Bai Krabi Tiger Temple

24 hours was just enough time to experience the most memorable activities, sites, and experiences today. It started with a quick one hour bus ride to a natural hot spring waterfall. The slippery rocks and pools created by the pouring water were rejuvenating. There was also a natural swing you could climb on making a great photo-opportunity. Khem is learning how to use her new SLR so she took some great shots of our group playing in the water.

After enjoying myself and feeling revived and naturally refreshed I stepped in a some mud on my way to take off my bathing suit and clumsily hit my head on a concrete overhang. My first thought was, “If I get a concussion I won’t be able to climb the tiger temple!” Luckily sitting down, sipping on water, and taking Advil helped me somewhat recover.

From the hot springs we drove another 40 minutes or so to have lunch in a restaurant at a mall. We were in Krabi now, the town I was originally going to volunteer in. What I saw, which wasn’t very much, made me pleased I had decided to volunteer further south in a more remote city not affected as much by tourism. I had a bit of a culture shock being in a consumer-centric place again. The malls here are the same as back home. Lunch was however different and delicious: Tom Ka Gai and Pad Thai. They also had perhaps 100 different kinds of coffee so I ordered an oreo frappocino concoction as a sweet after-lunch treat.

From there Rupal, Jack, Khem, Mama T, and I wondered the mall hitting up a small arcade that featured a karaoke game. 99% of the games only had thai songs, but I found a song and rocked out for a bit with Jack as my dancer. I have a hilarious video of him dancing like no one is watching.

The next activity involved a 1,123 step climb up one of the many limestone cliffs found in Krabi. This was a site worth the sweat. But, before taking our first step up to the Tiger Temple we had to bypass many free-running monkeys who sat in small groups planning their next snatch from passing tourists. They’re sneaky creatures and will even take your sunglasses from your head if they feel the urge. I guess they assume you don’t want them yourself and would rather rock them out themselves. While there were many tourists around, I could tell they lived there naturally and that they enjoyed monkeying around with visitors. The babies who couldn’t have been more than a week old were adorable as well.

It was not the best decision to have eaten such a large lunch of mainly carbs and coconut milk before this sort of trek. Nor was it helpful having recently bumped my head as hard as I did, but with a few much-needed breaks, I made it to the top of 1,123 steep stairs. Sweating and panting as much as I did was worth it for the view your presented with. It was easier sharing the suffering of the climb with other travelers; I met a few rather stinky French tourists, an Irish dad with his son, and a handful of young monks.

Surrounding Krabi are numerous steep mountains that jut out and rise into the clouds similar to the ones I saw in Halong Bay, Vietnam. I felt a little like a bird sitting atop the temple looking out onto them all and I wondered how on earth monks created the several hundred foot high golden buddha that looks out over the land. We rested on top of the world for perhaps 30 minutes before making our way back down the 1,123 stairs. The wind in my hair and the monks that walked around us made it feel like a dream. It was all peaceful.

Time to bake a cake

Today was Rupal’s last day at Wat Nikomprateep which was really sad. Last night David, her, and I stayed up late making our teachers a chocolate, orange cake. I had originally wanted to make the same lemon layer cake I made for Betty’s birthday a few months ago, but the grocery store only had limes and I couldn’t find baking powder. So we decided to doctor up a boxed chocolate cake with homemade, orange flavored frosting and homemade orange curd. We had a lot of fun messing around in the kitchen. We were a little concerned our small oven and lack of western cooking supplies would prohibit our cake making abilities, but the final product turned out perfectly tasty and beautifully decorated.

It was really hard watching Rupal say goodbye to all the kids and teachers. I realized I would have to do that in a matter of time and got emotional as well. I’m really getting attached to everyone here and absolutely love Thailand. Coming back to teach again has already crossed my mind. Life is so good here.

Getting to Know You

Today’s cultural activities were very relaxing and memorable. We went to a local, natural hot springs and got foot massages. After taking a quick walk around the grounds where Jack pointed out some tree leaves you can eat, we all swam for 15 minutes in two of the hot springs, and then moved onto a long foot massage each. Jack got one with us all too.

I need to remember Jack. He is one-of-a-kind. All of the staff members are truly wonderful; each of them with their own strong, individual personality, but I want to take the time now to document Jack. It’s hard to put into words how much I like him really. His smile and energy is absolutely infectious. I find myself always happy when around him, no matter what the circumstance.

He is 26 and about 5 foot 6 with dark skin that looks almost Indian. His hair is styled slightly differently from day to day. His facial expressions are hilarious. He is both warm and silly. He once played around with my Chinese fan like a ladyboy and let me archive it by taking his picture. His cellphone’s ring tone is Sean Kingston’s, “Fire Burning,” but the only words he knows from the song are “Somebody call 911...” He is a GREAT dancer and loves to sing. He likes to learn new words in English and use them whenever he can. For example, I taught him ‘unanimous’ and he made sure to figure out a way to put that the word to use within the next day or so. When it rains he drives his moped wearing a silver moon suit. He is wealth of knowledge. He dies his hair black and helps Cha, our driver, with his hair dying needs as well. He shares everything without any expectations for something in return. He is the type of person that would be there for you in times of need and someone you’d want to be friends with for life. I feel lucky to know him.

It was wonderful hanging out getting massages together as a group and getting to just talk. After we finished we made our way back to the van in a downpour of rain and returned home in time to leave for a special dinner out with our school’s teachers. They wanted to take Rupal out since this week is her last one at the school. All the staff were there: the director, my kindergarten teacher Jin Tana, the male 3rd grade teacher, the 4th grade teacher, 5th/6th grade teacher, and more who help on an interim basis. It was a very full table.

Our teachers love to feed us. I brought Mama T made lunch to school the first few days, but now I eat with the teachers who all share with us. Rupal, David, and I have had delicious curry, duck, soups, noodles, salty fish, thai omelettes, aromatic salads, strange cookies with eggs, dragonfruit, pomello, and much more. I’ve loved it all except for the salty fish... it’s REALLY salty. Our dinner tonight was also delicious. We went to a restaurant enclosed by a beautiful garden and dined for a few hours. We took a lot of pictures and were kindly given special batik shirts in our favorite colors. In taking many pictures one of the teachers accidentally said “one, two, saam” instead of “one, two, three” which made for a boat load of laughs for the rest of the evening. I’m sure we’ll use that line again throughout my time here. I can’t believe how kind and generous the Thai people are.

Festival!

Another memorable day at Wat Nikomprateep. I had planned an exciting lesson but we ended up participating in a ceremony for a festival parade that was going on throughout the afternoon. All the classes went across the ground to the temple where many men were working vigorously to move a massive float out of storage for the 5 kilometer walk to the stadium. The festival celebrates the end of the rainy season when the monks come out from the temples for religious meetings and local visits.

