Great Food and Great Views

So this is embarrassing, I've been back for a few months now and I am just now updating my blog. It was a bit tough adjusting to being back home but I can't complain. This trip was a great experience and it has helped me in so many ways. So to catch you up on where we left off:




The gang and I were on our way to catch a cruise out through Ha Long Bay for a weekend. We arrived at the harbor and boarded our boat. We had seen a lot of tourists (Aussies, Europeans etc.) and naturally assumed that we would be paired up with one of those groups but when we got on the boat, we were with the family that we had shared the bus with on the way down. Now, most people would think..this sucks. I think that we all did at first seeing as there were 3 small kids running around. It didn't take long for all of us to get comfortable.






Isn't the power of food wonderful?! It can bring so many different people together. Trevor, Ruben and I didn't speak a single word of Vietnamese and the two gentlemen sitting with us didn't speak a single word of English. Under other circumstances, we may never have interacted. It was just great to share some great Vietnamese food with some friendly locals while enjoying some of the most gorgeous views Vietnam has to offer.





These are the kids who we thought were going to be pains but ended up being really funny and became interested in everything we did! Quick question: why do a great deal of Asians throw up the peace sign for pictures?






Oh wait, I can't talk :)


^This is from when Ruben and I went on our tour of the Phi Phi Islands in Thailand. PEACE!



Above is the view from atop Ti Top in Ha Long Bay, Vietnam. We actually counted the stairs on the way back down- 436 to be exact! The panorama was spectacular and well worth the climb.




Above is the island of Ti Top. The little hut on the top is the spot with the view in the previous picture.

Give me a thumbs up if you love Vietnam!!!


So my blog at this point has turned into a photo journal with little snippets of wisdom inserted here and there. I figured that I should at least put this all together for myself to look back at some day if not so you all could see what I did for a month halfway around the world!

Next time on Slow Speed Chase: Cat Ba and Monkey Islands and back to Hanoi!

Our flight from Bangkok to Hanoi was to leave at 6am. We stayed at our hostel until about 2am then took a taxi to the airport. At about 5 delirium set in as I had been up since 6:30 the previous morning on my adventure to see various temples in Bangkok. Our flight left Bangkok bound for Hanoi on which I got a solid hour of sleep. Arriving in Hanoi it was instantly apparent that it is a communist country. The red flag with the gold star was everywhere. The customs agents were all soldiers wearing their green uniforms with the red and gold insignias. The sickle and hammer logo was everywhere on bright red banners.



Development in Vietnam is visibly less advanced than it is in Bangkok. Even in Hanoi which is the second largest city in Vietnam with Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) being the largest. We headed out in a taxi for the hotel in the French Quarter. Arriving at our hotel we checked into our room which had three clean looking beds, a sizable bathroom, French windows, a balcony with a view of the surrounding streets, and most importantly for me-AC!!

We headed out to find some food seeing as we hadn't had any food since the night before. We searched and searched but had no idea what any of the menus said. The area had a few restaurants but the majority of food around lunchtime is street food. We picked out one of these spots with there 6inch tall stools and 8inch tall mini tables. We pointed to what the person next to us was eating at motioned with our fingers for 3 of them. The very nice Vietnamese lady brought us a tray with little noodle clusters, bowls with fish sauce, two types of fried tofu, and cucumbers. I know it doesn't sound very appealing but let me tell you, it was amazing. Maybe it was because we hadn't eaten in about 16 hours but I like to believe it was just that good.



Experiencing various cultures has been the highlight of this trip so far. The Thai people are very friendly and go out of their way to help you. It seemed that most Thais spoke English fairly well whereas here in Vietnam, most locals do not. Many actually speak Vietnamese, French, and some Chinese. Back in the states it is rare to find someone that speaks more than two languages but here in Southeast Asia the average seems to be around 3. However, pointing has been my main method of communication here in Hanoi.



