tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24166561045772938982024-03-19T05:40:10.648-04:00Southeast Asian AdventureThe adventures of Bradley and Jourdan in Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and VietnamThe Block Boyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09994844378518194776noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2416656104577293898.post-9991873240491947602011-07-15T16:07:00.000-04:002011-07-15T16:07:19.851-04:00M-I-N-E GameJust an array of photos of people after saying the "M" word<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8uCY4yXDiQap4UfdiDQVv4E_0e_5jHS_xt4DwlxG5foXFfRW1kEVEOHSmfAGcUuk4p1uWJuo4ZWem_MVz7LmVd4Y5maSSsY5rnwbqe6cJSvCu0DLiXIw2EZP6xHxlTtrIpvo2F50QCDtV/s1600/IMG_1608.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8uCY4yXDiQap4UfdiDQVv4E_0e_5jHS_xt4DwlxG5foXFfRW1kEVEOHSmfAGcUuk4p1uWJuo4ZWem_MVz7LmVd4Y5maSSsY5rnwbqe6cJSvCu0DLiXIw2EZP6xHxlTtrIpvo2F50QCDtV/s200/IMG_1608.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>The Block Boyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09994844378518194776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2416656104577293898.post-91349307603893442082011-07-15T15:48:00.000-04:002011-07-15T15:48:46.538-04:00Our Final Day in SE Asia<div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">We are nothing if not ambitious!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Despite the late crazy night, and the fact that the tour is officially over, we decided to get up at 8 am and be productive on our last day in SE Asia.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">We met Matt and Claire downstairs and headed over to the mausoleum of Ho Chi Minh.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is an example of communism at its finest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> B</span>asically all of Uncle Ho's wishes were defied for the “betterment of the state” when this huge memorial to him was created, and his preserved body was put inside on display.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While there, pants and covered shoulders are mandatory.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The line is kept very strictly, there are no cameras allowed in, and there is no laughing, smiling, or joking allowed.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYGjozVn61woQKrjCz93SQJYyO25zMaF3fbxnYGy1JygaVcF558PQj4x_D8YPsZIynk9GnTDW1TwGk-U0yzkF3gFHCAcukab5fJnXS_yVMciwTAqNrX4zZeST2s5FTHf4bxZmjM3SRQ180/s1600/IMG_1714.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYGjozVn61woQKrjCz93SQJYyO25zMaF3fbxnYGy1JygaVcF558PQj4x_D8YPsZIynk9GnTDW1TwGk-U0yzkF3gFHCAcukab5fJnXS_yVMciwTAqNrX4zZeST2s5FTHf4bxZmjM3SRQ180/s200/IMG_1714.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheNdkpkhUFav6djA5_pH332hwCNhK2-XawqX3vSJjakPNsauQfBXl9bChy15izpFg358JCrPpG8QaWUQrPzkbIRjrKKsLG_2ev4XL2U2jurLJM_DCoejAg0LulU1j7JVYOsn7My32vLjOr/s1600/IMG_1715.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheNdkpkhUFav6djA5_pH332hwCNhK2-XawqX3vSJjakPNsauQfBXl9bChy15izpFg358JCrPpG8QaWUQrPzkbIRjrKKsLG_2ev4XL2U2jurLJM_DCoejAg0LulU1j7JVYOsn7My32vLjOr/s200/IMG_1715.JPG" width="150" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">After we were hustled through the mausoleum, we headed next door to the Ho Chi Minh Museum.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was a lot of very interesting information, but also A LOT of propaganda.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the way out, we saw the reconstruction of the one pillar pagoda, which is a pagoda built on one pillar.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was underwhelming to say the least.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9ydadtr4In6XN8UBIrky1A7EskQklkc1vLxpiBLBOKUnvDIps6aKSHtZsvYntEyff_cf4eYdQCiarlMEiQqUXSpq9GWg1Qm3OK8vdqtEhbqMU1NUhu1bF8-_h5ne30mK8P_XMKc2zaZZr/s1600/IMG_1718.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9ydadtr4In6XN8UBIrky1A7EskQklkc1vLxpiBLBOKUnvDIps6aKSHtZsvYntEyff_cf4eYdQCiarlMEiQqUXSpq9GWg1Qm3OK8vdqtEhbqMU1NUhu1bF8-_h5ne30mK8P_XMKc2zaZZr/s200/IMG_1718.JPG" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM1y7MTRaTkQ1lnugkzWeRwyCT69rEy85yLXujzPHz07Kkxi5Ctel0m9oPpLbZaL9kUW0EB3-YcG3DS7xgWUwSrB8ah6S2VCDz2h6eyLjivqJqDaOfkIjyrzJ5Biq21HekM6k5eKzbG7BT/s1600/IMG_1722.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM1y7MTRaTkQ1lnugkzWeRwyCT69rEy85yLXujzPHz07Kkxi5Ctel0m9oPpLbZaL9kUW0EB3-YcG3DS7xgWUwSrB8ah6S2VCDz2h6eyLjivqJqDaOfkIjyrzJ5Biq21HekM6k5eKzbG7BT/s200/IMG_1722.JPG" width="150" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjcKNTn2I6sQn65ldCeN-ZI0-doBlkKqZPy8du_3znmOJvbhlm30mRfYV1i67OVOzrNVAjnoD5nZa8fAcIFrcNloOSdeo-6qsXcvK3Y8EbY1PQhuK6-VrWI-xrXIaUU2OS74WnokqwxTkt/s1600/IMG_1726.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjcKNTn2I6sQn65ldCeN-ZI0-doBlkKqZPy8du_3znmOJvbhlm30mRfYV1i67OVOzrNVAjnoD5nZa8fAcIFrcNloOSdeo-6qsXcvK3Y8EbY1PQhuK6-VrWI-xrXIaUU2OS74WnokqwxTkt/s200/IMG_1726.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">The next stop on our day tour was the Hoa La Prison, also refered to as the Hanoi Hilton.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had a CRAZY cab ride over there (he handed me the wheel for a bit) but then we got ripped off for the first time in SE Asia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After some bullshit excuse about different cab companies having different meter rates, we begrudgingly paid and left.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lesson learned, negotiate rates beforehand.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">The Prison was very interesting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Again there was a lot of propaganda as they demonstrated how vile and poorly the French treated the Vietnamese in the prison, and how wonderfully the Vietnamese treated the American POWs during the war.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The highlight of this stop was definitely seeing John McCain’s flight suit from when he was taken prisoner during Vietnam.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfRmYJvuaCd92iFhT2cRx7oDLwcpJcFupuu5rqXpL3rVTcdX54MD7aeuN_53b-mvF2-u14s-2_E_aY8sIsNhtDEL5iKbTbpRplra1HKX9H_dTPJ15KkXV9jzgN-CVOg-JPwvTSkZYa5_og/s1600/IMG_8106.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfRmYJvuaCd92iFhT2cRx7oDLwcpJcFupuu5rqXpL3rVTcdX54MD7aeuN_53b-mvF2-u14s-2_E_aY8sIsNhtDEL5iKbTbpRplra1HKX9H_dTPJ15KkXV9jzgN-CVOg-JPwvTSkZYa5_og/s200/IMG_8106.JPG" width="150" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">After the prison we walked along the lake front for a bit, bought water puppet show tickets, and then went to a island pagoda on the lake.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was nice, but the Oreo cookie shrine threw us off a little bit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Z3BiD4M2x-sxBZWBOGmMvoCEH37dyfFyfaOvRroAghMJ5H4X_YxdP8z6eMxy5QcJpDvzIM1MffS1LmbDvResvW9lQjpQUdvvPK-abVgWsywFkkNIg502FekQg2JzXG10fy4UF4eYeEgm/s1600/IMG_1734.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Z3BiD4M2x-sxBZWBOGmMvoCEH37dyfFyfaOvRroAghMJ5H4X_YxdP8z6eMxy5QcJpDvzIM1MffS1LmbDvResvW9lQjpQUdvvPK-abVgWsywFkkNIg502FekQg2JzXG10fy4UF4eYeEgm/s200/IMG_1734.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6zaVzQYlqJ1W711SV93DijjzUCO9taEIIB3CYHqcRL10niCv3Y_Zdhy-sy0FsJsmO8XwweljJ-MVSzKestDmwyOMnFed534Hnd0df_UldZ1bNO9m8FMj6DGs1EtaMXfSuEnUO6_MqbeJw/s1600/IMG_1742.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6zaVzQYlqJ1W711SV93DijjzUCO9taEIIB3CYHqcRL10niCv3Y_Zdhy-sy0FsJsmO8XwweljJ-MVSzKestDmwyOMnFed534Hnd0df_UldZ1bNO9m8FMj6DGs1EtaMXfSuEnUO6_MqbeJw/s200/IMG_1742.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0oHfy7anvDvhyrLkg2u0A45sN4aVG-kw_DNlNZLmmDYTpE4cRHidIES4P8GCzquJswF_Joovfo9WaA2btKs6W86fFl0RTNiATIe_CrzZHRp-z6KwKjcQ5275VqOArPup8YyciQlonvSM_/s1600/IMG_1744.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0oHfy7anvDvhyrLkg2u0A45sN4aVG-kw_DNlNZLmmDYTpE4cRHidIES4P8GCzquJswF_Joovfo9WaA2btKs6W86fFl0RTNiATIe_CrzZHRp-z6KwKjcQ5275VqOArPup8YyciQlonvSM_/s200/IMG_1744.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx13FFGP3e3a5Yc0a8XHhsCD4rkR-HQjQJ0ZB3-xKWGNbRlCtTUEEmR_bqFJn5p0nnI8mV1DvPbvUX_XqImyBL1GoTx5ki-6R5bJYjH60LU0vYf4FXTE-sk8_YkPWNel1mRdLCtXe6ky96/s1600/IMG_8110.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx13FFGP3e3a5Yc0a8XHhsCD4rkR-HQjQJ0ZB3-xKWGNbRlCtTUEEmR_bqFJn5p0nnI8mV1DvPbvUX_XqImyBL1GoTx5ki-6R5bJYjH60LU0vYf4FXTE-sk8_YkPWNel1mRdLCtXe6ky96/s200/IMG_8110.JPG" width="150" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Being so early, it was time for adventure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We wanted to taste some dog.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We went to an area that was recommended to us and actually found some. [We are told that dogs are bred here to be eaten, the way we would breed cows].<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This became our first major failure of the trip, as a communication breakdown made it too hard purchase a tasting and not an entire spit roasted dog.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although a little upset that I didn’t hit all my crazy food conquests, it was probably for the best considering the long plane ride to come.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyFw6rh-YmrYT5f_VdaRVLMPHfuGOgOEqZFWvppK-pD3eBeADRzbzd4rDws6lxg2hwDDHg2qmW4q0oxZOnIFstZHlHvt0cMWPUov3kwWPVkZKTtUiUNXTGXysmwqvnsTqCjlibsPDC1isB/s1600/IMG_8112.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyFw6rh-YmrYT5f_VdaRVLMPHfuGOgOEqZFWvppK-pD3eBeADRzbzd4rDws6lxg2hwDDHg2qmW4q0oxZOnIFstZHlHvt0cMWPUov3kwWPVkZKTtUiUNXTGXysmwqvnsTqCjlibsPDC1isB/s200/IMG_8112.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6RrTXDTqtiOe4e1FlnR2vdxRosr22N5jdpZxpQ208mklZPMTBLhZD2PVFULSk16gRZtMTN9UgpjtE9U4_BLdXoaf9cjgWiAfKuF93GmvR1p-Tc7LvG2buffJk6DcfrJtCmahprRnPSTiZ/s1600/IMG_1735.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6RrTXDTqtiOe4e1FlnR2vdxRosr22N5jdpZxpQ208mklZPMTBLhZD2PVFULSk16gRZtMTN9UgpjtE9U4_BLdXoaf9cjgWiAfKuF93GmvR1p-Tc7LvG2buffJk6DcfrJtCmahprRnPSTiZ/s200/IMG_1735.JPG" width="150" /></a>After a long stroll through the market streets and the French Quarter, we headed to Thai Express for lunch, in order to begin the transition back to western style restaurants and food.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kind of randomly, we ran into Paul and Whitney there too.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">After lunch we hit the hotel quickly to pack up our stuff, and along the way ran into Martina.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We organized a 3:00 outing to the World Famous Vietnamese Water Puppet Show.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Matt, Claire, Martina, Kirsten, Jourdan, and myself all headed over to the extravaganza.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were happy to see Paulo and Whitney joined the soiree too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was interesting, and we tried to comprehend.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were also a little bit rowdy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Good times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The only real way to describe it is, puppets on water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Haha.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Cultural diversity at its finest.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnbWj4txx-MJcEDUK8dNmgArddsfEXaOOtwiwn7KToI9bXntnfk0PrX5Hcirq69zJzOSqXRBkMOhgfzwm4MMRfzbg6RpTPbLfvmQMtrJGaCO5ww_oOC_zmvcPbLeUU5UZhBYgyhllvuTIc/s1600/IMG_1747.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnbWj4txx-MJcEDUK8dNmgArddsfEXaOOtwiwn7KToI9bXntnfk0PrX5Hcirq69zJzOSqXRBkMOhgfzwm4MMRfzbg6RpTPbLfvmQMtrJGaCO5ww_oOC_zmvcPbLeUU5UZhBYgyhllvuTIc/s200/IMG_1747.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZx6n3OiObMQiCYTxIfdoueWFnRhYfBbHfCrZkNi-dLA9n4hVHhcgmmd3pvrDT_2Jki98eskX-tDxYy9H1826FNBiunQN1E0j_8iAyV9ya2O43DMOz8JyX5zWL1i3_Q4cIkaGToSt-k1ut/s1600/IMG_1760.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZx6n3OiObMQiCYTxIfdoueWFnRhYfBbHfCrZkNi-dLA9n4hVHhcgmmd3pvrDT_2Jki98eskX-tDxYy9H1826FNBiunQN1E0j_8iAyV9ya2O43DMOz8JyX5zWL1i3_Q4cIkaGToSt-k1ut/s200/IMG_1760.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr5lQukAYuiym0ulSEDludR7ARrhEuIZKTzB-jpUrjznANH89YRXwmCuBCOY4gidufaQ-sL86pcL9_SXCR8tJDwW9BdQVk5I6mwvivWs6Q-SnLWQ3F1fjYhttpVBtTBrehGjavumGz7jUR/s1600/IMG_1766.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr5lQukAYuiym0ulSEDludR7ARrhEuIZKTzB-jpUrjznANH89YRXwmCuBCOY4gidufaQ-sL86pcL9_SXCR8tJDwW9BdQVk5I6mwvivWs6Q-SnLWQ3F1fjYhttpVBtTBrehGjavumGz7jUR/s200/IMG_1766.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Afterwards, we all headed for a drink to try to comprehend what we had just seen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We said some final final goodbyes over a drink and ice cream, then Jourdan and I grabbed our bags and headed off to the airport to begin our 27 + hour trip home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO1dREfDlHjpvYBYTVjpJwVme1eI8WGOzH34pLTuHMK9MzeKOK_r_OY3bfhBYO2r10MFEssCUFR4rej35m6WfdrKpO23yfBpln80wnUGWK3byWqAT9wxF7pT2ltOv35ieqB1UvhjI9skz1/s1600/IMG_1768.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO1dREfDlHjpvYBYTVjpJwVme1eI8WGOzH34pLTuHMK9MzeKOK_r_OY3bfhBYO2r10MFEssCUFR4rej35m6WfdrKpO23yfBpln80wnUGWK3byWqAT9wxF7pT2ltOv35ieqB1UvhjI9skz1/s320/IMG_1768.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Please Notice the Pussy Foot on the Virgin Cocktail Menu</td></tr>
</tbody></table> <div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">It feels very weird to be going back to real life, and we will definitely miss our new friends and the group mentality.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The good news is, we have already started planning to get together next year for another big trip, this time in South America!!! <span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span></span></div>The Block Boyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09994844378518194776noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2416656104577293898.post-76375860917696860502011-07-15T15:26:00.000-04:002011-07-15T15:26:43.034-04:00Last day of the tour<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Although many of us woke up still drunk or hungover, we jumped in kayaks first thing this morning. We paddled through an opening in the rock and after leaving this tiny cave, we were fully surrounded by sheer cliffs on all sides – it seemed like we were boating through a hollowed out island. We were hoping to feed some monkeys but unfortunately they weren’t out today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp5b_aQph9stNLKFv7Dh8PJFVkrWlJ1HzsoWcEWY7ngkxzk8GTAltZOo10J0SDNU3SsxOik0WmfxPKssDYWt_zp382FNehopQ1wNm1ZhvCGsqO3VeAirBFJZCVRfLcP9iSZ5_29MDLuz4m/s1600/IMG_1670.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp5b_aQph9stNLKFv7Dh8PJFVkrWlJ1HzsoWcEWY7ngkxzk8GTAltZOo10J0SDNU3SsxOik0WmfxPKssDYWt_zp382FNehopQ1wNm1ZhvCGsqO3VeAirBFJZCVRfLcP9iSZ5_29MDLuz4m/s200/IMG_1670.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIdD6ENlz5HbHmAFMHnjEUBjqZ9PN3AGq3IvXetKwdeZDanp-oBMampEb9jebfgpFycZ0RzaHAdJmaWeMwmYzW9aeR31gDmQcJLB3HmFhL55l1ztaktOGiMWtTjhqcSh24eOcoNXc6cxnW/s1600/IMG_1671.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIdD6ENlz5HbHmAFMHnjEUBjqZ9PN3AGq3IvXetKwdeZDanp-oBMampEb9jebfgpFycZ0RzaHAdJmaWeMwmYzW9aeR31gDmQcJLB3HmFhL55l1ztaktOGiMWtTjhqcSh24eOcoNXc6cxnW/s200/IMG_1671.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaHNOgoN8C_paC_2NO0BeiyyDKaz1c8fywX6AZAhkq8ljfeA3VmFrkN9PvjKIgExz7f2GJsE6OJlqJqJfdbWZMCv6rz-z8h42xLpWrRwrtZdBnQtTE0fCs4IIq3gX-BEIsZJ2aLlTuxGDb/s1600/IMG_8043.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaHNOgoN8C_paC_2NO0BeiyyDKaz1c8fywX6AZAhkq8ljfeA3VmFrkN9PvjKIgExz7f2GJsE6OJlqJqJfdbWZMCv6rz-z8h42xLpWrRwrtZdBnQtTE0fCs4IIq3gX-BEIsZJ2aLlTuxGDb/s200/IMG_8043.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4-L0oWJmeMjO3AhnP7kuWoTeaKjwRoFOxLKu1mRVhfLrFB0mVX_2N23udiV93SIQh101QC-m2I3yCwQgz1VUL109MHHDcwMTqHNJ92LcqUdEeAojUpO9c1lwcaJDtoog1G2NqA4uq0Oxh/s1600/IMG_8052.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4-L0oWJmeMjO3AhnP7kuWoTeaKjwRoFOxLKu1mRVhfLrFB0mVX_2N23udiV93SIQh101QC-m2I3yCwQgz1VUL109MHHDcwMTqHNJ92LcqUdEeAojUpO9c1lwcaJDtoog1G2NqA4uq0Oxh/s200/IMG_8052.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">We rowed around Ha Long Bay for a while, and then headed back on board the boat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we were boarding, Jourdan had a bit of a mishap as the boat moved apart from the boarding boat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His feet hit the water, but he held on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am a little upset that he didn’t fall in, and that I wasn’t quick enough to snap a picture.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3QUmYYY0-tVKx-DMkZBGBhwU2qh0WJZwUysO46lbyoSwXv9UUhPbehA3wczSVjizdiIgi7177gFeKn4GVybqkXATWALzkA4OGadEaWZ4XTr-x-v47PovJns7HDKVknwczA2K-iE41jpKi/s1600/IMG_8047.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3QUmYYY0-tVKx-DMkZBGBhwU2qh0WJZwUysO46lbyoSwXv9UUhPbehA3wczSVjizdiIgi7177gFeKn4GVybqkXATWALzkA4OGadEaWZ4XTr-x-v47PovJns7HDKVknwczA2K-iE41jpKi/s200/IMG_8047.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">We chilled on the boat for a while and had brunch as we headed back in to shore.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We then boarded the bus to take the 4-hour journey back to Hanoi.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Another very necessary nap was had.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Once we returned, Jourdan and I walked the streets to get a better feel for the city and to get some souvenir shopping done.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We then headed to the hotel to relax and try to stay cool, as it is still super hot outside.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM15_EeDPloRLphodfs6tN4gpCi17egpsL5vLPfJD-VFwErSizkYExRk9Q3FACNXIkO6yTxr1iB7RhOjn25x6yGZTWWoB0lVSSS6RuRZFN7AaO6kQoudOJz_Lqfs7D3JfTsU5TIMNBCi95/s1600/IMG_1679.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM15_EeDPloRLphodfs6tN4gpCi17egpsL5vLPfJD-VFwErSizkYExRk9Q3FACNXIkO6yTxr1iB7RhOjn25x6yGZTWWoB0lVSSS6RuRZFN7AaO6kQoudOJz_Lqfs7D3JfTsU5TIMNBCi95/s200/IMG_1679.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_uXaBU16FEt7pHLXT-3Ji_lxpte-wwFyF_2-GhDa8v-VAInEJFEndF7vpR9QBx7jjJHwfHOTOF15Me6WwMUUkIe-tHcIGxvKTeHvrs_BclQyOiQ46a4ttT1qdBYiS_GIm1Ko97fFyMnx2/s1600/IMG_1689.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_uXaBU16FEt7pHLXT-3Ji_lxpte-wwFyF_2-GhDa8v-VAInEJFEndF7vpR9QBx7jjJHwfHOTOF15Me6WwMUUkIe-tHcIGxvKTeHvrs_BclQyOiQ46a4ttT1qdBYiS_GIm1Ko97fFyMnx2/s200/IMG_1689.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Being the last night of the tour, we all headed out for a group dinner at Little Hanoi.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We found out how much Stu really likes rice, and had a lot of other good laughs at dinner.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpehORVUDahBFkx2MQTlgkwkPhEzjfCreABHZ8nY696NGnEiIvYdYeFh6Brp10_0u2McmtQTFR2iS38b-cet36bmlRqqkEyswflnzpWmxajuZQtfzB78hxWwP2gq3tv0Vv0uHlUrhoYfPe/s1600/IMG_1698.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpehORVUDahBFkx2MQTlgkwkPhEzjfCreABHZ8nY696NGnEiIvYdYeFh6Brp10_0u2McmtQTFR2iS38b-cet36bmlRqqkEyswflnzpWmxajuZQtfzB78hxWwP2gq3tv0Vv0uHlUrhoYfPe/s200/IMG_1698.JPG" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHtjWqgR2Wj6fOBrCtgwpAtae1FBz7Idv0VKkZxff52FkHYpXBHhBbowBaJMsGB3eqyOFKtrbbAd13hvFwfHbebeeZ3Aj-So4r2h8dBJ5MRRt8O7ykd8lmhNvDxco3vF7Sb0LtNt6nq6Ie/s1600/IMG_1696.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHtjWqgR2Wj6fOBrCtgwpAtae1FBz7Idv0VKkZxff52FkHYpXBHhBbowBaJMsGB3eqyOFKtrbbAd13hvFwfHbebeeZ3Aj-So4r2h8dBJ5MRRt8O7ykd8lmhNvDxco3vF7Sb0LtNt6nq6Ie/s200/IMG_1696.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLbrQW7kIj4oVAWih5yv1LJDUQruteKceQKNS-qjY_ipmN6sUJbiFC5GKZD1vNZ2TbkoxsvZRlVOVzWOkEfiJCnDM-zLMfXveCuxJ6SvSdOGqX-yV27rpdqn2Qur8NdNPY43lRfMZDBOKO/s1600/IMG_1688.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLbrQW7kIj4oVAWih5yv1LJDUQruteKceQKNS-qjY_ipmN6sUJbiFC5GKZD1vNZ2TbkoxsvZRlVOVzWOkEfiJCnDM-zLMfXveCuxJ6SvSdOGqX-yV27rpdqn2Qur8NdNPY43lRfMZDBOKO/s200/IMG_1688.JPG" width="200" /></a>After dinner we headed to Red Mao Bar for some drinking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once we decided to get a little silly, and start shooting tequila and other things, we decided we needed to dance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We rolled 25 deep to Dracula bar, but quickly dwindled.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Those of us who stayed had a really good time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Between Jenga, Scoop, the conversation, and the dancing, this was a really great time.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">We said good-bye to most of our new friends, and headed back to the hotel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are going to miss everyone and all of the good times.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvT5Xdo8KIAEO2iKhYMqjQrBqhf9cBVmrRvzyJsNAG3d8pE0WdgvGJKIdXDQF0nN5TSI0zK3UI8KU04m53obnGenqHshTjelgRzwXaz7auVtK2uuDLAo8vyKoPfGYtlMFRY90iRx2XCmfr/s1600/IMG_1703.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvT5Xdo8KIAEO2iKhYMqjQrBqhf9cBVmrRvzyJsNAG3d8pE0WdgvGJKIdXDQF0nN5TSI0zK3UI8KU04m53obnGenqHshTjelgRzwXaz7auVtK2uuDLAo8vyKoPfGYtlMFRY90iRx2XCmfr/s200/IMG_1703.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7AEhvfW2MABfjWc9uwgajXoRmNrz1WvsWQL21v9Gx0jRa05r2JDG3EtBf6FYmI8tN5EJhcBGntGflbkVzumLEOa3DwAXEOUmwzKrdyiff8PZLZRjyVptFvR_mZkccgnWp7myAKfERdlS0/s1600/IMG_8062.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7AEhvfW2MABfjWc9uwgajXoRmNrz1WvsWQL21v9Gx0jRa05r2JDG3EtBf6FYmI8tN5EJhcBGntGflbkVzumLEOa3DwAXEOUmwzKrdyiff8PZLZRjyVptFvR_mZkccgnWp7myAKfERdlS0/s200/IMG_8062.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAz4vrjefzEzy9ULPY_i6a2ejPJkqRIbzE-JrVlmLdBunng4RADWbCWx_P1eCwQJ-wnv0N15Ob2ECxLLPMvnrdVgMV8h0TGaHwMbg2R2Vype4d09IZKWO3Pr6Fd9uvfneMllxaucl2XvYz/s1600/IMG_8073.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAz4vrjefzEzy9ULPY_i6a2ejPJkqRIbzE-JrVlmLdBunng4RADWbCWx_P1eCwQJ-wnv0N15Ob2ECxLLPMvnrdVgMV8h0TGaHwMbg2R2Vype4d09IZKWO3Pr6Fd9uvfneMllxaucl2XvYz/s200/IMG_8073.JPG" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnmBpF2LFNC20hY_MfLmpoY39MJNeAE-jUCcT8BKevLKDvron__XQa4sOVzzWdmWu6Mu7HpWFwWoMBkd3N5PeRFr-mkkhNHuXlRENWY7cTXoEnQpDx4sRBWkuXA_G4xSBY5wugQUxDHTq4/s1600/IMG_8067.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnmBpF2LFNC20hY_MfLmpoY39MJNeAE-jUCcT8BKevLKDvron__XQa4sOVzzWdmWu6Mu7HpWFwWoMBkd3N5PeRFr-mkkhNHuXlRENWY7cTXoEnQpDx4sRBWkuXA_G4xSBY5wugQUxDHTq4/s200/IMG_8067.JPG" width="150" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFAVH8E5t_ZloEmrwUTjLg1ffRYzVASR9R3V0iudyxUkraB6hCzZlqTw04788x7HidHxF3yhBLnLz_GNleY2fGLyvbT7Y2as8RfkDTfD6iYP5u7kDe0uh8ioctEWnfN7rB04rZ8L5Fj8xW/s1600/IMG_8091.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFAVH8E5t_ZloEmrwUTjLg1ffRYzVASR9R3V0iudyxUkraB6hCzZlqTw04788x7HidHxF3yhBLnLz_GNleY2fGLyvbT7Y2as8RfkDTfD6iYP5u7kDe0uh8ioctEWnfN7rB04rZ8L5Fj8xW/s200/IMG_8091.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>The Block Boyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09994844378518194776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2416656104577293898.post-8260684427553541162011-07-15T14:55:00.000-04:002011-07-15T14:55:22.719-04:00Beautiful... Ha Long Bay<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHbM0ta6XaxEJtXDiAQqPF38HOB1JCkWghW9jeIq7WSPFKlBji4qM288eM2IMVLrk6HGxXX5Z55S6556aAzUDbcH_uSuUukerUFJ-aoVVVuJEfeutfxObPlNesKgDYcCqXHqUsFTmgc5Gc/s1600/IMG_1306.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHbM0ta6XaxEJtXDiAQqPF38HOB1JCkWghW9jeIq7WSPFKlBji4qM288eM2IMVLrk6HGxXX5Z55S6556aAzUDbcH_uSuUukerUFJ-aoVVVuJEfeutfxObPlNesKgDYcCqXHqUsFTmgc5Gc/s200/IMG_1306.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihx2mwZe2NFn6pgaSoLT11Dn2vJMeCyu3CeNQz0SDEsT8pRZfGc7mt0bxot9X32R7Bp5lFOLcNuAXlEdkz1pZfUqrQHuEktC2nngMSEL0t1_Dk8fwy-2IppMg4pI58ME5pFZqmuFOspmHG/s1600/IMG_1345.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihx2mwZe2NFn6pgaSoLT11Dn2vJMeCyu3CeNQz0SDEsT8pRZfGc7mt0bxot9X32R7Bp5lFOLcNuAXlEdkz1pZfUqrQHuEktC2nngMSEL0t1_Dk8fwy-2IppMg4pI58ME5pFZqmuFOspmHG/s200/IMG_1345.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEFmzpPNHLzQYxym9iFz_5YmYn1D68-GAh7v-GzH1tFl6FwAyb1vzr04MYhanwTeDEV7XYyQ2TBiVyIlhPjHHMNOnHPa7_M_hiIN7iF66-erUWAmZwowtv_paI714Ol3UUEaK-QAMR7Jn2/s1600/IMG_1331.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEFmzpPNHLzQYxym9iFz_5YmYn1D68-GAh7v-GzH1tFl6FwAyb1vzr04MYhanwTeDEV7XYyQ2TBiVyIlhPjHHMNOnHPa7_M_hiIN7iF66-erUWAmZwowtv_paI714Ol3UUEaK-QAMR7Jn2/s200/IMG_1331.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM3JjR5vVkw0qbYGxKFbRBCmiv6qJkc7hb1GMObvTSSadBOqIBXh9QakO4AzjVt2jU7KVsaJG-fLdJK7nnuRNaIvwIw4_PaJHLhyphenhyphenIh3FuNUMZbdUUFLKJjHH62gZQyrVahB38wBPLvaT03/s1600/IMG_1338.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM3JjR5vVkw0qbYGxKFbRBCmiv6qJkc7hb1GMObvTSSadBOqIBXh9QakO4AzjVt2jU7KVsaJG-fLdJK7nnuRNaIvwIw4_PaJHLhyphenhyphenIh3FuNUMZbdUUFLKJjHH62gZQyrVahB38wBPLvaT03/s200/IMG_1338.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2ktiFrjyPi5z3MMbIgRiPYr4Dh0jLif3_QUf0qJCKdwRgPICrxe4flOn-iFLRIaqzZ-HH2RWeQw6hws_PCC1QSNzZDCetIwBVAXRng3qY3BB54Davfv8nYkdGKCgm0vD0LAMAcznTx4Xb/s1600/IMG_1355.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2ktiFrjyPi5z3MMbIgRiPYr4Dh0jLif3_QUf0qJCKdwRgPICrxe4flOn-iFLRIaqzZ-HH2RWeQw6hws_PCC1QSNzZDCetIwBVAXRng3qY3BB54Davfv8nYkdGKCgm0vD0LAMAcznTx4Xb/s200/IMG_1355.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirlfUs9MW0BGixxkT5MHvhWq-DN_hmJ6s0Uqjp_kGuhvNa1Nrb8T0ZNt8_I_0FXn3RSH2Ju17YHW3be2Tqo0LIAPhK5t6kpC2DFeHso-vJ4WcV_9mLs3Q7w2YjOxtG1-yX6mPx241SCegz/s1600/IMG_1356.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirlfUs9MW0BGixxkT5MHvhWq-DN_hmJ6s0Uqjp_kGuhvNa1Nrb8T0ZNt8_I_0FXn3RSH2Ju17YHW3be2Tqo0LIAPhK5t6kpC2DFeHso-vJ4WcV_9mLs3Q7w2YjOxtG1-yX6mPx241SCegz/s200/IMG_1356.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEsazwhYy4o0tAH1EFDp_ULqDWwhIu0tObSJ5e0xEyitQKkSe9Q4yeCMiyj7KvbVorlRn6E1DfduXuc139oYcBaxEHNn1HD4fOLLJcuNxYQL6OhyphenhyphenUK_EdZux2_gs-LN0HAJYCD7F6zWUHQ/s1600/IMG_1402.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEsazwhYy4o0tAH1EFDp_ULqDWwhIu0tObSJ5e0xEyitQKkSe9Q4yeCMiyj7KvbVorlRn6E1DfduXuc139oYcBaxEHNn1HD4fOLLJcuNxYQL6OhyphenhyphenUK_EdZux2_gs-LN0HAJYCD7F6zWUHQ/s200/IMG_1402.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiju8noPpud_v_Uv9LAGohxOVPCEfgT005h5gzibOR2VYe13wdmWNho9OTZ4ucJTKUR0-XLxS-rVE11h3UT7F4fH8zrv_Ig4CrF7cF5pGilVkF5mVFHRvHD1PfffyFxxnqbsBDil62hHSJW/s1600/IMG_1388.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiju8noPpud_v_Uv9LAGohxOVPCEfgT005h5gzibOR2VYe13wdmWNho9OTZ4ucJTKUR0-XLxS-rVE11h3UT7F4fH8zrv_Ig4CrF7cF5pGilVkF5mVFHRvHD1PfffyFxxnqbsBDil62hHSJW/s200/IMG_1388.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I am quite happy that our 7 am wake up was quickly followed by a 4 hour bus ride.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I needed the nap.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our final local tour guide, Kuan, joined us as we headed to Ha Long Bay, and gave us great information along the way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUHs7094TmoTNN_gupQdLu8Lyiwymki7P3xVlgtEB_d5KEh6mCDbLt6td-yTyhjVeoyeH2lxFVGRy33mIs8k3KoqgS7SWC9lZoNtWCvuPlvUaKcLVCNGOo6IVPO9rN4DsJQmsbhrPwlw1G/s1600/IMG_1319.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUHs7094TmoTNN_gupQdLu8Lyiwymki7P3xVlgtEB_d5KEh6mCDbLt6td-yTyhjVeoyeH2lxFVGRy33mIs8k3KoqgS7SWC9lZoNtWCvuPlvUaKcLVCNGOo6IVPO9rN4DsJQmsbhrPwlw1G/s200/IMG_1319.JPG" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCppcCFUwDmd9lBbmQE9Azb3D1xqFy0DiOT_BI1RDPQ-Ct1JyODrM5lZ8KGoWvYLBhyu6XkUmKTt7XaiSXGT6-nI6eoC7QwGUNxR9FXzFHMTIRcdvbJYh5hJc_O5Wp1mihIlGE7r703FQP/s1600/IMG_1324.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCppcCFUwDmd9lBbmQE9Azb3D1xqFy0DiOT_BI1RDPQ-Ct1JyODrM5lZ8KGoWvYLBhyu6XkUmKTt7XaiSXGT6-nI6eoC7QwGUNxR9FXzFHMTIRcdvbJYh5hJc_O5Wp1mihIlGE7r703FQP/s200/IMG_1324.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicKDg_odsIOfGJ__bVHBl4TSKnQqFUmEiiOrH01OvP2DO8qjhVkipzayZSm87uJDLc_upA-rkMoGoszmeCRoOih_a5WU8JRP3D67TsWDParm7fnXRVAZ_F50gaKsIcRxlL7e1TxX042Syw/s1600/IMG_1321.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicKDg_odsIOfGJ__bVHBl4TSKnQqFUmEiiOrH01OvP2DO8qjhVkipzayZSm87uJDLc_upA-rkMoGoszmeCRoOih_a5WU8JRP3D67TsWDParm7fnXRVAZ_F50gaKsIcRxlL7e1TxX042Syw/s200/IMG_1321.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">We boarded a junk boat which was a ton nicer then any of us were expecting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was a great lounging and eating area, pretty nice rooms, and a great outdoor chillin area and tanning deck.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigh1AXJKHacA-NLFmgK4blUJjHdLPRw46r5M-KBT6lYQ7Syh07P47jsw_3muxEJ89Tp3JDydiN74N-eSO8HEmS1jhzhl0fh6ReSzh333mSvw44ZFOavpuE7aCayHN__UGUvXBenx9C88qc/s1600/IMG_1348.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigh1AXJKHacA-NLFmgK4blUJjHdLPRw46r5M-KBT6lYQ7Syh07P47jsw_3muxEJ89Tp3JDydiN74N-eSO8HEmS1jhzhl0fh6ReSzh333mSvw44ZFOavpuE7aCayHN__UGUvXBenx9C88qc/s200/IMG_1348.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi83tsvlLyXcC351xmejotI1nMatU0OsZYncJvkg_qzFmlyrla5wUvAgf-FsbufXS4p9BfzMN8yn4HLLmuCpD3VUPVUwozxcGDoogxWTtH7ZXQ5o9MeL3OzZgxtXGXQC8fgLXoia-aRFck3/s1600/IMG_7935.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi83tsvlLyXcC351xmejotI1nMatU0OsZYncJvkg_qzFmlyrla5wUvAgf-FsbufXS4p9BfzMN8yn4HLLmuCpD3VUPVUwozxcGDoogxWTtH7ZXQ5o9MeL3OzZgxtXGXQC8fgLXoia-aRFck3/s200/IMG_7935.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo3Rqf1ewNvDVbLer6UghRRsbAUWWBAxqiCdM-DPKQZU1F4SKG9jVNg3BOaYKevyRLUsl_7Ir2WxaE4DwrVc8ma6zc19VPFbQzCJvO3ZSqY1_Je69teFDNGD6iBI69U336G_ZipPCOFLIJ/s1600/IMG_7936.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo3Rqf1ewNvDVbLer6UghRRsbAUWWBAxqiCdM-DPKQZU1F4SKG9jVNg3BOaYKevyRLUsl_7Ir2WxaE4DwrVc8ma6zc19VPFbQzCJvO3ZSqY1_Je69teFDNGD6iBI69U336G_ZipPCOFLIJ/s200/IMG_7936.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Ha Long bay is spectacular, and words and pictures barely do it any justice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we cruised the bay, and passed some of the 2000 thousand islands, we made a few stops along the way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first stop was to do a cave walk.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While there are hundreds of naturally formed caves throughout the islands, only a few are open to the public.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kuan lead us through and explained how the caves were formed, and why they are they way they are.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBO__-PHLYrkWfusAm7oPFCtlmgfW7jZtmKHBz2elU5xCQPLYrLJepD2osfwZh3bQ9IA1PVvYw4145Hun2LXXmL4h3LggIewKAnLsNzbhFFj9HwzS5mOsPqwKVlDii9BImzgMmHYS7qQ1c/s1600/IMG_1431.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBO__-PHLYrkWfusAm7oPFCtlmgfW7jZtmKHBz2elU5xCQPLYrLJepD2osfwZh3bQ9IA1PVvYw4145Hun2LXXmL4h3LggIewKAnLsNzbhFFj9HwzS5mOsPqwKVlDii9BImzgMmHYS7qQ1c/s200/IMG_1431.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk16UyvibYCBjLuifb4yQEmNJz4UweCj35YQLj_nBMo3oDgqkLSvlzvSLncd1SvSQZi-CcIg-0gsAvGcp5dLLm7qu_ibBcrha87DzDahT-8CA5grAB0bsHv61fKsyjO79HB82qBqQcvR4u/s1600/IMG_1380.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk16UyvibYCBjLuifb4yQEmNJz4UweCj35YQLj_nBMo3oDgqkLSvlzvSLncd1SvSQZi-CcIg-0gsAvGcp5dLLm7qu_ibBcrha87DzDahT-8CA5grAB0bsHv61fKsyjO79HB82qBqQcvR4u/s200/IMG_1380.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9ydvSNgjL1fVUmrieW9qTcCchDyK_dOFAyo5iA3p0aDCSJb1n9kJSwmrsrbQZ2ZLBlMGS7Y0wu8InkHClOri1tU8TANvUp33Bfad7gfSQ3rWxptr1vuD9rsiv1gt2oTAlJ6TiO37d8dER/s1600/IMG_1413.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9ydvSNgjL1fVUmrieW9qTcCchDyK_dOFAyo5iA3p0aDCSJb1n9kJSwmrsrbQZ2ZLBlMGS7Y0wu8InkHClOri1tU8TANvUp33Bfad7gfSQ3rWxptr1vuD9rsiv1gt2oTAlJ6TiO37d8dER/s200/IMG_1413.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsZPNzVTC_Ce9Z0xRfRhwzwaJ1fq4L5RTLxyJEsSBpFR5bHR9Q7lmAISBfp0wOJ6dVAr-6EEIcYEM_t2T6R-1wxpb8Vbg91z4SiiFQyremeKqXVWn9Uw8cxzylQ5eaJS4Ixje7FdMGX4yH/s1600/IMG_1427.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsZPNzVTC_Ce9Z0xRfRhwzwaJ1fq4L5RTLxyJEsSBpFR5bHR9Q7lmAISBfp0wOJ6dVAr-6EEIcYEM_t2T6R-1wxpb8Vbg91z4SiiFQyremeKqXVWn9Uw8cxzylQ5eaJS4Ixje7FdMGX4yH/s200/IMG_1427.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNvCvDK7lBMHOmybkxHTwfeD6FBCretGQizuvYNA_s4PNgloU5QiA_mzWYHYKz4APF6GQQoYd5NOVuwgzavNuPVc9wzF0MHChl4KaZqTHatfB_B2ynnCRiG5Ez3UaFnkHEuwB60_V7O0XP/s1600/IMG_1432.