It's a very surreal experience arriving somewhere foreign after dark.

With only 1 carry-on and a personal bag, 3 plane rides and about 36 hours after the mister and I left Austin, we landed in Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City to be exact or formerly known as Saigon.

Vietnam is a fervent place. You exit from the dry, air-conditioned airplane to the hot as hell, busy, noisy, moist and sticky embrace of the open air airport. The second we stepped off the plane the heat enclasped us like the unwanted pinch and kisses with lipstick smeared across your cheeks as a kid.

Having exited the main entrance, we prowled our ways among a horde of people and found my long lost relatives excitedly waving their arms in the air as they spotted us. And by long lost, I meant we have not seen each other for the last 17 years. The warm fuzziness and nostalgic feeling swept over me, even now as I'm remembering and looking back at that particular moment. They marched over to us, helped with our luggage and we greeted them with hugs.

Shortly after a quick negotiation between the cabdriver and my aunt, our luggage was tucked away, the mister and I climbed in the back seats, my aunt in the passenger seat and the driver whizzed us away to our hotel, on the lit up streets.

We checked in, bid my family goodnight, ate the late night snack my aunt has packed for us, splashed our face with cold water (which felt amazing by the way!), brushed our teeth, and crawled to bed.

And the next few days in the largest city in Vietnam was a whirlwind, fun-filled with exploration and unforgettable memories.

A great beginning to our honeymoon adventures.

Let me share with you a few (as usual I went camera happy) favorite snaps of Ho Chi Minh Chi in all its glory and cultural diversity.

Grab a cuppa tea, find your favorite spot, and settle in comfortably because this one is loaded.

The next morning we woke up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed!
We leaped out of bed, scrubbed our teeth, fiddled with our hair and threw on a few articles of clothing and dashed out the hotel.
But not before having our fill of the delicious breakfast buffet.
After all breakfast is the most important meal. Surely we can't skip it.
The buffet contains everything you could possibly wants...from a wide selection of fresh-out-of-the-oven breads, hand-squeezed juice, mouth-watering fruits, hot dim sum, and made to order porridge/congee and Pho (Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup). We ate to our heart's content.
And each day I ate a little more than I should because when I'm hungry my eyes are wayyyyy bigger than my stomach.


We skipped, hopped and jumped down the street to begin our exploration and adventures.
And that's how our days were spent - Ho Chi Minh City, Jade Pagoda & Mekong Delta.
Keep scrolling down and see Vietnam through our eyes.
Note: photos are not in a particular order.

My great-great-aunt 90 years young!

Banh Chuoi Ep - Grilled Banana in Coconut Sauce

Mekong Delta will be up next.