A little tid bit before I dive in:
Last night I was stuck in an elevator. By myself.
I was going down down down when all of a sudden the elevator dropped and then slammed to a halt.
I waited 2 minutes to see if anything would happen, then pressed the emergency button.
I screamed "Hello?!" ... then nothing... then a minute later, some guys voice (I could barely hear him!) and I had no idea what he had said. Then nothing...
Then a little while later I heard him again "five minutes" was all I heard, then we were cut off again...
Then... DARKNESS! The power was completely shut off. I totally panicked and started yelling
"HELP HELP!" ... waited and waited, then the lights came back on, and, miracle of miracles, the elevator was making its descent!
Elevators = never. again. in. Cambodia.
(unless Stuart is with me and convinces me we'll be fine)
2 days ago:
Wait wait wait. I have to tell you about our horrible night at the cheap hotel.
Stuart and I literally got 10 minutes of sleep all night. and not in a good way.
It was SO hot and the fan was rarrin' and we were sinking into the bed and the pillows were made of burlap sacs and don't even get me started on the bathroom!
but...
It ended up working to our advantage because we had kind of talked about waking up at 4:30 and going to Olympic Stadium to watch the locals get down and funky.
We don't have a clock or an alarm except for the alarm we just realized we have on our iPod (which we don't have speakers for)... and I swear all night I was just waiting for it to go off so we could get up, shower, and leave!
We woke up Daina to come along with us, and I was surprisingly energetic as we briskly walked to the stadium, chattering all the while.
Glad we went.
Hundreds and hundreds of Cambodians were there dancing and doing aerobics.
Did I join them? Absolutely!
Not for very long though... I was getting some 'looks'...
because I was white?
Because I was bad?
Probably a combo of both.
Stu and I packed up our stuff after that and headed back to the Burly Hotel (where we stayed the first night) to assure ourselves that a good night sleep was ahead.
After that we had breakie and went to the Russian Market!
I am so regretting not buying anything there and now it's too late :( We're leaving this morning!
There are cheap DVD's and knock off Hollister and American Eagle. (they're good at knocking off!!)
We went to a church service at the World Vision Building after that (wow, it was nice to go to church after almost 2 months!) Glad James recommended it.
We met a lady there who teaches English at 'Place of Rescue' (where J+J worked) and she could hook us up with a tuk tuk ride and tour there the following day. Aces!
After church we had an AMAZING lunch at the Russian market, came home, and headed right back out to the killing fields.
Genocide at its most brutal.
After we took another trip to some gun place and Stu, Daina, and Kris shot an M-16 (not exactly my cup of tea!)
Our ride home was INTENSE! It was pouring rain... hard, and the tuk tuk driver tried to pull the sides of our carriage down for us, but apparently had quite a time with it and it ended up flying in the wind.
I can't describe it well enough, but it was hilariously miserable and we got some good video footage to show when we get home!
Went out to a smashing restaurant for dinner... thai and chinese, yum yum! Unfortunately, it was also panning out to be our 'farewell meal' with Kris and Daina. They were heading to Siem Reap, we were staying in PP for another day and then heading south.
Rescue
The next morning we woke bright and early and had breakfast in the gas station where we had planned to meet the woman that was hooking us up with a tuk tuk to the Rescue.
Ice coffee with condensed milk proved just the ticket for us to perk up for the journey ahead.
...Actually we slept for most of the ride...
We got a tour of the Place of Rescue (if you don't know what that is, it's where James and Julia worked 3 years ago). It rocks. It was awesome to see the place and the what God's doing here!
The rest of the day was spent relaxing and shmucking around doing a whole lot of nothing and loving every minute!
Will write about Kep, Rabbit Island and Kampot later... right now... too tired...
Monday, June 28, 2010
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Things
Thing number one:
Yesterday we were driving with the Koreans and found ourselves going the wrong way on a one way street and we were stopped by the police.
um, this is scarry, there's a guy outside screaming that he's going to kill someone. like, really screaming...
anyway... yikes.
So, he ended up paying the police some random amount of money (I think the police just make up some amount and make people pay it) and then he continued the wrong way on the one way street. We're living in bizarr-o world.
Thing number two:
When we were coming back from a trip in Vietnam to HaLong Bay, the 'drivers announcer' turned around and said to us "No laugh smiling!!!" Apparently we were being far too joyous.
so... anyway...
about today..
Daina and Kris were both sick and we all ended up waking up pretty late (and by we all, I mean Stuart, Daina, and Kris...) I had already read a big chunk of my book, gave myself a hair cut, showered, and looked up stuff about the Khmer Rouge online...
Daina, Kris, and Stu were really out of it, but I was rarring to go and happy as a clam at high tide! We ended up going to some pizza place for 'breakfast'. Most of the food here in Cambodia is western... or Korean (yum yum!)
After lunch we hit up the supermarket when it suddenly started raining BUCKETS.
Stu and I waited it out in a bookstore reading hilarious books.
The afternoon was spent finding a cheaper guest house (our first night was spent in a nice hotel) and we successfully found a $5 a night, no air con, very decent place (but it's a COOKER!)
The biggest draw is there are two of the most adorable puppies I've ever seen prancing around the semi-outdoor reception area at all times. Even if the place was the worst, I'd be sold!
For the rest of the afternoon we puttered around town and in the evening went to Mama Restaurant for some delicious Cambodian cuisine. some kind of fish.. can't remember what it was called, but it was awesome!
Kris stayed home because he had a high fever, but Daina, Stu and I had a long, great visit talking about all sorts of stuff back home.
Some frenchie told us to "speak more slowly", but he meant quietly and we got offended and left, and that was that!
Tomorrow (as recommended by James) we will be waking at the crack of dawn and going to Olympic Stadium to see what the locals do for morning exercise (apparently it's quite a sight).
Thoughts on Cambodia day 1:
Cambodia totally rocks. Love the energy, love the people, love the tuk tuk's!
ONE THING to note: Cambodia's really expensive! (minus the guesthouse which is the cheapest we've stayed in). The grocery store basically had the same prices we would see back home... it's bizarre!
Another thing: There are a lot of whiteys here! That was a surprise! And it's like, families with little kids... do they live here? Who knows!
There are also a lot of adorable dogs.
Fin.
Yesterday we were driving with the Koreans and found ourselves going the wrong way on a one way street and we were stopped by the police.
um, this is scarry, there's a guy outside screaming that he's going to kill someone. like, really screaming...
anyway... yikes.
So, he ended up paying the police some random amount of money (I think the police just make up some amount and make people pay it) and then he continued the wrong way on the one way street. We're living in bizarr-o world.
Thing number two:
When we were coming back from a trip in Vietnam to HaLong Bay, the 'drivers announcer' turned around and said to us "No laugh smiling!!!" Apparently we were being far too joyous.
so... anyway...
about today..
Daina and Kris were both sick and we all ended up waking up pretty late (and by we all, I mean Stuart, Daina, and Kris...) I had already read a big chunk of my book, gave myself a hair cut, showered, and looked up stuff about the Khmer Rouge online...
Daina, Kris, and Stu were really out of it, but I was rarring to go and happy as a clam at high tide! We ended up going to some pizza place for 'breakfast'. Most of the food here in Cambodia is western... or Korean (yum yum!)
After lunch we hit up the supermarket when it suddenly started raining BUCKETS.
Stu and I waited it out in a bookstore reading hilarious books.
The afternoon was spent finding a cheaper guest house (our first night was spent in a nice hotel) and we successfully found a $5 a night, no air con, very decent place (but it's a COOKER!)
The biggest draw is there are two of the most adorable puppies I've ever seen prancing around the semi-outdoor reception area at all times. Even if the place was the worst, I'd be sold!
For the rest of the afternoon we puttered around town and in the evening went to Mama Restaurant for some delicious Cambodian cuisine. some kind of fish.. can't remember what it was called, but it was awesome!
