Wat Pho Reclining Buddha

We’ve just uploaded some photos from our day in Bangkok including many photos from a short cruise up the Chao Phraya River the Grand Palace and Wat Pho. Click here to view the photos!

As you know, Tamar and I are chillin’ on this great island, Koh Chang. However, we haven’t had much access to Internet so far. That’s not to say that Internet is not available on Koh Chang. It is. but we’ve been so busy hiking, motorbiking, tanning and swimming that we just haven’t been near our computers or the relatively expensive pay-by-the-minute Internet access. We’ve changed hotels and are now at the Coral Resort where there’s wifi. But don’t count on us to be online more now since we’ve got full days of jungle trekking and snorkeling lined up for this weekend!

Coral Resort, Koh Chang

Koh Chang has everything an island needs to have in order to qualify for paradise status: great beaches, beautiful scenery, excellent food and plenty of cats around. On our first day here, we took a little survey of the beach and pool situation, I am happy to report the water is warm and clear. Perfect. Tomorrow we hope to explore the waterfalls and do some hiking.

Barack Obama's Inauguration 2009

This is my first post that I am writing from Asia on this trip. Last night Tamar and I stayed up late, fully absorbed by the TV coverage of the inauguration of the first African-American president of the USA. These two firsts coincided to remind us of another, that of the very first time we traveled to Asia in September 2001. Continue Reading »

The Reunion

Kevin and I are in Bangkok, catching up on the last five weeks in each other’s life. We met up at Bangkok airport last night and headed straight to our wonderful hostel – Suk 11. Today we walked around and saw the famous sights of the city including the National Palace and Wat Pho.

Tomorrow morning we’re leaving for the island of Ko Chang which, according to rumors, is the closest thing to paradise in Thailand.

Cute Kids in the Neighborhood

This is my last morning in Ton That Tuyet, I fly out to Bangkok in a few hours. I took a walk around the neighborhood to say goodbye. Check out the photos!

A Beautiful Friday Night in Saigon

Today was my last day at MSS, it was sad to say goodbye to people I have been working/hanging out/partying with for the past five weeks. I will certainly miss the energy and smiles all around me. Working in Vietnam has been an incredible experience, one that I will always remember.

The folks at the office wanted to make sure I don’t leave Vietnam before I try every single dish available. The going away celebrations started earlier this week and ended tonight with a feast at 3T (Vietnamese BBQ). I can definitely say I’ve had incredible food in Vietnam with wonderful people and am already lamenting having to say goodbye.

Vietnam keeps changing, every visit here is like a first in a way. There is so much going on at all times, new businesses opening up, new buildings erected, new cuisines offered and new (better) regulations introduced to control the chaos. I wonder what HCMC will be like next time I visit.

I celebrated the end of five weeks of work tonight on a rooftop of a Spanish bar in Dist 1. Sipping Sangria outdoors in perfect weather never felt so good.

I miss Vietnam already!

This week is my last week in HCMC and the going away meals have already begun. Yesterday I went out with a few of my colleagues to have “Bun Ca Ro” for the first time. This north Vietnamese dish consists of noodle, fish broth, fish balls and vegetables. It is incredibly tasty and a good vegetarian alternative to Pho.

Tonight I saw my friend Atsushi (Zeus) for the first time in 6 years. Zeus and I have known each other since San Francisco days, 10 years ago when we both worked together at a little shop in Sausalito. Back then, we used to talk about all the fun places around the world we’d like to live in or visit one day. In the last few years, we both managed to move around a lot and had no idea that the other person had switched continents. A few months ago, Kevin and I discovered that Zeus had moved out to Vietnam of all places and knows a lot of our friends there (here). Turns out he had relocated to HCMC a year ago and started his own business. It was great to reconnect and catch up on the last few years. It’s a small small world!

I just returned from a fabulous weekend in Singapore. I enjoyed every little street, dish, neighborhood, park, drink and mall (yes, I admit it).

I arrived late in the evening and went straight to my hostel “Hangout @Mt. Emily” which was perfect. The hostel is located in Little India at a top of a hill, right by a beautiful park. It has a great vibe and a gorgeous rooftop deck with beautiful view of the city. It has been a long time since I last stayed at a youth hostel but I was glad to see nothing has changed, not even the browser version on the public computers.
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Rau Ma Drink

Tonight, after a long day at work, I went with Philipp to a local Vietnamese restaurant to try some new food. We started with a cold drink called “Rau Ma” which doesn’t look very appetizing but is very good. Rau Ma is made of ground Pennywort with ice and sugar (lots of sugar).

Bot Chien

This great drink goes really well with “Bot Chien”. Originally a Chinese dish, Bot Chien is made of rice flour cubes with fried eggs and vegetables. This may not have been the best choice for dietary reasons but it was oh so yummy!