Best Kind of Lost

It was beginning to look a lot like…

by Noelle

December 16 – 20

 

…every other SE Asian city we’ve seen before.

You thought I was going to say Christmas, didn’t you?

Alas, no. And that, my friends, was a major lament of this time of our travels. And it wasn’t for lack of trying. There were gaudy Santa Clauses outside of major shopping streets (strangely, many wielding saxophones), shiny ribbon-wrapped buildings and snowmen smiling from the windows of restaurants. But our hearts just weren’t in the holiday spirit. Without the constant television ads reminding you of the approaching buying season, the Pandora Christmas radio station, the Home Alone reruns on ABC family or even snow, it was hard to feel like Christmas was just around the corner.

So perhaps it was this ache for home that put a blight on our time in Ho Chi Minh City, the largest city in Vietnam and formerly officially (and currently unofficially) called Saigon. Not without merits (more delicious street food, lots of old trees and spacious parks and the same friendly smiles we’ve seen throughout the country), this city just failed to engage us the way Hanoi did. This city seemed to lack some of the authenticity of the former, with its large boulevards and modern buildings.

There is still the remaining evidence of the ancient history of the place, but with the constant juxtaposition against impressive high-rises or upscale boutiques, it’s easy to overlook.

However, not to be outdone in the motorbike category, Ho Chi Minh boasted an entire microcosm of a world on 2 wheels. Used as living rooms, bedrooms, social meeting places and fashion platforms, motorbikes are used to move full families, animals and goods from place to place. It was amazing.

Something also much more prevalent in this metropolitan city was the phenomena of the female pajama. Women wear these colorful matching sets all day long. In my constricting waistbands, I was constantly jealous – methinks I’ll start a new American trend come May. Watch out Michael Kors. I’m taking black yoga plants to a whole new level.

As I mentioned, while we missed Hanoi’s Old Quarter ease of street food every few steps, we were not hard pressed to find tasty pho, fresh spring rolls or banh mis as we walked the Saigon streets (and oh, we walked. And walked.).

We started each morning at our second favorite pho establishment of the trip (we haven’t forgotten you Pho Gia Truyen). Cozying up at tiny tables, we discovered the brilliance of adding an egg to our noodle soups, and upped the ante with peppers and chili sauce until our noses were running and our lips burning.

And of course, we made the imperative pilgrimage to the famous Lunch Lady. Known for her dedication to creating mouthwatering broths and serving a different soup every day, we made not one, but two trips across town (like really, really far) to try what turned out to be a succulent seafood soup (with a bit too fishy broth) on Thursday and the even more alluring pho bo on Friday. While I wouldn’t say either quite lived up to the hype, it was still tasty, and the crowd was mainly local, so we enjoyed the experience. We followed one more of good old Tony Bourdain’s recommendations and hiked out to Banh Xeo 46 for a late lunch of their oversized namesakes.

We ate well, readers.

We regularly found ourselves complimenting our food stops with liquid goodness. From tasty, dense Vietnamese coffee and refreshing fruit sihn tos (shakes) to sweet sugar cane juice, we could be found sitting on small plastic chairs all over the city, smacking our still-cooling-from-breakfast-pho lips.

And can we talk one minute about the absolute BRILLIANCE of the “take away” beverage method of this country? Cradled in a plastic sack, you can walk without getting your hand wet from condensation. Additional  materials contributed toward littering (an expected method of trash disposal here) and earth’s environmental deterioration (since recycling has yet to become an encouraged practice in Vietnam)? Perhaps. But comfy for your hand? Absolutely.

Oh, and of course, our old friend – local beer. Here, it often comes in the frothy forms of Saigon (green, red or special) or Biere Larue – and commonly on ice.

Traversing by foot the city is relatively easy, but tiresome, as the temps were regularly 80+ during the day (EDITOR’S NOTE: Insert “Dave sweats a lot” joke here.). But we did our duty and hit up several of the beautiful (and not so much so) buildings for which Ho Chi Minh is flocked to.

Alas, after a few days in this overwhelmingly bland, hot and Christmas-spirit-lacking city, and with only a few days left on our visa, we made the incredibly brilliant audible to forgo the rest of our time in the capital and head out to Vietnam’s largest island – Phu Quoc (GIVE ME LINCOLN PARK ZOO LIGHTS OR GIVE ME DEATH! Or beach. Let’s go with beach.).

But before we fled, we had an unexpected run-in with our friends Sandy, Emily and Jacob who we’d met in Hanoi. Spotting Dave dashing through the streets in the rain to retrieve our laundry (I mean, it didn’t make sense for BOTH of us to go), we were reunited for some drinks and the best bahn mi we’d had yet. Excellent send-off. Now let’s get beachy.

We Like It. We Like It Dalat.

by Dave

December 9-15

 

Perched around 5,000ft above sea level in the Central Highlands region, Dalat has been called “the Switzerland of Vietnam.” It’s also been referred to as “La Petit Paris” (mainly due to a cell tower that bears only a slight resemblance to the Eiffel Tower and the fact that it’s a favorite spot of Vietnamese honeymooners). Snowcapped mountains and wide, café-riddled boulevards it does not have, but the cooler climate and more European feel was a welcome change. There’s a lot on offer here, including the many spectacular waterfalls in the area, the trekking opportunities, the numerous palaces and pagodas and lakes, and other excursions nearby. But if you’ve come here looking for recommendations on any of that, you’ve come to the wrong place.

Before diving into what we did and didn’t do in Dalat, let’s talk about how we got here. As Noelle mentioned in her Hoi An post we have taken up the habit of traveling via overnight bus, and our trek to Dalat was a doozy. We got jobbed on our seats in what ended up being an oversold bus, I was stuck in a man sandwich on the upper level in a seat that isn’t typically installed on buses that, you know, usually only sell as many tickets as there are seats, and I slept approximately 17 minutes on a 12 hr bus ride due to legs, arms and other body parts of strangers knocking into me throughout the night. But at least I’m not bitter. Definitely not bitter about the worst overnight experience of our trip at all.

But alas, after an early morning bus transfer that would take us to our final destination (EDITOR’S NOTE: During which we learned via a spotty FaceTime call that our friends Caitlin and Jeff had gotten engaged!! The ring and their faces were but pixelated masses, but the happiness in their voices came through loud and clear.), we quickly found a hotel to settle into. One of the best places we’ve stayed in recent memory, Dreams Hotel had it all – a generous family-style breakfast spread every morning (I didn’t necessarily plan on having a huge baguette egg sandwich about 3 bananas with each breakfast, it just kind of happened…), the most comfortable bed we’ve slept on in ages, a sauna and hot tub on the roof a friendly family that lived downstairs and managed the whole thing (typical for most places we’ve stayed in Asia).

One of the things we’ve realized doing long-term travel is that from time to time you just need to chill and relax and find pleasure in normal day-to-day things like we would do if we were home. And for us, Dalat proved to be a good base for this sort of approach. What was supposed to be a 2-3 night stopover turned into six, so you’d think we have a lot to tell you about from our stay. Which we do. Kinda. It’s just that most of it involves finding the will to get back on the exercise/working out wagon as well as watching an entire season of a TV show on Netflix. So, yeah.

After our first night on the heavenly mattress at Dreams and the breakfeast we were treated to the following morning, we started to consider a longer stay.  Our conversation started with one of us saying something like, “I mean, we don’t really need to leave tomorrow.” And then progressed to an order of two beers, a smile and an understanding that we were getting comfy in Dalat. What went unsaid was that we were both thinking, “Wifi’s good and we can fit in at least 20 episodes of Scandal before leaving, and this is the most comfortable bed we’ve slept in since the Athens Marriott, sooo….” (EDITOR’S NOTE: I mean SERIOUSLY, Olivia Pope is a badass. I want to be her when I grow up. You know, minus the whole “affair with the President of the United States,” thing.)

