Volleyball in Ho Chi Minh City

A perk to coaching volleyball at Vientiane International School is that I get to travel to great places in Southeast Asia.  My school is part of the Mekong River International School Association (MRISA).  There are eight schools that belong to MRISA and each is responsible for hosting a variety of athletic, cultural, and leadership exchanges.  This year, Senior Volleyball MRISA was held at Saigon South International School (SSIS). 

Both boys and girls teams boarded the plane headed for Vietnam on Thursday and after a day of travel arrived at our host school.  I was thrilled to see my friend Stacey who coaches the SSIS girls.  We met last year and she is fantabulous - Canadian too...go figure!  After getting our kids shuttled off to their billets, my colleagues - Mark and Nik and I headed for a coaches meeting and then back to the hotel for some much needed rest.  This was going to be a L-O-N-G weekend!!

Here is a snapshot of our team the beginning of the first day and during a much needed timeout.

The girls having fun doing some ice breaker activities

 Friends Ruth and Dan who are the nicest Brits I know and they teach NISC in Cambodia

Mark organized dinner for the coaches.  We headed to a Vietnamese BBQ place called "Fanny's".  The food was great, but I was surprised when the jumbo prawns came out to us still flopping on the plate!

Here... Suzie, another coach from Cambodia (ISPP) is putting her squeemish tummy to the test and diving into some shrimp!

Nik and I digging in



Our organizer, Mark!

Amazing beef

On our last morning we had a few hours of down time and headed into town to do some shopping.  Here are a few pics from our exploring

 The power lines in HCMC are incredible.  It surprises me that they have any power at all!

This little guy was ADORABLE and loved to ham it up for the camera!

Just a few more sleeps and I'm back to Ho Chi Minh with another group of kiddos!

Wat Pho

Carol had suggested we head to Wat Pho.  Having been there already she was keen to go again and I always trust whatever Carol says, right?  After arriving in a taxi, we embarked on all this stunning Wat(temple) had to offer.

Here are a few pictures of the most elaborate Buddha I've seen yet.



The bottom of the Buddha's feet is Mother of Pearl



For 20 baht (just under $1) we took part in coin offerings.  Quietly, walking and dropping them into a series of pots.  It's believed to bring good luck!

As soon as we left from seeing the Reclining Buddha, Mother Nature treated us to something very special!!

Carol splurged and got us some rain panchos

Despite the rain, we were treated to an absolutely spectacular Wat!

  

It was a soggy trip back to the hotel, but I rewarded myself with a big old helping of Pad Thai...







Broads in Bangkok

Carol, Alison, and I met for a "girls day" in the hopes of enjoying the sights and sounds of Bangers!  Now, if you know us at all, you realize that the three of us do a few things well:  eat, laugh, and spend money!  A few weeks previous was Carol's birthday and she wanted to spend her loot so we cruised in and out of a few big malls where unfortunately for 'security reasons' we were unable to take any pictures!  Yes, I know...WTF!  Carol found some great clothes and splurged and bought herself a new Polaroid camera - made of course by Fuji, so I guess it's not really a polaroid...Carol, what is it then?  Anyhow, I digress...

After trapsing through the mall we thought it would be a good idea to hit a movie.  We couldn't agree on which flick to see but were all definitely on board for a little "Bowling in Bangkok".  Not sure what to expect, we arrived at the 'shoe fitting area' to find some hip and saucy shoes.

They take their pasturizing very seriously in Thailand! 

Remarkably comfortable AND stylish 

Carl took Carol's spot!

  

I have never 10 pin bowled so I was quite concerned about losing a finger in this adventure! 

Alison is having a 'shockingly' good time

 Giving Carol's new camera a workout.  We are quite the posers!

I've never seen Carol in her element around balls before!

Look out ESPN!

Alison beat Carol in the last game - I sadly only broke 100.  In a word, I suck!

After bowling we worked up an appetite.  I was very excited for a feed of Mexican cuisine!  Before meeting Todd and the kids, we stopped at a Bangkok favourite - Charlie's Bar

Charley Brown's was a hit.  I apparently love the taste of Sangria seeing as I've allowed myself to find the bottom of a pitcher on my last two holidays!!

Numero Uno for Todd

One down...one to go!

Good to the last drop!  Yes, it only took me two drinks to feel the tingles!

One other thing you'll know about the three of us girls is we hit the sheets extremely early.  So, my tipsy self was in a cab and back to the hotel by 8:00pm.  Wow, can we party!!