we love bangkok!

we planned on being here for only a few days, and we're already on day #8. bangkok is vibrant, alive, and fun - we don't want to leave! what have we been doing?

• eating - although we have primarily dined at street stalls, the food has been fantastic. by far, it's the best thai food we've ever had. pad thai, spicy curries, green papaya salad, whole fish, fried chicken, sticky rice, banana pancakes, and an over-abundance of fresh fruit…we are eating good! it is nearly impossible to make it down a single city block without stumbling upon another food stall. the only problem with eating so well is that eventually we get full!
• drinking - the only way to move through the city and not succumb to the relenting heat is through hydration - and the thais know how to do it right. they like their beverages loaded with sugar. milk teas are blended with palm sugar, sweetened condensed milk and then topped with evaporated milk and poured over crushed ice, into a plastic bag with a straw - we've traded in our caffeine addictions for serious thai sugar buzzes… the city is littered with vendors selling teas, coffees, water, beers, fresh orange juices, fruit juices, veggies juices, smoothies, shakes and bubble teas - it has been a culinary adventure with the beverages alone.
• shopping - bangkok is loaded with markets, shopping malls and boutiques selling just about everything that you could imagine. the options are endless with every brand name available. we have wandered the corridors of a few of the massive malls in the city center and hit the massive weekend market, boasting 15,000 vendors every saturday and sunday.
• people-watching in banglamphu - we're staying in the main traveler's centre and budget neighborhood near khao san road. the famous road is a bit too "much" for our taste - and we're glad our guesthouse (baan sabai @ 450 bhat $13.50 per night), is a few minutes walk away. we do certainly have fun though walking the pedestrian strip and watching all the freaks and craziness going on. you can completely change your image in the course of a few hours by getting dreadlocks, purple hair extensions, piercings, tattoos…we opted for some cocktails and beers and a few good laughs.
• visiting the american embassy - after 2 quick visits to the embassy, david has 20 new pages added to his passport and is ready to get stamped into the remaining 15 countries on our itinerary. funny, while in the embassy area we were approached by numerous locals offering us translating services - just in case we were interested in getting married…
• using public transport - local buses, river taxis, the metro, and the ultra-modern bts, bangkok's elevated rail line - thanks to david's keen navigational skills, we have easily managed to find our way around a city of 6 million people.
• visiting wats (temples) - bangkok's skyline is adorned with golden stupas, gleaming colored glass plastered temples and countless buddha statues that are sitting, reclining, standing - you name, we've seen it… bangkok's wats are the epicenter of buddhism in thailand and have provided magnificent backdrops to our touring of the city.

cambodia, the wrap up

our comments and observations of cambodia:

• even though much of cambodia lives in extreme poverty, the people are exceptionally nice and exude a pure, sweet innocence.
• angkor wat and the temple complex is the primary reason we decided to visit cambodia. we both agree that it is the most impressive archeological site (s) we've ever seen.
• cambodian women are exceptionally beautiful.
• the cambodian sun in blazing hot. with the high humidity the temperature feels near 100 degrees…and someone said it's winter?
• cambodians are mini too!
• how many cambodians can you fit on a scooter? six! 3 adults, 1 small child, and 2 infants. we are searching hard to find the new record of 7…
• the city of phnom penh is a little "rough around the edges". we kept our wits about things and chose not to take any night time strolls.
• we also opted out on street food in phnom penh after witnessing the lack of refrigeration and sanitation at street stalls. we suspect a case of typhoid ain't no walk in the park at a cambodian clinic.
• there are no fast food western restaurants in cambodia.
• someone said i looked cambodian…yea, yea, yea…i've heard that story…
• due to the influx of 5-star hotel package tourists, siem reap has some of the most jacked restaurant pricing we've seen in south east asia. diet coke continues to cost more than regular coke and reaches the hefty price tag of $1.75 per can!
• cambodia is one of the most heavily bombed countries in the world with an estimated 4 to 6 million unexploded bombs still littering the country. over 700 victims suffer each year from mine explosions. we were very saddened to see so many disabled people with missing or no limbs.
• things in cambodia cost a little bit more than in vietnam. you don't get as much bang for your reil, but for westerners, it's still a cheap country to travel to.

