Zack and Rachel's Asian Chronicles - 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...

Goodbye, ROK.
Ich'on-mal, South Korea
Sunset off the boat in Incheon Port
On the New Golden Bridge VI
Looking down
The expression cabin fever acquired new meaning
Allo
written by  zachel on February 28, 2009 from Ich'on-mal, South Korea
from the travel blog: Zack and Rachel's Asian Chronicles

Colonial German town
Qingdao, China
Tsing Tao Brewery
German Architecture, the Catholic Church
written by  zachel on March 1, 2009 from Qingdao, China
from the travel blog: Zack and Rachel's Asian Chronicles

We made it!
Qingdao, China
Zack's excited face
Our boat from Incheon was scheduled to depart at 2pm on Saturday, but didn't end up leaving until 5:30pm. The New Golden Bridge VI Panama had few frills. There was one Korean restaurant open only for one hour for meal times and NO convenience store. We got pretty thirsty and there was no place to buy water! Upon seeing the likes of the communal rooms, we promptly upgraded to a private room for 30,000 won (money well spent). We took a nap from around 8pm until midnight and then woke up for a few hours. It was really dark and windy outside and the waves had grown stronger. It was a cool sensation to go outside and look off the edge of the boat at night. We could see the lights of some other boats off in the distance and a bunch of stars in the sky. The water looked black. When we went back in, Zack started to feel seasick. The way the boat was shaking felt pretty similar to turbulence on an airplane combined with a slow up-down rocking sensation. After playing GoStop, a Korean card game, for a couple of hours we went to bed around 3am. At 7am a breakfast call was repeatedly announced over the loud speakers in the room about 5 times (very annoying). The boat pulled into Qingdao port around 1:30pm, but they wouldn't let us off until 3pm. We were on the boat for over 21 hours!
After getting off the boat we breezed through customs without them even checking our bags. While I was in the bathroom, Zack was immediately approached by a man asking if we wanted to change money. No thanks. Our money belts are already stocked with CYN.
As we walked out of the port, an eager "taxi" driver approached. I showed him the address of our hostel and asked him how much (doushou qian?). He said "three" and gestured with 3 fingers. We were in for our first of no doubt many wild cab rides. After almost mowing over some woman backing out with his van, our driver went off on a rampage, almost hitting men, women, and children, and honking wildly all the while. Finally, 5 long minutes later, we arrived at our hostel. The man demanded 30 CNY (equivalent to 6,000 won), which we refused. He had said 3! We only gave him 10 (2,000 won), which he was not at all happy about.
Our hostel, Kaiyue International Youth Hostel, in Qingdao is sweet. There's a very chill bar/restaurant/cafe on the first floor. The only drawback is that our room is not exactly heated. We were freezing last night! In addition, the hot water ran out after about 10 minutes and poor Zack had to take a cold shower.
Yesterday we did some walking around the city. The German architecture is pretty cool, but dilapidated. Today we got up early and went to the Tsingtao Brewery for a tour. The brewery was established by the Germans in 1903. There is a museum attached to the brewery that displays all the old equipment and shows old bottles of the beer. We also saw the conveyor belt rapidly shuffling cans of Tsingtao down the line. Next we managed to order some vegetarian food at a Chinese restaurant. We ate some delicious noodles with veggies in some brown sauce and some white rice with buttered ginger. Next we went and walked to the beach. We saw groups of men practicing volleyball in a circle wearing only speedos. Mind you, it's cold enough to be wearing winter coats here. I was wearing a heavy scarf and hat and wishing I had brought my gloves. We also saw two guys swimming. Crazy.
It was freezing and he's swimming?!
The beach in March
Well, that's about it for now. Our hostel helped us book a train ticket to Beijing for 7:45 tomorrow (Tuesday, March 3) morning.
~Rachel
written by  zachel on March 2, 2009 from Qingdao, China
from the travel blog: Zack and Rachel's Asian Chronicles

China's capital.
Beijing, China
written by  zachel on March 3, 2009 from Beijing, China

Beijing
Beijing, China
We've been in Beijing for close to a week now scouring the city and all of the big sites. From Qingdao we took a 6 hour bullet train to Beijing. Along the way it was easy to see why all of your clothes say "Made in China" on the tag. There was practically no residential housing on the trip. Almost the entire countryside was devoted to factories and farming. We saw greenhouses as far as the eyes could see. The poverty that could be gleaned from the train ride was surpassed by anything that I have ever seen.
We got to Beijing around 3 o'clock. Leaving the train station we followed arrows to the exit and ended up in a parking garage underneath the station where taxis were lined up waiting to take the throngs of tourists and buisnesspeople to their destinations. When we got in our cab,the driver knew right where to go and got us to our hostel in about 30 minutes. We quickly unloaded and took off to make the most of the remaining daylight. After breezing around the hutong (old part of the city) and coming across the Lama temple we headed for Tian'amen Square. We got to Tian'amen Square during sunset which was perfect so we could see the contrast between day and night.
It turned out we made a good decision by checking out the square that night. When we went back the next day it was blocked off due to a military spectacle. We gazed at the Qianamen Gate and then went to try to get inside the National Grand Theater or the Egg as it is commonly referred to. This structure is brand new (built in 2007) and looks like an alien spaceship. There were no tours available until 1pm and we didn't feel like hanging around so we went to the Lama Tibetan Temple.
The next day we had clear and sunny skies. Up until this point it was dry and gloomy and we were beginning to wonder if there were ever any sunny days in Beijing. We decided that it was the perfect day to visit the Forbidden City. We entered the palace and spent the next three hours exploring the historic remains. I have been to so many temples in the past year but this was distinct in its enormity. The engravings and golden tiled roof made it the most remarkable thing that I have witnessed in Asia so far. We walked what seem to be an eternity and eventually exited through the back entrance to meet the teeming hordes of "businessmen." These "businessmen" try to sell tours to the Hutong and the Great Wall. They do not take no for an answer. They will try to engage you in conversation by asking where you are from and where are you going. Rachel would answer, "none of your business." We stopped in to eat in the Hutong before going to a park right next to the Forbidden Palace. We climbed to the top of a hill in a park that overlooks the Forbidden Palace with a view that is stunning. After this we were exhausted and we made our way back to the hostel.
No visit to Beijing is complete without a hike along the Great Wall. Rachel recommended going back to the Simati section of the wall that she went to a couple of years ago. This part is for people in reasonably good shape since we had to hike 10 kilometers. The Great wall was one of the greatest things that I had ever seen in my life. Really spectacular views. It looks like something from the Lord of the Rings movie. By the time we finished the trek we were completely exhausted. I am still extremely tired from the night before. We are both having a great time and were impressed with the city. Beijing rocks! I'd keep writing but were trying to go to the Temple of Heaven. Life is rough.
Zack
written by  zachel on March 9, 2009 from Beijing, China