Kris stayed home because he had a high fever, but Daina, Stu and I had a long, great visit talking about all sorts of stuff back home.
Some frenchie told us to "speak more slowly", but he meant quietly and we got offended and left, and that was that!
Tomorrow (as recommended by James) we will be waking at the crack of dawn and going to Olympic Stadium to see what the locals do for morning exercise (apparently it's quite a sight).
Thoughts on Cambodia day 1:
Cambodia totally rocks. Love the energy, love the people, love the tuk tuk's!
ONE THING to note: Cambodia's really expensive! (minus the guesthouse which is the cheapest we've stayed in). The grocery store basically had the same prices we would see back home... it's bizarre!
Another thing: There are a lot of whiteys here! That was a surprise! And it's like, families with little kids... do they live here? Who knows!
There are also a lot of adorable dogs.
Fin.
Friday, June 25, 2010
Fab, Fab, Sweety Darling!
Our bus to Cambodia was delux.
The man on the bus made everyone pay 25 bucks for their Cambodia Visa's, but we, the seasoned travelers that we are, knew better and saved $10 in total for waiting and doing it (hassle free!) at the Cambodian border.
We met this guy from Korea (south, duh) who's a fifty three year old busines man who just finished doing business in Vietnam and is now in Cambodia on business (Gas is his biz)...
Anyway, his friend (also Korean) who lives in Cambodia picked us all up (we became friends on the bus very quickly) and took us all to this REALLY nice expensive Korean restaurant. It was amazing and we had the best time ever! We had so much food it was INSANE. everytime we finished something he told the waitress to bring more!
And he started talking about the bible and he's just a super nice Christian guy. He said "When you're my age and you have money and means to do something like this for some traveling students, I expect you will do the same." and when we thanked him he said "Don't thank me, thank God!"
It was totally awesome.
His friend drove us to a hotel that's owned by his friend and that's where we're staying now. Paul (the bus Korean) told us to call him tomorrow and he'll take us out to a good restaurant he knows because he says it's lonely to eat by yourself and not fun and if he goes out with his Korean friend, people will think he's gay, or as he would say 'marrrvelous''... hahahaha long story.
I know it may sound fishy, but totally not getting any weird vibes from him and he seems very genuine and nice.
That's pretty much the end of today! We were going to go out to an ATM but it's late and we don't really know where it is, and it's really dark and quiet in the streets and it was creeping me out!
Who knows what we're doin tomorrow, but we're in CAMBODIA!
The man on the bus made everyone pay 25 bucks for their Cambodia Visa's, but we, the seasoned travelers that we are, knew better and saved $10 in total for waiting and doing it (hassle free!) at the Cambodian border.
We met this guy from Korea (south, duh) who's a fifty three year old busines man who just finished doing business in Vietnam and is now in Cambodia on business (Gas is his biz)...
Anyway, his friend (also Korean) who lives in Cambodia picked us all up (we became friends on the bus very quickly) and took us all to this REALLY nice expensive Korean restaurant. It was amazing and we had the best time ever! We had so much food it was INSANE. everytime we finished something he told the waitress to bring more!
And he started talking about the bible and he's just a super nice Christian guy. He said "When you're my age and you have money and means to do something like this for some traveling students, I expect you will do the same." and when we thanked him he said "Don't thank me, thank God!"
It was totally awesome.
His friend drove us to a hotel that's owned by his friend and that's where we're staying now. Paul (the bus Korean) told us to call him tomorrow and he'll take us out to a good restaurant he knows because he says it's lonely to eat by yourself and not fun and if he goes out with his Korean friend, people will think he's gay, or as he would say 'marrrvelous''... hahahaha long story.
I know it may sound fishy, but totally not getting any weird vibes from him and he seems very genuine and nice.
That's pretty much the end of today! We were going to go out to an ATM but it's late and we don't really know where it is, and it's really dark and quiet in the streets and it was creeping me out!
Who knows what we're doin tomorrow, but we're in CAMBODIA!
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Bye Vietnam!
Favorite place:
Honestly, everywhere has had its perks
HaLong bay: amazing scenery
Hoi An: Amazing clothes
Hue: Amazing friends and fun
Nha Trang: Amazing beaches
Mui Ne: Vietnamese friends and dunes
HCMC: Learning a lot about the Vietnam war
... note that I didn't say the capital? Maybe that one had no perks (other than it was close to Ha Long Bay!!)
All in all very different from our China experience, and also very AWESOME!
Next: CAMBODIA... we leave today!
Honestly, everywhere has had its perks
HaLong bay: amazing scenery
Hoi An: Amazing clothes
Hue: Amazing friends and fun
Nha Trang: Amazing beaches
Mui Ne: Vietnamese friends and dunes
HCMC: Learning a lot about the Vietnam war
... note that I didn't say the capital? Maybe that one had no perks (other than it was close to Ha Long Bay!!)
All in all very different from our China experience, and also very AWESOME!
Next: CAMBODIA... we leave today!
Bookworm!
Um, I thought I would mention this:
I am LOVING Marian Keyes!
Don't cringe, she's hilarious.
Currently I'm reading: Anybody Out There
Anna (the main character) has hilarious Irish sisters and trendy New York girlfriends and NO it's not as shallow as it sounds! I swear it!
Finished A Thousand Splendid Suns ... um, LOVED IT.
I am LOVING Marian Keyes!
Don't cringe, she's hilarious.
Currently I'm reading: Anybody Out There
Anna (the main character) has hilarious Irish sisters and trendy New York girlfriends and NO it's not as shallow as it sounds! I swear it!
Finished A Thousand Splendid Suns ... um, LOVED IT.
Soda/Pop/Fizzy Drink/Soft Drink
Shoot, I am feeling remorseful!
It has been a few days since I've written a proper blog on the many events that have taken place!
Let me describe to you 'the family':
Little girl I: 10 years old. Name: Unpronounceable. Glasses, frizzy hair. She is 'the best in her class' at English (and, to be fair, though she was bragging, I'm guessing it was true)
Little girl II: 7 years old. Name: Unpronounceable. Looks like the cutest little monkey (and eats fruit like one, too). Thick, black, beautiful hair. Silent. A copy cat who was in love with Stuart.
Little girl III: 2 years old. Described by little girl I as 'short and fat' we thought she was just being mean, but when we saw her: WOW! Plumpest Vietnamese I've ever seen, completely adorable and also mute. (not literally...)
Mother: Pregnant, quiet, adorable.
Uncle Cody (his english name): 10 years old. HILARIOUS. He is going to grow up to be a funny, funny man.
We went to the market with little girl I and II and the glowing pregnant mother.
We played cards, cards, and more cards with girl I girl II and Uncle Cody.
We met fat little girl III and laughed with her and kissed her cheeks.
We played musical chairs to Aqua with I and II.
We listened to I, II and uncle Cody banging on pots and pans to wake us up in the morning, eager to play with us or even just to see us!
Mui Ne = Exhausting but so fun.
Daina, Kris, Stu, and I (when we managed to get out of the hotel), decided we would take a jeep tour to the sand dunes.
Mui Ne is the Sahara of Vietnam.
The jeep looked like it could fall apart at a moments notice... which made the tour all the more awesome.
The white dunes were phenomenal.
We walked around them for about an hour (a little hard to walk, very hot, but awesome).
Trying to 'slide' down the dunes was an utter disaster (and hilarious) and I got some video footage that I'm looking forward to showing friends when we get home.
When we got out at the red dunes, a bunch of kids swarmed the jeep and started playing cards (... there were probably 10 of them crammed in there) and when we were supposed to leave they threw the cards everywhere, and confused, we sat on them on the way home, wondering if our driver knew the kids...
And poof, before we knew it, the dream that was Mui Ne was over and we were heading to HCMC... aka Saigon.
