Back to reality
Our adventure is over, but we are ready to go home. We miss our kids and friends and animals. We have had some amazing experiences and met some interesting people. Our only wish is that we could spend much more time playing like this. We will continue to buy lottery tickets.
Bangkok
We only had 1.5 days in Bangkok but we managed to get to the Royal Palace , a gigantic standing Buddha and the very famous reclining Buddha. We rode the river taxi which is a very effective mode of transportation and fun to boot. We ended our first day on Khao San Road which is a 1 km strip (no ve...
Devastating earthquake in Japan
The earthquake in Japan happened while we were in the air, flying from Koh Samui to Bangkok. The scale of the disaster is shocking, and our hearts go out to the victims. The images being shown over and over on tv are truly horrifying.
Finally! The beach!!
After a long travel day (flying from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh to Bangkok to Koh Samui, then a ferry to Koh Phangan ) we finally arrived at beautiful Haad Yao beach. We found a little bungalow with a sea view and were able to unpack for the first time. I left Cambodia with some pretty gruesome bug bit...
When dreams come true
We arrived in Siem Reap last night after a nasty bus ride from Saigon. It's not so easy to fly here as we thought. BTW - when booking bus travel in Vietnam, be assured that EVERYBODY LIES! We know for a fact that sleeper buses exist because we've seen them, but we have no idea how to book one. We we...
Back to Crazy Town (HCMC)
WE LOVE SAIGON! This place is so crazy. The atmosphere is energizing. The vendors are fun to spar with and I normally HATE dickering. One guy scared the crappola out of me when he yelled "TEN DOLLAH" in my ear. Turns out he was trying to sell sunglasses. We ran into him several times during the day....
And now for something completely different ...
Our "sleeper" bus left Quy Hnon 45 minutes late and arrived in Dalat 2.5 hours early at 4:30 am. Due to some good drugs, I slept through most of the trip but according to others who were awake, the early arrival was due to the driver taking most of the mountainous road corners at a on two wheels. We...
Livin' Large
We were planning (well, kinda) to make our next stop Nha Trang but Donna told us about Quy Nhon and it sounded more interesting so we hopped on a bus (6 hours, $15 each). We also freeloaded Donna and Ron’s accommodation research and booked a couple of nights at the Royal Hotel and Healthcare Resort....
Every sha la la la
Thanks to the hotel’s muzac, we have the Carpenter's song "Yesterday Once More" stuck in our heads so I thought I would share. You’re welcome. We are constantly listening to a collection of golden oldies including Barry Manilow, Captain and Tenneil and our very own Celine. Around town it’s not uncom...
Hoi An Lantern Festival
Greetings from the ancient city of Hoi An! We checked into the Hau Ai Hotel and were pleasantly surprised. We weren't expecting much for our 800,000 dong (C$38) / night but the rooms are huge, with high ceilings and heavy old furniture. They even come with silk robes as well as a desktop computer!...
How could I have forgotten ...
.. how much I love Vietnamese coffee? The sounds and smells and general busyness are nearly overwhelming at first although it quickly becomes manageable. We wandered around, marvelling at the traffic. EVERYONE has a motorbike and I'm sure that if their horn broke, they would not be able to drive be...
We arrived - HCMC (Saigon)
Wow. That was a brutally long flight(s). We arranged through the hotel to have someone pick us up at the airport but I guess they forgot so that took a bit of finagling to get a cab and to find our hotel. (The security guards at the airport let me use their computer to get address etc. because, like...
2011 SE Asia
We decided to do something a bit different this year - vacation-wise - and headed off to SE Asia. With our kids' backpacks! Wish us luck. Peg and Greg