Press play

Update: our middle person is basically a Chinese woman that dresses like Tammy and wears a face mask. Seems nice

Weirdos

Chicken teriyaki w veggies, some cold quinoa thingy

⭐️3/5 not bad

Started and finished big little lies. So good!!

HBO go or no?

Pancakes with mango and blueberry syrup w/ chicken sausage ⭐️1.5/5 would not recommend but it was better than the egg lookin goo

Overall time went by super fast. Had 50 min left of the flight after finishing Big little lies so watched some of Grease (no surprise here)

Lol apparently my dad was laughing the whole time— he watched crazy rich Asians, 17 again, and mean girls. He’s literally a teenage girl

We have landed!!! Luckily this is the only day that it rained

First meal in Tokyo!! 🤤

Our hotel is right next to SkyTree and the SkyTree mall so we decided to check out this 7 story mall and it’s food court

This mall had everything from fish pet stores to cheesecake shops to clothing booths to even a kfc stand

Our hotel room had heated toilets! And 4 individual beds. I tried out the bidet. It was fun and felt pretty good and clean afterwards ngl

Passed out at like 6pm! Gotta love jet lag

Day 1 of Tokyo begins!!!

Home base: Oshiage station.

Okay my blurb about subways: LOVE THEM. They’re so clean and organized and have arrows pointing which side you should walk on and the workers are so 10/10 helpful. Also google maps on our special hotel smartphone was a saving grace. By the end of our stay, we got this on lock

And we’re off to the mori digital museum!! But wait. We realized we left during rush hour and got to witness the hustle and bustle of Tokyo

Everyone dresses the same. Black suit white top. Super uniform and the school children are in uniforms too

BUCKLE UP AND GET READY. TO RELIVE. MY MAGICAL EXPERIENCE. whoosh

✨⭐️💫✨🌟🥴🤯🤩

Chillin on bean bags listening to the waves

I love balls

So in this area we got to choose an outline of an animal and color/design inside the outline with wax crayons. Then the dude scans our artwork and it comes to life on the ground!!!

A pathway of lily pads

At this point, we have walked in so many circles to try to find all the different exhibits in the dark (there’s no signs u just gotta look and go thru secret doors and pathways) and then I FINALLY FOUND CRYSTAL WORLD

It rarely went this bright!! This was optimal photo time

OMG LIGHT

“Hurry, pose!” “Ah what do I do”

Instagrammable 👌🏽

After we left the museum there was a Wendy’s that was poppin right outside the doors. Obviously we had to try it

After our Japanese Wendy’s experience we headed over to Shibuya for some shopping

Straight up unsweetened cow milk cream

It was too sour for my liking but Choo liked it

Shibuya crossing — supposedly the most crowded crosswalk but I think we came at a wrong time

Our experience on the crosswalk

Shibuya!! \240

Okay mr model! I see u! Strike that pose sir

My first machine order purchase! a cheese stick lol

People love a good bargain

For dinner the parents wanted to try all the foods at the market next to our hotel so Choo and I were going to grab ramen after we rested for a bit

These 3 story markets just have an entire \240floor dedicated to prepared foods.

Whole foods could never!!

Press play if you want to watch these fools be awkward during our first family mukbang in matching hotel pajamas

Update: we did not get ramen bc I passed out at like 7 again (typical) and when I woke up at 9:30 no one wanted to go so I showered and did a face mask

Asakusa bound!! Time to visit the sensoji temple

Asakusa is like a old vibey traditional area with yummy food and small shops

Shopping row between the first gate and the actual temple

Bought my first souvenir—scarf with Japanese cherry blossoms

Mom bought an orange handbag

Just trying to get good juju

Trying to get good juju pt 2

School kids

Lead the way!! Except he couldn’t find it bc it was underground and u had to read the signs on the buildings (guess who found it? Yes it was me 💁🏻‍♀️) this place was another place where u ordered thru a machine. You had to prepay then press the buttons of which menu item u wanted as it printed mini tickets that u then hand over to the hostess

UGH THE RAMEN WAS DELICIOUS!! The noodles were the perf texture and the broth man. The brothhhhh 🤤

⭐️6/5

We were so full and chilled outside on these bleacher type benches overlooking the river.

Time for more shopping! Harajuku district. Supposedly the place for young trendy fashion

I still couldn’t find anything!! I don’t think I can pull off Japanese fashion

I got a strawberry custard crepe ⭐️2/5

Choo got another weird strawberry drink ⭐️1/5

We were pooped so we headed home to rest up before we enjoyed some Tokyo night life

Nap time!! My fav!

Choo took us to an owl cafe and oh man was it weird. But first we stopped by this iconic boba place

Okay first. I want to say that these owls are scary as heck. They stare deep into your soul and turn heads so quickly when you’re talking about them

Whaddup

Bruh

🥴

I finally did it after 10 min of attempts and hesitation

Can u see the fear bc the owls def sensed it

Bruh where u tryna go

But of course my weirdo dad bonded with all the owls. He’d go “ow-oh” as like some weird mating call/trust call

Oh!! Also this one owl kept trying to fly out the window. It was terrifying (also we couldn’t film in there but ofc Choo did)

We ventured off to find street food and a bunch of people were eating this

It kinda tasted like banh xeo. Each ball had octopus inside! Yum \240⭐️4/5

Mom bought some wagyu kabob and boy was it salty

Choo had to try McDonald’s before we left so he ordered a salty lemon chicken sandwich. He said it was super lemony and salty 🙄 but the chicken was like dark meat instead of white which he liked

Dad went home and bought his fav fish from the supermarket

Jk after our hour long subway commute to the airport we got food - all of us had udon besides Choo. He wanted ramen

Okay deuces!! I’m watching this means war

Okay we landed and boy is it H O T with a side of 100% humidity 🥵 our driver picked us up and I got to experience for the first time people driving not inside the lanes! I need to remember to capture this

Our villa is beautiful!!! Villa tour coming soon when there’s some sun out

Homemade local indo-Chinese right by our place. Pretty solid first meal but dad wanted fish so we’re going to seafood market tomorrow

Choo and I are dead tired from traveling today but somehow the parents seem like they still have energy. We will be better tomorrow!! I took a shower in my outside bathroom which was actually really nice

Okay see ya I sleep now. It’s 9:34pm. Let’s see if I can make it to 10pm.

