#While still seeing a ton of cool things and also some typical tourist stuff

[mightybeaujester]

I'm visiting London and went on a lil "locations from the Magnus Archives" tour and not only found this bench for all your "having a mental breakdown and smoking while your boss is murdering the guy that's kind of responsible for your childhood trauma w a steel pipe"-needs, but also this door leading somewhere basement-y (like an archive?) that is apparently alarmed, and is completely obstructed by a huge spider web including spider. Absolute perfection.

[withabackpackandcamera]

July 2nd, 2021

Day 7: Seeing New Things and Old Things on the Way to Vik

This morning, I definitely woke up super lethargic and fatigued. Mostly because of the late night last night but probably due to all the late nights and lack of sleep finally taking a little toll on me. Anyhow, I woke up, less refreshed than I had hoped, and joined my family for a simple breakfast spread in the communal dining area just outside of our guest cabin. 

After breakfast, the late-nighters quickly washed up before packing the car. Goodbye nice, simple cabin with very little amenities. We left the cabin and drove off to visit our first stop of the day: the nearby Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon. As expected, when we arrived, the parking lot was full of cars and tour buses and people were already on their way exploring the area and taking boat tours into the lagoon. We walked along the lagoon and took in the views with our eyes and with our cameras. It was great to finally introduce Cynthia and my parents to this really cool and unique lagoon. When we finished up, we drove over to Diamond Beach/Breiðamerkursandur to take a look over there as well. 

The first thing I noticed when we arrived at Diamond Beach/Breiðamerkursandur was how there were a lot less ice chunks lining the shore and in the shallow waters of the beach this visit compared to the last time I stopped by. I wonder if that was a result of global warming or just the fact that this visit, I came during the summer and not the winter. Anyhow, we walked along Breiðamerkursandur and looked at all the ice chunks on the beach and took photos. Minh was also nice enough to grab the camera from me and take some informal engagement photos of me and Cynthia on the black sand. We didn’t need any crazy, cool photos given how impromptu this was so we just took some photos while walking up and down the beach before we headed back to the car. 

Our next stop after Diamond Beach and Breiðamerkursandur was Skaftafell in Vatnajokull National Park, a park that I hadn’t yet visited on my previous trips to Iceland due to time and weather condition constraints. But before making it there, we tried to make a stop at Múlagljúfur Canyon, a cool, lesser known canyon in south Iceland, but ended up aborting because of how difficult it was to get to the canyon and how involved the hike through the canyon would be once we got there. So we continued on to Skaftafell.

Because of how beautifully sunny and warm the weather was today, the park was crowded with local and international tourists alike. The goal of our short visit to Skaftafell was to hike to and finally see Svartifoss, a small but beautiful waterfall that cascades over basalt columns, sort of like Aldeyjarfoss but more different than similar. Since it was looking pretty warm out, I decided to change into a T-shirt and shorts and thank goodness I did that! Because the hike was way longer and way steeper than any of us had imagined. And conditions were way hotter than anticipated. As a result, the hike was way warmer and way more sweat-inducing than we had expected. And I definitely felt the heat, the exhaustion, and the pain of hiking up an incline with a bum heel and a heavy camera bag (because I forgot to empty out the non-essentials).. And for my mom, her bum knee made it much harder to hike up to see Svartifoss. 

But we all (except mom) eventually made it to the end of the 1-1.5 mile climb. My dad didn’t actually hike all the way to the waterfall and, instead, just viewed the waterfall from afar. As for me, Cynthia, and Minh, we hiked down to the waterfall from where we left my dad and spent some time there viewing and photographing the waterfall. Because I wanted to try to capture some decent photos of Svartifoss, I took a little longer and was the last one to start the hike back. I eventually caught up with the family at the Visitor Center, where we took a short break to cool off before we headed back out on the road. 

Before making our way to our evening’s lodging in Vik, we made one last detour to see Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon. This detour required a much shorter drive than the one we would have made out to Múlagljúfur Canyon but it still involved some F road driving to get there. Luckily, it was short and before we knew it, we were strolling down to the canyon on a short, sort-of-paved path. The canyon was pretty cool to look at from the observation decks (that were built there for safety) but its beauty was really difficult to capture on camera. Because of that, as well as the midges that were flying around us in full force, we only stayed there briefly before hiking back to the car and driving off to Vik.

Once in Vik, the plan was to meet up with Ben and Maggie, great friends of ours who were flying in from Denver for their honeymoon. Because they had arrived earlier than originally expected, we mutually decided to grab dinner together and to move up our planned hangout instead of waiting until later in the evening. As a result, I dropped off most of my family at the restaurant so that they could find a table for the group as I took my dad to check into our accommodations at the Black Beach Suites, located a bit past Vik, so that he could watch a Euro 2020 soccer game he really wanted to watch. 