I'm pretty sure this is the motorbike capital of the world.
Unbelievable.
Our hotel is totally awesome. Free breakfast, free bananas, free coffee/tea/juice all day, and free dinner!
Today we went to see war, war, and more war.
We went to the Cu Chi tunnels (which are insane, wow.) If you don't know what they are, look them up. We even went down in them!
Some people shot guns (not me!!!) and then we went to the 'American War Museum'
ps Vietnam calls the Vietnam War the American war. Makes sense, right?
Who hates war?
Who hates knowing the incredible torture inflicted on people during war?
ME
Who was oblivious to everything that happens during war other than bombing, guns, planes, and tanks?
ME
Ew. War is my least favorite thing to hear about.
Now we're talking to an Aussie and a Brit and learning their lingo.
BYE!
PS Tomorrow we leave for CAMBODIA!!!
It has been a few days since I've written a proper blog on the many events that have taken place!
Let me describe to you 'the family':
Little girl I: 10 years old. Name: Unpronounceable. Glasses, frizzy hair. She is 'the best in her class' at English (and, to be fair, though she was bragging, I'm guessing it was true)
Little girl II: 7 years old. Name: Unpronounceable. Looks like the cutest little monkey (and eats fruit like one, too). Thick, black, beautiful hair. Silent. A copy cat who was in love with Stuart.
Little girl III: 2 years old. Described by little girl I as 'short and fat' we thought she was just being mean, but when we saw her: WOW! Plumpest Vietnamese I've ever seen, completely adorable and also mute. (not literally...)
Mother: Pregnant, quiet, adorable.
Uncle Cody (his english name): 10 years old. HILARIOUS. He is going to grow up to be a funny, funny man.
We went to the market with little girl I and II and the glowing pregnant mother.
We played cards, cards, and more cards with girl I girl II and Uncle Cody.
We met fat little girl III and laughed with her and kissed her cheeks.
We played musical chairs to Aqua with I and II.
We listened to I, II and uncle Cody banging on pots and pans to wake us up in the morning, eager to play with us or even just to see us!
Mui Ne = Exhausting but so fun.
Daina, Kris, Stu, and I (when we managed to get out of the hotel), decided we would take a jeep tour to the sand dunes.
Mui Ne is the Sahara of Vietnam.
The jeep looked like it could fall apart at a moments notice... which made the tour all the more awesome.
The white dunes were phenomenal.
We walked around them for about an hour (a little hard to walk, very hot, but awesome).
Trying to 'slide' down the dunes was an utter disaster (and hilarious) and I got some video footage that I'm looking forward to showing friends when we get home.
When we got out at the red dunes, a bunch of kids swarmed the jeep and started playing cards (... there were probably 10 of them crammed in there) and when we were supposed to leave they threw the cards everywhere, and confused, we sat on them on the way home, wondering if our driver knew the kids...
And poof, before we knew it, the dream that was Mui Ne was over and we were heading to HCMC... aka Saigon.
I'm pretty sure this is the motorbike capital of the world.
Unbelievable.
Our hotel is totally awesome. Free breakfast, free bananas, free coffee/tea/juice all day, and free dinner!
Today we went to see war, war, and more war.
We went to the Cu Chi tunnels (which are insane, wow.) If you don't know what they are, look them up. We even went down in them!
Some people shot guns (not me!!!) and then we went to the 'American War Museum'
ps Vietnam calls the Vietnam War the American war. Makes sense, right?
Who hates war?
Who hates knowing the incredible torture inflicted on people during war?
ME
Who was oblivious to everything that happens during war other than bombing, guns, planes, and tanks?
ME
Ew. War is my least favorite thing to hear about.
Now we're talking to an Aussie and a Brit and learning their lingo.
BYE!
PS Tomorrow we leave for CAMBODIA!!!
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Markets and Mayhem!
Mui Ne beaches are dirty... there is LOTS of garbage...
Stuart and I tried to go boogie boarding but it was too gross in the water and we kept stepping on plastic bags. We saw a dead jellyfish on the shore, that was interesting! I didn't realize they were such gooey blobs! Did you know they can sting you after they're dead?!
.. and no, I don't know that from experience... thankfully...
We went to the market one day, that was interesting. We went with a Vietnamese family from the resort in their land cruiser. (yes, they're quite wealthy)
The market was FULL of people, none of them white, all of them with a ravinous hunger for fish heads and pigs feet.
It was stinky but it was an experience.
We sacrificed our personal space and were slapped with fish at every turn!
The little girl translated to us that all of the women thought that Stuart was very handsome and they were all giggling and watching him. I looked at them, laughed, rapped my arms around him and kissed him. They thought that was hilarious. (Or they were jealous!!)
By the way, Stuart is tanned and looking amazing... the darkness of his skin makes his icy blue eyes pop and sparkle, but this is not a romance novel (unfortnately) so at present, I will go no further about my hunky hunky husband.
We came home and cooked up a storm....
shoot, I didn't realize the time. We're leaving for Saigon in 2 hours and are nowhere near packed. More later!
ps read the last post if you get a chance!
Stuart and I tried to go boogie boarding but it was too gross in the water and we kept stepping on plastic bags. We saw a dead jellyfish on the shore, that was interesting! I didn't realize they were such gooey blobs! Did you know they can sting you after they're dead?!
.. and no, I don't know that from experience... thankfully...
We went to the market one day, that was interesting. We went with a Vietnamese family from the resort in their land cruiser. (yes, they're quite wealthy)
The market was FULL of people, none of them white, all of them with a ravinous hunger for fish heads and pigs feet.
It was stinky but it was an experience.
We sacrificed our personal space and were slapped with fish at every turn!
The little girl translated to us that all of the women thought that Stuart was very handsome and they were all giggling and watching him. I looked at them, laughed, rapped my arms around him and kissed him. They thought that was hilarious. (Or they were jealous!!)
By the way, Stuart is tanned and looking amazing... the darkness of his skin makes his icy blue eyes pop and sparkle, but this is not a romance novel (unfortnately) so at present, I will go no further about my hunky hunky husband.
We came home and cooked up a storm....
shoot, I didn't realize the time. We're leaving for Saigon in 2 hours and are nowhere near packed. More later!
ps read the last post if you get a chance!
Misunderstanding? Miscommunication? Jerks? Liers?
YOU decide...
Before I blog about anything else, a mishap must be addressed that occured last night at 1900 hours.
Kris, Daina, Stu and I had just enjoyed a bug infested, eternal dinner out when we decided to go home and pay for our last two nights. We had already paid for the first and we thought everything was fine when.... disaster struck!
They told us we each owed $50 dollars a night (including the night that we had already paid for). They tried to play dumb, like it was $50 all along...
But when we had gotten there we clearly had decided that Kris and Dainas room would be $14, and ours would be $12... we even paid them for crying out loud.
We argued, we negotiated, we hyperventilated, we swore (ok, well not we, that one was just Kris) and finally, after at least 45 minutes of debate (bare in mind that the debating and the talking were all in languages that neither party could understand in the slightest... thank goodness for pens, paper, and numbers) and finally we ended up paying:
$15 a night... which is $3 bucks more than we were going to initially pay, but nowhere near what they wanted us to pay.
Were they playing dumb on purpose?
Was it an honest misunderstanding?
Were they trying to play us like so many Canadian fiddles?
We were just relieved that it all worked out in the end... for them and kind of for us.
How dare they charge us more and then make it look like a deal?!
(although, to be fair, it was the nicest resort on the strip and the rest of them were going for about $25 a pop)
Before I blog about anything else, a mishap must be addressed that occured last night at 1900 hours.
Kris, Daina, Stu and I had just enjoyed a bug infested, eternal dinner out when we decided to go home and pay for our last two nights. We had already paid for the first and we thought everything was fine when.... disaster struck!