People are so funny and friendly here. So our cab driver was talking to us and asked how many kids mom and dad had. They said only 2. Then he’s like I got 10. And we’re all like what!! he’s not even old!! But he’s like haha 10 dogs!! Lol he’s also got jokes

We had breakfast at some place with amazing fans and fast WiFi. I got a banana and honey crepe and hash browns w ham and onions inside with sunny side eggs on top. Perfect breakfast to me!!!

These buttery envelopes of glazed bananas

Kuta beach wasn’t crowded at all. Everyone comes here to surf because it’s so cheap to learn. We got knocked down by the waves ooo wee.

*I meant we just had breakfast

We see these everywhere!! What is it!

Our fun driver from earlier said it’s a ceremony thing they put in front of stores and beach before every meal. For good luck and wave off bad spirits

Clearly I miss nimbus.

Heading back to have our own pool party then masseuses are coming by the villa to give us private massages AND YALL KNOW MY LOVE FOR MASSAGES

Come get her - Rae Sremmurd

Diff song..you’re gonna have to ask Choo for this title

Mr frat

IM ON A HIGH AFTER THAT MASSAGE and do u know how much an hour full body massage was?! 10 USD!!! I’ve had literally every part of my body rubbed down. Even my nose and cheek!! I’m moving here just so I can afford daily massages

OOTN

Yes I should’ve done my brows but I was lazy ok

We called our cab from earlier to take us to jimbaran for fresh seafood on the beach during sunset!

Update

So we got jipped by our cab driver! (the funny one). He took us some extravagant way and made our ride like 10x the price but whateves we made it to the beach and had a beautiful front row view to the sunset!! Man the sun sets so fast!

Oh yeah happy anniversary to the parents!!

Always gotta appreciate good lighting

Top plate: fried red snapper w fries

Main plate: prawns lobsters clams crabs red snapper squid

Bottoms up!!

She’s a sweet angel! Made us a traditional Indonesian breakfast!!

Our security guard + housekeeper/chef! Best people ever!!

We’re checking out and moving to Ubud!! Goodbye Seminyak and goodbye to this gorgeous villa!

Forgot to take my shower shot in this gorgeous shower set up

Ootd

After about an hour and a half ride up some windy narrow roads we made it to our hotel. Ubud has very earthy vibes

Room tour!

Off to Monkey Forest!

First monkey spotted!

Baby monkeys!!!!

There was some battle of the monkeys happening and I didn’t pull out my camera fast enough!! Lots of hissing(?) is that the right word

Excuse me just passing through

So u see that girl in the red dress? A monkey climbed on her and pulled off her earring! And poor girl was following the monkey around trying to get her earring back! It looked like real pearls or something

Why do animals make me nervous I used to love monkeys as a kid!!

It’s lit

Late lunch at this Indian restaurant. I couldn’t eat anything with gravy bc they used peanuts 😢 but what I ate was still delicious! We also had samosas and this rice cake thing for appetiZers! But I think everyone’s top dish was the lamb briyani

After lunch we went souvenir shopping in the center! I found a green sarang and yellow dress. It started to rain so we grabbed coffee while we waited for it to slow down

Twirlin in my new dress

Wayan name story- there are specific names for each kid up until kid 5 then it restarts, so since all first borns no matter what sex are named Wayan, it is a very popular name. Then you have a first name and nickname

Houses all have family temples inside. Each outside gate symbolizes a family and inside has a bunch of family homes behind the giant gate bc all the brides of sons move in with husbands family FOR LIFE.

First stop

Bali has so many picture spots set up!! They really know how to appeal to millennials and Chinese tourist groups

Mini fall before the big fall

Me when dad compares everything to Vietnam

Yellow fever?? Ew nvm I’m done captioning

I apologize for my annoying voice

To all my fans

We went to a house where people were doing these incredible wood carvings. The dude told me I can record them but that’s just awk. It was just a line of people carving and I didn’t want them to feel like zoo animals \240

This flower pot blooms two different colors!

Onto Tegalalang Rice Terrace! Absolutely breathtaking!! Hate to admit this but this is instagram gold right here

I made a friend!! Probably named Wayan

True dat

When it’s too pretty that it looks like a green screen

Shoutout to Wayan for making me do a bunch of walking shots to get these photos

Incredible swing or more like giant slingshot! There was also ziplining and biking in the air between two cables!!

Now we’re all starving (mainly parents bc they’re always so hungry) and it’s time for lunch!! We sat right along the edge of the forest in these comfy bean bag chairs and had traditional Balinese cuisine!

Waran picking oranges for us to try

Coffee bean plant!

Food tour 🤤

Next we went to a Luwak coffee plantation where they make coffee from this animals poop and it’s only made here in Bali! It’s incredible. They start off by feeding the animals specific red berries

Then nom nom and poop

Hehe got it on film enjoy

After they clean it and dry it

Peel off the shell

Roast it

I mean I don’t know much about coffee but it was v bitter bc parents didn’t want to add any sugar. But this was a cool experience to see

Sweetest pup. After Choo found his tickle spot it was like he imprinted on Choo

Last stop!! Tirta Empul Temple

My dude Wayan!!

