First Adventures in Mũi Né!

I have so many wonderful things to say about my holiday in Mũi Né, Vietnam that it is difficult to know where to begin!

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 In fairness, when we first landed in Saigon {also called Ho Chi Minh City if you're not a local}, I had a bit of  { OK- a huge} anxiety attack wondering where we were. Vietnam is not like Korea; and expecting similarities can get you rather upset..especially if you are in the back of a crazy cab for FOUR hours hyperventilating in traffic. But Mũi Né is truly a hidden gem. It just takes getting there.

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First impressions are everything and Mũi Né doesn't disappoint. Every day was sunny, breezy and hot:  

{Wind surfers and kite surfers were everywhere!}

{Waters at Mũi Né Beach}

 {Outside the entrance of the Saigon Mũi Né Resort.}

 {The Saigon Mũi Né Beach Resort pool: Rachel and I snuck through here a time or two…}

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The first day, Rachel and I were lucky enough to meet a German visitor named Christopher, and his wife from Vietnam. They were also staying at the hotel, and introduced us to what would become a great friend and personal tour guide: Xuan from nearby Sunset Cafe! 

{The four of us!}

{Outside of our hotel. Didn't look like much, but it was perfect and only $40 USD/night. We even stayed at the VIP room. Classy, guys.}

{The Moon: The first place we had dinner with our new friends before we discovered Sunset Cafe next door. It was wonderful! Eating out is very inexpensive in Vietnam}

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Discovering Sunset Cafe by day and night: 

 {The outdoor patio was set back from the street, and had a wonderful, laid back vibe.}

 {Xuan's family and friends made Sunset Cafe feel like a home away from home.}

{Our new friend Xuan. He was simply a giving, amazing person. He brought us all around Mũi Né and Phan Thiet {I will post!}, showing us all the local attractions on his motorbike,free of charge. Did I mention he was also a fantastic cook: I ate some of the best food I have had while in Asia. All of it was fresh from his garden: 

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{More about the a-mazing slow drip coffee later!}

 {Vegetable omelet with fresh eggs from Xuan's own chickens.}

{Vietnamese pancake-crepe with melted chocolate, dragon fruit, and fresh mango.}

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So many more day-to-day adventures to come

!!

:)

Kids seem to always have a sixth sense for when you need a little cheering up..

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Signed, Sealed, Delivered.

I'm always on the lookout for authentic Korean souvenirs and gifts, so I was very excited to find a random boutique filled with stationary, tea mugs, cards, and stamps in Jeju's City Hall area, or {sicheongsa 시청사 }last night.I'm not sure of the store name. Here is what I found…and bought!: 

{Korean stickers. These were 1,000 KRW or 1.00 USD$. They are cute and give health and safety messages. This one reminds you to wear a helmet. I bought two more: one that says I'm organized {ha} and one that says to shut OFF my computer, girlfriend.It's stuck on my laptop now. Good advice}. 

{Tell me you don't secretly want these. Don't even know where I will stick 'em, but still}.

{Handmade Korean cards, which I will probably frame as a collection. The written language is so beautiful. I sometimes like not knowing exactly what they all say in English.}

{A mug I bought for my Dad's early birthday gift. It was a fun and random find. The store owner spoke some English, and told me this one says, "I love you Daddy." Okay, I'm five - but, how perfect! I picked this one up out of a collection of similar looking mugs, all with different phrases}. 

{Pocket cosmetic mirror 1,500 KRW or 1.50 USD$}

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Happy {frivolous} shopping to me!

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Back to Business :)

My first {real} week back in Jeju, Korea was filled with all my favorite things: teaching, painting, spicy lamb curry from Baghdad, shoe shopping, more shopping, and another coveted Konglish item. 

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On Friday, we picked up where we left off by doing our best imitations of The Scream by Edvard Munch. The artsy connection to our unit on water sources was a bit more of a stretch, but The Scream is iconic and a fun way to brainstorm all the things that make us want to scream: good and bad. 

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{The walk back through campus on my first day back. Plenty of sunshine.} 

{Mount Halla at sunrise}. 

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{Re-creating The Scream}: 

{Discovering the Lemon Table in Jeju City, which gives foreigners {like us} a taste of Western comfort foods. There were hand cut fried potatoes and hamburgers on the menu, not to mention real ketchup and best of all: a super cute decor}: 

{Browsing around for a few new items. I love shopping without the pressure to find something specific: because I always land something cool}: 

{This shout-out to Coco Chanel is meant to say, "Coco made me do it." Love the "Konglish" version even more than the original}. 

{I love combat boots. I keep it girly by wearing them with tights and a flirty dress. This pair by Tandy {a popular, high quality brand in Korea} made me double back to the store and buy this leather pair I can't afford. ^-^ }

{The best details are underneath: the sizing and "Made in Korea" imprint.}

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Having lamb curry at the Baghdad Cafe {check out the stationary boutique across the street for cute gifts} in the City Hall area, and strolling around. My very favorite on a Saturday night. 

{Who's this?? ;)} 

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{City Hall: Jeju City:}

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{In other news, I got into my first fender bender while going to City Hall. Our cab got T boned by another cab in an intersection. It was bound to happen. Everyone was fine..yikes!}

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