Happy Holidays from Saigon to all of our family and friends. This time of year is hard to be away from family, but we are thankful for the small community we have built in Saigon, and that this will be our last Holiday season away from the beautiful PNW. A lot has happened in the past few months since our last update, so here is our best effort at sharing some highlights!
 |
Madelyn was celebrated among all the women at Learning Strategies for Vietnamese Women's Day in Saigon.
 |
| Believe it or not, we've been playing badminton every weekend with co-workers and friends. It's been a fun new recreational activity that we are getting better at each week! |
|
 |
| In Saigon it gets dark every day of the year by 6:00pm, so we enjoy getting home in time to catch the sunset. |
We felt like we needed a trip out of the city, we so joined our coworker Huong on a weekend trip to Mui Ne, a beach town about five hours away. We are thankful for all her help in booking busses (sleeper busses!) and for her company at the beach.
 |
| Sleeper bus! |
|
 |
| If there is water around, Kevin will be in it, rain or shine! |
 |
| Red Sand Dunes |
 |
| Walking through the strange and magical Fairy Stream in Mui Ne. |
 |
| This picture was taken by Madelyn on the back of the motorbike moments before we were pulled over by the police. Yes you read that right, we were pulled over by the Vietnamese Police. Now we know first hand that bribing the police does work after all, and we hope to never have it happen again! |
 |
| We stayed at a beautiful beachfront hostel. |
Kevin has continued to try new foods and explore......
 |
| Bưởi - Pomelo. |
 |
| Some of the ladies from Learning Strategies |
 |
| The group exploring the rice fields across the street from Ms. Kim's house |
 |
| View of water buffalo across the street |
 |
| Ferries look a little bit different in Saigon!! |
 |
| Perhaps the best sunset this fall! |
And just like that it was Halloween, a holiday that is not recognized much in Vietnam, but is by some of the expat community. We snuck our way into a private compound to be a part of the festivities and ended at the supermarket to buy some halloween candy. We were greeted by the Kit-Kat saleswomen, and Kevin was rewarded with a pair of Kit Kat flip flops for spending two dollars on Kit Kat's. Happy Halloween!
 |
| They asked to take a picture with Kevin:) |
Madelyn's dear friend from college, Annabel, came to visit us in Saigon and we spent the weekend playing tourist which is always fun to do in your own city.
 |
| At a local bar, Khoi Bar |
 |
| Annabel was a pro on the motorbike, riding all the way into the city, driving herself and ordering grab bikes even with her luggage! |
 |
| One of our stops was the Fine Arts Museum, which has been on our list for a while! |
We even snuck in a trip back to the California this month for Drew and Laurie's wedding! It was a whirlwind week to say the least, we were gone one week total, which left about 4.5 days in the states. We maybe never adjusted to the time change, but soaked in every moment we had. All of our parents came to meet us in Southern California, which we are forever grateful for.
 |
| Kevin and his mom in Dana Point |
 |
| Boat time = the best time! The Hogue's took everyone out on a boat in Huntington Beach. |
 |
| Groomsmen |
 |
| Celebrating the newlyweds, Mr & Mrs Poulter! |
 |
| Lots of love (and fancy pictures of us!) |
 |
| We stopped at a store called Honey and Butter (one of our client's favorite stores) to bring back some macrons for her. |
 |
| Leaving family is never easy, and this time was no different. Thankfully Kevin's close family friends, the Taylors packed us with so much delicious Mexican food for our 28 hour journey back to Saigon. I think everyone on the flight was jealous, and we were in heaven. |
After just three days back in Saigon, we boarded a flight to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia where we attended an international symposium on Applied Behavior Analysis! Exhausted would be an understatement for how we felt, but it was fun to be surrounded by other people in the field, and also play tourist in KL.
 |
| Sleepy eyes! |
 |
| We had the honor of meeting Dr. Bill Heward. For non-ABA people, Dr. Heward is a big name in the field of ABA and wrote one of the most influential texts in ABA. |
 |
| Kuala Lumpur Night Market |
 |
| Kevin planned a romantic date at a rooftop bar overlooking the Petronas Towers, an iconic Kuala Lumpur landmark. |
 |
| The Eco Park in Kuala Lumpur is filled with these suspension bridges |
 |
| We went to the top of the Menara "T.V" Tower, and enjoyed 360 degree panoramic views of KL. |
|
| Sri Maha Mariamman Temple in KL. |
 |
Back in Saigon, a new lotus fountain has been added to the Walking Street in District one. It was fun to see what was finally going on behind on the construction walls.
|
 |
| Thanksgiving Dinner with some of the Learning Strategies staff. |
 |
Ira came for a visit - we were pretty jealous of his bike!!
|
 |
| A belated "happy one year in Saigon" turned into a "happy 14 months in Saigon", but we enjoyed an evening checking out some new spots including a rooftop bar at the Majestic Hotel - one of the most beautiful French-colonial buildings in the city overlooking the Saigon River. |
Our last adventure this month was a camping trip with some coworkers. They organized everything, and we took a sleeper bus from HCMC to Ta Dung Lake and spent the weekend in nature. We were SO thrilled to sleep in a tent, see the stars and escape the city for the weekend.
 |
| Photo op overlooking the stunning Tà Đùng Lake |
 |
| The guides brought delicious food and did all the cooking! |
 |
Lots of paddle boarding practice!
|
 |
Kevin teaching our guides how to skip rocks
|
 |
| Madelyn and Huong jumping into a swimming hole near a waterfall (we made Kevin go first) |
We are celebrating Christmas in Saigon again this year and look forward to ringing in the New Year with a visit from some of Kevin's close friends. We hope everyone enjoys time spent with family and friends this holiday. Send us snow!
