Vietnam, Part I

December 10-29

dara / My first impression of Hanoi --- there are motorcycles everywhere! There are few traffic signals, and motorcycles cross the intersections weaving around each other. It is crazy! It can take some time to cross the roads as a pedestrian. Better yet though, there are also markets everywhere. It would be a good place to buy gifts for the holidays. It is strange though, the same stores are selling the same items within the same couple of blocks. Business cannot be that easy when all your competitors are that close.

We went to the POW prison in Hanoi, the Hanoi Hilton. Most of the historic information is not about the American pilots that were kept in the prison. Most of the information focuses on how the French treated the Vietnamesse political prisoners. There is a small exhibit about the American pilots. A picture of John McCain. A glass cabinet display of John McCain's uniform, boots and flight gear. Lots of pictures of the happy lives of American prisoners here. I doubt if the conditions were quite as favorable as the pictures depict.

Jim took me to Halong Bay for the big 3-3 birthday. It was fun! We went on a three-day tour of a national park with 1,000s of rocky, uninhabited islands off the bay. On the first night, we toured around the island, hung out with our English friends, drank on the boat and finally, slept below in a cabin. Then, we stayed on the Cat Ba Island on the second night for some treking. The trek was brutal after a night of drinking and celebrating. But, in the end, the view was worth it!

After an overnight trip on the bus from Hanoi, we stopped in Dong Ha for breakfast. This town is located near the DMZ (DeMilitarized Zone), the 17th parallel between North and South Vietnam, the Ho Chi Minh Trail, the International Cemetary and the Vinh Moc Tunnels. We spent the day seeing all the historic sites where alot of the destruction occurred.

The Vinh Moc Tunnels are pretty amazing. It is my understanding that the locals dug the underground tunnels as protection from the U.S. air raids. There were 95 small rooms for families to sleep off of one of the main hallways. A hospital where 17 babies were born. A bomb shelter further underneath the three levels of tunnels. The tunnels were small too. I could walk, but in most cases, I needed to hunch down on the tour.

FYI --- we did not tour the Cuchi Tunnels which are much smaller. A person would need to crawl on their hands and knees. These tunnels were a complex network of levels used by the Viet Cong near Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Our next destination was Hoi An. This fun little town is known for their tailor-made clothes. There are tons of shops everywhere. You walk into a shop, flip through current fashion magazines and design whatever you want for great prices. You can pick out whatever colors and material too. Jim actually purchased two suits with two sets of pants for each suit, three additional pairs of pants and six shirts. Can you believe it? :) He only owned one suit before then. My favorite purchase was a blue/gray jacket. :)

We spent Christmas with our English friends Lisa & Paul in Nha Trang, Vietnam. It is one of the beaches in Vietnam. There are a bunch of islands off the bay in the distance. We spent a couple hours each day hanging out in this restaurant, La Lousiane. The restaurant had grass huts, lounge chairs on the beach, and a swimming pool in the middle of the open air restaurant. If you cannot be with friends & family, it is not a bad way to celebrate the holidays.

Tsunami

Merry Christmas, and, by the way, we are in Nha Trang, Vietnam... not Thailand.

Check out this photo again. This was the night that we decided to extend our Southeast Asia portion of the trip, thereby not flying to Australia on January 1st and thereby not spending Christmas on the Thai beaches, which was the original plan.

Laos (photos)

December 5-10

On the 5th of December, we crossed from Thailand into Laos. Here is a map of Laos.
We crossed from Chiang Ria to Huay Xai, and of course, Rover was with us at the border. After crossing the border, we boarded a slowboat and made our way down the Mekong River toward Luang Prabang. The whole trip two full days, stopping overnight in Pakbeng.
On the first day, we stopped at a little riverside village. Here is how they dry fish there. We had some good views of the river and I climbed up into the village. Here are some boaters on the Mekong. We went all the way until sunset and then stopped in Pakbeng, which was a pretty remote place. I only got this photo of the river before it got too dark. We spent the night in a $2 room and had a great Indian (???) meal for dinner.