Our 1 hr trek to Sanur Port begins now. A bunch of people are out bc it’s the time to go to the markets. Mumford and Sons is playing rn and that’s my cue to get off

We arrive at Sanur Port and there are TONS of tourists waiting. Once our boat was ready it was time to embark on our journey to penida island!!

After roughly 45 min-1 hr we found safety (watch vid above for context)

Madeh -2nd most popular name: seminyak security guards name, and now our main tour guides name

Boating to the two diff snorkeling spots gave us unreal views of the mountains and ledges and cliffs??? I don’t even know what they’re called it literally looks like Ireland. It’s absolutely incredible and nature is so beautiful wow

Such a frat dad I don’t understand

Update:

Snorkeled in 4 spots- crystal bay, manta bay, and 2 others I forgot but the fish were chill. I saw lots of angel fish, these cool small blue neon fish, sword fish, some fish that looked like a sword fish that stopped and we had a stare off then it came at us and we flipped out, yellow fish, rainbow fish. This one couple kept feeding the fish crossaints and bananas?? But the guys on the boat were hilarious!! They love goofing around and i think that’s just how all Balinese people are. They’re also obsessed with where you’re from. Or at least where I’m from and they’re never satisfied with me just saying United States. Gotta say I’m Vietnamese except no one ever guesses that! It’s always Thai or Filipino. we got Korean today which was um ok way off.

I can’t say which surroundings were prettier. This one or Virgin Islands. I LOVE MOTHER NATURE WOW. I feel like I need to go pick up some trash off the beach now or something

Next up was lunch. Lunch was delicious. First meal dad actually liked besides the Indian food. About time.

Sweet and spicy chicken, some pot roasted beef, prawn crackers always, Balinese version of a hush puppy, veggies and egg (kinda like Vietnamese style with mein) over rice - oh yeah they also gave us this cabbage veggie soup for appetizers and pineapple and watermelon for dessert

On the way to Atuh and Diamond Beach. it’s super narrow windy roads going up and down mountain hills. There’s something about seeing all the greenery against the coastal water that i love.

I also really want to ride a motor bike. So badly but my parents would kill me. Maybe when I go off on my own hehe. We also had 2 near death experiences by being like 1 inch from crashing into another car turning the corner while our car is on the edge of a cliff. Gotta love these exhilarating moments right. Can’t say the rest of the fam share my feelings towards bumpy windy roads and death flashes but hey we’re still alive and MAMA WE MADE IT

Atuh beach on the left, diamond beach on the right

Dude why does my arm look 7 ft long like can someone photoshop it shorter for me thx in advance

HOW IS THIS REAL

Looked it up: stairs were finished in nov 2018 so this part was untouchable!!!

I

LOVE

DIAMOND BEACH

!!!!!!!

Oh god if only I could choose the thumbnail for videos I legit look like a thumb

Brutal but good for the glutes and calves. Glutes and calves glutes and calves 😰

We nearly all fell to the floor once we got to the top. Even marteh and he does this every day!!

Next up or (down should i say😩): Atuh beach!

Rest stop bc I’m weak now someone pass the inhaler

Don’t report me pls

Choo + rocks = ❤️

AND ITS TIME TO GO BACK UP 😩

Last stop is tree house!! But we were wiPED OUT and then guess where it was...AT THE BOTTOM. WITH MORE LOVELY STAIRS 😭👍🏼 it’s ok I’m fine the views the glutes the calves the views the glutes the calves

English is hard. Apparently I only know the words incredible beautiful and breathtaking

Mateh’s really out here breaking his back taking pics for us

You know what I’m thinking? HOW IS THIS REAL

Hey whaddup welcome to my crib

Bye bye beautiful beaches!

Driving to our bungalow for the night

Quick shower so we can grab dinner at the warung down the street. Spicy and delicious 😋 and no I did not get the spaghetti that was Choo

Ah sísísí I’m finished!!!! This took over an hour and I AM SIGNING OFF. Bless daily bloggers and vloggers I’m not made for this lifestyle \240

On the road again! As medeh likes to say it “broken road to broken beach!!”

Okay there’s so many different ways I spelled Madé in the previous post. Even right there ”Medeh” lol...okay the correct way is Made but I’m just adding the é for eh

Anyways it was like 30 min of bump bump bump rock rock rock. Mom Choo and I were just bouncing off each other but we finally arrived to Angels Billabong

We snorkeled over there yesterday!!

I could watch waves move in and out all day

Me: hey mom fake laugh with me all the girls on insta do it with their friends

We walked just along the cliff and within minutes we see Broken Beach!

More good luck prayer offerings! They’re so beautiful!!

Lol

Hook em

As we were leaving broken beach and passed Angels Billabong, it was only like 11am and it was already a much bigger crowd than when we started (there was only 2 other couples when we went). As we were driving out, lines of cars and motorbikes were driving to this destination

In fact, there was a traffic jam on our way out bc a “bad driver” (Madés words not mine) couldn’t turn the corner so our wonderful Madé came out and directed traffic like a 10/10 citizen

We couldn’t go around bc the roads are so narrow that cars have to take turns and share the road! Madé to the rescue!! He’s truly the greatest, more on him later

#views #carrides #trees #houses #hashtag

Kelinking beach here we come!!!

This was definitely the most crowded place we went to on this island (not including snorkeling)

Aka T-Rex/dinosaur island. Omg 2 of my boys would’ve loved to see this!!

