We saw this in a factory outside Dalat. It is "oldskool."
Friday, March 13, 2009
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Pigcycle
I took this from our shuttle on the way from the Hanoi airport. The driver went for extra style points by seating two people and the pig on the bike.
Q: What's white and red and goes 50 miles an hour?Special behind the scenes bonus feature - rejected alternate captions:
1) I haven't seen this fat a pig on a motorcycle since the last time I was pulled by the CHP.
2) The Vietnamese take the idea of "fast food" very literally.
3) A traditional Vietnamese CO2 BBQ
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Hoi An
Before arriving, we'd heard numerous comparisons between Hoi An and Luang Prabang, which was our favorite place in Laos and, after Hong Kong, the best town we've stayed in on this whole trip. Needless to say, a comparison to Luang Prabang gets us excited. Hoi An was certainly charming, but it was not the quiet and mellow Vietnamese equivalent of our favorite Lao spot. Hoi An is buzzing with tourists and is crammed with tailor shops. After two nights staying in the main tourist center of town, we moved across the river to enjoy a more peaceful atmosphere and nice views. From our new location, we were able to go to our favorite restaurant, the Cargo Club, without being harassed by moto drivers.
One of the main reasons people come to Hoi An is to get tailor-made clothes. We tried to get a few pieces made, but aside from a fabulous coat which I will be wearing daily this winter, most of our pieces came out a little ill-fitting. It took one tailor five fittings to make me a pair of pants that were anywhere close to my size. She took out her frustration by blaming my "big thighs," which led me to three concurrent thoughts:
1) Not true. At 5'0" and 103 lbs, I'm pretty much the tiniest an American adult can be without qualifying for a handicap parking sticker.
2) This is not a good way to make friends.
3) Aren't you supposed to be a tailor...making clothes that fit people's bodies?
Ian's experience wasn't any better (apparently his shoulders are "uneven," making it absolutely impossible to make his sleeves fit correctly), so we were left a little disenchanted.
We did take a nice day trip to the beach, and our Cargo Club croissants and desserts were always on hand to make us happy to be in Hoi An.
Charming riverfront restaurants.
The Japanese Covered Bridge, as seen in some movie with Michael Caine (yay!) and Brendan Fraser (nooo!).
Very pretty little beach near Hoi An.
Sunset on the river.
One of the river's many floating lanterns.
The Vietnamese will carry just about anything on the back of a motorbike.
One of the main reasons people come to Hoi An is to get tailor-made clothes. We tried to get a few pieces made, but aside from a fabulous coat which I will be wearing daily this winter, most of our pieces came out a little ill-fitting. It took one tailor five fittings to make me a pair of pants that were anywhere close to my size. She took out her frustration by blaming my "big thighs," which led me to three concurrent thoughts:
1) Not true. At 5'0" and 103 lbs, I'm pretty much the tiniest an American adult can be without qualifying for a handicap parking sticker.
2) This is not a good way to make friends.
3) Aren't you supposed to be a tailor...making clothes that fit people's bodies?
Ian's experience wasn't any better (apparently his shoulders are "uneven," making it absolutely impossible to make his sleeves fit correctly), so we were left a little disenchanted.
We did take a nice day trip to the beach, and our Cargo Club croissants and desserts were always on hand to make us happy to be in Hoi An.
Charming riverfront restaurants.
The Japanese Covered Bridge, as seen in some movie with Michael Caine (yay!) and Brendan Fraser (nooo!).
Very pretty little beach near Hoi An.
Sunset on the river.
One of the river's many floating lanterns.
The Vietnamese will carry just about anything on the back of a motorbike.Monday, March 9, 2009
Around Dalat
One day during our stay in Dalat we rented a van with Richard and Debbie and another couple they had met. We spent the day visiting nearby waterfalls and other countryside attractions, such as a greenhouse and a silk factory. We really loved the scenery around Dalat and found this attractions to be surprisingly not touristy. Like the sand dunes and fairy spring in Mui Ne, the Dalat waterfalls showed us that Vietnam scenery is a lot more varied than we realized. We knew the coast and Ha Long Bay would be beautiful, but there's a lot more to see in Vietnam than that!
