Wednesday, April 1, 2015

Asia Vacation: Day 5 & 6 / A to Z / IWSG

A is for 'Asia.'

I've realized that I've fallen quite behind on my vacation posts! So I'll try to wrap them up by combing the days and transitioning them into April's A to Z blogging challenge and today's IWSG post!

After the holiday, I had some stomach troubles. Of course, that's to be expected considering I ate/tried everything. Nonetheless, I rallied, despite my cramping and spasms. Our first stop was the Marble Mountains. However, my mother is quite superstitious so when she heard that dating couples her family knew had broken up after going into the mountain, she wouldn't let Michael or I go. So we waited outside at a café with my mom, aunt, and sister, while the rest of the family went to explore.

When they returned, we all filed into the van and made our way to the Ancient town of Hoi An. This little tourist town was super crowded, but we walked around taking it all in. At the temple, we all went in to get our fortunes. My own was relatively good, saying that this upcoming year would be a good one for me and that I would get what I want, as long as I'm not too selfish about it. Ha, okay, I guess I'll take it!

 

The next day my stomach recovered, so Michael, my two sisters, and I ventured out to the beach. After all the touristy stuff going on, it was nice to just chill out for an afternoon and soak up the sun.






When evening hit, our extended family took us out to a New Year's carnival. It was very crowded, and I'm not one for crowds, but it was enjoyable for my extended family so their smiles made it all worth it. It was kind of strange though, it seemed like one song was playing on the speakers on repeat the whole night, but I liked walking and looking at the lanterns.

To end the night we went to a café. Instead of a night cap or coffee I opted for some fries. When it came out, my sister's and I devoured it. My uncle laughed. "You guys really like this kind of stuff in the US? It's so easy to make at home. You just cut it up and fry it."

Michael found his sentiment hilarious and looking back I now do too. Just thinking about the authentic Vietnamese food I had there makes me pine for it even more. I'd trade a lifetime supply of fries to have another authentic meal again!

I guess for IWSG, my main concern is not remembering my trip clearly enough. Yeah I kept a travel journal and I'm doing these blog posts, but it's never quite the same. It relates to writing in the sense that I wonder if the story in my head is being properly translated on the page.

Thoughts?

15 comments:

  1. Hi Michelle, lovely pictures and I completely get your superstitious mom reference. My mom can also get very superstitious and at times it drives me up the wall.

    Rachna Chhabria
    Co-host IWSG
    Rachna's Scriptorium

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    1. Glad to know I'm not the only one with a superstitious mother!

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  2. I know what you mean by not being sure if it's translating to paper. I worry about that a lot. I think I'll get my answer when I unleash things on beta readers first and others later.

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    1. Yeah Beta's are the best! Definitely interesting hearing everyone's points of view and what good insights they give!

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  3. What fabulous photos! Thanks for sharing - I'm A-Z Blogger number 596 Leaning On The Gate - and having great fun so far!

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  4. Thanks for sharing your journey and your photos! I know how you feel about getting experiences or my imagination translated onto the page - it never seems like I can capture the scope, the breadth, or the minutiae in just the right way. I think it's something we all struggle with, but I wish you the best in figuring it out! (If you find out a secret for it, tell me.)

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    1. Thank you! And if I do, you'll be the first to know!

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  5. Aww, I think it's sweet your mom wants to protect your relationship, though. ^_^ And I totally get about the translation. I had a story in my head a year and a half that sounded SO good in my head. When it came out...I don't know what happened. But what I do know is that more often than not, the story comes out even better than it was in my head! Truth. :)

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    1. haha I know, at the time, I told Michael, "see, she likes you! She cares about our relationship!"

      And that's so amazing when things turn out better than you expect!!!

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  6. I like your travel theme that you're doing for April. Writing takes constant practice to stay in the groove of things and chronicling this Asia vacation may be good for you in that it helps your sort through your memories and journal entries to translate them onto your blog in whatever way you can :)

    ~Nicole
    A to Z Challenge Co-Host
    The Madlab Post

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  7. Looks like it was a lovely day on the beach. How fun. :) I admit that water made me wish it was summer already! I miss the waves!

    Alex Hurst, A Fantasy Author in Kyoto
    Out of Print, Fiction authors and their shorts

    A-Z Blogging in April Participant

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  8. Gorgeous pictures. It was a lot of vacation to remember. As to writing, I don't think the story ever really makes it to the paper as it was in our minds, but maybe that's not completely a bad thing.

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