Whew, it's been a wild ride! Dad and I got back to the U.S. on Feb. 6th after an amazing tour of Asia! We saw more temples in Cambodia and Vietnam - saw the base in Danang where Dad was stationed in the 60's and hiked up a few hundred steps to peek into caves that were used to hide out the buddhas and supplies during the revolution.
Cambodia was fantastic - Angkor Wat is a must see if you are remotely close to Siem Rep. I went out at 5am twice to watch the sun rise over this majestic temple / village built in the 11th century. It's amazing to see all the carvings up close - every inch of the temple and others we saw in the area were carved with scripture, stories and visual drawing of the wars that took place over 900 years ago.
The people we met in the villages were very friendly. They work long hours - alot of them farmers or groundskeepers for the temples. Cambodia in Feb is H-O-T - Temps were regularly in the high 80s or low 90s and it was a bit humid. I met our driver's family who treated me to lunch and a fresh off the tree coconut!
Vietnam was amazing as well but much colder than Cambodia. We were unprepared for the rain and 55 degrees in the north in Hanoi. Again - we were treated to exceptional tour guides and saved from being run over by motorcycles more than once!
The central part of Vietnam in Danang was warmer - we spent about 4 days in Danang and Hoi An. We visited the 'real' China Beach where soldiers had R & R, Monkey Mountain, Marble Mountain, Historical homes, a wood carving community, a boat building company and a few markets with load of fresh veggies, fruits, meats and fish.
I had the most amazing massage of my life at the Life Resort in Hoi An. A woman named Mai did such a great job, I had to go back on day 2 for another dose of pampering. Highly recommended, worth the money (about 1/3 the cost of a massage in the US) and totally relaxing! I spent two or three nights out with Mai and Oanh(the bartender). You know, the two most important people at a resort! We partied, ate, danced, rode motorcycles, listened to Kareoke and had a blast! We were like sisters by the time I left for Hue. I'm going back to this part of Vietnam soon and hope to work with Mai and Oanh on their Englilsh.
Hue was a pretty city but the weather wasn't cooperating. It was cold and rainy so we hurried through the one day tour. Off to HoChiMin (aka Saigon)- much warmer than the rest of Vietnam. This is another big city like Bangkok wtih large buildings, lots of stores as opposed to the local farmer's markets, lots of motorcycles too. They were getting ready to celebrate their Tet Lunar New Year in 4 days and the party had already started! The streets were decorated with brilliant flowers, paintings and photographs. People rode their motorcycles by the thousands around and around the town square just to see and be seen. Young and old - all had a great time.
Our trip concluded here in HoChiMin - we headed for the airport in the evening, transfered in Hong Kong and were off to LAX without a hitch. It's a loooooong flight - but it's worth it. Dad flew back to CT the next day and I headed to San Diego for a week.
Fortunately for me, I was able to see several friends the week I was back. My friends are terrific for working me in to their schedules lately! I flew up to South Lake Tahoe to spend a week with a friend and do some snow boarding, snow shoeing, and cross country skiing. Not to mention the spin class, work out class, dog walks and airplane ride! That was all in a week! So, I'm now in CT planning my next adventure back to Vietnam.
Yes that's right. I had such an emotional, awakening experience there. It's hard to describe but it was like experiencing poverty and generocity all at once. I have to go back and get more of that. It's very humbling and very powerful. I'm going to volunteer with Global Volunteer Network from May - July in an orphanage near Danang. I don't have a lot of details yet but will post them when I do. In the meantime, I'm enjoying being with my family, especially my godson and some of my friends in CT! Stay tuned...
Monday, March 3, 2008
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Jan 27th in Cambodia
Obviously I haven't been keeping up on the blog but we''ve made it to Cambodia as of today. We landed in Siem Reap at about 5 PM Sunday. After getting to our hotel, we unpacked EVERYTHING - we'll be here for 3 nights, and I headed to the bar! We took a taxi for $2 to the town center to find a place for dinner. I spotted a Mexican restaurant and we had ribs and fish tacos - FINALLY!! YUM!
The last several days we were in Pattaya, Thailand with some new friends: Kai, Tucki and Poo. We were treated to the most wonderful food, beaches, shopping and hospitality on the planet! ( I dare anyone to rival these ladies for taking care of us!) We had (and I'm sure I'll forget something): lobster, crab, oysters, several types of fish, pecking duck that puts a Thanksgiving Turkey to shame, veggies, rice dishes, noodle dishes and desserts to spoil a queen! We also had lasagna, pizza, ice cream, beer and whiskey once in a while! I can't believe how much food we can eat! I really need to stay in the gym longer every day!