After I had checked into our much-snazzier-than-expected suite (much more spacious with many more amenities/cooking space than expected) and dropped my dad off to watch soccer, I drove back to Vik to meet up with Ben, Maggie, and the family for dinner. Our first restaurant option, however, had closed by the time everyone had arrived so we had to pivot and find a new place to eat. Luckily, Strondin Pub was located right around the corner and had plenty of space to accommodate everyone. So that’s where we went. Cynthia and I ordered fish and chips and double cheeseburger, and both were scrumptious! We had a fantastic dinner while catching up with Ben and Maggie. It’s always so nice to eat good food as well as see good friends while traveling abroad! 

To end the day, the youngsters in our group decided to visit an attraction with Ben and Maggie so that we could say we explored and briefly traveled together. After dropping off my mom at home, we drove out with Ben and Maggie to see Skógafoss, one of the beautiful and highly visited waterfalls in South Iceland. We arrived at the waterfall as the typically afternoon skies became evening skies (in appearance, as it was actually late evening by the time we got there) and most crowds had left. We walked around the waterfall and took some group photos before climbing up the steep staircase to the top of Skógafoss, where we took in the beautiful sunset blanketing the surrounding areas. What a beautiful evening to see Skógafoss with good friends! 

Once we had completed our visit at Skógafoss, we drove back and, after chatting for a bit longer, dropped Maggie and Ben off at their yurt ground. So nice to briefly catch up with them in Iceland! We headed back home as it was getting late but not before making a roadside stop to hang out with and pet some Icelandic horses who were hanging out behind some fencing located right off the road. Cynthia and Minh had a grand time petting and talking with the horses as the sun set overhead. Because the sun was quickly setting by the time we had arrived at the horses, we didn’t stay too long and soon enough, drove home and washed up for bed. Tomorrow, Cynthia and I have to wake up early for our impromptu Icelandic horse adventure on the black sand beaches of Vik (more to say about that on tomorrow’s post) before continuing on through a heavily-packed last-Saturday itinerary! 

5 Things I Learned/Observed Today:

1. Just in case you didn’t know, the hike to Svartifoss is not as easy as a little stroll on a level, flat sidewalk. In actuality, it’s a 1-1.5 mile hike straight up a canyon or mountain with very few parts that are flat to catch your breath. So if you’re hiking to the waterfall, especially on a hot day, definitely expect some sweating and a little bit of a workout depending on how fit or healthy you are, how hot it is or what you’re wearing, and how much you’re carrying uphill with you. 

2. According to some info placards near Svartifoss, there is a natural reason why columnar jointed basalt forms in hexagonal columns. Supposedly, when lava or magma cools, the process of contraction causes the new rock to split into six-sided columns. These columns always form at right-angles to the cooling surface, where heat loss is the greatest. The reason why these columns are hexagonal is because the fracture pattern with 120 degree corners is most efficient for stress release. Nature, so natural at engineering. 

3. Supposedly, Justin Bieber did some really stupid stuff (by being disrespectful to Iceland’s beautiful nature) in some music video of his that he was essentially banned from Iceland. Good riddance. 

4. Lupines are purple wildflowers that thrive and grow in colder, harsher climates like on mountains and in Iceland. Of all the places in Iceland we drove through, south Iceland definitely had the most impressive lupine fields. You literally drive through a sea of lupines when driving through south Iceland. Everywhere you look, you see lupines blanketing the field all the way to the foot of the mountains and glaciers. So gorgeous!

5. The town of Vik in south Iceland has changed a ton since the first time I visited back in 2013. Not only is it much more developed with more housing options, like hostels and suites (like the Black Beach Suites), but there are also a lot more grocery stores, gas stations, and restaurants, especially ones that are open until later in the evening. A much better stop for tourists now that tourism has changed the landscape in Vik compared to what it was 8-10 years ago. Again, amazing how tourism drives change!

[sonderei]

I got bored and answered one of those 100-questions things so if you ever wanted to know a stupid amount of useless information about me read on, otherwise enjoy whatever content is in the next post!

Spotify, SoundCloud, or Pandora? Spotify

is your room messy or clean? my room is a mess, the rest of the apartment is pretty clean

what color are your eyes? brown

do you like your name? why? its grown on me. I used to get teased a lot in school “hey Ariel, where’s your best friend Flounder??” but now I work on Disney property and it’s on my name tag so I get to make a lot of kids (and adults) happy

what is your relationship status? been dating a small mess of a person for 4 years, whom I love dearly 

describe your personality in 3 words or less basically a cat

what color hair do you have? brown, or like a really dirty blonde if I spend enough time in the sun

what kind of car do you drive? color? a black 2013 hyundai accent hatchback (named Jazz)

where do you shop? where I shop: target, forever21, H&M, BoxLunch, Garage where I’d LIKE to shop: ModCloth, ASOS

how would you describe your style? I once bought an oversized Polariod windbreaker and I wear it everywhere I can??? I also love passive aggressive crop tops (”no thanks”) I wore it to a mandatory meeting at work at 9am and any time my managers asked me a question I just pointed to my shirt. So idk that should tell you something

favorite social media account I think I enjoy Instagram and Tumblr equally?

