i haven't spoken that much about my studio project -- but for pr and fundraising purposes we've created an ongoing blog (of which i am officially "blog master") about it.
i'm really invested in it, so please check it out!!
http://designcambodia.blogspot.com
Friday, June 29, 2007
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
off
traveling again!
tomorrow morning we leave for Penang, Malaysia (as a class). it's also known as georgetown as it was the first place the british colonized in malaysia. it's supposed to be great and i'm excited :)
on saturday we leave (and by we i mean my close friends) for THAILAND!
we fly up to phuket first. it's on the west coast and the beaches are supposed to be really beautiful (Ko Phi Phi is there and it's the beach from The Beach..the movie) but it's monsoon season so there won't be any sun. we have no specific plans for that area (but that's the plan)...and are going to move to the east coast when we please.
we have reservations on the east coast on wednesday july 4 so we will definitely be in Ko Samui by then....but i think we may take a mini bus over sooner than that.
i found a sweet place to stay in Samui thanks to my trusty lonely planet guide and you should probably check it out because it's right on the beach and it's really cool AND it's only costing 8 dollars a night. www.geckosamui.com
i hope it's going to be as cool as i think it is.
either way, 8 dollars a night is pretty awesome.
so i'm off for a while....glad to be traveling again :)
happy july fourth!
tomorrow morning we leave for Penang, Malaysia (as a class). it's also known as georgetown as it was the first place the british colonized in malaysia. it's supposed to be great and i'm excited :)
on saturday we leave (and by we i mean my close friends) for THAILAND!
we fly up to phuket first. it's on the west coast and the beaches are supposed to be really beautiful (Ko Phi Phi is there and it's the beach from The Beach..the movie) but it's monsoon season so there won't be any sun. we have no specific plans for that area (but that's the plan)...and are going to move to the east coast when we please.
we have reservations on the east coast on wednesday july 4 so we will definitely be in Ko Samui by then....but i think we may take a mini bus over sooner than that.
i found a sweet place to stay in Samui thanks to my trusty lonely planet guide and you should probably check it out because it's right on the beach and it's really cool AND it's only costing 8 dollars a night. www.geckosamui.com
i hope it's going to be as cool as i think it is.
either way, 8 dollars a night is pretty awesome.
so i'm off for a while....glad to be traveling again :)
happy july fourth!
Friday, June 22, 2007
after hiatus
it's been a long time!
i am in KL (Kuala Lumpur, but known as KL to everyone who knows, i guess) and the internet situation is not good, nor was it during my last week of travel. i'm writing from starbucks where i have either fortunately or unfortunately stumbled across something called a raspberry frappucino which is frozen and fresh and delicious.
the last bit of my travel, since i last wrote, included a short visit to saigon and then cambodia. it was very easy to see the french influence in saigon (ho chi minh city)....it felt very european in lots of ways. it was MUCH more developed than hanoi, but i still liked hanoi better. rough around the edges can be charming.
cambodia was WONderful. we stayed in siem reap beause this is where the angkor temples are (ankgor wat, ankgor thom, etc). i had assumed vietnam would be fairly undeveloped, even in the cities, but it turned out to be up and coming. cambodia was not. it was as i had expected vietnam would be, a small cluster of restaurants and then nothing else. it was quite primitive. if the temples weren't there i don't think it would even exist. but the presence of the temples is oh so big.
they are unbelievable.
our first full day there we started the morning off by riding elephants (which kind of makes me sad, but it was so cool!) through some ruins. elephants are amazing. so much personality in one trunk! for 1 USD (in cambodia they use american money, with the exception of change, which they give to you in their money because quarters are precious and hard to come by) i bought two bunches of bananas and fed the elephants! they slobbered all over me but it was totally worth it. i could have hung out with them all day.
then we walked over to the temples. the first one we saw was bayan and it was breathtaking. i have always wanted to explore (legends of the hidden temple, anyone?) and this felt like i was. there were no restricted areas and it was a complete maze of fallen stones and old carvings. what an accomplishment to make such a huge structure. it looks like a solid chunk of stone. being somewhere so significant gives me chills, even now as i write about it. the ability of humans to come together and create a structure so beautiful is really inspiring. (unfortunately, it's not quite that simple or lovely, but sometimes it's nice to pretend.)