The bus ride out to Ha Long Bay was...bumpy. In fact, I typed this blog on that bus ride. I've never had so many typos before! My spell check was definitely getting its fair share of work. Anyhow, the views on our way out to Ha Long Bay were amazing. I got to see much of the countryside which is almost all rice paddies and farmland as far as the eye can see. Water buffalo are everywhere in the fields. The most odd thing I saw on the way was a dead donkey tied down to the back of a motorcycle with two people riding in front of that. Only in Southeast Asia!



About an hour out of Hanoi while driving through a small town on the main highway, I looked ahead and saw a large crowd on the side of the road. As we slowly approached the crowd I saw something that I haven't been able to shake out of my mind. Everyone was looking at this guy who was covered in blood. He was alive but looked seriously injured. He was being carried on someone's back to a vehicle nearby. If I had to guess, he was on a motorcycle and somehow got into an accident. This was very disturbing. Even writing this is making me a little uneasy. I began to think about how much we all take things for granted. One minute things could be going great, the next minute things could be completely downhill. As messed up as this may sound, it made me really appreciate the current situation (knock on wood). All I could think about the rest of the day was how that guy was doing. Was he okay? Did he get to a hospital? Was there someone else involved that was worse off? I hope that he is recovering and doing well.

On a lighter note, I hope to have some more internet access but it's been slightly limited here in Vietnam (hence the double postings). Updates coming soon!

Study Abroad or Vacation?

Warning: this blog was written while I did not have internet...it's a few days old :)

So my trip around Southeast Asia before my study abroad program has turned into a trip around Southeast Asia with the study abroad part being canceled. Yes, it was canceled. This is now one hell of a vacation. I am so upset over it and when I found this out last Thursday, I got pretty bummed out. But after talking with my girlfriend and my folks, I realized that it was supposed to be this way for a reason (still not sure what reason). I've just spent a semester studying Southeast Asian Politics and now I am smack dab in the middle of it. Hell, it's because of the politics that it got canceled! I've relinquished myself to enjoying this trip to the fullest. I'll never forget this trip and I still have about 18 more days. I'll make the best of them for sure.

So, since I last blogged a few fun things have happened. After our day of riding around on scooters and getting tickets, we took it pretty easy and hung out at the beach the next day. Actually, the next few days that was all we did. Rough life, I know. We switched hotels on Thursday since we decided to stay two extra days. We stayed in Phuket because back in Bangkok, the curfew was still in effect. We figured that it would be more fun to hang out in Phuket where there was no curfew.
Our new hotel cost half as much and had a gigantic flat screen television! Thursday evening we booked a speed boat trip out to the Phi Phi Islands (pronounced pee-pee). Let me just tell you, these islands were SO BEAUTIFUL! If you ever go to Thailand, do not miss these islands.

A shuttle picked us up the next morning at 8. We arrived at a marina on the other side of Phuket half an hour later. There were two groups on to boats. Our tour guide was this hilarious Thai guy named Son-ya who was extremely gay. He would tell us about things in English and randomly speak in a super high tone at the end of sentences. Before long we were hauling ass out to the first stop at Phi Phi Ley where parts of The Beach were filmed. This beach was amazingly beautiful and PACKED with tourists from various speed boat tours. We were there for about half an hour, got a bunch of pics, swam around a bit, and were back on our way to the next spot- monkey island.



Monkey island was really not an island but more of a spot along the edge of one of the islands where these monkeys hang out. The captain pulled the boat right up to the edge of the shore along this steep cliff with trees and shrubs growing up the side. A deckhand came to the front of the boat with a tray of sliced watermelon and began tossing them to the monkeys in the trees. These monkeys were agile and caught the pieces with great skill. It was amazing to watch the monkeys fighting over the slices. There was even a mother with a baby nursing while she was trying to catch the watermelon!



After heading out of there we cruised into a little cove and took some pictures while slowly cruising around it. From there we made our way to a snorkeling spot alongside the main island of Phi Phi Don. The water was so clear and the fish were so beautiful. We swam around a bit and my buddy took a bunch of pics with his waterproof camera. From here we headed to the marina on Phi Phi Don for a buffet lunch. One thing that I noticed was that the women on the island were all wearing the traditional Muslim head covers. In Thailand, the southern parts are predominantly Muslim while the areas around Bangkok and the north are predominantly Bhuddist. It was very cool to see this firsthand after learning about it in class.
We lounged around a bit and walked around some of the shops before getting back on the boat to head to our next destination- Kaya Beach.