But I swear, we totally left the hotel a few times. Mixed in with our laziness and commitment to pumping the brakes on local travel and activities, we guilted ourselves into trekking up to the top of Lang Biang. At a height of 7,100ft above sea level, it’s the second highest mountain in Vietnam (which is just adorrrrrable, Vietnam).

Another perk of the trek was seeing the famous (or at least they should be famous) zebra horses. Half zebra, half horse, these majestic animals gallop throughout the streets They’re actually just horses that the locals paint black stripes onto. Yes, they paint them. Seriously. You can almost smell the shame and depression emanating from these guys.

Walking the streets and sidewalks of Dalat felt like we were dropped into a mid-sized American city in the fall, save for the motorbikes outnumbering the cars. It’s an easygoing spot, and a surprisingly walkable city (contrary to what we had read in guidebooks prior to our arrival).

The Switzerland and Paris comparisons are definitely a stretch, but the city does have a more European look and feel than anywhere else we have been in SE Asia to date, what with the lush parks and peaceful lakeside. Another atypical SE Asian quality it boasts? They produce wine locally. (EDITOR’S NOTE: Clearly Dave’s post, as he didn’t LEAD with the nugget that this is the first Asian city we’ve visited to produce wine locally, making it the only affordable place to purchase wine in the last 3 months. THAT’S HEADLINE MATERIAL.) We love us some bia hois, but you can’t beat $3 bottles of local red wine. (EDITOR’S NOTE: PREACH! Hallelujah, Amen.) And that’s not the only local staple that’s been scarce in this region thus far – strawberries also hold a seat at that table. They were sold on almost every street corner we passed, and for good reason. We wasted no time in sampling some, as our first purchase in the city was a strawberry sihn to (essentially a strawberry smoothie), which did not disappoint.

Like every other place we’ve been, our daily exploration was centered around food. But the most surprising part of our food-driven walks around the city was the shockingly patient and hands-off approach of the vendors. We’d become accustomed to people yelling at us, walking side by side with us to pressure you into buying their products. (EDITOR’S NOTE: Ignore them and just walk on you say? Perhaps we haven’t met. The obsessive pleaser in me insists on listing the justifications for not buying their particular goods, “we just ate,” “maybe we’ll come back later,” or “thanks, but that looks like a pig’s eyeball.”) The laid back locals’ approach was a welcome breath of fresh air. Clean, cool, crisp fresh air. And speaking of the weather, we were spoiled with clear skies and humidity-free temps in the 70s the entire time we were there, so we took advantage of it with some strolls and reading around Xuan Huang Lake in the middle of town, a stop at the Dalat Flower Garden and a quick “this-feels-like-a-trick” tour of the notorious Crazy House (picture something like Willy Wonka’s summer home).

But back to the food… as a general rule in Vietnam, the street food almost always trumps sit-down restaurants. We decided to make exceptions for a couple places here though that are worth checking out. First up was Art Café, where we sipped on $1 glasses of local wine and a soon-to-be-recreated-app for us to try making ourselves when we get home: snowballs. Minced pork rolled into mini meatballs covered on the outside with rice krispy-like rice puffs and chili sauce for dipping on the side. Ma-nom-a-nom. The owner is an accomplished artist who covered the walls of his restaurant with his own works, and completes every meal by painting table-side with nothing more than a couple tupperware full of ink and rags and his index finger as the brush. Unfortunately that whole “packing all possessions for one year into one bag” thing prevented us from taking them home, but we still appreciated the personal touch.

For our last dinner in town. we sought out a local bbq restaurant named Quan Nuong Ngoi Cu Doc (simple to remember, right?) that we’d read about on another blog. Just like one of our favorite Luang Prabang restaurants, this one involved bbq-ing over open flame in the middle of our table. But unlike Lao Lao Garden, we were working with local beef and far-from-local crocodile here.  The atmosphere of the place was alive – as the only westerners in the entire restaurant, it felt like we had stumbled into a Vietnamese version of a back-alley speakeasy, with all the locals hooting and hollering at their tables while chugging (literally, chugging in many cases) their beers as the meat cooked on the table. And English was not an option. Thankfully, we were seated next to a local Vietnamese man who had been living in Australia, so, armed with English, he translated and helped us get a delicious mix of meats and veggies.

 

And, then there was of course more food. Some highlights from here that we hadn’t found elsewhere:

Banh Trang Nuong – we found these tortilla-sized pieces of rice paper being grilled over hot coals in a large cinder block on the sidewalk (like much of the street food we’ve been inhaling around the country) a short walk away from our hotel. This cute older woman was making her masterpiece with a cracked egg, chili, spreadable cheese and some sort of paté on top. Served newspaper on a tin platter with scissors to cut into pieces as we wished, it also came with a side of chili sauce to dip into. Not only delicious, but it was one of our only times we’ve gotten to enjoy a longer sitting experience for local street food since we were about 10^th in line at her popular corner, so we did our best to fit in with the crowd and just watch life go by while being mesmerized by the master chef’s work.

Sticky Rice Sugar Bomb Sandwiches – I think the real name is actually xoi, but I’m not sure exactly what type of xoi it was. Regardless, I. Am. Ob. Sessed. Start with a sesame seed pastry, split it in half and fill it with white and purple sticky rice, top with a spoonful each of sugar, shaved coconut (we think), cinnamon sugar (we think) and some other yellow-colored seasoning (we have no clue), yogurt and some sort of soft cheese. There are no words. And even just describing it is making me long for this food coma-inducing treat.

Banh Bao – We have had baos at home and seen them elsewhere around Vietnam, but for whatever reason we didn’t give these a shot until Dalat. But we more than made up for lost time by getting a couple a day, complete with the minced meat and quail egg in each one. (EDITOR’S NOTE: At one point on the way to dinner, Dave said, “we’ll get a bao for walking food. Because, duh.” BECAUSE YOU DON’T NEED A REASON FOR BAOS.)

Dalat was just what we needed in the middle of our Vietnamese tour – quieter and more laid back than the big cities, and an opportunity to live as if we were home by “watching tv” and having plenty of time to Skype with friends and family from back home. Fully recharged, we were ready for the trip south to Saigon.

 

Hoi An: Quite Possibly the Most Adorable City in Vietnam

December 4- 8

By Noelle

 

Ah Hoi An…a tremendously atmospheric city filled with brightly-colored lanterns, amazing regional Vietnamese food and custom-made clothing. Where the smell of leather wafts from every other shop front, and the noodles are made lovingly with the water brought up from the ancient Ba Le Well at the center of town. And our four-day stay was plenty of time to see it all.

First of all, we found a place with a pool! Which we never used! But yay – a pool! That aside, the in-room breakfast delivery was enough to lock these weary travelers in, and we spent our lazy mornings on the balcony as we plotted our daily attack of this centuries-old city.

To back up a moment, we hopped an overnight bus from Hanoi (where we had begrudgingly returned to from beautiful Halong Bay…well not completely begrudgingly, as we chose to snag one more night of Hanoi’s street food paradise by pushing our bus to Hoi An back another day…but you get the sentiment), our first foray into the world of Vietnamese overnight buses. We would soon qualify for their frequent rider card as we made our way overland across the country, but for now, it was “fun!” You mean we get to lounge on these comfy red seats and basically LAY DOWN ON A BUS!?! How unique! How kitschy! I could do this forever! (Let’s just say it only goes downhill…but more on that later.).