Madé literally climbed up on a tree to take this

I said incredible again. My b

Classic back pic

Madé insisted on taking a bajillion pics with diff angles like there were probably over 100 pics from diff parts of the stairwell as he climbed outside(!!!) of the fences and onto tree trunks or on top of the fence. He’s insane but again, the best.

We chose not to go down bc we were hungry and didn’t have the stamina for the anticipated climb back up

They were roasting corn right outside the beach so we had to get some!! They brushed on butter and this spicy liquid (looked like fish sauce to me). Ugh so good I love corn!!!! 🌽🌽🌽🌽🌽🌽

We headed over to lunch where I had fresh OJ for like the 10th time and fried chicken with this spicy sauce on top! I’m really increasing my tolerance for spicy food on this trip y’all. Topped it off with fried bananas. No pics this time sorry

Next on our itinerary was Crystal Beach to swim but none of us wanted to swim today so he offered to take us to a waterfall. He said it was easier to go down than Kelingking beach. HA! Little did we know..

Anyways we drove on over and he drove past his house to pick up some gas. We saw his beautiful wife who was just chilling with her friend. We all smiled and waved hello! So cute

Look at the peaceful view. The umbrella really gives it a nice touch. it’s as if they’re inviting you to casually relax on that leaning stump

The beginning - Madé said it’s easy to get down! 10 min that’s all (ha)

Maybe 5 min in, we ditched the parents as they went back to the top. They were probably only 1/8 way down

Oh look I have to use some climbing skills when I cup those pockets in the rock. Lemme look cute and pose. See that smile?? That’s before I knew what was next

Choo has the right expression

Bruh 😨I really just put all my trust on some tied up tree branches to keep me from falling off the cliff

I even walked on top of them 🙂🙂

Now the next potato footage is on Made’s phone but I’m thankful he recorded parts! AGAIN HE IS SO THOUGHFUL AND HELPFUL! He constantly checked in on me and when he knew I was stuck or thinking of how the hell to get down, he would go in front and offer his hand. He also kept offering his shoes to me which I kept laughing at but I felt good with my chanclas

Me: how many more minutes? 2? 3?

Madé: hehe 5

Psh 5 minutes my ass!!! Lemme just add it was hot af and my body was drippin!!

Encouraging laughter and “wow” - really boosted up my courage

THE WATER IS SO NEAR I HAVE TO BE CLOSE

Last couple of steps!!!

You know when people are stranded and they finally see their helicopter rescue, this sign gave me that exact same feeling

The wimpiest but happiest exhausted yay I had in me ok

#pressplay

Hehe Madé and I both get excited with waves

Fresh spring water!! We filled up a whole water bottle and there was literally nothing floating in it. But if u don’t hear back from me, youll know why

Easily one of my greatest accomplishment!! I’ve never felt so proud of myself. Couldn’t have down it without them!!

A couple later joined us and they had the same relief as us!!

After we soaked in the beauty, we had to go back up 😩😩😩😩😩

Going up is definitely easier in trickiness but requires way more exertion and strength. I had to take several breaks. We also ran into a couple of travelers who decided to turn back around when we said they were only halfway. Once on top, there was a group debating and after I shared my experience and clips they decided my videos sufficed their checklist and did not go as well. They were trying to see the entire island in one day and apparently my parents said we were down there for over an hour!

It was time to head back to the port. We chilled at the port with mango popsicles under a hut and waited for our boat among maybe 30 other people. That boat ride was something else lemme tell u

We had some peaceful Balinese music going there and then they hit us with that old town road

Me: I want nap

The boat: let’s get lit!! Boom boom on some wavez

It was fun for like a min then not so much

Once we got off this boat, this homie forgets his phone!! (The homie is Choo 🙄) After parents freaking out, yelling at Choo and the poor workers to call the people on the boat to turn the boat around (they were trying to get to a ceremony) and after me verifying his location of his phone thru find my friends (you’re welcome), the yellow iPhone was returned

I was dead at this point. I just wanted a nice shower and a burger. IVE BEEN DYING FOR A BURGER AND THANKFULLY THERE WAS A BURGER ON the hotel menu. Sorry idk why that was all caps but I don’t want to go back and fix it lol. Anyways that dinner I went delirious, probably due to exhaustion. I was hysterically laughing but really crying on the inside. You know that feeling? I kept wanting my burger. My dad was like what?? Do u eat a burger every week?? And I thought that was so funny bc I really don’t even eat burgers that often. Choo was also selecting some pics off his phone to share with my dad thru fb messenger when he accidentally sends legit 18 photos of my dad and us to this random dude he was trying to buy a rug from 😂😂😂😂😂 I basically lost my mind at this point. The burger came. I devoured it. Choo even commented that this was the first time i finished before him. I deuced out. Brushed my teeth. And knocked tf out

Update: lol apparently I snored but it was a nice peaceful snore

V for Vietnam

We have arrived!! Dad is in his element and he’s obnoxious as hell but according to mom we are not allowed to say anything sarcastic

Hobo lookin self

First impression as we were driving to hotel: it’s super urbanized. There’s a bunch of shops and coffee shops and motorbikes

We dropped off luggage and met up with his 2 nieces for dinner. I went in for hugs but they kinda seemed uncomfortable with it 🤷🏻‍♀️

Bun bo hue & banh beo as our first meal.