This island was so small you could throw a rock (really hard) from one side to the other. There was nothing on this island but beach chairs with umbrellas and a bar with rinks and some food. We went snorkeling for a bit and grabbed a few chairs to lounge around on. The view here was absolutely wonderful and was a great way to end the day. After about 2 hours we headed back to the marina where we got back on the shuttle to our hotel. Needless to say, this day was totally awesome! It was the highlight of my trip to Phuket.



My buddy and I headed out the next day on a flight back to Bangkok. We arrived around 4pm and hopped on a bus to Khao San where our hostel was located. Getting off the bus we were bombarded with guys trying to get us to stay at there hotel or rip us off with a taxi. We ran into a volunteer policeman who gave us a map and directed us to our hostel. He was really helpful and told us about 3 different stories about the potential scams in the area. It was nice to see someone who was looking out for us. He told us that a taxi from where we were to our hostel would cost about 50 Baht. So we spoke with the nearest taxi driver who told us the ride would cost 100 Baht! Wow. Not 30 seconds after hearing about scams with taxis, one tried to rip us off. We realized it was close enough to just walk.

Our hostel is nicely situated on a side street away from the hustle and bustle of Khao San road which is loaded with bars, restaurants, and best of all street food. After settling in a bit we headed out to Khao San to grab some dinner. We stopped at a little spot with tables on the sidewalk. The host was a younger guy who was really funny and loved to show us his magic tricks. I picked up on just about all of them but didn't say anything because it was so entertaining. Magic while you eat! We headed out to a few spots with live music and soaked in the nightlife.

Yesterday, we were so tired and ended up hanging out in the hostel room. We watched a few movies and gathered up the motivation to head out into the heat. I guess that is partly why we didn't go out all day, it was so hot! We have one more day in Bangkok before we meet up with another friend to head to Vietnam then Singapore. This has gone from being the greatest study abroad program to the greatest vacation I've had to date (except for Cozumel since I got to share that with my girlfriend- love you A). I'll keep you all updated with posts and pics in the coming days.

Beaches, Rain, and A Lesson Learned


So this past Saturday it was pouring rain. When I say pouring, I mean the pool overflowed, little ponds formed out on the walkway to the lobby, and you couldn't even see across the street. Needless to say we didn't go anywhere that day. Our day consisted of eating breakfast at the buffet in our hotel, grabbing a few Chang beers, and playing rummy in our hotel room all day.


The rain finally stopped later in the evening and R and I headed out to grab some dinner. My girlfriend could predict what I will get every time we go out for Thai food. So this night, I kept to that prediction and got some Pad Thai. I must say I was slightly disappointed. I think that because it took about half an hour to get our food, it didn't seem as good. The place was in a cool setting though outside next to the busy road running through the center of Patong Beach. Since it rained like crazy that day, the temperature was nice and manageable. By that I mean it was probably still 85-90 degrees but with relatively low humidity.

After dinner we finally managed to make it out to Bangla Road which at night gets shut down so no traffic can cruise through. The street is lined with bars and clubs. There are also streets that offshoot from the main road that are also lined with bars. The street is packed with people and vendors. R and I hopped around for a few rounds and really just enjoyed the scenery. For some reason or another, the locals here are really proud of the “lady boys” in Patong Beach. Our taxi driver when we arrived in Phuket had told us about the “lady boys” and various shows we could catch with them. Anyhow, the “lady boys” were quite interesting to see.

Sunday was a lazy day lounging at the beach and enjoying the sun. We weren't exactly energetic so after catching some food at an “Irish Pub” we cruised home and watched a movie before crashing out. Monday morning we spent a few hours in the lobby catching free internet and skyping with our girlfriends (miss you A!). We then headed out to McDonald's for a taste of home. Man, those were some amazing fries! The Big Mac wasn't bad either.



