...and thank goodness. Regardless of how hectic this city is, it somehow feels like home to me. I think part of it is Tina's great family treating me as if I am their long lost son.
The other part is the amazing food. After travelling to Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia, I've concluded that Vietnam has hands-down the best cuisine in Southeast Asia. Laos food has grown on me, Cambodian food is interesting and Thai food is wonderful(and spicy), but none of them have the depth of Vietnamese food.
Oh and the coffee is the best in the world(especially when it comes from the rear-end of a civet).
On August 12th, we'll be back in California and although we've loved this trip, I think we are both ready to get back home. And Tina is ready to be relatively mosquito free.
I want to apologize to everyone who has been checking our page expecting more pictures. The internet in this region of the world has much worse upload rates than I expected. I think I will do one big food post to catch everyone up on what we've been eating. Then, I'll just post a link to our big album once I finish it.
8.10.2008
8.05.2008
Ping Pong Anyone?
By gosh, it's August! We have had such an amazing week! Where do I even start?
Let's just say that our Thailand experiences were everything we hoped they would be and more. After much debate, we decided to go to Railay beach after overcast weather in Phi Phi and found the most breathtaking beach ever (Phra Nang). Railay is an adorable place with cute little resorts and restaurants. It is best known for its fantastic rock climbing. It was so gorgeous it made me wish I could rock climb to the top and just jump into the water below. White, beautiful sand, cute monkeys that eat right out of your hands, and water colors that you've never seen before. We spent 3 days soaking up the sun and the sunsets. I cannot wait to go back!
After a 16 hour bus to Bangkok, we arrived there on my birthday! Can I just say that Bangkok just blows you away? It is a huge city filled with skyscrapers, trendy Thais, and all the comforts of home. We stayed in Siam Square, mega mall mania. These malls are 7-8 stories tall and a shopping fantasy: one level of beauty, one level of home furnishings, one level of electronics, levels and levels of stores, movie theaters and the best damn food courts imaginable. We spent all 4 days in Bangkok celebrating my birthday! Highlights: watching Batman twice- once in Imax and the second in this luxurious theater with reclining leather seats and just plain ridiculous fanciness. Shopping for hours on end, eating the best damn Thai food, and visiting the famous Wats. At Wat Pho, the famous school of Thai massage, we had the most incredible Thai massage ever. Like, when we come back to Bangkok, that's the first thing I would go get done; it was that fabulous. We had drinks at the top of the Banyan Tree Hotel- completely open air rooftop 61 floors up. We also went to the mother of all open markets and shopped til we dropped, and still only saw about 2/3 of it. This market sold everything from food to drinks to knock-offs to soccer kits to puppies.
And, yes, we watched the imfamous ping-pong show and let's just say ping-pongs are the tamest things used by the women. Not really a recommendation we'd make for future travelers ;) To top it all off, we went to a ladyboy show and it was sooooooooo much fun!!!!! I really want a ladyboy for my own, although I can't decide if I want trashy or classy. Vegas really needs to get in the game.
Overall, Thailand was SO great and I really want to make it a priority to come back. Some of the things we found the most charming: university students in their white shirt and black skirts/pants uniforms with binder clips to hold up their belts, Thai "we love the king"polo shirts that everyone seems to own (national t-shirts? so crazy!), and the national anthem sung by kids that's played before the start of a movie. If they ever add levels of apartments to the mega malls, I'm totally moving to Bangkok.
Today we had a "fun"time getting over the border to Cambodia (less of a dangerous ideal, more of a haggling hassle), but it is well worth it as Siem Riep is beautiful and so is our hotel. We'll be spending the next three days seeing the temples of Angkor. Hope everyone is having a great summer!
Let's just say that our Thailand experiences were everything we hoped they would be and more. After much debate, we decided to go to Railay beach after overcast weather in Phi Phi and found the most breathtaking beach ever (Phra Nang). Railay is an adorable place with cute little resorts and restaurants. It is best known for its fantastic rock climbing. It was so gorgeous it made me wish I could rock climb to the top and just jump into the water below. White, beautiful sand, cute monkeys that eat right out of your hands, and water colors that you've never seen before. We spent 3 days soaking up the sun and the sunsets. I cannot wait to go back!
