Today was our final day in Rach Gia and for a day that had little going on, we had lots of things happen. We had our final team breakfast today at our usual 7:00am seating and then Liz and I went to the Citimart for one last stop at the supermarket. We met up with Matt and Steve and decided since we had all morning to chill, we would go to the new cafe across the street from our hotel and have a coffee. I must stay, after only 2 weeks in Vietnam, Matt has become a pro at ordering coffee...must that infamous phrase book he brought along!
After relaxing for a bit we all decided it was probably time for us to start packing our bags and finishing up last minute things. By noon we had all checked out of our hotel and jumped in our cabs to take us to the airport. You would think nothing could happen this late in the game, but along the way we were almost side swipped by an SUV and not two minutes later by a motorbike...this is the first time I've ever seen a near accident and it wasn't that exciting knowing it was my side of the car that would have been creamed...but we all survived unscathed. Then when we arrived at the airport, Jennifer wasn't allowed in before she paid for the taxi...something we thought was already pre-paid...but we worked it out in the end. When we checked in, Lise's ticket had the wrong spelling of her name and this caused a bit of confusion, and then security noticed a crack on Steve's suitcase and needed to have a chat with him before they would approve it for the airplane. Good thing we arrived early!!
When you board the plane in Rach Gia you go outside and board from the rear. What we didn't know was that we were going to be scoarched by the engines when walking up the stairs...pretty funny to see everyone's reaction when they reached the point in the line where the very hot air finally hit them...crazy boarding process. Our flight was only 45 minutes and when we left Rach Gia it was extremely hot at 34 degrees...with a windchill of 30 degrees!! However when we landed in Ho Chi Minh City at about 2:30pm it was only 22 degrees, very windy and starting to rain...in fact it was so windy we had a very rocky landing to the point where we were still tipping back and forth right up to the second we landed. Finally our luggage all arrived, including Jennifer's Sharpe marker and water bottle traveling along the conveyer belt all on their own...great luggage service in Vietnam!! Mission accomplished...
I think that's enough little events for one day...except for the heavy rain and thunder that started just as everyone was heading out of the airport. Before everyone left...I'm the only one traveling on my own after the trip...I said my goodbyes to and headed on my way to the departure gates for my flight to Hanoi where I'm going to spend 3 days exploring Halong Bay, a World Unesco site in northern Vietnam.
- I will miss the people saying "hello" with such excitement every time they saw us, as well as all the pointing and stares, and of course the big smiles...I guess this was our little taste of fame
- I will miss the extremely witty and funny HFHV Coordinator who made this trip extra special in so many ways....you will always hold a special place in our hearts Ngan
- I will miss the laughter I shared with all my team mates and cherish the memories we created together in Vietnam
- I will miss traveling to work along the river...so relaxing and awe inspiring
- I will not forget the helpful hands of our two Habitat for Humanity foremen and their genuine smiles everyday
- The delicious fruit...especially pomelo and the Vietnamese pear...and all the fresh vegetables will be missed everyday at home
- Although it was necessary, I will not miss carrying 12 bottles of water to the work site everyday
- I certainly had my fill of "scrambled" eggs each morning...looking forward to my basic english muffin and peanut butter
- The sounds of roosters have yet to leave my head...when will it end!
- Even though I tried all of them, gelatenous foods are not my favourite
- I will not miss being sweaty and dirty all day long...even though it felt so good to finally have a shower
- Rock hard beds and snoring are not my friends
But with all that said, I loved southern Vietnam, meeting the families and playing a small part in ensuring everyone has a simple, decent place to live. Thanks to everyone who made this experience such a memorable one and I hope you all were able to share in the experience.
Until next time...
Lisa
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