Month: June 2016

Day 1 – May 6

After an hour and twenty minute flight on VietJet Air from Ho Chi Minh City, we arrived in Hue City around 5:30pm (an hour delayed but better late than never).  Thanks to our previous unpleasant baggage experience with JetStar, we decided to prepay online just in case we couldn’t carry on (every airline has such different rules – some are very strict while others are relatively lenient).  And luckily we did because $7 is a lot easier to swallow than $40.  We are only here in Hue City for 2 nights, which is one of our shortest visits yet, and will be staying at Cherish Hotel for $31.  The accommodations themselves were nothing to write home about.  Pretty blah, somewhat depressing, airport like old school rooms.  At least the view made up for it.

That night, we walked around the town, grabbed a bite to eat and enjoyed some fascinating people watching (per usual).  When I eventually return home, my eyes are going to be so bored because everyone seems to resemble each other for the most part.  The way they dress, the way the eat, the way they live are fairly similar to me so it’s nothing new (unless you got to Venice or Hollywood then it’s extremely entertaining).  However, here in Asia, there are so many random foreign habits to witness that quickly turn a dull night into a memorable one.  And tonight was no exception.  For example, a high chair took on a whole new meaning.  Kind of genius though.

Day 2 – May 7

When we arrived last night, we were warmly greeted by a man named Quey – a young, probably mid twenties guy who worked at the concierge desk.  The terms eager, persistent and semi aggressive pretty much sum him up.  However, he walked a fine line between being helpful and being painfully annoying.  Last night, he briefly mentioned two options for us to enjoy a full day of sightseeing today.  We could either rent a motorbike and conduct our own self guided tour (the option in which he was strongly pushing for some bizarre reason) or we could hire a driver with an air conditioned car who will lead the tour for us (the option I was strongly leaning towards to get a nice relief every now and then from the heat).  The price was about 5 times more expensive though so we said we would think about it and get back to him in the morning.  Around 7am, our phone rings.  “Hello” Vinny says with half of a brain (which is still bigger than my full brain probably, hahaha).  Ummmm who could that be and why are they calling this early I thought to myself?  Well, it was Quey.  “Have you guys decided what you want to do today yet?”.  “No we haven’t because we are still sleeping”, Vinny replies.  “But once we figure it out we will come see you, we promise”.  Okay, back to bed.  Around 8am, our phone rings again.  Can you guess who it was?  You sure are right, it was Quey yet again.  He says “I’m waiting at the concierge desk for you guys, where are you?”.  Okay, this is starting to get weird.  We explained to him that we were going to have breakfast, talk about it amongst ourselves and then we will let him know.  The minute we returned back to our room around 9am, he called again.  THIRD TIME.  Are you serious?  To get him off our back, we made our way to the concierge desk to let him know we wanted the motorbike.  He asked what time and we said probably around 11am but would come find him when we were ready.  Well, at 10:30am, there was a knock at our door.  It was Quey.  “Are you guys ready for the bike?”.  I replied in my sweet, gentle voice (although I had to really bite my tongue on this one) and reminded him we didn’t want it until 11am.  He asked us if we could come down earlier since the person delivering it was waiting for us.  Long story long, this was quite an unpleasant experience.  I’m not sure if it was an “under the table” kind of deal and Quey didn’t want his managers to find out or if he was just really eager to please but regardless, there is no need to call a hotel guest’s phone 3 times before 9am on a SATURDAY while they are on vacation and then knock on their door 30 minutes prior to the requested time.  Obsessive is an understatement.  Oh well, it sure makes for a great story!

Once we got the bike situation under control, I briefly talked to my Dad for a little.  For those of you that are lucky enough to know him, he’s an extremely funny guy with a wonderful sense of humor but he doesn’t get overly excited about a lot of things (maybe that’s the lawyer in him).  When he asked “where in the world are Kim and Vinny today” and I responded with Hue City – he instantly became as excited as a kid in a candy store, a puppy that tried human food for the first time, a sports fan who witnessed their team win their first ever championship.  Being the Vietnam War guru that he is, he could barely control his enthusiasm.  He has pretty much read every book and seen probably every movie there is so knowing that my two feet are walking on the same ground that some of the most pivotal moments of the war occurred on was just music to his ears.  Although The Battle of Hue is not a positive memory for my dad nor anyone else familiar with it, it will forever be a historical memory.  And this is why.

The Battle of Hue, which began on January 30, 1968, was one of the bloodiest and longest battles of the Vietnam War, lasting 26 days in total. It cost the South Vietnamese 384 killed, 1,830 wounded and 30 missing in action. North Vietnamese casualties included 5,000 dead and countless more wounded.  The U.S. Marines lost 142 dead and 857 wounded, and the U.S. Army suffered 74 dead and 507 wounded.  Months after the battle, grisly discoveries were filling in the blanks as some 2,800 missing bodies were discovered in hastily concealed mass graves in and around Hue.  The epic battle left much of the ancient city in a pile of rubble as 40 percent of its buildings were destroyed, leaving some 116,000 civilians homeless.

Now that we are all depressed from these hard to digest facts, let’s move on (although most of our day was spent visiting tombs – not much more uplifting).  Just as an FYI – I will give a little history about all of these stops but really, the architecture and design of the structures are what really caught my eye.  My feelings won’t be hurt if you skim through quickly just for the pictures.  I don’t blame you.  These tombs and their surrounding complexes are mesmerizing.  The detail, the magnitude, the scope of it all is beyond comprehension.  Photos don’t do it justice but I will certainly try to provide you with the best front row seat possible.

First on our tour was the Tu Duc Tomb, which is one of the most beautiful works of royal architecture of the Nguyen dynasty and lies in a boundless pine forest 8km from Hue.  The Tu Duc Tomb was constructed from 1864-1867 and served as a second imperial city where the Emperor, who reigned from 1848-1883, came for relief from national and household concerns.  The emperor’s contemplative nature and poetic spirit was reflected in the landscape and arrangement of the 50 buildings.  The tomb complex is divided into 2 main areas – the ritual and the burial.  The tombs of Empress Le Thien Anh and Emperor Kien Phuc, who briefly ruled in 1884, are also located inside the wall of the complex.

Next up was the Khai Dinh Tomb.  Khai Dinh, who reigned from the Imperial Citadel of Hue from 1916 until 1925, was the last of the Nguyen Dynasty emperors to have a grand mausoleum built in his honor.  His tomb, utterly distinct from the styles developed in other Nguyen Dynasty tombs, is a synthesis of Vietnamese and European elements. Most of the tomb’s grandiose exterior is covered in blackened concrete, creating an unexpectedly Gothic air, while the interiors resemble an explosion of colorful mosaic. The construction of his tomb apparently took 11 years to be completed.

What and or who doesn’t belong here?

I feel so much safer knowing the security guard is really taking his job seriously…

Our third stop of the day was the Minh Mang Tomb, which is the final resting place of one of the Nguyen Dynasty’s staunchest Confucians, whose reign from 1820 to 1840 represents the apex of Nguyen power over the country. It is located on the west bank of the Perfume River about 12km south of Hue City center.  Touted as the most majestic of all Nguyen Dynasty royal tombs, it is a 44 acre complex comprised of 40 constructions: palaces, temples, pavilions, lakes, etc.  Many said that it’s a perfect combination of both manmade and natural beauty, where architecture fits harmoniously into the surrounding landscape. It’s designed as a symmetric axis (called Than Dao), which some believe represent a willingness on his behalf to achieve balance during his reign as emperor.  His achievements included the construction of highways, a postal service, public storehouses for food and a variety of monetary and agricultural reforms aimed at helping the poor.  Although all the tombs are impressive, I personally liked this one the best.