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNvCvDK7lBMHOmybkxHTwfeD6FBCretGQizuvYNA_s4PNgloU5QiA_mzWYHYKz4APF6GQQoYd5NOVuwgzavNuPVc9wzF0MHChl4KaZqTHatfB_B2ynnCRiG5Ez3UaFnkHEuwB60_V7O0XP/s200/IMG_1432.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg75Om8gpB-Ze6TvFFb6AmOUw0mp9vBHMkTQEVkYHFad0n1a8tQUSGUaFXrJVzMmlybtTN2sSc86dP2jbmBuGAbTkvJvPsXDDwvoC66mzcP1dLMYW9AiMJw15HUTppH5bLVckNh2if_Gjwc/s1600/IMG_1397.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg75Om8gpB-Ze6TvFFb6AmOUw0mp9vBHMkTQEVkYHFad0n1a8tQUSGUaFXrJVzMmlybtTN2sSc86dP2jbmBuGAbTkvJvPsXDDwvoC66mzcP1dLMYW9AiMJw15HUTppH5bLVckNh2if_Gjwc/s200/IMG_1397.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga_sMVplPt41rIGZhwTwME-Sn5JuZGM-7F5yj2pLywr3y4yJcLr74dtkT6O6kjPXWtMgVSYunjATCbAXtXgt43U6fn2nXpyYNpTgSRPmHE838v1OkJ6sOQ9AqlY7groAiALg3VJTk9L-lf/s1600/IMG_7986.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga_sMVplPt41rIGZhwTwME-Sn5JuZGM-7F5yj2pLywr3y4yJcLr74dtkT6O6kjPXWtMgVSYunjATCbAXtXgt43U6fn2nXpyYNpTgSRPmHE838v1OkJ6sOQ9AqlY7groAiALg3VJTk9L-lf/s200/IMG_7986.JPG" width="200" /></a>We next went to another nearby island, where some of us climbed to the top of a mountain for a great look out view of the bay.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was VERY HOT!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can get a vague idea of how wet and sweaty we all were in the picture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After the climb, we chilled on the beach for a bit, and then went to our anchor spot for the night, where we did more swimming and jumping from the boat as we watched an unbelievable sunset.</div></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwWW9R-0oH6l1vLA1_4a4fZiljTfD70k8sd33cc2l-YpNIctgw1I4vuW_umXxmFv-b4OQ9uTT6Xd8k3NNlx6iN0QXcW-UlXj2zbaDW-aHoz3ZYxbfRRjtFrRx8r7L07SKSp7FIthmcW0Nj/s1600/IMG_1452.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwWW9R-0oH6l1vLA1_4a4fZiljTfD70k8sd33cc2l-YpNIctgw1I4vuW_umXxmFv-b4OQ9uTT6Xd8k3NNlx6iN0QXcW-UlXj2zbaDW-aHoz3ZYxbfRRjtFrRx8r7L07SKSp7FIthmcW0Nj/s200/IMG_1452.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbThchmyVV8d64LEpzFEXDGUAn50eZYGlOM8TMWspy23gEwYN0Gu3cA8TeAgNYDk-2kdHHfJiUjex6nmeSOqUeX236cf_Zhq_2PXzBJxvE4bZbbfy37SwR-zw45u77nBvL2j0bA34OkMoz/s1600/IMG_1454.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbThchmyVV8d64LEpzFEXDGUAn50eZYGlOM8TMWspy23gEwYN0Gu3cA8TeAgNYDk-2kdHHfJiUjex6nmeSOqUeX236cf_Zhq_2PXzBJxvE4bZbbfy37SwR-zw45u77nBvL2j0bA34OkMoz/s200/IMG_1454.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWDnny9SsCb98rghbXYNecor_myvAJXuEa6LkJArYfMKSFoxe-PL1C62l2ZwZ3v0WrKuaLBmhwlk2lmlXxG9uW12xHUbvJAHw9oCxYhTSAMAYEIzPA6BZq9C6ZE07UNO6RSxGhVIk1pSNU/s1600/IMG_1450.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWDnny9SsCb98rghbXYNecor_myvAJXuEa6LkJArYfMKSFoxe-PL1C62l2ZwZ3v0WrKuaLBmhwlk2lmlXxG9uW12xHUbvJAHw9oCxYhTSAMAYEIzPA6BZq9C6ZE07UNO6RSxGhVIk1pSNU/s200/IMG_1450.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi61Qe3sENPT06nSh4O6I-oKYOQyPtvkZyQ9ir6F_zyv180JD2v4msn7euU0gYVfGgt-FkpPHbiQeCBdum561w40vysSvyItUZujWd6L-KxelGMyGQNNwqshpv_1GcO3OJI_umb-Nu_XmOu/s1600/IMG_1449.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi61Qe3sENPT06nSh4O6I-oKYOQyPtvkZyQ9ir6F_zyv180JD2v4msn7euU0gYVfGgt-FkpPHbiQeCBdum561w40vysSvyItUZujWd6L-KxelGMyGQNNwqshpv_1GcO3OJI_umb-Nu_XmOu/s200/IMG_1449.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghA2XiBjY8mjeXNjMng1yZt9fFnyERcw_5uoJiVach6uLuWSu1hXrEd0jOM4-wMSfLhAT5mEe2s4uo9Mcd2MJpEpmlmjSY6lfPLEo6xX9tUbW_KL8vRw_0sZ4thrOCGKk0LEUsyxnf2mh8/s1600/IMG_1472.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghA2XiBjY8mjeXNjMng1yZt9fFnyERcw_5uoJiVach6uLuWSu1hXrEd0jOM4-wMSfLhAT5mEe2s4uo9Mcd2MJpEpmlmjSY6lfPLEo6xX9tUbW_KL8vRw_0sZ4thrOCGKk0LEUsyxnf2mh8/s200/IMG_1472.JPG" width="150" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Hoover showed us an episode of Top Gear, which was focused on Vietnam, and we realized how much we have done over the last 11 days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The crew then served us an unbelievable seafood dinner, and we prepared for our nighttime pirate party.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0MoAYvUq0Sh4RXHUegzQItaukcgTvaUFbouiq5vInHMJl23fpUfEN2YxJEAHTgWGYBnptW2-1BK45t8BS11JhfEWlYNHOGEN1dUpkeZTalBH9Uy5SxzDYtnzatQYFwN5FboDJAqAQVAYw/s1600/IMG_8018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0MoAYvUq0Sh4RXHUegzQItaukcgTvaUFbouiq5vInHMJl23fpUfEN2YxJEAHTgWGYBnptW2-1BK45t8BS11JhfEWlYNHOGEN1dUpkeZTalBH9Uy5SxzDYtnzatQYFwN5FboDJAqAQVAYw/s200/IMG_8018.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwf55FJweZBWGRwYBzR7kcOL11n6MZ6Kz2jcdaZ_4rz1iDLYP7WqVwzN5emdasxoyAPeFDvvp9ZeHAFJJyzl2B4dn88CbhSWHo4rNj78nhhGlgcNLYwojryqdFzNHmvguFI8GCcyvzjG8d/s1600/IMG_8004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwf55FJweZBWGRwYBzR7kcOL11n6MZ6Kz2jcdaZ_4rz1iDLYP7WqVwzN5emdasxoyAPeFDvvp9ZeHAFJJyzl2B4dn88CbhSWHo4rNj78nhhGlgcNLYwojryqdFzNHmvguFI8GCcyvzjG8d/s200/IMG_8004.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijP-LEyhfq-6Z4uAk2Vuq9dzy7_4PI23sfuqQVCKIvrppgGVqePhTBHs4Ch5qYNyE6ON9t9W8jXaW9e0ffkAFcdLXXCTnByYtIXFf8D3sniEcT8gtNGCAZuNMXXknqAXLc8K6ZHaEjloif/s1600/IMG_1513.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijP-LEyhfq-6Z4uAk2Vuq9dzy7_4PI23sfuqQVCKIvrppgGVqePhTBHs4Ch5qYNyE6ON9t9W8jXaW9e0ffkAFcdLXXCTnByYtIXFf8D3sniEcT8gtNGCAZuNMXXknqAXLc8K6ZHaEjloif/s200/IMG_1513.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPO1_qcik-XtfJ6jXubPmaex06pmUkQ_oHvSStvigcpd_5J15H0g3A_RXVKlkQn0V__9XPsRPt__qDaP0NbIoCxa8wFAVRjfdxTzldpHwWdSfyo67iD6cCGEmXpWupmY03N98mk4LWXbnJ/s1600/IMG_1511.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPO1_qcik-XtfJ6jXubPmaex06pmUkQ_oHvSStvigcpd_5J15H0g3A_RXVKlkQn0V__9XPsRPt__qDaP0NbIoCxa8wFAVRjfdxTzldpHwWdSfyo67iD6cCGEmXpWupmY03N98mk4LWXbnJ/s200/IMG_1511.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The party was a lot of fun, but I am unsure how Jourdan, Matt and I finished our bottles so quickly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The pictures were great, the stories were better.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The fun times just kept going, as we headed to the top deck.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Graeme and my little pescado Davide decided to do some nighttime jumping off of the roof.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The crew wasn’t happy about that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we were told no more night swimming, we chilled out on top for the remainder of the night.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4t_j3Un6pdwlkwZyjYEwQ60-l0aC5W9W5s4z69L2056tvohXuR7ojAmSsqlCyKjfNMcgvxf4xsm3jqlGQEmIXjGJ8UHT5aiTxAQwhVX7KDXIZzILI3n3OWNyfgKLOLg92T92qPGjKeon7/s1600/IMG_1534.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4t_j3Un6pdwlkwZyjYEwQ60-l0aC5W9W5s4z69L2056tvohXuR7ojAmSsqlCyKjfNMcgvxf4xsm3jqlGQEmIXjGJ8UHT5aiTxAQwhVX7KDXIZzILI3n3OWNyfgKLOLg92T92qPGjKeon7/s200/IMG_1534.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikt8S26zKbqI4zmdYTxI6wFAgTNQXpI_2hEtqf0YbKDu7bnhtVVXf9d8mIwqfdSwiIvhsScXHDnkTlhQd80amCbX3wP5SZBmR7RwPa3lggK6yU4nha7_GhQcqVYTUOTFreAkfVHr82-s6z/s1600/IMG_1537.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; 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margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvdr1lLPmCliRBH_xQghWdBN6EspMiSykCqYebsOOBAcWw6mNuM3s_CHHgTFon_Yb1qHgcD49DKAjNDZCq3JeHK3ZWiFUiqwe-mPLBCh7duDCpnX3K-4GOSpJqhQ8gylJmOPdMXbU-BjOI/s200/IMG_1618.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqnTn65vfVKQPKXftFk_D6BSasaBzuiS7m2xxiirrwKNWYNq9O1zQMJev361VyHfDqAczBcml_rkTL1F0NWAlA0aPrnvV_01huwyiuFHw4qGZ9SmP9EI6QZ00VaDpH-Tn3Va1uQ5HvhOFM/s1600/IMG_1644.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqnTn65vfVKQPKXftFk_D6BSasaBzuiS7m2xxiirrwKNWYNq9O1zQMJev361VyHfDqAczBcml_rkTL1F0NWAlA0aPrnvV_01huwyiuFHw4qGZ9SmP9EI6QZ00VaDpH-Tn3Va1uQ5HvhOFM/s200/IMG_1644.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjawD1SlEPyOa5OYQ9dZKr2kO-JKLAc8vfOM-Eat4ZM8V4HNvfFzMX7N9qTsvmLKKun3k87uePh9J28zxY6nfCaukReqKtylevnaryDYvds7TrPCxlmqu4BRNmO8uEOq-jjrxMx7SkdcmEL/s1600/IMG_1649.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjawD1SlEPyOa5OYQ9dZKr2kO-JKLAc8vfOM-Eat4ZM8V4HNvfFzMX7N9qTsvmLKKun3k87uePh9J28zxY6nfCaukReqKtylevnaryDYvds7TrPCxlmqu4BRNmO8uEOq-jjrxMx7SkdcmEL/s200/IMG_1649.JPG" width="150" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZicbuGhkAPZULAqfjWqBhC7FQElo6Y3KCHuWov8uL7f-mCXtB8YMoz2pQRSg_Wa4s74wQ9AgJJdIdht2g5UVaGww2dqVn5KB-TQuXm3I9po0Osg4KL4VYQ37EhWNm-CeADmSbCl5cvSDt/s1600/IMG_1655.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZicbuGhkAPZULAqfjWqBhC7FQElo6Y3KCHuWov8uL7f-mCXtB8YMoz2pQRSg_Wa4s74wQ9AgJJdIdht2g5UVaGww2dqVn5KB-TQuXm3I9po0Osg4KL4VYQ37EhWNm-CeADmSbCl5cvSDt/s200/IMG_1655.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>The Block Boyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09994844378518194776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2416656104577293898.post-32415197117000440332011-07-14T20:47:00.000-04:002011-07-14T20:47:35.883-04:00Hue to Hanoi<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMwAmlp8N4OcIlw53ZH6wVQCx2KJg-7PqV5REEVwNsZmSuoWcdKwg3CGZQ9DZ0Wlnf_AvXwexOcEPHch8QdNWsLDZzedKUEUiRI7dknNEgSj3u7pO19JP1wdZHk1Szq2fRXsnSgDo1ufH2/s1600/IMG_1227.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMwAmlp8N4OcIlw53ZH6wVQCx2KJg-7PqV5REEVwNsZmSuoWcdKwg3CGZQ9DZ0Wlnf_AvXwexOcEPHch8QdNWsLDZzedKUEUiRI7dknNEgSj3u7pO19JP1wdZHk1Szq2fRXsnSgDo1ufH2/s200/IMG_1227.JPG" width="200px" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Today started by boarding Cyclos for a scenic view of the city on the way to the imperial citadel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A cyclo is a seat, with a high bike behind it, where the driver pedals you around (to me it seems like a knock-off version of the tuk-tuk).</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzxW0H2d7xmAWr8CLB0OQIYh8vM0Kg0uUreTl93cJjz-hgd4L_bkJvzyfnk2lh9h9rgo4_utWdpGRrFDYMr0LXVwBreJlRs4RqvYFsocIrmIu68t6LlJgRHJlj4uO7NjNlxjLLsKfIOmFL/s1600/IMG_1217.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzxW0H2d7xmAWr8CLB0OQIYh8vM0Kg0uUreTl93cJjz-hgd4L_bkJvzyfnk2lh9h9rgo4_utWdpGRrFDYMr0LXVwBreJlRs4RqvYFsocIrmIu68t6LlJgRHJlj4uO7NjNlxjLLsKfIOmFL/s200/IMG_1217.JPG" width="200px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilQoebrdglUXfJxPcLXr2BkTImcYk9RQTy6jFt32g1Aiqt_IMGcDHlJYw3l6SS3nVFCn65emM0HNndjiib7c4F8L93lNm_6ocQFStL54ipfqA9CRxSJJjDVFW3tE3D-Nz6kY5I8mfvHNJw/s1600/IMG_7869.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilQoebrdglUXfJxPcLXr2BkTImcYk9RQTy6jFt32g1Aiqt_IMGcDHlJYw3l6SS3nVFCn65emM0HNndjiib7c4F8L93lNm_6ocQFStL54ipfqA9CRxSJJjDVFW3tE3D-Nz6kY5I8mfvHNJw/s200/IMG_7869.JPG" width="150px" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">We toured the ancient palace and the citadel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was WAY too hot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The information was great, but it was hard to concentrate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We saw some iconic places where famous photos have been taken after the Tet offensive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was eerie to see the bullet holes still in the walls of the gates and walls.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga_wqKaIlgwkzKLCE8c2le3ren3HlBZ2AXwJ6CZqIU6j7dgB9iSBbR2sX7iqVgGg2nmAdOjcuXt0gqJ8ed0Jim6udERhGpb8kVqdZYPdr9unEn5HN77DgYMsOMTmFKHlOujFIBmGY-gIrr/s1600/IMG_1234.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga_wqKaIlgwkzKLCE8c2le3ren3HlBZ2AXwJ6CZqIU6j7dgB9iSBbR2sX7iqVgGg2nmAdOjcuXt0gqJ8ed0Jim6udERhGpb8kVqdZYPdr9unEn5HN77DgYMsOMTmFKHlOujFIBmGY-gIrr/s200/IMG_1234.JPG" width="200px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwHtyH8VQ0_gawmjonByjJLSQess8ght88JJkCnzI7bXxPr8dDPxh3YP-yv2nFOf9gJS9VSBP8jq3F6HjSSGd6hil1T3Zjd0Zi-26ClCPWPyfrYjPzCyrWj_Rx_xUinFwlcboxSbFBzwoZ/s1600/IMG_1248.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwHtyH8VQ0_gawmjonByjJLSQess8ght88JJkCnzI7bXxPr8dDPxh3YP-yv2nFOf9gJS9VSBP8jq3F6HjSSGd6hil1T3Zjd0Zi-26ClCPWPyfrYjPzCyrWj_Rx_xUinFwlcboxSbFBzwoZ/s200/IMG_1248.JPG" width="150px" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlaP9G9JxCsqRjK4z1g1bK01fKliMmbO7kkcxSmhyGqEOKdOfkU4Z178o3r0At5honWNaktCSs70fs9fdpSGsWgeKkQW5f5s8CqZQWMpp8rrzTuguovVEcc3x51WwwDnEWORW1DjU3NJ3f/s1600/IMG_1256.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlaP9G9JxCsqRjK4z1g1bK01fKliMmbO7kkcxSmhyGqEOKdOfkU4Z178o3r0At5honWNaktCSs70fs9fdpSGsWgeKkQW5f5s8CqZQWMpp8rrzTuguovVEcc3x51WwwDnEWORW1DjU3NJ3f/s200/IMG_1256.JPG" width="200px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1mLbYmtsjcQwguLBtYhl7symtjPB1rFs-biTOKZVKDxRARXX8IZJq5yHcoJSY1zaTTGmdnzCNDQaKbQTCchtIKuF8Diw2TeiHxWZwFb_fOt7gGIRLrf4vpzIhQyD_M3oFN4rKk11jVqWj/s1600/IMG_1264.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1mLbYmtsjcQwguLBtYhl7symtjPB1rFs-biTOKZVKDxRARXX8IZJq5yHcoJSY1zaTTGmdnzCNDQaKbQTCchtIKuF8Diw2TeiHxWZwFb_fOt7gGIRLrf4vpzIhQyD_M3oFN4rKk11jVqWj/s200/IMG_1264.JPG" width="150px" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">The afternoon was spent trying to stay cool, relaxing, and grabbing lunch with friends (we went to a place called Little Italy, because thank god they had air con).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is brutally hot here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am perpetually sweaty (or as we like to say, moist and glistening).</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-dylqRHWF_ZY6837JVt9VqNMz7wd95Fm6ys-cjXGyyiUA1Jk3XnKzVVLSFGyCegdk8McrgswiB4haGtX4GU9yUCm0zc5pByItnAGsZAfqvAHKTYTJDQoghIxT47KNroZLem-Drt69C2w-/s1600/IMG_1276.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-dylqRHWF_ZY6837JVt9VqNMz7wd95Fm6ys-cjXGyyiUA1Jk3XnKzVVLSFGyCegdk8McrgswiB4haGtX4GU9yUCm0zc5pByItnAGsZAfqvAHKTYTJDQoghIxT47KNroZLem-Drt69C2w-/s200/IMG_1276.JPG" width="150px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhJjZGYBtSgeBPF47yKWmZBkPNaEHgH4N4TCWCcPGeB1UPC2NEn2B_-1pcWflyxPOqZte8Yh6VKPOfTnGw0x7-x2he3hYQHToGcpDLqkThjrvLB4IbY7s_yyKGTE4ntvM3BSRgP1ckhk3j/s1600/IMG_1283.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhJjZGYBtSgeBPF47yKWmZBkPNaEHgH4N4TCWCcPGeB1UPC2NEn2B_-1pcWflyxPOqZte8Yh6VKPOfTnGw0x7-x2he3hYQHToGcpDLqkThjrvLB4IbY7s_yyKGTE4ntvM3BSRgP1ckhk3j/s200/IMG_1283.JPG" width="200px" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglWqKPi0-xt9d4CysQ7YMmhNQmGV7jtMSMIi9NuvHCF330OKNNmaHPBTUQ0NqcUZq1KaYtS0ZhiRCxLtyWlbAisum_a1Sv5cs97Zt7F91Gq4mEeggw7dhs6XydNy0HGAlBj7hg_aAnleAw/s1600/IMG_7808.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglWqKPi0-xt9d4CysQ7YMmhNQmGV7jtMSMIi9NuvHCF330OKNNmaHPBTUQ0NqcUZq1KaYtS0ZhiRCxLtyWlbAisum_a1Sv5cs97Zt7F91Gq4mEeggw7dhs6XydNy0HGAlBj7hg_aAnleAw/s200/IMG_7808.JPG" width="200px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj4SMzr_oDtRnYQHc7zyv6ir-snV_eZiUoRVDvo0yo7q9faCnVEEKZX6GO5HxSeiCK3xJIiAUt71H7UQe0WfcpnkUoUW599gHHe9YlHnJNkbX_b1LnPoKcKWjFjOX5-mJC0DfR4KxLLKbV/s1600/IMG_7880.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj4SMzr_oDtRnYQHc7zyv6ir-snV_eZiUoRVDvo0yo7q9faCnVEEKZX6GO5HxSeiCK3xJIiAUt71H7UQe0WfcpnkUoUW599gHHe9YlHnJNkbX_b1LnPoKcKWjFjOX5-mJC0DfR4KxLLKbV/s200/IMG_7880.JPG" width="150px" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">We headed to the airport, and boarded our final flight of the tour on the way to Hanoi.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although this is a much smaller city the Saigon, the traffic is just as insane.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we trekked, with luggage, across a monstrosity of a round about, we finally made it to our hotel, Bao Khanh, which is about a block off of a gorgeous lake in the center of the French Quarter.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX4HmJF0fA7EyofUMe4VS0sN8QKDbz-0S7uJCCyBW1-8jeawTGQQcSRlgGN-Ae12IUemf-zbZoUD10LeyLi-GQfm_T71bChGNxvUKGIwi0icEEYObYXyQuIBXCl6MqseAW_jJZs_I6Zjk8/s1600/IMG_7885.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX4HmJF0fA7EyofUMe4VS0sN8QKDbz-0S7uJCCyBW1-8jeawTGQQcSRlgGN-Ae12IUemf-zbZoUD10LeyLi-GQfm_T71bChGNxvUKGIwi0icEEYObYXyQuIBXCl6MqseAW_jJZs_I6Zjk8/s200/IMG_7885.JPG" width="150px" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Hoover took some of the group on a walking tour of the quarter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She showed us the bag streets, the shoe streets, electronic streets, local corner food markets and bars, the night markets, the DVD stores, and the Cathedral. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmYbro4H_SbPXHsT5Y0eFop4O_KS_-JfiRxtg-8uWIwvOsvhzaSN6Q3Vxb8ApkMr59xaNra1DCA5fUVIVAfH2sywpuu2rhajUPIJdE23xZifeJpqHyUZPsuB93gDvhM76CVDWiiqHqwric/s1600/IMG_1285.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmYbro4H_SbPXHsT5Y0eFop4O_KS_-JfiRxtg-8uWIwvOsvhzaSN6Q3Vxb8ApkMr59xaNra1DCA5fUVIVAfH2sywpuu2rhajUPIJdE23xZifeJpqHyUZPsuB93gDvhM76CVDWiiqHqwric/s200/IMG_1285.JPG" width="200px" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">After the tour, we went with a couple of friends to do some exploring around the area, and to purchase some necessities, like bottles of liquor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"> </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjecu5SzgIX9PdKVyCCjPSFJ6dmswHeTshb8Bp_47m5PKWhqG1XFm0s2V2uUsWhQpfAf-TexLxNQTFdArPkiBMtZmKKp71mvOh9cbRZSO9rOdzpo-bgIYRrYfWudcFvcDdAQ5pgWXOUz0k3/s1600/IMG_1286.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjecu5SzgIX9PdKVyCCjPSFJ6dmswHeTshb8Bp_47m5PKWhqG1XFm0s2V2uUsWhQpfAf-TexLxNQTFdArPkiBMtZmKKp71mvOh9cbRZSO9rOdzpo-bgIYRrYfWudcFvcDdAQ5pgWXOUz0k3/s200/IMG_1286.JPG" width="150px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHid-wsm2CArtYHxVxr7SpZyF0lVCQeejJX8_yh3BNI-gD_oGDegvfA4wV6dQoSE1mVW4wSC2MWG23OMg7HvrvnX2qREYnDFme3qI3KRnovO_uAcoDPj93ijkxpvxsFibIwZ8f34cMMWp0/s1600/IMG_1288.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHid-wsm2CArtYHxVxr7SpZyF0lVCQeejJX8_yh3BNI-gD_oGDegvfA4wV6dQoSE1mVW4wSC2MWG23OMg7HvrvnX2qREYnDFme3qI3KRnovO_uAcoDPj93ijkxpvxsFibIwZ8f34cMMWp0/s200/IMG_1288.JPG" width="200px" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div>Jourdan and I went with our friends Matt and Davide to an amazing restaurant called Cha Ca La Vong.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was hard to find a cabdriver who could understand us, and had to stop to get directions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Finally we arrived at this local gem.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After walking into an antique shop, and climbing a ladder like set of stairs, we entered this 135-year-old family run establishment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They speak no English, but when we sat down they put a card on the table that read “We have no menu – we only serve one dish.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The dish is a grilled fish that simmers on the table in a pan of hot oil.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It comes with veggies and rice noodles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was delicious.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This place was featured on Andrew Zimmern’s Bizzare foods…awesome.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbMEDsmPE03lHGXILKu1DBf1LDZi1ahrlmSuTIHXn4lw56Vw8fEC4Q9HUQhbC3mAi-HkZXxPZqbvCUrpaES5xk-nYybz3Q88xR_BDCb2-lpqwCcWGovrBd48PLFgNi61DLveGFUbeUfkVx/s1600/IMG_1296.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbMEDsmPE03lHGXILKu1DBf1LDZi1ahrlmSuTIHXn4lw56Vw8fEC4Q9HUQhbC3mAi-HkZXxPZqbvCUrpaES5xk-nYybz3Q88xR_BDCb2-lpqwCcWGovrBd48PLFgNi61DLveGFUbeUfkVx/s200/IMG_1296.JPG" width="200px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCbT69hMnK3yEpbJtMDI5cPkuSjZX2o-XhoCsTpl9qk__SncO6LbySpjd-W1i5nfXWvW8cx7VGjKJ1ItvGeyCslxFjkL52EvQlBD480r3jjG2FNEU8eoWH6UEc9b5dIo3LXt6hx0VHNoc2/s1600/IMG_1290.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCbT69hMnK3yEpbJtMDI5cPkuSjZX2o-XhoCsTpl9qk__SncO6LbySpjd-W1i5nfXWvW8cx7VGjKJ1ItvGeyCslxFjkL52EvQlBD480r3jjG2FNEU8eoWH6UEc9b5dIo3LXt6hx0VHNoc2/s200/IMG_1290.JPG" width="200px" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">On the way home, we strolled the night markets and got some things for our costume party the next night. These markets are crazy. They are filled with thousands of people, who seem to be buying the most outdated/70s clothing from street vendors. The local thing to do is to sit at tiny tables on tiny chairs on the street or on the corner, and drink and people watch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I like the style a lot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then Julie joined the four of us, and we went to the bars.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We went on a bit of bar crawl, and had some fun experiences messing with the locals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we were leaving one particular place, we saw about 80 backpackers walking down the street, and we joined up with them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We went to Dracula Bar at Q pub.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Drinking Jenga was a lot of fun, and a great way to meet other travelers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jourdan, Matt, and Julie headed back in a cab, and my fratello Davide and I jumped on a motor bike.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPgm7ZBdoEHg360yZO97oA5eF0NQjCNe6snZ9tqE-l68Ae9RdeSgVy3Eo739A4cS-BdeZXXQc02TwVtqNa4wnWoBqNKpHDVbqek4JjDV6hucKjlJYhRNAlqy45u1SN-oqsbNoSUg-zXLGU/s1600/IMG_1294.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPgm7ZBdoEHg360yZO97oA5eF0NQjCNe6snZ9tqE-l68Ae9RdeSgVy3Eo739A4cS-BdeZXXQc02TwVtqNa4wnWoBqNKpHDVbqek4JjDV6hucKjlJYhRNAlqy45u1SN-oqsbNoSUg-zXLGU/s200/IMG_1294.JPG" width="200px" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Hanoi is a great little city, and I would love to have more time to explore.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjcYPb_u5qJ2WBWIAk7T9mU30Z1yw4RlluR3b6Pro_QBmZ2XpnBRPY3dPgSWqwCPOjAHxteImNrhZTUuM327uG1glLtOi6MWBCkugV7juVBD4PZVkIR0CZ2gRfrWMD7y7KrUZ-m10sHMhyphenhyphen/s1600/IMG_1289.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjcYPb_u5qJ2WBWIAk7T9mU30Z1yw4RlluR3b6Pro_QBmZ2XpnBRPY3dPgSWqwCPOjAHxteImNrhZTUuM327uG1glLtOi6MWBCkugV7juVBD4PZVkIR0CZ2gRfrWMD7y7KrUZ-m10sHMhyphenhyphen/s200/IMG_1289.JPG" width="150px" /></a></div>The Block Boyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09994844378518194776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2416656104577293898.post-36456885060023179962011-07-14T20:09:00.001-04:002011-07-14T20:11:17.457-04:00We make our way to Hue<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">This morning was a tough one for me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>3 hours of sleep seems to not be enough.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We boarded on the early side and headed to Hue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jourdan tells me that the views were beautiful, but I slept the entire first half of the trip.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizuDUb07SHKzw-fo8u1bfqf9SMN-eEEJviJX03N-EP-apg0a35Gfow6AYNc-0LvsOj4ou7pDratstN8X0noMHf5kNrXwbJP-KgyTe-7g_l8KcT2vfSUvBNMz8ZlyjzShbNgBPqca531xoQ/s1600/IMG_1161.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizuDUb07SHKzw-fo8u1bfqf9SMN-eEEJviJX03N-EP-apg0a35Gfow6AYNc-0LvsOj4ou7pDratstN8X0noMHf5kNrXwbJP-KgyTe-7g_l8KcT2vfSUvBNMz8ZlyjzShbNgBPqca531xoQ/s200/IMG_1161.JPG" width="200px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe8NHZgVj81ZSYbNPYNE7sZ6woe8rCLGa6RUn7Z84VphPzvjaWprg1aH3prmxmGjALPTeSLnzRYGVn44OSFKwVLEdvlmJ3V5wjG-n73ua6_cIf6hTvclzgV3-7_6kWyWQGC-Ve6T0W_fLG/s1600/IMG_1112.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe8NHZgVj81ZSYbNPYNE7sZ6woe8rCLGa6RUn7Z84VphPzvjaWprg1aH3prmxmGjALPTeSLnzRYGVn44OSFKwVLEdvlmJ3V5wjG-n73ua6_cIf6hTvclzgV3-7_6kWyWQGC-Ve6T0W_fLG/s200/IMG_1112.JPG" width="150px" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">We stopped at some ancient lookouts along the Hai Van Pass, I got some delicious seaweed flavored Pringles (all of SE Asia is convinced Farangs [French or westerners] only snack on Pringles and Oreos – all in odd flavors like blueberry, spicy Bangkok chicken etc.), and then continued down the mountain with awesome scenic views of the coastlines below.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was awake for the second part of the trip jammin out to my new favorite songs on Emma’s playlist.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This drive is basically just for tourists, as the locals take the tunnel through the mountain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is known as one of the best coastal drives in the world.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">We got to the Asia Hue Hotel around midday, and had some time to grab lunch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With temperatures hitting highs around 42 (well over 100) we didn’t venture too far.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is kind of funny that because there are no copyright laws in Vietnam, we ate at place called Why Not, and a competitor opened another Why Not across the street.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisEmeocwn9lxia8bHRmcRH4CsGEo0wumWJIAqty3lt6SsFWJiLiN2mp4gnSu1wOVLsmghT7JkV6AtQmSCUvyO_esVLbdhkn4et_Mi_QWtWJLeAXhwdkqaIcA1jIg09Z4p7PjO-15pD5EEQ/s1600/IMG_1075.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisEmeocwn9lxia8bHRmcRH4CsGEo0wumWJIAqty3lt6SsFWJiLiN2mp4gnSu1wOVLsmghT7JkV6AtQmSCUvyO_esVLbdhkn4et_Mi_QWtWJLeAXhwdkqaIcA1jIg09Z4p7PjO-15pD5EEQ/s200/IMG_1075.JPG" width="200px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivvd4V9aUSx7NgywLXz2TNhMZw30baZGzDdI0opX3kE_GlCmKKjs8R2nLgN0CppZ-QE5EtIMdFWcYjSv1GXpdr0dTRKNSKmnZ7BJJ5pJOcbHj6-x2N2H5CRgQJJr-AyhLdKsMAUgls0KzI/s1600/IMG_7779.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivvd4V9aUSx7NgywLXz2TNhMZw30baZGzDdI0opX3kE_GlCmKKjs8R2nLgN0CppZ-QE5EtIMdFWcYjSv1GXpdr0dTRKNSKmnZ7BJJ5pJOcbHj6-x2N2H5CRgQJJr-AyhLdKsMAUgls0KzI/s200/IMG_7779.JPG" width="200px" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">After lunch we headed to the Du-Loc’s Tomb, and went on a walking tour of the grounds with our tour guide, Binh.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Along the way, we saw how incents and Viet Rice Paddy hats were made.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I gave the incent thing a try, and after failing miserably, a 3-year old kid showed me up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWrg28PKD_GQqbCEWkIiPdttuaAHjRMnkBXrZM8A05Hts_ggD4bts8qfU6O-7ulxzXjT9vUGmnECfqVpYOxE70X-ufVCXCEDybxxQQK1uegHeW0hiCTcYozzGAK1vIXjL7wW8Dqnn8olQq/s1600/IMG_1113.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWrg28PKD_GQqbCEWkIiPdttuaAHjRMnkBXrZM8A05Hts_ggD4bts8qfU6O-7ulxzXjT9vUGmnECfqVpYOxE70X-ufVCXCEDybxxQQK1uegHeW0hiCTcYozzGAK1vIXjL7wW8Dqnn8olQq/s200/IMG_1113.JPG" width="200px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKt4bN1LL_n9KSIt1jRPfBVvtibtWUWX-vFGzec1kSyVbX_XTsm9ZrrpPzIRgq_eDQd2MbQCudhRuMMDu3L46eyX4A0GOZxoy1SiOia72PKEGCNaW-vkpqWCMAQ0zP_IuRQ8LRL0EMwBo4/s1600/IMG_1115.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKt4bN1LL_n9KSIt1jRPfBVvtibtWUWX-vFGzec1kSyVbX_XTsm9ZrrpPzIRgq_eDQd2MbQCudhRuMMDu3L46eyX4A0GOZxoy1SiOia72PKEGCNaW-vkpqWCMAQ0zP_IuRQ8LRL0EMwBo4/s200/IMG_1115.JPG" width="150px" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbncp6CBGqaAOlvIBA6OeKQyuDlh1YVrZ-zcxY0HSa4JHno62sHdACkL17NzMMDAPDyd3CoT_GStGWDhcI-jNfVKAHVsUvK7ha56NaP0zkSQp5RlVqXKYaDsTq_hiH_fY0yLGzqr3jpMwT/s1600/IMG_1119.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbncp6CBGqaAOlvIBA6OeKQyuDlh1YVrZ-zcxY0HSa4JHno62sHdACkL17NzMMDAPDyd3CoT_GStGWDhcI-jNfVKAHVsUvK7ha56NaP0zkSQp5RlVqXKYaDsTq_hiH_fY0yLGzqr3jpMwT/s200/IMG_1119.JPG" width="200px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqEn0E8KFXntu5V30bL3x7eNL8E8b96WihvtCcluumFrSS7xlOVB_T5sUs_eKpTWo16IataBS47401P8BVa9mJPa2ojPZfG5EnNfu4g7lyirDCQOFbp3NgWJdOGapnMMvOernxZo1txOPj/s1600/IMG_1121.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqEn0E8KFXntu5V30bL3x7eNL8E8b96WihvtCcluumFrSS7xlOVB_T5sUs_eKpTWo16IataBS47401P8BVa9mJPa2ojPZfG5EnNfu4g7lyirDCQOFbp3NgWJdOGapnMMvOernxZo1txOPj/s200/IMG_1121.JPG" width="200px" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghIGKKGtpxpplxBxHpl5sBL6UExzdsxvWeIFVhu9JAwWN7MDZ4OIvISJQTSe-rhWuYp5sd1EHQNY3KkdDcsffpQhSzheFk1oEFYob8esEQcdnYWL38zjAZo0pa_zzWsh7lxCF6Ighx6KM3/s1600/IMG_1130.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghIGKKGtpxpplxBxHpl5sBL6UExzdsxvWeIFVhu9JAwWN7MDZ4OIvISJQTSe-rhWuYp5sd1EHQNY3KkdDcsffpQhSzheFk1oEFYob8esEQcdnYWL38zjAZo0pa_zzWsh7lxCF6Ighx6KM3/s200/IMG_1130.JPG" width="150px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAhTXz0iPIgd21CgYOu_Tkl3_8qwLM5SuvchZBnPWTk_46hocLzAIeSaYN2A1QfNV0DQiiHpzowNcKOo87Clv937VkCCfJ2mVq32NVcl8ncHFjy8YWVZDY9W7KCXZBaHJ2a6y9og748LJk/s1600/IMG_1108.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAhTXz0iPIgd21CgYOu_Tkl3_8qwLM5SuvchZBnPWTk_46hocLzAIeSaYN2A1QfNV0DQiiHpzowNcKOo87Clv937VkCCfJ2mVq32NVcl8ncHFjy8YWVZDY9W7KCXZBaHJ2a6y9og748LJk/s200/IMG_1108.JPG" width="150px" /></a></div><br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">Along with the tomb, we checked out a palace area, where I played dress-up for a bit. I know I can be quite regal, but it was hysterical how many strangers took pictures of me. One guy even started yelling at me when I got up to leave, because he hadnt finished taking pictures yet.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjovh0ZFEqLI8FHnCyjQj-vv1uPyxA6KXL6g01uXAoGrXZCMaKwa5E-QYctb56jeo-PamK32skuPKBHOnaidoAu776bzpBnn3vGQJFI23Yr8QuppgV4HtScMs6fpPRrBaK9suMB7-ngC-K4/s1600/IMG_1084.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjovh0ZFEqLI8FHnCyjQj-vv1uPyxA6KXL6g01uXAoGrXZCMaKwa5E-QYctb56jeo-PamK32skuPKBHOnaidoAu776bzpBnn3vGQJFI23Yr8QuppgV4HtScMs6fpPRrBaK9suMB7-ngC-K4/s200/IMG_1084.JPG" width="200px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizn7IADSfDeuW9H1dSTvZ3KQrke8sOI-4G5MJgZ0ioRSqZnQrYV9JKZA8rKkg8RofvseY-E348zocHLfjLhRasXwh224uIJHoAYvCk3SuolQAtgqrAowGN10ikCE5p6l2wweWxHqUDtyq8/s1600/IMG_1087.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizn7IADSfDeuW9H1dSTvZ3KQrke8sOI-4G5MJgZ0ioRSqZnQrYV9JKZA8rKkg8RofvseY-E348zocHLfjLhRasXwh224uIJHoAYvCk3SuolQAtgqrAowGN10ikCE5p6l2wweWxHqUDtyq8/s200/IMG_1087.JPG" width="150px" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">From there, we headed over to Pagota Thien Mu.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We saw the temple, and had some time to walk the grounds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To get home from the pagota we boarded a dragon boat (normal boat with dragons painted on the front). </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl4GReQBmdPkALIQO0xm4NKgquzryiG7az0GA5Bo9p-Cx_kKLV_GB8pyZv5c3XpTLfLy3WIpTu5IXwcdVFqkdBQ1WTTMO7Wj_aLYI4MZFuKxg6l8-N7DJFlMDZi9hNmcF7A6wp3CyEMmpc/s1600/IMG_1163.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl4GReQBmdPkALIQO0xm4NKgquzryiG7az0GA5Bo9p-Cx_kKLV_GB8pyZv5c3XpTLfLy3WIpTu5IXwcdVFqkdBQ1WTTMO7Wj_aLYI4MZFuKxg6l8-N7DJFlMDZi9hNmcF7A6wp3CyEMmpc/s200/IMG_1163.JPG" width="200px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY4ygnJcEOl9q8uj_nBWvEVB2R3HH7tRT8gtJKCsT5jBZSBjPxD9XYKvHcvPjWRXyQm3uDkeGWTOgP5p_-p_4u9Hvb1saBt7MDnhWyXboZlNGPJ1uOlH8wd9MAPFn9giypkqvYG5mqIz0Z/s1600/IMG_1150.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY4ygnJcEOl9q8uj_nBWvEVB2R3HH7tRT8gtJKCsT5jBZSBjPxD9XYKvHcvPjWRXyQm3uDkeGWTOgP5p_-p_4u9Hvb1saBt7MDnhWyXboZlNGPJ1uOlH8wd9MAPFn9giypkqvYG5mqIz0Z/s200/IMG_1150.JPG" width="200px" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">The boat ride was going great, until we got a couple hundred yards away, and the boat broke down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We spent about an hour stranded between 8 and 30 feet from shore.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No passing boats wanted to help us, because they are all competitors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The whole group was very lucky to have the Brothers Block aboard, as we provided non-stop entertainment the entire time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Finally, using a stick, the captain beached us, and we climbed a hillside vegetable garden to board a bus and head home.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguCVs6o6quhLq4zfGA70pz8ubyJBO2Wzri-qhx914sFjH_WNVoZzH_mz9U-05naqLtmqahBJa0oxLkLeGHUi2IP6V3cqpygMOZbNIabPi7RpiT53oTrQHCkZ12mt0ATFXnjk8OsVrN46lC/s1600/IMG_1167.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguCVs6o6quhLq4zfGA70pz8ubyJBO2Wzri-qhx914sFjH_WNVoZzH_mz9U-05naqLtmqahBJa0oxLkLeGHUi2IP6V3cqpygMOZbNIabPi7RpiT53oTrQHCkZ12mt0ATFXnjk8OsVrN46lC/s200/IMG_1167.JPG" width="200px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWKuCJqKeejJgb1Q9He-wL1ETO1A0E3wJ8RC2DlGtJzcnrpRE0X9pzneZbJinFDj2Aw3BlESFGG29zJdWFPbP7O20ZLT9i_0UjiRotinrUHYxKDjbpsm-3A0Voc5zyi_UfTaydc2btAinx/s1600/IMG_7833.