Good Afternoon Vietnam!

Or good morning, or evening, or whatever time it happens to be for you. It is Sunday afternoon for us here in Hanoi, Vietnam.

We intended to spend our long layover in Guangzhou by taking a taxi into the city and having lunch. However, after reading a not-too-enticing description of the manufacturing city in our guide book we decided against it. Besides Jen had spent the evening before losing an intestinal kung-fu match with some kung pao chicken that we ate, so she was feeling less than adventurous. We instead spent the day wandering around the airport, which was without exaggeration larger than the town that I grew up in. It had many restaurants, a shopping mall, a 7-11, and absolutely no benches that were handle free and would allow one to stretch out for a nap. Some of the locals were able to contort themselves around the handles, but we don't bend that way. So we stayed awake by playing cards and talking to the many people who approached us and asked if they could practice their english with us.

It was a late night getting in to Hanoi and an early morning pickup the next day for a four hour drive to Ha Long bay in the north part of the Gulf of Tonkin. There we had a one night cruise around the bay, which is an area that seems straight out of a fairytale. The bay is littered with around 3,000 limestone islands each roughly the size of a couple of football fields. They shoot straight up out of the water with their shear white sides broken only by the most aggressive of plants. We're not able to post pictures now, but will soon.

On the boat we met a very nice couple from outside of London, Tim and Maria. We ended up having dinner with them upon returning to Hanoi. Fueled by the local Tiger beer, I think Tim and I were able to identify many of the world's problems the first evening and solve them the second. Alas, I awoke this morning to find that those solutions escaped my mind, only to be replaced by a sharp pain centered between my eyes. Oh well.

Jen and I are loving Vietnam. The people have been very friendly and the food is amazing. They drive like the Chinese, only on smaller streets that have even more mopeds. Did you know that a family four can fit on a motor bike complete with luggage and the family pet/dinner? It is pretty wild to think that the generation of American's that came to this country before us had a much different experience, and we feel very fortunate to be able to travel freely and safely here. If there is any resentment toward Americans left here we haven't found it, and it feels like the locals speak better English here than is spoken in some parts of the U.S.

This evening we take an overnight train to Hue, then to Hoi An for a few days before heading to Ho Chi Min City (Saigon).

Heading south

We finish most of our journey in China tomorrow, heading on to Vietnam. We fly down through Guangzhou and have about an 11 hour layover so we will get to see that city (in the south of China) for a few hours. From there we fly into Hanoi and board a boat for a cruise around Ha Long bay for a night. We are heading to Ho Chi Min City via train, though we will make up our itinerary as we go. I am not sure how much access we will have to the Internet at that time.

We got to experience something very interesting last night: Beijing live music. First, we went to an acrobatic show, something like Cirque Du Soliel. I didn’t know that people could fly and or bend in such ways. Then we found a restaurant with California wine on the menu (from the Rutherford valley no less). We figured that we should support U.S. exports so we had two bottles. Then we proceeded to go the main drag for nightlife where we were surprised to find that you could bargain for the price of beer with the doorman before entering an establishment! Luckily for them that we were a little off our negotiating game due to the haze of the wine or else they probably would have ended up paying us to drink there given Jen's skill. At each bar we found that live entertainment consists of a guitarist, a guy playing the keyboard and a cute girl doing interpretative dancing to the song lyrics with absolutely no expression on her face. Then, on the next song, the band would hit a button and sing obvious karaoke while playing air guitar, all while the same girl would sit on the stand on the stage with a bored look on her face. I didn’t understand it yet was fascinated.

Here is a picture of the above mentioned dancer. Notice how she is selling the drama of the ballad being belted by the singer!

This is another shot of the Great Wall where we saw it.

These lilies were huge, some standing as much as six feet in the air. There were many gardens and lakes at the summer resort, which was only open to the ruling family until about 50 years ago. It's good to be the king, or emperor, or whatever the big cheese is called.

