Kuffner Travels

Epilogue

2009-08-16T06:31:00.000-07:00

The trip was everything we had hoped it would be and so much more. When planning you think of all the great places that you’re going to see but you have no “picture” of all the amazing people that you’re going to meet along the way.

During the trip we used a number of modes of transportation: feet, planes, taxis, camels, oxcarts, trains, buses, elephants, rickshaws, tuk-tuks, motorcycles, rafts, rowboats, ferries, dune-buggies, sleds, cars, mini-vans, pick-up trucks, and safari jeeps.

We thank God for getting back safely and particularly for keeping our little guy safe with his food along the way.

There were a few surprises for us, probably caused by us learning about Africa and Asia on TV's Discovery Channel:

Africa was amazing with its mix of 1st world amenities and wild nature
Beijing has impossible traffic and horrible air quality
NYC, London and Paris remain the most special cities that we have visited

By the Numbers
1 – Circumnavigated planet
50,000 – Kilometers travelled
154 – Days away from home
12 - Countries visited
14 – Plane trips
4 – Overnight trains
25 – Organized tours
3 – Natural Wonders of the World
4 – Camels that we rode around the pyramids
5 – Mountains climbed
70 – days on the wrong side of the road
75 – Books read
1 – African tick that caused Deb a lot of problems
3 – times that Joe had ‘Delhi Belly’
2 – Lost hats
1 – Birthday while on the road
1 – Heck of a trip

August 14 Day 155 Our Triumphant Return to Canada

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August 13 Peking Duck

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Visiting the Olympic Park was a fantastic experience. The Bird’s Nest was absolutely remarkable to see. The architecture is mind-boggling. Brendan was particularly taken by the complexity of steel and glass and marvelled at it for quite some time. It was also fun imagining being a marathoner approaching the nest to the throngs of crowds within. We got some great pictures of the Nest, the Water Cube, and surrounding buildings before heading to the subway.

We made our way to the Yashu market (much more civilized than the Silk Market) before going home to relax before dinner.We joined a family from Iowa for our last dinner of the trip. And what did we have? Peking duck, of course! The boys enjoyed rolling their duck in little crepes garnished with hoisin sauce and cucumbers.

August 12 Made in China

2009-08-16T06:28:00.000-07:00

Well, we are in China and what better way to experience the culture than to replenish our wardrobes. So off we went to the Silk Market to pass the day. We’d also hoped to head back to Canada today, but all flights are booked until Friday. The good news is that the skies have cleared!

August 11 Lake District

2009-08-16T06:27:00.002-07:00

A day off to relax at the pool, sleep in and enjoy the pool. In the evening we went for a stroll in the lake district where Emperors once resided to fight the heat of Beijing. This area is now a series of hutongs beautifully preserved/restored in time for the 2008 Olympics (the VISA lanterns figure very prominently). We enjoyed meeting the many tourists.As it is only 30 minutes by car from the Water Cube and Bird’s Nest, we thought we’d hop in a cab to visit. However, no cab would take us! As we have found here, cabs have freedom to take rides or not and in the dozens of attempts it’s a miracle we can get around.

August 10 Temple of Heaven

2009-08-16T06:27:00.001-07:00

Central Park in NYC is what came to mind as we entered into this haven from everyday hustle. Retirees by the 1000s, students and workers alike come to this place of green grass and ancient ritual in the heart of Beijing to enjoy life’s simpler pleasures. The site is the ancient sacrificial ground of Ming Emperors as they prayed for bountiful harvests. It must have worked for there were 17 such emperors. With architecture marvel, the marble and manmu lumber as materials it isn’t hard to imagine the sacrifices made here 600 years ago. A wonderful stop.

Our next stop was the Pearl Market – but not for pearls but more A&F, Adidas and Samsonite at ridiculously low prices. We wish we could find a similar Nike-Bauer store!

August 9 Great Wall, Ming Tombs

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Two hours by car from Beijing, Mu Tian Yu with its 200m mountains rising straight out of the plains seems a fitting place to on which to put an 8m defensive wall Begun by the First Emperor of the Qin Dynasty to keep out the Mongolian and Manchurian barbarian nomads and later built onto by the Han and Ming Dynasties, the wall seemed to do its bit for all its 6700km length. The section we visited was restored to its original glory using its original bricks. The weather and smog combined to limit visibility to only a few metres. Our photos didn’t turn out that great but the experience of walking the wall was well worth it. The wall’s undulating, winding and substantial structure dwarfs the mountain upon which it is built. One can imagine the plight of the workers who lived and died to build it as well as the 2000 years of armies that have fought on it to defend China.

Our afternoon was spent visiting the Ming Tombs, specifically the final resting spot of Emperor Yongle and riches and artefacts unearthed from Emperor Wan Li’s excavated tomb. The Tomb’s location 50 km from for the 17 Emperors of the Ming Dynasty (13 are actually buried there) was chosen for its geometric qualties (facing Beijing with mountains on the other 3 sides and well within the Great Wall. The 600 year old buldings and their unpainted supporting pillars made from the extinct nanmu tree are all original.

Then came the 50 km, 3-hour return home. The 8-lane superhighway crowded with buses, taxis, tour vans and cars simply did not move. Our driver said that today was surprisingly bad (people say that about the smog, too) but in our experience, we have not seen the traffic moving at any time (nor the smog clear).

August 8 Beijing Summer Palace

2009-08-16T06:23:00.000-07:00

We have learned much about power in ancient Asia on this trip and we seemed to have discovered that cruelty and ruthlessness are essential ingredients. None was evidenced more than by the reign of Xici, the concubine of the then deceased Emperor and the mother of the newest and next-to-the-last Emperor who she murdered in order to take appoint he nephew whom she held prisoner for 10 years and then poisoned on the eve of her own death from diarrhea. The 285 ha of the Summer Palace are adorned with a massive man-made lake dug by 100,000 forced labourers, the longest mural-painted corridor in the world at 700+m, a beautiful pagoda at the top of the man-made mountain (from the dug lake) and dozens of buildings fit for royal use. Her rule for 48 years as the Emperor-mother had her destroy the powerful armada of the Chinese fleet and misappropriate the navy’s funds to build and maintain this remarkable palace. To this day, it survives as a wonderful tourist attraction. Our guide, Happy, was amazing (so amazing that we booked him for tomorrow’s excursion to the Great Wall and Ming Tombs) and entertained us with stories and facts that really hit home for the 2-hours that we spent here.
To get to the Summer Palace, we had taken a cab from the hotel and we were thinking about continuing on to the Silk Market by the same means. However, Happy suggested that we just hop on the bus as it will take us to within 3 blocks of the market (the concierge at the hotel had given us free of charge, loaded metro/bus cards) and be virtually free for the 4 of us. The cab ride would cost around 80RMB to 100RMB (RMB is the Chinese version of CNY) to it seemed to make sense.

Except for the 2-hours that it took to go the 30+ km in heavy traffic. Anyway, we made the most of it and eventually arrived at the Silk Market, a mega-haggling designer clothes centre where the asking price of a polo shirt starts at 450RMB and ends at 40RMB. Of course we loved the stop and will probably return to buy a few souvenirs.

August 7 Forbidden City

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In the morning, at 7 a.m we awoke to the screaming of kids pretending to be cats in the common courtyard followed by what seemed to be rehearsals of folk singers doing their best belts of 60s protest songs. We rose, packed our bags and raced to the Holiday Inn – not so much because of its 4-star amenities but because of their service. This particular hotel boasts the best concierge in China, Storm. The hotel itself, is a large, modern and clean hotel in a business district – not quite what we were after, but they do speak English and have a quality restaurant that would make it easier for Brendan’s allergies.

Our visit to Tienanmen Square and the Forbidden City were a bit rushed as these central Beijing destinations close at 5. Thanks to our guide, we managed to learn much of the city’s history, including the last Emperor and his concubines. The buildings have been nicely maintained/restored and with the cobbled brick courts, it seems very authentic and large. The gardens, too, have been meticulously maintained and boasts many trees over 300 years old.

In the evening, Storm had arranged for us and another wonderful family to dine at a traditional Chinese restaurant where the dinner was a “hotpot”. The restaurant’s specialty was a mushroom hotpot with 11 varieties cooked at various stages to give us soup, dinner and dessert – all from mushrooms. The adults seemed to enjoy it, but the kids were eating anything but the hotpot (mostly rice). It was a great experience and the time spent with the Americans was fantastic making for a terrific evening. Our transportation was also an adventure, as the guide had departed after our arrival and assurance of Brendan’s meal’s safety. We took the local bus number 56 from the restaurant to the hotel. The Chinese locals were very amused. As were we!

August 6 Beijing - No Blogger!

2009-08-16T06:08:00.000-07:00

Off to Beijing after a gruelling taxi-ride through Bangkok downtown. A minor travel hiccup at the airport. Thai Air did not have us booked on the flight in their computer despite us holding a prepaid ticket which the system also showed. Luckily, all seemed resolved after a visit to customer service and some firm discussion suggesting that the agent do something about it! Their original proposal was to give us the vacant seats on the plane and have us worry about the problem of other flights when we get to the next destination. I don’t think so! Eventually they were persuaded to call the Air Canada ticket office in Bangkok and confirm our future flights. Or at least so they say so.

We will be switching back to hostel/guesthouse style of accommodation from our 4-star track that we’ve been on. We’re hoping for the best at Red Lantern Inn in a hutong style neighbourhood that we fear will only be found in museums in the future!

And well it should! It is not easy to travel here – especially on a budget. Just to recount our experiences in 24 hours:

· Although there is quality Internet, no social network sites are available (including blogger) as according to other guests, they are blocked as terrorist tools and instruments of propaganda, since social uprising in the northwest began.
· Incompetence at every turn starting with the airport immigration (5 minutes per person to confirm visas), continuing into the cab (complete disarray in the scramble for cabs as the people queued for taxis in an orderly fashion but the cars arrived 3 or 4 deep in multiple directions with people diving to grab them and even with the hotel’s address, our driver had to make a dozen calls) and then to the hotel where after check-in, there was a 5-minute walk to the room, outside in the rain! I won’t even get into the lack of quality at the “hotel” with the nicest of things being described as well worn. And the mosquitoes!
· Traffic jams on every street, 24/7

Also, there is no sun in Beijing. If it exists, it resides behind a layer of dust, pollution and smog that can only be described as asthma-waiting to happen. I think I recall seeing NASA images of distant planets that had a cleaner atmosphere. And at one instant, it started raining. One cannot see clouds, the smog is that dense.

The staff of the hotel must think we were crazy as we spent the evening soliciting guests and staff help in finding more suitable accommodation. Our back-up was to be the new Fairmont hotel, but as is common in China, construction delays have delayed the opening by more than a year. So, 2 other hotels popped to the top of the mix: 3-star Capital Hotel and the 4-star Holiday Inn. One with fantastic location near Forbidden City and the other with English-speaking staff. Hmm.

August 5 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

2009-08-16T06:04:00.000-07:00

We slept in and it was wonderful! We managed to make it back to the mall by noon where the day flew by and getting Joe’s bankcard back. We did take in a movie – Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince at the theatre at MBK and wile away the day.

August 4 Royal Thai Palace

2009-08-16T06:03:00.000-07:00

Today we toured the Royal Palace and Wat Po. The palace is opulent, huge and ornate and largely unused other than for ceremonies a couple of times per year. Our guide took us through many of the King’s ceremonial rooms for coronations, prayer, dining and hosting foreign guests. Compared to the modest palaces of Vietnam, these were 100s times more elaborate. Of particular note was the Emerald Buddha Temple (which actually houses a jade Buddha) and the large number of solid gold artifacts. Next door to the palace, we also toured the Wat Po with the largest reclining Buddha.

En route to Wat Po, we encountered many private tour guides who told us that the Wat Po was closed ‘til 3 p.m. As we later found out, this was not the case at all, but simply a ploy by the shysters to try to get you to sign them up for a tour by tuk-tuk for a couple of hours! Luckily we didn’t fall for it. After Wat Po, we went to the Khao San neighbourhood for more street shopping and lunch.

Not yet being shopped-out, we went to MBK for 6 floors of city-block-size mix of market and traditional mall shopping. The boys and Deb loved it and Joe enjoyed watching the them act like kids in a candy-store buying a few outfits and electronics. Most impressive were their ipod touch minis. Unfortunately for Joe, while refuelling the cash-supply at the local ATM, the machine ate his card. A quick call by the bank’s manager to central command arranged for the machine to be opened to retrieve the card. One problem – it would have to be done tomorrow! Neither the kids nor Deb seemed to mind, as it ensured a return trip to the mega-mall!

Back at our hotel, the FX, we enjoyed their current pools (small pools with jets creating a current against which we swam). It was a lot more fun than we expected - and a lot more work!

August 3 Bangkok

2009-08-16T06:01:00.000-07:00

Back in Thailand and back to civilization for better or worse. Our hotel is right in the Sukumavit downtown area that includes Soi Cowboy (notorious site in the Bangkok 8, Haunts and Tattoo books - it is a tiny tourist street with every inch filled with bars with young women servers and a largely male clientele). Most of the hotels in Bangkok are located in this area.

In the afternoon we bumped into a couple of Canadians who worked in the oil business. They also showed us on the map where we were, where the street markets were and how best to get around. Our location was great – close to both the skytrain (Sukhumavit) and the metro (Asoke) and not far from the mother of all shopping malls: MBK. We spent the rest of the evening touring the street markets.

August 2 Banyeay Srei

2009-08-03T05:46:00.000-07:00

Today we went a little further afield to the Banteay Srei, a beautifully carved Hindu temple structure dedicated to Shiva. The ornate carvings at each doorway are cut into a pinkish/brownish sandstone in order to mimic 3-dimensional wood carvings. Very well done and preserved and restored. Interestingly, unlike other temples in the Angkor Wat, the doorways actually get smaller as you approach the central towers giving the impression that the towers are larger! Terrific use of igneous rock has kept this structure standing since AD967 despite its sandy footings.

Our next stop was to Kbal Spean, a carved riverbed set deep in the jungle. Warnings indicate landmines in the non-tourist vicinity that can only mean we are near the Thai border (presently 80km)! Plenty of Hindu phallic symbols of Linga and Uni to purify the river and provide baths to improve fertility of kings and peasants alike! The waterful also seemed to be a local party place as there were a number of local teenagers bathing and running beneath it. The ornate relief carvings are undated but appear to be from the Hindu Angkor 10th to 12th centuries.

Our final tourist stop in Cambodia was at the Cambodian Mine Museum (Aki Ra’s exceptional effort to help de-mine Cambodia and provide relief for children injured or maimed by landmines. Aki Ra was a child soldier for the Khmer Rouge and at age 13 he defected to join the Vietnamese army to rid Cambodia of Khmer Rouge. During this time he was trained to lay mines and the difficult task of demining. Notable is the absence of electronic equipment nor armour-shielding as he carries out his work He has become a legend in Cambodia for his efforts and his museum reflects the 1000s of mines he has decommissioned (along with other ordinance like bombs, rifles and mortars). There is also a good display on the Ottawa Treaty (otherwise known as the Mine Ban Treaty). With the help of Canadian Aid agencies, he was able to set up a home for impoverished and injured kids in concert with the museum. Today, museum entry fees fund this effort.

We continued to take advantage of having a DVD player – the boys loved the new Star Trek movie! We are now all starting our mental shift to ending our journey and arriving home. We are getting very excited. We still have some wonderful travel ahead of us, however – the palaces of Bangkok, The Forbidden City, the Summer Palace, and the Great Wall. The days, we know, will fly by and we’ll soon be looking back on our incredible adventure.

We’re leaving for Bangkok in the morning. We loved Cambodia with its warm, friendly people, stunning temples, and incredible Khmer dishes. Although this trip was short we will hopefully one day return to experience more of the country’s incredible beauty and hospitality.

