Viv's Voyage(s) - GoBlue

Full Circle

GoBlue — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 00:00:00 GMT

I know it's cliche, but it really is crazy how time flies. I've come full circle in my travels having spent the last week in Hong Kong where it all started (on this side of the world at least!). I'm hopping on a plane this afternoon that takes me to Chicago where I get to spend 24 hours with Jennie before catching my flight home to Boston. An odd layover you might say, and you'd be right. Not that I mind, but clearly I was not paying close enough attention when I was booking my original flight. Turns out I need to look at dates and not just times. ;)

It's been great hanging out with my family and staying put. Some thing that I'd not thought about missing was not thinking twice about drinking water from the tap and eating anything and everything I felt like...definitely don't have to do that here! Turns out I had pretty good timing on my return. My grandmother just had knee surgery (she was fired up after hearing about Jennie's grandmother's 2 knee replacement surgeries and had it done while I was away) so I've spent some quality time with her in physical therapy and getting her active around the house. Other than that I could probably cut and paste my first entry from Hong Kong. I've done plenty of eating, resting, running, shopping, roaming, playing with my two little cousins, tv watching, beach time, and I think you get the picture. :)

Signing off...

A view across Victoria Harbor at Hong Kong, take 2

A view across Victoria Harbor at Hong Kong

Sunset from the ferry (Lamma to HKG Island)

Beach at Lamma Island

Hong Kong at night

Angkor Wat and then some

GoBlue — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 00:00:00 GMT

My main reason for heading over to Siem Reap was to explore Angkor Wat. It turns out that if that were all I actually saw (and in my ignorance, I thought it was the only attraction), despite its magnificence I would have really missed out. As Joc mentioned in her posting, the "city" of Angkor is comprised of over 100 temples. I won't say too much since she's done a great job of synopsising our explorations, but I've posted a few more pictures below.

I've really enjoyed my brief visit to Cambodia. (I did have a brief moment at the airport when we flew in where I wasn't sure I'd be let into the country because my passport pages are full. The immigration/customs guy definitely paused at each page wondering where he could stamp and gave me looks. A sign that I need to go home??) The food has been surprisingly good and nice on the stomachs considering friends who pit-stopped here earlier this summer suggested that "everyone gets at least a little sick in Cambodia" and they all had; the people have been great, friendly, and helpful; and the city has thrived from tourism. The Siem Reap Airport opened a year ago, new palatial hotels are being built, and signs of improvements to infrastructure are everywhere. I guess "thrived from tourism" has good and bad connotations. For the most part, and from conversations with our Angkor guide and my airport driver, it's been a positive in raising people's standards of living and casting light on the atrocities committed by the Khmer regime under Pol Pot, but a negative in the congestion and change of ways (e.g., muting of traditions) that is has also brought.

Angkor Wat

Carl being accosted by kids

One of the many faces at Bayon

Carl making out

Almost hidden by the trees

Beware of trees and their roots...

Setting of Tomb Raider

Down in Da Lat but not out

GoBlue — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 00:00:00 GMT

As we wrap up our time in Da Lat (and my time overall in Vietnam), we leave behind the cool weather that's been such a welcome relief from the rest of our travels in this part of the world. It's been mostly uneventful here in Da Lat...if you leave out the part of Carl's compounding bodily injuries. While ankle, back, and nose (cold) may have fallen, his spirit hasn't...and, he's well on his way to recovery.

Carl down and out??

On to Siem Reap!

shhhhhh!!!

GoBlue — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 00:00:00 GMT

After another early morning wakeup, Joc, Carl, and I decided that we had had enough. I guess there's only so much street noise (continuous honking), screaming children running up and the down the stairs in the hotel, a neighbor unfortunately coughing up a lung, morning propaganda on the street loudspeakers, and athletic Field comotion from the school outside our room - all of which commenced around 5am each morning and crescendoed as the early morning wore on - that we could take. Honestly, I've come to believe that noise, and lots of it, is par for the course in Vietnam. ;)

Joc and I did an early morning hotel search as Carl continued to nurse his ankle and now a cold that's taken hold. We postponed our mountain biking trip until tomorrow in hopes that Carl will have recovered enough to partake. Four hotel visits later - one was too expensive for what it offered, another full, and another too frustrating (though a good experience!) communication-wise - we've settled in at the Novotel Da Lat. High rollers we're not, but a bit desperate, yes! Hopefully we'll be able to get some rest here as we've requested a room as far away from noise as possible. ;) Wish us luck!

