Zack and Rachel's Asian Chronicles

a travel blog by zachel

Hello everyone. This blog is meant for our friends and concerned family members who would like to keep track of our adventures in the Orient. We'll be updating our journey with blog entries and pictures periodically to show an idea of how our trip is going.

Coincidentally and luckily, both of our last days at Avalon English Academy fell on February 27th. After an amazing year in Korea, we sent most of our possessions on a slow boat to America while we ourselves took a slow boat to China. Forgoing the conventional form of transportation, we decided to save a little money and take the overnight Weidong ferry from Incheon, Korea to Qingdao, China, our first stop.

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Yangshuo, China

Bike ride view

Hot air balloon

Yangshuo is paradise," according to one street hustler that we made the unfortunate aquaintance with after immediately stepping off the bus from Guilin, after our long sojurn from Zhengzhou to Guilin. Looking at the surroundings it's not hard to believe that this is paradise. I have only been to a couple of cities that can be compared in beauty to Yangshuo. These limestone karsts, as they are called are stunning. They just seem to jut out all over town and the surrounding countryside. The city planners smartly decided to interject the heart of the city in-between a few of these mountains.
For someone who has been dining on Chinese fare for the past couple of weeks, Yangshou can also feel like a culinary paradise. Rachel and I both have really been craving some pizza and western food after immersing ourselves in Chinese food for the two weeks before we came.
We have spent close to the last week biking around the countryside, taking a river cruise and avoiding hustlers. Rachel has even coined the phrase, "You buy or you die," to describe how pushy many of these hustlers are.
The bike rides that we have taken are amazing. We've seen farmers plowing their fields with the help of their water buffalo. We've seen people building bamboo rafts in front of their homes. Again the poverty in the area is pretty stunning compared to western standards. I think the major difference is that at least here people have gorgeous scenery to look at. Rachel's already been posting some of the pictures that we have been taking on our rides. The pictures really speak for themselves.
Tonight we are heading to a light show that was recommended to us by a couple staying in our hostel. Apparently, the same choreographer that engineered the opening ceremony in Beijing this past summer also designed this show. We'll see. Hope everyone is doing well. Were off to Hanoi tomorrow!

Zack

written by

zachel on March 22, 2009 from Yangshuo, China

from the travel blog: Zack and Rachel's Asian Chronicles

tagged Yangshuo

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Hanoi, Vietnam

Market

Just a quick note to tell everyone that we arrived in Vietnam last Monday (March 23), crossing over the Chinese/Vietnamese border by land via a border crossing called "Friendship Pass." We spent several days walking the streets of Hanoi's Old French Quarter. Vietnam has a totally different feel than China. Some of the most noticeable differences are the French architecture and the traffic. The narrow streets are packed with motorbikes, bicycles, pedestrians and a handful of cars. You're forced to walk on the crowded streets because the sidewalks have become the parking lots for motorbikes and a place for stores to sell their merchandise. There is a lovely lake called Hoan Kiem Lake just south of the Old Quarter. The lake is surrounded by a nice park with old trees. There's a little temple in the middle of the lake that you can walk across a bridge to get to. One night we went to see Hanoi's famous Water Puppets show. We weren't overly impressed, but it was only a 2 dollar ticket.

Thick power lines all over

This past weekend we went to the beautiful Halong Bay located in the Gulf of Tonken. Here we cruised around on a small boat with about 15 other tourists, soaking in the beauty of the green islands that cover the bay. We went inside a cave, kayaked, biked, and hiked. The first night we stayed on the boat. When we were lying on top of the boat star-gazing, we saw a shooting star! The next night we stayed on a bungalow on a teeny tiny island. There were only a few other foreigners and a couple workers there, so we were pretty isolated.

