Phase 5 - Malaysia and the Philippines

Here's the video from the final leg of our trip.  Tania did an amazing job putting this together, so we hope you enjoy it!

Music by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Metric

Days 119-121 Tuesday-Thursday March 9-11 Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia

The flight from Sandakan to Kota Kinabalu was easy, but as always with Air Asia, the walk from the plane to the terminal was abnormally long because, well, this isn't really a commercial airport.  Imagine Southwest Airlines only flying out of the most remote terminals and/or airports.  Makes one wonder whether the discounted airfare is actually worth it.

Enough of that.  Back to the trip.

When we got into KK, we grabbed a taxi and took the short ride to our hotel, the Hotel Eden54, which we obviously picked because of Lauren and Matthew's daughter Eden who was born the same day as my nephew Ian.  KK isn't the biggest town in the world, but it was definitely bigger than Sandakan, and had much more of a vibrant day and night life, which we were excited about after 4 days of quiet time on the waterfront.

We had several great meals while in KK, but that didn't start during our first night, which was spent at an Italian restaurant which was highly recommended in our books, and had a 50% off deal.  Well, there's a reason they offered such a discount because they didn't offer such great food or drink.  Tania's pina colada was not really a pina colada (that's what she gets for ordering a pina colada in Malaysia).  The wine was garbage.  And the food was not even close to the standard set by Anna Marie's famous Italian.  Luckily, though, we kept exploring KK eateries and found an incredible sushi joint that we visited several times, and some other decent restaurants that revamped our impression of food in KK.

Our first day we grabbed a speed boat out to two of the several islands just off the coast of KK for some R&R time on the beach.  It was a nice day of grabbing some sun, only interrupted by a swarm of Japanese tourists snapping pictures of girls in bikinis, and a hellish wind storm that forced us to the other side of one of the islands where the wind was being blocked.  We got in some good snorkeling in that quiet area, and I even braved the windy side of the island where the waves were 3 foot choppy, but paid off with incredible views under the water.  Gorgeous fish and choral of all shapes and colors.

 Where did these tourists come from, and where are their bathing suits?

 Shallow water snorkeling on one of the islands off of KK.

Our other big activity in KK was a bus tour up to Mount Kinabalu.  We were grouped with a fun set of people from all over the world, and got to take in the breathtaking views of the country's tallest mountain.  Snow capped the peaks and clouds skirted the edges, so we snapped some beautiful pics of the views.  We also got to enjoy a nice lunch, walk through a tree-top canopy park, and soak up the natural hot spring water before jumping back on the bus to return to KK.

Mount Kinabalu

KK seems to be where Malaysia as a whole is going in the future.  Catering to tourists, they're building a ton of malls (because it's so incredibly hot most of the year), opening nice restaurants, and expanding the city limits to allow for new developments perfect for prospecting home buyers.  Let's hope they grow gradually so that the worst scene we saw (more garbage floating in the water at the docks) doesn't start showing up over more parts of the city.

 Think twice about buying that case of water bottles next time you're at Costco.

We were delayed at the airport, so I walked around and snapped the below picture of a group of Muslim women dressed in a wide array of beautifully colored burkas.  They humored me and allowed me to take their picture as long as I sent them the picture to their email addresses.

 Women in beautiful burkas at the KK airport.

This Muslim country has its supreme differences from the US, but many similarities, which we hope bodes well for the middle east and west one day learning to live harmoniously together.

Days 115-118 Friday-Monday March 5-8 Sandakan, Malaysia

Let's start by saying that there's no much to do in the town of Sandakan.  It's incredibly hot.  It's a traditional Muslim town meaning that the bars are limited and the nightlife non-existant.  That being said, that's not why we came here.  We came for two reasons:  one, we wanted to see orangutans in the wild; and two, we wanted to prove the US State Department wrong, that the region was safe for Americans to travel to, no matter how close the city is located to terrorist hot spots in the southern Philippines.  We accomplished both.

Our hotel, the Swiss Inn Waterfront, was located right on the water and in the heart of town, which made for some relaxed and romantic dinners at the waterfront restaurants.  Our hotel's restaurant had hot pot night our first night, which is always good news for us after falling in love with this eating feast in China.  There are also several eateries down from our hotel that served incredible seafood and cold beer, all for especially cheap prices, amongst an open, airy environment perfect for people watching the locals.

Basically the only other thing to do in Sandakan proper is visit the Agnes Keith House, which sits atop the hill overlooking the city.  We did so, and were thrilled to enjoy the incredible views while sampling the restaurant's fine interpretations of local specialties.  We also spoke at length with a couple that was on our river boat excursion the day before.  They had traveled just as we were several years earlier, but were now just vacationing after settling into a home in Vancouver, a far cry from their homeland of London.

 Tania outside of the Agnes Keith House, looking pretty in the hat she bought in Siem Reap.

Speaking of the river trip, we booked the trip through a local hostel who sent a driver to pick us up (30 minutes late) at 9am.  Expecting a quick drive to the river, we were instead told that we had a 3.5 hour drive with two other tourists crammed into a small compact car ahead of us.  We questioned whether to go for a minute, but decided to see it through so we could see the orangutans and because there wasn't much else to do in the city.

Once we arrived at the water, we met up with 20 other tourists who jumped onto two long boats with us.  We sat in the back and took in the fresh breeze and views of proboscis monkies and all types of birds while our tour guide explained everything around us.  It really was an incredible ride which was only made better by two, very rare, sighting of orangutans in the wild.  Many people go on this same trip and don't get to see one.  Even though they were off in the distance, it was still enthralling to see the hair stand on top of their cute little heads, and their extremities that flop all over the place as they swing from tree to tree.  We felt so lucky to have seen them.

 Proboscis monkeys are so playful and curious!