we walked through several other temples and climbed incredibly steep steps and then finally got to see the jungle temple in ankgor thom. (this is the temple angelina jolie appeared in in tomb raider, which brought her to cambodia and began her love affair with the country, led her to adopt maddox, and three adopted children later she is a huge celebrity there.) anyhow, this temple is particularly remarkable because trees have managed to become part of it. they have grown in and through the stones, sending out roots until they at last reach dirt. it's pretttttty cool - and what i had been looking forward to the most. it feels like time.
after a wonderful siesta (yes, we got siestas while we were in cambodia) we went to ankgor wat. it was remarkable because of it's sheer size. the perspectives had been carefully thought out by it's creators, which was pretty cool too. there are large bodies of water in front of it, meant to reflect the temple and it still works perfectly. the sky was unbelievable that afternoon and made for some amazing pictures (before my camera decided to hate me and stop working). i like it here a lot, but the morning was still my favorite.
the next day we visited another temple known for its detail (it was VERY detailed). after siesta, we went to visit the site for our studio project. we are getting involved with a small school south of siem reap that is over crowded and in need of new facilities. the goal is to raise money (they anticipate it will cost 10 - 15,000 dollars) and build one of our projects. it was really an amazing afternoon and i am still really sad that my camera wasn't working because i have wanted so badly to be able to take pictures of people and since it's kind of rude to get in their faces i haven't gotten to. THIS was the perfect opportunity and now i only have other people's pictures. either way, it was pretty cool to get out of the town and see what it's like to live in a rural area. it was SUPER rural. pigs in their mud ponds in front yards...people sitting in hammocks underneath their raised houses, feet away from their two cows....rice fields everywhere. the children were beautiful.
the whole thing was exciting. i think our project is going to be incredibly challenging with all of the constraints proposed by our site (open air, tiny budget, large occupancy, multi functional, culturally appropriate), the very short time we have to design (one month), and we are to be working with a Universiti of Malaya student (which i think will work VERY differently than we are accustomed to).
(my friend tom took the picture i'm posting, i think it's really beautiful.)
my friends and i took a side trip to phnom penh to see the killing fields and genocide museum there. it was...scary to see what humans can do to other humans. PARTICULARLY when they are exactly like you.
it's a really heavy thing and since i'm about to start crying in starbucks, i'd rather not discuss it.
i knew nothing about it before this trip and i don't understand why. why doesn't school teach us about genocide?? it's important to see what humans are capable of doing to each other -- it's important to understand so we can stop killing others.
then KL.
thus far it seems...not that cool. none of my friends are complaining (those third year students that are with us are miserable and whiny and obnoxious and left this weekend for a resort elsewhere), but the general sentiment is there. our living accomodations are not that great, though definitely fine for two months (and very cheap -- 8 dollars a day). my roommate (who i didn't know anyway) dumped me to live with this boy on our trip and so now i am roomming with my friend niner, a boy, and it's kind of funny. (why can't boys put the toilet seat down???) the last time i spoke to him, miles said it sounded like a sitcom waiting to happen. back to the point, we have ants and i shower over the toilet seat. yes. the whole bathroom is the shower. to speak more about toilets, toilet paper is rare here. instead, there is a HOSE. one is expected to HOSE themselves off afterwards. this makes bathrooms wet and no surface clean. also, we live in a hospital. we direct cabs to the trauma unit of the hospital (though not one has offered to hurry or bothered to ask us if we're okay) and walk through the VERY long halls. it's weird, but strangely enough makes the whole situation better because it's SO funny. who lives in a hopsital? I DO! it will always be something to laugh about.
these are just the messy portions of the briefing.
what is great about this place, or fascinating anyway, is the large islamic population. it's interesting to observe and i'm still getting accustomed to it.
