This weekend I was in a different world, perhaps one you could have seen on the Discovery Channel.\u00a0 Our last project in Environmental Science was a presentation on the \u201cCloudy Forest,\u201d commonly know as the Ta Kou Nature Reserve, located in Binh Thuan province about 120km outside of Ho Chi Minh.\u00a0 Our \u2018team,\u2019 made up of 4 girls, one professor, and two quirky park rangers, spent two days and two nights hiking, laughing, searching for langurs and night animals, as well as identifying the park\u2019s dense biodiversity of flora and other fauna.<\/p>\n
To many people in the surrounding provinces, Ta Kou is nothing more than a tourist destination.\u00a0 In 2003 the Binh Thuan tourism company installed a cable car that has since carried 200,000 people annually up the mountain to view the longest laying Buddha in Southeast Asia.\u00a0 In reality, the park is much more.\u00a0 It is a gem of biodiversity that has been greatly affected by the overexploitation of its forest resources.\u00a0 Many trees have been unsustainably logged or tapped for their valuable resin, plants have been rapidly rooted for their medicinal purposes, and animals have been poached for food and medicinal purposes as well.\u00a0 Despite its small area of 11,000 hectares, the park is home to over 450 animal species (94 being birds) and over 1,000 vascular plant species.\u00a0 Many species in the park are still undiscovered. Lack of education surrounding the park as well as funding for preservation put the park at great risk.\u00a0 Many plants and animals are currently endangered.<\/p>\n
Although there are many environmental concerns to think about at Ta Kou, I still felt a high being a top the mountain.\u00a0 On the first full day, our team woke up at 6 am to climb boulders and sit beneath a fig tree, viewing langurs through binoculars from afar. We were lucky enough to catch a few feeding, playing, and jumping from tree to tree.\u00a0 We also hiked two peaks and shared great meals together.\u00a0 The land below was covered with dragon fruit farms.\u00a0 At night the fields were lit with light bulbs to increase plant growth.\u00a0 The twinkling lights were captivating, and I could have sat outside for hours. I could not have imagined a better weekend in Vietnam.\u00a0 I saw many things I never pictured would be viewed in my lifetime.\u00a0 My favorite find was triangular spider with a yellow back!<\/p>\n
With only two weeks left in Vietnam, I cannot help but feel sentimental.\u00a0 Every other day I look at old photos and realize how much fun I have had.\u00a0 I only hope I was able to convey some of the excitement of my travels through this blog.\u00a0 I realize now that Vietnam was a good choice for my study abroad experience.\u00a0 Here you have everything from political controversy to environmental debates to globalization to traditional Vietnamese customs to rich landscapes.\u00a0\u00a0 I know now that I would do it all again if I could.<\/p>\n
This may very well be my last post from the guesthouse in Ho Chi Minh City.\u00a0 I will spend my last week visiting Oanh\u2019s hometown, celebrating my 21st<\/sup> birthday, writing final papers, buying last minute Christmas gifts, and saying my farewells to many new friends (and I probably will eat all of my favorite dishes and baked goods too).\u00a0 Then on December 10th<\/sup> I will travel to Bangkok with Kate and Ariana.\u00a0 We will spend five days in Thailand.\u00a0\u00a0 Expect a long post with copious photos from that trip! \u00a0I can hardly wait to eat curry for five days, my favorite!<\/p>\n **Due to slow internet connection I couldn’t upload photos from the Mountain–> check them out on the Flikr stream in the bottom right corner of the page)<\/p>\n Xin Chao for now,<\/p>\n Stephanie<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" This weekend I was in a different world, perhaps one you could have seen on the Discovery Channel.\u00a0 Our last project in Environmental Science was a presentation on the \u201cCloudy Forest,\u201d commonly know as the Ta Kou Nature Reserve, located in Binh Thuan province about 120km outside of Ho Chi Minh.\u00a0 Our \u2018team,\u2019 made up … <\/p>\n