We are leaving this evening via overnight bus from Chiang Mai, Thailand, to Vientiane, Laos. We are looking forward to our quick 2-week trip through Laos.
For our first week in Thailand, we visited: Bangkok, where we got ourselves acclimated to the refreshing Thai culture - very friendly and helpful people and amazing food; The ancient capital of Ayutthaya where we enjoyed a day of bicycling to the ancient wats (temples)and different street markets; Lop Buri where monkeys roamed around freely; and finally Chiang Mai, where we enjoyed the many vibrantand very crowded street markets, a Thai massage and amazing Thai food!
You can view our Thai pics at: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2260396&l=e0881&id=10708181
Monday, April 28, 2008
Sapa, Vietnam: April 18 - 20
We came back to Hanoi from Halong Bay and spent a couple of nights in the bustling capital before heading to the mountain village of Sapa, which is located in NW Vietnam.
We really enjoyed what the small hill town of Sapa and its nearby villages had to offer - the rice paddy steps and fields, the mountains in the clouds, sunsets, great trekking, cute piglets, the colorful clothing of the different minority hill tribes, and the beautiful & innocent children running around in the hills.
Sapa and Halong Bay are probably the only prettiest sights in North Vietnam. If you are interested in visiting Vietnam in the future, be sure to make stops in these two places.
You can view pics of Sapa at: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2258065&l=10134&id=10708181
We really enjoyed what the small hill town of Sapa and its nearby villages had to offer - the rice paddy steps and fields, the mountains in the clouds, sunsets, great trekking, cute piglets, the colorful clothing of the different minority hill tribes, and the beautiful & innocent children running around in the hills.
Sapa and Halong Bay are probably the only prettiest sights in North Vietnam. If you are interested in visiting Vietnam in the future, be sure to make stops in these two places.
You can view pics of Sapa at: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2258065&l=10134&id=10708181
Halong Bay: April 13-15
A minibus took us SW from Hanoi to Halong Bay. This picturesque Bay is filled with 1,969 ‘sea stacks’ or ‘islands’ that are covered with lush vegetation. We were lucky enough to have our friends Amy and Erin join us for this adventure in the Bay.
Low season provided the four with just about a private boat (Fred and Mike from Copenhagen were also on board) to see Halong Bay. The ‘junk boat,’ as they are called in Vietnam, was our wooden floating home for two days and one night. Our first stop in the Bay was to ‘Amazing Cave’ where we walked deep into cavernous chambers that were lit up with various colors reminiscent of Disneyland. The walk back to the boat had women in medium-sized row boats filled to the brim with snacks, cold drinks, and souvenirs. Fishing nets on long poles collected money and sent back the purchase from the water below - an interesting niche indeed.
Kayaking was next on the itinerary and provided some lovely scenery and a good amount of exercise. We were disappointed with the quality and cleanliness of the water, however. Thousands of boats, tourism, and a local culture that lacks incentive to recycle or properly dispose of waste poses a serious risk to the health of this natural site. Back on the boat and showered up, it was dinner time! A family-style setting for the six of us provided the opportunity to share a meal and good conversation as the sun went down. Various seafood, vegetable, and rice dishes were on the menu. The remainder of the evening was spent sitting on the deck with Amy and Erin for drinks, chatting, and a touch of martial arts lessons from Erin, who is a second-degree black belt! Hi Yah!
Breakfast and a quick boat ride through the islands dropped the four of us off at Cat Ba Island. A 30-minute bus ride took us to a small village where we began our trek through the hills of Cat Ba. Up and down through hills, farmlands, trails and valleys was a great way to enjoy a hot sunny day with friends. The stop for lunch was a wonderful experience. The four of us sat and enjoyed a flavorful meal prepared by a family who lives in a humble home in a remote valley. The man of house let us try the home made honey wine that will quicken the step of even the most experienced drinkers. With full bellies we sat back and took in the moment and then enjoyed the views from the roof of the concrete home. A short walk through more farmland and rice patties took us to where we caught the bus to Cat Ba town. We checked into the hotel where we would stay for one night and then set off to see the local beaches and wander through town. A thriving resort town, Cat Ba was a good place to kick the feet up and enjoy the mixture of tourism and local lifestyle. We sat on the street and had a pitcher of the infamously cheap ‘bia hoi’ (fresh beer) and watched life go by. To remind ourselves of how real beer tastes and to make Amy feel at home, we then stopped at a New Zealand style bar on the main drive.