what things cost in cambodia:

• coffee at a local café $0.50
• 12 oz diet coke at a tourist restaurant $1.00
• a draft angkor beer $0.80
• khmer dinner for 2 people $7.00
• an order of beef luk lok $2.50
• an order of chicken curry $3.00
• a yoghurt shake $1.00
• large bottled water $0.50
• fish amok for 2 at a fancy restaurant $16.00
• an omelet with a baguette $1.50
• postcards $0.10 each
• postage to the usa $1.00 each
• a krama, or traditional scarf used to wrap around the head $2.00
• a pair of artisan crafted silver earrings $8.00
• tourist t-shirts 2 for $5.00
• an artisan crafted ornament made from old bullets $1.25
• the cambodia mask $15.00
• 6 hour luxury (with bathroom) bus ride $10.00 per person
• double ensuite room at popular guesthouse in siem reap $13.00 per night
• a 3 day pass to the angkor temple complex $40.00
• 3 day tuk tuk hire $45.00

what's next?

tomorrow morning we leave on a 10 hour bus ride that will take us over the border of thailand and into bangkok. we'll see you there!

onward!

alina

the cambodia mask

aspara = peace in cambodian

aspara is the traditional khmer dance of cambodia that dates back to the 8th century. the dance is said to honor the spirit of cambodia. at the heart of the classical form is the aspara, the joyful dancer whose images are everywhere. the graceful movements of the aspara dancer, adorned with gold headdresses and silken tunics and skirts are carved on the walls of many temples of angkor. this is the cambodian mask. she is aspara.

alina

eating in cambodia

as one might expect, both the thais and vietnamese have heavily influenced khmer cuisine. spicy, chile-laden curries, fresh spring rolls and loads of rice are common at the dinner table. while we have only been in cambodia for about a week, we did have a good chance to sample a healthy array of food while here. among our favorites was a staple dish called beef luk loc. served on most menus throughout the country, it is a sautéed beef dish loaded with garlic and green onions, served over top of fresh green tomatoes, cucumber, shaved raw onions and lettuce. of course, it comes with rice on the side and a flavorful dipping sauce of limejuice, salt, pepper and a little vinegar. a lot of versions also come with a fried egg or two on the top. we also at a lot of eggplant while here. sautéed with pork and mushrooms, roasted and pureed with minced pork, chiles, lime and fish paste or grilled, mashed and served cold with tomatoes, cucumber and onions… we saw it at our table on more than one occasion and enjoyed it every time. also, just like in vietnam, banana blossoms are a favorite salad ingredient here. often times, served with cold chicken, mint, basil, lemongrass, tomatoes and limejuice. i haven't been able to get enough of it in the last few days and can only hope to see as much of it in thailand in the coming days.

angkor wat

the temples of angkor, capital of cambodia's ancient khmer empire, are the heart and soul of the kingdom of cambodia. they are a source of inspiration and national pride to all khmers, and of course, is the primary reason we decided to make a short visit to the country. the hundreds of temples surviving today are only the skeleton of the vast political, religious, and social centre of an empire that once stretched from burma to vietnam. the most magnificent temple is angkor wat, which is the largest religious building in the world. angkor wat and the temple complex is by far the most signifigant archeological site we will visit in south east asia.

after a couple of "edgy" days in phnom penh, we welcomed the touristy, clean feel of siem reap - home of the famous wat, or temple. after checking into popular guest house ($13.00 per night), we arranged for a 3 day tuk-tuk tour of angkor wat and some of the surrounding temples.

the alarm went off at about 4:30am the next morning. shortly after, we were in the lobby of our guesthouse meeting our tuk tuk driver, Savoot, a nice young guy who's kind of shy and has a sweet smile. we head out into the crisp air for our first stop, the ticket office. we see some 24 hour food stalls, a couple of joggers (when else can you jog in cambodia?), and other tourists en route to ankor wat, the same as us. we arrive to the ticket office, which is buzzing with activity with about 8 ticket lines open. we pay the $40.00 per person entry fee for a 3 day pass to the complex and the high-tech system takes our photo and produces a photo id that we use to enter the sites.

