Traveling back home

On our last day we went to the beach and caught some rays! We met an American girl from Colorado there who is just traveling the world for 6 months. It was nice to talk to another American because they were hard to find in Vietnam!! The beach was really beautiful and relaxing for our last little adventure. After that we packed up and flew from Hue to Ho Chi Minh and now I am at an internet cafe in Seoul, South Korea. We fly to L.A. in an hour and then to Cincinnati. We will get home around 6:45 on Tuesday night.

We slept the whole way on our overnight flight last night and took a 2 hour nap here at Seoul's airport. (they have really comfortable seats to lay on:)

Unfortunately I caught a bug yesterday and had a really bad fever but I think it was one of those 24 hour bug's. I just have a cough and a runny nose now (I feel bad for Ashley because I don't want her to get near me and I don't think she wants to get near me either!)

We are looking forward to our own beds, regular food and coffee, and going on a run!! I know Ashley misses Curtis and is looking forward to seeing him...

Overall it was an amazing experience and I am soooooooooooooooooo happy I went. We brought back the artwork from the group home and we are looking forward to displaying it somehow!

Thanks for staying in tune with the blog. I will talk to you all soon...

Kacey

Day in Hue...

Hue has been a beautiful and cultural place in Vietnam. It is fairly central and lies on the Perfume River. Ashley and I took a tour on a dragon boat to visit some tombs and pagodas today. It was very hot but very informative/beautiful. I think my favorite part was meeting and talking to all of the other westerners on the boat. We met some English, Germans, Spanish, French, and a guy from Amsterdam. It is fun to exchange stories and hear about everyone's adventures.

I got these shoes before I left from Cincinnati...they are Reef's and they have a secret compartment on the sole of the shoe where you can put keys, money, and miscellaneous things. They have become a huge hit when people see me messing with them. Some people want to buy them from me...:) they would be a huge hit all over the world!!

We got back and showered...you have no idea how good it feels and how thankful I am everyday for it!!! We had some dinner at Lac Thien and had some Vietnamese food. At this restaurant a guy invented a bottle opener to open beers so Ashley and I got 2 free!! We also signed our names on the wall...(Ashley put GO XU!! and WHO DEY!!!)

We are now at a post office blogging this and surrounded by young Vietnamese boys playing video games!!

Tommorow is our last day we fly out from Hue tommorow at 6pm to Ho Chi Minh...hopefully I will blog about our last day. We plan on visiting the city here in Hue!

We are now in Hue

Today we got up early, went to breakfast and walked down to the Cham museum in DaNang. The Cham museum is suppose to be a main attraction in DaNang and has sculptures from the Cham Dynasty. Ashley and I both were quickly going through it but we found the structure of the building much more interesting than the stone Elephants and Buddhas...

We got back to our hotel...I didn't mention this earlier but we had a stalker at the hotel we stayed at. He was googly eyeing us and was insistant on taking us on a motorbike tour. We tried to avoid him as much as possible and were glad to be leaving the hotel.

We got on a train to head to Hue. The train was filthy and the bathrooms were horrendous with just a hole and feet prints on the ground to put your feet. I know this is disgusting but I am sick too from travelers diarrhea I got after eating the big shrimp and crab!!!
Also when Ashley and I were sitting in our seats all of a sudden the person's feet from behind us was between us and her feet smelled horrible!!!! There was also a cute but annoying girl in front of us for 3 hours smiling and taking our picture. You can only smile and give thumbs up so many times before losing your patience.

We have been good to all the kids begging for money though, we carry candy now and hand it to them and give them American change. They are happy with us but always want more.

We got to Hue and got swarmed by taxi men. You would think the paparrazi was after us, we had to yell at them to get away and finally got a metered taxi to take us to our hotel. We just had dinner and are sweaty and gross and short tempered.

Tommorow we are going on a tour of Hue on a boat for only 2$US!! We are looking forward to a good last day in Hue...Monday we fly around 5pm to Ho Chi Minh City, then to Seoul, Korea, then to L.A. then to the good old Nati!!