Loom in the silk factory. These things made great clanking noises and had a sort of steam punk aesthetic going on.
Awesome waterfall #1 (Ian and I stopped reading our travel guide once Richard and Debbie came along and did all the reading for us, so we don't know the names of any attractions anymore).
Very, VERY happy Buddha at awesome waterfall #1.
Awesome waterfall #2, also known as awesomest waterfall, as it was the best of the three we saw this day.
Looks like someone got a $3 haircut!
More of the awesomest waterfall.
No visit to the Dalat countryside is complete without a trip to the Chicken Village, famous for this statue and nothing else.
Loom in the silk factory. These things made great clanking noises and had a sort of steam punk aesthetic going on.
Awesome waterfall #1 (Ian and I stopped reading our travel guide once Richard and Debbie came along and did all the reading for us, so we don't know the names of any attractions anymore).
Very, VERY happy Buddha at awesome waterfall #1.
Awesome waterfall #2, also known as awesomest waterfall, as it was the best of the three we saw this day.
Looks like someone got a $3 haircut!
More of the awesomest waterfall.
No visit to the Dalat countryside is complete without a trip to the Chicken Village, famous for this statue and nothing else.Bangkok Layover
We are currently in Bangkok for a 16 hour layover between Hanoi and Tokyo. Returning to Bangkok today felt like coming home. After traveling in Cambodia and Vietnam we realize how easy everything is in Thailand, and we have a much greater appreciation for everything from the street food and cheap prices to the ubiquitous 7-11s and pharmacies. We have a hotel room for the night and we were able to stock up on shampoo, contact solution, ibuprofen, etc. at the pharmacy nearby. We also visited one of the four 7-11s within 10-minute walking distance from our hotel and got some of our favorite Thai snacks.
The next few days will be crazy for us as we will be flying to Japan, sleeping on various nice people's couches, and booking it from Tokyo to Nagoya to Matsue. Once in Matsue, our pace will settle down and we'll spend about two and a half weeks in Western Honshu and Shikoku before meeting up with my parents for two weeks in the Kansai region. Because the Japan blogs will be slow in coming, I'm scheduling some posts to cover the rest of our Vietnam trip. Charlie is working hard to get us back up to date!
The next few days will be crazy for us as we will be flying to Japan, sleeping on various nice people's couches, and booking it from Tokyo to Nagoya to Matsue. Once in Matsue, our pace will settle down and we'll spend about two and a half weeks in Western Honshu and Shikoku before meeting up with my parents for two weeks in the Kansai region. Because the Japan blogs will be slow in coming, I'm scheduling some posts to cover the rest of our Vietnam trip. Charlie is working hard to get us back up to date!
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Crazy House
Sarah Hluchan, this post is for you. We could definitely see you doing this sort of thing with your houseboat.
The crazy house is one of Dalat's main attractions - the home of a Vietnamese artist with a taste for plaster and Alice in Wonderland-inspired architecture. You can actually stay overnight at the Crazy House, but I guess you'd have to deal with tourists outside your room all day. This place is hard to describe...let's just say it was incredibly kooky and far from understated. Narrow bridges connect plaster-enclosed buildings with fake trees and stalactites built into the structures. Each room has a theme, and there is a central "garden" of overgrown trees and winding pathways. Pictures are better than words here:
Main entrance.
The garden.
A man who didn't seem to work here offered to take our picture in the kangaroo room for free. The kangaroo's eyes are actually red light bulbs...creepy. The photographer gave Ian this red mesh vest to wear for the photo. Why? We have no idea.
Ian, taking his place at the head of the dining room table.
The crazy house is one of Dalat's main attractions - the home of a Vietnamese artist with a taste for plaster and Alice in Wonderland-inspired architecture. You can actually stay overnight at the Crazy House, but I guess you'd have to deal with tourists outside your room all day. This place is hard to describe...let's just say it was incredibly kooky and far from understated. Narrow bridges connect plaster-enclosed buildings with fake trees and stalactites built into the structures. Each room has a theme, and there is a central "garden" of overgrown trees and winding pathways. Pictures are better than words here:
Main entrance.
