Shopping Heaven in Hoi An, Vietnam
We weren’t even going to stop in Hoi An originally. Then we decided we would spend a quick two days, and then as we ran into the New Year (when everything closes down) it became four nights…but we could have stayed 4 more. More
Dress You Up
18 Mar 2011 9 Comments
in Vietnam Tags: Custom clothes, Hoi An, Madonna, My Son, Tet, Vietnamese tailor
How Bizarre
15 Mar 2011 1 Comment
in Vietnam Tags: Hanoi, Tet, traffic, Vietnam War
[audio: https://dl.dropbox.com/u/9901364/16%20OMC%20-%20How%20Bizarre%20%28Various%20Artists%29.mp3%5D
Traffic, Tet, and Propaganda in Hanoi, Vietnam
Flying from Luang Prabang in Laos to Hanoi in Vietnam is like being in the middle of the most serene dream of your life and falling out of the bed suddenly and waking up in… well, in Hanoi.
Tim and I were hungry for some culture-shock. Too many of the places we traveled had been a little too catering to western travelers. We wanted to drop our jaws at the strangeness of a country, and it seemed that we never had time to shut them when we were out and about in Hanoi. More
Where’s Wally: Bangkok
11 Mar 2011 3 Comments
in Thailand, Where's Wally Tags: Bangkok, Bill Clinton, Hangover 2, Sukhumit Soi 7/1
Wally is hanging out on Sukhumvit Soi 7/1. Wally heard that was where a good deal of the on-site filming of The Hangover 2 was shot in Bangkok. Sukhumvit Soi 7/1 is a street that makes one feel a little dirty just walking down. It’s a bar street, but not the kind of a bar a couple goes in together -so after passing through – we went elsewhere for a Sing-Ha beer.
During our stay in Bangkok, we heard all kinds of funny spoilers about the movie, but we’ll keep most of them to ourselves and only say that Bill Clinton was in town at the same time as the cast, and stopped by the set…
The River of Dreams
08 Mar 2011 3 Comments
in Laos Tags: Alms ceremony, Billy Joel, Mekong River, monks, Nam Khan River, Pak Ou, slow boat
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/9901364/Dreams.mp3?w=76db6652
Taking it slow in Luang Prabang, Laos
Sunset at our arrival to LP
Luang Prabang lies between two rivers. The Nam Khan River on one side, and the infamous Mekong River is on the other side.
We were very familiar with the Mekong River by the time we arrived in Luang Prabang. We had spent two days floating along from the border town. With the alternative being a 15 hour bus ride that was rumored to go between being uncomfortable and terrifying, we knew the slow boat was for us. More
Swing Swing
06 Mar 2011 4 Comments
in Laos Tags: Bokeo Reserve, canopy tour, Gibbon Experience, trekking in Laos, zipline
Zipping around the Bokeo Reserve with the Gibbon Experience
When I first heard about the Gibbon Experience, on a special forum that is for independent long-term travelers, I just had to do it. I showed Tim all the information that same day, and even though are trip was two years away we knew we would be including this two night adventure into our itinerary.
The GE is two things in one, it’s a three days and two nights of ziplining and trekking through the jungle of Laos, and its also a way to protect a vast area of forest at a time when the entire country is being logged at an alarming rate. More
Let’s Get Out of This Country
28 Feb 2011 3 Comments
in Laos, Thailand Tags: border crossing, Camera Obscura, Chiang Khong, Chiang Rai, Huay Xai
Border Crossing into Laos
If you find yourself in Thailand, it’s not a bad place to be. The food is good, the beaches are good, and you can knock yourself out doing anything from watching elephants paint or training in Muay Thai. But after thirty days we were ready to head to the next country. (Maybe one with a few less lady boys). More
Where’s Wally: Vietnam
24 Feb 2011 3 Comments
in Vietnam, Where's Wally Tags: day market, Saigon, shoe shopping
Vietnam markets rock my world. Every Asian market has cheap t-shirts, jewelry, and useless things you imagine will make you look more worldly when it’s sitting on your coffee table, but Vietnamese markets are a cut above. Wally is lost in a pile of hand-made Vietnamese shoes. And it doesn’t end there, the women of Vietnam have some serious fashion sense. You can probably find just about any color and style of shoes imaginable, and all the accessories to go with it.
Watch out for the food stalls though, the combination of heat and too many smells mixing together might sending you running for fresh air before you can finish negotiating.
Eat that up, It’s Good For you.
18 Feb 2011 5 Comments
in Thailand Tags: Chiang Mai, cooking, Curry, Thai food, two door cinema
Loving the Food, in Chiang Mai, Thailand
I think to love traveling you have to love trying new and exotic foods. If you do, every meal can be an exciting experience. Otherwise, it can be terrifying. Thais eat a lot of things we don’t. It’s not uncommon to see rodents and strange animal parts cooked up, especially the further you go from tourist areas. I think they can get away with it because the sauces and spices are so good, but we prefer ours with chicken and such. More
Everyday is a Winding Road
11 Feb 2011 6 Comments
in Thailand Tags: hilltribe, hot springs, Pai, trekking
Wanderings in Pai, Thailand
We were ready to leave the beaches and do something new. But when we got to Chiang Mai, it fell a little flat. So…we got out. We hopped on a minibus and went on the very winding road to a place that is famous with backpackers as a spot to do…nothing. That’s right, there’s nothing to do in Pai. It’s just some town in the mountains that has a pretty awesome night market (we love a good night market). More
Dancing in the Moonlight
04 Feb 2011 5 Comments
in Thailand Tags: full moon party, Haad Rin, haad Yao, King Harvest, Koh Pha Ngan
The Full Moon Party, Koh Pha Ngan, Thailand
The Full Moon Party is believed to have started in 1985 on Haad Rin beach in Koh Pha Ngan. It was a legendary party that was spread to other backpackers traveling the region until it steadily grew bigger and bigger. These days some of the parties have as many as 60,000 people at them and you can also attend half-moon parties in the Jungle. (Then they have black moon parties, and jungle parties and I have no idea what exactly they entail). Other islands around the world have their own full moon parties these days, but none of them are anywhere near the scale as the ones in Koh Pha Ngan. More
On The Banana Pancake Trail 