By the way, I have not been able to read your comments for the past 4 days because the computers won't read it in English so I look forward to what you are saying!!

Chow, YO NORA!!

Group Home Adventure

So we got up this morning and went to the group home in DaNang. We had an awesome experience and the kids were so happy!! A lot of them were mentally retarded, handicapped from Agent Orange, and other birth defects. We got there and the kids were clapping and so happy to see us!!

Our first lesson we had them draw with oil pastels and paint with watercolors. Their artwork is unique to each individual child and they loved having us there. Lots of high fives, hugs, asking us to draw them pictures, and many kids loved playing with our digital cameras (they liked seeing themselves on camera). We them showed them how to make pop up cards and gave them candy...honestly just smiling and hanging out with them made our day. We were so focused on the artwork but the actual experience with working with all of them was priceless!! We donated all of the supplies including scissors, glue, paper, brushes, paints, markers, and oil pastels. They were very grateful...I look forward to showing you all pictures of them.

Then in the afternoon we got to go to another group home and spend time with a little older kids with less severities. It was more like a vocational school where they learned to print, embroider, sew, and other practical skills. Here the students learn a trade and then get a job at around 18 years of age (lots of them are amazing artists they drew pictures for us and there was no way Ashley or I could teach them that skill in a day). Their facilities were poor and they need sponsors and resources to help these children have a life.

Afterwards Ashley and I got our train tickets to Hue where we go tommorow. We met some teenagers at dinner from Pittsburgh who go to boarding school who are here in Vietnam to volunteer. They were great to talk too and very mature for their age!

We are wearing down and ready to leave but look forward to a good nights sleep in our nice hotel.

p.s. only a few more blogs because we come home on Monday.

WOW WOW WOW

Sorry I did not write a blog yesterday...the computer here in DaNang's hotel wasn't working...

Yesterday we started off the day by meeting the woman helping us with the group home. She gave us some suggestions and let us know a little bit more about the conditions of the children. We went to another bookstore here in DaNang and got some more things for the kids and some candy.
It felt good to get this accomplished.

We then met 2 guys at 11am who were taking us around on motorbikes to the Marble Mountains (Many buddah and pagodas, they are 5 mountains that represent the elements of the earth). It was a rough journey walking up very very steep steps and climbing our ways into caves. The best part was meeting an old woman who showed us a hidden laying buddha. We got to light incense and really experience their awesome culture. It was absolutely gorgeous!!

Our tour guides also took us to Hoi An, a town about 15 minutes away that is famous for tailoring clothes and is just a beautiful city near the beach. Of course we got some more clothes made. I got an awesome coat and Ashley a coat and dress. (by the way our pants we got made in Bangkok did not fit that great and we were disappointed) On our walk through the city we met Minh who took us into his house and served us lemonade. He served in the Southern army and loves Americans. He was a bit loopy but we were glad we got to see the inside of someone's house. Minh is also a painter and we bought some small ink drawings.

We stopped at China Beach and walked around. Neither of us were wearing our swimsuits so we just put our feet in the water and gave all the little begging children surrounding us quarters...they would not leave us alone!!!!

Our tour guides stopped us at Red Beach and at an American base camp. It is completely desolate and you can tell this country is very poor and damaged from the war.

We were very appreciative of our tour guides on the motorbikes. They were awesome and it was the best feeling riding on a motorbike...very empowering and a thrill!!! They tried to get us to go on a tour with them to Hue on motorbikes...very tempting but Ashley and I like having our refreshing showers at night after sweating disgutingly all day!!

They took us to an all Vietnamese bar where we enjoyed Tiger beer and then had the most amazing seafood. HUGE shrimp and crab. It was outstanding but my stomach is paying for it today!!!