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWKuCJqKeejJgb1Q9He-wL1ETO1A0E3wJ8RC2DlGtJzcnrpRE0X9pzneZbJinFDj2Aw3BlESFGG29zJdWFPbP7O20ZLT9i_0UjiRotinrUHYxKDjbpsm-3A0Voc5zyi_UfTaydc2btAinx/s200/IMG_7833.JPG" width="150px" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij-xwaru4e3lZsMBsUXUh88RJ9hDoJvgRJEifLO_C1pe486QJXNH0qWI_z8UNTHaP3UA2ouet7wo5XFGnsT_I27_0V4KTfeSgEwFh6ZAWusGFmEBulmWoc7MuvvTVY0Gjr43lVsnkBQ0wm/s1600/IMG_1171.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij-xwaru4e3lZsMBsUXUh88RJ9hDoJvgRJEifLO_C1pe486QJXNH0qWI_z8UNTHaP3UA2ouet7wo5XFGnsT_I27_0V4KTfeSgEwFh6ZAWusGFmEBulmWoc7MuvvTVY0Gjr43lVsnkBQ0wm/s200/IMG_1171.JPG" width="150px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRc1vR0RX7GWR9V_HZfgjbABu9JnsvMwGgXFHJp84FW37zNDCeqZl4g9cP0TRPOOlFRKKMUtPuFYrgq7gPPbxaxNo7XNPF6QC8j5UtFnMQJJE-xmzza8a_6A18UE0LHq0m7ke_QlY3_C_T/s1600/IMG_1177.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRc1vR0RX7GWR9V_HZfgjbABu9JnsvMwGgXFHJp84FW37zNDCeqZl4g9cP0TRPOOlFRKKMUtPuFYrgq7gPPbxaxNo7XNPF6QC8j5UtFnMQJJE-xmzza8a_6A18UE0LHq0m7ke_QlY3_C_T/s200/IMG_1177.JPG" width="200px" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">We all headed to dinner at Mr. Lac’s, who was this amazingly nice deaf and mute man.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He has a very nice little restaurant that is completely family run.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He had a great way to open beer bottles, and even gave us a souvenir.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Using pictures and drawings, he explained his family history, and his service in the army.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the end of the night, we were able to add to the extensive graffiti all over the walls.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgAszeGpnwYxslEEIThag_FHYZ2ZygIMzpe1vOpaiDeb1YuEv4VHi_5gs9EGge5ka1X0YHkiLMmeyJ0Egyk3OTSiPDgggrt9Dc_ndasiTKDv8XYgD6Dj_yX-iUCdT3zWiLn-6pkIyz-Djx/s1600/IMG_1187.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgAszeGpnwYxslEEIThag_FHYZ2ZygIMzpe1vOpaiDeb1YuEv4VHi_5gs9EGge5ka1X0YHkiLMmeyJ0Egyk3OTSiPDgggrt9Dc_ndasiTKDv8XYgD6Dj_yX-iUCdT3zWiLn-6pkIyz-Djx/s200/IMG_1187.JPG" width="200px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu8zib1vR7jqjWaFcjKEHngcJ4wHldf-0f36hgQ5dlvAi9JrCZzhFi3FxJ5_UouchYUPjhMr98vyFjAi0hrUinaqsTjmUY4BMoKYchf8iFrIJVvoF5u7RYiuLmNkTmK-PTS0fGd-fs1mBz/s1600/IMG_1183.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu8zib1vR7jqjWaFcjKEHngcJ4wHldf-0f36hgQ5dlvAi9JrCZzhFi3FxJ5_UouchYUPjhMr98vyFjAi0hrUinaqsTjmUY4BMoKYchf8iFrIJVvoF5u7RYiuLmNkTmK-PTS0fGd-fs1mBz/s200/IMG_1183.JPG" width="200px" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2IgJAorQSlITZbdYZ74Vh98eK6e-OyM2YLX9xN6VTbY9aeAmdxGS5aXT4tCYahf24RwBRH0PNwP5vEjTlTq0jKg84TEVcE3h7vd9z-ItQj-5ciAlGduL5j0kAE6Wim6XOaCUwVTp50o8Q/s1600/IMG_1196.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2IgJAorQSlITZbdYZ74Vh98eK6e-OyM2YLX9xN6VTbY9aeAmdxGS5aXT4tCYahf24RwBRH0PNwP5vEjTlTq0jKg84TEVcE3h7vd9z-ItQj-5ciAlGduL5j0kAE6Wim6XOaCUwVTp50o8Q/s200/IMG_1196.JPG" width="150px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjscnzUj5K-gsMBu0mJCNIP0xX3jUNKLtFuzoX5PMg2-X9S0UO5ouqJrQIfCaMmbOYidXOHKwp_8-yq14INv3ULCtPKC7IO3q5wlHn-oWuld_4rV6RrDeh_ocygKsyf43Z9AegW1RY6Acws/s1600/IMG_1197.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjscnzUj5K-gsMBu0mJCNIP0xX3jUNKLtFuzoX5PMg2-X9S0UO5ouqJrQIfCaMmbOYidXOHKwp_8-yq14INv3ULCtPKC7IO3q5wlHn-oWuld_4rV6RrDeh_ocygKsyf43Z9AegW1RY6Acws/s200/IMG_1197.JPG" width="200px" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">At night, a bunch of us headed to a local bar called DMZ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We spent the night hanging out, befriending other travelers, playing pool, and when we got a little bored, we picked up some markers and we started decorating the bar like we did at Mr Lacs.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4AeuDvWgfNsdWnDrCsMQEYQoG2CLHJIjBZIgUQGRBCkvl8_Ln0j-3v4KAKrcy33QFNr2xhjRKXMJhe3Ow9E8fguoOTB8dF3INsDO8vNfTT7g0K0vq6VP10AzPZmtHDAuRF6dofcEZpbIV/s1600/IMG_7844.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4AeuDvWgfNsdWnDrCsMQEYQoG2CLHJIjBZIgUQGRBCkvl8_Ln0j-3v4KAKrcy33QFNr2xhjRKXMJhe3Ow9E8fguoOTB8dF3INsDO8vNfTT7g0K0vq6VP10AzPZmtHDAuRF6dofcEZpbIV/s200/IMG_7844.JPG" width="200px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_koDAy28rvpV29F5DyJ1UB5jHfblRbWhKWzXhg1LY98obQMLdGvtV80_lvUcKVljNuVgXtG3JrHGC5POFo_GBgrD6_y2ow8V-TmclpCWetG3p9Q5HfDEBCCS4j9GJDyYfNqz66CPyNyVr/s1600/IMG_7842.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_koDAy28rvpV29F5DyJ1UB5jHfblRbWhKWzXhg1LY98obQMLdGvtV80_lvUcKVljNuVgXtG3JrHGC5POFo_GBgrD6_y2ow8V-TmclpCWetG3p9Q5HfDEBCCS4j9GJDyYfNqz66CPyNyVr/s200/IMG_7842.JPG" width="200px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYImR4gkeFmUrlpy0dWJAV4I9S-5Xd_PsV5vqVC5ORAUpVtRDZ5T-DggqwXRsWHLvvukjdovlhgC823t6Meeq31eos4TI1FdbzGuEzQb2BP8dQ-dKynvljmjDWkR68RwpAhYR05mMa5tMA/s1600/IMG_1201.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYImR4gkeFmUrlpy0dWJAV4I9S-5Xd_PsV5vqVC5ORAUpVtRDZ5T-DggqwXRsWHLvvukjdovlhgC823t6Meeq31eos4TI1FdbzGuEzQb2BP8dQ-dKynvljmjDWkR68RwpAhYR05mMa5tMA/s200/IMG_1201.JPG" width="200px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ80fRrHD9xwU-fq8k6YeVo_sDa3Skfkmx8K_itcURTxkUxVUal2XP4y9kkG3JPeJgdz31a__MY9EdLYDY2jQcMhX9czjOSsKge9brli5sI2Pf6I42kz4mtBey4PbDg1IumFWR5TRYMpBM/s1600/IMG_1160.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ80fRrHD9xwU-fq8k6YeVo_sDa3Skfkmx8K_itcURTxkUxVUal2XP4y9kkG3JPeJgdz31a__MY9EdLYDY2jQcMhX9czjOSsKge9brli5sI2Pf6I42kz4mtBey4PbDg1IumFWR5TRYMpBM/s200/IMG_1160.JPG" width="200px" /></a></div>The Block Boyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09994844378518194776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2416656104577293898.post-51298137251016147402011-07-10T14:59:00.000-04:002011-07-10T14:59:32.458-04:00Very Relaxing, and Yet Very Busy<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">DISASTER!!!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>MAJOR JANDAL BLOWOUT!!!</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">I woke up and couldn’t find my jandals anywhere.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I realized I left them at the pool, and now they are gone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m convinced either the hookers or the security guard stole them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>[I spent the rest of the day interrogating hotel staff about the whereabouts – I really liked those jandals].</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">I know it is hard to concentrate on anything but my own personal disaster, but for the sake of the blog I will try.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO3MR5PWRiSvx0D9Aw2VZ4Akfjhmynn9lnYmE7iywkrcLw5YVwKOzdHxNrF2vnnoiF8NOwUorZZJSe_6JxAuDmvbXV9U6GBJnq7r-hg_BvKBsrwc1wevIOEQxvhLLuqaqkC8JNOgDZ3hA8/s1600/IMG_0990.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO3MR5PWRiSvx0D9Aw2VZ4Akfjhmynn9lnYmE7iywkrcLw5YVwKOzdHxNrF2vnnoiF8NOwUorZZJSe_6JxAuDmvbXV9U6GBJnq7r-hg_BvKBsrwc1wevIOEQxvhLLuqaqkC8JNOgDZ3hA8/s200/IMG_0990.JPG" width="200px" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbOgBerQFef-Kb0_LTWKFdAhaujgRXkyM_vOcc5mG6Hj66Cve7ifVfmPxTsU-FHr9BrAWhxyNFQ3iLvQ1hiiCdCcWoDjTJSWRJm-R0jBbwnICXwI6xbZUHwZuNhIvtmCJcMThig3tBNfqD/s1600/IMG_0998.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbOgBerQFef-Kb0_LTWKFdAhaujgRXkyM_vOcc5mG6Hj66Cve7ifVfmPxTsU-FHr9BrAWhxyNFQ3iLvQ1hiiCdCcWoDjTJSWRJm-R0jBbwnICXwI6xbZUHwZuNhIvtmCJcMThig3tBNfqD/s200/IMG_0998.JPG" width="200px" /></a>We boarded a speedboat (me in sneakers) and went out to a very remote island, Cham Island, where the boat anchored and we jumped in to snorkel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because Vietnam doesn’t educate people about how to properly handle reefs, it was pretty dead.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Swimming felt great though as temps are still up around 38.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When people started getting stung by jellyfish, we jumped back into the boat, and headed to a different remote island.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No jellyfish here, but still not great snorkeling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Being in the water is great though.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu15CnkzZMJ7Dn3gnSmRpIl8QNPfQ2CfQ_e9JVDT5-JYtgK45aezyJyxN4KdXBJ_7zNwWHD5CYfhtmk1wIASoyDpfP8VYGesWHVVX9a4Gw5dVhqsQTK5TCByumMp4xt9W9qUNl4vHrM475/s1600/IMG_1004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu15CnkzZMJ7Dn3gnSmRpIl8QNPfQ2CfQ_e9JVDT5-JYtgK45aezyJyxN4KdXBJ_7zNwWHD5CYfhtmk1wIASoyDpfP8VYGesWHVVX9a4Gw5dVhqsQTK5TCByumMp4xt9W9qUNl4vHrM475/s200/IMG_1004.JPG" width="200px" /></a>Snorkeling turned into laying on life vest like a raft, and tanning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That turned into drinking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After some time doing that the speedboat took us to a private beach where we spent the day drinking, eating, napping, and playing in the water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is too hot for anything else. Lunch on the beach was picturesque. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcD8jPv1kVFp9A6T5NHoFNz-ikM4C1SJPbMORqEQAJSl0zW2cCzXX1VHku4HjcTiQ0-U4DTnPclQQe7v-_QIGyLZ2Xd9vytdeTtVTar-ubVScBaR_GvlIeg5q8Sn9vfHltUw6ySnbDdCJ5/s1600/IMG_1024.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcD8jPv1kVFp9A6T5NHoFNz-ikM4C1SJPbMORqEQAJSl0zW2cCzXX1VHku4HjcTiQ0-U4DTnPclQQe7v-_QIGyLZ2Xd9vytdeTtVTar-ubVScBaR_GvlIeg5q8Sn9vfHltUw6ySnbDdCJ5/s200/IMG_1024.JPG" width="200px" /></a>We got back to the hotel around 3 o’clock, jumped into the pool, rented bikes, and then headed over to Yaly and the shoe store for our fittings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After the fittings, we rode around the town for a bit, bought new shittier jandals, picked up some souvenirs, and mailed them home.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">After that it was back to the pool, where I continued the investigation for my jandals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A shower and change, and we had to go back to Yaly for a final fitting (it is too hot for all of this running around).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Dinner was at a Mexican/Italian place with Vietnamese flare called Green Chilly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was actually pretty good.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqHTitzv7bvROauhiSUpypU11E2QqsuMpptn8HeBRp2O7QfBhwFQ6PYhbQbBHUdLCcRTOCTKjMXzC2VQeaV83-kwJwF1WE-hu8Eu_m8pfqRWMZnvx-Y1LUzymSauOtdZ_eIiccsSdrYSVp/s1600/IMG_1036.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqHTitzv7bvROauhiSUpypU11E2QqsuMpptn8HeBRp2O7QfBhwFQ6PYhbQbBHUdLCcRTOCTKjMXzC2VQeaV83-kwJwF1WE-hu8Eu_m8pfqRWMZnvx-Y1LUzymSauOtdZ_eIiccsSdrYSVp/s200/IMG_1036.JPG" width="200px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcI6urDVnyei5dJ9YTgxCO7z1WjkiKA3uQ8xdAuSxEw6lCG4C_DKaN5MFLl9Ly9Trcrz89kS3GQIftB0RUAFdUgWBhf9sly6PDjHpE8sZollz4C2HJYB1DgKoeGzSv2VI8QlnhantzB8Z7/s1600/IMG_1040.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcI6urDVnyei5dJ9YTgxCO7z1WjkiKA3uQ8xdAuSxEw6lCG4C_DKaN5MFLl9Ly9Trcrz89kS3GQIftB0RUAFdUgWBhf9sly6PDjHpE8sZollz4C2HJYB1DgKoeGzSv2VI8QlnhantzB8Z7/s200/IMG_1040.JPG" width="200px" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">We went with an ever dwindling number of people to Before and Now bar.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After a few hours of drinking most of the group called it a night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My new Italiano friend, Davide, and I jumped onto the back of some guy’s motorbike and headed to a late night beach party 4 km outside the city.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think it is funny that I am learning more Italian than Vietnamese. The party was a good time.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikgn4QB0A3w_FMbyB0eoyHU3ll4KhGRPhQOur9pNYoIPOblPx1vI1J5Rto9g1JSwKz-Kt2FeOFITu8FsccjP2U0mK86BZLz9CD6nZU67b1eriv5UJ22iMZpk2xVmMhGuLT9OhsVIGR3WvQ/s1600/IMG_1046.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikgn4QB0A3w_FMbyB0eoyHU3ll4KhGRPhQOur9pNYoIPOblPx1vI1J5Rto9g1JSwKz-Kt2FeOFITu8FsccjP2U0mK86BZLz9CD6nZU67b1eriv5UJ22iMZpk2xVmMhGuLT9OhsVIGR3WvQ/s200/IMG_1046.JPG" width="200px" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">A pretty great day, but I am still saddened by the loss of my jandels </span><span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-hansi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">L</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfKEDQTPxopZutiDcUqN1gayg776NX67_ssP5m80OdAJ5sjMRHjAI_7bG_HBmPpc_e9PNqaVJpaZrEAIK0-bUsOCdSWUXBjO04pRJQ0TimSI49I_Lpd8ha_na2IeX3vJrjKvy46NzYSg4_/s1600/IMG_1033.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfKEDQTPxopZutiDcUqN1gayg776NX67_ssP5m80OdAJ5sjMRHjAI_7bG_HBmPpc_e9PNqaVJpaZrEAIK0-bUsOCdSWUXBjO04pRJQ0TimSI49I_Lpd8ha_na2IeX3vJrjKvy46NzYSg4_/s200/IMG_1033.JPG" width="200px" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Funny signs... no shortage here</td></tr>
</tbody></table>The Block Boyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09994844378518194776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2416656104577293898.post-83409605523825870882011-07-10T02:10:00.000-04:002011-07-10T02:10:30.887-04:00Through Da Nang to Hoi An<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiJddI0plKB1FKapR0W3R5qcVldzAI15rl0RnP0CQbRBV-jSXQuXNeDdnCHr6yuEfcxJ9HruAeCcr5QQWi9oglTuhiWYgOaBdf9nX8NbGVevkOkYIDOPzud6bncxzoBCGSzoyw9bM8X6Tt/s1600/IMG_7714.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiJddI0plKB1FKapR0W3R5qcVldzAI15rl0RnP0CQbRBV-jSXQuXNeDdnCHr6yuEfcxJ9HruAeCcr5QQWi9oglTuhiWYgOaBdf9nX8NbGVevkOkYIDOPzud6bncxzoBCGSzoyw9bM8X6Tt/s200/IMG_7714.JPG" width="200px" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Today was a 5 am wake up, for our 8 am flight into Da Nang.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If we thought Nha Trang was hot, Da Nang puts it to shame.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Temperatures are hitting 39 (over 100).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We drove through the old US military areas, and saw how a lot of the infrastructure left has been taken over for civilian purposes.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglvac23mP6Wsb89HcF1c5igxNQprDzOcF0K8PZFxXgzl6Abgc7PGA51G_DivX3bVI8dHZ_kpTdQ7rlq95y7tpnmbzGieDALA0tHcQmAbN7jJ7PTCe5RmTHbPodifxmV53wF3h46gPanmD_/s1600/IMG_0878.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglvac23mP6Wsb89HcF1c5igxNQprDzOcF0K8PZFxXgzl6Abgc7PGA51G_DivX3bVI8dHZ_kpTdQ7rlq95y7tpnmbzGieDALA0tHcQmAbN7jJ7PTCe5RmTHbPodifxmV53wF3h46gPanmD_/s200/IMG_0878.JPG" width="200px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMoay0MtejtlSdX0BNsnSdtw-DkNv3Gf4CzVp5ngh6PZY9ImKA8e6GmxB5eYHct8UmaOZDZKIHUjA4dW68OokP7Cxg7ev3TZVcEoUHbgY1ceJpIppK4kEYgmGacBU6snIqPAWnrTMngbmB/s1600/IMG_0888.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMoay0MtejtlSdX0BNsnSdtw-DkNv3Gf4CzVp5ngh6PZY9ImKA8e6GmxB5eYHct8UmaOZDZKIHUjA4dW68OokP7Cxg7ev3TZVcEoUHbgY1ceJpIppK4kEYgmGacBU6snIqPAWnrTMngbmB/s200/IMG_0888.JPG" style="cursor: move;" unselectable="on" width="200px" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">We drove to this very cute city called Hoi An.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This city was virtually untouched for about 400 years, and looks exactly as it did in the 1600s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The city is preserved as a World heritage site.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No large vehicles are allowed in. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This meant we needed to hoof it in this unbearable heat.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQO0vJ7wP17VfF_um0nu5GDptlTwZg5_M6hYOEot-ANgQD1dokAIuFQnWbwMYm86Q2HRZzRijCKsYh3MfIMI4v1WOrOJFR3txbXYxiV6ClHm1ReS5fCvvlFP2CBWOiA1mLuxZRwjD4LDjP/s1600/IMG_0882.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQO0vJ7wP17VfF_um0nu5GDptlTwZg5_M6hYOEot-ANgQD1dokAIuFQnWbwMYm86Q2HRZzRijCKsYh3MfIMI4v1WOrOJFR3txbXYxiV6ClHm1ReS5fCvvlFP2CBWOiA1mLuxZRwjD4LDjP/s200/IMG_0882.JPG" width="200px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtTATLyvTWMiWCVqEt3ATpa9sHsJmUJPFAaGPldJgdSS5rixT6vcriZQeAm8h1BA7rHmkizura2RGJ8rAbHo-aVy5MPNR_Mfbno3h9AMgf24ii_gh-apQ07OSG0zUagdpOgyoJ03BmO2-X/s1600/IMG_0887.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtTATLyvTWMiWCVqEt3ATpa9sHsJmUJPFAaGPldJgdSS5rixT6vcriZQeAm8h1BA7rHmkizura2RGJ8rAbHo-aVy5MPNR_Mfbno3h9AMgf24ii_gh-apQ07OSG0zUagdpOgyoJ03BmO2-X/s200/IMG_0887.JPG" width="200px" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">We grabbed an outdoor lunch (miserably hot) at the Cargo Cafe, and then went on a walking tour of the city with our new local guide, Binh.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is the area where they say Rose dumplings originated, so we had to try some of them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are delicious.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We got a great feel for the city, and saw an ancient Mandarin House called Tan Ky and the preserved Japanese covered bridge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They showed us the river flood marks 10 feet above our heads, which was pretty crazy to think about.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were also told about how the Viet people, Japanese, and Chinese all lived in the area peaceably.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJbN3r-8nEBtOwamv1XzwjUNMrIqRxK1c2pTd8VnBCWTAHqTkLmZzRBrOGCyacl17Bqp4Imt_ShwSMAt81XaiG8m8GgDOwFpnNZRZeC9uYn4tdohS5Af7LScraZ4_SmuDB3R8-sgT2tJvn/s1600/IMG_0899.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJbN3r-8nEBtOwamv1XzwjUNMrIqRxK1c2pTd8VnBCWTAHqTkLmZzRBrOGCyacl17Bqp4Imt_ShwSMAt81XaiG8m8GgDOwFpnNZRZeC9uYn4tdohS5Af7LScraZ4_SmuDB3R8-sgT2tJvn/s200/IMG_0899.JPG" width="200px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifuRo1jOKV7cNeCpUcOK8bEUni0PJnS_DVkNtp5CJT99hz6I8xGhXqM_zf9yHyRKAhcwnLGZhC8VRswAiwqdM6MzviJ915_wqZyL5wFTab8dViuWG0DtrY-tCZtrCmxCT9Xy6vskPLMss1/s1600/IMG_0905.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifuRo1jOKV7cNeCpUcOK8bEUni0PJnS_DVkNtp5CJT99hz6I8xGhXqM_zf9yHyRKAhcwnLGZhC8VRswAiwqdM6MzviJ915_wqZyL5wFTab8dViuWG0DtrY-tCZtrCmxCT9Xy6vskPLMss1/s200/IMG_0905.JPG" width="200px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJFHFXsiO58H40KbpuUQHPQkvM1tADciamUtPC0TLNZK7koyZ4L7oyxnllRZgrQOuOzmpERCMmlJiWmZC3iqMQP_3vcu7tmyYy7efMBSoj6o1unQ4WF-LQABVgeYiii1yfjNNrf20SBpnr/s1600/IMG_0894.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJFHFXsiO58H40KbpuUQHPQkvM1tADciamUtPC0TLNZK7koyZ4L7oyxnllRZgrQOuOzmpERCMmlJiWmZC3iqMQP_3vcu7tmyYy7efMBSoj6o1unQ4WF-LQABVgeYiii1yfjNNrf20SBpnr/s200/IMG_0894.JPG" width="200px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ9vsieB9nSacZDv9dnZZcMHAnM6nWg4vbHUE6WKoqnh85og0dVA2F_NONZkqihg1hi23UlW_Zm3jow374NV0_QSj0TUDfSolMMjEHGnmjEOAMOCy_PONAw1GL5vzH30vF13ZgZBl6Draw/s1600/IMG_0918.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ9vsieB9nSacZDv9dnZZcMHAnM6nWg4vbHUE6WKoqnh85og0dVA2F_NONZkqihg1hi23UlW_Zm3jow374NV0_QSj0TUDfSolMMjEHGnmjEOAMOCy_PONAw1GL5vzH30vF13ZgZBl6Draw/s200/IMG_0918.JPG" width="200px" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVjBRY-CwlMw6XpjrH1WhTUjcCYBFVIOzJt_uGuNauMlwYlMzU8DzGjBiOduaxWeLyvcOSj9tKU8jEuN8pj7-B0F7hVayRguEBUP7vOaxgacB5vLzj1DLwBKLflvipsDoaybj3RH0LyeCN/s1600/IMG_7719.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVjBRY-CwlMw6XpjrH1WhTUjcCYBFVIOzJt_uGuNauMlwYlMzU8DzGjBiOduaxWeLyvcOSj9tKU8jEuN8pj7-B0F7hVayRguEBUP7vOaxgacB5vLzj1DLwBKLflvipsDoaybj3RH0LyeCN/s200/IMG_7719.JPG" width="150px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4CwswCFNS5gv3QKYdRnRVqE4EpNavG54VMC6Jp1orleqbPOmLX5OBwxaBkPLBRHmWsuCNIloKM5ZC9zpSm3Pxf2glm14cmUFSPYu7gnwilLWS7l6-mxRuNvYKMqJn7BwT9rxFU9YUaIHs/s1600/IMG_0902.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4CwswCFNS5gv3QKYdRnRVqE4EpNavG54VMC6Jp1orleqbPOmLX5OBwxaBkPLBRHmWsuCNIloKM5ZC9zpSm3Pxf2glm14cmUFSPYu7gnwilLWS7l6-mxRuNvYKMqJn7BwT9rxFU9YUaIHs/s200/IMG_0902.JPG" width="200px" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">The city is beautiful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We then walked over (through a festering stinky market) to our hotel, the Van Loi.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After a dip in the pool, we rented bikes and went over to a store called Yaly to have custom made suits and shirts made.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This area is known for this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We rode our bikes around for a little bit, and then stopped off to get some custom made shoes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbQjvXbVSqzR5HR97YAisCP_icMTGbO9v7jICqCMe-MnUAwkivdc25Eh-9OMXGHj-nWdZCHXcnU37AKOJe2wDXfUK-zcianUrU5ifUGtg6mmVyAovT7qT7k5pcHldJBrZ9FcjrEnP804Ji/s1600/IMG_7733.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbQjvXbVSqzR5HR97YAisCP_icMTGbO9v7jICqCMe-MnUAwkivdc25Eh-9OMXGHj-nWdZCHXcnU37AKOJe2wDXfUK-zcianUrU5ifUGtg6mmVyAovT7qT7k5pcHldJBrZ9FcjrEnP804Ji/s200/IMG_7733.JPG" width="200px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDDdJcD3Mkarse8CHvMfDkxq52KbAqQMpBF-lbbwBoy0-odDQprIKhCvCQnxBJQUOlfUfUfOKb4P_dm4xhwpTCCtXutEQsQzxzfqG6y7Q9Wcr6ST3JWmMtizsBzRjen0Yk2epJhrF1YUZT/s1600/IMG_7747.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDDdJcD3Mkarse8CHvMfDkxq52KbAqQMpBF-lbbwBoy0-odDQprIKhCvCQnxBJQUOlfUfUfOKb4P_dm4xhwpTCCtXutEQsQzxzfqG6y7Q9Wcr6ST3JWmMtizsBzRjen0Yk2epJhrF1YUZT/s200/IMG_7747.JPG" width="150px" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">We went in for another swim (it is disgustingly hot), and then met up with the group for a bike ride around the city.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was beautiful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We rode through the town, along the river, the surrounding countryside, the rice paddies, and some local farms and housing areas.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib3Hwg-pq3fgJCNNVB-Z-nwwB4_FV5qglzO_PUidJPfmCIIruVN_MY7KQdWQS-3VCiPdjjwBKSmzyomyZ0ljQ0w2-sRU5BbsjleXLtjSp15a5TRC6QqEDZJakLHKFyAQ4K2bvv5BaZIlFW/s1600/IMG_0925.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib3Hwg-pq3fgJCNNVB-Z-nwwB4_FV5qglzO_PUidJPfmCIIruVN_MY7KQdWQS-3VCiPdjjwBKSmzyomyZ0ljQ0w2-sRU5BbsjleXLtjSp15a5TRC6QqEDZJakLHKFyAQ4K2bvv5BaZIlFW/s200/IMG_0925.JPG" width="150px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRHKpYdP7Zb5tui-KDmrHOkR53xcE2ZNxJyBc6afY-WvNU-iZQapsdD_SYvpcgbTwaPX6unoVL3VIyYKJt-ecoBzSj4_FNNHhlk5NNYvRxDkYd9R1xKnbCfG_tAHjQDi8dW6ovSrjeUdy4/s1600/IMG_0923.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRHKpYdP7Zb5tui-KDmrHOkR53xcE2ZNxJyBc6afY-WvNU-iZQapsdD_SYvpcgbTwaPX6unoVL3VIyYKJt-ecoBzSj4_FNNHhlk5NNYvRxDkYd9R1xKnbCfG_tAHjQDi8dW6ovSrjeUdy4/s200/IMG_0923.JPG" width="150px" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPGqAtXE9jt4A3CJGRgKOvsV8hMVG9K8i9no6fB7N4F22FPHPqMm2_gr7k0aIpCQsmh0cTpdO5WMDFTewTZfDWF91ecsNdFWx5DAKaUXYccQnYxZuXbExGkir2YkkbVjFfLGXaByf79Acj/s1600/IMG_0922.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPGqAtXE9jt4A3CJGRgKOvsV8hMVG9K8i9no6fB7N4F22FPHPqMm2_gr7k0aIpCQsmh0cTpdO5WMDFTewTZfDWF91ecsNdFWx5DAKaUXYccQnYxZuXbExGkir2YkkbVjFfLGXaByf79Acj/s200/IMG_0922.JPG" width="200px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidXssk01WJldFc0gDHDUppFECxihIRaZK5fM51cSlbYlYtNus7Q7hGkNilgGnmga8dbk8RYnbNllXPeMG4Z_NuI6MIfHYcoekrcEjdDNe1lpyvZFmmMoTLu39J8_y4-IDLKgaTWiePE9Pg/s1600/IMG_0929.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidXssk01WJldFc0gDHDUppFECxihIRaZK5fM51cSlbYlYtNus7Q7hGkNilgGnmga8dbk8RYnbNllXPeMG4Z_NuI6MIfHYcoekrcEjdDNe1lpyvZFmmMoTLu39J8_y4-IDLKgaTWiePE9Pg/s200/IMG_0929.JPG" width="200px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRl3oh2Fx-zE7tPFCaIPYMOaBJeHxnOttomq7O_nKHVFa298_9yIYOOjMXmA7h8AiykCNaCNIio_b56OIEdrlnAHvCtKNse3tsTMxlJ3f9IsaoFcOoEBsQgruACKSsyug4A3ZDpF0KDLPP/s1600/IMG_0930.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRl3oh2Fx-zE7tPFCaIPYMOaBJeHxnOttomq7O_nKHVFa298_9yIYOOjMXmA7h8AiykCNaCNIio_b56OIEdrlnAHvCtKNse3tsTMxlJ3f9IsaoFcOoEBsQgruACKSsyug4A3ZDpF0KDLPP/s200/IMG_0930.JPG" width="200px" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">After another swim, we showered and went to a Vietnamese cooking class at Morning Glory.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was very different then the Thai class, because we mostly did the prep here, but none of the cooking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nonetheless, the food was delicious.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3nzFmiwdOqkQFAbH5le-V5yOj05u1ZxcdO3KkDiTJ-D4dVNi6ny01Dw9A7XULV2JNt62tJ3Rr2cxkE9y7YMcvF0deDrG5ozMpNrgqMafDE6D7lxyiztERpnazOAfS3N9Oj06SR5W_tLnJ/s1600/IMG_7748.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3nzFmiwdOqkQFAbH5le-V5yOj05u1ZxcdO3KkDiTJ-D4dVNi6ny01Dw9A7XULV2JNt62tJ3Rr2cxkE9y7YMcvF0deDrG5ozMpNrgqMafDE6D7lxyiztERpnazOAfS3N9Oj06SR5W_tLnJ/s200/IMG_7748.JPG" style="cursor: move;" unselectable="on" width="200px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2aCi5hucMj6gA_s76Wr4coWTEPXmG8lxvg7Ccdgbb7acORsV-2SvjDWma2lUGzZyIjxh1wbZD46bIkhIaH_1qSbfEczbVi9EGNEVFT2ttmo5G2HGZXBQT6BuhyphenhyphenPtyW0ODZWCXZIvsSzR-/s1600/IMG_0950.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2aCi5hucMj6gA_s76Wr4coWTEPXmG8lxvg7Ccdgbb7acORsV-2SvjDWma2lUGzZyIjxh1wbZD46bIkhIaH_1qSbfEczbVi9EGNEVFT2ttmo5G2HGZXBQT6BuhyphenhyphenPtyW0ODZWCXZIvsSzR-/s200/IMG_0950.JPG" width="200px" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">A bunch of us from the group then headed to a bar called Before and Now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I spent most of the night parked in front of the Air Con.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was not sufficient to cool the whole place down, but I was alright.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNtrWtGCAVbsNrS6B8xChltnGiOAsXU_MwhFuas2xncdysjuwEahSWAUfTENXi_gvJScsquv-7Vs50NJa5V3-bpg_u_ijwTk3M07E1WzOP9HcfWb2DIKgaaJGvHGgT7HcFLLQr62SeFa47/s1600/IMG_7760.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNtrWtGCAVbsNrS6B8xChltnGiOAsXU_MwhFuas2xncdysjuwEahSWAUfTENXi_gvJScsquv-7Vs50NJa5V3-bpg_u_ijwTk3M07E1WzOP9HcfWb2DIKgaaJGvHGgT7HcFLLQr62SeFa47/s200/IMG_7760.JPG" width="200px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTvXsrmLEL4P2SXLKMTXgJ25EjDW3cjNoi7Jdbfo6Ng_qZodDI69prgH3ZBpvD7J05vRYU9ykk19MLDE4f8IFZCKp7UI8UxKUfrbDI_TIaYjlx6Mn9UvsAufSAgpQunXRWSXzsytvvYbO1/s1600/IMG_7759.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTvXsrmLEL4P2SXLKMTXgJ25EjDW3cjNoi7Jdbfo6Ng_qZodDI69prgH3ZBpvD7J05vRYU9ykk19MLDE4f8IFZCKp7UI8UxKUfrbDI_TIaYjlx6Mn9UvsAufSAgpQunXRWSXzsytvvYbO1/s200/IMG_7759.JPG" width="150px" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOjueQL1uYOd_1xrT948x-uEJ6KmSh_ZkFB3UBOIsqeDXhThKG-z_ziVb_PNL5jWagzWka7g9mG2S3IwtxcuKWnkT4DEbwjYLAjqBL89Pnj_1-KyWAHqta0XbPmtcZL1F3Ew1ORbZvp3KS/s1600/IMG_0953.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOjueQL1uYOd_1xrT948x-uEJ6KmSh_ZkFB3UBOIsqeDXhThKG-z_ziVb_PNL5jWagzWka7g9mG2S3IwtxcuKWnkT4DEbwjYLAjqBL89Pnj_1-KyWAHqta0XbPmtcZL1F3Ew1ORbZvp3KS/s200/IMG_0953.JPG" width="150px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSYOkZoFKlhFbiMG6XLQYlWupBKDC4UUqP5MsYJxBKLIokKo0c71SXGsfci86cGYbfX1dIEBwYdDVk986KfWq281VatME3LlmFx7EOPXKS0zkJMRsWet5CwIxnIpPdshc8jNnMU6c7Xjz2/s1600/IMG_7767.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSYOkZoFKlhFbiMG6XLQYlWupBKDC4UUqP5MsYJxBKLIokKo0c71SXGsfci86cGYbfX1dIEBwYdDVk986KfWq281VatME3LlmFx7EOPXKS0zkJMRsWet5CwIxnIpPdshc8jNnMU6c7Xjz2/s200/IMG_7767.JPG" width="150px" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv-KE23Tpk6WnUT2MAzlj9wFIgF4twvkApc-6IhgFwUuBgXguR0EmyPTk6_4uOHuNAE-GFKki4CaYGnIs_u_9u1zGmk1P-WJOGRfSV2Xs3cjP7kSg-1UQrNwL2d1Ywg9d3BNvxEnykxEAy/s1600/IMG_0951.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv-KE23Tpk6WnUT2MAzlj9wFIgF4twvkApc-6IhgFwUuBgXguR0EmyPTk6_4uOHuNAE-GFKki4CaYGnIs_u_9u1zGmk1P-WJOGRfSV2Xs3cjP7kSg-1UQrNwL2d1Ywg9d3BNvxEnykxEAy/s200/IMG_0951.JPG" width="150px" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">The night ended with a quite hysterical late night swim to cool off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While swimming we were privy to what we are deeming Asian hookers running in and out of some rooms in what we are calling Scooby Doo style.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s ok, I don’t think they saw us (not even when Matt decided to discreetly do an army crawl through the hotel lobby).</div><br />