Hoi An Happenings

GoBlue — Sat, 23 Jun 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Arriving back in Hanoi after Ha Long Bay, Joc, Carl, Katie, Jennie, and I said "later!" to Aaron who headed off to Hue and decided ourselves to make our way to Hoi An a day earlier than planned. Unfortunately (um, except not), the only seats available for the following day were on business class. We took them, flew into Da Nang, and arrived in Hoi An (~30 km ride) yesterday evening. The transport to Hoi An led us along a long stretch of beach, past China Beach and the marble mountains, and through a *gorgeous* sunset.

Hoi An is known for its tailoring and has over 200 shops. Thus far, we've hit up a recommended tailor and put in some "test" orders. After flipping through a number of catelogs, I decided to go for a long linen skirt, a sun dress, and a bathing suit. It's all a gamble, particularly the last item for me, when it comes to tailor made, but a number of our friends who have already gone through these parts have had at least partial success, and it's all comparatively inexpensive. JMac picked up a dress, Katie ordered several, and Joc ordered jeans, pants, and a jacket...Carl just watched and provided input. (Fear not, we got a rather large beer in him before we dragged him along for the experience.) We try on our items tomorrow...yup, that's right a 24 hour turnaround...sit for any alterations and that's that. Fingers crossed as if everything works out, orders for suits will be forthcoming by Joc and Jennie. I, on the other hand, have more suits from my previous life than I know what to do with. Anyone??

You know you're dirty when...??

GoBlue — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 00:00:00 GMT

...a kitten climbs on top of your shoulders and starts grooming your ponytail? Against doctor's orders - "under no circumstances - no matter how cute they are, whether they're dogs, cats, horses, cows, whatever - do not, I repeat, do not, pet them" - I gave in to holding and petting a kitten today. It was in cafe at the Long Bian mountains vista, so clearly a domestic kitten...ok, I'll stop justifying... Anyhoo, after spending some time sitting in my lap and rubbing its head under my hand for some petting, it hopped onto my shoulder and started grooming my ponytail. The irony is that I'm a lot cleaner today (showered, cool temps so no sweating, clean clothes thanks to a recent laundry run, etc.) than other points on this journey.

The real scoop is that Carl, Joc, and I arrived in Da Lat via a 6 hour bus from Nha Trang yesterday afternoon. Da Lat is lauded as a bohemian town set in the mountains and also serves as Vietnam's #1 honeymoon destination; there are far more domestic than foreign tourists. So far I've found this place to be a fairly sleepy town that seems more natural and "Vietnamese." People don't seem to care that 3 foreigners are meandering around in that no one is rushing up to us trying to sell us things or practice they're English. Well, I guess there are the Easy Riders (English speaking tour guides on bikes) who keep trying to convince us to use their tour services...

Weather-wise, Da Lat is a real treat from the rest of Southeast Asia; temps are in the mid to upper 60's. I've been wearing my fleece that I'd long forgotten in my bag. Glad there's a reason I'd been carrying it around all this time (after Australia that is).

View from Longbian

The rainy season that's currently enveloped the region makes rock climbing an impossibility, though we're signed up for some mountain biking for tomorrow. We went to the driving range at the local golf course - a really nice and *expensive* course - last night. Ater we paid for our balls, the woman at the counter called us a caddy and a golf cart and off we were across the course to the range (the caddy hung on for dear life at the back of the cart as Carl hurled us around corners and raced up and down the roads :)). As we continued hitting, about four other course staff appeared. Talk about pressure (for me since I only recently consistently even make contact with the ball!) as they just stood and watched. I wondered what they were doing. Turns out the course doesn't have a machine to pick up balls; they were there to gather all the balls we hit! I felt a lot better having topped several balls such that they were only 25 feet away. ;)

"get under the ball...get under the ball..."