On our last day, we visited the Sepilok Orangutan Sanctuary, even though we had heard many negative comments about how touristy it was, and how unnatural the area was.  Well, yes, there were a ton of people at the viewing platform during the feeding, and yes, it's a confined space in which the monkeys have to live, but it's a HUGE confined space, and the monkeys get to roam quite freely in a very natural type of environment.  Plus, the huge crowd didn't detract from how exhilarating it was to see the fuzzy orange orangutans swing closer and closer to the feeding platform, and eventually swinging onto it so they could grab a few bananas from the park rangers.  The way their legs swing up next to their hands in a way that only Gumby could do is hilarious, and the expressions on their introverted little faces is like nothing else on the planet.  They truly are a precious wildlife that we as humans should strive to preserve if for no other reason than so we can laugh and giggle at their comic demeanor.  And so they don't go extinct, but not all humans care about stuff like that, so let's fight for the giggles.

An orangutan just hanging out people watching (literally, he's staring at a large group of people there to watch him).

We were skeptical at first of our time in Sandakan, but were happy that we made the effort to spend a few days here by the time we left.  It's not the sexiest destination in the world, but definitely a fulfilling stop to see a whole corner of the world that we never expected to see.

Days 112-114 Tuesday-Thursday March 2-4 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

The busy day at work version

- Being on the "fringe" of town in Malaysia is like being on the outskirts of town in the US
- Lightning and rain storms in Malaysia might as well be mini-hurricanes, with lightning that blew us out of our seats one day
- Petronas is an oil company, not some historic native Malaysian name
- The cool kids call Kuala Lumpur "KL"
- The KL airport is in another city, so plan accordingly
- If you only want to see malls on your next vacation, KL is for you 


The slow day at work version

On this trip, we've come to heavily rely on travel sites like TripAdvisor and Agoda to book our rooms.  An important of these sites is their inclusion of the Google Maps API to show where hotels are located in relation to the important sites in each city.  This is crucial information since getting stuck in the wrong neighborhoods could lead to an unsafe environment and large taxi/train bills.  Knowing this, I'm still dumbfounded about why and how I chose Hotel Maluri.  Maybe because the description said it was on the "fringe" of the Golden Triangle, which was the neighborhood in which we wanted to stay, and I relied on that instead of looking on the map?  Maybe because it was the tail end of the trip and I got lazy?  Who knows, but let's just say that this hotel wasn't close to the Golden Triangle, let alone our understanding of the word "fringe."  It was too far to walk to any of the attractions, no matter who's comfort level of walking you refer to, so we had to either take a $10 cab each way or walk all the way to the train station and ride that into town.  Either way, we were in BFE compared to the mass of hotels located in the heart of town.

Oh well.  As with most things we've experienced on this trip, things happen for a reason, usually better in the long run.  It's just tough to see the positive result while nestled inside the metaphorical forest.  What we did learn is that being stuck in a neighborhood on the outskirts of town allows one to experience a completely different side of a city.  Meaning that if we had booked a hotel in the heart of KL, we never would have seen what life is like for the locals outside of the city center.  We got to ride the trains, walk amongst the outdoor eateries that permeate Malaysia, and see first-hand how Malaysians live amongst this metropolis.

Speaking of the metropolis that is KL, we got into the airport and took a 1.5 hour taxi ride from the remote airport into town.  After our driver finally found the hotel, it was too late to do much exploring, so we took the train into the Golden Triangle and explored one thing that KL is famous for...it's mega malls.  We walked around the Berjaya's Times Square's 10 floors of shops, watched the indoor roller coaster zoom by, ate at Subway (which was exactly like the American shops, not in a good way because American tastes to exactly translate internationally, leading to the stall being empty besides us), and watched The Lightning Thief (because the IMAX was showing some John Travolta movie instead of Alice in Wonderland).  What else could one want from a trip to the mall???

The next morning, we took a guided tour of the city, which we've learned is the best way to get a mental grasp of the city's layout, even though it's so touristy.  Sometimes being touristy allows one to get to know a city the best, so we booked the trip through our trusty hotel.  When our local driver finally arrived to the hotel, we drove us to pick up our fellow tourist, a well-worn woman who told our driver of Indian decent that the country of India was dirty.  That should tell you enough of this woman and why we didn't get her email address when the tour was over.

In front of the Petronas Towers with our surly tour group member.

 

At the batik factory, watching an artist create a new patern.

On the tour, we visited the presidential palace (actually, the exterior since no one was allowed past the two horses and guards at the gate), a pewter factory (where we learned how amazing pewter cubs can be to keep drinks cold), the national history museum (where we learned about how used and abused this country has been throughout time by every conquesting country, especially for tin and aluminum), a batik factory (a fabric design method famous in this region), and a chocolate factory (where we sampled everything possible until our stomachs were raw).  And of course the driver pointed to the other main attractions which we would visit on our own time the following days.

A woman in a burka outside of the Presidential Palace

The most important thing we wanted to explore while in KL was the Petronas Towers, made famous in the Sean Connery and Catherine Zeta Jones movie "Entrapment", and which is now the tallest set of twin towers due to the loss of our towers in NYC.  Before going to the towers, though, we stopped at the KL Tower (think the Seattle Needle) and had tea in the revolving restaurant.  We talked to a nice Indian fellow who was in town on his honeymoon, but was eating alone because his wife was shopping, which is KL's most popular activity due to all of the malls.  We also watched as a tremendous storm approach the tower and eventually engulf the tower with rain and lightning.  We got a little nervous being so much higher than all other high rises in the city, but all worries were for naught because we left unscathed and walked over to the Petronas Towers just as they were allowing the last group of the day to enter the gates.

 Tania got the nerve up to lean back on the KL Tower glass over 1000 ft. in the air.

Actually, when we got to the Petronas Towers desk, the staff informed us that no more tickets were available for that day, and that the last group was already in.  (Tip:  get to the towers by 8am and get a ticket or else you're likely to not get in that day, no matter what travel sites say about getting abandoned tickets).  Yet for some reason, as we regrouped at the base of the escalator devising what to do next, one of the desk staff walked up to us and slyly handed us two lanyards and told us to quietly join the last group in line.  Without hesitation, we hurried over to the group, received a pair of 3D glasses from another staffer, and walked into a mini movie theater with the rest of the group, having no idea what was going on.  Well, for the next 7 minutes, we sat through the world's longest advertisement for Petronas, one of Asia's largest oil companies.  The video happily explained to us how environmentally thoughtful the company was, and how it did all of its drilling and mining in the best interest of the planet.  How thoughtful of them.

