December 7, 2002 Greetings all from Bangkok, Thailand!!! Bangkok leaves me speechless because it is so utterly different and fascinating. I have no words to describe it, but I'll do my best. The 30-hour trip began by wandering the solitary back roads of Oregon and ended in the heart of crowded, congested, and polluted Bangkok. We were met by Syy and Jim in the airport and whisked away to our "hotel." Outside of this hotel were the slums of … [Read more...]
My Foreign Language
The preparation for the trip back to Vietnam was almost as unsettling as the trip itself. Mom didn't want me to go because she was afraid something might happen to me. I had planned to go with several other people, including a Vietnamese guy who goes by his Catholic name of 'Matthew,' and I had assured mom that Matthew would look after me since he had gone back several times already. Father had demanded that I not go because he didn't want me … [Read more...]
My Time in Vietnam
Part I Vietnam Hanoi September 24 Bob left Hanoi right away on the train for Sapa near the Chinese border to do some trekking among the colorful minority villages and then to spend three days in Halang Bay learning to kayak. It is probably not surprising that the relationship has taken a beating on this trip so we are traveling separately until we join a friend in Hong Kong on November 20 when the three of us will spend two months in … [Read more...]
Saigon, Vietnam – Shopping
Galleries - Saigon features a diversity of galleries and various works of art - many of these galleries and shops are located in District 1 along Dong Khoi Street. However there are also other galleries scattered throughout the city. Artwork ranges from paintings, embroidery, wood carvings - to other small Vietnamese arts and crafts. XQ DaLat Silk Hand Embroidery Picture Gallery is located at 81 Dong Khoi Street in District 1. This … [Read more...]
Saigon, Vietnam – Restaurants
Overall, compared to Thai food Vietnamese food is much less spicy and more bland. You can choose from a variety of soups (called Pho's), seafood dishes, vegetable dishes, rolls, and rice dishes. You can have an excellent dinner for around $10 - you can however, eat much cheaper than this if you like. There are also some excellent French restaurants in Saigon as well as coffee shops. The following are a few restaurants that Dave frequented … [Read more...]
Cuzco, Peru – Machu Picchu
Machu Picchu is visually one of the planet's most unique and inspirational sites. Combine its visual beauty with the intriguing story of a "lost city" high in the Andes being "discovered" centuries after it was abandoned has made this site obtain almost a mythical status. One can attempt to experience Machu Picchu through videos, photographs and glowing travel writing, but there is absolutely no substitute to visiting the site in person. … [Read more...]
Zanzibar – Shopping
Stone Town is one of eastern Africa's shopping meccas. I found several incredible antique stores specializing in east African tribal antiques from the 1600s through the 1900s. One such store was like walking back in time. Intricately carved horns, parchment scrolls, rawhide prayer books, wooden masks, wooden statues of every shape and size and many other types of antiques were on display. The owner has several partnerships with antique dealers in … [Read more...]
Bangkok, Thailand – Temples & Shrines
Bangkok is home to hundreds of gleaming golden temples - many of which are centered around the old part of town and along the banks of the Chao Praya River or along other waterways within the city. Buddhists believe that monks should be ordained on or near water. Some are more memorable than others for a variety of reasons (size, architecture, unique artifacts, unique Buddha statues, location etc). Some of our favorites are indicated by the … [Read more...]
Bangkok, Thailand – Hotels & Lodging
Bangkok offers lodging for all budgets. Bangkok hotels, guesthouses, world class hotels? Try some of the best hotels in the world. Bangkok is your city. We have personally stayed at most of the listings on this page from budget, to mid range to luxury. Keep the suggestions coming!! (Email Dave) and he will try to stay in as many of these hotels as possible. We do not provide reservation links to third parties on this page for any of the … [Read more...]
Bangkok, Thailand – Food
Thai food is incredible in it's flavors and diversity. Street vendors are everywhere in Bangkok. Depending where you are in this city, you can eat at most any hour of the day or night. Most of these food vendors setup shop on a street sidewalk - they have a small glass container for displaying the food, maybe a few plastic chairs/tables and they will have a small stall for cooking the actual food - which is done by using a stove hooked into a … [Read more...]
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