Some pictures from the Longmen Grottoes, Shaolin Si, and Gongyi
Gongyi, China
Farmers
Old college roomies reunited in China
The view
Onward ho!
The bridge
The Pagoda Forest
Longmen Grottoes
written by  zachel on March 9, 2009 from Gongyi, China

Journey from Beijing to Gongyi
Zhengzhou, China
This past Monday Rachel and I left Beijing and headed South for Gongyi, which is just west of the city of Zhengzhou. The 9 hour train ride turned out to be one for the ages. We were both being unreasonably cheap, trying to make our money stretch enough so we can eventually reach Indonesia. When the lady at the ticket counter told us that there was a ticket on the hard-seat for 94 rmb (not even $14) we jumped on it. How bad could it be, it was only a 9 hour train-ride? Rose did it. Big mistake...
We left from our hostel at 5:40 am and got to the train station just a few minutes past 7. When we arrived in the waiting room we received a typical reaction being the only two foreigners in a train station in China. Both of us groggily found a couple of empty seats to rest in the packed waiting room. In just a few minutes we saw this cute little boy with his father doting along behind him. All of a sudden the toddler squats down in his crotch-less pants and starts peeing in the middle of the waiting room. This is actually not uncommon to see in China. Crotch-less pants for toddlers are all the rage. During our week in Beijing we noticed a couple of parents encouraging their children to let loose, even in the Forbidden City.
Shortly after the child's public urination, a train station employee with nary a care, treks through the fresh puddle. About ten minutes later a "maintenance worker" with a mop comes over to clean up the mess.
A little later in our wait right after Rachel went to the bathroom, a beggar walked across the train station headed directly for me and then knelt down right in front of me in a full bow, forehead to the ground, hands spread before him. I am meanwhile taken aback by this act and don't really know what to do. After he is done he carried on by going down the line to each individual person and repeating the act. I will say that he probably made 30 rmb in a short amount of time.
Around this time there was a long line of people ready to get on the train. We really couldn’t understand why people were concerned with being the first to get on the train. Unless people had standing room only on their tickets they were presumably guaranteed a seat on the train. Finally, the gates opened and throngs of eager passengers rushed to get their tickets checked. Once we arrived to the platform, the train had not yet opened its doors for the passengers to get on the train. We waited at the end of the line and the people again tried to surge to get on the train as quickly as possible, pushing and shoving. The employee checking tickets was visibly not happy. By the time we got on the train there was a traffic jam in the middle of the aisle with no one moving. These people were not the sharpest tools in the shed since they just stood there looking helpless with faraway looks in their eyes. We still needed to make it all the way to the back of the car where our seats were. After about a minute of being patient, Rachel and I started to loudly make comments about this in English. This of course does no good since very few people spoke English on the train. At least they could hear a bit of annoyance in our voices. We gave them a chance to start moving. Once it was clear that nothing was going to happen, Rachel began to push past the statues with me right behind her.
When we made it to our seats they were separated by an aisle. The seats on one side of the aisle sat six with a small table separating the seats, while the other side of the aisle held four. The people in the cluster of six seats were nice enough to move to the other side so Rachel and I could sit next to each other. Fortunately, there were three nice teenaged college guys sitting across from us. Now the problem became apparent that there were four big guys sharing this little space on hard wooden benches covered with a bed sheet. There could have been worse seating arrangements. The toddler that had earlier urinated in the train station was just a few rows ahead of us. Later we witnessed that same child urinating in the hall outside the bathroom doors.
I was in one of the aisle seats so whenever someone passed with a cart they would hit my arm. This went on for the next nine hours. After getting up before dawn we thought that we would be able sleep on the train to pass the time. As soon as the train started to move peddlers’ began to come out of the woodwork and sell their wares. To our annoyance, these people were selling not only things that people might actually want to buy like snacks and drinks but also useless junk like stupid plastic toys and a brush to clean your socks. These vendors would parade loudly up and down the aisles in an attempt to sell their products. Not exactly an ideal environment for sleeping.
The icing on the cake came when the teenage girl next to Rachel who had been playing with her cell phone the entire ride answered a call. She began screaming into the phone in a hysteric rage. She was literally crying and screaming. Naturally, this drew attention from the passengers around us. What she was saying must have been hilariously immature because everyone in earshot began laughing uproariously. If only we could speak Chinese.
Around this time, the train ride began to turn around for the better. People began to show their interest in us, especially Rachel. The last hour people began to come around and try to strike up conversations with their limited English. You could tell that most people were good hearted and curious about what brought us to the area and why we were sitting on the cheapest seats on the budget train. By the time we arrived in Zhengzhou people were merrily informing us that this was our stop. A guy even helped Rachel put her pack on.
With the train ride behind us we made our way to the bus station across the street and purchased tickets on the next bus to Gongyi, departing in just 30 minutes. This bus felt like the lap of luxury after the benches on the train. A kind attendant on the bus asked where we were heading and told us that she would inform us when we reached Chenggong College where Rose, Rachel’s college roommate lives and teaches. Almost on cue we ran into Rose just after getting off the bus at the gates of the college.
The last couple of days have been fun and relaxing. We’ll fill you in about our experiences here in a couple of days!
written by  zachel on March 16, 2009 from Zhengzhou, China