The next morning we set off for Luang Prabang. We were travelling with our English friends Lisa and Paul and our Dutch friend Jeanette. Here we are on the boat. We sat around and played with wooden puzzles and took turns asking each other riddles. It was a slow boat. The scenery was nice though, with mountains everywhere, and you would pass people on the shore. On the first day, a big group of English folks drank all the beer on the boat by 2pm, so on the second day we had no choice but to start early. We passed by a cave filled with miniature Buddahs, and before long, the the sun slowly went down, and down, and down. Soon after sunset we arrived in Luang Prabang.

We stayed in Luang Prabang for three nights. The town is a peninsula built at the confluence of the Mekong and another river. Here is Rover, with the other river behind him. We walked all around the peninsula. They don't use wheelbarrows to move dirt. Other interesting vehicles were a Mercedes, and a colorful tuk-tuk and another colorful tuk-tuk. We spent most evenings drinking Beer Lao and going to the night market. One evening, Dara and I bought a hand-sewn duvet cover. The woman we bought it from cooed like an Ewok and when we handed her the money, she tapped each of her items for sale with it for good luck. I wish I had video of it. One day we went to see a waterfall near Luang Prabang. We took a tuk-tuk from town through the mountains and got to the boat launch, where some kids were having a fire. We got to the boat stop and hiked up to see the falls. The falls were a series of shallow falls, and minerals in the water caked onto the trees. By the way, I wear sandals and a man-purse and I'm not ashamed. On the way back I took a picture of Dara (she has NOT grown green horns) and a picture of myself.

In Luang Prabang we said goodbye to Jeanette and headed to Phonsavan. Here is the bus we were on. We had two guys with us, each with an AK-47, one in front and one in back. Also, along the road were little outpost of paramilitary armed guards. I got the sense that maybe we were on a dangerous road. We stopped at a bus stop, and I saw people carrying sugar cane and a kid playing with a stool. We also saw some kids playing near the bus stop, and a typical roadside hut.

Eventually, we got to Phonsavan and crammed into a tuk-tuk. At the bus stop in Phonsavan, a woman who had a guesthouse seduced us with the promise of a bonfire, so we left with her. When we got there, we got on a mini-bus and headed to the Plain of Jars. The plain is filled with ancient crematory jars and also happens to be one of the most heavily bombed (by you know who) areas in the world, with Laos being the most heavily bombed country in the world. Here is Paul standing in a bomb crater, and Rover next to a MAG marker, signifying that the path has been cleared of landmines. Here is a photo of me and Dara and a bottle of Beer Lao, and Dara standing next to a jar. We were there for the sunset and then headed back to the guesthouse.

We had a nice meal by the fire and talked to the guesthouse owner about Laos history. He brought out a five-gallon water bottle filled with Lao-Lao, which is some kind of grain alcohol with bark floating in the bottom. I went into the kitchen to ask for another beer and saw them butchering up a bamboo rat for dinner. They said that we could have some, and I stood at the bar at picked at the cooked rat with all varieties of rusting bombs swaying on strings above my head. The guesthouse owner was teaching his son English, who came running toward the fire with a butcher knife saying "Big Knife". Dara went to bed early and I hung out by the fire with some Irish guy and then he went to bed and I was alone, so I went to bed too.

The next morning we got on a bus for Vinh, Vietnam. The border crossing was only opened to foreigners about two months ago, so it was pretty primitive. I was tired, and since we're married, Dara has to share her pillow.

Here is Rover at the Vietnam border.

Laos

December 5-10

dara / What a beautiful country! It is so peaceful and slow moving. We floated down the Mekong River to Pakbeng on the first night and then, Luang Prabang on the second night. The scenery is amazing! The country is completely untouched with thick vegetation and mountains off in the distance turning into rolling hills at the riverbank. The river is so calm and peaceful even with the jagged rocks off to both sides of the river. Near the jagged rocks, there is a nice combination of sandy and rocky riverbanks. The tribes are spread out as we traveled down the river, and it is miles between each of the isolated villages. It was fun to see the adults planting along the riverbanks in the sand and fishing off their long, narrow wood boats. Their kids are often playing near the water and waving to us as we passed. There is no better way to spend two days of traveling. We just floated down the river, only 50 km in total.