They told us we each owed $50 dollars a night (including the night that we had already paid for). They tried to play dumb, like it was $50 all along...
But when we had gotten there we clearly had decided that Kris and Dainas room would be $14, and ours would be $12... we even paid them for crying out loud.
We argued, we negotiated, we hyperventilated, we swore (ok, well not we, that one was just Kris) and finally, after at least 45 minutes of debate (bare in mind that the debating and the talking were all in languages that neither party could understand in the slightest... thank goodness for pens, paper, and numbers) and finally we ended up paying:
$15 a night... which is $3 bucks more than we were going to initially pay, but nowhere near what they wanted us to pay.
Were they playing dumb on purpose?
Was it an honest misunderstanding?
Were they trying to play us like so many Canadian fiddles?
We were just relieved that it all worked out in the end... for them and kind of for us.
How dare they charge us more and then make it look like a deal?!
(although, to be fair, it was the nicest resort on the strip and the rest of them were going for about $25 a pop)
Show Me the Mui Ne!
Ok, so we're in the most amazing place in the world, sheerly by fluke.
Here's how:
Daina, Stu, and I were trudging around looking for a cheap hostel to stay at here in Mui Ne.
Rewind...
Mui Ne is 20 km of beach.. Mui Ne is also resort after resort after resort... all beach front, all running for about 25 bucks a night (bare in mind, the rooms are not spectacular... but they're beach front so they can get away with that price... which to the rest of you is the cheapest thing you've heard in a long time, but to us is highway robbery!)
Back to the search...
We saw this place that looked huge and awesome and we decided just to go in and ask how much it would cost.
We quickly realized the place was GOERGOUS.. like probably a 6 star resort, BUT it was unfinished and therefore had no guest, reception or anything.
There were some gold tooth men sitting around and playing cards and we asked them how much to stay there, or if we could stay there at all.
They didn't speak a lick of english... neither did the ladies that came out... BUT one little girl did and she was translating for us (she's 10 years old).
We found out that the place was so not up and running but decided to take a look at the rooms that were finished.
They were UNBELIEVABLE. The most amazing rooms ever. HUGE, brand new, big TV, big brand new bathrooms.... we knew it was a no brainer.... and they said TEN bucks a night... beach front, with a balcony. The nicest resort on the beach.
We are literally living in the lap of luxury and in the whole hotel it's just me, stu, kris, and daina!!!
The past few days have been amazing...
more about that later, we're actually just about to head for dinner, but there are some interesting stories to come, so stay tuned!
Here's how:
Daina, Stu, and I were trudging around looking for a cheap hostel to stay at here in Mui Ne.
Rewind...
Mui Ne is 20 km of beach.. Mui Ne is also resort after resort after resort... all beach front, all running for about 25 bucks a night (bare in mind, the rooms are not spectacular... but they're beach front so they can get away with that price... which to the rest of you is the cheapest thing you've heard in a long time, but to us is highway robbery!)
Back to the search...
We saw this place that looked huge and awesome and we decided just to go in and ask how much it would cost.
We quickly realized the place was GOERGOUS.. like probably a 6 star resort, BUT it was unfinished and therefore had no guest, reception or anything.
There were some gold tooth men sitting around and playing cards and we asked them how much to stay there, or if we could stay there at all.
They didn't speak a lick of english... neither did the ladies that came out... BUT one little girl did and she was translating for us (she's 10 years old).
We found out that the place was so not up and running but decided to take a look at the rooms that were finished.
They were UNBELIEVABLE. The most amazing rooms ever. HUGE, brand new, big TV, big brand new bathrooms.... we knew it was a no brainer.... and they said TEN bucks a night... beach front, with a balcony. The nicest resort on the beach.
We are literally living in the lap of luxury and in the whole hotel it's just me, stu, kris, and daina!!!
The past few days have been amazing...
more about that later, we're actually just about to head for dinner, but there are some interesting stories to come, so stay tuned!
Saturday, June 19, 2010
To Oma and Opa and Grandma and Grandpa!
Dear Oma and Opa:
I don't know if you have an e-mail address or not, and I don't know how we'd be able to reach you... but I thought I would write this to say 'Hi!' because my mom told me that you were reading our blog! We love you and we miss you and we're happy that you're reading along about all of our adventures! :)
We'll look for something fun to bring back for you from one of the many country's we visit!
Love:
Vanessa and Stuart
Dear Grandma and Grandpa:
I am not sure how often you read this, but hopefully my mom can tell you that there's a message for you and you can check it!
We miss you!!! Me especially! You're going to Arizona so soon Grandma! You must be so excited to see the kids and maybe watch some of their sports games! (Does soccer go through summer, or just SBS basketball?)
Grandma, I wrote you a letter but have not yet sent it because we never know where a post office is!! It's still here sitting in my journal though and sooner or later in the next month or so you should get one!
We are so looking forward to seeing you again, sharing our stories and hearing yours, and having some awesome grandma buns!
We love you all and miss you!
I don't know if you have an e-mail address or not, and I don't know how we'd be able to reach you... but I thought I would write this to say 'Hi!' because my mom told me that you were reading our blog! We love you and we miss you and we're happy that you're reading along about all of our adventures! :)
We'll look for something fun to bring back for you from one of the many country's we visit!
Love:
Vanessa and Stuart
Dear Grandma and Grandpa:
I am not sure how often you read this, but hopefully my mom can tell you that there's a message for you and you can check it!
We miss you!!! Me especially! You're going to Arizona so soon Grandma! You must be so excited to see the kids and maybe watch some of their sports games! (Does soccer go through summer, or just SBS basketball?)
Grandma, I wrote you a letter but have not yet sent it because we never know where a post office is!! It's still here sitting in my journal though and sooner or later in the next month or so you should get one!
We are so looking forward to seeing you again, sharing our stories and hearing yours, and having some awesome grandma buns!
We love you all and miss you!
Friday, June 18, 2010
They granted me three years of PERFECT HAIR!
I, Vanessa Dueck, have officially had the Japanese Hair Straightening experience.
It was long.
It was HOT.
It was painful.
but it's... OVER!
After 4 1/2 hours of chemicals, straightening, waiting, washing, drying, more straightening, more chemicals, a heater on my head, more waiting, more washing, and more straightening, I am now the owner of perfect hair.
Japanese Hair Straightening is basically like a reverse perm... except for that it somehow changes your hairs composition or something so that it keeps growing perfectly straight. (Stu and I read articles on it before I did it).
It went from 7pm until about 11:30pm.
It was the longest experience of my LIFE.
But it's over ! Horray for silky hair!
Hoi An/Nha Trang
Last time I wrote this we were in Hue...
since then (and a couple long long bus rides later) we have arrived in Nha Trang
Let's backtrack a bit...
Hoi An...
We were in Hoi An for a grand total of one night with our new nearest and dearest: Daina and Kris
Our place was slightly dingy, and we spent quite some time walking in the wrong direction to get to it.
HOWEVER, our time in Hoi An (after day 1) ended up being quite enjoyable!
After a nice dinner out the day we got there, the four of us went exploring to see what kind of night life Hoi An has to offer...
and we discovered quickly that there is none whatsoever... all there is is plenty of cockroaches, sketchy ally's, and dicey men on motorcycles. Good night Hoi An!
Hoi An is famous for a trade that makes my heart go a'flutter: Tailor Made BEAUTIFUL clothes.
They aren't dirt cheap, but boy do they have every fabric imaginable, and man are they amazing!
After a morning of fun with Stuart at a tailor shop, I had decided on six dresses (four fancy, two casual) and Stu had decided on an amazing suit complete with a vest, 2 ties, and a shirt.
We spent the afternoon walking to the beach with Kris and Daina while our clothes were being made.