i will have to write more about it later, as i figure out more...
but i think i need to break for now.
i will be writing more frequently, though not every day since internet is spotty and life is slower.
to digress, today is my wonderful cousin Christie's wedding day and i'm missing all of the festivities and my family and i am sad and wanted anyone and everyone to think wonderful thoughts about her! it will be wonderful and i'm missing it :(
off to do some schoolwork.....
i am in KL (Kuala Lumpur, but known as KL to everyone who knows, i guess) and the internet situation is not good, nor was it during my last week of travel. i'm writing from starbucks where i have either fortunately or unfortunately stumbled across something called a raspberry frappucino which is frozen and fresh and delicious.
the last bit of my travel, since i last wrote, included a short visit to saigon and then cambodia. it was very easy to see the french influence in saigon (ho chi minh city)....it felt very european in lots of ways. it was MUCH more developed than hanoi, but i still liked hanoi better. rough around the edges can be charming.
cambodia was WONderful. we stayed in siem reap beause this is where the angkor temples are (ankgor wat, ankgor thom, etc). i had assumed vietnam would be fairly undeveloped, even in the cities, but it turned out to be up and coming. cambodia was not. it was as i had expected vietnam would be, a small cluster of restaurants and then nothing else. it was quite primitive. if the temples weren't there i don't think it would even exist. but the presence of the temples is oh so big.
they are unbelievable.
our first full day there we started the morning off by riding elephants (which kind of makes me sad, but it was so cool!) through some ruins. elephants are amazing. so much personality in one trunk! for 1 USD (in cambodia they use american money, with the exception of change, which they give to you in their money because quarters are precious and hard to come by) i bought two bunches of bananas and fed the elephants! they slobbered all over me but it was totally worth it. i could have hung out with them all day.
then we walked over to the temples. the first one we saw was bayan and it was breathtaking. i have always wanted to explore (legends of the hidden temple, anyone?) and this felt like i was. there were no restricted areas and it was a complete maze of fallen stones and old carvings. what an accomplishment to make such a huge structure. it looks like a solid chunk of stone. being somewhere so significant gives me chills, even now as i write about it. the ability of humans to come together and create a structure so beautiful is really inspiring. (unfortunately, it's not quite that simple or lovely, but sometimes it's nice to pretend.)
we walked through several other temples and climbed incredibly steep steps and then finally got to see the jungle temple in ankgor thom. (this is the temple angelina jolie appeared in in tomb raider, which brought her to cambodia and began her love affair with the country, led her to adopt maddox, and three adopted children later she is a huge celebrity there.) anyhow, this temple is particularly remarkable because trees have managed to become part of it. they have grown in and through the stones, sending out roots until they at last reach dirt. it's pretttttty cool - and what i had been looking forward to the most. it feels like time.
after a wonderful siesta (yes, we got siestas while we were in cambodia) we went to ankgor wat. it was remarkable because of it's sheer size. the perspectives had been carefully thought out by it's creators, which was pretty cool too. there are large bodies of water in front of it, meant to reflect the temple and it still works perfectly. the sky was unbelievable that afternoon and made for some amazing pictures (before my camera decided to hate me and stop working). i like it here a lot, but the morning was still my favorite.
the next day we visited another temple known for its detail (it was VERY detailed). after siesta, we went to visit the site for our studio project. we are getting involved with a small school south of siem reap that is over crowded and in need of new facilities. the goal is to raise money (they anticipate it will cost 10 - 15,000 dollars) and build one of our projects. it was really an amazing afternoon and i am still really sad that my camera wasn't working because i have wanted so badly to be able to take pictures of people and since it's kind of rude to get in their faces i haven't gotten to. THIS was the perfect opportunity and now i only have other people's pictures. either way, it was pretty cool to get out of the town and see what it's like to live in a rural area. it was SUPER rural. pigs in their mud ponds in front yards...people sitting in hammocks underneath their raised houses, feet away from their two cows....rice fields everywhere. the children were beautiful.
the whole thing was exciting. i think our project is going to be incredibly challenging with all of the constraints proposed by our site (open air, tiny budget, large occupancy, multi functional, culturally appropriate), the very short time we have to design (one month), and we are to be working with a Universiti of Malaya student (which i think will work VERY differently than we are accustomed to).