August 1 Angkor Wat

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Wow. Ancient temples from an era when Angkor was the centre of the universe sustaining a population greater than London had at the time. It brought back vision of Ancient Egyptian, Greek, Inca and even Roman architecture. We first visited Angkor Thom, a huge ancient city built in the 12th century of enormous magnitude complete with moat, palaces and temples. It definitely seems like a sacred place even after its conversion from Hindu into Buddhism and then looting by centuries of battles and defeats. Anything left in 1975 was sold to the highest bidders (Thai and Chinese) by the Khmer Rouge to buy weapons. Some of the pieces have been returned and now have been secured in the two national museums.

Next stop was the Jungle Temple (Ta Prohm), having been left to Mother Nature for 500 years, you can see the destruction from the gum trees. Equally though you can spot the grandeur of the original buildings. The bridges, fortified walls and sky-scraping temples have fallen victim to the ancient trees. This is where much of Tomb Raiders was filmed. It seems like a natural set for such an action adventure.

As we pulled into Angkor Wat, we couldn’t help but dedicate the visit to Bettina, our friend who so looks forward to one day visiting herself. We so wish that you were here with us, Bettina! It really does feel like a Wonder of the World as you admire the complexity of the towers, the architecture and the bas-relief. Nowhere else in the world do you find this quality of stonework (perfect razor’s edge cut into every stone), delivered on a scale never before seen from 60km away by 700 bamboo rafts, using 8000 skilled artisans and 350,000 labourers over 30 years. And it was built twice! As one walks around, it is easy to see why it has survived earthquakes, floods, wars, bombings and even gunbattles (you can see rifle bullets and their pockmarks throughout the Wat from the Khamer Rouge’s last stand).

After a day of temple-touring we took advantage of our hotel’s stunning pool. Joe and the boys played endless games of ping-pong and pool. I napped and swam. For dinner we went to a restaurant called the Red Piano. Angelina Jolie frequented the restaurant while filming ‘Tomb Raiders’ and has a drink named after her there. The Khmer curry, spaghetti (for Brendan) and sandwiches went down very well after having expended so much energy at the pool. After a quick visit to the local market we all piled into bed to watch ‘Quantum of Solace’. With he accompanying chips and root beer it was a touch of home!

July 31 Just 2 Weeks Remain

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We are happy to be leaving this hotel, the Cambodiana. A supposed 4-star hotel that at best conjures up visions of tired, musty museums. Besides the obvious smells of an old hotel, this non-English-speaking hotel (nor French-speaking, despite its ownership) lacked many of the simple services to which we had become accustomed: courteous service, quality and amenities. Luckily we spent 12 hours per day touring instead (makes us wonder why we were spending $100 per night instead of $5). On check-out we were even challenged about using the mini-bar. At 1000% markup, even I wouldn’t have dreamt about it.

Then our six-hour drive to Siem Reap.This was broken up by a stop at the local spider market (the spiders look like huge dock spiders, but in fact, they are land-based, hole digging spiders). We were a bit freaked out when the locals were throwing them onto our clothing, but it was fun. None of us, including our guide, ventured to try eating one (cooked in a broth but served cold)!

Eventually we arrived in Siem Reap and made the choice: Angkor Wat tonight in the rain or visit the market and head to a cultural dance & music restaurant buffet.We chose the latter. It was great – but we cut it short so that the kids could head home and watch a DVD, Strombreaker (sic). Those who have travelled to Asia will get it.

July 30 Killing Fields

2009-08-03T05:43:00.001-07:00

Today will, without doubt, be a day long remembered. We first visited the stunning Royal Palace, built by King Norodom in 1866 on the site of the ‘old town’. Located on the grounds of the Palace was the Silver Pagoda, named because of its floor, which is made up of 5000 silver tiles, each one 1 kg of silver.

We had an extremely sobering trip to the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, known as the ‘S21’ prison. This prison was a high school before being used by Pol Pot’s security forces. It became the largest center for detention and torture during the rule of the Khmer Rouge. We walked around the prison and saw photographs of thousands of victims of the regime. The Khmer Rouge, like the Nazis, documented their atrocities with extreme precision, photographing each victim before and after their death. There were also many pictures depicting how the prisoners were contained (shackles) and tortured (an unspeakalbe number of methods).

When looking at photographs, our guide (Mr. Whad), called us over and introduced us to an elderly gentleman. We could not believe it when it was explained that he was Mr. Chom Mei, one of only seven survivors of those imprisoned in the Tuol Sleng Prison (and only one of the survivors still alive. We spent about twenty-five minutes with him as he, with Mr. Whad as interpreter, told us his story. He picked us, he said, because we had children and he wants to ensure that the story of the atrocities committed by the Khmer Rouge are told long into the future. Ryan and Brendan assured him that they would, indeed, relate what they were learning about genocide to others for years to come.

Mr. Mei was imprisoned four four months during which time he was interrogated and tortured. He had both his fingernails and his toenails removed with alcohol poured on the open wounds and experienced having electric shocks administered to his head. His greatest sadness was seeing his wife and four children being killed.

Mr. Mei and other survivors all had a special skill that motivated their captors to keep them alive. Some were photographers, some were painters. Mr. Mei was a mechanic and his skills proved useful. He and the six other survivors were liberated by the Vietnamese. There were twenty one prisoners living when the Vietnamese arrived at the prison. The Khmer Rouge, knowing that they would be defeated, killed 14 of the prisoners before the Vietnamese took over. Mr. Mei was one of the seven who survived.

When asked whether he was able to achieve any happiness in his lifetime after such unspeakable horror he replied that he had. He remarried and went on to have six additional children. He spends as much time as he can at the prison educating those that he meets. He is also, of course, one of the few witnesses of the Regime and is in great demand for interviews, films about the Khmer Rouge, and at trials which are still taking place regarding the Pol Pot regime. We shook Mr. Mei hand and gave him a traditional ‘wai’, and thanked him profusely before bidding him farewell. Our hearts had been so deeply touched and we cannot express how privileged we feel for being granted this exceptional opportunity. (A note to Bettina: when we told him that we had a special friend visiting at some point who would be equally honored to meet him, he gave us his cell phone number so that you could reach him while you’re here).

Our education continued as we visited the notorious ‘Killing Fields’, Choeung Ek, 15 km southwest of Phnom Penh. This is the site of brutal executions of more that 17, 000 individuals (men, women, and children), most of whom were first tortured and interrogated in Toul Sleng Prison during the Pol Pot regime (from 1975 – 1979). The remains of 8985 people, many of whom were bound and blindfolded, were exhumed in 1980 from mass graves in this one-time longan (fruit) orchard. 43 of the 129 communal graves have been left untouched. While walking around the fields we saw fragments of human bone and bits of cloth imbedded in the ground – it was overwhelming, sad, and so horrific. We were told that when the prisoners were transported from Toul Seng Prison they were told that they were being taken to houses on the outskirts of Phnom Penh. Upon arrival, they were blindfolded and their hands were tied behind their backs. Loud music blared from loudspeakers to muffle the screams of those being executed. They were brought to a large room from which they were taken one by one to a pit. There they were mostly bludgeoned to death in order to avoid “wasting” bullets. Once dumped into the grave they were covered with chemicals (to eradicate strong odours, but also to ensure that those who were still alive when buried would die). There was a large tree where, it was explained, they killed the babies and very young children. They were swung by their feet until their skulls crushed. It was very painful to hear these details and very difficult to write this now. One cannot fathom the extent of cruelty which human beings are capable of inflicting upon others. Throughout the morning the boys often related back to what they have learned about the Holocaust and drew many parallels. They were astonished to hear that there is a genocide currently underway in Darfur.

More than 8000 skulls, arranged by sex and age, are visible behind the clear glass panels of the Memorial Stupa, which was erected in 1988. We lit incense sticks and put them into a vat of sand to commemorate the victims of the regime.

It was so heartening in the afternoon to visit the incredibly successful ‘Pour un sourire d’Enfant (PSE), a school and training center helping impoverish youth in Phnom Penh.

We ended our day with a short trip to the Russian Market, easily the nicest that we’ve seen on the entire trip.

July 29 Phnom Penh

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We arrived in Phnom Penh safely after our 4 hour speedboat ride along the Mekong. The time passed quickly with only minor inconveniences – depositing US$100 at the immigration to Cambodia. On top of that our guide had to pay a $8 bribe to the officials in order for them not to go through our suitcases ($2 per suitcase). In Phnom Penh, we’re very satisfied with the city. A mix of French and Asian architecture, a mix of currencies – well not really, as the USD is the only trading currency even though they have the riel, tied at 4000:1. They have western-style restaurants and acceptance of credit cards at all establishments.

Our tourist activities included heading to their National Musuem where our guide explained the transition from Hinduism to Buddhism from 8th C to 12th C to modern day. The museum also houses relics from 3000 year-old excavations in which they have found prehistoric remains and villages. From there we visited the Wat Phnom Penh and the Independence Monument in the centre of town. Of course, we saw the exterior of the palace but will be visiting in the morning. Finally, in the evening we watch a no-holds-barred video of Pol Pot, the leader of Cambodia’s experiment with Communism and the Khmer Rouge.

July 28 Last day in Vietnam

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This morning we had a relaxing tour schedule visiting the local Chau Doc fishing village, their local pagoda and market. We were happy that the tour was over as we are now officially suffering from tour fatigue!

We intended to swim the afternoon away but they had painted the pool deck and the pool was closed until 3! Instead we availed ourselves with the pool table and ping pong as we watched the clock! Eventually, we and the other guests at the hotel managed to make it into the pool (with a bit of paint stuck to us ;)

Tomorrow at 6:30, we will be on our way to Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

July 27 Chau Doc

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This morning we took in the floating market, by boat of course, and were impressed with the size of the fleet trading in wholesale quantities of fruits and vegatable. Also among the family size trawlers were the larger sand and gravel barges and the ever-present tourist boats and the beverage-vending boats that float alongside like barnacles! Along the shores of the river were the shanty villages of the areas poorest people built on wooden stilts and completely immersed in water. Incredible is the dimension of survival instinct in those inhabitants.

The under-100 km trip to Chau Doc was uneventful (other than the fact it had to be negotiated at 40 km per hour) and included the usual truck-stop bathroom break and bartering for beer and drinks!

The local Victoria hotel is quaint and we’ve decided to take a break from our touring schedule to enjoy the few hours of sun.

July 26 Can Tho, Mekong River Delta

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Ryan: Bonjour, aujourd’hui nous sommes allees sur un petite voyage autour du ‘Mekong Delta’. Notre guide, Hieu, a prepare notre tour, car il etait nee a ce ville. Premierement, nous sommes allees dans un gros bateau pour rendre juste a l’ile Unicorne et on a gouter tous les fruits locale: papaya, banane, fruit du dragon, litchi, et quelques autre fruits pendant ecoutant la musique traditionelle. Prochainement, nous sommes allees sur une autre bateau pour rendre jusq’au l’ile du Tortue. En arrivant, nous sommes manger less petit pieces de ‘friandise du coco’ (coconut). Aussi, on a bu un boisson d’un melange de: le miel, le sucre et un peu de the de feuilles vert. Dernierement, nous sommes aller jusq’au hotel Victoria en voiture. Papa, Brendan et moi ont reserve une heure pour jouer au tennis. On a joue pour la bonne partie du l’heure avant d’aller au piscine. A 7:30 p.m., notre guide et ma famille, nous sommes aller au restaurant europeen. On a raconter deux familles de Holland et on a parler ensemble pour un long temps. Dernierement, c’etait 10:30 quand on est aller au lit.
Joe: Our trip to Can Tho was somewhat longer than expected. One year ago, the Japan-financed suspension bridge that spans the Mekong river collapsed after 6-years in construction, killing 75 workers. The bridge and a sister concrete span are still incomplete and will be at least another 2 years with work having been completely stopped during the investigation (our guide suggested that the concrete may have malformed during the intense raining at the time of the collapse). Without the bridges, the route is very circuituous and involves a river ferry that includes a wait of more than one-hour making for a remarkably long 120 km journey. Upon arrival we were treated to the beautiful Victoria Can Tho with its fantastic swimming pool, comfortable adjoining rooms, tennis court and ping-pong. Somehow we manged to pack them all in and enjoy a great dinner at the Nam Pho restaurant where we met two families travelling from Holland. The 5 daughters, Ryan and Brendan chatted up a storm that included digressions into Hollywood models like Naomi Kirk and soccer greats like Gus Hiddink, manager of Chelsea FC and currently the manager of the Rusian National World team. The dad of three of the girls, Tony, and Gus are long time friends. I love the people part of travel and oh, the 5-star hotel part :)

July 25 Cu Chi Tunnels

2009-07-28T01:21:00.000-07:00

The headline of the Vietnam News this morning was “ Vietnam To Raise Poverty Line”. Unbelievably, it was being raised from $8 US a month to $19 US a month ($25 for those who live in the city).

Hieu had us up at 6 am to begin our trek to the Cu Chi Tunnels, 60 km outside of Saigon. I remember hearing about the tunnels from Jack Livingstone. He had said that it was one of the higlights to their trip to Vietnam. We now agree with Jack as it was a highlight for us, too. The whole concept of building and living in the tunnels (250 km stretching from the South Vietnamese capital to the Cambodian border) and devising plethora of instruments of torture was (though extremely sad) fascinating. The resourcefulness of the Vietcong villagers who took over the Cu Chi area was incredible. American soldiers were soundly defeated each time that they approached the area as they had no idea that they were to be ambushed by a guerrilla army taking advantage of a complex underground labyrinth. In addition, the Vietcong devised at least ten different types of booby traps to which the Americans would fall victim. These were covered with leaves and were virtually unseen until you were swallowed up into the ground and speared by sharpened bamboo sticks and foot-long pointed metal nails. The boys and Joe took turns descending into a tiny hole in the ground (and got totally filthy in the process) that demonstrated how the Vietcong submerged themselves into the tunnel. Once in place with the ‘trap door’ over their heads which was covered with leaves, they were practically invisible. Their hiding places were completely camouflaged. The network, parts of which was several stories deep included innumerable trap doors, constructed living areas, storage facilities, weapons factories, field hospitals, command centers, and kitchens. Their were even hidden, flooded sections that could be used to escape (or enter) to the river.

Joe and the boys also crawled though the tunnels. I started to but then took a pass. Small, dark, confined, and dank – too much for me. It was hard to believe that some of the Vietcong made their lives there for up to twenty-one years. The resilience and sheer will-power to win the war at all costs was phenomenal to behold. The toll on the Vietcong guerrillas was also great. Only about 6000 of the 16, 000 who fought in the tunnels survived the war. Thousands of civilians, in addition, were killed.

Our second and last stop of the day was to the Cao Dai Holy See. The temple, founded in 1926, is in the village of Long Hoa and is simply spectacular. We, along with hundreds of other tourists observed the noon prayer service from atop a balcony. The sect embraces all religions and followers, though wearing different coloured clothing according to their affiliation, worship in unison. Haunting traditional music is played as the over four-hundred strong enter into the temple and it is an amazing sight to behold. Although we travelled for two hours each way over the potholed roads and only stayed a one-half hour, it was worth it (at least I felt that it was worth it… Joe wasn’t so sure!).

July 24 Saigon and It's a Small World After All

2009-07-27T00:18:00.000-07:00

Our first stop today was the Reunification Palace. The building, once the symbol of the South Vietnamese government, is preserved almost as it was on April, 1975 when the Republic of Vietnam, which hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese and 58,183 Americans had died trying to save, ceased to exist. It was here that the first communist tanks to arrive in Saigon charged on the morning of April 30, 1975. In a dramatic scene recorded by photojournalists and shown around the world, a soldier ran into the building and up the stairs to unfurl a VC flag from the fourth floor balcony. General Minh, who had become head of state only 43 hours before, waited with his improvised cabinet, addressed the Viet Cong officer who entered the room. “I have been waiting since early this morning to transfer power to you,” Minh said. “There is no question of your transferring the power,” replied the officer. “You can’t give up what you do not have.” It was a powerful experience being there where the end of the Vietnam war took place. In the photo of the rooftop, you can see a helicopter and location of the 2 bombs that landed on the palace enabling the quick occupation of the palace on that eventful date.