The walk was lo---ooo---oong but nice to get some exercise in the sunshine. (ps it's like 45 here)
At the beach we ran into our lovely friends from Holland (who are the most insane girls ever... I could tell you stories... but I'll spare the ears of those that don't want to be shocked and dismayed!) and talked to them for a while and swam in the clear blue ocean!
We took a taxi back, showered at our hotel, and then it was time to pick up our new clothes!
In 7 hours they had created masterpieces to perfectly fit in the colours and styles that I had chosen... siiigh. it was amazing.
At the last moment, I decided to throw in the most amazing coat I'd ever seen and that was that, it's getting shipped to Stu's parents house as we speak.
That night we had a somewhat rushed dinner, and headed for Nha Trang on the bus.
The bus was a complete nightmare...
We were going down windy mountain roads... and the tire popped.
I can't even describe... like, it was like the bus was constantly in an earthquake. It was pretty scarry and none of us got very much sleep.
Yesterday was our first day here and we spent it exactly the way I had pictured spending it: lying on the beach.
Amazing!
Six kilometers of white sand beach, can you imagine?!
So beautiful!
But.... I fell asleep in the sun for a couple of hours and burned my entire body to a crisp. It was miserable!
I spent the rest of the night moaning and groaning and went to bed at 9 o'clock!
This morning we woke up to a stuffy room... where had our precious AC gone? Why had the fan stopped spinning 'round!?
It turns out that every other day the power gets shut off in Nha Trang... every other day!!!
Thankfully it was another amazing day and after slathering the whole of my body in SPF 70 and putting on pants we ventured outside and spent pretty much the whole day at the beach in the shade.
I'm reading 'A Thousand Splendid Suns' and it's awesome so far!
Just finished 'The Zahir' which BLEW CHUNKS and I wouldn't recommed it to my worst enemy. (by Paulo Coleho, Author of 'The Alchemist'... which I loved)
The end!
since then (and a couple long long bus rides later) we have arrived in Nha Trang
Let's backtrack a bit...
Hoi An...
We were in Hoi An for a grand total of one night with our new nearest and dearest: Daina and Kris
Our place was slightly dingy, and we spent quite some time walking in the wrong direction to get to it.
HOWEVER, our time in Hoi An (after day 1) ended up being quite enjoyable!
After a nice dinner out the day we got there, the four of us went exploring to see what kind of night life Hoi An has to offer...
and we discovered quickly that there is none whatsoever... all there is is plenty of cockroaches, sketchy ally's, and dicey men on motorcycles. Good night Hoi An!
Hoi An is famous for a trade that makes my heart go a'flutter: Tailor Made BEAUTIFUL clothes.
They aren't dirt cheap, but boy do they have every fabric imaginable, and man are they amazing!
After a morning of fun with Stuart at a tailor shop, I had decided on six dresses (four fancy, two casual) and Stu had decided on an amazing suit complete with a vest, 2 ties, and a shirt.
We spent the afternoon walking to the beach with Kris and Daina while our clothes were being made.
The walk was lo---ooo---oong but nice to get some exercise in the sunshine. (ps it's like 45 here)
At the beach we ran into our lovely friends from Holland (who are the most insane girls ever... I could tell you stories... but I'll spare the ears of those that don't want to be shocked and dismayed!) and talked to them for a while and swam in the clear blue ocean!
We took a taxi back, showered at our hotel, and then it was time to pick up our new clothes!
In 7 hours they had created masterpieces to perfectly fit in the colours and styles that I had chosen... siiigh. it was amazing.
At the last moment, I decided to throw in the most amazing coat I'd ever seen and that was that, it's getting shipped to Stu's parents house as we speak.
That night we had a somewhat rushed dinner, and headed for Nha Trang on the bus.
The bus was a complete nightmare...
We were going down windy mountain roads... and the tire popped.
I can't even describe... like, it was like the bus was constantly in an earthquake. It was pretty scarry and none of us got very much sleep.
Yesterday was our first day here and we spent it exactly the way I had pictured spending it: lying on the beach.
Amazing!
Six kilometers of white sand beach, can you imagine?!
So beautiful!
But.... I fell asleep in the sun for a couple of hours and burned my entire body to a crisp. It was miserable!
I spent the rest of the night moaning and groaning and went to bed at 9 o'clock!
This morning we woke up to a stuffy room... where had our precious AC gone? Why had the fan stopped spinning 'round!?
It turns out that every other day the power gets shut off in Nha Trang... every other day!!!
Thankfully it was another amazing day and after slathering the whole of my body in SPF 70 and putting on pants we ventured outside and spent pretty much the whole day at the beach in the shade.
I'm reading 'A Thousand Splendid Suns' and it's awesome so far!
Just finished 'The Zahir' which BLEW CHUNKS and I wouldn't recommed it to my worst enemy. (by Paulo Coleho, Author of 'The Alchemist'... which I loved)
The end!
Monday, June 14, 2010
Notes
Coffee in Vietnam is my FAVE! Cheap, thick and black, and with the option of ice! and whoever thought of putting condensed milk into coffee is a genius!
Hue (and apparently going south) is significantly cheaper than China and is apparently the most expensive place we'll run into in South East Asia.
Average meal: $2.50
Average meal in China: $4-5
Coffee: $ .50
Coffee in China: $3.00
Attractions (on average): a couple of bucks
Attractions (on average) in China: 10-20 bucks
Beer seems to be something people say is way cheaper here than China, but I hate beer so I wouldn't know.
Room rates are pretty similar to China but you get a lot less in general.
I saw my first cockroach (in my bedroom) and I killed it! (are you impessed?!)
... I then went on to search the room front and back, top and bottom for more cockroaches before shoving a towel under the door to deter them!
The woman at our hostel told us that we could get the second night in our hostel for 2 dollars cheaper (not because of the cockroach, but because we asked for a deal), so we all decided to stay another night.
Today she told me (I had not yet paid her) that sorry, I couldn't get that price anymore. Her boss just told her.
I said, excuse me, but you said 9, so I'm paying 9. She said 'yes, but my boss said that's only if you change rooms'. I said 'you never told us that. That's why we stayed here. So I am going to pay you right now and I'm going to pay you 9!'
and I did.
Horray for non-confrontational Vanessa!
Ok, I think that's all I have to say for now...
except for that Vietnam is so incredibly beautiful I can't even handle myself, and apparently we haven't even got to the most beautiful parts (I can't imagine!). It's like Hawaii, Palm Springs, and every other awesome place you could think of, except totally dirt cheap!
Also: baby boys look like little gangstas here and all have shaved heads and chains around their necks (hilarious and adorable)
Hue (and apparently going south) is significantly cheaper than China and is apparently the most expensive place we'll run into in South East Asia.
Average meal: $2.50
Average meal in China: $4-5
Coffee: $ .50
Coffee in China: $3.00
Attractions (on average): a couple of bucks
Attractions (on average) in China: 10-20 bucks
Beer seems to be something people say is way cheaper here than China, but I hate beer so I wouldn't know.
Room rates are pretty similar to China but you get a lot less in general.
I saw my first cockroach (in my bedroom) and I killed it! (are you impessed?!)
... I then went on to search the room front and back, top and bottom for more cockroaches before shoving a towel under the door to deter them!
The woman at our hostel told us that we could get the second night in our hostel for 2 dollars cheaper (not because of the cockroach, but because we asked for a deal), so we all decided to stay another night.
Today she told me (I had not yet paid her) that sorry, I couldn't get that price anymore. Her boss just told her.
I said, excuse me, but you said 9, so I'm paying 9. She said 'yes, but my boss said that's only if you change rooms'. I said 'you never told us that. That's why we stayed here. So I am going to pay you right now and I'm going to pay you 9!'
and I did.
Horray for non-confrontational Vanessa!
Ok, I think that's all I have to say for now...
except for that Vietnam is so incredibly beautiful I can't even handle myself, and apparently we haven't even got to the most beautiful parts (I can't imagine!). It's like Hawaii, Palm Springs, and every other awesome place you could think of, except totally dirt cheap!