(my friend tom took the picture i'm posting, i think it's really beautiful.)
my friends and i took a side trip to phnom penh to see the killing fields and genocide museum there. it was...scary to see what humans can do to other humans. PARTICULARLY when they are exactly like you.
it's a really heavy thing and since i'm about to start crying in starbucks, i'd rather not discuss it.
i knew nothing about it before this trip and i don't understand why. why doesn't school teach us about genocide?? it's important to see what humans are capable of doing to each other -- it's important to understand so we can stop killing others.
then KL.
thus far it seems...not that cool. none of my friends are complaining (those third year students that are with us are miserable and whiny and obnoxious and left this weekend for a resort elsewhere), but the general sentiment is there. our living accomodations are not that great, though definitely fine for two months (and very cheap -- 8 dollars a day). my roommate (who i didn't know anyway) dumped me to live with this boy on our trip and so now i am roomming with my friend niner, a boy, and it's kind of funny. (why can't boys put the toilet seat down???) the last time i spoke to him, miles said it sounded like a sitcom waiting to happen. back to the point, we have ants and i shower over the toilet seat. yes. the whole bathroom is the shower. to speak more about toilets, toilet paper is rare here. instead, there is a HOSE. one is expected to HOSE themselves off afterwards. this makes bathrooms wet and no surface clean. also, we live in a hospital. we direct cabs to the trauma unit of the hospital (though not one has offered to hurry or bothered to ask us if we're okay) and walk through the VERY long halls. it's weird, but strangely enough makes the whole situation better because it's SO funny. who lives in a hopsital? I DO! it will always be something to laugh about.
these are just the messy portions of the briefing.
what is great about this place, or fascinating anyway, is the large islamic population. it's interesting to observe and i'm still getting accustomed to it.
i will have to write more about it later, as i figure out more...
but i think i need to break for now.
i will be writing more frequently, though not every day since internet is spotty and life is slower.
to digress, today is my wonderful cousin Christie's wedding day and i'm missing all of the festivities and my family and i am sad and wanted anyone and everyone to think wonderful thoughts about her! it will be wonderful and i'm missing it :(
off to do some schoolwork.....
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Saturday, June 9, 2007
get it while it's hot
today was a LOVELY day!
yesterday we flew down to central vietnam and drove 30 km from denang to hoi an.
this morning, our first and only day here, we walked into town at 6 to go through the markets and check out a few key sights -- namely the japanese covered bridge (which is fairly self explanatory).
at 8 we rented bikes and rode 6 miles to the beach. this was the looong scenic route, but it was VERY beautiful. we passed so many fields and small homes. tons of cows as well! there are cows everywhere -- on the side of the road and wandering through the fields and by 'wandering' i mean eating and pooping.
the beach was GORGEOUS and i wish we could have spent all day there. one of my friends and i splurged 15,000 dong (16,000 dong is a dollar) for a chair under an umbrella and it was quite worth it to get out of the sun. the sun seems to be hotter here than in hanoi but there is breeze off the ocean and it is much less humid so generally more pleasant.
when i got back to my bike to ride home the tire was flat. after a quick fill up i was on my way -- only to have it blow out again in less than five minutes. after the second time i began to walk back until a moped-taxi picked me up, signaling he could also accomodate my bike. i was desperate and assumed he would strap the bike on the back, so i hopped on. VERY quickly i found out he expected me to hold onto the bike as he drove. this was extremely difficult and uncomfortable and i am quite bruised thanks to it. everyone that passed us on the street, as well as those that were watching from the sidewalks was shouting at him and laughing. (i was laughing too because the driver didn't understand english -- not even "stop" or "slow"). finally our guide came back looking for me and he took my bike back so i only had to hold onto the moped to get home.
this was all before lunch ever happened.
