Today was our free day and it was also our last full day. Kourtney and I went on awesome adventures around the city. First Bao and his girlfriend took us jade shopping outside of the city. Kourtney and I got to ride on scooters. It was an experience I will never forget. It felt safer on the bike than it does in a car. When we arrived to the jewelry store everything was on the ground in red plastic boxes. I didn’t think some of it would be real. We were probably there for at least 45 min trying on different bracelets and shuffling through all the gems. I was able to get a lot of jewelry because Bao’s girlfriends father is a jeweler and knows the jade shop so we got a discount. After jade shopping we went to the Bitexco Financial Tower. Yet again we rode scooters, so much fun! Bao used to work at the Bitexco and he was kind enough to show us around his office and we got a great view of the city. Afterwards Kourtney and I rode our last scooter ride to the Notre Dame Cathedral. We ate lunch at a French restaurant which was delicious. We also got green tea ice cream, my fave! We then toured the Independence Palace which was a lot bigger than we expected. Then we went to the War Remnants Museum. The museum was very eye opening. I learned a lot. To be honest it became uncomfortable, but I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything. They are memories I will always have with me. Following our adventurous day, as a group we all went to Pham Ngu Lao the backpacking street. It was a fun experience. Miranda, Catherine, Bella and myself stayed out later and were able to sit at a bar/restaurant and experience the culture of the street and meet backpackers from a few different countries. It was a lot of fun. Today has been my favorite day by far. I got to explore more of the city and experience the culture.