Phuket and Chiang Mai - Part II

As was the case with Phuket, I had many international friends visit Chiang Mai, but I never had the opportunity to go. But unlike Phuket, which often receives mixed reviews, everyone I knew who had ever visited Chiang Mai had nothing bad to say about it. So Huy and I went there in January 2024 with high expectations.

Choosing an area to stay was a challenge since Chiang Mai is the second largest city in Thailand, but as with Phuket, I picked our hotel based on walking distance to the gay area of town. Chiang Mai is located in the mountainous region known as the Thai highlands, up near the Golden Triangle. The old city is lined by a moat and there are still crumbling remains of the wall that surrounded the city that date back to the 13th century. Since we went in January, the weather was remarkably cool, and certainly a nice change from hot Vietnam.

The hotel I chose looked better in pictures. In reality is was once probably very grand, but now was old and run down. It was also mostly empty except for when tour groups came through for a night and flooded the halls with noisy Korean and Chinese old people. Still, the location was convenient and enabled us to walk to local markets and bars in the evening.

Chiang Mai is a city of temples, and that’s what we spent the majority of our time doing - visiting one temple after another. Fortunately we were able to rent a motorbike which made getting around the city quite easy. Since we arrived in the late afternoon, we started our adventure the next morning.

The first temple we visited was Wat Phra That Doi Kham - a large temple that includes a 17 (56 feet) meter high giant buddha. The temple is located on top of a mountain, and was a rather long drive from downtown Chiang Mai. The countryside, though, was beautiful, especially after we got off a very large highway, which was a little scary to drive on with a small motorbike.

It was a beautiful, cool day and the views from the mountain were amazing. There are many things to see at Doi Kham and we stayed a long time there. With so many shrines and buddhas, most of your time is spent taking off your shoes and going inside each shrine. And since Huy is a good buddhist, he must bow and pray at every buddha we came across - and there were many! The temple has a large terrace with rather kitshy scruples like a giant durian and stag. There is also a giant gorilla for some reason. The oldest section of the temple was constructed around 687. Since we arrived early we avoided much of the crowd, but by the time we left, the tour busses were flooding in and things grew chaotic. It was a fun drive winding our way down the mountain road.

After lunch we toured another temple, this one located in the middle of Chiang Mai. Wat Chedi Luang is the one of the oldest temples in Chiang Mai. It was constructed in the late 14th century, and took almost 100 years to build since construction stopped about halfway up - likely because they had trouble with stability. Originally the temple was 270 feet high, but an earthquake in 1545 caused almost 100 feet to fall over. In the 1990s UNESCO took over and reconstructed part of the shrine. Though you cannot go inside the shrine, the sheer size and scale of it made Wat Chedi one of my favorite temples to visit. The grounds are interested to explore, and since all temples are free in Chiang Mail, it’s certainly worth a visit.

The next day we took a break from temples and went to the national park to visit Huay Kaew Waterfall. The national park is actually quite close to downtown Chiang Mai and near the large university. You pass the Chiang Mai zoo on your way up the mountain. The entrance to the waterfall wasn’t easy to find and as it turned out we entered above the falls rather than at the base. This required us to hike down some rather steep terrain before we reached the basin. Neither Huy and I are fans of hiking, so walking down was OK, but the climb back up was not very enjoyable. Of course, once we were back on the motorbike and heading down the mountain, we saw the entrance to the waterfall and that entrance would have resulted in a five minute walk rather than a 45 minute one!

The hike tired us out so for the rest of the day we just relaxed at the hotel and explored our neighborhood. That night we did go to the night market. Chiang Mai has one of the largest and best night markets I’ve visited in Asia. I had read to get there early when they first opened otherwise it gets too crowded, and boy that information was correct. We arrived to a food plaza and were suddenly surrounded by a plethora of Thai delicacies. It was a challenge deciding what to select, but we ended up with a great meal for less than five dollars. Afterwards, we explored the market. We walked the entire length of it, and by the time we turned around to walk back, the crowd had grown exponentially and it was a sea of people. At times you almost had to push your way past folks. But unlike many night markets, this one sold more unique items, and not the same crap you can buy in any night market around SE Asia. Plus there were plenty of mango sticky rice vendors, and that makes any crowd worthwhile!

The following day we drove to an area famous for its geothermal hot springs in the Mae On district of Thailand. The springs were not close, and it took us almost 90 minutes to get there. The first half of the journey was on boring on dusty highways, but the second half took us onto smaller, secondary roads through the Thai countryside. Once we got onto those roads, the journey was beautiful. We passed farms, and rice paddies, and quaint small towns. Eventually we arrived to San Kamphaeng Hotsprings. After parking, we found out that the large public spring was closed for renovations, so the left only the private sauna rooms that were meant for larger groups. Since we drove so far, we opted for a private room for one hour. When you arrive to the room, the basin is empty, but a Thai woman comes in and turns on this fire hydrant spigot that fills the basin with scalding hot water in a matter of minutes. You then turn on the cold water to balance out the temperature. Each spa room has a toilet and changing area, as well as a private shower. Once the basin was filled, Huy and I got in and relaxed. Since each room was private, you can go naked and enjoy your privacy. The water has a strong sulphur smell, since it’s a natural spring, and felt great. Unfortunately a couple of days later my skin broke out in a rash and took almost a week to go away!

After the soak, we explored the rest of the grounds. The park was quite large with pretty flower gardens and a man-made hot springs river that locals mostly went to since it was free and a lot cheaper than our private sauna. One fun activity we did was to cook our own egg in the hot spring water. You purchase an egg and they give you small basket. You take the basket over to the spring basin and set it the water. Ten minutes later you have a hard boiled egg!

After our long drive back, we decided to try a restaurant that was highly recommended on Trip Advisor. It’s in a more modern area of Chiang Mai and located in a shopping mall. Normally, a shopping mall wouldn’t be worth exploring, but this mall was beautifully designed with large vaulted ceilings and a labyrinth of balconies and stairs. It was fun to just walk around and explore. What we liked best about One Nimman Plaza was that the stores and vendors sold unique and handmade products. We bought several items here before enjoying a more modern, upscale version of Thai food. After mostly eating local street food, it was a nice change of pace.

The next morning it was on to more temples. This time we visited Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, another temple on top of a mountain about 10 miles outside of Chiang Mai. This temple is one of the more sacred ones in Thailand; in fact ,the whole mountain, Doi Suthep, is considered sacred by the local Thai. The switchback road to get to the temple was fun to drive on a motorbike. We actually passed several bike riders pedaling up the mountain!

From the car park you have to walk 309 steps to reach the temple. Normally such steps wouldn’t be a problem, but I stupidly wore flip flops. Walking up steps in flips flops is uncomfortable, and dangerous. Halfway up I just took them off and walked barefoot. I felt like one of the monks!

This temple is sprawling and massive, with different areas that take you through the life of Buddha. Unfortunately the main golden spire was covered in scaffolding so they could touch up the gold plating. The tiers represent the level of heavens that one must ascend in order to achieve Nirvana as well as the hierarchy associated with a monarchy. Visitors walk around the structure to pray and view the different levels.

Surrounding the spire is a large wooden building with giant pillars and hundreds of small buddhas in nooks. As I mentioned earlier, when you travel with a buddhist, you have to bow and pray in front of every buddha one passes, so I’m surprised Huy wasn’t dizzy by the time we walked through that structure!

Outside along the mountain side is a series of balconies with beautiful views. There was a giant wooden pagoda that was intricately carved and decorated with gold plated animals. It was actually my favorite part of the shrine. We took many pictures from there as well as throughout the grounds since there was so much to see.

As we made our way back down the mountain, we stopped at a small temple that we had passed on the way up (picture at the top of the blog). It was completely empty - we were the only people there, but inside was a giant buddha surrounded by lush red walls. It was so peaceful and tranquil there after the crowds we experienced in Doi Suthep.

Our final destination for the day was Wat Umong. We decided to go here because I read that the temple had a cave, and we love caves. When we arrived, we realized it wasn’t very crowded. This is more a Buddhist monastery, with a school that houses and teaches students the ways of buddhism. The grounds are huge, with tree covered walkways, ponds, and scenic bridges. Built in 1297, Wat Umong is not nearly as elegant as all the gold clad temples, but its historical significance and natural beauty make up for the lack of glitz. This temple ended up being my favorite of the entire trip.

As you enter the tunnels, the temperature drops and you can strongly smell the burning incense. The tunnels run deep and off the main branch are small enclaves that dead end with shrines. Some of the tunnels are low and you have to bend over to reach the ends.

Above the tunnels is a large stupa, or spire, that visitors must walk clockwise around three times to receive a blessing. Once we completed our rotation, we walked over to the lake to feed the birds. You buy some bird pellets and walk to the middle of the bridge. There were so many birds I couldn’t believe it! The entire bridge filled with them, and we were surrounded by hungry birds and feathers! After you cross the bridge there is a small island with benches. It’s lovely to just sit under the trees, and watch the birds and the pond.

For our final dinner in Chiang Mai, I selected a french restaurant very close to our hotel. I wasn’t sure how good French food would be in Chiang Mai, but I pleasantly surprised tasty the food was, and how delightful the owner. He came out and made some recommendations, and his choices were spot on. The food was as good or better than some restaurants I have eaten at in Paris!

The next morning we checked out of the hotel and made our way to the airport. I greatly enjoyed Chiang Mai. It’s a much more laid back city than Bangkok, and it’s a very livable city. Huy found it a bit sleepy, and isolated, since there is nothing around the city other than mountains and trees. Still, I could see retiring there. We even toured a very modern, fully furnished condominium. If we didn’t already have a place in Saigon I would’ve considered buying it. It was pricy for Chiang Mai (almost $400,000 dollars), but it was large and the building had its own gym and pool. Outside the city, you could buy a whole villa for less money, but you don’t have the advantage of being able to walk to things.

So if you want an alternative to crazy Bangkok where you can enjoy cooler weather, cleaner air, and beautiful temples, I would strongly recommend Chiang Mai. If you’re looking for a place to retire where your money goes a long way, this city is for you!

Phuket and Chiang Mai

Forgive me for backtracking a bit, but I never had the opportunity to write about our visits to Phuket and Chiang Mai, Thailand; two separate trips that we took while living and working in Saigon. It was my first time visiting both locales, and I wanted to share my thoughts on each.

For years I had heard about Phuket. My brother would tell me stories about the time he spent there in the 70s staying in grass huts on the beach. Sadly, Phuket is no longer a remote tropical island, but one that has become quite popular and overbuilt. I knew this fact about the island before deciding to visit in October 2923, so I fully expected to hate it. But as often is the case, when you go into something expecting to hate it, you often come away surprised, and such was the case with Phuket.

Phuket is an island located off the peninsula of Thailand. It’s connected by a bridge, so you could drive there, but we took a non-stop flight from Saigon. The first surprise is that the island is bigger than I expected. I didn’t realize that our hotel was almost one hour away from the airport. Now distance-wise it’s probably not that far, but the roads are narrow and twisty since there are many mountains on the island. We decided to stay at Patong Beach - probably the most overdeveloped and tacky part of Phuket, but we wanted to be near the gay village, and if you want nightlife, you go to Patong Beach.

Fortunately, I booked a more upscale hotel at the northern edge of Patong Beach, so it was further away from the noise and crowds, but still walkable. The Four Points Sheraton was a beautiful hotel with a lazy river pool and beautiful views of the ocean. The beach was surprisingly empty, but I found out that October is the rainy season in Phuket, and considered the low season, so that was likely the reason why it wasn’t so bad.

We were meeting a good friend of Huy’s, who was visiting the island from Switzerland. We met up at the hotel bar and enjoyed our first of many tropical drinks. That night Huy and I walked down to Paradise Complex, the gay enclave of bars, restaurants, and saunas. We ended up at the Zag Club to watch the drag show. As far as drag shows go, it was one of the better ones I’ve seen - with the performers floating down the stairs out onto the street. Drag performers in Thailand, though, are mostly lady boys, or transgender women, so in my book does that make them a drag queen? I asked myself this question my entire stay in Phuket, and later during my visit to Chiang Mai. Either way, the music was fun, the costumes amazing, and the show was well attended.

Sadly, the rest of Paradise Complex was dead. Most other venues were either empty or sparsely filled. During the show, one of the servers from a bar across the street kept stealing the spotlight, dancing along with the performers in the middle of the street. He was more fun then many of the drag queens, and later in the week, we chose to sit at his bar and talk with him!

After the show, we headed back to the hotel and walked through the equivalent of the gay village, except for straight people It was jammed packed with drunk adults, so much so it was like being in a human bumper car ride. The music was thumping, the lights flashing. and I couldn’t wait to get out of there. I could see why Patong Beach had the reputation that it does.

The next morning we all rented motorbikes and drove to the Giant Buddha. On the way, we got pulled over by the Thai police to check for our driver’s licenses. Fortunately Huy had his Vietnamese driving license, and because of the ASEAN agreement, it was valid in Thailand. Our friend from Switzerland, though, was not so lucky. He did not have an international driver’s license and had to pay a fine, which was almost $1,000 dollars! A painful lesson learned, for sure.

The giant buddha was exactly what it sounds like - a giant buddha. It is all white, and located up a large mountain. The views were spectacular, but there was a lot of stairs! And it was hot. Still, the motorbike ride there was fun, and we had a good trip.

The next day we spent the most of it on the beach and at the pool. We didn’t go into the water, surprisingly because it was a little chilly, with a strong wind. But we ordered some local food and ate on the beach. As you can see from the photo above, the water is a beautiful turquoise green.

Since we had the motorbike, Huy and I decided to drive to the very bottom of Phuket to see Laem Promthep View Point. It was quite a long ride on the motorbike, and we didn’t really have a clear destination, but fortunately Waze took us to the point without any problems. The road to the point was narrow, but there were very few people around, and when we got to the point, it was only us and another couple. We snatched a few photographs, and then drove back to a pretty cafe we passed and enjoyed some mango smoothies.

Another day we drove to Chaithararam Temple. The temple wasn’t that great, so I googled things nearby and saw Monkey Viewpoint, a popular lookout point with scenic views and well, monkeys. Having experienced monkeys in Bali, I was wary about going there, but we were close and had the time and so thought, “why not?” As we drove up and we stupidly stopped to buy some bananas. Big mistake. As soon as we parked the bike, I was ambushed by a monkey who body slammed me for the bananas. The parking attendant took out his sling shot and shot the monkey with it. At first I thought that was cruel, but I got no further then 100 yards from the parking lot when swarms of monkeys came down from the hills. I feared for my life, throwing bananas far away from me to keep them away. As soon as the bananas were gone, the monkeys left us alone.

For some reasons the parking lot is far below the look out point and we had to walk up to it. Huy and I started to walk, but soon realized that this scenic point was not close. We made it halfway up the mountain before turning around, sweaty and frustrated. We had to carry a stick with us, because monkeys kept coming towards us. At one point, a tourist van drove by us, and I suppose the monkeys knew those tourists would have bananas, so they flooded the street, chasing after the van. It was a like a scene from The Planet of the Apes. I promised myself on the walk back that this would be my last visit to a monkey sanctuary!

The highlight of the trip was the day we went to visit the elephant sanctuary. Thailand is well-known for its elephants, and it’s also well-known for the abuse and capture of elephants. The demand from tourists to ride on an elephant makes owning an elephant a valuable commodity, but in many cases the elephants are chained and beaten into submission so that tourists can ride them. I have always been opposed to even visiting such elephants, but this sanctuary was different. Their sole purpose is to rescue and care for elephants that had been previously owned and frequently abused by their former owners. All cost of admission goes towards the care and support of the elephants. Huy and I decided to go and made the long drive from the resort up into the mountains. We had to stop along the way to buy rain ponchos because it started to rain. And when it rains in SE Asia, it rains! Fortunately, by the time we got to the sanctuary, the rain had stopped.

The experience began with a lecture about the elephants and a brief tour of the facility. The elephants only spend about 3-4 hours a day interacting with the public. The rest of the time they were left alone in their enclosures to relax and enjoy life. The sanctuary rotates their elephants so they do not become stressed or overly worked.

After the tour, it was feeding time. We walked over to a big area as the mahouts (elephant handlers) brought in about eight elephants. The group was split up and we each had our own elephant to feed. The elephants were gentle as they pick out the banana from your hands. They would reach out their long trucks, pluck the banana from your hand, and shove it into their mouths. One elephant eats a surprising amount of bananas!

The elephants have gentle, soulful brown eyes, and it was amazing to pet them and feel their warm rough skin. We learned things about each elephant, such as their age, where they came from, and how they ended up in the sanctuary. Some of the stories were heartbreaking.

After feeding it was time to wash the elephants. This job is messy, but fortunately we were forewarned and arrived to the sanctuary in clothes we could afford to get dirty. All of the guests are told to enter a watering hole, which is basically a mud pit, as the mahouts led the elephants into the water. Our job was to reach down into the mud and rub the mud all over the elephants. Since the elephants are so big, we were only able to reach about halfway up. When the elephants are completely covered with mud, along with us, it’s time to rinse and scrub them down. We were given buckets and scrub brushes. Each of us had to fill the buckets and throw the water onto the elephant. Huy was in charge of the scrub brush. It was a lot of work to clean the elephants, but they seemed to enjoy it and it was an incredible experience to be so close and to interact with such beautiful and gentle animals.

After the elephants were clean it was time for us to shower and change since we were flithy. The facility had several shower and changing rooms, so it was very easy to freshen up. For anyone who visits Phuket, I highly recommend a visit to Green Elephant Sanctuary. It is a memorable experience and your money goes to support such amazing animals.

The rest of our stay on Phuket was composed of visiting other smaller towns, touring other temples, and mostly relaxing at the hotel, or searching for delicious Thai food. Because Phuket is a rather large island, one’s experience of the island can vary depending on what part one chooses to visit. Some of the colonial style towns in the center of the island are quaint and quiet, but for me rather dull. Some of the towns south of Patong Beach are more residential and quiet, but also a bit unremarkable. There are parts of the island where high end housing developments have been built and you can purchase five bedroom pool villas for upwards of $800,000 USD - certainly a far throw from the grass huts on the beach. In fact, the amount of construction for pool villa communities is incredible, especially in the area around the airport, which has become a fairly large city with strip malls and high rise buildings.

All this being said, I enjoyed Phuket. The beaches are still pretty, despite the crowds, and parts of the island are beautiful. If you don’t have the luxury or ability to rent a motorbike, you could end up trapped in one section of the island, and your impression might be limited, but we had the opportunity to explore and see the less touristy parts. We left the island saying we would visit again since we didn’t get a chance to explore the surrounding islands like Phi Phi Island, which is famous for its towering rock faces and hidden beaches.