Now that we're in Cambodia though, I hope to work off some calories at the gym and in climbing the thousands of steps at Angkor Wat and the surrounding wats. We're here for 3 nights. (maybe Mexican for 2 out of 3?) Who knows. The hotel has a restauant but they have a prix fix menu for $19 or $25 per person. We chose the city for the $2 cab and $12 dinner for 2! That, internet, people who speak English, plenty of cabs for the ride home (where are we staying again?), and we're all set.
Bangkok is just like NYC! Huge sky scrapers, lots of pollution and traffic. The food is good and the people are friendly though. Not as much horn beeping as NYC! Our trip to Chiang Mai in Norther Thailand was a lot of fun too. We rode and elephant, I paddled us down a river for an hour on a bamboo raft and we (again) ate as if the end was near! :-)
We're collecting an armful of ''good luck"" bracelets. I now have my original one from Cancun, one from the monk in Bangkok, one from the Monk University in Chiang Mai and one from the kids at the elephant camp. I should be buying lottery tickets soon!
There are a lot of people in a very small space both in Thailand and Cambodia. Seems like a little goes a long way. the next time I'm temped to shop at Bed, BAth and Beyond just because I'm in the area, I'll think twice. It's amzaing how happy people (of any nationality) can be on so little - food, furnishings, material things like clothing / cars / 'stuff''. These people eat to live, recycle whenever possible and conserve natural resources. I look at us in the US and see us eating till we're ''stuffed'' when we go out, we toss recyclables regularly and we use water and electricity like it's a gift from heaven. They say third world countries have a long way to go but I believe it's us in the other countries that have more to lose then the petroleum is scarce or global warming really has an impact on how we live day to day. Some of us would never survive in this 'simple'life...
In the meantime, I'd recommend everywhere we've been. Bangkok has the Grand Palace, Pattaya has wonderful beaches and a fabulous drag show that really would put Vegas to shame and Cambodia gets by on a lot less than Thailand! More to come.....
The last several days we were in Pattaya, Thailand with some new friends: Kai, Tucki and Poo. We were treated to the most wonderful food, beaches, shopping and hospitality on the planet! ( I dare anyone to rival these ladies for taking care of us!) We had (and I'm sure I'll forget something): lobster, crab, oysters, several types of fish, pecking duck that puts a Thanksgiving Turkey to shame, veggies, rice dishes, noodle dishes and desserts to spoil a queen! We also had lasagna, pizza, ice cream, beer and whiskey once in a while! I can't believe how much food we can eat! I really need to stay in the gym longer every day!
Now that we're in Cambodia though, I hope to work off some calories at the gym and in climbing the thousands of steps at Angkor Wat and the surrounding wats. We're here for 3 nights. (maybe Mexican for 2 out of 3?) Who knows. The hotel has a restauant but they have a prix fix menu for $19 or $25 per person. We chose the city for the $2 cab and $12 dinner for 2! That, internet, people who speak English, plenty of cabs for the ride home (where are we staying again?), and we're all set.
Bangkok is just like NYC! Huge sky scrapers, lots of pollution and traffic. The food is good and the people are friendly though. Not as much horn beeping as NYC! Our trip to Chiang Mai in Norther Thailand was a lot of fun too. We rode and elephant, I paddled us down a river for an hour on a bamboo raft and we (again) ate as if the end was near! :-)
We're collecting an armful of ''good luck"" bracelets. I now have my original one from Cancun, one from the monk in Bangkok, one from the Monk University in Chiang Mai and one from the kids at the elephant camp. I should be buying lottery tickets soon!
There are a lot of people in a very small space both in Thailand and Cambodia. Seems like a little goes a long way. the next time I'm temped to shop at Bed, BAth and Beyond just because I'm in the area, I'll think twice. It's amzaing how happy people (of any nationality) can be on so little - food, furnishings, material things like clothing / cars / 'stuff''. These people eat to live, recycle whenever possible and conserve natural resources. I look at us in the US and see us eating till we're ''stuffed'' when we go out, we toss recyclables regularly and we use water and electricity like it's a gift from heaven. They say third world countries have a long way to go but I believe it's us in the other countries that have more to lose then the petroleum is scarce or global warming really has an impact on how we live day to day. Some of us would never survive in this 'simple'life...