"did i ever tell you guys how awesome i am at golf...??"

"how cool is this??"

Haute Couture

GoBlue — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 00:00:00 GMT

It turns out that getting things tailor-made takes a decent amount of time. Essentially, it ended up being the main activity for us in Hoi An. A quick process synopsis...

Katie and Viv surrounded by fabric

Phase 1: Design Doodling

Step 1 - You sift through giant catalogs searching for a style/clothes.
Step 2 - Sales person scribbles/doodles down the design that you've picked out.
Step 3 - You stare at the reams and reams of fabric surrounding you (slight honey glazing of the eyes occurs) and pick what you want your clothes to be made out of. (This was a lot harder than I thought it would be. I don't think I'm very good at grabbing a swath of fabric and confidently seeing the final product...)
Step 4 - Sales person spins you around while she takes measurements and shouts them to an assistant taking notes. (At the first tailor I was admonished for wearing a sports bra to get fitted. Apparently that's a no-no. Something about my chest being "flattened" and not as "lifted" as it would be in the made clothes had I been wearing a "real" bra. Right...well, I learned my lesson.)
Step 5 - You wave good bye and promise to return in a mere 24 hours.

One of Joc's many measurements

A necessary step in Carl's search for the perfect Western shirt

Phase 2: Fitting and Alterations

Step 1 - You try on your clothes piece by piece and get scrutinized. The sales folk break out chalk to mark you up as well as needle and thread to sew the item to fit as it's hanging on you.
Step 2 - Return a couple of hours later to repeat Step 1.
Step 3 - Return several hours later to repeat Step 1.
Step 4 - Return the next day to repreat Step 1.
Step 5 - You run out of time and hope the final alterations were the "final" alterations.

Aaron is Bain-ready in his new dress shirt

Viv and Jocelyn selecting buttons

I had a great experience (emphasis on "experience") with the tailoring. We ended up at 2 different tailoring shops (Bi Bi Silk and Be Be Designs..."same, same but different" as they like to say in these parts) and I had success at both. Bi Bi was about 1/3 cheaper than Be Be, but the service of the latter was better. Ultimately I walked away with a few summer dresses, a few pairs of pants, a couple of skirts, and a bathing suit. Carl was the most restrained, picking up only a western style short sleeved shirt. The rest of the crew collectively picked up a number of suits, dress shirts, dress pants, dresses, etc. I'd be lying if I said there weren't any misses. Katie, for example, ended up with a formal dress that looks like a maternity dress that I bet she'd be happy to pass along. Any takers?

Besides the tailoring, Carl, Joc, Jennie, and I used our collective bargaining power to amass some plates. Yes, you read that right, plates, and yeah, they're not light. While the price was mostly right, Carl, Joc, and I learned that the price to mail them home was definitely not right. A bit of a stomach punch one might say. Here's hoping the boxes make it home in one piece...emphasis on the *one* piece.

Carl, Joc, Jennie, and I rented some motorbikes and sneaked in a couple hours at the Hoi An beach - between fittings of course. With a sunset for a background, the beach was full of locals relaxing; it was really nice to see. Small "restaurant" stands with plastic seating were all along the beach; each one of multiple families enjoying their evening and dinner together. While we did not eat on the beach, we did enjoy a nice orange fanta (my favorite!) before heading back to town to meet up with Katie and Aaron for dinner.

Enjoying our motorbikes

Orange Fanta...YUM!

We've since made it to Nha Trang - Vietnam's premier beach town - met up with Brendan and Allison, and hung out at the beach today. They're unfortunately leaving us tonight on an overnight bus to Hoi An. It's been great to catch up and exchange beta regardless! We're planning another beach day tomorrow and mostly likely heading to Dalat the day after. We lose Jennie tomorrow evening for good as she makes her way home. Sad. And then there were three...