After a 16 hour bus to Bangkok, we arrived there on my birthday! Can I just say that Bangkok just blows you away? It is a huge city filled with skyscrapers, trendy Thais, and all the comforts of home. We stayed in Siam Square, mega mall mania. These malls are 7-8 stories tall and a shopping fantasy: one level of beauty, one level of home furnishings, one level of electronics, levels and levels of stores, movie theaters and the best damn food courts imaginable. We spent all 4 days in Bangkok celebrating my birthday! Highlights: watching Batman twice- once in Imax and the second in this luxurious theater with reclining leather seats and just plain ridiculous fanciness. Shopping for hours on end, eating the best damn Thai food, and visiting the famous Wats. At Wat Pho, the famous school of Thai massage, we had the most incredible Thai massage ever. Like, when we come back to Bangkok, that's the first thing I would go get done; it was that fabulous. We had drinks at the top of the Banyan Tree Hotel- completely open air rooftop 61 floors up. We also went to the mother of all open markets and shopped til we dropped, and still only saw about 2/3 of it. This market sold everything from food to drinks to knock-offs to soccer kits to puppies.
And, yes, we watched the imfamous ping-pong show and let's just say ping-pongs are the tamest things used by the women. Not really a recommendation we'd make for future travelers ;) To top it all off, we went to a ladyboy show and it was sooooooooo much fun!!!!! I really want a ladyboy for my own, although I can't decide if I want trashy or classy. Vegas really needs to get in the game.
Overall, Thailand was SO great and I really want to make it a priority to come back. Some of the things we found the most charming: university students in their white shirt and black skirts/pants uniforms with binder clips to hold up their belts, Thai "we love the king"polo shirts that everyone seems to own (national t-shirts? so crazy!), and the national anthem sung by kids that's played before the start of a movie. If they ever add levels of apartments to the mega malls, I'm totally moving to Bangkok.
Today we had a "fun"time getting over the border to Cambodia (less of a dangerous ideal, more of a haggling hassle), but it is well worth it as Siem Riep is beautiful and so is our hotel. We'll be spending the next three days seeing the temples of Angkor. Hope everyone is having a great summer!
7.27.2008
Reports of Our Disappearance Only Slighty Exaggerated
Well, a little rumor was passed around that we went missing in Thailand. Apparently, even the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok was alerted. In a way, the reports were accurate, as we've taken up near permanent residence on a few beautiful islands for the past two weeks, with only a brief trip across the peninsula to interrupt our new careers as beach bums. We've also purposefully avoided almost everthing having to do with Thai culture and although I feel guilty, I'm really enjoying doing nothing. Other than that, we are completely safe.
We were on Ko Samui for about a week, with several excursions to neighboring islands, including the debaucherous Full Moon Party on Ko Phangan. As most of you know, I frequent Las Vegas quite often, but Sin City has nothing on this monthly(lunar) beach party. It is an all night dance marathon of 20,000+ naked travellers drinking hard liquor out of little buckets. The locals also get into the festivities, but in a different manner, as we overheard one of the alcoholic bucket salesman yell out "come get drunk so we can steal your money!". To be honest, the electronica/house/trance/techno thing really isn't our scene and we felt sort of voyeuristic pretending to dance and watching all of the Australian backpackers get fitshaced. Unfortunately, we chose not to bring our camera to the party for fear of it getting stolen, so I guess we'll have to apply the "Vegas" rule to the Full Moon Party.
After a week on that side of Thailand, we decided to switch to the Andaman coast, despite a poor weather forecast, to explore Ko Phi Phi. It has been raining off and on since we've been here and to be completely transparent: let's just say Tiny isn't too happy. On the other hand, I haven't noticed the crappy weather, as I've been underwater, scuba diving, for the past 3 days. I think I might even do another day of diving, Tina's wrath permitting.
Oh and there is a smaller island off of the big Ko Phi Phi called Phi Phi Ley, where they filmed the secret beach scene for the movie "The Beach". We haven't been yet, but we have to go because there is a big cave on the island with the birds I discussed in a previous post that make the nests for the bird's nest soup and drink. I'll make sure to take pictures of those little guys.
I also think that they should rename Ko Phi Phi to Cat Island, as unlike the rest of Souteast Asia, there are nearly no dogs and instead there are hundreds of cats roaming the streets. I like cats, so I'm into it, while Tina is missing her wild puppies that she oogles, but never actually touches.
