On to Saigon

Made it in to Saigon! There are even more motorbikes here and much more development than in Hoi An. The view is from our hotel room, right at the center of a busy area, along the river. Today was international women's day, so when we went to dinner we were presented with small bouquets of flowers by the waitstaff. (It's kind of like Mother's Day but for all women instead.) Check out Matt in his dapper new plaid pants, courtesy of Hoi An's finest tailor!

We went to the central market today. It was amazing to see all of the fresh food. We wandered around, picked up a few trinkets. Bargaining is expected here, it's almost like a sport. My friend Tali grabbed a cup of Vietnamese coffee (served with condensed milk), people stopped by their tailors to pick up clothes that had been made, and then for dinner we grabbed a table for 13 people at Restaurant Cafe 96, right on the water. We took up half of the restaurant. For a huge dinner and drinks, it cost about $5 per person. The food is all made fresh and is definitely a delicious experience.

I'm totally falling in love with Hoi An

This town is amazing. The people are friendly and laid back, the food is amazing, and the sights are so much fun. People selling fresh foods on the street are typical and plenty. Stray dogs run around town. Families eat meals on the sidewalk sitting in plastic patio furniture.

This morning we took a cooking class with our chef, Ngoc. The entire meal and cooking class was something like $8, I think. The top photo is of the Japanese covered bridge in town, which is right on the waterfront of Hoi An.

Hoi An: still a pretty great place to hang out

Dinner at Brother's cafe was behind the restaurant in a nice room for our group-- a very relaxing night. The next morning, I had my first bowl of real pho ga, a vietnamese chicken noodle soup that is traditionally served at breakfast. It was hands down the best bowl I've ever had. Some people spent the morning relaxing-- Matt and Gavin even spent some time on their front porch reading... pre-assignments for next term. Way to go guys. 

2 days in Hoi An, Vietnam

We made it to Vietnam! We stayed in a tiny beach town called Hoi An, famous for its tailors and beach-vibe. The resort is right on the beach and I must say, this isn't a bad way to earn course credit. 

Most of the streets in the town look like the photo above, with motorbikes everywhere and tiny shops lining the sidewalks. We took a few hours this afternoon to relax and then headed in to town for some tailor hunting, shopping, sightseeing, and dinner.

Last night in Singapore

After getting home from Singapore's version of Duke, we ran over to the Bugis Market to check out some souvenirs. It was a huge indoor market packed with stalls and vendors and a million different trinkets. Karen, Hallie, and I treated ourselves to a steamed bun with lotus paste (70 cents, well worth it).

The plan for the evening was to check out the night safari. The tram takes visitors through the "jungle" at night, with animals out  in the fake moonlight at every turn. The "safer" animals actually wander around freely, and a tapir nearly ate Matt's pants. (They got very close to the tram, which had completely open sides.) We were caught in a huge downpour-- luckily under the cover of the tram. 

Dinner at the zoo was a Singaporean specialty: chili crab! Taichi, Matt, Faheem and I split one order of it. It was so delicious. Vermontians (Vermonters?) would have been proud, there was a Ben and Jerry's at the park too. It was placed next to the store where you could have little minnow fish bite the dead skin off of your feet. (No joke.)

This morning we enjoyed our last breakfast at the Intercontinental. (Trust me, it's very sad for us.) We took a trip to Fusionopolis, which is Singapore's hub for developing ideas to further the economic success of the country. We couldn't take photos but Kate and Matt Miner drove a video game simply by concentrating. It was pretty cool. This is a technology that is being developed to treat ADHD in children by training them to concentrate for brief periods of time so that they can develop these skills for the long-term.

We then headed off to the Duke-NUS med school. This is a new school started by the two entities to change the way medical school teaching is done. The process was pretty cool to hear about, and the campus (opening in April) is even more amazing. Photos included.

As we walked around getting the tour of the new building, a photographer tagged along and took pictures of us. We're pretty sure that we're going to end up in the medical school promotional materials, actually. 

Also for your viewing pleasure, meet my classmate Matt. He's an ice cream lover and I just thought this was a great shot from the Orchid Gardens.