our hotel has an infinity pool and so we got to spend some time playing fun pool games for five year olds (tea party, categories, have hand stand contests etc). it was so nice :) i don't remember the last time i got to play in a pool like that.
i took a long and much needed nap this afternoon...
after i woke up i walked into town to one of the many tailors (the strets are lined with tailors willing to make anything you could want) and got a wool jacket for $30. since it was so cheap i got to get a fun color (bright green) and not worry about it! they took my measurements and i just have to return at 9 tomorrow morning for a last fitting.
several of my friends got suits and have had a fitting already -- apparently they looked very nice. (a custom made suit goes for $60).
one of my girlfriends even had shoes made!
i'm looking forward to seeing my coat tomorrow morning....though it's very thinking about wool coats when it's so hot outside!
we leave our hotel at 11 tomorrow to fly to ho chi minh, formerly and much more beautifully known as saigon. yay!
yesterday we flew down to central vietnam and drove 30 km from denang to hoi an.
this morning, our first and only day here, we walked into town at 6 to go through the markets and check out a few key sights -- namely the japanese covered bridge (which is fairly self explanatory).
at 8 we rented bikes and rode 6 miles to the beach. this was the looong scenic route, but it was VERY beautiful. we passed so many fields and small homes. tons of cows as well! there are cows everywhere -- on the side of the road and wandering through the fields and by 'wandering' i mean eating and pooping.
the beach was GORGEOUS and i wish we could have spent all day there. one of my friends and i splurged 15,000 dong (16,000 dong is a dollar) for a chair under an umbrella and it was quite worth it to get out of the sun. the sun seems to be hotter here than in hanoi but there is breeze off the ocean and it is much less humid so generally more pleasant.
when i got back to my bike to ride home the tire was flat. after a quick fill up i was on my way -- only to have it blow out again in less than five minutes. after the second time i began to walk back until a moped-taxi picked me up, signaling he could also accomodate my bike. i was desperate and assumed he would strap the bike on the back, so i hopped on. VERY quickly i found out he expected me to hold onto the bike as he drove. this was extremely difficult and uncomfortable and i am quite bruised thanks to it. everyone that passed us on the street, as well as those that were watching from the sidewalks was shouting at him and laughing. (i was laughing too because the driver didn't understand english -- not even "stop" or "slow"). finally our guide came back looking for me and he took my bike back so i only had to hold onto the moped to get home.
this was all before lunch ever happened.
our hotel has an infinity pool and so we got to spend some time playing fun pool games for five year olds (tea party, categories, have hand stand contests etc). it was so nice :) i don't remember the last time i got to play in a pool like that.
i took a long and much needed nap this afternoon...
after i woke up i walked into town to one of the many tailors (the strets are lined with tailors willing to make anything you could want) and got a wool jacket for $30. since it was so cheap i got to get a fun color (bright green) and not worry about it! they took my measurements and i just have to return at 9 tomorrow morning for a last fitting.
several of my friends got suits and have had a fitting already -- apparently they looked very nice. (a custom made suit goes for $60).
one of my girlfriends even had shoes made!
i'm looking forward to seeing my coat tomorrow morning....though it's very thinking about wool coats when it's so hot outside!
we leave our hotel at 11 tomorrow to fly to ho chi minh, formerly and much more beautifully known as saigon. yay!
Thursday, June 7, 2007
ihearthanoi
it's hooottt.
but fantastic!
yesterday we went to ho chi minh's mausoleum and it was..odd. he's been preserved for forty years and as far as i'm concerned that is TOO long and weird. he looked like a wax figure of himself. it was very serious and hard to not feel so. we got there early so the line wasn't long but it got VERY long by the time we left. us ladies had to cover our shoulders and knees (which is too much when it's so hot outside) and no cameras were allowed. when my instructor was here last august he got rifle butted for stepping where he wasn't meant to -- so i tried to pay very close attention to the rules. incidentally, i was staring so hard at the body as we moved through (there was no time to hang out with ho) i ran into a guard which was startling and frightening (but okay in the end).