Hanging in Ha Long Bay

GoBlue — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Upon returning to Hanoi from Sapa on the overnight bus, Joc, Carl, Aaron, Ben, and I met up with Jennie and Katie..ok, more like busted into their hotel room at 7am demanding to use their shower...we were dirty, and I mean 30km of trekking sweat and dirt + deet + sunscreen + no shower for 3 days type dirty. can't really blame us right??

Cleaned up, we all hopped on an 8:30am bus to Ha Long Bay (a 3 hour ride from Hanoi) where we jumped on a junk boat. (We bid farewell to Ben who had to take a shorter tour so that he could get back in time to catch his flights out of the country that would ultimately land him in Israel. Miss you BJ!) We spent the next couple of days puttering around on the water taking swimming breaks, hiking through the largest cave in the bay (a little cheesy giving the colorful lighting on the walls), kayaking in and out of lagoons (beautiful scenery and great to be active), and plain lounging about on deck - boy was the sun powerful! Night one was spent on the boat - luckily no one got seasick! - and night two was spent on Cat Ba island, one of the larger islands found in the bay. I thought we'd left behind all the people wanting to sell us things at the ferry; I was wrong. People with row boats full of goods were constantly approaching our boat. Pretty amazing.

our hidden beach where we enjoyed a post-kayak swim

Inside the "Amazing Cave." It's a cave...really!

Carl and Joc at home in their kayak

I shared a kayak with Simon from Australia, who was practically an engine. We were flying!

One of many gigantic, seafood-based feasts out on Halong Bay

wheeee!!!

carl's kokopelli dive

"here i go!"

Halong Bay sunset, night one

Not the only ones visiting the "Amazing Cave"!

Even on water, the selling doesn't end

Our boat, like most other tourist "junk" boats, was ornamented with dragon heads

Celebrating our last night in Ha Noi at the Green Tangerine ... yum!

Honk honk!!

GoBlue — Sun, 17 Jun 2007 00:00:00 GMT

If there's one thing I've noticed since arriving in Vietnam, it's that people like honking! The honk filled cacophony of Hanoi, Sapa, and even the trail through the different villages due to motorbikes has been amazing...and trying on the head.

Carl, Joc, Ben, Aaron, and I wrapped up our 3 day trek in Sapa and are heading back to Hanoi tonight on an overnight to meet with Jennie and Katie in the morning at which point we hop on another bus to get us out to Halong Bay. I'm excited to exit the city and hopefully get some calm on the bay.

More to come. (The good thing about being beaten to the punch on blogging Sapa and Hanoi is that Carl and Joc have just about covered everything I would - and specifically the "happy water" (aka rice wine) consumption that then led to duck preservation (Joc) or chasing (Aaron/Carl). Happy reading... :)) Some illustrations to help.

Day 1 and not too far in

Heading away from Sa Pa

Homestay 1: Dinner

Working in the rice paddies

Home on the rice paddy

Trekking hard

Rubbing bellies and hugging rocks

GoBlue — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 00:00:00 GMT

5 pounds heavier and with loads of Thai cooking knowledge packed into my head, I successfully wrapped up 3 days of cooking classes. Can't wait to try out some recipes when I get home! Ben and I opted for 3 days with Aaron joining us on days 2 and 3. The rest of the crew opted to give their stomachs a break after two days and explore a bit more of the city. I really enjoyed the cooking classes, particularly day 3 when class started in a local market. Ben, Aaron, and I walked around with one of the school's teachers and were explained the different produce and products being sold. It was really cool to see the market set up, locals shopping for food, and the mounds and mounds of expertly stacked fruits. Most impressive were the rambutans; currently in season and stacked to Aaron's height.

It's rambutan season!

A trip to the local market

I followed up cooking school with another day of climbing with Carl, Joc, and new to the rock Ben and Aaron. We rented a car and found our way back to where I'd spent my first full day in Chiang Mai climbing and where Carl, Joc, and Jennie had spent the prior day when Aaron, Ben, and I were cooking up a storm. It was great fun all around. My extra pounds from eating non stop for three days luckily didn't hold me back too much. ;) Big thanks to Carl and Joc for continuing to mentor me on the ways of the rock. Joc taught me the basics of lead climbing and talked me through my first lead climb ever. Whee!