Our fourth stop of the day was the Thien Mu Pagoda, which was built in 1601. Otherwise referred to as the Heavenly Lady Pagoda, the Thien Mu Pagoda is situated on a hill, on the north bank of the Perfume River a few miles southwest of central Hue. The temple complex stretches north from the river banks in seven successive tiers, each of which is dedicated to a manushi-buddha (a Buddha that appeared in human form).

Last but certainly not least, we visited the Citadel, which is a large fortress built in the 17th century and acted as the Nguyen Dynasty’s capital city from 1805 until 1945.  Inside the Citadel is the Imperial City, the Forbidden City and the Civic Center or Capital.  The Forbidden Purple City was only allowed by the Queen Mother, empresses, servants, concubines, eunuchs of the court and of course, the emperor himself (much like the Forbidden City in China –  a city built just for the Emperor and his entourage).  Any man who would dare to go beyond just the threshold, was sentenced to death.  The original perimeter of the Citadel was 10 square kilometers, surrounded by walls in which 10 Gates allowed access to the interior of this restricted place.  About 160 buildings once stood inside (palaces, temples, ramparts, moats, etc.) but sadly less than a dozen survived the Battle of Hue in 1968 during the Vietnam War. What’s left of the Citadel is impressive, but it’s clearly just a shadow compared to what it once was.

 

 

I’m taking a photo of Vinny taking a photo since these two guys kindly asked for one…

Runners club, get in while it’s hot…

 

You’re going straight?  No problem.  You’re turning left?  No problem.  You’re turning right?  No problem.  All at once now.  Somehow, riding a motorbike in Vietnam is like oil and vinegar – it’s one big blob until they all separate at the right time to allow for everyone to have their very own space.

That night, we walked to Family Home Restaurant for dinner, which was a delicious local Vietnamese family owned restaurant (I’m sure you figured out that based on the name though).  It was down a random alley, with cheerful kids playing catch me if you can and a potent mixture of various smells including food, motorbike exhaust and stray dog urine.

I will be going to bed tonight feeling a little smarter than I was this morning thanks to our very educational learning day.  There is so much history in Hue whether it’s the emperors and their family ruled dynasties or the run in with the French in 1947 or the American-Vietnam War in 1968.  No book or movie or professor can showcase the importance this city once held greater than seeing it for yourself.

Day 3- May 8 

Today we are taking a 2.5 hour train from Hue City to Hoi An via Da Nang…

Everyone at the train station looked a bit confused though.  It made me confused.  Are you now confused as to why I was confused?  Maybe they all lost their train of thought?  HA!

It was perfectly on time (which is always appreciated) and it had air conditioning.  Amen.

 

Here is the food cart on board, which was filled with pre-cooked meats in tupperware…

And some pretty awesome scenery along the way…

What do you call a train that eats toffee?  A chew, chew train.  On that note, I’m excited to see you in Hoi An as my love for this country is definitely growing with each new city!

Day 4 – May 4

Despite the heat, we decided to go on a self guided walking tour of Ho Chi Minh City today.  Our morning started off with a traditional iced coffee which uses condensed milk (regular milk, half and half, non-fat milk, almond milk, soy milk, etc. is nearly impossible to find) at Highlands Coffee, a large local chain comparable to Starbucks.  Then we headed to Ben Thanh Market, a buzzing space in the daytime and a social center after sunset.  Built in 1870 by the French, the market was initially called Les Halles Centrales before being renamed Ben Thanh in 1912. It is now the oldest surviving market and a great place to buy local handicrafts, branded goods, Vietnamese art, fruits, snacks and other souvenirs.  You’ll also find eating stalls inside where you can get a taste of hawker-style Vietnamese cuisine or simply cool off with a cold drink.  Which is what we did.  We got two fresh blended mango smoothies from a tiny little stall that recruited us hardcore.

Then we walked over to Tao Dan Park, which was an ideal urban green space covering nearly 25 acres of Saigon and is home to over 1,000 big trees. It amazes me that in such a large, concrete, bustling city there lies this simple escape, a quick fix of a retreat.  Early in the morning the Tao Dan Park is filled with people exercising, walking, and practicing tai chi.  Despite the chaotic intersections surrounding Tao Dan, the minute you bask under the shady trees, you instantly feel a sense of calmness radiate throughout your heated body and a sense of relief flow through your scattered mind.  There are a variety of work out machines free to the public which makes this a popular hangout for people of all ages.  It sure was a pleasant surprise to see so many staying active.  Hmmm, I should take notes.

After chilling in the park and people watching, we walked about 15 minutes for lunch at Hum Vegetarian Cafe & Restaurant.  This was comforting for me because not many local dishes are vegetarian friendly.  They usually have pork or beef or fish.  Even the chicken is a little iffy for my liking being mainly on the bone, dark meat with skin (and truthfully not knowing what part of the chicken it came from – mysterious meat at its best).  I’m so boring and usually (okay always) prefer boneless, skinless, white meat chicken breast.  So lame but hey, stop judging.  Even if you’re not a vegetarian, this restaurant is still worth trying out.  Just like they do in India, they make non-meat dishes so flavorful, delightful and satisfying that you don’t even realize there is no cow or pig or sea life to compliment it.  Plus, the charming atmosphere is very peaceful and serene.  Ironically, we ran into Lucy and Jalen here, the Australian couple we did the Cu Chi tunnels tour with yesterday.  Great minds think alike.

Next up, we visited the War Remnants Museum, which was basically right next door to Hum Vegetarian Restaurant & Cafe (Coincidence?  Maybe?  Maybe not?).  This wasn’t a feel good kind of place as it conveys the brutality of the war. Although Vietnam technically won, the tone isn’t that of victory, but more that of victim.  While some (if not most) displays are very one-sided, many of the disturbing photographs illustrating US atrocities are supposedly from US sources, including those of the infamous My Lai Massacre.  Since I didn’t know what this was, I’m going to just assume neither do you (but don’t assume, it just makes an ass out of u and me – get it, ass-u-me).  The My Lai Massacre, which took place on March 16, 1968, is probably one of the most infamous events of the Vietnam/American War and one of the most horrific incidents of violence against civilians. A company of American soldiers brutally killed the majority of the population of the South Vietnamese hamlet of My Lai. Though exact numbers remain unconfirmed, it is believed that as many as 500 people including women, children and the elderly lost their lives on that day.  I’m sure someone had a good reason for this to happen but in my opinion, there’s absolutely no reason that would be good enough.  How gut-wrenching.  I’m a lover for life (except for cats, I don’t love cats), not a fighter so this did not settle well with me.

Outside the museum is a range of American military hardware that had been captured or abandoned, much of it handed over to the South Vietnamese regime. There’s a F-111 fighter-bomber jet, Chinook helicopters, battle tanks, more planes, and a display of unexploded ordnance.

The ground floor of the museum is devoted to a collection of posters and photographs showing support for the antiwar movement internationally.  Although this was more uplifting than the horror stories told in the other sections, it was still tragic to see how many people willingly gave up their lives to protest against the war, including but not limited to this young American and somewhat older Japanese man.

Here is a statistics board basically putting the US in the spotlight for the various casualties, costs, military personnel, weapons, etc. associated with World War II, The Korean War and The Vietnam War.