From Gongyi to Yangshuo
Yangshuo, China
After our busy week in Beijing, we spent a relaxing week in a city called Gongyi visiting my old college roommate, Rose, at Chenggong College where she lives and teaches. Since Rose only teaches about 2 hours a day, she had lots of time to hang out. Our first day was spent exploring the small farming village that lies behind her college campus. We saw farmers at work in the fields of wheat. We also saw lots of caves built into the side of the clay hills. According to Lonely Planet, millions of Chinese people lives in these clay caves. One of Rose's co-workers explained that these caves are not actually that primitive and that many of them have comforts of modern life like televisions. Another day was spent exploring the ruins and ancient statues in a park in downtown Gongyi. On Friday we took a daytrip away from Gongyi to visit the Unesco World Heritage Site, the Longmen Grottoes. Here we saw more the 100,000 Buddhist statues carved into caves. The largest statues towered above us at more than 50 feet. It was truly amazing to see and totally worth the hassle of getting there and back and the pricey entrance fee (125 RMB, equivalent to more than 20 USD).
The highlight of the week was definitely the weekend trip Rose, Zack, and I took to Shaolin Si, a Buddhist Monastery in the mountains, about 2 hours away from Gongyi by bus. The monastery was founded in the 5th century and is famous for being the home of Kung Fu. We had a beautiful day—blue skies and sun! We saw hundreds of young Chinese men practicing Kung Fu outside. We attended a Kung Fu show and then strolled around the beautiful temples. As the sunset, we explored the pagoda forest where you can walk through hundreds ancient stone pagodas. Rose got her picture in front of a pagoda dating to sometime BC and was then told by a Chinese woman that it was bad luck to get a picture by an ancient pagoda. Hmmm… Planning to take a big hike the next morning, we stayed at a hotel at the base of the mountain, actually on the grounds of the monastery. It was very dark and quiet, almost spooky at night. We could see lots of stars. Once we made it back to the room, it was quite cold so we huddled around the tiny space heater. Rose went to bed wearing her hat and scarf! The next morning we embarked on what would be a 5 hour rigorous hike, beginning with hundreds of stairs. Our efforts were rewarded with breathtaking views. The path winded around, literally hugging the side of mountains. Looking up you could see the top of the mountain, looking down was a sheer cliff. I felt like Indiana Jones at one point, crossing a rope bridge connecting two cliffs.
We were all tired and extremely hungry by the time we made it back to Gongyi, so we decided to go out for a meal at a hotpot restaurant. Here we were stared at like we had just arrived on a spaceship from Mars. We were the only people in this restaurant. More than 15 waitresses plus the bus boys and cooks were ALL staring and laughing at us. It was as if they had never seen a white person before! To be fair, that might actually be the case. Still, it was quite unnerving. We just wanted to eat! Why were they laughing? A waitress would come and re-fill one of our glasses and her co-workers would erupt in laughter. I could feel the eyes upon me each time I lifted the chopsticks to my lips.
On Monday morning, Zack and I said our goodbyes to Rose and caught a bus from Gongyi to Zhengzhou. In Zhengzhou we caught at 12:30pm train bound for Guilin, a 22 hour journey. Having learned our lesson from the terrible hard-seat experience that Zack described in our last blog entry, we purchased the luxurious SOFT sleeper for 500 RMB (73 USD). The soft sleeper on the train consists of a private room with 2 bunk beds. We lucked out and got a whole room to ourselves, so we were able to lock the door at night and sleep soundly.
When we arrived in Guilin, we immediately hopped on a bus to reach our current location, Yangshuo, which is about 65km from Guilin. Yangshuo, which sits on the Li River and is surrounded by mountains, is a backpacker's paradise. The limestone mountain peaks surrounding town are so beautiful that they look fake. On our first full day, we rented bikes and went on an amazing ride through the mountains. Today we floated down the Li River for over 2 hours on a bamboo raft, soaking in the beauty. Words can't do this place justice. We'll post pictures as soon as possible.
written by  zachel on March 19, 2009 from Yangshuo, China

"Yangshuo is Paradise"
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

Bustling Hanoi
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

Hanoi Value Menu
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

Sapa
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)
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!
written by  zachel on March 31, 2009 from Lao Cai, Vietnam

Hue
Hue, Vietnam
We have a lot of updating to do on the blog tonight. This was the first time that we have been on a computer in the last week or so that has been even capable of updating a blog....It seems that the farther south we travel in Nam' the worse the internet connections get.
Hue was what you would call uneventful. It had a particular charm to it. It was a laid back city, outside of the touts harassing us, but all in all it was a place to skip over.
After a grueling 14 hour bus ride from Hanoi to Hue we shleped off the bus into the early morning air only to be surrounded by some crazy "businessmen" looking to corral us into their hotels. These people were some of the most desperate, insane, people we had come across. They wouldn't take "no, thank you" for an answer. After trying to avoid them unsuccessfully, we ducked into a hotel and settled in.
Hue is touted as a tourist attraction for their citadel, which is an enclosure around an emperor's palace. The city also boasts Vietnam's largest flag. The palace was occupied by royalty through the 1950's, but is nonetheless in disrepair. After visiting so many incredible temples on this trip like the Forbidden City, Hue's Forbidden Purple City was underwhelming. The highlight could have been the renovated tennis court that the emperor used during his tenure at the palace. Why the curators rebuilt the tennis court rather than focusing on the palace which is in disrepair confused me and Rachel.
Hungry after a long trip we found an Indian restaurant for our next meal and liked it so much that we ate there for both lunch and dinner. Mmmm vegetable curry.
After a rest we went down to the riverfront to see what nightlife Hue had to offer. We both agreed that the vibe at night along the riverfront was the highlight of our day in Hue. A bridge that connected the two parts of the city was lit brightly with an ever-changing array of colors. Lots of the city's locals were seen drinking beers and sipping fruit shakes by the river. On to Hoi An!
written by  zachel on April 4, 2009 from Hue, Vietnam