what size bed do you have? queen

any siblings? one full brother (5 years younger), one half brother on my dad’s side (13 years younger), and one half sister on my mom’s side (18 years younger). 

if you can live anywhere in the world where would it be? why? idk because I haven’t traveled anywhere I’d actually like to live. I love the idea of living northwest US (Seattle, Portland) or in NZ or like Scotland or somewhere with beautiful scenery but like...never been so can’t say for sure?

favorite snapchat filter? flower crown

favorite makeup brand(s) NYX is pretty much all I use but I also do like bare minimum with my makeup

how many times a week do you shower? typically every other day unless I’m super gross

favorite tv show? too hard. Steven Universe, Game of Thrones, A:TLA, and Adventure Time?

shoe size? 7-8 depending on who makes them

how tall are you? smol. Like 5′3″ or so? 

sandals or sneakers? sneakers, unless going somewhere involving water and/or sand

do you go to the gym? nah. I’m up and down stairs at least 20 times a day, usually while carrying stuff. that’s my exercise.

describe your dream date sitting in front of the Ocean Voyager exhibit at the Georgia Aquarium all day. like literally that’s it. and my date lets me without asking to move on, and ideally enjoys it as much as I do.

how much money do you have in your wallet at the moment? uhhh like $25 because that’s how much you have to have to open a new bank account which I’ve been meaning to do for like two weeks now

what color socks are you wearing? not wearing any, but I was wearing shark socks all day

how many pillows do you sleep with? just one, super soft and squishy

do you have a job? what do you do? I'm a server at a restaurant in Disney Springs at Walt Disney World. Its challenging and often frustrating and stressful but I get to meet some really cool people so it evens out. (Pat Sajak from Wheel of Fortune was in last week, I didn’t ask him if I could buy a vowel because I have some dignity)

how many friends do you have? like true friends, would drop everything for me if I asked them / needed them to? I’d say 3. But my social group is like...maybe 10 people? That I actively try to hang out with semi regularly.

whats the worst thing you have ever done? I honestly don’t even know. I forgot a woman’s ketchup last week at work and apparently I ruined her entire Disney vacation so

whats your favorite candle scent? usually anything with jasmine, so long as it isn’t overpowering

3 favorite boy names Nathaniel, Sebastian, Milo 

3 favorite girl names Riley, Maisie, Phoebe

favorite actor? robert downey jr probs

favorite actress? tessa thompson?

who is your celebrity crush? ugh. tom holland, tessa thompson, rdj? 

favorite movie? Spirited Away or Howl’s Moving Castle

do you read a lot? whats your favorite book? I used to, before I worked at a bookstore. For some reason that killed my love for reading. But favorite books were the Bartimaeus Trilogy and Abarat.

money or brains? brains

do you have a nickname? what is it? Skip (long story short, its a Cabin Pressure reference because I’ve always wanted to be a pilot)

how many times have you been to the hospital? for myself? 5? maybe 6?

top 10 favorite songs in no particular order Evolve by Phoria Put ‘Em Up by Priority Cleopatra by The Lumineers Feel It Still by Portugal. The Man Miracle by CHVRCHES Dissolve by Absofacto Taro by alt-J Lavender by Two Door Cinema Club Dinosaurs by The Maccabees Ambling Alp by Yeasayer

do you take any medications daily? nope

what is your skin type? (oily, dry, etc) ehh a bit on the oily side

what is your biggest fear? losing the ones I love

how many kids do you want? NONE ZERO NADA ZIP ZILCH FUCK NO

whats your go to hair style? pull it back, messy bun if possible

what type of house do you live in? (big, small, etc) a p small apartment (but not tiny, I think it’s like 800-900 sq ft)

who is your role model? Steve Irwin

what was the last compliment you received? a guest at one of my tables told me I looked like one of the recent Bond girls

what was the last text you sent? bailing on a few friends who were going to Blizzard Beach because I was exhausted from having my dad in town for the last two days so I wanted to sleep

how old were you when you found out santa wasn’t real? like 2 or 3. not very old

what is your dream car? realistic? a nice Subaru or Audi. Maybe a Tesla unrealistic? bugatti veyron

opinion on smoking? cigarettes? ew gross not around me also poor life choices weed? don’t care, just not around me please and thanks my other half is allergic

do you go to college? I did, graduated two years ago, still haven’t done anything with my life / degree

what is your dream job? anything working directly with animals, especially marine mammals, big cats, or non-venomous reptiles

would you rather live in rural areas or the suburbs? big city. right in the middle of it.

do you take shampoo and conditioner bottles from hotels? not usually, I have specific stuff I use for my hair that’s a lot nicer than the stuff at hotels

do you have freckles? not like a ton but yeah

do you smile for pictures? if I feel like it? also depends on who’s taking the picture

how many pictures do you have on your phone? I’d say somewhere in the realm of like 650-800?

