Railay Beach, Thailand

We arrived in Railay after a ferry from Phi Phi. The tide goes out so far that they drop you off in knee high muddy water, and you have to inch yourself along a concrete path that you can't see, in order to get to the beach. Everyone has to do it - even those in five star resorts with big luggage. Can you imagine Mom doing this, Alexander and Dad?!

We arrived just before sunset and explored the west beach. You can walk from the east beach to the west beach in about 10 minutes. There are huge cliffs surrounding every beach - a popular spot for rockclimbers. Unfortunately, we finally experienced the monsoon. It rained hard most days, with a couple hours break of sunshine. Luckily, we made it over to the most beautiful beach, Phang-Nga, where the picture is taken. Huge limestone karsts just out of turquoise water - a postcard view of Thailand. It wasn't that crowded and we had a blast. Brennan swam out to the rock and climbed up on it a bit. From across the beach, it was hard to even see him - the rock is so big.

We are in Phuket now near the airport. We are excited about our trip in Indonesia. We leave for KL tomorrow and then Bali the next day and plan to spend most of our time in Lombok, climbing Rijani (a volcano), and relaxing on the Gili Islands. Wish us luck - it is the busy season so it requires a lot of planning! Hopefully, it will all work out!

Ko Phi Phi, Thailand

On the way to Phi Phi, we spent the night in Phuket at the On On hotel (the really sketchy one where The Beach was filmed). I remember when I saw the movie how freaky it looked - I can't believe we really stayed there with the awful flourescent lights in the scary hallways and the screens between the wall and the ceiling. We survived! Brennan and Mimi loved it.

We headed to Phi Phi Don by ferry - arguably Thailand's most beautiful island. After arriving at the harbor, we trekked for 45 minutes up and down hills and dirt pathes to a beautiful stretch of sand called Long Beach. It was isolated and gorgeous! Turquoise waters, a great view of Phi Phi Ley (the sister island) and a nice Thai restaurant where we enjoyed plenty of fruit shakes. We spent most days relaxing in the sun. One day we went snorkeling at Phi Phi Ley and swam in the most beautiful lagoon. The water was so clear and the fish are colorful and surround you. I bet the pictures we posted look fake to you - but Brennan actually took them!

We went out on the town one night - lots of Brits up for partying. We stumbled onto a Thai boxing show, which was really cool. They don't even wear headgear and it looked like they were kicking each other's spleens pretty hard. Then, for a free bucket of liquour, people from the crowd challenge each other to box. An Israeli girl challenged and was matched by a tall blonde British girl. We can't believe how hard they punched and kicked each other! At first, Israel's muscles were looking strong and we thought England would go down quickly. Then, England pulled through and won big time! Mimi went over to congratulate her, and the girl said "Don't do it" - she was already so sore. So, after a couple more crowd fights, everyone headed to the dance club for free buckets. They played fun techno dance music and we got our groove on - especially Mimi. After awhile, we notice a waitress had her 4 year old daughter on stage dancing with all the drunk kids. Yikes.

The next night, we enjoyed a beautiful sunset on the main beach at Phi Phi. It was stunning! The main beach at Phi Phi was destroyed by the tsunami so they are still rebuilding in some areas. It was kind of eerie to be there and think about it happening, but the island is so beautiful, you just forget about it.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

On our way to Phuket, we had a one day stay in KL. We were impressed with the huge, clean highways, plenty of Mercedes and big cars, and gleaming towers. We headed to BB Plaza, a big shopping area and spent some time wandering the mall with hilarious asian t-shirts (who is baby milo?). Brennan got his hair cut and we treated ourselves to western treats - cafe lattes and cookies:)

We found Summer's guesthouse which was right on top of Al-Baghdaddy restaurant - was it meant to be or what? Too bad the meal at Al-Baghdaddy's wasn't good and there was a cockroach in our room :( Our street was the international bar/club street and clubs stayed open late, which surprised us since most people don't drink here (Muslim culture). We had a good dinner at a food stall complete with roti canai, naan and tandoori chicken - $4 easily fed 3 people.

We saw the Petronas towers, the second tallest buildings in the world. Inside is the nicest shopping mall we have ever seen - too bad we can't fill our backpacks with Chanel goods. We saw lots of women wearing the full burka while shopping at designer stores.

Temples of Angkor - Siem Reap, Cambodia

These temples are incredible! I remember seeing my dad's pictures of Angkor a few years ago, and immediately wanted to go there afterwards. But, the pictures do not do it justice. These temples, built at different time periods ranging from 800-1200 AD, are massive, detailed, and are being overtaken by jungle. It is easy to imagine yourself stumbling upon these temples in the jungle and being humbled and afraid by their awesomeness - especially the gates and the huge stone faces.

We met Mimi at Sweet Dreams guesthouse (it doesn't live up to its name - more like terrible nightmare with mosquito attacks at night and a leaking ceiling). I said to Mimi - if this same hotel were in the US, we'd be fearing for our lives. But, we got good Khmer food and it was cheap and the people were nice.



