Author: Annabel Southey

A delicious breakfast buffet at the hotel in Hoi An, including fruit, hot foods and quenching beverages, was followed by some time to pack and prepare for our long journey ahead. An hour and a half journey to marble mountain was just a fraction of the trip to Hue. At this spectacular place we took part in abseiling and faced our fears followed by a filling lunch.

We then continued the long bus ride to Hue via twisting mountains towering over the land below. Our arrival in Hue was a relief and a sight for sore eyes. The hotel was deluxe, with great views from our hotel rooms and the rooftop.

A surprise was in store as the teachers organised a forty-five minute trip on a Cyclo in pairs where we got an opportunity to get to know someone from the opposite sex a little better. At the restaurant another surprise was in store as we were handed traditional Vietnamese costumes to put on and the two people whose birthdays were closest to the current date were crowned King and Queen. The King and Queen (Alex Kolivas & Sylvie Evans) sat at the back of the room on a rise and ate delicious food with us while listening to authentic Vietnamese music.

Eden and Nat

After a much deserved sleep in, we set out to explore the waterways of Hoi An the best way there is: by boat. We observed how the river influences people’s daily life. Many Vietnamese citizens live along the river and use it for fishing, washing dishes, cooking and therefore, their livelihood. The river tour was not only a great learning experience, but was accompanied by stunning scenery along the bank.

After lunch we got to explore yet again the sights that Hoi An has to offer, as well as picking up tailored outfits, enjoying a pleasant swim and more than a few games of cards.

Halfway through exploring the city’s wondrous experiences, the sky opened and began to pour with rain. Coloured ponchos in hand, we soldiered on through the weather, determined not to let it spoil our trip.

Soon, the sky darkened and the nighttime side of Hoi An opened up. Filled with lanterns, reflections, candles and lights, it was a magical sight to behold.
But sadly tomorrow, we will be forced to leave Hoi An, and move onwards with the adventure to Hue.

6 days left!

Frances and Jacqui

And a note from the trip staff…

Today in Vietnam it is Teachers’ Day, and the Fireflies spoilt us rotten with so many thoughtful gifts. From roses to sunglasses to t-shirts to hammocks to playing cards… We were overwhelmed with their generosity and are incredibly grateful to be travelling with such a great bunch of year 9s. So thank you to the Fireflies for making our Teachers’ Day so memorable.
Miss Southey, Mr Raudys & Mrs Marshall

The first night in our resort, Green Heaven, was a great success as the Fireflies finally got their well deserved sleep-in after building a ripper house. We then had a beaut breaky, which consisted of a wide variety of food from bacon to coco pops. We then jumped on our bikes, both figuratively and literally, and hit the road. Due to our trusty bike helmets, there were no fatalities and no one got seriously hurt on the way to the dark, rainy, windy, An Bang beach. However, despite the disappointing weather, we got a free drink and a decent lunch so no worries.

Upon return to the hotel, everyone was eager to jump into their bathers and go for a dip in the pool. Much to the disappointment of the other guests at Green Heaven, we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Some students went to get their complimentary massage and from experience it was pretty fresh.

After these refreshing activities, we were allowed to go off in small groups and get some dinner. From your average pizza to your exotic Vietnamese dish, everyone enjoyed their personal choice. Post din dins, we were able to go off and buy gifts for ourselves, our loved ones and our not so loved ones.

Overall Evaluation: Day well done.

Jack and Seb

Waking up in a familiar place, Aulac Hotel in Ho Chi Minh City, was comforting – enjoying the delicious buffet breakfast one last time. The smell of the food is enough to make you stay there. We checked out and hopped on the rainbow bus for the last time, staring our new adventure. The plane trip of 1 hour to Da Nang was very interesting, with turbulent patches making the short trip exciting. Once we stepped out of the airport there was a sudden relief felt throughout the group. The rush of cool air was very refreshing as it was challenging with the hot weather. Driving to Hoi An was good to see the different sides of Vietnam. We witnessed huge waves tumbling down onto the shore as we drove on an old war runway. We passed some American War bases and it was interesting to see how the war affected another area of Vietnam.

