Having fun in Shanghai! Korea on Friday!
Could it be so close to the end of my trip? [shock]
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Too Lazy
Check Marina's blog (first one on the list of blogs to the right) for our trip to the Great Wall. Amazing place!
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Beijing is HUGE
Ni hao, everyone!
Just flew into Beijing today. Because M & I are on a budget, we took a shuttle bus, the subway, and walked to get to our hostel. A nice American we met on the plane also joined us on our non-taxi way of getting around. It was quite the adventure trying to figure out how to get to where we wanted. Luckily, Chinese people in Beijing are so incredibly kind and helpful! Two strangers stopped to help the (obviously) lost foreigners.
It's cold(er) here! The clothes in my backpack are mostly (really all) summer wear. I had goosebumps walking to dinner! Not sure what I'm going to do since I'm sure Korea will be the same. I might need to extend the budget to get some warmer things.
Dinner of dumplings was DELICIOUS! The menu was all in Chinese with some English words here and there. M & I ordered a plate of "donkey" dumplings and "gnuit" dumplings. Not sure what they were exactly, but they were yummy! I suppose I can claim that I've had "donkey". For dessert we got "candied apples" (apples encased in some kind of dough, deep fried, melted sugar drizzled on top and in which you dropped each ball into a bowl of cold water to crystallize the sugar) and burned out tongues. Worth it :D
We have several days in Beijing. Excited!
Just flew into Beijing today. Because M & I are on a budget, we took a shuttle bus, the subway, and walked to get to our hostel. A nice American we met on the plane also joined us on our non-taxi way of getting around. It was quite the adventure trying to figure out how to get to where we wanted. Luckily, Chinese people in Beijing are so incredibly kind and helpful! Two strangers stopped to help the (obviously) lost foreigners.
It's cold(er) here! The clothes in my backpack are mostly (really all) summer wear. I had goosebumps walking to dinner! Not sure what I'm going to do since I'm sure Korea will be the same. I might need to extend the budget to get some warmer things.
Dinner of dumplings was DELICIOUS! The menu was all in Chinese with some English words here and there. M & I ordered a plate of "donkey" dumplings and "gnuit" dumplings. Not sure what they were exactly, but they were yummy! I suppose I can claim that I've had "donkey". For dessert we got "candied apples" (apples encased in some kind of dough, deep fried, melted sugar drizzled on top and in which you dropped each ball into a bowl of cold water to crystallize the sugar) and burned out tongues. Worth it :D
We have several days in Beijing. Excited!
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Last Days of Vietnam
We had thought that 2 weeks in Vietnam would be sufficient, but it's required us to spend a LOT of time physically traveling from one place to another. Despite the sore muscles (particularly in the behind area), it's been a good trip.
From HCMC/Saigon, we went to Mui Ne, a little beach town.
From Mui Ne, we went to Da Lat, a beautiful mountain town (a nightmare to get to with winding roads and crazy bumps) where we saw a lake and waterfall (after an alpine slide ride down) and DELICIOUS food.
From Da Lat, we went to Nha Trang, a large beach town with a beautiful ocean view. We did some some sea kayaking there. Kayaking in the South China Sea in the rain was rather fun...especially when kayaking to an island!
From Nha Trang, we took a train to Da Nang and then a bus to Hoi An. Hoi An is a small place that's famous for it's tailor-made clothing and a couple of good dishes (loved "White Rose", meat in rice paper that's twirled to look like flowers and then dipped in fish sauce). We did a day trip to some ruins at My Son ("me-son" meaning beautiful mountain). Most of it was literally in ruin after the Vietnam war bombings though.
From Hoi An, we took a bus to Da Nang and then a train to Hanoi (where we currently are). The train ride, while long, had some pretty scenery. The stretch from Da Nang to Hue has the most beautiful train scenery I've ever seen. It has almost everything: mountains, rivers, jungle, the sea, HUGE boulders, stretches of beach, hills of uninhibited land.
Currently, we're in Hanoi. We're planning on taking a boat trip to Halong Bay tomorrow and the next day. After that: CHINA!
This is a rushed entry; and again, an entry without pictures (boo). But, it's time to head toward the nearby lake in Hanoi and do what M & I do best: walk aimlessly about, discovering delicious places to eat :)
From HCMC/Saigon, we went to Mui Ne, a little beach town.
From Mui Ne, we went to Da Lat, a beautiful mountain town (a nightmare to get to with winding roads and crazy bumps) where we saw a lake and waterfall (after an alpine slide ride down) and DELICIOUS food.
From Da Lat, we went to Nha Trang, a large beach town with a beautiful ocean view. We did some some sea kayaking there. Kayaking in the South China Sea in the rain was rather fun...especially when kayaking to an island!
From Nha Trang, we took a train to Da Nang and then a bus to Hoi An. Hoi An is a small place that's famous for it's tailor-made clothing and a couple of good dishes (loved "White Rose", meat in rice paper that's twirled to look like flowers and then dipped in fish sauce). We did a day trip to some ruins at My Son ("me-son" meaning beautiful mountain). Most of it was literally in ruin after the Vietnam war bombings though.