We plan to explore a few more beaches and then head to Bangkok for some urban exploration. There might be a little problem getting into Cambodia now, as there is a border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia. To sum up the problem: there is a temple complex on the border between the two countries that neither cared about, but UNESCO just randomly made it a World Heritage Site, so now both countries are claiming rights to the area. So, there is a chance we might have to skip Siem Reap/Angkor Wat, if things escalate.
I am going to post this entry now and slowly update it with more of our Vietnam pictures, bandwith permitting. Keep checking for updates!
We were on Ko Samui for about a week, with several excursions to neighboring islands, including the debaucherous Full Moon Party on Ko Phangan. As most of you know, I frequent Las Vegas quite often, but Sin City has nothing on this monthly(lunar) beach party. It is an all night dance marathon of 20,000+ naked travellers drinking hard liquor out of little buckets. The locals also get into the festivities, but in a different manner, as we overheard one of the alcoholic bucket salesman yell out "come get drunk so we can steal your money!". To be honest, the electronica/house/trance/techno thing really isn't our scene and we felt sort of voyeuristic pretending to dance and watching all of the Australian backpackers get fitshaced. Unfortunately, we chose not to bring our camera to the party for fear of it getting stolen, so I guess we'll have to apply the "Vegas" rule to the Full Moon Party.
After a week on that side of Thailand, we decided to switch to the Andaman coast, despite a poor weather forecast, to explore Ko Phi Phi. It has been raining off and on since we've been here and to be completely transparent: let's just say Tiny isn't too happy. On the other hand, I haven't noticed the crappy weather, as I've been underwater, scuba diving, for the past 3 days. I think I might even do another day of diving, Tina's wrath permitting.
Oh and there is a smaller island off of the big Ko Phi Phi called Phi Phi Ley, where they filmed the secret beach scene for the movie "The Beach". We haven't been yet, but we have to go because there is a big cave on the island with the birds I discussed in a previous post that make the nests for the bird's nest soup and drink. I'll make sure to take pictures of those little guys.
I also think that they should rename Ko Phi Phi to Cat Island, as unlike the rest of Souteast Asia, there are nearly no dogs and instead there are hundreds of cats roaming the streets. I like cats, so I'm into it, while Tina is missing her wild puppies that she oogles, but never actually touches.
We plan to explore a few more beaches and then head to Bangkok for some urban exploration. There might be a little problem getting into Cambodia now, as there is a border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia. To sum up the problem: there is a temple complex on the border between the two countries that neither cared about, but UNESCO just randomly made it a World Heritage Site, so now both countries are claiming rights to the area. So, there is a chance we might have to skip Siem Reap/Angkor Wat, if things escalate.
I am going to post this entry now and slowly update it with more of our Vietnam pictures, bandwith permitting. Keep checking for updates!
Banh Cuon, possibly my favorite Vietnamese dish. It sort of like Vietnamese ravioli filled with pork, covered in vegetables and those little fried shallots and then drenched in fish sauce.
In a previous post, I mentioned the monkey zoo which was more like a human zoo for the monkeys to visit. There were no park rangers or similar Vietnamese equivalents to watch us or the monkeys.
A cute family of monkeys.
7.19.2008
What We're Missing a Midnight Showing of Dark Knight in IMAX For...
Seriously, could there BE any more Facebook statuses about how bomb Batman is? We have two more weeks to wait before we can see it in Bangkok, so for now we have Thai beaches- IMAX version.
Laos was really sweet and Dan and I would love to go back. We went rafting, rode elephants, explored cool caves with hundreds of Buddha statues and took an awesome Lao cooking course. Lao food is not as good as Vietnamese food, but tasty nonetheless. We had a chill time in Luang Prabang walking around the little town, seeing awesome Wats and using the internet next to monks in bright orange robes at the internet cafes. We also went to the handicraft night market every night and had bomb dragonfruit shakes for 30 cents. Plus, getting 3 hour massages for $10 is reason enough for us to go back.
We are now in Thailand doing the beach islander thing :) The Bangkok Airport was so cool- the waiting area for our flight alone looked like a first class lounge: free food, magazines, drinks, and internet. I was prettttttty happy. Our first night in Ko Samui we got unlucky; we thought we were all smart staying on the "secluded" beach of Bo Phut, but we didn't up being impressed with the beach or our bungalow. So, we've moved to Lamai (which is ridicuously gorgeous) and it's been awesome since. Breakfast, beach, pool, sun, massage, lunch, ice cream and sodas from 7 Eleven, watching bootleg movies while eating dinner, and hot nightlife. Repeat.