Inside the Petronas Tower observation deck.  Last group of the day!

Sitting through that was well worth it because after the video completed, we were shown to the elevators so we could ride up to the observation deck, approximately half way up the towers.  The views were less impressive than from the KL Tower, but it was still fascinating to be standing in the same spot where the climax of Entrapment occured.  And, you know, to be in such a fine architectual  achievement, if that's what floats your boat.

During our last day, we visited Chinatown to see for ourselves the famous (or infamous) shopping area of town.  The shopping here isn't full of luxury brands found in the Golden Triangle and Bukit Bintang.  Instead, it was full of the same chochkies and trinkets that we had seen all across this continent.  Therefore, it lost the luster that most tourists experience, and instead annoyed the hell out of us because of the overly persistent salepeople constantly in our faces.  So, we decided to walk back to BP for a nice dinner.  The timing couldn't have been any better because when we finally got to Jalan Ceylon, the strongest storm we've ever seen (which is saying a lot coming from this girl from Miami and guy from Monsoon town - aka Phoenix) rolled in.  We ran into the first pub we saw and proceeded to eat and drink in the upper balcony while watching the rain come down outside.  At one point, a lighting bolt struck just outside of the balcony unleashing the loudest thunder shock we have ever imagined.  We both jumed into the air and barely kept the food in our mouths and stomachs.  Crazy.  But the rain subsided and we headed back to the hotel to pack and get ready for our flight the next morning to Sandakan. 

Since our flight was at 8am and the airport was 1.5 hours away, we had the same taxi driver from our arrival pick us up at 3:30am and take us to the airport.  Easy, right?  Wrong.  When he dropped us off at the main terminal, we started looking for where to check-in for our Air Asia flight, which after searching for 10 minutes, an information attendant informed us that Air Asia operated our of another terminal, 30 minutes away.  As you can guess, we were far from happy about possibly being late for our flight, for having to pay another $30 on top of our original taxi fare, and that our original driver didn't have the sense to take us to the correct terminal even though he knew we were flying Air Asia.  The Italian in me was raging, but the Cuban in Tania tamed my anger and we luckily made our flight, so no harm no foul, but man did that morning suck.  So for those of you who fly Air Asia in the future, know that the reason they can charge so little for their fares is because they operate out of remote locations that are a huge pain in the ass to access, so that value fare isn't always worth it in the end.

Along with a delicious lunch at Eest in the Westin, a few beers at the Belgian Beer Bar, and some quality shopping time for Tania in which she got me some rad flip flops and a cool button down shirt, that was our time in KL.  It is striving to be the city of the future that Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Singapore are setting the trend for, and is a must if you're trekking through the region.

Now off to Sandakan which has a travel advisory from the US State Department due to the Islamic radicals living and fighting in the region.  After a ton of consideration and research in the Internet, we decided to proceed with our travels to eastern Malaysia/Borneo so that we could see this remote corner of the region, and the attractions it  features including being able to see orangutans in the wild.

Days 106-108 Wednesday-Friday February 24-26 Hanoi, Vietnam

Okay, we did a ton while in Hanoi with my parents and loved so much about the city, but when all is said and done, what we’re going to talk about the most down the road is the Sofitel Metropol hotel in which we stayed.  We slept in a luxurious room filled with pillow menus and Hermes toiletries.  We ate and had complimentary happy hour drink in the club level restaurant.  We were catered to by our personal chefs.  And we never wanted to leave the hotel.  We know it sounds incredibly materialistic and that we should be excited about such different things in this incredible city, but we can’t help ourselves.  This hotel was as good as it gets.  We’ve been spoiled ever since Tony and Anna Marie showed up, and it hit a peak when we set our bags down, no, when our butler set our bags down in our heavenly room.

 Our room's bath tub where Tania spent many a moment during our time at the Sofitel Metropol.

But we did do more while in Hanoi.  We toured Ho Chi Minh’s mausoleum (which was impeccably and tastefully done), the presidential grounds (which is probably the only yellow mansion to pull off that color so well),  small but impressive pagodas, and the Hanoi Hilton, which is the prison where so many Americans were taken hostage, including John McCain during the war.  Touring this jail now converted to a museum, we read the obligatory propaganda while looking at pictures of the horrific conditions these soldiers needed to endure, and also artifacts such as McCain’s flying suit in which he was captured over Lake Ho Tai.  Our tour guide gave us a fascinating tour through the city.

 Outside of Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum.

Speaking of our tour guide, his name was Mr. Ein and he looked like he was about 16.  In fact, though, he was 35, married, and lived with his family in his parents’ house because that is the duty of the youngest Vietnamese sibling to live with and care for the parents.  He was the quietest of our tour guides, but as soon as we hit the Hanoi streets, he knew everybody that crossed our paths.  Apparently he knew the entire city because he was raised and went to school here.  He studied tourism, and did a hell of a job showing us his hometown.

In addition to enjoying one of Vietnam’s most treasured traditions of water puppetry, we also took a cooking class with famous French chef Didier Corlou, who is most well known for opening the restaurants at the Sofitel Metropol.  He was since gone solo and opened his own place, Verticale.  We met him and his wife at the restaurant, and he gave us a private tour of his favorite local market.  After the ingredients were purchased, he passed us off to his wife who drove us to their private house about 30 minutes out of town.  We weren’t happy about spending so much time in the car, but we forgot all about it when we walked through the gate into their incredible home.  The mix of zen-like decorations and countryside furniture, chef Corlou’s wife taught us how to make dishes such as curry chicken skewers, bun cha, and fresh and fried spring rolls.  We enjoyed our work over a nice glass of wine in their living room.  It turned out to be an amazing experience, one that we hope to replicate soon by testing our newfound skills.