According to the Vietnamese, a total of 3 million locals were killed, 2 million were injured and 300,000 went missing during the war.  In addition, over 600,000 tons of bombs were left behind after the war ended which resulted in over 42,000 people being killed and over 62,000 being wounded during 1975-2002 by explosives.  To read these facts was beyond disheartening.  I know for my parents and their generation, you guys lived through this.  I couldn’t even imagine what that was like. But for me, someone who is embarrassed to admit they never cared or paid attention in school, it was all new information.  The section that affected me the most was what is referred to as Agent Orange, which was a powerful mixture of chemical defoliants used by U.S. military forces to eliminate forest cover for North Vietnamese and Viet Cong troops, as well as crops that might be used to feed them. More than 19 million gallons of herbicides were sprayed over 4.5 million acres of land in Vietnam from 1961 to 1972. Agent Orange, which contained the chemical dioxin, was the most commonly used of the herbicide mixtures, and the most effective. It was later revealed to cause serious health issues including tumors, birth defects, rashes, psychological symptoms and cancer among returning U.S. servicemen and their families as well as among the Vietnamese population.  Even to this day, people are still affected by it.  The photos were gruesome and left your stomach in all kinds of knots.  I chose not to include any here because some people can’t handle it, I’m sure of it.  If you are interested, I highly suggest you Google Agent Orange victims and click on the images tab.  Tragic doesn’t even describe what this chemical did to this country.

Okay, now that we visited the Cu Chi tunnels yesterday and saw enough devastating photos and propaganda to last us a lifetime at the War Remnants Museum today, it was time to turn the thunderstorm of emotions into a colorful rainbow of smiles.  Next up on our walking tour was the Saigon Notre Dame Cathedral.  Built between 1863 and 1880 by French colonists, it is one of HCMC’s architectural marvels.  It’s hard to miss the church’s twin towers projecting into the sky for some 60 meters.

Right next door was the Saigon Central Post Office, which was built between 1886 and 1891 and designed by renowned architect Gustave Eiffel (can you guess what else he might be famous for?).  Walking inside you immediately enter the building’s expansive hall, where you are greeted by an extra-large picture of Ho Chi Minh himself (the man that this city is named after). We kind of felt as if we were in an older train station rather than a post office, as the high arched ceiling and wooden counters make it seem like you should be lining up to buy a ticket. The main attractions inside are two large eighteenth century maps which sit opposite each other on either side of the hall. Besides being a fine example of colonial architecture, the Post Office is still completely functional.  You can send and receive mail, buy stamps and postcards, or use the phone bank to make international calls.

Another yet wonderful day of exploring this stimulating city.  We definitely got our steps in by walking nearly 6 miles and burned enough calories to later enjoy a carb filled dinner at Pizza 4P’s.  A trendy, semi-upscale, Westernized, delicious place with homemade pasta.

Day 5 – May 5

Today we went on a full day tour with Urban Adventures down to the Mekong Delta, otherwise known locally as the Nine Dragons River, the Rice Bowl of Vietnam or the Agricultural Heartland of Vietnam.  The Mekong Delta is the largest rice growing region in Vietnam, producing almost 2/3 of the rice throughout the country and also has the largest number of rice exporting companies in the country. The Mekong River, which flows through China, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam and Myanmar, is said be the 12th largest in the world – it all flows down to the Mekong Delta.  We met at the Saigon Opera House in the heart of HCMC and then drove about 2 hours down to My Tho, a bustling port city. From there, we took a boat ride across the Mekong Delta to Unicorn Island.  Yes, that it is what it is called.  Unicorn Island. How magical is that?  It is 12 kilometers long and only 1 kilometer wide with a small population of just 6,000 people.  We tasted local fruit, listened to local musicians and got pressure to buy local products, although it didn’t work on us.

Next up, we visited an organic bee farm that produces all sorts of honey, including some that you eat, some that you drink and even some that you put on your skin to help with aging.  There were so many bee’s all around it was a bit uncomfortable but at least it made for a good photo.  And the tea sure was mighty bee-licious.

One random story because you know, I like to tell random stories.  Our guide, Hong or Linda (two very different names for the same person but hey, options are always good), told us that if we needed to use the Happy Room to use it here.  The Happy Room?  We were all a bit confused what that meant.  Well, it is another reference for bathroom, toilet, water closet, restroom, loo, powder room, lavatory, etc.  The reason for this is because you leave feeling happier than when you came.  HA!  I kind of dig that.

Then, we got back on the boat (happier than before, of course) and headed to a Coconut Candy Village where we got to see the process of how they make this delicious sweetness from start to finish.  No factory machines, no child labor – just a few strong hands and the determination not to eat it all at once.  I could never survive.  They had a handful of different flavors but we ended up buying a bag of the coffee flavor and with ever chew offered a sensational new taste.  This message was not approved by my dentist.

From water to land, we hopped into a new kind of Tuk Tuk and headed to a local village for some lunch.  In our group was a lovely couple from Ohio, 2 young cousins from Australia and a single man from Japan.  The lunch was a whole fish.  With the eyes still intact.  I couldn’t tell if he/she was smiling or frowning.  What do you think?

Lastly, we went for a leisurely paddle along the Mekong Delta.  Just like the fish at lunch, I couldn’t tell if our rower was smiling or frowning.  Or maybe it’s a neutral expression?

That night, we had a lovely romantic dinner at Secret Garden, which was a super duper cute rooftop restaurant with awesome views of the city.  There were lights hanging from every which direction and they had a wall made up of colorful lanterns.  Very modern place with incredible local cuisine.  Nancy, Carrie and Jennifer – if you are reading this, just know that anything titled Secret Garden will forever remind of you ladies.  Love you always.

After dinner, we wandered around, crossing various streets, strolling down random alleys, soaking in our last night here and eventually stumbling upon a lively area of town.  At this moment, it verified my feelings for this city, I’m in love.  It has culture, it has history, it has great food, it has modern buildings with a Vietnamese twist, it has trees and flowers and gardens and parks and the people – well the people are just lovely.  Everyone smiles, everyone says hello, everyone seems happy.  Kids are playing, adults are laughing.  It’s relatively clean for an urban city.  Without a doubt, we thoroughly enjoyed our time here.

We ended our evening with a drink at EON 51 Heli Bar on the 51st floor, inside of Bitexco Financial Tower, which is the tallest building in Vietnam, standing at 262 meters high.  Designed by renowned American Architect Carlos Zapata, this 68-storey tower houses offices, shops, restaurants, a movie theater (the minute you walk in you can’t help but smell the buttered popcorn being popped 3 stories up) and a helipad. CNNGo recently ranked it fifth in their listing of the world’s 20 most iconic skyscrapers.  From the bar, it offers 360 degrees of unparalleled, million dollar views of the entire city, shining brightly at night warmly greeting you from below.

That wraps up our five nights in Ho Chi Minh City or for the OG’s, Saigon.  We absolutely loved everything about this place from our AirBnB to our tours to our random adventures throughout the city to the millions of motorbikes completely taking over the roads and your eardrums, to everything we ate.  You go, HCMC!  Thanks for impressing us and setting high standards for the rest of your country.

And thanks to you for coming along.  It was an emotional learning period as history’s painful facts definitely hit us hard.  However, I feel more like a human being now that I can have an educated conversation about a war that turned both American and Vietnam upside down but unfortunately never right side up.

Tomorrow we fly to Hue, another pivotal city in the war.  See you there!

Day 1 – May 1

We arrived into Ho Chi Minh City, formerly known as Saigon, around 5pm after an easy one hour and forty minute flight from Bangkok.  Unfortunately, the airline we took left a pretty bad taste in our mouth.  Jetstar, which is a budget friendly brand, charged us $40 USD per person to check our bags (carrying them on wasn’t an option).  You could imagine the resentment we had when we heard this.  Because we didn’t prepay online, it was 4 times the amount at check in.  Absolutely absurd.  Talk about taking full advantage of a customer.  The fee was almost as much as our original ticket.  Although I had fire coming out of my ears and rage boiling throughout my veins,  I forked up the money and took this as a lesson learned.  Not a fun lesson but are they ever fun?  I vowed to never use Jetstar again but we’ll see if that lasts.  Okay, moving on.  Vietnam has a more complicated visa process than most other Southeast Asia countries.  You either can send in your passport to the Embassy (no thank you) or you can apply for a 30 day eVisa online (yes please) but you can’t just show up with nothing.  We found a company via Lonely Planet called Vietnam Visa Choice who charges $30 per person for the processing fee in addition to the $25 upon arrival.  Through our research, we found this to be normal.  Luck was on our side though as the Vietnam Visa Choice’s website had a glitch in their system, causing our visas to take longer than the 3 days promised, so they willingly waived the $60.  Cha-Ching.  We still had to pay the $25 at the airport but every penny saved is well appreciated.  We’ll take it.