Next up is Chiang Mai, but since this entry was longer than I anticipated (I didn’t realize how good my memory was for this trip!), I’ll write a separate blog for that visit.

Saigon Special

I realized when I reactivated my blog and reflected on my years of entries that I have never written about Saigon, or Ho Chi Minh City as the rest of the world knows it. Most people who live in Saigon don’t call it Ho Chi Minh City, mainly because it’s a mouthful, and secondly it was a name given to them by the North after the war. It’s like when National Airport in DC was renamed Ronald Reagan International Airport after Ronald Reagan fired all the air traffic controllers! National Airport will always be National Airport to me, and Saigon will always be Saigon to those born and raised there.

I first visited Saigon in January 2016. It was the last stop of my Vietnamese tour that I had taken with my nephew and friends. We actually spent New Year’s Eve up on a rooftop deck and watched the fireworks that are launched every year.

Our hotel was located in District 1. Saigon, similar to Paris, is divided into twenty four districts. Half of those districts are just numbered from 1-12, the other half are named districts. The majority of tourists only experience District 1 since this is the city’s business hub and houses most of the historic sites tourists want to visit such as Ben Thanh market, the post office, the Reunification Palace, and the Vietnam War Museum. It’s also a place for banks, five star hotel chains, consulates and global restaurants. District 1 feels like any modern city with the exception that the streets are crammed with motorbikes rather than cars. Unlike cramped Hanoi, District 1 has wide boulevards, large traffic circles, and walkable sidewalks.

But District 1 is deceiving, and if you only visit that area of the city, you’ll walk away with the wrong impression of Saigon. Unfortunately, the city doesn’t make it easy to visit other parts since there isn’t a very good public transportation system in place. They just opened one subway line this past January, but it is very limited (fortunately more are scheduled). There is a bus system, but I couldn’t even begin to navigate it and given the traffic, it is incredibly slow. If you want to see the city, you need a motorbike, and the courage to drive it.

Since my initial visit in 2016, I have returned to Saigon multiple times, and now call it my second home. My husband was raised there, and we purchased an apartment in 2022 in District 6. District 6 is mostly ignored amongst the other districts. So much so that when I tell friends whom I meet in Saigon that I live in District 6 their response is usually the same, “There’s a District 6?”

I felt the same way when I first visited my husband’s home. District 6 is located next to the much larger District 5, home to Saigon’s Chintatown and its Chinese-Vietnamese population. The original area of District 5 was called Cho Lon and it’s where the second largest market in the city, Binh Tay, is located. As that area expanded, it spread and became District 6, which at the time of my husband’s birth was still rice paddies and farms. Today, both areas are heavily built up, but District 6 is becoming more popular given its proximity to Vo Van Kiet, the major highway that takes you directly into District 1. Since the districts surrounding District 1 have gotten more and more expensive, District 6 has become a more affordable option that still allows its residents to be downtown in 20 minutes. New apartment buildings are being built throughout District 6 and with those new buildings come new restaurants, coffee shops, and stores.

I could write a book about the different districts in Saigon, and I’m sure someone has, but for the purpose of this blog, I’ll just highlight a few that I have visited and enjoyed.

District 2 used to be one of the poorest areas in the city because the Saigon River cuts it off from the rest of the city and much of the land was swampy and filled with small waterways. But after the Thu Thiem tunnel opened in 2011, that area grew exponentially. It’s more spread out with larger sidewalks, roadways, and expensive high rise apartments. It is also home to several large international schools, so consequently the area has an international population. As a result, restaurants and shops cater to western tastes, and this section of Saigon feels very different than other areas of the city. It also floods on a regular basis since it is below sea level, and drainage is a problem given it was mostly swamp land before being developed.

District 3 has the most beautiful examples of colonial architecture in the city, with a good combination of the old and new. It’s home to some of the palatial houses in Saigon since many of the rich government workers live there. I’ve always like this district because it close to the center of the city and feels most like what Saigon used to be, narrow alleyways filled with street vendors selling delicious food.

District 4 has changed dramatically, even since I first started coming to the city. It’s a popular place to live and is now filled with many places to eat and drink. It’s frequented by a younger crowed as evidenced by the co-worker spaces that have cropped up. It also has small, hip clothing stores, and many young people now go here to drink and party.

District 7 is home to the flashy Phu My Hung district with its tall apartment buildings, wide streets, and walkable sideways. It’s also a district that has banned much of the street food vendors and feels more like a city in Korea than Vietnam. But, it’s also quieter, filled with more green space, and one of the few districts in which I would feel comfortable driving a car. It’s a bit far away from the action of downtown, and like District 2, it floods biblically. The school I worked at was located in Phu My Hung, and during the rainy season, the streets became rivers. Since I commuted by motorbike some of my commutes home were horrific. The water in the streets came halfway up the motorbike, and you’re in constant fear that the engine will stall. Traffic comes to a standstill, and a 30 minute commute can turned into two hours. Many expats enjoy District 7, but for me it lacks personality.

Another fast growing district is Binh Thanh. Bin Thanh is located next to District 2 and its popularity among expats is growing. It has new developments like Pearl Plaza that attract young people for the shopping and modern conveniences. The problem for me is Bin Thanh is a long haul even from District 1. From where we live, it takes almost 90 minutes to get there, and once you’re there it can feel a little remote being so far outside the city. In the coming years, though, I can see this district becoming the next big thing.

So what makes Saigon special? It’s a difficult question to answer because it’s not just one thing, but a series of small things. Saigon is a night city. During the day, it’s too hot to be outside, but once the sun drops, the city comes to life. Outdoor restaurants line the streets with their ubiquitous plastic red chairs and metal tables. Each of these restaurants are filled with people enjoying their favorite foods, and unlike western-style restaurants, most places only sell one or two things. If you want com tam (broken rice with grilled pork chops), you go to your favorite vendor to eat it. Down the street is banh xeo (crepes with shrimp and pork belly) or bun bo hue (a spicier pho like soup) .

In addition to the food vendors, Saigon is filled with coffee houses. In almost every district you can’t walk more than one block without finding a coffee shop. The Saigonese have embraced the coffee culture, mostly due to the French Colonial influence. Ironically, most people don’t drink coffee, but order different types of bubble tea or overly sweet fruit drinks. I usually prefer a cafe sua da or Vietnamese iced coffee. Vietnamese coffee is super-charged - thick and highly caffeinated. In order to make it less bitter, coffee is usually served with sweetened condensed milk. The mixture of the strong coffee with the sweetened milk makes for a delicious combination. I usually drink one a day when in Vietnam.

To truly experience Saigon, though, one must ride a motorbike through downtown at night. The influx of high rise buildings, many of which provide beautiful light shows with their built in LED lighting, make for a magical landscape of architecture and color. The area around Landmark 1, a newly developed community with the world’s tallest hotel, is beautiful at night with its many buildings hugging the Saigon River. The bridges are lit up as well, and all the colors reflect off the water and the city looks like a neon garden of glass and metal. Even if you can’t drive your own motorbike, just riding behind a driver one can experience the excitement and beauty of Saigon. There are several companies that offer motorbike tours of Saigon at night and I would highly recommend them to anyone visiting the city.

With all these skyscrapers comes multiple roof top bars. These bars are filled with the rich and glamorous since they are not cheap, even by western standards. A bottle of wine can run you almost $100 dollars, and this isn’t even for a quality brand. Yet despite the cost, the pomp and circumstance of these bars makes them worth a visit. Plus, the views are spectacular. Unfortunately they can be loud which can make socializing a bit more challenging.

What is Saigon? It is a thousand things. It is the heat of the day and the breath of night. It is the clatter of metal chairs on cracked pavement, the sizzle of pork fat on the grill, the thick, sweet weight of condensed milk in strong coffee. It is the hum of a million motorbikes, the glow of neon, the laughter spilling into the streets. It is a place where no one hides. Doors stay open, voices carry, life is lived out loud.

Ride a motorbike through the city at night. Let the lights blur past, let the river catch their colors and send them shimmering back. The skyline rises, all glass and steel, the bridges pulse with light, and the city swells and sighs beneath it all. If you do not know Saigon, come. If you think you know it, look again. The city is changing. It always has been. It always will be.

Back in Business

It’s been almost six years since I posted my last blog! I started this website back in 2013 when I first relocated to Seoul, South Korea. I thought it would be a wonderful way to record my memories and share my experiences with my friends and family. And it was! But for anyone who has tried writing or maintaining a diary, it was a lot of work. A typical entry would take me two to three hours to write, edit, correct, and publish. And even after multiple reads, I would still find typos and grammatical errors. I understand why writers need editors!

In 2018, Huy and I left Vietnam to return to the USA. My last post was about our one year return to Hoi An. Since then, I let my website membership lapse, mostly out of laziness and the need to save on the cost since Squarespace isn’t the cheapest site to use.

How do I catch up on six years of my life? Not easily, so I’m not even going to try. I’m just going to mention a few highlights and then fast forward to 2025!

After our return trip to Vietnam in 2019, we returned to Maine. During that time, our house in Hoi A was fully rented and managed by a good friend of ours. We purchased an apartment in Portland, Maine, and Huy began to work as a server in a local restaurant. For one year everything was great until February of 2020. That’s when Covid began to impact the world. Since Asia was the epicenter of the pandemic, Vietnam was affected first, and our Airbnb business, which was fully operational and successful, began to fail. All the bookings I had for February and March of 2020 cancelled. And by April, I had none.

At this point, Covid reached the USA, and everything shut down, included Huy’s restaurant. We secluded in our apartment and only ventured out for groceries and daily walks. Year 2020 blurred into 2021 as the world adjusted to this new normal. Our house in Hoi An sat vacant and unattended. We realized it was time to sell it, but of course with nothing happening at that time, we had to wait almost to the end of 2021 before it was sold. At that point, the house had suffered the effects of being unoccupied for over a year. The walls were mildewed, the paint was peeling, the gardens overgrown. It took months to find a buyer, but eventually we did and finally sold it for slightly more than we purchased it.

Covid finally began to ease in 2021 and life slowly returned to the new normal. Huy returned to work full time at a Japanese restaurant, and I found odd jobs here and there. We took our first trip to Europe to visit family in Graz, Austria. During that trip, we made a few excursions to Berlin and Zurich, both trips to see friends. It felt wonderful to travel again, though in 2021 you still needed to wear masks the entire time in the plane.

In February 2022, we escaped the dreary winter of Maine and flew to Hawaii. I surprised my husband by upgrading one leg of our trip to first class. It was the first, and so far only time I’ve flown first class! Hawaii was as beautiful as ever and I long to live there one day.

The big event in 2022 was we got a new puppy! He was an Australian Labradoodle whom we named Rocky. Rocky was a wonderful pup, easy to train, and super sweet. Huy had never owned a dog, but since he was working, much of Rocky’s care fell to me. Owning a dog is special, but it adds a layer of complication to your life, especially when it comes to travel, so for the rest of 2022 we mostly took local trips where we could drive with Rocky. But thanks to the generosity of a close friend, she agreed to dog sit Rocky for five weeks while returned to Vietnam in January 2023.

Huy hadn’t seen his family since 2019 thanks to Covid, so it was a wonderful opportunity to return to Vietnam to celebrate TET (Lunar New Year), and reconnect with family and friends. During that trip we also visited Bangkok and Hanoi. As always it was hard to leave Vietnam, but it was good to come home and reunite with Rocky.

In March 2023, Huy finally became a US citizen. The previous December he was called to USCIS to take his citizenship test and to have his final interview. After a nerve-wracking two hours, he was told he had passed the test, so in March of 2023 he went before a judge, took his oath, and officially became a citizen! Six weeks later he had his US passport.

Another exciting event in March of 2023 was a quick trip to Nice, France for a reunion of good friends. Huy unfortunately couldn’t go given the amount of time he took off work for our trip to Vietnam, but I was fortunate enough to fly over. It was my second trip to Nice and I had forgotten how much I loved it.

After that trip life returned to normal until an unexpected offer to return to work came my way. In June, an old friend and colleague offered me a position to work at a school in Saigon. I jumped at the chance because it gave us an opportunity to return to Vietnam and it allowed me to work again after several years of not working. Within three weeks, we quickly rented our apartment, shipped over a bunch of items, and boarded a plane to Vietnam. The most difficult part of this relocation was the decision to give up Rocky. Vietnam isn’t the best country to raise a dog, and we knew life in the city, with the noise and heat, would be terrible for Rocky. Also, I couldn’t bear the thought of flying him for thirty hours inside the cargo hold of a plane. So we made the hard choice to give him up for adoption. It turned out to be the right decision because Rocky is living his best life at the moment.

We were fortunate enough to already have a place to live in Saigon. The previous year, we decided to purchase an apartment in District 6 of Saigon. It was a new building that had been under construction for several years. It is located within walking distance to Huy’s family house. When we purchased the apartment in August of 2022, it was still being built. They did not complete construction until May of 2023. It took two months to add our own finishing touches to the interior, but by the time we arrived to Vietnam in July it was complete.

The rest of 2023 was spent working at a school that was going through chaos and change. By the time December came around, I was informed that the school was planning on going in a different direction, and they no longer wanted me as principal, despite my year contract. So in January 2024, my time at the school ended, but at least I was given three months severance. Huy and I decided to take advantage of this time off and traveled to Phuket, Bangkok, Australia, Chiang Mai, Phu Quoc, and Japan. Sadly, while in Japan, my father passed away. We had known he was sick and declining, but we did not expect things to happen so rapidly.

So in March 2024 we closed up the apartment and returned to Maine, but rather than return to our apartment, which was still being rented, we moved in with my mother to help with her care. We remain here until this day, helping mom to maintain the house, and to offer companionship and security. Huy returned to being a server.

In June, I turned sixty years old and decided to celebrate my 60th in Paris, France. Huy had never been to Paris and since Paris is one of my favorite cities in Europe, I wanted to show it to him. Unfortunately, the Paris Olympics were scheduled in July and many of the more famous sites in Paris were blocked off to pedestrians, but we still managed to enjoy ourselves. Since we were in Europe we quickly popped up to Amsterdam to visit a dear friend, and then we made a trip to Austria to visit Huy’s family.

For the rest of 2024 we settled into our routine. Summer passed; fall arrived; Thanksgiving came and went, and it ended with a quiet and small Christmas celebration.

And so we’ve arrived to 2025! At the end of January, Huy’s restaurant closed to prepare for relocation, and this closure enabled us to travel back to Vietnam after being away ten months. I will write about that trip in my next blog.

In the past, this blog focused on specific events, namely travel, but in its new incarnation, the blog will focus more on life in general. I hope to discuss love, relationships, family, culture and even every day events that we all experience. I hope my loyal readers will continue to follow me along this journey as I enter the last third of my life. I don’t know where this journey will take me, but I look forward to it!

One Year Return

Many people have asked me how it felt to return to Vietnam after being away for one year. The answer is not a simple one, so I decided it was a good reason to write a blog after having not done so for so long. As with previous blogs, it has taken me almost a month to get up the energy to write! But it was one of my goals in 2019 to begin writing again, so here it goes. Better late than never, right?

We left Vietnam in August of 2018. After Huy received his green card in June of 2019, we began planning our return. Our friend who was house-sitting our place in Hoi An told me she was leaving in mid-August, so it was her departure that led to our decision to go back. We needed to decide what to do with the house - either sell it, or convert the downstairs living space into a second Airbnb rental. We have been renting out the second floor on Airbnb since we bought the house in September of 2017.

Turning the downstairs space into an Airbnb would require some renovations in addition to finding a manager. Both projects were a little daunting because the renovations we did upstairs practically ended our relationship! And finding a reliable manager in Vietnam is not easy. We were not prepared to sell the house because we both love it, and also property sales had slowed in Hoi An. They wouldn’t pick up again until after the new year.

So after twenty-eight hours of flying from Portland, Maine to Ho Chi Minh City, we arrived back in country. Returning to Vietnam in August wouldn’t have been my month of choice since we both knew it would be hot, and we were not disappointed. Also, since Huy was away so long, we had to return bearing gifts. This entailed packing two suitcases with clothes, and four suitcases with gifts, including an entire carry-on filled with fresh cherries and grapes. Traveling with six bags and two people is not an easy feat.

We arrived at 11 PM and were greeted by Huy’s young nieces and nephews. It was great to see their smiling faces after being away so long. It was even better to finally get back to his house, hug his sisters, and eat our first bowl of delicious pho. As hard as we try living in the USA, we cannot find pho as good as what you get in Vietnam. I’m not sure if it’s the water, the quality of meat, or the amount of time and effort it takes, but pho in Saigon is sublime and those who have only had pho made in the USA do not know how good it can taste.

Returning to Saigon didn’t feel that strange to us. It just felt as if we had been away longer than usual. Since it was the rainy season, even the temperature wasn’t that bad. Yes, temps can reach as high as 90 degrees, but during the rainy season, it usually rains hard in the afternoon, and drops the temperatures down to the seventies. The few days we spent in Saigon were spent visiting with family and friends, eating favorite foods, and recovering from jet lag!

It was when we arrived to Hoi An that things felt strange. To begin, the speed in which businesses can change, or buildings can be built, is unbelievable. We knew that when we left a year ago the landscape would alter considerably, so we were not surprised by the number of buildings that had been added along the beachfront from Danang to Hoi An. Within Hoi An itself, things hadn’t changed as much, but restaurants I used to love had closed or moved, business had changed hands, new coffee shops had been built.

What felt the most weird, though, was returning home. We entered our house, a place we had lived for two years, and it felt both familiar and foreign. Part of it had to do with things not being where we had left them, but another part had to do with establishing another home in the USA and that new place feeling more like home than something we had left a year before. In addition, we arrived in the midst of several things happening at once. Vivian, our house sitter, was leaving within the hour, guests for the upstairs Airbnb were checking in and I had to show them around.; and Cuong, our handyman and contractor, arrived to begin discussing renovations. All happening within a one-hour time frame. Everything was happening so fast, it was disorientating.

We barely had time to unpack, before we raced off to meet a good friend who was only in town for the weekend. But first we stopped off at the restaurant to say hello to the staff and to pass out some gifts that we brought them. Of course they were happy to see us, and it was great to see the restaurant. A few quick hugs, exchanges of gifts, and we were back on the motorbike to meet friends at a new beer pub that had opened.

You know good friends when you can just pick up your friendship where you left off. Several large beers and appetizers later, we rushed off to the beach to finally see our friend and co-owner, Helen. She was there with a large group of ladies who were celebrating their friends 50th birthday. When we arrived, everyone was wearing white, drinking heavily, and eating a lot of food. The weather wasn’t very good that night, but the Shore House, one of our favorite places in Hoi An, hadn’t changed that much, and it was great to finally eat a real meal, catch up with friends, and enjoy the sound of the waves on the shore.

