shanghai &low

fresh batch of street food dumplings

emil getting laughed at for improper dumpling eating etiquette

shanghai skyline

the banks of the bund

laurel says:

i have never had a burning itch to visit china.   but it was on emil’s bucket list so we made the trek.  the chinese culture holds no fascination for me and i am not a huge fan of smog or msg, of which china has abundant quantities of both.  but i suppose it is a must see, especially now as its lightening fast economy is quickly propelling social change.   we started our china adventure with a trip to shanghai.  it was perfect timing to visit as my girlfriend myra had just moved there to work for gap china.  she was a wonderful hostess.  together we explored the largest city in the world- a whopping 23 million and growing.  overall i found it to be an endless sea of indiscernable urban sprawl under a cloud of omni-present smog.  but shanghai has its moments.  there are definitely pockets of character.  the french concession district is one of the few areas with some sort of vibe.  here the streets are lined with trees (a rare sight in this city) and there are a few charming bars, shops and cafes.  but the good stuff is few and far between.  beyond these oases, shanghai is a mass of skyscrapers and concrete.  the odd thing is that the charming historical areas will likely cease to exist as the city would prefer to tear them down in order to make way for yet another skyscraper.  one thing that surprised me was how novel it still was to be a westerner in this part of the world.  i was shocked that people would approach us to have their photo taken with blond haired, blue-eyed americans.  i was expecting the locals to be far less hospitable for some reason.  but i have to admit, the people in shanghai were quite friendly.  parents would show off their kids and encourage them to say “ni-hao” and locals would go out of their way to help us navigate the subway- not something you generally see in an urban environment.  that said, i won't be returning to shanghai anytime soon.

scary thought.  btw the population of shanghai is now 23 million

the ever spreading sprawl

view from the highest observation deck in the world (and more sprawl)

myra and i hit the streets

old town shanghai- get your elbows out

yuyuan gardens

emil says:

the 45 minute cab ride from the airport was exactly how i had pictured it…miles and miles of cold, dark, grey, smog so thick you could barely make out the hundreds upon hundreds of bland soviet style commercial and residential towers that are strewn across the landscape.  miserable.  you can walk for bland mile after bland mile and the facades of the buildings just don’t change, its depressing architecturally and oppressive physically.  population of 23 million (well more than tokyo and nyc combined), but over a landmass that is 10x that of nyc or tokyo, so it feels oddly emptier than you’d expect for the world’s most populated city.  i am struggling putting a finger on what i experienced here.  the best way i can describe it is as a sort of scratch & sniff sticker.  if you just look at the sticker its really just another megalopolis with enormous sections that look like bad parts of queens, new york that stretch for miles, but scratch a bit and i think this place is quite fascinating, current, and much more human than one would expect.  as you get to the city center by an uber modern subway system that makes nyc’s look like something out of the flintstone's, you start to see the truly spectacular growth that china has witnessed, everywhere are shiny new malls (albeit mostly empty), dazzling skyscrapers, a killer riverside esplanade, and cranes cranes and more cranes, (and as an aside i am writing this from the bullet train to beijing from shanghai moving 175 mph).  it’s surprisingly modern in spots but turn the corner and walk down the next street and you are 50+ years back in time.  the government just removes old stuff and slaps in new stuff as if it’s the video game sim city.  it's bizzaro, old tenement style buildings butt up against tenaciously modern structures, making for some amazing contrasts. there are a few one-off expat bars and restaurants in cute tree-lined streets that one can escape to for a beer but i wonder how long before that street gets bulldozed and another skyscraper gets planted.  on another note i thought we’d run into some negative energy in mainland china, sort of a ‘we are the worlds #2 economy but we got everything you got and we are gunning for you’ type of mentality from the locals, but i was totally wrong. people were so curious and beyond kind.  locals offered help with the subway system, offered help ordering at restaurants, offered helping emil with eating scalding hot soup dumplings, offered kind smiles and warm happy new years wishes. teenagers would sheepishly stare out of curiousity and then ask to take a photo with laurel (not with me).  i cannot stress enough how cool people were to us (except in the subway during rush hour when sharp elbows fly).  also a huge thumbs up to the viciously spicy szechuan cuisine. the food was a pleasant surprise and thanks to laurel’s friend myra for showing us around and taking us under her wing.  

walking the streets of the french concession

sorry kid, you have to live in china

hoppin hongkong

hong kong alleyway

man mo temple

got smog?

emil says:

oh boy. hong kong is pure genius. by far the greatest urban center we have seen on the trip thus far (sorry sydney).  not too eastern and not too western, crazy modern and fabulously ancient, old school 80's neon blinkity blink blink blink signs against a backdrop of mega skyscrapers, all in one delicious eggroll of humanity.  hong kong is dripping with energy and not nearly as overcrowded as i had expected. the city is super well plotted out making it easy to get around via boat, train, and even clever outdoor escalators. the city is perfectly compact built around soaring vertical heights, but not so compact that one feels overwhelmed and crushed with people. great mix of ex-pat bars and late night noodle soup spots.  plenty of over-the-top high end shopping as well as a plethora of night markets hawking fake panarei, chanel, and any other not so necessary luxuries.  ok it’s tough to find much in the way of open spaces, and on a bright sunny day it’s hard to actually well, say it's bright, since the smog is a bit of a barrier.  all that said hong kong has plenty of real flair.   even laurel partied till 4am, screaming the lyrics to jay-zs 'new york' and substituting said title with 'hong kong' to the smiles of the local fellas.  thank you to my buddy stephen for providing the keys to his fabulous apartment. hong kong was a blast. great food, great balance, great vibe, tough to leave. 

sunset from kowloon side

star ferry across hong kong harbor

hong kong nights

laurel says:

hong kong rocks.  i have been to the kowloon side before on a work trip, but hong kong island is truly where it‘s at.  from five star dining to hole in the wall noodle shops, dive bars to chic lounges, chinese herb shops to luxury boutiques, hk island has flavor. it is the perfect blend of east meets west.  Thanks to emil’s buddy stephen we were set up in a prime location to take in all the sites.  cruising the mid level escalators is a trip.  they seem to move at the perfect speed to soak up the hk atmosphere (smog and all).  upscale chain stores next to mom and pop shops.  modern high rises next to dilapidated apartments.  it is the mix of high and low that give hong kong it’s character.  of course my fave two activities in hong kong (or maybe in life?) are eating and shopping.  and we indulged in plenty of both during our stay, as my waistline and credit card bill can attest to.  thankfully emil is a trooper when it comes to retail therapy!  at the end of the day i am a city girl at heart, and after 3 weeks in south east asia, our time in hong kong gave my urban batteries just the recharge they needed.  now on to mainland china…

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