vietnam. motorbikes.

the biggest culture shock by far of traveling in vietnam were the bikes. the sheer number alone was overwhelming, crossing the roads filled with them was a death wish, but riding on the backs of them was exhilarating.  my favorite memories of vietnam were zipping through the streets of hanoi and ho chi min on the back of a motorbike. you can see in the second picture a woman on the far right crossing the road. the trick was to just go and not change your pace, you depended on the cyclist to ride around you!

travel. vietnam. powerlines.

power lines. we couldn't get over these power lines in vietnam. how does this just simply work?

street food. sugar cane.

possibly the best part of vacation is food. this is the first picture of many to come of street food. this is a sugar cane drink. when we were kids we used to go to downtown la buy sugarcane from the back of trucks and chew on it. this was reminiscent of those times, and it was super refreshing in the humid night. it was awesome, she turned on a generator and then sent the sugar cane through!

getting around in ho chi min city - tuk tuk

it rained the next morning, something i imagined would happen every morning.

we went out anyway. the streets of ho chi min city were filled with moterbikes and tuk tuks. somehow, i don't know quite how, but it all works. we took a tuk tuk after a lot of walking, it was great fun! once we got off they asked for 150* dong (7.50 uds) much more than the 15 we had thought we booked. we were in one of those positions that happens when you're abroad, trying to figure out how not to take advantage of others or be taken advantage of yourself. we paid only 15 dong (less than a dollar). they didn't put up much of a fight and it turns out we were right! a few of these experiences and a person could become jaded it helps to know before hand and be clear with your expectations to avoid these problems. we always get a kick out of learning the ropes, half of the adventure is earning the respect of the locals. if you know how much stuff should cost and are fair respect usually comes quickly and then you can have a good time. only one other time were we faced with someone who wanted us to pay an exorbant fee and we shooed him away so fast even his fellow peers got a good laugh. getting anywhere in ho chi min city on 15-20 dong is sufficient and if you make the person laugh a little they're even happy to do it. though, most of the time, they'll try to hit you up for just a smidge more when you leave. can't hurt to try!

* dong are actually in thousands so when i say 150 dong i mean 150,000. it's just easier to drop the three zeros.

travels. ho chi min city. arrival.

after what strangely felt like a short plane ride (14 hours from nyc) we arrived in ho chi min city ready for food and adventure. we ate, we walked, and we talked. locals always want to steer you to flashy places what they don't realize is we would be happiest sitting on tiny stools just for the experience. our first night we sat at a picnic table and paid 120 dong for a meal for two with a few drinks (6 dollars.) By the end of 24 hours we found the tiny stools where we paid 50 dong (less than 3 dollars) for the same meal and some smiling faces too!
our meal of choice in ho chi min was bun, a noodle soup. deliciousness! you'll notice it in the first picture. this was our little buddy we made friends with while sitting on tiny stools in a non-touristy part of town. it took him a little while to warm up to us but what really did the trick was showing him his own photo! 

travels

this year has been an interesting one for my husband and i. he started school and i was looking for my niche. it required a big cross country move, selling all of our things, buying new things, finding a place to live, making new friends...and it all worked out fantastically! we love our new life in new york city but after a year of transition we needed a break. we figured out how to rent out our place using airbnb and planned a budget trip to south east asia. we had such an amazing time in vietnam, thailand, and cambodia. i look forward to bringing you some of our most treasured memories over the next few weeks.

as we walk on by

there's a man at grand central in new york. i see him nearly every time i'm there. down and out seems a bit superficial, he likely has some kind of ailment. it could have been brought on by drugs, by circumstances, or physiologically. what's interesting to me is how people walk by him. even as he shakes and stares, the average person without experience or any other credentials walks on by and you get a sense of helplessness for both - is it possible for the two to interact? we are respectful enough not to stare but we are aware of him.