From Hoi An, we took a bus to Da Nang and then a train to Hanoi (where we currently are). The train ride, while long, had some pretty scenery. The stretch from Da Nang to Hue has the most beautiful train scenery I've ever seen. It has almost everything: mountains, rivers, jungle, the sea, HUGE boulders, stretches of beach, hills of uninhibited land.
Currently, we're in Hanoi. We're planning on taking a boat trip to Halong Bay tomorrow and the next day. After that: CHINA!
This is a rushed entry; and again, an entry without pictures (boo). But, it's time to head toward the nearby lake in Hanoi and do what M & I do best: walk aimlessly about, discovering delicious places to eat :)
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Hello, Vietnam
A long bus ride from Phnom Penh, Cambodia brought me to Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam...or Saigon (if you're in District 1 and 3).
The architecture of the city really shows the influence of western nations. Skinny, colorful buildings crowd the streets and baguettes are found EVERYWHERE.
After a few days in Saigon (and a side trip to the Mekong Delta where I got to taste coconut candy and hold a big snake), I've arrived in the small beach city of Mui Ne, Vietnam. Too bad I can't be out in the sun too long due to the malaria pills. Malaria medication is (very) unkind to my stomach and skin.
M & I met up with a PC friend of ours. It'll be a nice couple of days to relax and catch up and do some group therapy [hehe].
So far, I'm loving Vietnam :)
||EDIT||
NOT a fan of the commis blocking facebook and my blog [frown]. Good thing things like IP address changes are possible :D
The architecture of the city really shows the influence of western nations. Skinny, colorful buildings crowd the streets and baguettes are found EVERYWHERE.
After a few days in Saigon (and a side trip to the Mekong Delta where I got to taste coconut candy and hold a big snake), I've arrived in the small beach city of Mui Ne, Vietnam. Too bad I can't be out in the sun too long due to the malaria pills. Malaria medication is (very) unkind to my stomach and skin.
M & I met up with a PC friend of ours. It'll be a nice couple of days to relax and catch up and do some group therapy [hehe].
So far, I'm loving Vietnam :)
||EDIT||
NOT a fan of the commis blocking facebook and my blog [frown]. Good thing things like IP address changes are possible :D
Monday, September 6, 2010
Gloria Lee, Tomb Raider.
I wish! [haha]
M & I have decided that we would NEVER wear Lara Croft's outfit while treasure hunting. We prefer comfortable and practical over look-i'm-practically-naked! But, I'd push for a utility belt for sure :D
I bring this up because yesterday (our 3rd day in Cambodia), we biked to Ta Phrom (sp?) where they shot Tomb Raider [hehe]. In fact, reference to Ms. Jolie's visit here can be seen in a lot of the tourist places and the things that Cambodian guides mention. The Tomb Raider cocktail drink, in fact, sounds kind of yummy :D
The temple was jungle infested, which was rather beautiful to see. It was fun to explore/climb/walk around.
We biked back to Siem Reap in a monsoon shower--refreshing after the blaze of the day.
And being in Cambodia, we also, of course, saw Angkor Wat. That was on our second day in Cambodia. Too bad it was covered in tarp from renovations (boo!). It was fun to climb up crazy-high steps and walk around this (really) old temple, which stands as the symbol of Cambodia. We also made a trip to Angkor Thom that day too. The temple of Bayon was pretty awesome. The (sort of) smiling face of the ego-tripping King who built it is EVERYWHERE.
No time for pictures, I'm afraid. This entry is rather short too. Oops. Oh, well. Time to prepare for the trip to the other side of Cambodia tomorrow :)
M & I have decided that we would NEVER wear Lara Croft's outfit while treasure hunting. We prefer comfortable and practical over look-i'm-practically-naked! But, I'd push for a utility belt for sure :D
I bring this up because yesterday (our 3rd day in Cambodia), we biked to Ta Phrom (sp?) where they shot Tomb Raider [hehe]. In fact, reference to Ms. Jolie's visit here can be seen in a lot of the tourist places and the things that Cambodian guides mention. The Tomb Raider cocktail drink, in fact, sounds kind of yummy :D
The temple was jungle infested, which was rather beautiful to see. It was fun to explore/climb/walk around.
We biked back to Siem Reap in a monsoon shower--refreshing after the blaze of the day.
And being in Cambodia, we also, of course, saw Angkor Wat. That was on our second day in Cambodia. Too bad it was covered in tarp from renovations (boo!). It was fun to climb up crazy-high steps and walk around this (really) old temple, which stands as the symbol of Cambodia. We also made a trip to Angkor Thom that day too. The temple of Bayon was pretty awesome. The (sort of) smiling face of the ego-tripping King who built it is EVERYWHERE.
No time for pictures, I'm afraid. This entry is rather short too. Oops. Oh, well. Time to prepare for the trip to the other side of Cambodia tomorrow :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)