There is so much knock-off stuff here that I can't imagine how dizzying it'll be in Bangkok! It's so tacky and wonderful, almost like Vegas :) The sketchest thing though is the surplus of Thai prostitutes with white men on sex tours and the nasty ass girls standing outside of bars and clubs to try to get you to get in. Sadly, we have yet to see one pretty Thai woman. Seriously! The ladyboys are WAY prettier.
Tonight, we head to Ko Pha-Ngan for for the Full Moon Party, your regular island shit show with drinks served out of buckets, druggies and ravers. HOT. We're currently debating how much longer to stay at the beach and where; Dan wants to get his diving certification so we are weighing prices and locations. We'll let you know where we end up next! Plus- postcards coming soon, we promise!
Laos was really sweet and Dan and I would love to go back. We went rafting, rode elephants, explored cool caves with hundreds of Buddha statues and took an awesome Lao cooking course. Lao food is not as good as Vietnamese food, but tasty nonetheless. We had a chill time in Luang Prabang walking around the little town, seeing awesome Wats and using the internet next to monks in bright orange robes at the internet cafes. We also went to the handicraft night market every night and had bomb dragonfruit shakes for 30 cents. Plus, getting 3 hour massages for $10 is reason enough for us to go back.
We are now in Thailand doing the beach islander thing :) The Bangkok Airport was so cool- the waiting area for our flight alone looked like a first class lounge: free food, magazines, drinks, and internet. I was prettttttty happy. Our first night in Ko Samui we got unlucky; we thought we were all smart staying on the "secluded" beach of Bo Phut, but we didn't up being impressed with the beach or our bungalow. So, we've moved to Lamai (which is ridicuously gorgeous) and it's been awesome since. Breakfast, beach, pool, sun, massage, lunch, ice cream and sodas from 7 Eleven, watching bootleg movies while eating dinner, and hot nightlife. Repeat.
There is so much knock-off stuff here that I can't imagine how dizzying it'll be in Bangkok! It's so tacky and wonderful, almost like Vegas :) The sketchest thing though is the surplus of Thai prostitutes with white men on sex tours and the nasty ass girls standing outside of bars and clubs to try to get you to get in. Sadly, we have yet to see one pretty Thai woman. Seriously! The ladyboys are WAY prettier.
Tonight, we head to Ko Pha-Ngan for for the Full Moon Party, your regular island shit show with drinks served out of buckets, druggies and ravers. HOT. We're currently debating how much longer to stay at the beach and where; Dan wants to get his diving certification so we are weighing prices and locations. We'll let you know where we end up next! Plus- postcards coming soon, we promise!
7.08.2008
Crossing Borders
Greetings from Luang Prabang, Laos!
We have so much to talk about, but first, here's how we said goodbye to Vietnam:
We had dinner at an amazing restaurant in Hue (our one fond memory of the city) at a restaurant run by a deaf man and his family. Not only was the food amazing, but the restaurant was also famous for its friendly staff and cool bottle opener- a piece of wood with a nail attached. They give you one to keep and write the name of the restaurant and date of our visit on it. The family had albums of pictures from all over the world with past customers and their bottle openers. Way cool- good food, a one-of-a-kind souvenir and a family that spoke a language that could be understood by any traveler.
We arrived in Hanoi at 6am and immediately didn't understand why so many people told us that they didn't like the city (more on this soon). We got Northern style Pho (still good, but different) and walked around the lake in the Old Quarter which was surrounded by people doing Tai Chi and playing badminton. That day, we had an extremely French experience in Vietnam: we got coffee and pastries at this AWESOME French cafe. I had a Mint Frap and my taste buds went all crazy because it'd been so long since I had Western food. We lunched at the Green Tangerine and had beef carpaccio and pork ribs and french fries (see Dan's post for pictures). We had coffee at another French cafe, then Italian food for dinner with a good childhood friend of mine who is doing research in Vietnam for the summer. After three weeks of only Vietnamese food, the day was an adventure for our tastebuds.
