Public bus ride from Hanoi to the Cuc Phuong National Park

At the departure time, all but one seat was full and we were ready to go. An hour and a half later, the aisles were filled with people sitting on bags of rice, and about 15 more people than seats filled the public bus. Oh the joy.

Public bus ride from Hanoi to the Cuc Phuong National Park from Craig Palumbo on Vimeo.

A view from the middle of Lake Ho Tai in Hanoi

We spent our only full day in Hanoi this time around wandering around the city, hitting all of the sites that we won't see with my (our) parents in a few weeks.  The rain didn't ruin the day, just added to the fun.

Walking around Hanoi from Craig Palumbo on Vimeo.

Days 74-75 Friday-Saturday January 22-23 Hanoi, Vietnam

We didn’t spend much time in Hanoi since we’ll be back up here with my (our) parents in a few weeks.  Yet while we were in the city, we quickly got to know its layout, and were able to confirm many of the stereotypes that preceded it, the first of which was that this place is busy!

We finally made it to Vietnam!  Tania on the cusp of Lake Ho Tai.

And damn these people love to honk their horns!  Whether its to inform unfortunate people that happen to be approaching the same intersection, or to tell one of the infinite number of scooters to get out of the way, horns are honked and honked and honked.  And with such narrow streets as those in the old quarter, that makes for a loud and clustered environment.  Crossing the street is a talent, too, one that every person better learn if they’re going to survive in the big city.

I called the whole thing annoying.  Tania then coined the epic term “Hanoi-ing”.  Similar to when the entire city of Shanghai was under construction for the 2010 world expo and we coined that getting “Shanghai’d”, being Hanoi-ing is a term we’ll carry with us well back into the US.  Either way, at first glance, the street scene in Hanoi seems chaotic, but after giving it a few minutes, you’ll notice that (as Vanessa so wisely put it) the whole thing is organized chaos.  To the untrained eye, it’s chaos.  But to those that are familiar with it, it flows as simply and efficiently as possible.  Therefore, organized chaos. 

Friday night we got to our hotel late and walked down the street for some authentic Pho.  We had read that in Vietnam, a restaurant’s appearance oppositely reflects the quality of the food, so we picked the dungiest looking joint that was still open at 9pm.  And boy was the pho delicious.  Such a simple dish that warms the soul like a good chicken soup.  So comforting that  we headed back to call it an early night.

On Saturday, we walked through the sporadic rain over to Lake Ho Tay (HOO WAT?  HO TAY!) and browsed through several wats, stopping for a delicious lunch at a spot named Vine.  We had delicious comfort food while taking the elegant setting, and while getting to know the manager who also recommended some good restaurants in Hue and Hoi An.  That gave us enough fuel to stomp across the rest of the city through the rain, finally getting us to the train station so we could buy all of our tickets for the upcoming trek through Vietnam before they were sold out due to the madness known as Tet.  Luckily we were well trained in dealing with pushy sales people like those who assaulted us at the train station because without that training, we would have 1) never been able to properly purchase the tickets we needed, and 2) fend off people trying to get a piece of the pie we were buying.  But we did it, and treated ourselves to a nice dinner at the Lonely Planet staple 69 Bar-Restaurant.  Hehe.

Being the old fogies that we now are, we followed dinner with a quick bia hoi (preservative-free beer sold for $.10 on every street corner) amongst all of the other locals and expats sitting on children’s plastic chairs.  Then off to bed.  We had a bus to catch the next day to the Cuc Phuong National Park,

So it was a very quick trip to Hanoi, but it gave us enough of a glimpse of the city to get us very excited to really explore it with the parents in a few weeks.

Honeymoon Phase 3 Video - Thailand and Laos

Here's the video for Thailand and Laos.  Tania did the bulk of the work, but we finessed the timing and captions together.  Enjoy!

PS  Click on the 4-arrow icon next to the VIMEO logo to expand the video to full screen.  Then push the ESC to exit full screen.


Honeymoon Phase 3 - Thailand & Laos from Craig Palumbo on Vimeo.