In the meantime, I'd recommend everywhere we've been. Bangkok has the Grand Palace, Pattaya has wonderful beaches and a fabulous drag show that really would put Vegas to shame and Cambodia gets by on a lot less than Thailand! More to come.....
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
From Coogee Beach
Hi-
We're about 25 minutes south east of Sydney at a popular beach spot. Lucky me - I've found a nice private, women only beach nearbye! We've both been in the water several times. It's cold but refreshing. There's lots of shops and restaraunts around so Dad is in heaven. He's going to eat his way through eat town I think! He's getting brown like an Indian and I'm not far behind him!
If I get my butt in gear, I'll book a day trip to the Blue mountains for tomorrow and allow for an overnight stay if I feel like it. It's suppose to be like the grand canyon but GREEN! We'll leave for New Zealand on the 7th of Jan. but not before we finish our tans.
I ran at 7 am this morning along the beach. It was wonderful. I did part of the run on the boardwalk then about 10 minutes, calf deep in the water. (Gotta work off this beer belly somehow! ha ha ha)
I've had trouble uploading photos but I'll keep trying. All the best to everyone.
Love, Jen
We're about 25 minutes south east of Sydney at a popular beach spot. Lucky me - I've found a nice private, women only beach nearbye! We've both been in the water several times. It's cold but refreshing. There's lots of shops and restaraunts around so Dad is in heaven. He's going to eat his way through eat town I think! He's getting brown like an Indian and I'm not far behind him!
If I get my butt in gear, I'll book a day trip to the Blue mountains for tomorrow and allow for an overnight stay if I feel like it. It's suppose to be like the grand canyon but GREEN! We'll leave for New Zealand on the 7th of Jan. but not before we finish our tans.
I ran at 7 am this morning along the beach. It was wonderful. I did part of the run on the boardwalk then about 10 minutes, calf deep in the water. (Gotta work off this beer belly somehow! ha ha ha)
I've had trouble uploading photos but I'll keep trying. All the best to everyone.
Love, Jen
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Dec. 31 2007 New Year's Eve
Well Happy NYE to everyone. Just a quick note to say hi! We're getting ready to head over to Darling Harbor to get our boat at 6PM to watch the fireworks. They have 2 shows. One at 9pm and the biggie at midnight.
So far, we've been to Bondi, Coogee and Manley Beaches. I just booked us for 5 night (Jan 2 - 7) at Coogee before we head to New Zealand. The beaches are very nice- clean, hot, busy, lots of people watching to do! The water is cool but i've been in twice. Dad goes in to his knees (barely).
Day before yesterday dad stayed at the hotel to recup from a bit too much sun on his feet and I went to lunch with a friend's niece at The Rocks, near the Opera House. There was a nice open market, lots of art galleries and photo studies. I also walked half way across the harbor bridge - lost one of my camera filters up there. (Don't ask!) :-)
Saw lots of bats in the botanical gardens on my walk back to the hotel - took some photos of the plants, fountains and boats. All very beautiful!
We were at Manley Beach all day yesterday - About 2 hours in the sun and about 4 in the bar! We met a group from Melbourne who were up for the NYE celebration. They said the bugs in Melbourne were ' tragic' but here we've been fine. After they left (hour 3), we sat with 3 local guys who were out for the afternoon avoiding their wives.....not much changes from USA to AU! They invited us on Sat. the 5th to come watch a huge boat race and carnival on Manley. We might takt them up on it - two of the guys will be working in the beer garden and that works in my favor! Well after about 5 pints, it was time to catch the ferry back to our place. Maybe that's why I have a headache today....naw - that's not it!
We did laundry at the hotel last night. Dryer leaves a lot to be desired so 1/2 our clothes dried in the room over the shower and chairs. I even hung a few T shirts in the hallway on the banister. It worked! Gotta be flexible. (not flexible enough to save $100 a night and stay in a hostel according to Dad though!). No worries mate - Good accomodations at Coogee Beach coming up. We'll be 25 yards from the beach. Heaven! I might do a day tour to wine country or the Blue Mountains - not that I need more alcohol but it could be fun!