Having the tour guides we got to know so much about communism, the war, and their unique stories. You are not suppose to speak about the government in public (no freedom of speech and the government has little money and the money it has goes to roads and construction). One of our guides fought for the South and has 3 gun wounds to show for it. He said it has taken him years to get over the traumatic experiences but such a good man who is married with 3 kids.

We got home around 8pm stuffed and tired and fell asleep. Its now Friday and its Ashleys Bday!! Boa one of our guides is going to buy her a cake today with her name on it. We kind of celebrated last night but I woke up and gave her the gift and card that I got her. Its kind of weird having a bday here in Vietam...so write her some great emails to wish her a Happy Bday!!!!

This blog is getting quite long and I still have much to tell...this morning we went to the group home did art lessons and going to another one this afternoon!!! (it was incredible:) and i will write more later once the day is finished...

DaNang, Vietnam

After I emailed last night Ashley and I had dinner and met some more Aussie's who we spent most of the night talking too. We were in the backpackers district so we have had a lot of people trying to sell us things and handicapped people asking for money. I am a huge sucker for this especially when its the little kids that ask. We had a great evening chatting it up with our new friends Peter and Greg who were very proud of being Australian and eating kangaroo!!

There was also a huge fight on the street where 2 kids got beat up with metal chairs and sticks. It was a feud over a motorbike accident. It was pretty gruesome and got everyone to stop and watch for a few minutes. I think the boys were all right in the end...the police and ambulance came about a 1/2 hour later!!!

We got on our sleeper train last night and were on it for a long time. We had some bunk mates who smiled and said hello but fortunately they got off early and Ashley and I had the room to ourselves most of the day.

A young Vietnamese boy Quang (which means light) talked to us so he could practice his English and he enjoys meeting new people. It was an awesome conversation and we learned quite a bit about the Vietnamese culture and learned that he loved Celine Dion and the movie Mr and Mrs. Smith!! He sang "Because You Loved Me" to us!!!!!!!!!

We got here in DaNang around 2 this afternoon and had some lunch and walked around. We are riding motorbikes up to the Marble Mountains tommorow and meeting up with the woman in charge of the group home.

DaNang is much more quiet than Ho Chi Minh but not much of a touristy spot. We are the only white people I have seen...people stare at us and say hello, then laugh. The children give us smiles though and it is sweet.

Looking forward to crashing...with cookies:)

Day in Saigon/Ho Chi Minh City

Both Ashley and I have been worried about where we are going to get art supplies for the children in DaNang. We did not want to bring them over from the USA because it was a lot for us to carry. So the first thing we did this morning was walk over to a market nearby. The market sells clothes, food, toilet paper, and just about anything you can ask for...they did not have art supplies like brushes, paint, and paper though. We searched for some Vietnamese people who could speak English and they directed us to a street where they sold all kinds of stuff. We were so relieved to buy nice paper, oil pastels, brushes, and watercolor paints!!! It was the first thing on our priority list and we got that done first.

We walked back to our hotel and picked up our train tickets to DaNang. We leave here tonight on an overnight train and get to DaNang tommorow. We put our art supplies in our bags and headed off to the city. Both of us have been pretty nervous about getting on motorbike taxis because of the accident we got in a couple of days ago...we both told ourselves that we can't let fear hold us back so we got on the back of a motorbike which took us to the War Museum. It was actually really fun but yes scary!! My dude loved that I was from America and he called himself "Batman". He spoke pretty good English and I felt comfortable holding on to him in the most chaotic traffic in the world!!!

The war museum was pretty gruesome. They had lots of pictures with people who suffer from Agent Orange and showed how the American soldiers killed many innocent civilians. People here don't hold that against Americans at all from what I have experienced...

After that we walked to the Notre Dame cathedral and stopped by the post office where I got some stamps and Ashley called the USA. We walked down Dong Khoi street where there was great shopping and had lunch. We had Pho which is a traditional dish here in Vietnam. It was awesome!!!!

Since we felt so comfortable on the motorbikes...we got one to the Fine Arts Museum and walked around. By this point we were getting kind of loopy and the museum was pretty dull.