by about 5:45am we arrive to the entrance of angkor wat. savoot directs us where to go and says he'll be waiting for us along with all of the other sleeping tuk tuk drivers. we start walking in the pitch black across the walkway that crosses a moat and shortly arrive to a lake that is located directly in front of the wat. we quickly realize that we are not the only ones with the bright idea to see angkor wat at sunrise, because about 50 tourists are already sitting around the lake. we are immediately approached by young boys who offer us plastic chairs and hot coffee for 75 cents each. of course, we accept because we are unable to turn down coffee with the current hard-core caffeine addictions we acquired while in vietnam. additionally, we are incredibly lazy and don't care to stand. we position ourselves behind the front row of japanese tourists that appear to be part of a tour group. within a few minutes, another japanese group moves in directly behind us. the scent of perfumed body lotion and clean hair surrounds us. they smell so good…i wonder if they can smell my bug spray. their guide provides plastic chairs for them, but no coffee. i wonder if they already had coffee and buffet breakfast at their 5-star hotel…
i bet the buffet had bacon too…

at about 6:15am the sun rises and the splendor and beauty of angkor wat is before us! after about a half an hour of much excitement and picture taking, we proceed inside the temple to get a good head start on the tour groups. after learning about angkor and anticipating the visit for so long, i am amazed and can hardly believe that we are actually inside the temple. it is magnificent and more incredible than i imagined. we peacefully tour the temple and the grounds for the next couple hours with minimal other tourists. we were lucky and got great photos with no other tourists in the shots!

after leaving angkor wat we continued the tour by visiting the bayon temple at angkor thom, phimeanakas, elephant terras, and preah phithuo. it was fantastic day - and we still have two to go…

alina

phnom penh

on our first day in the capital of cambodia, phnom penh, alina and i visited the two most historically significant sites in the city. first, we visited the tuol sleng museum. tuol sleng , originally a high school, was transformed into security prison 21, the largest center of detention and torture in the country. today it stands as testament to the unthinkable horrors that occurred there. afterwards, we visited the killing fields of choeung ek, where over 17,000 men, women and children (many detainees of s-21) were massacred and buried in mass graves during the genocide of the khmer rouge regime.

after these small insights into the horrors of cambodia's recent past, i am at a loss of words on how to describe the impact it has had on us. hopefully these words, written by fellow countrymen of the dead can better explain the suffering this beautiful country experienced less than 30 years ago:

"even in this 20th century, on kampuchean soil the clique of pol pot criminals, committed a heinous genocidal act. they massacred the population with atrocity in a large scale, it was crueler than the genocidal act committed by the hitler fascists, which the world has never met.
with the commemorative stupa in front of us, we imagine that we are hearing the grievous voice of the victims who were beaten by pol pot men with canes, bamboo stumps and heads of hoes. who were stabbed with knives or swords. we seem to be looking at the horrifying scenes and the panic stricken faces of the people who were dying of starvation, forced labour or torture without mercy upon the skinny body, they died without giving the last words to their kith and kin. how hurtful those victims were when they were beaten with canes, heads of hoes and stabbed with knives and swords before their last breath went out. how bitter they were when seeing their beloved children, wives, husbands, brothers or sisters seized and tightly bound before being taken to the mass grave!

while they were waiting for their turn to come and share the same tragic lot,
the method of massacre which the clique of pol pot criminals was carried upon the innocent people of kampuchea cannot be described fully and clearly in words because the invention of this killing method was strangely cruel so it is difficult for us to determine who they are for. they have human form but their hearts are demon's hearts. they have got the khmer face, but their activities are purely reactionary. they wanted to transform kampuchean people into a group of persons without reason or a group who knew and understood nothing, who always bent their heads to carry out angkor's orders blindly. they had educated and transformed young people and the adolescent whose hearts are pure, gentle and modest into odious executioners who dared to kill the innocent and even their own parents, relatives or friends.

they had burnt the marketplace, abolished monetary systems, eliminated books of rules and principles of national culture, destroyed schools, hospitals, pagodas and beautiful monuments such as angkor watt temple, which is the source of pure national pride and bears the genius, knowledge and intelligence of our nation.