The rest of the group also went on a tour of the city via cyclo, which is a bike drawn carriage famous in these parts.  I didn’t join them, instead opting for a nap, massage, and hair cut, but the report back was that they had a blast on the cyclos and exploring the inner parts of the city.  Don’t worry, though, Tania and Anna Marie made up for lost time by booking a spa day of their own the day before.  When you can get so much service done for such little money, it’s hard to pass up.

 Momma cruisin' the town on a cyclo.

My mom’s tour group Cox and Kings made reservations for us at several trendy (for all the right reasons) restaurants where we enjoyed some of the best meals we had on the trip.  Top notch every step of the way, which shed a whole new light on Hanoi versus the first time we were in the city and eating pho in corner holes in the wall.   If you ever want to experience this city, or any city in the world for that matter, give Anna Marie a call because her taste and connections will never disappoint.

We only had a few days in Hanoi before taking off for Ha Long Bay, but we made the most of the time by learning how it’s always been done in this city, and how well it is done nowadays.

Days 104-106 Monday-Wednesday February 22-24 Siem Reap, Cambodia

The You've Got Too Much To Do To Be Sitting Here Reading The Whole Entry Version

- Siem Reap is poor, but rich with history like very few places on this planet
- Angkor Wat and the surrounding wats were, and still are, marvels of engineering that have stood the test of time, aging well like the finest bottle of wine

On the way back from Can Tho to Saigon, we encountered the masses of people returning back to the big city after Tet.  It was quite apparent to us how seriously the big city empties when we saw the incredible amount of people returning the day before they were all due back at work.  Imagine driving back into LA or NYC the Sunday after Thanksgiving.  Chaos.  And delays.  

We had to say goodbye to our friend Mr. Un when he dropped us off at the Saigon airport.  Not sure how much I’m going to miss the way he finished sentences with AHA! like Canadians do with Eh, but he was one hell of a tour guide who always kept the mood light and our minds informed.

We flew into Siem Reap and were greeted by our new local tour guide Kong.  The tour company handled all of the paperwork at immigration for us, one of the many luxuries Tania and I are being spoiled with while traveling with Tony and Anna Marie.  Luxuries far from the realities we have been faced with by traveling alone whie on a marginally tight budget over the last few months.  We’re trying not to let it get to our heads, especially considering we still have two more countries to explore after they leave, but damn this type of travel is nice.

Cambodia as a whole is an extremely poor third world country, but Siem Reap is flooded with luxury hotels and restaurants to pamper the wealthy tourists that flock here for Angkor (pronounced On-core, not Ang-cor) Wat and all of the neighboring ruins.  Our hotel, Hotel de la Paix, was right up Tania’s and my alley due to its modern and luxurious feel, but not so much for my parents who are more attracted to the classic luxury of the Park Hyatt.  Either way, this place is the bee’s knees, especially our garden suite that had an outdoor sitting area with a marble bathtub sitting in the heart of the room.  Too bad it was too damn hot to think about spending more time outside than necessary.

We quickly got settled into the room and then met Kong at the front of the hotel so we could visit Angkor Wat before the sun went down.  It is the most well known landmark in Cambodia, so much so that the profile of its three main towers adorn the national flag.  It’s the largest religious building in the world after being build 1000 years ago.  Much of it still stands today, and even the intricate designs etched into the sandstone are still very visible today.  From these carvings to the massive moat outlining the exterior to the mindboggling engineering required to build such a structure, the entire complex is awe inspiring and humbling, even by today’s standards.  No wonder its one of the 7 man-made wonders of the world.  And not the fake world wonders that China keeps trying to claim, the real 7 wonders recognized by everyone.

 

The central towers at Angkor Wat

Perfectly maintained and incredibly intricate etchings in the halls of Angkor Wat

Tuesday morning we visited a fishing village 30 km outside of Siem Reap.  After driving down a red dirt road far from the paved highway, we came upon a long string of houses built on tall stilts, and families congregating outside to either socialize or to work together to string tiny fish on bamboo sticks so they could be dried for use over the next year.  The children waved as we drove by, and when we stopped the car and got out to watch their activities up close, the kids continued to wave, say goodbye (even though we had just arrived), and blow us kisses.  It melted our hearts as soon as we set foot outside of the van.

 Children stringing fish onto bamboo rods so they can be dried and used throughout the rest of the year.

Happy no matter what life has to offer.

Kong then took us to the end of the road where the town met the river at the Kampong Phluck floating village.  We jumped into a longboat and rode past more houses on stilts, and even houses built on flotation devices so they could adapt to the rising/sinking water levels.  As we learned, the waters hit their peak in October after the country is hit with heavy rains, yet they quickly recede as the hottest month of April quickly approaches, and the dry season settles in.  If it was this hot in February, God only knows how bad it’ll get in April.

 Maybe not the best place to stroll around the village.

It is a completely different way of life out here.  We didn’t know whether to feel bad that these people lived in such poverty, or to simply understand that they don’t need much, especially modern conveniences to be happy, and that our way of life isn’t right for everyone, including them.

We spent the rest of our time in Siem Reap visiting as many of the remaining wats as possible.  My dad and I hiked to the top of Phnom Bakheng before we all entered Angkor Thom and walked around Bayon, which is famous for the faces carved into the sides of the 52 peaked structures.  Tania was excited for the pink wat, Banteay Srei (Sanctuary of the Women), which ended up being more orange than anything.  Still, the carvings in the sandstone were as impressive as any other wat we visited.  And we all loved Ta Prohm, which has been gripped by the root system of the ancient trees that casts shade on the area. Unfortunately though, our two attempts at viewing Angkor Wat from a hot air balloon were canceled due to unruly weather.  Apparently the view from up there puts the vastness of the site in perspective, yet I think we understood its magnitude from afoot and up close.

And the foot of tree root systems strangling Ta Prohm.

The famous faces of Bayon can also be found here at the north gate of Angkor Wat. 

One could spend weeks here visiting the vast number of wats to simply soak in the magnitude of these massive structures that were built 900 years ago, and still stand strong in spite of weather and war.  It had the authentic feel that we hoped to experience in all historic relics in Asia, but that was missing in many places (China).  Here you feel like the structures are relaxing on the site with you, while in China it felt like you were being ushered in and given a show built for tourists.  Tough to explain, but you’ll know what we mean when you come here for yourself.

