China

I flew from Hanoi to Hong Kong and arrived in the late afternoon and set about to explore the busy city.  There were still many streets occupied by protesters of the "Umbrella Movement" and evidence of the violence inflicted on them several weeks ago. I made my way to the Harbor to experience one of the most amazing sky lines in the world and got to watch a later light show.  

The next day I went across the harbor to Hong Kong Island to check out the water front attractions. Every high end fashion brand has a massive store that lines the streets by the harbor and visitors come from all over to shop there. Some of the most popular brands have lines that wrap around the block with people waiting to shop.

The next afternoon I took a flight into mainland China, and the city of Chengdu. I got in fairly late so I was only able to walk around a bit by my hostel. 

The following morning I joined a tour of some of the local non-touristy sites of Chengdu. We started out at a local street market, then ventured to a large monastery and finished with lunch at a nunery.  We were allowed to eat with the nuns in complete silence as they devoured every last grain of rice and drop of soup that was put in front of them. It was hard to keep up and you were visually scolded if you left any food in your bowls.  I then did my own more touristic city tour to the biggest Mao statue in China, to the people's park and for coffee in a traditional back alley.

Bright and early the next day I took a bus to the Chengdu Panda Sanctuary to watch them feast on bamboo.  The cubs all ate together on a platform that was only a few meters away and since I got there so early, I almost had the place entirely to myself.  I then took a few more buses to the city of Leshan to see a giant Buddha carved in to the side of a mountain in a huge bay.  When I got back I traveled north to Xi'an arriving late at night.

After some much needed sleep I jumped on a bus to a small town outside of Xi'an where the pits of the famous Teracotta Warriors are housed.  Each warrior and horse is modeled after a real member of the army so each is unique and all standing in battle formation to protect the emperor after death. Then when I got back to the city I rented a bike and rode around the wall that surrounds the city for sunset. 

Early the next morning I took a bus to Mount Huashan for a hike along its 5 vertical peaks. Because I was short I time, I utilized the newly installed gondola for a spectacular ride to the snow topped mountain. The hike was almost all hand made stairs that were carved into the mountain itself, with the highlight of the journey being a navigation around cliff on a 2 food wide plank of wood bolted into the rock.  Upon returning to Xi'an, I jumped on an overnight train bound for Beijing. 

On my first day in Beijing I walked through the Forbidden City where the Emperor's family used to be the only people allowed in the massive area. We then walked around the garden area and through a lakeside village.

The next morning I took a tour to a remote portion of the Great Wall called  Jinshanling. The wall was unrepared there and looked as it did when it was built. It was awe-inspiring to stand on the top of one of the watch towers and see the wall stretch for miles in each direction over mountains and through valleys.

The following day I did a self guided city tour, checking out the markets and a few of the temples. The city of Beijing is rich with tradition and history and it was great to see.

I really enjoyed the small amounts of China that I saw.  There are so many peaceful places in its huge cities with millions of people and most of the sites I saw were incredible. I will now be flying to Kathmandu, Nepal for some trekking.

Northern Vietnam

After mom left I joined up with a group that I had met previously in Laos and we rented motor bikes and made the scenic, day long ride through Hi Van Pass and into Hue. The ride had amazing ocean and jungle views and was made to be done on a scooter. 

The next day we explored the ancient capital of Vietnam, Hue. It had a huge citadel in the middle of the city that had two moats and towering walls surrounding it. That afternoon we took a short bus ride north to Phong Nha to do some caving.

Again in Phong Nha, we rented motor bikes and made a 60km ride around the region that is know for its amazing caverns. Our first stop was the Dark Cave, which we had to zip line into, and then spent our time wading through mud and pitch black water. Our second cave was the Paradise cave, which had some of the most amazing stalagtites I have ever seen. When we got back to town we hopped on a night bus and headed to Vietnams capital, Hanoi. 

My only day in Hanoi was spent exploring the old town which had amazing old building, lakes, street food and beer. 

The next morning we went to Halong Bay and got on an overnight boat through one of the New Wonders of the World. There are hundreds of limestone islands jutting out of the water that went as far as the eye can see. It was overcast, so we didn't get to see it in all it's glory, but it was still impressive. 

The next morning we went to a pearl farm and then back through the bay to the marina and then took a bus back to Hanoi.