Our float was absolutely breathtaking: the size of a large boat and painted bright gold with red and green accents. The front of it had 5 immense dragon heads and decorated around the sides were jasmine garlands and sticky rice that we had offered as gifts to the Gods.

It took hundreds of people to move the float out from under the blue canopy protecting it from the rain. The best part about this event was that everyone pitched in to help turn it out of storage onto the main street ready to be walked to the stadium. There was a long rope, perhaps a a few hundred feet, that we all took a piece of to pull the dragons out. Someone led the group together as we all tugged together as a team. This was the perfect representation of collaboration. After the float was positioned correctly on the street a very sacred monk came out to bless us all with holy water and pray to the Gods. He took a special wand, dipped it in the holy water, and shook it over the crowd as we ‘wai’ed him. This was a very special moment for me as I felt like I particularly needed something positive and religious watching over me today. It was sacred being a part of it all and not feeling like I was out of place. We were teachers at our school, just like the other teachers. We were neighbors, just like everyone else.

After the monk made his way to the top of the float everyone grabbed a piece of the rope and pulled him into town. Rupal and David went the whole way, but I stayed behind with my class as they are too young to walk the whole way. I loved playing with all the kids as part of the event as well. We took tons of pictures and had fun playing around being their friends.

Tonight we went to the stadium to see all the floats from other temples, schools, and businesses in town. Each float was guarded by a monk that you could request a blessing from. I went up to one young monk, donated a few baht, and then received a special blessing and bracelet. They tie the bracelet around your wrist very carefully as monks aren’t supposed to touch women. I also saw our school’s float and our monk from earlier in the afternoon. He was particularly busy passing out blessings as he’s more sacred than other monks. We also tried some great food; others experienced the insects I had tried in Bangkok while I tasted corn waffles, candies, and sticky rice from bamboo, similar to the business I saw in Battambang. What a great day.

Massage with a Purpose

Today was a relaxed day. Rupal and Laurel were interested in getting a second massage from a school for the blind they had visited before we arrived. I would never pass up a Thai massage and especially one with a bigger purpose. I have so much appreciation for the people we met. They must struggle not being able to see, but it was obvious they had the strength and devotion to move past the hardship and see the positive. The school is run by a blind man whose warmth you could tell was purely genuine. I was told that he started it to help others in his situation build a career in massage therapy and prove that being blind shouldn’t be an obstacle to achieving your dreams.

The massage itself was very relaxing. It was the best thai massage I’ve had thus far. Not only was my masseuse talented, he was kind and patient. We definitely had a language barrier as he only speaks Thai and I only know English. Several times he had to tell me to move in another position and without him being able to see and point me in the direction he wanted, we had to work together to understand each other. I also enjoyed the fact that I was outside and could just let nature surround me. It was particularly wonderful when it started to pour with rain and I could listen to the water crash down on the metal roof above me. I tried to keep my eyes closed the majority of the time to somewhat grasp what it would feel like to be blind.

A chill day in Trang

Because there was a tsunami warning on Ko Phi Phi we decided it would be best to stay in Trang this weekend. Khem and Jack graciously took us all out for Dim Sum which was absolutely divine. I once went for Dim Sum with Robert, my former roommate, and wasn’t really a fan, but oh my buddah. This was incredible. We had tons of food and delicious coffee/tea. Trang is known for it’s coffee so everywhere I’ve had a chance to have some, I’ve taken it.

After Dim Sum we ventured off to watch a local dance show. Cha and Jack took us. The performance had a mix of traditional movements infused with modern humor. There was one particular actor who played a woman and dressed up in ridiculous clothing and accessories. She had a penis drawn on her face, adorned purple and bright blue eye-shadow, and spoke with a high-pitched, annoying tone. One other particularly amusing aspect to the event was that we were the only ‘farangs’ there. Immediately after sitting down, the performers started to kindly poke fun at me for being so white. I could tell something was up before Jack turned to me for confirmation. While we didn’t understand a word spoke during the whole performance, we could easily understand what was going on.

At one point during the show a woman with a small baby came up behind me and handed me her child. It was a slightly strange circumstance, but nonetheless wonderful. He was probably less than a year old, but could stand on my knees and play. He wasn’t wearing any bottoms and had the cutest shaved head. We bounced around for perhaps 15 minutes before his mom came back to take him again. Closely thereafter we had some side entertainment of a group of older children playing in bubbles being blown by a friend. I got some great photographs of them laughing and having a ball.

The group of us decided to have a chill evening at home post dance show. We picked out a movie to watch and curled up on our rather cold, hard living room floor with lots of pillows and popcorn. The flick of choice was Blood Diamond which I had never seen before. It was a magnificent film start to finish.

More on Teaching

It was a short week teaching as we started on Tuesday and ended in the afternoon on Thursday. I didn’t know until we arrived that we don’t teach on Fridays so we have a three day weekend each week... how spoiled! But oh, how so much can happen in just three days. The days were filled with the Itsy Bitsy Spider, Mary had a Little Lamb, Red Light Green Light, the alphabet, numbers, and so much more. I already feel so close with my students and teachers. They are wonderful people, all with different personalities and energy. My kids each learn in different ways but are all eager to take it in. Some of them have to work a little harder than others to fully understand the topic, but I can see each of them progressing with just the three or four hours that I’m with them. They crave attention, encouragement, and confirmation. They are very precise. They love to laugh and play. They are absolutely adorable.

There’s Pim who is the oldest at 6 years old. She is so bright and smiles all day long. She helps keep the younger children in line and completes her work very quickly. After a few days she has learned how to communicate with me better by acting things out, pointing, and using facial expressions. She knows I don’t speak Thai where the other kids I think are confused at times when I don’t know how to answer their questions.

Pleah is 4 years old and needs the most physical affection out of all the children. She hangs all over me and loves to be picked up and hugged. The other day she started crying because she and someone else bumped heads and she just ran into my legs and after about 2 minutes of me rocking her she fell asleep on my shoulder. It was precious.

Gun, a 3 year hold must be half Thai half Chinese. He is so tiny! I’m also thinking he may be learning some English at home because he has a superb accent. When we play “my name is” with a ball he responds right away with, “My name is Gun.” I just can’t help but smile when I’m teaching.

Learning Names and Batik

Another great day teaching. It was particulary wonderful walking up the hall to have a few students run out the classroom and give me a huge hug. After only being with them one day they are already very affectionate. I am so happy being with them and the teachers it doesn’t even feel like work. Makes me think I may need to look into the option of teaching as a profession. I’ve always believed that when working doesn’t seem like work it’s no longer really a “JOB,” it’s just your life. Lessons today included review of the alphabet, numbers, My name is, and learning the Itsy Bitsy Spider. I also made each student (Nak rien) a nametag to help me remember who is who.