The next day was spent getting the house back in order, especially the garden. The banana plants had suffered from a very hot summer, and many of the other plants were either over-grown or dead. Once the garden was trimmed, the house put back to the way we liked it, and the luggage unpacked and stored, the strangeness of being back began to fade. After a couple of days it felt wonderful to be back home. I had forgotten how much I missed our house.

Soon after, the renovations began, and life in the house was completely disrupted. We decided to replace our front door with a window instead. The front door of the house faced the street, and a feng shui expert told us this was very bad luck. That’s why Huy wanted to fix it. I agreed because our living room was difficult to decorate with so many doors. Having a wall to put furniture against helped to balance out the room.

All the French doors leading to the courtyard had to be re-varnished. The easiest and fastest way to accomplish this goal was to remove all the doors and windows. This left the entire downstairs open to heat, elements, and bugs! It stayed this way for five days. Fortunately our bedroom was self-contained and we could lock the doors from inside and turn on the a/c.

We also had to renovate the master bathroom. Our master bathroom is unique - the shower is in the middle of the room. Next to the shower is a sunken bath tub that was too deep to ever be useful. There is also a strange sink in which water falls into it like a waterfall. But the sink isn’t deep enough, so the water splashes out and soaks your clothes. All of this had to be changed.

We decided to save money and not fill in the bathtub. What we did was relocate the shower head over the tub, and added a set of steps down into the tub. We sealed up the drain where the original shower was, and patched it with some tiles. We tore out the pretty, but non-functional sink and added two pedestal sinks, a mirror, and side sconces. All of this construction was loud, messy, and took a long time. Fortunately, we had a smaller second bathroom that we could use.

One night, while Huy was working at the restaurant, I took a shower in the other bathroom, and walked into the bedroom. It was dark so I went to turn on the light. The light switch was hanging off the wall, and I had turn it off and on before without any trouble. This time, though, my hands were wet and when I touched the light, electric current shot through my body. Of course I couldn’t let go. The only way I was saved was when my legs gave out and I fell on the floor. It was a terrifying experience. Fortunately I suffered no ill effects.

After ten days, much of the construction was done! Things happen very fast in Vietnam. Around this point, we asked ourselves why are we leaving so soon? We didn’t have jobs at home, and the cost of living in Vietnam is much cheaper than the USA, so we decided to extend our stay by a couple of weeks. Yes, there was a change fee, but as I said to Huy, the cost of changing the flights was about the cost of living in Portland for one week!

I’m not going to bore you with a description of every day we were in Vietnam, but there were a couple of highlights (and one lowlight). While in Hoi An, Huy’s cousin from Saigon came to visit. When you have visitors, you feel obligated to take them around. This gave us a chance to see things we had already seen, and to appreciate them all over again. We went up to see the Lady Buddha in Danang. She towers over the bay of Danang and the views were spectacular. We also went to BaNa Hills.

Now both Huy and I spent the night in BaNa Hills before and said we didn’t really need to go back. But since our last visit, they had built the Golden Hand Bridge - a new bridge overlooking the valley. When our guests offered to pay for our entrance fee, we readily agreed!

Our second trip up the cable car was much better than our first since the weather was amazing. When we first went up it was cloudy (and cold!). This time, the weather was spectacular. The difference in temperature between the bottom of the mountain and the top is dramatic. Down below it was upper nineties. At the top, the temps drop down to the 70s. As soon as we reached the summit, we went searching for the Golden Hand bridge. Like most of BaNa Hills, the bridge is made to look old, but is really just cement, foam, and paint. Still, the design was beautiful and the views stunning.

Some things that hadn’t changed about BaNa Hills were the crowds and the quality of food. As with most theme parks, large tour groups dominate the scene. Visitors from mainland China make up the largest group, but also people from Hanoi. As for the food, your choices are limited to buffet tables that serve over-cooked, under-seasoned dishes that really don’t taste very good. Still, you can find areas of beauty and peace up on the mountain. Some of the gardens are truly beautiful, and amidst the narrow streets of the French Village you can find small coffee shops where you can enjoy a quiet beverage.

We spent the day up on the mountain, but all the stairs and walking gets tiring, and so we were happy to take the cable car back down.

With the construction done on the house, the rest of our time in Hoi An was spent visiting friends, working at the restaurant, and going to the beach. It made us both remember how much we loved living there. On the nights Huy worked, I would stroll through the Old Town. The Old Town has lost some of its allure due to over-tourism, but if you time it right, you can still have the streets to yourself and the place remains magical.

Unfortunately, our time in Hoi An quickly came to an end. The farewell parties began. We found a property manager, and I finally finished listing the downstairs apartment on Airbnb. Our last task was to re-do some of our gardens. Two gardens were overgrown and not very interesting. Our friend Steve, who owns a landscaping business in Australia, came over to help re-design a few plots. In one garden, we pulled up lots of plants and several rats jumped out at us! It was funny hearing three grown men scream. The new gardens were much more simple and easier to maintain.

With our final goodbyes made, we flew back to Saigon. Since we extended our trip, we decided to go to Phu Quoc Island to visit some of Huy’s friends. Huy and I met on Phu Quoc, and have been many times. It’s a quick 30 minute flight from Saigon. We landed and checked into our hotel with ease. After unpacking I began to feel achy. I asked Huy if I felt feverish. He said yes. Before you know it, I was in bed with a temperature of 102. This would be where I remained for the entire four days we were on the island. A trip to the hospital confirmed that I had dengue fever. Dengue is a mosquito-born disease similar to malaria. There isn’t any treatment for it other than fluids and tylenol. Fortunately we chose a hotel near our friends restaurant, and they were able to take care of me with ease. Huy enjoyed his stay while I just stayed in the hotel room.

When we flew back to Saigon, I was still sick. I felt better, but not by much. I continued to have night sweats and fever. Several more trips to the doctors confirmed that my red blood cells had dropped down to a dangerously low number. This drop was expected. What wasn’t expected was having to fly with such low platelets. The hospital recommended that we cancel our flight. So that’s what we did. We re-booked for a week later. During that week, I contracted some sort of viral infection that gave me the worst sore throat of my life. I could barely swallow water. I was miserable, and made Huy miserable as well. It was a very long week. Fortunately, by the time of our next flight came, I was well enough to fly.

After having been sick for over two weeks, I was ready to go home. I was tired of spending so much time in bed and inside air-conditioned rooms. I think the air-conditioners were responsible for whatever viral infection I had contracted. The flight home was just about as bad as the flight there, but it’s the price to pay when visiting Asia. One day I hope to be able to afford first class!

Overall, it was great seeing family, friends, and Hoi An. The sad part was not knowing when we would return. We both knew that work was going to take priority for the next few years. The bad thing about work is not having enough vacation time. I’m sure at some point in 2020 we will return to Vietnam, but I’m just not sure when.

Until then, it’s life in Maine. And winter.

Adjusting to Vietnam

It's been a little over two months since my arrival to Vietnam, and I haven't posted much.  At first I was busier than expected, and now I'm a little bored, so I don't have an excuse other than I didn't have a single focus for my blog.  Usually when I post, it's about a trip or an event, but a lot has happened since my arrival, and it's been hard to put all those events into one coherent post.  So I'll be jumping around a bit, so I apologize for the lack of cohesiveness!

 To begin, I still haven't found a property yet that I can purchase.  For those who don't follow me on Facebook, I originally moved to Vietnam to open a guest house, or a bed and breakfast.  Since arriving, I came very close to purchasing two properties, but both deals fell through for various reasons.  Things are more complicated in Vietnam than expected.  I knew all about purchasing land through a proxy, but I did not know about red books (the Vietnamese version of land/residence titles), and the complications in dealing with the local government.  

The first property was an established homestay, the name they use here for a bed and breakfast, but it's more involved than just serving people breakfast.  The place needed a lot of work, yet I thought with some renovation it could work.  Soon, though, rumors began to surface that the owner's licenses were not legitimate, and that getting a villa license in that area was impossible.  Several meetings later, I began to grow suspicious and so I backed away from the deal.

The second property was a beautiful small villa with five bedrooms in a gorgeous area.  We were one day away from signing a purchase agreement when we discovered the owners were asking way too much money for the place.  The price was already at the top of our price range, and left little money for renovations.  When we asked to negotiate a different price, the owners dropped out of the deal.  

So that left us looking for land.  Property prices in Hoi An are increasing at a very rapid rate.  I'm on the cusp of being too late, but I think if things happen quickly, I can still receive a good deal.  But buying land has its own difficulties.  Most pieces of property have two designated areas - a construction area and a landscape/natural area.  If you want to add more square meters or feet to the building area, you have to apply to the government for that to happen.  The government will charge you for this service, almost as much as the land is worth if you tell them the actual sales price.  So many people lie about the purchase price to get a lower cost.  Also, agreements with the government will change on a daily basis. And nothing is written down.  It all depends on which clerk you get that day.  

Getting licenses such as a villa licenses, a building permits, and a liquor licenses also has its own difficulties and costs.  And nothing happens quickly unless you slide an envelope across the counter with some cash inside it.  

It can all get very frustrating, but as many expats have told me, you must learn patience in Vietnam or you will not be able to stay here.  Fortunately much of this work will be done by Huy so we can avoid what some expats call the "skin" factor of Vietnam.  As soon as they see my white face, things get more expensive and take longer.  Even while bargaining at the local market, there are two prices - one for foreigners and one for the Vietnamese.  Merchants have told us this directly.  Foreigners can bargain, but only to a point.  I can never get the price that a local Vietnamese person can get.  It may seem unfair until you remember that the average starting salary in Vietnam is under $100 dollars a month.  Most tourists can afford to pay more, and they should.  Rent in the Old Town is expensive.  Some merchants pay $3 to 5,000 dollars a month for their spaces.  They can't afford to pay rent selling items for bargain prices.  

Life in Hoi An is both the best and the worst of small town living.  Though census counts put the population of Hoi An above 100,000 people, it is very much a small town.  Having lived in Bath, Maine for ten years, I understand small towns, and Hoi An isn't much different.  Everyone knows your business. I could look at a piece of property, and that evening someone will call Huy and ask how much we're paying for that piece of property.  People also gossip.  A lot.  Often they make things up as well.  Those who have been successful in Hoi An will have all sorts of rumors made up about them.  I've heard incredible things about people I like and have come to trust.  You just have to verify the information and not take anything you hear too seriously.  

Still, I take great pleasure in strolling through the town, as much as I did walking through downtown Bath.  If you frequent vendors, you become friendly with them and get great service.  One young lady sells us fried banana pancakes several times a week, and she beams every time we come up to talk to her.  Our favorite woman in the market now gives us the best fruit and laughs as Huy haggles with her.  Our local pho guy comes almost every day with steaming bowls of noodles and always has a smile for us.  

We are beginning to make friends as well.  The other night we attended the Hoi An Social Club - a club meant for expats to get together and share our experiences of living in Vietnam.  As I found out living in Korea, life is about what you make of it.  If you go into each experience with wonder and an open mind, life can be beautiful.  If you expect the country you're living in to be like the United States, you're going to be miserable.  

There are so many things that I love about Vietnam, and some things that I'm seriously missing.  There really isn't a hardware store that sells everything you need for home repair. I am so missing a Home Depot right now I could cry just thinking about it.  The food markets are much better than Korean markets in that I can get almost every ingredient I was so missing in Korea.  But I can't buy light bulbs that are strong enough to light a room. Lamps also aren't easy to find. The Vietnamese use fluorescent lighting in all their rooms and I hate it.  Also, most houses don't have screens.  During the wet season, the mosquitoes are worst than a summer evening in Five Islands, Maine.  Why they don't use screens is a mystery to me.  

If I want to go somewhere, we must ride our motor scooter.  Cars are getting more prevalent, but they are expensive with a huge sale tax (300%).  I enjoy riding on the back of a bike, but after 30 minutes, your ass begins to ache.  My tailbone has been sore for two months.  Plus, it's the rainy season now.  We've been caught in rainstorms several times and nothing is worse than riding on a  bike in the pouring rain.  Huy mostly drives, since I'm not comfortable with the crazy drivers here.  Following traffic rules seems to be optional in Vietnam.  When a light turns red, you're guaranteed that a 1/4 of the drivers will run the red light.  At intersections, if you don't watch out, you're likely to get T-boned by someone who is texting as he ride his bike.  Motorbike accidents are prevalent, and each year thousands of people are sent to the hospital having had an accident. I've been to the hospital twice to see people we know who had been in such accidents.  

Speaking of hospitals, I now know why the international schools in Vietnam advise their foreign teachers to fly to Thailand if they need medical care.  Each room has 8 -10 beds right next to each other.  There aren't even curtains to separate the beds.  Relatives of each patient fill the room, and people are chatting, eating, yelling, while patients lay convalescing.  The floors are dirty; nothing seems very antiseptic.  Fortunately, the international section of the hospital was marginally better, but I pray I never end up there.  

As I write this blog, it's a beautiful day in Hoi An.  The temperatures have been dropping as well as the humidity.  During the day it's in the low 80s, and at night it goes down to the lower 70s. It will get even cooler as December and January approach. I'm happy living here.  I love the food, the town, my apartment, and my relationship.  I just wish things would move a little faster, but learning patience is a good thing!  Come visit!  

Touring Hoi An, Danang, and Hue

Friday,  three days after my arrival to Hoi An, Huy and I relocated from our budget hotel to a much more luxurious one, though still reasonably priced considering all the amenities.  Since we had to check out at noon from one hotel and move to another, I was afraid we would have to wait for our room, but the folks at Sunrise Resorts accommodated us and we were able to check in at 12:30.  We spent the afternoon swimming and awaiting the arrival of Tim, Agnes, and Susan - my friends from Seoul.

They weren't scheduled to land until late in the evening, so Huy and I didn't actually meet up with them until the next day.  In the morning, we had to run into town to sign the contract for our new apartment.  This task quickly accomplished, we went back to the hotel to relax.  The plan for everyone was to just lounge poolside so my friends could recover from their late night arrival.  

That evening, our good friend Mao, the tailor I met back in December, came to the hotel with his friend Ang, and we walked to a nearby seafood restaurant.  I love traveling with folks who are not picky eaters.  We just allowed Mao, Ang, and Huy to order the entire meal.  Soon, fish, clams, snails, and octopus arrived to the table, along with the delicious and ever-present morning glories - or water spinach. It was a great way to indoctrinate our visitors to Vietnamese cuisine.  Everything was cooked fresh with just the right amount of spice and heat.  We also had the opportunity to teach them how to toast in Vietnamese - it's basically one, two, three, YO!  In Vietnamese it's Mot (moat), hai (high), ba, yo! The locals at the restaurant seemed to get a kick out of us toasting, so every time that we toasted, they toasted back.  Soon the whole restaurant was having a competition of whom could toast the loudest.

The next morning Mao had arranged a driver to take us to see Hue.  Hue is the ancient capital of Vietnam and is located about two and a half hours away from Hoi An.  I had actually never been to Hue, but heard it was worth visiting.   On the way there, we stopped at a marble shop near Marble Mountain in Danang.  The only reason we stopped was so Mao could pretend to be our tour guide and receive a stipend for bringing tourists into the shop!  Still, it was interesting to see the amazing marble work and to watch them carve the marble by hand.  I saw a beautiful fountain that I hope to buy one day for my bed and breakfast.  

The drive to Hue took use through beautiful mountains.  It was a bit overcast that day, so the clouds hung low, giving the mountains a lush and mysterious appearance. The road through the mountains was just recently completed, so it was a smooth, albeit long drive in a van that wasn't meant to hold seven people very comfortably. We also drove through a tunnel that seemed endless and was very poorly ventilated.  I was amazed to find myself feeling very claustrophobic.  

Our first stop was the Citadel, or the ancient palace of Hue. Actually, it's not that ancient - having been built in the late 1800's, but it was still beautiful to walk around and see the footprints of old royalty.  After that, we went to the giant pagoda and strolled the grounds.  By the time we were finished with those two sites, we were famished.  Mao took us to the local market and we ate in true Vietnamese-style - squatting on little red stools while the vendor dished out her food.  Not entirely sure what we ate, but it was delicious.  And everything tastes better with cold Tiger beer. After lunch, we went to have some Vietnamese coffee before the long drive back.  Susan had yet to try this incredible mix of strong coffee and sweetened condensed milk, and for about a dollar you could enjoy as many as you like without going broke!! The drive back took us along the coastline of Danang just as the sun broke through, causing the sea to shimmer its beautiful beach-glass green color.  

The next day was Huy's birthday.  As luck would have it, it was also the day that Hoi An was scheduled to receive a tropical storm.  None of us knew about the tropical storm until that morning.  Fortunately, it wasn't a large one - it didn't even have a real name, but for my first time it would prove to be rather intense.  The storm wasn't scheduled to hit land until the evening, so we did manage to get some outside time.

In the morning we went to Mao's shop so everyone could be fitted for some clothes.  Tim brought a shirt with him that he purchased in Thailand and had it replicated, and Agnes and Susan both had dresses tailored-made for them. Once everyone was measured, we walked around Hoi An a bit.  The rain was intermittent at that point - so we had brief moments to run between stores.  For lunch, I took everyone to the infamous bahn mi restaurant that Anthony Bourdain put on the map when he featured it on his show No Reservations.  The bahn mi (basically a sandwich on a small baguette) truly are magical, and everyone who bit into his and her sandwich agreed!  I discovered the restaurant had upstairs seating, so we grabbed a table by the window as torrential rain poured down.  During lunch Huy had to supervise the installation of the air conditioner in our new place, and I ended up joining him.  Everyone else did a little more shopping then headed back to the hotel since the rain was only getting worse.

That evening, Mao had reserved a restaurant for us in Hoi An to celebrate Huy's birthday.  By this point, the rain was coming down in sheets.  It probably was a little crazy to go out into a typhoon, but we didn't know any better.  The taxi drove through massive puddles in which the water reach up past the wheel wells. Amazingly enough, people were still riding their motor bikes.  We made it to the restaurant and managed to get inside without getting soaked.  Of course the meal was amazing, but what was more amazing was watching the wind and water outside. At one point, a chair in the restaurant slid from the entrance halfway into the restaurant as if some ghost propelled it along.  We all turned to watch it move before bursting out in laughter.  At the end of the meal, Mao surprised everyone which a birthday cake he had made for Huy.

Safely back in the hotel, I spent a rather sleepless night as the worst of the storm struck the hotel, rattling the windows and howling through the partially-enclosed hallways.  I had images of a tidal wave hitting the hotel, but nothing worse happened than sand in the pool.  When we awoke, the sun was shining and it was business as usual.  Since our first trip into Hoi An was a wash out, we went back to do some heavy shopping and to eat more bahn mi!  In the afternoon, we rested around the pool.