we also saw the one pillar pagoda as well as the center of government in vietnam, built by the french, and ho's living quarters.
it's very interesting to hear our guide talk about hcm (our guide speaks perfect english) becuase he is still very clearly in love with this man. i wonder how long this sort of respect and adoration will last? until thre is a regime change, i guess. i don't know anything about him really, so i'll be interested to read an unbias (as unbias as anything can ever be) when i get back to the states.
sometimes communism is very apparent here --
but vietnam and china have made me realize how loose of a term "communism" really is. i think karl marx would roll over in his grave.
we ended up seeing several other important sites in hanoi yesterday -- including a buddhist temple and the temple of literature, as well as the hanoi hilton (which was creepy....) we got back in the early evening and took an hour long ride on rickshaws -- the SLOWEST transportaton known to man -- and that was an amazing way to see the city. in the evening we went to see a water puppet show as this is very big in hanoi. it was a series of scenes including live music and puppets in water. pretty amazing! i enjoyed it, however touristy it may have been.
today we took a 3 hour driver to hai long bay which is surrounded by rock formations and was BEAUTIFUL. we got to swim in the ocean for a few hours and it was sooo enjoyable. i've never been in such salty and buoyant water! no tredding was necessary and floating has never been so easy!
i like it here a lot and hope to come back....i need to get some street food -- i have not been able to because no one else is interested....i will definitely have SOMETHING before the trip is over.
only 7 days left of traveling before KL and that also means only one week until Miles is 21!!!
i'm having the best time -- i wish i could share the full experience more fully.
we move to hoi an tomorrow -- central vietnam -- and i'll be interested to see the differences.
the other thing that's important about vietnam: war is bad. it hurts people.
but fantastic!
yesterday we went to ho chi minh's mausoleum and it was..odd. he's been preserved for forty years and as far as i'm concerned that is TOO long and weird. he looked like a wax figure of himself. it was very serious and hard to not feel so. we got there early so the line wasn't long but it got VERY long by the time we left. us ladies had to cover our shoulders and knees (which is too much when it's so hot outside) and no cameras were allowed. when my instructor was here last august he got rifle butted for stepping where he wasn't meant to -- so i tried to pay very close attention to the rules. incidentally, i was staring so hard at the body as we moved through (there was no time to hang out with ho) i ran into a guard which was startling and frightening (but okay in the end).
we also saw the one pillar pagoda as well as the center of government in vietnam, built by the french, and ho's living quarters.
it's very interesting to hear our guide talk about hcm (our guide speaks perfect english) becuase he is still very clearly in love with this man. i wonder how long this sort of respect and adoration will last? until thre is a regime change, i guess. i don't know anything about him really, so i'll be interested to read an unbias (as unbias as anything can ever be) when i get back to the states.
sometimes communism is very apparent here --
but vietnam and china have made me realize how loose of a term "communism" really is. i think karl marx would roll over in his grave.
we ended up seeing several other important sites in hanoi yesterday -- including a buddhist temple and the temple of literature, as well as the hanoi hilton (which was creepy....) we got back in the early evening and took an hour long ride on rickshaws -- the SLOWEST transportaton known to man -- and that was an amazing way to see the city. in the evening we went to see a water puppet show as this is very big in hanoi. it was a series of scenes including live music and puppets in water. pretty amazing! i enjoyed it, however touristy it may have been.
today we took a 3 hour driver to hai long bay which is surrounded by rock formations and was BEAUTIFUL. we got to swim in the ocean for a few hours and it was sooo enjoyable. i've never been in such salty and buoyant water! no tredding was necessary and floating has never been so easy!
i like it here a lot and hope to come back....i need to get some street food -- i have not been able to because no one else is interested....i will definitely have SOMETHING before the trip is over.
only 7 days left of traveling before KL and that also means only one week until Miles is 21!!!
i'm having the best time -- i wish i could share the full experience more fully.
we move to hoi an tomorrow -- central vietnam -- and i'll be interested to see the differences.
the other thing that's important about vietnam: war is bad. it hurts people.