Here is a shot of the very exotic haze which gives Beijing a Paris like feel of romanticism and intrigue. Actually, it is smog which sets on your skin like day old sunscreen and doesn't like to come off. In the background you can see a hill with a temple on top. This was a man made hill that was constructed of the dirt that came from the moat dug around the Forbidden City. This doesn't give the best perspective, but up close it is pretty impressive to think that it was built with wheelbarrows.
Here is one of the 3 million beautiful buildings that make up the Forbidden City.

This lion guards the right hand side of one of the doors to a separate part of the city. There is a similar one on the other side, but this is the male. You can tell because it has it's paw on a globe (representing the world) to show the obvious male dominance of the Emperor. I bet he could have gotten an even better deal on scarfs than we did.

Here we are in Tianamen Square. You can see a picture of Chairman Mao behind us. We refer to him as "Sir" as well.

More fun in China

We are now a good week into our time in China and we can successfully say three phrases: hello (ne ha), thank you (xi xi ne) and beer (pisa). Needless to say, we are getting along just fine.

I said before that we are really enjoying the people and that truth is continuing. We have been constantly been met with smiles and helpful faces, especially when it is painfully obvious that we are lost beyond comprehension, which is an unfortunate common occurrence. There are some un-enjoyable aspects we have found, such as the difference in the definition of a toilet. Most public and restaurant toilets are holes cut into the ground, occasionally surrounded by porcelain. I won't go into details here, but I have NEVER been so happy to have a Y chromosome! I may not be able to remember birthdays or understand why flowers are special, but at least I can stand up to pee. Huge!

Our original itinerary called for a side trip to Xian, home of the Terracotta warriors. There are a few people who are doing a similar Asia tour a few weeks ahead of us and they seem to have given the place mixed reviews, so when our concierge told us that the train wasn't available we weren't too worried. Instead, we decided to book a three day trip to Chengede, which was the place where the Chinese Emperors went when they were tired of the Beijing heat. Jen and I figured, hey, if it is good for royalty it probably works for us. We tried to book a hotel that was featured in our guide book. After calling to make the booking, our concierge told us that it wasn't available but that it's sister hotel did have room. We took it. Going through the train station (where no one spoke English!!!!!) at 5:00 in the morning was something I will never forget, and I don't know exactly how we made it on board the locomotive that stopped in Chengde, but we did. When we got to the hotel to find that it seemed we were not only the only Western guests but the only guests, I began to suspect that what may have been lost in translation back with our concierge in Beijing was that this was not the sister hotel to the place we were trying to book, but HIS sister's hotel! I have to admit I was a little bit worried, but Jen was trooper and convinced me that all would work out.

Here is a picture of our very efficient room. As you can see, you can use the toilet, and take a shower, and watch TV (not pictured but behind the camera) all at once. The bed felt like a 2x12 covered with fabric.

Actually, it turned out to be a nice place. We ended up meeting some lovely young Chinese women who were studying to be nurses at a University in the town. They were working at the hotel for the summer and will go back in the fall to finish studying English for five months before taking an English test to determine if they can temporarily work in the U.S., Australia, or New Zealand. They were very excited to meet us and practice English that they agreed to meet us early one morning (6 AM) to hike up a local mountain (while it sounds crazy, you have to start early because most carbon based life forms start to melt around 9...). Jen and I got up early and went down at 5:40 to stretch before meeting them (we are not spring chickens and must coerce our muscles into doing work that early) only to find them already there, dressed in jeans, skirts and even high heels. We felt like total dweebs in our workout clothes, but we all marched up the hill.

Here we are at the top of the mountain with our wonderful friends from Chengde.

In Chengde we were down right oddities (being western) and we got many looks and more than one approach for pictures. I am happy to report that Jen did not hog all the attention as there were a few people who were mesmerized by me. I may not be blond but my rather thick arm hair caused quite a stir on a few occasions. Apparently there are not many people in China related to monkeys as closely as I am, and little kids found it funny to run up to me and pet my arm hair. I found this very amusing. I did not find it amusing when their middle aged fathers also tried to pet my arms. Some things I will not stand for in the name of cultural relations.