they were trying hard to get rid of khmer character and transform the soil and waters of kampuchea into a sea of blood and tears which was deprived of cultural infrastructure, civilization and national character, became a desert of great destruction that overturned the kampuchean society and drove it back into the stone age."

cambodia has a long road to recovery ahead of it and the scars of the khmer rouge regime are still everywhere. maybe, with a little help from the rest of the world, cambodia can get fully back on it's feet and create the economic, educational and social infrastructures necessary to rebuild it's culture and help it's people.

the mekong delta

our last three days in vietnam were spent in the mekong delta. it was a great experience, taking in the sights of the floating markets, floating villages, fish farms and rice patties that make up the 'rice basket of vietnam.' here are few of the friendly faces and striking images we saw during our three days. for a more extensive look at the mekong delta region, take a look at our photos at www.flickr.com/photos/davidandalina.

vietnam, the wrap up

our comments and observations of vietnam:

• we love vietnam!
• the vietnamese are smiling, lovely, and gentle people. we have thoroughly enjoyed our interactions with them.
• same as the chinese, the vietnamese are very hard workers.
• vietnam is an incredibly popular tourist destination and is choke full of tour groups and independent travelers.
• the food and coffee in vietnam is fresh, cheap, and fantastic.
• we fear we may have acquired a hard-core caffeine addiction, due to our over consumption of café sua da.
• how much pho soup can you eat in a month? loads - luckily, we love it!
• the vietnamese can ride motorbikes like champs.
• how many people can you fit on a motorbike? a vietnamese family of five: dad, mom, and three mini children.
• the only western fast-food restaurant we saw in vietnam is kfc, which have been sparcely located in hanoi and saigon.
• diet coke costs more than regular coke in vietnam. we presume it's because very few vietnamese are fat or on a diet.
• we continue with the norm of being giant in size. the vietnamese are super-mini and are even smaller than the chinese or koreans.
• vietnam has unbelievably cheap draft beer.
• vietnam is loud. it seems there are only a couple of quiet hours in the day - which are somewhere between 2 and 5am.
• the american dollar rules in vietnam.
• memory and remnants of the war are still everywhere.
• crossing a busy street in vietnam is an artform. after almost a month, we consider ourselves masters of the art.
• we love conical hats!
• relatively speaking, toilet conditions in vietnam are optimal and are only rarely of the squat variety. woo hoo!
• vietnamese bus travel is terrifying. we determined the best way to cope with it is when we feel near death, we simply close our eyes and think of beautiful, heavenly thoughts.
• same as china, blogs are subject to censorship and restriction in vietnam. although we have been able to upload new posts and photos to our blog, we've still been unable to view the final format online.
• disregarding the advice of guidebooks, we ate ice all throughout vietnam and never once got sick.
• also contrary to guidebook warnings, we encountered 0% pickpocket, theft, or crime of any sort directed towards us. we traveled throughout vietnam completely at ease and with absolutely no feeling of threat.
• they tell me i have a vietnamese face. funny, because in china they said i had a chinese face. wait a minute - someone once said i looked hawaiian…
• you get a lot of bang for your dong in vietnam.

what things cost in vietnam:

• the border crossing fee at customs to enter the country $0.12 per person
• draft bia hoi at an outdoor café in hanoi $0.12
• café sua da in a coffee shop $0.75
• fresh squeezed juice $0.60
• a fruit plate $1.10
• a fresh bagette $0.12
• an order of cau lau $0.70
• a doner kabob sandwich from a street stall $0.72
• american breakfast at a nice café $1.65
• a banana pancake $0.65
• pho soup at a street stall $0.60
• pho soup at a nice restaurant $2.25
• a large bottled water $0.36
• 12 oz can of diet coke in a restaurant $0.70
• 12 oz. can of tiger beer in a restaurant $0.65
• a fresh fruit smoothie $0.90
• a three course prix-fixe dinner at a casual vietnamese restaurant $3.25 per person
• a double ensuite room at than van hotel in hoi an $15.00
• hotel laundry service $0.90 per kilo.
• postcards $0.30 each
• postage to the u.s.a. $0.63 each
• a 15 hour sleeper bus ticket from ninh binh to hue $15.00
• manicure and pedicure $5.00
• a 1.5 hour tandem (4 hand) massage $8.00
• the vietnam mask $11.00
• a premium silk scarf $3.70
• a silk change purse $0.40
• a hand-made hemp i pod holder $2.25
• a pair of ceramic earrings from a market vendor $1.00
• entry to my son champa ruins $4.00
• tour + entry fee to cu chi tunnels $9.00
• entry to the war remnants museum $1.00
• david's street barber haircut $1.80
• an inclusive 3 day, 2 night tour to the mekong delta region with transfer to phnom penh, cambodia $36.00 per person