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
and on the 24th day it was hot
So much happens I could never tell it all
Like I totally forgot to tell you about the pop star that was with us in the airport when we first arrived in china and the throngs of screaming girls and how I poked him.
But let’s focus on the now: I am in Vietnam and it is – WONDERFUL.
Favorite place we’ve visited so far.
I’m in Hanoi and the scale is smaller which is refreshing and wonderful and it is bustling and alive. The colors are bright again (!) and the architecture has drastically changed. I have seen some of the narrowest buildings! One store I walked past today could barely function as a hallway at 3 feet wide, much less a clothing shop.
And it’s hot! It feels like South Carolina in the summer and we missed the peak hours. It has started raining and it was very welcome as far as I’m concerned.
I ate my first tiny bit of street food – two donut looking objects (donut hole like) for 5000 dong (16,000 dong = 1 USD) which is about 30 cents. The outside was really delicious and super sweet but the inside (I didn’t realize there would be an inside) was hollow and partially filled with something that I think was rice. It was fun to try whatever it was!
The traffic is absolutely insane. Maybe worse than Beijing – but different anyway. There are very few cars as they aren’t really allowed in the city so everyone is on motorcycle/moped/scooter things. There are no lights so everyone is always going. There are “crosswalks” but these are just suggestions. It’s a life size game of Frogger.
It was REALLY scary the first few times but I’m already feeling like I can handle it now.
I’m not sure what tomorrow entails entirely, but I do know we are going to see the Chairman Mao of Vietnam whose name escapes me since my knowledge of history is too poor. This is a really big deal and somewhat sacred as we are not allowed to show our knees or our shoulders. Pray for me in the heat.
I should run and go back to the unfun-ness that is washing my clothes in the sink and hoping they dry / hiding them from the hotel.
Like I totally forgot to tell you about the pop star that was with us in the airport when we first arrived in china and the throngs of screaming girls and how I poked him.
But let’s focus on the now: I am in Vietnam and it is – WONDERFUL.
Favorite place we’ve visited so far.
I’m in Hanoi and the scale is smaller which is refreshing and wonderful and it is bustling and alive. The colors are bright again (!) and the architecture has drastically changed. I have seen some of the narrowest buildings! One store I walked past today could barely function as a hallway at 3 feet wide, much less a clothing shop.
And it’s hot! It feels like South Carolina in the summer and we missed the peak hours. It has started raining and it was very welcome as far as I’m concerned.
I ate my first tiny bit of street food – two donut looking objects (donut hole like) for 5000 dong (16,000 dong = 1 USD) which is about 30 cents. The outside was really delicious and super sweet but the inside (I didn’t realize there would be an inside) was hollow and partially filled with something that I think was rice. It was fun to try whatever it was!
The traffic is absolutely insane. Maybe worse than Beijing – but different anyway. There are very few cars as they aren’t really allowed in the city so everyone is on motorcycle/moped/scooter things. There are no lights so everyone is always going. There are “crosswalks” but these are just suggestions. It’s a life size game of Frogger.
It was REALLY scary the first few times but I’m already feeling like I can handle it now.
I’m not sure what tomorrow entails entirely, but I do know we are going to see the Chairman Mao of Vietnam whose name escapes me since my knowledge of history is too poor. This is a really big deal and somewhat sacred as we are not allowed to show our knees or our shoulders. Pray for me in the heat.
I should run and go back to the unfun-ness that is washing my clothes in the sink and hoping they dry / hiding them from the hotel.
Friday, June 1, 2007
i'm in shanghai :) FINALLY.
we got in really late so i haven't seen anything...but i'm a block away from the bund (the area the english parceled off for themselves on the river -- it's the cool place to be).....
tomorrow we explore the shang.
not enough time here, but i feel that way about everywhere. :)
we got in really late so i haven't seen anything...but i'm a block away from the bund (the area the english parceled off for themselves on the river -- it's the cool place to be).....
tomorrow we explore the shang.
not enough time here, but i feel that way about everywhere. :)
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