Wednesday Huy and I booked a driver to take us into Danang to see Marble Mountain.  I had been to Marble Mountain before, so I served as tour guide (something tells me I'll be serving as tour guide to Marble Mountain quite often in the future).  Marble Mountain is actually a cluster of five marble and limestone hills located just south of Danang.  Each hill is named after the five elements - metal, water, wood, fire, and earth.  The largest one (Thuy - or water) you're able to climb to the top - which we did.  All of them have caves to explore and there are several Buddhist sanctuaries there as well.  We opted to take the elevator up and then walk down.  It was a beautiful and cooler day - though cooler just means high 80s instead of the 90s.  We still all managed to work up quite a sweat.  The walk up to the peak takes you through carved out caves, beautiful Buddha sculptures, and tranquil residences where the monks live.  Since all of us were fit and adventurous, we made the climb without any problems, though we must've sweated off our body weight by the time we reach the bottom!.  It felt amazing to get back into the air-conditioned van to go see the next big landmark in Danang - the giant Lady Buddha.

This is the tallest Buddha in all of Vietnam and it's located on the hillside overlooking Danang.  It was a crystal blue sky when we arrived so the view from the monument was breathtaking.  It's certainly worth the drive up there to see it, even though the Buddha was only constructed a few years ago.  The breeze felt amazing on our skins after the hot hike up to Marble Mountain.  After our visit, we drove into Danang and went to a rather lame shopping mall.  As it turns out, this wasn't the nice mall in Danang.  Still it gave us the opportunity to go through a grocery store, something all of us love to do in foreign countries.  We had the worst meal of our trip at the mall, proving once and for all that mall food is terrible around the world.  We drove home afterwards and rested a bit before heading back into Hoi An

That evening I showed our guests the true magic of Hoi An.  It was Mid-Autumn Festival - a full moon - so the city was celebrating with lanterns, dragons, and fireworks.  We walked to the Japanese bridge, the famous bridge in Hoi An that is lit with green lights, giving it a ghostly appearance.  We then walked over to the night market, which is famous for its coloured lanterns.  The lanterns are gorgeous.  Huy and his amazing bargaining skills was able to get the costs down to around $4 dollars.  Needless to say, many lanterns were purchased.  We ate dinner near the night market and then strolled along the street trying to avoid all the vendors selling exactly the same crap.  We ended the night eating some gelato!

Thursday was our last full day at the hotel, so we spent much of the day just lazing around.  I honestly don't remember what we did on that day.

On Friday, we checked out of the hotel and since Tim, Agnes, and Susan weren't scheduled to leave until 1:30 AM, they spent the afternoon at our new apartment.  That eveningI took everyone over to Cam Nam Island to eat at our new friend's restaurant.  Also, I wanted everyone to see the Sleepy Gecko, the property I've been looking to purchase.  It was an easy walk from the apartment to Cam Nam Island, and we arrived to the restaurant just as the sun was beginning to set.  The restaurant is located on the river's edge and offers an amazing view of the Old Market.  It was a beautiful way to end the visit.  At 10 PM the van arrived to take everyone to the airport.  Huy and I said our goodbyes.  It was so great to visit with dear friends and I was happy to show them our new home.  Let's hope more will come to visit!

Hoi An - The First Three Days

My first two weeks in Vietnam have been so incredibly busy it's hard to even remember everything that has happened.  I've learned so much since my arrival, and what I've learned both excites and scares me at the same time!  Let's start with the first three days.   

I arrived to Danang the evening of September 6th.  Huy, my new boyfriend whom I met back in January, met me at the airport.  Danang is located about 40 minutes north of Hoi An.  We arrived to the hotel I booked for three nights.  Our plan was to stay here until my three friends from Seoul International School arrived.  They would be spending a week in Hoi An so last spring we reserved rooms at the Sunrise Premium Resort, a large hotel on the beach.  Last time I visited Hoi An with friends, I actually never saw the beach in Hoi An, even after having spent five days here!  The beach is about 5 miles away from the Old Quarter, and since we had a such a great villa we never felt the need to see the ocean.  

My first goal upon arrival was to find a place to live.  I had already made contact with a real estate agency while in the States, so I had an appointment set up for the very next morning.  Thanks to generosity of my friend Mao - AKA Hoi An's best tailor - we were able to borrow his motorbike.  Ha, our lovely real estate agent, met us at the hotel and off we went.  The first apartment was directly around the corner from where we were staying.  It's set off the main road down a narrow alley.  It has a great set of wooden gates that lead into a very private courtyard.  The courtyard is surrounded by lush plants, and includes a stone barbecue area with  an outdoor sink.  There is a built-in cement bench as well, big enough to fit eight people. 

The apartment is the ground floor of a two-story house.  The owner is Italian and he completely remodelled the place in a very modern style.  Much of the interior is made from poured cement, including the sofa (which has a cushion, of course).  The kitchen is large and open to the dining area.  The bedroom is gigantic, and the bathroom has a rain shower in the middle of the room.  As soon as I saw the place I fell in love, but it was a bit pricy ($500 - $450 if I rented for six months)  and it didn't have an air-conditioner in the living room.  Temperatures in Hoi An have been averaging around 92 degrees each day, with 75% humidity.  Though the bedroom was air-conditioned, the rest of the apartment wasn't.  Loudo the landlord seemed shocked when I suggested putting in another air conditioner. He said in his thick Italian accent "Why woulda anyone want to do that?"  Well, because it was damn hot!

We said we would think about it and went to look at two other apartments.  As soon as I left I told Huy the following: "Here's what's going to happen.  We are going to spend the day looking at apartments, but ultimately we're going to choose this one."  Huy didn't believe me, but I was right.  We saw another great apartment on Cam Nam island (right around the corner from the business I want to buy), but it was too small. It was while visiting this apartment that I found out that unmarried foreigners cannot legally live with someone who is Vietnamese.  Police could have the right to enter my property and throw me out if they chose to do so.  Well, obviously this news was a bit distressing - even Huy was surprised to hear it. Fortunately, the owner of the second apartment came to our rescue.  She is a lovely Australian women from Melbourne.  We sat down with her and she made arrangements for me to meet two other gay couples who are mixed (white guys dating Vietnamese guys).  We arranged a dinner date at her son's restaurant.  As it turned out, it wasn't such a big deal.  We did have to register our names with the police station, but no bribes had to be exchanged, at least not yet.

The third apartment was also on Cam Nam island but so far away it was impossible.  So, I decided I wanted the first apartment so I asked the owner if I paid for the air conditioner, would he mind installing it.  Huy came up with the great idea of asking a reduction in rent by $50 dollars if we signed a year lease as well as paying for the a/c.  The owner agreed, so my friend Mao bought the air conditioning and it was installed without any difficulty.  My monthly rent is $400 dollars.  

Thursday we spent some time looking at properties to purchase.  Huy met a man who owned several properties, so once again we borrowed Mao's bike and tour around the city.  The first property was on An Hoi, which is located across a small bridge. It is the sight of many restaurants and the night market.  The lot was narrow, but long and located on a very residential street.  It had possibilities, but it didn't seem to have a enough room for a pool.  The second property was located near the Sunrise Hotel, 5 miles outside of the town.  It's not on the ocean side (oh how I wish), but it's on the river side, with direct access to the river.  It's large (900 square meters) and has already been approved for a 15-room guest villa.  Huy negotiated the price down to $200,000 dollars.  Another person whom we would later meet at the Sunrise introduced us to the government ministry in charge of that part of Hoi An and he looked at all the paper work associated with the property. He said it all seemed legal and legit.  

Friday was the day I was to meet the owner of the Sleepy Gecko.  Since his property is located around the corner from where I was to meet my new friends, we combined visits.  The Sleepy Gecko is a fully operational bar/restaurant and guest house set in an ideal location.  It's directly across the river from the Old Market - a short ten minute walk away.  It's large and already has a pool, though, the pool is filled with weeds and frogs right now.

I had to keep an open mind as I toured the property.  First off the place was filthy.  Dust from the road coated everything.  The pool is a good size, but as I said, filled with slimy water, lotus plants, frogs, and even some fish. Supposedly it still works. Off the pool was one very large room that was abandoned and dirty.  It could easily be converted though into a nice suite.  The main building has a bar and lounge on the first floor.  The second floor has another terrace with a great view of the city.  The living quarters are located behind the terrace, but they are dark and windowless.  A third floor can be reached by a steep set of ladder stairs, and upstairs is stifling hot and also very dark.  How anyone sleeps up there is a mystery.  

Next to the main building is another building that has the bedrooms.  The first floor has the kitchen, which is actually quite large, but it also has four or five shower rooms and two very gross bathrooms.  Upstairs are three ensuite bedrooms that actually aren't bad.  They wouldn't need much renovation at all.  Back to the first floor, the front of the building has great french doors that lead into two more rooms that were once filled with bunk beds for back packers.  These rooms could be converted to ensuite bedrooms as well.  A third bedroom is located above those two rooms.  With some imagination, I could easily see seven ensuite bedrooms.  The property could be renovated and would look quite nice.  But it's at least $100,000 dollars worth of renovation.

The owner is asking $400,000 dollars for the property, which is ridiculous.  Everyone I met who ever saw the property said it's ridiculous.  Then there's the problem with the license.  The owner leased the property for two years and during those two years the lessee converted it into a back packers home stay and broke every Vietnamese law possible.  The Vietnamese government got so pissed off they took away their licenses.  This has created problems for anyone who wants to buy the property.  I'm currently doing research on whether I can get a license back or not.  I believe I can get the place for $275,000 dollars.  If I can resolve the license issue, it's a strong possibility.  

After our meeting, I went to meet Karen (the owner of the apartment), her son Sinh, and the two gay couples.  We met at Sinh's new restaurant, which is located along the river overlooking the old town.  It's a lovely spot and the food is quite delicious.  One of the people I met is Andrew.  As luck would have it, Andrew used to be the General Manager of the Sunrise Hotel.  He is a wealth of information and has been a great resource so far.  That night his boyfriend had to work, but I would have a chance to meet him the following week.  We also met Stephen and Tuan, a couple that lives on Cam Nam Island.  Tuan was in the process of applying for a job at Sunrise (which he fortunately got).  His partner is from New Zealand and worked many years as a teacher.  All in all we met five great people that evening and I hope these folks will develop into good friendships.

All this happened in three days.  Three days!  My next entry will be about the great visit I had with my friends from school!  

Departing Seoul

On June 15, 2016 I departed Seoul after making the choice to not renew my contract. Pictured above are the twenty-one out of the twenty-seven people who arrived to Seoul International School with me three years ago.  Some were experienced overseas educators, but most of us were neophytes to living abroad.  Seven of us chose to leave this year - five went to other schools, one retired, and then there is me.  

I had decided the year before that I was going to try something different.  I've been in education for twenty-one years, and felt I needed a change.  Or at least a battery recharge.  I came to this decision one day as I was driving back from downtown Seoul.  I tend to do my best thinking in the car.  It was a lovely day, clear and cool - a rarity in Seoul, and without any prompting I said aloud "I'm going to leave education."  This statement surprised me because I wasn't even thinking about my job at the time. But saying it aloud gave it legs, and that fledging idea began to grow.  It was this idea that resulted in me not applying for the principal job at my school, even though that job was the reason I was hired.  It was that thought that got me through the scary decision to not renew my contract back in October. And now that idea continues to propel me forward.

In less than two weeks I return to Asia.  As luck would have it, my school provided me with a roundtrip ticket to Seoul because it was cheaper than buying a one-way ticket.  On August 30th, I'll return to The Land of the Morning Calm, but only for a brief visit.  My next destination is Vietnam.  It is there that I hope to pursue a dream I had for many years - opening a bed and breakfast.  

I had the pleasure of visiting Vietnam over my Christmas break.  I traveled with my nephew Ryan, his fiancee, and my good friend Amy.  It was a wonderful trip in which we started at the top of the country and puddle jumped out way to the bottom.  Halfway through our journey we stopped in Hoi An, a market town forty-five minutes south of Danang - home of the infamous China Beach.  All of us agreed that Hoi An was our favorite place on the trip.  Part of it had to do with the luxury AirBnB we were staying in, but the other part was the town itself - a small, pedestrian market town that at night turns into a magical village of colored lights, floating candles, and wonderful food stands.  

The thought of starting my own business is scary enough.  The thought of starting it in a foreign country, a communist one at that, is even more terrifying, but I'm determined to move forward.  As someone at my school told me as I struggled with this decision, he said it's better to take such risks at 52 rather than wait until I'm retired when I could jeopardize my savings.  If all else fails, education will be still be there.  With this thought in mind, I'm still looking at job opportunities as they appear in Southeast Asia.  Coming July 2017 I may very well be working in a school - who knows?  

I'm trying to learn to live in the void - which is not how I'm wired.  This summer has been more stressful than I imagined not having to work would be.  I think about money and what things costs more than before.  As my checking account dwindles and no money comes in to replenish it, that's only natural.  But I refuse to let my anxiety and fears stop me.  Wine also helps.

So for now - the title of my blog has changed from Heart and Seoul (though the URL address remains the same) to Mekong Moments.  My blog will also focus less on being an expat and more on the joys of starting a business in a  foreign country.  I hope my steady readers will continue to follow my adventures.  I will certainly have more time on my hands to write my blog in a more timely and consistent manner!

Apulit Island, Palawan, The Philippines

Yes, I know I haven't finished blogging about Vietnam and I hope one day to finish up our adventures in Nha Trang and Saigon, but it's been so long and my memory has faded so much, I'm not sure I'll get around to it.

For spring break this year, I fulfilled a dream of mine to stay at an exclusive island resort in which the rooms were built directly above the water.  After a group of us toured Boracay last year, several members of that group began to dream about Palawan, an island in the Philippines.  We initially looked at El Nido Resorts but decided against them because of the cost.  But, after extensive searches, we couldn't find anything we liked better, so we took a deep breath and paid for one of their resorts (they own four properties).  

Getting to paradise takes forever.  We left Seoul on a Friday night and arrived to Manila at 10:20 PM.  Manila airport is terrible and chaotic.  We booked an airport hotel close by, but we didn't realize how close it was so we called for airport pick-up. Twenty minutes later, we were still standing there waiting before my friend Irene asked a local where the hotel was located.  It turned out it was right across the street - a short walk away!

We knew that we had booked a cheap hotel, but I didn't realize how cheap until we arrived. First off, the front desk clerk seemed surprised, even annoyed, that we showed up 11:30 PM at night.  She was sassy, at best.  Once inside the room, my air-conditioner leaked and was so loud it rattled the wall.  The wi-fi was broken, and the bathroom was dark and filled with mildew.  The next morning my shower was cold and the shower head fell off when I adjusted it. Water barely trickled out of it as well.  Fortunately, we checked out at 4:45 AM to catch our 6;30 AM flight, so I did nothing more than sleep in my clothes on the bed (after checking it for bed bugs).  

The jeepney to the terminal looked and felt like something used to carry prisoners.  We were so tired, we just laughed about it.  Once at the terminal, we quickly checked in and waited for our flight to El Nido.  We barely had time for coffee before being called to board.  The plane was nicer than I expected.  Granted it was a prop plane, but those scare me less than jets.  The flight to El Nido was less than an hour.  

El Nido airport is really nothing more than two thatched-roof huts.  Once we landed, though, El Nido Resorts took over and we no longer had to think.  We were greeted by Eric, one of the employees whom we would see a lot of over the course of the week.  He took us to the arrival thatched hut where iced tea, coffee, and some light snacks were waiting for us.  Since the only thing we had eaten was a Cinnabon at the Manila airport, we were hungry!

Our luggage was quickly loaded into vans, and we sat in our van for a while while the plane on the runaway left.  This took about twenty minutes.  During that time, Irene asked the drivers if they would take us through the town of El Nido since we wouldn't see it otherwise.  Our boat for Apulit Island would depart from Tay Tay, a town on the opposite side of the island from El Nido. The drivers agreed, and we got to see some of the town.  The streets were very narrow and the town wasn't very big, but the vistas were stunning.  Tall cliffs frame the backdrop of the town and the glimpse of water and beach were breathtaking.  Irene and Kip said El Nido reminded them of Boracy thirty years ago.  It's still a backpacker type of town with lots of tie dyed hippy tourists roaming the streets.  On the way out of town, the drivers stopped at an overlook and we got to snap some pictures.

The next part of the journey was a 90-minute van ride to Tay Tay. Basically we were crossing the mountains from one side of the island to the other.  The road we drove on had just recently been completed, so it was fairly smooth going, though twisty.  At Tay Tay, El Nido Resorts had another way station for us where we enjoyed more cold drinks and light snacks.  It was hot, but in the shade it was tolerable with the breeze. We had to wait about 90-minutes for our boat to be ready.  This wait would've been longer if Irene hadn't asked for a tour of El Nido, so I'm glad she did!  Finally, we motored out to a small cabin cruiser and began our 30-minute boat ride to Apulit Island.

As we docked, the staff of the resort sang us ashore.  They greet the boat three times a day and each time they sing, play guitar, and beat the tambourines. Each guest is handed a drink and a cool towel, which after our long trip felt amazing.  We were given a brief orientation to the island and then led to lunch.  By this time we were ravenous, but our biggest fear was quickly allayed.  The food was good and there was lots of it. There are only 51 rooms on the island, and one restaurant.  Once you're on the island, you're trapped.  If you didn't like the food, there wasn't much you could do about it except catch and grill your own fish!

After lunch we made the long walk to our rooms.  We had reserved two water cottages.  These cottages were two stories high and had steps leading directly into the water. My friend Marna had her own cottage while Kip and Irene shared their cottage with me.  The cottages were sparse, but comfortable and the views could not be beat.  Sitting on your deck looking out over the water was as close to paradise as one can get.  We weren't in the cottages for more than ten minutes before changing into swimming trunks and heading out to explore.  I jumped into the water from the back of the cottage and snapped some pictures.  Ironically it was the only time I went swimming from that location the entire rest of the trip!

We quickly settled into island life.  At this point in the blog I can't remember when events transpired since time seemed to have stopped once we were on the island.  The only way we kept track of time was breakfast, lunch, and dinner!  We quickly became familiar with the staff since they live on the island with you.  There are 120 staff members on the island and between 80 to 110 guests so you get to know everyone by face rather quickly.  Staying on Apulit is a bit like going on a cruise.  Since everyone is confined to a limited space, you get accustomed to the routines, the personalities, and inner workings of the island.  Kip and Irene both worked in hospitalities for many  years, so their knowledge led us to get very friendly with the general managers. These managers frequently came to our table and chatted with us - sometimes they chatted a little too much and we wondered if they ever worked - but we learned a lot about the resort and how it operated.

