April 2, 2010 – In Transit, Somewhere over the Pacific

So this is it. The last 15 months of our lives come down to this day, the day we go back to our own country, the end. But it’s not just the end, only the end of this adventure. We may choose to be stationary for a few years but we have definitely not lost our love of travel. If this were a different era, maybe someone would put us down as explorers or adventurers. Still, we don’t mind to fade into the background for now. It can be our own secret, an inside joke to know what we have been through, to know that it really was something and just because it stopped for a time doesn’t mean that we won’t ever get another chance to get back out and keep doing what we what to do. So thank you to everyone who has followed along with us on our trip around the world. And a big thank you to those of you who sent us donations. We hope you enjoyed our trip with us and don’t worry, there will be more.

Thanks for following along!

So until next time, this is Saben and Lin signing off. Happy travels!

p.s. Keep an eye out in the next couple of days for a trip wrap-up from us (our favorites, thoughts, and such from the trip) and a little about our future plans.

We are very happy that Vietnam is the last stop on our adventure. Not because we want it to be over but because it is the perfect place to transition us into our lives back home. While we wouldn’t consider Vietnam a spectacular place it has a charm and beauty that we have thoroughly enjoyed. The centuries old culture still thriving in an increasingly western country. This is truly one of the few places that gets the mixture right. A little old with a little new.

Sure the air is polluted, the beaches aren’t great, the traffic is horrible and the people can be rude and self centered but you quickly forget all of that while wandering down an old ally that looks like it hasn’t changed in the past 60 years. It has that foreign feel that everyone craves when they travel but balances that with western amenities and modern ideals. We love it here and we hope to return some day.

(Check out the Vietnam photo gallery here)

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March 30-April 1 , 2010 – Days 460-462 – Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

You might expect the last few days of a trip like this to be stuffed with last minute sightseeing, shopping, and other culture seeking activities. We saw what we felt like seeing already and now we are under pressure to do some things that just must be done. Preparing to return to life in the States is as big a task as leaving it was, and just as stressful.

Saben washing the random road sludge off his feet

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March 26-28, 2010 – Days 456-458 – Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), Vietnam

Well, the time has finally come. With our arrival in HCMC we have fully realized the ending of our trip…and the necessity to immediately being seeking gainful employment. Yikes!

Street side Pho

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March 24-25, 2010 – 454-455 – Mui Ne, Vietnam

Mui Ne is a tiny resort town on a Vietnamese beach. The beach is nothing much but every guest house boasts itself as a resort, no matter how small or large, and nearly every one has a divine swimming pool that is too inviting to refuse.

Poolside

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March 22-23, 2010 – Day 452-453 – Nha Trang, Vietnam

With two hot, sweaty days and nothing of interest within the city to see or do, we spent two hot, sweaty days on Nha Trang beach soaking up the last bit of sun we can before we go home.

You can really taste the heart attack

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March 21, 2010 – Day 451 – Nha Trang, Vietnam

It was a fierce battle. One that may just change how history books are written: the massacre on bus 312, Hoi An to Nha Trang. [insert ominous music here]

Sleeper bus

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March 17-20, 2010 – Day 447-450 – Hoi An, Vietnam

The past few days we have been shopping and walking around in Hoi An’s seemingly endless array of shops.

Through the streets of Hoi an

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March 16, 2010 – Day 446 – Hue, Vietnam

Today we walked 20 kilometers. Why, you ask? Well, because….er….it was…hmm… all the way from downtown to the imperial tomb of Tu Doc.

Incense vender on our walk

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March 15, 2010 – Day 445 – Hue, Vietnam

Hue’s Citadel is like a smaller, more quaint version of Beijing’s Forbidden City. It’s a quiet complex with more ruins than standing buildings, compliments of some serious bombing during the Vietnam War.

Inside the Citidel

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