Having had a wonderful time in Chengede, Jen and I tried to get a train ticket back to Beijing only to find that the one train that went per day was sold out. We were told that we could only by return tickets while in Chengde (again by the lovely concierge in Beijing). So we ended up on a bus back to Beijing. While you at least know that a train is going in one direction, a bus can take many roads, and we got quite worried after we boarded the bus to find it driving all over the surrounding countryside to pick up apparent relatives of the bus driver. We also had the lovely experience of getting a shakedown by the Beijing Provence Police, who thoroughly searched our bags and almost confiscated Jen's bag of toiletries. I tried to explain to the officer that there was NO WAY I was going to survive if she didn't have her moisturizer and makeup, and it must have worked since he apparently decided we didn't look dangerous and let us take it all into the city.

We made it back yesterday and this morning went to see the Great Wall. It was 10 AM and 185 degrees (F) but we managed to hike for about two hours. In total, I think we covered about 0.000125% of the total area of the wall. Seriously, just the parts we could see are huge, not to mention the 5,997 miles we couldn't see from our vantage point. It is very impressive: a 20' high by 15' wide wall built on the peak ridge of some of the most rugged countryside I have ever seen. Below is a picture of the two of us with the wall snaking behind. If you look just above and to the left of my head is a tower that we climbed up to. It was probably a 500 foot elevation gain, nearly straight up.

Taking Beijing by storm

We are in Beijing now and really having a blast. Both Jen and I have fallen in love with China, despite it's crazy drivers, endemic pollution and incomprehensible language. The people are very warm, friendly and seem genuinely happy. The food has been fantastic, despite the fact that we don't always know what we are getting.

Plus, we are being treated as if we are rock stars. People openly stare at us walking down the street, sometimes stopping to point and smile. Yesterday we had lunch in a small local restaurant and were seated at a table near a large open window. People walking by would stop when they saw us and just stare in. One guy left and then came back with his wife and son to share. While it is possible they are mezmerized by my absolute inability to use chop sticks (I really wasn't born with the right gene for that), but I think it has more to do with Jen's platinum blonde hair. As we were walking around the Forbidden City we were approached several times by young girls who wanted their picture taken with the blonde bombshell.

Here is Jen with one of her Beijing posse.

I want to share one other experience that I think many of you will enjoy. It happened yesterday evening at a market where Jen was buying a few pashminas. Below I recreate the negotiation to the best of my ability. Most of the time numbers are discussed by typing into a calculator rather than saying the number out loud, so that there is no confusion.

Jen: OK, how much for each?

Vendor: For you, RMB 350 (about $50).

Jen: That is much more than I wanted to spend. What if I want to buy five, can I get a better price?

Vendor: Yes, yes. You name price. How much you want to spend?

J: OK, how about five for 350?

V: Lady you crazy. You put me out of business! These are pure silk!

J: OK, thanks. Goodbye.

V: Wait, wait lady. OK, I make very special deal for you. Five for 800.

J: How about 350?

V: Lady, I can't run business like this. You put me out of business. 650.

J: 350.

V: You give me 600. I make you good deal.

J: How about 350.

V: Help me lady. Give me 450.

J: 350.

V: Meet me in middle. 400.

J: 350.

V: Lady, this deal for you only. No one else. I give you my lowest price. You give me 380, we have a deal.

J: 350.

V: OK, OK, 360.

J: 350.

V: Done.

She is really amazing. Meanwhile, I am peeing my pants as Jen just saved 38 cents per scarf.

On the road again

We are back on the trail after a short stop (and a long hangover...thanks Scott) back home. I can't begin to tell how sophisticated I felt when we got on the flight today and said aloud to Jen (with just enough projection to let the rest of business class hear me), "I guess American Airlines doesn't change their movies that often; I've already watched all that they offer this month." I was very impressed with myself until I realized that it was completely true and I spent the 13 hour flight watching Batman Begins for the fourth, fifth and sixth time.