have you ever peed in the woods? yep, used to go camping a lot as a kid

do you still watch cartoons? hell yeah, I usually prefer them to anything else. Steven Universe, Adventure Time, Voltron, A:TLA, Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends...that shit is my jam

do you prefer chicken nuggets from Wendy’s or McDonalds? mmmm Wendys but I usually don’t get c nugs from anywhere

Favorite dipping sauce? chick fil a sauce or ranch

what do you wear to bed? just underwear

have you ever won a spelling bee? no but I came close in middle school

what are your hobbies? not many tbh. I have a few reptiles that I take care of. I collect / trade Disney pins. I love swimming but don’t do it all that often. Uhhh...seeing how many times I can ride Kilamonjaro Safari in a row before the cast members begin to judge me?

can you draw? not really, no

do you play an instrument? nope, I can’t even read music and I can barely hum

what was the last concert you saw? uhhhh...I think Death Cab for Cutie and CHVRCHES?

tea or coffee? tea

Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts? Starbucks for drinks, Dunkin for food (donutssssss)

do you want to get married? yeah, eventually. I told the SO that ideally before I’m 30 and that we’re not having a wedding but we’re gonna elope instead because fuck weddings I don’t have the money for that or the patience to plan it

what is your crush’s first and last initial? not really a crush but more of a “current-and-potentially-forever life partner” but DU

are you going to change your last name when you get married? no idea. D wants to change their last name but idk if they’d take mine or they’d just change it to their middle name and then I’d take that? honestly it doesn’t really matter to me each way so long as I don’t get their current last name (because of bad associations)

what color looks best on you? no idea honestly. I prefer dark, muted blues?

do you miss anyone right now? my parents and siblings, and two of my best friends

do you sleep with your door open or closed? open, otherwise the cats would never let us sleep

do you believe in ghosts? nah, not really. I grew up in a town that had a bunch of history and by extension ghost stories, so it was more a part of “tourist culture” than something that seemed legitimate to me

what is your biggest pet peeve? I never know until someone starts doing it around me. but uhhhh I hate loud chewers, people that refuse to even try to see your side of an argument, and when you’re sitting somewhere in public like on a bench or something and there’s plenty of other empty seating options nearby and yet someone comes up and sits RIGHT NEXT TO YOU nope you know what that’s it I fucking hate that and it happens to me all the time at Disney

last person you called` I think my mom?

favorite ice cream flavor? cookies and cream, unless I’m at one of those places where you can basically make your own flavor in which case I will ALWAYS do a rose-infused ice cream with pistachios 

regular oreos or golden oreos? please don’t make me choose

chocolate or rainbow sprinkles? rainbow!

what shirt are you wearing? not wearing one ;)

what is your phone background? just a basic stock photo of some ferns. kinda boring but I like simple backgrounds

are you outgoing or shy? its pretty even but if I had to say one over the other I’m probably slightly more outgoing than I am shy.

do you like it when people play with your hair? only people I know and allow. don’t just come up and start playing with my hair unless you KNOW that I’d be okay with it

do you like your neighbors? haven’t met them! we moved in like a month ago but we still haven’t seen anyone that lives on our floor

do you wash your face? at night? in the morning? if I remember, but honestly I’m really bad about doing it unless I’m in the shower in which case it’s every time I take a shower

have you ever been high? nope

have you ever been drunk? sadly no. I have a ridiculously high natural alcohol tolerance, so I get sick to my stomach before I can even manage tipsy.

last thing you ate? pizzaaaaaaa

favorite lyrics right now idek and that’s a lot of effort so sorry here’s me “free pass” I’m using it on this question next

summer or winter? ugh winter always I can’t stand the heat there’s only so many layers you can take off

day or night? night

dark, milk, or white chocolate? milk or white. milk for straight eating, white for flavoring other things

favorite month? october

what is your zodiac sign leo!

who was the last person you cried in front of? my significant other

[krystangreen-blog]

Located in Ho Chi Minh City, Suoi Tien is Vietnam’s wacky Buddhist wonderland. It’s Vietnam’s weirdest amusement park and maybe the strangest in all of Asia. Suoi Tien is one of the coolest, most unusual, and most unique things to do in Ho Chi Minh City.

There are lots of rides and roller coasters, but the massive spectacles and displays make Suoi Tien special. The entrance fee to this sprawling theme park is less than $5 USD. And Suoi Tien is located only 40 minutes from the main tourist area of Ho Chi Minh City.

Suoi Tien is Vietnam’s wacky Buddhist wonderland Click To Tweet

  Superficial Fun and Deep Cultural Heritage

This Massive Spectacle is just an ordinary decoration at Suoi Tien.

