Thai Tattos and Vietnam action

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  Nha Trang, Vietnam
Wednesday, February 10, 2010

I've traveled a bit of ground since I last posted an entry, but have been trying to follow some of the travel gurus advice (Ralph Potts and Tim Ferris) to disconnect to truly enjoy the experiences while on the road and not tether myself to the internet or a schedule. While Andrea does have to remind me on an almost a daily basis to stop planning so much and to just go as the wind blows, I'm definitely making progress. Which is a bit ironic because just as I'm getting the hang of it, I head back to Phoenix next week! All is not lost, as I know this new skill of not overly planning to much to far in advance will put me in good stead this year. Phoenix will only be a quick one month stop while I get everything in order before heading overseas again, this time for a longer duration.

Here's what I've been up to the last two weeks:

- Headed up north of Chiang Mai to a sleepy little village in the mountains called Pai where we were having a fabulous time exploring the country side on motorbikes until Andrea was run off the road by Japanese tourists and rushed to the emergency room by a concerned Thai teenager in a truck. After taking pictures of her wounds with his cell phone and calling his friends while he drove to give a play by play recap, he dropped her off. Although badly skinned on her arm, knee and foot, bruised and in lots of pain, she didn't break anything or sustain any permanent injuries. The people at the Pai hosptial were fantastic and we wished all of the hospitals we've seen since then have been as fabulous and clean. That's how she got her "Thai Tattos".

- After the accident, we headed to the south of Thailand to Ko Penang, a small island by Ko Samoi for the full moon party. After decorating my body with blue and red paint, plastic glowing necklaces, doning my swimsuite, red party dress and securing my drink bucket with the adult beverage of choice, I was ready to rumble with the the 10 thousand other adoring party goers. We danced on the beach to pulsing dance music, packed body to body with thousands of others, diving into the giant bubble machine, eyeing the flame throwers and trying not to get trampled or Andrea's injured foot stepped. Every now and then we'd pop up for a snack of street food or a walk along the beach under the stars. Definitely a memorable night!

- Although the beach was beautiful, we decided to head to Vietnam a few days early so Andrea wouldn't suffer beach envy... staring at the beautiful white sand and turquoise waters that she couldn't touch or walk through due to her wounds. We landed in Hanoi during rush hour traffic and our senses were so assulted by the traffic, noise and sheer quantity of pulsing humanity in the streets, we were easily convinced by our hotel to head over to Ha Long Bay early the next day, about three hours east in the Tonkin Bay, by the South China Sea. We were afraid to cross the street for fear of being hit by a scooter, car or bicycle, but quickly learned to run and dodge, with a bit of praying at the same time. It worked.

- Ha Long bay has been one of the highlights of my time here in Veitnam so far. It has these amazing white limestone fingers that poke out of the bay, shrouded in mist and mystique. We took a 3 day tour, that included a night on a chinese junk (boat), laying on the deck of the boat just soaking in the view and beauty. Then we stayed for a night on a small island in Ha Long Bay called Cat Ba, that included a midnight walk on a secluded beach under the full moon, with the waves lapping at the shore. Did I mention romantic? On the way back to the bay, our boat driver added a little excitement to the ride by hitting three other boats and creating a few new dents and gashes. We were prepared to jump overboard and abandon ship at any moment, I was praying that the water wasn't cold, but fortunately didn't have to test it.
 
- After heading back to Hanoi and getting in again at rush hour traffic and being horrified all over again, we jumped on an overnight train that left 2 hours later. Talk about perfect timing! We landed in a small, charming town called Hoi An, that is know for its custom tailors. After being on the road and moving around to a new place almost each night for a week, we were beat and ready to perch for awhile. We spent four wonderful days in Hoi An lounging, tailoring, walking, biking, scootering, looking at nearby ruins, beaching, looking at pagodas, eating, visiting orphans, historical french houses and spa-ing. A manicure and pedicure never felt so great! I wished I'd had time for a facial. With my wordrobe refreshed from the tailors, it was time to move on.

- We are in Nha Trang now, arrived last night late and are enjoying fabulous internet access for the first time in a week. My family has been sending me "where are you" emails and pleading that I send up a smoke signal, so they'll be pleased to know I haven't been kidnapped and sold into slavery (just yet, anyway!) We landed in this cool little town at about 11:30 PM last night after a scenic train ride, dropped our bags and headed for the local night life. We decided to usher in Wednesday with gusto, so found this great beach bar and partied with the locals and tourists alike until about 4 AM. We then found ourselves eating hot noodle soup with a local Canadian expat who lives here at the only street vendor still open. Fun!

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