Thursday, December 06, 2007
Vietnam
This slide show traces our travels through Vietnam. Over two weeks we traveled most of the length of Vietnam, traveling by car, bus, boat, kayak, bicycle, train, and motorcycle.
Trip highlights:
Hanoi
- Visiting the museum of Ethnology, which showcases the many ethnic groups in Vietnam
- Eating Pho in small noodle shops
- Walking the crowded streets looking for handicrafts
- Watching a traditional water puppet show
- Drinking Vietnamese coffee, strong with lots of sweetened condensed milk
- Experiencing the spectacle of visiting "Uncle Ho" at his mausoleum
Ha Long Bay
- Kayaking among the karsts and past fishermen
- Relaxing on the deck of the boat
- Visiting caves
Hue
- Checking out goods at the local market
- Wandering the ruins of the imperial city
- Taking a motorbike tour through rice paddies and back roads
Hoi An
- Walking the Old Town, a UNESCO world heritage site
- Getting clothes tailored in the local shops
- Taking a cooking class and learning to make papaya salad and pumpkin soup
- Eating and drinking in the trendy local restaurants and bars
- Visiting the ancient My Son ruins
- Biking through nearby villages
- Taking a boat to an island in the river for a sunset BBQ
Nha Trang
- Playing cards with tripmates on the overnight train
- Getting dirty (then clean) at the mud and mineral baths
- Visiting nearby fishing villages
- Snorkeling in the South China Sea
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
- Touring the Reunification Palace and War Remnants Museum
- Enjoying Annette's Birthday dinner at a trendy restaurant
- Taking a cyclo tour to the major sites
Mekong Delta
- Paddling small canals to visit a coconut candy factory
- Eating a fried "elephant ear" fish
Monday, November 19, 2007
Xi'an
We know this post is long overdue. We have been keeping ourselves busy with travel, starting work, and buying a house, among other things. Without further ado, we present the first installment in the series on our big 2 month travel adventure.
Our first stop was to fly north into mainland China to see the Terracotta Warriors in Xi'an before we left.
We stayed at the Bell Tower Hotel - here is the view of the Bell Tower from our room.
The next day, we did a tour that included a neolithic village and the terracotta warriors.
The next morning, we rode bikes on the old city wall and then went to the museum. While on the wall, we saw Samantha Brown filming a travel show. Very exciting!
Our first stop was to fly north into mainland China to see the Terracotta Warriors in Xi'an before we left.
We stayed at the Bell Tower Hotel - here is the view of the Bell Tower from our room.
The next day, we did a tour that included a neolithic village and the terracotta warriors.
The next morning, we rode bikes on the old city wall and then went to the museum. While on the wall, we saw Samantha Brown filming a travel show. Very exciting!
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Beijing
While Angela was in town we all had the opportunity to go see some of the sights in Beijing.
Wes and Angela check out "night food" street. They passed on the fried scorpions and snakes and settled for some pan-fried dumplings.
The next morning on the Mutianyu Great Wall, the gang encountered a martial arts group. Wes challenged a group of seven year old purple belts and was belted purple.
Wes and Annette on the way up the wall.
Guarding the rampart.
"Oh no! I dropped my keys!"
Angela makes the final push up a VERY steep ascent.
View from the top.
Whew! Angela is smiling more now that she is on the way down.
At the Temple of Heaven Park
Annette and Angela flashing peace on the place where emperors used to worship the heavens
After the Great Wall and the Temple of Heaven, the girls were ready to do some shopping at the Pearl Market. Here they are bargaining over a nice silver and jade necklace.
On day two we headed for the Forbidden City. Much of it is under scaffolding; preparations for the 2008 Olympics are in full force.
Wes and Annette at the FC.
We had planned to etch our names into the walls at the Forbidden City, but then we saw this sign - dang!
Wes in a big pot that used to hold water to extinguish fires.
Angela and Annette relax in a quiet area of the Forbidden City.
Wes and Annette at the lover's tree. Awww...
Shortly after we left the Forbidden City, we were stopped to do an interview for BBC news! Angela was the big star, Annette looked stylish on the side, and Wes got cut out of the frame (eh, who needs fame?). You can see the report HERE.
Next we hiked up to enjoy the view from the White Dagoba. Not to be confused with the White Pagoda (or the similarly named planet in Star Wars).
