We arrived at the Tunnels around 10AM and were ushered into the site as a group. We spent the first 30 minutes watching a one sided video exposing the greatness of the Viet Cong and the wonders of the “heroic American Killers.” I think they showed the video just to rub in the win and the kills to all of the poor veterans that journey to the site each year.

After the video, our guide waked us through the jungle and we stopped at a clearing with a slightly raised patch of earth. The guide moved his foot clearing off some leaves and exposed a tiny wooden covering. He lifted this tiny wooden covering and told us all that this was a secret entrance to the tunnel network. He proceeded to tell us that there were over 200,000 of these hidden holes throughout the jungle. He pointed down at the hole and said…”who is first.” I thought he was joking. There was no way a human could fit through the tiny slot. He wasn’t. The first taker was an 11 year old English Kid. He popped down in the hole and was followed by his father (who was a good 6’3). After about 30 seconds, the dad emerged saying that his kid was scared and was coming back up. I watched about 10 people go through the tunnel before I decided to give it a try. I was hesitant because I thought there was NO WAY I would fit down the hatch. Sure enough, I had no problem squeezing through the tiny hole in the ground (check out the pic). When I got in the tunnels, I was amazed out how SMALL they were. I had to crawl on my hands and knees, sometimes on my belly, to get through the passageways. To make it worse, there were bats swooping down on you as you made your journey! It was quite an experience and I was glad to see the sunshine at the end! Nat passed on the experience after I told her about the swooping bats (as did many people!!!).

After leaving the tunnels, the guide showed us a grass patch of land with guard rails around it. He proceeded to show us one of the famous “Tiger Traps.” These were 6 foot deep pits that appeared like solid ground. When the US soldiers stepped on the pits, they fell through and were impaled by sharpened bamboo spikes that were tipped with cobra venom. It was a nasty site….especially to see a working version.

The next site was the shooting range!!! I had been looking forward to it all day. After perusing the weapons, I decided that I wanted to shoot a M60 Machine gun. It was basically a huge machine gun that looks menacing. When I got to the counter, the guy told me it was going to cost $50 for 10 bullets!!! What a rip off. The guide told me to choose another gun as the M60 was the “special” gun that cost triple what the other ones did. As I had shot Ak47′s and M16′s before I settled on a fully automatic Thompson sub-machine gun. I paid my $15 and walked down to the range and ripped off a whole clip of full auto 45 bullets at a plastic “deer” target. It was great fun as I had never shot a full auto weapon before. The Australian guys who were ripping off rounds on the AK’s tod me that they shot cows with Rocket Launchers in Cambodia and they were disappointed that there were no real cows to kill and no rocket launchers. I just kind of looked at them like they were nuts…who shoots a cow with a rocket launcher for $5US? What a waste of an animal. Tanner..Reid…James….I know you three are thinking, “who wouldn’t shoot a cow with a rocket launcher!!!” Maybe I will take a video if I see it in Cambodia.

After the shooting range, we moved on to the highlight of the tour. It was a 1km tunnel experience. I talked Nat into making the journey and we were the first people into the tunnels after the guide. Let me tell you…it was not like the first tunnel journey hours earlier. For one thing, while it was bigger, it was darker. In addition, it was very small and I was unable to crawl on the ground due to it being a rock floor (would tear my knees to pieces). Nat and I had to trek hunched over for 1km through a very hot and dark tunnel network following the guide. It was a crazy experience! We were really glad when we emerged soaked in sweat and dust at the end!

The Chu Chi Tunnel Day was a blast and while Nat described it as a “Guy Day.” Guns, Tanks, and Tunnels….I know she appreciated seeing everything. We are so glad we were able to make the short journey and see this famous site.

Tomorrow we are off to Cambodia and Angkor Wat. Take care and keep in touch!

Upon arriving at the moat that surrounds Angor Wat, Yuan sat us down and told us quite a lot of the history of the complex prior to entering the main gate. I won’t bore you guys with a detailed school lesson, but a quick synopsis is that it was constructed in the 900′s as a Temple complex and has been used throughout the ages by various religions as a worship site. At one time or another through the centuries, Angor Wat was used by both the Hindus and the Buddists as a sacred holy site. It has even withstood the test of war, and its ancient walls and mosaics are pock marked with shrapnel and bullet holes. After our very informative lesson, Yuan led Nat and I across the main bridge expanding over the moat and through the ancient gates. The gates are covered in thousand year old carvings and mosaics. It felt like stepping into a long lost world. Well….despite the thousands of tourists

By 4PM (after another small temple visit) Nat and I were feeling a bit “templed out” and were ready to head back to the Bananna for a dip in the pool. All of the temple hiking and 110 degree heat had worn us out. Back at the hotel, we were informed our belongings had been moved to the “resort complex” which was nicer than the hotel. Due to a last minute cancellation, Nat and I got to stay in the nicest suite at the whole resort . It was a two story “villa” complete with a master suite on the bottom floor with walk in bathroom, and then a rooftop lounge overlooking the pool complete with a outdoor shower and bathtub. It was swanky. After settling into the new room, we had a dip in the pool, and then headed out to Pub Street for a night on the town.

Luckily, the family van drove us to the other side of the city and dumped us off at the main bus terminal in front of a very new 70 person transport bus. We had a good laugh and jumped aboard. While the bus itself was very nice, and the views of the mountain passes were incredible, the bus ride itself was a bit hairy! The old man in front of me spent the entire 4 hours of the ride with his head buried in a sloshing trash bucket and the sounds alone almost killed me. Nat just sat in her seat laughing at me trying to read with my fingers in my ears. She was laughing because she was blissfully watching dvd’s on her portable dvd player….with the volume turned up very loud!

I was very glad when we arrived in Nh Trang at noon.  The bus company gave us a free shuttle ride to our hotel after arriving at the main terminal in Nha Trang…a nice touch for a bus company. We had booked our hotel via the nice travel agent in Dalat. She had managed to get us a GREAT deal on our hotel, the 5 star Sunrise Beach and Spa Resort. The hotel was incredible. We had a wonderful room with a balcony overlooking the South China Sea and the mountain tops in the distance.

After unloading our bags and throwing on our swim suits, we spent the day lounging by the pool and walking up and down the beach. We did a little shopping, had a drink and some lunch at the famous Nha Trang Sailing Club, and booked a day trip (for the following day) with a company recommended by Lonely Planet called Mama Linh’s Boat Trips. Every guide book in the world dissuades travelers from going to Nha Trang in December (likely why we got a sweet deal on the hotel)…but we just had no idea why. The weather is supposed to be terrible in December, but we must have lucked out because it was about 90 and sunny. Wonderful beach weather.

The day was a relaxing wonderful beach day.

Friday December 11th:
We were really excited about today due to our booked boat trip. Nha Trang is surrounded by 71 islands and one of the main highlights of any trip to Nha Trang is supposed to be taking an island hopping adventure. We picked “Mama Linh Company” based on the rec from Lonely Planet and from recs on tripadvisor. It was “supposed” to be a day of hanging out on a boat with 18-30 year olds, having some free drinks and snacks, and seeing some incredible islands. Well…..let’s just say that it was not quite “what we expected.” Hahahaha.

The van dropped us (along with 10 other passengers) off at a huge boat dock. There were literally at least 200 hundred tourists at the boat dock and countless boats loading them up like cattle. We were shuffled onto one of the “transport ships” along with 40 other passengers. It was quite an eclectic crowd. There was a group of French girls, a German guy with dred locks, countless Asian couples, two Austrian college guys, and even a couple in business clothes. Nat and I just looked at the couple in business clothes. “Weren’t we going on an island adventure and weren’t we all getting wet? O well…I guess they were planning on swimming in their slacks!!”

After about 35 minutes across the channel, we arrived at our first “island.” When we arrived, Nat and I were already thinking something along the lines of….”no way is THIS the island.” The “island” was a floating “dock” of boards with barrels underneath to hold the dock together. There were three other “transport carriers” tied up to the floating board island and at least 80 tourists crammed together like sardines. When you disembarked, a swarm of locals bombarded you trying to get you to para sail or rent a jet ski…for $50US each. The other option was to borrow a grimy snorkel and mask and to go swimming amid the boats. We passed on the swimming as there was a “film” of grease and or oil on the water, and all of the boats had a “bathroom” in the back that was a hole that emptied straight down into the “swimming” water. Thinking back on it, maybe we should have gone swimming. Maybe we would have captured a shot of a deformed three headed fish or something in the polluted swamp! As we stood around on the dock (we had to endure 1 hour on the board island) a few tourists got bored and shelled out the fifty spot for a para-sailing trip. The boat got them airborne, took them on literally a 2 minute loop around the board island, and then dumped them in the water. 2 minutes, 50 bucks…forget arguing or asking for more….”no speaky english.” We were quite glad when the boat driver announced that it was time for island number 2.