Luang Prabang (a UNESCO World Heritage site) was just as beautiful as the trip down the river. The city itself is an incredible mixture of Buddhist and French colonial architecture clustered together on a small pennisula between two rivers and surrounded by mountains. It is easy to lose track of days wandering around the city, seeing the night market, enjoying cocktail hour, catching up on our journals, going back to the night market again, sitting under the stars and drinking our Beer Lao.

The prices are fabulous! Jim & I found a great dark green duvet cover with matching pillowscases, shirts for Jim, pants for me, silk scarves and fun handmade bags. We will need to ship soon, since there is not going to be enough room in our backpacks. :)

Life is slow in Laos. We welcomed the break from the hussle of Bangkok and Delhi. It is the perfect place to see, to experience and to relax in this calm, amazing environment. We even went to Tad Sae Falls (a wide waterfall flowing through trees and over rock cascading into teal-colored pools of water). We climbed around on the rock and played in the falls. It was secluded, and we (our English friends, Dutch friend and us) enjoyed the waterfall.

It is difficult to be in Laos as Americans though. I did not realize how much we bombed them during the Vietnam conflict. Between 1964 and 1973, we conducted one of the largest sustained aerial bombardments in history, flying 580,344 missions over Laos and dropping two million tons of bombs, costing US $2.2 million a day. And even with this in mind, the people are warm and welcoming towards us. It is hard to listen to the personal stories of all the bombings back then. We even went to one of the historical sites, the Plain of Jars, in Laos. The Plain of Jars are large granite jars used for burials dated as far back as 2000 BC. It was their burial spot for cremations. There were alot of round craters throughout the Plain of Jars from US bombs.

We are off to spend the next couple of weeks in Vietnam. We are planning on celebrating the holidays with our English friends on the beach. Then, we will probably head to Cambodia for New Years. Should be fun!

Thailand, Part I (photos)

November 25 - December 5

We arrived in Bangkok from Delhi. We were there from day 42 to day 52 before heading into Laos. We are going back, but here is the photo record of those ten days.

We came in on Thursday, November 25th, and the next day was the full moon. The full moon is a big deal across this whole region. In Bangkok, there was a big festival near the river with dancers and singers. The thing to do, is to buy floating flower arrangements with candles that are lit and then the whole thing is sent down the river.

In the markets, you can buy crickets to eat.

We stayed on Kao San Road, which is the main tourist location. It's a constant party with loads of cafes on the street and people milling about and drinking. It's a good place to get CDs and DVDs for cheap. Anyway, here is a group of people who work for one of the bars and try to get people to come in for a drink.

Here is a great idea for outdoor flooring.

By day, we checked out some temples. In front of one was this statue that I thought looked like something from a Beatles movie.

Here is a close up on some temple art.


From Bangkok we took the night train north to Chiang Mai. The night market here is a blast, with tons of inexpensive carvings and clothing and games etc. I bought a full set of wooden puzzles and Dara got a bunch of clothes. There was no bathroom and the trick of going into McDonalds backfired since they charged 10 Dong to get in, so I bought a Pineapple Pie, which was pretty good. I think I was served by the employee of the month.


Chiang Mai is known for its market as well as a good place to take Thai cooking classes, get Thai massage or go trekking. After one night there, we went on a trek into the Hill Tribe villages. We had a guide from town and another man with us. As we walked, he carried a machete and sang really interesting hill tribe chant-songs. We stopped at a waterfall to cool off.
Here is a picture of the two of us on the first day. And another one of us in front of a mountain. Just before we got to the first village, we saw a water buffalo in the woods.
The first night was a big party around the campfire. Here is a bottle of samson. One of the locals and the group sang a bunch of songs. Some memorable ones were "Let It Be", but our friend changed it to "Lady Boy". I did a version of "The Ocean", which I taped and thought was brilliant, but the tape doesn't lie, it was pretty poor, except for our friend doing hill-tribe style vocal percussion and keeping time by slapping me on the knee. We had a good time later learning the names of the constellations in Dutch, Japanese and the local hill-tribe language. One of the stars near the Seven Sisters is called "the chicken star".