<img height="72px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMoay0MtejtlSdX0BNsnSdtw-DkNv3Gf4CzVp5ngh6PZY9ImKA8e6GmxB5eYHct8UmaOZDZKIHUjA4dW68OokP7Cxg7ev3TZVcEoUHbgY1ceJpIppK4kEYgmGacBU6snIqPAWnrTMngbmB/s200/IMG_0888.JPG" style="filter: alpha(opacity=30); left: 443px; mozopacity: 0.3; opacity: 0.3; position: absolute; top: 381px; visibility: hidden;" width="96px" /> <img height="72px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3nzFmiwdOqkQFAbH5le-V5yOj05u1ZxcdO3KkDiTJ-D4dVNi6ny01Dw9A7XULV2JNt62tJ3Rr2cxkE9y7YMcvF0deDrG5ozMpNrgqMafDE6D7lxyiztERpnazOAfS3N9Oj06SR5W_tLnJ/s200/IMG_7748.JPG" style="filter: alpha(opacity=30); left: 378px; mozopacity: 0.3; opacity: 0.3; position: absolute; top: 2295px; visibility: hidden;" width="96px" />The Block Boyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09994844378518194776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2416656104577293898.post-36579290505885639332011-07-10T00:53:00.000-04:002011-07-10T00:53:25.258-04:00Booze Cruisin Viet Style<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlPhst5zBC7lO5ulAsrrGcJEOqb7l3U2tGteLtrjTl_qg6CXDijrSOOly3G1Vzfd7zc9HxIugSzUAAjcDvz_uOvvp2VnG4nP3qqJyZAlMDMcSee6lnSf7sDOJFDjOnUxfwrCQs5iTydvWZ/s1600/IMG_0701.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlPhst5zBC7lO5ulAsrrGcJEOqb7l3U2tGteLtrjTl_qg6CXDijrSOOly3G1Vzfd7zc9HxIugSzUAAjcDvz_uOvvp2VnG4nP3qqJyZAlMDMcSee6lnSf7sDOJFDjOnUxfwrCQs5iTydvWZ/s200/IMG_0701.JPG" width="200px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmSuTDNmi3JcJ3Xp1-ts8wXlZde90xZ71Ra0V9gW8rDsQlmQFe_1VfA36LfQuE4HKJUL_5O88-SnURrd8K1PUxZdZ5B7hVf97n_MCCTO_xzfpDf8k6lm27MjmkXBnwToHyPXBNcUt3p5iN/s1600/IMG_0702.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmSuTDNmi3JcJ3Xp1-ts8wXlZde90xZ71Ra0V9gW8rDsQlmQFe_1VfA36LfQuE4HKJUL_5O88-SnURrd8K1PUxZdZ5B7hVf97n_MCCTO_xzfpDf8k6lm27MjmkXBnwToHyPXBNcUt3p5iN/s200/IMG_0702.JPG" width="150px" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh85aFuH08Aj4R7YNoXnecOd5NqwnCfIv52PtpgC8R1ZCAK-DZA_Xil1NOtw40mm2KfU-qokcH43eoYLf9PHIfAt98Vm5vuP3EwPbWV5PSl3wpDcglAvkgc0_qA-CPA62nHq2o0BqkhYqho/s1600/IMG_0709.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh85aFuH08Aj4R7YNoXnecOd5NqwnCfIv52PtpgC8R1ZCAK-DZA_Xil1NOtw40mm2KfU-qokcH43eoYLf9PHIfAt98Vm5vuP3EwPbWV5PSl3wpDcglAvkgc0_qA-CPA62nHq2o0BqkhYqho/s200/IMG_0709.JPG" width="200px" /></a>Not too much to talk about today, but it was an awesome day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Woke up around 8, still drunk from last night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We boarded a boat, and made the decision that today was going to be a crazy day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We went for the Hair of the Dog cure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Without my old Irish Tinka Friends (Niall and Donnecha) Jourdan and I led the drinking charge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4o8VwuEgvtzh8THNMD902LAqg0v_uWgGLUQoy3DSjfxczkqoz6IW8Trzqm-2IalDust6XIm5lHixITKTdQrk0eAZSYWRfGqBhzSeMy-vH46F8zSuHBszpJZrAA1stiKE482rBHbulpfrT/s1600/IMG_0739.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4o8VwuEgvtzh8THNMD902LAqg0v_uWgGLUQoy3DSjfxczkqoz6IW8Trzqm-2IalDust6XIm5lHixITKTdQrk0eAZSYWRfGqBhzSeMy-vH46F8zSuHBszpJZrAA1stiKE482rBHbulpfrT/s200/IMG_0739.JPG" width="200px" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">We started skulling beers, dancing, and getting people in the M-I-N-E game.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jared doing a facial probably made the most ridiculous thing of the day (when you shake a beer can up, slam it on your head until it cracks, and then pour it over yourself).</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">We got out to this area right off of the coast of a secluded island, did a lot of snorkeling, jumping in from the top of the boat, and general putzing around.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We headed over to a more populated island and did some more swimming at a floating bar.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then we had a local lunch on the boat, heard some local singers perform on a different boat, and then went to an area for water activities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lots of drinking, tanning, and relaxing.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjYmfR_j7nNAlvKl6Vl_W39giJtyhnBXz9ve3nncz-hVK9SEP4imjzVi1h14iIWXv4CudDBqraWwSDN4XJ3Gg6qmdN0ddevwZ1CKmlzrm3DQ_GfWtT6iXw7Jfrxz1ue9t7uEX7PqxbzUw0/s1600/IMG_0707.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjYmfR_j7nNAlvKl6Vl_W39giJtyhnBXz9ve3nncz-hVK9SEP4imjzVi1h14iIWXv4CudDBqraWwSDN4XJ3Gg6qmdN0ddevwZ1CKmlzrm3DQ_GfWtT6iXw7Jfrxz1ue9t7uEX7PqxbzUw0/s200/IMG_0707.JPG" width="200px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFmP_TI-yJoFtzB76sq7sRLBNiHBF7_DJReVNlwID3ZMlfsc1vSA422zadPx1D3sMqbffahxpaOH6BML5-IKquWi_s0xocLjf3zcDhHUrDRpRdinEwZA50SS-LG0coCxt_l254_91YAhaW/s1600/IMG_0797.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFmP_TI-yJoFtzB76sq7sRLBNiHBF7_DJReVNlwID3ZMlfsc1vSA422zadPx1D3sMqbffahxpaOH6BML5-IKquWi_s0xocLjf3zcDhHUrDRpRdinEwZA50SS-LG0coCxt_l254_91YAhaW/s200/IMG_0797.JPG" width="200px" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">When we got back to the hotel, Jourdan, Matt, and I went for a walk around town.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We got a great massage at a local place for 10 dollars.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a mix style, and part of it, they walk on your back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was pretty awesome.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzQqIYiCcrl2XmwZtYOOY8D_OnTthXXb7ZZtseaNfcp6cDlYp4tfYogigc4ZUqCptWnmArSK3c3IEP-QelEX0L7vWRGR-Uoe5jVFR9llVL-QMVVLdyKivWHInxPbCGgJ7nOCJfkMFf328T/s1600/IMG_0721.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzQqIYiCcrl2XmwZtYOOY8D_OnTthXXb7ZZtseaNfcp6cDlYp4tfYogigc4ZUqCptWnmArSK3c3IEP-QelEX0L7vWRGR-Uoe5jVFR9llVL-QMVVLdyKivWHInxPbCGgJ7nOCJfkMFf328T/s200/IMG_0721.JPG" width="200px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSY5psQY9zwlboiBxDXOx4Ogyl4b7PVAre2ppibLPVZXStWV7m_VD29gW3i3-GrK4aAqy0XeAcMzQKatBOFtRQ2c4KGIqq6rf1ZfJcMhE9zlXE3CNjvzWtij5TnC5V1J4-gCLlwKz0lc1C/s1600/IMG_0727.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSY5psQY9zwlboiBxDXOx4Ogyl4b7PVAre2ppibLPVZXStWV7m_VD29gW3i3-GrK4aAqy0XeAcMzQKatBOFtRQ2c4KGIqq6rf1ZfJcMhE9zlXE3CNjvzWtij5TnC5V1J4-gCLlwKz0lc1C/s200/IMG_0727.JPG" width="200px" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Dinner was at a place called the Grill House, but most people couldn’t make it out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A very quiet night, as tomorrow is an early start.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is Jourdan and my first night without a drink all tour.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK5PcYi3KxcGV_ghhaKdcrxZtCw3HxP69VhMG_crNuyOJoRfgabK6OLAKVS2pDipUAzgqpIfqeQlxwNctnfPRtb8F59-8u56rzwmNqd3QrfZBf65TZGlqNu9IhHcerRZT2S1KVzU6pBT8I/s1600/IMG_0814.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK5PcYi3KxcGV_ghhaKdcrxZtCw3HxP69VhMG_crNuyOJoRfgabK6OLAKVS2pDipUAzgqpIfqeQlxwNctnfPRtb8F59-8u56rzwmNqd3QrfZBf65TZGlqNu9IhHcerRZT2S1KVzU6pBT8I/s200/IMG_0814.JPG" width="200px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG3OFA2hlXGrxMcASbsL8ZrEByxSCUAnAOz0q0_6mgZWP9k2djwJsozf4eZl8jyltCsq7izL7rdy190BefK4Z06D8Z57Tqmu5y7kyPlTzODsHfhRIaFD-NaRXgY9u-nBHK8tVz6hnYk30u/s1600/IMG_0810.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG3OFA2hlXGrxMcASbsL8ZrEByxSCUAnAOz0q0_6mgZWP9k2djwJsozf4eZl8jyltCsq7izL7rdy190BefK4Z06D8Z57Tqmu5y7kyPlTzODsHfhRIaFD-NaRXgY9u-nBHK8tVz6hnYk30u/s200/IMG_0810.JPG" width="200px" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJcs4Ruq8oMkwVPvJSm3aB-jkDpL9_wnyVTC41BAUyDfn6GbnWK0Nc5g6cO4l6NFvlUqIs7P6yLYSOg1ZiP0sj_E2VlpcmN089nqg1K0ny2gs-jWlGD4E-m2H1XJIQMOrflXM3qtuh33TM/s1600/IMG_0826.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJcs4Ruq8oMkwVPvJSm3aB-jkDpL9_wnyVTC41BAUyDfn6GbnWK0Nc5g6cO4l6NFvlUqIs7P6yLYSOg1ZiP0sj_E2VlpcmN089nqg1K0ny2gs-jWlGD4E-m2H1XJIQMOrflXM3qtuh33TM/s200/IMG_0826.JPG" width="200px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVNfY13HOPmKwVV7Wi20gei9qBf4Ds6B5D7puUMMKu2GITjQe9jWe12_Gdk93CCPFL6B8oSSj4Qx7LrdVfZjoWhOkeE8WJqUtp2-5z6Y2mwkyhOHgJES4UiBvMlx5P8xSKN1LHizodnLLA/s1600/IMG_0856.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVNfY13HOPmKwVV7Wi20gei9qBf4Ds6B5D7puUMMKu2GITjQe9jWe12_Gdk93CCPFL6B8oSSj4Qx7LrdVfZjoWhOkeE8WJqUtp2-5z6Y2mwkyhOHgJES4UiBvMlx5P8xSKN1LHizodnLLA/s200/IMG_0856.JPG" width="200px" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div>The Block Boyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09994844378518194776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2416656104577293898.post-35302964132719921752011-07-10T00:36:00.000-04:002011-07-10T00:36:10.309-04:00HCM then off to Nha Trang<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMhP3A1B-RHau5-ZUdVrRE_MArBlNVvlcWJ84ko7iD4FFssP6RsW-iUPMBP0I3n2LGIPjdqOC1u2TCk77qEzRQr5Qvc_ELM90502kXNO9hngfUUGhyphenhyphenGipMAAxUFx60L3plLnhqTMlyB7bI/s1600/IMG_0660.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMhP3A1B-RHau5-ZUdVrRE_MArBlNVvlcWJ84ko7iD4FFssP6RsW-iUPMBP0I3n2LGIPjdqOC1u2TCk77qEzRQr5Qvc_ELM90502kXNO9hngfUUGhyphenhyphenGipMAAxUFx60L3plLnhqTMlyB7bI/s200/IMG_0660.JPG" width="200px" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Today started with the full group getting up to go on a tour with Ken around HCMC.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ken gave us a pretty extensive background of the city and recent Vietnam history.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We toured around for a while, saw the reunification palace (top left), Notre Dame (bottom right), and the post office (top right).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In general, the city is pretty impressive, and very urban.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Outside of the crazy motorbikes, you really could be in any major city anywhere.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8u9-xuGl_AUCpr9VTpq2U868AifXe1P3tp7eOAI3S-UgroQby0AEO5YnqUDTaRQrRU9bzdzfdpQV7MDWS5R2DVJQEwiUp0q54cECTGzx4SRR9luenR5bLmyQCuqxYeLaGx8ftIHh0pkJ_/s1600/IMG_0575.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8u9-xuGl_AUCpr9VTpq2U868AifXe1P3tp7eOAI3S-UgroQby0AEO5YnqUDTaRQrRU9bzdzfdpQV7MDWS5R2DVJQEwiUp0q54cECTGzx4SRR9luenR5bLmyQCuqxYeLaGx8ftIHh0pkJ_/s200/IMG_0575.JPG" width="200px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXnuAF0MH2NdosqQ5z7Nuyou7FrDe4nbrxrX3sKDztiShKVfsjBz6W2elJRMAMU2fOy-nAQ8Cd_E7yA-1yTPEHN_5klPIJ_8X48vW8a9e3ArM2chEb6dz4w5_MZDs5gIvzPs37-eNVobA4/s1600/IMG_0583.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXnuAF0MH2NdosqQ5z7Nuyou7FrDe4nbrxrX3sKDztiShKVfsjBz6W2elJRMAMU2fOy-nAQ8Cd_E7yA-1yTPEHN_5klPIJ_8X48vW8a9e3ArM2chEb6dz4w5_MZDs5gIvzPs37-eNVobA4/s200/IMG_0583.JPG" width="200px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmsMQdMtxCFgewxpUt3KVjnO9FQT_Ux32NeCu69xKoWZPiO48SM8fJBH2PuIvBsLc5Cg5Q4cSU1vMcnu96SqD9KHoiMobixccHOoimvOGzzfyViiyHSRRu173jTPHnoYt4kBqBVM8PRHn5/s1600/IMG_0587.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmsMQdMtxCFgewxpUt3KVjnO9FQT_Ux32NeCu69xKoWZPiO48SM8fJBH2PuIvBsLc5Cg5Q4cSU1vMcnu96SqD9KHoiMobixccHOoimvOGzzfyViiyHSRRu173jTPHnoYt4kBqBVM8PRHn5/s200/IMG_0587.JPG" width="200px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDrgBt6mmv5Y9c57NC6MMddD1bLCj1CsqvDTtT5DuGWaG0pc7igwuWxW6m8TbsA9OUxVwQgQEppX-3-DQznCT1zOmuD0gYINUq_8r7o4MMhT5yZOmOddNAJS1L76rirOqP3ZApmF0vVN__/s1600/IMG_7711.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDrgBt6mmv5Y9c57NC6MMddD1bLCj1CsqvDTtT5DuGWaG0pc7igwuWxW6m8TbsA9OUxVwQgQEppX-3-DQznCT1zOmuD0gYINUq_8r7o4MMhT5yZOmOddNAJS1L76rirOqP3ZApmF0vVN__/s200/IMG_7711.JPG" width="150px" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">The tour then went to the War Remnants Museum.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The museum is filled with photo’s and information from the war.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Words can’t do it justice, but it is pretty disturbing to see all of the atrocities committed by both sides.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Outside of the historical information presented, there are very disturbing photos of soldiers and civilians on both sides being maimed and killed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are also the pictures of the people affected by Agent Orange and napalm, and some preserved deformed fetuses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Another pretty disturbing section was the area focused on the massacres, imprisonment and torture that took place during the war.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The museum definitely shows how terrible war is.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">As we headed back to the hotel, grabbed a local lunch with some new and old friends on the street, we prepared to head to the airport.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4h5KFjvRsPbm92RauAWIDf7ZFd3lT9Q6XatBXFP9D7iC3y3e4mSFFk16RjGq0IA7TuHynR_1zrljZyCCYLk9IO84nH-VVtFmRJgBkp33z97YzsKAiUb-QQ80Q-d_AMZ_9JoL8ptq-t-ro/s1600/IMG_0606.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4h5KFjvRsPbm92RauAWIDf7ZFd3lT9Q6XatBXFP9D7iC3y3e4mSFFk16RjGq0IA7TuHynR_1zrljZyCCYLk9IO84nH-VVtFmRJgBkp33z97YzsKAiUb-QQ80Q-d_AMZ_9JoL8ptq-t-ro/s200/IMG_0606.JPG" width="200px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisUmZOmhBpQ7tUWxLkkW6A4Jtgrj6Jr_KDHoOBad4wfn-NdG-WpjApgvtpHE200VN6OX7GnscbpWc5_dPemfHCh5T37J6yAnrTyVxGZ_hs4CvJf7o3y4v9sVtbyHgvWgHvtGSeysbnJTHM/s1600/IMG_0607.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisUmZOmhBpQ7tUWxLkkW6A4Jtgrj6Jr_KDHoOBad4wfn-NdG-WpjApgvtpHE200VN6OX7GnscbpWc5_dPemfHCh5T37J6yAnrTyVxGZ_hs4CvJf7o3y4v9sVtbyHgvWgHvtGSeysbnJTHM/s200/IMG_0607.JPG" width="200px" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">We took an afternoon flight into Nha Trang, which is a resort beach community on the coast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we flew in, we got a great view of how gorgeous the coastline is here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is a beautiful winding coast, that is dotted by hundreds of small islands close to the shoreline.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIeboZdWo5yznBuTYRylMqfRBu0BGxrjAMGjaHk2qWriGfwbf5eohIk7aC8Sm1OREU5FzfcndkI8KUd4_lHpOBM3_pDnbyLYVzmkVckcpwB8EYvCKSJqc7lefDO_vsGjaqrRs78TsSOVX3/s1600/IMG_0607.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIeboZdWo5yznBuTYRylMqfRBu0BGxrjAMGjaHk2qWriGfwbf5eohIk7aC8Sm1OREU5FzfcndkI8KUd4_lHpOBM3_pDnbyLYVzmkVckcpwB8EYvCKSJqc7lefDO_vsGjaqrRs78TsSOVX3/s200/IMG_0607.JPG" width="200px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMxR7yrqC1nh3nQjtrSOAOjYEQzjk80nRF8S-lQjPAKW6LSO2PvtDz71o4Y9ELk1pShGmZgYp_hAfXk0bHjyu-Si4DiiAHnp648bm3yVusqvwC2yYWGvJZ-QrffR4EX78A_N80OBwO2z5B/s1600/IMG_0606.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMxR7yrqC1nh3nQjtrSOAOjYEQzjk80nRF8S-lQjPAKW6LSO2PvtDz71o4Y9ELk1pShGmZgYp_hAfXk0bHjyu-Si4DiiAHnp648bm3yVusqvwC2yYWGvJZ-QrffR4EX78A_N80OBwO2z5B/s200/IMG_0606.JPG" width="200px" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">We drove through the dunes area of the city, and then to the coastal region.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After checking in to our hotel, Jourdan and I walked around the city for a bit, and then needed a quick swim.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The weather was about 34 degrees (90-95 for the Americans).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I didn’t think it could get hotter then it was in Cambodia, but it is.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSzL2beu03MywtprqzZ7QHJJ1KNSQTXNR3HoDK9wMJeZENp6J8a81PrrW6fUqQAdGArrv2JeHEOMuuxrI_dKcpC5gA-PZORK0m0W6oqxKajlYJSDWUliR2kKjYM8G-EVKw0H4n8IkABUZh/s1600/IMG_0613.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSzL2beu03MywtprqzZ7QHJJ1KNSQTXNR3HoDK9wMJeZENp6J8a81PrrW6fUqQAdGArrv2JeHEOMuuxrI_dKcpC5gA-PZORK0m0W6oqxKajlYJSDWUliR2kKjYM8G-EVKw0H4n8IkABUZh/s200/IMG_0613.JPG" width="200px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjItPINqn-7FG7ojfVZXOsCEY2IoyfcGjxoj84GR2qHxEg9Yti1XZCmIz7c1ZE0whzciGJ7d6u2t_ORAuqqK4Ynlir9RJfostooDGCY6ggma-Dm5fTInifYrZwrEgm0DXU2_opVmHyfJX5M/s1600/IMG_0614.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjItPINqn-7FG7ojfVZXOsCEY2IoyfcGjxoj84GR2qHxEg9Yti1XZCmIz7c1ZE0whzciGJ7d6u2t_ORAuqqK4Ynlir9RJfostooDGCY6ggma-Dm5fTInifYrZwrEgm0DXU2_opVmHyfJX5M/s200/IMG_0614.JPG" width="200px" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">The whole group went to dinner at Louisianne’s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had Viet sushi.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was unsure at first, but now writing this in hind sight, it was a great idea, and quite delicious.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The whole group then walked over to the Sailing Club, and had a huge beach party with a bond fire.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaCCa9K99mhwxdyFyw0vXRbnICGkTHR5woyKTtVGS7FMXOqO6hB-MJbmrnTaUA_bdxJEIivRlGdffOYsAXoVg7qUOku6fNUUTbFYlzrq0oCGZq_D4ayeNa-PCZ-SBSUaRTh56TJi5Bq74K/s1600/IMG_0616.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaCCa9K99mhwxdyFyw0vXRbnICGkTHR5woyKTtVGS7FMXOqO6hB-MJbmrnTaUA_bdxJEIivRlGdffOYsAXoVg7qUOku6fNUUTbFYlzrq0oCGZq_D4ayeNa-PCZ-SBSUaRTh56TJi5Bq74K/s200/IMG_0616.JPG" width="200px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVz6GbIyjQ1Y8eoYdS_s2QVGTlpgDEKeDaHPq61eNB9rEMLFmUn8mRwohhv9nUgioTnKq_ksTyKnxogzYuqEFyS_zmgOW7z7nUY2vLAvWtzbAgLNjuqmnShNotwrJpdStjwlsvX1hw4BQz/s1600/IMG_0652.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVz6GbIyjQ1Y8eoYdS_s2QVGTlpgDEKeDaHPq61eNB9rEMLFmUn8mRwohhv9nUgioTnKq_ksTyKnxogzYuqEFyS_zmgOW7z7nUY2vLAvWtzbAgLNjuqmnShNotwrJpdStjwlsvX1hw4BQz/s200/IMG_0652.JPG" width="200px" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfYIpzXumslYUSEoVTaadzpzo3QSMu6BZ2kgddZ9rSbwlau_5yIuKcRNv6vMZieAfevMx95tlH7EdgTI5NAHBGUZ8z2-x_XWFpzBaM2NVwtpolTJyWtQsghKnjFjlqF204-GAlTXmZadYp/s1600/IMG_0645.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfYIpzXumslYUSEoVTaadzpzo3QSMu6BZ2kgddZ9rSbwlau_5yIuKcRNv6vMZieAfevMx95tlH7EdgTI5NAHBGUZ8z2-x_XWFpzBaM2NVwtpolTJyWtQsghKnjFjlqF204-GAlTXmZadYp/s200/IMG_0645.JPG" width="200px" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3sogNTOd8F3kaKWf_gZUZ9EpgPz3bhyphenhyphenE7LbeIhg0gCcSge3B-IbQ0fY8oQCRxX7owXzkaYEker-wGnHIx6-ujUxzErwwRF1tEReH4KrcVASmpNejXFCy7SC2GAkjQ5MY8eU37YTjs_j8f/s1600/IMG_0690.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3sogNTOd8F3kaKWf_gZUZ9EpgPz3bhyphenhyphenE7LbeIhg0gCcSge3B-IbQ0fY8oQCRxX7owXzkaYEker-wGnHIx6-ujUxzErwwRF1tEReH4KrcVASmpNejXFCy7SC2GAkjQ5MY8eU37YTjs_j8f/s200/IMG_0690.JPG" width="200px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCGlczfZ4ih1lqCvxHv3pDK6twobejv0D4zucyLdjfv4SbgIwHKDqAgnptVgRxhmA4vSYn3nct391si3Rpu7Y8zj5i3NIo2ena6RETfWJ9lT5loO7QoqChp3nuZfH2onSaIlL_7PKMmwz3/s1600/IMG_0625.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCGlczfZ4ih1lqCvxHv3pDK6twobejv0D4zucyLdjfv4SbgIwHKDqAgnptVgRxhmA4vSYn3nct391si3Rpu7Y8zj5i3NIo2ena6RETfWJ9lT5loO7QoqChp3nuZfH2onSaIlL_7PKMmwz3/s200/IMG_0625.JPG" width="200px" /></a>There was A LOT of drinking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Those jars of alcohol were quite good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are having a great time with some of the new members of the group.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were a lot of great stories, and ridiculous pictures from the night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One that I want to emblazon forever is when our new little friend Ally decided to take a swim in the ocean in her skirt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jourdan went in to rescue her after he saw her laying in the water not moving.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She claimed that she just wanted to get away from people and take a nap.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The next morning, when told she didn’t have her camera, she said it was okay because it was waterproof.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Where ever it is, I am sure it is still functioning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">It was a GREAT night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9ezXfG3usULO0_XEoVgpRog0V_e1TeOjCEw_j0eyzcQpLboy09Ldx-nLYscIoQtQZh2tTaLYwtGBIzAv4sisAyVnVK5MTtcuMj_N5lccq2yGrEldGlIQ3h0d48DMrPsnJAUR2P5DcGiOo/s1600/IMG_0681.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9ezXfG3usULO0_XEoVgpRog0V_e1TeOjCEw_j0eyzcQpLboy09Ldx-nLYscIoQtQZh2tTaLYwtGBIzAv4sisAyVnVK5MTtcuMj_N5lccq2yGrEldGlIQ3h0d48DMrPsnJAUR2P5DcGiOo/s200/IMG_0681.JPG" width="200px" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shaky Face!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB5pD2CnGQImqR3WY3SeArgyZaq-GOWe5Z4xxWTldvbMws91FVdcT_CTtnoR5BtJSTfK9Q4EoKXmvhDK42di6E0NWxOWzrH3xWW33ESjW4VhnrdAWPc5iGF7NnUg0sw73hOAcSQ-55Acpf/s1600/IMG_0658.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB5pD2CnGQImqR3WY3SeArgyZaq-GOWe5Z4xxWTldvbMws91FVdcT_CTtnoR5BtJSTfK9Q4EoKXmvhDK42di6E0NWxOWzrH3xWW33ESjW4VhnrdAWPc5iGF7NnUg0sw73hOAcSQ-55Acpf/s200/IMG_0658.JPG" width="150px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhReh5SJIRYD3uIV3b0IYwV2X2Ej6DLgnO-8Tc9q8cEQpo6nO1hyphenhyphenui5f5aKAztapkfGfgY6-6Bk0z0O4kWFEyj_GIqjn0HoLFVKSVtNMftUI4-hRWWUe9rwyU1wTa7djl9CjVredCQNwMvZ/s1600/IMG_0664.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhReh5SJIRYD3uIV3b0IYwV2X2Ej6DLgnO-8Tc9q8cEQpo6nO1hyphenhyphenui5f5aKAztapkfGfgY6-6Bk0z0O4kWFEyj_GIqjn0HoLFVKSVtNMftUI4-hRWWUe9rwyU1wTa7djl9CjVredCQNwMvZ/s200/IMG_0664.JPG" width="200px" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOrGSeZtt_RIxitbePDhbeES23qqG6LphEXgk9c9GY-pp62ibd0LukJDPRihNZ2FAPSZh7IRbz0GmY8F13MsKZ3y33jwlqE-Qz6af5Prt7MSC2ph_7XvElN6nDgbxejKU7Klln8w6JspA9/s200/IMG_0638.JPG" width="200px" /></div><br />
<img height="96px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDrgBt6mmv5Y9c57NC6MMddD1bLCj1CsqvDTtT5DuGWaG0pc7igwuWxW6m8TbsA9OUxVwQgQEppX-3-DQznCT1zOmuD0gYINUq_8r7o4MMhT5yZOmOddNAJS1L76rirOqP3ZApmF0vVN__/s200/IMG_7711.JPG" style="filter: alpha(opacity=30); left: 285px; mozopacity: 0.3; opacity: 0.3; position: absolute; top: 324px; visibility: hidden;" width="72px" />The Block Boyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09994844378518194776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2416656104577293898.post-71014634060823240162011-07-09T21:23:00.000-04:002011-07-09T21:23:09.654-04:00Tunneling back to Saigon<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAMwtEcYtjxgi6CAjnmki0Oia3sKhlUYNUsR8rpy_IQeeJrOs5PQFiB2St7hfjO0pkJ6PH_6wl08PkWw8N0xqJH1l6OeZnaB0b8M4ZldqifO0qQ5P2ZraVaU4tLFGkWQqsrcJz35B6xlGP/s1600/IMG_7698.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAMwtEcYtjxgi6CAjnmki0Oia3sKhlUYNUsR8rpy_IQeeJrOs5PQFiB2St7hfjO0pkJ6PH_6wl08PkWw8N0xqJH1l6OeZnaB0b8M4ZldqifO0qQ5P2ZraVaU4tLFGkWQqsrcJz35B6xlGP/s200/IMG_7698.JPG" width="200px" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div> Happy July Fourth!!!</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Surprisingly enough, they were not celebrating in Vietnam.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Weird.</div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">The day started bright and early as we woke up in the heat of the rising sun.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We got our stuff together and jumped back into our boats to head back to civilization.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">After we boarded the bus, we headed back up north towards Saigon. On the road trip up, we stopped at the Cu Chi Tunnels.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is basically a living museum to the VietCong resistance during the war.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were able to see the structure of the vast tunnel network that the Viets had created during the war.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is amazing to think that they would live in these tunnels that I could barely fit my shoulders through.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq_nKkAMUcMjeGvfLHW1ebPK1SkFqxlPI79yV5tZfQUWycwAQupeVWm0xocdDL9N5FOqNygtpzc5lwy70Ry_8voDlJnQ406kyQBoulr8Q_XLnko-5wH8OqSNsHFJql4_fwCWYwaamxRP4M/s1600/IMG_0533.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq_nKkAMUcMjeGvfLHW1ebPK1SkFqxlPI79yV5tZfQUWycwAQupeVWm0xocdDL9N5FOqNygtpzc5lwy70Ry_8voDlJnQ406kyQBoulr8Q_XLnko-5wH8OqSNsHFJql4_fwCWYwaamxRP4M/s200/IMG_0533.JPG" width="150px" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">As we went through the park, we were shown the extensive nature of the tunnels with their air holes, escape routs, booby traps, and room designs for every and any thing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were shown demonstrations of the various booby traps that the Viets would use against the Americans, and we were even shown a pretty funny 1960’s Vietnam Propaganda film.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHwC0hoBHAqnih1rau-7RgfSQFkJXpJzdJtdtNCiIO5sC1QWjYTBg4jbmYMyYcSc_mWEEmwdE-99a9mm9XmvkQdBmzB8LY5ycQfc-tEYgFJRypO85hICoeKjMDAgAcWO3jSieVPMe9_Bta/s1600/IMG_0500.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHwC0hoBHAqnih1rau-7RgfSQFkJXpJzdJtdtNCiIO5sC1QWjYTBg4jbmYMyYcSc_mWEEmwdE-99a9mm9XmvkQdBmzB8LY5ycQfc-tEYgFJRypO85hICoeKjMDAgAcWO3jSieVPMe9_Bta/s200/IMG_0500.JPG" width="150px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBMsQUep2ZSgVWPNUJ4cbDDQPKbbCTDlO6bcx81wuQFtzFpxv7EQnNw8XObm_AQQjh1MgCaVkfCUU_A4SO-0mwkj9DSQA7YdeUPZDab0gWMQMwI4zCRVmpIOoruoLKLwu59ui0OKB08wKe/s1600/IMG_0513.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBMsQUep2ZSgVWPNUJ4cbDDQPKbbCTDlO6bcx81wuQFtzFpxv7EQnNw8XObm_AQQjh1MgCaVkfCUU_A4SO-0mwkj9DSQA7YdeUPZDab0gWMQMwI4zCRVmpIOoruoLKLwu59ui0OKB08wKe/s200/IMG_0513.JPG" width="150px" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Being that we were in a military museum, we were taken to the shooting range to try out some American War era guns.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Being that Jourdan and I have shot most of the guns offered (AK, M-16, M-1, SAW) we chose to try something new.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We shot the automatic M-30.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even fixed on a stand, the gun had a really wicked kick back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a lot of fun though.</div></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiurP8rPwILAqlvPa5dTjYKeoVXAH-hcY5EcJ5sJa7FSTZpdMA-y9Kkn-jzu2PG8KLTHO0GHu0ZMl5N5ZVjWOhlfehE4ZJ4rJd7T8sgTSHbDSjJ735kaz1LAuwY0bF0IUybCFHy4nbhG4-j/s1600/IMG_0524.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiurP8rPwILAqlvPa5dTjYKeoVXAH-hcY5EcJ5sJa7FSTZpdMA-y9Kkn-jzu2PG8KLTHO0GHu0ZMl5N5ZVjWOhlfehE4ZJ4rJd7T8sgTSHbDSjJ735kaz1LAuwY0bF0IUybCFHy4nbhG4-j/s200/IMG_0524.JPG" width="200px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidRI2gJqzfN3BoYxKmFvPlwykLAmycSriQ4P3a4ms0YS5xlqqNjojmzvf6PuwlBFm6CIJ_k3heIr0JawTv1bz-1uN83xLJuUnFvmr0zccGKgyKp2qEJqckZUgdycEOsv_YjlAyIebys5zp/s1600/IMG_0522.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidRI2gJqzfN3BoYxKmFvPlwykLAmycSriQ4P3a4ms0YS5xlqqNjojmzvf6PuwlBFm6CIJ_k3heIr0JawTv1bz-1uN83xLJuUnFvmr0zccGKgyKp2qEJqckZUgdycEOsv_YjlAyIebys5zp/s200/IMG_0522.JPG" width="200px" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-GVefz1V4uy44OyPuVMbHcZRZyRP1yWGSB5YOU5FTIYDp0HZ6NM6HMDbBriFsmxE2pVkRXNAUMyFn7Ec5haaJ41gxVon2g99xw3QebApRiRFeP-ekjAJOpYzkRnWFJ57e0vBpLKrkGyO0/s1600/IMG_0473.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-GVefz1V4uy44OyPuVMbHcZRZyRP1yWGSB5YOU5FTIYDp0HZ6NM6HMDbBriFsmxE2pVkRXNAUMyFn7Ec5haaJ41gxVon2g99xw3QebApRiRFeP-ekjAJOpYzkRnWFJ57e0vBpLKrkGyO0/s200/IMG_0473.JPG" width="200px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifqY7fWeGnGCD2WBPOQzKaPTT0LtKnbuNC_W7dLRFfhk9t9MdUiWz-kkM_uBWgRk39e5ttb-jEVQwheCZwNr6ShJ9QFjdvTdkeTi1eTDD6ravPrGhnLRZrsUbmSQx-dcmRI9x3OchpwlWP/s1600/IMG_0475.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifqY7fWeGnGCD2WBPOQzKaPTT0LtKnbuNC_W7dLRFfhk9t9MdUiWz-kkM_uBWgRk39e5ttb-jEVQwheCZwNr6ShJ9QFjdvTdkeTi1eTDD6ravPrGhnLRZrsUbmSQx-dcmRI9x3OchpwlWP/s200/IMG_0475.JPG" width="200px" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">To end the Cu Chi experience, we were able to crawl through the </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">westernized Viet Tunnels.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are westernized because they needed to make them bigger for us fat westerners.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjakT9rSbgoX9VEdrP4zMoD6TBY7jFol0gLaaqJE1-GqEOmwQCcIELhhFG7vernBk65GZ_TeYR1Xeq5GLfhjWPIR1cbEVP64u3ZoPoF4rK9MHI7-klsTG-qjwtjMWA4UQxTNxj7KvL55MC/s1600/IMG_0535.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjakT9rSbgoX9VEdrP4zMoD6TBY7jFol0gLaaqJE1-GqEOmwQCcIELhhFG7vernBk65GZ_TeYR1Xeq5GLfhjWPIR1cbEVP64u3ZoPoF4rK9MHI7-klsTG-qjwtjMWA4UQxTNxj7KvL55MC/s200/IMG_0535.JPG" width="150px" /></a></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD5s-_3fA-nILHrlPYDjOJd0EbEpSk7HwyUa7GUSTqIU0u-PGDfBPbqf47d22BwV-jcoBcgd8iNZvzPcaK6ShuXjbcFMuZc8YGoWkhRbApvCBkJ4TSEwtLbFQeyYmk_zC-im_19mzON0U5/s1600/IMG_0480.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD5s-_3fA-nILHrlPYDjOJd0EbEpSk7HwyUa7GUSTqIU0u-PGDfBPbqf47d22BwV-jcoBcgd8iNZvzPcaK6ShuXjbcFMuZc8YGoWkhRbApvCBkJ4TSEwtLbFQeyYmk_zC-im_19mzON0U5/s200/IMG_0480.JPG" width="200px" /></a>As an aside, Jourdan and I have realized that everything here is Asian sized.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The showerheads come to about our shoulders, and the towels barely fit around us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are quite a small people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">We got back into Ho Chi Minh City, hung around for a bit, and then met the 12 final members that joined our group.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">We all went out to a local cook your own BBQ place, and then hit Allez Boo for drinks.</div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Tomorrow we start touring with the full group of 32.<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjCzKgtkU-qrsX2vSztyFvQSrqLMEEFYnb7oMuC5gKniww3zJXjPMJcCDehZBEu89MnHVzXgnm0Jy7Kb5H4qDqwuxhfYsMt904qK-nLfBA7dtmGfE0snGcMYrl-zigHGo1Dl29rucMCI5U/s1600/IMG_0558.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjCzKgtkU-qrsX2vSztyFvQSrqLMEEFYnb7oMuC5gKniww3zJXjPMJcCDehZBEu89MnHVzXgnm0Jy7Kb5H4qDqwuxhfYsMt904qK-nLfBA7dtmGfE0snGcMYrl-zigHGo1Dl29rucMCI5U/s200/IMG_0558.JPG" width="200px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibgvhaoDwp37Jfx7a3o0rVQ89-cN5wPqV47-ZvZEJAhXs1vfgHYPtrEAQgEi8bhBNj50xr0YX9lVxDrLNETlEyCA0yoUjR1lH0LS7x5SRwCgIFgpkfsy5nUZj1uEJKFAPhEfhKx9rYJReR/s1600/IMG_0568.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibgvhaoDwp37Jfx7a3o0rVQ89-cN5wPqV47-ZvZEJAhXs1vfgHYPtrEAQgEi8bhBNj50xr0YX9lVxDrLNETlEyCA0yoUjR1lH0LS7x5SRwCgIFgpkfsy5nUZj1uEJKFAPhEfhKx9rYJReR/s200/IMG_0568.JPG" width="200px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBdaLO-G7szZiskznNfht142WkMJ7XYOZC7gasWtRJHwn98wRpUYzHox-4daq95EzL9LpLqCraB5YN4dXTYmm_lrbrRzN446qX1o_1ICqDvbWBs3odQqT3WpNZWG9KXAfqCVJaQe3FxKLB/s1600/IMG_0561.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBdaLO-G7szZiskznNfht142WkMJ7XYOZC7gasWtRJHwn98wRpUYzHox-4daq95EzL9LpLqCraB5YN4dXTYmm_lrbrRzN446qX1o_1ICqDvbWBs3odQqT3WpNZWG9KXAfqCVJaQe3FxKLB/s200/IMG_0561.JPG" width="200px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyfvOkXJ__1TzJN_5DzW0m5lopNkvE1gn-B_lpMKl3rI2ICLxJKnO9Q6Wp4706LSWjqie5bAGpqKh7yRSWq9s-oKhyphenhyphenCuKU-3WWlsWUWrwDkV9kP3pifhyphenhyphenmd1x2MzvXHuNnFTdrL6hfv6WS/s1600/IMG_0560.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyfvOkXJ__1TzJN_5DzW0m5lopNkvE1gn-B_lpMKl3rI2ICLxJKnO9Q6Wp4706LSWjqie5bAGpqKh7yRSWq9s-oKhyphenhyphenCuKU-3WWlsWUWrwDkV9kP3pifhyphenhyphenmd1x2MzvXHuNnFTdrL6hfv6WS/s200/IMG_0560.JPG" width="200px" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib1cDnjuGv8qmB3IJ14grgft83_LMEOgTmkQUFhQlqXSLd4qg_T2mLjad5ZHibuiLJvR_swsXUlRh-dDyEZvZFwnLW1Z4cK6TeejL8LUMusa16nlwx4emeKsZii-t9qIGtxQ2jPjX4orBk/s1600/IMG_0568.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib1cDnjuGv8qmB3IJ14grgft83_LMEOgTmkQUFhQlqXSLd4qg_T2mLjad5ZHibuiLJvR_swsXUlRh-dDyEZvZFwnLW1Z4cK6TeejL8LUMusa16nlwx4emeKsZii-t9qIGtxQ2jPjX4orBk/s200/IMG_0568.JPG" width="200px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguF1Mxh7ZAdUOCjK1BRCRZw8PR5fGhKWxw-is88eBJ0Q2yc7PQ4m6NfsoMYkvr-QBnrWuz4BiCuJESizSD9q6hxk0B2foOodB8u7aKFWYN8hpNoV2NXxNPBSUl0ph1Rusy9KadG6BobVQf/s1600/IMG_0574.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguF1Mxh7ZAdUOCjK1BRCRZw8PR5fGhKWxw-is88eBJ0Q2yc7PQ4m6NfsoMYkvr-QBnrWuz4BiCuJESizSD9q6hxk0B2foOodB8u7aKFWYN8hpNoV2NXxNPBSUl0ph1Rusy9KadG6BobVQf/s200/IMG_0574.JPG" width="150px" /></a></div>The Block Boyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09994844378518194776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2416656104577293898.post-37182521870662860212011-07-06T12:20:00.000-04:002011-07-06T12:20:53.230-04:00Cruising the Mekong DeltaThis morning started by meeting our new local tour guide Ken.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We boarded a bus and headed down to a boat to take a little cruise down the Mekong Delta.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ken was a wealth of information, and gave us a very detailed description of Vietnams history, and spoke a lot to what is currently going on in the country. <div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD8zzMW6N43kRKu_iF_gPFzEJlT-LglIPH_KnalFKxRQPyMum6FOqH0u6jX4Shr-j_xoY5Voct6i6VBz13MikHHfI06aKYu4t-kLaNc3Q5XMuzHW8nJzRuUAvv07USJvoTxghlp1YjgggH/s1600/IMG_0266.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD8zzMW6N43kRKu_iF_gPFzEJlT-LglIPH_KnalFKxRQPyMum6FOqH0u6jX4Shr-j_xoY5Voct6i6VBz13MikHHfI06aKYu4t-kLaNc3Q5XMuzHW8nJzRuUAvv07USJvoTxghlp1YjgggH/s200/IMG_0266.JPG" width="200px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBRKFDoxrRr94LFRfCJxV94QqIbQSSR_tZZghQ-vvhnDOMN1fxH9F_OAhnzh4dj4h14l1AgcwU93kakrPkNokVDQUnYWGgoUUCebxKkXLo6AmBeWkt5XyjUBz2gm0jEY-TD1VcPflz9f9D/s1600/IMG_0344.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBRKFDoxrRr94LFRfCJxV94QqIbQSSR_tZZghQ-vvhnDOMN1fxH9F_OAhnzh4dj4h14l1AgcwU93kakrPkNokVDQUnYWGgoUUCebxKkXLo6AmBeWkt5XyjUBz2gm0jEY-TD1VcPflz9f9D/s200/IMG_0344.JPG" width="200px" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Ken was an interesting character and a lot of fun.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was very easy going, and loved joking around.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think his character is best summed up by the tattoo that he has on his arm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It reads “It is better to give then receive, except in bed. – Queer as Folk”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwOgqXmaLMbYQtmK3eOBrL_IaKz06jho3k5LFXkZ8cdW8PZhMqgv2wZdPBTdkjSjgQcCUEZh4x6E1iQskFGRWgChF1JoOwmuQse2zm_P6q6HkV6gMBHpLMkSY_qqGEOSxa5Ywtwiz5k_x_/s1600/IMG_0295.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwOgqXmaLMbYQtmK3eOBrL_IaKz06jho3k5LFXkZ8cdW8PZhMqgv2wZdPBTdkjSjgQcCUEZh4x6E1iQskFGRWgChF1JoOwmuQse2zm_P6q6HkV6gMBHpLMkSY_qqGEOSxa5Ywtwiz5k_x_/s200/IMG_0295.JPG" width="200px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCmfLDLd9Nli7IhR5mt133_3tIBMkAZQ3xgQLXgbxpRs4PbTyn1OuPg9z-gRCkm2a3ZEOauGBZKr1GV3nHAT3AOnFdaqdFQM62mQcLhGtV3u2shGDG7jSHzF2zeCBWDCVbTShSe_HkjTY1/s1600/IMG_0293.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCmfLDLd9Nli7IhR5mt133_3tIBMkAZQ3xgQLXgbxpRs4PbTyn1OuPg9z-gRCkm2a3ZEOauGBZKr1GV3nHAT3AOnFdaqdFQM62mQcLhGtV3u2shGDG7jSHzF2zeCBWDCVbTShSe_HkjTY1/s200/IMG_0293.JPG" width="200px" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">We boarded the boat, and we began our delta cruise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We saw the floating markets, and then stopped at a sugar factory/confectionary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We saw the process for<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>dehusking rice, and making fresh popcorn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We also saw them make rice noodles, rice paper, and caramel noodle treats.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAjcjAa_z8Ilndwav2IkZgAgs5Aobe0_y-mby1jj537HMkK_w3f3r69I_GI0AMcXa-djv_qVFyjHaufi0dmxMw0yyFx7u30mHhg_X3KkYiMX4zUaBTABMdXDk8ZyqzYiHp93B-8a_J416r/s1600/IMG_0322.