Rainy Season

While everyone is enjoying the summer weather back home (maybe more in California than Washington!), we've welcomed rainy season here in Vietnam. Despite the torrential downpours that occur most afternoons, we are thoroughly enjoying the slightly cooler temperatures (somehow 85 degrees is now "cool" to us!) and the taste of Seattle cloudy days bring. While summer break has slowed down the pace at work a bit, it has still managed to be a rather busy month as we've taken on more report writing and supervision duties. All the while, we've been counting down the days until our trip back home at the end of the month. 

Not pictured: Fried bananas ;) 

We love our little neighborhood. 

The traffic is no joke, especially on a Saturday afternoon

We went to our tailor this month to get our suit and dress made for Bernadettes wedding! So fun being able to show a picture and have her match exactly what we want. 

Sunny afternoons call for pool time. 

Vietnam in a nutshell: Beautiful and brand new Landmark 81 and a rugged old wooden boat. The rate of this country's change is fascinating to witness. 

We have countless pictures like this on our phone from the past month. Ponchos are a lifesaver, and wearing nice shoes is totally overrated because puddles are sometimes up to our shins.

Just another day suiting up for a wet drive home.  

We also tried lots of new food this month, checking off more more places from our book. 

Chuối bọc nếp nướng- Bananas wrapped in sticky rice with a sweet banana pudding on top. 

Bún riêu ốc (Snail Noodle Soup) complete with snails, crab roe, tofu, blood pudding and more! It's a good thing Kevin chose this dish while Madelyn was out of town ;)

Madelyn's favorite snack: bánh tráng trộn

One of Madelyn's new favorites: Xoi ga (Chicken Sticky Rice)

Mì vịt tiềm (duck with egg noodle soup) 

Excuse the half eaten plates, we forgot to snap a picture of these spread before we dove in. Pictured here is bánh tráng trảng bàng.

We took a visit to Phu Chau Temple, a floating temple in Saigon.

This is the boat that takes you to the floating temple. 

To keep us afloat until our trip back home, we were lucky enough to welcome Madelyn's friends Kristen and Hannah AND Madelyn's cousin Emily and her friend Wes to Vietnam this month! We can't believe how lucky we've been with the amount of visitors we've had in the past 10 months. There is truly nothing sweeter than showing the people we love our life here. 

Kevin doing the infamous Saigon Shuttle around Thao Dien! 

And of course, a visit to Pastuer Street Brewing Company

Madelyn, Kristen, and Hannah took a girls trip to an island off the coast of Vietnam. They celebrated Hannah's birthday in style on Phu Quoc.

Rory's in Phu Quoc is a must if you ever find yourself on a remote island in Vietnam ;) 

Ho Quoc Pagoda, the largest Pagoda on Phu Quoc

Night Markets are a big thing in Vietnam, and Phu Quoc's night market was no exception! 

Dinh Cau Temple perched on the top of rocks in the Gulf of Thailand sea.

Sao Beach on the Eastern shore of Phu Quoc Island 

View from our Hotel pool on the western shore of Phu Quoc island.

The blurriness of the picture is a perfect depiction os driving in Saigon 

Pastuer Street 

Pool Party! 

We found a "beer fridge" where you can escape the hot and humid temperatures of Saigon and pretend you are somewhere freezing. Coats provided! 

Cousins hanging out at Turtle Lake, which is more of a pond than a lake but a fun time regardless. 

And just like that, we made it to the date we've had circled on our calendars for quite some time! We couldn't be more excited to visit home and give everyone we love huge hugs. We are excited for quality time with family, fresh air, nature and laughter with old friends. This experience has taught us countless lessons that we will hold with us forever, one of them being the immense gratitude we feel to love home so much.

Time to trade these SE Asia sunsets for some West Coast sunsets- but don't worry Saigon, we'll be back!