After another 30 minute trip, we arrived off the shore of an island. The shoreline was dotted with heavy equipment such as bulldozers, dump trucks, and rock crushers. All of them were hard at work and the noise was deafening. Rocks were being smashed and dumped into the sea to form a sea wall, trucks were coming and going, and workers were scurrying around doing this and that….and guess what….we were stopping in this exact spot for lunch. We just had to laugh. Lunch was some fairly terrible seafood and Nat and I just ate rice and drank a beer. On Nat’s way back from the “bathroom” after lunch she came up to me and told me to go back there and “see” what they had served us for lunch. I dutifully ambled back and saw that there was a plastic bowl full of “aquarium” fish that the deck hands were cutting up with scissors and putting in the food. They were cutting the fish up while alive. These were NOT fish that you typically eat. They were clown fish (orange “Nemo” fish), angle fish, and other small coral fish….it was a bad site….I am certain some of the passengers would get sick later in the day from their “lunch buffet.” After lunch was over, the highlight of the trip began. The deck hands broke out an electric guitar and microphones and started belting out songs at the top of their lungs. I guess they were trying to drown out the heavy equipment. All of the passengers were wincing as it was so loud. After the live performance, the crew broke out a orange “surprise” bucket, which they called wine. I can assure you it was not “wine.” It was more like orange moonshine. Nat took one sip and spit it out over the side! We were praying that island 3 would be better. In truth, we were hoping that there would be a private citizen boat at island 3 who would be willing to take a 20 spot to drive Nat and I back to the main island!

After another 30 minute ride we arrived at island 3. Like all the others, island 3 was a disappointment. We had to pay a “fee” to step onto the wondrous place. The island consisted of a tiny beach with a rocky shoreline with dilapidated beach chairs for the tourists enjoyment. Of course…the allotted time at the island was 1 joyous hour. We passed the time by sitting in the broken chairs.

The fourth and final island was a rocky outcropping that held an aquarium. We debated refusing to pay the “fee” to see the aquarium but we broke down (since we had another hour) and went on in. The aquarium was a sad site. It was full of grimy fish tanks in which a plastic background had been inserted into the back of the tanks. The plastic insert had a shoddy picture of coral superimposed on it. In effect, the fish were swimming around in algae water with an illusion coral background. We saw all kinds of ocean life…everything from sharks and eels to giant turtles. I am sure they were having a great short life. In all likelihood the aquarium staff absconded with the fish (after they perished) for their nightly family soup dinner!

At 4 in the afternoon the boat arrived back at the dock and we quickly jumped off, skirted the boat trip van, and jumped in a cab. It had been a bad bad day. We are just amazed that this trip (and company) was recommended by Lonely Planet and backed up by very positive reviews on tripadvisor. No way ANYONE could enjoy this trip. Even the other passengers on our boat were asking us if we “knew what we were getting into” and “if any of the islands had transport back to the mainland.” Hahaha. We just had to chalk it up to “live and learn.” If ever in Nha Trang avoid the boat trips and especially “Mama Linhs” like the Black Plague.

Saturday December 12th:
Today was our last day in Nha Trang. Our flight didn’t leave until 7PM, so we had the whole day to explore the city. After the wondrous boat trip, we were scared to try anything recommended by Lonely Planet or tripadvisor! Despite our hesitations, we headed off to one of the main attractions in Nha Trang (yes, even Lonely Planet recommended it), the Tha Bap Mud Baths. The only reason we risked the trip on our last day was the excursion was recommended personally by an English couple we met in the Philippines. They stated that it was such a good experience that they ventured to the Bath’s twice during their stay in Nha Trang.
 
The ride to the Mud Bath and Hot Springs took about 15 minutes. We paid our $15US and entered the park. After stowing our belongings in a locker we headed off to take our famous Mud Bath. We were escorted to a large wooden tub that was filled with swampy looking mud. Nat and I laughed and got into the soupy water. The mud was VERY warm (heated by a natural hot springs). We sat in the bath for about 20-30 minutes, and Nat had a great time dumping mud all over my face and hair. The warm mud bath was actually very relaxing and it made our skin feel like silk. After the Mud experience, we showered off in a very hot mineral water outdoor shower and headed off to the next “spa” experience, which was a hot mineral water soak. We basically sat in a hot-tub full of hot water. While the warm water was relaxing, we tired of it after about 20 minutes and moved on to the next “experience.” The last stop in the park was a giant swimming pool.  The catch to the pool was that it was the hottest “pool” that I have ever been in. In fact, it was hotter than any hot tub I have ever been in. The water had to be approaching 120-130 degrees Fahrenheit. We could only stand the water for about a minute and when emerging, I saw stars and felt like I was going to faint!!! I even noticed that they had makeshift hospital over in the corner of the resort. Perhaps they should have a sign in English warning the tourists of the extreme water temperature prior to the people just jumping in? You have to wonder how many people have fainted from this extreme swimming experience!!!! In all, the Hot Springs and Mud Bath was very relaxing and would definitely be something we would recommend for a morning activity if ever in Nha Trang.

 
After our Hot Spings/Mud Bath trip we headed back to the hotel, packed up, checked out, and I spent the better part of the afternoon compiling the Vietnam blog posting. Yeah, yeah…yes, I wrote all of the Vietnam postings at one time. What? You guys didn’t think I would be spending ever afternoon writing away did you now?

We were off to Saigon….

The bus ride was unspeakable. It seemed that every 20 minutes we stopped and picked up another passenger. And mind you..THERE WERE NO SEATS. No seats…no problem. People were piled in the aisles atop luggage and in the floorboards. In addition to the overcrowding, numerous people were getting “car sick” amid the mountain roads and were throwing up in plastic bags. The sounds were unspeakable. If I did not have an iron stomach, and if Nat was did not have headphones on listening to a movie, one of us would have upchucked. O…and did I forget the smoking? People were smoking in the bus. It was the bus ride from hell. Come to find out, we booked a local bus, not a tourist bus (which is a large greyhound air conditioned type)…what a mistake!

We arrived at about 6PM in Dalat and transferred via taxi to our hotel, the Ngoc Lan Hotel, found via trusty Kindle Lonely Planet. No matter what the hotel looked like….anything was better than puke, smoke, mountain roads, and shifting luggage!!!

We walked into the Ngoc Lan and knew we were in for a treat. The hotel is basically a castle-like fortress overlooking central Dalat. All of the rooms face the large lake that is the center piece of the city. Our room can only be described as huge modern suite. It even had a balcony overlooking the lake and a fireplace!! It was certainly one of the nicest hotels we had stayed in thus far!

After a shower, some rest, and some research on the Kindle, we both agreed on a eating a restaurant called Da Quey, which had received great reviews from Lonely Planet and from Tripadvisor. It was the number 1 restaurant in all of Dalat on Tripadvisor. Da Quey did not disappoint and Nat and I enjoyed some wonderful traditional Vietnamese food as well as some traditional Dalat red wine. The dinner was spectacular for only $12US…including a bottle of wine!!!

Monday December 7th:
After a great breakfast buffet at the Ngoc Lan, Nat and I went wandering the streets of Dalat in search of an adventure tour company to schedule some activities. Dalat is located in the central highlands of Vietnam. It is located amid mountains, canyons, raging streams, and unexplored jungles. It is known as an adventure seekers paradise and offers everything from rock climbing to canyoning to mountain biking. After a short walk, we found our destination called “The Groovy Gecko,” which had been recommended by Lonely Planet. After walking in and discussing the tours with the host, we booked a mountain biking tour for Monday and a canyoning tour for the following day. The host called the guide and told us to meet back at the shop in 30 minutes. We shrugged our shoulders, put on some sun screen, and were ready for our biking adventure.

Our guide was named Juan. He outfitted us with nice Giant mountain bikes, made sure the seats were in alignment, and filled our bike’s water bottles. He then pronounced that we were ready to begin. Nat and I kind of looked at each other in amazement and thought “ready to begin?” The shop was located in the middle of the city. We were under the impression that the bikes, and us, would be transported to the countryside via bus or truck. We NEVER thought we were going to have to bicycle OUT of the city and into the mountains. Let me explain. While Dalat is smaller than most cities in Vietnam, it is still a bustling metropolis. There are still hundreds of cars, buses, and motorcycles whizzing in every direction. To “bike” through the city center seemed like utter madness. We were not comfortable with the idea. Before we could voice a complaint, Juan was off. We looked at each other and followed in his wake. It was utterly terrifying. We were riding right next to motorcycles and had to navigate through cross traffic. With every turn I felt like I was going to be killed. At one point Nat and I just stopped and told him we were scared. He just looked at us, laughed, and said, “little farther.” It was harrowing and not something I ever hope to experience again.

After about 15 minutes of city riding, Nat, Juan, and I made it to the cities edge. We then had to ride 30 minutes straight up a huge mountain. Despite the gears on the mountain bike, it was one of the most challenging “workouts” that I have ever done. I felt like I was riding up a mountain in Colorado. At one point, Nat just got off her bike and walked it. I was too exhausted to exert the effort to even get off the thing! After topping the “hill,” we thankfully took a right onto a dirt tract that led into the countryside. We both looked at one another silently voicing “THANK GOSH!”

