Angkor Wat

Early bird gets the view - or at least that's what we had hoped for. We got up at 5AM to catch sunrise at Angkor Wat... along with everyone else! These first few shots were taken with the temple's reflection in the moat, right at the entrance. Beautiful, stunning, etc.







Once we entered the temple, we saw the hoards of people!


Once the sun (and the heat!) were out, it seemed to thin out. We were able to explore the temple and enjoy its splendor. Notice the moon still out in this first shot? It was early!







Yes, those tiny people are us in front of the temple. :)

The Heat is on in Saigon

Couldn't help but hum that little ditty from the musical, "Miss Saigon," while in Ho Chi Minh City...

After weeks of searching for the perfect Vietnamese sandwich, we found it, where else, but in Saigon. The only sandwich on the whole trip that beat out Saigon Sandwich (Larkin and Eddy in SF).

Also found what will likely be the best burrito on the whole trip. :)


Beyond the food, Saigon highlights included an adorable puppy, tons of motorbikes and some cool architecture.

Marble Mountain

We flew from Da Nang to Ho Chi Minh City and made a quick stop-off at Marble Mountain on our way to the airport. A collection of marble and limestone hills, the area has lots of temples, caves and viewpoints.







In the distance, the Cham Islands (where we went SCUBA diving) are visible from Marble Mountain. The two islands look a lot like Catalina Island with its isthmus, huh?

Les Fashionistas

Custom clothing - one of the many rites of passage while traveling in Vietnam. In Hoi An, every block is full of tailors, clamoring for your business. From formal ball-gowns, tuxedos and suits, to basics like skirts, shirts and bathing suits, it is all available and all made to order!

Between the four of us, we bought 2 suits, 1 jacket, 2 skirts, 4 dresses, 5 bathing suits, and 11 shirts! As you can guess, this meant a lot of time in the shop! We quickly became friends with the owner, Kim.

Upon finding out that we were American, Kim asked us if we had any $2-dollar-bills. We had heard that many Vietnamese consider them lucky, so we stocked up on them before our trip. She was pretty excited to get one!!



As you can see from the pictures below, the boys were getting a little impatient by the end. Hot muggy weather is less than ideal for trying on outfits, but everyone was happy with their purchases at the end.

Art for the Homeless

Even though we don't have a wall (or even a home?) to imagine where it will hang, we bought an awesome painting in Hoi An. One of our favorite pieces of our "art collection" (ha!) is a painting we bought in Valparaiso, Chile in 2008. This new Vietnamese purchase has a very similar feel with a corresponding street perspective and long shadows. We hope they will go together well in a new home somewhere, someday...

The omnipresent problem, scrounging up enough money.



Excitement at the gallery.

Where is a picture of the painting, you ask? You'll have to wait and see! You can see it once we find a place to hang it!

Jellyfish and Momeraths

Ok, so they aren't really the momeraths of Wonderland, but they are pretty cool. Some sort of anemone that is super fast at closing up.



And an amazingly beautiful jellyfish with a small school of fish living within its tentacles.

SCUBA Diving the Cham Islands

We were looking forward to doing some SCUBA diving on our trip... but we didn't think we'd get to it this early! This map shows the island chain off the coast of Hoi An. We dove the small islands to the West of the main island.

We received an underwater housing for our digital camera as a wedding gift last summer - what a fun toy! Here are a few of our favorite shots from the day.

After two dives, all you really want is a beer and some shade. Luke took whatever shade he could find!!


The dive company, Cham Island Diving, had a really great dive boat, awesome staff and high quality gear. Fingers crossed that we are so lucky with our other upcoming dive experiences!


The dive company had a bar, aptly named The Dive Bar (clever). Buckets of rum and coke, yum.

Taste Test - Vietnam #2

In the test between Vietnamese City Name beer vs. Feline beer (a la Hanoi Beer vs. Tiger Beer), the cat strikes again! Biere Larue was much preferred!

Dancing Vietnamese Toddler

Ok, so I know we said that Indian kids were the cutest... and we are sticking to that! BUT, Vietnamese kids might just be the best dancers. Check out this toddler rocking out in Hoi An. Such hip movement, whoa! Things get really good about 18 seconds in!

Also funny - check out little girl running with beer in her hand just as the video ends.

** Watch at your own risk - this dance remix tune is more than catchy!***

Halong Bay to Hoi An

We somehow decided that a bus from Halong Bay to Hoi An would be a good idea. 24 hours later, we were all a little cramped and cranky. "Sleeper" bus really only applies if you are Asian and under 5'6". Here is a shot of the tight sleeping quarters. Luke's face says it all.



We arrived in Hoi An to find that they don't really do taxis. So we each hopped on our own chauffeured moto-bike (with our baggage!) to hop a ride to our hotel.


Hoi An is a classic Vietnamese city, with block after block of views just like this:


The river going through town is quite pretty at night. We happened to be in town for the Full Moon Festival which made the waterfront quite beautiful.

Rainy Bay

The weather on our boat trip in Halong Bay saw some quick changes. One second we were sunning on the deck, enjoying the day and before we knew it, we entered a storm.

Karsts

Kind of a hard word to say, but very beautiful nonetheless. The karsts in Halong Bay were amazing! The pictures just don't do them justice. It is one thing to look at one, but it is quite another when they are everywhere, 360° all around you!

Cuban Rum

This is the stuff The Midnight Choir is singing about! One great thing about being abroad is being able to buy Cuban things. Like rum. This bottle was particularly good. Makes Havana Club taste like Bacardi. We'll definitely be buying it again if we can find it!

Ron Caney, thank you for a lovely evening on Halong Bay! Check out the tribal dancers on the label - you know this is the good stuff!