Let’s just say this first night brought out 2 new personalities from my parents that might make these next 12 days something else

💆🏻‍♀️💆🏻‍♀️💆🏻‍♀️ Temple rubs. And thank GOD everyone is in separate rooms

Will I make it? Keep me in your prayers

We also stopped by a street market right by our place but I’m not allowed to take out my phone to record all of its glory bc I have to be reminded every 2 fucking seconds that people are going to snatch it from me

✌🏼

Ps the humidity is inSANE

Threw on my shopping shoes and headed over to the market to pick out my ao dai fabric! (to the noobs: ao dais are the traditional Vietnamese dresses u wear on New Years and weddings)

What was inside was terrifying and overwhelming. There’s probably 70+ stands all trying to get u to buy things. They grabbed choo while he just whacked their hands away (rude!) While my mom and I picked out our fabrics Choo comes back all proud that he negotiated this dry fit shirt from 380 to 200 then my dad laughs at him and shows him up by getting 3 nike shirts for 300 plus the stand had the exact same shirt Choo bought for 120 (these are all dong prices in thousands) so still very cheap!! 23,000 is roughly $1. Mom had zero bargaining skills and hella overpaid but said this is her ”charity”

The lady that basically finessed us took us to a tailor so I could get measured and finally have my first ao dai!

Time for 4Ps pizza!!!! On our cousin bonding trip Anhton was like Vietnam has the best pizza he’s ever eaten and we were like 😐

So here we are!! It was a great break from Asian food

Not bad for beer!! 100% better than the local bintang beer in Bali

The spicy sausage and broccoli pizza was definitely the favorite among the fam. Verdict: real tazty and fresh pizza. perfect crust. Could have been a bit more crispy on the bottom but overall very delicious! Is it the best I’ve ever had??? 🤔 I wouldn’t say that

Shopping time bc Saigon is poppin with boutique apartments and malls

Look at Choo with the first purchase! He got 2 hoodies and a pull over. Bro it’s not going to be cold enough for a long long time. Also the humidity was draining me and a $1 frozen yogurt with Logan and lychee jelly brought me back to life

We went to these cool boutique apartments where all the going trendy teens shop! Just trying to keep up with the youth ok! I found this super cute midi dress that looks like it could be from reformation. And it was only like $24!!!!

Each shop has their own vibe and aesthetic. It’s so cool. We then headed over to the most popular apartment block of shops and cafe

No luck here and we went to 7 floors!!

#views

We went inside one last huge mall

There was another one of those bargaining markets right across from the mall so we went in. It has all the fake name brands u could think of. Even the hype beast streetwear brands like off white and balenciaga! Choo was stuck on this one supreme north face windbreaker but it was 2 mil dong! I want a Chloe fannypack but couldn’t find any. Its all about the Gucci and LV

Sticky and dehydrated, we walked home to rest up before dindin

15k for a banh mi!! That’s less than $1. And it was 😋😋😋😋😋

This fried banana was super flavorful and sweet too. Yummy!!

Choo and I stopped by the street food market right around the corner from our hotel to buy a snack

Bun thit nuong cha gio!! (Vermicelli noodles with bbq pork and fried spring rolls)🤤🤤🤤

So for dindin my dad heard about this street and wanted to check it out

Basixally I’m in constant cockblock mode bc girls want Choo for dat greeeeeen card

I promise u it was so loud from raging edm in some clubs but I was just too consumed by all of it to capture

Classic 6th st snake dude

It was time to leave this area bc 1. Couldn’t hear 2. Mom can’t breathe 3. Choo can’t with crowds 4. It was mainly a place to socialize and drink

Soy!!!

Choo wanted me to tell y’all that this dudes haircut is sumthin else

We ended up going back to Ben Thanh food market and grabbed a bunch of whatever

Communist throws up banners saying we saved y’all 44 years ago on April 30, 1975! Apparently it’s a huge celebration since everyone’s mixed in with each other now idk. Also ho chi minhs face is everywhere. He looks chill but no thx. They didn’t even bury his body it’s just in some glass container for people to see

Rando “turtle” pond

Moody boy in moody cafe

Guess the flavor hint not mango or pineapple

Bun rieu! Tbh moms is better

Bo luc lac (⭐️ didn’t try lol) and banh beo (⭐️4/5)

Banh Khot ⭐️5/5

Thanks ma for the fresh new nails! I miss the orange nails but hello red! Idk how long I’ll keep this it’s not growing on me quite yet

Went back and took a nap. Then went to go pick up my ao dais & I swear dad would’ve proudly cried if I stayed in it and walked around. It fits perfectly!!

I was in a mood when we went to dinner

Choo: what’s wrong with u

Me: I’m tired

(stonefaced and silence the entire time)

Choo: so...... you’re just tired?

Me: Do u really want to know!!! I’m cramping ok!!!

Choo: my b

Me: 🙂

Waitress also said I looked intimidating and then she asks my mom if it’s true that Americans aren’t friendly and if husbands and wives actually go to jail if they beat eachother

Finally some vegz

Choos fave

Parents did him wrong!! Sorry kid

Stopped by Ben Thanh for some banh cuon

My kinda last meal!!! The banh part is so soft and they make it fresh right in front of you omg ⭐️5/5

We enjoyed some live music while I ate. They were pretty good, just singing some classic hits

Btw my smoothie flavor was passionfruit

Choo is always wearing a UT shirt right? So when he sat down, the white man next to him pointed to his shirt and said TEXAS in an Asian accent

Choo: ya I go to school there

Man:: OH!!!! TCU (points to self)

C: ah cool yeah I’m actually from Houston tho

Mans wife: oh really what part

C: dirty cyp (ok fine he didn’t say the dirty part)

Wife: wait what high school

C: cyfalls (throws up hand gang signs) (also jk)

Wife: no way cy fair!!!

