Relaxing in Nha Trang
Nha Trang cityscape
Here we are on the 6th floor of a mini hotel in Nha Trang.. the beach town on the South China Sea. Everyone is gearing up for the Lunar New Year aka Chinese New Year which is on Feb. 14th.. they’re stringing lights and decorations all over town + selling tonnes of yellow flowers in giant pots + bonsai trees in mass quantities kind of like Christmas trees. Also we’ve read in the Vietnam Times (English newspaper) there’s a mass influx of illegal fireworks coming into VN through lightly guarded borders by motorbike! haha It’ll definitely be a party. Not sure where we’ll be exactly, for the festivities.. we’re on-route for Hoi An tomorrow evening and then up to Hue which is probably where we’ll for the New Year.
Now as for Nha Trang. What a great place to visit.. we’ve been chilling on the beach for the past couple days.. and checked out the giant Buddha statue overlooking the city.. as well a collection of 70 small islands off the coast here which is a big scuba diving spot. A lot of people try that here but we’re just here to do nothing which worked out fine. The area is turning into a major resort scene so some of the small town Vietnamese vibe won’t last but still a great place to spend a couple days.
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Nha Trang Beach
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Tags: beach, buddha, Chinese New Year, vietnam
See yah Saigon!
Feeding the Penguins
See yah Saigon!! We’re off.. heading up North to Nha Trang.. a giant beach on the South China Sea. Lonely Planet ranks it one of the best in the world so we’ll have to check it out and come to our own conclusion.
While here in Saigon we had good access to the Chinese embassy & we were highly considering obtaining a Chinese visa to carry on up in Beijing after VN but it seems like the red tape would be endless and we’d have to – everything. Including a 48 hr train ride from Hanoi to Beijing and a plane ticket backtracking to Thailand in the end where we fly out of in April. China will have to wait for another Asian Adventure.. such an adventure would most def. have to include Japan and Korea.. and we’re hearing Taiwan has become cool!
For hilarious-ness I threw in this photo of me in the Saigon Zoo.. a disturbing place for animal lovers as the cages (etc.) are in poor condition.. but the rubbish bins are cool.
-AM
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Tags: beach, vietnam, zoo
Mekong Delta
Sunset on the Mekong River - 12th largest river in the world
Today we actually took part in a 2 day tour of the Mekong Delta.. the southern end of Vietnam a few hours away from Saigon. It is very rare that I or Savannah take part in touristy tours like this but it was a cheap way to get down here and hop around the islands without hassle. Despite the super-tourist aspects of the mini-journey the guide is really sweet and sings to us and some of the other travellers are interesting to talk to so it worked out well… We’re having a good time! Tomorrow we get to plant some rice and then head by to Saigon ! haha
The sunset photo above was taken this evening as we cruised over to Can Tho City where our hotel is located. And this photo below is of the long boats we took to jump the islands earlier in the day.
A Day on the Boats of the Mekong
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Tags: river boat, sunset, vietnam
wooow...Saigon.. impressive
Just a quick note to let everyone know we’ve touched down in Saigon, Vietnam! The visa’s came just in time for our flights outta Singapore off a sketchy Vietnamese website..annd before we knew were carted to a tiny alley in district 1. and warmly greeted by Mr & Mrs Long at the Long Guesthouse in Saigon.
We checked out the War Reminents Museum on Day 1 which pretty much rocked & depressed us for the rest of that afternoon– extremely disturbing images. Today we’re off to the markets and the Zoo!
Here’s a quick video I shot last night crossing the street… it involves carefully calculated steps and the famous “slow walk” to be successful! In one word.. the streets are Chaotic…
We’ll get some photos up here as soon as we shoot em’!
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Tags: motorbike, saigon, video, vietnam
Beach by our place Baan Talay, Penang
We’re almost on our way out of Malaysia and onto Vietnam.. we fly out on Wednesday to Ho Chi Minh City aka Saigon. A relaxing evening tonight with a warm sunset & some good food from the outdoor food court. We were chilling with our host KD last evening… conversing about his travels & living in NYC’s East Village for 20 yrs running a restaurant (frequented by Woody Harlson). So many interesting people out here in Malaysia with unprecedented kindness & hospitality.
We really got a lot out of it! Definitely coming back one day.
-AM
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Tags: beach, malaysia, penang, sunset, vietnam
This guy was on the move back to the gang..
Today we decided to check out the much talked about Monkey Beach in Penang. Situated in the world’s smallest National Park (such a park apparently exists! and we found it!) is a 1 ½ hour hike that leads to the blissful white-sands of Monkey Beach.