We are currently at the airport in Tokyo and fly to Shanghai tonight, then on to Beijing tomorrow. More to come when I have something more interesting to talk about than how I am keeping myself entertained.

As Promised 2

Here a matriarch elephant leads her family across the Chobe river from Botswana towards Zambia. Apparently, they do not need to purchase visas.

We caught this baby and mother hippo and baby as they were waking up from their daytime sleep. We were on a river cruise on the Zambizi River about two miles above Victoria Falls.

The ever elusive leopard was finally found on our last evening in the Okavango Delta perched up high in a tree.

This was an adult bull elephant of about 21 years that Jen charmed into letting us get a picture with. Notice the matching khaki outfits!

We tracked (well, really our guide did all the work) this white rhino for about three hours one morning before we found him. They are very shy, very hard to find, and very much endangered.

This baby hyena cub was helping its mother clean off after a night of feeding.


Here a giraffe was hiding in the picture we took of our last sunset in the Delta.

As promised

We are home! We even managed to sleep in this morning until about 10 past five. Jen is very relieved as I am much more recognizeable as a human being when not subjected to instant coffee!

Here is a picture of Jen with one of the aforementioned shark teeth.

This was taken underwater using my friend's underwater camera. Acutally, this is one of the only shots that came out well from underwater. Not because the camera was of poor quaility (it is actually really nice). Rather, it was because I was busy soiling my wetsuit every time a shark swam by and found myself rather inadequate at fighting back my flight reflex long enough to take a picture. Luckily they had a lid on the top of the cage preventing me from rocketing out of the water each time one of these guys came near.









Here is another one, just for fun.

Here is Jen in front of one of the larger planes we flew to the various camps in Botswana on. When making one landing, our pilot suddenly pulled us up, causing a several hundered foot difference between the alititude of my stomach and the rest of my body. The evasive manuever was performed in order to avoid the giraffe that wandered onto the runway during our approach.

This was the head of one of the first lion prides we saw, taking a nap under a few trees. We pulled up about 20 feet away and just sat there for about 25 minutes, watching them sleep and yawn and move.

I called him "Sir".

London stopover

We are now in London, preparing to head out tonight for a four day stopover back home. The weather has been, well, very wet. Our clothes have an interesting mix of red-african dirt smell that is now layered with a soft hint of mildew. It is a romantic life we lead.

On the advice of a honeymooning couple we met in Botswana we yesterday went to Cambridge for the day. It is really a lovely little town, exactly what you would expect an English village that is 4 million years old to look like. It houses Cambridge University, which is one of the premiere Universities in the UK. The colleges that make up the University (it's a different system than in the U.S.) date back as far as the 14th century. The buildings are really beautiful, as was the train ride up there. Of course, being Americans, Jen and I found ourselves completely underdressed just walking around the town, and we had to leave as we were afraid someone was going to try to offer us money or a warm meal.

Things are altogether going well, though we are both excited to head home and see friends for a few days. I wasn't getting homesick until Jen slipped up the other day and said the M word...no not marraige (already jumped off that bridge). Worse. Mexican food. We have spent the last two days in London scouring the streets in search of a green sign and a sumbraro. Walking through the London neighborhoods we say, 'this looks like a GREAT place for a Mexican restaurant, let's search around every corner.' We have been fooled a few times by Spanish tapas joints, but it wasn't until yesterday that we found an authentic place offering chips, guacamole, burritos, etc. Actually, it wasn't very good, but it was a well won victory. Since then we have been planning out our 12 odd meals while in Chicago to make sure we have room for all our favorite mexican food joints. Our new taboo conversation topic is how on earth we are going to survive in Asia for six weeks without chips and salsa. I don't think I could handle wasabi flavored guacamole.

