g'morning vietnam

dusk in hoi an

nha trang coast

our cattle car on the train 

odd couple

japanese bridge hoi an

laurel says:
visiting vietnam was one of the main things on my bucket list.  i had visions of quaint rice paddies, women in conical hats and insanely delicious vietnamese food.  maybe my expectations were just too high, but vietnam did not pan out to be as a-mazing as i had dreamed it would be.  that said, there is still so much to see and experience here.  the highlight of our trip was our time spent in the tiny seaside village of hoi an.  here paper lanterns line the narrow streets and there are more bicycles than mopeds.  the charming old town is a unesco world heritage site filled with old houses, religious shrines and arched bridges.  it is a slice of the vietnam i had imagined. my other loves were hanoi, the charming capital of vietnam, and the one of a kind topography of halong bay.  taking a tai chi class on the deck of our boat while cruising thru the misty morning in halong bay was an unforgettable zen moment.  thousands of ancient limestone islands jut up from the emerald waters of the south china sea.  travel within vietnam proved to be a nightmare as all forms of public transit were loaded to the gills in the lead up to chinese new year.  we thought that taking the train would be a romantic way to see the countryside, we were sorely mistaken.  sardines are more comfortable.  next we attempted a 15 hour bus ride that managed to be even more traumatizing than the aforementioned train.  vietnam is still worthy of a visit, but i would stay north and hit hoi an, hanoi and halong bay and give the south a miss.

lovin hoi an

lantern market

tombs of hue

pagoda in hue

hue citadel

uncle ho's final resting place

vietnamese barbershop

emil says:

skip ho chi minh city…go north.  the quaint town of hoi an is the first spot in vietnam with a semblance of tranquility, solid food, venice-like waterways, and markets not soley based around ‘hey, you buy tshirt now’.  the mini-bustling town of hue has some funky pagodas, an uber sized citadel compound and ancient emperor tombs, all worthy of a visit.  then make your way to hanoi, a sweet treat of a city.  oddly the north, which was under communist rule the whole time, is more sophisticated and advanced than the south.  the old quarter of hanoi has all the beep beep, honk honk repeat of millions of mopeds but add to it european tree-lined flair, solid food, the grand ho chi minh masoleum (embalmed and all), hanoi hilton (ex-pow prison), temple of literature (shrine to confucius), and some nearly-serene lakeside parks. we finally found our vietnam swerve and if one had to pick one place to go in vietnam head to hanoi. overall though i must admit vietnam fell a bit short of expectations, a bit light on the food and infrastructure and a bit heavy on the manic chaos.  we are looking forward to some hong kong urban fury. 

confucius says...

john mccain's flight suit at hanoi hilton

halong bay

cruising halong

happy year of the dragon

psycho saigon

chaotic streets of hcmc

cross at your own risk

saigon telecom

some folks are more bullish than others

emil says:
ho chi minh city is pure hustling bustling intensity. but i'd describe nyc that way so i need a more negative version to describe hcmc. frenetic frenzied chaos, 11 million inhabitants owning 5 million mopeds, honk honk beep beep, repeat. about 6 mopeds can fit across a single lane of traffic, multiply that by 3 lanes, multiply that by the bedlam of no traffic-lights then add the co-variables of heat, humidity, and omnipresent smog and you get pure pandemonium. vietnam is a third world country but it's so alive with commerce that one feels a genuine excitement being here. but the commerce to me seems very hand to mouth, day-to-day living. it's growing up so fast with so little infrastructure to support it that i fear it could remain a mess. the sidewalks have disappeared (people use them as parking lots, make-shift kitchens, fold-out chair bars offering $.50 beers, garbage dumps, etc) there seems to be no public transport, you can park wherever you want, start a business where you want, seemingly no rules or regulations to dictate commerce. perhaps this can be an entrepreneurs ideal setting but i find it just a bit too chaotic to breathe. on a side note: those of you in sf who love vietnamese food stay there, slanted door has got any place in saigon beat by a landslide of vermicelli noodles.