After a night bus from Hanoi to the northern highlands of Sapa, I joined a tour group for a two day trek through the region.  It was really foggy, but at times a little sun would peak through to give us amazing views of the terraced rice paddies. After day one, we did a home stay in a local hill tribe village, and got to experience their culture first hand.

I am now going to return to Hanoi to catch my flight to Hong Kong, and then it is on to China!

Time With Mom in Cambodia and South Vietnam

After a bus and a boat I arrived in Siem Reap, Cambodia, excited to pick my mom up from the airport and start our two week adventure together. When she arrived, dispite her 20 hour travel day, she was excited and ready to explore the town. 

The following morning started our three day pass through the Temples of Angkor with our Tuk-Tuk driver/guide Sareth. We covered almost all of the temples in the following days, even some of the far out ones. We saw sunrises and sunsets over beautiful scapes and sandstone ruins and really came to appreciate the craftsmanship and work that went in to the amazing structures. It was truly an awe inspiring experience. 

While in Siem Reap, we also saw many of the other attractions that the city had to offer.  We went to a butterfly sanctuary where we saw the entire life cycle from caterpillar to cocoon to butterfly. We also went to a land mine museum where we learned about the clearing of various explosives from rural areas thoughout Cambodia that had been placed during the many years of fighting there. One of our favorite was an acrobatic circus that starred local kids. 

From Seim Reap we ventured down to the capital of Cambodia, Phnom Penh. Nicknamed the "Pearl of Asia" for some reason, the busy city is located at the junction of the Tonle and Mekong rivers. Our first day in town was spent exploring the National Museum and the popular river walk. 

The next day we went to see the most popular sight in Phnom Penh and also the most sombering, the Killings Fields of Choeung Ek. Here close to 9,000 people were killed and placed in mass graves by the Khmer Rouge between 1975 and 1979.  We then drove to the S-21 prison where many of the people executed were held prior to being driven to Choeung Ek. Learning about the genocide was important, but very sad to learn that the nearly 1/3 of the population of Cambodia was wiped out during that period. 

The next morning before our flight to Vietnam, we decided to visit the "Silk Island" and see the entire silk making process. It was really cool to see how little worms eating mulberry leaves could eventually produce a beautiful silk scarf. From the island we drove to the airport and headed for Ho Chi Min City. 

On first day in Saigon we took a tour of the Cu Chi Tunnels to experience how the Viet Cong controlled a large rural area of 30km during the Vietnam War. They fought the American troops through a remarkable tunnel network that stretched from Saigon to Cambodia. Upon our return to town we visited the extremely one-sideed War Remnants Museum and a post office designed by Gustave Eiffel. 

The following morning we took a tour to the Mekong Delta where houses, restaurants, and markets float on the innumerable rivers, canals and streams, all flowing towards the South China Sea. Upon returning to HCMC we attended another acrobatics show called the AO Show, where the cast used wicker bowls and boats to preform stunts. 

The next day we caught a flight north to Da Lat to spend Halloween in the honeymoon capital of Vietnam. We took a city tour that consisted of a gondola ride, a mini roller coaster to a waterfall, a flower garden and the Hang Nga Crazy House, which was perfect for a Halloween night with its spooky trees and passageways, accented by the sunset.  That night after dinner we went to see a live band at a blues bar, who had a very talented 7 year old girl as their drummer. 

In the morning we took a scenic bus ride down from the highlands to the beach town of Nha Trang. We spent the day lounging on the beach enjoying the sun and slowing down a bit after the crazy last week an a half. The next morning, I joined a dive boat for 2 dives while mom explored the town. We capped the night off with some great beer and sushi with our toes in the sand at a beach side restaurant. 

Moms last stop was to historic Hoi An, where upon arrival we each got fitted for custom suits and shirts at one of the hundreds of tailor shops. We then explored the old town seeing old Chinese houses, Japanese bridges and local museums. On our second day we rented bikes to check out a pottery village and some of the surrounding beaches. Hoi An is a beautiful town that lights up at night with the countless colored lanterns and candels that line the streets and trees and we really enjoyed our time there. 

This morning I sadly had to say goodbye to my mom as she left to fly back to San Diego. It was a great two weeks and I couldn't have asked for a better travel partner. Her youthful excitement for traveling really energized me and helped me appreciate all that we experienced together. I am so thankful for her visit and I am sure our future holds many more adventures together.