One of the main reasons I wanted to come to Vietnam was for the food. I have heard that real Vietnemese food is amazing. All I really know about Vietnemese food is from the little hole in the wall place my family and I go to. I was excited to try out the real thing!
Like Thailand, some of the best food can be found at street food stalls. Unfortunately it can be quite intimidating for a foriegner to eat at a food stall. For one, food stalls don't look that appealing from the outside and are usually located in alleys or small streets away from the main action. Second, they usually don't have menus. You kind of have to figure out what they have to offer (usually you can tell by the ingredients placed in the window of their cart). Ordering usually involves a lot of pointing and gesturing and you hope they understand what you want.
The food stalls in Vietnam are a little different. For starters, they have minature sized tables and those bright red plastic kiddie chairs to sit on. You know the kind that are meant for 4-5 year olds. Not exactly meant for a giant like me. Usually you are ushered to sit at a table that is already crowded with locals who stare at you awkwardly as you try to squeeze in and sit down. I tend to get a lot of stares as I eat and it can be pretty uncomfortable to be sitting across from random strangers as you attempt to eat your food. I get a few nods of approval as I add the right ingredients to my bowl of Pho. A little fish sauce, some fresh lime, a few greens, maybe a little sugar or red pepper flakes. I guess I must be doing something right. I have not yet mastered the art of chopsticks, so I get a few giggles as I dribble soup all over myself. Hey, its not my fault. I blame the super tiny furniture. It wouldn't be a problem if I wasn't so far away from my food.
Although it can be intimidating to eat like a local, sometimes you just have to suck it up and get over your fear of looking like a fool (and maybe having an upset tummy). If you do you will be rewarded with some of the best and cheapest food you will ever eat.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Vietnam Part II- Nha Trang and Hoi An
Nha Trang, a small beach town on the coast, was not high on our list of cities to visit in Vietnam. However, there was no direct bus to Hoi An. Well there is but it takes a full 24 hours to get there! So, we decided to stay overnight in Nha Trang to break up the journey. The town of Nha Trang was pretty unremarkable. The beach however was quite nice, scattered with more locals than foriegners. A nice change. Overall an OK pit stop.
Hoi An is great. It is one of the only cities in Vietnam to have escaped any damage during the war. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to all of the buildings having the original French architecture. It was such a cute town. You can definitely feel the French influence. Lots of really cute cafes and resturants along the river. A great town to just wander. I enjoyed being in a quieter city for a few days.
Time for overnight bus number 3. Ugh. Vietnam is a huge country! Off to the experience the craziness of Hanoi!!
Hoi An is great. It is one of the only cities in Vietnam to have escaped any damage during the war. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to all of the buildings having the original French architecture. It was such a cute town. You can definitely feel the French influence. Lots of really cute cafes and resturants along the river. A great town to just wander. I enjoyed being in a quieter city for a few days.
Time for overnight bus number 3. Ugh. Vietnam is a huge country! Off to the experience the craziness of Hanoi!!
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Vietnam Part I -HCMC
Motorbikes, motorbikes everywhere! Ho Chi Minh City is craazzyyy. Also know as Saigon, Ho Chi Minh was our first stop on our whirlwind 2 week tour of Vietnam.
After a grueling 15 hours bus ride from Cambodia we finally arrived in the heart of the city. I was immediately overwelmed. The traffic here is worse than Bangkok, and I never thought I would say that. I have never seen so many motorbikes in my life. Its a constant stream of thousands of bikes, all of them beeping their horns and weaving their way down the crowded streets.
Crossing the street here is quite terrifying. As there are no real stop lights or cross walks you just have to take a deep breath, step off the sidewalk, and make your way slowly across, praying you don't get hit.
Who knew that motorbike helmets could be such a fasion statement??
The food so far in Vietnam is amazing. I have had delcious steaming hot bowls of Pho, fresh spring rolls, tons of fresh fruit and some of the best ice coffee. Yum!
While in Saigon we decided to take a day trip to see the Cu Chi Tunnels. Again, I know nothing about the history of Vietnam and know very little about the war so I was looking foward to learning a little bit while I am here. The tunnels were pretty fascinating.
Cu Chi is a network of tunnels that runs about 250km long. It consists of 3 levels, the third being 10m below the surface. The tunnels were all hand dug. 16,000 Vietnemese lived in the tunnels for almost 20 years to avoid being killed by the American soilders. Only 3,000 survived.