One thing I’ve noticed (and trust me, Vinny has made it very aware to me as well) is that I incur tremendous anxiety whenever we land in a new country.  You would think I would have the transition down by now but for some reason, I always freak out.  Waiting in line for visas while your bags are sitting on the other side, unguarded.  Needing to learn new words such as hello, thank you, how are you.  Obtaining local currency as quickly as possible so you don’t get screwed over.  Figuring out the conversion rate so you know exactly how much you are paying.  Finding transportation to your hotel hoping when they say they know how to go they truly mean it.  It always works out but I just can’t help but stress in the meantime.  Blame it on my OCD or blame it on being a passionate human being. Either way, I’ve made it this far so no backing down quite yet.

After a 20 minute cab ride and 220,000 Vietnam Dong ($9.85) later, we arrived at our Airbnb around 6:30pm.  For the next 5 nights, we will be staying at Christina’s, otherwise known as a “SUPER COOL Studio, IDEAL location“.  This AirBnB was very different than all the others we have stayed at.  It wasn’t a private room in someone’s house and we didn’t have the entire place to ourselves.  It was basically an apartment building turned into an adult college dorm.  The minute you walked inside, you instantly felt the warmth of the staff.  And I loved our $63 a night room – it was spacious, colorful, chic and homey.

That night, we went to La Fiesta for dinner.  The owners were a husband (from Maine) and wife (from Vietnam).  Not the most authentic food (Vietnamese nor Mexican/Tex Mex) but it sure did hit the spot for the time being.  We fully took advantage of Cinco de Mayo being around the corner,  La Fiesta being highly ranked on TripAdvisor as well as walking distance from our AirBnB.  It was a no brainer.  Andale, Andale!

Day 2 – May 2

This morning, Vinny woke up to some very tragic news.  His best friend since childhoods sister passed away at the age of 22.  Heartbreaking.  Something like this is never easy to swallow but I could tell Vinny was hurting even more since we are so far away.  He wanted to be there for his friend, physically in person, but couldn’t be.  Thankfully they were able to connect on the phone and I know that made both of them feel better.  I won’t mention names but you know who you are.  If you are reading this, we are truly sorry for your loss.  No words can bring her back or make this process any easier.  Just know you will forever be in our thoughts.  Given this, Vinny was in a funky mood all day (and rightfully so).

Around 12pm, we walked about 20 minutes to The Workshop for some coffee and lunch.  Vietnam prides themselves on having phenomenal coffee so we were excited to try it.  And Vinny was even more excited because they had the pour over style, which he hasn’t seen since we left LA in January.  The restaurant was super cool with a very industrial and hipster like feel to it.

On our walk back, taking in all the sights and sounds of a new foreign place, we observed two random things.  One, it looks as though 7-11’s from Thailand have been replaced with Circle K’s in Vietnam.  And two, Ho Chi Minh City seems like a relatively clean, well kept up, modern city.  At least for what we’ve seen so far.

The rest of the day we planned our 3 weeks in Vietnam.  I know, you are probably thinking, arent you there already?  Yes, we are but we have absolutely nothing booked after HCMC.  We had no idea where else we would be going, how long we would be there for, how we would get there, what we would do while there, etc.  So for 5 hours, we sat on our bed and made lemonade out of lemons.  Or should I say we made soup out of noodles?

That night, we took a stroll down Phạm Ngũ Lão street, otherwise known as “backpackers district” and had dinner at Baba’s, which is Indian food.  We suck at keeping to the local culture sometimes.  But the good thing is we have about 60 more meals to make up for it.

This little, compact area is Times Square meets Las Vegas in the East.  So much going on from restaurants to bars to flashing lights to bumping music to loud motorbikes to tourists from all over the globe.  Definitely need to be alert at all times or else who knows what could happen to you.

Lights, camera, action.  Vinny and I stood on a corner of a busy intersection for at least 20 minutes just watching all the modes of transportation zoom by.  There were cars, motorbikes, regular bikes, buses, pedestrians.  Green means go.  Yellow means go.  Red means go.  I’m not quite sure how we didn’t see any accidents.  It was mind blowing.

Day 3 – May 3

Today we are going on a full day motorcycle tour with OneTrip.  They picked us up at 7am, gave us helmets and brightly colored dust masks, showed us how to properly get on and off the bike, and away we went.  We drove through the city, saw a handful of older people performing Tai Chi (internal Chinese martial art practiced for both its defense training and its health benefits) in a glowing green park,  soared past lakes and rivers surrounded by trees, bridges and well kept fences, streets lined with Vietnamese flags every 5 feet, children being dropped off for school in matching uniforms and bumper to bumper motorbike traffic.  It was all just so fascinating.

For breakfast, I had a local dish that consisted of noodles, tofu, spring rolls, veggies and a delicious sesame chili sauce.  And get this.  I ate it all with chopsticks.  I am almost a pro now.  Locals probably think I’m from Asia at this point. Vinny had a Banh Mi, which is a product of Vietnam’s colonial past and referred to by many as the “world’s best sandwich”.  The beloved concoction combines a crunchy French baguette with pork, pate and an ever-changing array of fresh vegetables.  The guides were asking us and an Australian couple what some of the craziest, most adventurous foods we’ve eaten are.  Of course, I lost before the game even began.  But the Vietnamese had everyone else knocked out harder than a punch from Evander Holyfield in round 1.  Their list consisted of crickets, rats, frogs, ducks, birds, horses, crocodilea snakes.  Yeah, I don’t need to compete with that.  I prefer those animals alive, even if they aren’t the friendliest to humans.

Once we got out of the city and into the countryside, we started seeing more rural areas…

We then stopped at a rice noodle factory.  Let’s just say if the Department of Health made a surprise visit, I don’t think they would get an A.  But hey, it works for them.

Next, we drove through a rubber plantation, which is basically a forest of trees.  The material from the trunk is made into furniture, tires, condoms, etc., making Vietnam the 5th (although some sources say 3rd) largest producer in the world.  It started back with the French in the 1940’s and unfortunately 42,000 Vietnamese died during that time due to rough working conditions.  By 2020, Vietnam’s goal is to produce a total volume of 1.2 million tons of latex and earn approximately 2 billion USD in export revenue.

After being on the bikes for a few hours in the heat, we stopped at a local shop and had fresh sugar cane juice to help cool us down.  So yummy, especially since it was made with love from Vinny.

The main attraction on this tour were the Cu Chi tunnels.  For those of you who are unfamiliar with these tunnels, let me give you a little background (don’t fully quote me though as I never claimed to be a history buff – I’ll leave that to my Dad).  Most Americans refer to the war that took place from November 1, 1955 – April 30, 1975 as the Vietnam War (makes perfect sense to me).  However, the Vietnamese refer to it as the American War (which also makes perfect sense to me).  During the Vietnam/American War (I’ll stay neutral) thousands of people in the Vietnamese province of Cu Chi lived in an elaborate network of underground tunnels. The tunnels were used by Viet Cong guerrillas as hiding spots during combat, as well as serving as communication and supply routes, hospitals, food and weapon caches and living quarters for numerous guerrilla fighters. The tunnel systems were of great importance to the Viet Cong in their resistance to American forces, and played a major role in North Vietnam winning the war.