Some Valentine's Day Thoughts

Since this is our first Valentine's Day as a married couple, I wanted to take this chance to brag about all of the things I've learned about my wife on this trip.

1. She's strong. The way she's lugged so much gear across the hectic Asian landscape. How she's handled many tough situations with people that don't speak her language. To being able to sleep on any less-than-ideal overnight train/ferry/bus. To keeping me in check ever step of the way. There's a ton of strength in that diminutive frame of hers.

2. She's adventurous. Before the trip, the most extreme physical activity she enjoyed was a tough yoga class or a strenuous hike. Now she has kayaking, snorkeling, motorbiking, Great Wall climbing, and bare back elephant riding to her credit. Who knew?

3. She's passionate. I've always known this, but it's come to a whole new level on the trip by the way she has planned so many details of the trip, engulfed herself into information about all of our destinations, and simply by the way that she utilizes all possible free time to the fullest, whether its regarding the trip or our future endeavors.

4. She's a teeny bopper at heart. I just need three words to describe this one: Twilight, Edward, Collins. 'Nuff said.

5. The girl likes massages. Yes, of course we all like massages, but she's made sure that there hasn't been a $7 oil massage that past her way without putting it to good use.

6. She really likes me. I'll be the first to admit that I'm not the easiest person to deal with, especially when it's just you and me in a strange land for 4 months straight. But the way she's handled my temperament, she deserves a medal for that. And the fact that she's handles me so well, I have to believe that means that she really does like me. Whew.

7. She can stretch a small bag of clothes into a wardrobe that never gets old. I literally wear the same thing every day, and it shows. But she has just as many clothes, and is able to look fresh and beautiful every day.

8. She's my wife. This seems obvious, but as those of you who are married will know, it's a strange thing to get accustomed to. Whether it's getting used to saying the word "wife" to feeling the ring on my left hand, it's still something that surprises me every day, and puts a smile on my face every time I get surprised. I'm a lucky man.

Tania has always amazed and surprised me in new and bigger ways, but after spending so much time with her completely out of our element, she's finding newer and smaller ways to surprise me. I didn't think I could love or respect her more than I did at our wedding, but I do every single day, and I'm sure that will continue to happen until we're old and grey.

Happy Valentine's Day kitty!

Watching the giving/taking of alms in Luang Prabang

Every morning, Buddhist monks of all ages walk the streets outside of their wats and accept alms, gifts of food, from local residents.  The fact that this age old tradition still runs every morning at 5:30am like clockwork is one reason it's a fascinating ritual to observe.

Monks taking alms in Luang Prabang from Craig Palumbo on Vimeo.

Sunset from Wat Phu Si in Luang Prabang

The sunset from Wat Phi Si was stunning.  The 100 tourists packed-in around us felt the same way.


Atop Wat Phu Si in Luang Prabang from Craig Palumbo on Vimeo.

Days 67-73 Friday-Thursday January 15-21 Luang Prabang, Laos

We had grand aspirations for our visit to Luang Prabang, but our time there was less fulfilled than we imagined due to some stomach issues that left us spending more time in the hotel than anything else.  Thank God we splurged and got the nicest room so far on the trip.  And that’s quite easy to do in Laos since it’s an extremely poor country, and the dollar goes a long way.  Much longer than it does in the Japan, China, and Thailand.

After an easy flight from Chiang Mai, we shared a taxi to the Mason Dalabua with a woman from NYC named Colleen, who saved our asses at the immigration desk by spotting us the few dollars we were short for our Laos visas.  Not quite sure what would have happened if she wasn’t there to save the day.

Luang Prabang is a very small city that can be explored by foot in a day.  It’s centered around one primary street, Xiang Thong, that splits a peninsula in half.  The Mekong River on one side.  The Nam Khan on the other, which Tania liked much better due to the fact that the water wasn’t mud brown.

