
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Still editing photos....

Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Yet another wonky hat
The tunnels are fairly fascinating due to the tenacity shown by the Vietnamese people. They were mainly developed in response to fighting first the French and and then the U.S. The tunnels began in 1948 and each hamlet built their own underground communications route through the hard clay, and over the years, the separate tunnels were slowly and meticulously connected and fortified. By 1965, there were over 200 kilometers (124 miles) of connected tunnel. Barracks, kitchens and wells were built as well as rudimentary hospitals. And the tunnels are so small that you have to bend from the waist to walk and sometimes have to crawl your way through them. No clean air, nasty insects and snakes, tight spaces.....I'm such a wimp.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Wonky hat
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Notes and musings
I'm back in the Tokyo's Admiral's Club waiting for my flight in a few hours. I've come a full circle because this was where I launched this blog.
So, a few notes and/or musings:
- I feel very lucky weather-wise because as humid and hot as the weather has been, we lost only part of 1 day due to rain in Hoi An. Currently, Hanoi is flooded with between 1 - 2 feet of water. Bangkok got immense rains while I was in Chiang Mai but was fine when I returned.
- While Hanoi is a big city, it also has 18 lakes within the city limits which offer great tranquility and beauty. I don't know how many were there before the war started but now there are 18.
- Hanoi is becoming a major center for art. There are stunning galleries everywhere and I actually bought some landscape photographs because they were so beautiful.
- I really don't like Saigon. The traffic is horrendous and the mood is capitalism. Throw the family on the scooter and go find a way to make tons of money. I think Ho Chi Minh would be appalled by how the country has turned out and it makes our reasoning for the war even more insane.
- But, the best food I had the entire trip was in Saigon. This restaurant served a 7-course French Vietnamese meal (vegetarian for Jacqui and me) that was the most delightful food I may have ever had. We sat across from a business dinner of about 30 people. Americans meeting their new Asian partners. Very IBM looking.
- As you land in Danang and Saigon, old American quonset huts stretch across the landscape. Creepy.
- Thais believe that soft mattresses are a sign of being poor so you sleep on hard mattresses which could easily serve as floors.
- Cambodia is a stunning country which is facing a lot of challenges. The people are lovely - sweet, kind and vastly undereducated. Tourism is great for the economy but they aren't developing the infrastructure or setting limits necessary for long term success. Siem Reap is allowing resorts to be built as fast as possible but they're endangering the water table by overtaxing it. And the roads are narrow and under-maintained. When it rains, the streets are flooded and drainage takes days.
- I always thought Angkor Wat was the name for the entire ruins. Not so. Angkor Wat is just one of the Angkors. There are many Angkors and they are still finding them.
- I'm glad I came to Angkor now because they are finally coming to the realization that the ruins are being eroded and damaged by all the traffic through them so I expect that railings will be built soon which will detract from photography but will hopefully save them.
- Those monks who built Angkor were seriously warped. They built these steps that are about 4 inches wide but 24 inches high.
- I adore Thailand and especially Bangkok. There's an energy that's exciting and there are a million things to do. And it's all cheap for us.
- Getting something massaged every day is a lovely way to live.
- I miss all of you and am ready to see you.
Chiang Mai
Chiang Mai is in northern Thailand and is the jumping off point for most travelers in this region. It's in the mountains and the scenery is stunning. And it comes complete with just over 300 temples. Swear! The town is small but is known for great shopping and after my stay, I don't think it's going to have to worry about its economy for a while.
Because I wanted to get out of town and explore (and because I was now traveling by myself), I hired a guide so they could arrange everything. To say that they were attentive is a vast understatement. I wasn't allowed to do anything (open my water bottle, carry my purchases, bargain, etc.) and they asked me 50 times a day if I was happy and all was well. They also changed guides so I would have experts in what I was doing that day. Nice but one night I told them I was going to stay at the hotel just so I could go to the night market by myself. Night markets are very cool - they open at 6 and close at midnight so everyone (tourists and locals) go there to eat or do shopping. You can also get a massage or foot massage for about $4.00. Now, who among us can pass up an opportunity to cruise through the market for a while and then get an hour-long foot massage? Not me.
Entry to the rooms.
How you get on an elephant's back. I know you've always wanted to know. They lead it up to this platform and you step on.
After you get off the back of this animal that has spent the last hour trying to toss you off your seat while slamming your brains from side to side you don't care if they lead him off by his ear. Though, I think I may have lost points with the driver by first losing one of my sandals and then the small Nikon along the way which he then had to stop and retrieve.
Bamboo rafting is very cool. You get a little wet but who cares when you can get this low in the water with no impediment to shooting. Shame there wasn't anything very interesting. But the peacefulness of being poled down the river is pretty fabulous.
I'm sure you've always wondered who made those big paper umbrellas so here she is! I was bored in about 3 minutes.
I trekked up a 10-tier waterfalls (440 meters total height) with 3 guides. 3??? One to carry my big Nikon, one to tell me every known fact about each plant along the way (of which I could understand about 30% of what he was saying) and 1 to anticipate my every need.
Now it's getting ridiculous. They're rearranging the rocks in the water crossing to make it easier for me.
And they didn't like the sandals I wore so one of the guides made me wear his hiking boots. Lovely aren't they? Shame they didn't fit me so I clomped around all day like I was a child wearing my father's shoes.
Tier 5 after climbing for a couple of hours.
One of the lower tiers.
Wild red bananas.
The woman who cooked my lunch and grew everything she fed me. We're talking fresh bread, rice, vegetables and papaya for dessert. I may love her.
Lotus blossoms in the flower market.
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