A few notes from "The City of Angels" (known to non-Thai people as "Bangkok"):
Last night I had a ringside seat at a Muay Thai match (that's Thai kickboxing); literally close enough to be sprayed with the sweat of the boxers. From the starting some clarinet-like instrument begins playing and bongo drums are pounded, creating a heart-pounding atmosphere. The crowd is electrified with excitement, and cheers loudly with each landed blow; louder still for 3 successive hits. I was surprised to see that many of the boxers were only about 12 years old!
I did take some video of the event, but unfortunately I won't be able to upload my videos to the blog until I'm back in Canada.
Tom yum kung (spicy Thai soup) will burn a hole through you like the fires of hell.
There sure are a lot of lady boys here!
My internet time is up!
Ian
Friday, December 19, 2008
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Saigon - Siem Reap - Bangkok
Hello!
I have been waiting for new pictures to make a post, but we have had trouble uploading pictures to the internet. Unfortunately still no pictures today, but I promise the AMAZING sights of Angkor Wat coming soon. Here is what we've done since the last entry:
After leaving Mui Ne in Vietnam we spent a few days in Saigon (which has been renamed Ho Chi Minh City after their famous communist leader). The city was dirty, noisy, and so full of motorcycles that you couldn't see the roads. We spent a few days there anyway because we met up with some other friendly people, but when we left we knew that we wouldn't miss Saigon.
We toured the CaoDai temple one day, which is a very interesting religion based in Vietnam. It is formed from many different religions, believing that all religions are formed of the same origin. Here are some images I pulled off the internet:
This is the temple that we visited.
Inside the temple the image of a single eyeball is everywhere, representing the all-seeing eye of God.
Inside we were able to observe the CaoDai people in prayer. At the back of the temple very atonal music was played and young women sang prayers as rows of these seated people sat quietly in prayer. The different coloured uniforms represent different religions.
Later on the same day we visited the CuChi tunnels, where Vietnamese (or "Viet Kong") guerilla soldiers escaped American bombing. There they had a firing range where one of our friends fired an AK-47 rifle.
I think the CaoDai temple and CuChi tunnels are close together so they were included on a single sightseeing tour, but it was an odd combination.
From Saigon we took a long tiring bus ride (about 14 hours including a few breaks) all the way to Siem Reap, the city closest to the famous Angkor Wat temples. I can't describe it, so you'll have to wait for the pictures.
I was pleasantly surprised to find AMAZING food in Cambodia - spicy coconut soups, curries, pumpkin puddings, and more. In fact, I think we had the BEST food that we've eaten so far on this trip, but sadly we were only in Cambodia for a few days.
Next we hopped another long bus ride to Bangkok. While Cambodia impressed me with its food, it proved to be hopeless in the bus department. We spent hours on a hot, cramped, old school bus with backpacks piled on every extra seat. After our lunch break we drove for about 1 minute before getting having to stop and have a flat tire replaced. The roads were dusty, bumpy, and awful, but at last we made it to the Thai border. Mercifully after passing through customs we were loaded into a spacious, comfortable, air-conditioned van on the Thai side, and transported for several hours more into Bangkok.
Despite what you may have read in the news, there doesn't seem to be any trouble here at the moment. There are many tourists, and people are going about business as usual.
"Business as usual" in Bangkok is a crazy 24-hour circus of intriguing characters. Should make for some fun in the next few days!
Ian
I have been waiting for new pictures to make a post, but we have had trouble uploading pictures to the internet. Unfortunately still no pictures today, but I promise the AMAZING sights of Angkor Wat coming soon. Here is what we've done since the last entry:
After leaving Mui Ne in Vietnam we spent a few days in Saigon (which has been renamed Ho Chi Minh City after their famous communist leader). The city was dirty, noisy, and so full of motorcycles that you couldn't see the roads. We spent a few days there anyway because we met up with some other friendly people, but when we left we knew that we wouldn't miss Saigon.We toured the CaoDai temple one day, which is a very interesting religion based in Vietnam. It is formed from many different religions, believing that all religions are formed of the same origin. Here are some images I pulled off the internet:
This is the temple that we visited.