After soaking up all of the sites and the luxury of our hotel, we made a pit stop at the Art School for Children to pick up some locally made items, and headed for the airport to catch a flight back to Vietnam.  This time, we were heading back north to Hanoi to do all of the site seeing we skipped the first time so we could see it all new with Tony and Anna Marie.

Days 102-104 Saturday-Monday February 20-22 Vinh Long & Can Tho, Vietnam

40 years ago, one week after my parents got married, my father Tony left to fight in the Vietnam War.  He spent 16 months defending our country in a conflict that many people vehemently opposed.  He left his new wife and fought nonetheless, because that was what was asked of him, and because he couldn’t neglect his duty.

He was primarily stationed in Vinh Long, a small town off of the Mekong River, in the heart of the Mekong Delta.  It was a tiny town of a few thousand people centered around a large church located a few hundred yards away from the main city circle.  40 years later, that church and city circle were all that my dad recognized.  Other than those two landmarks, the entire city had exploded, for a lack of a better word.  There are now many thousands (just over a million people in the Vinh Long province) of people living in the city, and the city edges extend much further into the Vietnamese countryside than it did the last time he was here.

 In a way this was good, because Tony could see that these people had moved on, grown, persevered in the eyes of a horrific war.  In a way it was a reality check because it showed that life can thrive inside the evil communist society we had fought so hard against for so long.  This wasn’t the cold, hard streets of Moscow that we’ve come to imagine, but instead these people were happy maintaining old traditions like rice farming and grasping modern living with its cell phones and techno music.  No matter what we thought, though, this was not the city my dad remembered, and that provided a good dose of closure on that chapter of his life.

Reminiscing on the banks of the Mekong River.

This being the Mekong Delta, we had to cross several water ways via ferry before we arrived at our hotel in Can Tho.   Here we were able to relax while recovering from what was an emotional yet rewarding day.

The following day we chartered a private long boat to take us through the floating market.  Literally, vendors and buyers congregate on one stretch of the river to buy and sell locally grown produce.  It’s a wonder that we had never seen this type of market before, but it works perfectly for these people, and should work for any water-based community.

Kids selling soda to passing tourists while their parents sell produce to other locals.

The boat then took us through some local canals and stopped at the bank of a rice factory.  Here we were greeted by a man who sported the world’s greatest lucky hair, and were shown the grounds by his associate.  Before this stop, we never knew that rice is grown with a husk, and is processed to remove this husk and sort it by its proper classification.  And for those of you who don’t know there are more types of rice than white and brown, you’re in for a surprise.  Wow.  That’s the type of info you pick up while touring through the world’s largest rice exporter.

The world's greatest lucky hair.

 A bridge over one of the Can Tho canals.

 

Having our full of river-based exploration, it was time to get back to Saigon before flying out to Cambodia.  We were sad to be leaving Mr. Un so soon, especially his octave-shattering laugh, but we had seen everything in this region that we had hoped, especially Tony, so we were ready to move onto the ancient lands of Angkor Wat.

Days 101-102 Thursday-Saturday February 18-20 Saigon, Vietnam

What better way to cure a hellish sickness than to move into the Park Hyatt Saigon?  The answer is that there is no better way.  Even though Lisa, Steve, and Luke were the most gracious hosts imaginable and took such good care of us while we were sick yesterday, it was nice to move into the Park Hyatt where we’ll be meeting my (our) parents when they arrive tonight.  After all of the 2 and 1 star hotels we’ve been staying in over the last few months, this place is heaven.

Tony and Anna Marie got into Saigon late on Thursday night, so we had a simple hello and hug before getting them to sleep.  We had an early start the next morning to start the true site seeing of Saigon.

Friday was our first day together, and we drove with our guide Mr. Un to the Cu Chi tunnel system about 45 minutes outside of Saigon.  Here we saw how the Liberation Army of Southern Vietnam was able to hide and withstand attacks from the US and ally forces, even though they were just miles from the American base in Saigon.  Their ingenious ways of concealing their underground cities and ways of using the lush terrain to hide explosives that could take out tanks are impossible to ignore, but the communist government’s propogandish ways of telling the story was tough to stomach, especially sitting next to my father who had to live through the entire situation and watch friends being lost in the whole melee for 16 months.  Yet, as my dad said today, to the victor go the spoils, part of which includes getting to tell the story as seen through the their eyes.

 Mr. Un describing the tun

Mr. Un describing a trap door...

...and the subsequent trap hole.

Crawling through the Cu Chi Tunnels

After a lunch filled with 12 entrees (I kid you not, but thank God the tab was covered by our tour group), we hopped over to the war museum and continued to hear the story of the war through the communist government’s eyes.  After looking at gruesome images and reading one-sided accounts of the conflict, there was only one thing we could all agree on…war is tragic, and those who make the decisions to go to war, whether just or not, are ruining lives on both sides of the tape.  At that time it was either a battle over communism vs. democracy or over the rights to a massive supply of tin and tungsten, and now it’s us vs. Al Qaida or it’s over oil.  No matter what it’s all over, it’s men making decisions who don’t have to act on them, and it’s crap.  Period. 

 Tony exploring the war museum, and recounting history through the opposition's eyes.

Any way, it was fascinating to visit these places and hear stories from my dad about how it was 40 years ago when he bravely served here.  I’ve always respected the selfless ways of his daily life, and his service during the war is one of the finest examples of who he is.  Being here has brought that even more into light, and made me even more proud.  Thanks Pop for your service, no matter who’s fight you were executing.

Mr. Un and the driver then brought us over to the Ben Thanh Market where my parents took one look over the compressed rows of trinket stalls and opted to head back to the hotel.   Having already been here, we can’t say we had an issue with doing so.

