Hoi An and Cat Ba Island Vietnam

Hey! After a long absence from writing on our blog we are back and finally posting some new pictures. Over the past two weeks we have not been to a computer that would allow us to view the blog.

After leaving Ho Chi Minh/Saigon we took an overnight train to Danang and a bus from there to Hoi An. Hoi An is an ancient little town that was declared a UNESCO world heritage site because it is a well preserved example of classic Chinese architecture. Cars are not allowed inside of the town and the biggest difference from fifty years ago are the motorbikes on the streets.

Hoi An was a wonderful change from Saigon where crossing the street required walking directly into busy traffic.




On the ferry through Halong Bay to Cat Ba Island.










A night out on the town in Hoi An.


























On the front of the boat we hired to take us around the bay.




This is Caitlin swinging into space after taking a fall on "11 months in the womb". This climb was located at a wall on a deserted beach except for the people who periodically arrived to steal sand for construction.






On our way to hospital cave, a cave where the Vietnamese set up a huge functioning hospital during the wars, we parked our motorbikes at this guy's house who insisted we come in and drink copious amounts of green tea and coffee. He also had a kick ass karaoke machine that he liked to play very loud. We are going to send him this photo, per his request, so he can put it on display on his coffee table. The tall guy is our friend Brian who showed us around Cat Ba Island and took us deep water soloing.

Saigon/HMC

We're in Saigon now (that's the name the locals prefer). The most fascinating part about this city (in my expert opinion) is the street culture - particularly the alleys. Every block must contain a hundred tiny, tall buildings only a few of which actually touch the street. The rest are hidden within the block connected to the outside by winding alleyways bustling with food stalls, motorcycles, and kids shooting marbles. The buildings are so close at points that you can't even see the sky.
We're staying off one of these alleys in a small family run guest house. There are three vertically stacked rooms for guests and the family (a grandma, husband and wife, and two super cute girls) must live somewhere in the back. Their living room also serves as the lobby and I think you could very likely stand in the alley, spread your arms, and have one hand in the guest house and the other in the neighbor's front door across the way!
Well, that's all we've got for now. We're currently debating whether to bus the length of Vietnam (ouch!) or train. I think we're voting for the later.

Cambodia and Angkor Wat

Due to the computers here being a little slow (not surprising) Caitlin and I are unable to upload photos so words will have to try and do the place justice.

On the 25th we took a van from Bangkok across the border to Siem Reap. The trip from Bangkok to the border was speedy on nice paved roads in an air conditioned bus. Once we hit the Thai- Cambodia border in Poi Pet - a place similar to Tijuana except full of trashy casinos Caitlin was dying to stay at- the roads became worse or very shitty. The road conditions between Poi Pet and Siem Reap are a result of a unnamed airline bribing the government to get more business so that tourists are forced to pay around $200 for a flight or suffer through the ride for $10. We had a wonderful and awful ride.

Siem Reap was once a small town slightly south of the temples of Angkor but now it is a bustling tourist town. Surprisingly, it is still relatively quiet and full of super friendly Cambodian people. Tuk-Tuks ( think a rickshaw with a motorcycle on the front) are everywhere and the easiest way to visit the temples. Our Tuk-tuk driver is named An and he is ballin hard all the time and gave us the hook-up on cheap beer and ice (two highly coveted commodities over here, at least in our minds).

It is hard to describe how phenomenal the temples of Angkor are. Caitlin and I agree that they have far exceeded whatever previous expectations we had. Angkor is the largest religious site in the world and most of the temples were built in the 9th and 13th centuries. They were built by dejarava (god-kings) who strove to create buildings that reflected the size, scale and symmetry of their ancestors, the gods.

The temples are varied from the mind blowing size and perfection of the rebuilt Angkor Wat to the precarious ruins of Ta Prohm held together by gigantic fig trees that are destroying and preserving it. From afar Caitlin and I assumed that we could not enter these sacred ancient temple but were amazed to find that we could climb around them and explore their passages.

This morning we decided to watch the sun rise over Angkor Wat. We hoped we would be the only people to wake up at 4:30 to see this site but were not. Rather than taking a tuk-tuk we took bikes and it was a quick thirty minute ride out of town and we were the only farang on bikes.

Tomorrow we hit the jungle Indiana Jones style and Caitlin is sure to catch Dengue fever which she is sure to pass on to me. We will tell people who are reading this (hi moms) how are future travels to Battambang? or Phnom Phen go!

Day 1 and 2 - Bangkok!

Stumbling Upon an Unknown Buddhist Shindig...

So apparently this computer only types in underline... On our first day in Bangkok we visited the Golden Mount, aka Wat Saket, and explored the surrounding area (read: wandered rather aimlessly while I, Caitlin, very ackwardly avoided making eye contact with the local monks because women aren't supposed to distract them from their holy duties. Hmmm...).
We entered a wat under construction and weren't sure whether it was ok to be there, considering our farang status, but proceeded regardless. There was a central temple inside a walled facade lined with gold buddhas where some kind of ceremony was going on. We have no idea what it was, but don't assume we were intruding upon a private event because one of the monks answered his cell phone, which we found pretty entertaining.

This photos was taken at the Grand Palace, aka Wat Phra Kaew, where Thailands most intriguing buddha figure is found (yes, it's solid jade). The walls of the surrounding courtyard depict the entire story of the Ramayana (the asian equivalent of the Odyssey). We likes this photo because it depicts a big giant who rather resembles some sort of pig eating lots of man-monkeys. And if you don't know what those are read the book or ask one of the millions of multi-lingual tour guides swarming the palace.




This is Caitlin smiling and wondering if she will survive this dangerous ride in a tuk-tuk.













We like bright sticks.

June 20th, 2007

Um... We haven't left yet, so this may be a bit premature. We're leaving on the 20th!