That flower lets me remind of, my flower...Welcome Back to Viet Nam

Oh, English translations in Viet Nam, how I have missed thee!!!! The nice little ditty in the title "That flower lets me remind of, my flower" was painted on some restaurant rice bowls. Apparently, the porcelain factory didn't have the budget to get a real translator, but instead had to make due with Google Translator.

But getting back to the point. I'M BACK IN VIET NAM! And really happy about it. Although Cambodia was great, Viet Nam is, without a doubt, about 4 million times better. Sorry Cambodia. But we have been so busy since getting back. We have constantly been exploring Ha Noi, trekking in the Cuc Phuong National Park Forest, overnighting in ethnic minority villages, being head-butted by cows, looking at floating villages and being tourists. Let me tell you, enjoying life is exhausting!!

Here are a few of the memorable moments from the last week and a half:

1. Street food in Ha Noi is amazing. And you get to sit at little baby plastic tables. You know the kind...the ones you used at your childhood tea parties where every stuffed animal got their own chair. Yea, but they use them for real here, its awesome.

2. Monkey (actually Delacour Langurs) watching on a boat.

3. Spot-lighting for animals at Cuc Phuong National Park. At first, we were only finding lots of lizards and insects (aka BORING animals. well actually the chameleons were pretty sweet). So I took matters into my own hands. Basically, I called upon my powers with the mammal gods. Jana and I clasped hands and chanted to the mammal gods, and whaddya know? Right as we were done chanting, our guide spotted a giant flying squirrel. To be 100% honest, I did ask the mammal gods to give us a bat, but whatever. Bat, squirrel...both rodents, right? Same, same...but different. Moral of the story, I do have some kind of pull with the mammal gods.

4. Julia got head-butted by a cow at the ethnic minority village. She is just having really bad luck when it comes to keeping her legs healthy lately. But no worries, she was not injured, just got a long, blue bruise.

5. Ha Long Bay, Ha Long Bay, Ha Long Bay. Cassie's birthday. Swimming in Ha Long Bay!!! Ha Long Bay!

Muong ethnic minority village on the edge of Cuc Phuong National Park. 

Interesting rock formations in the cave we visited.

They must have had a lighting professional come in and do the lay-out. It was pretty cool seeing all of the stalagmites and stalactites lit up.

Floating fishing village in Ha Long Bay. The houses are within a cove of limestone mountains. 

Sunset on Ha Long Bay as we arrive back to port.

Blurry picture of a 1,000 year-old tree at Cuc Phuong National Park.