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAjcjAa_z8Ilndwav2IkZgAgs5Aobe0_y-mby1jj537HMkK_w3f3r69I_GI0AMcXa-djv_qVFyjHaufi0dmxMw0yyFx7u30mHhg_X3KkYiMX4zUaBTABMdXDk8ZyqzYiHp93B-8a_J416r/s200/IMG_0322.JPG" width="200px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisflYQWaF6YGNDrTja-qI-pp-ySehlysBd0j8VknMly92d9bafsai6rYZbI0mb4VkXeiz3uuvQcmBx4O2fcU8BPw2hsqpCO8H_3RS0uqtINLSQCci4YdVHc25y1lulaC1bm4nGY5oT9P7Y/s1600/IMG_0302.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisflYQWaF6YGNDrTja-qI-pp-ySehlysBd0j8VknMly92d9bafsai6rYZbI0mb4VkXeiz3uuvQcmBx4O2fcU8BPw2hsqpCO8H_3RS0uqtINLSQCci4YdVHc25y1lulaC1bm4nGY5oT9P7Y/s200/IMG_0302.JPG" width="200px" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">The food was delicious.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jourdan had the opportunity to try to make some rice noodle pancakes, and completely fucked it up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At least it still tasted good though.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The drinking began when Ken had everyone take a shot of rice wine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was not so good, but it would not be the last of the drinking for the day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>MOP HIGH BAH, YOH!</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvXUFv55fjPjT9YoWpmAkAbBhrT6WpwKAQb1PpfD7JRR_5bC_12uccOz3Sh4MWYr3tNm4RXDfzuUWFAyYPT9u0NK52NvxD7S8od3SzUoX_GZW41CZATtTgQunuxF-OKY7qMeq-bttv7YXV/s1600/IMG_0296.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvXUFv55fjPjT9YoWpmAkAbBhrT6WpwKAQb1PpfD7JRR_5bC_12uccOz3Sh4MWYr3tNm4RXDfzuUWFAyYPT9u0NK52NvxD7S8od3SzUoX_GZW41CZATtTgQunuxF-OKY7qMeq-bttv7YXV/s200/IMG_0296.JPG" width="200px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn3ZjZOBH7hPO6USDEReAj5yySG0RyaA8T3jmumM10WHLAZE0Nec1FRIUKmGBBH8iUeMrBQmO86hGYvbLR1S73Xj304bnsZFYvxgBjklNfkpXEabtDgCV61jxoFNPR46RjshTEXKHhhVt6/s1600/IMG_0311.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn3ZjZOBH7hPO6USDEReAj5yySG0RyaA8T3jmumM10WHLAZE0Nec1FRIUKmGBBH8iUeMrBQmO86hGYvbLR1S73Xj304bnsZFYvxgBjklNfkpXEabtDgCV61jxoFNPR46RjshTEXKHhhVt6/s200/IMG_0311.JPG" width="200px" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">We next headed to lunch at a world heritage family run restaurant and house, completely restored in the old Manadarin/Viet style.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The food was really good, the rice wine wasn’t.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We made our own spring rolls again, but the meat this time was from a whole fish.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGMIG3cUTLDbk2qZdNK1tEdYYf0J0Xlql-5d7Ktt2IOKnwcmCykSxl5Z3Qo3EBH8LDh6zgPmiF_fWbwXSHj6BDaxk-XNmIicldSxNB0zFioh4W8Z5TFecuKHh1N8FHpGYhRQ3-r04nfo6U/s1600/IMG_0342.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGMIG3cUTLDbk2qZdNK1tEdYYf0J0Xlql-5d7Ktt2IOKnwcmCykSxl5Z3Qo3EBH8LDh6zgPmiF_fWbwXSHj6BDaxk-XNmIicldSxNB0zFioh4W8Z5TFecuKHh1N8FHpGYhRQ3-r04nfo6U/s200/IMG_0342.JPG" width="200px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhPFWJBIB4HgJrns0Jd14dO5gaLg2lWjIOn8v8b1ys_7-MXK8YDzfWzJpStzoSfDnCW82QThqZT-cwxyuokQ3zpr96KgWpLKxT62IoDPEh9PRd37VNsvdLRnKHxo5JueRgBZ4HQrmAoIjE/s1600/IMG_0334.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhPFWJBIB4HgJrns0Jd14dO5gaLg2lWjIOn8v8b1ys_7-MXK8YDzfWzJpStzoSfDnCW82QThqZT-cwxyuokQ3zpr96KgWpLKxT62IoDPEh9PRd37VNsvdLRnKHxo5JueRgBZ4HQrmAoIjE/s200/IMG_0334.JPG" width="200px" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">We got back onto the boats and were taken down one of the canals where we had to get onto smaller boats that were manually paddled in order to reach the guesthouse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unfortunately for us, as soon as we got into the small boats, the rainy seasons afternoon storms came rolling through, and we got soaked.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSmhXzdMayKKQaf_rNpwh1IKZu_sF-_9fPr9qijzLR0fKEO-z4Ka0UyXZWaKVV9Wyw1MxOP4iCsPHs_DG0D0uyN6Xff3EaYVcc-6h2xF4m4i5QKarRzkB6N7XzWvdKDYHHBBr-TGCpYSDl/s1600/IMG_0376.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSmhXzdMayKKQaf_rNpwh1IKZu_sF-_9fPr9qijzLR0fKEO-z4Ka0UyXZWaKVV9Wyw1MxOP4iCsPHs_DG0D0uyN6Xff3EaYVcc-6h2xF4m4i5QKarRzkB6N7XzWvdKDYHHBBr-TGCpYSDl/s200/IMG_0376.JPG" width="200px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxkgfhe7G752hvihTcQwjAPUTyz-mEonPsIGyMWpaqDwgeInSB2t7Y9Gl2Gzsrm9h5B4hlnDtCqsQ8n12a2_6MI7bdUiBRfuVNO3dOgdp1c-90UQPdyD8pF1LECAiAsMgpFC8QRA6vprm5/s1600/IMG_0379.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxkgfhe7G752hvihTcQwjAPUTyz-mEonPsIGyMWpaqDwgeInSB2t7Y9Gl2Gzsrm9h5B4hlnDtCqsQ8n12a2_6MI7bdUiBRfuVNO3dOgdp1c-90UQPdyD8pF1LECAiAsMgpFC8QRA6vprm5/s200/IMG_0379.JPG" width="200px" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Inside, we warmed up with some fruit, tea, rice wine shots, and more snake whiskey shots (way better then the rice wine).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jourdan still wouldn’t go near it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If that wasn’t bad enough for him, we next had some time to play with the family pet, named Mr. Cuddles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The house pet was a 10 foot long, huge Mekong Python.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was surprised Jourdan was still willing to stay at the guesthouse (Pictures to come)</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">This place was very remote, and Paul, Jourdan, and myself had to rough it just a little more then the girls did.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"> </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM1tFO1x0CfSucAhYqRhc_rSYCPUABwBjFJJP8l2WheB0VMqz-lD7aMOeaJmqzH_bmqWyXwAWFaUw-AaowKU3p-6JpFz6410SBxnw4YNL5fPeMKzpZDNX9WmlZPSa0q-39qLWGFlKz0a8h/s1600/IMG_0387.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM1tFO1x0CfSucAhYqRhc_rSYCPUABwBjFJJP8l2WheB0VMqz-lD7aMOeaJmqzH_bmqWyXwAWFaUw-AaowKU3p-6JpFz6410SBxnw4YNL5fPeMKzpZDNX9WmlZPSa0q-39qLWGFlKz0a8h/s200/IMG_0387.JPG" width="150px" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWEy4azaihUbIIqrFlZicawrUp6eJHUbIN0jhm1x4kBWZsdi9ddF7aea8ASm_V9n4PByRYEFnbIB9c60WNid0Vnv1ScF7gQNrqbRSgWvhg9RDYGMgkSApABp7MvI__4rAxtG0g0wRzDd2F/s1600/IMG_0417.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWEy4azaihUbIIqrFlZicawrUp6eJHUbIN0jhm1x4kBWZsdi9ddF7aea8ASm_V9n4PByRYEFnbIB9c60WNid0Vnv1ScF7gQNrqbRSgWvhg9RDYGMgkSApABp7MvI__4rAxtG0g0wRzDd2F/s200/IMG_0417.JPG" width="200px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoT3L_6wRIAxnK5PJOWbhs-lCMAIxCIyzgb0nhuUrFBnR4gHZ1Mtxe1G6iX8wFtfQxi__YDSf0W4mHUdGBd3s6Z8bRE0z3skEKZHAhbYvAXzEwVZNCcBFiPC8gstBGBfMLN4X7yE76b0Mh/s1600/IMG_0419.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoT3L_6wRIAxnK5PJOWbhs-lCMAIxCIyzgb0nhuUrFBnR4gHZ1Mtxe1G6iX8wFtfQxi__YDSf0W4mHUdGBd3s6Z8bRE0z3skEKZHAhbYvAXzEwVZNCcBFiPC8gstBGBfMLN4X7yE76b0Mh/s200/IMG_0419.JPG" width="200px" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">The evening was spent doing a lot of relaxing and a lot of drinking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> We saw a local band play some traditional music for us, and perform some songs. </span>For dinner, we were able to try rat and snake.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The rat was actually delicious, but there were a lot of little bones.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The snake was decent enough but I didn’t like that the vertebrae were still in there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jourdan even gave the snake a try.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq7K3vR32z8PMTwPVdl2Noa0FqK_CKbGJFmbTNEC4HaU1E9hf6MnBeLgsWSPtxvWfamwCJ-fBXWJqXaElB4GTJS_iWC6GfpDD-Ng9v4EvZdYWYlLNssgHg6_oqLB3zx6XWV68fPAOiXrnw/s1600/IMG_0393.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq7K3vR32z8PMTwPVdl2Noa0FqK_CKbGJFmbTNEC4HaU1E9hf6MnBeLgsWSPtxvWfamwCJ-fBXWJqXaElB4GTJS_iWC6GfpDD-Ng9v4EvZdYWYlLNssgHg6_oqLB3zx6XWV68fPAOiXrnw/s200/IMG_0393.JPG" width="200px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhACxDiuiTRy5VqGKd9rB_Ln9FwAOjAny27NQ9Bmfot73vIw0DzimdSQFvL29IZma-8X9UKz6vcLDUQlOVZIINPWy5kyDqFHrarOH9l2A2lD6uHAo8H5ird3YLgs-DxHty-C1fovko9rdZR/s1600/IMG_0431.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhACxDiuiTRy5VqGKd9rB_Ln9FwAOjAny27NQ9Bmfot73vIw0DzimdSQFvL29IZma-8X9UKz6vcLDUQlOVZIINPWy5kyDqFHrarOH9l2A2lD6uHAo8H5ird3YLgs-DxHty-C1fovko9rdZR/s200/IMG_0431.JPG" width="200px" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">The nighttime was spent drinking more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were lots of drinking games, and some crazy jungle juice type drink with a lot of red bull in it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>FUN TIMES.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I became known as Mr. Same Same, and Jourdan as Same Same brotha.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a good way to bond with the new group members.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg699O8vdHWbjZxAzWfDKaHN7ia-B_sxI6UzB8tkpuQHMBx6HDS_aFm0FHuuUI8yd-of426JmDkel0-cPSzWaacf8SodxdbnIE1h039KNuYKag6Gncuz0I-4RdrQvZ_vhnktvlXQMtRoH6w/s1600/IMG_0451.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg699O8vdHWbjZxAzWfDKaHN7ia-B_sxI6UzB8tkpuQHMBx6HDS_aFm0FHuuUI8yd-of426JmDkel0-cPSzWaacf8SodxdbnIE1h039KNuYKag6Gncuz0I-4RdrQvZ_vhnktvlXQMtRoH6w/s200/IMG_0451.JPG" width="200px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbjjsWJHYdITRdr_y4KuVwzb1DvQh_38WdF1Azw77Bst-mdsbATNU7OFtyzigI-JfYzCzNalMHuAe7GLCk251KEMKLUSg0nPfV7-bBrr3AWmX1Js55h3FqH346wqtavW7piOGu6foj6Alx/s1600/IMG_0455.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbjjsWJHYdITRdr_y4KuVwzb1DvQh_38WdF1Azw77Bst-mdsbATNU7OFtyzigI-JfYzCzNalMHuAe7GLCk251KEMKLUSg0nPfV7-bBrr3AWmX1Js55h3FqH346wqtavW7piOGu6foj6Alx/s200/IMG_0455.JPG" width="200px" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div>The Block Boyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09994844378518194776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2416656104577293898.post-31958568794525802542011-07-06T11:24:00.000-04:002011-07-06T11:24:06.527-04:00Time to whip out the Dong<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">After the craziness of last night, it was really nice to be able to sleep in for a while.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We didn’t need to leave until 11:30, so we were able to very casually get some breakfast, run some errands, and chill out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It already feels really weird, as many group members have already left to either head home or onto other travels.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">At 11:15, many of the people who were still around came down to say goodbye to everyone again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then, the twelve people who were staying on for the whole Big Indochina tour boarded the bus and headed to the airport.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was really awkward having such an empty bus all of a sudden.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">We got to the airport, and got ready to head to Vietnam.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The plane was really nice, and had great amenities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The only problem was that we were delayed by an hour for mechanical issues.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">As a quick aside, the currency in Vietnam is the Dong. Needless to say the Dong jokes have already started, and will probably not stop anytime soon.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">As we flew into Ho Chi Minh City, I could immediately see that this is a sprawling mega-metropolis.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I could see that the city went on for miles, as it wound around the two rivers (Mekong and Saigon).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I could also see hundreds of tall buildings and skyscrapers everywhere.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a complete difference from where we had just come from.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">As we headed into the city center, all my initial observations were reconfirmed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are literally thousands of motorbikes zooming by everywhere, and the traffic is crazy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think it took us about 45 minutes to get through the city to the hotel, where we checked in and had some free time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUHYzV38tlKvbqUezXe4Z2V5oVMa5YJOoQO3Ia7iAYrQ375OA2JYfoN1JxQd_6NgLauoE19KPYKYzEACXaMfWRy-NBEtCgw_3vECMghDZcuefZaARjVD2kkjncGL7u6h8dC8b1ibCqf4nm/s1600/IMG_0237.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUHYzV38tlKvbqUezXe4Z2V5oVMa5YJOoQO3Ia7iAYrQ375OA2JYfoN1JxQd_6NgLauoE19KPYKYzEACXaMfWRy-NBEtCgw_3vECMghDZcuefZaARjVD2kkjncGL7u6h8dC8b1ibCqf4nm/s200/IMG_0237.JPG" width="200px" /></a>A whole bunch of us headed to a nearby restaurant to grab some lunch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We all ordered the national dish, Pho (pronounced fur).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is basically a soup dish with veggies, noodles and sometimes meat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is pretty good, but I still don’t like the hot soup in hot humid weather.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvd_x16nSxDzoiubSZgaNAq_Qx5zHWHlLp0ZLeCanEsjgyx9NaadGvcARaK8uF585mqhqO_GX5HxIqoHNsozbqmNwXFDKVpDyohUdOgu5bGwx32xT3FY9TcT-fGbTMKOhRhBpFfTRQWrT7/s1600/IMG_0548.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvd_x16nSxDzoiubSZgaNAq_Qx5zHWHlLp0ZLeCanEsjgyx9NaadGvcARaK8uF585mqhqO_GX5HxIqoHNsozbqmNwXFDKVpDyohUdOgu5bGwx32xT3FY9TcT-fGbTMKOhRhBpFfTRQWrT7/s200/IMG_0548.JPG" width="200px" /></a>Before we headed to lunch, Hoover had to show us how to cross streets in Vietnam.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Due to the abundance of motorbikes, and the lack of street lights, stop signs, or crossing points, this becomes a tricky process.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The key is to step out into the road (not in front of a bus or car), keep your eyes forward, and just keep walking at a steady pace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The motorbikes swerve around you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is quite scary.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkRVXdiG2pe1riHXIwL2at5IsXDlFOMoY-KRsWPcDtfo5v-JzHDRJo8r19U3JPM659MOuiJ5Yq5KQqhob2VRdA7K-7a5OxW2_S9E-AUqsRf1RWgp-apLIxOwu7EYGAui4G8kC5d-YcUU_z/s1600/IMG_0239.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkRVXdiG2pe1riHXIwL2at5IsXDlFOMoY-KRsWPcDtfo5v-JzHDRJo8r19U3JPM659MOuiJ5Yq5KQqhob2VRdA7K-7a5OxW2_S9E-AUqsRf1RWgp-apLIxOwu7EYGAui4G8kC5d-YcUU_z/s200/IMG_0239.JPG" width="200px" /></a>As the new group was going through orientation, Jourdan, Paul, and I dressed up in our stubbies and singlets (short shorts and tanktops) to give them a little stretching show.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We then went out across the street where there was a beautiful park, and there were hundreds of people doing aerobics.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A really nice lady offered us to join, and explained that it is a free gathering that happens every day at 6 am and pm.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">At night, we started bonding with some of the new members of our group over a couple of beers in the lobby.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We all then headed to the Ben Tan street markets (more of the same cheap knock-off crap), and then had a nice dinner outside on the street.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We made friends with some of the locals as we were making our own spring rolls.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> In particular, one little girl popped up under my arm, and after Jourdan tried to ask her how much she cost in Vietnamese, we bought some gum from her. Hoover said we weren't allowed to bring any small children on the planes in our bags, so we had to let her go.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvGYS9Kp3-U3UhTzbe4PqaVQvSgulqQqnP_KZk_AdWeH8EKeoFkOBpD-VGX69b1oC35xKACAf4gt573pzKLiS-fmIPQ-liWM8AKsbP_QztYJSC0wJVxj0HzrDgMgDdss4NVGf8owv6SABp/s1600/IMG_0244.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvGYS9Kp3-U3UhTzbe4PqaVQvSgulqQqnP_KZk_AdWeH8EKeoFkOBpD-VGX69b1oC35xKACAf4gt573pzKLiS-fmIPQ-liWM8AKsbP_QztYJSC0wJVxj0HzrDgMgDdss4NVGf8owv6SABp/s200/IMG_0244.JPG" width="200px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuBlPCyl7kFGOV7zXcdmpzn3a6p8rwbgCZf5GYj6ldE3oiiJICkpUQHGe8C2mZDX58DFbGtXZu34IxsfmsbxuZKIJIBZjyL0IVse_3L72kpjwhoYtFWLGpkQKtp0T_5TQtqOfE23kN240k/s1600/IMG_0246.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuBlPCyl7kFGOV7zXcdmpzn3a6p8rwbgCZf5GYj6ldE3oiiJICkpUQHGe8C2mZDX58DFbGtXZu34IxsfmsbxuZKIJIBZjyL0IVse_3L72kpjwhoYtFWLGpkQKtp0T_5TQtqOfE23kN240k/s200/IMG_0246.JPG" width="200px" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">After dinner, some friends from the old group met up with us, and we went with the new crew to Allez Boo.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a pretty touristy type bar, and was a bit more expensive then other places we have been.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The up side was that they had Air Con.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a fun night out, and with the 8 new members, we are now at 20.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdQmUrwoJ5aQNjJtZmi5xLxg22danXIUqvuVsKkQfELu3_o_TAFqMkm_AzuXRulXRtwLa93Dg2ZXaVlgtBRm5vgN1Skud8IgOs6fc-Q-lQcoLzmniwzn9tSjQEeISRevr-eKWJEDeCpz-S/s1600/IMG_0253.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdQmUrwoJ5aQNjJtZmi5xLxg22danXIUqvuVsKkQfELu3_o_TAFqMkm_AzuXRulXRtwLa93Dg2ZXaVlgtBRm5vgN1Skud8IgOs6fc-Q-lQcoLzmniwzn9tSjQEeISRevr-eKWJEDeCpz-S/s200/IMG_0253.JPG" width="200px" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Tomorrow we head to the Mekong Delta and to the guesthouse.</span></div>The Block Boyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09994844378518194776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2416656104577293898.post-36568088188198845222011-07-04T13:34:00.000-04:002011-07-04T13:34:15.809-04:00Agkor WHAT??????<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXmt04MoEck4g_0u78mvuS1Bcv7h2lOC6nwscm8PoaioUqp_f6sWlsZShC7CcN_wVdOWL9Fa7BVYvQpQNl2dl0uIop0H5WsGgwA-FFlqvZ6BQ7DLiG3rgZPjjvq_xkz1Je5dTqaDMf0Mf8/s1600/IMG_7315.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXmt04MoEck4g_0u78mvuS1Bcv7h2lOC6nwscm8PoaioUqp_f6sWlsZShC7CcN_wVdOWL9Fa7BVYvQpQNl2dl0uIop0H5WsGgwA-FFlqvZ6BQ7DLiG3rgZPjjvq_xkz1Je5dTqaDMf0Mf8/s200/IMG_7315.JPG" width="200px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQpNnIv2biQ-1_rnGZ_eyRufNdnX7KulibOmOLVhDU2_DEhrpdGYdQSeXpTsOhU8Eo5zOs4BValw7cBmBeRj5UY7yGP3_1rLnAwjG389UNo2tHUzY-1g7paAhkl20XOFWs5bmH-9woEABs/s1600/IMG_9953.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQpNnIv2biQ-1_rnGZ_eyRufNdnX7KulibOmOLVhDU2_DEhrpdGYdQSeXpTsOhU8Eo5zOs4BValw7cBmBeRj5UY7yGP3_1rLnAwjG389UNo2tHUzY-1g7paAhkl20XOFWs5bmH-9woEABs/s200/IMG_9953.JPG" width="200px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmnTJ-zAfDROFgY1qNyFIT0KxlcFsnYLVyDnredbd70Qmya-JVhr0EZ3_kpj7JcSTF9II0rAidgPIMigiAxJZ0nakKxoFfpSvIS_xQN1h1rDQJ-INK5sD_TnCMNXXbUmjT5rKg1ET30pJ9/s1600/IMG_9772.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmnTJ-zAfDROFgY1qNyFIT0KxlcFsnYLVyDnredbd70Qmya-JVhr0EZ3_kpj7JcSTF9II0rAidgPIMigiAxJZ0nakKxoFfpSvIS_xQN1h1rDQJ-INK5sD_TnCMNXXbUmjT5rKg1ET30pJ9/s200/IMG_9772.JPG" width="200px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghp2vKmouY3loNBkC81HKZqJYOFb_pNbTdqzBC5NzCS7CbrZxtLxWREz1Jjk4S1d7DCq-vquEhog4alQ9A4w3Mz7WBSSTdMmian-DSb1a6F8AwW7oVTKo0nf4Q-muz7dkTYto6MWjSx15Z/s1600/IMG_9771.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghp2vKmouY3loNBkC81HKZqJYOFb_pNbTdqzBC5NzCS7CbrZxtLxWREz1Jjk4S1d7DCq-vquEhog4alQ9A4w3Mz7WBSSTdMmian-DSb1a6F8AwW7oVTKo0nf4Q-muz7dkTYto6MWjSx15Z/s200/IMG_9771.JPG" width="200px" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2tJBd3YEAc4auT-YXbd_IhYdLqMiIRVpc9-ef2wt1bZaJQ0e7ug5t2Qu-y5zaJuH7X274KKmQTiBQIIilhLDk_WiOgSo3HysXR2BSq60UCRuEhnb6L8upmdc6MIeICLMX9kgaScs80Rg0/s1600/IMG_9794.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2tJBd3YEAc4auT-YXbd_IhYdLqMiIRVpc9-ef2wt1bZaJQ0e7ug5t2Qu-y5zaJuH7X274KKmQTiBQIIilhLDk_WiOgSo3HysXR2BSq60UCRuEhnb6L8upmdc6MIeICLMX9kgaScs80Rg0/s200/IMG_9794.JPG" width="200px" /></a>The day started today with a bright and early 4:30 am wake-up call.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I came damn near close to missing the bus, thank god that Jourdan had them hold it for a minute for me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We headed straight over to the Angkor Wat complex.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is a massive collection of ancient city sights and temples (over 300) all within only a few kilometers.</div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">The first stop was the Angkor Wat temple.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is a monstrous religious compound that used to house a religious city, with the actual temple at the center.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We watched the sunrise from in front of the reflecting pool.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The weather wasn’t great, but it was still beautiful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">On the way in, I was handed some incents, and did some prayer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I thought I was being given a light, because it was so dark.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When he asked me for money for the monks, I realized I was duped.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I gave him a dollar and walked away, only to realize that for some reason, a good portion of the group followed me, and were all doing the incents prayer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many people got taken for way more the a dollar (Emma and Niall).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oops, my fault.</div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAQEiBRWFdggMUcFTvp-PoTv6XMOxg0C4UdbSJB50HrjdZ5yrW6lhRp_VB1IBoJTzMD3VsNo00QsCQ3nF9nNDI09BiejHEDplLouHiVEpkT8lVy62jOhGCbMWCC4493nnhvJeYQSguSvYl/s1600/IMG_9821.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAQEiBRWFdggMUcFTvp-PoTv6XMOxg0C4UdbSJB50HrjdZ5yrW6lhRp_VB1IBoJTzMD3VsNo00QsCQ3nF9nNDI09BiejHEDplLouHiVEpkT8lVy62jOhGCbMWCC4493nnhvJeYQSguSvYl/s200/IMG_9821.JPG" width="150px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzBErklI8g2PRllJbihx_DPns6Iv_Hk6pk3K3b_8XGQMJlrsW0VYxlexmT3HHlo_oHpCdAeS-1HMKHF1WnCfb9CdP6TneKp8-rSblikUxu0w0nVWPV7NtyDj3xLit3kcIxi_g16FIitBqV/s1600/IMG_9830.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzBErklI8g2PRllJbihx_DPns6Iv_Hk6pk3K3b_8XGQMJlrsW0VYxlexmT3HHlo_oHpCdAeS-1HMKHF1WnCfb9CdP6TneKp8-rSblikUxu0w0nVWPV7NtyDj3xLit3kcIxi_g16FIitBqV/s200/IMG_9830.JPG" width="200px" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">After the time the sun should have risen, we met our new guide, Borin, and started going through the history of Angkor Wat, and how it was used.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We entered the complex, and finally got a very real ideal of how magnificent and grand this temple is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The place is HUGE, and looking at it from the front is very deceiving.</div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVG0lckYE9Pa0_x7EvqBRkhImyipCOFTQRsuWcsuzbUaRED0wroyP03OHxsn9-Mg54FT_sW61vNT_mHXsfcAleNGqjNYIXi6-UspEC-_jTuXX_YLZ0vdVdZdhnLCwAliJv8jlDMgBl5PAY/s1600/IMG_9841.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVG0lckYE9Pa0_x7EvqBRkhImyipCOFTQRsuWcsuzbUaRED0wroyP03OHxsn9-Mg54FT_sW61vNT_mHXsfcAleNGqjNYIXi6-UspEC-_jTuXX_YLZ0vdVdZdhnLCwAliJv8jlDMgBl5PAY/s200/IMG_9841.JPG" width="150px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVqbLgLYasqLrLkQbPiHzfqz9sP6w7ZHZZomel2bERPsPBLMkjREpNYa9BNBHrjjKbIc1QbjyickKxdk2JvX7oWyTJlDs0tZnbnbYsgPsPMXdLJKpGytuFe9KgJu286JzfxEJCoiYBTa-9/s1600/IMG_9849.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; 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margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGCL7LhuGPeJtEYHVvcbvK2eTNXCbul56hKDAm3pFfGb1T-ZOSnOGs0kABKwNraR6ESudrzZLtdTW00N9-ZeDcz5hq_ltPk8PgbNrcyi4n_yIthVgRgOvPksfE-tR1o_C_24GxIVwXES6P/s200/IMG_7392.JPG" width="150px" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh22nxfKuLeVoHsgueJ5K1Lf-8jqHbANNMsoygoUR2kjJoPgc4KdAt6V-S89A0yml_O-zNvPzfqTMpgD7auVVRBCHeFVnXNob0TwIJX-yqk1MRyBhHRz5rCwzB_wCdeR-aBmRPUZBbfamP2/s1600/IMG_7436.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh22nxfKuLeVoHsgueJ5K1Lf-8jqHbANNMsoygoUR2kjJoPgc4KdAt6V-S89A0yml_O-zNvPzfqTMpgD7auVVRBCHeFVnXNob0TwIJX-yqk1MRyBhHRz5rCwzB_wCdeR-aBmRPUZBbfamP2/s200/IMG_7436.JPG" width="200px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1kLjwdkBia_nEvAIzNF4dVqSkhI9R6VrkJDhyVjSS1OWse6cSDLYLjT3YZM8Le8ds58SmojjO62rupDAtYGUGci-rglxPsiz67JTC7iiI7wyV45GQbkcg1zHmNztKL3RhKOkS10diinqq/s1600/IMG_7372.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1kLjwdkBia_nEvAIzNF4dVqSkhI9R6VrkJDhyVjSS1OWse6cSDLYLjT3YZM8Le8ds58SmojjO62rupDAtYGUGci-rglxPsiz67JTC7iiI7wyV45GQbkcg1zHmNztKL3RhKOkS10diinqq/s200/IMG_7372.JPG" width="150px" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">As we climbed through different portions of the temple, it was amazing to see the ornate sculptures and the 70 degree sloped staircases, which force you to crawl up in a manner subservient to god.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When Jourdan and I decided to climb a particularly large set of stairs for a photo op it was actually quite scary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From the top, Jourdan tried to “biff” his jandal at Hoover (biff is Kiwi for throw).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He missed by a long shot, and then Hoover was ready to toss his jandals onto the roof of Angkor Wat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When she realized it would not be respectful to the site, she turned and biffed them at Jourdan, nailing him in the chest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was priceless.</div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; 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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1nHvEGgvo3k4gf4szwa5gY_0v6RILLwY8OBRXMzP3R64k6-K1cVwkuURoB9ebMHh3-voKdJAFXnmTN68PqhH-JQyaieED4_jc2wyeW97OT0EnOduQKZpLDlVIAg2xhNTQFdU4vOB5iBoz/s1600/IMG_7376.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1nHvEGgvo3k4gf4szwa5gY_0v6RILLwY8OBRXMzP3R64k6-K1cVwkuURoB9ebMHh3-voKdJAFXnmTN68PqhH-JQyaieED4_jc2wyeW97OT0EnOduQKZpLDlVIAg2xhNTQFdU4vOB5iBoz/s200/IMG_7376.JPG" width="150px" /></a>After the jandal biffing incident, we were able to climb to the top of the complex.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a great view, and furthered the magnificence of the compound.</div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">We next headed back to the hotel for naps and lunch on Pub Street.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It really is a great area to walk around in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">In the afternoon, we began the second part of our temple tour, and headed back to the Angkor Wat complex.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We first headed to the ruins of Bay Lon temple, where they have massive tours with four-sided Buddha faces.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The ruins were quite spectacular, and you can tell how expansive this city must have been at one time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">After Borin gave us a tour of the area, we jumped into tuk-tuks to head to Angkor Tom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This portion of the complex is itself 9 square kilometers, and it was one of 32 sites within this portion of the larger site.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Along the way, we must have passed at least a dozen smaller ruins of buildings and temples.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A person could truly spend a week in this complex and not see everything.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is amazing how built up this area was.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