Now we're back in Hanoi planning to leave for Sapa by train tonight. We leave here at 9:55pm and arrive tomorrow at 5am. Sapa is famous for its mountain scenery and variety of hill tribe indigenous people.
Rachel

written by

zachel on March 29, 2009 from Hanoi, Vietnam

from the travel blog: Zack and Rachel's Asian Chronicles

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Hanoi, Vietnam

Hoan Kiem Lake

Britney Spears and the Virgin Mary together on a funeral plaque?

Fruit vendor

Careful-- she'll put that on your shouldars when you least expect it

Ahhh, Hanoi. This is the Asia everyone dreams about when they think of modern Asia. Motorbikes everywhere, dodging traffic, jumping over heaping piles of trash, and swerving from spitballs, Hanoi has it all. Residents of Hanoi were smart to leave intact the remnants of the French colonization period. The French architecture clashed in a beautiful way against the tropical climate. Everywhere people have plants in their apartments that adds a tropical vibe to the city. Another thing to mention are the power lines that blanket the city. Apparently, North Vietnam has not been introduced to underground fiber-optic cable.
After arriving in Hanoi last Monday we decided to get out of the city and trek to the Gulf of Tonkin and visit Halong Bay. There are close to 2,000 islands in this archipelago. It's a UNESCO world heritage site for a reason. It's easily one of the most beautiful places I've ever been. Hopefully, we can get some pictures up in the next couple of days. The first night we cruised through the islands on a boat complete with a dining area and cabins on the lower level. We went to a cave, went kayaking, then anchored nearby to stay the night.
The next day we went to an island where we set off biking. Shortly after we started I helped push a broken down truck filled with sand along with maybe 8 other Vietnamese people to the side of the road. The island we stayed at had been a popular target for aerial bombing campaigns during the Vietnam war. We climbed to an area where North Vietnamese kept watch for bombing raids that were flying to Hanoi. There we had great views of the bay. Unfortunately, the top was infested with mosquitoes so we didn't stay long. Our guide that led us to the top of the mountain might have been a Viet Cong soldier himself. He was genuinely nice to us and the rest of the group. Our other tour guide told us that the North Vietnamese like Americans and don't hold the war against us because of all the protests they saw during the war. That could be true but he might have just been angling for a tip.
After the strenuous hike with our Swedish companions we biked back to the boat. The group that was on the tour with us ended up being very nice. There were 3 Swedish people that were extremely nice. Two of them were a couple in their 60's that were retired teachers. Even at their age they were able to hike a mountain that was difficult for Rachel and I. I hope were in that good of shape when I'm that age.
Then we went to a beach bungalow where we would spend the night. We went kayaking again for a bit but we were too tired to spend much time on the water after the exhausting hike. After a low key evening we retired but not before putting up a mosquito net.
Early the next morning, we rode on a rickety boat a good distance away to meet up with the rest of our tour group. They welcomed us back and we crept back to Halong City. I didn't expect much since we went on a tour group but I'm sure it will be a highlight of our trip.
Yesterday we got shutout of the museums since it was a Monday so we bummed around, took a walk by one of the lakes and caught up on the internet. I almost got burned by flying sparks from a welder on the sidewalk and then we had some great pizza at an Italian restaurant next to Hoam Kiem lake in the Old Quarter.
Last night we hopped on a night train to Sapa and arrived here a couple of hours ago. The touts that were waiting outside were some of the pushiest, nastiest salespeople we've encountered so far. One nice foreigner told us the right price to pay for a bus to Sapa and one of the people slammed his shoulder and yelled at him. We got a hotel room with a balcony and an amazing view. It's not called Mountain View hotel for nothing. It was raining here but the sun is starting to shine so were going to go tour the city. Peace.

