Unlike out typical schedule so far, today we travelled to the beach resort town Vung Tau for an awesome day of relaxation. We began bright and early with a 6:00 AM departure time, due to the 2 hour bus ride we would need to get there. The journey in started with a 1 hour nap, but as we got closer the changing surroundings filled my attention. It was interesting to see how such a nice and well maintained town was surrounded by what seemed to be a very poor area. Less than 5 minutes from arriving and we were still still passing slum like houses and communities in disrepair. However, upon arrival the scenery changed entirely to nicer buildings and roads that you would expect from more of a resort area.

Before heading to the beach, we stopped at the famous Christ Statue in Vung Tau and climbed the 811 steps to its base. The area around the statue was very cool and the view from its top was absolutely incredible (well worth the hot and crowded stairs up). Another highlight of this stop was the series of stores and vendors at the base from which I bought a cowboy hat, fake Ray-bans, and several pieces of mango- all for under $10. After a short bus ride, we arrived at the beach resort and were instantly impressed by the gorgeous pool and beachfront that was spread out before us. I instantly changed into my bathing suit and sprinted for the warm, gentle water. Unfortunately, after several minutes of soaking we all started to feel weirdly itchy (apparently from the minerals in the water) so the group quickly moved to the pool. Several more hours of sun bathing, swimming, and eating delicious food capped off the afternoon. Sunburnt, and exhausted we headed back to the bus for the long ride how, everyone feeling like they’re on cloud nine.