Then, we left for Ha Long Bay which completely lived up to its already high expectations. There were 13 of us and our awesome tour guide. We spent the morning in awe of the limestone and exploring the famous "Surprising Cave" which only got bigger and bigger as it continued. In the afternoon we went kayaking and swimming in the Bay, and that night, we slept on the boat. I felt a million miles away from the world. The next day was crawling with activity, to say the least. Another couple, Dan and I and our tour guide did a 6km trek in Cat Ba National Park. How do I even begin to explain how very rugged our "hike" was? Everything was covered in bugs- wasps, spiders larger than my hands, armies of red ants, butterflies, and about 50 species of bugs I had never seen before. It's pretty humbling when a rock wedged in mud is the only thing that is keeping you from tumbling down 2 km of limestone. To top it all off, the area is roaring with the sounds of the insects. You can only imagine how estatic I was about the whole thing. :) Another swim and a night in a hotel in Cat Ba was more than welcome after that. We were really sad to leave Ha Long and recommend it to any traveler; it really was one of my favorite things to do in Vietnam.
Our last day in Hanoi, the city itself and Vietnam as a whole really started driving us up the wall. We did our last Vietnamese food tour (everything was still delicious), but I'm surprised we even survived the city. The drivers are just as crazy as Saigon, but the major difference between the cities is that there are no sidewalks in Hanoi. It was impossible to get anywhere without fearing your life and no relief as it was always (and I mean ALWAYS) rush hour. We saw a tourist get completely side-swiped by a moto while he was walking. The cheating was also so much more blatant to me as all that the Northerns needed to do was speak quickly enough for me not to understand their accent. In conclusion, we were so over Hanoi the 2nd day.
Vietnam was an amazing learning experience, mostly thanks to my family. We really got a chance to learn about the country, the system, and the lifestyle thanks to the awesome conversations we had with my cousins. As nice as it was, Dan and I were really ready to get on with our trip. And let me just tell you, Laos is incredible. An hour flight out of Hanoi and we crossed into a completely different world. Luang Prabang is clean, adorable, quiet and so peaceful. We are staying in an adorable little guest house for $15 a night across from one of the 32 Wats in the city. I woke up at 4am this morning to the sound of drumming as monks walked through the city and received alms from the townspeople. The streets are quaint and clean, there's no loud honking and the Laotian people are friendly and sweet. Originally, we were planning on staying 3-4 days, but now we're extending it to 6-7. I am sure we will so much to post on again soon.
Miss you all!!!
We have so much to talk about, but first, here's how we said goodbye to Vietnam:
We had dinner at an amazing restaurant in Hue (our one fond memory of the city) at a restaurant run by a deaf man and his family. Not only was the food amazing, but the restaurant was also famous for its friendly staff and cool bottle opener- a piece of wood with a nail attached. They give you one to keep and write the name of the restaurant and date of our visit on it. The family had albums of pictures from all over the world with past customers and their bottle openers. Way cool- good food, a one-of-a-kind souvenir and a family that spoke a language that could be understood by any traveler.
We arrived in Hanoi at 6am and immediately didn't understand why so many people told us that they didn't like the city (more on this soon). We got Northern style Pho (still good, but different) and walked around the lake in the Old Quarter which was surrounded by people doing Tai Chi and playing badminton. That day, we had an extremely French experience in Vietnam: we got coffee and pastries at this AWESOME French cafe. I had a Mint Frap and my taste buds went all crazy because it'd been so long since I had Western food. We lunched at the Green Tangerine and had beef carpaccio and pork ribs and french fries (see Dan's post for pictures). We had coffee at another French cafe, then Italian food for dinner with a good childhood friend of mine who is doing research in Vietnam for the summer. After three weeks of only Vietnamese food, the day was an adventure for our tastebuds.
Then, we left for Ha Long Bay which completely lived up to its already high expectations. There were 13 of us and our awesome tour guide. We spent the morning in awe of the limestone and exploring the famous "Surprising Cave" which only got bigger and bigger as it continued. In the afternoon we went kayaking and swimming in the Bay, and that night, we slept on the boat. I felt a million miles away from the world. The next day was crawling with activity, to say the least. Another couple, Dan and I and our tour guide did a 6km trek in Cat Ba National Park. How do I even begin to explain how very rugged our "hike" was? Everything was covered in bugs- wasps, spiders larger than my hands, armies of red ants, butterflies, and about 50 species of bugs I had never seen before. It's pretty humbling when a rock wedged in mud is the only thing that is keeping you from tumbling down 2 km of limestone. To top it all off, the area is roaring with the sounds of the insects. You can only imagine how estatic I was about the whole thing. :) Another swim and a night in a hotel in Cat Ba was more than welcome after that. We were really sad to leave Ha Long and recommend it to any traveler; it really was one of my favorite things to do in Vietnam.