Everyone: woahhh small world

This feels like college all over again! Meeting more cypress people everywhere else than in cypress itself

Hotel room view

Our cab driver wanted to take us to eat bun cha at the famous place that Obama and Anthony bourdain (rip!!!!) ate at in 2016

Press play for obama shrine

So u add the bun into the broth. The bun was super soft and the thit was super flavorful and still crispy. The crunchy thing was pretty good too but I’d like less filling ⭐️4/5

Opera house

Huge mango trees covering us as we walk along the sidewalk to this giant turtle pond when a giant mango literally falls from the sky and explodes right in front of us

Can you die from a mango falling on your head?? Lemme know bc it’s everyone vs choo (choo says yes but like mango is soft)

Fun fact: apparently the giant 100+ year old turtle that lived in this pond we’re going to died last year

This was Choos idea

He hated staying still and having people watch him it was hilarious

My turn and people would laugh. At one point it was just my mom recording with like 10 dudes staring and hovering around her like her personal body guards for a solid 10 minutes

We were hella nervous to see

We sat there for like an hour!!!! He got our hair pretty spot on! And I think my eyes and brows too

Hotel street

Banh cuon right across hotel ⭐️5/5

Mom: wow we missed mass!

Choo me dad: ooo bummer 🙃

Dads fav

Mine not so much. Super dilly and tumericy

Banh Bao with 2 quail eggs!!

Che that dad and Choo liked

Che that mom and I liked

They closed off this section from cars and scooters where there’s a bunch of shops and tents and food booths. A concert was poppin too

Choo found a cool matching set for him and his BFF. Sorry friends I’m being picky about y’alls souveniers!!

Nimbus!!!

Puffs with ice cream inside! The mango one was ⭐️5/5!!!

Dude my street crossing skills are so great now u just put out your hand and take a leap of faith on timing. It’s actually insane how much lack of order there is on the streets. It’s basically frogger on steroids with 4 way intersections being a battle between pedestrians motor bikes and taxis it’s so fun who knew walking can be a challenge

7:30 pickup for Ha Long Bay! hotel breakfast was eh but they had some bomb baby egg rolls

3 hr car ride in a private luxury van with reclining seats??? OK i can get use to this!

Guess who we see at the port!! TCU!! And our Bali airport friends. And we saw Virginia boys last night from Saigon. Who knew Vietnam can feel so small

Once we boarded our beautiful ship (thx Anhton for the rec) they served us lunch

My fav dish surprisingly!!

Classic Asian dude with umbrella he literally used it everywhere we walked even after we got off the boat during sunset

Ditching me for his own kayak

“Candid”

Lovin’ life atm

Really enjoying myself can u tell?? Look how relaxed my shoulders are

Pro vs amateur

Time to go home but we’re taking the new expressway so it’s only 2 hours

Hehe I got another burger to satisfy my constant unexplainable craving for a subpar burger

The fam got Popeyes and kfc for a comparison. I liked kfc more (it was actually crispy unlike in the states!!) and Choo stuck with the always dependable Popeyes!

Choo randomly got this egg tart from kfc but it ended up being so good and buttery and layered!! Better than 85 degrees bakery!!! Almost as good as the Portuguese ones we had in Montreal last year

Watch one car or person and see how insane it is so cross! That’s basically my life here. The reason mom says she aged like 10 years

Recap: Halong Bay is gorgeous! It was suppose to be thunderstorms but it ended up being such a nice and even hot sunny day!! The guide said there’s like 2000 little islands which is insane.

⭐️1.5/5 not a fan,

⭐️3/5 - veggies - I love snow peas

Didn’t eat but mom said it was tasty and better than the other place. Probably her fav dish ⭐️5/5

⭐️1.5/5 not a fan

⭐️2/5 - chao - a bit too blended for my liking and super thick but it wasn’t terrible with the bread

Choos dish -said it was ⭐️3/5

Mein ga pho or whatever- moms dish ⭐️2/5

Dads steamed banana dessert that he liked

Gotta try Hanoi’s egg coffee!!

⭐️4/5! It had just the right amount of sweetness that I like

Wandering around and decided to have a banh mi contest btwn 2 popular places

Banh mi 25 ⭐️3.8/5 - I thought the egg overpowered it. Choos winner tho $1

Banh mi Hoi An ⭐️5/5!!! Winner in my eyes! The bread was crispy and light, meat had so much flavor and it was only $1!!

Always gotta get the mangos ugh so good IM SPOILED HERE

We spent like 3 hours at the airport bc it was delayed but had bomb WiFi and so many open benches so u know I just layed out and watched a bunch of YouTube vids

We finally got to our hotel in da nang at like 1am. Dad knows the owner so we just walk in, he’s like Nhan, and the receptionist just whips out a separate folder with our keys in it and we walk up. Is this what royalty feels like. Thanks for the hookup ong!!

We just roll up and be like whaddup and our place is niiiiiice

Morning trip to Hoi An for some custom tailoring!! I got 2 tops and a dress. I’m so excited the fabric and neckline is so cute

Sneak peek of the fabrics on the chair

who knew dad was so into fashion? When I showed him the brown polka dots him and my mom were like oh!! Pretty woman!!! I guess I’m channeling a sophisticated classy prostitute 🤷🏻‍♀️

Boy takes foreverx1000 to pick out a design and color for a new suit and blazer. Tried to convince him to get a watermelon lining but he’s lame

Com ga!! UGH SO GOOD how can rice be so flavorful (it’s cooked in chicken broth and herbs)

These little guys are everywhere!!!