There is no such thing as non-alcoholic beer here for dad. The bartenders offer 'water' as the only similar option! (And they think that's funny!) We did find that Lemon Twist is a nice lemonaid that seems to quench dad's thirst. Ice Tea comes in a bottle like Nestea - nobody makes it by the pitcher. Funny place!
OK - Gotta run. (We'll I ran this am but gotta get ready for my Big Birthday Party on the harbor). Everyone is so excited about my birthday. They started carrying picnics to the park at 9am this morning! They didn't have to get up that early just for me....
Cheers!
So far, we've been to Bondi, Coogee and Manley Beaches. I just booked us for 5 night (Jan 2 - 7) at Coogee before we head to New Zealand. The beaches are very nice- clean, hot, busy, lots of people watching to do! The water is cool but i've been in twice. Dad goes in to his knees (barely).
Day before yesterday dad stayed at the hotel to recup from a bit too much sun on his feet and I went to lunch with a friend's niece at The Rocks, near the Opera House. There was a nice open market, lots of art galleries and photo studies. I also walked half way across the harbor bridge - lost one of my camera filters up there. (Don't ask!) :-)
Saw lots of bats in the botanical gardens on my walk back to the hotel - took some photos of the plants, fountains and boats. All very beautiful!
We were at Manley Beach all day yesterday - About 2 hours in the sun and about 4 in the bar! We met a group from Melbourne who were up for the NYE celebration. They said the bugs in Melbourne were ' tragic' but here we've been fine. After they left (hour 3), we sat with 3 local guys who were out for the afternoon avoiding their wives.....not much changes from USA to AU! They invited us on Sat. the 5th to come watch a huge boat race and carnival on Manley. We might takt them up on it - two of the guys will be working in the beer garden and that works in my favor! Well after about 5 pints, it was time to catch the ferry back to our place. Maybe that's why I have a headache today....naw - that's not it!
We did laundry at the hotel last night. Dryer leaves a lot to be desired so 1/2 our clothes dried in the room over the shower and chairs. I even hung a few T shirts in the hallway on the banister. It worked! Gotta be flexible. (not flexible enough to save $100 a night and stay in a hostel according to Dad though!). No worries mate - Good accomodations at Coogee Beach coming up. We'll be 25 yards from the beach. Heaven! I might do a day tour to wine country or the Blue Mountains - not that I need more alcohol but it could be fun!
There is no such thing as non-alcoholic beer here for dad. The bartenders offer 'water' as the only similar option! (And they think that's funny!) We did find that Lemon Twist is a nice lemonaid that seems to quench dad's thirst. Ice Tea comes in a bottle like Nestea - nobody makes it by the pitcher. Funny place!
OK - Gotta run. (We'll I ran this am but gotta get ready for my Big Birthday Party on the harbor). Everyone is so excited about my birthday. They started carrying picnics to the park at 9am this morning! They didn't have to get up that early just for me....
Cheers!
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Thurs. Dec. 27, 2007
It was rainy today so instead of the beach plans, we went to the AU Museum - dad wanted to go....he's a history buff apparently. We went there, St. Mary's Church (thought mom would like that), the Prisoner Barracks Museum and then the top of the Tower - for a 360 degree view of the city. (Like the Needle in Seattle). It was a good day, despite starting off being rainy.
I haven't posted any photos yet because I can't find my camera cable but I'll pop the sim card in next time and load up a few. In the meantime, I'm trying to arrange something for viewing the spectacular fireworks display for NYE! The locals say the harbor vantage points start getting taken by 9 am! I'm considering getting a spot on one of the harbor boats for a really good view but I might have to sell a small, cute, child to pay for it! :-)
Plans for the beach tomorrow.
Cheers to all-
Jen
I haven't posted any photos yet because I can't find my camera cable but I'll pop the sim card in next time and load up a few. In the meantime, I'm trying to arrange something for viewing the spectacular fireworks display for NYE! The locals say the harbor vantage points start getting taken by 9 am! I'm considering getting a spot on one of the harbor boats for a really good view but I might have to sell a small, cute, child to pay for it! :-)
Plans for the beach tomorrow.
Cheers to all-
Jen
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
We made it to Sydney
Just a quick update - We finally made it the 19 hours (via 2 plane rides) to Sydney. We got our luggage - no worries mate!- found a shuttle to the hotel $12 each - also no worries. Our hotel room is quaint; aka very small room, small TV and few ammenities but it was available and it's a short walk to downtown Sydney.
