Into the Jungle: Rat...It's what's for dinner.

Ok, well, actually it was for lunch. Before you cringe and judge, I must admit that it was pretty darn good. Although it was a bit stringy for me, those little critters do have quite a bit of meat on them. But first, before we really get to the nitty gritty of things, let's go back to the beginning...

Sunday at 6pm, we headed out for our third excursion, Tram Chim National Park. It is home to the Sarus Cranes, which are the largest of the crane family. They have a wing span of about 12 feet and stand about as tall as Eric (a guy on our program who is 6 foot 2 inches). It is funny, because we call him the "White Crane" every once and a while. Unfortunately, we didn't actually get to see these. They don't come during the wet season. But I did learn that there is an International Crane Foundation (who knew?).

We arrived around 10pm and checked into our rooms at the guest house. Cassie and I were greeted by a 4-inch spider sitting next to the light switch. Since I was so tired, I asked if it was real. You know, I hear a lot of places started decorating with fake spiders (I don't know what I was thinking).

The next day, we explored the national park by boat. We then packed up our stuff and went camping!!!! Pictures are coming. We put rat traps out that evening, to catch the little critters. We needed a lot to keep our strength up, so the next morning they also went hunting for them. They had some narly spears going on. But back to the night: they had all the stuff set up for us to sleep down in the shelter, but of course (like at Long Hoa) we got to drinking. Around midnight, we decided (the staff of the national park and 5 SIT students) that we should let the others sleep, so we meandered up to the watch tower. It was awesome, we drank some beers and sang songs about 50 feet above everything else. And we even got to sleep there. I also made best friends with a 65 year old boat driver. He was way cool and could sing like no other.

The next day, we went swimming in what I swear was 100 degree weather. It was so hot. You know how in Minnesota the water is refreshing and cool? Yea, its not like that in Vietnam. It is nasty hot and full of plants that want to rip you apart. But it was still fun to get in the water, and it really built up our appetite for some rat. Although I really didn't eat too much of it (because of the texture and the delicious soup that was available), I do believe my friend Julia fell in love with the critters. She might even be hunting them down back in the U.S. when she gets there.

All in all, another great trip. Our fourth excursions begins Oct. 1st at 5pm. We are going to Can Gio Nature Reserve and staying in a resort. Whoa, luxury! I don't know if I can handle you. But there are monkeys!!!!