We were able to go into a small section of the tunnels. I could not believe how small the tunnels were! . The tunnels were built in clay soil which protected them from water and flooding, bombs and even American tanks. The entrance to the tunnels were very also very well hidden. Even if the tunnels were discovered the Americans would have a really hard time fitting through the small openings. We also got to see some of the weapons that they used against the American soliders. Visiting the tunnels was really interesting and I am so glad that I was able to learn a little bit about the war.
I have honstely had enough of the hustle and bustle of the big city and ready to try something smaller. Off to the beach town of Nha Trang.!
After a grueling 15 hours bus ride from Cambodia we finally arrived in the heart of the city. I was immediately overwelmed. The traffic here is worse than Bangkok, and I never thought I would say that. I have never seen so many motorbikes in my life. Its a constant stream of thousands of bikes, all of them beeping their horns and weaving their way down the crowded streets.
Crossing the street here is quite terrifying. As there are no real stop lights or cross walks you just have to take a deep breath, step off the sidewalk, and make your way slowly across, praying you don't get hit.
Who knew that motorbike helmets could be such a fasion statement??
The food so far in Vietnam is amazing. I have had delcious steaming hot bowls of Pho, fresh spring rolls, tons of fresh fruit and some of the best ice coffee. Yum!
While in Saigon we decided to take a day trip to see the Cu Chi Tunnels. Again, I know nothing about the history of Vietnam and know very little about the war so I was looking foward to learning a little bit while I am here. The tunnels were pretty fascinating.
Cu Chi is a network of tunnels that runs about 250km long. It consists of 3 levels, the third being 10m below the surface. The tunnels were all hand dug. 16,000 Vietnemese lived in the tunnels for almost 20 years to avoid being killed by the American soilders. Only 3,000 survived.
We were able to go into a small section of the tunnels. I could not believe how small the tunnels were! . The tunnels were built in clay soil which protected them from water and flooding, bombs and even American tanks. The entrance to the tunnels were very also very well hidden. Even if the tunnels were discovered the Americans would have a really hard time fitting through the small openings. We also got to see some of the weapons that they used against the American soliders. Visiting the tunnels was really interesting and I am so glad that I was able to learn a little bit about the war.
I have honstely had enough of the hustle and bustle of the big city and ready to try something smaller. Off to the beach town of Nha Trang.!
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Cambodia Part II- Siem Reap and Angkor Wat
Siem Reap is great. A really cute city. I especially liked "Pub Street", a great little walking street with lots of restaurants, pubs, cafes and shops. Siem Reap also has a really great night market, and lots of good shopping!
Cambodia is really cheap. Everything is paid for in US Dollars. It is weird for me to think about everything in dollars again instead of Baht. I am in real trouble here because everything seems so cheap. Nice meals are $2-3, a tuk-tuk into town $2, scarves and souvenirs $1. Its crazy. I'm in real trouble when I go back home to the States because everything will be so expensive!
We hired a tuk-tuk driver for three days to tour Angkor Wat. Our driver, Mr. Na, was awesome. The first day we toured a lot of the smaller temples and ended the day with sunset at the top of the mountain of Phnam Bakhen temple. Day two we woke up super early to see sunrise over Angkor Wat. Unfortunately it was cloudy as it had rained the night before. Bummer. Angkor Wat was stunning nonetheless. We hit the major temples including Bayon temple which is famous for the faces carved into the rock and Ta Prahm temple famous for the ruins that look like they are being swallowed by tree roots. Both were amazing. I really can't get over how ornate and detailed everything is. On the third day we went to a few of the older temples. We went to Banteray Srey and a few others located about an hour outside the city. It was really interesting to see how the architecture evolved from the older temples to the more "modern" ones. It was wonderful to be able to spend three days touring ruins!
As much as I loved Siem Reap and Angkor, there were a few downsides. I had a really hard time with the kids at Angkor. As soon as I arrived at a temple I was bombarded with little kids trying to sell trinkets and sourveniors and begging for money and candy. These kids were little too. "Just one dolla ladyyy" they would repeat as they followed us around. It made me feel a bit uncomfortable because I could actually very much afford to give this kid a dollar in exchange for a scarf, but I know that it would just encourage the kids to keep begging and perpetuate the problem. The kids were so cute and it was really hard to say no. Breaks my heart.
As friendly as the people here seem, it feels like it all comes down to money. Even our driver would stop at his "friends restaurant" even though we weren't hungry or stop at touristy places along the way and tell us we should buy something. They seemed very offended when we said no we didn't want to buy anything. I got really sick of the vendors yelling at me "Please ladyyyy, buy something". I understand that Cambodia is still incredibly poor and trying to rebuild, but I got pretty frustrated with so many people asking me for money.