The French influence was stronger in Laos than any other foreign occupancy remnants than we had seen.  Thailand was the only Asian country to not be occupied in its past, which was tangibly clear in its unique persona, lack of foreign influence, and love for its king shown in paintings of the man in every front yard, park, and street corner.  But Laos had France screaming from the branches.  The architecture along Xiang Thong.  The fresh baguettes being sold from every street vendor.  The stream of French tourists filling the city.  The French influence was very apparent, but the city still claimed its own kind of charm.

The first few days were mostly about exploring the city on bicycle and making plans to trek across the Laos countryside.  We watched the sunset, along with 100 other tourists, on top of Phu Si Hill.  We explored the night market, which crams 4 rows of street vendors onto the quite narrow Xiang Thong once the sun goes down.  And we ate at some delicious restaurants, one of which was an Italian joint that turned out to be Tania’s stomach’s doom.  After eating pizza on Sunday night, her stomach turned for the worse and ended up assigning her to the bed for a few days.  Because of this bug, we turned our 2 day, mid-week trek into a one day kayaking expedition on Thursday.

Waiting for the sun to set atop Wat Phu Si

Yeah, it was a decent sunset from atop Wat Phu Si

I wasn’t feeling too hot after the pizza either, so I was limited to taking long bike rides across the countryside, waving to kids on the sidewalks who were either yelling “pharang!” (tourist!) or “hello!” as I rode by.

A long boat resting next to a local wat

Kids playing carnival games at the Phu Si market

Once we felt better on Thursday, we joined the tour group that we had cancelled on the previous two days and rode up into the mountainside.  Before jumping into the kayaks, we stopped at a Hmong village (go see the Clint Eastwood movie “Gran Turismo” for more info on the Hmong people) and did our best to blend in with the kids running around without shorts on or the parents preparing food to sell in the Luang Prabang market.  We were only in the village for an hour or two, but it was eye opening to see how these mountain people have acclimated to the ever changing landscape and economy.

A few of the Hmong villagers that we visited on our kayak trip

Then came the kayaking fun.  Tania and I started the journey on our own two-person kayak.  There were three other tourists and two guides along for the ride.  Well, let’s just say that after the first rapid, which was the biggest of the day, Tania and I were completely soaked, and she was trading me as a partner for one of the guides.  Once that move was made, we both enjoyed the rest of the ride.  Tania because she was now riding with a professional.  Me because I now had a partner who was able to paddle and make the kayak move forward at a considerable pace.  It’s a great way to get outside and see a different part of the Laos scenery, even if part of the day is spent submerged in white water rapids.

Tania the professional kayaker

Friday morning we woke up at 5:30am to watch the monks take alms.  Locals line the streets near each of the wats and wait for the monks to pass so they can offer them food for the day.  It was still dark out and there were a ton of locals with food and tourists with cameras (a lot of the Chinese tourists got in the way of the passing monks, which was unfortunate to see the tradition being interrupted by foreigners), and the monks came by in a long single-file line to accept the gifts.  Fascinating to see how the community comes together to support their local spiritual leaders.  Even though Chhunni (our monk friend from Chiang Mai) told us that the food is oftentimes spoiled or not edible, primarily because the local people have no idea that food can indeed go bad, they still accept the food because the people went out of their way to give the gift in the first place.

Monks accepting alms at 5:30am

That was basically our time in Laos.  Nothing too exciting, but a great chance to see a newly developing country that will undoubtedly be a much different place in a few years.  The people, food, and land are amazing, and it’s only a matter of time before more people visit the country, and before the country adapts to the influx of tourists and their money.

Who Dat? Who Dat?? Who Dat???!!!!

Congratulations to the New Orleans Saints!!!  Such a great day for such a deserving city. 

Tania and I watched the game at Phatty's (stop laughing DeVille) in Saigon, which was packed when we got there at 6:30am (Monday morning).  We sat in the back corner with some friends of Steve and Lisa, and enjoyed some breakfast and beers while Drew Brees and the boys dismantled Peyton and the Colts.  A very different way to enjoy the Super Bowl than we're used to, but one we'll always remember.