For our cultural activity we made batik- a lengthy art process involving drawing an image on a canvas spread, tracing the image with hot wax using needle-like tools (spilling any wax ruins the piece entirely), and then painting in the image with watercolor. Being that I’ve always struggled with making things perfect, it took even longer for me to complete mine. But, the end result makes me smile: an image of the happy, fat, budda holding the word “Happy” in Thai characters. Others painted images of Trang, scenery, words, hands, flowers, and patterns.

First Day Teaching

I just returned from my first day volunteering and it was fantastic! I have a class of 12 children- 3 of them are 3 years old, one is 5 years old, and the remainder are 4 years old. They are so enthusiastic, smart, and absolutely adorable.

I really had no idea what to expect today, but that made for an easier time getting acquainted with my job, expectations, and role. Luckily I have a Thai teacher named Jin Tahna to help translate and keep the kids in order. I started the morning off doing a name game with everyone. We all got in a circle and went around saying “Dee chun chur” which means “my name is.” We then practiced in English. We then used a ball to roll around the circle to go from person to person sharing your name. I am going to do my best to learn everyone’s name, but I have a hard time just like they do! They are learning Thai and are also expected to learn English. We’re all learning together.

After the name game we all sang the alphabet as a group as I pointed out the letters on a wall. We sang it really LOUD and then really soft. The kids finally started to jump out of their shells. They all then got a bubble letter to color (a worksheet I made the night before) and I sat down with them to do the activity. I got “M” and drew lots of little dots in different colors. The little girl next to me loved what I was doing so much she copied me on “N.” It was so much fun!

After a lot of alphabet teaching we played duck duck goose and all the kids kept “goosing” me so I took myself out of the game to let them play. After just two and a half hours of playing and teaching it was time for lunch.

All the kids went for lunch at their own table, all the teachers, two other volunteers, Rupal and David, and I sat down to eat. This was great because the teachers don’t speak much English so we continue to learn from each other. I had some fruit called lang sad which was similar to lychee and delicious. I also tried a black bean cake that had egg yolk in it- very good. Rupal and David already have a relationship with them which is fun to see (all the women teachers love David because he’ll eat anything). They’ve both been in Trang for a month already volunteering. I’m looking forward to getting to know them and work with them more. Just from the few days I’ve been here I can tell they are both wonderful people.

Welcome to Trang

Today marked the beginning of my reason for visiting SE Asia. I got up very early to catch a flight from Bangkok to Trang, Thailand for 8 weeks volunteering as a kindergarten teacher with Cross Cultural Solutions. I was so excited to pack, get out of the big city, and meet my new CCS Family. I got up around 4:00am to get a taxi at 4:30 for a flight at 7:00. I didn’t want to miss my flight so I left for the airport a little earlier than needed and was at the gate by 5:30. Of course with that little sleep I was exhausted and took the opportunity to lie down on a row of chairs for a nap before boarding. I made sure to sit close enough to the runway so I would hear the boarding announcement, but that apparently didn’t help. I woke up be a sheer stroke of luck at 7:00am sharp and saw no one around me or in line. After quickly grabbing my stuff I ran the few feet to the entrance and heard them call out my name as last boarding call. That was a close one!

After a quick hour’s flight I landed, got my bag, and met Jack, our program assistant who was standing holding a CCS sign outside baggage claim. I also met two other volunteers, Kailee Brownbridge, an 18 year old from Canada and Annie Sewell, a 19 year old from Los Angeles, both who are taking a break from school.

Upon arriving at our new home we were given a tour (coffee, plates, refrigerator, bathroom, etc) from Jack and had a few orientation activities including a scavenger hunt in Trang. We finished the day with a scrumptious curry dinner from Mama Thailand, “Mama T,” and by watching a few scenes of a bootlegged version of Inglorious Bastards with three other volunteers, Rupal, David, and Laurel, all whom have been here for a month already. With the German and French subtitles in the movie and the attempt to translate them into English by someone who only knows Thai, we didn’t watch much of the movie. I crawled into my new bed (I share a room for 6 with Kailee and Annie- it’s like camp all over again with our three bunkbeds) and settled in for my impending teaching adventure.

First Set of Cultural Activities

My first day in Trang- done! We had a great day of orientation for our volunteer placement and overall stay in southern Thailand and then visited a local Chinese temple called Meunram. Jack did a great job explaining how to light the incense we were given and pray to the gods. You first light four candles, leaving them in different places in the room. Afterwards you place three incense sticks in about 10 bowls of sand. At each bowl we made a wish, some wishes themed for different things in life such as health, wealth, and happiness. I remember what I wished for and still hope they come true.

After our wishes and prayers we were given a large metal cup full of numbered turquoise sticks similar to chopsticks and shown how to shake the container until one of the sticks falls out. The number that falls out represents the number you need to receive a unique premonition. We walked to the wall of numbered boxes and were each given our fortune written in Chinese and Thai on a piece of paper (Trang has a very strong Chinese influence). Jack read each out loud once we’d returned to the bus, mine said something to the affect of, “your time is not quite right now...you are ready for love and your soulmate is very close by- just an arms-length branch away. You’ll be with your soulmate in a very short time, but not quite yet.” Interesting....

Post premonition we drove about 45 minutes through Hat Chao Mai national park and took a boat to plant mangrove trees in a nearby river forest. The Queen of Thailand has called for this project as a way to protect the surrounding area from tsunamis and other natural disasters. Trang was not affected by the 2004 Tsunami partly because it was far enough away from the epicenter and partly because of the natural protection provided by trees.

After planting the mangrove trees we went down a side river and stopped just short of a rocky inlet to see 2 limestone caves. These caves were dramatically different than those I saw in Halong Bay. While they weren’t as large, they were more untouched and not as frequented as Halong Bay. Our group was the sole visitor in this moisture infused, muddy, and slippery place. We crawled up natural water pools deep into the cave and saw hundreds of stalagmite formations and limestone walls. At the entrance to the second cave we also found 10 or so abandoned bee hives way up above our heads. I really felt with nature and was appreciative of the visit.

The last part of our activities today was the beach. Once again I got to treasure the natural beauty of southern Thailand without the interruption of tourism. The sand was white as can be and overtaken by tiny crabs. I was really curious about where the pattern in the sand came from, but once I laid down to read my book I saw the thousands of crabs all coming out of their holes to eat the salt and spit out the leftovers. Each were different size ranging from a few centimeters to a few inches, but all were doing the same thing, eating and spitting out little balls of sand. They would create paths of balls and I wished I’d had an SLR camera to capture their activity. If today was anything of a representation of the rest of the cultural activities provided by CCS I knew I would be in for an experience of my lifetime.