street food scene

cockfight as viewed from our breakfast table

huey chopper

firing an ak47 with his man purse

laurel says: 
there are two sides to every story.  in vietnam, we were exposed to the vietnamese take on the "american war."  and it was pretty grim.  it is hard to imagine that 3 million vietnamese and 58 thousand americans lost their lives in a war whose goal is as irrelevant now as it was then.   beyond the death toll, are the lives that are forever changed by the horrors of war.  our tour guide told us it has become commonplace for united states vietnam veterans to come back to vietnam and talk with their vietnamese opponents as part of their healing process from post traumatic stress disorder.  and exploring the cu chi tunnels (that the viet cong used as part of the ho chi minh supply trial) i could only marvel at the maddening frustration our soldiers, including my great uncles larry and rod, must have felt.  on the other hand, the 'agent orange' exhibit at the war remnants museum leaves no doubt that the effects of war are still being felt today.  the photographs of genetic mutations and the deformed embryos in jars are bone chilling reminders of the war.  there are clearly scars left on both sides.  and now 30 years later, vietnam continues to exist as a politically communist country (although capitalism is the social heartbeat of the nation).  communism did not spread throughout asia and the world as we once feared.  and seemingly all that remains are the lives and stories of those whose world was forever altered by the war.    

the tiny cu chi tunnels

our tour guide (and usa vietnam vet) mr. bing

happy birthday

dear emil,
happy birthday my love.  you truly are one of a kind.  who else....
-meets an italian man in an elevator in cambodia, compliments the italian for looking dapper and is literally given a dolce & gabana suit off the man's back
-gets suckered in to performing a vaudeville act in front of our entire antarctic cruise ship by a 95 year old grandma named marge
-gets deathly ill while trekking to machu picchu and gets out wildernessed by his wife who under normal circumstances considers anything beyond a ritz carlton roughing it 
-wears a sarong around the streets of bali like it is no big deal
-transitions seamlessly from wall street high rollin to a life of 50 cent beers, $35 hotels and train rides from hell.  if your friends could see you now... 
i love you!
xo,
laurel

cambodia's temples

sunrise at angkor wat

angkor wat- the worlds largest religious building 

angkor wat- built early 12th century

one of these things is not like the others

laurel says:

  the khmer's were once the leading civilization in south east asia and the grandiose scale, meticulous detail and sheer beauty of the temples at angkor are a testament to their artistic reign.  they have rightfully been named the 8th wonder of the world and are not something to be missed.  but for me, the true highlight of my time in cambodia was meeting and interacting with the children.  the kids here are simply adorable.  (i was tempted to pull a brangelina and adopt a little girl)  you cannot go down the street without them waving, yelling "hello" in their best english or giving you an ear to ear smile.  they exude joy.  this is especially remarkable considering cambodia is one of the poorest countries in asia- and in fact the world- the living conditions are extremely tough.  it is common to see kids as young as 4 years old, forced to sell souvenirs on the street or work in their parents restaurant.  the garbage collectors are boys no older than 12.  it breaks your heart.  the lucky kids are the ones who get the opportunity to stay in school.  and the sight of them riding their bikes (most of which are way too large for their tiny bodies) in their white and blue school uniforms gives you hope that cambodia will have a brighter future.                

gate to angkor thom

buddhist faces at angkor thom

peace

family ties 

floating village of kampong phluk

cambodian mini van

countryside

deactivated land mines

ferocious salespeople

emil gets suckered in to buying angry birds hats for all

streets of siem reap

mr. phoung our trusty tuk tuk driver

donating school supplies at lo lei school

emil says:

war is a nasty beast. but the duration that war sets back a society seems equally as atrocious. cambodia was nearly wiped off the map entirely at the hands of the thais and vietnamese, then colonized by the french, then used as a launching point for viet cong offensives against south vietnam, oh and after the vietnam war the freak of freaks pol pot and the khmer rouge enter the scene (1.7 million people die over 3 years, recall "killing fields"). it doesn't stop there. vietnam invades in 1979 to combat the khmer rouge and not until 1991 are the paris peace accords signed. 1991! only 21 years ago!!  i babble about the history because it's remarkable how kind hearted and welcoming these people are despite these atrocities. landmine victims approach you for handouts, poor children consistently try to sell you post cards and bracelets, there is plenty of gut-wrenching sadness. that said, the people don't harbor ill-will and instead of being battle weary and hardened these folks just want to do what most folks want... start a family, own a small business, live peacefully.  and it smells to me they are very well on their way (6%+ annual growth since 2000, oil/natgas discoveries in '05 with extraction beginning in '13). siem reap, home of the mesmerizing angkor wat temples and numerous others, is ground zero for tourism in cambodia. there are no shortage of spectacular hindu and buddhist temples and they are a tremendous revenue source for a country that sorely needs a jump start economically. but forget about sitting cross-legged in silent meditation at the likes of angkor wat, instead bring sharp elbows and a comfort with sharing your personal space. the more famous of the temples can get truly crowded, even at sunrise, and only by hiring a tuk-tuk driver and escaping to some off the beaten path temples did we find some serenity. i enjoyed tremendously the genuineness of the people, the beauty of the countryside, and the spectacular architectural feats.  thank you to my fabulous wife for being a trooper and enduring multiple 4:30am wake-ups, chasing around the countryside in humidity that felt like the inside of one's mouth, and going along with my quest to visit all 16 main temples. 

dusk at angkor wat

singapore sling

singapore botanic gardens 

o'keefe?

making dumplings at our fave restaurant

laurel got henna in little india


laurel says:

singapore is a trip.  we were fortunate to have wonderful hosts during our stay - our dear friends jon and kerry sulski from sf who showed us a slice of the expat life.  it was nice to be in such a clean and modern city.  but singapore gets a bit ocd with the cleanliness.  i mean even in the botanic gardens nary a leaf is out of place and no bugs are buzzing (probably because they fumigate weekly with a huge white cloud of chemical glory).  but for this retail queen, the most fascinating part of singapore was the die hard mall culture.  where else can you find three louis vuitton stores on one block?  and with lines outside!  it is worth a spin thru the malls just to check out the outrageous food courts.  all those hanging dead ducks/chicken feet/unidentifiable animals are enough to make me vegetarian for life.  thank goodness we had our good friends the espinosa family to guide us thru the maze of food options to our favorite dumpling place.  but for a taste of old world culture, beeline straight for little india or the colonial district.  without these unique gems, singapore feels like vegas minus all the debauchery (and jay walking). 

view from 'ku de ta' on top of marina bay sands hotel

'marina bay sands' casino, mall, hotel, with rooftop pool, bar, club

polish brothers

the espinosa family

emil says:
thank you to the sulskis for their fabulous hospitality and to the espinosa clan for showing us a taste of local flavors. great to see friends on this trip. just fantastic. ok singapore is an odd place. shiny and spotless and tres modern and trying really hard to be a beacon of sophistication and consumption. its blazing hot so people head inside. i don't blame them. if you build it, and build it with a/c they will most surely come. people go to the malls. food is there (from mario batali hotspots to local flavors i just cannot explain), entertainment is there (ice skating rinks, casinos, venice-like canals you can row a boat thru, etc), all can be found in the malls. shiny and new and super expensive. but alas flavorless.  my favorite description "singapore is an emerging market country dressed up as a developed one". behind the malls there is genuine culture in the likes of the little india ghetto and several examples of old colonial architecture but sadly these feel like background elements compared to the grandness of the new mega malls. we had a great time hanging out with friends and enjoyed our time here immensely but not sure when if i will return for another singapore sling.

braving a singapore food court

the famous raffles hotel

a less modern side of singapore at raffles 

the original singapore sling- only $26