The dirt tract in the mountains proved to be one of the most strenuous mountain bike experiences we could ever imagine. I think everyone has seen those videos with the guys slamming down dirt roads at 40mph dodging huge boulders and tree trunks and being splattered by mud? Well….this was one of those videos. It was extreme mountain biking at its best. The tour company billed it as “easy” and it was nothing short of an expert course. I love mountain biking and at numerous points along the way I had to get off my bike for fear that I would hit a Volkswagen sized boulder and break my leg or neck. Despite the extreme course, the scenery along the way was incredible. Nat and I witnessed rice terraces, coffee plantations, flowing rivers, expansive forests, and villagers planting massive crop fields. It felt as if we had stepped back into a lost world. Let the pictures tell the story.

After a wonderful picnic lunch in the forest, we headed back toward town. As we headed out down one of the steep bolder strewn paths, I heard an awful creak in my bike. The pedals suddenly did not work. I knew immediately what had happened and looked down and saw as I predicted that the chain had broken. No surprise due to the massive amounts of stress that had been put on it in the last 3 hours. Juan spent the better part of 1 hour fixing the bike. His hands were solid black with grease when he finally threw up his hands in the triumph of completion. Nat and I were glad we had him….no way we could have fixed the bike on our own. After riding for another 45 minutes or so, we arrived back at pavement and Juan stated that we were “close” to town. He forgot to mention that “town” was on the other side of a HUGE mountain pass. It took Nat and I the better part of 1.5 hours to peddle straight up the pass. At the top we were utterly exhausted but we also felt a sense of accomplishment at completing the feat and looking down upon Dalat.

The mountain bike tour was one of the toughest things either of us has ever done in terms of physical exhaustion. Needless to say…we slept good that night.

Tuesday December 8th:
I was so excited for today. Today we had scheduled a “canyoning” trip that would last all day. Canyoning is essentially rappelling down waterfalls via fixed ropes that are set at the top of the falls. You hook into the fixed rope at the top of the falls and rappel down the falls and gorge, plummeting into the pool at the bottom of the falls. It is a mix of rappelling, climbing, and playing in the water. Canyoning is banned everywhere in the world (due to safety) except New Zealand, Switzerland, and I guess Vietnam (I had no idea it was a big thing here). I have always wanted to try it and when I saw it offered in the tour office (for only $25US), I jumped at the chance. The van picked us up at 8AM at our hotel. In the van was our trusty guide Juan and a French couple. We drove about 20 minutes outside of Dalat to a famous waterfall called Dantalla Waterfall. We hiked down the falls, which is very touristy, and then bypassed it and headed into the jungle.

We hiked on the small jungle path for about 20-30 minutes. We walked amid drooping vines, a rushing stream, bamboo, and huge cliff faces. It was easy to imagine what the US soldiers must have felt while walking on that tiny jungle pathway. After our short hike, we arrived at the top of a huge waterfall. The guide showed us how to put on our harnesses and did a short course on basic rappelling. After the lesson, instead of rappelling down the waterfall, the guide walked us over to the left-hand side of the falls to a sheer 50 foot cliff face. The four of us proceeded to rappel down the face. After the initial apprehension of the first backward lean over the ledge was conquered, the rest of the bounding journey was a blast! Nat got some great pics of me on my way down the wall.

Following the 50 foot rappel, the guide pointed at a 10-15 foot cliff and told us that we could jump off the cliff into a deep plunge pool. It looked like fun so I volunteered to be the first guinea pig. The jump itself was no problem, but let me tell you…it was an utter shock when I hit the water. It was so cold that it literally took the breath right out of me. I quickly swam to the side and got out of the frigid water. Needless to say, Nat passed on the jump after seeing me bouncing around on the shore trying trying to warm up! After our little cliff jump, we proceeded further into the jungle and came to a small waterfall. The guide told us to sit down at the top of the falls and he would push us into the current and we would be carried down the falls. It basically looked like a natural water-slide. The ride was great fun and despite the freezing water, I did the slide three or four times. I even did it backwards and head first once! After the water slide, we did another 40 foot rappel down into the rushing water. The most challenging rappel followed directly after the small one. It was a 75 foot water fall and we rappelled directly down the center of it. Water was crashing into our faces and it was hard not to slip on the moss covered face. When I neared the bottom, I lost control of my rappel and fell about 10 feet into the pool with the falls crashing down on top of my helmet. I can’t exactly say that I wasn’t a bit frightened after the fall! After we all made it to the bottom of the falls, we had a long picnic lunch before heading further into the jungle and down the gorge.

After lunch and a short hike, we came to a 30-40 foot cliff face and the guide told us that it was time to cliff jump. The 40 foot jump looked fairly dangerous. You had to get a running start and leap out and OVER an overhanging rock face to make a clear path to the deep plunge pool. One slip and you could easily tumble off the high ledge and likely smack into the lower ledge on your fall down. No way were we doing the high jump….definitely NOT safe. I climbed about 7-8 feet down to the lower ledge holding onto a rope for support. After a count of 3 from Nat and the guide, I leaped off the 30 foot cliff with the waterfall rushing down beside me on my right. It was an huge rush and I could not help myself from scaling back up the cliff path and doing it a second time! Nat passed on the jump. I couldn’t really blame her…it was pretty scary and the French guy that was with us noted that he jumped a bit too far left of the main pool and his feet smashed into the bottom……maybe they should take this part off the canyoning trip!

We finished the day by rappelling down a section of the river known as “The Whirlpool.” The Whirlpool can only be described as a 40-50 foot waterfall that is located in a broken rock crevice. According to the guide, the goal was to rappel down about 20 feet, place your feet on the opposite vertical wall, and scoot down the face avoiding getting swept into the main water stream. I definitely did not understand what he was talking about. Nat went first and no one could see how the rappel went due to the steep vertical angle. She made it out ok but was motioning to me that it was a bit dicey. The other French couple went next and both made it out fine. I was last to go. After stepping off the cliff wall and rappelling down about 15 feet I was directly in the waterfall stream and had no purchase what-so-ever with my feet. The water current immediately swept me into the center of the river, underwater, causing me to lose total control of my rope. After about 10-15 seconds I was mercifully thrust down to the bottom and into the plunge pool. It was fairly scary. After getting out and talking with Nat, I realized that she had the same scary experience. It’s no wonder canyoning is illegal in the US!

We both agreed that canyoning was the single neatest “tour” or day-trip that we have done during the trip. The scenery and the adventure sport were incredible. We will definitely try and do it again in a few months when we are in New Zealand.

Wednesday December 9th:
We were originally going to leave today via bus to Nha Trang, but we loved Dalat so much that we decided to stay an extra day. We spent the day touring in and around the city.

Our canyoning guide, Juan, picked us up at our hotel around 8AM. The first stop was a Chinese pagoda that sits perched on a hill overlooking an expansive forest. The pagoda was a very peaceful place that resembled a nice quiet park. The views of the surrounding countryside and the lake in the distance were incredible.

After visiting the pagoda, we walked through the forest and down to the shore of the lake. From there we jumped on a boat with Juan and crossed the lake to the elephant sanctuary. We were so excited because we were going to get to ride an elephant through the forest and along the shores of the lake. After arriving and purchasing our ticket, we were shown our “ride.” It was a huge elephant outfitted with a blue carriage on its back. Nat and I were shown to an elevated ledge and the huge beast lumbered over and let us climb on its back into the teetering chair. After we were situated, a guide climbed onto the elephant’s neck right behind its head so that he could guide it with his feet along the narrow pathway. It felt very strange to be sitting at least 13 feet in the air on the back of an elephant! The ride was quite an experience. During the trip we got to witness the elephant “playing.” His idea of playing was to grab huge tree branches (off living trees) with his trunk and to break them in half. It was amazing to see how easily the animal snapped HUGE branches and tossed them like they were a piece of straw. Nat and I just could not believe the power the animal had. The ride was something we will not soon forget.

Following the elephant ride, Juan took us to a cable car which we boarded on our way back to the city. The cable car ride through the mountain tops provided great views of Dalat and the surrounding coffee fields.

After arriving back in the city and grabbing some lunch, we headed off to a place called “Crazy House.” This is a famous Vietnamese architects “work in progress.” It is basically an Alice in Wonderland style home that is constructed in the shape of a tree-house. There are countless strange rooms such as “Tiger Room” and “Termite Room.” In addition to the animal themed rooms, the rooms are connected via elevated and suspended concrete walkways. It was a very strange site and pictures don’t really do it justice. It’s hard to capture fake cave stalactites that sit next to a concrete bear who is perched on top of a giant mushroom!

The second afternoon stop was the well known Dalat flower gardens. This is basically a huge arboretum that is positioned near the center of Dalat with views of the lake. We were basically the only tourists in the place, and we did a quick walk through looking at the manicured bushes that are carved in the shape of animals and people.

The last stop of the day was Bao Dai Summer Palace. This was a king’s palace in the 1940′s and the architecture can only be described as classic “communist block.” When we arrived via taxi I thought we were being brought to the municipal post office by mistake! The squat yellow concrete structure was not really our idea of “palace!!!” The inside was very stark and appeared to be stuck in a 1960′s time capsule. While the building itself was not much, the grounds and views of the city were incredible.

After our packed city tour day, it was great to make it back to the hotel. Nat finished the day off with a $5 massage and I enjoyed the sunset reading Kindle on the balcony overlooking the lake.

