Busy bee

Hello,


It has been a relief that my students have been busy with their speaking tests. Social events and other commitments have completely filled my time. We have celebrated a few birthdays and had some lovely gatherings. Work has still been quite hectic, it is quite visible in the students and the staff that we are approaching the end of the year and final examinations. My time has also been very occupied by my travel plans.

The panic has hit me that I only have another six weeks to see the rest of Vietnam. Luckily, I have a few days off coming up ! I am hoping to make it to Hoi An and Da Nang in central Vietnam. When my mother comes for a visit, we will go see Sapa in the north. I have been to Cat Ba before but the national park on the island is yet to be conquered. It feels weird to panic over such things; even though I am leaving Vietnam and Asia soon, it doesn't mean that I wouldn't be able to come back in the future and explore them more.

I am already thinking about the lessons I have learned in Vietnam and the experiences I get to walk away with. I have definitely met some of the most amazing people during my travels and I have made friends for life. Without a doubt these final weeks will be the cherry on the cake. This weekend we are heading to Do Son beach for a day out and a farewell party. Next week it's time for the annual pool party and my friend's big 30th birthday !

On another note, I have finally managed to find and organise the shipping of some of my property back to Europe. I looked into multiple options before but I have now chosen to use FedEx. My friends have good experiences from sending letters through the Vietnamese post but I wouldn't trust it with my belongings. The shipping has been a little tricky to organise because of the long list of regulations regarding the matter, which obviously boosts up the price with most companies into outrageous figures. So not to worry sister; your weasel poo coffee is on it's way in a few days !


That's all for now from Vietnam ! Have a lovely week.


M

Request for tips !

Dear Readers,

I am currently planning my road trip through southern China. I am heading there at the end of May. The plan is to go through Nanning, Guilin and Guangzhou on my way to Hong Kong. I am super duper excited about this trip and am trying to find out all the best things to do ! If you have any tips for me, I would be very interested to hear; mira.luoma@hotmail.fi

Later I will be heading back to South Africa, my former home country and my ultimate favourite. I will be blogging about this once the time comes so stay tuned for amazing tips and stories about Cape Town. Plan is to do the common tourist things; Table mountain, Robben island, Stellenbosch vineyards, Bo Kaap, Clifton beach.. Long with this I am looking to go scuba diving and diving with the sharks, hopefully bungee jump!

Sincerely yours,


Mira

The amazing Holi- festival

I headed to Hanoi last weekend. I am traveling to China at the end of my contract and had to make a run to the Embassy so I took up the opportunity to spend some extra time in Hanoi. I arrived Saturday afternoon and checked into the Downtown Backpackers' Hostel. Most backpackers stay in the old quarter around the Ma May street. This is a great place to see some more western people and enjoy western food. I wouldn't enjoy staying there for a long time but it is a more than welcome option after being in Hai Phong for so long.

On Saturday night I headed to a rooftop trance/ house party. The party was outside with a view over Hanoi, it was filled with different kinds of fantastic art work.  My friends had helped to organise it so I got to meet a lot of new people through them. Seemed like a super European night out and I really enjoyed it. We headed back to the old quarter for a little after party. Stuffed four people on a motorbike and drive down to The Rastaman to dance some reggaeton.

The Holi-festival took place on Sunday in the Kinder park in Hanoi. Woke up, drank my coffee and put on my white shirt. Off we went. The festival was amazing. Indian music is really catching and the joy of the people was just wonderful to witness. I even learned some traditional dance moves. I was rather surprised how many Indian people were in Hanoi. With just the entry fee, you could access an open bar and buffet. Absolutely tasty, authentic Indian food. At first, I was little scared that I wouldn't get enough colour on me but I can assure you, that was not a problem at all. I received so many heartfelt blessings from the people (rubbing some colour powder on your cheeks), it was beautiful. The festival took place right next to an amusement park so we had to test out their roller coaster. It was such a joyful, free spirited morning and afternoon spent dancing and laughing with so many happy faces. There was so much colour and so many different colours, I looked a little bit like a clown at the end but it was all well worth it. I did gather loads of stares on my way to my hostel but mostly people were just laughing, I did manage to make one child jump when I got out of my taxi.

Sunday night was spent dancing away with my girls. Backpackers feel no weekdays. Monday morning I hit the Embassy. Note to travels; if you are looking to go to China, the Embassy requires you to inform them about all the hotels you are planning on staying in. I was hoping to do my trip in a road trip style but in order to get the visa, this was not possible. For me, (besides the hotels) there was nothing extraordinary in the visa application. I was often warned about the long procedure, which is why I am so early with my application, but I was promised my visa within four days. I would however, recommend  you to apply for the visa 3-1 months before your journey.

This week has been full of speaking tests and trying to catch up with sleep.

I hope you had a lovely week so far and enjoy your weekend !


Love,


M