The next morning was pretty rough. We walked for hours and then got to the elephant camp. I saw one elephant with two trunks. We rode elephants for a while, which was pretty fun. Another elephant ride photo. Then we walked again to another village. Here is the hut we stayed in. I think palm trees always look nice in the sunset. Here is a house near the village. That night, some of the locals did a traditional dance and made us all participate.

The next day we hiked more and then came to the raft camp. Here is the two of us there. Here is a photo of our whole group before rafting, and another of the whole
group on the rafts. The ride was really nice, a great way to end the trip. Here is the river at the end of the rafting and a mellow
dog by the river.

When we got back, we went out with Blaine and Erin, who we had met and hung out with before the trek, along with most of the group from the trek. Here is a photo ofJim, Dara, Erin and Blaine. Note my Hmong-wear. Blaine is co-owner of a hostel (Home Hostel?) in Kimberley, BC, so you should stay there if you head that way. In Thailand, if you want a good strong beer, you drink Chang. It is a nearly an institution among travelers. Here is Rover with a Chang.

The trek was important as far as friends. We met two Canadians, Mark and Kristen, who had been travelling around with two English, Lisa and Paul. Mark and Kristen were saying goodbye and heading home for Christmas, and we ended up bumming around with Lisa and Paul up until now (Christmas), so you'll hear more about them later I suppose. Here is a group photo on Mark and Kristen's last night (Kristen, Lisa, Paul, Mark, Jim, Dara).

The next night, we went to the market again, and Dara and I bought a huge black and white painting (cost less than a CD in the States). Here we are with the artist.

Then, we took a bus up to Chiang Khong to cross into Laos. Here are some monks crossing the Mekong border with us.

Thailand, Part I

November 25 - December 5

dara / What a fabulous place! Jim & I arrived in Bangkok on Thanksgiving day, and we met an English friend who gave us some great recommendations on travel and where to stay in Bangkok. Our hotel was on Khao Sam Road (a hip neighborhood with lots of backpackers everywhere). It even had a pool on the roof, and the view of Bangkok at night was great! It was the perfect place for cocktail hour. :)

We arrived in Thailand during the Full Moon Festival. Men were all dressed-up in traditional Thai clothing dancing with make-up and the longest nails that I have ever seen. There was lots of singing, dancing and fun to be had! The festival was on the river, and the Thai people sell floating floral arrangements with candles. Once the candle is lit, the candle is placed on the river. They float along and outline the edge of the river. All the boats and the main bridge were all decorated with colorful lights too. It was a fun time to arrive in Bangkok!

We also spent about four hours seeing the city by tuk-tuk. We went to alot of the temples, and we saw the Big Buddha, the Lucky Buddha and the Sleeping Buddha. We also checked out tailor-made clothes, and both purchased suits. The prices are reasonable, and from what we have heard, Vietnam has even cheaper prices for tailor-made clothes.

From Bangkok, we took a sleeper train to Chang Mai in Northern Thailand. We found a good guesthouse for about $4 per night with hot water. Not a bad deal, huh? We went on a three-day trek through the jungle. That was fun! We did alot of hiking, cooled off in a waterfall, drank around the campfire, slept in grass huts on bamboo mats, rode an elephant, floated down the river on bamboo rafts and met some fabulous travelers from England, Canada, the Netherlands and Japan. We are hoping to do a trek in Vietnam too!

Chang Mai has the best prices too! Great prices on skirts, tops and pants. Jim found some cool wooden puzzles. If you are looking for a little pampering, massages, pedicures & manicures are about $2.50. Definitely looking forward to ending on the beaches with a little pampering!

We are off to Laos tomorrow. We are floating down the Mekong River on a slow boat. It takes about two days to arrive in Luang Prabang (a World Heritage site). We are looking forward to it!