Thoughts on Dalat:
Both of us are in complete agreement that Dalat is a MUST visit for anyone traveling to Vietnam. We loved the “outdoor/colorado” style atmosphere of the city. In addition to the outdoor adventure sports in the surrounding countryside, the city itself just “feels” good. From the the lake in the center of town to the small shop crammed streets lined with tiny cheap restaurants, the city is just a very neat place. If you are ever in Vietnam…take the bus trip…its worth it.

Mue Ni can only be described as a quite beach town on the eastern coast of Vietnam. It basically just has one road with a plethora of resorts lining the beach side of the road. The other side is lined with bars and restaurants (the resorts claim ownership of the prime beach real estate). As we did not have a hotel booked, and since there was no “main” bus stop, we just jumped ship in what appeared to be the “middle” of the strip. After disembarking, I broke out the Kindle (which of course had the downloaded E-book Vietnam Lonely Planet) and we started perusing hotels and resorts. After picking three good candidates, Nat and I jumped in a local cab and had him take us to destination numero uno.

Resort numero uno, The Mue Ni Sailing Club, told Nat that they were fully booked. One thing we have learned on this trip is that Nat is a much better “bargainer” than me. She has no problem marching into a hotel looking at their prices and asking for a 50% “discount.” In most cases, if the hotel has rooms, they agree to some sort of discount. If they don’t agree to make a room rate cut, she just “moves on.” The move on trick always elicits an immediate rate slice. I have totally given up talking at the hotels. I am relegated to “bag guarder.”

Since the Sailing Club was fully booked (a shame as the place looked like a lush garden palace) we headed off to choice numero dos, the Teracotta Beach Resort. After a bit of Nat negotiating, we were booked in a nice air conditioned room in the main building. We passed on the bungalows overlooking the water due to the price . After dumping our bags off in the great room, we headed down to the pool and beach bar, which is situated directly on the ocean.

The first thing we noticed about Mue Ni was the wind. It was one of the windiest places either of us had ever visited. The wind was so strong it could literally blow a full beer bottle off of a table! Due to the extreme winds, Mue Ni is a mecca for Kite Surfing. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Kite Surfing, it is basically a sport in which a person is strapped into a banana shaped kite via a harness. They control the kite via a vertical bar. Their feet are strapped into a large surfboard that more or less resembles a huge wakeboard. It was absolutely mesmerizing to watch the Kite Surfers “hit” the waves and go flying into the air 20-25 feet. They almost looked like they were floating. While in the air, the guys would do all kinds of tricks such as flips, twists, and grabs. Nat and I sat on the beach for hours watching literally hundreds of pro kite boarders do tricks amid the crazy surf. To me, it felt like I was watching a pro competition that should be being video taped for the MTV X Games. The afternoon just flat disappeared while watching these guys. The pics don’t even do it justice.

That night, we ate at a local brewery that was on the ocean. The beer and seafood were great and it was really pleasant sitting outside with the wind and surf. After dinner and during our evening stroll, we booked a day tour for the following morning.

Saturday December 5th:
We awoke early at 6:30AM, had some breakfast, and headed to the front of the resort for our tour pickup. The utilitarian jeep and guide were waiting for us. The jeep was an open air Chinese Army addition that looked like it should be on a battlefield rather than carting tourists around town!

The first stop on the tour was the White Sand Dunes, which are located about 40 minutes outside of Mue Ni. Approaching the dunes, I was having flashbacks to a trip to Aamosa, New Mexico back in high school with my Mom, brother, and Andy. The dunes looked very similar to their US counterpart. They stretched far into the distance and had a gorgeous lake at the base of the dunes.

The jeep dropped us off at the base of the dunes and we had to proceed on foot. Prior to starting the blistering walk, Nat and I rented “sand boards” (glorified pieces of altered plastic) so that we would be able to “ride” down the dunes after making the hike to the top. We were accompanied on our 30 minute hike to the top by a group of squealing Japanese high school kids. At the summit, one of the Japanese boys sat down on his board and tried to scoot off the edge. He made it about 10 feet at a painfully slow pace. I tapped Nat on the shoulder and said “watch this.” I had learned a trick or two in Alamosa as a kid with Reid and Andy. I took a 5 yard running start and propelled myself face first off the cliff face. I went screaming past the open mouthed onlooking Japanese kid and all the way down to the bottom. Nat followed right along in my wake. It was great fun. After we made the long hike back up to the summit, Nat and I realized that the “real ride” was off the backside of the cliff wall. We had originally overlooked it in our excitement at first reaching the top. The backside path was nearly 3 times as long a ride as the one we had just done and it was nearly twice as vertical. To be honest, looking down the slope I was a bit apprehensive to even try it. I knew from New Mexico that people do break arms and such riding down the dunes. After a bit of thought I made a less exuberant running start and jumped off the steep cliff. Within seconds I was traveling at a tremendous rate of speed. Sand was flying into my eyes and mouth. Before I knew it I was losing control of the plastic board. In a matter of moments I was rolling head over heels down the slope and my swim trunks were falling off! After about 10 yards I came to a stop, spitting sand, to the hilarious laughter of Nat and the Japanese kids. I was too busy spitting sand and shaking out my shorts to be embarrassed. As I was slowly making my way back to the summit, I noticed that an older gentleman had arrived with a board and was peering down the slope obviously contemplating the ride. Before I knew it, the old guy had run and jumped off the cliff face. Within seconds he screamed by me on his ride to the bottom. He was in total control but he was picking up more and more speed on his descent. The base of the dune was covered in brier and low lying cactus bushes. As he was approaching the end of the slope, I was thinking “bail man…bail…bail now.” He didn’t. He hit the bushes at an alarming rate of speed. He was immediately thrown from his board and sent into a terrible looking head over heals roll and tumble. It was a major wipeout. It would have won America’s Funniest Home Video. The Japanese kids were slapping their legs they were laughing so hard. I tried to hold it in because the crash was BAD and I was worried the old guy might be seriously hurt. Thankfully he got up, dusted himself off, hunted around for his ball cap, and slowly started back up the hill. I wish Nat had taken a video of both of our crashes…I am sure you guys would be hooting and hollering in your computer chairs.

After the White Sand Dunes, the guide drove us to a famous stream known as the Fairy Stream. This is basically a muddy creek that runs through the middle of the canyon walls. Many tourists walk in the shallow water to the origin of the creek…a journey of almost 2 miles. Nat and I passed on the 2 mile water hike, but we did dip our feet in, take a short stroll, and get some neat pics of the red canyon walls with the flowing meandering stream.

We were back at our Resort by noon. We set up shop with the Kindle and Nat’s magazines by the pool overlooking the ocean and had a quick bite to eat. The discussion quickly turned to whether or not we should try Kite Surfing. Half day lessons could be had for about $50US and without doubt, it looked like a total blast. Before trying it we both agreed to watch the lessons…there were countless beginners giving it a shot right on the beach. After watching a handful of very athletic looking guys give it a try (for hours on end) we decided against it. Not one of them even got close to getting up. They would practice for hours on the beach manuvering the kite prior to even getting in the water. The second they got in the water, the wind would rip them out into the surf, face first, tearing the board off their feet. The guide would run after the derelict kite and boarder trying to pull them back to the shore. Nat and I just decided that if these guys could not get up….there was NO WAY either of us was going to be able to do it.

We spent the rest of the afternoon people watching. Asia is a great place to “people watch” and if you look close enough you will see some very funny things. On this afternoon we witnessed a Japanese couple taking “posed” model shots up and down the beach. The boyfriend or husband would pose his partner in all kinds of funny and strange positions along the shore and then take pics with his tiny point and shoot camera. It was a total hoot watching these goings on. In addition to the photo shoot, we also witnessed countless “matcher” couples. Along the trip Nat and I have coined the phrase “there is another matcher.” For some strange reason or another Asian couples LOVE to dress in matching clothing. They wear the exact shorts, shirts, hats, and even socks. It’s totally bizarre to us and Nat and I love to look for them (for laughs) in every destination. Mue Ni was no exception, and the matchers could be found strolling the beach throwing up the peace sign (they love to take pics with the peace sign). If anyone knows why Asian couples love to dress in matching clothing…and why they love to throw up the peace sign in all pictures…please enlighten us!

Mue Ni was a great beach stop in our Vietnam journey. A great break from the busting city of Vietnam, and definitely a place we would recommend. If you are into Kite Surfing…or ever wanted to try…this city is the frontier. I can’t imagine a better destination for that sport. We both wish we knew how to do it and or had more time to learn!

For all of you that have not been to Saigon, let me tell you….its a culture shock. For starters, the traffic is absolutely crazy. There are more motorcycles (what they call scooters) than anywhere in the world. Sometimes you can witness a scooter packed with 5 people (two adults and three small children)! Nat and I enjoyed looking out the window of the cab watching the near crashes and taking quick snapshots of the crazy traffic. The first destination on my homemade city tour list was the War Remnants Museum. We exited our roller coaster car in front of the museum and were staring at numerous American planes, tanks, and gunships. The Remnants Museum is a Vietnam War Museum in the heart of Saigon that not only houses numerous war relics (planes, tanks, and guns), but also houses an impressive collection of original war photographs from American and Vietnamese soldiers. Nat and I spent a good 1.5 hours at the museum looking at shocking pictures chronicling everything from the Mai Lai Massacre, to unnamed village massacres where women and children were gun downed and burned to death at the hands of US soldiers (some pics taken by US soldiers). It was very disturbing and sad, and I was happy to escape to the outside to take some pics in front of the tanks and planes! It was really neat to stand right next to American Huey Helicopters…there were no rules about “no touching.”