My overall experience in Cambodia was great. I am so glad that I was able to learn so much about the country and its history and visit one of the most incredible places on earth. I feel so lucky to have been able to visit Cambodia on this trip and I learned a lot from my time here. A week in Cambodia went by so fast and I can't believe its already time to head off to Vietnam!
I took SO many pictures at Angkor Wat. I posted a few randoms until I get a chance to really look through them.
Cambodia is really cheap. Everything is paid for in US Dollars. It is weird for me to think about everything in dollars again instead of Baht. I am in real trouble here because everything seems so cheap. Nice meals are $2-3, a tuk-tuk into town $2, scarves and souvenirs $1. Its crazy. I'm in real trouble when I go back home to the States because everything will be so expensive!
We hired a tuk-tuk driver for three days to tour Angkor Wat. Our driver, Mr. Na, was awesome. The first day we toured a lot of the smaller temples and ended the day with sunset at the top of the mountain of Phnam Bakhen temple. Day two we woke up super early to see sunrise over Angkor Wat. Unfortunately it was cloudy as it had rained the night before. Bummer. Angkor Wat was stunning nonetheless. We hit the major temples including Bayon temple which is famous for the faces carved into the rock and Ta Prahm temple famous for the ruins that look like they are being swallowed by tree roots. Both were amazing. I really can't get over how ornate and detailed everything is. On the third day we went to a few of the older temples. We went to Banteray Srey and a few others located about an hour outside the city. It was really interesting to see how the architecture evolved from the older temples to the more "modern" ones. It was wonderful to be able to spend three days touring ruins!
As much as I loved Siem Reap and Angkor, there were a few downsides. I had a really hard time with the kids at Angkor. As soon as I arrived at a temple I was bombarded with little kids trying to sell trinkets and sourveniors and begging for money and candy. These kids were little too. "Just one dolla ladyyy" they would repeat as they followed us around. It made me feel a bit uncomfortable because I could actually very much afford to give this kid a dollar in exchange for a scarf, but I know that it would just encourage the kids to keep begging and perpetuate the problem. The kids were so cute and it was really hard to say no. Breaks my heart.
As friendly as the people here seem, it feels like it all comes down to money. Even our driver would stop at his "friends restaurant" even though we weren't hungry or stop at touristy places along the way and tell us we should buy something. They seemed very offended when we said no we didn't want to buy anything. I got really sick of the vendors yelling at me "Please ladyyyy, buy something". I understand that Cambodia is still incredibly poor and trying to rebuild, but I got pretty frustrated with so many people asking me for money.
My overall experience in Cambodia was great. I am so glad that I was able to learn so much about the country and its history and visit one of the most incredible places on earth. I feel so lucky to have been able to visit Cambodia on this trip and I learned a lot from my time here. A week in Cambodia went by so fast and I can't believe its already time to head off to Vietnam!
I took SO many pictures at Angkor Wat. I posted a few randoms until I get a chance to really look through them.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Cambodia Part I: Phnom Penh
Wow, what a difference a couple of hours can make.
When I left Thailand the Songkran water festival was still raging. A few hours later I arrived in Phnom Penh. Cambodia is also celebrating its New Year but upon arrival I never would have guessed. The city looked pretty deserted. All the shops were closed and other than a small gathering of people at the park near our guesthouse, I never would have guessed it was New Year's. The celebration was nothing like Thailand, which turned out to be a good thing. After three days of getting soaked every time I set foot out of our hotel, I was ready to dry out.
The spiritual rituals for the New Year are similar to Thailand. The people go to the temples to pay respect to their ancestors and also to wash the Buddha statues with holy water. In Thailand and Cambodia water is supposed to symbolize the washing away of all the evil things from the previous year. Cambodia apparently has not caught on to the awesomeness of a 3 day water fight in the streets.
I have to admit that I know nothing about Cambodia and its history. Its not something I ever learned about in history class. I decided that while in Phnom Penh I had to go see the "Killing Fields" in order to better understand the country.
The killing fields of Choeng Ek is the place were thousands of prisoners of the Khmer Rouge were taken and executed. There was a lot of information about what happened at these fields and we were able to walk around and see the mass graves that were discovered. Pretty intense stuff.
After that we went to the Tuol Seing Musuem, also known as the S-21 prison. S-21, which used to be a high school, was converted into a prison and torture chamber for those who disagreed with Pol-Pot, one of the leaders of the Rouge. On display at the museum were some pretty haunting photographs of all of the victims of the prison. You could also walk through and see the cells and chambers where they held the prisoners.
Even though it was a pretty depressing day I am so glad that I went to those places. Going to the museum really shaped my outlook on Cambodia and the people. Although Phnom Penh is still very much a developing city, they have come a long way in a very short amount of time. It was not that long ago that the city (and the entire country) was in ruins.