Bangkok

The past few days were spent scurrying around this massive city. The highlight was definitely getting to hang out with Liam after not seeing him for a few years from working at Soi 4 in Oakland, but I also had some fun with Mark roaming the streets before he caught a flight to Australia. Mark and I hit Khao San Rd to make fun of the backpacker hippies, had a delicious, but very spicy lunch at the Navy Club on the water, visited the legendary MBK mall and Sukhumvit, acted like tourists on the Sky Train, and even squeezed in a great game of pool at a local bar where we also saw some older western men canoodling with young Thai girls.

Liam was the perfect host. It was so great to see a familiar face after traveling for almost a month. I couldn’t believe how generous he was with his time. While he only lives about 20km outside downtown, it takes a while with traffic to make it in after work each night. We hung out Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday and had an absolute blast! The first night he took Mark and I to a really great restaurant he and his friends visit called Somtum and then showed us an immense night market full of everything anyone would ever want to buy.

Our second night he and I went to a mouthwatering crepe place where we had tzatziki in a relaxing setting and then tested some very strange dessert where I was the only white person. The name I think is Mai Sai Nom which means fresh milk. It’s as popular as Pinkberry back home but serves texas-style toast with heaps of butter and a topping of your choice. We split three: orange marmalade, chocolate, and sugar. We also got fresh, unpasteurized milk and a thai tea. It was a very foreign event for me and I forced myself to not think about how many calories we consumed. But, I loved trying it and talking to Liam more.

The last course after greek tzatziki, french crepes, and thai toast must of course be fried bugs at the local market. I decided to add a few more items to my weird menu of foods consumed in Asia by trying grasshopper and larvae. It’s hard to even admit that I ate larva, but Liam said it tasted like a french fry (why does everyone say that insects taste like fries? They do not!) so I thought, “what the heck.” Post insect we toured the market, bought a few presents for friends, walked through the beautiful and fantastic-smelling flower market, and then drove home.

When Liam came into the city for the third night it was unfortunately a Friday night and raining extravagantly. It therefore took him two and a half hours to reach me, which I felt horrible for. We kept it low-key since I was tired and had to wake up early by enjoying an hour foot massage near my hotel with berry smoothies. I’m so lucky to have a great friend like Liam....

Patpong Ping Pong

I don’t need to write too much about what happened today as we simply drove from Battambang to Bangkok, about a 5 hour commute. However, we did have an excellent Thai dinner to say goodbye upon arrival. Many of us are staying in Bangkok for another few days before heading off to another country or back home, but tonight was our last night together as a whole. We decided the best way to wish farewell together would be to entertain ourselves with the scandalous yet well-known ping-pong show at Patpong. I’m not going into details about what we witnessed for our high-priced $15 ticket as the images stuck in my mind are enough of a memory, but I’m glad I went for the experience and story telling purposes.

Boats, Bikes, and Bamboo in Battambang

Some fellow travelers had some heated discussions today about taking a small boat to Battambang instead of a previously planned bus. I am very thankful that those who spoke up insisted on getting the boat as it provided what I would imagine to be a much more adventuresome experience.

I loved just sitting wearing my headphones and watching the world on water go by. The wind felt refreshing against my skin and hitting the various water villages provided much entertainment. We watched fishermen farm, families gather on porches, and kids playing in the water. After probably an hour or so of continual driving we stopped at a ‘gas station’ consisting of a floating shack that sold snacks and various sized bottles of gas. We rested for around 30 minutes and watched other boats come in to refill. I’ll never forget watching the tiniest boy paddle his way alone from one side of the water to our dock. He was no bigger than the tire sitting close to us and had to maneuver this large wooden boat all by himself. His clothes were tattered and he didn’t smile at all, but he was all adorable. It was a little heart-wrenching to realize he was already working and probably hasn’t had the full five-year old experiences I took for granted at that age.

From our break we continued along the Mekong to Battambang. When we started to get closer to the main city we came across lots of families living on the side of the river and perhaps every three minutes or so we would see 5-10 naked kids jumping from trees into the water screaming “HELLO!!!” and waving furiously. It was something you can’t recreate and something totally unexpected. I was so happy watching them all scream and wave at us. It was particularly funny when I was waving at one group of kids and a little boy started grabbing himself and playing around putting it all on show. Poleak and I cracked up laughing.

When we got to Battambang and dropped off all our stuff we were able to relax for a short 10 minutes or so before hopping on the back of a motorbike to take a tour of town. I have decided that a motorbike is the best way to see a new city as long as you can trust the group you go with. On this particular adventure we started off by visiting rice paper business where we learned how the fabulous spring roll paper is made. The family who runs this business makes 2,000 a day for about $20 income. It’s hard, monotonous, physically tiring work too.

Other stops on the tour included a snake farm (where of course I got to eat some), rice business, sticky rice business, and fish paste business. We rounded it all out by taking a long ride on the bamboo train. I’m not quite sure what number I’m at regarding types of transportation taken on this trip so far, but the bamboo train will be another to add to the list. This ‘train’ is really just a bamboo plank put on two metal rolling rods similar to a long dumbbell. The spoken rule to avoid collisions since trains go both ways on the single track says that whichever side has more trains (we had two for our group) has to get up and take apart their train for the others to pass. You also have to give way to a train carrying a good that is particularly difficult to unload and reload. It’s great the locals still use this for transferring food, tools and gadgets, etc. And if the day couldn’t have gotten any better, the bamboo train ride was timed perfectly for a beautiful sunset.

Three Hours Sleep is Enough for Angkor

What a long, but memorable day. While I was hoping to get a good night’s rest for my 4am sunrise viewing wake-up call, I had some trouble with my new roommate (I had my own room in Vietnam) and a soft battle over the air conditioning. She gets cold and I get hot so I only had a few hours on and off of rest, but when I woke up, saw it was still dark, I was thrilled to get to Angkor Wat.

It was pitch black when we arrived which made it a little difficult maneuvering through the stone steps and ledges, but the adventure was nonetheless enjoyable. Poleak lead us by way of the grand entrance onto the other side of the main gate and to a spot against the wall to watch the sun wake up. At one point before the show began a Taiwanese television crew came through blaring a blinding light. Even though they were perhaps 100 feet away you could see the never-ending swarm of mosquitos following the lighting guy. I reapplied my repellant again in fear of getting eaten alive like I did in the Caribbean.

Watching the sunrise was nothing but momentous. To not see an inch in front of you, let alone the biggest religious structure on the planet, and then watch the sun come up casting light every which way was one of the best moments of my life to date. Once dawn fully hit and the place filled up with tourists we walked away from the entrance to the mirror lakes at the front of the temple. The sun highlighted pink, orange, and yellow throughout clouds spotted above us and I caught a picture of it in with a reflection from the pool.