Hoi An
Hoi An, Vietnam
After our day in Hue, we took a 6 hour bus ride south to a quiet little city called Hoi An.
In Hanoi, for the bargain price of 48 dollars, we each purchased what's called an open bus ticket to Saigon with four stops along the way-- Hue, Hoi An, Nha-Trang, and Dalat. With an open ticket you can get off the bus at any of these cities and stay for as long as you'd like. When you want to continue on, you just call the local office a day ahead of time to confirm. These buses are supposed to be more luxurious than public transportation. Supposed to be. From Hanoi to Hue can only be described as a ride from hell. This was a 14 hour overnight journey on an old smelly sleeper bus--a bus with beds, not chairs. We were crammed into the very back with 3 other people. First the air conditioning was freezing but then it became terribly hot. The driver seemed to have a death wish, passing in the oncoming traffic lane, swirving, and honking needlessly. Needless to say, we were both pretty pleased when we saw the prestine condition of the next bus we got on to take us from Hue to Hoi An. It was new and clean and the air conditioning worked properly. Hurray!
Hoi An is a little town only 5km from the beach. The downtown is built up around a little river and its narrow cobble stone streets are decked with cute little shops. Hoi An is famous for two things-- custom tailored clothing and local food. We delighted in both of these luxuries. I had a pair of linen pants and shorts made and Zack had a pair of pants and a button up shirt made. We picked out the design, color, material, and had our bodies measured around noon. Our clothes were ready to pick up at 6pm. We hit the town in our new clothes to taste the food. The fried wanton dish was delicious! (Sorry, Duke, I know you are sick of us writing about how delicious the food is in every entry). We are also really enjoying all the fruity shakes. I love mango!
Tragedy struck our next day in Hoi An. We planned a day trip 50km west to the My Son (pronounced Mee Sun) temple ruins. A minivan picked us up at our hotel at 8am and then stopped to pick up about 8 other tourists. Before leaving town, we pulled up next to a large bus filled with tourists. A man came off the bus over to our van and introduced himself as our tour guide. Those of us in the minivan would rendevous with the rest of the people on the bus at the My Son ruins. Immediately, the bus took off speeding ahead of us. As we drove down the two lane back country road, we were both engrossed in our books. Since being in China, we'd grown used to the crazy traffic. Tons of motorbikes, bicycles, and a handful of cars and buses fill the streets in a crazy dance of death, buses passing in the oncoming lane of traffic. We were bound to see the scene of an accident at some point. This was the day. As our van slowed, I looked up from my book and gasped to see that the bus with our guide and fellow tourists had stopped after hitting a woman on a motorbike. She was sprawled out in the middle of the rode, arms and legs in awkward postions, dead. It was a terrible sight. There were two kids in the van with us, about 12 or 13 years old. Our minivan stopped and the driver got out and went over to the accident to see if there was anything he could do. It was too late. Two women were dead and another person was taken to the hospital. This definitely put a damper on the day, but we still saw the ruins. The ruins, though built by the same civilization as Cambodia's Angkor Wat, were not overly impressive. Sadly, a chunk of them were destroyed in a bombing during the Vietnam War. Forgoing the roads, we took a leisurely boat ride down a river back to Hoi An.
Our last day in Hoi An we rented bicycles and rode to the beach. It was much nicer than either of us had imagined. We layed on some benches and sipped some drinks before heading back to town to catch our next to Nha Trang.
Rachel
written by  zachel on April 5, 2009 from Hoi An, Vietnam

Day at the Beach
Nha Trang, Vietnam
We arrived at after a pretty uneventful bus ride in Nha-Trang. We did have to tell a 13 year old salesperson no less than 24 times (I counted) to leave us alone. When we woke up on our sleeper bus we saw the sun rising over the sea in Nha-Trang. Fortunately, there were alot of decent budget hotels (our hotel boasted a 1 star rating) just down the street from where our bus dropped us off. We settled in and after breakfast got an early start at the beach.
The setting was beautiful besides a vinpearl sign in the island across from the beach, ala Hollywood. The waves were heavy duty. We managed to wade out of harms way and enjoyed the beach for about an hour before the morning showers started.
After the rain we came back to the beach to soak up some more sun. The beach was filled with you guessed it, vendors. Women in masks and long sleeved clothing served up everything from massages to sTrange vietnamese chips packed with msg. A family happened to be next to us that ate up everything that these people were selling. The woman bought chips, bracelets, massages, you name it. After we had enough swimming we got back on shore to find no less than 4 vendors hovering around their chairs and umbrellas. It was Christmas time for the hawkers.
All in all the beach was a lot of fun. We needed to relax after the 12 hour bus ride. We headed off to lunch to find a tex-mex restaurant lonely planet recommended only to be thwarted by an inaccurate map. After we ate, we ended up taking a long nap and awoke to find it pitch black outside.
We stumbled off to find a micro-brewery that was recommended. The beer was the best we've had since coming to Asia. This place had their stuff together. Both the red ale and the Belgium wit-bier were top notch.
Those are the highlights of our day in Nha-Trang. Keep reading to hear our Dalat experience. Parents be warned.....
written by  zachel on April 9, 2009 from Nha Trang, Vietnam

16 km hike
Da Lat, Vietnam
Swinging bridge, sagging to one side
Again our bus ride was a bit of an adventure. When we got to the bus stop at the Hahn Cafe in Nha Trang, we were told that the bus was delayed because of a problem with the clutch. A fellow passenger with car experience told us that they were really having problems with the brakes after monitoring their work. Not what you want to hear when the bus is heading into the mountain highlands. The ride went off without a hitch besides there being no air-conditioning for the 7 hour journey.
We took it easy that night and ended up booking a 16 km trek with a local travel company for Sunday. The next day we decided to rent a motorbike and cruise the surroundings.
Da lat is situated in the mountains in the southwest part of the country. The French used the city for a vacation get-away up until their departure in the early 60's. The result was the towns architecture is filled with chalets. The area is beautiful, reminiscent of the Appalachian mountains. Best of all, the temperature hovers between 15-24 degrees celsius all year round, so no one needs air conditioning.
After we got the motobike, we started to cruise around and went into a local tourist trap called the Camly waterfalls. This place was so terrible it was great. It had weird statues of elephants and one of a man making love to a tiger. When we got to the bottom of the "waterfall," we came across a man selling 3 shots with a bow and arrow. I couldn't resist. There was even a prize if you hit the bullseye all three times. Unfortunately, I failed to win the grand prize; a sketchy looking bottle of Da lat's own strawberry wine that no one in thier right mind would even consider drinking. After Rachel and I both tried our luck, the man talked us into playing a game involving a freaky clown mask and a pole. The idea was to put on the mask, making you unable to see and then walking about 15 ft. to try to hit an in-ground pole with a stick. The guide said Rachel came closer to hitting it but I disagree. Plus, she cheated by counting out the paces it took to reach the pole without her mask on. Cheater!
Then we went looking for this architectual wonder called the crazy house, but instead found a cemetery overlooking a valley. The cemetery was the most interesting one either of us had ever seen. Vietnamese have an unusual superstition of washing the family member's skeleton 3 years after the person has been buried. According to our guide from Halong Bay, it's best for the family members to do this morbid act but they sometimes hire people to complete the task for them. Since they have to wash the bones, the Vietnamese bury the persons body in an above-ground tomb. Another interesting thing about the cemetary was that both Christians and Buddhists are buried beside each other, so you see both the Buddhist and Christian symbols intermingled in the cemetery.
Next, we went in search of a cable car that traversed 2.3 km over a mountain. I was a bit scared so Rachel tormented me the entire time. We were able to see all of Da Lat from the scenic point.
Today, it was time for the hike that we signed up for the first day we arrived. Our day started by being awakened by a rooster that is lodging right outside of our hotel. The last two days we've been awoken close to 5:30 in the morning with a cock-a-doodle-doo.
An suv picked us up and drove us to a pine forest outside of the city with our two guides. They were both quite friendly though their English wasn't the greatest.
We embarked on the trek at 9 am. The trek led us through coffee plantations and over two suspension bridges that crossed over a muddy river. When we got to the second bridge we found that it was broken. One side of this treachorous looking bridge was hanging down towards the river. We only had two options, to turn back or cross it. We chose the latter. While I was walking across this bridge you would see in an Indiana Jones movie, one of the planks broke. I deftly scrambled to the next plank before I could plunge into the river 20 ft. below.
The next part led us up a big hill overlooking the valley. Before we reached the top, we noticed that smoke was nearby. Our guide told us that locals start forest fires just for fun and that's all it was. Another custom in the forest was for locals to burn and scar the trees so they can extract the sap from them for glue, make-up, and gunpowder. It was sad to see that a good portion of the trees in the forest had been burned at their trunks.
Right after the we passed the fire, we saw a local carrying an object strangely behind his back. As we passed we saw that it was an AK-47. Just up the way his friend was coming along with a machete. The guide told us that they were illegaly poaching animals in the forest. Great, now all we had to be worried about were poachers mistaking us for the wildlife. It didn't help that Rachel was wearing her deer antlers.
Just up the way the guides layed out our lunch. All of my favorites were spread out on the tarp for us, peanut butter, bananas, tomatoes, and cucumbers. It was really interesting talking to the guides. One of them was an English major in college and had a fair grasp of the language. This was the first chance we had to really dig for information from a fairly reliable source. He opened up a little bit about politics and Vietnamese history. After we had our fill, we kept along the path and kept on trekking.
This led to more amazing views and coffee plantations. After some more uphill hiking, we found ourselves in a small minority village where about 100 villagers resided according to our guide. We didn't see many of them though. They must of been out poaching for wildlife. We were pretty tired by this time and kept pushing on to the end of the journey.
We are now resting in an internet cafe down the street from our hotel. There are torrential downpours outside so who knows how long we're going to be pent up here. One things for sure, we'll be waking up early tomorrow. Happy Easter.
written by  zachel on April 10, 2009 from Da Lat, Vietnam

