Life on the Farm: Cu Chi

Hi Cuties. Sounding off from the Seoul/Incheon airport, waiting for my connection back to Seattle. I am both hella ready and absolutely not ready to go home. I'm looking forward to returning to bae, my friends, even my work! But I'm sad to leave this beautiful country behind and two of the most important people in my life with it. Well, I'm not leaving mom and dad behind for good, but I won't see them until December. As Ethan would say, "WAAAAAAH, Kimberly." I know :D. My last week in Vietnam was slow, but in the best way possible. I spent my time commandeering my dad's favorite hammock, gorging myself on fruit with my mama, ravenously reading my new favorite author, enjoying time with my parents and showing Ethan and Kellen around Saigon. And by showing them Saigon I mean dragging them around to all of my favorite shopping markets. I didn't even bother taking photos in Saigon, I was too intent on haggling. However, I wanted to share some quick snaps with you guys from around my parent's house in Cu Chi, a little country town 45 minutes outside Saigon.

Sugar: The first thing I did upon arriving onto the compound was press myself a glass of sugar cane juice! My aunty has her own sugar cane stand that she runs out the front yard area that both our houses share. This stuff is basically liquid diabetes and I happily guzzled it down. Tastes great if you add a little lime to it!

Chores: Yup, in case you're wondering, that's a carousel of underwear :D :D :D A couple years ago, my parents FINALLY got a washing machine for the house (along with hot water for the shower, woo!), but we still hang our clothes out to dry. Ah guys, before this, we had to wash our clothes in a tub by hand. Super stupid first world problems but you bet I show my washer/dryer at home way more love after doing laundry by hand. Also... SO MANY SPORTS BRAS.

Morning Market: This is my FAVORITE market in Vietnam, it even beats out all of the clothes shopping that I love to do in Saigon. This open air farmer's market is up the street from my parent's house and is open from 7 - 11 AM everyday. It's absolute fucking chaos. People riding their bikes through crowded walkways, sellers yelling at you to buy whatever they're peddling, weird smells coming at you from every direction... it is AWESOME. My mom and I hit it every day, always biking home with a bounty of fruits and veggies. All the produce goes for $0.50 - $1.00 per kilogram. It's basically free. Imagine going to a free farmer's market every morning. Shit's amazing. Every time someone comments on how big I am, my mom proudly exclaims that I am a strong soccer play, raised on a vegetarian diet. And then all of the shopkeepers praise us for our spiritual enlightenment. Lol, same conversation, every time. Doesn't get old :)

Mom's Personal Chauffeur: Fun fact, I have my motorcycle endorsement! I've never used it to ride in the US, but I always ride bikes when I'm in Vietnam. If you youtube "Saigon motorbike", you'll get some CRAZY videos of a gazillion motorbike drivers riding every which without regard for traffic rules, or their own lives! Cu Chi is chill enough that I feel safe zooming around, carrying my mom to dinner or to the morning market. I love Ethan's pink motorcycle helmet :D

Until we meet again, Vietnam: I hesitate to say that this is the best trip to Vietnam ever, because each trip I've taken here has been special. I am extra grateful to my parents for hosting my friends and me, keeping us extremely well fed and safe on the streets! Thanks for reading along! All of my Vietnam posts can be found here. Please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any travel questions! We will return to our regularly scheduled fashion blogging in the next few days! The house is a wreck and I need to catch up on a whole bunch of work stuff!