After the War Museum, Nat and I took another cab to the Reunification Palace. We passed on riding in the Saigon Tricycles…..many of you may have seen these vehicles in pictures. They are basically bicycles with elevated seats that are peddled through the streets. We passed on them due to the crazy traffic…they just did not look safe. Many of you will remember The Reunification Palace as it was pictured on the front of Time Magazine when the Vietnam War ended (when the US troops pulled out). This was the place where the North Vietnamese ran through the front gate with tanks and hung the Communist flag from the 4th floor balcony. The “palace” tour was interesting. The interior looked as though it had not been re-decorated since the 1970′s. It almost looked as though it was stuck in a time warp. It was neat to see the actual tank that burst through the front gates as well as to see the underground basement communication center. The highlight of the tour was walking to the fourth floor which housed the helicopter pad and afforded great views of the Saigon skyline. It was well worth the $3US dollars!!!

Following the Palace, Nat and I headed to Pham Lagu Na street…which is a great place to book buses, air-trips, find an internet cafe, or just to find a quick place to eat…it’s basically the backpacker area. We sat down and had a coffee and sandwich and agreed to move on from Saigon the following day. On this trip we have learned a few things about ourselves…for one…we are not much for huge bustling cities….we like more tranquil out of the way destinations. After scouring the street vendors, we quickly found a local tour vendor and booked an 8AM bus trip to Mui Ne (a quiet out of the way beach town 4 hours north).

As we had a few hours of daylight left, we headed to Ben Thanh Market, the most famous market in all of Saigon. Ben Thanh is a huge outdoor circular market which sells everything from sunglasses to watches to exotic food. We had a great time walking among the tiny cramped aisles (I barely fit through them turned sideways!!!). We saw everything from strange drinks full of fish, beans, corn, and milk To dvd’s and jewelry. The sites, smells, and people watching was worth the journey.

That night we had a quiet Tapas dinner at a wonderful restaurant across from the most famous hotel in Saigon, The Park Hyatt. After dinner, we hit the sack early in preparation for our first bus trip!

Our plan was to walk up to one of the ticket counters in the Manila airport and buy two one way tickets to Boracay island. We quickly realized that we were in a pickle after we started making our first inquiries. The first air carrier, Zest Air, which flies to Boracay 15 times a day told us they were TOTALLY sold out for the day. Not good. The next two carriers informed us they too had nothing. When we threw up our hands and finally asked what the deal was, the ticket guy told us that it was a holiday weekend. When asked what the holiday was, his response was “I don’t know. Its a holiday.” The last carrier we checked, Cebu Pacific, informed us that yes, they had two seats remaining flying into an outlying city, Kalibo, and that upon arrival we would have to take a 1 hour “shuttle van” to Boracay. O No….we had visions of the prison van ride in Culion on our minds! Despite the visions, we took the 3PM flight and boarded the packed plane….hey, its an adventure right?

We arrived in Kalibo at about 6PM after sitting on the Manila tarmac for almost 1.5 hours. When we landed, the plane erupted in applause…haha. When we exited the airport, we were bombarded by van drivers asking if we wanted a ride to Boracay. The van ride was about $5 and it took us about 1.5 hours to arrive at the Ferry Boat that took us to Boracay Island.

Upon arriving at Boracay, it was totally dark and we had no idea where we were going. We jumped in a “Jeepney,” which is basically a motorcycle with a sidecar for passengers and asked him to take us to an internet cafe. At the cafe, we did some research and decided upon staying at the Boracay Regency Resort. After the lizards, frogs, cold showers, and no ac, we were ready for a “proper” resort. We had no trouble finding the Regency and they had an available room. The room was everything we were imagining….huge marble bathroom with separate shower and tub, giant king bed, freezing cold ac, walk out patio with sunken stairs into the resort style pool with sunken pool bar, flat screen tv with hundreds of English channels (even HBO)….it is very nice.

And no there were not roosters to wake us at 5AM.

November 28th through December 1st
No, I do not normally group a whole section of days together, but in this instance, I think that it makes the most sense as we were not very “active” in Boracay. We treated it like a relaxing semi-pampered beach vacation.

The only way to describe Boracay is sadly, to state that it is a “trap.” About 10 years ago, I am sure that Boracay would have been utter paradise. For certain, the beach is one of the most beautiful that I have ever laid eyes upon. Incredibly soft white sands stretches for miles in either direction in front of the hotel and is met by lapping turquoise colored clear water that is as warm as bathwater. While the natural beauty is unmatched, and appears “screen-saver-ish,” the place is RUINED by tourism. For starters, there is a sand pathway that runs in front of all the hotels and bars. It is sort of a pedestrian “highway” that separates the bars, restaurants, and hotels from the beach. While walking on this pathway, you are ACCOSTED literally every 1 minute by a “hawker” trying to sell you rolex’s, sunglasses, daytrips, pearls, bracelets, tattoos…you name it…they are hounding you to buy it. The first day, I almost lost it. The second day, I ignored them. The third day, we stayed at the pool to avoid them. The fourth day I was looking for a print screen t shirt place so I could have a t-shirt made that said something to the effect of “NO I DO NOT WANT WHATEVER YOU ARE SELLING. LEAVE ME ALONE.” In addition to the hawkers, there are so many restaurants and bars along this pathway that you cannot walk without being accosted by the restaurant and bar owners trying desperately for you to come in and eat at their little place. In addition to these two competing factions, there is also the massage ladies screaming at the top of their lungs as you pass, “SIR, MAME (which sounds like MOM), MASSAGE?” Walking along the pathway is not enjoyable. And for those of you thinking, why not just walk on the beach by the water. Forget that. Down there you have to contend with the blind beggars holding onto poor children that claw at your ankles and beg for a dollar. Its a sad scene.

Despite the draw backs, Nat and I have been able the enjoy the beauty of Boracay. Each day we get up and eat the beautiful breakfast brunch at the Regency overlooking the ocean. We then go to the semi-private beach and sit in the provided lounge chairs (no need to fight or reserve them). A few days, we just sat at the pool (there are three of them) and enjoyed reading, having a few drinks, and getting away from the hawkers!!!

On Monday (the 30th), Nat and I braved the road from hell and purchased a “day trip” to do some snorkeling. It was a major let down. Countless boats and people in life vests all crowded around one site looking at a bunch of dead coral. In some ways Boracay feels like “Cozumel” when the cruise ships arrive and start taking people on “day trips.” The snorkeling was not like Palawan.

On Tuesday (the 1st), we rented ATV’s and drove along a paved path (I thought it would be dirt roads) up to the top of the Mt. Luho where we had great views of all of the island as well as the surrounding islands. We also paid about $3 and entered a butterfly farm where I held a “pet” bat. It was fairly freaky. We also took some pictures of pet monkeys. The monkeys were really funny. They would play with a litter of puppies and hold them up by the scruff of their napes and look at them in the eyes. It was funny.

All in all, while Boracay is beautiful naturally speaking, it is ugly in that it has been totally ruined by tourism, bars, competition, and the desire to “make a buck.” While the pics may look great, it is not a place I would ever recommend coming to. Skip it and head to Palawan.

November 23rd
We awoke the next morning, and arrived at our terminal headed to Coron, Philippines, which is located on the southern island named Palawan. We were very excited about our island adventure. The cold in China had worn us down, and we were very ready for the sun, surf, and snorkeling. Getting on that airplane (it was not as small as I expected….it held at least 50 passengers), felt so good…it was like Christmas. The flight to Coron was short (40 minutes), and provided some spectacular scenery (tiny islands amid crystal clear blue water). Upon landing, we were met at the airport by a driver (I had previously booked our hotel and they had assured us transport from the airport would be taken care of). The ride from the airport to Coron town took about 30 minutes along a ROUGH partially paved jungle road. Thankfully, Nat and I were the only passengers in the 12 person van! To be honest, we were looking a little green after the ride! Upon arriving in the small fishing type village of Coron, the driver dropped us at a store front that was the town base (office) for the resort we were staying at. The resort was called Majika Island Resort. The resort itself is located about 1 hour away (by boat) from Coron. After meeting the lodge owners, Maggie, a Filipino, and her husband Robert, an Australian, we headed down to the boat dockl, and took off across the water toward the resort. The boat ride was nothing short of amazing. The water was crystal clear, and small islands dotted the skyline in every direction for as far as the eye could see. It looked like paradise.

