Good morning Vietnam

Unlike South Africa with 4 school terms evenly spaced out, Korean schools follow a 2 semesters schedule which means wonderful long holidays but also long and cruel periods of working nonstop without a short break to ease the pain (with the exception of a few long weekends). 

As this post goes off, it will be the end of the first and very long semester and the beginning of a wonderful, beach side, good food, lots of culture type holiday. I am super blessed to be going to visit the highly acclaimed backpackers paradise of Vietnam, a country rich with a (difficult) history, the friendliest people, delicious healthy food and jaw-dropping beaches, all this at a much more affordable price than your long weekend in Spain.  I will be traveling with a dear and sweet friend of mine from uni who in fact gave me the idea of starting this blog. Meet the super smart with the looks to match, Dipalesa :)

how young were we?

 my hairstyle has changed somewhat, a gentle reminder of times gone by

We hope to remain flexible on our trip so as not to cut short any of the good places we enjoy but there are definitely things not to be missed in this Southeast Asian gem. I am super excited about Halong Bay in particular which has been named one of the 7 New wonders of Nature, alongside Table Mountain of South Africa (my home sweet home) and Jeju Island of my current home, South Korea (I know right, what are the chances?).

We hope to be eating this

see this

meet kids like these 

and sip on these

And have a merry old time catching up. If you are in the Northern Hemisphere, I want to wish you a wonderful and sunny (minimal rain unless its purpose is to cool off a scorching hot day) summer holiday. If you are in the Southern Hemisphere however and are experiencing the chills of winter, I just want to let you know that I feel sorry for you.

Dipalesa - thanks my 친구 (chingu-friend) for coming all the way to meet me in foreign lands. Who knows what adventure lies ahead of us but I am totally excited to be galavanting around with you.

 Dipalesa and I at my farewell (JHB edition) before coming to Korea

Alright, let the good times roll :)

Final thoughts
"A familiar face in an unfamiliar place can make anywhere feel like home" - Catherine Stark