On my first day there I decided to get re-certified as an open water scuba diver.  When I first met Martin in 1991 I became certified to dive.  I studied in NYC and did my open water dive in Florida.  It was the first and last dive I did!  The cost for my recertification training on Apulit was reasonable, and included six dives!  I expected to have my first lesson in the pool, but oh no; we went directly into the ocean.  My training came back pretty quickly and by the third dive I had regain my buoyancy control skills and began to enjoy the lessons.  

The cost of our trip included a free snorkeling trip and lunch on a nearby island.  We had the option of having our own private snorkeling trip and lunch for an additional cost, and we quickly decided to do it.  That day was the only day it rained, but just a little.  The snorkeling was amazing.  It's so rare these days to see live coral since so much of it has been killed off.  This coral was still colorful, alive, and vibrant.  Unfortunately there weren't many fish because these waters have been overfished.  My dive master said, though, that recently the fish have begun to return not that Palawan has made the waters protected.

After snorkeling, we went to Isla Blanca, a small island, basically a sand bar, and waited for lunch to be prepared.  While on this sandbar it rained briefly, but the storm soon passed and by the time lunch was served it was sunny and warm. To have lunch on your own private island was magical.  We had crab with mango, grilled chicken, and pork adobo.  None of us wanted to leave.

Island life was remarkably busy.  Since I had six dives, I always had something to do, but other activities included free kayaking, paddle boarding, nature walks, and rappelling.  Irene and I decided we would go rappelling.  I had only rappelled once (from a tree top) and Irene had never done it. After a very quick lesson, we started our climb.  The cliff we would rappel from was almost 200 feet high, and getting up to the top required scaling up the side of it.  We had to lock and unlock our clips as we clung to the side of very sharp rocks.  I was directly behind the guide, but he left me to watch the three climbers behind me.  He just said to follow the line up to the top.  I had never rock climbed liked this before and had no idea what I was doing.  It was terrifying.  At the top was a three-foot wide ledge on which a giant white crucifix was mounted.  I realized after this death-defying climb that the cross was there to pray to god that you wouldn't die.  Irene was more terrified than me.  After we reached the top, we then had to climb backwards around the edge of the cliff to reach the cliff face from which would we rappel. I'm grateful I got to go first because I wanted off that damn mountain.  The worst part was leaning back into your harness and having the guide tell you to let go of the rocks. All common sense tells you not to lean backwards and let go, but you have to trust the harness and the ropes.  Once I was in position and got used to the mechanism used for lowering yourself, I was fine and actually made it down quickly. I then had the pleasure of watching the other three climbers scream as they made their way down.  After that adventure I ran to the bar for a drink!

For our final night on the island as we walked to the restaurant, we were greeted by the staff and told that a special table had been arranged for us on the beach.  The hotel was offering us our own private dinner.  The table was lit with colored lights and candles planted in the sand.  We had our own waiter who brought us several courses of food.  It was a very special treat and a great way to end our stay.  

The next morning we enjoyed our final breakfast and lunch and then had to depart the island.  It was very difficult to leave since we had grown fond of many of the staff.  Since all the services were inclusive of the price, we made sure to tip individual staff members throughout the week.  I  think all this tipping contributed to the great service we received.  Plus the average stay on Apulit is two days, and we stayed six nights.  I won't bore you with the tedious trip back to Seoul, but it was long, painful, and exhausting.  Mostly it was sad because none of us wanted to leave paradise.

Vietnam - Part III Hoi An

On Christmas Eve, the four of us flew from Hanoi to Danang since Hoi An does not have its own airport.  Danang is about 45-minutes north of Hoi An and is actually a modern and nice looking city (then again, after spending some time in Halong Bay City, any city would've looked better).  The first thing we noticed upon landing was the change in temperature.  And it was sunny.  We hadn't seen the sun since arriving to Vietnam since it was always shrouded by pollution.  

The villa in which we were staying arranged to pick us up from the airport so it was no problem getting from Danang to Hoi An.  During the planning of this trip Karen had suggested an Airbnb for our time in Hoi An.  Haven't never used Airbnb, I was reluctant, but the place she found looked amazing.  As it turned out, it was amazing.  It was located outside the city, but was adjacent to the river and connected to a cooking school and visited by Anthony Bourdain in his No Reservations episode on Vietnam. As soon as we walked through the gate we were blown away.  The villa was huge - with a large living room/dining room combination, a modern working kitchen, and three giant bedrooms. Each bedroom had spacious walk-in closets, and the biggest bathrooms.  The bathrooms had jacuzzi tubs and enormous walk in showers with overhead rain spigots.  The only issue was how slippery the showers became from shampoo and soap - just ask Karen.

The villa was surrounded with lush landscaping and was connected to a pool area.  Each morning the staff arrived and cooked us amazing Vietnamese breakfasts of pho or cao lau, which is like pho but with pork slices and thicker noodles.  You could get eggs if you wanted, but the pho was so good we ate it every day.  In addition there was an espresso machine, fresh baguettes, fresh fruit, and freshly made fruit juices.  The villa also did our laundry every day.

The fridge was stocked with wine, beer, and snacks that were reasonably priced.  They also supplied unlimited bottles of water.  In addition, there were six bicycles that we could use to ride into town.  They even gave us a phone that could be used to call a taxi service to take us into town if we didn't feel like biking.  Basically, it was paradise.   

As soon as we arrived we unpacked our dirty clothes, which were filthy from the bad air in Hanoi, and started the laundry.  We quickly made our way to the pool and jumped in.  The water was chilly since it had rain for several days prior to our arrival, but it felt great.  We also opened the first of many bottles of wine!

Prior to coming to Hoi An, I had met a guy online.  As it turned out, he was a tailor.  All of us had planned to have clothes made in Hoi An since it's famous for the number of tailors and the low cost of custom-made clothes.  So meeting this guy was very serendipitous for all of us. That first night, Mao arrived at the villa to take us out to dinner.  He took us to a local restaurant that we probably never would've found on our own.  We were starving when we arrived, so we just told Mao to order for the table.  As soon as the food came we attacked it like a bunch of savages.  Mao had order a tuna salad, which sounded gross, but was delicious.  There were also spring rolls, beef with lemongrass, and a whole grilled fish.  We ate everything as if we hadn't eaten in years.  Mao must've thought we were a bunch of pigs.  But the food was so delicious and for me this was the best meal we had the entire three weeks in Vietnam.  

After dinner we went to a liquor store to stock up on supplies!  The next day was Christmas and we had arranged with the villa to cook us Christmas dinner.  Two colleagues from work were also in Hoi An with their family so they were joining us.  Also, Amy had a friend arriving from Korea whom she used to work with while living in South Carolina. All total, there would be ten people for dinner.  A case of beer and wine later we arrived back to the villa.

The next morning Mao came back to the villa to escort us to his tailor shop (Ken's Tailor Shop).  I rode behind him on his motorbike while the rest of the gang (Tyler included) rode bikes into Hoi An.  It's about an eight-minute ride into the market square.  It was hot that day so everyone was sweaty by the time they got to the shop.  Mao spent about an hour measuring everyone and taking his or her requests.  He was quite amazing in how he would just look at a picture from a magazine, say he could make that, and with just a few measurements he was done.  Honestly I was a little suspicious having had clothes made in Thailand, but I figured we had to trust him.  

After we were done with the orders, we all went off in different directions for some shopping.  We had agreed to a Secret Santa since it was Christmas and we figured we needed at least one gift to open.  I had chosen Ryan's name so I went off to find something.  It was tough since none of us wanted to carry around big purchases, so it limited what we could get.  The market square in Hoi An is huge, and there are vendors everywhere.  Though they would ask you to buy stuff, they weren't overly pushy like some market places.  Much of the square was dominated by tailor shops.  The rest of the shops sold knock-off North Face bags, and cheap trinkets.  Amy quickly found a gift for Karen, but I didn't find Ryan's gift until it was almost time to meet up for lunch.  I found this cute metal alien made from plumbing parts.  I thought it was cool so I bought it.  With the shopping done, we met up for lunch.  Mao had recommended a bahn mi place for lunch.  Banh mi's are baguette sandwiches filled with different ingredients.  The place he recommended was visited by Anthony Bourdain so it was "famous" and packed. We were all starving and hot and didn't want to wait, so we found another restaurant and relaxed.  Since it was so hot, after lunch we went back to the villa and swam and rested.

Around 5 PM the guests arrived.  We poured drinks and enjoyed sitting outside.  Amazingly there were very few mosquitoes.  Only Karen was being bitten, so she was a great mosquito repellant.  At 7 PM dinner arrived.  Courses of soups, salads, main dishes, and dessert were all prepared and served by the staff.  It was a great meal that cost each person about $20 dollars!

The next morning Mao had arranged to rent motorbikes for everyone to go visit Marble Mountain and China Beach in Danang. There was a bit of a communication mistake about the journey because Ryan had mentioned visiting Ba Na Hills, where there was a cable car and a castle, and Mao thought that's where we all wanted to go.  We didn't realize we were going there until we got there.  More on that later.  

Having never driven a motorbike, I was smart enough to ride behind Mao on his bike.  Karen also chose to ride behind Ryan.  Amy, being a country girl, said she knew her way around bikes.  That left Tyler and Braden (Braden is the son of one my work friends who had joined us for dinner the night before).  Both of them said they were comfortable driving a motorbike.  We got to the rental shop and quickly donned our helmets and followed Mao.  Five seconds after Mao took off, we heard a crash.  Tyler had turned into oncoming traffic and panicked as a horde of motorbikes rode towards him, so he dumped the bike.  He scraped up his leg and cut his ankle bad enough that it needed a bandage. This accident played mind tricks with Tyler and he didn't feel comfortable on the bike the remainder of the journey.  As a result, he drove much slower than everyone else.  We thought Braden was equally nervous about riding but found out later he was staying behind to watch over Tyler.  

After fueling up, we headed to Danang.  Traffic was light which was a blessing as everyone became acclimated to the bikes.  We made it to Marble Mountain in about 45 minutes.  Mao has friends who own a small restaurant there so we were allowed to park our bikes in the restaurant.  We opted to take the elevator up to the top of the mountain.  Once on top, you followed a path that led through many buddhist shrines.  Eventually you came to a series of caves.  Some of the caves were quite large - in fact one was so large it held a giant statue of Buddha and several small shrines.  Other caves were not so large.  In one you had to climb through a small squeeze hold and it was rather challenging.  They would never allow people in the States to enter this cave for fear of liability, but in Vietnam, no such fears exist.  We spent a couple of hours at Marble Mountain and it was definitely worth the visit, despite the somewhat dreary weather.

By the time we climbed down, we were starving so we had a small bite to eat at the restaurant and then got back on our bikes.  We thought we were going to China Beach, but instead we made our way to Ba Na Hills.  In order to get there, we had to drive through the city of Danang.  On motorbikes.  In traffic.  Having ridden on the back of many bikes in Bangkok, I didn't mind the congestion and chaos that occurs in cities with thousands of motorbikes coming at you from all directions.  For those who are not used it, though, it was harrowing. Fortunately, we arrived to Danang during lunch hour and there wasn't a lot of traffic.  In fact, I was surprised since the roads did not seem that congested.  Still there was enough to freak out Tyler who kept stopping at the rotaries and major intersections.  We finally made it through the city and hit open highway.  Ahead of us were towering mountains.  The road was new, so it was wide and freshly paved.  I told Mao to gun it, so he took off.  When I looked at the speedometer we doing over 90 kilometers or about 56 miles an hour (which on a bike feels really fast). Amy stayed directly behind us as did Ryan and Karen.  We lost sight of Tyler and Braden.  As we went up into the mountains the temperature got lower and lower.  The ladies were wearing just shorts and t-shirts and I was thinking to myself that they must be freezing.  We drove almost 90 minutes before reaching Ba Na.  I knew that people weren't going to be happy by the long journey, and I was right - mostly because they were cold. 

It was misting and foggy on top of the mountain, and the cost to take the cable car was expensive.  None of us felt like paying $20 dollars to go to a top of a mountain and see nothing but fog.  So we opted for some much needed coffee, dressed more appropriately, and got back on the bikes.  Personally I loved the ride through the mountains, even though we didn't accomplish much.  I finally understood the allure of riding on a motorbike on the open road. 

Just before arriving to Danang we stopped and discussed our options.  Do we avoid driving through downtown or take a longer route around the town?  When everyone heard it would add another hour to the trip, we opted for the quicker way.  At this point, though, it was after lunch and the traffic had quadrupled.  By the time we arrived to China Beach, I thought Tyler was going to drive his bike into the ocean.  Unfortunately we still had another 45-minutes to drive back to Hoi An. After the turmoil of Danang, though, the rest of the trip was peaceful, but I think everyone was happy to be off the bikes at that point.  We dropped off Braden and Tyler's bike, said goodbye to Braden, and the rest of us doubled up and drove back to the villa.  Tyler headed straight for the alcohol!  That night we returned to the same restaurant with Mao and had another amazing meal (eaten equally as fast).

After dinner we went into town and visited the Why Not bar.  Tyler and Ryan had discovered this bar on their own two nights before and said it was a wild place.  We got there too early, though, and it wasn't very wild.  Still we managed to have a hilarious game of pool (which I will not discuss in this blog), as well as a fair amount of alcohol (much needed after our exciting journey).  We were all feeling no pain by the time we got home.

The next morning was a different story and most of us spent our time just relaxing on the couches or around the pool.  In the afternoon we made our way back to Mao's shop to try on our clothes.  All the clothes fit great and only my shirts needed a  minor adjustment. Afterwards I finally got to eat one of the bahn mi's from the famous sandwich shop and I must say it was delicious.  That night we decided to hit the night market for dinner.  Hoi An is most beautiful at night.  The market runs along both sides of the river and the river is lined with beautiful lanterns, lighted sculptures, and ornate walkways.  Vendors sell small boats with candles that float along the river like illuminated lotus leaves.  Colorful lights are strung across all the spaces and the city has a magical, faerie-like quality to it.  Unfortunately the crowds, narrow streets, and pushy vendors distract from the tranquility of the setting.  We found an empty restaurant in a quiet setting and enjoyed a nice meal.

I don't remember what we did on our final day in Hoi An.  At this point we were in full vacation mode and the villa was so nice, we just enjoyed staying there.  I know we had to pick up our clothes from Mao.  We had also arranged to have the villa cook us dinner for our final meal.  Other than that we just packed, finished the rest of our alcohol, and prepared to depart the next day for Nha Trang.  

It was hard to leave Hoi An - a peaceful, friendly village that offered delicious food and hospitality. But mostly it was hard to leave the Villa at Red Bridge since it was so amazing.

Next stop: Nha Trang.

Vietnam - Part II Halong Bay

Everyone who has been to Vietnam told me that you must got to Halong Bay for a cruise around the islands.  Halong Bay is due east of Hanoi and takes about 3 hours to drive there.  We had booked a two-night, three-day cruise on the Imperial Junk.  Of everything planned for this vacation, I had the most concerns about the arrangements for this cruise because the booking agent sounded a bit sketchy.  As it turned out I was right to be concerned.

At 8 AM, the cruise company picked us up to take us to Halong Bay. I  was expecting a small van, but as it turned out, it was a large bus.  This large bus proceeded to pick up over 20 people from different hotels.  By the time we got out of the Old Quarter, it was almost 9:30  On the bus, we met our tour guide Tony who would be the source of many laughs both during the tour and long after it ended.  Tony is Vietnamese, but his accent sounded more Italian, or at least our lame attempts at imitating his accent ended up sounding Italian.  Tony loved to talk, and he told us all about the boat, and all the complaints people may have about the boat, as if telling us ahead of time that the cabins would smell like diesel was going to make us less annoyed when the cabins really did smell like diesel.  

On the bus I called Tony over to confirm that the bus would drop us off at the airport after we docked at 8 am since we had a 1 PM flight to Danang.  Not only did he say the bus would not go to the airport, he said the boat was docking at 12 PM and not 8 AM.  There would be no way we would catch our flight.  I spent most of the bus ride calling Vietnam Airlines to see if there was a later flight.  There was, but it would've cost twice as much as what we paid.  Tony kept coming back to inform me that the cruise would not do anything to fix this problem and that it was the booking agent's fault for giving us the wrong information.  I finally said we'd talk about it on the ship.

Halfway to the docks, the bus made a stop for a pee break, but really it's to stop at a silk embroidery factory where tourist can spend some money.  The profits from the sale of the silk embroidery supports people with special needs, many of whom make the embroidery.  My boss had mentioned this place to me and he wanted me to buy him a piece depicting pastural life in Vietnam.  As it turned out, silk embroidery is pretty expensive, and I didn't want to spend that much on my boss.  The one piece I found was almost $400 dollars - so that was out.  I found another that was about $50 bucks.  But since I said how much I liked the first piece, the clerk kept trying to sell it to me.  Inadvertently, I had the best bargaining session of my life, because I didn't really want that first piece.  The more I said no, the lower the price went.  Eventually they offered the first piece and the second piece together for $250 dollars!  Just to get away from them, since the bus was only there for 20 minutes, I agreed to pay, but I only had a credit card.  The credit card machine though wouldn't connect or the line was busy.  They kept trying over and over again.  They tried all my cards.  Finally almost another 20 minutes went by I said I had to go - the bus was waiting.  I went out to the bus and people were still shopping, so the woman ran out and ask if I could just buy the original piece that I wanted, for which I had enough cash.  I said yes and went back to buy it.  I was still the last person back on the bus, and the some of the passengers looked at me as if they wanted to leave me there.

For the three weeks I was in Vietnam, it barely rained except when we arrive to the dock at Halong Bay.  It was raining.  It started out light, then gradually got worse.  Though we packed umbrellas, none of us wanted to take them out.  It was also cold.  We waited until Tony got our tickets, then we boarded a motor boat in the rain, and made our way to the larger ship.  Once inside, we dropped our bags and went upstairs for the orientation and lunch.  Tony talked some more.  And then some more.  If it weren't for his accent it would've been tedious, but the way in which Tony said things was hilarious.  Most of the shipmates just politely smiled because they were about as much fun as undertakers, but us loud Americans yucked it up with Tony.  

After lunch, Tony and I sat down to discuss our situation.  Amy and Karen joined me while we sent Ryan upstairs so he wouldn't get aggravated.  Tony kept insisting it wasn't his fault, that the booking agent made a mistake and there wasn't much they could do.  This is where I made the mistake of saying that the booking agent represents the cruise company and that if the cruise company doesn't make this right I'd go on Trip Advisor and Agoda and write a bad review.  This freaked Tony out so much that he didn't leave me alone for the rest of the trip.  As much as people complain about yahoos posting bad reviews on such sites, Trip Advisor is a powerful medium and can impact a companies' business.  It certainly got the situation solved.  We agreed to only spend one night on the boat and one night at the hotel in Halong Bay (which included dinner and breakfast all paid for by the company).  I arranged with the hotel to take us to the airport and it only costs each of us about $10 dollars.  Tony kept insisting we go back to Hanoi instead of staying at Halong Bay, and at the time I didn't understand why.  We would soon find out.

