Over the past 2 days, we have been traveling up to the mountains to a clinic founded by the family of Capt. Olsen. The trip itself is about an hour and a half through winding mountain roads. Thank goodness for Zofran! The mountain village is more remote, and the villagers have their own dialect, which makes the translation even more interesting.
Last night, a few of the translators took us out to a very local restaurant for seafood “hotpot” and other true Hue delicacies. Talk about a new, great dining experience! I do not think I have sat in a chair that small since I was 10. The food was spicy and amazing, and although I did not understand 75% of the conversation, the company was great!

This weekend we are going to Hanoi and to Halong Bay with the other girls. Can;t wait ti get there!

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

For some reason, the Eagles “Tequila Sunrise” came to mind when I awoke at 5 AM to this:

Supposed to be getting ready for clinic, but could literally not leave the window.

Today was the first day in clinic, and it was actually by far the nicest clinic I have ever worked in on a trip. There were ceiling fans, which was a huge luxury.  We also had a cadre of translators with great English and were a lot of fun to work with. Ours are pictured below:

Most common complaints: back pain and knee pain (when one works harvesting rice all day, this is a legitimate complaint). Blurry vision. Dizzy (see comment about harvesting rice in 95 deg heat).

Clinic only slowed a little when the Monsoon (quite literally) hit. We were still able to see a few more patients, then packed up, but not before taking some more pics. The mountains surrounded by clouds are beautiful after a rain. Trust me, this does not do the landscape justice at all!

Last night was the Saigon finale. We ended the evening with the long-awaited trip to the salon….. and there are just not words to describe it.  Find us later if you want the not-ready-for-prime-time account because we are still laughing about it!

Today was a travel day. We flew to Danang (some may recall this from Tom Selleck’s hat in Magnum, PI) and then took a 3 hour drive up to Hue. We both had a PTSD moment from India 2011 during the plane ride. Luckily, the drive was quite uneventful and also quite beautiful.  We drove through the mountains with a coastline visible, through small rice villages, up to Hue. Hue in itself seems to be a beautiful, clean city.  We have an amazing view from the hotel.  The architecture has changed from that of Saigon, there are  pagodas and an Imperial China influence (I believe).

Tomorrow we start clinic and have a 5 AM wake-up time.  Sounds early, but that is what time the sun comes up here.  Vaca over, time to get to work!

Here are some pictures snapped out the window of the van on the road to Hue…. the honestly do not do the countryside justice.

And the view from the hotel….

Let’s face it, you all knew it would not be long until there was a post about food.  It was a really good thing that we were able to work out this morning, because the rest of the day here has been all about eating.  One of the best ways to start learning about a culture is to  sit down and enjoy a meal with its people.  Today was no exception.

The day started with the breakfast buffet at the hotel.  Can you imagine the sheer delight when we walked in and there was a pho station?!?!  Sign me up!  We made our way through pho, lycee fruit, dragon fruit, fish with Hoisin sauce, pork bun, noodles, dumplings, and coffee

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We then joined Leann and Thao Linh on a trip through the Ben Than market and strolled through all the vendors.  It was like a much larger version of the Market in Charleston, stalls filled with paintings, magnets, silk scarves, purses, etc.  A part of the market was also dedicated to food, with places to buy fish, meat, fruit, nuts, and sweets.  We all shared a platter of rice & shrimp “balls” in a Vietnamese sauce, which Leann explained was a dish local to Hue (pr. whey). We then had fresh coconut milk – yum!

We walked through the city a little more, checking out parks and shops and decided to get ice cream. The ice cream is not as heavy as back in the US, and is delicious.

And then came the real treat of the day. Leann took us to visit her uncle here in Ho Chi Minh City, and nearly all her extended family was there. We spent the afternoon meeting her aunts, uncle, great uncle and nieces. They were so friendly and hospitable! They treated us to Vietnamese coffee and lycee fruit.

Her aunts then cooked a huge meal for everyone and we sat around the table to enjoy Vietnamese pancakes with beef and shrimp. We rolled these into lettuce with mint or into rice paper to dip in a Vietnamese dipping sauce. I NEED to find a cooking class here!!!  It was truly a wonderful experience to enjoy this time and meal with her family.