When we first arrived, you would have never been able to tell there was a war fought here.   However, once we dug deeper (literally – underground), you start to feel the eeriness of how many people lost their lives on this very soil.  The network of Cu Chi stretched from the South Vietnamese capital to the Cambodian border.  At least twelve thousand Vietnamese guerrillas and sympathizers are thought to have perished here during the War.  According to BBC journalists, these tunnels were ‘the most bombed, shelled, gassed, defoliated and generally devastated area in the history of warfare’.  For the first time, I can honestly say I wasn’t necessarily proud to be an American.  I know there are 3 sides to every story but regardless of how you spin it, we turned a country upside down in a war that we didn’t even belong in (of course that is my bias, uneducated opinion).

Today, the Vietnamese have turned the Cu Chi Tunnels into a living museum almost.  Tourists can visit a short stretch of the tunnels, drop to their hands and knees and squeeze underground for an insight into life as a tunnel-dwelling resistance fighter, which wasn’t a pleasant life at all.  Air, food and water were scarce and the tunnels were infested with ants, poisonous centipedes, scorpions, spiders and vermin. Most of the time, guerrillas would spend the day in the tunnels working or resting and come out only at night to scavenge for supplies, tend their crops or engage the enemy in battle. Sometimes, during periods of heavy bombing or American troop movement, they would be forced to remain underground for many days at a time. Sickness was rampant among the people living in the tunnels, especially malaria, which was the second largest cause of death next to battle wounds. Almost everyone had intestinal parasites of significance. Only about 6,000 of the 16,000 cadres who fought in the tunnels survived the war.

Here is what the ground looked like normally, covered in leaves and dirt…

But what you don’t see is the hidden passageway to the underground world…

And here I am sneaking into that underground world.  Talk about a tight squeeze…

Here is Vinny crawling through the dark, tight, narrow passageway.  Some sections of the tunnels have been widened but it’s still an uncomfortable, sweaty, claustrophobic experience that certainly isn’t for everyone.

No big deal, just a few fruit bats hanging around (HA!)…

This is a replica of what the medical team used to look like underground…

And this is a replica of what some of the traps used to look like.  Ouch.

Although it wasn’t an uplifting experience, I learned more in one day about the Vietnam/American War than I did in 12 years of schooling.  It’s kind of like that saying: “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”  You can have me read textbooks all day long and you can tell step by step what happened but it wasn’t until I was actually at the site, going through the motions, seeing what they saw, doing what they did that I truly understood what this war entailed.  Of course, Forest Gump gives you perspective as well.  Run, Forest, Run!

Now that we were all stunned and speechless, we got back on our bikes and rode to lunch at a very, very, very local spot.  I don’t even think it had a name.  But they sure did cook tons of food for us.

You know when you eat so much and your tummy is beyond full, all you want to do is lay down and take a nap?  Well, move to Vietnam.  They love their hammocks here.  Every restaurant tends to have them so people can rest up after a big meal before they return to work.  I mean, this is genius.  I’m definitely adding this to my list of things I want to introduce the USA to.  Do you think Trump or Clinton would respond to me if I dropped this in their suggestions box?

We stopped for an ice cold water break at the half-way point.  One because it was so hot.  But also because our butts were super numb from sitting on the back of the bike for so long.  I had to shake and wiggle, shake and wiggle to wake it up.

Who needs an SUV with a big trunk and two rows of seating when you have a bike?

Who needs an automatic railroad crossing when you can do it manually?

What an awesome day with awesome guides and an awesome overall tour.  We learned, we laughed, we saw, we cringed, we ate, we enjoyed.  And don’t be scared, it’s just us below.  I promise we won’t steal your things.

It was about 4pm when we got back so our two options were nap or grab coffee.  We chose the latter and headed to Chat Bistro, which was right across the alley from our AirBnB.

That night, we had dinner at Five Oysters, also on Phạm Ngũ Lão street and finally got Pho. Not amazing but not horrible, until we saw two cockroaches racing across the floor.  Eeewwwwwwww.  One of the waiters came over, squashed them with his shoe and went right back to taking orders.  Oh the cultural differences between countries.

Random side note.  My friend Becca adopted a one eyed pug and named her Junebug, the Pirate Pug or Joonz for short.  Every time I see a pug now I automatically think of them.  And this one was no different.  Although her tank top and underwear don’t match, I still think she’s an adorable, fluffy, round little creature.  Miss you, Becca!

That wraps up our first few days in Ho Chi Minh City.  There is so much culture, so much history, so much energy and so much eating here that I don’t think you can handle it all at once, which is why I’ve decided to break it up into two parts.  Hope you don’t mind.

Stay tuned for what we have in store during our next few days in this lively city…

Day 1 – April 28

We departed Chiang Mai on Thai Airways at 11:05am, landed in Bangkok at 12:15pm, walked straight off the plane and out of the airport hassle free because we were able to carry our backpacks on, took a 50 minute Uber ride to the city ($14.99), and arrived at our AirBnB around 1:45pm.  I love when everything goes to plan.  Makes traveling so much more enjoyable.  We’ve certainly been extremely lucky these past 3.5+ months.  Knock on wood, our streak continues.  We will be staying at a “Hip Studio Of BKK+River+BTS+WIFI” for the next 3 nights at an affordable price of $45.67.  This is our very own place vs. Chiang Mai where it was a room within a house.  The host is Bee (who actually lives in Alberta, Canada – eh) but her father (or father-in-law, not quite sure the relationship there) is Thai and manages the property.  Bee was extremely helpful leading up to our arrival and her father was incredibly welcoming throughout our entire time there.  The room is located on the 13th floor of a sky rise building.  For those that are superstitious, uh oh.

We were starving by this point so did some research online and walked about 15 minutes to Nilan’s Kitchen for lunch.  Cute little place.  The food had a “home cooked” taste to it.

I know I sound like a broken record when it comes to the weather.  You get it, it’s hot.  Of course it’s hot, it’s Southeast Asia in April.  Duh.  But I’m just going to put it out there.  Bangkok might be the most miserable so far.  The weather app said it was 101 degrees but “felt like 117” due to the humidity.  That’s just stupid.  We explored a little bit after lunch but neither of us could handle being outside so we headed back for a little R&R in the AC.

Tonight, we have a hot double date with Kendall and Brendan.  As mentioned earlier, I met Kendall through my friend Ashley.  They were best friends during college at Brown University (so smart of them).  Kendall and Brendan decided to move to Bangkok a few years ago as a hub to traveling Southeast Asia before having kids.  However, Kendall got pregnant a few months before that plan was about to be executed yet they still stuck to it.  Today, they have 2 boys under the age of 2, both of which were born here.  I have the utmost respect for them as a couple and as parents.  Oh and did I mention they met at Harvard Law School?  No shortage of brains in that family.

Since it is such a rare occasion to see familiar faces on this side of the world, Vinny and I decided to put ourselves together for once.  He did his hair and I did mine, including adding a little makeup (me, not him).  This is the third time we’ve both looked like humans in 106 days (I counted for you, Womble!).  Made me feel good.  When you are constantly traveling and on the go, appearance isn’t your first priority.  But after awhile of wearing the same clothes, always sweating and starting to resemble Krusty the Clown, it starts to eat at your self esteem.  A night like this was definitely needed.  We met them at their place, which was right on the river with breathtaking views, had a drink and then headed to dinner at Baan Chiang.  We let them order all the food since they are pretty much locals.  And they sure did a phenomenal job at it.  I tried a new dish called Morning Glory and am now obsessed.  Nothing fancy, just very tasty and apparently popular in this region.  We had such a fun time tonight.  Thanks Kendall and Brendan for hosting us!