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border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Angkor Tom is a temple that was left in the condition it was found it, because it was so overgrown with trees that they were unable to safely clear the area.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It also happens to be the temple where they filmed the Tomb Raider movies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was awesome to walk through this overgrown temple, and find surprises around every corner (hidden smiley faces and echo rooms included).</div></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV0pKm7NYmgfU7t-Oo3d2X7OTxy6B5PhLxYB5u6-BGqxiVNPkU6LGDYRUSiuipQINcLKkuLhToZ04TmpDA-aSZywFSizsAUN_kEy1j4HEHOkZmaSn-ncmROTK4X3xqWHXWRllcIY5YtFOV/s1600/IMG_9981.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV0pKm7NYmgfU7t-Oo3d2X7OTxy6B5PhLxYB5u6-BGqxiVNPkU6LGDYRUSiuipQINcLKkuLhToZ04TmpDA-aSZywFSizsAUN_kEy1j4HEHOkZmaSn-ncmROTK4X3xqWHXWRllcIY5YtFOV/s200/IMG_9981.JPG" width="200px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwsd8Gp4nx294UldYzj9UDOGysd-9RIfIbz8wzBWSy4YISN5YBh8tkWcYP8z4fSFuUJRyaKPOA6Kv3_G-lmv1_fwIlOuq2L7FqbR8N6dqgU7XA-JznUQhOhXeNbBTHX6FkFVxctmk7y0Ue/s1600/IMG_0035.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; 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border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">As we headed back to the hotel, we jumped into the pool and started having a pool-pregame with everyone from the tour.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jourdan jumped into the spa for a head massage, as we started throwing back the drinks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5GjunQVdiN_hG3L37u2s1hBfkwfWbJUCF4wzH097LH1m9gLNyVGO5A-O7EaDA0MsWUCcK347ZE_4754GG9BeJWZewa7uddRlDZfH38l2Sn7MCIdK_FxaPfAscpZZt8UNNJBHptKv58acc/s1600/IMG_7510.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5GjunQVdiN_hG3L37u2s1hBfkwfWbJUCF4wzH097LH1m9gLNyVGO5A-O7EaDA0MsWUCcK347ZE_4754GG9BeJWZewa7uddRlDZfH38l2Sn7MCIdK_FxaPfAscpZZt8UNNJBHptKv58acc/s200/IMG_7510.JPG" width="150px" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They jumped into my picture, so I jumped into theirs</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The group headed over to our final nights dinner at 8<sup>th</sup> Street Brassiere.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From the parts I remember, it was really good, and we had a lot of laughs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We all had our “Same Same but Different” tee-shirts, except Jourdan, who made a “Different but Same Same” tee.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We passed them around, and everyone signed each other.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">To have a solid final night, we all headed to a bar called Angkor WHAT.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From there, things got silly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The drinking and dancing was off the hook.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>See some funny pics below.</span></div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5O4kQ6asU8KPa2aWXuqRP-2tPzS3PrWsng82DeXJN8CvmRXs6B5brWfmtxgl77ruklU9qAmPUhz-yByuD7uR_4t6PbycnDh-0OPnPhDhjNIOnvFpoNn4TKYhXl9jZ30qypgEGCkIihYK6/s200/IMG_7519.JPG" width="200px" /></a></div>The Block Boyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09994844378518194776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2416656104577293898.post-82100372886909697832011-07-04T06:35:00.000-04:002011-07-04T06:35:28.170-04:00Into Siem Reap we go<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizrzpd7RnRHrSOkSkjNAmGZdulWlOsY7CdbnP3c8ObHzo5VDUkXiQ5i06SoqWLV0vohW1WTlGupSs4ykBV5WumhYQmNL6FJeq7vt7J-tv0rv6bOWuhtvg9rq_qaCpQiBEBPt8_6xtoEepe/s1600/IMG_7269.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; 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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">We woke up this morning, headed back to the airport and boarded a flight heading over to Siem Reap.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was a really pretty town.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was a great area filled with day and night markets, restaurants, bars, and stores.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The hotel, Casa Angkor, was the best one yet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was high class, had a great pool, and offered free 15-minute massages. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The whole town is basically built up around tourism, so people speak English really well, and are very friendly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The only complaint is that the market people end up being a little too in your face.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtyzFmVb3TstTRNk5Ry2_U3q8CKPxS1ENtWrA0uAaigjz0KVn-d08EwIYxpFSLMbMxtT9F29s5ivDj4MRJQCuzebpNJ83BIwtR5p6VluMwBnE8EbHgy7CKTWXxh12C0Ejtb41eiA_t48PD/s1600/IMG_9672.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtyzFmVb3TstTRNk5Ry2_U3q8CKPxS1ENtWrA0uAaigjz0KVn-d08EwIYxpFSLMbMxtT9F29s5ivDj4MRJQCuzebpNJ83BIwtR5p6VluMwBnE8EbHgy7CKTWXxh12C0Ejtb41eiA_t48PD/s200/IMG_9672.JPG" width="200px" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">As soon as we got into Siem Reap, we headed for a cruise on Tonle Sap.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is the largest fresh water lake in all of SE Asia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the lake, there is a really interesting group of people, who spend their entire lives on the lake.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The have literally built floating houses, and floating communities (a 2000 person village) that they move around the lake bi-annually in coordination with the dry and wet seasons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Along the trip, we saw some very interesting things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These people use the river for everything, including cooking, drinking, bathing, and toilet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They also fish the river, trade on the river, and raise alligators and fish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I decided that I was going to play “Swamp Hunter” for a bit, and I fed me some gators.</div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">After the trip, we headed back to the hotel and walked around the town.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We ate locally with from friends, and then decided that we all wanted to get massages.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jourdan and I each got a 4-hand Khmer massage for an hour.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It cost $12.</div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">We headed back to the hotel for a drinking pool party, and then we grabbed a local meal in town.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tonight most of the group went to sleep early, because tomorrow we have a VERY early start.</span></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiORYn0EZDHdnPDljwyEv1VO85Mc8jYUHCDnR1yXNn5oZaE-12EW9avfY7GLZsqNVdht6oePQfr_P_NQu6Guu3s3Y-o_8gsYq_b-Mg5Qyor5caNdKE_iwxB1FDxGlA8cxwVUS3fyAwr0aBI/s1600/IMG_7273.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiORYn0EZDHdnPDljwyEv1VO85Mc8jYUHCDnR1yXNn5oZaE-12EW9avfY7GLZsqNVdht6oePQfr_P_NQu6Guu3s3Y-o_8gsYq_b-Mg5Qyor5caNdKE_iwxB1FDxGlA8cxwVUS3fyAwr0aBI/s200/IMG_7273.JPG" width="200px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifWsFpRN0bNl-mMGx3rERvkdLdeiP1Qudke7oqPc43w6nhNDgftsFbvlUd_hNQM3qP0Oc1aDHnDsz-DF6iBxcvAXFKahryQW4hHaib3Bd6Ckc5DBnsUrXiOhZuXKFrJ-7PBX_riq7Otkv2/s1600/IMG_9676.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; 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margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4sPqE8z-Q2IeA_opTB11DA-quLBNuTRM-GF8WsLRyg97Dyh0Yr4wk9PKOlYGerRGPo2Bv9EBaTq8xp1IBz40pKZh3y-bf9kF8JpAAzMcam_YoOBY6hSImv2BfKoNbjMDGiHIiiGzSjEsM/s200/IMG_9649.JPG" width="200px" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs9tgfPY3DNZkjOMMRAwtq40L58cbQoyN1Em7I-049ZVAP-9vCwabIsY8Iz5REwlykuCYhqPmEJTmtr7-w72GK6wv2vZlkpaHesn5JyYUq6UP5XEFiMxDijh80uzKYu10Uj2fCsOr-kuCN/s1600/IMG_7292.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs9tgfPY3DNZkjOMMRAwtq40L58cbQoyN1Em7I-049ZVAP-9vCwabIsY8Iz5REwlykuCYhqPmEJTmtr7-w72GK6wv2vZlkpaHesn5JyYUq6UP5XEFiMxDijh80uzKYu10Uj2fCsOr-kuCN/s200/IMG_7292.JPG" width="150px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuwMqW50b_m9VuRC1WIgdsCoGO6PUhhfZq8GnMAYRo2E5gltqvO4-2BS_Naw2Gwt38qLyYf0irbQx2BH5OOCqh5vQqKG1b_FaUKBKdC1XTgpE5OVtbG52qm3SMrNHw1kdhyIvEuIXu_eR6/s1600/IMG_9667.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuwMqW50b_m9VuRC1WIgdsCoGO6PUhhfZq8GnMAYRo2E5gltqvO4-2BS_Naw2Gwt38qLyYf0irbQx2BH5OOCqh5vQqKG1b_FaUKBKdC1XTgpE5OVtbG52qm3SMrNHw1kdhyIvEuIXu_eR6/s200/IMG_9667.JPG" width="200px" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwv-ly9nAudBjL40iHj7CGBPuPTTO8P3RqZDG6lZYuPVRVKrSQPiclS-dFJM_7i_ZJfk93iGiENa38TEH_HXbZXkYGS8RsITflFLloIIV37h6_8e-fsaPSzm9ktjpqibiLeBgC0nDRGLCp/s1600/IMG_9681.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwv-ly9nAudBjL40iHj7CGBPuPTTO8P3RqZDG6lZYuPVRVKrSQPiclS-dFJM_7i_ZJfk93iGiENa38TEH_HXbZXkYGS8RsITflFLloIIV37h6_8e-fsaPSzm9ktjpqibiLeBgC0nDRGLCp/s200/IMG_9681.JPG" width="200px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhInykgsP0QCZMuwrVezEYZY2toGo5QcbKc3UsMS1DdveFzzmOYJ2lfXF6NgjPZeXi79vir0asO7d714PDak1SER8TtKL4LvPdGSpaxMUyUl3913l_L_b0F3mv3G6bgj_pMi4nJ13ff_Ybv/s1600/IMG_9653.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhInykgsP0QCZMuwrVezEYZY2toGo5QcbKc3UsMS1DdveFzzmOYJ2lfXF6NgjPZeXi79vir0asO7d714PDak1SER8TtKL4LvPdGSpaxMUyUl3913l_L_b0F3mv3G6bgj_pMi4nJ13ff_Ybv/s200/IMG_9653.JPG" width="200px" /></a></div>The Block Boyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09994844378518194776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2416656104577293898.post-83278573585099222382011-07-02T07:20:00.000-04:002011-07-02T07:20:35.998-04:00A serious, but educational day in Phnom Penh<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Yg8khMj6BypZzfLwLzDFej8PuOiDAJ7ay7dSl2HnL5Qbxs1s-t88S_4UJziYwS-cuJvyCyWgXk_cnAA3a7SoA-FvweuiS1KWSxCnsOlAnt26Xxx6F4fM8T98HBvRUfkzVoTMyyd8i262/s1600/IMG_9557.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Yg8khMj6BypZzfLwLzDFej8PuOiDAJ7ay7dSl2HnL5Qbxs1s-t88S_4UJziYwS-cuJvyCyWgXk_cnAA3a7SoA-FvweuiS1KWSxCnsOlAnt26Xxx6F4fM8T98HBvRUfkzVoTMyyd8i262/s200/IMG_9557.JPG" width="150px" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">NO SMILING!!!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">First thing to do today, head to the airport and fly into Phnom Penh, capital city of Cambodia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>First thing we notice, this is a real city, but a VERY poor city.</div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">We jumped into a local restaurant for a quick lunch, and rushed back onto the bus to begin a tour.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We met our new guide, whose name translates to Lucky.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He pointed out some sights in the city, and the fact that everyone there drives high end Lexus or nicer (corruption money and drug money).</div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">He then began explaining the recent history of Cambodia, in relation to Pol Pot and the communistic takeover.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was interesting to note that the country has basically only been open to tourism for 15 years officially, but tourism didn’t really start until 2002.</div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgblLB_9R9WRg8uO_1n4fwg36YN8FwXsWr578hsISCzsQObnhqWLn-yhhbobA9CNoWiVaSIWlET-wqJLWeT84Y2SYbXVZjAJQk2523bjCfH5P9VGE8W2v0mTNSNvekRExQVs1sd9Xgj2gv0/s1600/IMG_9558.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgblLB_9R9WRg8uO_1n4fwg36YN8FwXsWr578hsISCzsQObnhqWLn-yhhbobA9CNoWiVaSIWlET-wqJLWeT84Y2SYbXVZjAJQk2523bjCfH5P9VGE8W2v0mTNSNvekRExQVs1sd9Xgj2gv0/s200/IMG_9558.JPG" width="200px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikNgK85H0dCYkDAXJjsoNNmbnnH_kOp49gkCT0YZaHweYKZETV_p_8CzkFo3mpIE-pW_j0o0sdUa0qTvHNQUdxYWX4RX-s_v9-JdOmDyCu50Rx50rsjY_hb-CoMRS-041btZmkXTiNGWNK/s1600/IMG_9562.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikNgK85H0dCYkDAXJjsoNNmbnnH_kOp49gkCT0YZaHweYKZETV_p_8CzkFo3mpIE-pW_j0o0sdUa0qTvHNQUdxYWX4RX-s_v9-JdOmDyCu50Rx50rsjY_hb-CoMRS-041btZmkXTiNGWNK/s200/IMG_9562.JPG" width="200px" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">We went over to the Khmer Rouge S-21 prison that was used for people who were considered political dissidents or anti-regime.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We learned about the spy networks, torture, and murder that took place in the prison, and contributed to the over 3 million lives that were lost in genocide between 1976 and 1979.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjAI-FrGi5AvOl0pcgZaB-ikIY0MFGGMt5ozvk2HrbwfKortv8k4XKIurBslo2p72QaIivuVW943pRw5ISWXqWa713Ifj_dgtFtNDT-eABMZrI5WqMHzDO_xuMw1jMKyMePxCSwKN7TDdB/s1600/IMG_9571.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjAI-FrGi5AvOl0pcgZaB-ikIY0MFGGMt5ozvk2HrbwfKortv8k4XKIurBslo2p72QaIivuVW943pRw5ISWXqWa713Ifj_dgtFtNDT-eABMZrI5WqMHzDO_xuMw1jMKyMePxCSwKN7TDdB/s200/IMG_9571.JPG" width="200px" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Monuments all over Cambodia</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">We then headed over to the killing fields that were used to commit this genocide, and bury the dead.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were able to see the excavated pits, and there are still human bones that come up every time there is a rain storm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">On the way back into the city, we passed some incredibly poor areas of the outer city.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Things were very destitute, and despite having more money then Laos, it seemed dirtier and poorer because of how many people are in the city.</div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCxE646elOQow-TduLwJ5tmJ47Wy4IYHbJCfch7ZI0zHlOQ2Xykbi92dujhfixzCB9w9MCj3vRiYDzF4UPCv128lNingSjfTD8pdfzdOAq53tlDSXrHqeVa807Ydm62YUS1nI-nODWimNi/s1600/IMG_9577.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCxE646elOQow-TduLwJ5tmJ47Wy4IYHbJCfch7ZI0zHlOQ2Xykbi92dujhfixzCB9w9MCj3vRiYDzF4UPCv128lNingSjfTD8pdfzdOAq53tlDSXrHqeVa807Ydm62YUS1nI-nODWimNi/s200/IMG_9577.JPG" width="200px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh57g_cQjlsf7-tBQvw33LvL7q8TfgHNWA-IX45YucywwfzLJJhbaFI2VnFl-OxbJGPgRMISfywctV-lm9gam1HQhqYhout6sesPnQrTu2RbpfDm84lWrY9iPRuFIkeft848169Q1R0GgVD/s1600/IMG_9579.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh57g_cQjlsf7-tBQvw33LvL7q8TfgHNWA-IX45YucywwfzLJJhbaFI2VnFl-OxbJGPgRMISfywctV-lm9gam1HQhqYhout6sesPnQrTu2RbpfDm84lWrY9iPRuFIkeft848169Q1R0GgVD/s200/IMG_9579.JPG" width="200px" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">As we neared the city center, we passed the casino, the Royal Palace, and the government buildings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These buildings were ornate and gorgeous.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can tell where the rebuilding and government money has been focused.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The whole area along the water front (also the Mekong, and made for tourists) is incredibly well built up and beautiful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You just wouldn’t want to go more then a block out of that area.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikcjn-xnduwAzPxqYfpRqFzGAXVekxONMgYdCUrs4KoyW9OGWZB8ldDVdKwx5_z035I3WtiDJ2SrmS0yhllOfBaM9r-WAH3j9WoN6gsqchbtoX-WlbSyjbMcOju-IbaM4REfbhwIHR6SEx/s1600/IMG_9593.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikcjn-xnduwAzPxqYfpRqFzGAXVekxONMgYdCUrs4KoyW9OGWZB8ldDVdKwx5_z035I3WtiDJ2SrmS0yhllOfBaM9r-WAH3j9WoN6gsqchbtoX-WlbSyjbMcOju-IbaM4REfbhwIHR6SEx/s200/IMG_9593.JPG" width="200px" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Jourdan and I strolled to the local food market.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Besides being disgusting, unhygienic, and smelling horrible (chicken, meat, and fish just laying out in the heat), we were almost run down by the two way tuk-tuk traffic, motor bikes, and pedestrian hustle on the 5 foot walkway between stalls.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF5e86vPmpHS-A2fLTYN5Y6IXP4yIs8kBUtSgyEUkrpGeGomQyld7XeGyKRnafWe0qKxaxz4vPVo1dqc5RCEmeiEaiaVC03TKnVMnP6CHb88ZfXgVEWJ8j_vqPulsSlX0G8KqQufZPBb07/s1600/IMG_9620.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF5e86vPmpHS-A2fLTYN5Y6IXP4yIs8kBUtSgyEUkrpGeGomQyld7XeGyKRnafWe0qKxaxz4vPVo1dqc5RCEmeiEaiaVC03TKnVMnP6CHb88ZfXgVEWJ8j_vqPulsSlX0G8KqQufZPBb07/s200/IMG_9620.JPG" width="200px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVTxsajAPpHury9bHEhZDLVOuVdxE1bS6B33uZfks6CMMxRhOG-a-1u_-mOFyBkUZv3w8UgoXH6yzBIZ2byJt-suFdgT2p96lfTVJpQkJHD_nWme2jTlE1DehROK9XuJv2NA0Ufimwc2z3/s1600/IMG_9621.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVTxsajAPpHury9bHEhZDLVOuVdxE1bS6B33uZfks6CMMxRhOG-a-1u_-mOFyBkUZv3w8UgoXH6yzBIZ2byJt-suFdgT2p96lfTVJpQkJHD_nWme2jTlE1DehROK9XuJv2NA0Ufimwc2z3/s200/IMG_9621.JPG" width="200px" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Dinner was at a rooftop bar called FCC (Foreign Correspondents Club).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Food was really good, and we had a fun night of chillin and drinking games, while overlooking the Mekong.</span> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgElHkQJvxtf6NuZ_qH3pictugAFImOVWmbaI0y4CBndwgCieVSnJfaasg2Gk90OX5bwsVjWW_Mn4jpRmLl1Sb6QQQ4bsJiYY2csXRV6rW_2FmfPHCDkaUGMZCgVJzdDYCnDDWqasjkJDY_/s1600/IMG_9610.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgElHkQJvxtf6NuZ_qH3pictugAFImOVWmbaI0y4CBndwgCieVSnJfaasg2Gk90OX5bwsVjWW_Mn4jpRmLl1Sb6QQQ4bsJiYY2csXRV6rW_2FmfPHCDkaUGMZCgVJzdDYCnDDWqasjkJDY_/s200/IMG_9610.JPG" width="150px" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dinosaur at the bar</td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: left;"></div> <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieg03Yzvjuf3fS-mkqT9LBaK8fOeGGS8hUbu2sSyw2tddI8rFrTvsm4xSYDdfa0j0FTXz1JLINlnwnKVX8stnNPb5TnfJCbAEsd0c4FkNpNu8seu4gnPhF5GVSpC6AjZyen4gop2jJT9Io/s1600/IMG_9581.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieg03Yzvjuf3fS-mkqT9LBaK8fOeGGS8hUbu2sSyw2tddI8rFrTvsm4xSYDdfa0j0FTXz1JLINlnwnKVX8stnNPb5TnfJCbAEsd0c4FkNpNu8seu4gnPhF5GVSpC6AjZyen4gop2jJT9Io/s200/IMG_9581.JPG" width="200px" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hoover Fucking with me while I sleep on the bus</td></tr>
</tbody></table>The Block Boyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09994844378518194776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2416656104577293898.post-55643644028142596122011-07-02T07:03:00.000-04:002011-07-02T07:03:52.570-04:00This is the largest city in Laos? Vientiene.<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdcGvle4jJp_LgbQSQFqR_PCDQ9qfQ6DPWCgXgIznoXidGrxQxDHImKEU7t2Dtk0iSzAtCRw3VctfJdKDeL14Q6e7nXjAw4hAnAfAdUJesv_z1ixUi_S4REorG_EU_q5Ih0Cs6UWSUZxnC/s1600/IMG_9492.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdcGvle4jJp_LgbQSQFqR_PCDQ9qfQ6DPWCgXgIznoXidGrxQxDHImKEU7t2Dtk0iSzAtCRw3VctfJdKDeL14Q6e7nXjAw4hAnAfAdUJesv_z1ixUi_S4REorG_EU_q5Ih0Cs6UWSUZxnC/s200/IMG_9492.JPG" width="150px" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">This morning we woke up and boarded the bus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was nice to know that we could safely depart and head to the capital city of Vientiene.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first thing we noticed, is that the term city is used very lightly here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While by far being the most populated area of Laos that we have seen, it is a small townish city at best.</div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFwGK3OmEgsrrWyxeou-nApgty7y15Q_PqAt9f2V_NANnhu8iKq2FV5USHnaMbCDkn1iW9hFA77fhTFh3kQxW_EmpT2W83popr-9pyBhFmkEEFp3-VMPrjWzCvLHZAQ3jwthYXPsmIypVZ/s1600/IMG_9473.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFwGK3OmEgsrrWyxeou-nApgty7y15Q_PqAt9f2V_NANnhu8iKq2FV5USHnaMbCDkn1iW9hFA77fhTFh3kQxW_EmpT2W83popr-9pyBhFmkEEFp3-VMPrjWzCvLHZAQ3jwthYXPsmIypVZ/s200/IMG_9473.JPG" width="150px" /></a>When we got into the city we visited COPE, which is an organization that helps supply artificial limbs to people who have lost them in accidents from unexploded ordinances dropped by the US during the Vietnam war.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">We learned about the Secret War the US conducted in Laos, where American bombers dropped millions of tons of bombs all over the country in an attempt to disrupt the Ho Chi Minh trail, and dissuade Laos from entering the war.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even today, there are countless unexploded ordinances that children and people have accidents with despite the countries best efforts to find and neutralize them.</div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIWLnA3mxpuQnaf9Nd2UoXZN8Tsv8HXf_XXzEwiY0F5JSQe0hzwX5EJ_mXJboQqQY47fgQlv4rW7rVn3aI4vaw7RDY4ASJDDYj_v0x_VMAPfLCds_MjYO7tf2dhLzhyphenhyphenq0k_fVFdMjVE-DK/s1600/IMG_9481.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIWLnA3mxpuQnaf9Nd2UoXZN8Tsv8HXf_XXzEwiY0F5JSQe0hzwX5EJ_mXJboQqQY47fgQlv4rW7rVn3aI4vaw7RDY4ASJDDYj_v0x_VMAPfLCds_MjYO7tf2dhLzhyphenhyphenq0k_fVFdMjVE-DK/s200/IMG_9481.JPG" width="200px" /></a>After the museum, we headed to the Golden Temple called That Luang Stupper.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We walked around, it was quite beautiful, in addition to being the most important temple in the country.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From there we headed to the Arc de Triumph called Patuxay Park.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We climbed to the top for a view of the city.</div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8XqrKZokf7xLgEllEQA0rn78ohw0GzLTfNyCSWNiQj4pIoT4LPTUX-pFyIJXuPcszJQlNS99Og6HmfWxpn2rB67r4SUIL9ixpg6a83XWibfl0H9Nl0ZyBVnWYf8_O5MDczegF7i2hpsth/s1600/IMG_9484.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8XqrKZokf7xLgEllEQA0rn78ohw0GzLTfNyCSWNiQj4pIoT4LPTUX-pFyIJXuPcszJQlNS99Og6HmfWxpn2rB67r4SUIL9ixpg6a83XWibfl0H9Nl0ZyBVnWYf8_O5MDczegF7i2hpsth/s200/IMG_9484.JPG" width="200px" /></a>As the group headed back to the hotel, Jourdan and I went to explore the city.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like other places in SE Asia, it is amazing how you can be in a run down neighborhood, and then out of nowhere run into an gorgeous temple.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We strolled through some temples, and walked along the Mekong for a bit, with a beautiful view of Thailand.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-c18lgwzf4DFbYNUsXJVcNk_esc1vYkKU2cOf5WhL30JdcpAtu_KhuyVdnvoQLvvWs2Z0-yQ_Lp6KsexVMmQQ_ObkyeX-X7pHZ1u-UamtueapFzQBjLmThext5DYerilP1z7xRNQ-SAeC/s1600/IMG_9494.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-c18lgwzf4DFbYNUsXJVcNk_esc1vYkKU2cOf5WhL30JdcpAtu_KhuyVdnvoQLvvWs2Z0-yQ_Lp6KsexVMmQQ_ObkyeX-X7pHZ1u-UamtueapFzQBjLmThext5DYerilP1z7xRNQ-SAeC/s200/IMG_9494.JPG" width="200px" /></a> <div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The whole group went for dinner at Makphet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The food was delicious, and it is run by an organization that supports children in the city, and helps get them off the street.</div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">We spent the night at a rooftop bar drinking, while overlooking the night markets, the Mekong, and Thailand.</div></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK-snWfmRK6_wNq_4TGsPielyhcSJ2QQNZFZ69YULGnhWdWUtUK3v-KsdZMcYLbxdTwGrH8QCDRhg3Y_5zbMlGPlWE5YjBw7lO0b8NiW7_6VhCgAQva1HsPgKkDK26VeTGyux0fPw0vPGz/s1600/IMG_9532.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK-snWfmRK6_wNq_4TGsPielyhcSJ2QQNZFZ69YULGnhWdWUtUK3v-KsdZMcYLbxdTwGrH8QCDRhg3Y_5zbMlGPlWE5YjBw7lO0b8NiW7_6VhCgAQva1HsPgKkDK26VeTGyux0fPw0vPGz/s200/IMG_9532.JPG" width="200px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8QfVtmi9_w8BnJh9Pi_NW6U6q0oDlzmncdso6b_oyaIcB5mwFsJRwqQv6-34Y_F_aYjYGePU8aWUyBEyP8pJzqrZBAtU_s_IKM0xXMadPc9Xrpd7zIwGeqhE_nfH9lw1G1-m4bbBnNFo-/s1600/IMG_9514.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8QfVtmi9_w8BnJh9Pi_NW6U6q0oDlzmncdso6b_oyaIcB5mwFsJRwqQv6-34Y_F_aYjYGePU8aWUyBEyP8pJzqrZBAtU_s_IKM0xXMadPc9Xrpd7zIwGeqhE_nfH9lw1G1-m4bbBnNFo-/s200/IMG_9514.JPG" width="200px" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The great electrical wiring</td></tr>
</tbody></table></div>The Block Boyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09994844378518194776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2416656104577293898.post-3649191490841897942011-06-29T22:42:00.000-04:002011-06-29T22:42:23.581-04:00Expedition on the Lao back road and Vang Vieng<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">So we gave a bit of a teaser at the end of the last post, but we will start this one from the beginning.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2oX1BGVY0jhlheTfNxEYJXZgGSZ6zVM1DUMXo4IgLJmMKvmkbmbhWy_-LNWz1Hv5i6cX2fLQnJg60Z2a1jpJU3NBv7RQ8-ozTiIJI9Z4ZxHSI8Meu2tXvTXOZTpyGu4zOVPVvtvsKHwBm/s1600/IMG_7175.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2oX1BGVY0jhlheTfNxEYJXZgGSZ6zVM1DUMXo4IgLJmMKvmkbmbhWy_-LNWz1Hv5i6cX2fLQnJg60Z2a1jpJU3NBv7RQ8-ozTiIJI9Z4ZxHSI8Meu2tXvTXOZTpyGu4zOVPVvtvsKHwBm/s200/IMG_7175.JPG" width="200px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglI3XhB-8fihDG8FrQwt8D6KpNTAXpkgYVICOw9gPZIz1xqDtVPnaglRKY2HfKlyx3PKHldZQsQxOM4yHdYnKRGkDWaIwXzFAdBzOwvLLRzJyTr5lzghcfzLMqtRcuzK6cwuglxGQpVxFy/s1600/IMG_9277.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglI3XhB-8fihDG8FrQwt8D6KpNTAXpkgYVICOw9gPZIz1xqDtVPnaglRKY2HfKlyx3PKHldZQsQxOM4yHdYnKRGkDWaIwXzFAdBzOwvLLRzJyTr5lzghcfzLMqtRcuzK6cwuglxGQpVxFy/s200/IMG_9277.JPG" width="150px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGdN6EIBQv070Q0UVvudBdemz1PkYdyvnZxylIMIc7ClurZQTyLE8gptS9v47GsZJpPrCplCglLl25VgA1_Gb0pX3zAx1syO71eAqPaX7fWq4uCS-pTwG5cR0yTHQkxgQQSsqe8UC4-UZ4/s1600/IMG_7167.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGdN6EIBQv070Q0UVvudBdemz1PkYdyvnZxylIMIc7ClurZQTyLE8gptS9v47GsZJpPrCplCglLl25VgA1_Gb0pX3zAx1syO71eAqPaX7fWq4uCS-pTwG5cR0yTHQkxgQQSsqe8UC4-UZ4/s200/IMG_7167.JPG" width="150px" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWucCMRSuisiEGAq9C3NvNAf0oxtmS48GR4vFjlvvzrCOJyBPdsA2RzhKj6aK9diqs_F4I7O_LFV_eRY-Z8ua5kHhpo10yzDU72tldz_mp_ZP8azK5PAw9MMazZDh7eXgEXMDQkhJy0lwr/s1600/IMG_9274.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWucCMRSuisiEGAq9C3NvNAf0oxtmS48GR4vFjlvvzrCOJyBPdsA2RzhKj6aK9diqs_F4I7O_LFV_eRY-Z8ua5kHhpo10yzDU72tldz_mp_ZP8azK5PAw9MMazZDh7eXgEXMDQkhJy0lwr/s200/IMG_9274.JPG" width="200px" /></a>We woke up at 5 am, and surprise surprise, there was still pouring rain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We jumped into tuk-tuks and headed over to a temple.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As soon as we stepped into the streets we immediately saw barefoot monks walking around with all of the local people out dropping food into their bowls.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Apparently this is the only way the monks get food.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We got lucky, and Johnny found us a covered area to sit in by one of the Wats (temple).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After Johnny showed us the proper way to feed the monks sticky rice, the procession began.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">We grabbed another quick meal at Joma, and then went to the hotel for our 8:30 departure to Vang Vieng, which would be a nine-hour bus ride.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>8:30 came and went.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There had been so much rain in the past few days, that there were mud slides/slips everywhere, and the bus was delayed getting in to us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYDN7nLBoFIBvl-LUC0VnmDrWeRT3zoxu6Vq7DMWkywqFSds11NfjuhhLJnARXS2IYfoylNEES22jIlA4q810nq8T8dOh7MYVKGpl5V7vBllqrb5PmyIqvclAngcSIxqh7AJdM515hVSkv/s1600/IMG_9326.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYDN7nLBoFIBvl-LUC0VnmDrWeRT3zoxu6Vq7DMWkywqFSds11NfjuhhLJnARXS2IYfoylNEES22jIlA4q810nq8T8dOh7MYVKGpl5V7vBllqrb5PmyIqvclAngcSIxqh7AJdM515hVSkv/s200/IMG_9326.JPG" width="200px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT66fIN9xD5YeNb_W3Q7kEa-6ywpspEyJvD1NyNwgxSXBLL0ARW1756sJ4xTb7E25Br0kfWymhf4XEaKwp2N4iKl2oAkSTLnISUdpkEXsXcPiPosp3O4Pm6jFCaM_vJ1KvPCmWm8UpQ_Zl/s1600/IMG_9321.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT66fIN9xD5YeNb_W3Q7kEa-6ywpspEyJvD1NyNwgxSXBLL0ARW1756sJ4xTb7E25Br0kfWymhf4XEaKwp2N4iKl2oAkSTLnISUdpkEXsXcPiPosp3O4Pm6jFCaM_vJ1KvPCmWm8UpQ_Zl/s200/IMG_9321.JPG" width="200px" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsyl7dOWUV9AK7gWbAsMvJSgXggNDLy5EADl-Lf4cciRS0JLjSqoms1BFKS4HOh1NSEcrsItfuRuKN-7aZT_Jd6Fk35DUyAs_teCQnzUxowP4gWSnu2RceZrbcB6ApAAozpHeV-7YZJiqR/s1600/IMG_9328.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsyl7dOWUV9AK7gWbAsMvJSgXggNDLy5EADl-Lf4cciRS0JLjSqoms1BFKS4HOh1NSEcrsItfuRuKN-7aZT_Jd6Fk35DUyAs_teCQnzUxowP4gWSnu2RceZrbcB6ApAAozpHeV-7YZJiqR/s200/IMG_9328.JPG" width="200px" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">At 10 o’clock we finally headed out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We made our lunch stop at a beautiful view spot around 5 pm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unfortunately, we couldn’t see anything because of the massive fog, clouds, and rain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We finally got into Vang Vieng around 9:30 pm.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQFyLDHNi4jHuo4uFzvhR0BwCQ98aZQdPXcFKAW-w-jAK5ofwM5YH3deEZtNgQy51xSD951rv4UHAPcAghHem8svwYFF0R7h2Dcd-TbD1txqZ8sh6OTwHg5pz-DcCa4naTtLm6Qu685eT5/s1600/IMG_9334.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQFyLDHNi4jHuo4uFzvhR0BwCQ98aZQdPXcFKAW-w-jAK5ofwM5YH3deEZtNgQy51xSD951rv4UHAPcAghHem8svwYFF0R7h2Dcd-TbD1txqZ8sh6OTwHg5pz-DcCa4naTtLm6Qu685eT5/s200/IMG_9334.JPG" width="200px" /></a>Along the road we saw unbelievable scenery.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The mountain and jungle landscape was truly beautiful and awe inspiring.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All of the mudslips that we kept having to stop at and wait until they were cleared were a reality check into the daily trials and tribulations of traveling on these Lao mountain passes.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicJaDDw4WdWZjCub9nIVmRsXG1nKRiJXBW9oul8sXjGeDHIHB8YHyJDr7hXguOCsu8qeXjLxqzIMLGQT0aoHzG6jLzyGiOXR0TODueCCWBDvd65-4kO80VihyphenhyphenR1B6NU5Aptq0drtN813N6/s1600/IMG_9354.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicJaDDw4WdWZjCub9nIVmRsXG1nKRiJXBW9oul8sXjGeDHIHB8YHyJDr7hXguOCsu8qeXjLxqzIMLGQT0aoHzG6jLzyGiOXR0TODueCCWBDvd65-4kO80VihyphenhyphenR1B6NU5Aptq0drtN813N6/s200/IMG_9354.JPG" width="150px" /></a>Vang Vieng is a small city that is mostly a backpackers haven.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The area is known for its tubing bar crawl on the Mekong, water activities, happy shakes (lots of alcohol and LSD and some other drugs), zip-lining, trekking, caving, and the high number of backpacker casualties annually.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The later is mostly due to the complete lack of safety regulations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ten years ago, the place only had two guest houses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Today it has over 100.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQCEhXFNmkX4ry67SNRw69l1dHDaiIh-n8jTd52PsHzQws2hLbMWX_bTXMZdIb_XoRCH-H7uktI08ONaU1LxZCGbL1U_u55ob9Y3m5e66SXG_KsPbW4-oIZgHRXfjHzbH-7Iw-tHPSv0U4/s1600/IMG_9397.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQCEhXFNmkX4ry67SNRw69l1dHDaiIh-n8jTd52PsHzQws2hLbMWX_bTXMZdIb_XoRCH-H7uktI08ONaU1LxZCGbL1U_u55ob9Y3m5e66SXG_KsPbW4-oIZgHRXfjHzbH-7Iw-tHPSv0U4/s200/IMG_9397.JPG" width="200px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjPUavHuIjdCvM_gWR1elqB-BmuHXxBRlq1z_8C22MyJg4-E4R0PPTiJHwDJtBR_IJy7ndzCUaZKsBXECVgqApCsmHL7_QuxiGekcU9Xrr518Yea2Dl0WVJypUVCn8qv6FEEa0AcuhbqWh/s1600/IMG_9353.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjPUavHuIjdCvM_gWR1elqB-BmuHXxBRlq1z_8C22MyJg4-E4R0PPTiJHwDJtBR_IJy7ndzCUaZKsBXECVgqApCsmHL7_QuxiGekcU9Xrr518Yea2Dl0WVJypUVCn8qv6FEEa0AcuhbqWh/s200/IMG_9353.JPG" width="200px" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">When we got in, we were informed that due to the rain, the river was at unusually high flood levels, all of the bar crawl bars were completely flooded out (as well as many local farms and villages), and all activities would be cancelled.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Naturally, our group did the only logical thing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Went to one of the local bars, and went out hard.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">The next day, we slept in a bit, and then spent our whole day drinking (in funny outfits) with friends in the bar.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Around, 5 o’clock, we went to the hotel, and at 7 o’clock the group went to a lay chill bar/restaurant where they played family guy on all the tvs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sometime around 10 o’clock, Ashley got mad at Jourdan, and said she would pay him 100 Baht to not speak for 24 hours.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He lasted 4 and ½, but after about 20 minutes, she was begging him to speak again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNqu78Zj4tM2rccNjM9QyVQZ8oeSa-RvO6WtKykVcsnnjW93p4ZgBhKeCTMwigWZ66P8q3dKmKbfJ8Kf9_hRCin6qpeGjdFUcH0KooUh4bufk4KmPr7rXKlmPArHEPF9Y24M7ljs2-RE17/s1600/IMG_9389.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNqu78Zj4tM2rccNjM9QyVQZ8oeSa-RvO6WtKykVcsnnjW93p4ZgBhKeCTMwigWZ66P8q3dKmKbfJ8Kf9_hRCin6qpeGjdFUcH0KooUh4bufk4KmPr7rXKlmPArHEPF9Y24M7ljs2-RE17/s200/IMG_9389.JPG" width="200px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_JxeVHbGtvnsbeGQrbMhRmkXXJI135UjpaB38KFAWDGO0tvTZMqCKuKghPswQ7_VR9AiF7OifprORgW2OdczQUFLP_p38d8u456n1tBaRsRxbW_bL6KGGYKz-fuLfvZYnd5k3MVr-hHEW/s1600/IMG_9395.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_JxeVHbGtvnsbeGQrbMhRmkXXJI135UjpaB38KFAWDGO0tvTZMqCKuKghPswQ7_VR9AiF7OifprORgW2OdczQUFLP_p38d8u456n1tBaRsRxbW_bL6KGGYKz-fuLfvZYnd5k3MVr-hHEW/s200/IMG_9395.JPG" width="150px" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Another solid night of drinking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lots of funny stories from both nights.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some of the attached pictures give a sample of the antics that took place.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdaigf5WDUH7zlIAiBXys3dAu627MhEAnsoW_4TuV50anfBERurOqZiXwOYKF4FSilno7tf9eIyKDrV2rJuF6iWkLBpe8far9G-0dypUclJzXaOW_QSFV_YGX9URNdq0rBP-pIBq6sTKBy/s1600/IMG_9417.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdaigf5WDUH7zlIAiBXys3dAu627MhEAnsoW_4TuV50anfBERurOqZiXwOYKF4FSilno7tf9eIyKDrV2rJuF6iWkLBpe8far9G-0dypUclJzXaOW_QSFV_YGX9URNdq0rBP-pIBq6sTKBy/s200/IMG_9417.JPG" width="200px" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwH7rNcLRBxiSicIM59KypqwgyBDSR9nZvown_ytFGZvUAvYu4ytoCV5XYr_aGx9Bt0gA_qk_qgLe238AtUeX9S_oj02n3vrdSHoJMiZRzgO6cb59rVriw5_-KK0rGVmu2Qzhfjzp1VJMN/s1600/IMG_9461.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwH7rNcLRBxiSicIM59KypqwgyBDSR9nZvown_ytFGZvUAvYu4ytoCV5XYr_aGx9Bt0gA_qk_qgLe238AtUeX9S_oj02n3vrdSHoJMiZRzgO6cb59rVriw5_-KK0rGVmu2Qzhfjzp1VJMN/s200/IMG_9461.JPG" width="200px" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Unofficial death toll from the storms in the Vang Viene region was 8.</span></div>The Block Boyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09994844378518194776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2416656104577293898.post-7992218264591446522011-06-26T14:37:00.002-04:002011-06-29T22:46:35.439-04:00Rainy Season Cometh - Day 2 in Luang Prabang<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhspIMiZwpxPazN3UW337QAlkiXR-VklR6feSYUEf11GwXFHVFWCmbnz16EKfDVHLGbOj5NnaapJNpXhtdK-5GbS6om5kN-X9PMXGMpkA1lzxN0F5kEEMF0qMPtz4t-M9h3PAxtExRjEVxg/s1600/IMG_9114.