Depth = 30m, Visibility= 15m,

Just a quick note from the beautiful island of Koh Tao!

The journey TO Koh Tao was very interesting though. We came from Koh Samui, the island where we flew to from Cambodia. Koh Tao is supposed to be a 1 1/2 hour boat ride away. Little did we know, we chose the day of the biggest storm of the season to make the trip. About 30 minutes into the trip, the boat started rocking and turning, and soon we were in a full-on downpour. Christy, Janet, and I were on the top, where we thought we would benefit from the fresh air. Well within minutes we were drenched and half of the boat was puking into white trashbags. Janet turned white as a sheet and spent the rest of the ride with her head on my shoulder; I was holding her head down so she wouldn't get tossed out of her seat with every pitch of the boat. Christy held it together for awhile, until she started getting physicaly tossed around the boat (she was standing). She spent the rest of the trip near the trashcan. Shockingly, I held it together, probably solely because I went into mother mode with poor Janet almost passed out beside me. Four hours later, we made it to the island, exhausted.

It's been worth it thoguh... for the past 3 days , I've been diving in the most gorgeous water. I already had my PADI Open Water Certification, so I decided to get my Advanced Open Water, which allows me to dive to deeper depths (up to 30m) and which taught me how to properly navigate using a compass and dive computer. We also did a night dive, which was amazing, if only because it was a completely new experience for me. Overall, it was amazing and I'm so glad we came!

Tonight we take another boat (eek!) to Krabi, on the other side of the peninsula. More beach paradise!

Scenes from Angkor Wat

The journey from Bangkok to Siem Reap was surprisingly hassle-free, thanks to a little greasing of palms and a great road in Thailand. We made it to our hotel in 12 hours, which was considerably better than planned.

Siem Reap is an interesting little town, sprung up about 10km from Angkor Wat with the sole purpose of servicing the tourists there. It's a cute place, with lots of French influenced street and alleys and amazing Khmer cuisine. They ONLY accept the dollar, and it's expensive here!

But... WELL worth it. This has been one of the most amazing days of my trip so far. Christy, Janet, and I woke up at 4:30 to catch sunrise over the main temple at Angkor (Angkor Wat), and I luckily found a slightly secluded place from which to watch the sunrise. It was beautiful, and even better were the few hours that followed, wandering in silence and near solitude through the amazing halls of the temple. There were beautiful and intricate bas-reliefs depicting images from the Mahabharata, and I could have spent all day just looking at those! But throughout the day we moved from temple to temple, exploring the vast buildings and grounds.

After lunch, a bit Watted-out, we lounged in the shade of one particular temple. As usual, a group of kids approached us and tried to sell us trinkets-- bracelets, postcards, little Buddhas. We ended up buying a few bracelets ("Cheap! Three for one dollar!") and then talking with the kids for hours. Did they study? (Yes, but only in the mornings-- in the afternoons they sold goods to the tourists.) Why were they selling at the temple? (The cops would punish them if they were selling near the actual shops.) How did they learn English? (From the tourists, of course!) What did they want to do when they finished school? (Become a tour guide! It pays well and allows them to meet many foreigners.)

They were so cute, they reminded me that kids are kids everywhere. They all love playing simple games, getting attention. They all fight with their siblings. It was the same with the kids who I came to really love in Uganda. The kids at the temple kept asking us if we would come back to the temple tomorrow to visit. And we had so much fun that we think we are going to! It was really a highlight of the day.

Finally, we watched the sunset from a mountain temple, which was also beautiful but not QUITE as serene with about 1000 tourists around us. Still, not a bad way to end a long day.

Just returned from a yummy Khmer dinner (coconut pumpkin soup and veggie spring rolls!), and planning to head back to Angkor tomorrow. Some pics from the day, including some of the kids!

"One night in Bangkok..." (Or three...)

Well, we've been all over since the last post. From Hue, we flew to Hanoi (the city where my friend Mike used to live and where I visited him). We had an, um, interesting first few hours! We got into major fights with our hostel, ended up moving after hauling our bags up 5 flights of stairs, and landed at a cosy little guesthouse at a much better price. Whew. We saw the city for a few days (not including Uncle Ho's body, which unfortunately was "resting" for the day) and then we headed to Ha Long Bay.

I have to say I didn't love Hanoi this time around. I had a great time last time I was there, I think because it really helps to be like a local-- speak the language, etc. I mean, I think this is typically true, but especially in Hanoi. Ha Long Bay was meant to be a break from all of the city life. And it was.

The bay was really beautiful... calm waters with huge jagged rocks jutting out. Amazing. We spent one night on a boat with a crew of Brits, Danes, and Aussies, and we had a blast! It was great to hang out with other travelers. We spent another night on Cat Ba Island, which is about 20 km south of Ha Long city in the bay. It was kind of your average Island town, but very touristy and crowded.

Finally, Monday we headed off the island for a long journey to Bankgok. Bus to boat to another bus to a taxi to a plane to another taxi. And then we landed in the tourist wilds of Khoa San Road in Bangkok. This is the typical tourist trap that you see in movies about Bangkok, with hawkers everywhere trying to sell you t-shirts and boat trips, and "exotic shows." Very interesting!