 

Hoi An, the skinny waistline of Vietnam, is an excellently-preserved example of a Southeast Asian trading port (where it reigned between the 15^th and 19^th centuries) that oozes old world charm. Basically forgotten as other ports gained prominence (and the river basically silted up), the streets of Hoi An are stuck in time, making it a shoo-in for the coveted UNESCO World Heritage site status (we can’t escape these things). One of the wealthiest towns in Vietnam, it claims a cosmopolitan feel with its pristine maintenance still making you a believer in time travel.

Our time here consisted of roaming the quaint narrow lanes, exploring the endless shops, strolling along the Thu Bon River and basically continuing our quest to eat our way through Vietnam. And an added bonus? We caught back up with Brenda and Pat (who we enjoyed some adventures with in Luang Prabang) for a couple epic meals.

The main meal to note is Ba Le Well Restaurant. We thought India knew how to force-feed us at the speed of light. This was before we met our attentive (bordering on stalker) waitress for the evening. Not only does food arrive before you can even ask for a menu (it’s assumed you want the preset menu unless you speak up fast…and forcibly), but she insisted on basically helping the food into your mouth, all while touching it with bare hands…because THAT’S HOW IT’S DONE HERE AND YOU JUST HAVE TO GET OVER IT. Ahem, sorry, it’s a mantra I’ve repeated for myself and I thought it might help here. (EDITOR’S NOTE: By “your mouth” she means “Dave’s mouth.” I was the only (un)lucky one in the bunch who had skewers of pork and a rice paper wrapped roll shoved into my mouth by our waitress. The awkwardness was compounded by the fact that there were no smiles to spare while she placed the food in my mouth. Which, yeah.). Anyway, after a few beers, this seemed like pretty much the funniest evening we’d ever had and I must say, will be a dining experience I treasure forever.

Back to the city’s culture…because that’s why we’re here…the traditional Vietnamese architecture, with splashes of Japanese and Chinese influence, is evident in the buildings that line the narrow streets. The peeling yellow walls give an impression they’re striping away layers of history before your eyes. A favorite stop is the Japanese Covered Bridge, built by the – you guessed it – Japanese in the 1590s. Even after reconstructions over the centuries, the ornamental design remains faithful to the original. Its beauty has established the bridge as an icon of the city.

But my favorite? The lanterns! They’re everywhere and they’re so PRETTY. As if Hoi An at night could get any more precious, these colorful, bulbous accessories hang from every tree, every lamp post and every awning in the small downtown area.

After getting our fill of the town, we hopped on the hotel’s free bikes (Seriously, a pool AND free bikes? We heart you Grassland Hotel! Write soon.) and headed out of the city limits for the beach. The first time we were joined by Pat and Brenda, and after finding a wind-whipped spot on the sandy beach, we lounged as we watched the waves lap the white sand. And we couldn’t resist some fresh crab, so we ordered as best we could and kept our fingers crossed for what would make it to the table. Upside? It wasn’t still moving when it hit our plates. Downside? We all spent about 30 minutes decimating our shelled critters. Fruits of our labor? About a pinch of meat. Sigh. But it was, indeed, fresh.

And no, we did NOT have anything custom-made, which will make Hoi An fanatics freak. This is THE PLACE to have custom dresses, suits, pants, shirts and leather briefcases or shoes made on the cheap. But honestly – we just couldn’t lug anything around for the remaining 5 months of our trip…and even more honestly, MORE MONEY FOR FOOD! Luckily, Pat and Brenda were heading home soon, so they indulged and we got to partake in the results and a second-hand experience of how fun the process can be. Picking your own textiles and being measured for something that fits you perfectly? Pretty amazing stuff. Next time, Hoi An. Next time.

And of course, I must give a shout out to the local food specialties. Because that’s what we do. Eat. And this place offered some incredibly delicious local fare. First up: Cau Lau. The steamed, chewy noodles made locally with water from the Ba Le Well sport bits of flat crispy “croutons” (made from the same dough as the noodles), crunchy greens, juicy pork and just a touch of pork broth at the bottom. Topped with a spritz of lime and a dash of chili paste, it quickly became a Bauer favorite. Sadly, it’s availably primarily in this area and we’ve been hard pressed to find the dish as we moved south.

Next are the apps. And Dave and I love us some apps (we’ve never met a plate of nachos we haven’t liked). First, we have White Rose dumplings, made from translucent white dough and filled with spiced minced shrimp or pork. It’s incredible (try Ms. Ly’s – it was our favorite spot for this dish). Fried Wontons was the final mouth-watering dish to cross our table, and these oversized tortillas stuffed with pork and shrimp and topped with a tomato roulade put Chicago’s Duck Walk wontons to shame. (Side note – please don’t tell Duck Walk I said what I did. Because we plan to go back to eating there once a week upon return. Thank you.)

Overall, Hoi An scored big in our book, but no need to allocate more than a few days to this historical spot. And while the streets are definitely filled with travelers from around the world, something about the volume of locals and the laid back atmosphere exempts it from having that ever-feared “touristy” feel. And now we board another overnight bus…where we learned first-hand the lack of personal boundaries in Vietnam.

To Junk or Not To Junk

by Noelle

December 1 – 3

 

The junk boat phenomenon in Halong Bay creates inner turmoil for all northern Vietnam travelers. If you’re in Hanoi (or really, anywhere in Vietnam), you can hardly pass a tourist office that doesn’t tout 2 – 3 day trips to the gorgeous UNESCO World Heritage site (and one of the new Seven Wonders of the World, Halong Bay.

So….

To junk or not to junk…that is the question.

After careful deliberation, we decided to take the metaphorical plunge and hit the bay. To be clear, all boats – run-down, mid-range and luxury – are dubbed “junk boats” and by law, are painted white. This means the bay is littered with outwardly identical vessels cruising a similar route between the more than 1,960 limestone islets in the Gulf of Tonkin.

Halong literally means “descending dragon.” According to legend, the gods sent a family of dragons to protect Vietnam against invaders during an attack. As they descended, they spit fire and emeralds that decimated the battleship fleet and created a protective wall of emeralds…fast forward thousands of years and you have the incredible limestone islands that currently dot the horizon. Oh, and the dragons totally dominated.

Dave and I opted for the A-Class Opera cruise, and joined 30 eager sea-worthy (we hoped) travelers as we set out to see what all the fuss was about. We definitely weren’t disappointed. The first day already saw us skipping the organized activities in lieu of lounging, books in hand, on the sunny deck. After a welcome party with fresh fruit and wine overlooking the spectacular seascape, we were sold – hook, line and sinker.

A sunset stop at Titop island gave 360 views of the bay (after a short hike up to the lookout point) as the sun sank behind the jagged karsts. We strolled the beach with our feet in the (freezing!) water, watching the more adventurous strip down to their suits and take a dive. Back on the boat, we dined on fresh crab and fish, vegetables, chicken curry and rice until we were stuffed.

Our overeager boat director made it his business to make everyone feel sufficiently awkward by insisting guests to stand up and wave to one another (what is this, Carnival Cruiselines? Not that I’m knocking a place that invites you to binge eat and lay around as ex-Broadway dancers help shove piña coladas down your throat, but did we really need the joke about the couple here celebrating their 30 wedding anniversary practicing private tai chi in their bedroom? No, we certainly did not.), and sharing personal information –including your closely guarded room numbers (the private tai chi session could be found in room 320) – for the whole group.

Post dinner the first evening, Dave exercised his fine-tuned bartering skills with the most ferocious “street” vendor yet – the woman manning the oars on the floating mini-market. After he secured two bottles of prohibition wine (shhhh, don’t tell the weird cruise director) from our bedroom window at a rock bottom price (EDITOR’S NOTE: Since personal space and privacy seem optional in this corner of the world, why wouldn’t she just row up within two feet of our closed bedroom window yelling “Hello, buy something! Buy something from me!”), we cracked open our own vintage and took to the balcony to sit peacefully in the calm evening air. Hours later, the waves rocked us to sleep as we cozied up in our cabin.