Suoi Tien mixes the superficial fun of an amusement park with the deep cultural heritage of Vietnam. In the spectacular and surreal mash-up of Suoi Tien, you’ll find:

Frivolous Roller Coasters, Carnival Games, and Junk Food

Serious Monuments to Ancient Vietnamese History

Tacky Harry Potter and Disney Knock-off Attractions

Inspiring and Original Buddhist Works of Art

Gaudy Haunted Houses and Waterparks

Real Functioning Buddhist Temples

Mini Ziplines

Giant Mythological Creatures

Suoi Tien may not make sense to us westerners, but it wasn’t designed for us. Suoi Tien was made by the Vietnamese for the Vietnamese. That’s the best thing about this theme park. It’s not the Vietnamese putting on a show for foreigners, appealing foreign tastes.

Suoi Tien is the Vietnamese putting on a show for other Vietnamese, appealing to Vietnamese tastes. The park is hugely popular. Millions of Vietnamese visit Suoi Tien every year. And that’s why it’s a cool lesson on contemporary Vietnamese culture, as well as a good time.

Best of all, you can enjoy some fantastic spectacles alongside locals. We try to give you a taste of its uniqueness in our photos. We leave out most the typical amusement park stuff.  In our photos, we focus on the cultural and spiritual

In our photos, we focus on the cultural and spiritual spectacles but remember that all the temples and monuments are in the setting of a raucous amusement park.

  Massive Buddha Sculpture

Avalokiteshvara Buddha at Suoi Tien

This Avalokiteshvara Buddha is 118 feet tall high, 59 feet wide. The statue has 15 faces and dozens of hands, symbolically posed. It is a very dramatic Buddhist monument, but there is a serene Bodhisativa atop the statue. He looks tiny up there but is almost 7 feet tall.

The Avalokiteshvara is sitting on the mythological Golden Turtle God of Vietnamese folklore.

Golden Turtle God with Magical Sword

The Golden Turtle God plays a decisive role in Vietnam’s founding myths. The Turtle God came from heaven and gave Vietnam’s founders a magical sword that won them victory over their enemies.

The Serene Side

This solemn Buddha is on the other side of the massive sculpture.

Meditating Buddha

  Suoi Tien is an Amusement Park

Harry Potter Knock-off, Rock Wall, and Bumper Cars

Quick reminder. Suoi Tien also has typical rides and games in addition to awesome monuments of Buddhist and Vietnamese heritage.

  Golden Unicorn Plaza

Mythic Golden Unicorns

Suoi Tien features many massive statues of mythological creatures. The Golden Unicorns are some of the best. Yes, these huge golden creatures are the “unicorns” to the Vietnamese.

  Are they Growling or Laughing?

The plaza is designed to be a fun meeting place. The prime seats are right on and under the Golden Unicorns.

  Refreshing!

These fountains are fun to play in, on hot Vietnamese days. There also many shade trees and pretty statues to enjoy while relaxing.

Gold Maitreya

At the other end of the plaza is a Maitreya Buddha on a gold boat. That space is often used for concerts and dance performances.

Dragon Dance Performance

  Dragon Head Temple

There’s a Real Temple in this Dragon Head.

Long Hoa Thien Bao Pagoda is largest and most impressive temple at Suoi Tien. It is a functioning temple where park visitors come to pray, light incense, and sometimes chant.

Elaborate Gate to Dragon Head Temple

The gate to the temple is as elaborate, beautiful, and symbolic as anything inside.

Temple Grounds

  Resting by the Dragon

The temple grounds are full gorgeous Buddhist art that serve a spiritual purpose.

The Altars of Dragon Temple

The temple is vast. There are 3 large altars, 2 small ones, and numerous relics. The ceiling is a large dome painted to look like the heavens.

Hip Buddhist Statues – View From Dragon’s Mouth

Dozens of statues fill the temple, including several monks with interesting poses and facial expressions. The view looking out the dragon mouth was very cool, especially the way the tip of the tongue comes up.

  Zodiac Palace

Us Sitting On Our Zodiac Animals – Rat and Tiger

The Zodiac Palace was beautiful and eerie. The 12 animals of the Asian zodiac are arranged in a big circle. We couldn’t resist getting pics of ourselves on our representative animals.

Vanessa was born in the year of the Tiger. Steve was born in the year of the Rat.

Dragon, Monkey, and Pig

3 of the coolest looking statues were the dragon, monkey, and pig.

  Bodhisattva Square

Bodhisattva Buddha made of Pure Granite

This Bodhisattva Buddha monument is 89 feet tall, including the globe and stand. The Buddha alone is 40 feet tall and weighs 628 tons. It is made of pure white granite.

The reverent yet carnivalesque atmosphere is clear in these photos. The white building is the hokey snow castle.

Massive Mythological Creatures of Vietnam

400 meter Dragon – Dragon Eggs

The dragon is the central figure of Vietnamese mythology. There are several around Suoi Tien. This is the largest. It’s 400 meters long which represents the 4000-year history of Vietnam.

This dragon winds around the park. You can see the green scaly body in many other photos here. At the dragon’s tail, there are eggs representing the prosperous future of Vietnam.