We're in Wallamoollo, near King's Cross (almost like a Red Light District) and Sydney. Yesterday after we unpacked, I went for a 30 minute run to the downtown area, around the warf and past the Opera house. I found an internet cafe and told mom we were safe, then jogged back to the hotel.
Dad and I walked in Potts Point for about 2 hours and didn't see a darn thing open. Sydney is pretty closed up on Christmas evening. We finally called the cab company and found that Kings Cross is open 24 hrs a day. No wonder - The Red Light District never sleeps! Anyway, we found good food and did a little people watching.
It's a new experience to travel with a Senior! They move so slow! I'll have to adjust myself and give Dad a head start whenever we're getting ready to go somewhere. Ha ha. He's doing great though. His 'other' knee bugged him yesterday but we've got him on a daily dose of Aleve to keep him mobile.
Getting through security in CT was fun and I'll write more on that later but needless to say, we arrived safely and are off on our first adventure of the day. We'll walk through the botanical gardens then take the city tour bus around town. The sun is out and I'm looking forward to working on my tan.
Cheers Mate!
We're in Wallamoollo, near King's Cross (almost like a Red Light District) and Sydney. Yesterday after we unpacked, I went for a 30 minute run to the downtown area, around the warf and past the Opera house. I found an internet cafe and told mom we were safe, then jogged back to the hotel.
Dad and I walked in Potts Point for about 2 hours and didn't see a darn thing open. Sydney is pretty closed up on Christmas evening. We finally called the cab company and found that Kings Cross is open 24 hrs a day. No wonder - The Red Light District never sleeps! Anyway, we found good food and did a little people watching.
It's a new experience to travel with a Senior! They move so slow! I'll have to adjust myself and give Dad a head start whenever we're getting ready to go somewhere. Ha ha. He's doing great though. His 'other' knee bugged him yesterday but we've got him on a daily dose of Aleve to keep him mobile.
Getting through security in CT was fun and I'll write more on that later but needless to say, we arrived safely and are off on our first adventure of the day. We'll walk through the botanical gardens then take the city tour bus around town. The sun is out and I'm looking forward to working on my tan.
Cheers Mate!
Monday, December 10, 2007
Finally - An Entry
Well, a lot has happened since I got here. I decided to move 'back home' to CT after all. It wasn't a hard choice really. Once I spent more than a few days with my godson Ambros, it was pretty simple. And more good news - my dad has agreed to go on the rest of my 'round the world trip w/ me.
We're leaving Dec. 23 for Sydney then we'll head on to New Zealand, Thailand, Cambodia and Viet Nam. All in all, we'll be traveling for 6 weeks. Dad will head back to CT from LA, and I'll go back to San Diego to pack up and drive the BMW out to CT. (Pray for sun and NO snow on the southern route)
I've interviewed with Met Life here in CT and will go back again later this week, so I might have a job lined up for March. I'll stay with my parents until I finalize the work location then I'll probably move close to the job. In the meantime, mom and I joined a gym and we're working out about 5 days a week - feels great.
The trip plans are shaping up and since we've had temps in the 20's, I'm ready to go! :-)
Hopefully I'll get to update you along the way. I'm not bringing my laptop but I should have access to the the internet. You can e-mail me at jflynnis@yahoo.com to keep in touch. I'd love to hear from you.
Take care - Happy Holidays and Be Safe-
We're leaving Dec. 23 for Sydney then we'll head on to New Zealand, Thailand, Cambodia and Viet Nam. All in all, we'll be traveling for 6 weeks. Dad will head back to CT from LA, and I'll go back to San Diego to pack up and drive the BMW out to CT. (Pray for sun and NO snow on the southern route)
I've interviewed with Met Life here in CT and will go back again later this week, so I might have a job lined up for March. I'll stay with my parents until I finalize the work location then I'll probably move close to the job. In the meantime, mom and I joined a gym and we're working out about 5 days a week - feels great.
The trip plans are shaping up and since we've had temps in the 20's, I'm ready to go! :-)
Hopefully I'll get to update you along the way. I'm not bringing my laptop but I should have access to the the internet. You can e-mail me at jflynnis@yahoo.com to keep in touch. I'd love to hear from you.
Take care - Happy Holidays and Be Safe-
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