T&D team travels to Kiên Giang Province!

Random pagoda entrance to the pagoda.
We call these flambouyant trees. they bloom heavy like this all summer the south(tropical) part of Vietnam. I want one of these trees. They are everywhere in the city.

The children ran from the ocean to the beach to talk with me. So much fun!
Burial site at a pagoda.

Just a little example of some architecture here in Vietnam.

Some funny, excitied kids, wanting to pronounce "hello!"

I just got back from Kiên Giang Province, right next to the Cambodia border (at the Holcim Hon Chong Plant) around dinner my time here to the city. It took me and the training and development team almost ten hours to drive there. Its a quiet country side with the housing estate proped on a mountain over looking the ocean. We had so much fun there! On sunday we had a HR team building day. We went to a really inspiring Pagoda on the top of a mountain over looking Cambodia and the surrounding mountains. We had breakfast, which would seem really boring but my best friends here are my co-workers. They have become my Vietnam family. I have two older sisters( Anh, and Hanh), two brothers(Nam, Khoun). We actually have a great time now, eating, laughing, joking, and playing pranks. Then we went to the market, and bought TONS of fruit, many I had not seen yet in Vietnam. We all crammed into our van and went to the beach. We had lunch on the ocean, clams, squid(common here), oysters, TIGER BEERS!, fruit for dessert, and barbequed crayfish. Really we like this everywhere, but I just wanted to share a sample of what I eat quite often at work. After lunch, me and jennifer could not go sea kayaking with the team because we were burned from the day before. The rest of the team worked that day but me and jennifer were given the day off, so we visited two temples, one was inside a cave, and the other was swarming with monks, i have no idea why there was so many there that day. We stopped for a little break at a all to common here, hammock restaurant on the beach, and had some tigers. we waited out the rain chatting then contuined our journey to a sea side floating restaurant to have crab. but that was a side track of the day before, why me and jennifer could not go kayaking, we were sun burned. So back to the team building day at the beach: we ended up relaxing/drinking and joking around for some hours there. They we went back to the market for a cooking competition. we split up, guys, girls, and us interns. We made fried chicken, the boys made fish, rice, a special tomato sauce, tiger beers, and a sour veg soup. the girls made fruit platters, tofu, singapore noodles and some other little things. We dont know who won, because right after we went swimming and decided a billards game would be better. Also some table tennis. Then we had to work on Monday! We traveled to Hon Chong to administer the TOEIC test. its just a english test. We have to test all Holcim employees at all locations in vietnam. Then I played tennis with Heru, a visiting technical HR employee from Indonesia. Then every night after, swimming, dinner, table tennis, etc. The last night we celebrated Khouns birthday. We all made dinner for him and sat on the floor and ate. Then me, jennifer, and nam came back to HCMC. The drive crosses rivers, with ferry boat rides, and weaves through the country side. There are endless rice fields, small fishing villages, and bananna or bamboo forests. The people are lead a simple life here, only gathering the things they need, like eggs, water buffalo, ducks, and FISH! We finally got back to the city. After I went out for some things with Jennifer(the other intern). We first went to a Sushi Place right down the street from my aptartment for dinner but ended up having some drinks as well. After we went shopping. Actually all over district one, the eye of the city, it has the best everything. We just walked right from my apartment. I also scored and found a great french bakery just about five minutes walk from my apartment, and could not resist. Then we stumbled on a crazy "coffee shop" called "Sao". But actually it was more like a relaxed/lounge bar sceen with great music, and loud, and fashionable place. The walls are rock with waterfalls, with lots of different levels to sit at. It's all under huge trees with bright breen lights everywhere making it a really interesting atmosphere. And of course the coffee is french style and excellent. It might be my favorite place here, even though im still looking for a really small unique interesting coffee bar. but yet to find one that would make me pass up going to another one in the area. I am now just getting back at around midnight. I am very thankful to a few co-workers who have made my stay here excellent. I consider them my closest friends here, and close family.