We all brought our own breakfast mine being crackers and two oranges, which we enjoyed on the ledge of a library. It was a religious experience. From there we ventured back to Angkor Thom for an elephant ride to Bayon. Only a few of us paid the expensive price for this activity, but because I promised myself to soak up every opportunity and because I LOVE elephants, I took the ride. It was a short 20 minutes, but worth every penny spent plus I got to see Bayon a second time, my favorite temple so far.

Apres elephant we boarded our bus and took a 30 minute ride to another popular temple, Banteay Srey. Known for it’s detailed carvings and red stone, this temple was full of grandeur. Unfortunately the heat precluded us from spending a large amount of time walking around to take in all it’s beauty, but I was able to pull out a little energy to snap some photos.

From Banteay Srey we visited a smaller temple nearby called Pre Rup and then headed back to the main event, Angkor Wat. Since we didn’t take the time to walk through the whole structure earlier in the morning, Poleak wanted to take us back in the afternoon for the final temple visit. After much contemplation I decided to not join the group and head back to the hotel for a quick nap. One thing I’ve learned throughout this trip is to take in as much of the places you visit by yourself, not stay with the majority every minute. When I’ve ventured off by myself I’ve had the most memorable moments. These are the moments that have really made my trip. Yes, it is good to take a tour as the tour company organizes everything for you allowing limited worry about hotel check-ins, transportation, etc., but there must be the right balance. I knew this moment was one of the best moments for me to walk around on my own.

I took a tuk-tuk back to the hotel for a quick 2-hour nap and then returned to Angkor Wat by 3:00 in less heat and in perfect time for sunset. I brought my Lonely Planet book, my “tour guide” for information on the buildings, bass reliefs, towers, and carvings. I walked at my own pace and savored the chance I had to see what I wanted, when I wanted, without interruption. I watched other tourists from across the globe. I sat in prime spots just letting the time pass. I took pictures only when the moment was right. I walked around the exterior wall of the main building and carefully learned about the detailed and enormous bass relief carvings. I breathed it all in. And, as the sun started to fall, I met a monk named Sobhear.

Sobhear leaned up against the wall at the front of the building looking utterly pleasant. Before introducing myself I watched other people ask if they could take his picture, snap the camera once or twice, and then walk away. I on the other hand wanted to meet him. He had a bright, white smile and a personality to match. We talked for about 45 minutes about everything: religion, tourism, our hometowns, family, English, Cambodia, dreams, goals, teaching, and more. This was something that never would have happened if I was with my Intrepid group and I felt alive because of it.

After exchanging email addresses and promising to send him an English dictionary, we walked down the long exit wall to meet his friend. Along the way I also was introduced to two tourists from San Francisco, both whom left their jobs and are traveling indefinitely all around Southeast Asia. They were the first Americans I’d met since leaving California.

From Angkor Wat I was all smiles and contentment. It was a natural high. I rejoined my Intrepid group and took a tuk tuk to dinner at a family owned restaurant. Of course I chose curry, which was yet again, delicious. From there I wanted to finish some shopping at the local night market. Josh, Lisa, and I first enjoyed some foot massages performed by some bubbly women. They loved talking to us, especially since they had met Lisa and Josh an earlier night. They laughed when they told us their “boss,” who looked to be a 20 year old, was a ladyboy. It was hilarious laughing with them.

I bought some beautiful presents for family back home, wondered through all the vitality, and then bargained for a painting of Bayon. I got one that showcases the King in 6 different colors in a fashion similar to the work of Andy Warhol. While it isn’t a reflection of the real Bayon, it reminds me of all the colors of Cambodia... the past, the present, and the future. The good and the bad. The people. I can’t wait to hang it on my wall at home and remember today and all my other days here.

Temple Trekking Begins

I got to sleep in today which was reenergizing. We met in the lobby at 11:30 to start temple trekking. Our first stop was Ta Prohm, the jungle overtaken temple. There’s a special feeling you get when you’re in Angkor and walking to your first temple- it’s a combination of nerves, utter happiness, goosebumps, expectations, and contentment. I saw the wat from afar with a huge tree growing out of the center of it and I knew that on the other side were the roots, an image I’ve admired countless times online, in books, and movies. You immediately see apsaras on the pathways and doorways- I stopped to take a quick picture of me posing like one.

After walking through the entrance I turned left and saw it. Huge

tree roots probably 20 feet tall hold up two walls and then jut up into the blue sky. I heard myself sighing over and over as I kept turning corners to see another massive tree. I was walking around the 8th wonder of the world freely- able to see, smell, touch, and hear the temple. I’m sure all these places will be locked down for tourism in coming years, so I had a great appreciation for where I was and what it took for me to experience it all.

From Ta Prohm we ventured to a not-as-well-recognized temple named Te Keo. Poleak asked the group who would like to climb it and I immediately raised my hand in enthusiasm as if I were 7 years old. I was the only one! I heard someone say, “well, we’re going to climb another one later today right?” I was a little shocked, but to each their own I guess. It took me hard work, saving money, lots of research, and a heap load of guts to get to this wondrous place and I was going to climb the temple! Mark shared my opinion and happened to have his headphones in when Poleak asked if we’d like to make the ascent, but he wanted to as well. We went up to the top taking pictures along the way. The stairs were exceptionally steep, to the point where you have to get on your hands and knees to ensure you don’t fall. I’m so glad I did it.

From Te Keo we went to Bayon, a temple full of the king’s face. It will probably be my favorite of them all; for some reason I was so comfortable here. I think I felt safe with all the faces looking out over the land, protecting those inside. It was an eery feeling, but lovely. I also appreciated taking photos of all the faces, especially since we got there at a great time of day (roughly 4pm when the sun wasn’t as intense and cast beautiful shadows over the stone). I’ve really fallen for photography on this trip and want to learn more about it when I get back to the U.S.

The day ended with the group of us walking up Phnom Bakheng to see Angkor Wat from a distance and watch the sunset. There were maybe 1500 people on top of the temple all trying to find a good spot to watch. It was a magical event, although too touristy for me. I did enjoy however thinking about how many different countries were represented a-top the hill.

Mark and I grabbed a quick dinner at a local restaurant that happened to be playing the football game he was sweating over. Unfortunately his team lost, but the food was great. After that it was off to bed for an early rise to visit the infamous Angkor Wat.

Tarantula Tasting

Today was another long bus ride to Siem Reap, but luckily we had our own bus to travel in. The “highlight” of today I guess would be that I ate a tarantula. I told myself at the beginning of this 4 month adventure that I want to take everything in and try new things, experiences, etc. so I guess this had to fall in that category.