Also: baby boys look like little gangstas here and all have shaved heads and chains around their necks (hilarious and adorable)
4 dollar day cruises are for idiots
Hue is going swimmingly.
Our first day here we sorted out bus tickets and went to the Citadel. It was hot hot hot!
Before Citadel we went to a restaurant that bosts outside on a sign that the Lonely Planet called it "awesome". We figured even if it wasn't true that saying the Lonely Planet reccomended it as a marketing tool was a pretty good strategy.
I had some kind of rice paper covered veggies and meat with peanut sauce. It was really good!
The rest of the afternoon was spent lounging around in our air conditioned room. We went for a late dinner of Indian food. Best meal we've had in Vietnam so far! (The food here is nothing special. The portions are small and it seems like it's trying to be Chinese food, but is way off the mark!)
We had a great time there with Dana and Kris. We were passing a bar on our way down to Vietnams 1000 year birthday festival (boy did we get here at the right time!) and we ran into who else but the karaoke loving british girls from HaLong Bay! We visited with them for a few minutes, but we were going to be late for the festivities!
Down by the perfume river was PACKED with locals. We didn't know what we were waiting for and then suddenly fireworks started! It was a lot of fun because everyone was screaming like it was the first time they'd ever seen fireworks and that made it awesome!
Kris was getting grumpy (because of the heat? because of the crowds?) and he left to go to the washroom.
While he was gone, Vietnamese people were practically LINING UP to get their picture taken with us!! It was absolutely hilarious. Men, women, whole families, little boys, little girls, we had every portrait combo imaginable and they were clapping and cheering. We were celebraties!
Stu got a couple of pictures of all the fun which I would post on here but it keeps not working...
We were really tired after and were thinking of going out, but after our 12 hr bus ride and a full day, decided to just call 'er a night.
Yesterday was a joke and a half.
We went on this $4 boat cruise of the Song Huong River... this $4 boat cruise included lunch, an enligh guide, and EIGHT hours of 'fun'... (and by we, I mean stu, dana, kris, and I)
The fun wore off as soon as we got on the boat in the sweltering heat with about 60 other people, sitting in rows on plastic chairs... and they claimed the electricity was off... so no fans either... and nooo wind.
We talked to the tour guide for a while which was interesting and learned a lot about Vietnam's history. (wow, did I know nothing, or what?!)
At about 2:30 in the afternoon, there was the option of calling the cruise quits and get in an air conditioned mini bus back to town. We were all over that.
We went to a bit of a loser restaurant and then partied with the British girls until Stu and I were exhausted, came home, and watched some HBO before dozing off into oblivion.
Our first day here we sorted out bus tickets and went to the Citadel. It was hot hot hot!
Before Citadel we went to a restaurant that bosts outside on a sign that the Lonely Planet called it "awesome". We figured even if it wasn't true that saying the Lonely Planet reccomended it as a marketing tool was a pretty good strategy.
I had some kind of rice paper covered veggies and meat with peanut sauce. It was really good!
The rest of the afternoon was spent lounging around in our air conditioned room. We went for a late dinner of Indian food. Best meal we've had in Vietnam so far! (The food here is nothing special. The portions are small and it seems like it's trying to be Chinese food, but is way off the mark!)
We had a great time there with Dana and Kris. We were passing a bar on our way down to Vietnams 1000 year birthday festival (boy did we get here at the right time!) and we ran into who else but the karaoke loving british girls from HaLong Bay! We visited with them for a few minutes, but we were going to be late for the festivities!
Down by the perfume river was PACKED with locals. We didn't know what we were waiting for and then suddenly fireworks started! It was a lot of fun because everyone was screaming like it was the first time they'd ever seen fireworks and that made it awesome!
Kris was getting grumpy (because of the heat? because of the crowds?) and he left to go to the washroom.
While he was gone, Vietnamese people were practically LINING UP to get their picture taken with us!! It was absolutely hilarious. Men, women, whole families, little boys, little girls, we had every portrait combo imaginable and they were clapping and cheering. We were celebraties!
Stu got a couple of pictures of all the fun which I would post on here but it keeps not working...
We were really tired after and were thinking of going out, but after our 12 hr bus ride and a full day, decided to just call 'er a night.
Yesterday was a joke and a half.
We went on this $4 boat cruise of the Song Huong River... this $4 boat cruise included lunch, an enligh guide, and EIGHT hours of 'fun'... (and by we, I mean stu, dana, kris, and I)
The fun wore off as soon as we got on the boat in the sweltering heat with about 60 other people, sitting in rows on plastic chairs... and they claimed the electricity was off... so no fans either... and nooo wind.
We talked to the tour guide for a while which was interesting and learned a lot about Vietnam's history. (wow, did I know nothing, or what?!)
At about 2:30 in the afternoon, there was the option of calling the cruise quits and get in an air conditioned mini bus back to town. We were all over that.
We went to a bit of a loser restaurant and then partied with the British girls until Stu and I were exhausted, came home, and watched some HBO before dozing off into oblivion.
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Are Hue Kidding Me?!
It's so weird to be able to update straight to the blog!
Big round of applause for Auntie Jane for doing it for us for over a month!
If any of my girlfriends are reading this and saw Sex and the City 2, I saw it, too! In the capital of Vietnam, and if you liked it, I may have to shoot you!
It was the worst script ever committed to film. Nobody loves Carrie Bradshaw more than me, NOBODY! But I'm sorry, argue with me if you want, but the movie was abominable!
I am woman, hear me roar?! SERIOUSLY!?
Liza singing Single Ladies in a shirt and nylons?! I'm sorry, but eww.
But it was fun because Dana and one of the british girls thought it was just as bad as I did. Stu made the smart choice and saw Prince of Persia.
The other three British girls liked SATC2, so maybe it's possible to like it.
Our bus ride last night was HU-FREAKING-LARIOUS. Me, Dana, and Stu and the absolute worst spots on the bus in a crawl space with almost no ac and no light whatsoever. Everyone else had personal beds and we had like 5 beds squished together with no leg room. It was so freaking horrible that it was hilarious and we laughed about it all night.
But alas, we're here in Hue. Dana and Kris' room smells like fish, and our room is pretty decent. There's some festival going on here today because it's Vietnams 1000th birthday or something so we'll probably check that out if we can.
It's super hot and I'm turning black! Also, thinking of chopping my hair... but we'll see (it's just too hot for a mane!)
Big round of applause for Auntie Jane for doing it for us for over a month!
If any of my girlfriends are reading this and saw Sex and the City 2, I saw it, too! In the capital of Vietnam, and if you liked it, I may have to shoot you!
It was the worst script ever committed to film. Nobody loves Carrie Bradshaw more than me, NOBODY! But I'm sorry, argue with me if you want, but the movie was abominable!
I am woman, hear me roar?! SERIOUSLY!?
Liza singing Single Ladies in a shirt and nylons?! I'm sorry, but eww.
But it was fun because Dana and one of the british girls thought it was just as bad as I did. Stu made the smart choice and saw Prince of Persia.
The other three British girls liked SATC2, so maybe it's possible to like it.
Our bus ride last night was HU-FREAKING-LARIOUS. Me, Dana, and Stu and the absolute worst spots on the bus in a crawl space with almost no ac and no light whatsoever. Everyone else had personal beds and we had like 5 beds squished together with no leg room. It was so freaking horrible that it was hilarious and we laughed about it all night.
But alas, we're here in Hue. Dana and Kris' room smells like fish, and our room is pretty decent. There's some festival going on here today because it's Vietnams 1000th birthday or something so we'll probably check that out if we can.
It's super hot and I'm turning black! Also, thinking of chopping my hair... but we'll see (it's just too hot for a mane!)