The next day found us exploring some of the floating villages, kayaking through natural caves, visiting the bay’s pearl farm and spending more time on deck as we took in another beautiful sunset and bountiful dinner.

On our final morning, we made a visit to one of the larger caves in the bay, Song Sot Cave, which was slightly cheesy (the neon lit cavern and line of westerners immediately triggered my anti-touristy-stuff alarm). However, the dimensions of the cave truly were impressive and it was cool to imagine being the first to stumble upon the natural vastness all those years ago.

To recap: the food was incredible, the atmosphere was romantic and the sunsets left us breathless. So if you ask us?

Junk on, fair readers. Junk on.

A November to Remember

by Dave and Noelle

 

With two birthday celebrations, PLUS marking the one-year milestone since tying the proverbial knot, November will always be a very memorable month…and taking the show on the road this year just made it all the more special.

Here is a peek at our favorite moments of November. And don’t think we don’t know who uses this as CliffsNotes (Monty) instead of reading our hard-won blog posts. Seriously. Just remember, taking short cuts will only hurt you in the long run.

 

She Says:

10. BBQin’ at Lao Lao Garden. This Luang Prabang restaurant lets guests cook their own meals over coals in the center of the table. Dave and I finally got the chance to try it out toward the end of our stay and loved it. The cozy, tree-draped gardens of the restaurant provided an intimate dinner while the heat thrown off the grill kept it real as we sweat through our meal. We loved it so much, we ended up back there for our final dinner in the city.

9. Bia hoi! Before a visit to the Hanoi Temple of Literature, we found ourselves restless. Mid-day, we settled in for 15 cent bia hois at a nearby hole in the wall (literally, a hole in the wall). These unpasteurized beers served fresh from the keg to the table were exactly what we needed, and we spent hours sipping and talking as we watched the local people going about their daily lives, realizing how special this time in our life really is.

8. Front porch sittin’ in Nong Khiaw. Our bungalow overlooked the river, and we spent some lazy hours with our feet up, watching the world go by. It was exactly the type of SE Asian moment I pictured us having when we set off on this crazy adventure.

7. Hopping a motorbike for our ride to and from the Kuang Si Waterfalls in Laos was awesome. Cruising through the green countryside villages, untouched by time, was an incredible way to see what makes this country really special.

6. Our slow boat ride from Luang Prabang to Nong Khiaw. We rarely get the chance to actually get on the water, and our cruise through the river provided incredible views and a fun way to spend a day.

5. Strolling through the night market in Luang Prabang became our nightly ritual. The cacophony of vibrant colors assaulted the senses as you strolled the stalls filled with homemade goods made by local women.

4. After exchanging emails with our fellow round-the-world travelers, it was fun to finally meet Charles and Kate in Luang Prabang! We spent the first evening non-stop chatting about our respective travels and realized this was the beginning of a beautiful friendship, as they say.

3. We were so so lucky to be able to coordinate meeting up with our friends Carrie and George halfway around the world as they stopped through Luang Prabang on their belated honeymoon. Our evening spent with them filled with great wine, incredible food and even better company is something I’ll remember forever.

2. Dave and I spent a lot of time in search of delicious Vietnamese street food during our time in Hanoi. One day, we literally dedicated a day to a food crawl through the city, eating anything that caught our fancy as we roamed the crowded streets. Spending a whole day in a bustling foreign city trying new foods and chatting while lounging leisurely curbside in teeny tiny plastic chairs provided a realization that we were in for a rude reality check when we headed home in a few months.

1. Celebrating one year of marriage with the love of my life. As we ate dinner by candlelight on the Mekong River, I realized that my life ahead with Dave is the best adventure I could have asked for.

 

He Says:

10. Booking accommodations on the fly throughout the entire month. Our first attempt at doing this was pretty much a nightmare way back in Lucca, Italy, but we rebounded nicely through Laos and Vietnam. It helps that each place we go has endless guesthouse options that max out at $20/night (and that’s if you really want to treat yourself), but we managed to find good, reliable room options upon arrival across the board. Go us.

9. Coming out unscathed from our bus rides in Laos was an accomplishment in and of itself. In hindsight I’m glad we rode them since it was all part of the experience. That being said, there are a lot of things I’d rank ahead of taking sharp turns at high speeds in rickety buses atop mountains while being forced to watch the same Laotian “R&B” (if you can call it that) artist’s music videos on loop.

8. As the weather got hotter while we travelled, we didn’t struggle to find cheap options for a cold beverage. Beerlaos through all of Laos seemed exceedingly cheap at less than $2 for a liter, then we got to Hanoi and discovered bia hois all over the city for less than a quarter. Neither was anything to write home about taste-wise, but at those prices with the surroundings we had them in (from calm shores of the Mekong in Luang Prabang to the sidewalks of bustling streets in Hanoi’s Old Quarter), they were just what the doctor ordered (ya know, if a doctor were to prescribe drinks).

7. Our excursions outside Luang Prabang for the nearby waterfalls. Hiking, motorbiking and swimming proved to be a great combination on our two days of trips to the falls with Pat and Brenda.

6. DIY BBQ at Lao Lao Garden in Luang Prabang was our most hands-on meal of the month. Buffalo, pork and chicken strips grilled on a hot plate surrounded by noodle soup with veggies and eggs. It was as good as it sounds.

5. Our dinners at Deen’s Indian Restaurant in Nong Khiaw. It’s not an exaggeration to say that it was as good as (and better than, in some cases) as the Indian food we ate in India.

4. Getting to see friends, old and new, in Luang Prabang. We’ve enjoyed the time with just the two of us more than we could have imagined, but in-person communication with friends is at a premium on this trip and we were spoiled with being able to spend time with three great couples during our 12 days in Luang Prabang.

3. Our porch and hammock of our bungalow in Nong Khiaw. Or just Nong Khiaw in general. We loved this place, and our time winding down each day reading riverside on our porch was heaven.

2. Hanoi street food and our self-guided walking tours. Simply put, Hanoi is one of my favorite places we have been all year. The food did not disappoint, and it was a fun city to explore on foot. And not shockingly, the two of us were quick to pick up on the routine of walk, eat, walk, have a beer, walk… repeat.

1. Easy winner for November: celebrating our 1-year anniversary with my bride. This trip wouldn’t be nearly as fun, fulfilling and enjoyable without Noelle by my side. It’s hard to believe it’s already been 1 year, but what a year it’s been.

True Life: I’m a Street Food Addict

by Dave

November 26 – 30

 

Somewhere between the food comas, easy walks around the enchanting Old Quarter and more than a few bia hois we were hooked. Us and Hanoi? We got along noice. Reeeeaaaaal noice.

We heard mixed reviews about Vietnam before our arrival, with many friends telling us we could feel ok skipping it altogether and others telling us it was a can’t miss. But if Hanoi was any indication of things to come, our worries were unfounded.

Early on in our courtship Right off the bat, we knew we would love Hanoi. Truth be told, anything that wasn’t confined to a small, dirty, uncomfortable bus like our 18-hour ride into the city from the Laotian boonies would have been a welcome change. But you can’t help but feel the in-your-face energy around you when walking the streets of the Old Quarter where we were based. Motorbikes and pushy salespeople were everywhere, but you can’t knock the bustle. With no plan beyond just getting out and walking around, we hit the streets in search of some local food, and were not left wanting for much of anything. Every 10 or 15 feet we passed another boiling pot of broth just waiting to mix with noodles for some Pho, the local specialty. Or small cinder block grills with red-hot coals roasting pork, beef and chicken – complete with the fan positioned behind to make sure passersby like ourselves couldn’t miss the enticing aromas. You want spring rolls, fresh fruit, cheap beer, fried pastries, noodle soups, grilled meat, anything else? You name it, and you can find it within a block or two of any spot around the Old Quarter.