We made a pit stop at a local market/rest area and were bombarded by young children trying to sell us pineapple and/or bananas. They were clinging to each of us absurdly and followed us to the bathrooms, through the market, and back onto the bus. One of the played with a live tarantula as a hook for us to buy fruit. John took the bait and paid $1 in exchange for a picture of him holding the spider and a small bag of pineapple. Poleak bought two tarantulas for $2 and a bag full of crickets for $1. One very strange thing about Cambodia is that they use US currency for all purchases. I’m not sure if that is really legal according to America’s regulations and it was definitely odd for me paying for everything that way.

So...on the bus we were all given the tarantula to try. It took me a few attempts to even grab the hairy creature as my hand was trembling. I eventually just closed my eyes and put a leg in my mouth and started chewing. It didn’t really taste like much, more like deep fried deep fry...haha. Although I wish I had enough guts to eat the entire body and all the legs, it was just too much to swallow. Poleak loves eating tarantulas so he took what we didn’t want and just bit right into the middle of it. I got a

great picture of that.

After the tarantula came the cricket. I was surprised only 3 of us took advantage of that opportunity. There are two young English girls on this leg of the trip who are too proper for eating insects and such. The rest I guess just didn’t have the stomach for it. I placed the cricket on my tongue for a quick picture and then just started chewing as fast as I possibly could to get it down. It had a very bad aftertaste, but I’m glad I tried it. I definitely won’t need to eat them again yet I enjoyed watching Poleak and the bus driver chow down from the huge bag up front. Guess I wouldn’t be a good contestant on the Fear Factor or anything.

Dinner was way more appetizing. We went to a great restaurant on the main drag in Siem Reap. You have to remind yourself you are in Cambodia in this city- everyone is a tourist visiting Angkor. Dinner also came with a wonderful traditional Khmer dance show. After enjoying curry yet again we walked around a night market. This was my kind of market: full of colorful products that were high quality and not crowded. I got excited to go back another night to make some purchases :)

Phnom Penh

Yesterday we spent 8 hours driving on a public bus from Ho Chi Minh City to Phnom Penh. It was exhausting to say the least, however a good trip overall. You could tell a difference between the two countries right after crossing the border. The cows were all very skeletal looking and children were walking around without parents or clothing. Some would smile as you drove by and some would just stare at you blankly.

Today we went to both the Tuol Sleng Genocide museum and one of the 443 killing fields found in Kampuchea (what most people call the country). The genocide museum was what I was expecting... lots of pictures of those imprisoned during the civil war. Tuol Seng was a school-turned-into-prison where 17,000 people were kept, interrogated, and brutally tortured. It was difficult to walk through, especially since our tour guide (someone Poleak assigned us to) kept using definitive hand gestures to describe torture, disease, death, etc. So many times he would say, “17,000 people,” then pause and do a head chopping-off movement with one hand across his neck, and finish saying...“dead.” He probably did it about 10 times in 45 minutes.

Need less to say I was a little relieved when three of us got lost from the group. We were looking at all the pictures and as our tour guide rushed through the museum, we went one way on accident when the group went another. There were three floors in one building and the tour guide only took the group to two.

The second floor held prisoner cells made of wood, as opposed to the bottom floor where the cells were made of brick. Each space was immensely small, probably 4 feet by 8 feet. While on the second floor I ventured off by myself for a minute and heard a tiny squeaking which I assumed was a mouse coming from the floor. I don’t know why, but I kept walking looking down at the floor thinking I would see the creature scurry by. But, as I approached a low leveled doorway (I’m tall here!), a large BAT came screaming out from a hole about one foot away from me and flew right in my face. I started crying out frantically and ran back to two of my friends. One of them said later that he thought I saw a dead body...yeah right!

Later in the day we went to the killing fields of Cheung Ek. This was a very strange and morbid hour. We were taken to some large grave sites first and then shown some bone still hiding under dirt right along our path. I first thought it was some sort of bark or something and I also somewhat dismissed the pieces of cloth you find buried. I noticed a very large bone a few steps later, probably an arm bone or something, and then came across three teeth. They are all just lying there and I wondered what was being done about it all. When I asked the tour guide he said someone goes around each day to pick up bones and clothing, but because an estimated 17,000 people were murdered here, it’s still hard to have it all entirely clean.

We also were explained the killing tree, of which children were executed and also the magic tree, where music would play from a branch to hide the screams and terrors of those who suffered. There were bones and clothing everywhere.

Nearby was a large pond that probably contained many other bones, but none have been excavated. I strolled around it and took a break from some of the others in my group to sit down in a gazebo type structure on my own. Relaxing nearby was a nice looking man who asked me where I was from. I told him California and we started to chat about my life and his. He told me he lived up the street and lost his whole family during the genocide. He was separated from them when we was 12. When I asked him if he had come to that killing field before he responded that he has been a few times and that he comes there when he is sad. When I saw tears running down his face I changed the subject and asked him about his children who were playing nearby. His daughters were beautiful as was his sister and nephew. I took a family picture and hoped to send it to them through email, but even the one girl who knew quite a bit of English and who went to school, didn’t have an email address. I will never forget meeting them.

From there I visited the tall temple looking building in the center of the field. I had seen pictures of this before but didn’t really realize what it was until I got up close for myself. There are probably 15-20 shelves towering above you and all contain hundreds of skulls.

The day ended a little less grim, however it’s hard to have a complete change of mood after being in mourning like that. I took a walk through a local market, bought some really comfortable pants, and then headed to the Royal Palace and the Silver Pagoda. On the way back from this visit I came across many homeless families. I know San Francisco has it’s homeless problems, but Cambodia is no comparison. To see a mother with three young children all sleeping on the ground is a common sight. However, tonight I saw what looked to be a less than one week old baby in the arms of his/her sister. It was incredibly tiny and was definitely a newborn. All you want to do is reach out and help, bring the baby to a hospital or a care center, do something, but there is apparently nothing you can do.

While today was concealed by unhappiness, our tour group attempted to smile and laugh at a great restaurant, Malis. It was rather posh, but the food was tasty and we got to ring in the birthday of Juliana.

And Now Cambodia

I think I’m going to need more tissues for Cambodia, but I’m doing my best to emotionally prepare for the visit. I can already tell there will be an amazing difference between my stay in both countries, even just by meeting my guide, Poleak.

After saying goodbye to Quan and those who weren’t going with us to Cambodia (6 of the 12), we had our meeting with Poleak. Similar to the one we had with Quan at the beginning of Vietnam, we reviewed the trip: how to dress (conservatively with shoulders and knees always covered), what to expect, and where we were going. What was different was the energy in the room. Poleak definitely had a smile and is a happy person, but it’s all shaded by sadness, disease, death, and destruction. From everything I’ve read about Cambodia in my Lonely Planet book that would be how the whole country is: happy, but internally sad.