The following day was spent making our way back to Hanoi. The long boat ride back to the main port in Halong Bay let us snap photos and take in the beauty of the islands of the bay. We made it safely back to busy Hanoi where it was next stop Sapa!
View pics from Halong Bay at: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2258065&l=10134&id=10708181
Low season provided the four with just about a private boat (Fred and Mike from Copenhagen were also on board) to see Halong Bay. The ‘junk boat,’ as they are called in Vietnam, was our wooden floating home for two days and one night. Our first stop in the Bay was to ‘Amazing Cave’ where we walked deep into cavernous chambers that were lit up with various colors reminiscent of Disneyland. The walk back to the boat had women in medium-sized row boats filled to the brim with snacks, cold drinks, and souvenirs. Fishing nets on long poles collected money and sent back the purchase from the water below - an interesting niche indeed.
Kayaking was next on the itinerary and provided some lovely scenery and a good amount of exercise. We were disappointed with the quality and cleanliness of the water, however. Thousands of boats, tourism, and a local culture that lacks incentive to recycle or properly dispose of waste poses a serious risk to the health of this natural site. Back on the boat and showered up, it was dinner time! A family-style setting for the six of us provided the opportunity to share a meal and good conversation as the sun went down. Various seafood, vegetable, and rice dishes were on the menu. The remainder of the evening was spent sitting on the deck with Amy and Erin for drinks, chatting, and a touch of martial arts lessons from Erin, who is a second-degree black belt! Hi Yah!
Breakfast and a quick boat ride through the islands dropped the four of us off at Cat Ba Island. A 30-minute bus ride took us to a small village where we began our trek through the hills of Cat Ba. Up and down through hills, farmlands, trails and valleys was a great way to enjoy a hot sunny day with friends. The stop for lunch was a wonderful experience. The four of us sat and enjoyed a flavorful meal prepared by a family who lives in a humble home in a remote valley. The man of house let us try the home made honey wine that will quicken the step of even the most experienced drinkers. With full bellies we sat back and took in the moment and then enjoyed the views from the roof of the concrete home. A short walk through more farmland and rice patties took us to where we caught the bus to Cat Ba town. We checked into the hotel where we would stay for one night and then set off to see the local beaches and wander through town. A thriving resort town, Cat Ba was a good place to kick the feet up and enjoy the mixture of tourism and local lifestyle. We sat on the street and had a pitcher of the infamously cheap ‘bia hoi’ (fresh beer) and watched life go by. To remind ourselves of how real beer tastes and to make Amy feel at home, we then stopped at a New Zealand style bar on the main drive.
The following day was spent making our way back to Hanoi. The long boat ride back to the main port in Halong Bay let us snap photos and take in the beauty of the islands of the bay. We made it safely back to busy Hanoi where it was next stop Sapa!
View pics from Halong Bay at: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2258065&l=10134&id=10708181
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
To view more pictures of our Vietnam trip...
http://benandliya.shutterfly.com/action/
The above link will take you to our Shutterfly collection of photos. It consists of only one photo album for Vietnam thus far. We will update the collection as we travel through Asia so be sure to bookmark the page as your favorite! :) Enjoy!
Also, more pictures on our Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2260387&l=a36d0&id=10708181
Ben and Liya
The above link will take you to our Shutterfly collection of photos. It consists of only one photo album for Vietnam thus far. We will update the collection as we travel through Asia so be sure to bookmark the page as your favorite! :) Enjoy!
Also, more pictures on our Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2260387&l=a36d0&id=10708181
Ben and Liya
We're back online!
Hello again to everyone! After a long period of not being able to access our blog for unknown reason, here we are again! We are currently finishing up our time in Vietnam and plan cross the border into Laos in the next few days. The big capital, Hanoi, is our home-base as we write this message. A trip northwest to the mountain town of Sapa will complete our journeys through Vietnam. Here is a quick recap of our time in Vietnam:
Saigon (aka Ho Chi Minh City)- The two of us spent just over two weeks in the biggest city in Vietnam. Day trips took us to Phan Thiet, Mui Ne, Can Tho, and O Mon. We were able to live like the locals do with the help of Liya's relatives in all of these cities. The day trips were very special experiences because we were able to visit the hometowns of Liya's parents. Our time in and around Saigon was a wonderful way to begin our tour through Vietnam!
Dalat- Home to the large university that Liya's father attended. This town serves as a vacation destination for large numbers of Vietnamese and French. The higher elevation brings a cooler climate and lovely scenery. Our big highlight of Dalat was enjoying a countryside tour with a local man named Rot. We covered 75 miles on a scooter to take in all of the sights and sounds, including: silk worm factory, beautiful waterfall, minority people villages, vietnamese farmland, and local life. Not only was the tour incredible, but this is where we met our future friends and travel companions, Erin and Amy!