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhspIMiZwpxPazN3UW337QAlkiXR-VklR6feSYUEf11GwXFHVFWCmbnz16EKfDVHLGbOj5NnaapJNpXhtdK-5GbS6om5kN-X9PMXGMpkA1lzxN0F5kEEMF0qMPtz4t-M9h3PAxtExRjEVxg/s200/IMG_9114.JPG" width="150px" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Rb5d6D0nDW-ar-25ax5zy6x76rwAKThL5rqXSjKPXk39VYTn78rPn7dPKW2zM3ZSzKdBD5_iLklYebDDs54nsK_6SW15dt2Er74fM1IlKoAICprIjA9FZBK7nhLNrozbjPCHeUErq_Hv/s1600/IMG_9111.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Rb5d6D0nDW-ar-25ax5zy6x76rwAKThL5rqXSjKPXk39VYTn78rPn7dPKW2zM3ZSzKdBD5_iLklYebDDs54nsK_6SW15dt2Er74fM1IlKoAICprIjA9FZBK7nhLNrozbjPCHeUErq_Hv/s200/IMG_9111.JPG" width="200px" /></a>As we awoke on Saturday morning at 7:00 am, we were none too thrilled to find that it was pouring rain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Despite this, we were committed to make an 8:00 am elephant ride.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">We drove out to an elephant sanctuary, where they rehabilitate sick or injured elephants, and protect them from poachers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We trekked through a fair bit of mud, and A LOT of rain to get to the elephants.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I even almost lost my jandal in some mud (Kiwi for flip-flop – Japanese style + sandal = jandal).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We got to the elephants, and jumped on on 55 year old “Lady Boy” (no tusks) named Bon Ju..<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvszIjXgnkkgnHbR3e8EOT_TpYiNKV8jAqCLl-g6mOVBpW24JwLs9MIRa3YcRA5qOFOxFOtWFzlw3WyyZHJJiOQjUAiD53CyVAmrPxAjY4SCsH6ttFiIRppHg5xGd7X0bqjwQZE0B9kG5v/s1600/IMG_9136.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvszIjXgnkkgnHbR3e8EOT_TpYiNKV8jAqCLl-g6mOVBpW24JwLs9MIRa3YcRA5qOFOxFOtWFzlw3WyyZHJJiOQjUAiD53CyVAmrPxAjY4SCsH6ttFiIRppHg5xGd7X0bqjwQZE0B9kG5v/s200/IMG_9136.JPG" width="200px" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Jourdan, being the little dandy, was in full rain coat and umbrella.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We headed out on our elephant ride up and down hills, through streams and lakes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Only half way through, did they bring ponchos out to those of us who didn’t have them, because we were getting soaked through.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Half-way through the trip, our driver switched places with me and let me ride on the elephants neck.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is crazy how big and powerful these animals are.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He moved tree trunks like it was nothing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Its' skin was very tough, and who knew that they are actually quite hairy animals.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">After the elephant ride, we were able to feed and pet some of the elephants.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is kind of weird walking around in between all of these elephants.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFHC2QEW6e_5b_DhIMZ-tmqOWU-bA1SgmQlQ6fX3rf49lCUDLHRdlN0R_Dwlnxf7PUE9ioHWe5zgKxCD-k87NJkMJ8lHN_k0g8JdDLsKq-BP9Vx1jBd5zu472xUnYTFGRfGvprjWb2uYad/s1600/IMG_9157.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFHC2QEW6e_5b_DhIMZ-tmqOWU-bA1SgmQlQ6fX3rf49lCUDLHRdlN0R_Dwlnxf7PUE9ioHWe5zgKxCD-k87NJkMJ8lHN_k0g8JdDLsKq-BP9Vx1jBd5zu472xUnYTFGRfGvprjWb2uYad/s200/IMG_9157.JPG" width="200px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPrxUf5E4k8bY6Jho7KLVTH5QR6qfcnnzPOooeYibFq4aGNk1wkquQ9EXSiSw-xqgPFKlqQkDcXC6DPAtqx2lPzL-Q0SNJPdQozeRKmEio55mrCs4d2BvmtopGafNY-8RRmlrgA2bNMcZN/s1600/IMG_9160.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPrxUf5E4k8bY6Jho7KLVTH5QR6qfcnnzPOooeYibFq4aGNk1wkquQ9EXSiSw-xqgPFKlqQkDcXC6DPAtqx2lPzL-Q0SNJPdQozeRKmEio55mrCs4d2BvmtopGafNY-8RRmlrgA2bNMcZN/s200/IMG_9160.JPG" width="200px" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPXnb66B288OC9UnN7VqiR-M44DvKTmJeOBmHSdq2yop4h_zI2f6fiIG_qmAMi_O8oeNLC3lcwq1O-Nt4iqpeQcQUwiC31xoNRuwnBylkcN3Kj7t9lFvCENQvFwFCGHuP-X_PspHEPqL3u/s1600/IMG_9142.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPXnb66B288OC9UnN7VqiR-M44DvKTmJeOBmHSdq2yop4h_zI2f6fiIG_qmAMi_O8oeNLC3lcwq1O-Nt4iqpeQcQUwiC31xoNRuwnBylkcN3Kj7t9lFvCENQvFwFCGHuP-X_PspHEPqL3u/s200/IMG_9142.JPG" width="200px" /></a>Thoroughly soaked, we stopped by a western style café called Joma.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a project undertaken by Canadians, to teach the Lao people useful skills, like customer service and counting money.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jourdan and I both broke down and had our first western style meal (BLT and a Rueben )</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">After a few hours of relaxation in the hotel, we got into vans for an hour long drive up to the Kuang Si waterfalls (and a random bear sanctuary).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These falls are on top of a mountain, with long windy roads leading there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was quite beautiful as we headed through the little local villages, the rice paddies, and other local housing and people.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVksIHxNWNufyKY0PcxKan7ZEC-6hQtiiYBskfjXvJWuqZ2eQdzQ9FMKOEyAWzDnCN14IbEGU2uWC1Tbmqdl6JPa9vklLYIWk3PVZCzocMmk22c8cHigAhwEqeIWJGzr6ktUb3FPi62Dpp/s1600/IMG_9190.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVksIHxNWNufyKY0PcxKan7ZEC-6hQtiiYBskfjXvJWuqZ2eQdzQ9FMKOEyAWzDnCN14IbEGU2uWC1Tbmqdl6JPa9vklLYIWk3PVZCzocMmk22c8cHigAhwEqeIWJGzr6ktUb3FPi62Dpp/s200/IMG_9190.JPG" width="200px" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">After I bought my rice paddy hat, we headed up to see the series of falls.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They were gorgeous and awe-inspiring.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The pictures barely do them justice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The only down side, is due to the massive amounts of rain, instead of being the turquoise blue that they normally are, they were more brown in color.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We hiked up, almost to being right under the big fall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was crazy.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">After that, we took a little dip in the natural pools, and even took some jumps off of the rope swing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the way out, we were able to pet a little bear cub.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You have got to love the random Lao encounters.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6VRcJ4LIqBiTv9r5X15cgmZbQ7DMXg2lcob5RNeykMp0UTlgxsWc5evmlXbhJfZd6kY7g4TidT92HFKRs2c3MGqmMWXIn91EMij2rTyvTLw4gIzXxd6yoNMqjZwEyytTjbicK3t7pjURy/s1600/IMG_9208.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6VRcJ4LIqBiTv9r5X15cgmZbQ7DMXg2lcob5RNeykMp0UTlgxsWc5evmlXbhJfZd6kY7g4TidT92HFKRs2c3MGqmMWXIn91EMij2rTyvTLw4gIzXxd6yoNMqjZwEyytTjbicK3t7pjURy/s200/IMG_9208.JPG" width="150px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhazi9XrbZK5OTWTxNxWQKzIFfve-82xv8O4rFXcHWQDMV7JVJQ2K62TJu8wQimlDPts3kQQBQpAyqLPKsV31NpVMRlNWIXH9qgYNbRYcX9indTRWE8P_zyrmA0kXtHwLNYdVgjFV1xqSpP/s1600/IMG_9204.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhazi9XrbZK5OTWTxNxWQKzIFfve-82xv8O4rFXcHWQDMV7JVJQ2K62TJu8wQimlDPts3kQQBQpAyqLPKsV31NpVMRlNWIXH9qgYNbRYcX9indTRWE8P_zyrmA0kXtHwLNYdVgjFV1xqSpP/s200/IMG_9204.JPG" width="150px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyW-_BPKtV1K4F9StN6Ywuc0uDC6-O4ia9P0lElltaEDOZ6sU9qg-COGPqaQrUFzt3XVf3PP_Y4ejKboe8Bo3NgPCQfxhxQRJWm6EeXx09avz6VjCa6nmzUeQUDRzSFjORcvXczh0LJApa/s1600/IMG_9221.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyW-_BPKtV1K4F9StN6Ywuc0uDC6-O4ia9P0lElltaEDOZ6sU9qg-COGPqaQrUFzt3XVf3PP_Y4ejKboe8Bo3NgPCQfxhxQRJWm6EeXx09avz6VjCa6nmzUeQUDRzSFjORcvXczh0LJApa/s200/IMG_9221.JPG" width="200px" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">On the trek home, the rain switched from pouring to torrential.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We drove through flooded roads, mini land slides, and even saw a flash flood rushing through a local set of buildings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsIVExDO3ZyBQmeb84phbMR6NM9ycJdyLOQh70CH6ddqix36Q_UTLNumGJWKgAo8J2euGZKrnhyphenhyphenXwk4GfcUPkHuDIOKZmOP6tD5lRBEWAVxE598OI6n77YrcT7tY-hKzI9VxX22-um0ewJ/s1600/IMG_9236.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsIVExDO3ZyBQmeb84phbMR6NM9ycJdyLOQh70CH6ddqix36Q_UTLNumGJWKgAo8J2euGZKrnhyphenhyphenXwk4GfcUPkHuDIOKZmOP6tD5lRBEWAVxE598OI6n77YrcT7tY-hKzI9VxX22-um0ewJ/s200/IMG_9236.JPG" width="200px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjhemh33g2KmnKLMXaAWuFMWkAojIy9ytOpzMC6HW1pgg__nqaVslUXOoBtmKCKfohahuPL5rAoTa6x5NHWaaCBTB6nGVzV9R5PSTOh2U9spK0r3zL6z9CXmZnUK83mothBKTkHVsG6X8T/s1600/IMG_9230.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjhemh33g2KmnKLMXaAWuFMWkAojIy9ytOpzMC6HW1pgg__nqaVslUXOoBtmKCKfohahuPL5rAoTa6x5NHWaaCBTB6nGVzV9R5PSTOh2U9spK0r3zL6z9CXmZnUK83mothBKTkHVsG6X8T/s200/IMG_9230.JPG" width="200px" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
We got back to the hotel, spent some time trying to dry off, and then went over to a place called Utopia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was a Turkish style restaurant, where you laid out on mats to eat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One thing about Southeast Asia in general, and which was highlighted here is the style that food is served.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When you go out with a group of people, whenever your food is ready, they bring it out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You are expected to just start eating.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Literally half the table will be finished eating, and half will not have even been served.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCccG9B6cmwDLDBnV6-74uDH5llBxWAlw0sB_eUpU4cwlG2XAlRmCgrZOvLQMPvVlVrVazaYpmsqBL9d_m_phfGGPLIiV-al3iLZRMhQgpzhDOpDGDZ7_N125cMY28v3X-j7gf3kfg7FCq/s1600/IMG_7131.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCccG9B6cmwDLDBnV6-74uDH5llBxWAlw0sB_eUpU4cwlG2XAlRmCgrZOvLQMPvVlVrVazaYpmsqBL9d_m_phfGGPLIiV-al3iLZRMhQgpzhDOpDGDZ7_N125cMY28v3X-j7gf3kfg7FCq/s200/IMG_7131.JPG" width="150px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvb_FkC81R26RIz43ZuQcWXn-r-SDHqtQrsVhyHReBC0GEL7wug4a4gEMcLFUD1mZb8tdDyTcIPv1a93jZUbVFaKQjQoDvPrZmGnaqEfBd38KF__00NBViiIbfElgOd3Au3LH8OknLf7V7/s1600/IMG_9218.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvb_FkC81R26RIz43ZuQcWXn-r-SDHqtQrsVhyHReBC0GEL7wug4a4gEMcLFUD1mZb8tdDyTcIPv1a93jZUbVFaKQjQoDvPrZmGnaqEfBd38KF__00NBViiIbfElgOd3Au3LH8OknLf7V7/s200/IMG_9218.JPG" width="200px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGdig1csGWAdRZjFUaQxgwmJe-Z7TY6RzngSYJizV3beE8tBf4LFO1yPHDV8Q0e6rkf3DqlVqrCQIA5tL2pwWAf_YkiAbCACsg0vvZ-Qfx8GlPlDtXfLb1mAMoZsa_4ALkhYf1sm4fhutE/s1600/IMG_7145.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGdig1csGWAdRZjFUaQxgwmJe-Z7TY6RzngSYJizV3beE8tBf4LFO1yPHDV8Q0e6rkf3DqlVqrCQIA5tL2pwWAf_YkiAbCACsg0vvZ-Qfx8GlPlDtXfLb1mAMoZsa_4ALkhYf1sm4fhutE/s200/IMG_7145.JPG" width="200px" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">We chilled here for a bit, smoked some hookah, and played some fun word games with the group.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nothing like learning dirty words and slang from other countries.</div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
We headed back early, to call it a night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tomorrow we feed the monks, and need to be up at 5 am.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWBfKUuvTTpCqsrWzh8TcHWXuMtILiVwzYsNmaLO5B8q8g5YET2cAPO93nRVFrdQ4QH6rq8b3OUQyBaZv0OMjqPKKsbz1tONwHc6sZy3w4ZxQUqJombWdD4YmEIGtQhI-xQcXMsU2W3VhN/s1600/IMG_7111.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWBfKUuvTTpCqsrWzh8TcHWXuMtILiVwzYsNmaLO5B8q8g5YET2cAPO93nRVFrdQ4QH6rq8b3OUQyBaZv0OMjqPKKsbz1tONwHc6sZy3w4ZxQUqJombWdD4YmEIGtQhI-xQcXMsU2W3VhN/s200/IMG_7111.JPG" width="200px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj93B1aSqbyEznAwt5xhoWgF35uAnK1FL78B7LYDmGb145n-unKUR2THLn28I2KfAoiysPFlp08eFx0mzfuzOqlbn0yZimX-Cw5BBlplel5TsTZM35FODwvVIJEFQDs-waEqtq-OQyv802P/s1600/IMG_7126.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj93B1aSqbyEznAwt5xhoWgF35uAnK1FL78B7LYDmGb145n-unKUR2THLn28I2KfAoiysPFlp08eFx0mzfuzOqlbn0yZimX-Cw5BBlplel5TsTZM35FODwvVIJEFQDs-waEqtq-OQyv802P/s200/IMG_7126.JPG" width="200px" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
TEASER: We are posting this while stranded in Luang Prabang due to the rain, land slides, and slips.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix3OBTYEch-k4G86yQj0xA0EYGwFVULBjFawA0maRF4ta359R7nPLmfnuzubq3vjlG-ScqAKJuVEjLKu6FRJZhOwxo0oaYeIg1kqY2O4rsLqW-F3gHBAPKuqhZSSKUKCuVsCci2pvund_a/s1600/IMG_9262.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix3OBTYEch-k4G86yQj0xA0EYGwFVULBjFawA0maRF4ta359R7nPLmfnuzubq3vjlG-ScqAKJuVEjLKu6FRJZhOwxo0oaYeIg1kqY2O4rsLqW-F3gHBAPKuqhZSSKUKCuVsCci2pvund_a/s200/IMG_9262.JPG" width="150px" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Hotel Rules are ridiculous</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil2DJZg32tl1eYaQnA2WrI__8pgK2nShRJMsht4X-fKGGSFgS0KOcSSrKSitDCH0pLUXuZyFQHD2DC18zxRM1ZO9q4WklUd3fxHNQ_JJ_3CtjTuomNCYRwJPZMCigjQx26LPEADrXNrX3k/s1600/IMG_7153.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil2DJZg32tl1eYaQnA2WrI__8pgK2nShRJMsht4X-fKGGSFgS0KOcSSrKSitDCH0pLUXuZyFQHD2DC18zxRM1ZO9q4WklUd3fxHNQ_JJ_3CtjTuomNCYRwJPZMCigjQx26LPEADrXNrX3k/s200/IMG_7153.JPG" width="200px" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chillin at Utopia</td></tr>
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</div></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>The Block Boyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09994844378518194776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2416656104577293898.post-3881749783759972642011-06-25T13:39:00.001-04:002011-06-25T20:47:09.160-04:00My Birthday in Luang Prabang, Laos<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">MY BIRTHDAY!!!!!</div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">We woke up to rain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Starting to realize why they call this the wet season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unfortunately, the rain didn’t make it any cooler.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We got back on our boat, to finish the trip to Luang Prabang.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everyone sang me Happy Birthday.</div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">It was an incredibly relaxing day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>More beautiful scenery, more awing views of life on the river, more spending time with new friends, and more hot wet stickiness.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRt7GssNrVBDUT-yDO9eSQBGDwKXTABn7C6Fdlx9gg3fZWZJIqFrI5wMR1gGNA6C7Fzx2z-dU0mNpgXtlUlRGFlCjvK6wXVRGAnZIu2uSfLP430qqB5SIb-QwAqesFYGWgoxUK3nakCGqa/s1600/IMG_8886.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRt7GssNrVBDUT-yDO9eSQBGDwKXTABn7C6Fdlx9gg3fZWZJIqFrI5wMR1gGNA6C7Fzx2z-dU0mNpgXtlUlRGFlCjvK6wXVRGAnZIu2uSfLP430qqB5SIb-QwAqesFYGWgoxUK3nakCGqa/s200/IMG_8886.JPG" width="200px" /></a> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Along the way, we stopped at the Pakou caves, to see an ancient holy cave with over 4,000 Buddha statues.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was literally a small haven in the middle of a sheer rock face.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was quite interesting.</div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwPYcwiOyLc3NZdVv1LlfrnXuXK2LAmZHFsFripyM-aU3ub8_SMpx2hs9Qi0s_E6hi3GazRBc1ez6e1Wta9BEGhMFcHRuUwbUmpGN2gYZZVsvtGeyFV6Ig8Rvq8AKmPxWNGguy3ELbr-vf/s1600/IMG_8912.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwPYcwiOyLc3NZdVv1LlfrnXuXK2LAmZHFsFripyM-aU3ub8_SMpx2hs9Qi0s_E6hi3GazRBc1ez6e1Wta9BEGhMFcHRuUwbUmpGN2gYZZVsvtGeyFV6Ig8Rvq8AKmPxWNGguy3ELbr-vf/s200/IMG_8912.JPG" width="200px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh31Q7epn6mWbFMgLNsMFz3S2TWww0AVymiQSu6HdcBoW6Y-u2omG2kT-syX0qZkmTgPWMPhl4vd161Mn-1jm5jD645ofBvJWAOG2LkJFzpkBRUeVcoKnZnFDQVfo1yH3_2uQka_frIbVgv/s1600/IMG_8889.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh31Q7epn6mWbFMgLNsMFz3S2TWww0AVymiQSu6HdcBoW6Y-u2omG2kT-syX0qZkmTgPWMPhl4vd161Mn-1jm5jD645ofBvJWAOG2LkJFzpkBRUeVcoKnZnFDQVfo1yH3_2uQka_frIbVgv/s200/IMG_8889.JPG" width="200px" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqSyYycTeprNjOnROI6h8rviy30ojWjgUWSFaVqVZlU4lA9jhc9QGewLz8Wv5NhF_5HvU3CQkyvsnS0O5y6mBRyHhFOiRZI0h9-mb8BmZTsNSc4IgUNhM0C-zO-aQwNhFO8WyVRXQK2Jga/s1600/IMG_8918.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqSyYycTeprNjOnROI6h8rviy30ojWjgUWSFaVqVZlU4lA9jhc9QGewLz8Wv5NhF_5HvU3CQkyvsnS0O5y6mBRyHhFOiRZI0h9-mb8BmZTsNSc4IgUNhM0C-zO-aQwNhFO8WyVRXQK2Jga/s200/IMG_8918.JPG" width="200px" /></a>We arrived in Luang Prabang around midday, checked in to Visoun Namsok-Ban.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Cute open-air style hotel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Decent accommodations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is nice to have some sort of a/c again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
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</div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The whole group got on some 1950’s era bicycles (baskets and all), and took a bike ride around this lovely quaint little city.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We stopped at a beautiful temple, called Xieng Thong, which used to be the gateway to the city.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm30yI4g9RU5rEZvt0Ksr2GjoyEbqrF6gJ1Ugn7BHdR7w5qY-TX5ks-D9RyxkrFM8OAjCIiHuYPBTLc_i1wKa-7UYtAPZWP5mZCOfTj_Dn57i7EDha_FwUcdjSPY9JB9Ll7PrK_5rnq-JW/s1600/IMG_8924.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm30yI4g9RU5rEZvt0Ksr2GjoyEbqrF6gJ1Ugn7BHdR7w5qY-TX5ks-D9RyxkrFM8OAjCIiHuYPBTLc_i1wKa-7UYtAPZWP5mZCOfTj_Dn57i7EDha_FwUcdjSPY9JB9Ll7PrK_5rnq-JW/s200/IMG_8924.JPG" width="200px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ1DCrzbTwuEmROaTTSneJ1uybYpzsjNadINh8rPN4PujMQLZ9ZpClmUHa2k7leJNtrOVY0w-HJyoBBQ0hfs_9O96vVzGPYHwo7r7KpY6MSTwpd0DvmNvwds5X1L_qTOtmExG0Ew0bwkOZ/s1600/IMG_8973.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ1DCrzbTwuEmROaTTSneJ1uybYpzsjNadINh8rPN4PujMQLZ9ZpClmUHa2k7leJNtrOVY0w-HJyoBBQ0hfs_9O96vVzGPYHwo7r7KpY6MSTwpd0DvmNvwds5X1L_qTOtmExG0Ew0bwkOZ/s200/IMG_8973.JPG" width="200px" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV2S2z1jE7_RgMcwP2mOHYXFHUxdyZIVFzsjqe90DdgJP1BrRbIVnRN6P2y3kkL4NAybtKCE0WZrIx_I5G8W-ibwaAwGRPax9mhV8WKXohj7u3pMhcc4QozkI_45-P3uv9EERqTV0R2Xz-/s1600/IMG_8932.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV2S2z1jE7_RgMcwP2mOHYXFHUxdyZIVFzsjqe90DdgJP1BrRbIVnRN6P2y3kkL4NAybtKCE0WZrIx_I5G8W-ibwaAwGRPax9mhV8WKXohj7u3pMhcc4QozkI_45-P3uv9EERqTV0R2Xz-/s200/IMG_8932.JPG" width="200px" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Again it was hot and humid, so Johnny brought us to a local food stand to enjoy the local refreshments.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The thing people drink here, for health and increased libido is called Snake Whiskey.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>See the picture (I won’t disgust you with graphic details).</div></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvNbcHN35n0uVHoBjVSKAu4ejRZ0FxnBhWPX7vlZxtV_VY1OWQaVrsjC9amhJVxF4pJFEntG9eR7TFIH1SB-oaXtNUVS4telyW2OccmcDkE5a8yF7jW_uwxACvB1lZMI4uljwMZwv89we1/s1600/IMG_8957.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvNbcHN35n0uVHoBjVSKAu4ejRZ0FxnBhWPX7vlZxtV_VY1OWQaVrsjC9amhJVxF4pJFEntG9eR7TFIH1SB-oaXtNUVS4telyW2OccmcDkE5a8yF7jW_uwxACvB1lZMI4uljwMZwv89we1/s200/IMG_8957.JPG" width="150px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3iOzgX2zx3gOLGhXSmq027ZzihEEE5uiDGtXRa5MY6uP8QoEE8YKUuONpKiNx8xkw7vIUMcytHDjnxKizbVJ4i5PsRRhssQbLrPZgCWq-0213kuwluxjvYxuM9n2AsX-FjYPIjqISlfkC/s1600/IMG_7050.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3iOzgX2zx3gOLGhXSmq027ZzihEEE5uiDGtXRa5MY6uP8QoEE8YKUuONpKiNx8xkw7vIUMcytHDjnxKizbVJ4i5PsRRhssQbLrPZgCWq-0213kuwluxjvYxuM9n2AsX-FjYPIjqISlfkC/s200/IMG_7050.JPG" width="200px" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnXCr77leHKe7c-zZsdBHZSEqkcc1J2tLz_GXqaGlj4nia5-NpuMRRDsaujNvQhw6vbFp5ORHb5HZ6K0xwtDxzFIS3Q1Jt4HINnNkmoS0DdUka4H_JxbalUT_9mEOps58dtiVFGM-xHc3y/s1600/IMG_8964.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnXCr77leHKe7c-zZsdBHZSEqkcc1J2tLz_GXqaGlj4nia5-NpuMRRDsaujNvQhw6vbFp5ORHb5HZ6K0xwtDxzFIS3Q1Jt4HINnNkmoS0DdUka4H_JxbalUT_9mEOps58dtiVFGM-xHc3y/s200/IMG_8964.JPG" width="150px" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG5a0IfZevrl0riy_Q6lc5Er1B2xfWxAFQ381HIBXwALtEa3Iq-6tiVslA1xz7l79d_xTBFWHQFBl8jPtB7G6mSnBhzvVXn12hFgVGc_SB8pQ0Yac0f1PPPKAOd2A7hIVeLI34DPf7FBpi/s1600/IMG_8959.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG5a0IfZevrl0riy_Q6lc5Er1B2xfWxAFQ381HIBXwALtEa3Iq-6tiVslA1xz7l79d_xTBFWHQFBl8jPtB7G6mSnBhzvVXn12hFgVGc_SB8pQ0Yac0f1PPPKAOd2A7hIVeLI34DPf7FBpi/s200/IMG_8959.JPG" width="200px" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Me and some of the boys (not my snakephobic brother) took a birthday shot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was actually not half bad.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Had a strong whiskey taste, without some of the smokiness common to western spirits.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwE_fIsCUaP_5qWnxSniOp9vJk2ifrbbH4UFFdSIKvMCwlCbgLis0S8Z37jhrkEQwvPclLZt45abFk1NYKjnJh3-bnu4QjmxNeOxNZY8OTrx8UDGOSiugp8yO5ClHoWo6rzlC45ayw82-U/s1600/IMG_8960.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwE_fIsCUaP_5qWnxSniOp9vJk2ifrbbH4UFFdSIKvMCwlCbgLis0S8Z37jhrkEQwvPclLZt45abFk1NYKjnJh3-bnu4QjmxNeOxNZY8OTrx8UDGOSiugp8yO5ClHoWo6rzlC45ayw82-U/s200/IMG_8960.JPG" width="200px" /></a></div></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">After we finished our bike ride, Jourdan and I went with some of the girls from the group to climb the local mountain, Mount Phusi, to get a great view of the whole city.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Along the way, there were some great Buddha statues.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The view was spectacular.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I set a bird free for good luck.</div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL3L7gKpE8puL1i9sap387JWcX5jqbyqipZJyV89H9qaDIWzwA7U2Fpk1fhxZFlTa-ylwWY5AUUp0jl9BUMXwJPh6VuH2NzqECCqePTQcBX7tz1xeconH-29hg1kD0LYq572NfkMVY0oaA/s1600/IMG_8968.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL3L7gKpE8puL1i9sap387JWcX5jqbyqipZJyV89H9qaDIWzwA7U2Fpk1fhxZFlTa-ylwWY5AUUp0jl9BUMXwJPh6VuH2NzqECCqePTQcBX7tz1xeconH-29hg1kD0LYq572NfkMVY0oaA/s200/IMG_8968.JPG" width="150px" /></a> <br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4OxImRHVUYNG4PygmRhAhOGxwXkE4Qnnqqpo-mA8scQnJ-2TfQeLxGaYC7ibAMOaPSidjlWoYYwB6uy7oOV1xCK6J6s7DV5Uu5oNiUOw8ftOYqQfxqyh71u8Kg6J1CLImHDGNUqBvR6Nf/s1600/IMG_8966.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4OxImRHVUYNG4PygmRhAhOGxwXkE4Qnnqqpo-mA8scQnJ-2TfQeLxGaYC7ibAMOaPSidjlWoYYwB6uy7oOV1xCK6J6s7DV5Uu5oNiUOw8ftOYqQfxqyh71u8Kg6J1CLImHDGNUqBvR6Nf/s200/IMG_8966.JPG" width="200px" /></a> <br />
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After a stroll through the local night market, and a brief foray with getting lost in the city (it is actually surprisingly safe here) we came back to shower and get ready for dinner.</div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">We are both extremely surprised with how nice and accommodating all the people here are.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are all happy all the time, and want nothing of possessions or increasing personal assets.</div></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU2I78KPgBWKq3tCOXS4MQSNzSYlKQih6w2yuKF03wbS9WrCzu_C-uk1SDfhhsrsas7o2jKljJ7XbpMHrj_9EyT6P7vax8El5tASpoaLhb_i_snG-lnVb4SDecpOsQvFR-ngkC3GSzwphL/s1600/IMG_9011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU2I78KPgBWKq3tCOXS4MQSNzSYlKQih6w2yuKF03wbS9WrCzu_C-uk1SDfhhsrsas7o2jKljJ7XbpMHrj_9EyT6P7vax8El5tASpoaLhb_i_snG-lnVb4SDecpOsQvFR-ngkC3GSzwphL/s200/IMG_9011.JPG" width="150px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYOyFm6QlRmKMUzQVMv5WzjF82hcSXs1rVXmiFrVTUp4yggfOzKAKsOKL4KcDooGrLct32dWB3sDE1gygL9j82qaadxnUP04ITJA4nMTa-HmkOS8qcl5mHRsklN93djQppsvz_AybdYR13/s1600/IMG_9007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYOyFm6QlRmKMUzQVMv5WzjF82hcSXs1rVXmiFrVTUp4yggfOzKAKsOKL4KcDooGrLct32dWB3sDE1gygL9j82qaadxnUP04ITJA4nMTa-HmkOS8qcl5mHRsklN93djQppsvz_AybdYR13/s200/IMG_9007.JPG" width="150px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9LDSBnZT7j3aIOiY28nx0xz8cs8Nhjane9STALcVS1U1vjlBEdB-M-4RmZJ50pZZGQtb7K2ppjQDAeRUyqFlop06-jsMyZ_RIovz3Xo06EDh6SO3sc7LmKJqDnnHOSbaJWnb_A9Bfqau3/s1600/IMG_9009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9LDSBnZT7j3aIOiY28nx0xz8cs8Nhjane9STALcVS1U1vjlBEdB-M-4RmZJ50pZZGQtb7K2ppjQDAeRUyqFlop06-jsMyZ_RIovz3Xo06EDh6SO3sc7LmKJqDnnHOSbaJWnb_A9Bfqau3/s200/IMG_9009.JPG" width="200px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6RYSSlA0t5TVLI2EXMWQeyusjynDnwNf2VOUAsk5EQA9aMz5dLPJ67GrHaLhZ1Ql2f8w2rk6EhYPcGGmw3szKB-f7MVYMDZPVTmQwpM3h-EMdSlOl8Cw6smvKAXdN3025qk5AJl8yh9kC/s1600/IMG_9026.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6RYSSlA0t5TVLI2EXMWQeyusjynDnwNf2VOUAsk5EQA9aMz5dLPJ67GrHaLhZ1Ql2f8w2rk6EhYPcGGmw3szKB-f7MVYMDZPVTmQwpM3h-EMdSlOl8Cw6smvKAXdN3025qk5AJl8yh9kC/s200/IMG_9026.JPG" width="200px" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYmnsgvrdeUO4G2bwvqNcbV997fkWtPBJAPhufHzHCHgDfWJ0FaNQ7zrqOoRLXgoCm69X3XfSqFNeL5R-wzbNhKwO1_xmRIjQTlLGlxho6DyvCdlJDk7zG9nCnHRTS1BYmevBpQVLJVL2B/s1600/IMG_8991.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYmnsgvrdeUO4G2bwvqNcbV997fkWtPBJAPhufHzHCHgDfWJ0FaNQ7zrqOoRLXgoCm69X3XfSqFNeL5R-wzbNhKwO1_xmRIjQTlLGlxho6DyvCdlJDk7zG9nCnHRTS1BYmevBpQVLJVL2B/s200/IMG_8991.JPG" width="150px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFfO3MzKgMpBFKFt69cjr4tdLtDO18mbdMBWxfFtibRwnFVLTCA-FpGYhTiMzfkf508pMzW0LCac0n-1rg50s_hsKAiN0H2VsPyH1BuqWs691jsT2dGc1eJBk0MKQdb_5kI6Mm6IH4uP6c/s1600/IMG_8989.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFfO3MzKgMpBFKFt69cjr4tdLtDO18mbdMBWxfFtibRwnFVLTCA-FpGYhTiMzfkf508pMzW0LCac0n-1rg50s_hsKAiN0H2VsPyH1BuqWs691jsT2dGc1eJBk0MKQdb_5kI6Mm6IH4uP6c/s200/IMG_8989.JPG" width="200px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijw4A2LwjrmuOnHsVtJ9I5mcfGZiBe4QyDHwFbKi8jvNDefFaT4g5kHa-7qdEZS9zdTnnPt6bcEIiiBz3F5DBKwFTTum3MLiigg4Mna8P7nZLiJbiyR7FZgorOdaQk0wIifrsyB12D918f/s1600/IMG_9014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijw4A2LwjrmuOnHsVtJ9I5mcfGZiBe4QyDHwFbKi8jvNDefFaT4g5kHa-7qdEZS9zdTnnPt6bcEIiiBz3F5DBKwFTTum3MLiigg4Mna8P7nZLiJbiyR7FZgorOdaQk0wIifrsyB12D918f/s200/IMG_9014.JPG" width="200px" /></a>The whole group headed to Lao Lao garden for dinner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had way too many Lao Lao shots (sticky-rice whiskey).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jourdan, Paul, and myself split a in table bbq/soup combination.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were cooking up veggies, eggs, chicken, and water buffalo.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was delicious. For a nice surprise, Hoover set it up for me to get some birthday cake, and then she gave me a birthday motorboat. :-D</div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">We then headed next door to Hive bar, where the drinking continued, and the group implemented the “Mine Game” (if you say the word, you owe 10 pushups on the spot).</div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiduczUWvOBnYMVKvmsoO910o62aFzfd0yIwrMZ_qNYg_3x2IB-EGs47qgqTkfCKpgO0T2YP3PKwXi1qtuVhEgoKWPH5N1hbdrKPtN2cgY-xy6s6oSH7XMmBVJjHRFoSnkxAipRABa0C9te/s1600/IMG_9048.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiduczUWvOBnYMVKvmsoO910o62aFzfd0yIwrMZ_qNYg_3x2IB-EGs47qgqTkfCKpgO0T2YP3PKwXi1qtuVhEgoKWPH5N1hbdrKPtN2cgY-xy6s6oSH7XMmBVJjHRFoSnkxAipRABa0C9te/s200/IMG_9048.JPG" width="200px" /></a>Halfway through the night, it started raining, and we all partied on the outdoor terrace in the rain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>GOOD TIMES!!!</div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Of course, due to Lao law, home by 12.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXuKIARugutM53nQ1lKZYwY0_3rH1WIlZHam9Zh-HkWVE54w2wiDfn9gIiG3dPgGdxhkP-zCpSlHTcLhxIUHGETKtkiyTTo4iwAIbkIfE6NuPdzvckvpwEjwO52GyqMzYMAWqmkULqLWlD/s1600/IMG_9057.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXuKIARugutM53nQ1lKZYwY0_3rH1WIlZHam9Zh-HkWVE54w2wiDfn9gIiG3dPgGdxhkP-zCpSlHTcLhxIUHGETKtkiyTTo4iwAIbkIfE6NuPdzvckvpwEjwO52GyqMzYMAWqmkULqLWlD/s200/IMG_9057.JPG" width="200px" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Us with Johnny</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZgrOhKdbch8_Ca2nkoomSg_fgcZoOuPr4tPnK4u8PasgPmOLhwURYITMiu32pSNNpBry_KaysRR1sWiud1DUc6P9l4dcoKelHjrgNv8FPEQdGOewN2FqYRu_J5xYc7afaviSSN_7Bb88y/s1600/IMG_9067.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZgrOhKdbch8_Ca2nkoomSg_fgcZoOuPr4tPnK4u8PasgPmOLhwURYITMiu32pSNNpBry_KaysRR1sWiud1DUc6P9l4dcoKelHjrgNv8FPEQdGOewN2FqYRu_J5xYc7afaviSSN_7Bb88y/s200/IMG_9067.JPG" width="200px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA8wiki4qBKUr72cty40inEgDuWrSHtUq7mKqAMbABXGSxsXOUWsPsN-O6GTVpfZqkf3dScFBdl0cJ41Wx4lYJtO22-snDygbpRR5GYyBFu6jTkovGoLmv-4otX5hygScyChd3LMr30FBW/s1600/IMG_9033.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA8wiki4qBKUr72cty40inEgDuWrSHtUq7mKqAMbABXGSxsXOUWsPsN-O6GTVpfZqkf3dScFBdl0cJ41Wx4lYJtO22-snDygbpRR5GYyBFu6jTkovGoLmv-4otX5hygScyChd3LMr30FBW/s200/IMG_9033.JPG" width="200px" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTVNZpGC_g_xDf4J_sLT6_eD58ZCRz0wAB1k8DB7C1htW-xKkwkQCE_8SgBnGkFyNgErIVcU4esRzi6XG6DHmglcfaDHgxo_Is5BVmYo3yx2m_L9620X1NAc6cR-GpH3nVzNL-vrcYY-_l/s1600/IMG_9046.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTVNZpGC_g_xDf4J_sLT6_eD58ZCRz0wAB1k8DB7C1htW-xKkwkQCE_8SgBnGkFyNgErIVcU4esRzi6XG6DHmglcfaDHgxo_Is5BVmYo3yx2m_L9620X1NAc6cR-GpH3nVzNL-vrcYY-_l/s200/IMG_9046.JPG" width="200px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6D6JhmPz_BbwnXGLLp45BUd0EiOWBMmiU5IRGaM1otYoZbkqc5ug0BAny_TINsQrelbsOm2ws3v0ukrpsd5z4d0jp_tG3cOcyf4_TB6Sp4tf4tbBr1VgQm-fg80c2bxeMELyJ9zRdFas6/s1600/IMG_9044.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6D6JhmPz_BbwnXGLLp45BUd0EiOWBMmiU5IRGaM1otYoZbkqc5ug0BAny_TINsQrelbsOm2ws3v0ukrpsd5z4d0jp_tG3cOcyf4_TB6Sp4tf4tbBr1VgQm-fg80c2bxeMELyJ9zRdFas6/s200/IMG_9044.JPG" width="200px" /></a></div>The Block Boyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09994844378518194776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2416656104577293898.post-87899764858004612272011-06-25T12:37:00.002-04:002011-06-25T12:39:15.089-04:00Cruising down the Mekong<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFB_TA2OGlmS5DwJ7Ww8smnDu2BVF9JIcltubrG0f3ADJ7fUMqqqJaVAMHAdb-H6llwEE24e-vFnxUU1fiNOy_bM0CTbOx7z0_aWUg0uCeM70i0dbRuELdixJbSdQ3kPV3yLceDuYMwxqV/s1600/IMG_6902.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFB_TA2OGlmS5DwJ7Ww8smnDu2BVF9JIcltubrG0f3ADJ7fUMqqqJaVAMHAdb-H6llwEE24e-vFnxUU1fiNOy_bM0CTbOx7z0_aWUg0uCeM70i0dbRuELdixJbSdQ3kPV3yLceDuYMwxqV/s200/IMG_6902.JPG" width="200px" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ferrying to Laos from Thailand</td></tr>
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Thursday morning started by checking out of the hotel, and getting into some very old fashioned long boats, to cross the Mekong River from Thailand into Laos.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We spent a little bit of time at the border “stall” to get the whole groups passport stamps and visas. We met our guide for Laos, named Johnny. </div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdOV2FpksYzQXYiXZutUIB_ZcW34UVu7D3P4ynlfMGMu9WTBhWjRn9Bd9ZEfG6lrKgsjVFzWH-IrzcbCXa26UHAXsUC-L2RnBIKBRQeR7lt9h5uXcvN5_YXG785PDqn_qhDuTiy1OUtguS/s1600/IMG_6996.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdOV2FpksYzQXYiXZutUIB_ZcW34UVu7D3P4ynlfMGMu9WTBhWjRn9Bd9ZEfG6lrKgsjVFzWH-IrzcbCXa26UHAXsUC-L2RnBIKBRQeR7lt9h5uXcvN5_YXG785PDqn_qhDuTiy1OUtguS/s200/IMG_6996.JPG" width="200px" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Boarding our Mekong River Cruise</td></tr>