Our last day in Hanoi, the city itself and Vietnam as a whole really started driving us up the wall. We did our last Vietnamese food tour (everything was still delicious), but I'm surprised we even survived the city. The drivers are just as crazy as Saigon, but the major difference between the cities is that there are no sidewalks in Hanoi. It was impossible to get anywhere without fearing your life and no relief as it was always (and I mean ALWAYS) rush hour. We saw a tourist get completely side-swiped by a moto while he was walking. The cheating was also so much more blatant to me as all that the Northerns needed to do was speak quickly enough for me not to understand their accent. In conclusion, we were so over Hanoi the 2nd day.
Vietnam was an amazing learning experience, mostly thanks to my family. We really got a chance to learn about the country, the system, and the lifestyle thanks to the awesome conversations we had with my cousins. As nice as it was, Dan and I were really ready to get on with our trip. And let me just tell you, Laos is incredible. An hour flight out of Hanoi and we crossed into a completely different world. Luang Prabang is clean, adorable, quiet and so peaceful. We are staying in an adorable little guest house for $15 a night across from one of the 32 Wats in the city. I woke up at 4am this morning to the sound of drumming as monks walked through the city and received alms from the townspeople. The streets are quaint and clean, there's no loud honking and the Laotian people are friendly and sweet. Originally, we were planning on staying 3-4 days, but now we're extending it to 6-7. I am sure we will so much to post on again soon.
Miss you all!!!
Vietnam in Pictures(Part 1)
Due to much clamoring of the masses, here is the first part of our long-overdue picture post. It contains some of our favorite photos of Vietnam with some brief explanations. Now that we have left Tina's homeland for Laos, I am beginning to gain some perspective on our experiences there. I truly enjoyed Vietnam, but to simplify my feelings: Vietnam is hard, while Laos is really easy. For instance, in Laos, I sometimes wait 45 minutes just to get my bill at a restaurant. In contrast, in Vietnam, I once had a waitress reach inside of my wallet while it was in my hand, as I suppose I wasn't paying my bill fast enough.
Once I figure out the rest of my thoughts, I'll make sure to post them.
Obligatory Tina in a rice patty hat pic.
A wonderful meal of "elephant ear" fish.
This is our crew. We don't mess around.
This is a non-alcoholic beverage made from the saliva and fungus produced nests of a special swallow in Southeast Asia called the Yen(pronounced Een(g) in Vietnamese). People collect their small white nests off the sides of caves and sell them for about $2500 per kilo. They have to be very careful to not over-collect the nests, otherwise the Yen numbers will dwindle. A medicinal soup is also made from the nests. Oh and I am planning to go check out an Yen cave in Thailand, as the Vietnamese government controls their Yen islands and told me to get lost.
One of the numerous snake in ricewine jars we saw throughout Vietnam. This one was extra special, as it was a cobra with a bonus black crow thrown in for extra aphrodisiac goodness!
We woke up at 4am to go to a floating market in Can Tho and it was beautiful. We saw everything for sale on the boats, from durian and dragonfruit, to baguettes, steaming bowls of Pho and even...
Babies for sale!
Although this family indicated it was selling chuoi(bananas) based on a pole with a chuoi sticking out of their boat, when we came upon them, they had a baby sitting on their scale. I asked Tina's Mom how much Vietnamese babies cost per kilo, but she said that it wasn't actually for sale. So, I responded by informing her of Branjelina's Vietnamese baby purchase and suggested that perhaps they came to the same floating market.
My third favorite fruit(behind durian and dragonfruit), chom chom aka rambutan.
I am frustrated with blogspot at the moment, as it is taking forever to upload pictures. I'll post the rest ASAP.
Once I figure out the rest of my thoughts, I'll make sure to post them.
Obligatory Tina in a rice patty hat pic.
A wonderful meal of "elephant ear" fish.
This is our crew. We don't mess around.