Sweet Saigon
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Cao Dai Temple northwest of Saigon
After the relatively mountain cool weather in Da Lat and pretty laid back atmosphere, Saigon felt quite hot and bustling. They don't lie about the motorbike traffic. The trick is that no one drives terribly fast, so it's really not as dangerous as it might look. Zack would still have to hold my hand as we crossed the busy side streets in the backpacker district, full of a bunch of hotels and restaurants. When we first arrived in Saigon, we were tired from the long bus ride and just wanted to find a room to stay at. We were surprised to discover that the hotels generally had higher prices than Hanoi. We were also surprised that so many of the hotels didn't have any vacancies. We finally settled on a rather dumpy looking place for 10 dollars, telling ourselves that it was only for one night. It was a place that just felt dirty and I didn't want to take a shower there. At 9pm, we lost electricity, but luckily Zack found his flashlight and we made our way out of our room, down three flights of stairs to the street. No other building on the street had lost power. Their was a disgruntled guest, a man of about 40, grumbling "This happened last night! They said there would be power and then this again!" We agreed with the man up to the point where he said "And there's a mosquito in my room and this hotel did NOTHING!" Hmm, so the hotel was supposed to go into this guy's room and catch one mosquito?
The next morning we promptly checked out and moved into a lovely little hotel down a quiet street, strategically positioned next to several vegetarian restaurants (Zack loves fake meat) and a Mexican restaurant. We walked the street and visited the Reunification Palace, the palace that would have been the "White House" Presidential house had the south Vietnamese won the war. We got a thorough tour from an "English speaking guide" (She had a script memorized, but could not answer simple additional questions). We saw the banquet halls, bedrooms, a movie theater, the kitchen, and even the bomb shelter where the president's drab bedroom was located. A 19 year old Vietnamese girl came up to me and asked to practice her English. She looked like she was 14. Women tend to look really young here. We walked back to our hotel from the palace, and discovered that Saigon has some lovely parks with big old trees. Propaganda billboards are also abundant.
We booked a tour for 7 dollars through our hotel to see the Cu Chi tunnels, used by the Viet Cong, early the next morning. The tour was to leave at 7am and return around 2pm. After the tunnels, we were going to visit the War Museum in Saigon. Unfortunately, there was a mix up and we ended up on the WRONG tour in the morning. This tour visited not only the Cu Chi tunnels, but first a Cao Dai "church/temple/mosque," a weird fusion of religions. Somehow this strange religion has 2 million followers. The outside of their church is decorated with what looks like the pyramid eye from the back of a one dollar US bill. Victor Hugo is considered one of the three main saints of this religion. Very strange. The church service, which we observed 30 minutes of, was followed by another long bus ride, lunch, and another long bus ride. We were relieved when we finally arrived at the Cu Chi tunnels.
After buying an entrance ticket for about 5 dollars a person, we were shuffled into a covered wooden pavilion to watch a vide before seeing the tunnels. They had us watch an "educational" video. The television screen was completely too small for an audience of 50 people, so it was a bit difficult to see, but it was quite easy to hear, "The Americans, from thousands of miles away, came and stuck their foot in here....This young girl received an honor for killing 3 Americans..." I'm not a big fan of America, but this was a bit uncomfortable. After the video, we were shuffled along past down a path in the woods. We stopped an looked at life sized models of the Viet Cong, sitting in their hammocks, scarf around their neck. Our tour guide revealed a hidden door entrance to a tunnel buried beneath a pile of leaves, invisible. We saw fantastically elaborate booby traps, designed to kill the enemy, America. We passed US tank, severely damaged from having gone over a bomb. Five Americans were gunned down as they exited the flaming vehicle. Some tourists then proceeded to climb onto the tank for smiling pictures. It was all a big circus. Next, we were paraded to an area where for a little over a dollar tourists can choose from a variety of guns, machine guns and AK47s included, to go shoot. Zack and I doubted the safety of these things, so we stood a safe distance away from the booming sound of gun fire. Finally, it was time for us to crawl down into the portion of the Cu Chi tunnel that our tour guide referred to as "king sized." About 100 meters had been doubled in size to accommodate the growing throngs of tourists. We went down into the tunnel. Zack had to crawl on hands and knees, but I was able to crouch. 30 meters were enough for us. It was terribly claustrophobic!
Next day, we went to the Vietnamese History Museum which is located next to the botanical garden and zoo. As soon as we got into the museum, torrential rain began to beat down from the sky. The storm was so bad that the museum shut down the power, so there was no light to see the exhibit! The museum houses a pretty creepy looking mummy of a woman, hair still attached. Next we check out the botanical gardens and zoo, which turned out to be pretty sad.
The following morning we set out through Vietnam's famed travel bus company, the Sinh Cafe, toward the mighty Mekong river delta. Here we spent a day going around on a boat. We stayed a night close to the border and then set out on our boat ride over the Vietnamese border into Cambodia.
Rachel
written by  zachel on April 14, 2009 from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Sunset in Phnom Penh
Phnom Penh, Cambodia
I guess we've been in Cambodia for a week now. We spent the first night and two following days, exploring the ""pearl of Asia" as the city was known before the Khmer Rouge revolution that started on April 17, 1975. We actually missed this horrifying anniversary by only one day arriving on the 18th.
The first night that we got to the city we tried to check out the Riverfront and around the Royal Palace area. We were famished after the river trek, so we ate a pizza, then had a drink at the foreign corresspondents club, tragically immortalized in the movie the Killing Fields.
The next morning we wanted to switch to a hotel closer to the city center. The place our tuk-tuk driver recommended, the Her Royal Highness hotel, was a bit dodgy,but was nice because of the short distance to the Royal Palace.
After we got settled, we took off in the morning to find a city without basic sanitation services. Trash was littered everywhere and worst of all, composting on the sidewalks. At first we weren't that impressed, but once we reached the Royal Palace we couldn't get over how majestic the palace was. Best of all, there were huge cumulonimbus clouds over the palace, making it look like a piece from the game, Candyland.
Unfortunately, the palace takes a ciesta from 11:30-2 so we just missed going into the Royal palace. We got something to eat and went to an internet cafe down the street to pass the time.
Traditional Khmer architecture differentiates itself from other Southeast Asian architecture with ornate spires and a unique decoration that looks like a stick and juts from the corners of the buildings. The weather started clouding up but the weather held. There were stone monuments were almost as impressive as the palace itself.
2nd Day
The 2nd day took a turn for the worse since any part of a trip to Phnom Penh now makes a stop to the Killing Fields and S-21, a prison that could be compared to Auschwitz in the amount of mass killings that happened at the prison.
We made it to the Killing Fields which was a couple of km out of town. We ended up getting an English speaking guide to show us around. The first sight, is a monument with a glass area to show skulls of victims killed on the site. Next, we walked around the mass graves and were shown sugar cane plants that the Khmer Rouge used to decapitate their victims.
S-21 prison, was similarly gruesome. It was originally used as a high-school. The classrooms were converted into prison cells. The Khmer Rouge would execute prisoners, simply to make room for the new ones. Part of the museum was dedicated to first hand experiences told by Cambodians. Here people talked about reasons they joined the Khmer Rouge. It was interesting to read that some Cambodians didn't feel that the individual soldiers should be punished for the genocide.
Right now a trial is taken place to punish as many as 5 former Khmer Rouge low level leaders are being judged. We didn't really talk to anyone about the killings. I got the feeling that they wanted to move on from the past. We both tried broaching the subject with our tour guide at the Killing Fields but he seemed aloof and did not want to go into details. It could have been that his English was not very advanced.
The next day we took off and went to Sihoukville on the Southern Coast of Thailand. More to come.
written by  zachel on April 18, 2009 from Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Sihanokville, reunion with Sean and Kia
Sihanokville, Cambodia
A big gecko visited our bungalow
Sihanokville, view from our bungalow
We made it on a bus from Phnom Penh to Sihoukville and found Sean and Kia! Zack and I are staying in an awesome beach bungalow. It has a little private front porch with two chairs, a table, and a hammock! It's fun seeing old friends from Korea here at the beach in Cambodia. We went and had lunch together then went swimming for about an hour.
Sean is building partnerships with orphanages. The idea is for TEFL International teachers in training to do their volunteer work at orphanages. The problem is with the orphanages. A lot of them aren't hurting for money and already have paid teachers. When volunteers come in, they fire the paid teachers and someone loses a job. So, Sean is really trying to avoid that. He's going and checking out the places.
We loved being beach bums here for a few days!
written by  zachel on April 22, 2009 from Sihanokville, Cambodia