The garden.
A man who didn't seem to work here offered to take our picture in the kangaroo room for free. The kangaroo's eyes are actually red light bulbs...creepy. The photographer gave Ian this red mesh vest to wear for the photo. Why? We have no idea.
Ian, taking his place at the head of the dining room table.Saturday, March 7, 2009
We Liked Dalat a Lot
Now that Ian and I have reached the end of our six weeks in Vietnam we are thinking back to where we wish we had spent more time. One of those places is Dalat, a smallish town located in the central highlands. Dalat's cooler climate, kitschy attractions, and proximity to the country's primary produce and wine-producing region makes it a prime location for honeymooning Vietnamese. It definitely holds a special charm - sort of like a European mountain town with charming architecture, cobblestone streets, sidewalk cafes, and open-air markets selling really weird Southeast Asian ingredients.
Anyone care for a chicken head?
Two things made our stay in Dalat special:
1) We stayed at the best hotel we've been to on this whole Southeast Asia trip: Dreams Hotel. Our room at Dreams had hardwood floors, a super comfy bed, fresh flowers, no moldy smell, and a shower with eight different nozzles. Additionally, there was a jacuzzi and a sauna on the top floor free for our use. The room included breakfast, which consisted of a huge spread of fruit (I love mangos!), baguettes, meats, yogurt, eggs, passionfruit juice, tea, and all sorts of condiments. One morning some Australians showed us the correct way to use Vegemite so it doesn't taste so terrible (the secret: use very litttle!). We loved our breakfast, our room, and the lovely family who ran the hotel. This was by far the best value hotel we've seen for $20.
2) Produce. Dalat is known for having good produce generally, but is especially recognized for its wine and strawberries. Now, strawberries and I have a special history, and like a moth to a flame, I beelined to the first strawberry stand I saw and purchased a half kilo. Sadly, I had only washed and eaten a handful of them before experiencing the ill effects of consuming fresh Vietnamese produce, but I definitely don't regret eating the few that I had. I miss clean, organic California fruit....
Dalat's central market.
Dalat is also where we spent Valentines Day and where Ian found out he was accepted to Berkeley for grad school. All in all, it's a pretty great place!
Some photos from our day swanboating on the lake with Richard and Debbie:
So peaceful compared to Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi.
Richard strangling his swan. Not sure what it did to piss him off.
With swan boats, nice trees, and horse-drawn carriages, Dalat is all set up for honeymooners.
Anyone care for a chicken head?Two things made our stay in Dalat special:
1) We stayed at the best hotel we've been to on this whole Southeast Asia trip: Dreams Hotel. Our room at Dreams had hardwood floors, a super comfy bed, fresh flowers, no moldy smell, and a shower with eight different nozzles. Additionally, there was a jacuzzi and a sauna on the top floor free for our use. The room included breakfast, which consisted of a huge spread of fruit (I love mangos!), baguettes, meats, yogurt, eggs, passionfruit juice, tea, and all sorts of condiments. One morning some Australians showed us the correct way to use Vegemite so it doesn't taste so terrible (the secret: use very litttle!). We loved our breakfast, our room, and the lovely family who ran the hotel. This was by far the best value hotel we've seen for $20.
2) Produce. Dalat is known for having good produce generally, but is especially recognized for its wine and strawberries. Now, strawberries and I have a special history, and like a moth to a flame, I beelined to the first strawberry stand I saw and purchased a half kilo. Sadly, I had only washed and eaten a handful of them before experiencing the ill effects of consuming fresh Vietnamese produce, but I definitely don't regret eating the few that I had. I miss clean, organic California fruit....
Dalat's central market.Dalat is also where we spent Valentines Day and where Ian found out he was accepted to Berkeley for grad school. All in all, it's a pretty great place!
Some photos from our day swanboating on the lake with Richard and Debbie:
So peaceful compared to Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi.
Richard strangling his swan. Not sure what it did to piss him off.
With swan boats, nice trees, and horse-drawn carriages, Dalat is all set up for honeymooners.Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Monday, March 2, 2009
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