When I left Thailand the Songkran water festival was still raging. A few hours later I arrived in Phnom Penh. Cambodia is also celebrating its New Year but upon arrival I never would have guessed. The city looked pretty deserted. All the shops were closed and other than a small gathering of people at the park near our guesthouse, I never would have guessed it was New Year's. The celebration was nothing like Thailand, which turned out to be a good thing. After three days of getting soaked every time I set foot out of our hotel, I was ready to dry out.
The spiritual rituals for the New Year are similar to Thailand. The people go to the temples to pay respect to their ancestors and also to wash the Buddha statues with holy water. In Thailand and Cambodia water is supposed to symbolize the washing away of all the evil things from the previous year. Cambodia apparently has not caught on to the awesomeness of a 3 day water fight in the streets.
I have to admit that I know nothing about Cambodia and its history. Its not something I ever learned about in history class. I decided that while in Phnom Penh I had to go see the "Killing Fields" in order to better understand the country.
The killing fields of Choeng Ek is the place were thousands of prisoners of the Khmer Rouge were taken and executed. There was a lot of information about what happened at these fields and we were able to walk around and see the mass graves that were discovered. Pretty intense stuff.
After that we went to the Tuol Seing Musuem, also known as the S-21 prison. S-21, which used to be a high school, was converted into a prison and torture chamber for those who disagreed with Pol-Pot, one of the leaders of the Rouge. On display at the museum were some pretty haunting photographs of all of the victims of the prison. You could also walk through and see the cells and chambers where they held the prisoners.
Even though it was a pretty depressing day I am so glad that I went to those places. Going to the museum really shaped my outlook on Cambodia and the people. Although Phnom Penh is still very much a developing city, they have come a long way in a very short amount of time. It was not that long ago that the city (and the entire country) was in ruins.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Songkran
Happy Thai New Year!
If you wish to celebrate the Thai New Year please read the following instructions:
Step 1- Go out and buy a water gun. The bigger the better. If you wish to be really mean buy a bucket or water hose
Step 2- Fill up your weapon with ICE cold water.
Step 3- Begin squirting random strangers in the face. (Its really fun to dump a whole bucket on an unsuspecting victim.)
Step 4- Mix baby powder with water and smear it all over people as they pass by.
Step 5- Continue for three days
Warning: Results may vary. This probably won't be well received in the States. :)
Enjoy!
If you wish to celebrate the Thai New Year please read the following instructions:
Step 1- Go out and buy a water gun. The bigger the better. If you wish to be really mean buy a bucket or water hose
Step 2- Fill up your weapon with ICE cold water.
Step 3- Begin squirting random strangers in the face. (Its really fun to dump a whole bucket on an unsuspecting victim.)
Step 4- Mix baby powder with water and smear it all over people as they pass by.
Step 5- Continue for three days
Warning: Results may vary. This probably won't be well received in the States. :)
Enjoy!
Monday, April 11, 2011
Feelin' Hot Hot Hot
In case you didn’t know, Thailand Thailand
-I find myself drenched in sweat before 10 am . (And I never sweat at home!)
-I’ve gotten accustomed to taking about 4 showers a day, just to cool off. Not having hot water? Not really a problem. Now I look forward to taking icy cold showers.
-I find myself drinking what seems like a gallon of water a day, just to stay hydrated. It is soon seeping out of my pores
-Putting on layers and layers of sunscreen is a normal daily routine. The sun is way more intense. Carrying a backpack with sunburned shoulders is not fun. Trust me.
-I can now understand why Thai people don’t walk. Anywhere. It’s too darn hot. After a 5 minute walk I am soaking wet and wishing I had a motorbike to drive me up the street.
-I can also see why Thai people, usually shop owners, are often seen napping in the middle of the day. I have found myself in a similar routine simply because it is too hot to do anything other than nap.
-I used to think that it was odd that the locals avoid the sun like the plague. Now I find myself walking out of my way to seek solace in the shade.
-One of my favorite things I have seen in Thailand was a family of four on a motorbike carrying umbrellas to shade themselves from the sun. I used to think people were ridiculous for carrying umbrellas. Its not raining. Now it seems like a pretty brilliant idea. You will know I have been in Thailand
Well, it’s time to go take my 3rd shower of the day. I am sweating profusely just writing this blog.