The Temples of Angkor
Siem Reap, Cambodia
Angkor Thom
This part of the trip was really indescribable for me. Rachel has been talking up Angkor Wat since we have been planning this trip and it did not disappoint.
Most of the temples were constructed at least 600 years ago by various Angkor Kings. Much like the Egyptian Pharoahs, the kings would try to best other past kings temples to prove that they were the most exemplary. Jayvarman VII is most respected in Khmer culture since he is responsible for some of the finest works including Bayon. Unfortunately, this expansion is thought to be the downfall of the civilization due to the manpower and resources that the building of the temples demanded.
The whole place had a majical feel to it. We were lucky to get a nice couple of days to see the temples. We hired a tuk-tuk driver at the bus station where we were dropped off. We ended up keeping him for the full 3 days. He kept trying to sell us stuff but he was cool, except that the tuk-tuk got 2 flat tires in 3 days while we were arriving first at Bayon and then at Angkor Wat.
This was one of the most mind-blowing structures that have to be seen to be believed. The hours and mastery of art was amazing. We'll try to post some pictures soon.
written by  zachel on April 25, 2009 from Siem Reap, Cambodia

Bangkok
Bangkok, Thailand
There is a lot of bad press out about Bangkok being a seedy town and it is, especially around the foreigner areas, but overall I thought it was more scenic than expected.
After arriving by a combination of taxi and train from Siem Reap we had a taxi take us to Kao San road (not sure if I spelled it right) and got a hotel.
We ended up getting some mediocre Thai food at a tourist restaurant on the strip and then turned in to watch some bad movies on our tv.
In the morning we headed out to the central post office to mail some souvenirs and gifts back home. We decided to take a river taxi since it was close by the river. This was the way to go, we ended up seeing alot of great Buddhist sites from the river.
For lunch we ate at a place recommended by Lonely Planet since it was closeby the post office at Naaz restaurant which had some decent Indian food.
We wanted to back to the area of our Hotel by the river since it was so scenic. We stopped off at the Royal Palace complex and went to a Buddhist temple called Wat Pho. Here was the most massive indoor Buddha I have seen in over a year in Asia. It was a reclining Buddha that was close to 30 ft high and probably over 50 yards in length. Rachel took a couple of great pictures.
There was a time crunch and it didn't look like we were going to have time to go to the Royal Palace or the museum before they closed down for the day. Were going to be headed back to Bangkok at the end of the trip so we'll have more time to explore then. We booked a cheap flight through Air Asia for a total of $80 for the 2 of us to get to Chang Mai. The next day we woke up and got ready to depart. We're here in Chang Mai now and are really enjoying it.
written by  zachel on May 1, 2009 from Bangkok, Thailand