Saturday morning we stopped by the Presidential Palace where the South Vietnamese government had been stationed before the fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975.  It was here where the Communist tanks bowled over the gate, stormed the building, and hoisted the VC flag on the 4^th floor.  The architecture was totally 60’s, and our friend Troy would undoubtedly love the furniture sprawling throughout the conference rooms, gambling/drinking room, and bedrooms.  It even had a movie theatre, but the room-size projector was no longer functioning.  The grounds were gorgeous, but standing on the site of such a pivotal moment in our country’s history was the most fascinating part of visiting the palace.

Outside the Presidential Palace

Then it was off to Vinh Long and Can Tho to see where my dad was stationed 40 years ago.

 

Tet eve on Nha Trang Beach

Nha Trang residents and those who were in town that week for the holiday crammed the beach to watch a very beautiful but looooong fireworks show.  Oh, and the ocean served as the world's largest urinal during the festivities.  Fun!

Tet eve on Nha Trang beach from Craig Palumbo on Vimeo.

Days 96-99 Saturday-Tuesday February 13-16 Nah Trang, Vietnam

In case you don’t know about Tet, it’s the the lunar new year, and is the biggest celebration in Vietnam.  As the year of the Tiger approached and we made our way down the coast from Hanoi, we were constantly told that getting to Saigon was going to be tough as Tet (Feb. 14) drew nearer.  Therefore, we purchased all of our train tickets ahead of time to guarantee that we’d have good seats on all of our trains.  Plus having solid plans helps Tania feel comfortable about the future, but we won’t go there right now.

Tet is the time when families get together to drink and be merry with each other, like Christmas, but also to remember relatives who have passed.  But mostly, it’s a week long celebration that out ranks any other holiday during the year. 

The week before Tet, we felt the anticipation grow and saw the extremely elaborate decorations being built around Saigon (think Mardi Gras meets the Rose Parade).  Amazingly beautiful decorations.  Yet Steve and Lisa kept saying that the city was going to be empty for Tet, similar to how LA empties out for Christmas, because not many people are from Saigon, and therefore return to their remote towns to see their families during the week following Tet.  So because of this, we decided to head up to Nah Trang where Steve’s (and Dave and Brian’s) dad lives.  It’s a mellow beach town where their father, Hugh, has two apartments, one of which we could stay at for a few days.  So we hopped onto an overnight bus, slept in the oddest configuration of reclining seats one can imagine, and headed up the coast. 

 Beaching it at Louisiae in Nha Trang.  It's a tough life we live.

Nha Trang Beach as the sun sets behind us

Hugh greeted us at the apartment and made us feel right at home.  We spent most of our days relaxing at the beach at the Louisiane’s resort and deciding whether the lobster being sold by vendors were as fresh as they looked.  The city didn’t come alive until the night because shops were closed for Tet, so we weren’t given too many options during the days, which was fine with us.  Yet at night, we had great seafood and Indian meals, and enjoyed the celebratory atmosphere the buzzed throughout the city.

 After dinner with Steve's dad, Hugh.

On Tet eve, we joined the crowd that packed the beach and watched an extensive yet impressive fireworks show over the water.  To call the beach packed, though, is not doing it justice.  All we can say is that the entire city, plus everyone in town for the week, were on the beach.  Crazy.  Yet things didn’t get out of hand because luckily, the men had the world’s largest urinal at their disposal right there on the beach.

 Tet eve on Nha Trang Beach

On Monday we met up with Steve and Lisa’s friends from Saigon Anne, Jacob and their son Lucas at their resort just out of town.  Not much changed from what we had been doing at the beach.  Just the environment changed from the ocean to the pool.  It’s a rough life we live.

Having not done too much site seeing in the past few days, Tania and I searched Trip Advisor for the most important things to do while in Nah Trang.  The winning site was the natural mud baths.  Figuring our travel-weary bodies could go for some organic health care, we grabbed a cab out to the fringes of town.  As we soon found out, we weren’t the only ones.  When we pulled up, we saw the sea of tour buses that we’ve come to identify with tourist traps.  Then we saw the masses pouring in and out of the gates before us.  Hesitantly, we made our way to the ticket office and purchased the all inclusive VIP package, which gave us a private mud bath (no strange foreigners in our mud, please) and changing room, and a 45 minute massage afterward.

 Drenched in our provate mud bath.

Well, we did our obligatory 20 minutes in the mud, received the hurried 20 minute massage, and quickly rinsed off so we could catch the next cab back to Hugh’s apartment to meet the gang and take the overnight bus back to Saigon.  Feel free to skip the mud baths if you’re ever in Nah Trang unless you’re feeling extra Clark Griswoldy that day.

It was great to spend time with Hugh and get to know this mellow beach town of Nah Trang.  It’s a far cry from the intense scene in Saigon, which is obviously why Hugh moved his life up here.  Thanks for playing a great host, Hugh!  Looking forward to seeing you at Luke and Thu’s wedding in April!

Oh, there are scooters in Saigon?

We had heard rumors about how crazy the traffic, especially the scooter, are in Siagon.  Here is what we saw when we first learned about it ourselves.

A first look at Saigon from Craig Palumbo on Vimeo.

Days 89-95 Saturday-Friday February 6-12 Saigon, Vietnam

We (thankfully) took our last overnight train of our trip from Danang (Hoi An) to Saigon. Even though taking these overnight trains in China and Vietnam saved us a ton of time and weren’t too terrible, we swore to never take another one again in our lives. Hopefully we will be able to afford flights when the time comes so we can keep to this promise. The overnight trains are not life threatening or anything, but we’ve come to realize on this trip that our tastes have become refined enough to travel with certain conveniences and luxuries from now on.

And speaking of conveniences, when we got to Saigon at 4:30am, we grabbed a taxi to Steve, Lisa, and Luke’s house and were greeted at the gate by their maid. Yes, their maid. She cleans. She runs to get Vietnamese coffees or food when requested. She does laundry. She does it all, and we got awfully spoiled by her while we stayed with our friends. If only hired help was so cheap in the US.

Tania making the most of having a couch for a few days.

Having been on the road for so long, we loved back being in a home environment with a kitchen, couches, proper bedrooms, and just that homey feeling that hotels can’t provide.