We arrived at the “resort” at about noon. I am putting the word resort in quotes because that term is a bit deceiving and misleading…haha.The “resort” was very simple. More simple than I had imagined, and definitely more simple than the exuberant internet description….hahaha. The resort consists of 11 structures. There is one large open air common structure with long wooden eating tables, a pool table, a ping pong table, and a bar…and a small TV from the 80′s. This open air structure had an incredible view looking out over the bay and mountains. Along the left side (if facing the common area) were a series of 10 “cottages.” We were shown to our “cottage,” which was number 5. The cottage, like the common area, was very simple and utilitarian. It had no AC (only had one small plug in fan mounted on the wall), no sheets, no towels, and the sink did not function. Nat also quickly pointed out a HUGE spider crawling up the wall above our bed, and also managed to almost step on a huge frog that was jumping around our room. Hahahaha. I could not help but giggling, but this was definitely not as the internet had shown. In addition, there was no power except from 6PM-5:45AM….the “resort” ran on a generator. We tried to smile and shrug it off…it was the beach….we tried to reason that we would be spending most of the time outside anyways.

After dropping our bags off in our wondrous “resort” style room, we went down to the beach (which WAS incredible). We laid in the hammocks, played some ping pong, and borrowed a snorkel and walked all of 10 feet into the water and started exploring the coral reef (yes, there was a reef…with starfish, anemones, all kinds of fish….directly in front of the lodge). We spent the rest of the day lounging around and enjoying being at the beach.

At around 7PM we ate our dinner, a local meal of rice, chicken, beef, and bananas. It was surprisingly good (no complaints from either of us). We also met another few couples (one from LA….it looked like a nerd had found himself a Filipino wife and they were vacationing back in her homeland….hahaha….and the other one a backpacker couple from England). After staring at the stars (thousands of them were visible at this private island) we hit the sack early at around 9PM.

November 24th
We woke up early the next day at 6AM. It’s pretty hard to sleep when you are sweating like a stuck pig in the jungle, and roosters are crowing away starting at 5AM…hahahaha. Resort style living at its best! If only the 4 Seasons could take some tips and purchase a few of those roosters….they would surely increase revenues worldwide! We wandered down to the “rec room” after a COLD shower. You didn’t think there was hot water did you? Before walking into the bathroom we had to do a sweep with the flashlight to make sure we didn’t squash a frog or lizard or something on the way to the show stall! We ate some breakfast (pancakes, eggs, juice…it was good) and then boarded our private boat for our day of adventures. It was so nice having a private boat and guide..not your usually beach “day trip” with 20 other white touristicas. Our first two destinations were deserted beaches. They beaches were very dramatic coves of sand set against rock cliff faces with jungle vines swinging down amid the rock. The water was CRYSTAL clear up to about 30 feet. Nat and I just looked at each other as we had NEVER been anywhere like this in our entire life. It felt like a “CastAway” environment. The beaches were out of a movie backdrop. Words and pictures will hardly describe these places.

After some beach and island hopping, our boat driver and guide, named Rodell (17), took us to a place called “The Twin Lagoons.” The Twin Lagoons are hidden lagoons that are set back in the rock cliff faces. In order to get to the lagoons, Rodell drove the boat into a bay and then we swam THROUGH a cut out in the rock wall. Upon swimming through the cutout we were IN the lagoon. It is massive (easily 8-10 football fields across) and bordered on all sides by steep cliff walls and jungle. It felt like an enchanted “Jurassic Park” setting. We spent at least 40 minutes just swimming around the lagoon and enjoying the setting. It was unlike anything we had ever seen in our lives (a common theme). After leaving the lagoons, Rodell drove us to a National Park. Here we took a Tarzan style “hike” up into the jungle. After about 15-20 minutes of hiking, we arrived at a massive hidden freshwater lake (that of course was crystal clear). Rodell paddled us around this lake in a bamboo raft and we enjoyed lounging around and swimming. It was very neat swimming around in a clear jungle lake high up in the mountains. We arrived back at the lodge at around 4PM and spent the rest of the day lounging around, paddling around in the personal kayak owned by the lodge, and basically just being beach bums. After dinner (which was not as good as it was seafood…with eyes and guts) we hit the sack early again around 9PM. Of course we checked the sheets prior to entering the bed!

November 25th
The next day we were informed by the lodge owner that we were taking a day trip to Culion. Culion is also known as “Leper Island” as it is the place where the Philippine Leper Colony was from 1900-1950. It is also the place where the cure for Leprosy was found by US doctors. Nat and I tried to bow out of the day trip in favor of just laying on the beach, but the owners basically strong armed us into the “field trip” by saying that every person (including the cooks) were taking the voyage. She also promised that we would be back by Noon. So…we begrudgingly got on the boat with the rest of the tourists. After a long 40 minute boat ride, we arrived at the small island of Culion. After disembarking, Nat and I looked at each other knowing full well that we should have just laid down the law and refused to come. Culion was basically just a ramshackle poor village. We quickly realized we were forced to go to the place only the “help” out the local economy with “tourist dollars.” Our first “adventure” in Culion was cramming 10+ people into a “prison” van and taking a 1 hour van ride HIGH up into the mountains on a 4WD road. The ride was TERRIBLE. One of the worst rides I have ever experienced in my entire life. Imagine a VAN hanging precariously off a 4WD road..and there is no AC, and the seats feel like steel man hold covers! Nat said I was turning yellow. I don’t know about my face, but I can tell you for certain that my butt was yellow after that ride!!! After the ride from hell, We all piled out at the top of the mountain. The guide kept yacking about “360 view…..look, look” but Nat and I were just looking for shade and counting the minutes till we went back to the beach! While the views were incredible (you could see hundreds of surrounding islands) it was definitely NOT worth the 1 hour hell ride. After another 1 hour prison ride back down the mountain, we arrived back in the ramshackle village, looked at a ramshackle church, tried some disgusting local drink with beans and corn and milk (PUKE), took some pictures in the heat, and then got back on the boat to the beach….we were so excited to be done with it!!! We arrived back at the “resort” at 1PM and then spent the rest of the day swimming and playing around on the beach. Our day in Culion was not a fun one!!

November 26th
Guess what….we woke up early again at 5:45AM to the wonderful “rooster alarm clock,” and then headed out with Rodell on the boat. Today was all about snorkeling and seeing the underwater life around the islands. Our first stop was one of the most interesting things that I have ever seen. It was a sunken Japanese WWII gunboat wreck!!! To make it even better, it was submerged in only about 10-15 feet of water, so Nat and I could easily swim around it. There were thousands of fish and coral in and around the wreck. We spent over an hour at this site and I took tons of pictures. To be honest, I could have stayed there for more time.

The next two stops were “coral gardens” where we saw a plethora of fish and coral. The thing that separates the Philippines from say Hawaii or even the Bahamas is the water clarity. It is like you are swimming through a bottle of Evian, and that bottle of Evian is full of coral, fish, and sunken wrecks. There is nothing like it in the world. It is truly paradise on earth. Both of us have done quite a bit of snorkeling around the world and we both agreed that Palawan was simply the best…hard to even describe.

After the coral gardens, we next stopped at ANOTHER Japanese WWII wreck. This wreck was not as impressive as the first in that it was in almost 50-70 feet of water and it was MUCH larger. Being as it was so deep, it was hard to see in great detail and the fish stayed right around the wreck so even they were a bit hard to look at. While a bit hard to see in detail, it was still impressive to be swimming around a WWII wreck!! Our last stop of the day was a natural hot spring set back in a mangrove forest. The water was felt as though it was like a hot tub! It was so relaxing to spend the end of the day sitting on natural rocks in a natural hot tub deep in the jungle!!! After our big day snorkeling in the clear waters, we ate dinner and hit the sack early around 8PM as we had to get up early so we could depart at 7AM on our boat back to Coron. We were off to Borocay next!!!

Thoughts on Coron/Palawan:
While the Majika Island Resort was certainly not what it billed itself as, in terms of accommodations, it is impossible to look past the natural beauty of Coron. We have certainly never been to a place like it. The shear beauty of the islands was breathtaking. The snorkeling was the best that we have EVER experienced. Not many can say that they have snorkeled around a sunken WWII wreck in 10 feet of water amid thousands of fish and hundreds of colorful coral structures (with NO tourists in site…we had it to ourselves). Palawan felt like a “last frontier” in that there was no commercialization, no hotels, and few tourists. Perhaps it is what Hawaii (or Bali) would have looked and felt like 100 years ago. Get there while you can…it is amazing and won’t last forever. O yeah….and the owner of the lodge stated that you could purchase an ISLAND for about 50k US……tempting.

November 20th
We woke up that next morning at about 7AM freezing cold and in bad moods. We walked downstairs and met our guide for the day whose name was “Juan” (Lilly was booked with other clients and gave us her associate). Juan took us to a nice western restaurant where we had some breakfast. Before breakfast, Juan had mapped out the day for us and told us that our first excursion was to take a “bike ride” around the countryside. After we finished eating, Nat and I strolled outside into the cobblestone streets and met up with Juan who was holding two really nice mountain bikes fully equipped with nice seats and even shocks. I was fairly surprised at the quality. I think I was expecting beat up road bikes from the 1940′s. Nat and I mounted our bikes and followed Juan out of the city proper. Yangshuo is very small and it only took us about 10 minutes to get out into the countryside. The only way to describe the countryside is stunning…or perhaps even exotic. Surrounding us on all sides were huge jungle covered spires that Juan called “peaks.” At the base of these “peaks” were rice fields, small streams, meandering rivers, and small villages. It was amazing to ride bikes through this setting. After about 30 minutes of riding, the pavement ran out and we rode gravel paths directly through the rice patties along the meandering rivers. It was stunning and not something we will ever forget.