Inside the temple the image of a single eyeball is everywhere, representing the all-seeing eye of God. 
Inside we were able to observe the CaoDai people in prayer. At the back of the temple very atonal music was played and young women sang prayers as rows of these seated people sat quietly in prayer. The different coloured uniforms represent different religions.Later on the same day we visited the CuChi tunnels, where Vietnamese (or "Viet Kong") guerilla soldiers escaped American bombing. There they had a firing range where one of our friends fired an AK-47 rifle.
I think the CaoDai temple and CuChi tunnels are close together so they were included on a single sightseeing tour, but it was an odd combination.
From Saigon we took a long tiring bus ride (about 14 hours including a few breaks) all the way to Siem Reap, the city closest to the famous Angkor Wat temples. I can't describe it, so you'll have to wait for the pictures.
I was pleasantly surprised to find AMAZING food in Cambodia - spicy coconut soups, curries, pumpkin puddings, and more. In fact, I think we had the BEST food that we've eaten so far on this trip, but sadly we were only in Cambodia for a few days.
Next we hopped another long bus ride to Bangkok. While Cambodia impressed me with its food, it proved to be hopeless in the bus department. We spent hours on a hot, cramped, old school bus with backpacks piled on every extra seat. After our lunch break we drove for about 1 minute before getting having to stop and have a flat tire replaced. The roads were dusty, bumpy, and awful, but at last we made it to the Thai border. Mercifully after passing through customs we were loaded into a spacious, comfortable, air-conditioned van on the Thai side, and transported for several hours more into Bangkok.
Despite what you may have read in the news, there doesn't seem to be any trouble here at the moment. There are many tourists, and people are going about business as usual.
"Business as usual" in Bangkok is a crazy 24-hour circus of intriguing characters. Should make for some fun in the next few days!
Ian
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Leaving Mui Ne?
It has been about 2 weeks since we came to Mui Ne, Vietnam. Twice we have have booked bus tickets to leave and twice we have canceled them because... why leave? It is beautiful here, the people are friendly, and the food is cheap and great, especially at "The Popular Restaurant".There are two main businesses in this town: fish sauce and surfing sports.
The windsurfing is SO GOOD here that this man came all the way from Holland just to enjoy windsurfing in this spot while his friends back home endure the freezing rain and snow.OH, and a special note for the Japanese readers: Wilco (pictured above) has NEVER heard of CASTELLA! Tara and I were shocked! Castella, the famous Dutch sponge cake of Nagasaki, in fact seems to be a JAPANESE sponge cake. We were SO surprised by this that we had to find other people from the Netherlands and ask them about castella, but in fact NONE OF THEM have EVER heard of castella cake!
The other big attraction in Mui Ne is this emerging desert. One day we hired a jeep and driver to take us to these sand dunes. They made for some fun pictures!
Tara decided to use the wide open spaces to practice ballet.
Of course I prefer soccer to ballet. This little boy was happy to have somebody to play with!
The coast stretches for many kilometres of beautiful beach. It's not very crowded, and as you can see here, windsurfing is very popular.
Or you can sit back and take a nap.
Tara on the balcony of one of the hotels we've stayed at in Mui Ne. The beach is right there behind the palm trees. This hotel is also conveniently located next to our favourite restaurant where a whole grilled fish is 50 000 Vietnamese Dong, or around $3 US. Mmmmm...
At this restaurant you may not always get exactly what you ordered, but the food is so good and cheap that we never care. One night we ordered lemon rum drinks, and thought that they tasted very different than usual. When we asked for the bill:
"4 rum and cokes... 80 000"
"Oh, but we ordered lemon rum... that should be 60 000."
"Yes, but we made rum and coke! 80 000."
I laughed and paid for the rum and cokes.