Our first foray into the food was bun cha – a combination of cold-served vermicelli, fresh greens, and grilled pork and veggies in broth. In a word – nomnomnomnomnom. Mix in some fried spring rolls and a couple cheap Hanoi beers (not nearly as cheap as the bia hois, but more on those later) and you’ve got two happy travelers.

Before continuing our walking tour, we made plans for a metaphorical taste of home on our first day. I just finished reading the Hunger Games trilogy, and the second movie was released locally the day we arrived. It was unavoidable. It was happening. Being the only westerners in the theatre, we struggled to push back the masses who confused us for the stars of the show and were all like “Is that Katniss? Katniss, is that you? Peeta! It’s Peeta and Katniss!” enjoyed some of the indecipherable (for us, anyway) previews and commercials before settling in for a couple hours of bliss. (EDITOR’S NOTE: Until you’ve seen Katniss fight for her life with President Snow via Vietnamese subtitles, you haven’t lived.)

We left the theatre after signing autographs and set back out to the Old Quarter for more food and our introduction to the famed bia hois. These just-tasty-enough beers are easy to put down knowing that each one costs a mere 15-25 cents.

The beer is unpasteurized, so once the kegs are delivered all the beer has to be consumed that day before you start messing with bacteria (never a good thing). We, along with a handful of friends we met in the previous 24 hours, happily obliged and pulled up our child-sized plastic stools to the child-sized plastic tables (Fisher Price runs this town) that line the sidewalks for a few beers.

This became a regular daily activity in Hanoi. Sitting streetside, watching life go by, chasing it all down with a cold beverage. All while thinking about the “skip Vietnam” crowd and thinking, “Seriously, how the h could you come here and not love this? Say it to my face. SAY IT TO MY FACE!!!”

One of the challenges in Hanoi (and, as we’d come to find, other big cities across Vietnam) is negotiating the traffic. By the time we left, I viewed it more as a game than an inconvenience. Noelle and I won. Every time.

The key? Be aggressive. B. E. Aggressive. I usually led the charge across the street, with Noelle cheer-clapping closely behind.

The streets are clogged with endless motorbikes and a few cars sprinkled in here and there. There are no “walk” or “don’t walk” signs at most intersections, so the key is just walking across at a slow and steady pace (head on a swivel!) so the helmet-clad speed racers have enough advanced notice to avoid hitting you before you reach the other side. It’s kinda like when cops arrive to break up a college party. Despite trying to hold up a calm demeanor and thinking “Be cool, be cool…” the internal dialogue is more along the lines of “OMG! OMFG, get me out of here!” Of course, the major difference being you run the risk of getting hit by a motorcycle or car as opposed to getting a stern warning from Officer Friendly. (EDITOR’S NOTE: Please note, I cannot validate this metaphor due to my adolescent halo, DAVE.) And walking across and along the sides of the streets is inevitable since the sidewalks are fully blocked with parked motorbikes. (EDITOR’S NOTE: If I were writing this post, my title would have been, “Where Sidewalks Aren’t for Walking” (although I always appreciate a good MTV show reference). This was a defining element of this city. Pop up sidewalk restaurants and vendors nestled between lines of motorbikes dominated the real estate meant for pedestrians…so instead you had people clogging the streets. It was weird. But fascinating.)

Despite the inherent risks and potential dangers just crossing the street, it’s actually a great city to explore on foot. We stayed in the Old Quarter, but took time to walk around other areas, including the wide boulevards of the French Quarter, the shores of West Lake and Truc Bach Lake (where John McCain landed by parachute after the Vietnamese took down his bomber), and the serene Hoan Kiem Lake. Along the way we stopped at a few landmarks for pictures and made time to visit the Temple of Literature and Hoa Lo Prison, better known as the Hanoi Hilton where John McCain and fellow American soldiers enjoyed a cushy existence (for prisoners anyway) through the end of the Vietnam War. Despite our general hesitance to pay admission to these types of places, we can make exceptions when it costs less than $1 to enter.

 

And here are some other scenes from around the city:

But where was I? Ah, yes. Sights, shmights. No point in denying that the best part of Hanoi was the street food. We learned all sorts of new names of foods we liked, and sampled as much as we could during our 5 days here. Here are some of our favorites:

Pho Bo/Ga – A local staple, and rightfully so. It’s everywhere in Hanoi, and the mix of broth (seasoned for days at a time with simmering bones, beef and other ingredients), rice noodles, a mix of greens and your choice of meat (beef was our favorite). Once everything is there in front of you, you typically can mix in some chopped chili peppers, chili sauce, fish sauce, soy sauce and/or whatever else was in the unlabeled bottles of most of the tables we sat at.

Tip From Those Who Knows (that would be us): Go to Pho Gia Truyen at 49 Bat Dan in the Old Quarter, but get there before 10am to be safe because they typically run out early.

Bun Cha – Char-grilled (over cinder blocks filled with hot coals, of course) pork patties with vermicelli and herbs/greens. Simple. Delicious. And everywhere.

Egg Coffee – Exactly what it sounds like. A beaten egg mixed in with a cup of coffee. It made for a frothy mix, but was actually quite tasty.

Tip From Those Who Knows: Try it at Cafe Giang in the old quarter. Tell them Dave and Noelle sent you (there is a 0% chance they’ll know who you’re talking about).

Banh Xeo – A fried treat – almost looking like a calzone – filled with a mix of shrimp and veggies and fried into a pancake.

Banh Mi – likely familiar to many at home, this baguette filled with liver pate, fried eggs, beef, veggies and chili sauce was at just about every street corner.

Bun Bo Nam Bo – more well-known and widely available further south, this mix of beef (“bo”), bean sprouts, greens, crushed peanuts, bun noodles, shallots and broth. It also is the most fun name to say of everything on this list.

Tip From Those Who Knows: By far the best place to eat it is at the aptly named Bun Bo Nam Bo on Hang Dieu.

Banh Cuon – Thin rice rolls filled with pork and mushrooms, or shrimp and mushrooms as we also tried.

Tip From Those Who Knows: Get it at Bahn Cuon Gia Truyen on Hang Ga. They do it reeeeaaaaal noice over there.

Bia Hoi – oh wait, this is supposed to just be foods?

Tip From Those Who Knows: Get it from… everywhere.

Caramel sticky rice – Exactly what it sounds like.

Fried sticky rice – cubes of sticky rice fried on a wide pan over open flame, then cut up (usually with scissors) and combined with chopped cucumber, soy sauce and chili sauce.

Banh Ghai – Deep-fried pockets filled with glass noodles, minced pork and mushrooms. One of the greasier items we ate, but still worth a shot nonetheless.

Tip From Those Who Knows: Get it on Ly Quoc Su near St. Joseph’s Cathedral. It’s the only  area we were able to find it around the city.

So yeah, you’re not so bad, Vietnam. We couldn’t have enjoyed Hanoi more than we did, but it helped that we had quite a bit to look forward to with our next stop on the high seas – Halong Bay.

Same Same, But Different

by Noelle

November 20 – 25

 

In our quest to reach Vietnam overland, we lazily made our way through two Northern Laos towns, which, like the popular SE Asian saying, were the “same same, but different.”

This phrase is conveniently used by vendors to try and sell you a product or service that they insist is the “same same” as what you were actually looking for. Westerners have since added, “but different,” since it’s never really the same. Looking for a tuk-tuk ride across town? The guy on a bike will offer you the “same same” that will find you standing on his spokes as you risk your life on the road. Want a bowl of fresh noodles? The corner street vendor has the “same same,” in the form of packaged ramen. It’s actually quite funny to seek out these “same same” opportunities when you get into the spirit.