The boat itself was very nice, and Halong Bay is beautiful.  The rain did stop, but the sun never really came out.  The mist, though, added a certain beauty to the islands and it felt as if we were sailing to Skull Island or Jurassic Park.  After lunch, we went to so see some caves.  The caves were actually better than expected, and Tony's commentary was hilarious.  I wish I could do his accent justice in this blog, but I can't.  At one point he pointed his laser pointer at a rock and said "Some people thinka this looka like a whale, but I thinka it looka like a dolphin."  Well, this line became a frequent refrain for the rest of the trip and we still joke about it now.  

After the caves, we went up on the top deck and started drinking before dinner.  Drinks were cheap on the boat, and despite the cold weather, sitting on the top deck was beautiful.  It was only us and a quiet French couple whom I thought would hate us, but they were really quite enjoyable.  The rest of our ship mates, with the exception of a young German guy, were dull and annoying.  They probably thought the same about us, but we didn't care.  

Dinner was quite good.  We had brought a bottle of wine with us, so we drank that for a small corkage charge.  After dinner you had the choice of singing karaoke, playing board games, or just relaxing.  We went back up deck and began to order "fun buckets".  Fun buckets are small buckets of mixed drinks.  I ordered the pina colada which wasn't very good but cheap.  Ryan and Karen and Amy ordered some as well.  I was tired so I snuck off to bed.  This turned out to be a good decision since the rest of them drank further into the night and the result of those fun buckets wasn't so much fun the next morning.

The next morning we had breakfast, visited a pearl factory (boring), and then sailed back to the dock to drop us off and pick up more passengers.  Our hotel was within walking distance and turned out to be the scariest and probably grossest hotel I had the pleasure of visiting.  The rooms themselves weren't so bad, but the hallways were a disaster.  They stuck us on a floor that was under construction.  Many rooms were being renovated, and the carpet was stained and filthy.  Everything was covered with dust.  It looked as if they had just finished our rooms, but still had work to be done since the bathtubs weren't sealed to the walls with caulking, but just sort of sitting there with a gaps all the way around.  As a result, the water just drained down the tiles, under the tub,  and onto the floor.  The room carpeting was not clean and I wore my socks the whole time.  I did check the sheets for stains and bed bugs, but it seemed safe.

After resting a bit, I decided to walk into town.  I asked the front clerk which direction to walk, and he said the night market was to the right, and town was to the left.  Since it wasn't night, I went left.  Halong Bay City is a work in progress.  In about three years, it might be worth visiting.  For now, it's not.  The entire waterfront was blocked off by large pieces of plywood showing you what is coming, but for now it just an empty construction site.  The dust from the construction was awful and coated everything - plants, trees, the sidewalk, and you.  On top of the air pollution, it made it almost unbearable to be outside.  I walked about 2 miles into town, and found nothing.  The place was deserted.  I did manage to find the red light district where sad looking girls came out to offer me a massage, but I couldn't even find a coffee shop.  Eventually I came to one that was completely empty.  They served me probably the worst cup of coffee I had the whole trip.  As I was heading back the rest of group wanted to go to out, so I jumped on the back of a motorbike and took the fast way back.

I should've stayed where I was because we decided to go to the casino and I was right next to it when I got on the bike.  I ended up walking back the same way.  The casino was located in a supposedly five star hotel in Halong Bay.   When we got there, we asked about the water puppet show which a friend of Amy's highly recommended seeing.  None of us knew what a water puppet show was, but we had nothing better to do before dinner, so we booked tickets for the 5 PM show.  Before the show started we went to the casino - a truly depressing part of the hotel.  There were a few slot machines, a couple of black jack tables, and a small bar.  The place reeked of stale cigarette smoke.  I lost my $20 dollars within about 10 minutes and went out into the lobby for a drink.  The lobby was decorated with the worst Christmas decorations and the PA system was playing Christmas songs sung in Vietnamese.  It was surreal and creepy.  There was no one in the hotel either, and people who worked the bar at this supposedly five star hotel didn't speak of word of English.  Out of frustration, I just ordered a beer.  Karen and Ryan quickly lost their money as well and joined me.  One of the staff members turned on this automatic piano which began to play some dreary musical piece that did not lighten the mood.  Amy arrived much later after having much success on the slots and winning $60 dollars!     

Next came the water puppet show.  We thought we'd be the only ones in the theater since there was no one in the hotel, but about 20 minutes before show time, the busses arrived -busses filled with Chinese and Korean tourists.  Suddenly, the larger than expected theater filled with people.  We sat more towards the back because the guy who directed us there said we would have a better view.  He turned out to be right.  The pool of water which comprises the stage is high, and if you sit close up, it blocks your line of vision.  Not that there was much to see.

Soon the musicians came out as well as the singers and narrators.  Everything was sung and narrated in Vietnamese except the television screen announcing each act.  Suddenly puppets emerged from the water and begin to "swim" around the pool.  The action is narrated or sung by a group of ladies and the music is that very twangy, sitar-plucking, and slightly annoying Asian music.  As soon as the puppets emerged, all four of us started giggling.  We tried to be quiet, but our laughter was causing the seats to rock.  We were shushed several times by the Chinese tourists who apparently found this show engaging.  Each water puppet act depicted a part of Vietnamese folk lore, and though I was curious for about five minutes on how they controlled the puppets (were they under the water?) I quickly lost interest and we were stuck there for 45-minutes.  At the end of the show it was revealed that the puppets were controlled by long poles and the puppet masters were standing in the water behind a curtain.   As soon as the lights came up, the entire audience flooded out of the theater, back onto their busses, and then disappeared.  We walked back to the restaurant by the hotel and had our free dinner.

After dinner, we were all so thoroughly depressed by Halong Bay City, we skipped the night market and locked ourselves in the rooms hoping that deformed dead babies or vampire countesses didn't come kill us in the middle of the night.  I felt so dirty from the air I decided to take a shower.  As the water splashed onto my head, I looked down and saw brown water swirling down the drain as all the dirt and pollution washed off my body.  It was that bad.  

We survived the night, and breakfast the next morning was actually pretty good. Our driver arrived in a very comfortable SUV and the ride to the airport was so much nicer than getting back on that annoying bus.  We made it to the airport with plenty of time to spare.  

Next destination: Hoi An!  

Vietnam - Part I Hanoi

Having just completed three weeks in Vietnam I have much to write about in my blog.  Given how many places I visited, I'm breaking up my trip  into several blogs.  

The trip began in the northern end of Vietnam and wound its way down the coast, finally ending at Phu Quoc (an island off the coast of Cambodia).  I arrived to Hanoi on a Saturday and while I was waiting to get my visa, I ran into Karen, my nephew's fiancé, who had just arrived from the States.  For the first two weeks of this trip I would be traveling with my nephew Ryan, his fiancé, Karen, and a good friend from work, Amy.  Karen and I quickly made our way through the airport and found a cab to take us into Hanoi.  Ryan had arrived to the city three days earlier and met us as we checked into the hotel.  We were staying in the Old Quarter of Hanoi and it's by far the most charming part of the city.  Given the French influence, Hanoi reminded me a lot of the French Quarter of New Orleans - curved balconies with ornate railings, small narrow streets with shuttered windows, and many corner cafes.  

After unpacking and a quick shower, the three of us went for some lunch.  We walked around the corner to a small noodle place and got the first of many phos - soup with noodles and either meat or seafood.  We then grabbed a cup of vietnamese coffee, which is as addictive as crack.  Strongly brewed and sweetened with condensed milk, vietnamese coffee is delicious.  My only complaint is that they serve it in such small amounts. I down those suckers in two sips and instantly want another.  One guy I met in Vietnam told me that Americans drink their coffee like pigs, that it should take between 10-12 sips to finish that small amount of coffee.  Yeah, right. 

Afterwards we rested in the hotel and then went out to explore Hanoi.  We walked to Hoan Kiem Lake, which is located in the historical center of Hanoi.  The lake is filled with large soft-shell turtles.  We didn't see any turtles but we did walk across the famous red bridge to Jade Island where the Ngoc Son Temple was erected in the 18th century.  We didn't bother to go inside the temple, but stayed on the bridge.  

Hanoi is crazy busy with motorbikes.   Walking across the street can be a harrowing experience in which you can't be faint of heart.  You don't see too many cars because cars are expensive for the Vietnamese (they must pay a 300% tax when buying a car).  Since Hanoi is also located near a very industrial area, the air pollution is quite bad.  At first it seemed as if the city was just foggy, but we soon learned that wasn't fog but pollution.  All of us were coughing and rubbing our eyes for the three days we stayed there.  

After the lake we strolled over to the one gay bar in Saigon because I wanted to see where it was located.  When we got there, it was closed, but next door was a place called Polite Pub.  Since it was cocktail time, we went inside.  This pub became our favorite hangout (we went there every night).  The two bartenders made the best drinks - and since we had our very own mixologist with us - he confirmed that they knew what they were doing.  Every drink I ordered be it a martini, a manhattan, an old fashioned, or a mai tai was made from scratch and delicious.  And the two bartenders were very sweet. We also liked the classic design of the bar with its rich wood, mirrors, and mellow music.

Refreshed from our drinks, we went to meet a friend of Karen's who took us to the night market.  When we arrived the night market was still setting up, but Karen's friend who's name was either Trung, or Thun, or Tongue - none of us could pronounce it, took us to get some fried bread.  They basically take a small baguette, squash it, soak it in butter and sugar water, and then grill it over a charcoal fire.  It was so delicious - I ate two of them without even thinking.  We needed that bread because we next walked a long way to see the sights of Hanoi.  Hanoi at night is very pretty.  Since it was around Christmas, lights were strung across the major streets.  We walked past many monuments such as the presidential palace, the flag tower, the statue of Lenin.  It was a far walk and my feet hurt by the time we found a place to eat what would turn out to be the best fried spring roles of the trip. Maybe it was because we were so hungry, but those rolls were super light, crunchy, and flavorful.  We went back to the hotel full but tired.

The next morning we met up with Amy who had arrived late that evening.  We decided to go see Ho Chi Minh, who's body has been preserved since he died in 1969.  Knowing how far his mausoleum was since we walked it the night before, we took a cab.  Visiting his mausoleum is an odd experience.  First off, it's heavily guarded and you're carefully led through the grounds as soon as you buy your ticket.  Everyone follows this circuitous path as it wends its way towards the mausoleum.  At first you're allowed to take pictures of the grounds, but as you getting closer to the mausoleum, the guards become more frequent and strict.  When you finally reach the building, you're not allowed to talk as you enter.  You're lined up in rows of two and then led into the room where Ho Chi Minh is lying in his full splendor.  You walk around the body without being allowed to stop. If you do, the guards grab you and shoo you along.  It's all very weird and surreal.   

Once back outside, we toured the rest of the grounds. We saw the outside of the presidential palace, but we couldn't go inside.  We saw Ho Chi Minh's cars and his office and resting pagoda.  We decided to skip the museum and had a coffee instead.  Since Amy and Karen were still tired from their flights, we went back to the hotel and rested for a couple of hours.  

After resting Ryan convinced us to go see snake village and eat a cobra.  None of us were too keen on going, but we agreed anyway.  I thought snake village was a park where you can view snakes, but it turns out it's just a section of Hanoi where there are many restaurants that serve cobra.  It's a quiet residential part of Hanoi and it was nice to stroll around, though we were the only caucasians in sight and I began to fear it was a trap to lead us into white slavery.  It was an odd time for eating (halfway between lunch and dinner) but we stopped at several restaurants where they would politely pull out a cobra and show us.  We needed some liquid courage, so we stopped for some local brew which is served out of the equivalent of a garage.  We then chose a restaurant called Thanh Dao.  We left Ryan in charge of picking out the snake and watching them kill it since none of us wanted to see that happen.  This restaurant serves cobra seven ways.  You first begin with the blood and its beating heart.  We left the heart for Ryan, and after he drank the blood, we all agreed to try it.  They mix the blood with rice wine, so it's not so thick and it mostly tastes like alcohol.  Next comes a soup with snake in it.  The soup was like a thick egg drop soup that I didn't like.  Next comes the bones all finely chopped and deep fried so they look like bacon bits.  Then the fried skin, and the stir-fried snake.  Most of it was OK, but it got much better when the owner of the restaurant decided to sit with us and show us how to properly eat each course.  The bones for example were served on a type of cracker, and the skin and flesh were rolled in leaves and dipped in a sauce.  Once he demonstrated, everything tasted so much better.  When we were finished, the owner invited us down into his house and served us tea.  He didn't speak a word of English but we managed to communicate and have a great time.  It was a memorable experience.  

After dinner we headed back to Polite Pub.  On the way there we ran into another teacher from my school.  She and her husband ended up joining us at Polite Pub and we all drank far into the night.

The next morning, everyone was dragging a bit, so I suggested seeing the new Star Wars movie and everyone thought that was a great idea. After the movie we really didn't have any plans so we walked to a nearby lake to see what it was like.  It turned out to be the most depressing place in the world.  First off, we had to pay to get in (a whopping 15 cents).  Once inside, the park was deserted.  They had sad looking swan boats that hadn't been maintained in years.  We saw one lone man with no shoes lying on a park bench and that was it. We walked around the perimeter of the lake and came to this spooky amusement park. The rides were all old and rusty and nothing was running.  It was creepy and strange.  The air pollution this day was  also very bad and all of us were hacking our lungs up as we walked through this post-Soviet nightmare of a park.  We think Chernobyl would've been more interesting.  We reached the end of the park and there were some vendors selling spices and crappy clothes.  They were so bored and dispirited they didn't even bother to look up as we strolled by.  On top of everything else, the speakers were playing Adele songs.  We affectionately dubbed this park The Land of Forgotten Toys.  

I was so depressed I don't even remember what we did next.  I think we went back to the hotel and slept a bit.  We then went out shopping and exploring the Old Quarter.  We went to see the church, bought some silk gifts, and then ate at Kangeroo Jack's since everyone was craving burgers.  The owner was Australian and he never shut up.  The burgers weren't bad. though.  Next we went back to the lone gay bar in Hanoi, but it was dreary and not very gay.  We had one drink and went next door to Polite Pub and had our final cocktails in Hanoi.  The next day we were scheduled to leave Hanoi for Halong Bay.

To sum up, we all liked Hanoi.  The people, food, and Old Quarter were great.  The air pollution, though, was terrible and we all decided if it were like that all the time, we couldn't live there.  Next blog - Halong Bay!

Phnom Penh

In late October I had the unexpected opportunity to visit Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia.  I was asked to serve on an accreditation team by the Western Association of Schools and College.  This organization accredits schools throughout the western United States as well as many schools in Asia.  For those readers of my blog, you know that I served on a team last year in Bangkok, so I was well familiar with the process.  In addition, our school was just accredited by WASC in April, and I was the coordinator of that process.  

There is a non-stop flight from Seoul to PP and I arrived around 10:30 at night.  Someone from the school met me in the luggage area, and I was surprised that she was able to enter the airport beyond the security gate.  She said her cousin works there and he let her go through - such is life in Cambodia :)

The hotel was very close to airport, and we were there in ten minutes.  Since it was dark and I was tired, I didn't see too much.  I just unpacked and went to sleep.  The school visitation wasn't until Sunday, and I left Seoul on a Friday.  This gave me all of Saturday to see Phnom.  A friend of mine in Seoul is Cambodia, and he has a brother in Phnom who agreed to show me around.  At noon he picked me up in his car and drove me downtown.  Traffic in PP is pretty bad, not because of the cars so much but because of the road quality.  You can be driving along on a halfway decent road that suddenly turns into a rugged landscape of potholes, mud pits, and cracked asphalt.  Much of Cambodia is below sea level, and during the six months of the rainy season, flooding is a massive problem.  October is near the end of the season, and so it wasn't raining that much, but the road conditions were evidence enough that PP has serious drainage problems.

Toto (my tour guide), took me to the area where most expats live.  We ate lunch at a beautiful restaurant decorated in a very traditional Khmer design - with dark wood, balconies, water features, and lush plants.  The food was great.  Cambodian food is like Thai food without the heat.  Everything is rich in curry and sweet.  They do have some spicy dishes, but not nearly as hot as Thai  or Indonesian dishes.

After lunch, Toto took me on a driving tour of Phnom Penh.  The city is a sea of construction. After the defeat of the Khmer Rouge in 1980, Phnom has been struggling with its economy and government.  The rest of the world has discovered how cheap things are in Cambodia and they are taking advantage of it, especially the Russians, Chinese, and South Koreans.  These countries are buying up land and constructing buildings at an enormous rate.  We passed one construction project that was huge - blocks and blocks long.  It ran along the river and Toto told me that six months earlier, the road we were driving on was actually the river itself.  The project filled in massive parts of the river to acquire the land.  The company is now building high end apartments and shopping complexes mirrored after building in Paris.  There will even be a mini Arch de Triumph.  The style seems so out of place for Phnom, even considering the French influence during their occupancy, but this is typical of what's happening to the city.  Foreign money is flooding in and huge complexes are going up.  This money, though, does not trickle down to the population.  Government corruption is huge, and the average Cambodian lives on $20 dollars a month. Foreign companies are buying up the public works as well, such as water and electrical plants, and charging outrageous prices to a population of people who are barely surviving.

Toto drove through some very pretty areas of PP.  We stopped at a place next to the river and had ice cream.  This part of the city has a very French Quarter feeling to it.  I didn't get to explore it much, but when I return to PP in February, it's an area I want to visit again.

After lunch, Toto dropped me off at place where  I had scheduled to have a massage.  After my massage, I took a tuk tuk to one of the local gays bars.  The bar was very friendly and I met two guys there, one of whom was an owner of another gay bar.  I went to his bar afterwards and met some more great people.  One guy at the bar told me about a Cambodian artist and showed me his website.  I contacted the artist and arranged to meet him later in the week to see his art.  

This is how Cambodia works - the people are open and amazingly friendly, yet the country is an open wound.  From 1975-1980 almost half the population was killed by the Khmer Rouge.  Three of the guys I met at the bars lost their fathers. The Khmer killed randomly, and they killed anyone who they thought was intelligent.  Even people who wore glasses were killed because they thought they were smart.  The country is still healing from all these losses, and it can be painful to talk with people because everyone lost someone.  

During the week, I had the opportunity to meet parents of the students at the school I was visiting.  These parents were well-off since they were sending their students to a private school.  I told them about my plans to maybe open a bed and breakfast, and I was thinking about Cambodia.  One guy was a real estate agent and told me I should buy property in Kampot, a city near the ocean.  He said he would sell me the property.  One owner of the school owns a construction company and offered to build the guesthouse for me.  Another guy was an architect and offered to design the place for me.  It was such an amazing experience and it felt almost like fate that I should arrive there.  