Ebert and Shershin

For those of you who were at the wedding reception and were lucky enough to hear Tony Shershin's terse speech first-hand, then you'd know that today is a big day for him.  During the speech, amongst many other things, he predicted that Meryl Streep would be nominated for an Oscar for her role in Julie and Julia.  Well, this morning the nominations were announced, and you got it...she was nominated for Best Actress.  Way to go, Tony!  But now you're not invited into our Oscar pool.  You know too much.

Click to see a list of the nominees

Days 60 – 66 Friday – Thursday January 8-14, 2010 Chiang Mai, Thailand

Highlights

- The Sunday night market is a must see for the plethora of shopping, but get there early or you'll be drowned by a sea of tourists.
- Our new monk friends Chhunni and Remmy spoke with us about their faith, then showed us around Wat Suan Dok and the Forest Temple.
- Come over to our place when we get back into town.  We'll cook you up some delicious Thai dishes that we learned in cooking school.
- We adopted and cared for two elephants, Lucky (Tania) and Mai Phu Thong (Craig) for an entire day.  We even checked their poop to make sure they were healthy.  Fun, huh???


The "sorry, this one is realllllllly long" version

After 3 weeks lounging around the southern Thai islands, it was time to head north to Chiang Mai, which is famous for the plethora of temples (Wats)(what up Sasa!!??), laid back vibe, and incredible food, both to be eaten and learned.  No more lazy days on the beach, or snorkeling trips, or scooter riding.  It’s now time for mountain living, Thai style.

On Thursday, we took a ferry from Koh Lanta up to Koh Phi Phi and onto Phuket where we stayed for the night before our early flight to Chiang Mai the next morning.  After the overnight ferry from Koh Tao to Surat Thani, we realized that we never again want to mess with overnight traveling through Asia.  And we wanted to get a quick glimpse of Phuket before leaving the south.

We stayed at the Lotus Lodge, which is a little guest house about 1km off of the beach, owned and operated 6 months of the year by a German fellow named Stefan.  He spends the on-season in Thailand, and the off-season back in Germany making rope courses for tourists who are visiting the Alps.  It was a very laid back place filled with laid back Germans visiting one another at each other’s doorstep.  Stefan drove us into town so we could grab a bite to eat and see the beach.  Since we were on the northern end of the island, intentionally so so we could have a quick drive to the airport the next morning, we didn’t experience the madness which is Phuket, but we could tell at the ferry terminal how inundated it is with tourists.

Now onto Chiang Mai…

We landed into Chiang Mai and found our way to our hotel, Ban Kong Rao, which was just northeast of the city square.  And the central part of the city is actually a square, edged by a worn down yet gorgeous brick wall, wherever it is still standing.  Needing a dose of home, we headed to the mall to see Avatar in 3D, which blew our minds.  The special effects, the story, the 3D animations, everything about the movie left us wanting to see it 3 more times, hopefully once in an IMAX theater (for those of you back home that got to see it in IMAX, foo on you!).

Before the movie, we of course passed the time by eating pizza and getting massages.  Tania opted for the burly ladyboy (not a derogatory term at all, just the common name for Thai men who opt to dress/act like women) while I chose the tiny 70 year old woman.  Well, Tania got an amazing massage from her person while I got annoyed by my lady tickling me, the 7 year old kid in the chair next to me who was playing WWF on his PSP with the sound on, and the beeping new age music seeping from the speakers.  As you can tell, not the best massage I’ve ever had, but my faith in Thai massages was renewed when Tania’s ladyboy noticed how disappointed I was with my lady, and took over for the last 3 minutes, which was enough time to do more for my neck and shoulders than the last 4 masseuses have been able to do combined.  It was then that I realized I need to get male masseuses if I’m ever going to make a dent in my knotted-up back.

