we reached Saigon, we had Chicken rice and seaweed soup for dinner. It was pretty good but I could barely enjoy it whilst being the sickly me. Chuong asked me, "How are you feeling?" about like 6 times. Every time we cross paths, he'd ask. It was epic but I could feel the concern overflowing. They really are sweet. They were having some secret conversation in Vietnamese and suddenly Bi said, 

"Venessa, I think you should take some medicine or Vitamin C. I heard you coughing on the way back and you look so pale."

"Noooooo, I wasn't coughing at all. *coughs*" 

"No, really. You should take some medicine."

*outstretched my arm*

*all starts searching for medicine*

I smiled through all the torment and war that was happening in my body.

Bi sent me back and we continued our deep talk. I felt so sad it was the last time we were seeing him! As much as I was losing my voice and everything, I made sure I never stopped talking. 

I slept so well that night because I was really sick. I felt so bad because we were supposed to make cards for them but in the end, Abby did it all on her own up till 4am while I was happily sleeping. It made me sad that tomorrow was going to be our last day in Vietnam. I was secretly hoping by some magic we could stay longer. If only. 

SAIGON DAY FOUR

When I woke up, I couldn't believe that we were already into the second half of our trip. Six days really did sound very long but now, it just feels like the blink of an eye. 

Finally, it was a day of independence. We actually went out ourselves to buy our own breakfast and got onto a bus to a foreign place :) 

Paris Baguette in Vietnam is SO CHEAP. Do admire the pictures below. 

 The famous Royal Pudding: Mango flavoured. It was so yummy and fit for a hot day! 

 Their original muffin which had such a delicious aroma :P

The bus alighted us at Times Square and Chuong was late. It was so hilarious when he came to us and said, "Today there's only me. So, we'll walk." In a dejected tone. Abby and I laughed so bad. It was so awkward really. 

 We were sightseeing like normal tourists around Saigon. 

 A beautiful french architecture. 

He brought us to places to shop but we couldn't do any shopping with him following us around because it was just so weird. We gave up so we went to Tutti Frutti and sat down for a drink. He called Hung to come and rescue him. 

 MY SWEET LOVE SODA. 

Hung finally came! We left the place and they went to retrieve Chuong's bike. They abandoned us on a street where people kept approaching us to buy stuff. Though, we did meet a really nice lady from the Philippines :) They finally came back and we went for lunch. 

 Mi Quang, a famous dish in that District said Chuong. 

Lunch was satisfying and they kept making us try new Vietnamese food. Some I really liked but some I really couldn't appreciate. We headed to the Independence Palace after that. 

On the way there, I really tried to make extra effort to talk to Hung after he said that sweet thing to me, as much as I could barely understand him. I think it went pretty well... *hopefully*

 BEHOLD THE INDEPENDANCE PALACE. It looks pretty and grand but it's actually boring. The three of them totally had fun laughing at me. 

We were at the basement in a super creepy place and I was concentrating on getting a nice shot on my camera. Suddenly, I heard someone whisper my name and I screamed. IT WAS ABBY. There were microphones around so it totally made it sound creepy. My first instinct was to grab something so I grabbed Hung. And they just laughed and laughed. I thought my heart was going to stop beating. 

And they continued laughing their way all the way out of the Independence Palace. We left and stopped by Notre Dame Cathedral. It was such a beautifully and happily situated building. I always wanted to get married in a place like that but sadly Singapore does not have such places. 

 Most of the pictures of Notre Dame Cathedral I took while I was on the motorbike so they are like slanted or angled wrongly... but it's still amazing.  

 I really love this picture and how English it looks. (P.S. I look so cool with the motorbike helmet ^^)

 THE POST OFFICE. I just can't. These things are too beautiful. We should have such a pretty post office in Singapore too :) 

 We went to this cafe -18degree celsius. The concept is really cool. You take off your shoes and keep them in a locker and then you sit on the floor with low tables and fluffy pillows all around. Best thing is, they serve finger food and bubble tea :)

 Abby and Chuong :)

 Hung and I :)

 It almost felt like a double date. I got to talk to Hung and showed him pictures of my baked good, my family, the things I do everyday about Occupational Therapy. And, my phone decided to act up just at the right moment. 

I haven't mentioned but Chuong and Hung graduated from University of Technology in Saigon and they sell and fix handphones for a living(especially Apple) So, they found out my phone had issues with the home button. 

Hung said, "I can fix it for you." 

I was like, "It's okay I'm used to it already."

Back and forth, I finally obliged. 

After 1,2 hours, we went back to church. Chuong's mum was learning how to make mooncakes! And of course I joined her!

 MY FIRST SUCCESSFUL MOONCAKE :) 

Chuong taught me how to ride a motorbike after that. It was so thrilling and exciting. Though, his bike was kind of big and considering how I have short legs, it didn't work out so well. Haha! 

 That's Hung fixing my phone so intently. Someone commented on Facebook that he only concentrates so hard fixing a phone for a beautiful girl. *blushes and faints* 

THE MOONCAKES WE MADE :) 

I think we went shopping after that. And I had another heart attack caused by Abby. She kept scaring me that day! We finally decided that we were going to Vung Tau tomorrow. Insanity in the making. We agreed to meet in church at 6am which meant we had to wake up at 430am to grab a cab from Claudia's place. But we did it anyway :) 

If YOLO had a definition, this trip completely defines it.