This is a non-alcoholic beverage made from the saliva and fungus produced nests of a special swallow in Southeast Asia called the Yen(pronounced Een(g) in Vietnamese). People collect their small white nests off the sides of caves and sell them for about $2500 per kilo. They have to be very careful to not over-collect the nests, otherwise the Yen numbers will dwindle. A medicinal soup is also made from the nests. Oh and I am planning to go check out an Yen cave in Thailand, as the Vietnamese government controls their Yen islands and told me to get lost.
One of the numerous snake in ricewine jars we saw throughout Vietnam. This one was extra special, as it was a cobra with a bonus black crow thrown in for extra aphrodisiac goodness!
We woke up at 4am to go to a floating market in Can Tho and it was beautiful. We saw everything for sale on the boats, from durian and dragonfruit, to baguettes, steaming bowls of Pho and even...Babies for sale!
Although this family indicated it was selling chuoi(bananas) based on a pole with a chuoi sticking out of their boat, when we came upon them, they had a baby sitting on their scale. I asked Tina's Mom how much Vietnamese babies cost per kilo, but she said that it wasn't actually for sale. So, I responded by informing her of Branjelina's Vietnamese baby purchase and suggested that perhaps they came to the same floating market.
My third favorite fruit(behind durian and dragonfruit), chom chom aka rambutan.I am frustrated with blogspot at the moment, as it is taking forever to upload pictures. I'll post the rest ASAP.
7.02.2008
You So Pretty, Like Model, Cheerleader
We have met and befriended our first lady boy. Holler. Quick recap:
Last Thursday, we left Saigon (after some awesome nights of drinking Vietnamese beer and singing karoke with my cousins and uncle- a priceless time) and went to Buon Ma Thout, where my uncle made us wild boar and porcupine. Yum. We saw some cool ethnic minorites and sweet waterfalls. Then, we headed to the city of Da Lat. Da Lat is awesome, as it was untouched by war and has really maintained its French influence. It's pretty awesome having been to Vietnam 11 years ago, then to Paris 2 years ago, then back to Vietnam because now I understand the French influence in the architecture and the city structure. There are large streets built around flower islands and many buildings might have well come from France itself.
Dan and I loved Da Lat, as it looked so much like San Francisco. It was even cool and foggy. We drove around Lak Lake, which was covered with kids flying colorful kites, and young lovers. We drove in a janky jeep up to the top of the city, and also rode up and down a "rollercoaster" to visit a waterfall. The rollercoaster was gheeeeeto and freakin scary, but we obviously survived to tell the tale. Our last night in Da Lat, we saw some tribal dancing, and said tearful goodbyes to my extended family. I now understand why foreigners rave so much about the Vietnamese people. They may have little to give, but will offer you everything they have. This has only been my 2nd trip to Vietnam and my family members have treated Dan and I to experiences we could never have imagined.
That morning, Dan, my mom, and I left for a day in Nha Trang, which was crawling with tourists and awesome nem nuong. Dan shall rave about how good it is in his post.
These past few days, we spent in Hoi An, a charmingly awesome city that has been our favorite so far. To get there, we were on a sleeper bus for 12 hours. Beds piled on top of each other with little cubbies to stick your feet. Asian people are so weird. On the bus we met a French couple; they are accountants in their early 30's. The man is Vietnamese and left Vietnam at 5 years old for Paris, where he has stayed since. They have pretty much had the same travel plans thus far so it's fun running into them and talking to them in 3 languages- Dan speaks to the wife in English, while I speak to her husband in Vietnamese. Then we translate to each other with our respective languages.
All throughout Hoi An, Dan and I kept talking about who we know that would love such and such place. It's a tiny little town with ancient Chinese, Japanese, and French influence. We spent the day visiting temples, the famous Japenese bridge, and museums with architecture that was incredibly unique. In addition, Hoi An is known for its silk and its tailoring, and where there's fashion, there's trannies. Out of the dozens of stores, of course I am lured in by the prettiest Vietnamese man I have ever seen. My mom and I each get a wool coat made, and Dan gets a silk shirt and a linen shirt.
Hoi An was crawling with tourists- more than any other city we have seen. And, since the people are so used to them, there was little begging, pushing, and pursuing from the sales people. We were happy to be left alone for at least a few days. I also fell so in love with the stores and restaurants that were devoted to helping the villagers. Hoi An is a UNESCO Cultural Heritage site, which means money is invested in the city to perserve its history. We ate at a restaurant that help pay local children's school fees, and at another that helped keep the city's river clean. We went twice to a store/workshop that is completely run by people who are physically and mentally disabled; their work was amazing. On both visits, we also had to stop by the French bakery next door to fulfill ice cream and pastry cravings.