what's next?

tomorrow we're leaving saigon on a 3 day bus/boat tour that will take us to the mekong delta region then continue on to phnom penh, cambodia. also called the "rice basket" of vietnam, the delta yields enough rice to feed the entire country, and although the area is primarily rural, it is one of the most densely populated regions in vietnam. nearly every square mile is intensively farmed and the area is lush with rice paddies, fish farms, and extensive cultivation of sugarcane, fruit, coconut, and shrimp. the tour will take us by boat to visit floating markets and river villages of the mekong delta. we will stay over night in the cities of can tho and chau doc, a small city near the border of cambodia. on day three we will cross the cambodian border by boat then change to a bus for the final land transfer into phnom penh.

if we come across a decent wifi connection while in the delta, we'll be sure to upload some photos or drop a post regarding life on the river. otherwise, we'll see you in the capitol city of cambodia!

onward!

alina

cu chi tunnels

okay, so it's confirmed, the banging is not our guesthouse chef smashing bones or crushing ice as i had previously theorized… indeed, it is some small scale construction going on in the alleyway snaking around behind our guesthouse.
this was realized this morning at about 6:45 am when we woke up to head out to sinh café for our organized tour to see the cu chi tunnels, the elaborate spider web of underground tunnels extending far north and all the way to the cambodian border that served as the v.c. stronghold throughout the war.
at about 8:00 am, after a quick breakfast, identical to yesterday's, we arrived at the tour office and boarded a what looked like a very nice air conditioned bus with about 30 others and set out for cu chi, a suburb of saigon about 50 kilometers from the city center.
9:30 am - small kind deviation from plan as our somewhat rambunctious bus driver got a little over excited in the morning rush hour and somehow ' broke' the bus. rendering us incapacitated on the side of the road for about an hour while another bus came to our rescue. fortunately, the group seemed to be in good spirits and most everyone was rather understanding of the situation. as we have come to learn, it is super important to approach every day with a healthy sense of humor and a willingness to go with the flow (as the flow is often times very different from the plan)
10:10 am - still waiting… after alina decided we would forgo waiting for our afternoon snack, we dug into our first chocolate croissant of the trip. it was buttery, flakey and full of bittersweet chocolate, not unlike those of a fine parisian patisserie.
10:45 am - onward! the new bus with cooler air conditioning reloaded, this time with a few irritated travelers and headed towards cu chi.
11:30 am - well, it worked out for the best as our late arrival meant that we would be on the coat tails of all of the other tour groups, giving us more room and a little more peace at the site.
3:00 pm - back on the bus and a chance to cool off and reflect on the circus that is cu chi tunnels. a bit of background, cu chi served as the stronghold for v.c. guerillas throughout the war. the area was witness to countless deaths, chemical bombings and towards the end of the war, numerous b 52 carpet bombings. the area was left completely destroyed during and after the war, bomb craters scared the rice patties and most of the population was killed, maimed or fled the area as refugees. as the vietnamese tell the story, american forces were never able to gain a foot hold in the area and v.c. guerillas used it as a stepping stone to eventually take control of saigon in april of 1975. it would be safe to assume that the tourist site would serve as a somber memorial to all of the bloodshed and suffering the area had seen throughout history. that assumption is far from reality though, as the site is now home to a disney like theme park making light of war, repeated bombings, chemical weapons and suffering. a short film before entering the jungle site of the tunnels, praises v.c. guerilla 'american killers' and is quite a heavy hitting piece of communist propaganda. throughout the jungle, we got to see the actual tunnels still intact, along with displays of homemade bombs and weapons that the v.c. used. one of the most shocking exhibits was a display of all of the bamboo booby traps that the v.c. used against the americans and the apparent enthusiasm that the park guard and the tour group showed for seeing how they worked. followed by a stop at the shooting range to try out war era ak 47s and other various machine guns we were ready to call it a day and ge the heck out of there. it was a real eye opening experience and definitely gave a perspective of the war different than what you get back home.
4:30 pm - after getting back into saigon city, we hit our now favorite noodle soup shop for another hot bowl of spicy pho bo with tender braised beef brisket. it has become my favorite of all of our travels throughout vietnam.
5:30 pm - back to miss loi's for a cool shower and a 2 hour nap, void of any construction noises, scooter horns or any of the countless other noises this city produces when you are trying to rest…
7:30 pm - we head out of the guesthouse and find dinner at a local spot with cheap beers and fresh, tasty vietnamese food. i had bun thit nuong again, which is just a great dish - pork loin grilled with loads of lemongrass and served over rice noodles with lettuce, mint, basil and toasted peanuts - all tossed with a little fish sauce, vinegar, sugar and red chiles. it is nice and fresh, light and full of flavor. i think that it is very representational of everything that is great about vietnamese food - one of those dishes that would be great for breakfast, lunch or dinner and also does really well in this hot, humid climate… and best of all, a serving for 1 person costs barely more than a dollar - along with a 60 cent saigon beer - you can't go wrong…