After a brief stop at a delicious local restaurant (and by restaurant I think it was the back of someone's house) that Carl, Joc, and I had been introduced to by our guides the first time out to the rock, we went back to Crazy Horse and kept climbing. We didn't let the ominous black cloud that then let forth intense rain hold us back. Well, ok, it trapped us under a bamboo hut for a while. We climbed a route under a rock archway where both Joc and I were barked at from a hole that we wanted to use for a hold by something...a bat? an insanely large insect? Let's just say I didn't hold on long enough to find out. I made it about 2/3 of the way up before I could go no further. Literally hugging a large piece of rock, trying to move laterally right and having nothing below me, and feeling no hand holds or foot holds (sigh), I conceded to the rock. I got to enjoy a few moments of swinging around and pushing off the rock before Carl finally lowered me all the way down. Good times. :)

Ben and Aaron taking a breather

Carl using one of his "moves"

Viv belaying Ben

Climbing the Arch

Cooking in Chiang Mai

GoBlue — Sun, 10 Jun 2007 00:00:00 GMT

We've all just finished two days staying at a boutique resort just outside the city (Jasmine Rice Village) and taking cooking classes (Chiang Mai Cookery School) - it's been relaxing and A LOT of fun. Learning to cook with lots of chillies (the joys of having half the class coughing from the chillies' smoke! =) ), the difference between coconut cream and coconut milk and when to you use what, all the different spices, etc. - just awesome! Granted, having "prep fairies" who hand you everything from the meats to the spices that you need in the correct amounts and already cut up makes things easier. I guess I now know how the chefs on the cooking channel do it? ;)

Our main lesson yesterday was an introduction to the basic Thai ingredients (basil - 3 types, galanga, coconut milk, chillies, palm sugar, etc.) in a classroom setting before we struck out on our own at individual "wok" stations to prepare 6 dishes over the course of the day. Today's lesson was all about curry...and just how many types are out there! Everyone learned how to make red curry from scratch using dried spices and fresh herbs using a mortar and pestle. Once that was done, we all cooked our own chicken red curry - YUM!! We then went on to make 5 additional dishes. Did I mention that we eat everything that we cook? Talk about needing to rub my belly... =)

Ready, set, cook!

Who's going to be the next iron chef?

Back in the classroom!

Eating the fruits of our labor

Oh boy it's warm!! REALLY warm!

GoBlue — Thu, 31 May 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Always knew I preferred cold to heat...must say that I was perfectly peachy in our 40-60's temps in Australia. Here in Bali, I'm trying not to melt; turns out I need to become one with the sweatier me. Especially hard as I try and dodge them fiesty mosquitos...Good times. :)

I won't write too much since Carl and Joc have been furiously typing away for the past couple of hours while I took care of a few other things (yes, MERP, anything for you!). I'm enjoying my time here and transitioning nicely to SE Asia after my time in Australia. Being back in this region reminds me of how much fun it is to get lost exploring the winding roads of the town (while avoiding the motorcycles racing around you of course!). It's been also great to catch up with my friend Migs and his wife Saori. Migs dates back to my undergrad days and has been working out of the World Bank's Jakarta office for the last few years. It's been fun catching up and having a quasi-expert of the area around - and great timing since he's headed back to the DC headquarters in a few months.

Anyhoo, have fun checking out pictures up until this point - thanks to Joc for loading up multiple cameras' worth! And a big Happy Birthday to Joc too! Carl, Joc, and I are off to the beach. Life is tough for us right now...

Poppies Cottages

"can we please take a picture with you??"

Hanging out in a cafe in Bali

Happy birthday Joc!

Time Down Under

GoBlue — Mon, 28 May 2007 00:00:00 GMT

About 6 more hours to go in Australia before Carl, Joc, and I head off to Bali, Indonesia, and Dave, Maddy, and Jennie make their way to Koh Samui. It's been a fantastic week plus exploring Melbourne and spending a solid 6 days in the Grampians National Park and Mt. Arapiles doing some rock climbing and hiking. We had a really nice log cabin (pre-fab for all you Professor Ahuja "Sierra Log Homes" kids ;)) where we enjoyed warm wood fires, delicious home cooked meals, and super comfortable beds (right Maddy?!).