Our first day in Bangkok landed us in the most textbook tourist scam artists-- the tuk-tuk drivers. Long story short, we fell for it (only for a minute!) and ended up looking at what the driver called the "marble temple," which strangely wasn't made of marble. We realized our folly and jumped ship.

Bangkok is really interesting. My observations:
- There are a million 7-11s here. Seriously. They are like Starbucks back home, with at times two across the street from one another!
- The Thai people are generally very warm, and willing to help you. However, at times these warm people are actually very good scam artists in cahoots with the likes of the tuk-tuk drives. Beware.
- Thai draft beer is way more expensive than Vietnamese beer!
- Street Thai food is yummy and only 75 cents a plate, usually!
- May Khadee's is the best vegetarian Thai food I have ever had-- SO good!

Tomorrow we head to Cambodia. I won't describe the proposed journey here, but suffice it to say it'll make the Cat Ba to Bangkok journey seem like a 1st class flight!

Some pictures of Ha Long Bay and the Ho Chi Minh city area...

The adventure continues down and up the coast...

While based in Ho Chi Minh City, we headed down to the Me Kong Delta for a day. Although touristy, it was really nice to be in a slightly more rural part of the country. We ate tropical fruit, tasted honey, and rode bikes through the villages. We also opted out of the busride back and took a speedboat instead. A brilliant idea! Beautiful vistas! Wind against my face! Cold beers! All perfect, until the beers took their toll and we realized the ride was 3 hours long with no bathroom... eek!

We also spend a day at the Cu Chi tunnels, a system of underground rooms the Viet Cong used when fighting the Americans. Very interesting...

We had a day of sartorial madness in Hoi An, a shopper's dream. Seemingly endless streets filled with tailors ready to make ANYTHING you want. I spent $200, but got 5 dresses, 2 shirts, a pair of pants, and a coat. Geesh. Did NOT leave room in my bag for that, but I'm ready for my first week of business casual at Bain, that's for sure!

Now we are inland in a town called Hue. Once again, very different. The people seem almost surprised to see tourists, even though this is on the tourist trek. Some Vietnamese tourists ask to have their pictures taken with us, which reminds me of Africa, where that is very common. The main attraction is a citadel, again a part of imperial and colonial history. It's very beautiful and imposing. We spent the day trekking the city, taking lots of pictures. It's definitely an architectual sight.

Short time here, tomorrow we head up to Hanoi where we plan to spend a few days before heading to Ha Long Bay. Very excited to see another Vietnamese city!

Here at last!

Arrived in Vietnam last night, and it feels great to be back. Saigon is a little different from Hanoi (where I visited my friend Mike in 2002), but it has the same feel. Throngs of 20-somethings on scooters wearing facemasks to protect them from the dust, older women selling coconut water wearing traditional sunhats, noodle houses on every corner. Saigon does have a more… laid back feel than did Hanoi, which is apparent in the many urban parks that I passed today.

Christy and Janet got in last night (yay!) and we are all staying at Mme Cuc’s, a hostel in the most happenin’ part of the city. Lots of backpackers from around the world, and a super cute staff of Vietnamese women who like to read over my shoulder and shove noodles and eggrolls down my throat.

Today we did (and ATE!) everything! We started off with my favorite Vietnamese breakfast (thanks Mike, for introducing me!)—streetside egg sandwiches with cilatro and chilli sauce on a perfectly baked baguette. A whopping 10,000 dong (about 80 cents). Delicious. We ate—I mean made—our way around the city… the Reunication Palace and the War Remnants Museum (both which remind me how sordid and turbulent Vietnam’s recent past was), the local city market, Notre Dame Cathedral… and Pho, Sinh To (a delicious fruit smoothie), weasel-feces coffee (don’t ask) and streetside waffle cakes. The French occupation was obviously a tragedy, but it left a lasting impression on the cuisine, that’s for sure.

The day ended… strangely. With backs aching from the 20 hour journey here, we decided to get massages at the Vietnam Traditional Massage Institute, coincidentally a few doors down from our hostel. Little did we know the Institute is co-located at a school for the blind, so I just got one of the strangest massages of my life from a blind Vietnamese women. Non-verbal/non-visual communication at its best! Very interesting, but I definitely feel more relaxed!

Onto the Mekong Delta tomorrow…

My "last" big trip... yeah right...

Tonight I leave for my big post-MBA trip. Since I don't start my job until October, I figured I should take the opportunity to do a big around-the-world adventure. Of course, I keep saying, "This is the last chance I'll have to travel!" but it's totally untrue. I think I'll keep finding opportunities to travel the world, I just get the travel bug too often!

Well, this trip should be a great one. I hope to have some time to reflect on the past two years and on the next steps of my life, as well. I get to travel with some really great friends to some amazing places. 3 months is a long time, but I'm sure it's going to fly by. And it's going to be a journey, that's for sure!

Stay tuned for more!

My upcoming trip plan!

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