Today, Dan and I are on our own, as my mom has flown back to Saigon to be with her family until she goes back to America this weekend. We came to Hue by noon and are now completely over the city, and it's only 6:30pm. There is little to be impressed by; even the little things about other cities are more charming than Hue's massive citadel. Tomorrow, we leave for Hanoi on the Reunification Express. I think it's something like 13 hours in a sleeper train. I'm hoping it has chocolate covered frogs and every flavor jelly beans a la Hogwarts Express. We'll let you know :)
Last Thursday, we left Saigon (after some awesome nights of drinking Vietnamese beer and singing karoke with my cousins and uncle- a priceless time) and went to Buon Ma Thout, where my uncle made us wild boar and porcupine. Yum. We saw some cool ethnic minorites and sweet waterfalls. Then, we headed to the city of Da Lat. Da Lat is awesome, as it was untouched by war and has really maintained its French influence. It's pretty awesome having been to Vietnam 11 years ago, then to Paris 2 years ago, then back to Vietnam because now I understand the French influence in the architecture and the city structure. There are large streets built around flower islands and many buildings might have well come from France itself.
Dan and I loved Da Lat, as it looked so much like San Francisco. It was even cool and foggy. We drove around Lak Lake, which was covered with kids flying colorful kites, and young lovers. We drove in a janky jeep up to the top of the city, and also rode up and down a "rollercoaster" to visit a waterfall. The rollercoaster was gheeeeeto and freakin scary, but we obviously survived to tell the tale. Our last night in Da Lat, we saw some tribal dancing, and said tearful goodbyes to my extended family. I now understand why foreigners rave so much about the Vietnamese people. They may have little to give, but will offer you everything they have. This has only been my 2nd trip to Vietnam and my family members have treated Dan and I to experiences we could never have imagined.
That morning, Dan, my mom, and I left for a day in Nha Trang, which was crawling with tourists and awesome nem nuong. Dan shall rave about how good it is in his post.
These past few days, we spent in Hoi An, a charmingly awesome city that has been our favorite so far. To get there, we were on a sleeper bus for 12 hours. Beds piled on top of each other with little cubbies to stick your feet. Asian people are so weird. On the bus we met a French couple; they are accountants in their early 30's. The man is Vietnamese and left Vietnam at 5 years old for Paris, where he has stayed since. They have pretty much had the same travel plans thus far so it's fun running into them and talking to them in 3 languages- Dan speaks to the wife in English, while I speak to her husband in Vietnamese. Then we translate to each other with our respective languages.
All throughout Hoi An, Dan and I kept talking about who we know that would love such and such place. It's a tiny little town with ancient Chinese, Japanese, and French influence. We spent the day visiting temples, the famous Japenese bridge, and museums with architecture that was incredibly unique. In addition, Hoi An is known for its silk and its tailoring, and where there's fashion, there's trannies. Out of the dozens of stores, of course I am lured in by the prettiest Vietnamese man I have ever seen. My mom and I each get a wool coat made, and Dan gets a silk shirt and a linen shirt.
Hoi An was crawling with tourists- more than any other city we have seen. And, since the people are so used to them, there was little begging, pushing, and pursuing from the sales people. We were happy to be left alone for at least a few days. I also fell so in love with the stores and restaurants that were devoted to helping the villagers. Hoi An is a UNESCO Cultural Heritage site, which means money is invested in the city to perserve its history. We ate at a restaurant that help pay local children's school fees, and at another that helped keep the city's river clean. We went twice to a store/workshop that is completely run by people who are physically and mentally disabled; their work was amazing. On both visits, we also had to stop by the French bakery next door to fulfill ice cream and pastry cravings.
Today, Dan and I are on our own, as my mom has flown back to Saigon to be with her family until she goes back to America this weekend. We came to Hue by noon and are now completely over the city, and it's only 6:30pm. There is little to be impressed by; even the little things about other cities are more charming than Hue's massive citadel. Tomorrow, we leave for Hanoi on the Reunification Express. I think it's something like 13 hours in a sleeper train. I'm hoping it has chocolate covered frogs and every flavor jelly beans a la Hogwarts Express. We'll let you know :)
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