The Vietnam War Crime Museum was difficult to experience. It is filled with graphic images (and substantial propaganda). Hieu gave us an hour and we solemnly took in the pictures and stories of the war – use of chemical weapons and their aftermath, use of napom bombing of villages and summarily executed villagers. After growing up with the American perspective, it was fascinating to hear the Vietnamese perspective of the war. On our way out we saw the tiger cages that were used to contain prisoners. Every type of torture (from extracting finger-nails to holding rags over the prisoners mouth and gradually soaking it with more and more water until the victim could no longer breathe) was explained. Very gruesome and sad beyond belief.

Later, on our way to Chinatown, we stopped at the Thien Hau Pagoda. Although we’ve visited several on our trip (and that is an understatement!) we had never lit incense sticks. We bought some and decided to present them to the god of good health. We quietly said our private prayers and then planted them into the smouldering base filled with sand.

In the evening the boys decided to enjoy the amenities of the hotel while Deb and Joe toured the Ben Thanh market. We were impressed with the quantity of Adidas dri-fit products at very low prices. Of course there were the usual Rolex, Abercrombie and Polo knock-offs for sale.

But the biggest surprise of all was bumping into friends from Ottawa! Scott, Kristen, Joshua, Erica and Madeleine who had moved from Ottawa’s Glebe 4 years ago to pursue their adventures and careers in Australia just happened to be vacationing in Vietnam. We couldn’t believe it when we met them.The Disney song, “It’s a Small World After All” rushed into our heads). We caught up on news (how much the kids have grown, how the family size has multiplied, where they have been working, travelling and of course stories of our mutual friend Mike Coulson) over beers at the local open-air restaurant before their train departure to Hoi An (an 18-hour over-nighter). It was a wonderful occasion and we parted promising to keep in touch upon their return to Ottawa in September.

July 23 Saigon - Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam

2009-07-23T08:04:00.000-07:00

We had a respite from the rain this morning and we took advantage by playing tennis and taking a quick dip in the pool. At 11 we headed to Saigon (HCMC – Ho Chi Minh City). Our driver and guide are anxious to get back to Saigon. Our guide, Hieu, is engaged and is besotted with his girlfriend, Tran. Our driver actually has two wives, one is Saigon and one in the Mekong Delta. When asked whether the wives know about each other he emphatically responded, “Never!” We can be judgemental about things like but there is a story as to how his dual life came about. Although headquartered in Saigon when first married, he was sent to the Mekong delta for two years while in the army. There he met another woman. When she got pregnant, he married her as well. Becoming a driver after the war gave him the perfect excuse to constantly travel from one location to the other. He has children with both wives and supports both families. When I heard this side of the story I was sympathetic… that is, I must say, until Hieu revealed that he also has a girlfriend in Dalat, with whom he stays whenever visiting there.

En route, we passed the local “red-light district”. A stretch of 2km along the highway with tents and hammocks for the girls to display their wares where the truckers can stop, inspect, even have a nap before heading into the rubber-tree forest to seal the deal. Although illegal, the local police seem to tolerate it. When asked why they do it amongst the rubber trees instead of in the trucks as they do in NA, Hieu explained that it is considered unlucky to do it in the trucks. Those that do, according to superstition, will meet many accidents in the lifetime. We couldn’t help joking that we thought that the easy access to latex was the reason they did it in the rubber trees!

Our 4-hour trip went quite well until the traffic jams in Saigon stretched it a further hour. As we approached downtown we encountered traffic that would not budge. 4-lanes at a dead stop with the only sign of movement being the scooters and motorcycles darting in an out. The reason seemed to be construction of 3 massive towers and a new road plus paving of the main road all at the same time! We had a look around and could see that top real estate goes for US$1000 per month. One can only imagine that will inflate and escalate in the future (the average employee salary here is currently US$200 per month).

Upon arrival at the hotel, we were pleasantly surprised to find that we are in NYC - Asia style! Huge hotels and buildings, restaurants by the dozens on each block mixed with local shops and Asian-style delis. We popped into a couple of the hotel's clubs to check out the entertainment. All first-class and all American! Things are looking up. Temporarily, we are no longer home-sick ;)

July 22 Mui Ne - Starting to get homesick

2009-07-22T03:50:00.002-07:00

We’re on on way to Mui Ne, famed for its sand dunes! We hope to go sliding today on the dunes and have a swim in the sea. We’ll be staying at a resort just for one night and then will be on our way to Saigon.

We are all starting to crave various things to eat back home – especially Brendan who has had a limited diet. I miss popcorn the most. Ryan misses Subway and Brendan misses the Ruby Inn. Joe is missing steak (too risky to eat in Asia) and crispy bacon. In Saigon we hope to get our hands on some English books and magazines and maybe take in a movie. A small taste of home will go a long way at this time for us as sometimes life in Asia is overwhelming at times… for example, one time I was walking down the street in Taiwan and saw two women sitting at the side of the road just beginning to eat their lunch from Styrofoam containers. One of the women was holding a small bag of goldfish in water. She put down her lunch and opened the bag of goldfish. She then poured water out of the bag onto her lunch!!! I know that the Asians love their fish sauce but for goodness sake!!! I nearly gagged! Although this was the image that disturbed me the most, there have been others that have certainly made an impression.

A few days ago there was a huge scandal here in Vietnam – the goat penis meat was tainted!! Asians are know for eating every part of anything that walks or swims. Walking through the markets can be a gut-wrenching experience. We have now gotten used to seeing all these bits (duck hearts, eels, snakes, frogs stuffed with mystery meats, etc.) but none of us have gotten use to the foul smelling meats, dried fish, fish sauces, etc.

Another things that we struggle with is the propensity for the Vietnamese to pick their noses. In fact, many men grow their pinky finger nail to use it expressly for that purpose. I don’t have a problem with this, but I do have a problem when this activity becomes a public event. For example, when we met our new guide we were thrilled to learn that he supervises the other guides in Vietnam. He told us how he expects all his guides to dress professionally and be well-groomed. “When you are working, you are working,” he said. I knew at this point that we likely had Vietnam’s best – bilingual, takes pride in appearance, knowledgeable… the consummate professional. Not ten minutes later he started into his nose. Not with one finger, but two – one in each nostril… deep! He managed to extract a good-sized ribbon of mucus before wiping it (on his newspaper? the seat? his clothes? I don’t want to know). He then took out a small pocket-mirror and examined his efforts! I thought about calling him on it right away but I didn’t want things to get off on the wrong foot as he was to be our guide for the next ten days. Instead, I waited until the next day when he began to indulge and immediately handed him a pack of Kleenex when he reached for his nose. There has been no nose-picking since – thank goodness!

Yesterday at our breakfast buffet a Vietnamese woman extracted some masticated food from her mouth and deposited it on a plate with two serving utensil!. As I am losing my patience I pointed at it, contorted my face into a look of disgust and shook my finger at her. Another time a woman sneezed without covering his mouth right into a soup station at the buffet. Neither of the servers behind reacted in any way whatsoever! Yet another time we had finished a beautiful dinner and took Brendan to the kitchen to thank them for keeping him safe. There were the two cooks squatted on turned over pails cutting their toenails! At one restaurant in Sapa a Vietnamese woman from reception took me down to the kitchen to where they conduct cooking classes. A young, barefoot boy (likely the dishwasher) was up squatting on the cooking counter.

Bathrooms can be quite a challenge. We’ve all learned how to squat and we all bring toilet paper with us whenever we go. The hose and bucket method is, of course, most common. I have no problem with that. What I find difficult, however, is going into restaurants where there is no soap in the bathroom. In very upscale restaurants you’ll often find toilet paper, yet no soap (and if they’re not providing it for the customers I think that you can assume that they are not using it themselves).

En route to Mui Ne, we stopped to sand sled on the prehistoric dunes along the China Sea in Southern Vietnam. A form of charity, the children rent to the tourists plastic super sliders on which you are free to sled down. Well needless to say, it was underwhelming with the plastic in contact with the 35-degree sand. Even on pure verticals, there was so much friction, it was harder to stay on the sled than to slide down. The boys took to leaping down the dunes.

Just as we arrived at our terrific resort, the Seashore, the heavens opened. We have been fortunate to miss much of the rain in Vietnam. Both Saigon and Hanoi have been flooded while we have been travelling between them. Interestingly, just a few meters out to sea, the weather is clear. Hmm.

Deb went for a walk on the beach while the boys and I played pool. They are really getting good! We all jumped into the pool until, a half-an-hour later, lightening and thunder made us seek refuge.

We ate dinner at another resort that had an English-speaking chef (from South Africa). It was like night and day! The resort was called the Sailing Club. It was fantastic and Brendan-safe. We would be so much happier in Vietnam if we could find more French- or English-speaking restaurants. Remarkably, we have been staying at nice 4-star resorts and these 2 languages are not prevalent.

July 21 Dalat Crazy House

2009-07-22T03:50:00.001-07:00

A morning tour through Dalat had us visiting Crazy House, named after its owner building a ‘natural retreat from concrete’. We then went on to the Last King’s Palace (art deco opulence by a king that was detested by Vietnamese as modern Bourgeoisie – he did not speak Vietnamese language and was Roman Catholic) and then on to the local Pagoda, which includes a fantastic roller coaster ride down to the waterfalls.

We are definitely in the 3rd world here. No education for the children (the only schools are private schools), French and English are no longer taught because of the Communist doctrine to avoid French and American culture. Rural children have no choice but to take to the streets hustling for money or working in a factory or field. All of the money made will go to the family. Parents would lose this needed income if they sent any of their 11 kids to school. We hope that this message is not lost on the boys!

July 20 Dalat Karaoke

2009-07-22T03:40:00.000-07:00

Today we’re making our way to Dalat in the central highlands. We quickly learned that our new guide, Huie, speaks excellent French. Joe and I were thrilled that we would be having ten days of immersion (Huie will be with us for the remainder of our trip in Vietnam). After the drive, we settled in for a trip to the market and an evening of karaoke! The kids enjoyed it immensely and crooned with abandon. Brendan danced up a storm. He has a wild personality that only the family gets to see. We couldn’t believe his moves and don’t know where he got them!

July 19 Nha Trang Po Nagar Cham Towers

2009-07-22T03:37:00.000-07:00

Our trip to the islands was disappointing. We were longing for some white sand and clean beach but that wasn’t to be. Unfortunately, there was a considerable amount of garbage along the coasst of both the mainland and surrounding islands. Instead, therefore, we opted to visit a small fishing village. The boys had a ride in one of the round fishing baskets with a Vietnamese woman. On shore we saw locals making nets, harvesting fish, and going about their daily lives. In the islands, we visited the aquarium and learned about sharks, turtles, eels and the plentiful sealife in the China Sea. The aquarium is built from concrete to resemble a large, 3-masted ship!

In the afternoon we may our way to the Po Nagar Cham Towers where we were fortunate to see some traditional dancing. The Towers were built between the 7th and the 12th centuries. To this day Cham, ethnic, Chinese and Vietnamese Buddhists come to Po Nagar to pray and make offerings, according to their respective traditions.

We also visited the Long Son Pagoda, founded in the late 19th century. We climbed in the blistering heat to the top of the hill where it is located to visit a huge while Buddha which can be seen from all over the city. It was stunning! On the way up lay a reclining Buddha that was simply massive. Along the way there must have been at least thirty vendors (from tiny children to the very, very old) selling water, fans, whistles, sweets, souvenirs, etc. We must admit that saying ‘no’ politely and repetitively (all are extremely persistent) gets exhausting!

We concluded the day in the pool and playing pool followed by dinner of ribs and wings at the Texas BBQ. Hard to believe, we are exactly one-half way around the world from Texas. Delicious.

July 18 Thap Ba Hot Spring Centre

2009-07-18T06:25:00.001-07:00

What better way to start the day than a roll in the mud! Two miles out of town we found the Thap Ba Hot Spring Center where we donned our bathing suits and jumped into a four-person bath full of warm steaming mud. The boys poured buckets all over their heads and then got dad into the act. We played in the muck for an hour! While there we ran into Lisa, a Swiss woman that we met while watching Wimbledon in Sapa. She had met some other women from Europe and was having a great time. I joined them in the mineral bath while the boys went to the swimming pools and listened to stories of their adventures.

We made our way afterwards to see the studio of Vietnam’s most prominent photographer, Long Thanh. He is famous for his stunning black-and-white portraits of Vietnamese people going about their daily life. We couldn’t believe our luck when we found him there. We toured his gallery and asked him about his award-winning photographs. When I told them that the boys had never seen a darkroom, he took us into the back and explained the developing process. As we thanked him and bid him good-bye he closed up his shop. Our timing had been impeccable.

After another futile attempt at finding Brendan some books (yes, he has gone through the last ones that I found him!), we decided to relax (imagine!). Ryan, Brendan, and I watched the Titanic while Joe slept. It was the first time that the boys had seen the movie and they found it spellbinding. I loved seeing it again, too, and couldn’t help crying once again when Jack dies. It’s a classic!

Looks like some more tennis this evening and resting before our big day tomorrow. We’ll be up at the crack of dawn to do a boat ride through the islands in the morning and we’ll be touring around the sights of Nha Trang for the rest of the day.

July 17 Nha Trang

2009-07-18T05:59:00.000-07:00

We were up bright and early to catch our flight to Nha Trang. This time, thankfully, the flight had very little turbulence (we didn’t want to go through another flight like the last time any time soon). Upon arrival we were dutifully picked up by a driver (no guide) and whisked off to the Yasaka Saigon Hotel. As our rooms weren’t yet ready we headed out.

Outside the hotel, there were local kids of all ages playing soccer on the beach. Ryan jumped into the action while Brendan and I administered first aid to a bleeding player - he had ripped his toenail off playing barefoot.

For lunch, we went to the local centre of the dive universe, the Rainbow Divers. We met some incredible travellers and had fun sharing travel stories. We met two guys in their thirties who are travelling for two years and writing a book about their adventures. They were unbelievably crazy and had gotten themselves into some wild situations. They have one picture of themselves with the General of the Cambonian army (they had been invited to go with them and do some practice target shooting with AK47s!). Their stories kept us entertained for well over an hour. Judging from their antics it’s going to be quite a book!

Later on in the afternoon we swam for an hour then went out to the Texas Grill for dinner. We choose westerns places whenever we need someone who speaks English to look after Brendan. Wayne and Richard, the two Americans who own the restaurant, didn’t disappoint. They treated Brendan (and the rest of us) like royalty and soon we were feasting on declicious BBQ ribs and chicken. We met some expats at the restaurant who were in the furniture business here in Vietnam and the time just flew. We have a ‘free day’ tomorrow – we’re looking forward to exploring Nha Trang and the area.

July 16 Charming Hoi An

2009-07-18T05:48:00.000-07:00

Hoi An is a remarkable place. From the 17th to 19th centuries it was one of Southeast Asia’s major international ports. It now has the designation of ‘UNESCO World Heritage’ site. Highlights of our visit included the ‘Japanese Covered Bridge’ (constructed in the 1590s by the Japanese community of Hoi An in order to link them with the Chinese quarters across the stream), the Chinese All-Community Assembly Hall (courtyard pavilions with elements of 19th century architecture), and the Tan Ky House (a two-hundred year olf home of a well-to-do Vietnamese merchant). While visiting Hoi An we saw Miss Vietnam doing a photo-shoot on a small, typical sampan.

On the educational side, we visited a silk factory, where they were weaving the fine silk threads diectly from the cocoons of silk "worms". We also saw them weave the material and prduce their fine silk cloth. Unbelievable.

The dress turned out beautifully, and I managed to buy a couple of bathing suits. It was good fun. The boys also got into the tailoring mood, and picked up a couple of bathing suits themselves.

July 15 Marble Mountain Then on to Hoi An

2009-07-18T05:36:00.000-07:00

No. I didn’t get up at six, but Ryan did! By the time we were getting up at eight he had an hour and a half of soccer on the beach with his Vietnamese budddies and had showered and ready for the day. Good on him!