Now we are back at the hotel and we have to check out at 5. We are going to eat some dinner and take a train to DaNang tonight...we won't get there until about 1 tommorow!!

Hope all is well in the US of A!!!!!
Oh...one more thing some Aussie's said we had beautiful accents:) (you know us Ohio girls)

Mekong Delta

Hey Guys! Last night Ashley and I found "Guns and Roses", the bar where they only play Axl all night long. It is right down the street from where we are staying and dropped by there before we had dinner last night.

This morning we got up bright and early for our Mekong Delta tour. We got on a bus for about 2 hours and then got on a boat and headed to a couple of islands. On the islands we got to have lunch, eat coconut candy, and listen to some good old traditional Vietnamese music. It was a rather relaxing tour and we didn't get as sweaty and dirty as yesterday. The candy and food were great...the music...let's just say that Simon would of torn them apart!!

We got to ride through canals on row boats. All I could think about was how my brother Kevin would have so much fun on the jet ski's through the area. It was quite gorgeous!

On our tour we met some "aussie's" and had nice conversations with them at lunch.

We just had dinner down the street and tommorow we are going through Ho Chi Minh City more and checking out the war museum and other sites. I don't know if I have mentioned this but they don't drive cars here in Vietnam, everyone travels by motorbike. The traffic is crazy and very very dangerous. I have seen 4 accidents since I have arrived.

We booked a train to head to DaNang tommorow night. We are taking a sleeper train and getting to DaNang on Wednesday afternoon. That is where we head to our group home. I am looking forward to it...

Anyone that wants anything specifically from Vietnam let us know!! We are pretty good bargain hunters. Also...is anyone out there????

VN tunnels and Cao Dia Temple

We got up early this morning for a tour here in Ho Chi Minh City. We took a bus around 8am this morning to a couple of different places. We first stopped at a factory where some handicapped Vietnamese people work. They make numerous types of crafts and we watched them...I know this sounds cheesy but it was "really neat". They had big smiles on their faces and they were really talented!!

Next stop was the Cao Dia Temple...a very colorful and unique place. They practice the religion Cao Dia which is a combination of Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Confunsiuism (sp?), and Catholicism. We got to see a service there and take some BEAUTIFUL pictures. It was pretty close to the border of Cambodia and only a portion of the population here in Vietnam practice this religion.

We then had lunch...I have been eating a TON of fried rice/vegetables, eggs and fruit...I think both Ashley and I are going to eat something a little bit more familiar to our tastes tonight!!

Last stop...the VN tunnels. It is run by the government here in Vietnam and shows how the North Vietnamese used their guerilla tactics and tunnels to defeat the Americans. Both Ashley and I decided against shooting the M16's. ( you could of paid 20,000 dong to shoot 1 bullet, which is equivelant to like 1$) I did make it through the tunnels system on my hands and feet for 100 meters in literally 100 degrees!!

Our tour guide Thong aka "Slim Jim" was probably the hit of the day. He fought in the Vietnam war and fought against the North Vietnamese. He was very pro-American and knew all sorts of slang. He was very friendly and he made the trip very enjoyable. We also made our first American friends here. They are from California and are now Harvard grad students...it was nice to talk to people with a familiar accent!!!

We just got back, I am going to shower, we are going to get some dinner and then tommorow we are going on the Mekong Delta tour...

Today was a very educational day!

IN VIETNAM...accidents occur!!!

Okay, so we got up bright and early this morning probably around 5 in the morning. We got a taxi to the airport and left our awesome Shanti Lodge in Bangkok. The plane ride from Bankok to Ho Chi Minh was only an hour flight so it wasn't that bad at all. We got through the transition to Vietnam great...Ashley and I were both impressed with ourselves.

We got a hotel in Ditrict I in Ho Chi Minh City and there are lots of tourists and backpackers around the area. We are having a great time with the Vietnamese they are so friendly and we have had lots of laughs with them already.