Turtle-Dragon Hybrid

  Zipline, Rope Bridge, and Entrance in Turtle-Dragon Haunted House

The Turtle-Dragon houses large haunted house ride. The Turtle-Dragon lake is a hub for other activities: rope bridge, zipline, and swan paddle boats.

“Giant Peacock”

  “Vietnamese Unicorn”

The Vietnamese unicorn is very different from the western version.

Nine-Headed Dragon

  Parade of Mythological Creatures

  Crocodile Kingdom

  Figures of Ancient Vietnamese History and Legends

Saint Giong Riding His Iron Horse to Heaven

Giong was a historical figure from 1700BC! In the legend, Giong was a deaf and lame child of 3 when he learned that there were foreign invaders. He magically transformed into a grown man and fought off the invaders. Afterward, Giong refused fortune and fame. Instead, he went up to Soc Son Moutain and rode off to heaven on his iron horse.

This is one of Vietnam’s oldest and most cherished legends. The village of Phu Dong was the ancient birthplace of Saint Giong. It still exists today and holds an annual festival for Saint Giong around May.

Vietnam’s Legendary Women Warriors

The Trung sister’s defended Vietnam from invaders around 40AD. They ruled for about 3 years, but have been fundamental figures of national pride for almost 2000 years.

Temple of Hung Kings

This functioning temple celebrates the ancient Hung Kings and ancestral rice farming culture of Vietnam that dates back 4000 years.

Ancient Hung Kings Still Very Popular

These ancestors are ancient but extremely popular with today’s Vietnamese. The Hung Kings temple has a steady stream of visitors lighting incense, praying, and taking selfies.

The walls and ceiling are lined with ornate carvings depicting scenes of the ancient ancestors.

  Other Buddhist Monuments and Decorations

No Rollercoasters Until You Light Your Incense

There are literally hundreds of Buddhist statues, iconography, symbols all over the park. Some are minor exhibits, but most are simply decorations that create a very unique and interesting ambiance for an amusement park.

Temple of the 3 Blessings

  Giant Severed Hand?

  These are just a few examples.

Famous Buddhist Saints at Entrance

Even at the very entrance, the “mascots” of this theme park are famous Buddhist saints and ancient teachers.

  Waterpark

Vietnamese Mt. Rushmore?

Oh yeah, and there’s a big waterpark with an ancient emperor’s head carved on huge mountain.

Suoi Tien is fun and amazing. In additional to all the other marvelous things to see, you can watch kids pray and light incense at altar, then run off to eat cotton candy and ride a mechanical dragon.

You can see how much the Vietnamese revere their 4000-year-old spiritual heritage. AND you can see that they don’t mind if that heritage is used for financial gain and superficial fun.

Suoi Tien is not an “authentic” experience like the ancient temples of Hue, but it is a window on the contemporary culture of this fascinating country.

Vietnam’s Wacky Buddhist Wonderland

Address:

120 Hanoi Highway Tan Phu Ward District 9, HCMC

  Would you like to visit Suoi Tien, if you visit Ho Chi Minh City? Which attractions interest you?

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[rouletteweekend]

Flea Market Guy (FMG) and I went on our cruise. It was about a month ago. We left Knoxville and drove to Florida. We spent the night in a little beach motel that was probably 3 stars at best. I’ve always been a fan of cheap motels. Especially if they are right on the beach. Not that I would turn my nose up at a 5 star with crisp white linens. I love those kind of hotels. But, they aren’t a necessity especially when you are on a budget.

So we got to our little beach Motel, Anthony’s on the Beach. And it was. Right. On. The. Beach. I was immediately in love with it. Water for miles. Sand. Sunset. And sea turtle nests. Tons of them. FMG and I were hoping to see a mad dash for the water by dozens of baby sea turtles, but we were disappointed. All we saw were crabs. And quite a few of them. And they are pretty quick.

We got in right before sunset, so we took a nice long stroll on the beach and went and had dinner. I ate crab legs. And key lime pie. Because, when in Florida, right? Then we went back to the beach for another little stroll before bed. We got up super early to watch the sunrise. It was cloudy so there wasn’t much to see. So we got all of our stuff together, went to have breakfast and then went exploring near the port we were ultimately heading to.

We made it to the port and seamlessly got on board. Like I said yesterday, my bestie, Liz and her family were on the ship. She’s actually the reason we went. They were having a family reunion and she said, “you should come.” So I did. It was very last minute and unplanned, but totally worth it. I didn’t see her as much as I would have liked, but I guess that is the difference between traveling with kids and without kids. We didn’t have any kids with us.