After ups and downs and weaving through vines in the 34C+ heat and humidity, we were relieved to see the crashing crystal waves of this serene beach. And the monkeys. Called Monkey Beach for a reason, the inhabitants far outnumber the humans that peruse the beach.
Aislinn took his chances while trying to photograph the monkeys.
*Aislinn’s note: Don’t provoke monkeys. They gang together and run at you. Ahhhh!
The beach was a great way to relax after hiking the jungle and the monkeys (for the most part) minded their own business!
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Savannah poking a jellyfish on Monkey Beach. . haha
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Tags: beach, hiking, malaysia, monkey, penang
Penang, Malaysia
Hilarious Penang Flag!
Penang is an island state off the West coast of peninsular Malaysia. A destination for every kind of traveller… backpackers to top end resorts.. foodie travellers can try some of the best local fare in the country while hikers can trek through dense jungle and hang out on Monkey beach. The place is geared for tourism .. as well as technology apparently .. known as the Silicon Valley of S. E. Asia this place is teeming with young tech professionals yet you wouldn’t even notice walking around. The place also has some historical significance with Georgetown being the central hub of this over-populated island. We’ve been staying in a “homestay” just up the coast with some great hosts who make us Roti Senei every morning.. which is really nice but a bit dense for a morning breakfast. The weather is very hot and humid.. the sun sets early at around 7:30 but the heat sticks around so getting a place with air-con would have been nice.. we’ve got two fans running 24/7. We’re looking forward to getting up the Penang Hill tomorrow and then flying out in a couple of days!
This photo is of the official Penang flag on a famous beach named Batu Ferringhi.
I’ve also added some more photos of Penang to the Gallery!
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Tags: beach, malaysia, penang
Biking through Melacca
Featuring “Do You” a new release from my good friend Emcee Rae & Funktion Gallery –I bring you – Biking through Melacca
Got some bikes off of Sam, Jalan Jalan guesthouse owner/awesomeness guy! This video was shot in Chinatown.. you can even see our guesthouse near the end .. with the giant blue doors.. a unique place to stay.
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Tags: biking, funktion gallery, melacca, video
Melacca Delicacies!
Limau Limau Cafe - Melacca, Malaysia
After a day of traveling from the crowded KL to the more serene and quaint Melacca, we were eager to try out some of the raved about food haunts around town.
Our amazing little hostel had some cards of local cafes and eateries, so going on the advice from Jalan-Jalan Emas (our hostel) we decided on a place up the street.
After trekking to Melacca and navigating our way through crowds and town buses, we were pretty famished, so I was delighted to see fresh juices (no sugars added), smoothies, snacks and amazing desserts.
They also had more Western-ish snacks like Hummus and Pita with veggies, which was nice. But the most important dish was a dessert I decided to order that was described as “Fresh Banana Pancake with Honey and Ice cream”…in 34C+ weather, that sounded pretty amazing to me.
The description was pretty spot on. The presentation was super cute, and it tasted even better than it looked. The natural honey gave it incredible sweetness and the ice cream cooled it down nicely. It was the perfect dish to eat this hot and humid afternoon.
I’ll probably be back tomorrow…and the next day…
There are still so many treats to try, especially tonight at the weekend evening market! We were urged to try Chenloh (sp?) from a KL local, so I suspect that will be the next sweet treat we try!
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Fresh Banana Pancakes
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Tags: cafe, food, malaysia, pancakes
Vibrant Kuala Lumpur – Malasyia
Hindu Shrine at the Batu Caves - KL
Kuala Lumpur.. you can’t even describe it without seeing the city. It’s quite shocking .. the city is the true definition of an “urban jungle.” With real jungle qualities like the natural trees and vines and even monkeys. Combined with the most authentic street culture I’ve ever seen and the crazy taxi’s, weaving motorbikes and insane bus drivers.. this is a crazy place. That’s not the end of it though… there are three very pronounced religions here.. the main being Islāmic then there’s a huge Hindu presence and Christian, buddist.. this is truly a convergence of all Asia has to offer. A mash of people who come from rich cultures thrown into a relatively small area. The coolest cityscape I’ve ever experienced.
We’re trying to absorb as much as we can, do as many activities as we can ( for free). We got up high above on the sky bridge of the Petronas Towers and made it over to the amazing Hindu Shrine at the Batu Caves.. we visited the central Islāmic Mosque where all the Prime Ministers are buried…and hung out in the Bukit Bintang entertainment district eating at spicy hawker stalls and walking around the malls (*KL is Asia’s shopping mall). truly an amazing experience here but its time to make our way down the peninsula to an old town called Melaka! We’ll check back soon and post some more photos! Here’s a couple.
Petronas Towers KLCC
Chow Kit Market
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Tags: asia, city, KL, malaysia
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