fyi... i will be putting together another post about some of the food we have had in vietnam over the last month that i have not yet had a chance to mention. hopefully, wifi willing, i will get to upload it sometime in the next few days before we head into cambodia - david

a day (or two) in the life...

yesterday we took a rather extensive walking tour of central saigon after moving into our quaint guesthouse, miss loi's, hidden down a very narrow alleyway. our tour took us north to the jade emperor pagoda in the da kao neighborhood of saigon. jade emperor is a taoist pagoda dedicated to the taoist supreme god… you guessed it, the emperor of jade. it was very special to be in a place where worship and meditation were being pursued, unlike many other well toured temples and pagodas. we quietly observed a monk that was at least 100 years old while he sat on the floor and meditated. he was amazing. afterwards our walk took us through a bustling neighborhood market, far off the tourist trail, where we bought a few tiny mandarin oranges and some ruby red mountain apples, more brilliant in color than any i have seen in hawaii (although not quite as sweet). we made our way to the binh soup shop for a bowl of pho bo. binh is historically significant as it was the former headquarters of the northern vietnam (vc) spies during the war. it is said that much of the plans for the tet offensive in 1968 were conceived right there as spies swirled around posing as waiters, serving u.s. soldiers the same noodle soup nearly 40 years ago. we also made our way to a popular local hangout that serves banh xeo, egg pancakes, cooked crisp over wok burners and filled with pork loin, prawns and bean sprouts. to eat, you tear off a small piece of the pancake and stuff it into a lettuce (bibb) leaf with mint, basil and shiso, then dip it into fish sauce with pickled carrot, radish and baby leeks - awesome, fresh flavors and alina's proclaimed "hands down favorite" food of our now 2 month journey… after a nice cool shower to slow the effects of saigon's stifling humidity, we made it into our air conditioned and ceiling fanned bedroom for a full 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep… until we awoke to one of the typical vietnamese 'alarm clocks.' instead of roosters (hana) or car/scooter horns (hanoi), we woke up to hammering. alina was convinced that it was the little old lady that cooks at the guesthouse, although i am sure that if she was trying to make that much noise in a kitchen she would have been trying to smash cow bones with a sledge hammer.
9:10 am - we made it down stairs to find the cook quietly peeling onions and enjoy our breakfast of pineapple, watermelon and tiny finger sized bananas with a baguette, homemade strawberry preserves, emmenthal cheese and a café sua da (coffee with condensed milk).
11:00 am - we stopped at the 'barber shop' at the end of our alley to get me a proper haircut. i must say that it was one of the best of my life. i guess barbers at home are scared of the straight razor these days. however, for my friendly vietnamese barber, the art of the straight razor has not been lost. he detailed all the way around my head, including the peach fuzz on my ears - yes peach fuzz - while i am sure that it will one day be gnarly old man ear hair - i am still only 30 years old and it is still just peach fuzz… needless to say, it was a good experience - the haircut, the moto drivers hanging around to watch, the neighborhood guy behind me sharpening the barb for the claw of his cock fighting bird in the bamboo cage just next to me and alina sitting there taking pictures and talkin' story with the small curious crowd that seems to often form around us theses days.
12:00 noon - stop at café zoom for more café sua da (iced) and a quick reprieve from the humidity and a chance to sit and watch the seemingly endless scooter parade, including a special appearance by a rare 5 passenger scooter, before heading to the ben than market, central saigon's liveliest and most colorful place for one stop shopping.