On Saturday we met Vanessa’s monk friend Chhunni and his teacher Samantha for lunch at Chuni’s wat, Wat Suan Dok.  Chhunni is 28 and from Cambodia, and already has wisdom enough for a lifetime.  While Samantha gave us recommendations for what to do in Chiang Mai, Chhunni gave us a peak at what Buddhism and being a monk is all about.  He even rode with us, and his monk friend Remmy, over to another Wat, known as the Forest Temple.  It was fascinating to spend time with these two and hear first hand why they decided to become monks, as well as everything they’re taught about the faith.  Tania jotted down lessons like the 4 noble Buddhist truths, the 5 golden rules, and many other ideas that we can implement in our lives to constantly improve the way we live.

Tania with Chhunni and Remmy at the Forrest Temple

The following day we headed into the center of town and did a little, okay a ton of shopping at the Sunday night market.  It was plenty busy when it opened at 4pm, but as the sun went down, the streets filled up with what seemed to be every tourist in Thailand.  We couldn’t even move down the street without bumping shoulders with someone, or barely stepping on a vendor.  As hectic as it was, it was still an amazing experience, one we topped-off with an incredible Italian dinner.

Tania after a successful trip to the Sunday night market

Monday it was time to get to some cooking.  We joint 20 or so other pharang at a local cooking school to make a wide array of Thai dishes.  Anywhere from Phat Thai to curry paste to curry soups to dessert, we split into separate groups so we could learn as many recipes as possible so when we come home, we’ll be ready to cook ourselves the dishes we’ve come to love so much while in Thailand.

Craig at the Baan Thai cooking school making some Phat Thai

Then of course we got massages to unwind from the stressful cooking school.  :)

On Tuesday we enjoyed the room and got a late start on the day because the highlight of the day was to enjoy sunset up on the mountainside at Doi Suthep.  After taking a taxi to the zoo, we jumped into another taxi with a friendly couple from Singapore and climbed up the steep hill, hoping not to fall out the back of the truck.

Once we arrived at the wat, we were greeting first by 100 or so steps up another hill, then by a golden temple swarming with Buddhists there to worship at this beautiful shrine.  After a stroll past the emerald Buddha and prayer bells, we ended up at the viewpoint overlooking the whole of Chiang Mai.  We stayed a while and took in the view until the sun set, enjoying it all while listening to Tania’s “sunset meditation” mix on her iPod.  You can’t beat a little M83 while the setting sun casts beautiful colors across an ancient city.

Heading down the 100 steps was much easier than heading up, but getting down the hill proved to be a pain because of the taxi drivers trying to take advantage of the fact that we were stuck on this mountain.  That was until we were saved by a tour bus full of generous French people who talked their tour leader into letting us catch a ride with them down the hill.  A big mercy buckets goes out to our new friends.

We wandered around the night bazaar area near the river on Wednesday, which was a pretty uneventful day besides the comfort food lunch and  stroll through one of the nicest hotels we’ve ever seen.  The meal was full of buffalo wings, Philly cheese steaks, and French fries.  The hotel was named the Chedi, and if you have some money to blow while in Chiang Mai, we recommend you stay at this elegant retreat.

Our stay in Chiang Mai was capped off by maybe the best day of the entire trip, caring for our own elephant for an entire day at Patara elephant farm.  Tania adopted Lucky, a 7 year old baby that was just the right size for her.  I adopted a 37 grumpy lady named Mai Phu Thong, who ended up being sweet as pie by the end of the day.  We brushed then washed them in the river, we fed them, we inspected their vitals (sweaty toe nail beds, wagging tail and ears, and yes, smelling and squeezing their poop to check for proper digestion), we rode them all day, and then Tania got an extra special kiss from Lucky for being the group’s MVP of the day. 

Craig riding bareback on Mai Phu Thong

Such a fascinating experience with such amazing creatures.  And in an important refuge for previously abused animals.  It was definitely a day we’ll never forget.  And not just because of the poop.

And that was our time in Thailand.  Our visa expired the next day, meaning we either had to cross the border into Mayanmar to extend the visa, or head to Laos for a week.  We opted for the latter because of the horror stories we’ve heard about Burma.  We will miss Thailand for so many reasons, and not just the delicious food, friendly people, and gorgeous landscape.  This country has a soul that can’t be described, and it’s one that will call us back very soon.