After 2 hours of riding (pavement and small dirt paths) we arrived at our destination….the dragon river bridge. The Dragon River bridge is a centuries old stone bridge spanning over the Dragon River. I believe that Juan stated that the bridge itself was approximately 1500 years old. After taking a few breathtaking pics, Nat and I had our bikes placed on a bamboo raft and we sat in comfy chairs and were paddled down the Dragon River right through the middle of the gorge. We were encircled on all sides by jungle, peaks, rice paddies, and the occasional small village. The trip lasted about 2 hours. While we thoroughly enjoyed the ride, we were ready for it to be over after about an hour as the temperature was hovering somewhere in the 40′s….not to pleasant a temperature for a bamboo raft ride…haha. At the docking station, Juan met us and helped unload our bikes from the rear of the bamboo raft. We then proceeded to peddle for another 1.5 hours so. We saw more countryside and a famous site in Yangshuo called “the Big Banyan Tree.” The tree is a huge African Banyan that is 1000 years old. While it was somewhat impressive, to be honest, Nat and I just didn’t “get it.” It was basically just a huge tree in the middle of a field with hundreds of Chinese tourists talking excitedly and taking pics. We quickly had Juan take us from the “tree” site and back to town. We spent the remainder of the afternoon just walking around Yangshuo, doing a little shopping, exploring the nice old cobblestone streets, etc.

At 7PM Juan picked us up at a pre-arranged site and took us to the famous “Yangshuo Light Show.” The show seats 2k people and employees 500 villagers. It is written and produced by the most famous “director” in China….I do not remember his name. Juan had arranged the tickets for us and we were sitting directly in the center about 10 rows back from the front row. The seats were amazing. We had no pre-conceived notions regarding the light show. In fact…we didn’t even really know to go to it…we were just attending based on Juan’s planning. The stadium was totally packed out. I would say that it was at least 95-97% full. The show is set “on the water” with the peaks as a backdrop. The show itself is hard to describe, but I can say that it was an incredible experience…one of the best we had in China. Basically, hundreds of people seem to “walk on the water” while singing and while the peaks and the river water turn all different colors. It is somewhat like a ballet on the water accompanied by music and lights (amid the most dramatic backdrop one has ever witnessed). The show lasted about 1.5 hours and we certainly left in awe. It alone would be worth traveling to China for.

November 21st
We awoke at 9AM, had some breakfast, and then met Juan at 10:30AM. Juan and his driver drove us about 40 minutes outside of town to a place called “The Silver Cave.” This is a huge cave complex that you pay to walk through. Unfortunately, Nat and I were stuck with a Chinese “tour group.” You have probably seen them on TV….30 to 40 people following a jabbering person around with a small yellow flag…no fun. It would have been no big deal if the cave complex was not HUGE. While it was really neat to see the caverns (which were lighted with colored lights), we quickly grew tired of the jabbering Chinese tour guide and the jabbering tourists. We got so tired of them that Nat convinced me to walk ahead of the group and disappear off into the caverns on our own. I kind of threw a fit saying that we were going to get lost and should follow the rules, but she just convinced me that we needed to get out of the place! I let her lead the way. Nat just followed the marked paths and we escaped the place in about 30 minutes. I can’t even imagine how long the “tour” would have taken had we stuck with the group….total torture. After escaping from the cave (a definite skip if visiting Yangshuo), Juan and the driver drove us about 1.5 hours to a small village that is the starting point of the famous “Li River” cruises. Here, we boarded a fairly small boat and took a 2 hour cruise down the famous Li River (the scenery along our journey is depicted on all Chinese RMB notes…their money). While the cruise was COLD, it was still amazing to ride down a river through jungles and gouges, and to experience scenery that our eyes had never even imagined existed. After the cruise, we were dropped off in town and just did more shopping, exploring, and eating…basically taking it easy.

Thoughts on Yangshou:
After talking about it, Yangshuo was DEFINITELY Nat and I’s favorite place in China. We loved it not only for its dramatic scenery, but also for its cobblestone streets and “old world” feel. While it is somewhat “western” in the sense that it is a backpacker destination, and many of the restaraunts cater to that crowd, the scenery in the countryside makes the destination “un-missable” if traveling to China. What a place. Let the pictures speak for themselves.

November 16th
We had a nice long sleep and awoke sometime around 11AM. After our nice hibernation, we dressed in our warmest clothes and stepped out onto the streets of Beijing. Its hard to describe how cold it was in Beijing. The wind was howling, there was snow on the ground, and the air was 15-19 degrees…sounds pleasant huh? Nat found it unbearable!! We quickly hailed a cab (not a problem in Beijing as there are hundreds of them) and we pointed at the map of where we wanted to go. Our destination was “the Silk Market” which is basically a 6 story market of everything imaginable (clothes, bags, watches, electronics, pearls, jade)….you name it…they have it. We spent about 4 hours shopping in this interesting building. It was really fun haggling, looking, and buying a bunch of trinkets and presents. Nat swears that the purses which she purchased were basic exact copies of the real thing…I of course have no clue. After shopping, we went back to the hotel, rested, and got ready for dinner. Our plan was to try a traditional Chinese restaurant called “the Dali Courtyard” that was recommended by Walker and Kate. After getting ready, we hailed a cab and gave the cabbie our “sheet of paper” with the address on it. Its so hard to describe how hard it is to get around in this city. NO ONE speaks a word of English and the cabbies just look at the paper and jab at you. All we can do is look at them and say over and over again that we don’t speak Chinese. Its very frustrating. To sum things up, the cabbie looked at our paper, drove us 15 minutes to some part of town, stopped the car and pointed at a laundry mat and told us to get out. We politely got out, walked up and down the block for 10 minutes and could not find the restaurant. We then resorted to assuming that the cabbie took us to the wrong place, so we hailed another cab, got in, gave him the paper, and guess what…..he pointed at the SAME laundry mat and told us to get out!!!! How frustrating!! So….since we could not find that place, we got in ANOTHER cab and asked him to take us to another restaurant on Walker’s list. He had no idea where it was. After calling the place on his cell phone he looked at us and made the motion of a throat cutting….I guess he was saying it was closed or out of business…who knows. The restaurant scavenger hunt was such a frustrating nightmare that Nat and I were just laughing at the end of it. In the end, we got out of the cab, walked across the street, and ate at Mcdonalds!!!! Haha….Beijing is VERY hard to get around in. Its lucky we even made it back to the hotel!!

November 17th
Today, it was readily apparent that the cold weather of Beijing, or maybe the pollution had done me in. I was sick and felt terrible. But heck…we were halfway around the world in China and I was not about to sit in the hotel room…even if it was 15 degrees outside. Around 9AM we hopped in a cab and asked him to take us Tienanmen Square (it was too cold to walk the 5 minutes down the road!!). The cabbie then informed the bellhop, who informed us in broken English, that the Square was closed down and cordoned off due to Obama’s morning walking tour. Since we could not visit the square, we opted to go to the Temple of Heaven complex. The Temple of Heaven is basically a huge complex of ancient Chinese buildings in a monstrous park. While the park, and the structures are very interesting, the drawback is that everything is outside and we quickly tired of the biting cold. After about 2 hours and plenty of obligatory pictures, we hailed a cab and headed back to the Square and the Forbidden City to see if they were now open. Sure enough, we were able to see the Square as Obama had moved on to bigger and better ventures. Tienanmen is basically just a huge square with flags…not really much else. After a few pictures we headed across the street and walked around the Forbidden City. Again, the cold made the visit a bit short, but at least we saw the sites! We were quickly realizing that a visit to China would be much more pleasurable in say August!

After Tienanmen and the Forbidden City, we spent the remainder of the day walking around a section of Beijing known as Hou Hai. Here we saw an old bell tower, numerous neat little antique shops, and thankfully, plenty of WARM coffee shops with cheap coffee and free internet!

November 18th
We awoke at 7AM and begrudgingly put on our warm clothes to go get in the hired car that was going to take us to the Great Wall at Mutianyu (about 1.5 hours outside of Beijing way up in the mountains). I say begrudgingly because we had a bad nights sleep with all of my hacking and coughing and because it was about 15-20 degrees outside…how fun….touring the mountains while sick in the cold. The cab was a large English style car that was really more of a small mini van with only two seats. It was comfortable, and Nat and I dozed on the ride up to the mountains. We arrived at at the Great Wall in the small village of Mutianyu at about 9-9:30 and got out into the snow. It was freezing. We rode a neat cable car all the way up to the Great Wall and got out and started our hike along the wall. The Wall is VERY impressive. It is a massive stone structure extending at least 100 feet high and spreading in both directions as far as the eye can see. About every 1000 yards (maybe more) there is a “turret” or fortress like structure that we can only suppose was used to house the guards or sentries back during the ancient dynasties. The views were absolutely incredible. To make things even better, there were very few people at the Wall (likely because of the weather) so most of our pics look as though we were on a private tour! Pretty Neat. One really interesting thing about our visit was that we saw a contingent of US Diplomats, from Obama’s entourage, at the wall. They were guarded by Chinese guys in plain clothes with ear pieces. We did not ask them who they were, but when we got back to the hotel room and switched on CNN, two of the guys were sitting at the round table with Obama on TV!!! I will have to look up there names…probably some Senator or another. After doing a bit of walking along the wall (we stayed out in the cold about and hour), we got back in the cable car and rode back to the base of the mountain. At the bottom, we were bombarded by locals selling all sorts of trinkets. We really didn’t want to buy anything, but once we realized that they were selling everything they had for about 1-2 dollars an item (MUCH less than the markets in Beijing), we loaded up on a variety of small tourist prizes. The day at the wall was one of those things that everyone should see before they die. It was absolutely incredible…yes, even in the cold!