All the tailors kept thinking my mom is my sister! Keep lookin young ma

Classic Taylor with the classic rainbow sherbet

I love flowers ok

Left Hoi An and headed back to da nang bc Hoi An is pretty at night and we’ll go there tomorrow to go for our fitting anyways

SO MANY FRUITS

gotta get my mango daily fix 🤤🤤🤤 ⭐️10/5

The lady was so done with him and my dads bargaining lol she was fantastic

The beach is walking distance from our hotel!!

Dinner in this boujie area with like grand 5 story buildings. Basically galleria on steroids

Cá kho ⭐️5/5

Mom says 5 stars for freshness but 3 stars for flavor

Typical staple it tasted like it should

Bleh not a fan

⭐️5/5 the mam (sauce in the corner) really made it even better

We also got canh chua ⭐️3.7/5

Dad being an absolute savage - just grubbing on fish head nbd

We came across this giant festival kinda like a hoi cho where there’s a bunch of food games karaoking street artists and vendors

That’s like 20 cents!!

My mantra

Dude at one point they were playing some lit Punjabi music and this girl and Indian chef were really killin it. She had moves!!!!

There was an international cooking competition where it was the country’s local dish vs Vietnam’s version

Cutest pup

We in the clouds

I need a more thrilling rollercoaster fiesta Texas wya

Basically Vietnam’s Disney world without the rides

Since it was up in the clouds it felt so nice up here!! Like I could’ve worn a light jacket if I wanted. But at the bottom..HoLy...it was stupid hot

My kinda meal

YUMMY SKEWERS— I’ve been craving beef chunks not lame flat hamburger patties \240⭐️5/5

Banh cam!!

100x better than dole whip from Disney (even tho that’s my fav thing from disney)

Fresh mango ice cream ⭐️10/5

Of course mom has to stop by a bakery

“Capuchino”

Hands

Proof I went

We went back to Hoi An around 6ish for our fittings. Everything fit for me!! Everyone else has to get their stuff tomorrow

I finally got a cute canvas bag at one of the shops. We also grabbed dinner along the river. There’s just rows and rows of tables and u can order whichever street food u want

It’s so hard to capture its beauty at night!! There’s lanterns everywhere and lively music

Yesterday’s com ga was better

Oh yeah!!!! Some lady nearly killed me but I noticed right away

I saw mango right?? U know I have to buy it. Basically that’s the way to lure me. \240So I took a bite and immediately was like tf there’s nuts in here. Mouth frozen and open . Literally had the bite still full intact and asked what’s in here bc my dads like oh I love these. He’s like oh usually dau phong..he goes on and i spit out everything right over the bridge into the stream that is in front of apparently the original bridge made like decades ago. Dad has a pic I need to insert it. Anyways I survived and endured zero hives or irritation 👍🏼

FiNALLY some milk tea!!

Mom wanted a boat experience

hope my wish comes true!! It definitely wooshed away real quick unlike Choos where it just stayed next to us

Boats

64 cents banh mi breakfast right outside the hotel! Yes yes yes it had a fried egg, ruoc, some peppered cha, and a slice of thit nuong with butter mayo, chili paste, and pate 👌🏽

Today’s a beach day!!

But the boys went to pick up their tailored clothes so I finaaallly enjoyed a lazy morning in bed 🥰

2pm rolled outta bed and walked to the beach.

Pit stop! Well actually he stopped bc he was just riding around with a speaker saying banh bao banh bao!!!

Squad

My kinda relaxation!! All the Asians are scared of the sun so this is the perf time to come out to the beach. The owner of the hotel aka dads friend says he goes to the beach at 4am to avoid the sun!! Before 10am and after 5pm is when the beach is the busiest

The water was warm but felt so refreshing after that walk.

Jobros new album came out! Every single time is such a beach bop!! My fav song off the album rn

The sand. Is so. Freaking. Soft. I can’t handle. I’ve said it and I’ll say it again—my favorite thing ever is to lay under a beach umbrella, playing with soft sand, napping/listening to music with a nice breeze of wind

Under this umbrella I would have never guessed it’s 92 degrees esp when the weather app says it feels like 104 🙂

5:30pm

Break from Viet food!! I liked the Bali Indian food better. My fav was probs the butter chicken

Near the end of dinner I went hysterical again like my stomach actually hurt so much i couldnt breathe after “supreme pizza bell pepper” except Choo joined in on my hysteria and I think at this point we all need a month break from one another!! we’re actually going insane

That deuces was for u Lindsey—You know the one. And the last one was me attempting to walk down the stairs........u win some u lose some 🤷🏻‍♀️

3. I’m finally on the damn plane (6 beautiful hrs later) and now I have a kid kicking and using my seat as a drum set..fantastic!!!

4. Once we land in cam ranh/ nha Trang airport, we have a 2.5 hour car ride to dads home to meet his immediate fam. I’m really going to need to use that car ride to turn my mood around bc ya know I gotta impress the gramps and not embarrass the father 🙂🙂🙂

I’ll update later

Update (literally not even 2 min later): this kid....

He either passed out or decided to be a respectable child bc the rest of the plane ride was great. I passed out too so that helped.

We landed an hour later and oh look another travel vehicle. This time a 16 passenger one bc we had a whole entourage welcome us to cam ranh!