My school visitation ended on a Thursday afternoon, but my flight wasn't until 1 AM.  I took a cab back to the river and met with the artist I had mentioned earlier.  His work was beautiful, and so I purchased a painting to bring back with me.  It was easy to carry since he unframed it and then rolled it into a tube.  Across the street from his gallery was a gay bar and we went there for drinks.  The bar was open to the street and very friendly and casual.  Cambodia technically has gay marriage since their license isn't limited to just men and women. The country is also very gay friendly.  The bars are very visible with rainbow flags proudly flying.  Drinks are amazingly cheap.  Top shelf liquor is available for four dollars a drink!  After a couple of drinks, Toto met me to take me to out to dinner and to the airport.  We found a great Chinese place very close to the airport and had a delicious meal.  

Overall, Cambodia has won me over.  It's  country filled with wonderful people and many great opportunities.  I plan to go back in February for five days to see what options are available for relocating there.  

Seoul: Year 3

Ok, before I left I posted a blog about those things that drove me crazy while living in Seoul.  I decided to start the year off on a more upbeat note and write about the things I love.  Throughout my blogs, I have mentioned many things about Seoul that I like, so I'm going to focus more on the minutia - the small, every day things that make life here so much easier.

1. Korea doesn't gouge you on prices.  You can buy a bottle of water for 800 won, which is about .70 cents.  In the States you pay upwards of $2.00 for a plastic bottle of water.  
2. The subway and buses are cheap.  A ride on the bus is about $1.00, same for the metro. And if you buy a metro card, it's even cheaper.
3. The bus stops all have digital signs that tell you exactly how far away in minutes each bus is located.  And it's amazingly accurate.
4. They have mastered the electric hand dryers.  The States have started using those Dyson hand dryers, but the ones in Korea are even better.  They actually work and dry your hands in under 10 seconds.
5. At the movies, a small popcorn and a drink costs less than five dollars.  And they serve multiple flavors of popcorn - my favorite is the caramel popcorn.  
6. There are clean bathrooms everywhere, and they're free.  And they have stall doors that go all the way to the floor.  And the bathrooms in the malls are so fancy they have heated toilet seats and cleansing sprays!  
7. They are respectful of the senior seating on the subway.  The train could be packed, but the six seats reserved for elderly passengers will remain empty unless an elderly person is sitting in them.
8. They speak quietly on their cellphones (well some do - the occasional old guy who still has a flip phone will scream his conversation).  It's amazing how you can stand next to someone on the metro as they're on the phone and not even hear them!
9. You never hear talking in the movie theater.  EVER.
10. Everything can be delivered.  For Free. 
11. Banking is a breeze.  All bills are paid through ATM transfers.  No checks, no banks. 
12. You don't have to carry keys.  Most things have key pads - apartment doors, cars, office doors.  I never carry keys (except for my car - which is old).
13. There are translator services available 24-hours a day - for free.  Having trouble communicating?  Call this service, tell them the problem, and pass the phone! 
14. I get my entire apartment cleaned weekly for $8.50 an hour.  
15. Credit cards are rapidly disappearing.  There are apps now in which you just scan your phone and the money is deducted from your bank.  Even with credit cards, nobody bothers signing their name.  They just make doodles - and certainly no one compares your signature to the one on the back of the card.

Coming back for a third  year was even easier than Year 2.  Seoul feels familiar and like home - after a while you almost forget you're living in a foreign country.  I hardly use my GPS anymore, nor glance at my subway map.  I'll walk into local businesses with ease and communicate just a few words, but those few words makes a huge difference in customer service. In my neighborhood the local coffee shops gives me free treats, the dry cleaner greets me on the streets, the guy who works at the deli grins broadly every time I enter.  Basically, I've assimilated- just in time for me to move to another country! 

Beautiful Boracay

For Spring Break this year, ten SIS staff members (plus two children and Raja) decided on a group vacation to Boracay Island in the The Philippines.  To get to Boracay, you must first fly into Manila, change not only planes but airports, board a small prop plane, fly to Caticlan (45 minutes away), get picked up by the hotel, taken to a way station, then transfer to a powerboat, get picked up by the hotel on the island, and then driven to your hotel.  It's actually more complicated then it sounds.  We were all shocked by how quickly we got from Caticlan Airport to the Henann Garden Resort on Boracay.  

We left Seoul at 5 AM and finally arrived to the hotel at 4 PM.  Raja had arrived five hours earlier and was asleep in the hotel room when I arrived.  That first night we were all sort of tired and I didn't even make it out to the beach until after sunset so I wasn't able see how beautiful it was until the next morning.  For the hotel, I rented a room that had direct access to the pool.  It was great but a little noisy because our room was the end room right next to the three spigots that sprayed streams of water into the pool.  This noise, though, served a good purpose because it blocked out the sounds of construction noise that was happening next door to the hotel.  The pools and grounds of the hotel were beautiful, and the hotel was set far enough back from the main beachfront that you couldn't hear any noise from there.

The White Sands beaches of Boracay have spoiled me for all other beaches.  The water is aquamarine blue and the sand is soft and white.  The beach is lined with restaurants and coffee shops.  Unlike Bali and other beaches, the hotels are mostly all set back and do not take up valuable beach front.  Instead of side walks or boardwalks, the walkway in front of the restaurants is just packed sand.  The strip is line with palm trees, so it's shady and pleasant.  Most of the restaurants have tables planted in the sand on the water's edge, so you get to dine with your feet buried in cool sand.  The breezes from the ocean are delightful.

 Cars are not permitted on Boracay, so traffic is not as heavy as it it could be.  The only vehicles are three-wheel cabbies, motorcycles, and hotel vehicles.  The three-wheel vehicles are the equivalent of riding in a tin can.  If you sit in the back, there is no headroom.  I had to bend at the waist to fit inside.  And since the roads are so narrow, they tend to jump the curbs and ride at a 30 degree angle.  Truly uncomfortable.  

There isn't much to do in Boracay other than water sports such as snorkelling, jet skiing, sailing, banana boats, or para-sailing.  Our days were mostly spent swimming in the pool, walking the strip, or laying by the beach.  The ladies in the group went pearl shopping.  Pearls in Boracay are incredibly inexpensive.  The group settled into the pattern of meeting by the hotel bar at 5 PM, enjoying a cold drink, then heading out to the water to watch spectacular sunsets.  We would then search for a restaurant and plop down for the night.  We found one italian restaurant that we liked very much.  We ended up having drinks and dinner there several times.

One day, we organised a trip on a catamaran to sail around the island, snorkel, and have lunch on Puka Beach, which is on the opposite side of the island from us.  It was a perfect day and the catamaran was just the right size for 13 of us.  Snorkelling was a bit disappointing because the reefs around Boracay are all destroyed from the fisherman throwing their anchors down.  We barely saw any fish.  Also, the first place we stopped was really choppy.  I was nervous to get into the water.  For lunch we stopped at Puka Beach, a gorgeous white sand beach with no one on it.  We were able to sit in a restaurant and eat the food we brought.  Before we left on the boat, some of the ladies shopped and bought pork and chicken with rice and delicious mangoes.  It was a great meal.  Afterwards we swam in the beautiful ocean.  

One evening, the group decided to have drinks at the Shangri-La Hotel, the most expensive hotel on Boracay.  It's located on the northern tip and has 360 views of the ocean.  We all piled into the hotel vans and rode to the hotel.  When we arrived, there were no seats to view the sunset, but the hotel graciously put some tables together for us and we had a great view of the sunset.  Many pictures were snapped, and the drinks were delicious.  I would've stayed for dinner, but the group thought it was a bit pricey.  The rooms at the hotel start at $650 a night!

One afternoon, Raja and I decided to go jet skiing.  Neither one of us have ever been on a jet ski but I figured how hard could it be.  The cost was about $40 dollars per 1/2 hour for each jet ski or $80 dollars per hour for one.  We opted for one jet ski.   This was a mistake because I did not realise how terrifying it is to be behind someone who is driving a jet ski.  It started with three of us on the ski because the instructor takes you out first to show you how to use it.  Once the instructions were given, he proceeded to go full throttle across the waves, weaving in and out.  I grabbed onto Raja with all my might and buried my face into his back praying I wasn't going to die.  Next, I let Raja drive first.  Raja doesn't even have a driver's license, and he thought it was a blast to speed along as fast as he could.  I felt sure I was going to get thrown off the ski.  When it was my turn to drive, I discovered it's much more secure holding onto the handles so I wasn't too nervous to go fast either.  I must admit that Raja was much braver behind me than I was behind him!  At one point I hit a wave at the wrong time and a huge amount of water splashed into me, making me choke.  Unfortunately, the course wasn't very large and basically you're driving around in circles.  After 45 minutes, I had my share of getting soaked and having my ass pounded against the seat.  I was ready to stop.  Next time I go, it's definitely separate skis.  And a 1/2 an hour of time is plenty!  Also, remember to bring a change of clothes and a towel since you get off the ski soaking wet.

Boracay is a beautiful location and definitely the place to go to get some sun, cheap drinks, and beautiful ocean vistas.  I hope to go back one day!

You Know You Live in Korea When...

Twenty months into my three year stint in Seoul, there are certain things about living here that still drive me bonkers.  Granted, there are equally as many things about living in Seoul that I love, but they're not funny.  So with that thought in mind, take this entry in a vein of humor and not in me complaining.  South Korea is not my country, and so it would be culturally insensitive of me to expect it to be what I'm used to in the US.  These observations are just that - observations.  They certainly don't apply to every Korean.  And, after all, the best form of humor is the type that paints a picture with broad brush strokes. With that thought in mind, let's begin:

You know you live in Korea when...

• people will stop at the top of a moving escalator to send a text.
• friends will stand three feet away and continuously wave goodbye to one another with both hands for three minutes.
• couples will dress in exactly the same clothes.
• cleaning women will mop the bathroom floor directly in front of you as you're trying to urinate.
• customers will enter a restaurant on the coldest day of the year and not close the door behind them.
• old men will pet your hair in the subway or point to your body parts in the shower and make comments.
• restaurants and stores blast American music filled with four-letter words and derogative racial slurs.
• people will not get out of your way or even acknowledge that you're trying to get around them.
• folks walk around with their noses buried in their phones.  
• people will run as if on fire while transferring subway lines even though another train will come within seven minutes.
• you get yelled out for talking too loud on the subway or busses.  
• people openly stare at you and don't look away even when you stare back.
• young girls put on so much whitening make-up they look like mimes.
• boys will spend ten minutes looking at their reflection making sure their bangs are straight.
• public vomiting happens more often than you can imagine.
• young couples in love will groom, pet, and hold each other in public for an hour as if they will never see one another again even though they're probably just going home for the night.
• store clerks will stand within two feet of you as you shop.
• middle-aged, short, stout women with dyed purple-black hair and giant visors are not to be messed with or they'll hurt you.
• you can park anywhere you want - sidewalks, intersections, highways - as long as you leave your flashers on.
• a casual Sunday hike requires you to open up an account at Eastern Mountain Sports so you can buy and wear every item they sell.
• there is a coffee shop on every corner and the coffee they sell is expensive and not very good.
• finding a quiet place to enjoy a nice cup of tea, an ice cream, or a quick meal is impossible due to the loud music blasting, the vendors screaming, or the TV blaring - The Land of the Morning Calm is anything but.
• no one holds the door open for you, or says thank you when you do so for them.
• the concept of zipper feeding as you try to merge onto the highway doesn't exist - instead it's who has the biggest cojones.
• guys in the locker room use hair dryers to dry the only other part of their body that has hair.

As I said above, I could create a similar list for every country I've been to, including the USA.  It's these differences that make traveling so much fun.  Yes, there are times I want to go postal on those folks who block the stairwells of the metro as they stop to text, but I'm sure the same thing happens in the US.  Seoul is no different than any other major city where 25 million people are packed into a small area.  It's the joys of urban living!

Ancient Angkor

I decided to skip telling about the second leg of my vacation (for now) and move onto the third leg - Siem Reap, Cambodia - Home of the famed Angkor Wat.  Ever since Raiders of the Lost Ark, which was partially filmed here, I wanted to visit Angkor Wat. I knew very little about the site, or Siem Reap for that matter.  After a week in Bali and Bangkok, it was a bit of a culture shock arriving there. Fortunately I had done enough research to know that I needed a visa before entering Cambodia.  Unlike Bali, though, I was able to obtain an e-visa.  Having paid for this ahead of time saved me an enormous amount of grief at the airport.  As all my fellow passengers flooded the customs building they were faced with a huge line to purchase the visa.  One clueless American couple came up to me and asked if they really needed a visa. I said yes and asked if they had pictures with them.  The visa application required passport photos.  They did not, so gods know what happened to them.  I, on the other, walked right up to the customs and was the first person out of the airport.  I said a silent "thank you" to Martin who would've been proud of my organizational skills.  

The first thing I noticed about Cambodia was how dry it was.  The roads, bushes, buildings, cars were covered with red dust.  I was expected lush, tropical jungle.  They have that, but only during the rainy season.  November through March is the dry season, and it rarely rains.  During the rainy season it rains all the time.  The roads in Cambodia aren't very good, many are riddled with potholes, and the embankments are crumbling or non-existent.  The ride to Siem Reap only took about 20 minutes.  The landscape was flat and uninteresting.  

I arrived to the hotel - the Golden Banana (now called Rambutan Resort).  The hotel is gay owned and operated, hence the golden banana, though I soon discovered it's a very mixed crowed.  It's located just outside the Old Market, and is far enough away from town to be very quiet.  The rooms are large, and surround by a courtyard that contains a bar/restaurant and a pretty saltwater pool.  I arrived on a Saturday and had one day by myself before my  boyfriend Raja was to arrive.  By the time I unpacked it was time to eat.  The hotel has a great restaurant that is super cheap.  Alcohol, as I soon discovered, is amazingly inexpensive.  In fact, Siem Reap is an alcoholic's wet dream.  Most drinks cost $3 to $4 dollars, including top shelf alcohol like Grey Goose.  After the exorbitant Korean prices it was heaven.

Dinner finished, I went to explore Siem Reap.  At night the city takes on a very different appearance.  It's hard to describe my first impression - the best simile is that Siem Reap was like a carnival midway stuck in the middle of a field.  Colorful strings of lights are draped everywhere, the lighted signs for the Night Market and the Old Market resemble marquee lights found at the entrance to circus tents, and the streets are crowded with tourists (mostly white). The Old Market still retains some of its market-like aspect, but in the past ten years it has developed into a drinking and eating paradise.  It reminded me a bit of Bourbon Street in New Orleans with outdoor eateries, bars, and tacky shops. On my way to the Old Market I was offered marijuana, cocaine, heroin, and opium.  I was frequently offered women as well - this offer even came with free condoms.  I was a little put off by the city upon my first arrival, but the longer I stayed in Siem Reap, the more fond I grew of it - mostly because of the people.  Cambodians are incredibly friendly.  And the amount of English they speak is amazing.  Here are people who barely scrape by and are poorly educated, but they know that English is a necessity in order to be successful, so almost everyone I encountered spoke a little English.  In addition to English, all prices are in US dollars.  They prefer US dollars over their own currency.  I had changed all my currency into riel, only to have to convert it in my head to US dollars.  The ATM dispenses US dollars.  Very odd.

The next afternoon I went back to the airport to pick up Raja, who was flying in from Jakarta to help me explore Angkor Wat.  Angkor Wat is what put Siem Reap on the map.  If those temples didn't exist, Siem Reap wouldn't be the second largest city in Cambodia.  That night we explored Siem Reaps gay bars.  There are three, two of them directly across from each other.  We started at Miss Wong's, a place famous for great drinks, and that fame turned out to be true. At the bar, we met a young girl of 14 who was selling handmade bracelets.  We politely declined and she walked away without persisting to sell her bracelets - a rarity in Siem Reap.  Later that night ,after we had moved to our second bar, we were sitting outside and the girl came back.  This time we started up a conversation with her  (the alcohol probably helped), and we quickly became enamored with her.  She was friendly, articulate, feisty, and just plain hilarious.  We bought her bracelets. Little did we know that we would see her every night of our stay and become quite close!

The next morning was our big trip to Angkor Wat. The main temple isn't that far from downtown Siem Reap.  You can get there by tuk tuk, taxi, or guided car. The hotel arranged a tuk tuk for us for $13 dollars a day!  This was by far the cheapest way to go, and actually more fun even though it's open to the air, noisy, and a little dusty.  Before you enter the grounds, you must buy tickets.  We opted for the three day pass since it's the same price as paying for two separate days.  

The Angkor region is actually composed of many different temples, with Angkor Wat (The City) being the largest and grandest structure.  It was built between 1113 and 1150 under the reign of King Suryavarman II.  After the fall of the Khemer, much of the Angkor area was abandoned and left to fester in the jungle.  The French like to claim that they discovered the Angkor temples in 1863, but this is pretty arrogant since all those living in Cambodia knew they existed and Angkor Wat was never fully abandoned.  Still, the French did play a large part in restoring the temples and publishing papers that brought attention to the site.  

The tuk tuk driver dropped us off at the West entrance and we walked across a bridge that spans the moat that surrounds Angkor Wat. I found out later that Angkor Wat is almost a floating island because the temple is built on a water table.  The water level must be maintained or the temples would shift.  The designers of the temple realized this and so created a system for maintaining that water level, even during the dry season! Almost a thousand years later they're still standing.

Angkor Wat is gigantic.  It's a long walk before you even reach the temple - the grounds are so expansive.  Inside you are dwarfed by the size of the structure.  I can't adequately describe it.  What's amazing is that you're allowed to just wander anywhere you want.  Climbing up the stairs to the towers was a bit harrowing, and I discovered halfway up that Raja is afraid of heights. He stopped dead and said he needed to turn back, even though he was halfway up and people were already jammed in behind him.  Fortunately I was able to talk him through the rest, but he arrived to the top sweaty, shaking, and out of breath.   We spent a couple of hours at Angkor Wat before moving onto the second largest temple Angkor Thom.

Angkor Thom, though not as large, is more enjoyable then Angkor Wat.  Actually, most of the smaller temples are more enjoyable then Wat, mostly because they are less crowded, more exotic, and less preserved.  Thom is famous for its carved faces, which are scattered throughout the temple.  Once again you can stroll wherever you want.  We spent another hour or so exploring this temple.  Around 1 PM, though, it was hot and we were tired so we headed back to the hotel for a dip in the pool and some lunch.

