Monday, May 11, 2009
Bali
We started our trip in Kuta and Legian which is one of the most famous surfing spots in the world (the waves looked more impressive in person than in the pictures!) The area was pretty touristy and filled with surfing schools, Australians and clubs... Needless to say, we felt a little out of place but still had a great time. We saw some awesome surfing just lounging on the beach, tried tasty seafood and Indonesian specialties and watched a couple great sunsets.
After the beach, we headed to Ubud in the center of Bali. Most tourist brochures call it "the real Bali" and it was in stark contrast with the surfer crowd we had just left behind. The whole area is surrounded by rice paddies and the houses were much more traditional. They are built around beautiful gardens and look like a mix of hindu temples and beach cottages. We found a cheap guest house and were amazed to see it had this awesome garden out back despite its dingy entrance:
Our time in Ubud was spent exploring the town, getting the best massage yet in our trip (for only 7$) and visiting the famous Monkey Forrest where we made some new friends.We both look quite calm on these photos but I was actually pretty freaked out. The monkeys were very comfortable climbing on you and stealing bananas from your hands. The picture below is from the "attack" Matt suffered a few minutes before. Wish it was a film instead of a pictures because it was pretty hilarious to watch.
We are now in Sanur for our last couple days before Thailand. It's another beach but much more quiet than Kuta. We are hoping to take a ferry to one of the neighboring islands tomorrow to go snorkeling and see one more beach before heading back. In the mean time, we will be relaxing here today...
Monday, May 4, 2009
Halong Bay
Lo, taking in the view with her awesome sunglasses
Next, we hiked to the top of another island for some breataking views. Check out my glamour shot:
Finally, we kayaked into a cove that had sparsely bonsai-forested slopes ringing with birdsong. We paddled back to the boat very hungry and expecting to be left unsatisfied with whatever to the crew managed to cook up in the kitchen. It turned out to be quite the feast: seven courses, one of which included the largest shrimp I've seen in my life. The gluttony continued into the night as the crew invited me to sample some of the food they prepared for themselves (couldn't figure out what it was but still was delicious) and special rice wine that had been fermenting for 15 years underground. The night ended with squid fishing and green tea, a perfect nightcap.
Tomorrow we head to Bali. We plan to take in the sun on the beach, sharpen our skills on the surfboard and maybe even play some gamelan, if I can remember back to my Indonesian studies gut class that I took senior year....
Friday, May 1, 2009
Sapa
Sapa avec Antoine!
Le premier jour, nous avons ete nous promener en moto avec Antoine dans la montagne. Il nous a emmene dans certains de ses androits preferes, et nous a bleuffe avec sa capacite a parler Mong et etre si a l'aise avec toutes les tribus de la region. Comme il pleuvait des cordes, nous etions couverts de boue a la fin de l'apres-midi, mais ravit de notre excursion. Le deuxieme jours, nous avons fait une longue balade pour aller visiter deux villages Mongs. Les vues etait spectaculaires comme vous pourrez le voir dans les photos ci-dessous. Enfin, notre troisieme jour, nous sommes alles voir Antoine "en action" a son hotel (vous verrez les photos a la receptions!) ou il nous a fait tout visiter. Nous avons meme pu utitiliser la piscine et le sauna de l'hotel avant de reprendre notre train de nuit vers Hanoi. Bref, sejour parfait grace a Antoine, et on en gardera de super souvenirs!
Monday, April 27, 2009
Last days in Hoi An, Hue, and rainy Sapa
After our many train rides up the coast of Vietnam, we flew from Hue to Hanoi on Monday where we spent the day shipping our Hoi An purchases and discovering the city while waiting for our night train to Sapa. Sapa is one of the most northern cities of Vietnam, and a great place to go hiking in the mountains. The weather is radically different from the rest of the country, and many ethnic populations live here. We are looking forward to spending a few days exploring the villages and spending time with my cousin Antoine who is working here for a few months. Hopefully the very rainy weather that welcomed us this morning will be over by tomorrow!
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Historic Hoi An
Main part of Hoi An (and its reflection in the river) from a restaurant that we visited last night.
Hoi An has some other great qualities. It's known for having some of the best fabrics in the world and the streets are lined with tailors looking to put you up in that new suit or copy your favorite dress for a fraction of what it would cost back in the states. Needless to say, the two of us have spent plenty of (or maybe even too much) time updating our wardrobes.
When we are not couped up in a tailor trying on our clothes or walking through the streets, we spend our time cruising the larger town on our awesome red motobike. We decided that it's the best way to get around since our hotel is a long walk from town and the beach is only 4km away.
I must say, the beach is paradise. It seemed like we were the only ones there. If you look closely, you can see Lo stretched out on the sand, enjoying her book.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
pictures!
Tasting local fruits
Floating Markets in the Mekong Delta
Tuk Tuk in Siem Reap
Floating down canals in the Mekong Delta
Rush hour in Saigon
Profiles at Angkor
Rooster fighting at a Bangkok market
Canals in the Delta
Notre Dame Cathedral in Saigon
At the war museum in Saigon
Beautiful Angkor
Leaning Buddha in Bangkok
Beach in Nha Trang
Adorable kids on Unicorn Island in the Mekong Delta
Angkor at sun rise
In awe of Angkor