En route to Hoi An, we had a terrific stop at Marble Mountain. We climbed up to a pagoda on the mountain and then entered an unbelievable cave with a temple in it.. The ceiling was a good three stories high and it huge. This is where the Vietcong hid from the Americans. The gaping hole on top on the cave was courtesy of US bombs. Shafts of sunlight poured in while smoke from the burning incense in the temple drifted skyward. The effect was otherworldly. I would have loved to have spent a whole day there just sitting and reading. We had excellent views out over the China Sea where we had been swimming the night before – the walk up the mountain was worth every last step!

Because of the poor and dangerous drivers in Vietnam, we asked our driver to take the new 6 km tunnel rather than the treacherous but scenic mountain pass (which is entirely in the clouds). It also delivered us earlier to Hoi An.

We arrived at our resort in Hoi An on Cua Dai Beach just in time for lunch. We settled in and then took a cab to town to a restaurant on the Perfume River called the ‘River Lounge’. The restaurant is number one on Trip Advisor and is quite the buzz among travellers. It’s owned by an Austrian who settled down with his brother to start the business after family trips to Hoi An for over ten years. The restaurant is famed for its set menu – fresh spring rolls on mango salad, deep-fried Hoi An delicacies on greens, pumpkin and coconut soup, a main dish consisting of bok choy, grilled sea bass, and sesame noodles, and, to finish, a lemongrass crème brulee. All this for the price of $6.50 US! It was a stellar meal and, needless to say, we were soon in turn recommending it to all the travellers that we met. When I asked Laurence, the Australian owner, how he could possibly do it, he said that with the high turnover and the amount of drinks consumed he makes a solid profit.

While the boys went for a swim after lunch, I went to a tailor to have a dress made – Thai silk, $13 US (even if it didn’t turn out it wasn’t going to be a big loss). My other mission was to find some books for Brendan (we just can’t keep up with him). My quest for something for him to read took over two hours! Someone had recommended ‘Randy’s. I walked across town for the second time and across a bridge to an small island off Hoi An. Despite walking the streets for a half-an-hour I couldn’t find it. No one could help me. I walked back across the bridge, now in the pouring rain. When I got to the other side I asked a few foreigners if they had heard the bookstore. “I’m staying at Randy’s,” piped up a young woman. When I expressed surprise that he also had lodging Katie explained he didn’t and that she was ‘couch surfing’ (couch surfing is a relatively new phenomenon – you access the website to see who has a couch on offer in your destination). I didn’t yet know who Randy was, but my motherly instinct immediately kicked in and I felt like begging her not to stay there (or anywhere else couch surfing). Instead I bit my tongue while she gave me specific directions on how to find Randy. I plodded back across the river through the downpour and located him without trouble (I had missed a small sign pointing down one of the little streets). There was no way that I was going to come back empty-handed. The bookstore was housed in a beautiful old traditional house. Randy (middle-aged) seemed like a heckuva nice guy. He helped me select some books for Brendan and we chatted for well over a half-an-hour. I told him that I had met Katie and asked him about his offer of couch surfing. Several people, mostly young penniless travellers, take him up on his offer. He said that he just wanted to help them out and he hoped that some day when he was travelling again that others would extend such kindness. I was relieved to feel that Katie would be OK here but I worried about other situations that she might get into where her hosts may not have honourable intentions.

It poured rain for the rest of the day so we hunkered down for some much-needed R&R. I slept for hours and the boys laughed non-stop through a Mr. Bean movie. With our batteries recharged we were ready to begin another day ‘on tour’.

July 14 Danang

2009-07-18T04:54:00.000-07:00

Our trip to Danang was good. I begged our driver to go slowly and to be very careful when he passes. The traffic is absolutely nuts. At one point a bus overtook us and a huge truck was coming in the opposite direction. It squeezed in just in time. Actually, the traffic isn’t nuts. The drivers are! Kamikazee driving is the norm here and we’ve just about had enough of it! When given the option of going over the mountain pass into Danang or through the tunnel, it was a no-brainer. Forget the view. Let’s just get there safely.

We had a great visit to the Museum of Cham Sculpture once we arrived in Danang. Founded in 1915 by the Ecole Francaise d’Extreme Orient, this collection is the finest of its kind in the world. The sandstone carvings, including altars, Ganeshes, and images of Shiva, Brahma, and Vishnu are exquisitely detailed and were a real treat. It was astonishing that the artifacts date from the 7th to the 15th century. Our guide kept touching them as he explained their significance and it drove us nuts. Finally I lost my patience and asked him to keep his hands off! If these were in the British Museum they would be behind glass and closely guarded!

We arrived at the Sandy Beach Resort on Danang Beach. Our bungalow, consisting of two adjoining rooms, is incredible – deep tubs, comfy duvets, and beautiful high, beamed ceilings… tennis courts, badminton – we were in heaven!! Upon arrival we were sorry that we were staying for only one night. Things, however, quickly went downhill. The tennis courts were under repair (the lines were painted on incorrectly and they were being redone). They were, therefore, out of service for the day. Ryan was so disappointed he began to cry (he was so looking forward to playing some tennis!).

We decided to go for lunch. The prices at the resort where rooms can go for as high as $360 were astronomical (we didn’t pay a third of that for 2 rooms as we were staying here as part of our tour). We decided to get on the resorts bikes and drive outside our resort to a restaurant that had more reasonable prices. Of course, the bike lady wouldn’t let us leave the resort with them (although there was nowhere to ride them on the property). We summoned the manager. He gave us permission. When we arrived at the resort gate, the guards were, “No, no, no bikes”. We were, “Yes, yes, call manager”. Eventually they let us out of the compound. We couldn’t believe how lucky we were when the restaurant right across the street had a woman who spoke English who could help out with ordering for Brendan. No problem, she said. While ordering an old lady with betel stained mouth came up to us and coughed right in my face. We should have taken our leave then, but we were quite optimistic that we would be well looked after. Steamed rice and glass noodle soups for Brendan and I. What could go wrong? Well, we couldn’t eat it. The cook was younger than Brendan and managed to put raw meat into our glass noodle soup, the fried rice was served with uncooked vegetables and squid in it. The coke was served warm, as was the beer. The whole thing was an unmitigated disaster. We managed to escape this excuse for a restaurant for under $10. We learned our lesson. We went back to the resort. At least the beach and pool looked great. One dip in the pool and it was obvious that they had no idea about the quantity of chlorine (eye-singe-ing, that how much). We asked about the badminton racquets that were so prominently advertised in the lobby. There was even a picture. Sorry, no badminton!?! Hmmm, let me see how this “4-star resort” is stacking up on its promise of tennis, beach sports and pool: tennis courts closed for painting, no badminton racquets, pool over-chlorinated, bikes available, but cannot leave the property (where the heck are you supposed to ride them then?). At least the beach was great and the ocean incredible and safe! We spent tons of time in the ocean. When we emerged from the ocean, we noticed 2 Vietnamese couples playing tennis. You have got to be kidding! Ryan went to the desk where he was informed it was closed for repair. He pointed to the courts in use and the desk clerk just shrugged. Of course, I called the manager immediately. The same one we had spoken to earlier about the bikes and tennis court. He changed his tune and agreed to let us play tennis (and no charge for the lights). This hotel, the Sandy Beach Resort in Da Nang, is run like the staff inherited it from their rich uncle with no training whatsoever. We are looking forward to posting our tripadvisor report upon our return. The good news is we are heading to Hoi An tomorrow!

Deb: Despite all the trouble this was one of my favourite days yet! The ocean was amazing and we had such a wonderful time for hours in the waves. We all had a blast. My favourite thing was watching Brendan because he thought that he was being so radical every time that he rode a wave. The sky at sunset comprised of deep purple and bluish grays. The clouds were phenomenal. After I took a long walk on the beach and had all the Vietnamese shouting, “Welcome to Vietnam! Where you from?” I live for this! Tennis with Ryan was great, though he whooped both Joe and I 6 – 0 each set. The live music at dinner was excellent. Joe and I danced a slow song then Ryan danced with me. I was tickled pink. Ryan is almost the same height as I am! Then we were invited to join the band, karaoke-style. A Korean woman went up and belted a beautiful piece. Then a Vietnamese woman travelling from America gave her impression of a cat being run over by a bus mixed with fingernails on a chalk board. It was all the motivation that Deb needed! Up she went and crooned Leaving on a Jet Plane. It was terrific. You should see the video!

One of my best laughs for the day was when Brendan commented how gross it was that the old woman at lunch was chewing ‘beetles’. He actually thought that her mouth was thoroughly blood-stained because she was chewing beetles. That explains the look on his face when he was watching her. His expression was that of total disgust and disbelief. I laughed until I cried.

Ryan met some Vietnamese guys (university age) and played soccer with them. They’re will all be meeting again at six-thirty tomorrow morning to continue the match! I want to get up to do a beach walk (although it will be a miracle if I actually get out of bed at that time!). Life is good.

July 13 Hue Forbidden Purple City

2009-07-13T08:16:00.000-07:00

Huang, our guide, met us bright and early to begin our tour of Hue. He seems like a nice guy but, unfortunately, we’re experiencing a great deal of difficulty understanding him. Very frustrating when you’re trying to learn facts/history. His vocabulary is actually amazing, but his accent is so heavy that we can only make out every third word or so and we have to try to piece together what he is trying to say.

We walked from our hotel down to the waterfront to begin our cruise down the Perfume River to the Thien Mu Pagoda. Built on a hill overlooking the river, this pagoda is an icon of Vietnam. Thien Mu Pagoda was orginally founded in 1601 by Nguyen Hoang, governor of Thuan Hoa province. Over the centuries its buildings have been destroyed and rebuilt several times. Within the main sanctuary are three Buddahs – those of the past, present, and future.

Even though we had a hard time understanding Huang, our next venture to the Forbidden Purple City (within Hue’s Citadel) was nothing short of amazing! The Forbidden City was built for the personal use of the emporer. The only servants allowed into the compound were eunuchs who would pose no threat to the royal concubines. The boys were fascinated by the details provided by Huang – one king had up to 500 concubines; although sterile, the eunuchs could still engage in sexual relationships with the concubines as long as it remained secret from the king; when the concubines slept with the king, the eunuchs had to record the exact time so that if a concubine became pregnant they could trace it to the king; the eunuchs were responsible for the king’s ‘lovemaking’ schedule; etc.

In the Forbidden Purple City we visited the Royal Theatre (now home to the National Conservatory of Music), the Emperor’s Reading Room (the only part of the Forbidden Purple City to have escaped damage during the French reoccupation of Hue in 1947), the Hien Lam Pavillion, and the Dien Tho Residence (the apartments and audience hall of the Queen Mothers of the Nguyen dynasty).

We toured the many components of the Purple City for well over an hour and a half. Even though we had our hats, umbrellas, mega doses of water, and sunscreen, the sun was absolutely withering. We ambled about slowly, afraid to put too much effort into our steps for fear of collapsing under the heat. Our fellow travellers all expressed that they, too, were struggling.

Lunch was a welcome respite from the scorching temperature and after eating/drinking inside we felt somewhat refreshed and ready for the afternoon. We visited two stunning mausoleums – that of Khai Dinh (who was in power from 1916 to 1925) and Minh Mang (who ruled from 1820 to 1840). Both were spectacular but our favourite was that of Khai Dinh. He was the 12th emperor of the Nguyen dynasty. He was such a narcissist that he had his mausoleum planned years before his death and taxed his people 30% extra in order to finance its construction. That being said, he did one heckuva job! Gotta love the guy! After climbing 36 steps between four dragon banisters, you reach the first courtyard, flanked by two pavilions. The Honour Courtyard, with its statues of elephants, mandarins, and horses is an imposing structure. The walls and ceilings are covered with intricate, colourful mosaics of ceramics and glass. Under a canopy is a gilt bronze statue of Khai Dinh. His remains are buried 18 meters below the statue. Absolutely awesome!

Although the day was incredible all four of us couldn’t wait to get back to the hotel to jump in the pool. And that we did. We swam and rested for over three hours before we could move again. Much of our time was spent talking to the ‘United Nations’ hanging around the pool trying to beat the heat. We chatted with Italians, Germans, Greeks, Russians, Americans, and Vietnamese families.

Later, the boys opted to write their journals and read instead of going out (it was still stinking hot!) for supper so Joe and I went out and brought them back some BBQ chicken, rice, and fruit.

Tomorrow we’re off to Danang, Vietnam’s fourth largest city. It’s a three-hour drive but we don’t care as the van has air-conditioning! We’ll be staying at a beach resort after doing a bit of touring the highlights of the city. The next day we’re off to Hoi An and we can’t wait – it’s supposed to be amazing!

July 12 Turbulent Flight to Hue Vietnam

2009-07-13T08:13:00.000-07:00

We won’t soon forget our flight from Hanoi to Hue this morning. Although it started out just fine, a half-hour in (on our one-hour flight), we experienced significant turbulence. It was the worse that we (Deb and Joe) had ever experienced. My heart was in my mouth and the adrendaline kicked in. Ryan grabbed me and asked whether we were going to be OK. I reassured him that this was quite normal (although I was already saying my prayers!). I looked over at Brendan who was at the window. His eyes were as wide as saucers. Joe was sitting in front of us and pretended that there was nothing unusual about the roller-coaster ride. Our fellow passengers let our loud ‘Ahhs!’ when ever the plane took a dip. Ryan asked whether he could hang on to me. He didn’t know that I was equally in need of comforting and we held each other close. Fifteen minutes later the plane stabilized and we started our descent. I was never so happy to get my feet on solid ground!

We’re staying at the Morin Saigon, a colonial hotel built by the French in 1901. It’s a beauty with courtyard, a pool, and spacious rooms with hardwood floors/high ceilings. Thank goodness for the pool! It is absolutely sweltering. The 38 degree heat makes it so hard to get around. We opted for the pool and only went out for a late dinner once it was cooler. At the restaurant, Missy Roo, the staff were so taken with Brendan that they engaged him in conversation at a separate table with questions like, Where are you from? What grade? How do deal with the allergies? What sports? How is Vietnam? And on and on. I eventually got the video going and recorded a few minutes of it. Bren is definitely in his element among the people!

July 11 Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum

2009-07-13T07:59:00.000-07:00

We had a great city tour today with our guide, Hoan. Our first stop was the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, a monumental marble building that is a mecca for the Vietnamese. Although his desire was to be cremated and have his ashes spread in the north, central, and south of Vietnam, the government decided to to put his embalmed body on display. Word has it that he is sent to Russia once a year for ‘annual maintenance’ and cynics say that Madame Tussaud has the contract. The viewing of his body takes place in the early a.m. only. We joined thousands of Vietnamese (very few foreigners) in a line that snaked past guards regaled in snowy-white military uniforms. Seeing his body was quite an experience. When you enter the viewing area you feel as if you were in a deep-freezer. In fact, they have his body on display for a couple of hours only in the morning, after which he descends into a refrigerated room for the rest of the day. The macabre spectacle of his embalmed body with wispy white goatee is not to be missed!

Afterwards we learned how Uncle Ho was influenced by Lenin and Stalin. We toured a stilt house where he lived from 1958 to 1969. It was next to a pond with giant gold-fish swimming among lotus leaves. Just next door was the Presidential Palace which is still in use today.

Huan then brought us to the One Pillar Pagoda, designed to resemble a lotus blossom. From the eleventh century is was revered as a symbol of purity. Unfortunately, one of the last acts of the French before leaving Hanoi in 1954 was to destroy the original One Pillar Pagoda. It was eventually reconstructed by the Vietnamese government.

No trip to Hanoi is complete without a visit to the Temple of Literature. It was founded in 1070 by Emperor Ly Thanh Tong, who dedicated it to Confucius in order to honour scholars and men of literary accomplishment. The Temple was a spectacular sight – made up of five courtyards with the central pathways and gates between them reserved for the king. We were fortunate to see a musical presentation when there. We were happy to sit and watch, as well as escape the oppressive heat for a few minutes (daily highs of sunny, 95F with 100% humidity)!

