Mission Cup and Bike Trip

Last weekend the Consulate Tiger Team won our long-standing annual soccer match against the Hanoi Embassy Dragon Team. We've been training for this "Mission Cup" game for months, so it was great to have all that hard work pay off. Tensions were running high and the game itself was pretty rough. Monsoon season here also predictably delivered a rip-snorting thunderstorm, which added to the fun. I played a fair amount of the game and even scored a header on a corner kick, though it was not counted due to a penalty. Pictures from the game are on the team's website: https://sites.google.com/site/tigerteamhcmc/Articles/win2-0may28againstdragonteam-hanoitigerteamhasdefendedtheirannualtrophy/triumph-s-photos-of-tigerteam

Nikki came out and cheered along with a big group of supporters, and we all enjoyed a fun party celebrating the win afterwards with food, drinks, and singing (of course, I sang the two Vietnamese songs I know – will have to memorize a few more!). The fun didn't stop there though, as my buddy David and I headed to the local Spanish bar later that night (at 1:45AM) to watch Barcelona beat Manchester United.

Tired and happy, the next day Nikki and I hopped on an airplane to Dalat, which is an old mountain hill-station oft-visited by Saigonese escaping the muggy heat of the Saigon-Mekong river delta. The town has a very interesting French-colonial vibe and we enjoyed the architecture, food, and cool weather. Our hotel, the Ana Mandara, was built on an old French estate and maintained the sense of yore with antique cars, telephones, bathtubs, and buildings.

We rose early the next morning, and after a delicious breakfast of pho and croissants, headed out with a tour operator called Phat Tire to ride bicycles from the mountains down to the coast at Phan Thiet – a total of about 70 km. The scenery was incredible – pine forests, coffee plantations, ethnic minority villages, dragon fruit farms, and rice fields. Of course we saw every kind of cute farm animal you can imagine – pigs, goats, cows, etc. After the long ride, we treated ourselves to some relaxation in the beach town of Mui Ne, where we sat by the beach/pool, got massages, and read our books. I rented a windsurfer and was promptly blown several miles down the beach, but still had a blast.

We had planned to take the train back from Mui Ne to Ho Chi Minh City, but discovered upon arrival at the train station that the tickets were sold out. However, no worries! This is Vietnam, and with some good 'ole begging and pleading, we were able to secure one and a half seats on the train, usually reserved for employees. What is a half seat? Well, it happens to be a small plastic chair sitting in the aisle. Perfectly acceptable for the 5 hour trip back to Saigon Station through plantations of dragon fruit, manioc, and rubber trees. Ahh Vietnam, the adventure continues!