This is the part my girlfriend won't really like reading (sorry A). We passed a few scooter rental places and randomly decided to go ahead and rent one for a day. We headed out to find some “better beaches” that we were told about by some other tourists at the beach the previous day. After an hour out and an hour backtracking, we arrived at Karon Beach. Walking up to the water, we could see that the water was much more blue and the scenery was a little bit prettier. That is until we got right up to the waterfront and saw more trash than that at Santa Monica beach! There was trash laying around everywhere as if there was an all night party the night before. We took a picture or two and headed back towards Patong Beach.



Around one of the turns on the way back we spotted cones in the middle of the road and police officers slowing traffic down... Great, a police checkpoint! An officer directed us to the side of the road where he asked R and I for our drivers licenses. This is about the time when we both realized that our wallets were back in the hotel's safety deposit boxes. So he wrote something on two pieces of paper and handed them to us pointing to a booth on the side of the road. There were tourist-looking folks all around.Many of the tourists were arguing and cursing at the two officers in the booth. R and I just laughed and took pictures holding our tickets. We knew we weren't going to get out of it by yelling and putting up a big fuss so why not laugh about it and move on? After paying 500 Baht each for driving without a license, we were back on our way.





We ended up back in our hotel room watching some TV and laughing about the day's follies. Now it's time for cheap food (since we are now both down 500 Baht) and maybe some lounging by the pool. The lesson: don't leave your hotel room without your wallet and driver's license when renting scooters! Lesson learned.

Oh, and for my girlfriend- I was wearing a helmet and there was essentially no traffic around :)

Bangkok (sorta) and Phuket!

We arrived in Bangkok on Wednesday May 19th to be greeted by sweltering heat and unbearable humidity. Arriving at our hotel we got settled in and decided to go look around. We soon realized how far away from the main city we were. This wasn't necessarily a bad thing considering the military had just cracked down on the red shirt protesters that day. We walked around for a bit and stopped to grab some waters and snacks before heading back to the hotel.

That evening we headed to Thong Lo which is still somewhat far outside the central part of Bangkok. On our way there we heard on the radio about a curfew set for 8pm that evening...it was 5pm when we got there. We walked around searching for a place to grab some food and found a great little outdoor spot with flowing water near the center, fans all around, and mist sprays everywhere. JACKPOT!! It was a little worrisome at first that we were the only ones but before we even got our food the place started filling up. The food was amazing! I have never had better Pad Thai ever!




After we left there (and after my friend saved my butt by reminding me I left my backpack back in the restaurant) we looked around and noticed the streets were all but empty...uh oh! We thought for sure that since it was 7:20pm or so that we would have plenty of time to catch a taxi. After ten minutes we finally found one only to be told that he did not want to take us to our hotel (out in the middle of nowhere) because he would not make it back before curfew. Great. We hopped back out of his taxi and found one shortly after who agreed to take us there.

Our hotel must really be on the outskirts because almost every taxi driver had trouble finding it. We arrived back safely and were passed out before long. Jet lag is a real pain in the rear. We tried to cure it by sleeping for 10 hours straight. My friend and I went to the airport to see off our two other friends as they were heading to Chang Rai in the northern part of Thailand. While at the airport we talked with an informational services rep and before we knew it, my friend and I were on our way to Phuket!




We arrived in Phuket about an hour and a half after booking our hotel and airfare down there (which would never happen with such strict rules back in the states). We got our free shuttle to our hotel and immediately hit the pool. After freshening up we took to the streets to grab some food. It was amazing to experience some of the hustle and bustle of a busy little city since we really couldn't do so back in Bangkok. This place is what I envisioned Thailand to look like: neon signs everywhere, street vendors shouting out prices, taxi drivers pestering you nonstop, and massage rooms with masseuses out front pedaling there deals. Oh, and bars scattered in between all of this. There are more bars than restaurants and shops combined!