We explored the temples with Mimi - seeing the incredible Angkor Thom first (the old imperial city). We were amazed just by the gate (one of the four gates) and spent awhile taking pictures there. Bayon, one of the major temples, includes over 260 faces on many symetrical towers - just incredible! Preah Kahn, the Buddhist University, was one of our favorite sites - peaceful with long corridors, some crumbling with huge trees growing out of the rocks. Ta Prohm was even more overtaken by jungle - straight out of Tomb Raider - which the locals love (were forced to watch it at our guesthouse).

We woke up at 4am for sunrise at Angkor Wat which was beautiful. We toured temples all around and then enjoyed an American ice cream titled "Mr. San Francisco" and "Mr. San's babies". We thought this was hilarious - it could be the delirium from lack of sleep and touring all day.

The town of Siem Reap is really nice - french colonial architecture. Pub street has lots of trendy bars like "Angkor What?" and "Temple Bar".

Cu Chi Tunnels

The Cu Chi tunnels are located 60 kms northwest of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) where the Americans would go for R&R. This is where the Viet Cong dug a series of tunnels to fight the americans and supply troops based in the south. The tunnels total 258 kms. Summer was afraid to go down in the tunnels, so I went for a half day trip by myself.

Arriving at the tunnels, we learned about the American war and how terrible the Americans were and how smart the Vietnamese were. The video was so biased - everyone on the tour who knew I was American was apologizing to me. The Vietnamese tour guide helped the americans during the war and said how silly he thought the video was. He is moving to america in a couple of months (after 30 years of waiting to enter the country) and he is very excited.

The entrances to the tunnels were so small - the average westerner could not fit in. Some have been widened for tourists. I could fit in the original entrance. I crawled 80 meters on my hands and knees down to the third underground level (30 feet underground). The tunnels, even though they are touristy, are not well lit. I had to use the flash from my camera to see where I was going. At one point, the tunnel was so narrow (this is protect against gas and water attacks from the Americans), I had to crawl on my stomach. I couldn't imagine living underground here - people lived here from 1968-1975 and had kitchens, bathrooms, and meeting rooms down there.

Next to the tunnels is a firing range, so as your are crawling through the tunnels, you hear AK 47s firing off. I fired an AK 47 after finishing crawling through the tunnels. I wasn't too bad, but didn't hit the target down range, a stuffed deer target.

The booby traps were really disturbing. They had a lot of smart techniques to protect themselves like lining the tunnel entrance and air holes with GI clothes to prevent US dogs from smelling the Vietnamese below. They also would wear sandals backwards when retreating from battle to confuse the enemy.

Ho Chi Minh City/Saigon

We both really enjoyed our stay in Saigon. The wide tree-lined avenues lined with french architecture and cute boutiques and trendy restaurants along Dong Khoi really impressed us. The french know how to design a town (even though the Vietnamese don't like to admit this).

There are more scooters here than anywhere else in Vietnam or Southeast Asia even. We've become pros at crossing the street without flinching.

Our first day we visited the war remnants museum where there is a collection of US military aircraft, helicopters and tanks. Deeply moving was the photo gallery showing pictures taken by photo journalists that died covering the war. Some pictures were the famous ones on the cover of LIFE magazine, while others demonstrated intense battles and the contrast between war and nature. We walked around the reunification palace where the North Vietnamese tanks stormed the gates.

That night, we grabbed pho at a little restaurant called Pho 2000 where Bill Clinton ate (some funny photos of him and Chelsea up there). We checked out Saigon at night - drinks on top of a famous hotel at the Saigon Saigon bar, which had a hilarious filipino cover band and then checked out a trendy lounge underneath the opera house. The clubs impressed us with their decor, but they were pretty dead.

During a rainstorm one day, we saw the Sex and the City movie. First, the movie was great - but it probably wasn't as fun with a Vietnamese audience. The didn't laugh at the jokes but laughed at the fact that American girls keep dogs as pets. (dogs are normally food in Vietnam hence the giggles anytime a dog came on screen).

Mui Ne

Mui Ne is a laid back beach town with cute bungalows lining a golden strip of sand. There is a height restriction here, so the developments blend in with the palm trees creating a nice relaxing vibe. We rented a little bungalow on the beach and have been spending our time reading, discussing philosophy based on our books, and just lounging around.

The first day was cloudy so we went for a long bike ride to Phan Theit, a fishing village that we found out was 20 km away. The ride was an adventure, lots of hills and no gears on the bike, trucks and mopeds whizzing by. Sometimes a guy on a moped would slow down and ride next to us, and cheer us on up the hill.

We should have known that Phan Thiet would smell like fish, but nothing can prepare you for the overpowering smell once you get close to the village. It was a true Vietnamese town, unspoiled by tourists. We found a cafe, without an English menu, and it was refreshing to be treated with big smiles and great drinks. We communicated with a lot of pointing and body language - it's nice to see a local town and get a feel for how locals live, compared to the many vietnamese we meet in the tourist sites that are always out for a few bucks.