Although seeing Uncle Ho was the highlight for the day, our visit to the Museum of Ethnology was a close second. It was especially meaningful as we had spent five days with hilltribe people in Sapa whose homes were among those on display in the open air museum. The exhibits gave us great insight into the many different hilltribes that exist throughout Vietnam.

We were thrilled to go to Koto for lunch. Koto (Know One Teach One) is a cooking school where street kids are trained to work in the food industry. Bill Clinton and Laura Bush have both been there on separate occasions. I had a mango salad with sesame encrusted prawns – delicious! Joe chose fettuccine. Ryan indulged in a schnitzel and Brendan had beef with noodles. We were all over the moon with our selections and left happy and with full bellies.

We also came across a war events memorial at the edge of the lake in central Hanoi. It was a statue of a surrendered USAF pilot that had crashed in the lake in the American-Vietnam War. It commemorated none other than the capture of John McCain, who 40 years later would run for president of the US. Wow.

As it turned out the climax of our visit was a visit to the water puppet theatre. It was fantastic. Art, music, culture tradition and drama were all on display as we watched the dragons, phoenix, turtles, fish, oxen, men and women paying homage to the 1000 years of Vietnamese history though song and dance.

July 10 Ancient Capital of Vietnam (1020 years ago)

2009-07-10T10:24:00.000-07:00

Joe: Hoa Lu, cruising on a 2 man riverboat through grottoes and karst geography. Sounds good, doesn’t it? It includes inland riverviews that mimic to some extent the China Sea geography in Halong Bay, but not nearly as numerous and of course, on land. En route we stopped at the temples celebrating the original King of the Viet people and his successor who moved the capital away from Hoa Lu to Hanoi. It was a considerable distance from Hanoi (3-hour van drive each way) through construction and rush hour jams. As well the destination is not "controlled tourist destination"" meaning one suffers constant harassment by local boat vendors to buy tablecloths and junky trinkets, begging by farmers and the boat operators for unwarranted tips, all for a 60-minute boat ride in the uncovered, row boat in 40-degree blazing heat. Thank goodness there were extra oars for Ryan and me to help out. Our teenage female rower simply didn’t have the technique, nor the strength to be able to push us through the water as other boat drivers did. However, with Ryan and I paddling the whole way, the boat was moved. We moved along the river through caves on the river's surface. More irritating than the 6-hours in the van and constant harassing, our paddler was begging for a tip. I gave her $2 at Deb’s insistence. She handed it back to me and said she wanted $5! The gaul. I offered her tip a second time, and she took it. When we returned to our tour guide, he basically said something along the lines that most tour operators have deleted this program from tourist itineraries – at least until the new highway opens in 2010 (to celebrate Hanoi’s 1000-year anniversary as Hoa Lu was the ancient capital 1000 years ago) and the local government clamps down further on the incessant begging (and he suggested that the government has already done a little bit about it). I am sure Deb’s version of the events will be a lot different as she thoroughly enjoyed it and gave an above average pourboire. Normally we see eye-to-eye on our adventures, but on this one, she clearly had a different experience than me. Even the Lonely Planet franchise suggests steering clear or if you must go, avoid being fleeced by the omnipresent beggars.

Deb: What an amazing day! Visiting the Old Citadel (former capital of Vietnam) and pagodas was surreal – a thousand years of history. Our guide related spectacular stories and succeeded in bringing the history of Vietnam to life. Brendan and I loved our boat rowers – two Vietnamese women wearing traditional ‘cone hats’ who spoke a level of French good enough so that we all could communicate. At one point we rowed through hundreds of quacking ducks – what an incredible travel experience! Yes, we were hassled. Yes, it was a drag. But we didn’t let it ruin our day. And, yes, I overtipped. Both women had children and a $3 tip each, I knew, would go a long way. They had rowed us in the torrid heat for two hours. When they got tired rowing with their arms, they rowed with their feet! We had a great time chatting and the scenery was spectacular. Worth every minute of the hair-raising, noisy, insane three hour ride each way!

This evening at Restaurant 69 we met a young couple from Britain, Chloe and James. We ended up at the same table for dinner and shared wine and travel stories. They were a beautiful couple and just starting out on their trip to Vietnam. We wish them the very best. Chloe and James, if you’ve logged onto our blog. Happy travels! Stay safe!

July 9 Cat Ba Island

2009-07-09T08:26:00.000-07:00

Joe spent the morning nursing his diarrhea and Deb went to town to fetch some Imodium from the non-English-speaking pharmacist. She is amazing! The boys spent the morning at the pool after hiking the mountain with Deb. By afternoon, the group of us were in stable condition and ready to head back. Our return trip to a local dock to catch a speed boat was less dramatic. Although, the boat was ancient and could easily be construed as a floating coffin especially at the 30 knots we were travelling. We made it safely to HaiPong after a 90-minute cruise and then transferred to our van for the additional 2-hours back to Hanoi. As we were all beat when we returned to the hotel, we called it a night. All of us except Deb who stepped out for a night on the town. And who dis she bump into? Averil and Paula. Wow. The world is small. Thanks Bettina for calling us at the hotel to wish us a happy anniversary. Thanks too to Judie who posts incredible notes on our blog – you are our number one fan. Thanks for the anniversary wishes.

July 8 Ha Long Bay UNESCO Heritage Site

2009-07-09T08:24:00.000-07:00

Early in the morning we were pleased to meet our guide for the next few days, Hoa, from the Sinhcafe Hanoi office. He was amazing: excellent English, understood Brendan’s allergies (he has his own food allergies and stories of mistakes growing up in Vietnam where the citizens do not take food allergies seriously), knowledgeable, and very caring of our desire to survive the road travelling in Vietnam (and encouraging our driver to stay safe). Deb’s first comment about the roads here was, this is Cairo all over again!

We made our way to Ha Long bay (a 2-hour drive by van plus an additional stop at some crazy shopping warehouse in the middle of nowhere with 5-star bathroom) to board a junk (don’t know where this name come from to describe this class of vessel) for our leisurely ride through the amazing limestone geography of 2000 monolithic islands. Lunch was large fresh crab and huge shrimp with Vietnamese spring rolls, vegetables and greens. The boys wanted a simpler dish (not to mention allergies to seafood), so they were served rice, chicken and pork. As we were the guests in the galley on a huge ship, we felt quite special. It also dawned on us, that we were on a private tour. The scenery was remarkable and the pace perfect. No wonder it is a designated UNESCO world heritage site! We stopped at the “Wooden Stakes Cave” with 3 huge caverns, one of which was just discovered in 1993 by a local fisherman. After the visit, we reboarded the junk for our Cat Ba island for our one night resort say at the Sunrise Resort. However, the port is on opposite side of the island and we had 30-minute life-and-death drive on mountain roads with a terrible driver who insisted on passing every car, bus and truck no matter how dangerous. We made it safely.
The Cat Ba resort is renowned for it terrific, but not-so private beaches. They were jammed with tourists but they were alive and fun. Plus the pool where we spent the afternoon was fantastic. We enjoyed our nightlife as well touring the village and eating some terrible food (save for Brendan’s specially prepared meal) at a pub, The Noble House. The beers, ex pat community and pool table were great, though. We ended up there because our original pick for restaurants, the Green Mango, refused to serve Brendan because of his restricted diet. In our 4-months on the road to date, plus the 11 years that we have helped manage Bren’s diet, this is the first place in the world that would not accommodate him. Sad, really. After dinner, and a few beers with the ex-pats and tourists who ate there, we were returned to our hotel on motorcycles by the local American rock-climbing adventurists doing their good deed for the day. They happened to be closing up shop next door when we happened to pop out of the restaurant. We boarded their motorbikes and were whisked back in no time. Thanks go out for their ex-pat hospitality!

July 7 Happy 14th Wedding Annnivesary to Deb & Joe

2009-07-07T03:00:00.000-07:00

Joe: Hanoi train station, 4 a.m. We arrived in a torrential downpour but remained calm in order to find a taxi. In moments we were able to get one (at 10 times the going rate I am sure). In a few minutes we arrived at Hanoi Elegance 2 (HE2). We were greeted with a polite – I am sorry, we are fully booked (we had hoped for an early check-in – contingent on their being space). The boys and I went to their restaurant to nap while Deb sought after a room for us to crash. After all, it was 4:30 a.m. In a minute she returned with alternative accommodation: next door at the Hong Ngoc Hotel for $30USD for one room until 11:00 a.m. I am sure it was nice but we really didn’t look around as we were longing for sleep.

After breakfast, we went our separate ways: the boys to HE2 to watch some TV and internet. Deb to the largest bookstore she could find and I walked the streets in search of anniversary present! Yup, its our 14th anniversary. For those counting, Ryan just turned 13 ;) We reconvened at 12:30 at our hotel where those who weren’t sick went for lunch. (I was feeling the effects of train station restaurant food and suffered from diarrhea). I also had my soles of my hiking shoes fixed. We intend to head out to the Green Tangerine for our Anniversary.

July 6 Tennis Across Africa & Asia Tour

2009-07-07T02:04:00.000-07:00

The boys and Joe opted for a day at the tennis courts and indoor pool at the Victoria Sapa Hotel. Deb, and Averil from the UK, decided to do the furthest possible trek a 14km motorcycle and walking trek to the Tauphin village. We had heard that it is one of the poorest villages in Vietnam, so they were anxious to do their part in the local market. Thanks to Averil for her brilliant photos. One highlight was meeting Vietnam oldest person at 107! Others included enjoying a hot bath in a rainbarrel, visiting the snake wine maker and viewing the snakes and scorpion. What a day.

We all rendezvous-ed in time for the van to take us from Sapa to Lai Cai for our overnight train back to Hanoi. We were quite disappointed to learn that we would not be on the same train as Averil. We hastily made our goodbyes at the station and ran to meet the departing train. On board, we were happy to see that this was obviously an upgrade in class from the last train. It had toilet paper in the bathroom! At least before the first user finished it! The bad news, it was a rough ride and Deb and Ryan were soon digging in to the pack for Gravol! Oh, one other thing, smoking is everywhere. Although we are in a non-smoking berth, it seemed to be to be just a suggestion.

July 5 Rainy Sapa Vietnam watching Wimbledon Final

2009-07-07T01:49:00.000-07:00

We decided to have a ‘rest day’ today where we could all do anything that we wanted to do. I got talking to a group of twenty-year-olds and was telling them about our trek the first day to Cat Cat Village. As I knew the way I offered to ‘guide’ them. As I’m not much one for resting I was glad to have an excuse to go on another trek. We had a great day despite hiking in the pouring rain.

I stopped on my way back for a massage at a hotel not far from ours (and named similarly to ours, the Sapa Boutique Hotel – our hotel is named the Sapa Rooms Boutique Hotel, top 3 by tripadvisor. This is quite common in Vietnam, to duplicate the name of a successful business. There are more than 30 Sinhcafe travel agencies (none of whom are affiliated with the highly-rated Sinh Café, 5 Hanoi Elegance hotels, even a Trip Advisor tourist information shop. The list goes on and on). When I walked in I saw three familiar coats hanging up – the boys were there playing pool! We shared stories about our day and then I went into the massage room. The boys were to continue playing pool for another hour in the room next door until I was finished. I couldn’t wait to get those sore muscles rubbed after four days of trekking. Little did I know what I was in for… now, I‘ve had some interesting massages in my travels. The ‘traditional Thai massage’ was quite an experience – having my legs placed behind my head and being rocked back and forth in all sorts of awkward positions. But everyone goes for one just to experience it. This time in Thailand, though we stayed away from ‘traditional massage’, we had almost daily full-body and foot massages (at $5 an hour we all indulged as often as we could!). All were wonderful! But I digress. We are in Vietnam. It seemed promising at the start. The room looked serene and welcoming. A young Thai man (likely mid-twenties) was to be my masseur. After the door was shut, however, you could smell the mustiness in the room and I don’t do well with mould. Then the oil he was using was putrid. His hands were cold and his nails were long. I couldn’t get out of there fast enough!

Joe: Before heading out, Ryan and Brendan finished their schoolwork – no summer vacation for them ;) Then, Brendan learned how to sew by watching Joe mend Deb’s torn dress and Ryan’s shorts. This is a hidden skill that Joe learned from his mom, Nana Bea! In no time Bren had the skill aced and went to work on his mp3 case. Bea would be so proud!

Joe: The boys and I had an interesting experience at that hotel that deb mentioned as well, leaving something of a bad taste. Although playing poker pool was 10 out of 10, even the high price of drinks was fine. We were playing pool for free, after all. We had a bunch of games. Problem: When we went to pay, they had doubled the quantity of our consumption, doubled the price of Deb’s massage and argued about it, too! Flashback to yesterday when Deb had popped by to see if they had a TV so that we could enjoy Wimbledon’s final between Roddick and Federer. The desk clerk/manager was sharp and focused and genuinely disappointed that we were staying elsewhere – especially at the highly rated Sapa Rooms Boutique Hotel. “How come you stay there and not here? We better, we cheaper”. Well if only we could be honest and tell her the obvious answer – that people hate to be cheated. Seems strange though, that she wouldn’t know that! Guess they don’t teach that in Vietnam Hotel Management 101. Oh, wait a sec, in Vietnam, people get jobs in the tourism industry because of their ability to speak English, not because of any education, experience nor training! Perhaps, her question was only rhetorical!
Anyway, that night we had the time of lives at yet another bar watching the tennis match – the Royal Pub and Hotel. A large plasma, in HD, with beers sold in quart bottles. My kind of place. The best part was that the beers were 2 for $1 (yes, that’s 2 quarts). We couldn’t have found a better place to watch a 4:20 tennis match. Ryan was definitely the only one cheering for Federer. His win after a 30-game final set definitely validated Ryan’s choice!

July 4 Happy 4th of July

2009-07-04T08:22:00.000-07:00

Brendan: Today was the most amazing day ever. We had so much fun. We went hiking for the whole day. In the morning our guide told us that it would be really slippery and dirty. At the start it did not seem that bad until after about five minutes. That is when it started to get really bad. At some parts of our adventure trek it was like trying to stand up-right on an ice covered ski hill. If you look in the picture you will see that my shorts are covered in mud. Imagine what my jacket looked like. I guess you can imagine how it got there. Not long after we left we found ourselves getting walking sticks made. The locals were making them out of bamboo. To make them the right height they used a machete to cut them. At the bottom of the stick you cannot make it into a spear at the bottom because bamboo is hollow. You would have to only make a point one side. Later in the day we had to scale a little cliff that was a mud slide. We had to dig into the wall with our fingernails and our feet to make little steps. Sometimes it worked. Often it did not. After we got down that, we were walking on a road and we thought it was going to be easy until our guide told us that we had to exit the road and continue down the mountain. After, it was really hard. It felt as if we were going to fall straight off the mountain. Dad had a good slip, and I thought we would lose him into the dam below.

Deb: It was an incredible day! Had I known that the trek would be so treacherous, we would never have ventured out. Su Mai, our guide, had warned us that the trail might be slippery, but it was the worst that I had ever experienced (and later, Su Mai would admit that it was the worst she’d seen in 8 years giving the tour). The boys loved getting dirty. I gave up after two minutes on maintaining any semblance of cleanliness and just gave into it. Soon our shoes were sloshing in heavy brick-red mud right up to the top of our running shoes. Our legs, arms, and backs were soon covered it muck as we negotiated our way down the mud slides. Joe and I were proud of the boys as they approached the situation with excellent humour. At one point Brendan pretended that he was on a treadmill in the mud and had Su Mai in stitches. I was sure that one of us was going to break a limb and was relieved when we arrived in Ban Ho village. After lunch at home all we wanted to do was get home for a shower. We skipped a half hour trip to the hot springs pool as we couldn’t imagine trying to taking off our drenched, mud-soaked clothes and then putting them back on. Once at the hotel, all of us raced to the room, after depositing our shoes and clothes to the hotel laundry. After showering, the boys retreated to do their schoolwork, Deb for a nap and Joe to check emails and update the blog – at least until the power went out! After eating so richly for the past few days, we were content to enjoy some simple sandwiches and cold drinks for dinner and then to retire early following chatting with the locals and other guests. Deb did have an outing to another hotel to check on TV coverage of Wimbledon finals tomorrow night.