Poleak and his family have lost a lot. He lost all his older siblings (of which I think were 5 or 6), his grandparents on both sides, and several aunts and uncles all to Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge during the genocide just over thirty years ago. He kept talking about how great Cambodia is, but that it’s still massively struggling of poverty, famine, and disease.

HCMC

Today we woke up with a glorious cyclo tour of the city. As we exited the side street of our hotel onto the main road I let out a little scream which Josh made fun of me for later. My driver put us in oncoming traffic! I had to just trust that he knew what he and other drivers were doing though...

Our first stop on the tour was the War Remnants museum. I was thinking it would be a hard building to wander through, however I didn’t expect it to be as emotionally difficult as it was. I needed to bring tissues, but luckily the souvenir stand sold some that were also menthol flavored that proved to be soothing.

To walk through the exhibits and witness the Vietnamese perspective was intensely draining. There are walls of black and white photos displaying the Vietnamese hardship and suffering: their soldiers, women, children, buildings, farms, and culture. I knew little about the war before visiting Vietnam and have learned a lot about both sides by being here. One particularly struggling part of the museum was a wall devoted to the chemical warfare performed by the U.S. Thousands of Vietnamese died or suffered from full-body burns, dismemberment, or life-altering birth defects. It was really hard being what seemed to be the only American and reading everything...while I wasn’t even born yet, I felt responsible. It was troubling to say the least and it’s hard to really describe in words.

As if I wasn’t having an unsettling enough time, I was in one of the rooms and a woman with an English accent walked by me and said, “your country should be ashamed of themselves.” Im not sure how she assumed I was American, but I lost it at that point and had to leave all together.

After collecting myself outside we continued our tour and did some site-seeing: Reunification Palace, Notre Dame Cathedral, Opera House, Ben Thanh Market, and the Majestic Hotel (which was used in the film, The Killing Fields that I watched before my trip began). The end of the tour marked the end of our Vietnam Intrepid trip. I had to say goodbye to Quan and 6 of our traveling comrades and hello to a new tour guide, Poleak and 3 new traveling girls for our adventure in Cambodia.

Dinner was at an up-and-coming chain Mon Hue- we all shared a spread of rolls and salads that were fresh and delicious! I got to try a jackfruit salad (a fruit that actually tastes like meat to me) that used peanuts and lime for additional flavor- it was a nice change to the deep and stir-fried dishes I’d had previously. The meal was second to the one we cooked in Hoi An with Han.

The Mighty Mekong

Today....it rained. And by rain, I really mean monsoon. We took a two hour bus ride to the Mekong Delta, just south of HCMC for a tour of the river, lunch, and local visits. The sun was shining for the start and it seemed like it would be a beautiful day, but shortly after embarking on our boat journey, visiting a s

weltering hot brick factory, and a rather smelly coconut business, th

e rain came. It only took a few minutes for it to grow to a heavy downpour so we were kindly given plastic yellow and red ponchos for slight protection.

Wearing our ponchos, we exited the tour boat and were ready to take a motorbike to taste some tropical fruit and enjoy some lunch when the rain seemed to get even worse. Quan took off his flip flops

for fear of slipping so I followed suit and walked with the group to the fruit tasting. The walks we had today are better described as jungle trekking- single file in the mud through bright green bushes and tall fern-full trees.

The fruit was quite delicious: pineapple, fresh coconut milk, and an orange type fruit with a white meat and milder taste called pomelo. The family who served it to us also had a mat making business. One mat about 7 feet by 4 feet would earn them 65,000 dong, or a little under $4.00 U.S. A little girl about 4 years old ran around playing in the rain and then posed for pictures with her grandmother.

From the fruit we used three motorbikes that had hatches attached to them for 4 to take us to lunch. Water came down in heavy drops like you’d imagine a jungle pour would be; we were all thoroughly drenched but really enjoyed the journey. Half way through the trip we had to stop because of a broken motorbike. We waited in the rain for about 10 minutes for the guides to see if the problem was fixable and I thought to myself, “wow, I’m in Vietnam, just sitting in a monsoon! This is awesome!!”

Those who would have been stranded climbed aboard the other two motorbikes and we all squished together wet as can be. We weaved along very narrow cement paths over bridges (which were a little nerve-wracking at times for fear we’d catch a wheel and fall), came upon another road block (this time one for us all), got out, and walked the rest of the way to our lunch spot.

First thing was first, dry off! We were given bright blue towels which felt divine and we all sat down to benefit from some hot soup, self-made spring rolls with whole elephant fish, noodles, rice, and fresh lychee. Of course the rain stopped as we were eating (which I predicted and noted to someone earlier) and I bet when we left it would start raining again. Monsoons are nuts, they come and go in any minute increment. Of course I was right and as we were walking to take a canoe back to the bus, we were greeted with another downpour. It was a wonderful experience. Floating down the narrow part of the Mekong with a conical hat on and hearing the rain fall into the river was nothing but wondrous. Looking back, I’m happy it rained... it made for an action-packed, albeit wet, adventure.

Dinner was at Quan An Ngon, a popular and tasty street style restaurant. This was the same restaurant Mark and I went to in Hanoi earlier in the trip after my camera was fixed. It was a nice place, I had my last bowl of pho for dinner and celebrated Kelly’s pending 40th birthday.

I am Happy!!

Sometimes I have to re-remind myself that I am actually in Asia. It’s kind of a weird f

eeling to have to realize, but I usually think about it once a day. I am so happy here and proud that I made the decision to come here. Vietnam is a unique country full of vivaciousness, hard work, and merriment. The north is completely different from the south. The people are genuine. The colors are vibrant. I am really not wanting to leave actually.

Today we took a one hour flight from Hoi An to Ho Chi Minh city, still called by the majorty, Saigon. Hoi An seems like a pebble compared to HCMC. Over 9 million people live in this massive landscape of tall skinny buildings, sky rise offices, and more traditional housing. It’s similar to Hanoi in that there are no traffic laws and thousands of motorbikes going every which way, but it feels much more contemporary.

After enjoying a western lunch of pizza and french fries (dad would kick me for that, but I needed a break from pho, stir fry, spring rolls, and papaya salad), we took a two hour drive to Cu Chi, a cit

y by the border of Cambodia. This is a very proud and respected place as its defining story is rooted in the American war.