We raced a thunderstorm back to Mui Ne and chilled out at another cafe. We made it back and it rained the rest of the night.

The next day was gorgeous with sunshine and blue skies. We soaked up some sun and then ran into 2 guys that we met on the sleeper bus who will be at Wharton in August. One knew our friends Marcelo and Antonia - small world. We ended up having drinks and dinner with them later and going to a casino. The casino was hilarious - all e-games, and only foreigners allowed. They give you $20 just for walking in and free drinks. Ari, the Wharton guy, won almost $200 on the slots without spending a dime! Too bad we aren't that lucky, but it was still fun. I think we'll try our luck again tonight.

There are a lot of kite surfers here and the wind is strong every afternoon. We've seen a lot of european kite surfers around and one instructor told us he came here 3 years ago and never left. It has been great to relax for awhile before we head to Saigon.

Nha Trang

Ahhh, the sleeper bus. Everyone has to experience it while traveling through Vietnam. For around $11, you can travel a 12 hour distance at night, in the comfort of a cramped pod in a bunkbed contraption, Vietnamese music videos blasting, and endless stops to pick up more Vietnamese people through the night who can then sleep in the aisle when the bunks are full. A rest stop a midnight really did the trick when we stopped there for what seemed like an eternity. One traveler was sick and sitting in the aisle next to us - she then got yelled at to go get in her bunk by the bus driver.

Shockingly, Brennan passed out for the whole trip and woke up in Nha Trang. He didn't have to deal with Vietnamese people on the phone at 3 am, the unbearable music, or the girl about the puke.

We arrived safely in Nha Trang - yay! We managed to find a guesthouse in our daze and grabbed breakfast and headed for the beach. The beach was pretty - surrounded by large mountains. A wide boulevard lines the ocean, almost like in the french riveria, and hotels are on the other side of the road. There is a lot of construction going on in Nha Trang - and it will host the Miss Universe pageant on July 14- something people are really excited about here!

After hanging out at the beach, we grabbed a german lunch - beers and brats - and took a long nap. We checked out some of the bars and restaurants at night - there are lots of cute trendy bars with a tropical vibe. Nha Trang is a party town in a Myrtle Beach kind of way (spring break 2008!), but we were too tired to party hard. Brennan is an old fart and made me go to bed early.

Brennan's grandfather was stationed in Nha Trang during the war. It is hard to believe that 30 years ago, this beach resort housed many soldiers preparing for battle. On our last morning, we saw Vietnamese soldiers getting ready for their morning workout on the beach - clearly times have changed.

Brennan wanted to go scuba diving, but they had problems looking up his certification - so we headed to Mui Ne the next day for a more laid back scene.

Hoi An

We'd heard rave reviews about Hoi An from several traveller and our now infamous Rough Guide. Hoi An is a small town on the river with french colonial architecture, known for it's tailor shops that supposedly make clothes as if they are "right out of the magazine." Overall the town is charming and nice but we think it's mainly for people trying to get cheap clothes.

After settling on a guesthouse (had to avoid one with cockroaches), we made our way through the town and discovered the best part of the whole town: a fabulous french bakery and restaurant called the Cargo Club with wonderful fresh croissants, baguette sandwiches, and great desserts. Yes!

I tried to get a dress made, a simple DVF wrap dress, but it didn't turn out so great - the fabric and quality of tailoring just seemed really cheap. I blame my mom for raising me with expensive taste. After that, Brennan didn't get anything made.

We rode bicycles about 7km to the beach and found a spot away from everyone - our own private area with clear waters, blue skies, white sand, and no one to bother us! It was a great surprise and the beach, surrounded by green mountains and palm trees, is one of the more beautiful ones we've seen. We hung out there for the day drinking tropical drinks and relaxing.

One night at sunset, a lot of kids from the town were flying kites along the river, which looked really beautiful. Lots of families would come up to Brennan to practice their english and say hello.
We enjoyed a few good meals in the town, particularly fish cooked in a banana leaf, a specialty of the area. It was a nice stay and the town is charming - however, it would be better to go when it is cooler outside so you can walk around more and enjoy it.

Hue

After an overnight train from Hanoi, we stumbled to a guesthouse in Hue, grabbed breakfast and were on our way to explore the town. Hue houses an old citadel, which was the fortress for the last dynasty in Vietnam (Nguyen), modeled after the Forbidden City in Beijing. It is huge, but only a few buildings remain and have been restored while the rest of the area is crumbling after bombs, and is being overtaken by grass and shrubs. The dichotomy between old and new is striking and made me wonder what would happen to our buildings only after 100 years, if they are not maintained.

We rode bicycles around the city and out along the river to a pagoda, where a monastery was also located. The town is much quieter than Hanoi and we were happy to comfortably bike around.

Brennan found his two favorite items of the trip in Hue: a conical hat and a fanta rootbeer float. Everyone laughed at him with his hat, but he didn't care because his head was getting burnt. We are glad we visited Hue - lots of history and culture and a nice little stop on the way to Hoi An.