Thoughts on Beijing:
Instead of the standard wrap thoughts on Beijing, I am going to take this section up with FUNNY things that Nat and I have observed while in China. It really is a totally different world out here. The first funny/weird thing about this country is that the Chinese people let/encourage their children to relieve themselves on the ground right out in public. Yep…thats right…you did not read that wrong. In fact, they cut a slit in the kids britches and when the little one needs to “go”, they just have him or her swat right out in public. Nat and I observed one woman letting her child use the bathroom right on the ground in the outside train terminal in front of hundreds of passengers. Talk about dodging human landmines! Another funny thing about this place is that everyone hacks and spits on the ground. After getting this cough I kind of understand it. Everyone is clearing their throat and spitting everywhere….its pretty gross. Another strange thing is that Blogs, Facebook, MySpace, and internet poker are BANNED. Thats right…you can’t even go to the site. The government has strict control of the internet and uses a “netnanny” program to filter content for its populace. The kids get around this by using FTP sites and or by using VPN cards, but forget trying to start a blog at a internet cafe. The last interesting thing is that everyone wears a “designer” mask while walking around. The masks are “Burberry” “Prada” “Gucci” etc….got to avoid H1N1 in STYLE!!!

Walker and Kate live in a really neat section of Shanghai. It is basically a french “like” quarter that is somewhat tree lined with walk up housing. It is right in the middle of the city center. The apartment/flat is very unique. It is a three bedroom 1 bath OLD flat that has original wood floors, two walk out balconies that look over the city, an open kitchen, a living room with a fireplace, and a loft that overlooks the kitchen and the living room. It has a very old world feel in that the floors are very worn, the balconies are tiled out in tiny intricate tile work, the molding and plaster appears original, etc. It is a really really neat place. After arriving at his flat, we met his girlfriend Kate, and his beagle Sita Lee. After dumping our bags off, Walker and Kate took us right around the corner to a local Chinese restaurant. Don’t ask me what we ate…I can’t even begin to name the dishes! Walker and Kate ordered all sorts of strange things that I have never seen, smelled, or tasted in my whole life. It was a wonderful meal despite not knowing what in the world I was putting in my mouth! After our first local Chinese feast, we headed back to the apartment and tucked in early after the long day of traveling.

November 13th
Today, the weather was cold and rainy. Fog was covering the city skyline and it did not look like a good day for touring the city. Despite the weather, we geared up in what warm clothes we had and headed out on the town. Walker and Kate hailed a cab (quite a feet in this crazy city) and directed the driver in Chinese to take us to a local market to do some indoor shopping to stay out of the cold. We arrived at the shopping center after about 30 minutes or so in the cab (dodging bikes, people, other cars, etc). This market was unlike anything I have EVER seen in my life. It was like a candy store for fake goods. There were hundreds of stalls with North Face, Marmot, Lacoste, Max Mara, Gucci, Armani, etc. etc. etc. It was overwhelming the things that could be purchased at this place. We could get everything from fake Rolex’s to fake Purses to Fake Ipod’s to fake Iphones…it was crazy. Nat had a blast in this place. We spent a good 3 hours in this “mall o fakes” and purchased numerous “Christmas gifts.” Now don’t hold out too much hope for getting any of those nice trinkets……I am almost positive every single one of them will end up in Natalie’s closet!!

After lunch, we jumped in a cab and took it to the city center area know as “The Bund.” This area has old Eastern European architecture buildings that all border a monstrous river walk. In order to get out of the cold and rain, Walker and Kate ushered us into a highrise tower where we we had a cup of coffee in a restaurant that afforded sweeping views of the riverwalk. Unfortunately, the rain and fog obscured most of the “views” but at least it was nice to get out of the rain and cold!

After going back to the apartment for some relaxing and freshening up, we headed off to dinner around 7PM. The cab dropped us off at what appeared to be an alleyway and we got out. The alleyway was lined in recessed lights, stamped concrete blocks, and a large bamboo forest bordering both sides of the walk. At the end of the walkway, we arrived at a large bronze plate about 12 feet long and 12 feet high. As we approached, the plate slowly and automatically slid to the left…it was a very unique DOOR! Upon entering the restaurant, Nat and I looked at each other in amazement. The space was a massive area (easily 8-10k square feet) of solid concrete with recessed lighting in the floors, cherry trees, tables, a huge catwalk hanging out over the restaurant with tables overlooking the open air stainless steel kitchen (with 10 chefs laboring away). It was the neatest restaurant that I have ever been in…bare none. The only way to describe it is “movie-like” in appearance. The waiter escorted us up the stairs and sat us at a prime table on the catwalk overlooking the main dining area and overlooking the kitchen. It was an amazing table. Walker and Kate proceeded to order at least 10 dishes of sushi, rolls, tempura, along with a great bottle of white wine from Australia. The meal was beyond words. The sushi was the freshest and best tasting that I have ever put in my mouth. I ate so many things that I had never heard of (filleted cod wrapped in egg plant and lightly fried). The dinner was out of this world. I only forgot one thing….my camera!

November 14th
Today, we planned on visiting Suzhou (known as the Venice of the East) with Walker, but when we arrived at the train station, all of the tickets were sold out. The only way to describe the Shanghai train station is the word “mayhem.” Thousands of people are jostling in every direction and you can barely move without being elbowed or pushed in one way or another. Without Walker, Nat and I would have just given up…no way we could have figured out the ticket purchasing process. I would have just lost it staring at a screen in Chinese while small angry Chinese ladies are throwing elbows trying to “get to the front.”

Since we could not go to Suzhou today, we purchased tickets for a Sunday 7AM departure to Suzhou. After buying the tickets for the next day, we spent the rest of the day wandering around the city.

At about 4PM we went back to Walker’s neighborhood. After arriving by taxi, Walker and Kate took us to a local “restaurant.” It was really just a tiny alleyway with benches where we stuffed our faces with the most delicious traditional dumplings I have ever had. It was basically street food (that we paid $5US for all 4 of us). These little dumpling shops dot every corner on every street, and are what the local workers eat on a daily basis for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. We loved the experience and the food! If you are ever in China, do not hesitate to sit down on the street and eat local dumplings…you won’t be disappointed!!

After eating, we went back to Walker’s apartment to rest for a bit before our big night plans. At about 6:30PM we jumped in a cab and headed off for the theater to see the Peking Acrobat Show. For only $20US each, we were sitting on the front row of the theater. The acrobat show was really neat and had things like men balancing on bicycles across tight ropes, guys doing magic card tricks, and people bending in all sorts of contorted ways. It was basically like Cirque De Sole without all of the lights, music, etc (a rough version). It was a great experience and we certainly felt like it was worth or $20 bucks!

November 15th
Today, we woke early and headed to the train station for our day trip to Suzhou. After fighting through the lines and following closely behind Walker and Kate, we boarded the 40 minute train ride for Suzhou. Before I get into describing Suzhou, let me first say that Nat and I were expecting something other than what we saw! I think we were picturing a quaint little Chinese town, with canals, old world buildings and the like (since it is known as the Venice of China). Let’s just say that Suzhou is not really like this at all!!!! Instead, it is a HUGE city of about 5-8 million people. There are touristy “old” sections of town, but they are bordered by sky scrapers and industrial facilities. In all, the city feels a bit fake and contrived. Its almost like they have restored these old “gardens” and buildings only to draw tourists to their bustling industrial city (where there is really nothing to do). While in the city, we paid our $10US each and visited two of the cities numerous “ancient” gardens. The gardens we visited were “The Humble Administrator Garden” and “The Liu Lingering Garden.” Both gardens were very neat and quite an experience. They were very similar in that they had man made canals and ponds throughout, numerous rock structures, and many old Chinese buildings. Walker, Kate, Nat and I all seemed to agree that the garden experience was really something like “seen one, seen em all.” We all also agree that we would not ever recommend the city to anyone as a side trip visit from Shanghai. It was basically a bust

After getting back to Shanghai from Suzhou, we packed our bags, said our goodbyes to Walker and Kate and boarded our plane to Beijing.

Thoughts on Shanghai
Thanks so much to Walker and Kate for putting us up for our stay! We are so thankful to you guys! Who knows how we would have survived without our “native” speakers to usher us around the city. It was such a treat. Hopefully we can return one day when the weather is more pleasant and conducive to strolling the city streets!