So, in summary, Mui Ne has been so enjoyable that we've kind of lost track of time. Tara and I have both taken some windsurfing lessons, wee have met a lot of nice people here, and we've been relaxing, enjoying great food, and mostly sunny weather. However, for the past few days the wind has died down, and the sun has been hiding, so it may be time to move on and see what fun the next town holds for us.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
From the Windy Coast
Hello from Mui Ne, Vietnam. We have been moving down the coast of Vietnam at a casual pace, enjoying the different activities and atmospheres of the little towns along the way. In Hoi An we made a visit to a tailor where we had suits and dresses made to our liking. We were able to pick out the design and material ourselves and the products look great for a very reasonable price.
In Nha Trang we got our first real taste of a beach town, and I took up diving as a new hobby. Nha Trang is crowded with backpackers, and there are plenty of restaurants and bars to keep them all satisfied at night. In fact there are so many restaurants competing for the backpacker business that the price of beer during "Happy Hour" went as low as 7000 Vietnamese Dong, or 42 cents (US), and restaurant staff walk around the city handing out flyers and trying to attract your business.
We're now in Mui Ne, a much smaller, quieter, coastal town with one main street... and that's it! In Mui Ne everyone's crazy about windsurfing or kitesurfing. On a good day the sky above the beach looks as though it's filled with a flock of seagulls. Tara and I both took a windsurfing lesson which resulted in some serious sunburns. The first couple hours were spent getting on and off the board, but we were eager to try again this morning. Unfortunately the wind was SO strong today that we opted for sitting by the beach instead - the wind and waves weren't very forgiving of beginners. If the wind is calmer tomorrow we'll have another chance to windsurf before taking the bus to the next stop: Saigon or Ho Chi Minh City as it's now known.
Pictures of tailored suits, scuba gear, and our picturesque spot in Mui Ne coming soon.
Ian
In Nha Trang we got our first real taste of a beach town, and I took up diving as a new hobby. Nha Trang is crowded with backpackers, and there are plenty of restaurants and bars to keep them all satisfied at night. In fact there are so many restaurants competing for the backpacker business that the price of beer during "Happy Hour" went as low as 7000 Vietnamese Dong, or 42 cents (US), and restaurant staff walk around the city handing out flyers and trying to attract your business.
We're now in Mui Ne, a much smaller, quieter, coastal town with one main street... and that's it! In Mui Ne everyone's crazy about windsurfing or kitesurfing. On a good day the sky above the beach looks as though it's filled with a flock of seagulls. Tara and I both took a windsurfing lesson which resulted in some serious sunburns. The first couple hours were spent getting on and off the board, but we were eager to try again this morning. Unfortunately the wind was SO strong today that we opted for sitting by the beach instead - the wind and waves weren't very forgiving of beginners. If the wind is calmer tomorrow we'll have another chance to windsurf before taking the bus to the next stop: Saigon or Ho Chi Minh City as it's now known.
Pictures of tailored suits, scuba gear, and our picturesque spot in Mui Ne coming soon.
Ian
Sunday, November 02, 2008
3 Weeks in Review
2 days on a ship
But that only accounts for 12 days of the past 3 weeks, so let me fill you in on some of the other adventures since we left Japan. As some of you know, our departure was delayed by 1 week. We left Japan via Osaka port on the morning of October 10th.
The good ship Su Zhou Hao was our home for the next 2 nights. For the first day (travelling in between the islands of Japan) the water was very calm, and the ride was enjoyable. Unfortunately the second day was on open waters, and much rougher. Around 80% of the passengers - including Tara!- spent the second day feeling pretty sick.
But at last we arrived in Shanghai, safe and sound! The experience of arriving on a ship is really different than coming into an airport. Instead of flying over the city and landing in a vast, remote, parking lot we entered directly into the heart of Shanghai. In the background here is some of Shanghai's famous architecture.
Our friend Brahm met us at the port, and was infinitely helpful in getting us started in China. He taught us how to catch a taxi, and most importantly to ALWAYS COUNT YOUR MONEY when shopping! It seems that shop keepers in China have a habit of "accidentally" giving you less change than you should get. Anyway, thanks again, Brahm!