GOOOD MORNING VIETNAM!
Vietnam is SO hot in the summer. VERY humid and about 45 degrees a day (actually, that may just be in the north, but we're in the north right now)
We've been here for... 5 days or something and boy does time fly when you're havin fun!
The travel to get here was hot, sweaty, and all together miserable and the Vietnam/China border took nearly an eternity (with no AC)...
Let's focus on the good, grand and amazing!
We took a 3 day trip to Ha Long Bay (which was on the list for one of the 7 wonders, but somehow didn't make it). And let me tell you, it was BEAUTIFUL!
We spent the first day and night on a pirate ship (well, it looked like a pirate ship!) with some new and AMAZING friends!!
The day was awesome and included exploring caves, kayaking, swimming in the salty salty sea, and jumping from heights into water I NEVER would've thought I would do! (and besides the wedgie it was tres fantastique!)
Let's skip over the night on the boat sleeping because that was the shortest/worse sleep of the trip thus far.
Day 2 was more fun on the boat, and arriving at Cat Ba island for some trekking in 1000000 degree heat (I have seriously never sweat that much in my whole life.. I thought I would die... thank goodness for the 3 litres of water Stu and I brought). We climbed a watch tower that was 75 steps of rusting something and it was swaying back and forth as we climbed. It said maximum 5 people and there were about 15 of us up there... yikes! The view was amazing though and somehow, after all our crazy adventures, I wasn't even scared!
The afternoon held a trip to Monkey Island that had a beach comparable to those in Maui and BIG BIG wild monkeys in the forest of the island! It was hilarious... a kid got grabbed by one of the big monkeys (it was quite scarry actually!) and I was scared to walk by the big monkey... but it was VERY cute!!! We took a video of the monkey watching people walk by. We swam, etc, got back on our boat and back to Cat ba island.
In the evening we partied with our friends and the next day headed back here.
We're in the same hostel now as a couple of law students from Toronto that we hung out with on our trip to HaLong and tonight we're heading with them on a night bus to the Central Coast (Hue, pronounced 'Hue-ay') which is supposed to be historical and beautiful!
Ok! Time for breakfast! Love you all!
Monday, June 7, 2010
Goodbye Dear Darling China:
Oh, China, new friend, what can I say?
my heart full of thanksgiving
for showing me your crazy ways
and your peculiar way of living
China, you are pushy
and you spit along the street
you lead me to your restaurants
and your gung bao can't be beat!
You rip down buildings in half the time
than I see construction workers do
and it's sometimes ladies doing the work
and no less, in fancy shoes!
China, you are the cutest children
with such serious little faces
and you're impolite bike riders
that put on no airs or graces!
You expand, expand, expand
tall towers shoot out of the ground
yet you have no decent sewage system
and garbage lies all 'round
Thank you for your willingness
to help when we were lost
and if we had a dime each time you steared us wrong
you could not begin to count the cost
Thank you for your fashion
and for shirts 'english' shirts that made us laugh
thanks for the one animal you treated decently at Beijing zoo:
the tall spotted giraffee
China, there is so much more
that I could go on for hours
but you have been humid and for that
Stu and I need to go take showers!!
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Hello, Beer Fish! (Worlds Most Perfect Day)
Pretty sure yesterday was the perfect day.
Woke up late.
Walked outside.
Perfect, glorious sunshine and blue skies.
Had a very leisurly breakfast that lasted over an hour.
Came back and rented mountain bikes while a guide on a motorbike (who we didn't ask for or pay for, but it was awesome!) took us through a senic path to our perfect destination:
The Yulong river.
From here we took a bamboo raft (with wooden lounging chairs and an umbrella on it) down the river with a driver who stood on the back using a bamboo stick for a paddle. This lasted hours. The weather was perfect, the scenery was beautiful, and the water was nice and cold for our feet.
(I will not mention the people on rafts trying to sell barbeque fish and saying 'hello, beer' every 10 minutes because I want to give you the impression the day was nothing but picturesque!!)
When we got off the river (oh, so reluctantly I might add!) a nice man had taken our mountain bikes there for us and we rode off to our next destination:
The Water Cave!
After we traded in a piece of paper from the hostel for our tickets we got in a rickity old van with some new friends (everyone traveling becomes everyone elses friend immediately) and headed to a spot where they try to sell you bathing suits. A couple of people bought them, but we were prepared and were wearing them already!
Then we got into a bus that took probably 5 minutes to start (yike!) and bumpily rode along for a few minutes.
We got in little tiny boats, ducked our heads way down low, and floated into the worlds coolest cave. We got out and spent hours exploring. It was amazing! (but very slippery!)
At the end we climbed up to these natural hotsprings that were SO SO hot!! It was so fun and we spent quite a bit of time there bathing in the boiling water.
We tried to make ourselves go into the mudbath but it was FREEZING, and therefore gross. So we got up to our knees and called er quits.
We biked back along the Yulong the long way to get home and it was just getting dark when we did.
We showered and spent the night out at a great restaurant we found, where we tried the famous local dish: beer fish!
We had waited quite a while when the waitress came to us and said 'They're just catching your fish, sorry it's taking so long!' wow! so fresh! We didn't mind waiting after that!
It was HUGE and amazing and we couldn't finish it all!
We got some mango ice after that and strolled around, and before we knew it, it was very late and we were very tired.
And there you have the perfect day!
Friday, June 4, 2010
This One's for Mitchell/I don't feel like writing much because intenet costs money:
The past 2 days in brief (partially because of the reason above, partially because Mitchell thinks I write too much!)
Yangshuo:
Arrived at night.
Went to eat.
Girl stood RIGHT beside me as I was beginning to look at the menu.
I asked her if she could go and come back in five minutes.
She didn't understand.
Tried to flip my menu as I started looking at a page.
I was a little short with her and Stu thought I was rude.
I thought she was rude.
Eat eat eat
Food, good.
Market, market, mosquito bites.
Coming home, banana lady.
Wants 5 yuan for TWO little bananas.
I said 'five yuan!?'
I walk away.
she says 'Hey hey, how much how much?!'
I say 'no' and we keep walking
'4 YUAN!' she yelled.
'no' we say
she RUNS after us with the bananas in hand (this is not a petite lady, and a very hilarious scene)
She was, however, defeated.
She followed us for 20 meters yelling 'DO YOU WANT? 2 YUAN!'
ooooo it was funny.
Walkie walkie walkie, sleepie sleepie (to quote mama naxi)
Yangshuo day 2:
Yelling outside our room.
Delerious, cross Vanessa.
Sleeping, oblivious Stuart.
Reading Vanessa
Sleeping Stuart
Showering Vanessa
Sleeping Stuart
Downstairs e-mailing Vanessa
Sleeping Stuart
Checking the time Vanessa...
11:45!?!?!?!?!!?
Running upstairs Vanessa
Sleeping Stuart
Yelling about wasting the day Vanessa
Awake Stuart
We went to McDonalds in the morning.. well, afternoon, I guess.
Lately we eat grocery store bread, peanut butter and banana for breakfast.
As the Chinese would say 'Is very cheaper price!'
Stuart 'felt bad' for sitting in McDonalds without ordering
(secretly I think he just wanted an excuse for the milkshake he ordered!)
Walking walking walking in the HOT sun and mosquitoey town
Came back, relaxed
booked our fun for the evening
had an early dinner/late lunch of mango chicken, kung pao chicken, fried rice, and cucumber salad
impressed with mango chicken
will go back tomorrow
caught bus
went to light show by the man who did the Beijing Olympics opening ceremonies
mosquitos
mosquitos
mosquitos
were impressed
(not by mosquitos)
saw a fully grown boy dabbing sweat with a kleenex off of his mom's neck
laughed
laughed
laughed
got dropped off and had mango ice
yum
yum
yum
mosquitos
mosquitos
mosquitos
fin.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Hello Tea! (Guilin: Day 1)
Ni Hao!
