I am blogging from a small internet cafe in Hoi An, Vietnam (which could be the quaintest city/town I have encountered yet). For those of you that would like to see the visuals from my travels please feel free to click any of the following links!
http://picasaweb.google.com/jillian.constantine/HueVietnam
http://picasaweb.google.com/jillian.constantine/ThailandAndVietnam
http://picasaweb.google.com/bgrobovsky/VietnamToDate
Okay so here's the quick update on the last few weeks - all of which have been fantastic.
After putting Bangkok behing us, Betsy and I headed to northern Thailand to a terrific city called Chaing Mai. Here we enjoyed lots and lots of Thai cuiseine and stayed at a ecofriendly guesthouse called Eagle House 2. The people of Chaing Mai are friendly and fun and definitely showed us a different side to the Thais then did Bangkok.
In the surrounding areas of Chaing Mai we rode Elephants, went hiking in beautiful mountains and rode a bamboo "raft" which was steered by an agile and slightly crazy 12 year old hilltribe girl named Mem. Chaing Mai is full of Wats (shirnes and temples) as well as TukTuks (which are basically go cars with covers). Additionally Thais of all ages have an affinity for Regee and Bob Marley so you can freqent any street and find a bar with live music of a Thai Band covering all sorts of Regee....its quite a scene. I think my favorite part of Chaing Mai is their luch park/garden open to the public and utilized by all on hot afternoons to find some shade and a cool breeze. If you bring a book or ball you will find someone interesting to talk with and the afternoon heat quickly receedes. I was sad to leave the blissfulness of Chaing Mai and would love to return as soon as possible.
Enter Vietnam. If Southeast Asia is a region where everyone is trying to sell you on something, Vietnam is a country that lives up to all expectations regardless of the pedeling beforehand. We started our tour of Vietnam in the North in the captial city of Hanoi. The old quater of the city (where we had our loding) is fully packed with a combination of pedestrians, motorbikes, bicycles and cyclos (the Vietnamese equvilant to the TukTuk). With absolutely no apparent law of the road, everyone seems to be fine driving where they want when they want. The city is full of constant horns being beeped as drivers alert one another to their presence, but no accidents occur. As a tourist you are constantly being approached (and dare I say hounded) by all kinds of people to buy all kinds of goods. And really anything you could possibly want can be found on the streets of Hanoi. To fulfill our cultral excerusion for the day, Betsy and I attended a water pupperty play which depicts many Vietnamese folktales and legendes. Lets just say that while it was visually incredible, something is lost on the english speakering viewer when it is only in Vietnamese......
Because we were feeling the need to do some adventurous sports/travel, we headed to Halong Bay also in the North and spent three days boating, kayaking, hiking, biking and treking in some of the most beautiful natural land and seascapes I have ever seen.
Our (or I should say my) search for warm weather and the sun brought us to Hue which boasts many of the most flavorfull food I have ever tasted and is on the coast of the South China Sea. We also spent one of our days motorbiking in the countryside of Hue. It was completely exhilirating and I cannot wait until we can to drive our own motorbikes. Our guide was a cheecky Vietnamese man who constantly reminded us that "If you never go, you never know". NOt a bad philosophy to follow!
And now I find myself in a small town of Hoi An which is situated by the sea and surround by rivers. It is known for its famous dishes of Cao Lao (the receipe is a secret and the water used to make it is all pulled from the same famous well) and White Rose (delicious wontons) and is also the silk and textile capital. I'll be honest and admit that I have had pants and a dress made. A most fun and indulgent experience anyone can have. And in total it cost me $30. But the real gem of Hoi An is the locally made Beer called LaRue. It flows constantly from early in the morning to late at night!
We leave today for another "H" city - Ho Chi Minh City (aka Siagon) because as the Vietnamese say - if you never go, you never know.
And here are the links for the pictures again (for those who made it to the end of the blog!)
http://picasaweb.google.com/jillian.constantine/HueVietnam
http://picasaweb.google.com/jillian.constantine/ThailandAndVietnam
http://picasaweb.google.com/bgrobovsky/VietnamToDate
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1 comment:
Jillian,
Once again the details of your trip that you have included has been bringing me along with you. The pictures are fantastic and I can't wait until you are able to tell me exactly what each photo is look at.
Keep on trucking....
Mom
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