This is a view looking down inside one of Shanghai's tallest buildings. There is a LOT of construction ongoing in Shanghai, and bigger and stranger buildings are being built every day.
We spent a few days with Brahm and friends in the Shanghai area, but we weren't so thrilled with Shanghai city and decided to move on to Beijing. The train took 10 hours and cost less than $50. Beijing is packed with things for tourists to do, and we entertained ourselves there for several days. My 3 highlights were definitely: hiking on The Great Wall, eating Peking Duck, and watching an acrobatic performance.
Are we there yet?
Yatta!
Naturally, I kept my cool.
We also spent a day wandering through Tianenman Square and the Forbidden City. These were interesting to see, but they didn't impress us nearly as much as the wall or the acrobats!
Ta-da!
I have some good video footage of the performance which I will try to post on here soon. It will be easier than explaining the tricks they did. For now, take my word that these are some talented people!
From Beijing we caught a train down to Hanoi and we have been here for about 6 days now. Unfortunately it has been raining heavily for the past 2 days, and prior to that I was sick for 2 days (presumably food poisoning), so we haven't really done much here yet. But during the middle two days we visited the beautiful Ha Long Bay area, did some kayaking and enjoyed an afternoon on the beach. We enjoyed the beach so much that on Monday we will head down the coast of Vietnam in search of some sun and sand.
I hope you are all well.
Ian
2 days on a train
2 days sick in bed, and
2 days of rain...
2 days of rain...
But that only accounts for 12 days of the past 3 weeks, so let me fill you in on some of the other adventures since we left Japan. As some of you know, our departure was delayed by 1 week. We left Japan via Osaka port on the morning of October 10th.
The good ship Su Zhou Hao was our home for the next 2 nights. For the first day (travelling in between the islands of Japan) the water was very calm, and the ride was enjoyable. Unfortunately the second day was on open waters, and much rougher. Around 80% of the passengers - including Tara!- spent the second day feeling pretty sick.But at last we arrived in Shanghai, safe and sound! The experience of arriving on a ship is really different than coming into an airport. Instead of flying over the city and landing in a vast, remote, parking lot we entered directly into the heart of Shanghai. In the background here is some of Shanghai's famous architecture.Our friend Brahm met us at the port, and was infinitely helpful in getting us started in China. He taught us how to catch a taxi, and most importantly to ALWAYS COUNT YOUR MONEY when shopping! It seems that shop keepers in China have a habit of "accidentally" giving you less change than you should get. Anyway, thanks again, Brahm!
This is a view looking down inside one of Shanghai's tallest buildings. There is a LOT of construction ongoing in Shanghai, and bigger and stranger buildings are being built every day.We spent a few days with Brahm and friends in the Shanghai area, but we weren't so thrilled with Shanghai city and decided to move on to Beijing. The train took 10 hours and cost less than $50. Beijing is packed with things for tourists to do, and we entertained ourselves there for several days. My 3 highlights were definitely: hiking on The Great Wall, eating Peking Duck, and watching an acrobatic performance.
Are we there yet?Yatta!We hiked for 10 km on an older stretch of the Great Wall. The scenery was breathtaking, as was the hike. I think Tara was a bit scared of the heights in some parts, but she was tough and kept going!
Naturally, I kept my cool.We also spent a day wandering through Tianenman Square and the Forbidden City. These were interesting to see, but they didn't impress us nearly as much as the wall or the acrobats!Ta-da!I have some good video footage of the performance which I will try to post on here soon. It will be easier than explaining the tricks they did. For now, take my word that these are some talented people!
From Beijing we caught a train down to Hanoi and we have been here for about 6 days now. Unfortunately it has been raining heavily for the past 2 days, and prior to that I was sick for 2 days (presumably food poisoning), so we haven't really done much here yet. But during the middle two days we visited the beautiful Ha Long Bay area, did some kayaking and enjoyed an afternoon on the beach. We enjoyed the beach so much that on Monday we will head down the coast of Vietnam in search of some sun and sand.
I hope you are all well.
Ian
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