Of course on our first night in Saigon, we did as the Saigonians do and went out big with Steve, Lisa, Luke, and their friends, dancing to the techno beats that are the heartbeat of the city. It was a great time, and thank God we had that homey environment so we could recover the next afternoon on their trusty couches. We also needed to rest up because we had to be at Phatty’s, the local sports bar, at 6:30am the next morning to watch the Saints and Colts play in the Super Bowl.

We were sorely mistaken in thinking that we would have prime seats before the crowd arrived just because we got to the bar before the sun rose, because when we got to Phatty’s, the place was jam packed and we were delegated to the back corner watching the game on a marginally big screen off in the distance through several support pillars. It didn’t matter, though, because we had a access to delicious bloody marys and a good enough view to see Drew Breese and the Saints pull of the big upset over the Colts. So cool for the city of New Orleans after all they’ve been through this decade.

We even sat next to several of Steve’s friends who were from New Orleans, meaning the victory tasted that much sweeter when their friend bought drinks for the group after the game. We guess football fans are football fans (the real football, American, not that crap they call football here and everywhere else in the world), whether you’re in America or an expat overseas.

After the game we walked around town, past all of the Tet decorations that were furiously being installed along the city’s largest avenues. Once past the backpacker’s district, we stopped off at Lisa’s recommended spa called Lady Saigon. And boy are we glad we did. The massages were incredible, and the environment was much more luxurious than the cheap price tag implies. Let’s just say we just happened to return to the spa two days later.

 

Scooter madness in Cholon, Saigon's Chinatown.

Thursday night was my 32nd birthday, so Tania and Lisa organized an incredible sushi dinner with 14 of their local friends. Lisa wasted no time in resuming her tradition of “shots bitches” from our LA Korean BBQ days, and we were all on our jolly way to a fun evening and worthy celebration around Saigon.

 The ladies represented at Craig's birthday sushi party.

Craig and Luke taking a breather from the birthday madness.

Other than a few other delicious dinners and a boys/girls night, we did a whole lot of hanging around the house with Toby and Guiness (Lisa’s dogs) and simply walking around town. We didn’t want to do too much site seeing since my parents were coming in a few days, and we wanted to hit all of the major sites for the first time with them.

Lisa and Steve's dogs, Toby and Guiness.  We want to clone them when we get home.

On a side note…

On this trip, Tania and I have come to the realization that we are old, really old, because our ideal night now is to have a great dinner with lively plans for afterwards, but once dessert is done and the bill is paid, we are dragging ourselves back to the house so we can crash before 10. It was a tough pill to swallow for Steve and the crew who had grand aspirations of showing us a good time of all-nighters in Saigon, but we are comfortable with the fact, after such a long and draining tour through Asia, that it’s who we are now. Maybe it’s good we’re not going back to LA and instead onto a city where we won’t know anyone. I know our livers and bank accounts will appreciate it.

Snorkel trip to Cham Island

While in Hoi An, we decided to hire a speed boat to take us snorkeling off of Cham Island.  Well, the water was freezing cold, so we jumped back on board of the boat and headed for the island, where we soaked in the sun and island breeze for most of the day.  It brought us right back to our Thai island life, where isn't too shabby.

Speed boat to snorkel at Cham Island from Craig Palumbo on Vimeo.

Days 84-88 Monday-Friday February 1-5 Hoi An, Vietnam

We took a quick 2 hour train ride from Hue to Danang, passing lush hillsides and glimmering coastal beaches.  The guy sitting behind me didn’t appreciate the fact that my seat wouldn’t sit completely upright, meaning I rode like a gangster in a low rider while my seat blocked his flip-down table from holding his train-prepared meal.  Even though he was pissed, I think he appreciated not eating it later in the day.  It looked pretty nasty.

A driver picked us up at the train station in Danang and headed towards Hoi An.  On the way, we stopped at marble mountain, aptly named due to the fact that they sell a ton of marble sourced from a nearby mountain.  Big and small and in any design you could imagine, you can buy it here.  But instead of purchasing a 12 foot tall Buddha and finding a way to ship it home, we opted for a marble egg for Anna Marie and a  pocket-size Buddha that I can use as a card protector during poker tourneys.

Comparing Buddha bellies at Marble Mountain

Also on the way to Hoi An, we drove past China Beach where a ton of luxury hotels and casinos are opening, meaning this beach is about to become a tourist hot spot, similar to what Biloxi was before Katrina.  It’s a far cry from being the initial stomping grounds for US troops almost 50 years ago. 

Once in Hoi An, we spent our time walking through the huge central market buying ban mis (Vietnamese sandwiches which are the cheapest and tastiest sandwiches this side of Bay Cities) and fresh fruit.  The market is a crash course in Vietnamese culture, so luckily we were accustomed to the local idiosyncrasies and weren’t too alarmed at anything.

We also spent some time adoring the riverside shops and restaurants, which come alive at night when the lights turn on and reflect off the river’s calm waters.  People flood the river banks, enjoying public plastic tables and chairs, sipping beer or tea, and either chatting with friends or their loved one as if nobody could see them.  It’s a magical place to be on a cool clear night.

 Tania making sure not a drop of her flambeed banana dessert went to waste.

We rode our bikes down to the beach hoping to renew our relaxing days in southern Thailand.  On the way, we stopped and walked through the rice paddies meeting locals and their water buffaloes (see the video previously posted).  We had driven by so many of these infinite green fields but never explored the inner workings of one, so this was our perfect opportunity.  Apparently not too many tourists venture into the fields because we were quickly approached by the field workers who wanted to chat and take pictures with us. 

 Our new water buffalo friend amongst the lush green rice paddies.

The beach wasn’t quite as relaxing as we had hoped due to the windy conditions and oily waters, but it was nice to be back under the sun in our bathing suits and laying on our towels.