The next morning we opted to see the smaller temples which included Ta Prohm and Banteay Kdei.   Ta Prohm was one of my favorite temples.  It was the one chosen by the French to remain in its original condition, meaning they didn't clear the trees away or restore or replace the stones. They also allowed the moss, vines, and other plant life to remain - all of which gives the temple a lush and eerie appearance. Walking through the ruins it's almost as if you're an explorer discovering this amazing location for the first time.  Most of the smaller temples had this feeling and I'm glad we took the time to explore them. As with the previous day, we only spent about four hours exploring. If you go longer than that, you grow hot, tired,and templed out.  This day the tuk tuk driver asked us if we wanted lunch. He said he receives a free lunch at the place he would take us.  We said said sure, though I was a little nervous about the quality of the food.  As it turns out, the food was delicious.  I had amok, a Cambodian fish stew served in a coconut.  I've been eating amok all week since it's so delicious, and this amok was the best I had.

The next day we had to check out of our hotel because when I decided to extend our stay, the hotel didn't have any rooms available.  We moved into a much larger and grander hotel.  Since we got there so early, our room wasn't available.  Instead of making us wait, they upgraded us to the privileged floor.  This floor has its own concierge, bar/lounge area, and rooms with large balconies that contain a bed suspended from the ceiling.  It was quite grand.  As it turned out, though we may have been given a room on The Privileged Floor, we were not given the privileges!  The services that came with the concierge did not apply to us, and technically we weren't allowed to partake in the free food and drinks in the lounge.  Raja went in and asked and he must've charmed the guy so much that he decided to make an exception for us and we went in for free!  The guy was quite flamboyant, so I think he enjoyed having some "family" members to serve.  

The next day we decided to visit the farthest of the temples.  These temples required a car since it was a long drive.  The hotel arranged a driver for $50 dollars (quite a difference from the cheap tuk tuks) and off we went.  Raja quickly fell asleep in the nicely air-conditioned car while I chatted with the driver.  We started talking about the Killing Fields and the Khmer Rouge.  It was less that 15 years ago that bombs, kidnappings, and beheadings were happening in Siem Reap.  We passed one open area and he told me that in this location villagers would be killed using the leaves from palm trees to slit their throats since the Khmer didn't want to waste their bullets.  Raja missed this lovely tale as the man told about the death of his friends and family members.  It was pretty sobering.  

The final three three temples were worth the drive (a drive made much longer by the fact that our driver drove like a grandmother until Raja finally asked him to drive faster).  On this final day, we timed the temples just right.  It was midday (the hottest part of the day) and most tour groups went to have lunch.  When we arrived to the Ladies' Temple, there was hardly anyone there.  This temple was rambling and long but very fun to explore.  

We then worked out way back to see two more temples.  At this point, we had finally reach our breaking point.  The guide was willing to stop at other very small temples, but we said keep going. We did stop at Preah Khan and it was worth the visit.  It's a grand, reddish temple where they buried all the kings of Angkor.  It offered spectacular views of the surrounding countryside.  

Overall, the three day visit to Angkor is worth the time and investment.  I've left out so much of our time there just because this entry is already so long, but despite the crowds, heat, and size, Angkor Wat is something not to be missed.  It's a magical setting and an incredible marvel of architecture.  The history is equally as fascinating.  The only annoyance were the vendors who hovered outside the exits of the temples.  My guess is that they are not allowed inside the temple grounds but as soon as you exit, they pounce.  An unlike our kind friend in Siem Reap, they do not take no for an answer.  They follow you until you reach your vehicle, trying to sell you postcards, books, scarves, magnets.  They're all sweet and smiles while you're walking but if you make it to your tuk tuk without buying something, suddenly they turn into foul-mouth jackals, screaming at you in Khmer saying god knows what.

On our final night in Siem Reap, our young female entrepreneur, whose name was Linda, presented us with a present of two shirts.  It was so sweet of her. She was so excited to give us the gift.  We wrote her a note and slipped in some money, telling her not to open it until we left.  Her kindness was emblematic of the Cambodian people and a wonderful way to end our trip. 

Bali High/Bali Low

For Christmas break this year, I split my three weeks up into three one-week trips.  The first leg of the trip I went to Bali, Indonesia.  I first flew into my hub city, Bangkok, and then flew out the next morning to Bali.  Many of my friends at school had talk about how much they loved Bali, so I was very excited to see it.  

Arriving to the airport was interesting.  It's apparently a fairly new airport, but all planes deplane on the tarmac and you walk towards customs.  Before you can even enter the airport you must fill out a health screen form to make sure you're not carrying ebola into Bali.  The crowds swarmed around the entrance and it was a bit of mayhem.  Once you turn that form in, you must go apply for your Balinese visa, or basically hand over $35 dollars to the Indonesian government.  They only want US dollars.  Fortunately I knew this ahead of time and had my money ready.  After that, you then must fill out a customs form.  Why Air Asia didn't give me all these forms before landing I had no freaking idea.  After that form is done, then you stand in the customs line.  It took quite a long while.  

The trip from the airport to Seminyak, where I was staying, should only take about 20 minutes, but as I soon discovered, traffic in Bali is awful. The number of cars for the small, twisty roads are just too much, and the infrastructure can't handle the large influx of tourists that arrive around Christmas.  After an interminable taxi ride, I arrived to the villa.  I was staying at a hotel that was basically a series of small one bedroom apartments, each with its own kitchen/dining area, living room, and bed.  All the villas had private pools and verandahs.  It was quite a beautiful setting with flowering plants and its own koi pond.  

The villa was a bit far away from downtown Seminyak.  I could walk it, but it was about a 20 minute walk along a road that was no wider than a dirt path with cars whipping by you.  Still, it turns out it was better to be away from the town as much as possible given the number of tourists, especially the obnoxious drunk Australian tourists. I have many good Australian friends.  The ones in Bali are nothing like them.  It's as if they imported the worst of them.  Seminyak is mostly comprised of restaurants, bars, and tourists shops - just like you would expect in a resort town.  The center of all the action is Ku De Ta, a bar, restaurant, spa, and one of the few places you have access to the beach.  Much of the beach access is dominated by large hotels.  You can't even see the water from much of Seminyak.  

One of the disappointing lows of Bali is that the beach isn't very pretty.  The sand is littered with debris, including plastic bags, bottle tops, and dog shit.  Don't get me wrong, it's not filthy, but it isn't clean either.  For such a tourist destination it's shocking to me that they don't rake the beach each morning.  Also, the sand has the strangest consistency that refuses to come off easily, even with vigorous scrubbing under water.  The waves are also quite high.  I'm glad I grew up on the shores of Long Island since I learned how to handle myself in waves, but some waves were so high I was thinking tsunami.  Still, it was very nice to rent a chaise and umbrella for 10 dollars for the day and just sit and relax. 

One town past Seminyak is Batu Belig and that beach was nicer in that it was empty.  I found a spot that had an outside restaurant right on the beach.  They made pretty good food for being outside, and it was great to just sit there and enjoy a nice cold beer and watched the surf roll in.  It reminded me a little of Hawaii without the emerald green water.  

Some of the highlights of Bali included visiting the Rock Bar at the Ayana Resort (www.ayanaresort.com).  To get there was a bit of drive from Seminyak but it was amazing.  First off, Ayana Resort is spectacular.  I've never been to such a spacious, palatial resort in my life.  The price of the rooms ranges from $250 dollars to $2,000 dollars per night.  You walk outside to this amazing landscape of waterfalls, fountains, pergolas, statues, pools, restaurants, bars.  It takes almost 10 minutes to walk down to the Rock Bar.  The Rock Bar is famous for being built into the cliff face.  To reach it, you have to wait for the funicular to take you down the cliff face.  There are actual stairs, but the funicular is way cool - though a bit annoying because you have to wait a LONG time to take it.  There's only one car that holds about six people.  And there are two lines, one for hotel guests, and one for interlopers.  The hotel guests were able to board twice as fast as the scum visiting the resort.  Once down you're seated along the water's edge and watch as the waves smash up into the bar.  Since it took so damn long to get down to the bar, I missed the sunset and it was dark.  Also, at night the waves start getting higher.  There was one section of the bar that was empty and I was curious why until I saw a huge wave splash over and into the seating area.  That explained why.  By the time drinks were done, waves were splashing in my area as well.  As you can imagine, drinks at the Rock Bar cost upwards of $20 dollars each, but the experience was worth it.  

Another highlight of Bali is my trip to Ubud.  Ubud is located in the center of Bali and requires hiring a driver for the day.  I met this lovely couple at a local restaurant and they passed along the card of some local driver.  I called him up and arranged for him to pick me up at 9 AM.  He was very friendly which was good because I was about to spend the next 9 hours with him.  The drive up to Ubud, with several stops, took almost three hours.  As mentioned earlier, the traffic was abysmal.  Along the journey we stopped at a Hindu temple where each visitor must wear a sarong to enter.  Then he took me to this art gallery.  Of course, he's friends with the owner, but that didn't matter because the art was pretty good and the place was huge.  I ended up buying a huge Buddha painting.  The artist used sand within the paint, so the picture sparkles in the light.  I had to bargain quite hard to get it down to a reasonable price.  For lunch, we reached the highest peak that overlooked the volcano and Lake Batur. The weather wasn't great up there and everything was covered in mist and clouds, but it was still an amazing view.  Lunch was rather expensive for Bali, and not particularly good, but the sitting outside on the edge of a giant drop was quite impressive.  

After the volcano, we drove down into Ubud.  At this point I was sleepy and chose to skip Ubud market, which was probably a mistake, but we hadn't even reached the Monkey Forest and it was almost 3 PM.  I knew we still had a 2 hour drive home.  On the way we passed the famous tiered rice paddies seen in the film Eat, Pray, Love with Julia Roberts.  They were quite beautiful.  Again, I was offered to stop, but I was tired.  Finally we reached the Monkey Forest.  Inside is a temple, which you're not able to enter, and a bunch of very aggressive monkeys.  At first they're very cute, especially the mothers with their young babies, but if you make the mistake of buying a bunch of bananas to feed the monkeys, watch out.  Suddenly it turns into a scene from The Planet of the Apes.  Those monkeys know you have bananas and they won't patiently wait for you to feed them.  One huge beast jumped on my back, wrapped one hand around my throat and grabbed the banana out of my hand as I ran screaming.  Fortunately, not all are so aggressive.  If you get away from the temple area and into the woods you can find some stray monkeys who are just happy to sit on your shoulder and play with your hair.  

After the monkey forest we drove back to Seminyak.  Traffic was even worse on the way down the mountain.  I didn't arrive back to the villa until after 6 PM.

The biggest annoyance about Bali is getting around.  The only form of transportation are taxis and the problem with the taxi drivers is that they won't turn on the meters.  There are two taxi services in Bali:  Bali Taxi and Bluebird Group.  Bluebird taxis are great.  They will not argue with you and will automatically turn on the meter.  The problem is some sections of Seminyak are not controlled by Bluebird, so you can't find one of their taxis unless you call them direct.  Bali Taxi will never turn on the meter and it turns into one long, continuous argument.  So many times I got into the cab, asked for them to turn on the meter, was told no, so I get out of the taxi, watch as the driver drives about ten feet, then stop to negotiate a price that is reasonably acceptable.  It's all so damn annoying.  Granted, I was arguing over $2 to $3 dollars, but taxis have a meters for a reason.  

One amazing story that happened in Bali was running into friends I knew from my days living in DC.  I was enjoying drinks at Mixwell, one of the two gays bars in Bali, and as I was sitting there I saw two guys walk by me.  I thought to myself that they looked familiar so as soon as I walked towards them they recognized me.  They were friends I knew in DC.  I've been to their house for dinners and parties many times.  Turns out they would be spending three weeks on Bali.  We arranged to have Christmas dinner together and ate at Ku De Ta for Christmas.  It was great to catch up with people halfway around the world!  

Most of my time in Bali was either spent on the beach or in the villa pool.  I enjoyed many good meals, and fun times at the local bars.  Overall, Bali was relaxing.  As a possible place for me to live, I'm not sure yet.  I had thought before arriving to Bali that I might want to open a B&B there, but given the traffic I'm not so sure.  Friends say I need to go back at a less congested time, and that may be true.  

Next stop on my journey was Bangkok.  I've already written about Bangkok many times, but on this visit I actually saw some things!  As always, thanks for reading.  

Hong Kong Holiday

So for Thanksgiving this year, instead of staying at school and sharing a meal with friends, I flew to Hong Kong.  Hong Kong is only three hours away and by the time I ordered dinner and finished watching my movie, the plane was landing!  Getting through customs was remarkably easy, but not as easy as finding public transportation into the city.  As you exit customs, you simply walk straight ahead, buy a ticket at the machine, and step onto the train that takes you into Central Station Hong Kong - 24 minutes later you're there. I landed at 11:00.  I was out of the plane, through customs and in downtown Hong Kong by 12 AM! 

When I arrived to the hotel my college friend Amy, who would be my tour guide, greeted me briefly, but I was tired, so I went to bed  soon after.  The next morning we left the hotel for a dim sum lunch.  We walked through Victoria Gardens to get to the restaurant.  Victoria Gardens is a beautiful, Central Park-like, setting that I would like to go back and explore.  But as I soon learned, when you travel with Amy, you do everything fast!  So we zipped through the park and entered a mall.  Most of the restaurants, as I would soon discovered, are located in malls. Since it was only 11:30, we were among the youngest people in the restaurant.  The dim sum was delicious, though.  What surprised me was that the dim sum in the States tastes as good.  I was expecting the Chinese food to taste substantially different (i.e. better) than the States, but it was pretty close to what you can get at a decent Chinese restaurant.  

After lunch we headed over to the funicular that takes you up to the top of The Peak, that famous overlook in Hong Kong that enables you see downtown Hong Kong and across the bay to Kowloon.  Unfortunately, the weather wasn't very good.  By the time we got to the top the fog and rain had worsen and it was windy, cold, and wet.  We opted for a cup of coffee instead.  We did go to the lookout, but couldn't see more that the closest buildings.  We couldn't see the bay at all. 

After the peak, we headed over to the ferry terminal to catch a ride across the bay to the Kowloon side. From there you have the promenade with the most stunning skyline views. Again, the weather made them less stunning, but you get the idea

Amy wanted to have drinks at the Peninsula Hotel, the most famous hotel in Hong Kong - rich and prestigious.  I was worried that in my shorts they would never let me in, which of course they did not.  Still I was determined to have a drink there, so we went back down, across the street to the mall, and I bought pants at Brooks Brothers for a really good price.  Back up we went and had our overpriced drinks.  The reason Amy wanted me to go was to use the bathroom.  The urinals are little pillars that stand against a huge plate glass window.  There were buildings nearby in which people could look in and see you, so it wasn't very private!  I was actually more impressed by the sink, which was a giant chunk of flat marble with swanlike heads placed around it.  It was a beautiful work of art, if not entirely functional as a sink.

Buying the pants and drinking at the Peninsula threw off our schedule so by the time we got to the Peking duck restaurant, there was a huge line.  We were given number 53 and they were only on 24!  Over an hour later we were seated, but it was worth the wait.  The Peking duck was delicious, and since it was Thanksgiving, I was determine to have my duck. Still, we didn't get back to the hotel until after 10 PM and I was wiped.  I knew I had to get up early the next morning to Skype with my family.

Amy had us out of the hotel by 8:45 the next morning and we had a cab waiting for us. The cab took us far into Kowloon so we could catch the cable ride up to see the Giant Buddha.  Amy had never made this trip because she heard the cable ride lost a car or two, and people got stuck.  But that's when it first opened and nothing like that has happened since.  The cable ride is actually quite impressive.  It takes you over water, straight up several different peaks until you reach the summit.  You can see the giant buddha in the distance and it's huge.  The weather on this day wasn't great either, but the buddha must've been on our side because by the time we reached it, the clouds parted and blue skies appeared.  We had to walk up a giant set of stairs to reach the buddha, but it was worth the view.  Afterwards we went to the temple and lit incense for those who were departed. As always, I lit some for Martin who I know would've loved this setting. 

The next part of the trip required a bus ride down the mountain to a small fishing village named Tai O.  There we caught a boat ride to take us around the village and out into the bay to see pink dolphins.  Tai O is called the Venice of Hong Kong.  Though the houses were built over water, it didn't quite look like Venice!  The boat ride out to see the dolphins was great.  Pink fins were everywhere and it was cool to see such wildlife so close to a major city.  When we returned, we explored the small village.  Amy wanted to have coffee at this local coffee shop she read about in an article.  The coffee shop was peaceful and relaxing.  We got to sit outside and wave at all the boats as they motored by.  Once refreshed, we decided to walk to a nearby hotel that used to be a police station.  They renovated it in 2012 and now it has nine rooms that overlook a beautiful view.  On the way, we stopped at a post office that houses over 50 cats.  Amy loves cats and we had to stop and take pictures of them.  The hotel itself was quite charming and we had a little mini-tour of the building which wasn't very long or very informative.  We all wanted to see the rooms, but apparently they're fully booked all the time.  

Finally, we boarded the bus back up the mountain to catch the cable car back to the metro.  On the way back we opted for the glass-floored cable car.  We both thought it would be scarier than it was, but it didn't add much more thrill than the regular cable ride.  The one benefit of the glass-floored car is that you can skip ahead of the much longer line for the regular cable cars.  An hour ride on the metro and we were back to the hotel for a short break before dinner.  That night we were meeting a friend of Amy's at a good Chinese restaurant in Central.  We end the night at another fancy hotel drinking overpriced drinks.

The next morning was Amy's final day.  We got to sleep in a bit, which was good because we were both tired.  When we left, we caught a cab to Hong Kong Station so Amy could check her bags for her flight later that evening. We then went off to explore Central, specifically an area called Soho, were there are a lot of galleries. First though we had lunch at a restaurant famous for its roast goose.  We met another friend of Amy's who brought her husband and twin two-year olds.  Eating lunch with one two-year-old is bad enough.  Eating it with two is next to impossible.  Amy and I were both grateful at the end of the meal that neither one of us had children. 

We spent the rest of the afternoon walking up and down hills exploring shops and stopping along the way for coffee and wine.  Around 5 I went and got a haircut at a cool old-fashioned style barbershop while Amy bought some t-shirts.  When we reconnected we went in search of gay bar that was closed!  Amy read about another bar called JAA Bar, and that was rather cool.  It's own by a British lady and it was very small and intimate.  At this point, Amy had to leave me.  She got into a taxi and I walk to a restaurant called Tokyo Joe's for a great, albeit, expensive meal of sushi.  I decided to go back to JAA Bar afterwards for a drink with a guy we had met there earlier.  He paid for drinks, which was great!  

I decided to head home and get some sleep.  The next morning I successfully made my way to the airport and flew back to Seoul. Hong Kong is a great city filled with a multi-cultural mix of people, food, and culture.  I would highly recommend it to my American friends.