One of many beautiful sunsets we saw in Bucerias.  Thanks to our friend Lorraine for capturing this photo without us knowing it. This trip started, as most of our trips do, with a last-minute decision to go somewhere.  We contacted Paulina at the Bungalows Arroyo where we have stayed in the past.  We were so happy when she told us they had an opening from January 24 to February 24.  We didn’t hesitate and booked it.  But this trip had a rocky start. After we booked the airfare and accommodations, Corp got bit by a brown recluse spider at Texas Roadhouse in our home town and the bite turned into an abscess with a MSER-resistant staph infection.  The week leading up to departure included two minor procedures to remove the abscess.  We arrived in Puerto Vallarta on January 19.  During our first week, Corp was still taking antibiotics and tending to the wound—cleaning and packing it daily. No ocean, swimming pools, or hot tubs.  Corp wasn't happy...

  Corp in front of Independence Palace. December 15 – Hello, Saigon We flew to Saigon (also referred to as  Ho Chi Minh City),  and what should have been a quick, easy one-hour flight turned into a test of patience. Two separate delays stretched the day, and to make matters worse, a group of very rude men from India cut into the boarding line with their family of 20+ people. After enough was enough, we teamed up with two Russian couples in front of us and collectively shouted a firm “NO!” when yet another attempt was made by a different man from India trying to budge to the front of the line of 300+ people. Not the smoothest travel day, but sometimes international teamwork saves the day. We stayed in District 1, which is the busy, energetic downtown of Saigon.  It mixes luxury hotels and high-end shopping with street food, markets, historic sites, and chaotic traffic. We found it lively, dense, and constantly in motion. December 16 – Sightseeing & Scraped...