Any how, so far-so good. Aside from being woken up by the loudest thunder I have ever heard in my life last night followed by the heaviest downpour, we are finally catching up on sleep and getting adjusted. Today is going to be a mellow day at the beach and familiarizing ourselves with our surroundings for the next six days. Who knows, maybe we will go to the “James Bond Island” where The Man With The Golden Gun was filmed or to Maya Bay where The Beach was filmed. I'll definitely keep you posted! Sorry for the long entry but it's been a few days.

Terrible In-Flight Meals and Hello Kitty

So here I am writing about my trip on the connecting flight to Bangkok. I have officially traveled forward in time (crossed the date line). So far, I've seen a few drinks, met some interesting people, had a few political conversations, eaten some questionable food, and experienced firsthand what it feels like to be sleep deprived.



My first flight, which was 13 hours long, was very interesting. I sat next to a man who was flying to Vietnam to visit family. This guy was really an interesting person. He really gave me an insight to what it is like in Vietnam along with giving me a few travel tips for when my friends and I get there. This guy was a Berkeley grad just three years after I was born!! He told me about his time in Berkeley, his various careers, and his coffee plantation in Vietnam.

The man next to him was from Cambodia and was retired, traveling around the world and enjoying the wonders of NOT WORKING. These two gentlemen were very eager to talk politics with me. We spoke about things like the Cambodian Genocide, the Vietnam War, Japan, Thailand (of course), and so many other things. They both seemed so eager to tell me what they thought about these topics. It was so awesome to see how friendly they were. Everyone I have run into so far has nothing but smiles and warm greetings. It is so refreshing to meet people like this who are completely opposite of the grouchy and antisocial people I run into occasionally back home.

I can say that I have never ever seen such disgusting airline food. I had some chicken and noodles for the first meal that was without a doubt the grayest/fattiest chicken I've ever had. My second meal was supposedly some sort of rice dish which was really some sort of rice sludge (porridge from what I've been told). There was some sort of weird “potato/eggplant/grey-green tofu” looking item on the plate as well. I stupidly tried it. What a mistake that was.

My layover in Taiwan was very interesting. Getting off the plane and rounding the corner I saw a Hello Kitty lounge. Wow. It's funny to see that Hello Kitty is still around. I had some Taiwan Beer (at 6 o'clock in the morning) along with some amazing pork dumplings of which I had to go back and get seconds (the dumplings and the beer).



The political situation in Bangkok right now is very unstable. The military has designated the protest areas as “Live Fire Zones”. Rest assured though, my friends and I are avoiding the Bangkok area until we have to return to go to school. We are looking into going to Phuket (I love incorrectly pronouncing that) to see some beautiful beaches and some amazing scenery whilst enjoying the lovely beverages the city has to offer. We are all hoping that the situation back in Bangkok settles down before we have to return for the summer session at Thammasat University. Keep your fingers crossed for us! Time to stow away my laptop before I get yelled at by the oh so friendly stewardesses.

(I'm uploading two posts at once-I've been away from internet access as well as a converter for my dead laptop for a few days now)

24 hours!

So here I am on the blogging scene (finally). As you can see in the description above, I started this blog to share my stories while traveling in Southeast Asia. I'm leaving for Thailand, Vietnam, and Singapore in a little over 24 hours from now. I am extremely excited to see firsthand what I've been studying all semester. It should be an amazing experience.

I am heading out there with a few friends from school to Study at Thammasat University in Bangkok. We'll be traveling for about a month prior to the start of the summer session. After hanging out in Bangkok for about two weeks, we are heading over to Vietnam starting with Hanoi and making our way down to Ho Chi Minh City. We will then be hopping over to Singapore for a few more days before heading back to Bangkok for the start of the summer session.

Of course I am excited to be going on this adventure but I can't say that I am not sad. I have to leave behind my amazing girlfriend who has been my rock for over three years now. It's hard to leave behind the ones you love! I'll miss her dearly but I'll be back before she knows it.

On to my other loved ones. I never considered myself a cat person, but I am going to miss my two little rugcats. They have a way of making you forget about all the day's shenanigans. It's going to be tough not having them to greet me every night.

Anyhow, I hope to share with you my fun stories from the land of many smiles. The next time you read this I'll be trying to cope with the extreme heat and humidity while soaked in my own sweat!