Only recently were the Cu Chi tunnels found and made available to visitors. The three story system of tunnels were built for defensive purposes against the French and were used to combat the American army by the Viet Cong aiming to take control of Saigon. I expected the tunnels to be small, but holy moly, they were teeny-tiny. Very well hidden, Quon showed us the first one that was located under a tree. He moved away some leaves, lifted a cement lid and showed us how to get inside. You have to crouch into the hole by bending your arms and, to be completely inside, you must lift your arms up with the lid over your head. Small does not perfectly describe this muggy place. Inside you can see where the tunnel starts, but most people wouldn’t be able to crawl down there now (well, except the Vietnamese).

Part of this escapade also involved watching a movie about Cu Chi: the p

eople, the war, and the tunnels. I’ve never seen anything about the war produced by Vietnam so it was a little uncomfortable hearing how proud they were to be “American killers.” They even gave out awards for “American Killer Heros.” I found myself gasping a lot, but It opened my eyes a lot to another perspective. I can't wait to hear more stories from those I know who were in the war about their time here.

Getting to Know the Real Vietnam

Another memorable day in Hoi An. I slept in and then got really excited about a jam packed afternoon. It started with me walking to the old town for picture taking and site visiting. I left the hotel with no intention of buying any tailored clothing, but when everyone else in the group raved about the craftsmanship and creativity they had in their purchases I thought it wouldn’t hurt to just look around the shops.

Of course ‘looking around’ for me meant I bought something...well, two things. I stopped in a shop where Juliana purchased 7 dresses and 1 skirt for under $100. I wasn’t attached to anything when wandering the store, but because we were in the city meant for buying tailored clothes, I picked out a long dress with a shape I thought would be best suited for me. I tried it on and it looked quite nice so the shop owner pointed me in the direction of fabrics I could chose from. I picked out a brown, tropical pattern and before I knew it I had picked out another dress and another fabric and paid $35 for each.

From the tailor I walked to the old town again for photo-taking during the sunlight. Along the way you pass the river with many brightly-colored boats. I walked past a man offering a ride in his very small, wooden taxi-boat. He looked very poor, but had a rich smile. You could tell he had an energy about him that was unique and if I had had the time, I wouldn’t have thought twice about taking a ride across the river with him just to have the experience, but unfortunately I had to make it back to the hotel for a motorbike tour. I did however ask him if it would be ok for me to take his picture which he said yes brightly to. While he had no teeth, his smile was nothing but infectious. I’m sure this picture will be one of my favorites of the trip.

After my quick, solo walking tour I got a scooter back to our hotel to meet up for an official motorbike tour with 8 other intrepid travelers. We had a blast going through the countryside, to the beach, and back. We stopped at a rice field first and I met two farmers who you could tell work really hard. Neither were wearing shoes and one had an underdeveloped thumb. Their skin was a lot darker and more wrinkled and rough than those who work in the city, but similar to the boat guy, you could tell they had warm hearts. You can just see it in their eyes and/or smiles. I realized on this motorbike tour a big difference between cultures: there is a natural genuineness that people have here. It’s so refreshing and wonderful and I think I’m getting addicted to it.

From the rice field we went around the countryside looking at miles of bright green fields, fishing ponds with buffalo, and local families. We stopped at the beach to dip our feet and then took a break near a floating village where my driver pointed to the sea of tropical greenery and said, “30 years ago...all this....bomb bomb bomb”. His few words sent shivers down my spine- strange to see a beautiful landscape and realize just a few years back it was a war scene. Along the way to the hotel I gave several waving children some great high-fives. They loved screaming hello to us as we drove by.

After getting back from a long day in the hot sun I treated myself to my first massage. It was delicious! I paid $15 for an hour and a half of herbal rubdowns which also cured my cold from the days before.

In lieu of dinner I stopped by the tailors for some final fittings of my dresses. It only took them a few hours to fashion two custom dresses, but more than me having two new outfits, I rather enjoyed the time I spent talking to the tailor. The cluttered space had a little table and two couches with a book of designs customers could flip through. Because there was no formal fitting room, a makeshift curtain was suffice for trying the pieces on. After a few alterations to one of them, I sat and talked to the shop owner with John and Juliana who had her 6 dresses and two skirts fitted.

I never want to forgot that night because you could tell again, how hard the Vietnamese work but how wonderfully nice they are and enjoy what they do. The shop owner has been in the business with her family for 25 years: 4 generations of tailors. She runs the shop with her three daughters, two who help with sewing and one younger one who is plain cute. We were given cold bottled water to drink and dragonfruit and apples to munch on. I’m not sure how often I’ll wear the clothes, but the price was well worth the memories I walked out with. Today I feel like I met the real Vietnam: it’s people, culture, and personality.

New City: Hoi An

Hoi An is magnificent. It’s a small town you can walk through in only an hour or so, but it is so full of life! I’m so glad I took yesterday to rest up and kick my cold- it was worth it to enjoy Hoi An.

We took a long walk through the town with Quan showing us the places to buy good tailored clothing (this town has over 400 tailors!) before having lunch in a cafe. It was unbearably hot and I still wasn’t feeling well so I went back to the hotel via motorbike to rest for a bit befor

e a cooking class around 7.

Hoi An at night is kind of like the pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland, but way better obviously. It’s decorated by silk lanterns, boats on a quaint river, traditional food in gorgeous house-looking restaurants, and kids playing street games or riding bicycles. A few of us took a taxi to the old town and walked around a bit to find our cooking class. I had no idea what fun I was in for.

I have always been looking forward to taking some cooking classes here, but I wasn’t expecting to be so entertained by our chef and teacher, Han. Han is perhaps 24 and all smiles. You can tell she loves sharing her culture via food and doesn’t view her job as ‘work’ like we do in the States. She is effervescent!

After asking us to give her our names, she went back around the table repeating them to us (8 in total). She would make fun of us and offer snide remarks as jokes that were only meant for laughs. She could easily be a host on her own cooking show and get rave reviews.

The class was so much fun and very interactive. We cooked five dishes as a group: hot & sour chicken soup, fried spring rolls with pork, green papaya salad, fish in banana leaf, and aubergine in a clay pot. To date this was the best meal I’ve had and it was easy to make. Some of my favorite moments all included Han’s sense of humor. She was a very strict teacher and seemed to like her position of authority. For the green papaya salad you have to grate a large papaya in long strips, put it all in a cloth, and squeeze out the juices. Han asked Josh to complete this step and when he gave her a hard time she said, “Just do it strong man.” She also loved tricking us at the stove island- she’d give each of us an ingredient (fish sauce, veggies, garlic, or something) and ask us to put it in the pan, but then as we’d do it she’d say, “not now...” It became a reoccurring joke throughout the night. When it was actually time to add the ingredient she’d say, “hello pineapple. hello onion” and we were meant to throw it in the pan. It was so joyful and silly! I’m going to do my best to stay in touch with her, especially since she said she’d share more recipes.