July 3 Lao Chai and Tavan villages

2009-07-03T04:54:00.000-07:00

Today we’re off on a six hour trek to beautiful Lao Chai and Tavan villages, home of the Black H’mong and Day ethnic minority people (sometimes referred to as hill tribes). The villages are located between four and eight km outside Sapa town in the breathtaking terraced rice valleys.

We started our trek from Sapa Rooms and walked through the town of Sapa downhill on an amazing walk to Lao Chai and further down to Tarvan, a walk of eight kimometers. The trek took us through one thousand year-old buffalo trails, beside many beautiful rivers, across bamboo bridges and through hundreds of terraced rice fields. Along the way we stopped for a home-cooked lunch prepared by our guide beside a tranquil river. For the most part, the clouds rolled in and out of the mountains without depositing too much rain upon us!

An aside from Joe: Last night while chatting with other travellers about bargains and markets that we’d seen over the course of our trip, an idea came to me. There needs to be a forum/blog for shoppers to share their stories about shopping and markets – something along the lines of tripadvisor.com, say, shoppingadvisor.com. This could have descriptions of the various markets in the world’s cities, info on the types of things on sale, dos and don’ts, how deep the negotiating can go, and maybe a few local language phrases to help the negotiating process. It would also share the good shops and poor shops (as measured by service, quality, price and experience). It could describe whether the products for sale are high end, low end, knock-offs, and anything in between. Four excellent contributors that we immediately thought of were Anita, Di, Brenda and Judie but all could share their story. Of course the business model would have to include sponsors and paid placements (a la tripadvisor, google, lonely planet, etc.). Remember you heard it first here!

Back to today’s trek. The 8km were excellent, although we found ourselves frequently tumbling down the slippery, muddy terraces between the rice paddies. (When we would eventually return to the hotel afterwards, our guide suggested that we not launder our clothes as tomorrow’s adventure trek will be equally or even more muddy. Wear the same clothes she exclaimed!). No one was hurt, so, if anything, we all managed to be more balanced as we trekked. In addition to the breathtaking views of mountain life at 3000m (and getting a load of the trekkers in wellington boots), we really enjoyed watching the children of the local villages. In some of the scenes, you see toddlers navigating difficult terrain or crossing high bridges or babies riding sideways in the arms of their mother on motorcycle! One particular encounter, though, had us quite captivated. Two 5-year olds, standing on the backs of water buffalo wielding a machete-like knife trying to help the buffalo reach the high branches of the delectable eucalyptus tree’s branches and leaves. As the animation unfolded, it was hard not to believe that fingers, arms and maybe necks weren’t dismembered or slashed. Anyways, their mom was watching quite non-chalantly as though this was just another day. Oh, the quaintness of modern day communism in rural villages.

July 2 Sapa, Northern Vietnam

2009-07-02T08:31:00.000-07:00

The overnighter delivered us to Lia Cia right on schedule (5 a.m.) and the van whisked up the mountain to Sapa in no time where we treated to breakfast before retreating to our room for a few hours of sleep. Our tour of Cat Cat Village is scheduled for 2 p.m.

Our three hour hike to Cat Cat Village high in the mountains of Sapa is sure to be one of the highlights of our trip. Our guide, Zhao, met us at two and we spent a few minutes getting to know one another before heading off on our trek. Zhao is an eighteen-year-old local from Cat Cat who speaks excellent English. Although she has never been to school, Pete (our Australian host and the owner of Sapa Boutique Hotel) saw her potential to be a guide. Pete’s mission in Vietnam is to train and employ the locals. Much of his profits from his business is given back to the community and he has a wide variety of programs established throughout the country. We are really sorry that he is currently in Hanoi working on yet another endeavour to empower the locals. We would have loved to have met him. Getting to know him through his staff is wonderful, however, and we feel so fortunate to be contributing by staying and eating at his hotel (and booking all our tours through him as well).

Zhao chatted proficiently while leading us to her H’mong village (she learned all of her English through talking with tourists). The scenery was absolutely stunning – mountains blanketed with bright green rice paddies, their summits enveloped in wispy clouds. We saw indigo soaking in a large vat. When the boys stuck their hands in it, they immediately turned blue. This explained why the H’mong women had bluish hands (while working on their textiles the dyes stain their hands). We saw new-born baby chicks, tiny pigs, and huge water buffaloes. The babies ran about either bare-bottomed or with holes cut into the groin area of their pants as diapers don’t exist here. We saw several craftspeople. The boys tried their hand at weaving hemp much to the amusement of the villagers. Ryan and Brendan proved to be good after a little trial and error!

Zhao took us into a rice paddy and taught us how rice is grown and harvested. She explained how the ancient water wheels served to pound and hulls from the rice after which they to are separated through sifting.

We visited a local house where Zhao demonstrated how a bachelors play a flute-like instrument to woo young women. At a very young age (typically around the age of fourteen or fifteen) the mating ritual begins. The young boy goes to the girl’s house late in the evening and plays a tune on the flute. This alerts the girl to meet him after her parents are sleeping. Though the girls think that their parents are unaware of the drama unfolding, the elders are very much a part of the ritual. They promptly pretend to fall asleep and the young girl slips out to meet her suitor. The young girl sneaks back in later under the impression that her parents are no more the wiser. This ‘dance’ has been unfolding for generations. Zhao said that she has yet to have a boyfriend and doesn’t intend to have one any time soon – she seems wise beyond her years.
Towards the end of our hike we approached a thundering waterfall. Zhao took a family picture and instructed us to rest for ten minutes. We so greatly enjoyed sitting and watching the children play. Despite huge precipices all around, the children ran around with abandon.

July 1 Happy Canada Day from Hanoi, Vietnam

2009-07-02T08:29:00.000-07:00

Somehow James managed to coax us out of bed at five a.m. in time to deliver us to the airport for our 7:30 departure to Hanoi. All went according to plan and we enjoyed the day touring the Old Quarter before catching our overnight train to Sapa in the northern, mountainous region of Vietnam. We will be returning to Hanoi later in the month, so we’ll have more time to visit its museums and antiquities. However, we did have time to visit one of the government restored homes of turn-of-the-century Hanoi and our guide filled us in on its residents over the years (rich was the common denominator).

We also went to the St. Joseph Cathedral, a rich reminder of Catholicism’s hey-day during the French occupation of Vietnam. The cathedral, although in need of a facelift on the exterior, was beautiful on the interior and we were amazed at the terrific following this Church had for mass. Afterwards, the boys joined a number of other boys outside on the road for an impromptu soccer game. It was great. Remarkably, some of the kids were playing on the pavement in bare feet. One boy in particular could manage the ball like it was on a rope. Notwithstanding that, Ryan and Brendan were no match for the others. After building up the sweat, we went to local street vendor for cold cokes (8000 dong each, about 50 cents Canadian) and Tiger beers (500 ml for 14000 dong, less than $1). We chatted with the locals who were impressed with the size of the boys, given their ages. We managed to use the Vietnamese phrase book quite nicely. It works well when one of the locals also speak English).

I added a photo of the boys doing their daily morning dose of pushups, too. The staff had quite a giggle watching how hard the boys push themselves!

June 30 National Palace Museum

2009-07-02T08:27:00.000-07:00

Taipei Story House and a trip to the Museum of Fine Arts and National Palace Museum were on our itinerary. The Story Museam was a bust – not about Taipei’s story except for contemporary dance (the boys weren’t impressed) theatre whose dance studio had once burned down. The Museum of Fine Arts, however, was brilliant. We regretted not getting to tour the Pompidou Centre in Paris and were delighted to see an exhibit featuring many of the pieces on loan (Picassos, Cezanne, Braque, Miro’s, etc.). Next stop: The National Palace Museum. One new problem: There was a National Air Defence Drill and the entire island state of Taiwan was shut down. Actually it went smoothly and we rather enjoyed our taxi driver's sense of humour when trying to get us to the Palace Museum before the the drill commenced. He stayed with us for the drill, hence the photo.

The National Palace Museum is one of the four major museums in the world based on the quality, age and shear quantity of artifacts contained therein (the others are: British Museum in London, Metropolitan Museum in NYC, Le Louvre in Paris). The boys, Deb and I have visited all of them without realizing this special distinction). We took the English tour and were treated to viewings of ancient Dynasty pottery, jewelry and weaponry. The most fascinating was the 17-layer Mystery Ball carved from a single tusk of ivory. Next to this was the display of jade, the most impressive being the revered, ‘Green and White Cabbage Jade’. Somehow, one can easily imagine being in the Emperor’s court being astonished at the fine quality and originality of these pieces – not to mention the unbelievably difficult craftsmanship! After the museums, we abandoned the notion of heading to the Aboriginal Museum and went to the American Club for a swim. Anita then impressed all with an amazing dinner as only she can. What a hostess! And all Brendan safe (we think he has never eaten better than on this trip).

June 29 Martyr Shrine and James and Anita are Great!

2009-07-02T08:08:00.000-07:00

Our day started out wonderfully with a snooze in to 10 a.m. Then we we were off to tour Taipei’s cultural hotspots: Palace Museum, Fine Arts Museum, Aboriginal Museum, etc. Only one problem: the major museums are closed on Mondays. Of course we found this out upon arrival at the first museum! Our alternate plan was to visit the restored ancient buildings near the airport. Another bust! It was closed as the park is being readied for the 2010 International Flora Show and had a construction fence encircling it. (One thinks that in any other city, the cab driver would have known about the closures! Not the case here.) Anyways Plan C was to visit the Confucius Temple and its neighbouring Buddhist Temple. You guessed it: Confucius say, he who closed Mondays, not open. However, and quite surprisingly, the Buddhist temple was going strong and we were able to visit, joining many others in hoping for continued luck in our lives and on the the world Tour. We also visited the changing of the guard ceremony at the Martyr Shrine that honours those lost in wars since and including the 11 revolution attempts to create the Republic of China (ending the last warlord dynasty) through WWII and finally to the lost to Communism afterwards. We then went for a walk through the daytime shops of downtown Taiwan and then headed over to the American Country Club for a swim and late lunch. (As Ryan would say much later in the trip, Taiwan was the best spot in Asia – influenced by the Club and its tennis, pool and ping-pong mixed with excellent food and inexpensive drinks and mostly, because Anita and James participated in all of the activities, making the stops there so memorable. Oh, and James can do a 1080 (3 rotations) off the diving board!). Later, we went for Sushi in a trendy restaurant and then moved on to the Snake Market. Wow! Live snakes, rats, animals, all mixed in with your normal market stuff of DVD videos, computer games, clothes, sandals and sports outlet stores (Nike, Adidas, Puma and others).

June 28 Pottery Village - Yingge

2009-06-28T08:37:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful outing to Yingge (also referred to as Yingko) – the pottery capital of Asia. The town has a terrific array of shops and hands on pottery stations. Check out the photos of the boys (James is one of the boys). They had fun producing the next generation of Ming vases. So much fun that the day slipped by without making it to the Ceramics Museum.

In the evening we went out to the Shih Lin market. What a crazy zoo! The highlight of the market was watching the quick shutdowns as the police popped by (many retailers are there illegally!). Despite the throngs, we managed to buy a few things!

June 27 Transformers

2009-06-27T21:55:00.001-07:00

Heavy rains quashed our plans to go to the beach for Canada Day celebrations. Instead, the girls went shopping and the boys went to see ‘Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen’. We reunited at Chili’s for a cold drink before heading home.

James, Anita, Joe and I went out last night to celebrate our anniversaries. Joe and I will have been married for 14 years on July 7th. Anita and James are celebrating their 25th! We went to a Thai restaurant and chatted for hours – the boys meanwhile were back at the ranch enjoying a movie (Wild Hogs) and chips, etc. A great evening for all!

June 26 Taipei 101 World's tallest buiding

2009-06-27T20:26:00.000-07:00

Anita kindly hired a driver for the day to explore the city. Our first stop was Taipei 101 – the highest building in the world (soon to lose this distinction to a building in Dubai, however). An audio guide assisted us with the interpretation and the views were incredible! Architect C.Y. Lee incorporated the shape of bamboo flowers, the Chinese pagoda, and the lucky number eight into the tower’s interior and exterior design. Its huge typhoon and earthquake motion damper sphere on level 88 is open to view and a source of great interest to us. We also took in Taipei’s newest, youngest, and hottest shopping district in the Hsinyi District, centered around the Taipei World Trade Center and Taipei 101.It was interesting to learn that Taipei does not have any embassies, but rather foreign ‘trade offices’.

We then were treated to an afternoon at the American Club – a beautiful facility with pool, tennis courts, library, hairdressing salon, restaurants, etc. The boys and Anita played tennis and we had a bite to eat at a restaurant overlooking the courts – very civilized! Afterwards we all cooled off with a swim.

In the evening Anita and James had a group of their ex-pat friends in for a dinner party. It was a spectacular evening! Incredible company, delicious Greek food, lovely wines, as well us the sharing of colourful travel stories and much laughter. It was fascinating hearing about people’s experiences living in Taiwan. All loved it, especially due to the close proximity to Bali, Thailand, etc. We are so very grateful for their warm hospitality and it is so wonderful to spend time together after so many years.

June 25 Taipei Taiwan

2009-06-27T20:22:00.001-07:00

Our flight to Taiwan was excellent on China Airways. And, our reunion with James and Anita Kirk was fantastic. James met us at the airport and whisked us off to his beautiful apartment in the north of Taipei. Wow! Anita is still as beautiful as we remembered! It was a terrific reunion and we truly appreciate their warm hospitality.

It was the boys first introduction to Anita but as you can see in the photo, the boys spent no time at all reacquainting with James!

The boys were also quite impressed with James’ and Anita’s daughters, Naomi and Tanya (one heading to medical school and the other an actress and model in Hollywood – check out Jesse McCartney’s latest music video, How Do You Sleep, which includes a small love scene on the hood of a car. Meet Naomi Kirk!

We stayed up to all hours, catching up on all of the news. We felt like we were home!

June 24 Thai Cooking Course (photos to follow)

2009-06-24T06:39:00.000-07:00

OK, cooking school was a lot better than I imagined it would be! Deb, the boys and I are now certified Thai cooks, prepared to whip up Pad Thai, Spring Rolls, Sweet & Sour soup, salads, sticky rice and a gamut of other delicacies. It was amazing, and we got to eat our creations. Under the supervision of Pot and his wife Nan at the Siam Rice Cooking school, we were producing creations in no time at all. He took us to the market to help us identify all of the ingredients and to check for ripeness and freshness (lemongrass, ginsing, spring onions, spices).

After cooking our masterpieces, we even learned to carve those fancy carvings from simple vegetables. A day well spent. And all Brendan-safe foods!

Jun 23 Chiang Mai Wat Tour

2009-06-24T06:36:00.000-07:00

We slept in! Our guide will be picking us up at 1:00 p.m. to take us on the Chiangmai old city wot tour. Back to a life of leisure: time for a relaxed breakfast, time to blog, to swim, to do school work. Even time to pick up our laundry! Eventually 1:00 arrived and we were off with our guide, Kophi to visit the oldest temple in Thailand (as Chiangmai is the oldest city, about 700 years in the kingdoms of Thailand. Chiangmai was the Northern Capital of the Lanna Kingdom. The temple that we visited a couple of days ago at the top of the mountain is connected to the temples at the bottom both by lore and roads. We visited the Central Temple, the Royal Temple and the oldest temples. Kophi filled us in the story of Buddhism and of the monks that pray and study at them. He was a former monk, now turned tour guide (he is 29 years old)!. Fascinating. We also participated in a new monk’s program called, appropriately enough, Chat with a Monk. This allows foreigners (and I suppose some locals) time to learn about monks and listen to the teachings and for the monks in return to practice their English. We chatted with monks who were 9 years and 3 years practicing.

In the evening, we returnd to the night market for dinner. Check out the baby's play pen!

