Travels in Vietnam

Vietnam

I went to Vietnam one summer in my 20s. I didn't keep a travel journal or take many pictures (or know how to take good pictures for that matters). Here are a few pictures I did take, plus a bit of what I remember. )

 My favorite part of Vietnam was seeing the countryside in action -- the people working in the rice fields with their little conical hats, often times with their water buffalos...

I especially love seeing people bringing their products to market through some pretty unique ways. Necessity is the mother of invention. :)

One memorable stop was the several days we spent in Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam--known for its centuries-old architecture and a rich culture with Southeast Asian, Chinese and French influences. We stayed in the Old Quarter, which is both chaotic and endearing at the same time. :)

One unique thing about Hanoi is how many buildings are "imperial yellow", which was traditionally associated with royalty in Vietnam.  Even the famous Hanoi Hilton (right) is imperial yellow!

I remember being especially into seeing communist art/billboards/propaganda, and I also LOVED the chaotic streets, especially from inside a rickshaw. Best mode of transport!

From Hanoi we visited Sa Pa, a mountain town in northern Vietnam that overlooks terraced rice fields and serves as a market town for the many hill tribe villages of the surrounding area.  

This was my favorite stop in Vietnam, since it's the cultural experiences that I like the most when traveling. So interesting!  I took a lot of portraits. I especially love the differences in their dress (which indicates what tribe they are from).

 

Travels in Thailand

Doi Sutep Monastery in Chiang Mai

Thailand

I went to Thailand one summer in my 20s. I didn't keep a travel journal or take many pictures (or know how to take good pictures for that matters). Here are a few pictures I did take, plus a bit of what I remember. )

I spent the first week in Thailand with my friend Pete, who I had met while traveling in Eastern Europe. We had a great time exploring Wat Phra Kew, Wat Arun (decorated by tiny bits of china donated by devoted residents!), Wat Pho (home of a magnificent and huge reclining Buddha), as well as riding through the city on the Chao Phraya River and eating delicious delicious delicious Thai food! After a whole week in Bangkok, we barely scratched the surface! Such a fascinating city. Here are some shots:


The most memorable excursion out of Bangkok was to the Damnoen Saduak floating market in Ratchaburi, pictured below:

We got there early (7am) to beat the tourists and catch the authentic market in action. (Thank goodness, because when we disembarking, the tourists started pouring in!)

boats of vendors, plus a close-up of some of their goodies

Once there, we immediately hired a boat to observe the market first hand, then float around the canal to see life in the surrounding the villages. Amazing! Fantastic! Loved it!

On the way back, we stopped at a local Buddhist shrine to check out the beautiful grounds and watch the rituals in person, including the fascinating tradition of applying gold leaf to Buddhist statues.

After Bangkok, Pete left for home and I traveled solo... well, with new travel mates, just not with Pete. From Bangkok, we traveled by a comfortable overnight train to Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand.  Here are a few of my new travel friends en route [and we were such good buddies that now, 20 years later, I have no recollection of their names. :) ]

First on the agenda in Chiang Mai-- a traditional Thai massage! Perfect after a long ride.

After the massage, we explored the many temples and the old city of Chiang Mai. Then, around dusk we visited the unbelievably, fantastic mountain temple of Doi Suthep:

We got there just in time to catch the evening meditation and devotion service. Amazing. Amazing. Amazing.

I also remember strolling through Chiang Mai's vibrant night bazaar and eating a fantastic dinner to round out a fantastic visit. 

Summer in Europe

Coming soon.....

One summer in my 20s, I did one of those whirlwind trips thru Europe, seeing a silly amount of countries in just 3 short months!  I visited England, France, Spain, Italy, Greece, Austria, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Poland.  Oh, to be technical, also Monaco, Liechtenstein and Vatican City.

I have pictures from that trip, but no trip journal.  I plan to eventually upload those picture here.

Adventures in Laos

I traveled to Laos one summer in my 20s. Such an unforgettable trip!  Too bad I didn't take more pictures of my time there, or keep a travel journal. Here are some of the few shots that I did take.


Floating Down the Mekong:
Our entire adventure in Laos was spent traveling down the Mekong River on a simple river barge. The Mekong is really the heart of the country, so it was the best and in many cases only way to travel!  Here's the group on the barge, and some scenes from along the river:

One night we had a VERY authentic cultural experience when we STAYED THE NIGHT in the village shown below right.  We'd gone a full day's travel and it was the largest village anywhere in sight.  Goodness...that was a very long night!  Fun and awful at the same time. :)

At one point along our ride down the Mekong, we spotted some work going on by the side of river...with work elephants!  We stopped to check out the scene and they even let me climb aboard.  That was crazy!  I couldn't stop laughing:

Luang Prabang: 
Our first big stop in our travels in Laos was visiting the ancient capital of Luang Prabang. Inhabited for thousands of years, it was the royal capital of the country until 1975 and it's full of Buddhist temples as well as evidence of the country's French colonial past. Here are some pictures:

Vientiane: 

Our next stop after sleepy Luang Prabang was Vientiane--the capital and largest city of Laos.  

And here are some random shots from my time in Laos. Wish I would have taken more pictures. :(

At some point along the river we ran across this century's old cave full of Buddist art. Amazing: