Asia, Vietnam

Noibai

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Once again at the Noibai Airport in Hanoi. This time we haven’t been traveling for forever, and to make it even better it isn’t 2am, so the lights are on and the exit doors aren’t locked. Funtimes!

We’re waiting to board (business class-better be good!). I am pretty sure that some old guy was just drawing a picture of me; either that or he has some sort of pencil wielding, creepy staring disorder. How do I always attract the weirdos?!?

Next update should be from Hue. Stay tuned.
Sent from my BlackBerry device on the Rogers Wireless Network

Asia, Vietnam

Standard Fare Really

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It isn’t raining, but it is overcast. I suppose I should be thankful that it isn’t scorching hot though because we climbed several hundred stairs, and covered a few kilometers hiking in caves today.The “junk” we are sailing is quite sweet. There are 8 passengers on board, with a total of 6 cabins. The cabins are cute–pretty much like the pictures on the website; the food on the other hand is INSANITY! We had 10 courses for lunch and then another 10 for dinner. I really hope the breakfast isn’t 10 courses or I might explode.

I took photos of most of the dishes. I tried most of the dishes, but just couldn’t stomach de-legging, de-heading and de-shelling steamed shrimp that were bigger than my thumb. And, the physical reaction to clams and oysters prevented those two dishes from being a gastronomic success. The stuffed crab, squid and seafood soup were all quite good though. I know you’re all wondering what Jon ate…we’ll tell you when we get back.

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Asia, Vietnam

Good Morning Vietnam!

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We’re alive and well in Hanoi! It took just over 28 hours of travel to get here, and there is a 15 hour time change…let’s just say jet lag is being a bit of a bitch.

The flights were alright-the airline food would have killed both of my brothers, one of them literally would have died. FYI: the food was borderline alright, but different than any other airline we’ve flown. (Pork bits with huge chunks of mango, and the other a salad of cold noodles with thin slices of the most fatty marbled beef ever. I took photos.)

And now, we’re leaving Hanoi for Halong Bay. Hopefully it isn’t rainy and gross when we get there.

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China Eastern Airline meal
(Yes, that yellow bit at the top is congealed ickiness.)
 
Update

99…100…101!

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Wow, who would have thought I’d ever fill up a travel log with over 100 posts? And, that it would end up actually being read by a few people–really several thousand people, which I find kind of creepy. Thanks to stats, I know that the most visited entry is actually El Sabor del Peru (716 visits this month alone–that’s just weird!). And, the most bizarre search so far “eat road kill in Wyoming.” People look for some crazy stuff on the interwebs.

For the Asian Escapades, I try to update on a regular basis. Who knows what access or cel reception will be like to post, but I’ll try.

Stay tuned my little minions…

 

Asia, Cambodia

That’s downhill right?

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On one of the days that we’re in Cambodia we’ve planned to visit the Tonle Sap–a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Yes, UNESCO strikes again!

What’s so interesting about this body of water? Despite having over 400 species of fish, and just as many mammals, birds, and reptiles, the most fascinating feature is the direction of the river flow changes depending on the season. True story.

Tonle Sap MapDuring the dry season from November to May the Tonle Sap is a tributary of the Mekong. The River flows towards Phnom Penh. In June, heavy rain fall backs up the Tonle Sap and creates a large lake, and water is actually pushed from the Mekong into the Lake. At the end of the rainy season, the River changes direction again.

So, what makes this area worth visiting? (Besides being uber-nerdy?!) Well, the wildlife and scenery, the floating villages and stilt houses to name a few things. The sad part is that we’ll only see the region in the dry season, and not the other extreme. The depth of the lake changes from 1m to 10m during the rainy season. Check out the photo at the bottom of the Peace of Angkor page to see both seasons. We’re actually booked in with Peace of Angkor for the day to visit Beng Mealea and Tonle Sap. I hope it is a good one.
Asia, Cambodia, Thailand, Update, Vietnam

Strange Currencies

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No, I’m not going to bust out the lyrics to the song, I’m gonna talk about money! Little known fact: I like collecting currency when we’re on vacation. Not so much the bills, but the coins. This isn’t about amassing a foreign fortune, but it does work well with the photo projects when we return home.

Obviously, I have to do a little pre-trip research before we leave to make sure I know what I’m after. The best part is in Vietnam I will be collecting DONG! Giggle away my little minions; that’s funny as hell!The exchange rate is approximately 20,000 Vietnamese Dong to $1US. I think it’ll be crazy to be paying for items with 50,000₫ notes. (That’s only about $2.50.) Also try wrapping your head around being able to take out a maximum of 2,000,000₫ from a bank machine. Apparently, that’s the machine limit. (That’s about $95!)

The least valued currency for exchange alternated between the Zimbabwean Dollar and the Vietnamese Dong for a while. Now the least valued currency is that of Somalia with the Vietnamese Dong running 2nd. Thanks VietnamWiki for the photo. Vietnamese Dong

The Cambodian Riel is approximately 4010៛ to $1US. Unlucky for me the coins are rarely used. That could be a bit of a struggle collecting them. The Thai Baht is about 30฿ to $1US. Gotta love travelling with exchange rates like that. It definitely helps the bank account!

FYI: All of this learning, and now I know a lot of currencies are actually descendants of the Spanish Pieces of 8. How very Piratey! Arrrr!

Asia, Vietnam

Ha Long Bay

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I have wanted to visit Ha Long Bay since I first saw a picture of it. One of the first things we have planned when we arrive in Vietnam is a 2 day trip through Ha Long Bay. (Yay, one more for the UNESCO list!) We decided to go with Huong Hai Junks. The boats are beautiful. Now, do a quick google of Ha Long Bay images, and you’ll see just how amazing it is. I’m super excited for the photo opportunities.

Only 25 more days to go!

~j
Peru, South America, Update

Hearts Café Happiness!

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To say this weekend was kind of tragic would be an understatement. But, today I got a letter in the mail to lift my spirits. A while ago I sent a parcel to an NGO in Peru, Hearts Café; today, I received a response from Sonia! Happiness and love in an envelope.

“Thank you so much for the package, all so very useful for the children, so much is needed by our remote villages that your parcel is a very generous offering and much appreciated.

I am so pleased that you enjoyed the café, 6 of the women staff are from abused backgrounds, all of whom have come into their power now that they have confidence in their work and that they are the ones who go home with a pay packet!

I do hope this letter will reach you as you have not put your e-mail address.

With warmest best wishes,
Sonia”
I will certainly be sending more items to Hearts Café. You should too!

Sonia Newhouse
c/o Hearts Café
Plaza de Armas, Ollantaytambo
Cusco, Perú

Donations of school supplies, medicine, clothing etc are all needed. ps: Packages cannot weigh over 5kg, and all clothing must look clean and new or will be confiscated by customs. If you want to contact Sonia e-mail hearts.cafe@hotmail.com

Asia, Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam

48 days and counting!

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It seems like we still have so much stuff to do, but the pressure isn’t on, so the procrastination continues. We do have our travel visas, and have booked all flights, accommodation and any additional trips/tours that we know for sure we’re doing. Here’s a rough map of the travel route.
travel map asia

Thankfully Jon’s much more organized than I am. His travel research knows no bounds, and he’s fully addicted to trip advisor–so much so that they’ve asked him to be destination expert for Peru. (Which I don’t think he’ll accept. It is a little hard to be a destination expert if you’re from another continent!)

At least I know this Asian adventure is extremely well planned. Even so, the best laid plans of mice and men…

Update

Downsizing

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Rewind to when we were packing for Europe. The temperatures ranged from super cold and rainy to super hot and sunny with a bit of normal comfortable temperatures everywhere else. Consequently, we had to pack for several climates.

Fast forward to last year–we had to pack for cold temperatures in the Andes and Lake Titicaca, and scorching hot temperatures in Mexico City . We also decided it would be wise to take sleeping bags which turned out to be a good decision.

This trip will be hot weather. Warm to Extremely Hot weather only. There will be no winter jackets, no thermals, no puffy vests, no sleeping bags, not a mitten in sight. So, we’ve decided to downsize.

Jon’s new pack is a 28L Osprey Kestrel. My new pack is a 30L Deuter Futura SL. This is half the size of the packs we’re currently using. Is this an upgrade or a downgrade? Depends on how you look at it…
I think the pros are outweighing the cons in this situation. We’ll have less room to pack so we’ll be carrying less weight. And, because the bags are smaller we’ll be able to take them as carry-on, which means less waiting around the airport for the baggage carousel, AND, less chance that our bags will be lost on any connecting flights because they’ll be with us. The only other con I can think of also involves less space–less space for liquids like sun screen and bug spray. I’m sure I’ll find something in mini-size here to fit into the zip lock. Let’s hope I don’t regret this decision.

What do you think about carry-on only?
~j