FMG was awesome the whole trip. As I’ve mentioned, we are battling with his drinking problem. I was a little scared for him to come with me on the cruise because, honestly, I didn’t want his drinking to ruin it. Not that he is an embarrassing drunk or a mean drunk. He’s actually not your typical drunk at all, but there is still the hangover factor and I didn’t want our exploring to be ruined or not get to go explore at all because he was sick. But to my surprise and happiness, he didn’t over do it at all. We had the best time. He barely drank. I think I did more drinking than he did. We sang elevator karaoke, went to all the little nightly “game shows,” even participated in a couple of them. We got off the ship in Nassau and skipped all the tourist excursions, choosing instead, to explore by ourselves. We saw a 160 year old cathedral. Met the priest who was over it. I think he said he was the first black priest at that cathedral. All the others had been Europeans. So we basically met history. We walked through neighborhoods from poor to pretty well off. We met some of the locals, ate conch, which I was not a huge fan of, went to an old fort and took a self guided tour. We did go sit on the beach for a few minutes, but it was super hot and humid and we had already walked about 9 miles, so we took the last little walk back to the port and smuggled some rum and vodka on in my pants (don’t judge me, I said we were on a budget).

We went back to the room and relaxed for about 30 minutes before heading to the pool to cool off. It wasn’t that cool. And it was a salt water pool which shouldn’t have surprised me as much as it did. At first I thought maybe I had been sweating so much that I could taste the sweat on my lips, but then my eyes started burning just a little and I realized that I am an idiot and the pool was a salt water pool. There were no more surprises after that.

Until later that night when we ran into a guy on the elevator playing the piano and singing. After the bootleg rum and vodka, we were in quite a karaoke mood. I bet we stayed on that elevator with him for at least an hour singing at the top of our lungs and sweating up a storm. Elevators get hot when they are packed and you are performing. I’d venture to say there is at least one YouTube video out there. If you find it, please forward me the link and also, I’m sorry.

After FMG finally was able to talk me into getting off the elevator we ended up at one of the random cruise game shows. All were very funny. We went to a few. At some point, we had dinner, but I should have written about it a month ago when it happened. It would have been way more entertaining.

The next day consisted of a nice relaxing day at Coco Cay. It’s basically Royal Caribbean’s privately owned beach. The perks of the cruise were included like unlimited delicious food, and drinks if you had the drink package, but you could also buy souvenirs and cabanas for the day if you wanted to. We just chilled out on the beach chairs and swam in the ocean for a while. At some point, I got a small case of sea itch. It’s basically a rash that usually occurs where your bathing suit is from murdering tiny little jellyfish embryos when you get out of the water and they release their toxins in your skin and likely, you have a reaction that is like a nice little red itchy rash that lasts from days to weeks. I was on the “to weeks” side of it. But in the end it was still totally worth it.

We headed back to the boat an hour or so before we really needed to, but someone from another cruise ship that was also there got left behind and although it was paradise, we didn’t want that to happen to us.

So we got back to our stateroom and sat on the balcony for a while watching people slowly filter back to the ship.

FMG was absolutely perfect the whole time. It was one of those surprising things about dating an alcoholic. Just when you think they are going to ruin your good time, they end up doing exactly what they said they were going to do.

I think I’ve been pretty open about the fact that FMG is a raging alcoholic. Not the angry drunk abusive kind. Just the self loathing, self destructive kind. But he did a complete 360 for me on this trip and I’m thankful for that. I wish I could say he stayed on that path upon our return, but he didn’t and that is a story for another day or ten.

When the cruise was over, we spent half of the day back in Florida and then we headed to Savannah to see some of their history and FMG wanted to take me to Tybee Island because I have a small fascination and love for lighthouses. So we took some pictures and walked through the random Monday night flea market that was going on there. He bought be a picture of a lighthouse.

We found a hotel outside of Savannah and hunkered down for the night. We both agreed that even if it was a cheap motel, we wanted a place that had white linens and not one of those lampshade looking red and yellow murder blankets on top of the bed. After we found one, we proceeded to ask the clerk if we could have the haunted room. Savannah got us to ghost hunting. She said she didn’t know of any. So FMG asked for a handicap room. He thought the likelihood of it being haunted was higher because maybe someone old had died in it. Morbid but true (probably why I love him so). Plus, the bathroom has a way bigger shower and easily fits two. So we got the handicap room, went and had dinner, showered, and went to bed. No ghosts were sighted.

We drove the rest of the way home still high on the smell of salt water, sand, and sunblock. We talked more about our future together and made plans to try living together and see where the future may take us. Along with searching for around the world cruises we could take (that actually exist).

Then we got back home to reality… I won’t ruin this happy ending today, I’ll save that for tomorrow.

Instead, I’ll post some pictures below of our trip. There aren’t as many as you’d expect, but we spent a lot of time in the moment and didn’t have our phones or camera with us.

Enjoy!

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  Next Stop, Around the World...maybe #thecruise #thebeginning #theend #rouletteweekend #life #love #blog Flea Market Guy (FMG) and I went on our cruise. It was about a month ago. We left Knoxville and drove to Florida.