Day 2 – April 29

We both woke up in the middle of the night in a puddle full of sweat.  Yuck.  How can we be that hot even with the air conditioning running?  Well, we quickly discovered it was because the AC unit broke.  Are you serious?  No.  This can’t be happening.  We immediately emailed Bee in Canada at 5am (obviously mid-day for her, we wouldn’t be that rude.  Well, maybe) who called her father and at 8am, he came to check it out.  While he was playing repair man, we walked to Classico Coffee down the street for some  breakfast.  Their options were limited since it was a smaller operation, which was totally fine because one of their specialities was waffles with chocolate sauce.   Yes, please.

When we got back to our AirBnB, Bee’s father was still there trying to figure out what happened.  We couldn’t be outside because it was so hot yet we couldn’t be inside because it was even hotter.  Not a big deal though.  Don’t sweat the small stuff.  Literally.  It forced us to get our day of sightseeing started earlier than expected, which worked out better.  Our first experience of the day was taking the Bangkok Mass Transit System, commonly known as the BTS or the Skytrain, which is an elevated rapid transit system that runs through all the important downtown disctricts and major transport hubs.  It was a 15 minute walk from where we are staying and cost less than $1 per person each way for most of the routes we took.  Plus, it was air conditioned so I could have stayed inside forever.  Packed with locals and tourists alike, the people watching was amazing.  And because the tracks were high above the city, it made for great scenery as well.  We would hop on, then hop off, then hop on, then hop off throughout the day.

While walking around the city aimlessly, Vinny met a new friend…

And we were able to observe the insane traffic from up above…

The streets of Bangkok have so many different smells, it’s overwhelming.  One minute you are smelling trash and sewer water, the next you are smelling fresh fruit, then you are smelling meat and fish as they hang from street vendors in full form, followed by random soaps and body products.  With every step you take, it’s a new smell.  And just like in life, you never know what’s next or how long it will last for.  Sometimes I chose to breathe through my mouth to avoid those unwanted scents and sometimes I took extremely deep breaths through my nose to fully enjoy those fresh smells, hoping they don’t go away.

It’s only be a day but Bangkok isn’t winning me over quite yet.  Everything seems to be very spread out and traffic is horrendous at all hours.  It takes forever to get from point A to point B.  Walking is the preferred method of transportation but unfortunately, the weather doesn’t really help with that.  I’m afraid my thighs would never unstick from each other.  Maybe we are just here at the wrong time of year?  Who knows.  Either way, I will keep an open mind for the next 24 hours as I do really want to enjoy this city.

That night, once the sun went to bed and the stars were struggling to shine through the pollution, we embarked on a 25 minute walk to Asiatique The Riverfront, which is a large open-air mall facing the Chao Phraya River and Charoen Krung Road.  It was very touristy but we actually enjoyed our evening here.  It sort of reminded me of a more upscale Santa Monica pier with lots of action all around you.

There was a massive Ferris wheel…

Various shops and tons of restaurants…

Rainbow bright twins…

Young kids, racing mini ATV’s, wearing no helmets (this would never fly in the US)…

Great views from across the river…

We had dinner at one of their outdoor places that specializes in Northeastern Thai Food, called Rodniyom Somtam…

We finished our evening with a very yummy Westernized dessert at Swenson’s…

Day 3 – April 30

Today was our last full day in Bangkok so we woke up early, left our place around 7:45am and took a boat upstream for 14 THB or $.40.

Our first stop of the day was the Grand Palace, which is undoubtedly the city’s most famous landmark. Built in 1782, it was the home of the Thai King, the Royal court and the administrative seat of government for 150 years.  The Grand Palace is a grand old dame indeed, that continues to have visitors in awe with its beautiful architecture and intricate detail, all of which is a proud salute to the creativity and craftsmanship of Thai people. Within its walls were also the Thai war ministry, state departments, and even the mint. Today, the complex remains the spiritual heart of the Thai Kingdom.  But with every good thing, comes people.  Tons of people.  Bus loads of people.  Herds of people.  And this was no different.  It was quite overwhelming and hard to enjoy what you are experiencing with so many people.  You can’t move, you can’t breath, you can’t think.  Sounds dramatic but it’s true.  At least for us that’s how we felt. It was definitely a bummer.

 

Despite the immensely overpowering crowds, you can’t help but stand in awe of the intricate detail the Grand Palace incorporates.  Everything from the walls to the roofs to the statues to the doors to the floors are over the top stunning.  I still think this is a must see in Bangkok, although Vinny is pretty adamant it can be skipped.  Either way, be prepared for your personal space to be invaded at all times.

 

Next we walked to Wat Pho, a compound that incorporates a host of superlatives including the city’s largest reclining Buddha and the largest collection of Buddha images in Thailand.  The highly impressive gold plated reclining Buddha is 46 meters long and 15 meters high, and is designed to illustrate the passing of the Buddha into nirvana. The feet and the eyes are engraved with mother-of-pearl decoration, and the feet also show the 108 auspicious characteristics of the true Buddha.  Very impressive.

What time is it?  It’s lunch time!  Always time to eat.  We grabbed some food at Jin Chieng Seng, which was a short 10 minute walk from Wat Pho.  Besides Morning Glory, one of my other new obsessions is papaya salad, although I don’t like papaya.  So weird, I know.  But the salad aspect is made from shredded unripe papaya, which makes a difference I guess.  It is also includes tomatoes, chili peppers, garlic, green beans, lime, palm sugar and then topped with my favorite, peanuts.  Very refreshing and very popular in Southeast Asia.

We then took the boat back to our area, walked around, visited some more sites, explored with no agenda and attempted to enjoy the city while we can (attempted being the key word).  The weather was much cooler today which helped allow us to stay outdoors for longer.  There was a nice breeze drying my drenched clothes.  It’s crazy – I sweat as if I’m 300 pounds and Vinny doesn’t really sweat at all.  However, he smells like Oscar the Grouch (who lives in a trash can, you get it?) and I don’t smell at all.  I guess we all release heat differently .  Don’t bright and colorful buildings just make you feel happy?

We got back to our AirBnB around 4pm and literally 27 seconds later, it started down pouring with lightening and thunder.  Talk about perfect timing. That’s probably why the weather was a bit cooler today.  Hey, I’ll take it.  I absolutely love the sound of rain falling down as you lay on your bed.  Very few things in life are as peaceful as that.

For our last meal, we went to Tealicious Cafe, which was delicious.  Owned by a “smaller” British husband and his Thai wife, it takes a while to get your food because she cooks everything from scratch.  And you can tell.  All the ingredients are fresh and made with love.  It is located down a random alley and we sat outside.  What a perfect way to end our  3 weeks here.

Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed our time in Thailand.  It definitely offered us some high points followed by some low points back up to high points.  But that’s okay.  We can handle it.  The low points certainly test you as an individual as well as us as a couple.  There are moments we wanted to throw in the towel and give up, on this adventure as well as each other, but as soon as those storms passed, we realized how foolish that would be.  And that’s the beauty of having a partner.  They are there for you no matter what.  Maybe not right away or willingly, but they always come through.