June 22 Elephant Trek

2009-06-23T08:09:00.000-07:00

Ryan: At eight o’clock this morning the Kuffner family hopped into a chubby minivan along with four girls from Toronto (who were at Teacher’s College in Australia), five girls from London, England (who were taking a “gap-year” after finishing high school to travel through Asia) and a Thai guide and driver. We headed off to the elephant camp.

We got there forty minutes later after a stomach lurching side to side and up and down type of drive. We were to watch an elephant show then for elephant rides along the Ping river for two kilometers through lush green forest.

Joe: Before embarking on our elephant trek, we watched a 20-elephant show and learned of the history of these elephants (they were working in the teak forest industry –along with their trainers - that has recently been closed due to teak forested now being protected by the King). The show consisted of demonstrations of how they had worked in the forests, pulling and stacking logs, carrying their tools and chains and following their trainers commands as well as those of the lead elephant. However, the show also included other less noble elephant acts including the elephants demonstrating their dexterity painting scenes on canvas (available later for purchase in the gift shop), kicking soccer balls and throwing basketballs as well as trumpeting and “hamming it up” for the crowd.

Later, we went for the trek aboard the elephants. 2 riders per elephant plus the driver. The driver sat on the elephant’s neck and seemed to steer the elephant by nudging the back of its ears. The boxes in which we sat were comfortable enough although the walk had quite a bit of lateral motion (quite unlike riding a camel or a horse). It was similar to a camel ride, though, in the way each forward step had a slight tilt that became exaggerated when going up hill or down hill. I sat with Ryan while Deb sat with Brendan on another elephant. I could tell that Ryan was getting motion sickness but he toughed it out. The elephant took us through jungle, across the river that we would later raft, up and down rugged terrain. It was thoroughly enjoyable and seemed to be not much of a burden for the elephant (who were also being treated with bunches of bananas and cut sugar cane every few hundred metres). Our drivers were very pleasant and one of them spoke excellent English. This allowed us to have many of our questions answered as well as get our pictures taken and to have our elephants move closer together whenever necessary to pass the camera etc.

Ryan: After that, we met up with the oxen and all four of us fitted in two rows of a crate on wheels. The oxen brought us to another camp where we had a buffet lunch. I had noodles, fried chicken and steamed rice.

After the delicious meal, we went on a 45-minute bamboo river-raft ride (Dad called it brown-water rafting, as the water here is totally brown). We wore life jackets even though the water was no more than 3-feet deep! We also wore rice-patty style cone-hats that made us look quite Asian.. We saw a couple of turtles and some bamboo trees and bonsai trees. The guide said the raft ride would be as smooth as Thai silk. She was right.

After that we got back in the van, to the sound of blasting music. The driver had all the latest music and that lightened our already good mood! Brendan entertained us with some karaoke. We drove to a tiger rehabilitation center where the British group did the fifteen minute activities inside the pen with the tigers. We waited patiently and then went to see the orchids and butterflies. The orchids were sensational but the butterfly farm was a bit of a disappointment. I made an assumption that for every 1 butterfly (fifty in total), there were 8 million fruit flies buzzing around the cut pineapples left out for the butterflies. We then made our way to the Central Airport Plaza to do some shopping (mom bought us three more books) and by eight o’clock we were back in the hotel to watch the US Open.

June 21 Happy Father's Day

2009-06-23T08:08:00.000-07:00

Today, we were able to sleep in until 9:30! Our tour to the Mountain Temple and to the Hilltop Tribes wasn’t until 1:30. That would give us time to enjoy the pool, figure out laundry, eat and relax. Deb went out and had her hair done. Ah, we are back in vacation mode.

Deb: Very interesting getting my hair cut when no one spoke English. I pointed to a colour (I wanted to go much lighter and was answered with confident nods of yes and “No pwoblum.”). I drew what I wanted as far as a cut and that was ‘No pwoblum’ either! I couldn’t believe my luck!
After a nice shampoo accompanied by a head massage to die for I was even happier. I was quite impressed when they put on some bright yellow Spock-like plastic ear covers before beginning to colour my hair. What a great idea! Why don’t they do this in the west? The Thais really know what they’re doing!! When my hairdresser applied the dye I thought it looked quite darker than I had requested but I decided to relax… surely everything was under control! When they rinsed out the dye I started to laugh, albeit a little nervously. It was at least as dark as my normal shade and likely a good one darker. I pointed to the colour that I had chosen and then pointed to my head. “No pwoblum. Shampoo two times, it turn blonde!” Yeah right! Now I was going to let her cut my hair!! I kept telling myself not to worry. If worse came to worse, it would grow out by the time that I got home. They put another pair of Spock ears on (bright orange this time) and the two young women worked together on the cut (one put clips in my hair while the other one chopped away). I closed my eyes. Clumps of hair fell onto my shoulders and I just prayed. How bad could it be? And if worse came to worse, I could always get one of those cute hilltribe hats and wear it for the duration of the trip! The cut took forever and the blow-dry seemed to last for an eternity. “Fineeshed!” It was time to face the music. I opened my eyes and couldn’t believe it. No hairdresser had ever cut my hair more perfectly. It was exactly what I had drawn and I couldn’t have asked for a better cut! Oh no! What happens when you favourite hairdresser lives in Asia???

Anyways… once, our afternoon tour got going, so did our stomachs! The ride up the mountain to the wat was winding, bumpy, narrow and long. We were all completely nauseous by the time that we arrived and were digging into our packs for Gravol. There was only one and we fought over it but I won as everyone agreed that I was in the worst shape – or as we say int the Kuffner family, the weakest link. I was happy that the boys let me have it as there was no way I could walk around without it. A little late but maybe it would kick in by the time that we returned??

Despite being a little green we thoroughly enjoyed our visit. The wat was spectacular! (Bettina, if you haven’t already been here, put it on your list!) After spending an hour visiting (walking around the stupa three times to bring us luck, being blessed yet again by a Thai monk, and enjoying the incredible view over Chiangmai) we made our way down the 300 plus steps while holding on to the handrail – a massive carving of a dragon snaking its way to the top of the mountain.

We saw some beautiful hilltribe people in colourful costumes, visited a hilltribe museum, and chatted with locals with the help of our guide. The boys recovered from the ride quickly and enjoyed a some shooting of hanging fruit with a crossbow. On our walk we saw a myriad of exotic plants - including poppies and marijuana plants! The latter were just for tourist viewing as, thankfully, few hilltribe people in Thailand now imbibe. The government has cracked down considerably on the trade. This is quite an improvement from when I trekked here thirty years ago when seemingly everyone in the hills smoked. I stayed with families at that time and, sadly, even saw women simultaneously breastfeeding and smoking pipes of potent opium. Their children didn’t have a chance. The industry has, for the most part, been replaced with the growing of coffee and it is heartening to see the difference that the initiative has made.

June 20 Chiang Mai

2009-06-23T08:06:00.000-07:00

Brendan: Today was a long day! We started by getting up at 7:00 am. It was terrible! We went to bed pretty late in the past days so we were exhausted. By the time it was 8:00 I was just out of bed and they had finished packing. We went to breakfast for about 30 minutes. After breakfast we caught a cab to the airport.

The wait at the airport was not too bad. We were at the bookstore for a long time while my mom tried to find a book. All we were doing was reading comic books and trying to choose a book ourselves.

As we went through customs we had a very bad experience. We thought that we were allowed to bring cans across, but we got all of our Coke confiscated!

We had to do a transfer in Bangkok to get to Chiangmai from Krabi. The flights were terrible! I thought I was going to be sick on both of the planes. The cause was probably the mask that I was not used to wearing. I have started to wear a mask on the plane because we can’t be 100% sure that there are no peanuts on the flight. There is also a chance of catching swine flu on the plane.

Joe: We arrived in early afternoon without much ado. The airport in Chiangmai is downtown, so the 120 Baht, 10km cab ride was very pleasant. We’re staying at the Holiday Inn (a former Westin) and although a little out of the action, it is more than suitable – especially at $76 bed and breakfast for 4 people.

By action, I mean shopping. In the evening, we went to the night market – an unlimited number of T-shirts, souvenirs, food and beverage stalls and clothing & sandals places, with throngs of locals and tourists vying for the remarkable bargains. We were able to enjoy the low cost foods in the market as well: a medium pizza was $2, pad Thai $2, chicken and chips was $3 but also included a free beer! One could get used to these prices (and see tomorrow’s blog to see even cheaper prices). We had arrived by free hotel shuttle to the market, but we missed its return as 2-hours were not enough to cover the market. Eventually we took (no pun intended) a tuk-tuk back to the hotel and called it a night.

June 19 Tiger Temple

2009-06-23T08:04:00.000-07:00

What an incredible day!!! We did a tour that included a trip to Wat Tham Seua (Tiger Cave Temple), a swim in the Emerald Pool outside of Krabi, and a dip in hot springs in a national park.

Although we have seen a lot of wats, the Tiger Cave Temple is unique. The main hall is built into a long, shallow limestone cave. Dozens of gu-di (monastic cells) are built into various cliffs and caves. Monkeys as well as stray dogs and cats were everywhere. Brendan walked with great trepidation. He has developed quite a fear of dogs since being jumped and badly scratched in Capetown. He also has a healthy fear of stray animals (smart little guy as rabies are rampant in this part of the world). Right before we started our walk we saw a monkey up in a tree eating a pink-coloured popsicle. Why he had it was soon answered. Just then a dad with his little son (around four) came out of the store with a new one. The little boy began to unwrap his second popsicle and was jumped by yet another monkey. This time he held on to it, however! We climbed up to the cave where we saw pictures of human entrails and human organs. There was also a human skeleton on display… all to remind guests of the impermanence of the body.

On the tour with us was a great couple from Japan, Bradley and Muki. All of us were keen to climb the 1237 steps to the top of the karst at Tiger Temple, but the rest of the people on the tour (all Thais) weren’t interested. As the Thai group were heading to the airport at the end of the day, our guide promised to bring us back to do the climb afterwards. We hiked through the jungle to see a 800 and a 1000 year old tree. On the way we saw a huge spider in a web, armies of ants, and two tortoises. Every time we saw wildlife our guide would say, “Good for Bar-B-Q!!!” and we’d laugh.

Little did we know just how much the rest of the day would take out of us! The stop of the Emerald Pool were divine and we swam for a good hour. Next we stopped at the hot springs and languished far too long. The heat sapped all of our energy and by the time we crawled out we were all knackered. A lazy lunch of curried seafood soup and rice in the heat reinforced the lack of inertia and after dropping off our fellow travellers we were hardly in shape to begin a climb. Joe (who is constantly surprising me on this trip) was the keenest. Bradley and Muki were up for it. And while I was indifferent, the boys were positively adamant that they didn’t want to do it. The kids and I got outvoted (the kids votes carried a little less weight) and we were soon at the base ready to start our ascent. The boys, the least enthusiastic about the adventure, were like little mountain goats and, as at Table Mountain, left all of us adults in the dust. “See you at the top!” they yelled and climbed straight upwards with seemingly little exertion. Meanwhile Joe, Bradley, Muki, and I panted our way, suffering all the way to the top. Many of the steps were over a meter high. Some were so steep that you barely had room to place your toes on them. It was a tough climb, especially in the humidity and heat and we were absolutely withered by the time that we got to the top. But what a reward! Bettina, you would have loved this!!! At the summit was a massive Buddha stupa, a gilded stupa, and a magnificent view of the surrounding area all the way out to the Andaman Sea. We spent time at top talking to fellow travellers from Holland, the US, and Thailand.

On the way down we met several monks and nuns heading up. A couple of the monks looked no older than Ryan and were resplendent in their saffron robes. I was especially happy for Brendan for these encounters as he did a comprehensive project of Buddhism before leaving on our trip.

Although our descent was much easier that going up, our legs were literally shaking by the time we ended our trek down. We soon bid our new friends Bradley and Muki good-bye. But, not before the Buddhist nun blessed those who had made the climb – offering a prayer and a bracelet. Although she was clearly devout – shaved head, white robe and offering blessings, she clearly had a sense of humour and pride in her chosen path as she blessed the boys and us.

When we got back to our resort, the boys took a plunge immediately in the pool. I wasn’t so smart and went to see if I could find a good book. By the time I got back I had crashed big time and could barely walk to dinner. My blood sugar had taken a dive and it took a good hour of drinking water, Gatorade, and eating a plate of fresh fruit before I felt human again.

We ate our last meal in Krabi at Rocky’s restaurant and bid him a tearful good-bye. He had taken care of all of us, especially Brendan, so well and we felt like we were leaving a good friend. Just as we rounded the corner to go home, who did we run into, but Bradley and Muki! We chatted with them for a half an hour bid them a warm farewell one more time.

We’re off to Chiang Mai in the north of Thailand tomorrow and we can’t wait! Our flight leaves at ten so we’ll be up bright and early for the third day in a row – a bit of a shock to the Kuffner system, but we’ll rise to the challenge of rising with the birds (and frogs) despite yet another late night.

June 18 Check Out the Tsunami Evacuation Route

2009-06-23T07:45:00.000-07:00

After staying up late last night, our 7:30 wake-up call was a bit of a shock. We all had to coax one another from under the covers. We eventually spilled into the breakfast room and had breakfast – the Kuffners are consuming enough watermelon to keep the industry afloat for the duration of our stay! We, for some reason, can’t get enough of it! The fresh mango, pineapples, and exotic fruits make for a great way to start the day.

Juanita, our tour operator, called us and told us that we would be able to go on the ‘four island cruise today’ (our first choice for a tour today). We were so excited. We were finally going to see ‘picture-perfect’ Thailand – pristine, unspoiled islands surrounded by emerald water dotted with huge karsts (the mini-mountains that you see in James Bond films). The day exceeded our expectations! Our first stop was Than Phra Nang. We arrived shortly after nine and were able to walk the length of the beach in shade. The white-sand beach led us to a cave wherein there was an elaborate temple. As we got closer we saw that it was some sort of ‘fertility spirit house’. There were hundreds of carved wooden penises jutting up from the sand. In the middle was a colourful shrine draped with flowers. Offerings (a bottle of Fanta, some eggs, and some packaged noodles) were evidence that the shrine was very much in use. We got a great picture of the boys standing beside phallic carvings taller that they are. We have yet to find out the significance of the temple and are very curious as to how it came about, especially on a relatively uninhabited island.

Next we stopped at Chicken Island for some excellent snorkeling. The predominant rock formation looks just like a chicken! Ryan, unfortunately, wasn’t feeling all that well after the boat ride. We gave him some Gravol and then the rest of us downed one as a precaution. None of us were anxious to relive our Langkawi experience over again! Ryan, Brendan, and Joe were back on the boat within a few minutes. I had a good, long, uninterrupted snorkel and was in heaven. The highlight was seeing an odd-shaped squid. I followed him for several minutes. There were parrot fish in abundance – one of my favourites!

Ryan needed to get on land and we were fortunate that our next stop was only a few minutes away. Once we arrived at the next island we put Ryan to bed on a towel inside a small cave. He fell asleep immediately as the Gravol had kicked in. Joe, Brendan, and I walked around the island and chatted with fellow travellers. We swam, tossed the football, and frolicked in the waves.

Our last stop was to yet another gorgeous island where we had a picnic lunch of Thai curry and… watermelon!

This is my fourth time to Thailand and throughout our journey I just can’t believe how much it has changed. So many beautiful, pristine places that I remember are now developed to such a great extent that they are virtually unrecognizable (‘pave paradise and put up a parking lot’). It was nice to see today that offshore and into the islands that much of nature has remained untouched. I hope that the Thai government has the sense to protect their nature reserves for future generations.

Each of us took our turn passing out, cold, when we got back (one Gravel pill each had us unable to keep our eyes open!).

June 17 Pools Across Asia

2009-06-23T07:32:00.000-07:00

A break in the weather has enabled us to comb the streets for shopping bargains. Brendan finally scored some Billabong shorts in his size and he was thrilled. We were all exhausted before long from walking as the heat and humidity made us all sluggish. We retreated to the resort pool – a beauty with a gigantic karst overlooking it. We swam for a couple of hours and it was fun watching the boys play their games (‘walking on water’, seeing how long they could swim underwater, doing 360s, etc.). Afterwards we went back to Rocky’s where we indulged in an Indian feast complete with fiery chutneys, lime pickles, and ice-cold Singha.