This car ride was looooong. Felt like forever. I tried to sleep. Played some cooking dash and two dots. Was offered this plastic pulley food thing. At first my cousin handed it to me and I didn’t know what to do with it. It legit looked like a glossy white sheet of dried up paint. Then he demonstrated and pulled it apart and ate it (language barrier) ah ok. I didn’t really like it but everyone else was eating it so I just chewed and chewed

Once we finally got to ong noi’s house it was time to greet. Except there were 2 old dudes and the first one I knew wasn’t the gramps but the 2nd one idk and said chao ong noi except it wasn’t him either!! Then we walked down this alley to ong noi’s house and my dads like ba!!!! There he comes walking down and I was expecting a dad replica bc that’s what mom said. He didn’t really look like dad but I could see a slight resemblance. I tried to go for a hug but it was more of like an elbow rub shake type delio?? I’m always the guinea pig. Choos interaction was better. Actually choos a lot better with them he just eats and they all offer him food and laugh while I’m over here slightly awk and near the end of dinner went in my silent laughing fit where they 100% noticed and stared...

so anyways before we ate, we went upstairs to say hello to ba noi’s picture and light up some matches and bowed 3 times. We did the same for his step mom too who just passed away 6 months ago. dinner consisted of dads sister, 2 brothers, a brothers wife aka the chef, ong noi, and some cousins. Oh yeah and the ong from San Diego but he sat on the bench behind us which was kinda weird but whatever. It was like 10pm at this point. Food was good, dad talked nonstop here and in the car like legit the entire 2.5 hours with no pause longer than 3 seconds (choo counted). my fav part is when the parents talked about us and for us in front of us. Dad singled me out (love it) and forced his dad to quiz me on my Viet (fantastic I love attention) and wanted me to ask him questions about his life (knowing damn well i can’t speak Viet) while everyone is staring at me (perfect!!!) at this point I resort to constantly nibbling on things so I look busy. Also having a permanent soft smile on my face. It’s cool to meet dads fam tho. I just like observing. Also ong noi has huge plant energy (Choos words not mine)

Oh yeah lol look what happened to our luggage. Picking this off the luggage carriage received multiple stares and chuckles

Afterwards I finally got to ride on a motorbike! One of the chus took us home it was so fun

Possibly the worst pic ever but I was just tryna snap a pic for the blog. It felt super nice today! Windy and not humid at all!

I drove up to the dunes but then my dude was like do u want me to take u very fast (in Viet ofc) and I was like yeee

Dude it was so fun! The little boy came with me and I couldn’t tell if he was scared but I made mom ask him later and he said he had a lot of fun after he got over his initial fear. Like at the beginning my heart dropped a couple times bc he would just go straight down the moundl super fast and then do sharp turns!! I love adrenaline this is my kinda stuff except I wish I had the confidence to drive down head on. I bet the kids would love six flags

One of my other fav things to do—lay in hammocks

Drove down to this secluded beach

After our morning excursions and com thit nuong lunch, we headed home to shower and rest before going to hang out with ong noi

Ong noi

Some of his plants

His grandkids (the blue kid is legit Anthony’s personality twin)

His balcony view

The other side of his balcony

We ended up having dinner up there instead of on the downstairs porch like last night. It felt so cool up there. Chao was yummy and so was this cha ca and rotisserie chicken dish. Same people from last night. Same constant offerings of food and pushing food towards us. Me just taking everything or saying da khong. Then my cousins invited Choo and I to go get some coffee with their friends and Anthony look alike

More scooter excursions I love it!

We went to this cute little beach area where there was a playground for kids and wooden swings and giant picnic benches. I got cafe sua da and we just chilled for like an hour. We didn’t really talk bc of the language barrier but we tried here and there with broken English/Viet and google translate. But it was mainly choo and I talking or me just listening to them talking about us and convincing each other to ask us questions in English. They finally were like street food?? And I’m like yeah di!! It’s funny bc I try to say things in Viet and they try to say it in English so they’re like let’s go and thank u and I’m always like cam on and da

Oh yeah dads fam is obsessed with talking about how tall we are. Mainly choo they’re very intrigued by him

Cuzins - the dude troung reminds us so much of Duc

They took us to this hoi cho and bought us rounds of games! It was a nice ice icebreaker. Lemme just say I was killin it and won us a bunch of drinks in this shooting game and the darts one too

They bought us a Vietnamese pizza thing to try and it wasn’t bad. It was basically like a fried up banh trang with ruoc mayo some chili green onions and an egg possibly

We came back to ong noi’s house but when I got there, dads other brother was just chilling on the driveway and grabbed my hand and had me sit outside with him. He’s super affectionate and kept rubbing my face 🙂 while im attempting to converse about life and answering his questions of when I’m coming back/leaving with the help of Kim. Then he starts crying all while holding my hand.. Then dad finds me and pulls me away bc it’s time to go home which was a weird encounter but I just go with whatever 🤷🏻‍♀️

Baby me at chu nhans house!! throwin that back up

He’s such a cutie!!!!!!!!

I took a sweet ol nap and finally watched always be my maybe (super cute and funny) back at the villa

Dinner at ong noi’s house again. Then they bought a huge cake too to celebrate ongs birthday even tho it’s in November lol. It was mainly bc we were here probably

then troung and Kim took us to get ice cream and hoi cho again. They brought their friends that liked Choo I think bc they kept asking which one he likes more lol

We won a bunch of snacks and drinks again. There was also this girl that we saw yesterday who we thought they were friends with but choo and I came to the conclusion that she’s just some leech that likes to take people’s turns or split their game with them?? Like the booth people kept shooing her away it was so strange

Scootering around at night side by side like we are some pack. So fun. Especially bc the streets are mainly empty. it’s decided I’m joining a motorbike gang

Beef ⭐️6/5 (my fav)

Seafood ⭐️2.5/5

Teriyaki chicken ⭐️3/5

Tandoori chicken ⭐️4/5

Bolognese ⭐️3.8/5 good flavor but a bit meaty for me