The weather here is much more humid than Bangkok and it just rained an hour ago...its like 90 degrees but feels like 110!!!

So we started walking to find some shopping (of course) and we got kind of lost so we decided to take on a cyclo which is a bike taxi. (There are not very many cars here in Vietnam and mostly motorbikes and the traffic is crazy!!!! Scary to drive and walk across the streets...I find myself saying Hail Mary's all of the time.) The cyclo took us to Dong Khoi street which is a great shopping district. Once we got to the street we got nailed by a bus and were laying on the curb between a broken bicycle and a bus. Neither Ashley or I got seriously hurt but just scrapes and bruises on our bodies. The worst part was our cyclist/driver said we owed him 3$ afterwards...I lifted up my shirt to show him my scrapes on my waist and said are you crazy??!!! I did give him 2$ because I felt bad for his bike and walked away.

We just walked into a internet cafe and now we are going to walk around and shop/eat dinner/and probably go to bed early. We have a couple of tours lined up here in Ho Chi Minh City before we head up to DaNang where the group home is!!

3rd Day in Bangkok

Okay...we got up bright and early this morning and headed out on our elephant ride/tour. We took a bus at 7 am and traveled about 2 hours from Bangkok and visited a World War II cemetary and a museum. We got some good shots and walked on Death Railroad...which was constructed during WWII by the Japanese. All prisoners of war were forced to build this railway and most of them died from the conditions they built it in. It was set in the beautiful countryside of Bangkok so we got beautiful views of the mountains.

We had lunch on the river and finally during mid-afternoon got to the beautiful and majestic elephants!!!! We have such awesome pics of us riding them and feeding them. Unlike the "zoo" the elephants seem happy and free. As we were riding them...the ears of the elephant were flapping my feet and I got to sit on the elephants shoulders, pet/rub their trunks and feed them bananas. It was amazing to ride elephants in the jungle and view the beautirul mountains!!!! Probably one of the top 5 expereinces of my life so far. Also...if you did not know elephants are my favorite animal so I had the best time of my life...

After we rode the elephants we got back on the bus and stopped at a waterfall site. It was there that we met "Maurice" the monkey. He bites but we fed him potato chips which he grabbed out of our hands with his own hands. Maurice is tied up on a chain to a tree next to a highway if you get the picture. He was incredibly cute even though he does get kind of nasty. Neither Ashley and I were hurt.

Earlier I mentioned that I really wanted to talk to a Buddhist monk...well guess what I got too. I met one that was on our elephant trekking tour. We talked on a train and he was really kind to both Ashley and I. He talked about how sometimes he had to go in months sitting in the same position or not eating at all. He has lived in 52 countries practicing and teaching Buddhism. He was an inspiration and a true hightlight of my day.

We got back around 7pm tonight had some dinner and met some English guys who were stereotyping Americans. Don't worry Ashley and I made our country proud. They challenged the both of us to come and do a marathon in London!

Its been a long day...I just got back and am writing this blog, I have to take a shower, go to bed, and wake up at 5:30am tommorow and fly to Vietnam!!!!!!!!!!
Bangkok was awesome but I am ready to go.

Our 2nd Day

We have a handle on Bangkok now...no more tuk tuk's and taxi guys ripping us off. Yesterday a lot of Thai men were telling us it was tax free day (the only day of the year-convenient huh) and that we should buy some rubies and saffires. Neither one of Ashley and I are even interested in buying expensive jewelry but they were trying to get us in on their scam. I forgot to mention that yesterday so that was quite frustrating and annoying because at least 3 men approached us with this unbelieveable proposal!!!!!!!

TODAY was a lot different. We blew off all tuk tuks and made sure we paid no more than 60 baht for the taxi fair. When men came and approached us Ashley (of course not me) would say "NO, no rubies and saffires for us". They would laugh and realize we had already been tried for the scam. We felt much more confident and not as the dumb blonde americans like we were yesterday.