After hours of wandering around the city and hiking up the steps to the Dagoba, our feet were tired! We decided to get off them for a while and cruise around in an electric boat. We were evidently quite the attraction, since the locals in passing boats couldn't resist taking our picture.
On our final day, we decided to check out Lamma temple.
They own the Guinness world record for the biggest Buddha statue carved out of a single tree.
Here are the knees of the Buddha. It was pretty impressive.
Not much headroom in there for the deity.
Wes spins a prayer wheel. Always remember to turn counterclockwise!
A&A pose with a lioness statue.
At the Beijing airport, Angela was nearly arrested after she decided to dump out this huge pot of flowers!
Ah! Home sweet (temporary) home back in HK. This new countdown clock has been installed in the terminal. Hong Kong is apparently hosting some of the equestrian events.
Wes and Angela check out "night food" street. They passed on the fried scorpions and snakes and settled for some pan-fried dumplings.
The next morning on the Mutianyu Great Wall, the gang encountered a martial arts group. Wes challenged a group of seven year old purple belts and was belted purple.
Wes and Annette on the way up the wall.
Guarding the rampart.
"Oh no! I dropped my keys!"
Angela makes the final push up a VERY steep ascent.
View from the top.
Whew! Angela is smiling more now that she is on the way down.
At the Temple of Heaven Park
Annette and Angela flashing peace on the place where emperors used to worship the heavens
After the Great Wall and the Temple of Heaven, the girls were ready to do some shopping at the Pearl Market. Here they are bargaining over a nice silver and jade necklace.
On day two we headed for the Forbidden City. Much of it is under scaffolding; preparations for the 2008 Olympics are in full force.
Wes and Annette at the FC.
We had planned to etch our names into the walls at the Forbidden City, but then we saw this sign - dang!
Wes in a big pot that used to hold water to extinguish fires.
Angela and Annette relax in a quiet area of the Forbidden City.
Wes and Annette at the lover's tree. Awww...
Shortly after we left the Forbidden City, we were stopped to do an interview for BBC news! Angela was the big star, Annette looked stylish on the side, and Wes got cut out of the frame (eh, who needs fame?). You can see the report HERE.
Next we hiked up to enjoy the view from the White Dagoba. Not to be confused with the White Pagoda (or the similarly named planet in Star Wars).
After hours of wandering around the city and hiking up the steps to the Dagoba, our feet were tired! We decided to get off them for a while and cruise around in an electric boat. We were evidently quite the attraction, since the locals in passing boats couldn't resist taking our picture.
On our final day, we decided to check out Lamma temple.
They own the Guinness world record for the biggest Buddha statue carved out of a single tree.
Here are the knees of the Buddha. It was pretty impressive.
Not much headroom in there for the deity.
Wes spins a prayer wheel. Always remember to turn counterclockwise!
A&A pose with a lioness statue.
At the Beijing airport, Angela was nearly arrested after she decided to dump out this huge pot of flowers!
Ah! Home sweet (temporary) home back in HK. This new countdown clock has been installed in the terminal. Hong Kong is apparently hosting some of the equestrian events.
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Angela arrives in Hong Kong
On Angela's first evening here in Hong Kong, we walked around the neighborhood and then went to Kowloon to see the light show. They have added pyrotechnics to the show for Saturdays until the end of August so we were lucky enough to catch it (it was a nice surprise!). Wes was not able to join us for the outing because he was working on his school project.
Angela photographs herself on the Airport Express. Not bad after so many hours of travel!
Man Mo Temple
Angela photographs herself on the Airport Express. Not bad after so many hours of travel!
Man Mo Temple
Taipei
Annette had to go to Taipei this week to teach some training. Here are pictures from her first venture to Taiwan.
Taipei 101 - The tallest building in the world (until they finish that new, taller building in Dubai in 2008)
Inside the Taipei 101 shopping center - all designed by a feng shui master. Can't you just see the positive qi?
The national museum
View from the viewing deck of Taipei 101 on the 89th floor
Taipei 101 has the world's fastest elevator. It was a very smooth ride.
Friends from the airport
Taipei 101 - The tallest building in the world (until they finish that new, taller building in Dubai in 2008)
Inside the Taipei 101 shopping center - all designed by a feng shui master. Can't you just see the positive qi?
The national museum
View from the viewing deck of Taipei 101 on the 89th floor
Taipei 101 has the world's fastest elevator. It was a very smooth ride.
Friends from the airport
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