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX-_hsWkFeRazJD26hu_0lphxQjQL_Bb7NfA0LESxwUumGCfiCuJ2bP_tHAbfe627mxCLyANfMvqjgB24xEyoE0KwVVXYUNiWMbCLKtn9AMQ0hEVBwfBpZw6BNh_MrdQG0M0qyhWxuMTvT/s1600/IMG_8760.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX-_hsWkFeRazJD26hu_0lphxQjQL_Bb7NfA0LESxwUumGCfiCuJ2bP_tHAbfe627mxCLyANfMvqjgB24xEyoE0KwVVXYUNiWMbCLKtn9AMQ0hEVBwfBpZw6BNh_MrdQG0M0qyhWxuMTvT/s200/IMG_8760.JPG" width="200px" /></a>We loaded our bags into some Tuk-tuks, and were brought down to our “Cruise Ship.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This cruise was on a 75 foot flat barge houseboat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We began our 2 day trip down the Mekong River towards Luang Prabang.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The views were extraordinary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One either side of the river, we were looking at sheer jungle mountainside, with occasional fishing huts scattering the landscape.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is surreal to see these people living in these totally isolated villages in such an incredible atmosphere.</div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">For a change of pace, we were finally able to get a small breeze in the HOT and HUMID weather.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The cruise was incredibly relaxing and was a great opportunity to spend time getting to know the group members better.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5DCBTn9JrgFT2Udj8LjZcZYd6o60Gd5Aq9p3QGkU5ZBkdDP6OAy-RWZWP9aVfzW1MUf0zeu2idkwAXdaozA9OLDLWcC7C1PoigP5K-4TdQy52uvvfhyphenhyphengpGcgguLJbzIJs-cEixncbxlBc/s1600/IMG_8879.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5DCBTn9JrgFT2Udj8LjZcZYd6o60Gd5Aq9p3QGkU5ZBkdDP6OAy-RWZWP9aVfzW1MUf0zeu2idkwAXdaozA9OLDLWcC7C1PoigP5K-4TdQy52uvvfhyphenhyphengpGcgguLJbzIJs-cEixncbxlBc/s200/IMG_8879.JPG" width="200px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRoRUHdzniQoQuxcd4JVAanpxSgs8N7GvTddIraPyALQl99fXxqYOFSlXrRbtwi9lcQ-E1FQt3sjSnkq2n_ZgDwokCNrlX5vUZO7APIcd69BJ9WaFD8pNwSjN-EoiSADz0nyAZ857o5oQz/s1600/IMG_8880.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRoRUHdzniQoQuxcd4JVAanpxSgs8N7GvTddIraPyALQl99fXxqYOFSlXrRbtwi9lcQ-E1FQt3sjSnkq2n_ZgDwokCNrlX5vUZO7APIcd69BJ9WaFD8pNwSjN-EoiSADz0nyAZ857o5oQz/s200/IMG_8880.JPG" width="200px" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">In the early evening we arrived at Pak Beng.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is a small village that marks the halfway point between the border and Luang Prabang.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One interesting thing about this town, is that it just got electricity less the one year ago.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-YBXzdYR82LyCxn8CX3r-VhEBawsBn6_JZfTatKUEpWvk2VqSXI_7u1Qew0jhKzPQPapwIQJKv4FEjy5V-W62pC7aFv0Qc-spV1ZgbQKWOkVIpRluwo4tbWAN-FHfIfcDzNq2viutDMNR/s1600/IMG_8784.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-YBXzdYR82LyCxn8CX3r-VhEBawsBn6_JZfTatKUEpWvk2VqSXI_7u1Qew0jhKzPQPapwIQJKv4FEjy5V-W62pC7aFv0Qc-spV1ZgbQKWOkVIpRluwo4tbWAN-FHfIfcDzNq2viutDMNR/s200/IMG_8784.JPG" width="200px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpn13c1Ut0E-95mz5-g8obg5f22quByoToYnukJxX702obTpudTWB0UAUPrSF50Bhl9mVlkZcN3q3nlCeL3sANJSloQ1Iuqp7SQ49581EsjTBfdLmyEUQW1FGjoKR_hBo-SOsu6Ab4RybC/s1600/IMG_8803.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpn13c1Ut0E-95mz5-g8obg5f22quByoToYnukJxX702obTpudTWB0UAUPrSF50Bhl9mVlkZcN3q3nlCeL3sANJSloQ1Iuqp7SQ49581EsjTBfdLmyEUQW1FGjoKR_hBo-SOsu6Ab4RybC/s200/IMG_8803.JPG" width="200px" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">We headed with some group members over to the only bar in the town, called Hive Bar.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were sitting outside, enjoying some cold BeerLao, and the electricity cut off twice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If the incredibly scenic views don’t remind you that you are in the middle of nowhere, that does.</div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The whole group ate a traditional Lao meal on the guesthouse patio with a gorgeous view of the sunset against the valley, the Mekong, and the mountain jungles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The group hung around and drank in the hotel, until the 12 pm Laotian government mandated curfew came by.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We headed to the room, to call it a night, and try to shower off from the hot sticky sweatiness (no a/c in a town that barely has electricity).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we checked out the bathroom, the shower, was a hand held head, hanging above the toilet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was no toilet paper.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Overall, a good nights sleep, and back on the boat the next morning.</div></div>The Block Boyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09994844378518194776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2416656104577293898.post-55320029969832918442011-06-25T12:05:00.000-04:002011-06-25T12:05:07.928-04:00On to Chang Rai<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii5VPXU0IAJfdS6lpZnpwF3iixS3npjkMPeA6vAH-fZoYDr_LXy5US8bly0dCkBVNxdr-dF-MtMWuTLk0Ndjg4yO-htMShq6MTi6luMroPC0sUx2UmjXaaoPKyuwrvhgHSPzZrDm2Tl-mc/s1600/IMG_6868.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii5VPXU0IAJfdS6lpZnpwF3iixS3npjkMPeA6vAH-fZoYDr_LXy5US8bly0dCkBVNxdr-dF-MtMWuTLk0Ndjg4yO-htMShq6MTi6luMroPC0sUx2UmjXaaoPKyuwrvhgHSPzZrDm2Tl-mc/s200/IMG_6868.JPG" width="200px" /></a>The day started with us sleeping in a little bit compared to recent days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We woke up at 7 am.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After a quick breakfast, the group rejoined Arin on the bus, and headed off to Chang Rai, which is a city right up by the border with Laos.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Along the way, we stopped for a snack break at a place called Cabbage and Condoms.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a center that teaches the Thai people about family planning, STD awareness, and condoms.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The ones they make are smaller then the American ones…</div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">After a four-hour bus ride, we entered the heart of the “Golden Triangle,” known for being the opium capital.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We checked into the Wangcome Hotel, which happened to be quite a nice place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Now that we have realized how extremely hot and humid it is all the time here, we went to mail some of the unneeded clothing home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then we grabbed some nice Thai food with Hoover for lunch.</div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3qtXnvL-o1ScsRZZKuyvid2UhqCBdr0l9416_4YaEMnaD8Zt7kNArVDC3hWO1d06hPUfuF27zqc8gMzWkU4XMwzT0BDS5olrOUtqMV4R789PiPIuaj70W5EQsae4dRAZdeyb3J5lkIKHP/s1600/IMG_6879.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; height: 249px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 182px;"><img border="0" height="200px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3qtXnvL-o1ScsRZZKuyvid2UhqCBdr0l9416_4YaEMnaD8Zt7kNArVDC3hWO1d06hPUfuF27zqc8gMzWkU4XMwzT0BDS5olrOUtqMV4R789PiPIuaj70W5EQsae4dRAZdeyb3J5lkIKHP/s200/IMG_6879.JPG" width="150px" /></a>In the afternoon, we headed over to a relocation zone, wear hill tribe people from Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar are brought in to live and receive education and healthcare services.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>First we saw the Akha Tribe do a local song for us, and then we saw the long necked Karen hill tribe with the rings around their neck.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These people literally are living in huts on the side of the mountain, with no modern day amenities like beds, windows, or doors (don’t even think about a/c or running water).</div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKr1emnS-cfhUL-4gdMXCfbLKLUF8VR4EJTnSj0ON15g6h9eAEyov0MM3FMQ0LczLk3kdHSpeDm1yiIJ1a9ftVYYnkHz6XhMmK2jM6orGHxrknazoWDnWhHqFoPyFnr_tYsyze04xNQjrv/s1600/IMG_8683.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKr1emnS-cfhUL-4gdMXCfbLKLUF8VR4EJTnSj0ON15g6h9eAEyov0MM3FMQ0LczLk3kdHSpeDm1yiIJ1a9ftVYYnkHz6XhMmK2jM6orGHxrknazoWDnWhHqFoPyFnr_tYsyze04xNQjrv/s200/IMG_8683.JPG" width="200px" /></a>Dinner tonight was in a local style.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were sitting in a night market, with dozens of stalls all around us serving various different types of food.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jourdan and I split a chicken and a pork hot pot (bowl of broth on a flame, and we dip and cook food in it).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also snacked on some grasshoppers and silk worms.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jourdan decided his quota for bugs has been totally filled.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">To help digest, we walked around the outdoor market for a bit, and then caught some of a Lady-Boy show.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We headed back to the hotel, and prepared for our group’s awesome 80’s party.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Definitely a fun night out!</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKve3GlAsruKpXi8rcX7Oj6ooOHYHyM0SLOKtBJkez-FVdF1lLNKpFc25SxTYIfHdDTWSjzCOlIsC5NSk7TA342wKCw3IIT7S-i9aDTNAJOXOe71qsc5dNmi0U7da6VpZU9w-UBp8hYBu3/s1600/IMG_8700.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKve3GlAsruKpXi8rcX7Oj6ooOHYHyM0SLOKtBJkez-FVdF1lLNKpFc25SxTYIfHdDTWSjzCOlIsC5NSk7TA342wKCw3IIT7S-i9aDTNAJOXOe71qsc5dNmi0U7da6VpZU9w-UBp8hYBu3/s320/IMG_8700.JPG" width="320px" /></a></div>The Block Boyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09994844378518194776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2416656104577293898.post-77981122853771470662011-06-22T10:15:00.001-04:002011-06-25T07:22:55.816-04:00Our Day in Chang Mai<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLSkGOd62ZtPN_xZ_2uwMZz9oZyrhiJJor2pvuUW6_3MtiAWWa8f9Vhia0AXINltXICaxAiijULtxMd5TcV4UbFj41N5qfo3NkxV8F-ChQ4eSldRd9s2TwAmgqbPg6Pe3aKurc-k5PuI3W/s1600/Asia+6-22+224.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLSkGOd62ZtPN_xZ_2uwMZz9oZyrhiJJor2pvuUW6_3MtiAWWa8f9Vhia0AXINltXICaxAiijULtxMd5TcV4UbFj41N5qfo3NkxV8F-ChQ4eSldRd9s2TwAmgqbPg6Pe3aKurc-k5PuI3W/s200/Asia+6-22+224.jpg" width="200px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicEu0mdh20BbtXa3X716p_iFdA0TWkd-qMXRwOYzzbZ73X7pPRqse3-p88_3WVsh4un_Vhodt33qkEViaXuR3EPC14d4lcw34huwodYdO7qpTQUrum5t0yYMeBBdk9H-3WOpZ6oJr0W6YJ/s1600/Asia+6-22+203.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicEu0mdh20BbtXa3X716p_iFdA0TWkd-qMXRwOYzzbZ73X7pPRqse3-p88_3WVsh4un_Vhodt33qkEViaXuR3EPC14d4lcw34huwodYdO7qpTQUrum5t0yYMeBBdk9H-3WOpZ6oJr0W6YJ/s200/Asia+6-22+203.jpg" width="150px" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">We woke up this morning around 6:30, and were able to see some of the Thai countryside as we headed into the last leg before Chang Mai.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was a much more stereotypical picture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We saw sprawling jungles, mountains, ravines, rice paddies, and some small towns as we passed through.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jourdan used much of this time to read up some statistics about Thailand, and especially their Lady-Boy population.</div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Around 8:30 we arrived in Chang Mai (the second largest Thai city- it’s up in the north) and headed to the Empress hotel to eat breakfast, wash up, and get ready to begin the day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We met our new local guide Arin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He took us to the Wat Phra That Doi Suthep temple (according to Jourdan- I can’t keep track of this stuff).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">To get to the temple, we had to climb 306 steps, not counting all the steps we had to climb to get to the initial landing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Along the way, we made friends with some little Asian girls, who despite my best efforts, we were unable to bring them home with us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The temple was very beautiful, had a great view of the city, and contained ancient relics from Buddha.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While here, I got blessed by a Buddhist Monk (Jourdan decided to stay outside).</div></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyinDXBwjmvC3MCLvsZ-WPI1DyNfV09N5xkKD9GWMW_H9aJnzLLjE1YM29KRJQ9xDR3B3r7uU0cPwoo5YXMMQYBz5YyThi58FZEcfITIDN6jLtSPZ2jPzepr2zT8Z2pZPZqZj9goAs7ZA-/s1600/IMG_8550.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyinDXBwjmvC3MCLvsZ-WPI1DyNfV09N5xkKD9GWMW_H9aJnzLLjE1YM29KRJQ9xDR3B3r7uU0cPwoo5YXMMQYBz5YyThi58FZEcfITIDN6jLtSPZ2jPzepr2zT8Z2pZPZqZj9goAs7ZA-/s200/IMG_8550.JPG" width="200px" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">After the temple, we did an optional tour that Contiki offers, and headed to The Tiger Kingdom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is a place where the Thai’s rehabilitate tigers, and have created a sanctuary. Many of these tigers were at one time wild, and none of them have been declawed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jourdan and I went all out and bought the total package.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>SOOO worth it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were able to touch, handle and play with about 25 tigers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were 4 different sizes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The smallest (2 ½ months old), small (6 months-1 year), medium (1 ½ yrs-3 years), and Big.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was AWESOME.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Between the two of us, and the professional photographer we took well over 300 pictures.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Check out some of the great pics, but we will probably have an album just from this.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjuniytLkYHIP9vde_3C05tmPdw28lRwHwqk5jBZ3Q8eNu4BdV8RaGU1nWF7IGCK6NJy_Ja6gp3K_n3NwQIhNSEfwJ6ikGOouRASLZuT_-GP_h1NkDra-6uLMUOnyjlSw9jSnVrfstLkx9/s1600/IMG_8595.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjuniytLkYHIP9vde_3C05tmPdw28lRwHwqk5jBZ3Q8eNu4BdV8RaGU1nWF7IGCK6NJy_Ja6gp3K_n3NwQIhNSEfwJ6ikGOouRASLZuT_-GP_h1NkDra-6uLMUOnyjlSw9jSnVrfstLkx9/s200/IMG_8595.JPG" width="200px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBWr8uVajg5dEw8B96VGw4kJSIjYoyFjk6qllf9SLBoVK4Qun_MN5DQDlX92v2MCoqv_ommBqI9icMdyYWuaQIH-VScN3VuG-9UkY-L8C91gPLe3kAQ-t3rodjKX-JComrqvIt_MGsrX5r/s1600/Asia+6-22+199.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBWr8uVajg5dEw8B96VGw4kJSIjYoyFjk6qllf9SLBoVK4Qun_MN5DQDlX92v2MCoqv_ommBqI9icMdyYWuaQIH-VScN3VuG-9UkY-L8C91gPLe3kAQ-t3rodjKX-JComrqvIt_MGsrX5r/s200/Asia+6-22+199.jpg" width="200px" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">After the Tiger Kingdom, we went back to the hotel for a quick shower and change, and then headed straight out to a traditional Thai cooking class.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the way, we stopped at a local market to learn about the local Thai foods, and how to buy them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While here, we picked up some more mangosteens, and we also tried some rambutan, and some Thai curry pastries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We learned to make spicy and sour soup, pad thai, some chicken and cashew dish and some curry pork dish that I can’t pronounce.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then we learned about how to prepare sticky rice, and a desert with mango.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was all very delicious, and spicy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-cR8JcZSNH5LPHRDuIH7qT1yfRr-B-O-w5d92jBY_q-JA8uVsbtJgvkd4zL4SfNc7KjVrOjGgrs0MHngTiCeO7aYHqsRbaTTlfXiKxBZcOBkauM7wtGhJfpaRRR2HKIE4MbPzV4_lGp9e/s1600/Asia+6-22+241.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-cR8JcZSNH5LPHRDuIH7qT1yfRr-B-O-w5d92jBY_q-JA8uVsbtJgvkd4zL4SfNc7KjVrOjGgrs0MHngTiCeO7aYHqsRbaTTlfXiKxBZcOBkauM7wtGhJfpaRRR2HKIE4MbPzV4_lGp9e/s200/Asia+6-22+241.jpg" width="200px" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4H9s6e74tn9-LiPp1W3xSt67W1quiK05enTM_0YlNDkiMSp4QJOy5ZM0caX2F6Sq00-c99rzTXRcvUG-IdR5ijqJuquJecgbLHZlQeQDaQFfw1Ob6KB73aYDo0itnLOXZj5CfJ_SyOFLJ/s1600/Asia+6-22+238.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4H9s6e74tn9-LiPp1W3xSt67W1quiK05enTM_0YlNDkiMSp4QJOy5ZM0caX2F6Sq00-c99rzTXRcvUG-IdR5ijqJuquJecgbLHZlQeQDaQFfw1Ob6KB73aYDo0itnLOXZj5CfJ_SyOFLJ/s200/Asia+6-22+238.jpg" width="150px" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;">Big Momma</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF0WOoKHhQvA7Y3NsG9X3b_vNo4D_ACHHFcNphdBy-dXOfiqUmLnoFNifGgwSwguTob8tyLKRvNPNOnUGCf-8qbT0iXF1EVbkO0nyrAOta6edpBRiZpz_E_oczlWUfFbAYW7ivAtafz1Gc/s1600/IMG_8613.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF0WOoKHhQvA7Y3NsG9X3b_vNo4D_ACHHFcNphdBy-dXOfiqUmLnoFNifGgwSwguTob8tyLKRvNPNOnUGCf-8qbT0iXF1EVbkO0nyrAOta6edpBRiZpz_E_oczlWUfFbAYW7ivAtafz1Gc/s200/IMG_8613.JPG" width="200px" /></a>After the cooking class, we headed back to the city center.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was amazing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At night, Chang Mai changes from a quiet city to a bustling night market.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They set up stall along both sides of all of the streets, and throughout all the open squares.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You could literally buy anything there as long as you are ready to barter with the sellers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We picked up some Buddha statues for ourselves, some knock off polos for about 6 dollars, and some 80’s clothes for the costume party we have tomorrow night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOLjSfjALvH6YyZi5fWAgIj8hC61RKVMv6kyV92RTOmnMwzOLAoyqiiZKbH2qnNF_iz5vlwdEvd-CfTX42IwvyfBwcTWly-0-6PpmiT2XALrkMH7zpTxcdyH9mowVxuSayAdjEOxLtie-j/s1600/IMG_8611.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOLjSfjALvH6YyZi5fWAgIj8hC61RKVMv6kyV92RTOmnMwzOLAoyqiiZKbH2qnNF_iz5vlwdEvd-CfTX42IwvyfBwcTWly-0-6PpmiT2XALrkMH7zpTxcdyH9mowVxuSayAdjEOxLtie-j/s200/IMG_8611.JPG" width="200px" /></a>We then went to kill a few hours with some of the people from the tour in a local Irish bar.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Being on a trip with so many different people, we really can experience accents from around the world. Between the Irish, British, Ausies, Kiwis, Canadians and the few Americans,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>understanding intoxicated friends get quite difficult. Finally, as it started getting a bit late, we jumped in a Tuk-Tuk to head home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The driver thought he would be funny (I think because we bartered him down so much) and took a quick detour to a local lady-boy bar.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These lady-boys would actually be very good looking women.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is pretty crazy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As they tried to start groping us, and we insisted on not being interested, the driver took us back to the hotel with no further delays or issues.</div></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSsHDb51Gh65rltedqYAaAI-VSKGzx9a5yx4wLp8JSGpInRGz5t3FUoHFnqTIkINSAAFHR1dGuhLJ_B3kNolwnOTEIuoJgNVGfUlLtOmZRMFFpVVl2sPnVhvrJ00cVxb_0KyVr4pUBlttT/s1600/Asia+6-22+187.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSsHDb51Gh65rltedqYAaAI-VSKGzx9a5yx4wLp8JSGpInRGz5t3FUoHFnqTIkINSAAFHR1dGuhLJ_B3kNolwnOTEIuoJgNVGfUlLtOmZRMFFpVVl2sPnVhvrJ00cVxb_0KyVr4pUBlttT/s200/Asia+6-22+187.jpg" width="150px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrN_t1OSidN7c4NvCe2sOc8SzL9Y3lOSAyaD4aapiWdb4z4okpNh1U0Tj_WWlLVu1fdSbSHgXdNYmYSGWG9l-S4QvYDWn9tDWebB0a6Fszx8QZdAvjhU2fttqlGCzmrm1ubSuNVn-8HY48/s1600/IMG_8578.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrN_t1OSidN7c4NvCe2sOc8SzL9Y3lOSAyaD4aapiWdb4z4okpNh1U0Tj_WWlLVu1fdSbSHgXdNYmYSGWG9l-S4QvYDWn9tDWebB0a6Fszx8QZdAvjhU2fttqlGCzmrm1ubSuNVn-8HY48/s200/IMG_8578.JPG" width="200px" /></a></div>The Block Boyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09994844378518194776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2416656104577293898.post-37759750847584240082011-06-22T10:05:00.002-04:002011-06-25T06:29:15.711-04:00Our Tour Officially Begins<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqf_e1lw4peeY3yu82W_NGc-MwilWzIGLL2zsFIEigwzwuEvr657VPuBGPefcyvt09DguLon7qVPb0Livf7qEZOuQKliapEKzKBt8DNLQgMzQVSQPErMfGCgye1jkhDuiErKtKg_jSjlXE/s1600/IMG_8321.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqf_e1lw4peeY3yu82W_NGc-MwilWzIGLL2zsFIEigwzwuEvr657VPuBGPefcyvt09DguLon7qVPb0Livf7qEZOuQKliapEKzKBt8DNLQgMzQVSQPErMfGCgye1jkhDuiErKtKg_jSjlXE/s200/IMG_8321.JPG" width="200px" /></a><span id="goog_1827933941"></span><span id="goog_1827933942"></span><span id="goog_791329062"></span><span id="goog_791329063"></span><span id="goog_97191565"></span><span id="goog_97191566"></span>Today we woke up early, and prepared to do some official touring with a guide.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We started the day by meeting our local guide Ron, and heading over to the old Royal Palace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We used the local river boats to get over to the palace and only managed to lose 2 of the people on the tour on the way.</div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP93IFSRdeR0-fr9-cPSbOq7kKVICMoSDZ04SGHOcoVeZJ99lvuS1i17kJucVoY06vtnTUyQjulFNNpvQZa5JrUcPtxMeOa6FkKIJCJ75XJms7Rlx-XbWAQOv5dMFfrEGQw5zbQj9Xk_y6/s1600/IMG_8341.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP93IFSRdeR0-fr9-cPSbOq7kKVICMoSDZ04SGHOcoVeZJ99lvuS1i17kJucVoY06vtnTUyQjulFNNpvQZa5JrUcPtxMeOa6FkKIJCJ75XJms7Rlx-XbWAQOv5dMFfrEGQw5zbQj9Xk_y6/s200/IMG_8341.JPG" width="200px" /></a> <div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The palace was exceptionally beautiful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were an array of ornately decorated buildings, pagodas, and shrines.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We toured around the outer and central parts of the old palace, and culminated the experience by seeing the Emerald Buddha.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is one of the holiest Buddhas in all of Thailand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was actually a little disappointed in it, because it was a tiny Buddha (about a foot and a half tall) sitting on top of a 50 foot golden<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> th</span>rown.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was definitely expecting a grander Buddha, but it was very nice.</div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAVVn1ZrTRdGwRQwxEzaGFr6GEP41vnM9mEde18ZB6fh4xkkv1YX_o_7t8P5heByChwQkvnBys4jlnbIiyjlhyphenhyphenqtQkjANqSNcf8eeNQmndhUW_njPnw2B-5waKg0EVTHECVVpHAqyxD64-/s1600/IMG_8363.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAVVn1ZrTRdGwRQwxEzaGFr6GEP41vnM9mEde18ZB6fh4xkkv1YX_o_7t8P5heByChwQkvnBys4jlnbIiyjlhyphenhyphenqtQkjANqSNcf8eeNQmndhUW_njPnw2B-5waKg0EVTHECVVpHAqyxD64-/s200/IMG_8363.JPG" width="150px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqSEebjLpcmvBANPfRC1b5SrxiTg3iAM5nRn0UedD2PaaEyO115ROndgV0YnQCyfI81MIRNKi23Jn2r38moR0i3yk_HkCfviWBBWShOF0uQ3oNSnf-umxr4IwQNNVxobLSY5PxsL6OJYqx/s1600/IMG_8335.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqSEebjLpcmvBANPfRC1b5SrxiTg3iAM5nRn0UedD2PaaEyO115ROndgV0YnQCyfI81MIRNKi23Jn2r38moR0i3yk_HkCfviWBBWShOF0uQ3oNSnf-umxr4IwQNNVxobLSY5PxsL6OJYqx/s200/IMG_8335.JPG" width="150px" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijRSTaImSfsqPK-xtW_LNj2AINp9yuCczeUCLLhgj0Bo6KLxz1x6G9Qbg6b1VfBB_YROONBa8JDyKydZbDscQA4pN87aTqPvKpkkzjfOG7AYw1kEcGJ9oeW5wKTI5dNNUo5XXk6Scx1lnl/s1600/BB+Grand+Palace+Thailand.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijRSTaImSfsqPK-xtW_LNj2AINp9yuCczeUCLLhgj0Bo6KLxz1x6G9Qbg6b1VfBB_YROONBa8JDyKydZbDscQA4pN87aTqPvKpkkzjfOG7AYw1kEcGJ9oeW5wKTI5dNNUo5XXk6Scx1lnl/s200/BB+Grand+Palace+Thailand.jpg" width="200px" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">After the Palace, we headed back to the pier, but this time for a private tour down the river and canals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was very interesting, as the homes along the canal were the shanty town houses on stilts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It had that dirty poor aspect that we were looking for.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also on the ride, we passed a bunch of both Thai and Chinese Buddhist Temples, the Royal Barge Museum, and some really nice houses mixed into the shanties randomly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the end of the canal, we did some catfish feeding, then turned around and headed back to the hotel for free time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the way back, we had our first exposure to some local fruits.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were eating Mangosteens.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are incredibly sweet and juicy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I really liked them, and wonder if I’ll be able to get them back in New York.</div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">During free time, we walked around for a few and grabbed lunch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was so hot and humid, probably somewhere in the 90’s with about 80% humidity, that we ended up with half the group hanging out in the pool for a few hours after that.</div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"> At 5 o’clock we headed to the train station and boarded the overnight train to head into Chang Mai.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We ate some dinner on the train, drank a little, hung out with some group members for a bit, and then went to sleep.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Overall it was pretty decent, but uneventful (nothing like Monte and Jourdan’s 26 hour train ride to Florida on Amtrack).</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg40cBajfISAw4jUAjy_pmj3_ZwiJ4UC2RfqTfNG2_boewxYsn0F8sAZvvXJeHwbQ4gPeTSC6hLl742Q2MY8-N9Su6V-LSkn9y07KJ_uiiuBWEu0G3Op6we32FPjis5aqeChvIzW-Tz4DBo/s1600/IMG_8429.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg40cBajfISAw4jUAjy_pmj3_ZwiJ4UC2RfqTfNG2_boewxYsn0F8sAZvvXJeHwbQ4gPeTSC6hLl742Q2MY8-N9Su6V-LSkn9y07KJ_uiiuBWEu0G3Op6we32FPjis5aqeChvIzW-Tz4DBo/s200/IMG_8429.JPG" width="200px" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div align="justify" class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"></div>The Block Boyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09994844378518194776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2416656104577293898.post-21463346793330265602011-06-22T03:18:00.000-04:002011-06-22T03:18:57.157-04:00First Night out with the Group<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglh-kXUMUzLDtg5fEDMAJojM-uy1c7xM5reEsDrybGO9dPNH0TizzbJvcIOrYFGl0_HJTQOVjnbQ14sIRKcuj9Qmyah6BfCOGx2FEeqzMgv7fiqwmog0Nv8CxRYdQSd4G9McrL_ktFJLyu/s1600/IMG_8281.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; height: 188px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; width: 316px;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglh-kXUMUzLDtg5fEDMAJojM-uy1c7xM5reEsDrybGO9dPNH0TizzbJvcIOrYFGl0_HJTQOVjnbQ14sIRKcuj9Qmyah6BfCOGx2FEeqzMgv7fiqwmog0Nv8CxRYdQSd4G9McrL_ktFJLyu/s200/IMG_8281.JPG" width="200px" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">So it is now Wednesday, and the first time I have had a few minutes to sit down and type up some of what we have been up to.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I will start from the end of the last post.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">After orientation, and meeting our tour leader “Hoover” we went for some traditional Thai food for dinner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After that is when the real fun began.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hoover brought the group out to a local bar, and introduced us to some Thai snack foods.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Hoover picked out some of her favorite selections, including scorpion, locusts, crickets, and grasshoppers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They actually weren’t half bad.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The scorpion was a little chewy, but mostly tasted like fried chicken skin. I actually kind of liked the crickets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They sort of had a raisin-like texture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jourdan was being a bit of a wimp about it at first, but after enough chiding from me, he finally tasted some.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">As the drinking continued into the night, we started getting ambitious, and decided to go with our new friend Ed to a “Ping Pong Show.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can only really compare this to a dirtier, sadder version of the strip club.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We ended up with a lot of stories, most of which are not appropriate for public blog posts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To give you a brief snapshot, we saw magic tricks with scarves, very long strings with bells shot into the audience, beer pong shots that I will never be able to make, balloons popped with blow guns, water turned to soda (EWW), and a picture drawn with no hands (we ended up in possession of this, see attached photo).</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFLdr4EKeLGi4C20GxX9QRcCl_mU1MEjzikQQq1Imml3X2t1JZ1r6gj11kXTx0sMmolDm1P6EBiseAFEvq2bamQTCg9U5t3IvZMvOJ3y77pApra-wavAPQWeM64FaMQVyQXv30YTUanJvf/s1600/IMG_8292.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFLdr4EKeLGi4C20GxX9QRcCl_mU1MEjzikQQq1Imml3X2t1JZ1r6gj11kXTx0sMmolDm1P6EBiseAFEvq2bamQTCg9U5t3IvZMvOJ3y77pApra-wavAPQWeM64FaMQVyQXv30YTUanJvf/s200/IMG_8292.JPG" width="200px" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgavecn_zWYWR6F1yUo_AHRsYZyk0vpCPvtpAe5CnaA_kUN25iFNE0av3UrM-Npd_22IRuYv6X0FOeAmMRm5PLqqBG8a0NbyUhrHmf4XJM-gGrAOk4QYgN0id2YSZdFg33FzznZj1SqhikL/s1600/IMG_8302.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgavecn_zWYWR6F1yUo_AHRsYZyk0vpCPvtpAe5CnaA_kUN25iFNE0av3UrM-Npd_22IRuYv6X0FOeAmMRm5PLqqBG8a0NbyUhrHmf4XJM-gGrAOk4QYgN0id2YSZdFg33FzznZj1SqhikL/s200/IMG_8302.JPG" width="150px" /></a>When we finally had enough, we took a long Tuk-Tuk ride that involved popping a lot of wheelies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For a few moments, I thought we might die, but once Jourdan stopped screaming, we realized we were fine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We stumbled back into the hotel sometime in the early morning, and prepared for the first full day of the tour.</div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">For the purposes of continuity, and to break up the writing, I will try to break the posts down by day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Also, as I notice the writing getting a bit long winded, all I can say is, Fuck-it, we don’t care.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This blog is really for us, you are just an extra beneficiary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Haha.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfIGSsyYbVKHIwtEos61HsG5d9G1AscRLvwiwTsjx1wNrXC78XNq025j9S-Y8EPh5Y6fE-X7F-jvQFxUvsl9Vfe2deAX5h0CegYBdiuyW0PjgNUYxv-H-LQGo-3h6LYMKvtyPAv1xkQFsZ/s1600/IMG_8306.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfIGSsyYbVKHIwtEos61HsG5d9G1AscRLvwiwTsjx1wNrXC78XNq025j9S-Y8EPh5Y6fE-X7F-jvQFxUvsl9Vfe2deAX5h0CegYBdiuyW0PjgNUYxv-H-LQGo-3h6LYMKvtyPAv1xkQFsZ/s320/IMG_8306.JPG" width="320px" /></a></div>The Block Boyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09994844378518194776noreply@blogger.com0