Perhaps the best part about the cabin was that it was located on a kangaroo sanctuary, despite being called the Emu Holiday Park... We got up close and personal with some joeys and slightly older 'roos. Will post pictures soon. The crew hopped onto the Great Ocean Road from the Grampians yesterday morning and have just been roadtripping away and doing some sightseeing. Off to do more of it... :)

At the top of the multipitch

Joc all suited up

Dave and Maddy

Hiking to a lookout point

Along the Great Ocean Road

A night of cards in Apollo Bay

Happily rubbing my belly...

GoBlue — Sun, 20 May 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Wrapped up yet another great dinner in Hong Kong with my family. Jennie was quite the trooper and endured a full five days with my constantly eating and constantly feeding family. Can't say I didn't give her ample warning that our time in the city would be spent planning around meals! She quickly learned to say "bow," which means "full," as different family members wanted to keep piling food on her plate. :)

After days of shopping (ask Jennie about her new winter coat...yes, Hong Kong is in the tropics...), some time up in Victoria Peak - highest point in Hong Kong - via a tram dating back to 1888, a 25 minute cable car ride to visit the largest Buddha structure in the world, a trip to the Hong Kong Disneyland, and did I mention lots of good eating (?), I dropped J-Mac off at the airport train this afternoon and off to Bangkok she went. I'm sure she'll have a lot more to say about her time here in Hong Kong when she gets back online...yup, another case of viv-laziness. ;)

I'm off to Melbourne tomorrow afternoon on a red-eye through Singapore and will be catching up with Carl, Joc, Dave, and Maddy. I bet they'll be really excited when I burst into their rooms at 7am and start jumping on their beds... J-Mac will join us in about T-4 days.

Some pictures...

Riding the cablecar

Big Buddha

Big Buddha in all his glory

Dieties around Buddha

J-Mac bathing Buddha...

Trying on some space suits in Tomorrowland

Visiting Cinderella

Rainy day in Disneyland - ponchos to the rescue

T-Minus 4 Hours

GoBlue — Tue, 15 May 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Despite being packed up and ready to go, Jennie and I are in a holding pattern for another couple of hours this morning. I received a phone call from United at 4:30am letting me know that our flight out of Chicago is delayed for 4.5 hours this afternoon (things that make you go "hmmmmm...") and that they've moved our Boston to Chicago flight back to noon. Good times. I think I'll go take a powernap now...

Final Preparations...

GoBlue — Sun, 13 May 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Just wrapped up a fun weekend in Cape Cod celebrating the upcoming wedding of our friends Brian and Maggie. Carl, Joc, and I were greeted upon arrival by a full cooler of beverages and an array of grilled food items - yum! Split into Team Brian (my team) and Team Maggie, we started off the weekend with rounds of "flip cup." Despite our two years of b-school training that should have put all of us in prime form, Team Brian fell repeatedly to the "bad guys." Not ones to despair, Team Brian pulled it together for Saturday's Field day of elementary school yore. We battled out grueling matches of lawn bowling, bocce, obstacle course, etc. on a sunny and beautiful day. Team Brian narrowly won the day by taking three events to Team Maggie's two events. After a great meal of Cape Cod's "best fried clams", we mixed up the sides and duked it out in a beer die tournament. Although Maggie and I were quickly eliminated...we had issues catching the die :(...Joc stuck it out to be a member of the "great hands" duo to win it all...and by "all" I mean two great looking lobster goblets. Good times!

As I write from my Dad's place in Quincy, MA, Carl and Joc are are about one hour in on their 20 hour flight to Sydney. Jennie and I are making final preparations as we're leaving first thing in the morning for Hong Kong on Tuesday (15th), before meeting up with Carl and Joc, and our other friends Dave and Maddy in Melbourne in another week or so. 'Til then...wheeeee!