Another day we hired a speed boat to take us snorkeling, again hoping to renew one of our Thailand loves, and to put our newly purchased snorkel gear to use.  Well, we were scheduled to swim for 2.5 hours, but we were back in the boat after 20 minutes due to the incredibly cold water and ferocious sea lice who bit us incessantly.  Luckily, the boat trip included an afternoon on Cham Island beach and a delicious lunch.  There we were able to soak up the sun and walk around the deserted island, so the trip wasn’t a complete waste.

 Craig's beard kept him warm in the freezing water while snorkeling, but the chilly conditions proved to be too much for the honeymooners.

All of that was fine and dandy, but the biggest hit in Hoi An for us (and for most visitors to the city) was the custom tailoring at incredibly affordable prices.  We had suits, shirts, pants, dresses, and even a winter coat all made of fabrics we selected, all custom tailored to our bodies, and all at a fraction of the cost it would be in the US.  Once we left Hoi An, we were geared up with improved wardrobes for the impending job hunt when we get back. 

And about that job hunt, we keep finding excuses to push it back as far as possible.  Now we’re planning on not only spending time with my family (especially little Ian who’s almost a year old!!), but we’ll be in Atlanta with Tania’s family while Patrick hikes the Appalachian Trail for 5 months.  What other excuse do we need to stay unemployed than to spend quality time with our families?  Exactly!  That’s what we’re thinking.

Rice paddies in Hoi An

We went for a bike ride to the beach outside of Hoi An, and stopped to explore the inner-workings one of the rice paddies that we had been passing in trains, cars, and buses over the last two weeks. Once inside, we quickly became friends with some locals and a water buffalo.


Rice paddies in Hoi An from Craig Palumbo on Vimeo.

Phong Nha Caves

We drove 4 hours north of Hue to explore the Phong Nha caves.  One was only accessible by water, and the other after a treacherous hike.  He's a glimpse of our boat ride just before entering the water cave.  Pretty cool.

Boating into the Phong Nha Cave from Craig Palumbo on Vimeo.

Days 80-83 Thursday-Sunday January 28-31 Hue, Vietnam

We hopped off the overnight train in Hue and immediately realized two things:

1)   1.  We were finally back in warm weather.  We shall never take it for granted again.

2)   2.  The haggling and pushy salesmanship by locals on the sidewalks is as prevalent and obnoxious as we had read.

Yet, after being lost in the cold, damp forest for the past several days, we were happy to welcome both of these points in exchange for a vivacious setting and being able to pack our jackets away.

Our first meal was at a restaurant frequented by our friends Dave and Brian back in the day when they lived in Hue.  The staff definitely remembered them, albeit by their Vietnamese names.  Dave told us to look for the BLT on the menu because he and Bri introduced it to the owners, and funny enough, it’s still on the menu.  I ordered it, and even though it tasted delicious, it looked nothing like a BLT that you’d receive in the states.  It didn’t matter, though, we still loved being in this place that our friends loved so long ago.  The art that they bought the restaurant still hung on the walls, too.  So cool.

We spent our first afternoon in Hue exploring the famous Citadel.  Basically a square shaped city with 2m-thick, 10km-long walls encompassing it, with a beautiful moat lining the outer walls, this site lies on the north side of the Perfume River.  It served as the residence of emperors dating back to the early 19^th century, but was basically leveled during the Tet Offensive in 1968.  Only the outer walls still stand, but the grounds inside make for an amazing stroll through the city’s glorious yet unfortunate past.

 Remains of the Purple Palace within the Citadel

The following day we toured several tombs of past emperors, exploring the beautiful grounds of these sacred sites.  Our tour guide, who was also friends with Dave and Brian back in the day, described the history of each emperor and the significance of each structure within the grounds.  If you go, don’t expect a cemetery-type attraction.  These tombs are basically gorgeous residences on which the rulers lived and were buried after their death.  Amazing landscapes which make for incredible photos.

We also stopped by the Thien Mu Pagoda, which is the unofficial symbol of the city.  Also lying on the Perfume River, these grounds are filled with colorful flowers and young monks wandering the gardens in their maroon robes.  This pagoda also houses the car in which Thích Quảng Đức and his fellow monks drove to Saigon on June 11, 1963, so that Thích could burn himself to death in protest against the persecution of Buddhists by South Vietnam's Ngo Dinh Diem administration.  The image of him burning is one of the most famous photos of the 20^th century, which was made even more famous for our generation when Rage Against The Machine used it on the cover of their first album. 

We used our tour guide and car while we had them at our disposal to drive over to the beach and show us an authentic, local seafood restaurant.  Their insights into the city and knowledge of the area definitely helped us understand the city more than if we were to have explored on our own.

Having seen all of the sites Hue has to offer, and giving up on it being a good city to get a quality massage (the horror), we hired a driver to take us up to the Phong Nha Cave, about 4 hours north of Hue.  A wise person would have visited this cave on their way to Hue since we had just passed it a few days prior, but that wise person can kiss our asses because we doubt he’s ever tried to navigate through a strange continent without ever making a mistake.

Before we got to the caves, we took-in the picturesque rice fields and limestone mountains outside the car windows while listening to our trusty iPods.  Once inside the national park, we hopped on a private long boat and headed up river to the 400 million year old cave.  As we passed through the water threshold, the driver killed the engine and began to row us into darkness.  Beyond the first pitch black corner appeared brilliant karst formations backlit with vibrant neon lights of blue, green, purple, and yellow.  It felt like we were inside the It’s a small world ride at Disneyworld.  Silence was only broken by the strokes of our driver’s paddle and water pellets falling off of the ceiling.  

Once out of the cave, we climbed what felt like 10,000 steps to the Tien Son cave.  We weren’t sure what was more welcoming once we made it to the top and into the cavern;  the exquisitely backlit stalactites and stalagmites, or the cool, damp air to save us from the heat and humidity outside.  Either way, we got to walk amongst the rock formations this time, and were blown away by the immense beauty around us.  Crazy to think that this cave was used as Hindu sanctuaries by the Chams in the 9^thth centuries, and as a hospital and ammunition depot during the American War. and 10

Then it was back into our private car to drive past the DMZ and back to Hue so we could get a good night's rest before heading down to Hoi An the next morning.