Nha Trang- Down from the mountains of Dalat we welcomed the beautiful blue beaches of Nha Trang. This is a town where resort meets local Vietnamese living. Highlights included renting scooters and finding unoccupied prestine beaches, eating at the same local-filled restaurant for fried noodles with fresh squid, 30 cent draught beers (bia hoi), and pure relaxation with Amy and Erin. We did enjoy a boat trip that took us to various islands just off of the coast of the city. This city ranked #1 with Ben.
Hoi An- An overnight bus ride took us to Hoi An, a town infamous for custom made clothing. Just the right thing for two shop-aholics, over 300 shops that are eager to make you anything and everything that is desired. After the damage was done we were able to enjoy the beautiful beach outside of the city, and stroll the markets and old town within the city limits. We again found a great local resturant that made a good and cheap version of the local specialty, cao lau. 60 cent tasty noodle heaven! To put a cheery on top, Amy and Erin joined us for a few days in the city of shopping.
Hue- The old capital of Vietnam was a quick stop that, in our opinion, offically placed us in north Vietnam. A big city with a old, old, old city center filled with markets, parks, moats, and motorbikes. In Hue we enjoyed cheap accomadation with all of the amenities ($6), a great local specialy dish (bahn beo), and becoming acclimated to the personalities of north Vietnam. Our conclusion, people in the south are much, much happier to see you. Nontheless, Hue was a good experience in many ways.
Hanoi- One more overnight bus took us all the way up to the capital city where we currently sit. Like the capital of the south, this big city moves fast with anything, everything and in every direction. The pollution and personalities are difficult at times, but the food is amazing! Street stands, markets, cafes, restaurants galor! We truly think it is the one thing keeping us sane in this crazy city.
More to come soon!
Saigon (aka Ho Chi Minh City)- The two of us spent just over two weeks in the biggest city in Vietnam. Day trips took us to Phan Thiet, Mui Ne, Can Tho, and O Mon. We were able to live like the locals do with the help of Liya's relatives in all of these cities. The day trips were very special experiences because we were able to visit the hometowns of Liya's parents. Our time in and around Saigon was a wonderful way to begin our tour through Vietnam!
Dalat- Home to the large university that Liya's father attended. This town serves as a vacation destination for large numbers of Vietnamese and French. The higher elevation brings a cooler climate and lovely scenery. Our big highlight of Dalat was enjoying a countryside tour with a local man named Rot. We covered 75 miles on a scooter to take in all of the sights and sounds, including: silk worm factory, beautiful waterfall, minority people villages, vietnamese farmland, and local life. Not only was the tour incredible, but this is where we met our future friends and travel companions, Erin and Amy!
Nha Trang- Down from the mountains of Dalat we welcomed the beautiful blue beaches of Nha Trang. This is a town where resort meets local Vietnamese living. Highlights included renting scooters and finding unoccupied prestine beaches, eating at the same local-filled restaurant for fried noodles with fresh squid, 30 cent draught beers (bia hoi), and pure relaxation with Amy and Erin. We did enjoy a boat trip that took us to various islands just off of the coast of the city. This city ranked #1 with Ben.
Hoi An- An overnight bus ride took us to Hoi An, a town infamous for custom made clothing. Just the right thing for two shop-aholics, over 300 shops that are eager to make you anything and everything that is desired. After the damage was done we were able to enjoy the beautiful beach outside of the city, and stroll the markets and old town within the city limits. We again found a great local resturant that made a good and cheap version of the local specialty, cao lau. 60 cent tasty noodle heaven! To put a cheery on top, Amy and Erin joined us for a few days in the city of shopping.
Hue- The old capital of Vietnam was a quick stop that, in our opinion, offically placed us in north Vietnam. A big city with a old, old, old city center filled with markets, parks, moats, and motorbikes. In Hue we enjoyed cheap accomadation with all of the amenities ($6), a great local specialy dish (bahn beo), and becoming acclimated to the personalities of north Vietnam. Our conclusion, people in the south are much, much happier to see you. Nontheless, Hue was a good experience in many ways.
Hanoi- One more overnight bus took us all the way up to the capital city where we currently sit. Like the capital of the south, this big city moves fast with anything, everything and in every direction. The pollution and personalities are difficult at times, but the food is amazing! Street stands, markets, cafes, restaurants galor! We truly think it is the one thing keeping us sane in this crazy city.
More to come soon!
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