Chiang Mai
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Since coming to Asia I've been reading and hearing about how amazing Chiang Mai is and I'm relieved to say that this city mostly lives up to the hype. After taking the first flight of our trip from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, we arrived in the midst of the bustling weekly Sunday handicraft market. We checked into a cute guest house with a garden in an inner courtyard. It was a lot cuter until we discovered we we had company in our room-- a giant cockroach on the wall to the side of our bed! Fortunately for me, Zack was brave and captured the critter in a pizza box and took it away.
Our time in Chiang Mai was spent walking around town, eating delicious Thai food, and riding bikes. We were both surprised to find that Chiang Mai was not very bike friendly. To add to the confusion, Thais drive on the left side of the road. It was all worth it as we discovered a handful of ancient, ornately decorated Wats and temples throughout the city.
The highlight of Chiang Mai to me was the private vegetarian cooking class we took. Zack and I arrived at 9am to the restaurant. Our teacher was a kind, talkative young Thai woman with excellent English. First we learned how to roast sesame seeds and cashews in a wok. After that we took a trip to the local produce market to buy the food that we would later cook. We learned a lot about Thai veggies, including Thai eggplant, which is green and circular. We learned that no Thai dish is complete without chili peppers. When we came back to the kitchen we learned the proper way to chop Thai veggies. Next, it was time for a marathon cooking session where we learned how to make TEN different dishes. It was intense, but well worth it. Zack and I each had our own burner with a wok and it was a fun competition to see who could remember what to do and who could make the better dish. Usually, the teacher had us make different variations of the same dish (for example, adding coconut milk to one soup but not the other). By 1:00 we had finished and it was time to feast. There was wayyyyy too much to eat, so we had the food bagged up, literally.
written by  zachel on May 3, 2009 from Chiang Mai, Thailand

Beautiful land, beautiful people
Luang Prabang, Laos
The pictures really speak for themselves in Luang Prabang. After being in Asia for over a year alot of the temples blend together. Luang Prabang in Laos will re-invigorate the spirit to go temple diving.
Before I delve into our time in Luang Prabang, half of the adventure was getting there. From Chang Mai we took a two day boat trip along the Mekong Delta sauntering on a tourist boat throughout lush green valleys with subtle hills on either side of the river.
Once we reached the town we were exhausted and in need of some decent shelter. We found a place on the main drag. The whole town is quaint and charming. Best of all, the town is home to thousands of Monks that live in the wats. Many of the townspeople of Luang Prabang are devout Buddhists and wake up before sunrise to give Alms to the Monks. They give food, drink and flowers to the monks. The monks have to eat the most food in the morning since they are not allowed to eat after noon.
There are two highlights in Luang Prabang that were must sees. One morning we were there we went to a temple overlooking the city. We were lucky that we took the opposite way to reach the top of the temples. One thing that was kind of funny was that the statues were spray painted we guess because of lack of funds.
We kept hearing about a gorgeous waterfall about 45 minutes out of the city. They turned out to be some of the most beautiful waterfalls you could ever hope to see. The water was crystal clear since the basin of the falls was limestone. We hiked to the top of the small mountain and basked in the pools of water overlooking a stunning valley. Another great part of the day turned out to be visiting a bear sanctuary that was at the base of the waterfalls. The bears are taken from poachers looking to extract their stomach bile for medicinal purposes. Now there is no need for this because of advances in medicine. The bear fund tries to educate local people to try to eliminate the poaching of the bears on the black market.
When we left Luang Prabang, we hired a driver whose truck broke down on the way to the airport. We had to walk the rest of the way to the airport. We knew it wasn't a good situation since I had to pust the truck to even get it started.
written by  zachel on May 9, 2009 from Luang Prabang, Laos

The beach life.
Ko Phi Phi, Thailand
Here we are in beautiful Ko Phi Phi. We've inadvertently arrived in the midst of raining season, but fortunately we only had one rainy day. We're staying in a bungalow tucked into the jungle by the beach. A cat, who we named Boots, has been frequenting our porch, begging for food. Yesterday we went island hopping and snorkeling. It's unreal! We made friends with a British girl named Ellie who's traveling solo. I never want to leave!
written by  zachel on May 16, 2009 from Ko Phi Phi, Thailand

Relaxing in Railay
Tonsai, Thailand
I can't believe that we didn't write about Railay. We just didn't have anytime since we stayed their for eight days lounging around the pool and eating at our restaurant, and watching movies on HBO. Railay was the closest thing we did that would be considered a normal vacation. The atmosphere here is great. It's not really an island but a peninsula that you can only reach by boat. It might as well be an island. Were close to the island where James Bond filmed Man with the Golden Gun. We ended up meeting some real characters while on Railay. Our new friend Peter who was an enigma in Thailand. He was an American living off the generosity of the Thai people. Not having any money left, he stayed in the bungalow's for free drank for free. Supposedly he had some sort of arrangement with the owners that he would pay them at a date......tbd. One night we had left some pineapple juice outside which he proceeded to drink and slept on our porch.
The highlights of Railay almost a year later was the snorkeling expedition we went on with a family visiting Thailand. Ever since snorkeling on Ko Phi Phi a week earlier I wanted to try again. We saw a lot of nemo looking fish on our slightly underwater adventure. During the trip we went a couple that biked from Austria to Thailand. They were then leaving the next day to go from Alaska to the tip of Argentina. I think I remember them saying it took 6 months just to get through China alone.
Another great day on Railay included a hike we took up the side of a rocky hill. I think we both wore sandals and the hike turned treacherous when we tried to reach the lagoon on the other side. We smartly decided our lives were not worth the risk of us busting our heads open on the rocks at the top of a cliff. We made it down safely and went to another part of a beach that we hadn't seen yet before. It was beautiful and it lacked any commercial businesses and the hustle that the other beaches proliferated. We would definately come back to Railay if we had the chance.
written by  zachel on May 20, 2009 from Tonsai, Thailand