Anyway, the two northern Laos towns, Nong Khiaw and Sam Neua, were both nestled along the river in the lush green Laos countryside, but the vibe of these towns couldn’t be more different. The first, Nong Khiaw, was incredibly rustic (like straight out of an American Western movie), with few cars and limited electricity, but totally comfortable for travelers, with lots of guesthouses, restaurants and cafés. Bottom line? We fell in love.

The next, Sam Neua, was very developed, with a bustling city feel and hundreds of locals on motorbikes, but we were among the only westerners stopping through (for very good reason, as the only thing the town offers for travelers is a convenient stopover before crossing into Vietnam), and for the first time in our travels, failed to meet ONE person who spoke English. Which of course, is part of the charm of venturing outside of the “bigger” cities, and illustrated how this quaint town has so far avoided the tourist plague. Our feeling as we left the town was, “this couldn’t come fast enough.”

But I get ahead of myself. In this case, our experiences were very much about the journeys, as well as the destinations. We started by departing our beloved Luang Prabang for Nong Khiaw, catching a 5-hour slow boat that I assumed would be, you know, slow. Our driver didn’t get the memo and we cruised through the Mekong at record speeds and reached our destination about two hours ahead of schedule. We had opted for the slow boat (versus bus) as an opportunity to get on the water, reputed for it’s incredible views of local life along the shores, and we weren’t disappointed. We cruised by incredible rock faces, rice fields tended by local farmers and green peaks nestled beyond the water’s edge.

Nong Khiaw was as sleepy as sleepy towns come. We grabbed a bungalow facing the Nam Ou river and put our feet up to spend a few days communing with nature. We ate at the same Indian restaurant for dinner each night (appeasing the withdrawal of all things curry we’d been experiencing since leaving India), sipped Beerlao on our porch and enjoyed some delicious coffee and muesli at local cafés, including our favorite, Delilah’s (which was run by a friendly John Malkovich look-a-like).

Come to think of it, has anyone seen John Malkovich recently?

Let me start over. We enjoyed some coffee and muesli at local cafés, including our favorite, Delilah’s, run by John Malkovich.

The rest of our time was filled with roaming the little town and soaking in the scenes.

We hiked to the top of the town lookout for some incredible views back down toward the city. The hike was brutal after our lack of consistent exercise (EDITOR’S NOTE: Brutal. And hot. Really, really hot. You know those times when you sweat through your shirt and it fully soaks through your backpack, and your shorts, and… wait, no? Nobody else?), but as we’ve found is typical, the payoff is worth it once you reach the top.

We reluctantly caught our bus to Sam Neua a few days later for what would prove to be the worst bus ride of our travels yet. I was utterly convinced we were going over the edge as we barreled perilously around mountain curves at top speeds. Gravity proved to be a loyal friend as we stayed ground-bound, but her sister, Inertia, sure is a bitch. Eight hours later, we walked (on unsteady legs) into Sam Neua for what would be two days filled with….nothing.

No really, we sat at the only hotel with wifi for an entire day. We’re talking breakfast, lunch and dinner. We ordered all three as we sat furiously blogging and catching up on emails as the rain came down steadily outside. Not only is there pretty much nothing to do in the town otherwise, it was the only menu we could understand a lick of. We hit up the local market where we saw many furry, 4-legged friends prepared to star in someone’s dinner spread. Reason #3 for our monotony.

However, we are so, so glad we didn’t miss out on some of the more authentic stops in our tour of Laos, despite the long stretches of numb butt cheeks and bruised tailbones it took to get there. Now? Time to hop our 18-hour bus to Hanoi, Vietnam.

Just like taking the CTA bus from Lincoln Park downtown. Same same, but different.

 

 

We’ve Got Friends in Laos Places…

by Dave

November 8 – 19

 

…where the Lao Lao whiskey burns and the Beerlao chases.

There’s slow, and thennnn there’s slowwwwww. We chose the latter in Luang Prabang. In related news, Laos’ official name is in fact, Laos People’s Democratic Republic, but the locals got all entrepreneurial and capitalized on an acronym that would excuse their habit of running late and joke that PDR actually stands for “Please Don’t Rush.” And who are we to argue with a national motto? So we got into town and decided to pump the brakes and drive slow… homie. In a surprise development that snuck up on us like a sloth surprising a tree branch, we found ourselves stationed in this northern Laos gem of a city for (wait for it) 12 days. So yeah, we did some things. And we mixed in some days where we did no things, which was also quite nice.

After the leisurely pace we carried through Vientiane while catching up with friends from home, and an even slower experience in Vang Vieng, we were definitely nowhere near being in desperate need of some down time. But it just kinda happened. On the other hand, we did have a lot going on in LP – we hung out with three (count ‘em – three!) couples from the motherland, ventured off to explore nearby waterfalls, climbed ontopova-moun-ten (ok, maybe not a mountain, but a lookout point nonetheless)  in the middle of town, walked up and down the famed night market approximately 48 times, watched an awkward fashion show at a backyard bar followed by some local break dancers upstaging them, witnessed local monks accepting alms at sunrise and mixed in some good eats and sips along the way. Add in Noelle’s birthday and our 1-year anniversary, and we filled up our time quite easily. Oh, and we went for a run once. So that was nice. These physiques don’t make themselves, folks.

Luang Prabang is an easy city to warm up to, where everything is walkable and the countless cafes, street food stands (less intimidating than the ones we passed up in India) and restaurants line the streets in the shadows of the city’s numerous wats.

The main part of town is located on a peninsula between the Nam Khan and Mekong rivers, so there are great views of the water everywhere you turn. The beauty of this city is that you can fully embrace a breakneck pace of sightseeing in and around the main drag, or you can go the other way and have an amazing day watching the world go by from a cozy café with cheap eats, a coffee or a Beerlao. We did a little bit of both.

But the best part of the entire stay was the company. It’s still hard to believe that a place just over 8,100 miles from home would turn out to be where we’d cross paths with the most familiar faces during this year, but it just so happened that we got to see our good friends Carrie and George from Chicago, Pat and Brenda from Rochester, and meet some new friends in Charles and Kate from Denver (who are on a trip just like ours, even having left the same day we did, which you can follow here).

While meeting up with the other two couples was planned in advance, Pat and Brenda provided an unexpected surprise when we literally just saw them walking down the street. We’d been in touch about our respective travels in SE Asia, but it seemed at the time the stars would not align for us to get together. But as long-term travel goes, both of us changed plans along the way, putting us in Luang Prabang on overlapping days. After catching up over drinks and some local grub, the four of us made plans to go chasing waterfalls the next day (bite your tongues, TLC).

Some of the best scenery on offer around Luang Prabang can be found just outside the main city limits. Rent a motorbike and you’re off wandering the dirt roads, small villages and most notably, nearby waterfalls, Tat Se and Kuang Si.

Tat Se was up first, and really more by accident than anything. With our sights set on visiting Kuang Si (the bigger, more popular falls), we negotiated the price of a tuk-tuk ride with a driver, only realizing something got lost in translation when we pulled up next to the entrance sign for Tat Se… 45 km in the opposite direction. We quickly got over the miscue since, what the hell else were we gonna do? It was sunny, it was hot, and it was still a waterfall. And as you can see from the pictures, the scenery helped us get over the unintended detour we had taken. Plus, the trails around these falls gave for a good afternoon hike.

Still, the four of us rectified the mix-up a couple days later by renting motorbikes (cutting out the middle man) and heading to Kuang Si. The multiple pools of emerald green waters were stunning. And the ride there and back provided more amazingly green scenery with rice paddies and small local villages along the way. While we enjoyed our time at both falls, Kuang Si definitely gets our vote if you only time for one.

