After the first day in Vietnam I began to adjust to the humidity. The air didn't seem as heavy, and I could almost breathe. Vinh's dad decided to take us to Bien Hoa, a city not too far from HCMC, to visit some relatives. After dining on an eel soup that fed all ten of us- and over 400,000 Dong later (less than twenty-five bucks including beer and appetizers)- we headed over to visit a family friend at Bửu Long Park.
Bửu Long Park

As we all piled out of the car a short man approached us. He wanted to be our personal photographer during our visit to Bửu Long. Being we all had our own cameras, at first we respectfully declined. We then declined with forceful tonality, as apparently 'no' was not in the man's vocabulary. He continued to stalk us until we hopped on one of the wooden motor boats for a tour through the lake.
As it usually did in the afternoon, the clouds rolled in. We saw a groom running with his bride in the distance (one of the ten couples I must have seen getting married in the two weeks I was there... I suppose weddings are more of a public event). Despite the rain the lake was still beautiful. The hidden dragon made a very obvious appearance, and I wondered what inspired somebody to work a dragon in to a cliff in such a way.
Zoo and Dino Park

Bửu Long Park no doubt instills peace in to the visitor- even the air seems lighter. The hustle and bustle of the city surrounding the park vanquishes and- despite the occasional stalking photographer- you can take a minute to breathe. As we said goodbye to the friend, we packed ourselves back in our car and cautiously merged in to the swarms of swerving motorists. It was hard to believe that such chaos existed around a place filled with peace and tranquility.
Have you ever encountered a wild monkey?
Where do you go when you need some peace and quiet?