View the slideshow in our photogallery...
more details later, but suffice it to say we had an awesome time...
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Vietnam Snapshots
Snapshots from Vietnam have been posted in the photo gallery...
Take a peak...
There are definitely more to come...
Take a peak...
There are definitely more to come...
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Hoi An Pictures
Sorry for the random smattering of photos, but I can't seem to get Picasa to mass upload pictures...
Monday, June 2, 2008
Sorry for being so delinquent...
So, things have been pretty crazy around here. Last I wrote, we were departing Hoi An and headed to Hanoi and Halong Bay. After a whirlwind tour of Hanoi and Halong Bay, I'm actually writing from Siem Reap, Cambodia. Where to start...
We met up with our friends John and McKenna in Hanoi and went out to dinner at Bobby Chinn's. They gave us the lowdown on the city and what they liked and disliked. It was sort of funny since we found out that even though they had been in the city for about 3 days, they completely slept through one day taking a "nap" and woke up another morning at 3:30am counting down the minutes until 5:00am so they could go to the gym. Pretty hilarious.
From Hanoi, we went to Halong Bay. It is absolutely beautiful. The limestone formations are amazing the experience was one that I would highly recommend to others. That being said, I would recommend that people "adjust" their definition of the word "luxury." Our boat was labeled a luxury boat, but apparently, that just gets you A/C, better food and a shower. Our boat still had the problems of bugs and even a four legged friend or two.
After our overnight, we returned to Hanoi, where we spent the evening hanging out with our new friends from the boat. The Aussies as we referred to them somehow talked us into going to "dinner" with them which included some light food and heavy drinks. Somehow, a group of 7 of us managed to go through as many bottles of 80 proof rice wine. People started eating fried crickets, putting on pouty lip gloss, and falling asleep at the table. Not a good combination.
The next morning, a little slow from the evening activities. we informed out guide and driver that we weren't in the mood for museums and we were a little temple-ed out, so we had him drive us to see Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum and then take us shopping. It was a great, if not eerie, outing as seeing the former leader of Vietnam lie in state took me a bit by surprise.
Siem Reap and the Angkor temples were amazing. I'll post a little more about them later as well as some pictures.
We met up with our friends John and McKenna in Hanoi and went out to dinner at Bobby Chinn's. They gave us the lowdown on the city and what they liked and disliked. It was sort of funny since we found out that even though they had been in the city for about 3 days, they completely slept through one day taking a "nap" and woke up another morning at 3:30am counting down the minutes until 5:00am so they could go to the gym. Pretty hilarious.
From Hanoi, we went to Halong Bay. It is absolutely beautiful. The limestone formations are amazing the experience was one that I would highly recommend to others. That being said, I would recommend that people "adjust" their definition of the word "luxury." Our boat was labeled a luxury boat, but apparently, that just gets you A/C, better food and a shower. Our boat still had the problems of bugs and even a four legged friend or two.
After our overnight, we returned to Hanoi, where we spent the evening hanging out with our new friends from the boat. The Aussies as we referred to them somehow talked us into going to "dinner" with them which included some light food and heavy drinks. Somehow, a group of 7 of us managed to go through as many bottles of 80 proof rice wine. People started eating fried crickets, putting on pouty lip gloss, and falling asleep at the table. Not a good combination.
The next morning, a little slow from the evening activities. we informed out guide and driver that we weren't in the mood for museums and we were a little temple-ed out, so we had him drive us to see Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum and then take us shopping. It was a great, if not eerie, outing as seeing the former leader of Vietnam lie in state took me a bit by surprise.
Siem Reap and the Angkor temples were amazing. I'll post a little more about them later as well as some pictures.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
On Our Way to Hanoi
With great sadness, we are leaving Hoi An. We have grown to love Hoi An. It's a good mix between old and new, beach and city and has a fair bit of good food thrown in for good measure. We are savoring the last few hours of time here, but will definitely be back. It's an awesome place for a vacation and I could see myself spending weeks here. Unfortunately, I don't think my soon to be employer does much business in the hamlet of Hoi An.
I wish we had gotten a picture of this, but the pool got so hot yesterday (about 32c) that they brought out huge blocks of ice to throw in to cool it down. I'm not talking about ice cubes here. These icebergs were about the size of a large suitcase. They were the hit of the pool while they lasted. People were floating on them and swimming with them as if they were floaties! Unfortunately, the ice only lasted about 5 minutes because of the boiling water and blazing sun.
In Hanoi, we'll be meeting up with McKenna and John. Hopefully we'll be able to post some pictures there as the internet connection here is as slow as molasses on a cold day.
I wish we had gotten a picture of this, but the pool got so hot yesterday (about 32c) that they brought out huge blocks of ice to throw in to cool it down. I'm not talking about ice cubes here. These icebergs were about the size of a large suitcase. They were the hit of the pool while they lasted. People were floating on them and swimming with them as if they were floaties! Unfortunately, the ice only lasted about 5 minutes because of the boiling water and blazing sun.
In Hanoi, we'll be meeting up with McKenna and John. Hopefully we'll be able to post some pictures there as the internet connection here is as slow as molasses on a cold day.
Monday, May 26, 2008
Beach Time!
Since our last post, we departed Ho Chi Minh City for a little more relaxation from the hustle and bustle of the city. HCMC was great, but Hoi An is amazing. Beautiful beaches, amazing old town, beautiful hotel and very cool pool. (Well, it's actually about 28c, but still refreshing.)
We are staying at the Victoria Hoi An Beach Resort which is awesome. We were upgraded to the Honeymoon Suite which is pretty cool. Outdoor shower in the middle courtyard and big windows and doors that lead directly to the beach. We arrived on the 25th and have been relaxing by the pool most of that time. We did take a break on Monday morning and attended a local cooking class which was run by the Red Bridge Restaurant. It was awesome. Some dishes turned out great. Others, we had to have a second go at it in order to make it look right, but it all ended up delicious...and we ended up very full...
We'll probably spend most of today on the beach and by the pool before we head up to Hanoi to meet up with our friends McKenna and John on their first leg of the trip. I'll upload pictures of the beach and pool later once we get them on Elaine's camera and we get to a better internet connection. Probably in Hanoi.
We are staying at the Victoria Hoi An Beach Resort which is awesome. We were upgraded to the Honeymoon Suite which is pretty cool. Outdoor shower in the middle courtyard and big windows and doors that lead directly to the beach. We arrived on the 25th and have been relaxing by the pool most of that time. We did take a break on Monday morning and attended a local cooking class which was run by the Red Bridge Restaurant. It was awesome. Some dishes turned out great. Others, we had to have a second go at it in order to make it look right, but it all ended up delicious...and we ended up very full...
We'll probably spend most of today on the beach and by the pool before we head up to Hanoi to meet up with our friends McKenna and John on their first leg of the trip. I'll upload pictures of the beach and pool later once we get them on Elaine's camera and we get to a better internet connection. Probably in Hanoi.
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