June 16 Superman!

2009-06-23T07:20:00.000-07:00

Yes, its raining. A good day for homework and indoor shopping! And it turned out to be great day. After trudging through some math, we took advantage of a brief break in the weather and went cruising the main drag for some suitable beach wear. Brendan finally scored a pair of Diesel flip-flops in his size, and Ryan scored a couple of Lacoste golf shirts and some Billabong shorts. Then at lunch, we spent several hours with two wonderful young travellers from Texas and South Carolina, Selia and Jessica (they had spent tons of time in New Zealand and Thailand and were wonderful company for the afternoon). We were trading stories of Asia and elsewhere and the afternoon passed without even noticing the torrential rain outside. During this time, Deb and Brendan had gone off for a Thai foot massage and returned smelling of Eucalyptus oils. Life is good.

June 15 Monkey Temple

2009-06-23T06:57:00.001-07:00

Today, we will be driving to Krabi where we’ll be at the Thai Village resort. Hopefully the clouds dissipate as they certainly appear menacing at the moment.

En route we stopped at the Suwannakuha monkey temple. It is built in an immense limestone cave system in Phang Nga. Wow, monkeys everywhere. One of them attacked Deb’s leg but thankfully did not bite or scratch her – we didn’t want to be heading for rabies shots any time soon. There was a huge reclining Buddha in the temple among the many prayer stations built right into the cave’s walls (Bettina, you would have loved this temple – we thought of you while there and wished that you could have been with us!). Hundreds of bats clinging seemingly precariously provided a dark ceiling throughout the caves. After receiving a blessing from the resident monk (complete with water shower and tri-coloured bracelet), we were on our way again to Krabi.

Upon arrival at the Krabi Thai Village Resort, we quickly realized that they were not going to honour the hotels.com contract for bed, breakfast and dinner. After much discussion and phone calls to the hotel.com Asian office, Expedia and the hotel’s off-site executive management, we agreed that this hotel was not for us. We chalked it up as a possible blessing in disguise. Several things about the hotel seemed to get our “spider sense” going: very poor English spoken by hotel staff and its manager; complete inflexibility and lack of support by the hotel manager including a lack of empathy and sympathy; the fact that our quoted rate was double that of the rack room rate (presumably due to breakfast and dinner being included) but unrecognized by Krabi Thai Village Resort; and finally the resort’s distance from the local hospital and other key amenities (i.e., restaurants and shops).

Now to find other accommodation. Deb has gone over to a local agency to find us some accommodation. And, still it rains.

Although it took a while we ended up at Krabi Peace Laguna Resort. It has three pools, entertainment, and lovely grounds. We found this gem thanks to a passive, multi-lingual tour operator’s recommendation at another hotel that we visited that was not for us (cigarette-smoke tiny rooms with tinier beds). While we waited patiently in the hotel’s lobby for Deb to return from checking out other hotels, a quiet young lady occasionally nodded greetings to us. When Deb returned – without news of suitable accommodation, the young lady, Juanita from Bulgaria, mentioned a promotion that she’d heard about at the nearby Peace Laguna Resort. After a call, their van was on its way to pick us up to have a look. We checked in to a gigantic room with air con, TV, etc. and were so happy to finally be settled after a long, long day.

We headed immediately for supper and some cold beer/Fantas. Our beds felt good afterwards after a long day of travel. Hoping that the weather will clear by tomorrow.

June 14 Monsoon Season

2009-06-23T06:45:00.000-07:00

Today, the boys focused on school work and journalling before enjoying their swimming and water polo and ping-pong. It was again too hot for tennis, and this time we didn’t play ;) It was also our first day of rain since our Drakensberg sleet storm more than one month ago. You can tell it is monsoon season, because the rain falls in buckets, often accumulating a couple of cm in the hour or so torrent. We were at the restaurant when the rain began, so the rain forced us to eat inside for the first time in South East Asia.

June 13 Massage Day

2009-06-13T00:21:00.001-07:00

Will that be a back massage, or a foot massage?

June 12 Ryan is a Teenager

2009-06-12T22:01:00.000-07:00

Ryan’s birthday! He officially is a teenager!

The boys spent the day playing pool, water polo, and ping-pong with their friends from Maui. I went off and met with Robert at the travel agency. He did an incredible job booking all of our onward flights. We’ll be heading to Krabi next for beach, islands, and snorkeling, then to Chiang Mai in the north before flying to Taiwan to see our good friends Anita and James (we spent a half hour talking to them via Skype the other night and can’t wait to see them in person!!). It felt so good to get all of our plans done for the remainder of our time in Asia. The time is flying and we can’t believe that we’re already three months in with two months to go!

We invited our Hawaiian friends to join us for supper. We took a boat over to Robert and Odd’s restaurant on the lagoon and feasted on Thai food and cold beer. The kids all had a wonderful time chatting and sharing jokes. The adults enjoyed each other’s company and shared travel stories. Robert, Odd, and Vasco were there and we got a photo of us all together.

Afterwards we went to the bar where Ryan was presented with a decadent chocolate birthday cake while the everyone sang ‘Happy Birthday’ along with the band (thank you George, Joyce, Kwan, Santiya, Kai and all – you have treated us so well during our visit!). Although it was past ten thirty and the pool was closed the kids decided to sneak in and stay with Ryan until his birthday ended. They swam and quietly whispered among the palm trees until midnight. They then said good-bye to their friends as they were leaving for Ko Samui in the morning. It was a magical birthday for our new little teenager. He seemed so very happy!

June 11 Tour of Phuket Island's Beaches and Wots

2009-06-12T21:36:00.000-07:00

Today, our guide and driver, Mr. Toto, picked us up for a tour of Phuket island’s Chinese and Thai temples, its beaches and the hotspots of the rich and famous (yacht club, marina, private beaches and so forth). We visited a temple high on a hill where there was a massive reclining Buddha. Later when we arrived and Chalong Temple, firecrackers were thundering in a huge brick hut to celebrate a family’s good fortune. We stopped at the Sea Gypsy village where we saw a family enjoying their lunch of raw seafood, vegetables, and rice. We talked via sign language and there was much laughter – a beautiful encounter. Later, we stopped at the market and tried Durion fruit - yuck! The highlight of the day was the strip along Patong beach where the boys hit paydirt shopping for jeans, golf shirts and other necessities.

Our pre-dinner game of waterpolo with Hawaiians (a beautiful family that we have met - Joanna, John and their three children McKenna (14), Kylie (12), and Carter (8), a few Chinese kids, and us Canadians was a hoot. We all got into the action and two hours had passed before we knew it!

In the evening, the boys and parents enjoyed the band playing in the lounge. The band has been under contract here for almost five years. As there was no one else in the lounge but us I confessed to George, the lead singer that I had a fantasy of singing with a band. Unfortunately the only songs that I know all the words to are the Sound of Music so when he asked me what I wanted to sing he just laughed. No problem! The band helped me sing Doe-a-Deer and These Are a Few of My Favourite Things. The boys were tickled pink to see their mother up there. It was good fun and all quite silly. It was an even better experience that I hoped that it would be. Really odd, too, as you couldn’t really gage how loudly you were singing and whether you were signing in the right key. The band was fantastic, playing a mix of contemporary and classic hits. We stayed for another set and then headed back to our room. I couldn’t resist another swim a set off down to meandering pool. It is lit up beautifully at night and it feels like you can swim forever without turning around – amazing. Still haven’t milked a cow yet but hope to before the end of the trip!! It’s an on-going joke in our family.

We ended the evening with a call to dad and Kaye. It was so talk to them and we were happy to hear that all was well back home.

June 10 Wonderful Thailand

2009-06-10T00:23:00.000-07:00

After breakfast, trying some new fruits, Brendan and Deb decided to head into town to do some birthday shopping for Ryan (his birthday is on the 12th) and try on a few clothes for ourselves. It was a stinking hot walking into town and we were dripping with sweat and were thoroughly baked when we arrived. We half-heartedly tried on some clothes but soon discovered that we couldn’t get them on and off as it was just too humid. Instead we went for some cold ice tea and aromatherapy massages. When we went in Brendan whispered with indignation, “I’m not taking my shorts off!” When I explained to him that we were just to wear our underwear and that they would think it odd if he kept his clothes on, he relented. We asked to be put together in a little room so they moved one of the mattresses over. Two Thai women came in with their little pots of oil and the massage began. Brendan was instructed to lie on his back. He was a bit unsure at the beginning but soon got right into it. We chatted away with the women although communication was very basic. When we just lay back and listened to the calming music for a while Brendan came close to falling asleep. He just loved it and I felt that it was one of the best massages I’ve ever had (being with Brendan for his first really added to it!). We resolved to bring dad and Ryan back with us in a few days to repeat the experience.
The day slipped by and we felt as if it were another day in paradise. After returning to the resort (after a stop at the mini-mart for beer, water and snacks), we returned to the hotel to change into our tennis gear. Robert picked us up and off we went to the nearby Laguna Tennis Club to play. Vasco, their little guy, and Brendan played while Robert and I had a ‘Thailand vs. Canada’ challenge. Thailand won handily. Afterwards, we were invited to return to their place for drinks and a swim. Wow. What a home. They had a traditional Thai ‘palace’, right on the Laguna resort grounds. They back onto the golf course and also have an 18m lap pool which of course we enjoyed. The pool has its own waterfall and is kept clean with a copper ionization system (no chlorine nor salt). We chatted, ate exotic fruit, and reveled in the wonderful company. How very lucky we are to be hosted by some locals. Nothing is better when travelling and we felt very privileged to be looked after with so much generosity and kindness. Afterwards, we treated them for dinner and drinks. Oh, to be in the lifestyles of the rich and famous, albeit temporarily!

June 9 Phuket

2009-06-09T23:59:00.001-07:00

In the morning we went to see the resident baby elephants. The kids fed them bananas and we got some pictures.

The breakfast buffet is spectacular. The chef made Brendan some special pancakes and he was thrilled. I so greatly enjoyed the dim sum. Joe and Ryan aren’t too adventurous when it comes to trying out new things for breakfast so stuck to their American style breakfasts of bacon, eggs, French toast, fruit and coffee.

We were disappointed to learn once again that we couldn’t swim in the Andaman sea due to rip tides and under-currents. The entire western side of Phuket, at this time of the year, is rife with drowning. The undertow and currents are extremely strong and even the best swimmers should not venture out. We were not about to tempt fate and resolved not to go into the water at all during our stay here.

The boys spent the day swimming in the pool while I went to the travel agency to book some onward flights. There I met the owner, Robert, who is married to Odd, a Thai. They have an eight-year old by the name of Vasco. We immediately hit it off. Swapping travel stories and discussing adventures. We agreed to meet later on in the evening with Joe and the boys present so that we could get consensus on our details onward.

I went to the hospital (ten minutes from the resort) and met the local doctor. Once again, we put an emergency plan in place for Brendan – straight to the small hospital nearby where he would be transferred by ambulance to the main hospital in Phuket if necessary. I then went to the convenience store next door and bought some soy milk and Oreo cookies.

When I got back Brendan was thrilled to see the treats that I had bought. I rechecked the ingredients on the Oreo cookies and offered him some with the soy milk. He had them and then went off with Ryan to play ping-pong. Joe and I walked over to the restaurant for lunch. Brendan came running up saying that he felt a tingling in his throat. We gave him Benedryl and watched him for a couple of minutes while I went back to the room to check the ingredients of the cookies. Surely I couldn’t have overlooked a milk ingredient! I read the package again and saw nothing. I then checked the soy milk. 1% milk! We had been drinking soy milk since coming to Asia and I had assumed that I had gotten the same brand, except in a tetrapack. Neither Brendan nor I had checked the ingredients – something we always do. We took Brendan back to the room where we made him induce vomiting. Once we were satisfied that he had emptied the contents of his stomach we gave him some oral cortisone tablets and monitored him. Though he was fine we feel badly that he had even got this little bit of exposure. Brendan, being Brendan, told me to stop feeling guilty and get over it. He is determined to ‘live is life’ despite the challenges on this trip.

When we met over travel plans that night, Robert treated our family to drinks. The adults chatted while the boys went off to play games on the internet.
When we finished, Robert and Odd invited us to have dinner with them in their restaurant bordering the lagoon. The ambience was beautiful – sea breeze, palm trees, twinkle lights, and candles. Robert selected traditional Thai dishes along with a divine dish of sauteed shrimp, mushrooms, and tomatoes in spiced oil. We feasted and got to know one another. Robert was in the hotel audit business and has lived all over the world. Odd was also in the business and each had amazing stories to tell. We couldn’t believe when they said that they would be treating us – so very kind and generous! When they learned that we were tennis players they invited us to to play the next day. It was such a beautiful evening!

June 8 Air Asia Travel

2009-06-08T23:08:00.000-07:00

We are at the airport 90 minutes before our 9:30 a.m. flight to Kuala Lampur. However, there’s no customs agent on duty (which must be cleared before checking luggage) at the ticket counter. Oh, Asia!

OK, the agent has arrived but because it is a domestic flight, his services are not required! We are asked to proceed to clear our bags. We cleared our bags and now we face the next obstacle. Where is the plane?

It’s now 15 minutes after scheduled departure and we are boarding the plane. I am monitoring my mild anxiety as we have non-refundable seats from KL to Phuket where we have decided upon another Sheraton Grande in the Laguna resort complex.

OK, we have just been informed by the captain that the plane has technical problems that “could take a while”. We have been “de-planed”. Forget the connection – now, we’ll be looking just to get out of here! They do not even have a computer at the gate. The attendant took our connection details and assured us that we be out on the next scheduled departure, 11:45 arriving 12:45 KL. Hmm. Our connection to Phuket departs at 12:45. Oh Air Asia!

Well we are in KL at 2:05 p.m. That’s the good news. Our newly scheduled departure is 8:25 p.m. with earliest check-in around 5:30 p.m. It’s 35 degrees and muggy so we’ve decided to hover around the airport anticipating lunch and maybe a bit of schoolwork for the boys. They’re excited.

In reality, the boys have shown they’re excellent travellers. Rolling with the punches, so to speak, with each unknown and each delay and finding the humour in the events as they unfold.
We rolled in at 10 pm to the Sheraton Grande Laguna Resort in Phuket.

June 7 Cable Car

2009-06-08T23:06:00.000-07:00

It’s going to be hard to say good-bye to Langkawi. We met so many great staff and fellow-travellers. The food – buffet with Malaysian, Indian, and Thai dishes has been excellent. Brendan has never eaten better in is life. The two chefs have taken upon themselves to try to out do each other with providing the most imaginative dishes for him. He has eaten Malaysian noodles, curries, roti, and some fabulous desserts (rice, bananas, and coconut milk). It has also been a ‘vacation from our vacation’ as the pace has been much slower. Hours upon hours of languishing by the pool with some great books and fabulous company – heaven!

Ryan has been playing ping-pong virtually non-stop and has met a league of nations in doing so. He’s in his element. Brendan loves the swimming and lounging beside the pool with his Alex Rider books – we can hardly get his nose out of them!

In the Kuffner spirit of doing something each day, today, we went on the cable car to Langkawi’s highest point, 652 metres, 2000 feet. A bit of line to navigate, but it was definitely worth the views. A lot of fun looking down at the mangroves that we had earlier sailed. At the base of the cable car station, it was amazing shopping at MR prices. We each bought new hats to replace those stinky ones that we’d worn since Egypt!

In the morning, we will be off to Thailand – Phuket.

June 6 Resort Living is Easy to Take!

2009-06-08T23:05:00.000-07:00

Where did the day go? Don’t you just love it when a day can go by completely unnoticed thanks to the relaxing pace of the island. With more ping-pong, pool, hiking and of course pool-side cocktails, next thing you know, we’re playing scrabble in the lobby with fellow vacationers from Australia (who had just returned from a local liquor shopping spree, returning with a case of beers and bottles of wine easing our bills at the Sheraton).