Weirded Out in Railay
Last stop in Southern Thailand was Railay Island
From the moment I got to Tonsai beach I started having weird feelings about the island. I felt like I had been transported to a whole different planet. The scenery was so dramatic with the huge lime stone cliffs jutting out of the water. It felt very Jurassic Park-esque. After getting off the boat we found a cute little bungalow set back from the beach on a small jungle road. Our accommodations were a bit more “rustic” then I had been anticipating (man, I got spoiled in Bali J ). Electricity was only available between 6pm and 6am , and even then it was prone to random bumps and outages. The people on the island were friendly but a bit odd. Kind of like they had been stranded on a remote island for too long (maybe that’s the case?)
When we checked in to our hotel we were warned about the ferocious monkeys. Oh great. More monkeys. What we weren’t warned about were the GIGANTIC bugs on the island. Seriously. These bugs were about 10 times the size a normal bug should be. Even the mosquitoes were giant sized.
After getting settled we wandered in search of food. The place seemed deserted. There were lots of little restaurants and bars but nobody was around. I know Thailand
That night there was a charity concert at the “Chill Out Bar” to help raise money for the victims of the tsunami in Japan Southern Thailand . During the concert I felt like I had been transported to a whole different time and place. I have never seen so many Thai hippies in my life. And these were serious hippies too. I felt like I had gone back in time to 60’s or 70’s. All the local Thai men had dreads, afros or really long hair. They were dressed in serious bell bottoms, tie-dye shirts and even vests with flowers on them. The air was permeated with the smell of…ahem…a certain substance.
Where am I??
The concert started and the band played one of the strangest collections of songs I have ever heard. They played Thai and English songs, followed by what sounded like Irish step music, something Middle Eastern, and then a polka melody. I am still in Thailand
In the middle of the concert the power went off. Mai Pen Rai. No worries. The band kept playing like it was an everyday occurrence (which it probably is) and out came the fire dancers to keep the crowd entertained. When the lights came back they started a Thai puppet show which was pretty awesome. Finally about 1am, after sitting through hours of weird music (and getting a little sick of the...ahem…smell…coming from the bar), the band we had come to see finally came on. Job 2 Do is a famous Thai “reggae band”. So we listened and sang along to the songs we had come to recognize living in Thailand
Walking back to our bungalow after the concert was also quite spooky. Walking down the beach in the pitch black and looking up to see the ominous looking cliffs above. That’s the stuff nightmares are made of. As we started up the jungle path leading to our place, my mind was running through all the various creatures that would emerge from the jungle and attack us. Monkeys? Giant Lizards? Snakes? More of those gigantic bugs? Luckily we survived the walk and did not get attacked by any wild jungle animals. We quickly shut and locked the door praying none of the monster size mosquitoes got in.
Needless to say the next morning Olivia and I weren’t feeling the need to spend another night here. That morning we rented kayaks and paddled out to see the clliffs up close and personal. We came back, packed our bags and decided it was time to get the heck off this strange, strange island.
On the way to the boat we did indeed see a giant lizard/komodo dragon type thing in the middle of the road. The locals just carried about like it was the most normal thing in the world.
Tone Fa Sue Mak Mak
Koh Lanta was just what I was looking for. A beautiful, less expensive, and less touristy island.
I met back up with Olivia and we stayed at a really cute hotel right on the beach. The beach was gorgeous white sand and the water was so clear and so blue.
We made a Thai friend at our hotel who volunteered to show us around the island. He took us to a great view point, drove us through old town and we were able to explore Saladen, the port city. The island of Koh Lanta
I learned a new Thai phrase while in Koh Lanta. ‘Tone fa sue mak mak’ which means ‘the sky is very beautiful’. Koh Lanta had the most amazing sunsets. Thailand has had some pretty incredible sunsets so far but I think Koh Lanta takes the cake.
Island Life
Coming back to Thailand Bali was a bit of a downer. Apparently it had been raining in the south for about a week straight and there was lots of flooding. So bad that many people got stranded on Koh Tao and Koh Samui. Kind of put a damper on my plans as I was supposed to be heading back to the islands. Not wanting to go back to rainy weather in the islands, I attempted to hop on a flight to Singapore
Patong beach was a little better this time. Not nearly as many people, probably due to the rain. We indulged in a few western comforts and enjoyed two days of being completely lazy. Finally the weather showed signs of clearing. Feeling a bit restless in Phuket I jumped on the ferry hoping Phi Phi would be nice and sunny.
I got my wish and spent two glorious days on the beautiful (and clean) beach. Soaking up the sun, exploring the island and drinking lots of delicious tropical fruit shakes. Life is good.
As much as I loved Phi Phi and honestly think it is one of the must beautiful places I have ever been, its expensive and touristy. So after two days on the island by myself, it was time to move on to a less popular, and hopefully less expensive island.
Enter Koh Lanta
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