We got up and scheduled an elephant excursion for Friday (tommorow) and then walked down a market street where tourists hang out. It's a long market where you can wheel and deal with the locals and buy stuff. A ton of backpackers were there buying stuff and drinking beers while watching the diverse group of people. One of the locals was trying to figure out our ethnicity...norweigan, french, australian, canadian...we finally had to tell him we were from America. We have not met any Americans here...they are all from Europe, Australia, or South AFrica.

Then the best part...I had a major connection with someone today...it was with my one toothed woman who gave me a Thai massage!! It was the best hour of my life and she threw my body around in ways I didn't think I could go! It felt sooooo good especially since I just got done with my marathon. It was so incredibly relaxing and so far one of the best experiences I have had here yet. The lady who did it was really nice but she spoke only Thai. Ashley got one at the same time and right next to me...we think our massage therapists were laughing and talking about us the whole time.

After we took showers and then went back to the market area where we ate at May Kadees (vegetarian thai restaurant) and then shopped some more. We are back here at gold old Shanti Lodge going to have a beer and then hit the sack early...we are getting picked up at 6:45am for our elephant excursion.

2nd Day..Waking up

We had a good rest of the day yesterday. I had some authentic pad thai that was soooo good and sipped down some Bangkok beer. We saw this park where people had excersize classes and ping pong outside. Also some runners but I think I could of taken them on!!!

My favorite park is seeing the Buddhist monks in their orange robes walking around. I want to talk to one so bad or want one to smile at me. It would be cool to have a connection with one of them. I have a lot of respect for the people here and it has helped me really slow down and live in the moment!

Today we are getting thai massages and hopefully going for an elephant ride. We just had coffee and have been reading our travel books...looking forward to another rewarding day!
Also thanks to those who have written it feels good knowing you are still out there...:)i am all smiles!!!

1st Day in Bangkok

We had a good nights sleep and woke up at our awesome Shanti Lodge. To describe its atmosphere it has mirrors and mosaics all over the walls, we walk around barefoot, listen to a rooster crow all day long, and hear the sounds of tiny waterfalls. Very hippi-ish with people from all over the world here.

We got out around 8am and didn't come back until 2 this afternoon. We got scammed into taking a tuk-tuk around and went to some touristy spots we didn't really want to go. On the bright side we saw some amazing temples and got a pair of pants made for ourselves. We found a great market to go back to and get a lot of goodies to take back for our friends and family. People were nice and were excited to hear we were from the USA. They all want to get to New York City or have family that lives there!!

The atmosphere is quite busy and lots of traffic...the smell takes some getting used too. Lots of dead fish and some funky looking food. I am defintntly in a foreign country!! I have yet to experience some real "thai". I hope my stomach is up for it.

Ashley is taking a nap and I am going to find some other sites to see before the end of the day. You think its hot wherever you are...come to Southeast Asia where I have not stopped sweating!!!!!!

We are here!!!

We are finally here!! It took us a total of 32 hours to get to Bangkok and we are soooooooo happy to be here. It is like 1:00am here and there is an internet cafe at our very eclectic and authentic lodge. We are walking around barefoot and drinking bottled water because we are so dehydrated from our travels.

It is very humid and 90 degrees here! (yes at 1 am in the morning) We are going to get as much sleep as we can tonight and we have 3 great days here in Bangkok.

Wednesday, June 6th

HI!! This is my first blog so be prepared...it might get rather wordy or not make sense at times so I will try my best. I was suggested by a friend that I write a blog during my trip to Southeast Asia because it will give everyone a great taste of my travels.

I HAVE NOT LEFT YET but I have been starting to prepare for my adventurous trip by getting a number of things recommended by people who have traveled to Asia. So far I have gotten:

Pepto Bismol, advil, vaccinations, sunscreen, light clothing, my visa, digital camera, good books + my knitting supplies for the plane, small toiletries...

Any other suggestions could be helpful!!