As we arrived at our beautiful resort-style hotel with a calm feel to it, we experienced our first taste of the wet season in Vietnam. The pounding of the rain was so hard and loud it was like someone was hitting a massive drum. We put our raincoats on and headed out to the magnificent streets of Hoi An. They’re filled with bustling shop fronts, diverse people including lots of tourists (which is a first) and tailor shop after tailor shop. Some of us entered a recommended tailor and picked out a design to get made. They brought out dozens of design books and the choices were overwhelming. Once we had decided upon the garment, we were let free to roam the streets and enjoy some well earned freedom.

For dinner, we enjoyed an anticipated cooking class from an experienced chef. She taught us how to make some traditional Vietnamese food including marinated chicken, fried spring rolls and green paw paw salad. The aromas of all the different spices and ingredients made out tummies rumble with excitement. It was interesting to see another side to Vietnam and experience a change in environment and scenery.

Jessie and Ella

This morning we found ourselves freshly woken in the new environment of the Island Homestay with the smells of local fruit, unique versions of banana cake, bread with condensed milk, and omelettes. After our regenerating breakfast, our gratitude was shown to the owners of the house and we left on a boat for the floating market.

It was interesting to see a new way of buying products via water ways and we were told that you could define which product was being sold by looking at the item hanging from each market boat. Our next destination was a sweet shop filled with mouth-licking popped rice, coconut lollies and a variety of other snacks. We observed how each treat was made and then had a taste for ourselves.

We took our final boat trip to the bus and exchanged goodbyes with Han, and we are already missing the joyful tour guide. After staying in the villages for 3 nights, even though it was such a new and brilliant experience none of us will forget, it was glorious to be reunited with our fresh clothes and long showers in Ho Chi Minh City. Lunch was noodles at Pho24 with beef, chicken and some smart choices such as eating the whole slices of chillies.

The day ended by spending a well-used amount of time at the market, putting our bartering skills to good use and having yet another delicious dinner at one of the nearby restaurants only a walk away. It was on the 14th floor, overlooking the city.

Natasha

As the seventh day started, the crew woke up once again to a pack of very loud animals. Waking up at 6 is still a struggle for some people. Once we had finished breakfast we went to give the village children some presents we had bought them. The smiles on their faces were priceless and I’m sure they enjoyed singing their Vietnamese song as much as we did our cup song. Up next was construction.

It was the final day of construction so it was sad to leave all the hard workers and the family of the Travenh village. Again, there were people carrying bricks, weaving the roof for the bamboo kitchen, mixing cement, laying the tiles for the floor, and laying bricks. Being a person who laid bricks with the workers everyday, I feel like I finally understand how big an impact we are making for the family. It is surprising that after only knowing these people that speak no English for three days, you learn to understand them through actions, and you also learn a few words of Vietnamese and they learn some English. It was very hard to say goodbye to the family and workers but it had to be done. We exchanged our thank yous and after Eden made a speech, Maddi presented them with gifts. We took some photos and headed back over to have our final lunch made by the villagers.

It was a lovely meal but it went too quickly and we had to say more goodbyes to the family we had developed friendships with. After eating some water coconut fruit we jumped back on the boat down the Mekong to the bus. We arrived at Vinh Long and jumped on another boat down the Mekong before jumping on to some small boats. We wore some lovely conical hats as we were rowed down the river. We hopped off and some of us purchased cold beverages. We made our way towards some farmers’ homes and they gave us exotic fruits and some very hot tea. After that we met a friendly snake (a 60kg boa constrictor!) and got to take photos whilst holding it. We arrived at our home stay and were met by the family and got to see our amazing rooms where we had hot showers. After the showers we gathered around and listened to some beautiful traditional music.

Lachie and Max