Pad Thai and Lots of Buddahs

*I started this post a couple weeks ago and have just finished it, sorry! I've already been in Cambodia for a week and now that things have settled down a bit, I'm going to try to increase my blogging.

Hi Everyone,

Greetings from Bangkok. Sorry about the infrequent blog posting, but we've been trying to pack a whole lot of stuff in. So we spent the last two days of Vietnam on a relaxing boat ride through beautiful Ha Long Bay where we relaxed and did some fun outdoorsy activities like kayaking and spelunking(kinda). We were scheduled to leave Hanoi airport for Thailand at 540 that day. We had discussed this with our hostel when making the reservation and also with the people on the boat. They had all agreed making that flight would be no problem. The tour company bus was supposed to meet us there and drop us off about an hour from the airport from which we would take a taxi to the airport. We arrived at the dock a bit early and the bus wasn't there, but no problem because max decided to get a shoe shine from some street kids. They promptly stole his insoles and were trying to charge him 10x the amount originally agreed to. It became somewhat of an ordeal.

After an hour and a half of waiting for the bus me and max tried to get a taxi all the way from Halong Bay. We finally found someone who would take us and loaded ourselves in. Despite some of the craziest and most reckless driving I've ever seen, we manged to get to the airport about 1hr before takeoff. We ran through the airport and somehow made the flight.

Arriving in Bangkok, the first thin gchat strikes you is that it is much more modern and first world than I expected. It has modern subway system and the shops are not all sprawled out on the sidewalk as they are in Vietnam. It's definitely a first world city that would be great to spend a couple years in.

The other thing that striks you is how spicy the food is. I think I made a mistake of telling the first food stand operator that this was my first meal in Thailand. I think he purposely loaded in the spices. The food is super delicious but it really packs in a punch.

Also, the main thing to see in Bangkok culturally is Buddahs. They have ALL sorts of Buddahs, big buddahs, small buddahs, fat buddahs, skinny buddahs. There really is a Buddah for everyone's taste.

Thailand has a weekend market that is by far the biggest market I have every been to. It literally has too much to see and we got lost a few times. Its kinda supposed to be organized by section but it doesn't really have much order. They literally sell anything from puppies to bathtub stoppers. We even saw on the sign that it has cockfighting someplace inside.

Oh, and I also did my favorite activity in all of South East Asia. I went to Muay Thai boxing with Max. It was in a very seedy stadium and we were able to bet one or two dollars with the locals on the outcome of the match which added to the excitement. The atmosphere plus the action makes Muay Thai a must do experience in Bangkok.

Overall, Bangkok is an amazing international city and I hope to be back before too long.

Ben

Playing frogger in 'Nam

I've finally done what my father never had the balls to do, I've headed to Vietnam. It's become quickly clear that not all of Asia is like Hong Kong. We've spent the first two days mostly just exploring Hanoi and getting a taste for the city both literally and figuratively.

The first thing you notice when arriving is the constant crazy cacophony of traffic. Mopeds come at you from all directions without stopping. At first, it's hard to get out of the habit of waiting for traffic to stop. Eventually, you just have to just go for it. If you stay here long enough, people walk through oblivious to traffic talking on their cell phones. You just have to just count on the moppeders not to hit you.

The hostel we're staying at is amazing. Huge rooms, separate bathrooms with hot water, free delicious breakfast, great hospitality, all for 11 dollars a night. Money goes a long way here with full meals under 3 dollars.

Speaking of food, I actually think the food here is actually better than in Hong Kong. We've eaten some pho in streetside stalls as well as some more exotic fare, like vietnamese ox. We also me up with a great local who we drank some local beer only found here in Hanoi.

Finally, we've felt obliged to do some cultural things as well. We went to a couple temples, a war museum and a traditional water puppet show. We kinda stumbled on all these things when walking around.

Up next, taking a lesson on the language/cooking and possibly driving around on a moped.

Leaving Hong Kong

Like the British not too long before me, I am preparing to leave Hong Kong. Hong Kong is a lively, efficient,international city spewing with culture. I have been here one week and I don't even feel like I'm cracking the surface. I loved Hk and Max is determined to move here.

So, what are some of the "adventures" I've gotten myself into? We were able to find a much nicer hostel after the disaster of the first one. It turns out most buildings here if you just walk in and ask if they have a guest house, they probably do. Hot water, private bathroom, the ability to get into our room, compared to the first hotel this seems like the Ritz Carlton.

We went to an incense burning temple, so we did something cultural. We at lots of amazing food including a "hot pot" which is almost fondue but it's all you can eat smorgasbord board of meat, veggies, and free beer, for 15$. We were also able to find Max's friend from NY's uncle's dumpling shop in a small alley in Macau. Overall the food has been excellent.

We took a ferry to lamma island which does not allow cars. It was a nice peaceful sleepy island which I feel probably gives a little better idea of the typical Chinese expierence away from the bg cities. We also got foot massages that were awesome although a bit painful. Max had to tell his to go easy on him but in all fairness his was a much larger man while my reflexologist was a little Asian woman.

We also had New Years here. It was a giant celebration with hundreds of fireworks and they also lit up all the buildings. We watched the display from the waterfront, it was really impressive. After the display we wanted to go to the bar district. In an excellent example of Hong Kongian efficiency, they herded all the young people in a line of cattle for about an hour to avoid overcrowding and chaos.

Finally, we also made it to the proverbial "Mecca" also known as Macau, the gambling capital of the world. It was interesting in that it a didn't cater to English speakers very much so it was often tough to figure out what was going. We played a little baccarat which is the game over here (verdict is mixed) and even found a craps table. I'm happy to say I still have my plane tickets but my socks might be missing.

Overall, my taste of HK was not enough and I hope to come back again. Hopefully I will be able to get some pictures up soon.