We started last night and most of today with a 20 hour train ride so we'll just skip right over the depressing, agonizing details of that.
Oh, such fun we've had since we FINALLY arrived at Wada Hostel in Guilin!
The night started with a trip downtown, admiring baked goods down 'walking street' and dreaming of what we'll get from there tomorrow morning!
We went to a restaurant for dinner that was reccomended in the 'Rough Guide to China' that we have, claiming that you can eat well for 25 yuan...
though the claim was very wrong, the food was pretty good and we had a nice time struggling with our chopsticks (okay, that was just me...) but I'm finally getting good!
Did you know???
In China, if you go to a restaurant the waitress will stand dangerously close to you at your table and wait for you to choose. Sometimes they will wait FOREVER (because Stuart and I are very indecisive when it comes to food) while you look at their menu with literally 50 options.
It's quite obnoxious and very stressful.
Now you know!!!
After that we killed a little time by getting some amazing coconut mango bubble tea and an iced latte and then...
Hit the Night Market!
Before we knew it, our tiredness and agitation had vanished from the train ride!
The market was awesome, hilarious, and so much fun!
We passed 2 stalls selling food and both of the people, as we walked by, held up a container and said to us "Hello, tea?" So, once we reached the next one, almost in unison with the stall person, I said "Hello Tea!" It was embarrassing and hilarious.
We saw these army guys that you throw against the wall and they stick and tumble down (the type of thing you see at the dentist office for brave little kids who had fillings) and we thought Charlie and Micheal would love them. I said to Stuart "If she says 10 yuan, I'm seriously gonna bust a cap!" (I was sick of people thinking they could rip us off, and the thing was worth MAYBE 2) so I asked her how much, and she wrote on a paper... you guessed it, 10 yuan! I said "No, no, no" and she said, "how much?" and handed me the pen. With great defiance I wrote: "0" and walked away with my hands in the air yelling TEN!?!. Stuart said that the girl beside her was having a laughing fit, but I'm guessing she wasn't pleased... haha
We saw a stall selling sugar cane juice and here's how they did it: they crammed a big sugar cane (imagine a large bamboo stick) into a juicer.. and that's it. Stu and I decided that for 3 yuan, it was worth a try.
Turns out it wasn't worth a try and was probably the grosest thing we've tried in China yet!!!
I bought a bracelet from a guy just because of how funny he was selling it to me (and, truth be told, I quite like it!)
We stopped in at a book store to see if they were selling English books and... there it was... the greatest thing I've ever seen...
Aisles and Aisles of dirt cheap and oh-so-cute writing books (with different colours and pictures on every page!) What's a girl who loves to write to do!?!
I'll tell you what she does... spends half an hour drooling over all of them, piling them in her arms, and carefully chosing the perfect one while her husband waits patiently.
Siiiiiiiiiiiiigh, what a beautiful store.
Back at the market we ended up getting this really nice ... well, it's hard to describe it, you'll just have to see it at our place when we get home, I think.
It's this glass thing that they put your picture in (it's way better than I'm describing...) it looks like crystal or something... anyway, we got our wedding picture in one for about 5 bucks after much bartering at 2 different stalls (and it looks fancy, not tacky!)
Suddenly it was nearing midnight and we were quite hungry so we took a pit stop (for the first time, I can proudly say) to KFC for some popcorn chicken, and boy was it good!
(KFC in China is like Starbucks in the statesl, there's practically one on every corner)
Now, back at the hostel, we're ready to say "Good night!" and send everyone our love!
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
A Monk, a Chunk, and a Skunk (Shangri La)
Shangri La is burr burr cold at night! BUT Stuart and I were in the lap of luxury with a heated mattress, ahhh yea. (By lap of luxury, I am semi joking... the rest of our room was concrete)
We met up with our friends in the morning and all of them wanted to go out to Chinese breakfast. No thanks!
Stu and I found this little place called Compass Cafe and I had (for the first time since being here) a cappuccino, and it was fairly decent! I saw this beautiful yak leather journal that I really wanted to buy, but I thought we could just come back for it later (it was about 20 bucks so I wasn't sure I wanted to spend the dough).
Speaking of Yaks: everything is Yak Yak Yak in Shangri La. We ate some yak our first night in Shangri La and it was quite good! There's Yak yogurt, too. We were introduced to that by a guy who we saw in Xi'an, Kunming, AND Shangri La (crazy, right?!).
Yak yogurt is AWESOME! It comes in a glass bottle and you sip it through a straw. Mmm Mmm good. (Dad, I think you'd love it).
The morning was spent wandering around and exploring the trying-to-be-Lijiang Shangri La. It's pretty there, and becoming touristy, but hasn't quite reached that point yet. I got a bracelet that's pretty sweet... that's pretty much it.
We went out for lunch with our friends and I had the greatest salad I've ever seen. Loads of boccaccini, cucumbers, lettuce, spinach, and parmasen. What more could a girl want?!
And it had the cutest baby kitten we've ever seen!
In the afternoon Stuart and I walked in the wrong direction for some while and realized we were dreadfully lost (We were trying to find our way to a massive monestary). After heading back to the hostel and asking for directions we were on our way.
On our way (it was a good hours walk) there was a yak standing in the street (and boy are they big!) Stuart told me to go stand by it and he would take a picture.. so I did and then this man started yelling at us! Apparently it was 10 RMB to take a picture with the yak... how were we to know!?
After a long walk and somehow avoiding the 55 RMB per person fee, we arrived at the monestary. Eeee... I don't like looking at Buddah and watching people bow down. Yikes. We didn't stay very long.
(the walk up through the country side was quite nice, though)
We went back to the restaurant we had gone to the night before for some appies while we waited for our friends to sort out their Tibet trip with the travel agency. We tried some Tibetan Baba's (which were dreadful!)
We came back and waited until quarter after nine and finally they arrived home and we went out for a very relaxed dinner (all 7 of us were very tired), came home, and went to sleep! :)
Back to Mama's House! (Day 1 back in Lijiang)
2 of our friends (Calvin and Steph) had to head back to Lijiang to pick up their luggage, and Stu and I had to head back to get a train to Kunming so we all took an express train together which was quite nice.
For some reason it was the worst bus ride EVER and seemed to drag on and on (probably because I was trying not to think about how bad I had to use the ladies room for the past 5 hours) I had to hold it in because the toilets are unbearable and the most unlady like thing on the planet. EWW!!!! ew ew ew I can't stand them. I will never get used to that.
When we got back we had some fruit salad and bid farewell to Steph and Calvin. After that we wandered around the town and had 'family dinner' with mama and friends.
In the evening we walked with some guy we met all around old town and new town looking for a decent super market and talking about travels.
We got back after dark, read, and slept like babies.
Time to Relax (Day 2 back in Lijiang)
What a great day! In the morning, caught up on some e-mailing and had a nice breakfast (MMM PEANUT BUTTER! I havent had that in ages, and oh how I missed it!)
We spent the rest of the morning and part of the afternoon on the rooftop of a french cafe, me writing letters, and Stuart reading to me about China. It was a beautiful, perfect sunny day to lounge around.
After that we went to a lovely restaurant and had some Naxi bread, cucumber salad, and chicken soup and played crib.
The weather started to get bad so we spent the late afternoon at the Prauge Cafe watching One Flew Over the Cukoos Nest (the first thing we've really watched since we got here) It's so fun to watch TV when you never do it!
We got back to Mama's just in time to have 'family dinner' and me a nice family who we talked to for a while. We wandered the streets for a couple more hours (and I bought some AWESOME hippi pants), hopped in a minibus with a couple and headed for the train station. The couple we met was very nice and heading to the same hostel as us. (Back to The Hump).
Once situated, we braced ourselves for a long night.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)