Zack

written by

zachel on March 30, 2009 from Hanoi, Vietnam

from the travel blog: Zack and Rachel's Asian Chronicles

tagged HalongBay, Hanoi and Sapa

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Lao Cai, Vietnam

Indians trying to sell their goods to Zack

Indians near Sapa

Sapa is one of the most popular destinations in Vietnam for a reason. The city is nestled in the northwest mountainside region. It's views of the largest mountains in Vietnam and its terraced rice patties that descend down the mountain make it a premier spot.
Getting here, we took an overnight train to Sapa on the friendly express. After our debacle of a train ride from Beijing to Zhengzhou, we now only travel in style. Soft sleepers all the way.... There is still a danger though. A soft sleeper holds 4 people so you never know who your going to get along the way. Luckily, a great couple that were English teachers in Japan landed in the cabin.
After a bumpy ride throughout the night, we arrived in Lao Cai, a sleepy border town connecting China and Vietnam. Here we were accosted by overeager van drivers wanting to overcharge us for the hour ride it would take to get to Sapa. If we had read our bible (Lonely Planet) we would have known that the cost of a ride was only 25,000. (just over a dollar) Luckily, a westerner helped us out by letting us get on a bus that was leaving just a few minutes later. After he told us about the real price we should be paying one of the hecklers shoved him violently in his shoulder. The ride from Lao Cai to Sapa was stunning. We could get a glimpse of the terraced rice fields coming down the mountain as the fog started to roll away.
Once we arrived we had to find accomodations. Of course we soon had people shoving cards advertising their hotels in our faces. We ducked into a hotel the lonely planet recommended. The place is called Mountain View Hotel for a reason. When fog hasn't enveloped the city you have a front row view of the breathtaking landscape.
After we rested for awhile, we ventured out and started to walk towards one of the villages. Scattered throughout the city are the indigenous Indian women and children, the H'mong people, hawking their goods. A nice thing to say about these children is that they are persistant. You can use your imagination for other words that would describe the children. We ran into what had to be the spunkiest tribal member selling her goods. Here is an excerpt of the exchange:

Indian: You buy from me?
Me: No thanks.
Indian: Why not?
Me: (Tries to avoid her)
Indian: Why not?
Me: I don't have any money.
Indian: If you have no money how you get to Vietnam? I'll take you to ATM, You think I'm stupid, Never forever we be friends. Liar liar pants on fire!!

We really admired her spunk but still didn't support her abrasive selling style.
After we had lunch we started towards one of the villages. Once we began to descend down the mountain the fog began to lift and we feasted our eyes on some stunning vistas. As far as the eye could see were mountains with terraced rice patties. In some of the rice patties water had flooded the areas which gave off beautiful reflections while glancing down.
I have to say that the tribal people were much more friendly as we passed down the mountains. Most didn't even ask us if we wanted to buy something. All of the female indians wore traditional indian garments. They are black with vibrant colors in a reocurring pattern. We're not sure if the reason that they wear these outfits is because of a desire to keep their traditions intact or if it's because of the tourism boom.
After a 5km walk down a mountain we opted to have a couple of the villagers drive us to town on the back of their motorbikes for just a little money.
Today we decided to get a motorbike to cover larger distances. It was so much fun driving throughout the countryside. We toured one of the traditional villages called Cat Cat. Water buffalo were walking all around us, along with boars and chickens everywhere. After the village, we retraced our steps and took the same path as yesterday determined to make it farther. Again, just as yesterday, once we descended, we started to get great views of the valley. Part of the road was a little treacherous but we managed to drive through the base of a small waterfall unscathed. I think we're going to stick around for another couple of days here before heading south. We love it here!
Zack

written by

zachel on March 31, 2009 from Lao Cai, Vietnam

from the travel blog: Zack and Rachel's Asian Chronicles

tagged Sapa

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Zack and Rachel's Asian Chronicles

a travel blog by zachel

"Yangshuo is Paradise"

Yangshuo, China

Pingxiang, China

Hanoi, Vietnam

Ha Long, Vietnam

Bustling Hanoi

Hanoi, Vietnam

Hanoi Value Menu

Hanoi, Vietnam

Sapa

Lao Cai, Vietnam

Sa Pa, Vietnam

Hanoi, Vietnam

Hue, Vietnam