Just as Pat and Brenda were leaving town, Carrie and George were arriving. Seeing the two of them felt like we’d barely missed a beat and were quickly caught up on the happenings of home. In between their adventures around the city on this short stop of their SE Asian belated honeymoon, we were lucky enough to meet for two dinners and again for breakfast on their last day in town. We also got a toiletry refill from their complimentary offerings at their hotel (no, we’re not ashamed to admit this), which was a plus.

And before the echoes of our goodbyes to them had faded (EDITOR’S NOTE: My campaign to get them to abandon their plans and stay and play fell on deaf ears, sigh.), we were getting ready to meet Charles and Kate for dinner that evening. After getting a friendly email a couple months back from these strangers who had found our blog, we kept in touch and realized our itineraries would overlap in Laos. And after the totally awkward blind/first date sweats, we quickly realized we had more in common than the fact we were both taking a year-long trip abroad. They joined us just in time to celebrate Noelle’s birthday over some delicious $1 stir fry at the notorious night market followed by some wine and beers at a local watering hole to trade travel stories. Charles and I commiserated about our struggles to cope with Chipotle withdrawal issues, while Kate and Noelle are both still in search of decent Asian wine (EDITOR’S NOTE: And cheese. Always cheese.). Needless to say, we ended up meeting them out for their remaining evenings in town, making fast friends with our fellow travelers and are working on plans to meet again in the coming months.

While we loved all the company, we also had plenty to do just the two of us including a little celebrating. Our 1-year anniversary fell right in the middle of this stop, and to celebrate we treated ourselves to a traditional Laos massage (EDITOR’S NOTE: Especially excellent for those who enjoy a good knuckle press direct to the muscle, making it impossible to relax. I know – who doesn’t??). And thanks to the generous anniversary tradition from my parents, we followed this with a delicious dinner on the shores of the Mekong that included (among other delicious things) real, actual, decent South African red wine. At least it was to us – it had been so long since we had it that we may not be the best judges of quality at this point (clearly the trend continued with Carrie and George days later, but as we never know where our next good fix is coming from, we savored every sip.). Regardless, it was a great setting for us to ring in the first of a few years (like at least 10 we think) year of a lifetime of marriage.

Amidst all the time spent with our fellow travelers and just as the two of us, we were able to enjoy one of the other highlights of the city – the food (I know, I know. This seems to be a highlight for us everywhere we go.). The French influence in Luang Prabang still apparent with the baguettes, croissants and pastries at the countless coffee shops in town. The green curries were consistently incredible. The fish (whether it was steamed in banana leaves, or skewered and grilled on the side of the street) rarely disappointed. And the sticky rice, because… just, sticky rice. We even did some grilling of our own at a local BBQ restaurant.

And of course, we weren’t shy about showing our affection to the Beerlao to wash it all down. We finally gave Lao coffee a shot, too. What makes it Lao coffee, you ask? Just a dump truck load of sugar and condensed milk. While sweet and tasty for a few sips, we had trouble warming up to the layer of condensed milk at the bottom of our mug that seemed reluctant to dissolve into the coffee itself.

As a final activity before parting ways with the city that had threatened to swallow us forever, we finally got ourselves out of bed early enough to observe the daily giving of alms to the local Buddhist monks which happens every morning at sunrise. Sounds peaceful, right?

Wrong.

What we thought would be a great taste of some local culture ended up leaving us cold. The centuries-old tradition of giving alms finds locals lining the sidewalks and offering rice to the procession of monks as they make their way to the monastery, to show humbleness and respect to them and what they represent. As tourism has grown, visitors, like us, naturally want to get a look at it. Which is all fine and good if people respect the tradition and keep their distances from the ceremony.

Someone didn’t get the memo.

Instead of observing quietly from a distance, we saw vanloads of tourists piling out and pushing within a foot or two of the monks to snap photos with the flash paparazzi-style. You could tell the monks felt uncomfortable. It felt dirty, it felt wrong, we felt terrible for even watching it. At the end of the day, I’m sure they appreciated the donations, but the tradition clearly has changed as more and more tourists elbow their way in.

(EDITOR’S NOTE: And yes, I realize that these photos contradict our sentiments, but I promise the few photos we captured were taken at max zoom range).

Seeing old friends and meeting new ones (EDITOR’S NOTE: When I started singing “Make New Friends, But Keep the Old…,” Dave looked at me blankly. Can I get an AMEN from all my Girl Scouts out there??!!) had reenergized us, and we were excited to plan out our time in the next country we’d visit: Vietnam. But before that would begin, we were off to a couple sleepy towns in northeastern Laos for some more scenic river views.

Going Tubeless in Vang Vieng

by Noelle

November 2 – 7

 

What you’ve heard of this little Laos river town (if you’ve heard of it at all) likely revolves around tubing, buckets of booze, drunken rope swings and, did I mention, booze? We managed to spend a week in the tiny adventure tourism-oriented town without – gasp – a tube ringed ‘round our midsections or indulging in more than a couple Beerlao.

However, we did manage to soak up the littler known activities such as cave exploration, lounging at the Blue Lagoon, walking along the quaint bar-lined streets (every other bar playing FRIENDS reruns on hanging televisions), enjoying the street sandwiches sold everywhere by friendly local women and swinging lazily on the front porch hammock of our bungalow (mainly me). This was a vacation we hadn’t even expected. Mainly because the original plan was to make this a mere 2-day stopover before continuing our route north to Luang Prabang, where we had plans to meet friends the next week.

The main reason for our extended detour came in the form of the flu. Poor Dave battled major fatigue and some dizziness that we didn’t want to challenge with a winding, bumpy 6-hour bus ride. Plus, I was sure it was malaria. Because when you get sick in Laos, it’s malaria, right? Luckily, some antibiotics helped him slowly kick the bug and we still had a couple days to explore the town.

The days that Dave spent resting up in bed, I spent reading every book in the kindle library. My mom and I share an account as we’re both voracious readers with a love of all things literary, so there was no lack of material. I cruised through the long-awaited final book of the Divergent trilogy, Allegiant, Steven Tyler’s rambling autobiography, Does the Noise in My Head Bother You?, John Green’s beautiful, The Fault in our Stars, the new tell-all book, Johnny Carson, by the famous TV host’s former lawyer and Stephen King’s tome, Under The Dome, all while recumbent in a hammock, with only the noise of the Mekong river flowing lazily past our bungalow to distract me. It was heaven. You know, aside from the whole “husband maybe having malaria” thing.

Feeling only slightly better on his birthday toward the end of our stay, I convinced my lethargic hubby to wander down to the main dirt road for a birthday beer (at this point, I was PRETTY sure it wasn’t malaria. In retrospect, this may raise a red flag for future parenthood). We lounged at a bar perched precariously on the brown river and watched the world go by. Literally, this place is where efficiency goes to die.

This sleepy, picturesque town first saw expansion during the Vietnam War when the US developed an Air Force base and runway. Which leads to my next sad factoid – the real threat unexploded bombs leftover from a war that ended 35 years ago still poses to the country. I did a little digging and found an NPR article that estimates that the U.S. military dropped more than 1.6 million tons of bombs on Laos during the war in Vietnam. That’s more bombs than it dropped on all of Europe during World War II, making Laos the most heavily bombed country in the world on a per capita basis. Insane, right? We worried about any lingering resentment toward Americans as we traveled the country, and yet time and time again we were only met with friendly acceptance and positive interactions with the local people.

Later, I would read George Bush’s memoirs, Decision Points, and gain insight into the decision-making process behind going to war with a foreign country. I have lots of opinions on THAT, but I’ll save it for our next dimly lit, wood-paneled, bourbon-fueled hang.