The islands of Thailand are incredibly beautiful.  Overcrowded and touristy yet relaxing and visually attractive.  Chiang Mai was wonderful as well.  Very quaint and charming.  I can certainly see why so many expats call this city home now.  Bangkok wasn’t my favorite but I didn’t really expect it to be. Some people love it, some people don’t.  We all look for something different in our experiences and if we all liked the same thing, life would be so boring.  However, Thailand and its modernization came at the perfect time for us as we were in need of some familiarity after being in such foreign, underdeveloped, remote places for the last 3 months.  Although having 7-11’s on every corner in addition to Starbucks, McDonalds, Burger King, Au Bon Pain, Baskin Robbins and Subway was a bit overload, it was still nice to get a taste of home.  But that was enough.  We are ready to go back to the unfamiliar again.  The locals are incredibly hospitable and happy, hence the nickname Land of Smiles.  There is so much more of Thailand to see but sadly it’s time for us to turn the page on this chapter.  Until we see you again, thank you for introducing us to the underworld, for providing us with picture perfect sunsets, for showing us all the different shades of blue water can be made up of, for unknowingly throwing me a fantastic 32nd birthday party, for allowing us to call an elephant our friend and for teaching us how to cook your fabulous traditional dishes.  These are memories that we will hold close to our hearts forever.

 

 

 

Day 1 – April 23

After a 45 minute boat ride from the Pimalai Resort to the mainland of Krabi, we hopped in a car for an hour to the airport, followed by a 2 hour flight to Chiang Mai, ending with a 20 minute drive to our AirBnb.  The owner, Lee, picked us up around 10pm at no charge which was extremely nice of him.  At a very attractive price of $39, we will be staying in a private room of his house for the next 5 nights.  Lee is from England, his wife is from South Africa, they met in Nepal, live in Chiang Mai and now have a 3 month old son.  Unfortunately, we didn’t get to meet his wife, Bianca, because she was back home showing off her new baby.  Lee was a bachelor again for a few weeks and he seemed pretty excited about it.  Who wouldn’t be?  Their house was awesome.  Made from teakwood, it was referred to as a “Nature Escape” on AirBnB.

Day 2 – April 24

Our AirBnB room is about 15 minutes outside of Chiang Mai’s Old City so we decided to just hang around this small little town for the morning and afternoon.  We walked about 7 minutes to Baan Keng Wak, which was basically a Sunday morning Farmers Market.  There were various local products being sold such as coffee, food, organic soaps, pottery, etc.  It’s always neat to see how different yet similar certain things are from what we are used to.

We then grabbed some coffee and breakfast at Bhukitta, which was a short 3 minute walk away from the Farmers Market.  I got a mango smoothie because in this heat, that’s all I’m craving.  Something healthy yet refreshing.  It’s a win-win.

The rest of the morning we chilled in our room with the air conditioning blasting.  When I think of Northern towns, I think cooler but not here in Thailand.  It’s about 110 degrees.  I could easily crack an egg on the ground and fry it in less than a minute, guaranteed.  Or if you prefer scramble, I can do that too.  Around lunch time, we grabbed a bite to eat down the street at 49 Garden Bistro.   They served us yellow and purple rice, which made me automatically think of the Lakers and how I can’t believe Kobe Bryant is officially retired (random side thought, I know).  For 20 years, I enjoyed watching him perform magic on the court.  The team will never be the same without him, neither will the city of LA.

Later that night, we decided to rent a motorbike to make getting around easier since we are somewhat removed from all the action.  We’ve rented bikes in other cities but this would definitely be our biggest challenge to date.  To test how comfortable Vinny is, we rode into town – in the dark, during rush hour traffic – to experience the infamous Sunday Walking Street Market.  What an electric, energetic, vibrant concept.  The entire area is shut down to cars.  Only people are allowed to walk around, on foot.  You can purchase anything from purses and clothing to jewelry and paintings to “good price for you foot massages”.  There are also endless street food vendors selling anything your little heart can imagine from the typical chicken and veggies to crickets and grasshoppers. We weren’t daring enough to taste the insects but we did enjoy everything we ate (pretty simple, non exotic items), which came to a whopping total of 170 THB or $4.83.

We started with chicken skewers…

Followed by Pad Thai and fried rice…

Then sticky rice and mango (a new favorite of mine!)…

Ending with waffles and Nutella…

Such a cool market.  Very touristy but there were surprisingly a good amount of locals as well.  I would say it was close to 50/50.  With live music playing from bar to bar, local merchants convinced they have the cheapest price for you and food carts testing your adventurous level from boring to extreme, this is a place that wakes up all five of your senses at once.

Day 3 – April 25

We started our morning off fairly early with some breakfast in the Old city at The Blue Diamond Cafe and then walked a few minutes to the main office of Thai Farm Cooking School at 8:15am.  This will be our third international cooking class we’ve done together.  The first was in Florence, Italy the second was in Udaipur, India and now Chiang Mai, Thailand.  I don’t think you can find better food than Italian, Indian and Thai in my opinion so that’s why I have so much interest in learning how to make some of my favorite dishes from scratch.  Let’s see if I remember any of this in a few months though.  Thai Farm Cooking School has an organic farm about 17 kilometers outside the city where they grow all of their own vegetables, fruits, spices, etc.  There were 10 of us total in a group including a couple from Germany, a couple from Norway, a couple from Canada, a solo young man from Canada and a solo young woman from California (ironically from LA, works for Live Nation and was out here in Asia managing Madonna’s “Rebel Tour”.  It’s sure is a small world after all).

Our tour started off with a visit to a local market where they buy a lot of their products that they don’t necessarily grow on their own.  This place had everything including a not so welcoming smell to it.  I think the combination of fruits, vegetables, meats, sauces, chips, rice, dead bugs, etc. didn’t necessarily leave the atmosphere as fresh as roses.  Plus, we saw a handful of cockroaches hanging out in some of the plastic bags.  Business as usual though I’m sure.  Although I wouldn’t necessary come here for my own groceries it sure was fascinating to witness firsthand.  There definitely wasn’t a shortage of items to buy.

Next up, we ate.  And ate.  And ate.  For five hours straight.  Our teacher’s name was Garten.  She instantly won me over.  Her personality was so peppy, so funny, so cheesy, so energetic, so witty.  One could say she my was Thai twin separated at birth.  Hahaha, just kidding.  She was incredible though.  Really made today what it was.  A marathon of eating and laughing nonstop.  She would come up with these different sayings for us to remember things by.  One of the best ones was when she said “My name is Garnet.  This is a granite counter.  I am adding a pinch of garlic.  Then topping it with some garnish”.  Then she would repeat over and over again “Garnet, granite, garlic, garnish”.  I think you had to be there but the whole group was in tears from laughter.  Another catchy saying was when we were adding a bunch of sauces and ingredients to make the stir fry dish, she would line them up and with the most bubbly voice go “one pinch of this, two pinches of this, two pinches of this, one pinch of this” and then repeat with an even higher voice and shake her hips to the sound of “one, two, two, one”, “one, two, two, one”.  The last thing I will reminisce on is when she would make some of the dishes and then add the garnish for decoration at the end.  She would put on some parsley and say “this just cost you 20 THB” and then she would add a few chopped chili’s and say “this just cost you 40 THB” and then should we top it with a flower and say “this just cost you 60 THB”.  So a dish that was originally 80 THB is now 200 THB because it looks pretty.  She was basically making fun of her own kind.  Again, you probably had to be there but everything she did she turned into a show.  Amazing.

We all had our own individual stove tops, cutting boards, utensils, knives, ingredients, etc.

This chef can cook for me anytime he wants…

Okay, here is what we made today.  We had choices, which is always much appreciated with my picky eating habits.  I will first show you the before photo with all the ingredients and then the after photo, which is my A for Effort attempt at cooking.  Not perfect yet not horrible.  I’ll pat myself on the back.