[wanderlust225]

From old school tranquility to new school chaos

This morning, after my matcha green toast (yum) and eggs (yep, I am eating eggs!), I spent a bit of time planning my next trip to South America. There are a lot of amazing things about traveling for 3 months but one of the tough parts is managing all of the hotel, flight and activity reservations. Not that I am complaining - but it is my excuse for why I didn't leave the hotel until 12:30 - thankfully, Stephen and I ironed out a few details for Ecuador and Peru, which I could not be more excited about! When I did finally emerge, I headed towards the Imperial Palace Gardens which was closed when I tried to visit earlier this week. (I think it was on Wednesday, but I am having trouble remembering my days of the week at this point - a blessed thing!) I must admit that I didn't know until this morning that there is still an emperor and empress of Japan and they live only about 2 miles away from my hotel in Tokyo! They are also responsible for championing and preserving Japan's royal past, which was primarily what I saw in the Gardens. The first place I stopped was a small museum that showcases different exhibits of royal collectibles and on display now are bonbonniers which are beautifully decorated little boxes to hold bonbons or small treats that were / are given to guests at special luncheons, banquets and dances. They were typically silver and many have family crests or symbols on them that represent the special event they were made for, like weddings, graduations and births. My favorite was a little globe shape, that was used a few times after the royal family returned from a world tour! I wonder how I go about getting one commissioned for my world tour... Then I headed to the Ninomaru Garden which was reconstructed in the 1960s off of a design of the garden that was on the same sight in the mid-1700s - so it's pretty old. It was beautifully done with little bamboo bridges, ponds covered with lily pads and bushy pink, purple and white flowers. It also reminded me of many of the ponds in GG Park which (I suppose) are modeled after Asian parks. As I walked out of the park I made a point to stop by the rose garden, though I was surprised that much of what I saw I would never consider to be roses -- the latin names did say "rosa" but many of the flowers lacked the folded petals which I would classify as a rose. But alas, I'm not a botanist so I will leave my opionions there. Next I headed to Harajuku which is the style center of Tokyo, well-known for its colorful, futuristic and often very quirky styles. I started fairly mainstream walking down Omote-sando where all of the high street retailers live. Off of the main boulevard, often revered as the Champs d'Elysee of Tokyo, there are tons of little winding streets with smaller retailers, cafes and boutiques - i.e. where the really cool stuff is. Here I found Harajuku Gyoza-ro which is a late-night joint that serves incredible dumplings - 6 for 290 yen (or about $2.50). They were amazing - exactly what I needed to revive me for more shopping! The final stop on Omote-sando was Zara because one of my favorite things to do when I travel is to stop in and see the local styles. It's one of the only bits of brick-and-mortar shopping I ever do, abroad or at home, but I have found some of my favorite wardrobe pieces while traveling! I have been looking for a jumpsuit that I see tons of Japanese women wearing but was out of luck, though I did happen to find a few great blouses, so a win afterall. Finally I made it to Takeshita-dori which is a pedestrian-only street. My guideapp (come on, you didn't think I was carrying books, did you?!) noted, "be warned: this pedestrian alley is a pilgrimage site for teens from all over Japan" and they were certainly right. Even before I hit the dori I noted three huge trucks with a Japanese girl band plastered to the side, blaring what must be the popular song of the moment - on repeat. How did I know it was popular you ask? Well, every time one of the trucks would pass, a group of girls would be audibly singing the song - some with their own coreographed dance to go along with it! The street was packed, extremely pink and full of everything I spent money on at Claire's from the age of 5 to about 12 years old. Wow. I must say that I was tempted to take a trip down memory lane and buy a glittery see-through purse - but I resisted the urge. Instead, I scored some amazing cat and panda socks. When I made it back to my hotel I was incredibly tired but realized toast and dumplings weren't sufficient "meals" for even a relatively short day of only walking 6.5 miles, so I found a nearby ramen shop. It was super close to my hotel and when I walked in, instead of being seated I was ushered over to the vending machine - yesssssss. They had all the options on the board and after I chose the ramen I wanted (naturally the one that said "soy sauce - the one tourists usually like" -- honestly, I can't make this stuff up), I inserted my cash (820 yen, $8) and received a ticket that I then gave to the waiter. The other cool thing about this place though is that I got to choose whether I wanted thin, medium or thick noodles - because they rolled them right in front of my eyes! Super fresh and super delicious, especially with the fatty pork they put in as well. Super satisfying. After dinner I spotted a fruit stand (even though the food in Japan is amazing, I am craving fresh fruits) so I stopped into what was actually a city grocery store and walked around a bit. This is something my mom always says she does when she's in new places - and it is a really cool experience! Most was surprisingly the same (eggs even in the refrigerated section) but there were a few interesting bits: tons of pre-cooked meals, half an aisle of ramen and the beer fridge made up almost completely of Asai and Sapporo (with some shandys for the ladies). I decided to choose a treat - I thought it was mochi but when I got back and bit into it there was a white jelly in the middle. I'm not sure if I liked it or not, so I will probably have to try another just to be sure...