February 25, 2014
Flower Hmong tribal people
The Flower Hmong are known for their beautiful embroidery skills and their riotously colorful dress. I visited their markets and admired their Fauvist fashion sense.
February 22, 2014
In a small mountain village
At the 'nicest' hotel in town. Can't decide if if its grosser not to shower or to use the 'shower'....sigh. This is the price one pays to see the less discovered parts of the world!
February 19, 2014
Hue photos
Tourist boats along the Perfume River
Thien Mu pagoda
Tomb complex of Emperor Minh Mang
Ha!
Tomb of Khai Dinh
The royal symbol
The Imperial Citadel
Inside the imperial enclosure, where the emperor's official duties were carried out.
February 18, 2014
Hue
Oh Hue, I'm sorry, but I'm just not that into you. You're not as sexy as Saigon, or as charming as Hoi An, so...I'm holding out for Hanoi!
Hoi An
Wandering the streets of Hoi An's Old Town was delightful. Crumbling merchant houses have been repurposed as chic shops and restaurants, pedestrian streets are strewn with lanterns, and the river that once carried 16th century goods is now plied by tourist boats by day and adorned with floating candles by night.
And now, the beach!
The beach in Hoi An, Central Vietnam
I was upgraded to a 2 bedroom beachfront villa!
The peaceful Boutique Hoi An Resort
Mekong Delta
Gliding through the backwaters of the Mekong Delta
Boats serve as a floating market selling everything from clothes to vegetables
Everyday life revolves around the water
Breaking for tropical fruit and traditional music.
February 17, 2014
February 15, 2014
So you want to cross the street?
My guide estimated that there are 8 million people in Saigon, and 5 million motorbikes! The city is alive with their humming and honking. Saigon has wide, European-style streets and a plethora of shops. It's a pleasure to explore on foot, with one exception - crossing the street. Most corners have a cross walk but no stop light, and even if there is a light, it's legal to turn right on red, so traffic never stops. Therefore in order to cross the street, you must step out in front of dozens of oncoming motorbikes. Instinct tells you to run for your life, but instead you move very slowly, giving the motorbikes time to swerve around you. I quickly realized if I had more than one drink I would never make it back to my hotel!
Saigon pictures
Notre Dame Cathedral
Ho Chi Minh himself
The modern District 1, filled with hotels and luxury stores
Old and new - the Bitexco Financial Tower looms behind the three and four story family homes
Thien Hau Pagoda, where the more incense you burn, the luckier you will be!
February 14, 2014
Saigon
The sticky embrace of humidity, the buzz of traffic, the momentary high from strong coffee, the slap of spice from a bowl of beef pho...this all combined with a lack of sleep left me in a near hallucinatory state. I spun through Saigon, taking in Chinese pagodas, crowded markets and French architecture. The city feels modern, energetic, approachable. And now for a good night's sleep...
Dim Sum
When I reached the top of the stairs at Lin Heung Tea House, I was greeted with the somewhat ominous instruction, "You take care of yourself". I was ushered over to an empty seat at a table of 8, where the locals were oblivious to my presence. I heeded the man's advice, washing my own cup and chop sticks in boiling water, dashing across the restaurant after the dim sum cart, snatching the buns and dumplings from the assortment of chicken feet and mysterious globs, getting my card stamped, and then gingerly stepping back across the wet slide of a floor, slick with the dribbles of water and tea. I was the only person there that was not Chinese, which was seemingly highlighted by the fact that I was given a different type of tea. And the food? Quite good. Definitely my scrappiest and most authentic dim sum experience.
No frills here!
Hong Kong
Hong Kong was gray, bleak and chilly. The famous harbor was gloomy and the views from the peak were shrouded in fog. What to do? Eat, shop, walk, all of which is enjoyable in HK!
Riding star ferry from Kowloon to HK island
Chinese new year decorations provided a dose of color
Time zone shuffle
I thought I would arrive yesterday, but in fact I arrived tomorrow. Anyway, I'm here, just don't ask me what day it is!
Round 1 tally
I visited 9 countries, slept in 35 assorted accommodations (hotels, tents, villas and a houseboat), took 26 flights and traveled by car, safari truck, helicopter, bus, train, boat, tour bus and elephant!
My travel playlist
Here are the songs that captured my changing moods and locations across 9 countries:
Shattered by The Rolling Stones - I can relate, Mick
The passenger by Iggy Pop - an obvious choice
Once in a lifetime by The Talking Heads - "Well, how did I get here?" Going out to you, Ethiopia!
Moto by Freshlyground - my new favorite African band
Sodade by Cesaria Evora - a wistful Portuguese ballad I played on the coast of Mozambique
Aman by Bombino - though he's from Niger, this song reminds me of Ethiopian music
Lalla by Rokia Traore - I'm a sucker for Malian music
Dancing with the moon by Balkan Beat Box - although these guys live in NY, this is the song I would play if I was riding a camel and said camel had an iPod dock
Indian Summer by Anoushka Shankar - the obligatory sitar song
In the Aeroplane over the sea by Neutral Milk Hotel - why I travel
Every F'cking city by Paul Kelly - possibly the funniest song about travel fatigue
Going home by Luna - a somewhat melancholic return to NY
If you have Spotify, you can link to my play list:
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