1:30 to 3:30 pm - during the afternoon we visited a couple important sites in saigon. first, a stop at the reunification palace gave us a firsthand look at what the palace was like only days before it was surrendered to vc troops in 1975. afterwards we walked a few blocks west to the war remnants museum - a vivid and rather gruesome depiction of the cultural, economical and physical void that the war left on the country. through photographs taken by 11 journalists that lost their lives documenting the war, we saw images of the death, destruction and mutilation inflicted on everyone involved. it was graphic and telling - one of those experiences that you don't want to have but somehow feel better because of seeing it.
4:00 pm - finally, lunch and something less serious to focus on. we decided to stop at an up market noodle shop serving (and named) bun bo hue. my version with vietnamese beef, hue style pork sausage and pig trotter was fantastic - garnished with shredded banana blossoms, limes, chiles and basil and seasoned with fish sauce and red chile paste - washed down with yet another café sua da (number three for the day) - it hit the spot. we also had a few small fresh spring rolls filled with rice noodles, greens and ground dried hue shrimp - dipped in more fish sauce and chiles, it made for a good starter and a nice departure from some of the flavors that have become familiar to use over the last three weeks in vietnam.
5:00 pm - on the way back to miss loi's we took a walk through he backpacker's quarter and stopped to buy some provisions (a bar of soap, a tomato-yoghurt facial mask and some tiger beers) before getting back to shower and relax for a while before heading back out in the evening for some more adventures.
8:00 pm - after a quick dinner of gui cuon (fresh spring rolls) and bun thit nuong (grilled marinated pork loin with rice noodles and lettuce) we headed to the cafe zozo for our last cafe sua da of the day, swearing that we will not allow a hardcore caffeine addiction to set in before we leave coffee country... maybe just one more tomorrow. -david

it ain't hamoa, but we're at the beach...

it's about 82 degrees, the sky is overcast, and we are officially in the south. we arrived nha trang yesterday morning at about 7am after a 10 hour overnight bus trip. vietnamese bus travel doesn't seem nearly as death-defying when you sleep through the ride. nha trang is on of the more popular beach destinations in vietnam and we felt it would suit us perfectly to ring in the new year. it ain't hamoa beach, but we realize we're somewhat spoiled after living in hana, maui for the last 3 years. nonetheless, it's still quite beautiful and relaxing - which is exactly what we plan to do over the next few days. although far from exciting, here's a recap of our last day of 2007:

7am - arrival and checked in to an hoa hotel @ 176,000 dong ($11.00) per night - complete with wifi, satellite tv with the cartoon channel, and an ocean view from the balcony.
7am to noon - sleep
noon to 2pm - relaxed in a cafe with fruit smoothies and a lunch of fried calamari, grilled eggplant, steamed rice, and fruit.
2pm to 4pm - leisure walk and chilled out along the beach front.
4pm to 5pm - searched to find a mini-mart then bought shampoo, toothpaste, deoderant, yoghurt, pringles, orangina, and tiger beer.
5pm to 7pm - relaxed and read in the room.
7pm to 8:30pm - had a 1.5 hour tandem (4 hand) vietnamese massage - fantastic!
8:30pm to 10:30pm - had a nice dinner at a fancy restaurant and ate excellent soft-shell blue crabs
10:30pm to midnight - relocated to an even fancier beach-front club for coffee and dessert @ $12.00 USD - outrageously expensive for vietnam. rang in the new year...

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!

alina and david