These days, the streets are clogged with rebel travelers bucking the corporate system or European youngsters on holiday, all wearing tank tops touting their favorite foreign beer, or the tubing company they used to cruise down the river (EDITOR’S NOTE: Which is super convenient for all those times when I was about to ask “Where’d you tube, brah?” and I could just look at the tank top and be like. “Ah, in Vang Vieng,I see. Chill tank.”). Tubing in Vang Vieng is a source of controversy among the locals, due to the conflict between appreciation for the business it brings to the local economy and the unwanted “party-town” image it has unwillingly inherited. There are several deaths each year, due largely in part to over-imbibing then hitting the river with only a piece of plastic to keep you afloat, or disregard for “shallow water” signs near rope swing platforms. I read an article that interviewed a local doctor who said they see 13-15 cases a day of cuts, broken bones, and sometimes worse. They’re not equipped to deal with much more than scrapes and bruises, so the unfortunate patients with more severe injuries find themselves on a 4 – 5 hour painfully bumpy bus ride to Vientiane (EDITOR’S NOTE: Where they will then cross their fingers that if their injury requires surgery there won’t be anyone like Noelle and I allowed in the operating room…).

This aside, the charm of the town can’t be missed, and shouldn’t be. The massive limestone karsts that rise above the town are breathtaking, and the skies seem impossibly blue. Our cozy guesthouse on the quieter side of the river from the main part of town gave us the countryside serenity we sought.

And if you change your mind upon arrival and need an extra boost to get into the spirit, just order up a “Happy Shake” at any restaurant. I’ll let you draw your own conclusions on its natural herbal ingredients. (I bet you’re all wondering back to Dave’s birthday shake now, right? Alas, no, it truly was Ovaltine…if you’re familiar with Dave’s grandpa-like tendencies, you’ll know this is fact.)

Party on, Wayne.

Best of October

by Noelle and David

 

We spent October in Asia, finishing up our time in Nepal and exploring that crazy little place called India. Wrapping up by kicking off our tour through SE Asia, we spent the last few days of the month in the capital of Laos, Vientiane. Below are some of our favorite memories of the month!

 

She Says:

10. Despite the blood, sweat and tears (I’ll let you guess which 2/3 of those actually happened), our trip to the highest peak of our Annapurna Trek – Thorong La Pass – was a brutal 2-day affair that paid off in spades upon the summit. Beautiful, albeit snowy, 360° views gave the impression we were alone in the world.

9. Dal Bhat, Tibetan bread and YAK CHEESE! A diet I would have never chosen, but one I find myself missing on a daily basis.

8. Playing doctor in Laos. A once-in-a-lifetime chance to scrub in on a spinal surgery led to one of the most memorable days of our trip, let alone month. Fascinating and nauseating, it was an experience to remember.

7. My first glimpse of the Taj Mahal is burned into my memory. The remaining tour of the grounds was actually quite anticlimactic, but the demanding presence of that impressive mausoleum as we first walked through the gates knocked me off my feet.

6. Cooking momos with Nima’s family during our last days in Nepal was a special experience. Not only did we learn how to make one of our favorite Nepali foods, but we did it side-by-side with experts in their home over some tasty milk tea. Plus, watching Dave make dainty folds in the fragile dough was entertainment in and of itself!

5. Waking up before the sun to make the trek to Poon Hill was magical. Cheesy as it sounds, the single-filed silent ascent amidst dozens of other travelers, with the only light emanating from the stars above and the scattered flashlight pinpoints was really something.

4. Indian food. Yes, more food. This will likely always make my list. From our first meal (eaten standing up at a bare, no-nonsense aluminum table) of chole bhature (spicy chickpeas spread on a fried bread), I was in love. The love affair continued with dozens of spicy masalas, curries, breads and sweet desserts we devoured eagerly as we made our way quickly across the northern part of India (making sure to dine at southern Indian restaurants…you know…to make it fair).

3. The adrenaline rush of zip lining across the massive fort in Jodhpur was incredible. Sailing above the beautiful cluster of blue houses with nothing but a cable keeping you afloat made my pulse race. Pretty cool experience.

2. Spending time with Nicole and Ryan in Vientiane gave us the taste of home we were craving. Who knew the boy I met in SRT our freshman year would be my dinner companion halfway around the world 17 years later?? Our Beerlao-filled evening that ended at a local dive karaoke bar was one of the best moments of October.

1. Dave planned a fun cooking class date with a local Udaipur woman who spent the afternoon teaching us how to prepare our favorite traditional Indian dishes. After 15 minutes of “taking notes” we realized we’d never be able to recreate the 14-spice dishes she was tossing together nonchalantly, but we sure took pleasure in enjoying them that day.

 

He Says

10. Skyping with family after returning from our trek. Three weeks without a consistent Internet connection was the longest we’ve been fully unplugged. It was a good feeling to go off the grid for a bit, but it also made it all the more fun to catch up with our parents and siblings once we got back to Kathmandu.

9. Hiking up to the lookout point at Poon Hill under the stars before sunrise. It was the last big stop on our trek, and even before the sun came up and shed light on the high peaks, we enjoyed a memorable walk up the trail guided by our headlamps. It was only a 45 min hike up, but we still stopped a couple times just to see the clear skies blanketed with a bajillionty (all figures approximate) stars overhead.

8. In a city that threw a dozen memories per second in our direction, the hospitality and delicious food we were treated to by my dad’s colleague Mohan and his family will always stand out. Between touring the city comfortably in their car and joining the family for two amazing home-cooked meals, we had an incredibly warm welcome to Delhi.

7. For those that know me, I’m not much of a book reader, but that’s changed during this trip and especially so during our trek in Nepal. Before last May, just finishing a book in three weeks would have been an impressive feat, but I managed to cruise through four of these book thing-a-ma-dos while we were in the mountains. Consider me converted (much to the pleasure of my wife who routinely goes through 2-45 books per week).

6. Our momo cooking with Nima and his family was not only a learning experience, but gave us an excuse to spend some extra time with our favorite Sherpa. And the finished product was better than many of the momos we ordered at restaurants (despite my best efforts to butcher the assembly process), if I do say so myself.

5. Getting to see some familiar faces in a faraway place with our friends Ryan and Nicole in the Laos capital. We had a blast catching up with them over dinner, drinks, and spinal surgeries (read more here if that last one threw you off). While their trip to Vientiane was more of a work/volunteer trip that took up most of their time, we loved every minute of hearing about home and getting to see friends when we were still so far from heading home ourselves.

4. Ziplining behind Mehrangarh Fort in Jodhpur just before sunset. The imposing fort sits ominously above the Blue City and you can’t miss it from just about anywhere, but we got to see a cool perspective as we cruised across six ziplines set up on and around the lake behind it. We were this close to talking ourselves out of doing it, but definitely were happy we opted to give it a shot.

3. Reaching Thorong La Pass on the Annapurna Circuit Trek marked the highest up I’ve ever been. Ever. While it was no Everest, it was something we won’t soon forget. The snow and wind made for minimal visibility of the snowcapped peaks surrounding us, but all and all a very cool experience. And Nima was there, so….

2. The Taj Mahal was the rare tourist site that fully lives up to the hype. It almost doesn’t even look real when it’s right in front of you. I don’t know if it was the light hitting it just after sunrise or what, but it practically looked like a mirage. Perfectly constructed, it’s the type of place you can (and should) just sit down and stare at for a while.

1. I can’t say enough about how much we loved all the food in India, but our cooking class in Udaipur was the culinary highlight of our 11 days in the country. We sliced, we diced, we wore aprons… the whole nine. Mary, our teacher, was very patient with us and it was fun to get to know her and her family as she held the class in her home kitchen. Oh, and the food was delicious, so there was that.