Tom Yum Soup (other option was Coconut Milk Soup)…

Your choice of green, yellow or red curry – chicken or vegetarian (I chose green with chicken, Vinny chose red with chicken)…

Your choice of stir fry – cashew nuts, sweet & sour or basil – chicken or vegetarian (I chose chicken with cashew nuts, Vinny chose chicken with basil)…

Pad Thai (other option were spring rolls)…

For dessert we did mango with sticky rice (other option was bananas in coconut milk)…

Everything was ridiculously tasty.  I am so impressed with myself and Vinny that we were able to whip up such a delicious Thai meal.  Of course Garten was paving the way for us but still.   This cooking experience is definitely up there with Shashi’s from Udaipur.  Different but equally as memorable.  Shashi’s was more of a group effort where this we made everything on our own.  Shashi’s story was heartfelt and inspiring where Garten was straight out of an SNL episode.   Pure entertainment.

Once we got back to the city, we rode our motorbike to Ristr8to for some coffee.  Between all the food we consumed today and being outside in the heat cooking over a burning stove, a little pick me up was much needed.  When I inputed the location into Maps.Me it said it would take 4 minutes so we figured why not.  It’s close and well rated.  However, that 4 minutes slowly turned into 24 minutes thanks to traffic.  Annoying at the time but once we got there we quickly forgot about it.  What an adorable, hipster like place this was.  Everything was written on a chalkboard in funky lettering.  And they were very proud baristas behind the counter willing to make you whatever you wanted.  It still wasn’t fully up to his standards but the cappuccino Vinny got was the best he’s had in the last 3+ months.  Reminded me of a place that would be in Portland, Oregon for some reason.

No need for dinner tonight since our belly’s are filled with happiness from our cooking class still and our abs are sore from laughing continuously.  It sure was a wonderful day.  I highly recommend Thai Farm Cooking School and I highly recommend requesting Garten as your teacher.  She just might be my new favorite person on this planet (besides you, of course).

Day 4 – April 26

How can anything beat yesterday?  Fantastic food and endless entertainment all while learning new tricks in the kitchen.  However, we are certainly going to try.  Today we are paying to volunteer (such a funny concept) at Patara Elephant Farm, which is a hands-on experience learning how to take care of an elephant on a daily basis the way its owner would.  This is a opportunity to give back and to help these incredible animals, not treat them like circus entertainers, I promise.  A lot of the elephants are currently going through rehab or have recently given birth and Patara is rescuing them from being poached in the jungles.  We did the “Elephant Day Care” program which was from 1pm-6pm and about $108 per person (this was Vinny’s birthday gift to me and it sure was a great one).  When we first arrived at the farm, about an hour or so outside the city, we were greeted by 3 mamma elephants and their 3 babies.  Oh my peanut.  There is absolutely nothing in this world sweeter than seeing a baby elephant snuggle up to their mother.  And they are such happy animals (or at least here they are).  I got to hug a baby (although I did more of the hugging) and it just melted my heart.  After the photo, she tried playing with me but I thought she was trying to tackle me so I ran.  I guess their playful approach is a little different than ours.

Everyone was paired up with their own elephant which gave us a chance to really connect with them on a more personal level.  Mine was Potu, a 7 year old female who was born at Patara and my mahout (elephant keeper/rainer) was Ross.  Potu was so loving, so gentle and so adorable.  She kept wanting to give me big, tight hugs with her trunk.  I mean seriously?  This is an elephant we are talking about.  Not a dog, not a cat, not a person.  An elephant.  And she wants to hug me?  Am I dreaming?

We learned how to properly approach them, how to detect certain temperaments and how to communicate through different spoken commands (all in Thai)…

How to feed them with bananas still in the peel and massively thick bamboo sticks.  Their tongues were so slimy yet so soft.  Whose mouth is bigger you think?

How to bath them.  Front, back, top, bottom.  We scrubbed and scrubbed and scrubbed…

And then they bathed us…

How to ride them bareback on their neck (not on their back)…

My heart literally smiled from valve to valve every minute I got to spend with Potu today.  I genuinely didn’t want to leave her side. If I can fall in love with an elephant the minute she hugs me, I can only imagine how I will be once I have my own children.  Sorry Mom, you’ll have to wait just a little longer for that to happen though.

We’ve been having so much Thai food recently (rightfully so since we are in Thailand after all) so we decided to switch it up and go for our favorite alternative, Italian at Italics in the Old City.  Cool atmosphere with lights hanging down, chic wall decorations and very artsy silverware and dishware.  Bon appetito!

Day 5 – April 27

Our last full day in Chiang Mai.  We rode our motorbike into the Old City and had breakfast at Hideout Cafe.  I got a bagel and cream cheese for the first time in months.  Oh how I’ve missed them.  Such a simple food concept yet so fulfilling.  And of course, I got a mango smoothie as well.  My goal is to have at least one each day while I’m in Thailand.

Next we went to Talat Waroto, which is Chiang Mai’s central market.  Clothes, toiletries, shoes, food, produce, jewelry, hats.  You name it, it’s here.  So much stuff, everywhere.  It’s a bit overwhelming.

Next we went temple hopping. I had to use the restroom at one point and they made me put on some random sandals before entering.  Ewwwww.  My feet have to touch the feet of a strangers?  Well not technically but kind of.  How unsanitary is this idea?  But I have to respect it since I’m in their country not mine.

First up was Wat Chedi Luang (built in 1441)…

Vinny calls this the “Netflix Buddha” because he is laying down (with all do respect, of course)…

And this the “had too much popcorn while watching Netflix Buddha” (again, with all do respect)…

It is so brutally hot right now (even with our amazingly awesome umbrellas shielding us from the ever so strong sun) so we ventured into the nearest 7-11 (which was right across the street as there is one on every single corner) for some ice cold water and a much needed air conditioning break.  Who would have ever thought a 7-11 would be this enjoyable?  Once my face changed colors from a red velvet cake to vanilla frosting, I knew I was back to normal temperature.  Okay, on we go.

The second temple on our list was Wat Pan Tao, a short walk from Wat Chedi Luang…

Then we rode our bikes to Wat Phra Singh, which is Chiang Mai’s most revered temple…

One thing we learned was that it’s disrespectful to point your feet at Buddha so when most people sit down on the ground, they usually sit on their feet.  A little uncomfortable at first but after a few minutes, you get the hang of it.

Three temples were enough for us.  We like to appreciate what we are seeing and sometimes it becomes tedious if you visit too many in a short period of time.  It’s all about balance.  Quality over quantity.  Since we wanted to escape the heat somehow but didn’t want to drive back to our AirBnB quite yet, we came up with the perfect solution – get a traditional Thai massage.  Duh.  What a genius idea.  We went to Fah Lanna and basically got our butts kicked by the local masseuses (hence Vinny’s face in the photo below).  Wow, they use every body part they can on you including their knuckles, their elbows, their knees and their feet.  Definitely not relaxing but I feel brand new now.  It’s one of those “hurt’s so good” feelings.  And for one hour, it cost $5.50 each.  Yes, please.  Sign me up daily if I was staying longer.  I also got a much needed pedicure for $8.  Not the best one I’ve ever had but my feet look somewhat approachable again.  Much better.

Our last supper was spent at Dash. Delicious food, affordable prices, romantic setting.

We are so sad to be leaving Chiang Mai in the morning.  Between the endless array of restaurant options, the funky coffee culture, the brewing beer labs and the extensive, unique nature filled experiences, both inside and outside the Old City, this is a place we felt we could definitely do at least a few more nights in.  But all good things have to end eventually.  Boo hoo.  And we loved our AirBnB but if we had to do it over again, we would most likely stay closer to the action.  It wasn’t painfully far away but still a trek anytime we wanted to go anywhere.  Oh well, you live and you learn.

Tomorrow we fly to Bangkok, which is known locally as Krung Thep, the “City of Angels”.  That’s odd, I thought I was from the City of Angels?  East meets West.  Bring it on.