Ko Phangan
Ko Phangan, Thailand
This is another island that people rave about when talking about Thailand. It's famous for hosting the full moon party and being an island where anything goes. As we've found It came at a price. Let's just say police corruption run's rampant on the island (and in Thailand in general) It's a perfectly safe place to visit. We found the bargain of the century our third night on the island nabbing a bungelow for around $15 a night right on the ocean. The pool at the resort was one of the best parts. It looked like the pool of a palatial estate.
One of the days on the island we rented a motorbike and cruised around. We had a nice time until a car tried to pull out in front of us and I tapped the brakes aware that we were in gravel and even though I only nudged the brakes the bike fell. Luckily it was only going about 5 mph. I jumped off the bike before it fell and tried to prop it up. Rachel was not so lucky. The bike fell on her, thankfully the only damage was a small scratch on her leg. The bike had some minor cosmetic damage that we were told by a westerner that witnessed the scene was going to cost 100's of dollars. A new acquaintance told us that our best bet would be taking the bike to a honda shop and try to switch out the parts. We did this the next day and paid about $15 dollars that would have cost us at least a hundred at the shop. Still we ended up paying the shop about $90. Which was a rip-off but what can you do when they have your passport.
The night before we left the island we had an amazing meal at a restaurant we decided to check out. It wasn't thai food but they had an incredible eggplant tapas, with garlic bread and real fried potato wedges. Definately, the best meal on the island we had.
We booked a flight on air asia from Surat Thani to Bangkok. I remember getting a tuk-tuk after the bus dropped us off in the town and then the guy trying to drop us off on the side of the road because he didn't charge us enough money, what an asshole. So, we yelled at him and made him take us to the airport then caught our flight that took us to Bangkok.
Hank, our porch cat
What you get for 15 bucks a night
written by  zachel on May 28, 2009 from Ko Phangan, Thailand

Bangkok Round 2
Bangkok, Thailand
Isaac and Carina, our gracious hosts
This was our second trip to Bangkok. Our friends Carina and Isaac had just moved to the city to attend school and we decided to stay with them for a few days before we headed back to the states. We had a great time and it was a fun sendoff. We did all the things that we never got around to doing the first time we were here. We made it to the Royal Palace, went to Wat Ureum. Went back to Mai Kaidee's this time just off Khao San road. The best part of the trip was being immersed in the culture around Carina and Isaac's apartment. For a reasonable price they found a place in a decent neighborhood equipped with fruit markets, mechanic shops and I even saw a sweat shop. It was all pretty developed though and retained a lot of culture.
I thought our last day was the most exciting. We found a cabbie that seemed nice but decided to take us on a joyride. We noticed this as we were crossing the bridge for a second time. He jipped us out of the equivalent of 1 dollar. No big deal. It turned out to be great though. We walked around and kind of ran into an off the map temple that was unreal. It had rock face surrounded by a moat with giant goldfish and an ancient turtle. After this great find we trekked mostly, to Wat Arum which overlooked the river, I forgot the name where we got some great views. Really a great way to end the trip.
Oh yeah, we also found the Chinatown in Bangkok to be really engaging. Lot's of great food little knick knacks for sale. It was bittersweet leaving after over 3 months on the road. We still had a New York City adventure awaiting for us.
written by  zachel on June 3, 2009 from Bangkok, Thailand

Return to the Motherland
New York, United States
Coming home to New York City was bittersweet for both of us. Since I had never even been out of the country before February 2008 I was a little anxious to get back home after so long to visit family and see Phish in all honesty. It was nice to be back in NYC. Rachel's brother Matt lives in Manhattan so we stayed with him at the time. He took us to alot of the hot spots in the city. We went to one of the cities best pizza joints the first night we were there. Griminaldi's. Real New York City pie is famous for being big slices and for it's fresh mozzarella used on the pizza. It was really good. The next day we met up with our friend Duke from S.K. and first ate pizza again at Lombardi's, then went to Brooklyn and checked out his almamatar, Pratt University. It's a famous art college where the likes of Robert Redford and other's all graduated. Debbie Does Dallas was filmed here (illegally). As expected the area was decked out with art installations.
Our purpose in Brooklyn that day was to see a free David Byrne concert in Prospect Park, Brooklyn. I'd seen David Byrne of Talking Heads fame once before and remember being a fantastic concert. We were really impressed with Brooklyn. It was a surreal day, people hanging out having a good time in the park. I think both Rachel and I wouldn't mind settling down in Brooklyn one of these days. The concert was cool. His performance wasn't quite as good as the previous time I saw him but it was still incredible. The band revisited Talking Heads classics, Crosseyed and Painless, Life During Wartime, among others. It was just an awesome experience.
All three of us stayed at a hotel in Manhattan that night in Times Square. We got slices of pizza at a 24 hour pizza shop. We decided to check out the Metropolitan Museum of Art to look at an exhibit by Francis Bacon. Bacon's paintings were haunting. We looked at the exhibit with two of Duke's friends. The paintings were visceral that's for sure. I had never been to the museum and was captivated by the historical paintings ranging from Van Gogh, Monet, Chagall. The museum was fantastic but it didn't stack up to the Chicago Museum of Art, nothing does. :)
Our trip was coming to an end. We ate at a great burger joint in Manhattan and then spent the rest of the night with Matt and his girlfriend. Our time in New York City was over and Rachel and I had to say goodbye for a month. All in all it was an amazing trip.
written by  zachel on June 7, 2009 from New York, United States

Isaac and Carina, our gracious hosts

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

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

Fruit vendor

Market

Hoan Kiem Lake

Flower vendor

Thick power lines all over

We stumbled upon this pagoda when out for a walk

Preparing for a cock fight

The Temple of Literature

Cao Dai Temple northwest of Saigon

View of Yangshuo from the balcony of our first hotel room

Bike ride view

Zack getting heckled... "Buy post cards! Very cheap!"

Hot air balloon

The bamboo ride. The boat had a motor. This poor woman didn't push us the whole way)

Out the bus window on the way to bamboo boat ride trip

Relaxing at night

Hank, our porch cat

What you get for 15 bucks a night

Swinging bridge, sagging to one side

German Architecture, the Catholic Church

Zack's excited face

Qingdao

Tsing Tao Brewery

Qingdao Hostel

It was freezing and he's swimming?!

The beach in March

Sihanokville, view from our bungalow

A big gecko visited our bungalow

Indians near Sapa

Children playing on water buffallo

Indians trying to sell their goods to Zack

Cat Cat Village near Sapa

The carrier, village behind Rose's college

Old college roomies reunited in China

Farmers

Downtown Gongyi's ancient statues

Rose's apartment

Longmen Grottoes

The Pagoda Forest

The bridge

See the path?

Onward ho!

The view

Student practice Kung Fu at Shaolin Si