Yesterday was our second day in clinic, and a very H-O-T day. No afternoon thunderstorms this time, just heat. Somehow it still does not compare to Columbia, SC in August though. I will say, I saw some of the most energetic 83 y/o women I have ever seen.  The clinic:

After clinic, we tried an avocado smoothie from Nina’s cafe (new favorite place in Hue), and OMG, this was actually life changing. Never thought to put avocados with sweet milk, but whoever did is a genius in my book! Then walked down to the local night market on the river, which was great.  All the local vendors come out and sell street food, paintings, more street food, and toys. We even got to witness (the start) of a Vietnamese flash mob. How much fun!

Today was a day off, and we took advantage! When you are used to walking up at 5 AM, it is easy to get an early start on the day. We were joined by Thao Linh and Leanh, as well as by two Vietnamese-American pharmacy students who are also on this trip. We started off early to get to the Imperial Citadel, home to Nguyen Dynasty (1800-1900’s), then to the Pagoda, and at that point we thought there was a good possibility of heat stroke.

We then moved on to the Pagoda, where the Buddhist monks were praying.

When in Vietnam….. there is always time for a snack!

After a very busy morning, we decided it was time to relax a little and visit a local beach. The sands were white, the water a perfect blue, and it was not crowded – Paradise! Young children kept coming up to sell snacks. All the local people were looking at us like we were crazy for being out in the sun (finally, a place where very fair skin is prized!). A lady came up to us carrying big pots of spicy crab & fish soup (yum)…. no wonder there is so much back pain in clinic.

Life is pretty good when you are eating Vietnamese home cooking on the beach