Overall we are enjoying our short time in London. The prices seem very reasonable, until you realize that our dollar is only worth 1/2 of a pound. Then you get this sick tightening in your chest and realize that the beer you just drank cost more than all the internal travel you did in Botswana and Zimbabewe combined.

We land late tonight (Wednesday) and leave again for part B (Asia) Monday afternoon. For those of you in Chicago, we look forward to connecting this weekend.

(Almost) Out of Africa

We are on our last day in Africa, flying out tonight from Joburg to London. We had left some clothes in bags checked at the Joburg airport, and it was nice to be able dress in something other than khaki colors (there are strict weight restrictions on the internal flights in Botswana, so we were limited in the extent of our wardrobe while in the bush).

Two days ago we drove into Zimbabewe to see Victoria Falls. It is listed as one of the seven wonders of the world, and we felt that title was rightly earned. It is absolutely huge and boggles the mind to think about much water is making the 300 foot drop. The people of Zimbabewe were absolutely wonderful, so warm and happy. We were a little apprehensive of heading into the country given the recent tourmoil over the elections, but we experienced no problems whatsoever. In fact, we were most troubled to see how much the people of the country were suffering due to the agenda of one man who won't let go of power at the age of 84. With the confusion that has engulfed the country, teachers aren't going to work (because they aren't getting paid), tourists are coming, food is scarce, and inflation is ridiculous. I sincerely hope that the other leaders in the region persuade Mugabe to step down and that a transition can come without war.

While at Victoria Falls we went to a local craft market to buy goodies. We were two of the few tourists in the area and we made A LOT of new friends. Jen was in heaven, since no transaction was complete without a long hagle over price. She even managed to trade a shirt of mine for a hand carved bowl. Luckily, I was not in the shirt at the time of the trade.

Overall, Jen and I have been inspired by what we have found in Southern Africa, despite the situation in Zimbabewe. I feel like any time you turn on the National Geographic channel you are made to feel like the great expanses of the African wild are direly threatened. While it appears that poaching and urban expansion is still a threat in many areas, countries like Botswana have taken a very active role in preserving their natural heritage. The Okavanga Delta (where we were for 5 days) is set aside as a national preserve. This area is rich with wildlife, and the nomads that lived there for years were moved off to set the site aside for wildlife. One of our guides was born "somewhere in the delta" and he said that overall the people understood because they saw the need to protect the habitat. Botswana has decided to offer low volume, high cost safari trips to limit the number of tourists who venture into the area. While it is still possible to go, it is not overwhelmed with backpackers and hostels. From the animal perspective, I first expected that the animals would be quite bothered by the Land Cruisers running around on the dirt trails, but for the most part we seemed to be regarded as a very noisy, clumsy "animal" that bumbles through the bush. They seem to enjoy being able to walk through down the roads that cut through the brush. And no amount of driving off road can compete with the destruction done by elephants when they decided to push down a tree and eat it.

Still on Safari

Jen and I are in our third and final Safari camp, this time on the Chobe River across from Namibia. Last night we took a boat ride to watch the elephants swim across the river to an island and convinced our guide to take us to the Namibia side of the river so we could check off another country from the list...it's the little things.

While we got the picture of the great white to post I have been unable to convince any computer to upload any other pictures. Once we get back next week we'll get some up on the site to share. We have been very fortunate and have gotten some great views of many animals. We were able to see all of the "big five" at the last camp we were at, though we had to hunt for the leopard for several days. Finally, on the last evening we were there our guide spotted a leopard high in a tree overlooking a pride of lions turn an impala into cat food. We also had a pretty close encounter with a lioness who we found just as she was finishing lunch one day. She walked right behind the land cruiser, immediately under where Jen and I were sitting. She stopped to stare up at the two of us (from about 6 feet away) and just as I was trying to figure out how to explain to her that some of the other people in our car would taste much better than the two of us, she decided that she would rather drink from the stagnant pond than mess with us.

Tomorrow we go to Victoria Falls and then make our way back to Chicago via Joburg and London. Thanks to all of you who have written us and checked in. More to come.