I love Princeton. I love the college, but let's face it, the town is pretty cool too. I think it is the town in America with the most ice cream stores per capita. And I'm not talkin' Ben&Jerry's or Coldstone here. I'm talking real, honest-to-goodness ice cream parlors which serve their own ice cream creations. I may or may not have eaten three servings of ice cream yesterday. All from different stores. and I might be going back to at least one of them tonight. maybe two. You never know.
Reunions is a pretty special time of little sleep, lots of parties, and deep-seated nostalgia. I've only been away one year and I'm nostalgic for what it was like to live on campus. I even miss the stress. I guess it's a good thing that I'm going back to school soon. will post pictures soon.
29 May 2010
26 May 2010
5 Countries in 4 Days...3 Meals in 2 Hours
I think that this title is an accurate summary of the final days of our trip through Asia. We began Friday in Laos. On Saturday, we traveled to Vietnam by way of Cambodia. Unfortunately, we didn't get to do anything other than sit at the airport and wait for the transit, but I'm counting it for the purposes of this post. On Sunday night we flew to Japan, spent Monday in Japan (quality 10-hour layover there), and then arrived in America on Monday night.
Just what did we do with a 10-hour layover in Japan, you ask? We ate, that's what. We ate and ate and ate. And it was delicious.
First off, we checked with the Airport tourist office and grabbed a breakfast of several Japanese delicacies. Correction: Liz grabbed a selection of Japanese delicacies for us to share for breakfast, since she knows Japanese food. Then, we hit up the town of Narita (where the airport is) because Tokyo was too far away.
Narita is kind of a small town, not much to see other than a sizeable temple complex, but it does have restaurants out the wazoo. So, when we had finished with the temple complex at 11:00, we decided that it was time for lunch. Or as it turned out, one of many lunches.
First up, miso soup and sushi/sashimi. We decided to go for something light to start off with, because we wanted to keep eating for as long as we could. We walked into the first sushi restaurant we found and ordered one of the set sushi meals that they offered, plus two bowls of miso soup, because miso is delicious. And because we were cold because it was raining in Narita that day, but that's beside the point.
The sushi was masterfully made. They mixed a small amount of wasabi directly into the rice itself...just enough to add flavor, but not so much that it cleared out your sinuses and made you feel like your head was going to explode. Our plate had an assortment: regular tuna sushi, tuna sashimi, whitefish, crab, herring roe, scallop, and sea urchin. I don't normally eat sashimi when I eat sushi in America because I'm still pretty new to the whole consuming-raw-fish idea. However, thanks to this meal, I completely understand the appeal. It melts in your mouth. Melts! Regular tuna sashimi is pretty delicious, but I also really liked the whitefish and the herring roe. Sea urchin, however, has a weird crunchy texture that I don't really deisre to feel in my mouth ever again. But other than the sea urchin, Lunch #1 was quite satisfying.
Then, we walked for a bit, checking out the other restaurants in search of Lunch #2. After a while, we settled on this one restaurant directly across from where we ate Lunch #1, mostly because it was the only restaurant we saw that was absolutely filled with Japanese people. It was raining and kind of nasty and there weren't many people in the streets (or in many of the restaurants), but this restaurant was completely full (of locals, no less!), so in we went.
Unagi. Barbecued eel. This restaurant specialized in it, so we ordered one and sat down to wait. Again, I don't really order eel when I eat Japanese in America, unless it's on a dragon roll (which doesn't count, because then it has avocado and special sauce and doesn't really seem like eel), but now I understand. It melts in your mouth! How is it that the Japanese know so much about how to cook foods so that they are perfectly tender and fall to pieces on the tongue? Needless to day, we now know why all the locals were frequenting that specific restaurant, and we also know why they only serve one dish.
After this, we were feeling a little full, but it was only a little after twelve, and we didn't have to be back at the airport for a few more hours. Plus, we really wanted to sample more than two dishes. So, we walked a ways more and decided to eat tempura. Bad choice. Good tempura, but bad idea to eat fried food when we were already so full. The tempura itself was fantastic: veggies, fish and shrimp, all battered and fried to perfecton, with interesting seasoning and sauce to dip them in. But even though we split this meal (and the ones preceding it), we could barely finish the last bite. Fried foods are just a little too filling, especially when you're on your third lunch for the day.
So then we returned to the airport, stuffed and satisfied. I had accomplished everything that I had wanted to do in Japan during this day...eat delicious seafood. And it was delightful.
Just what did we do with a 10-hour layover in Japan, you ask? We ate, that's what. We ate and ate and ate. And it was delicious.
First off, we checked with the Airport tourist office and grabbed a breakfast of several Japanese delicacies. Correction: Liz grabbed a selection of Japanese delicacies for us to share for breakfast, since she knows Japanese food. Then, we hit up the town of Narita (where the airport is) because Tokyo was too far away.
Narita is kind of a small town, not much to see other than a sizeable temple complex, but it does have restaurants out the wazoo. So, when we had finished with the temple complex at 11:00, we decided that it was time for lunch. Or as it turned out, one of many lunches.
First up, miso soup and sushi/sashimi. We decided to go for something light to start off with, because we wanted to keep eating for as long as we could. We walked into the first sushi restaurant we found and ordered one of the set sushi meals that they offered, plus two bowls of miso soup, because miso is delicious. And because we were cold because it was raining in Narita that day, but that's beside the point.
The sushi was masterfully made. They mixed a small amount of wasabi directly into the rice itself...just enough to add flavor, but not so much that it cleared out your sinuses and made you feel like your head was going to explode. Our plate had an assortment: regular tuna sushi, tuna sashimi, whitefish, crab, herring roe, scallop, and sea urchin. I don't normally eat sashimi when I eat sushi in America because I'm still pretty new to the whole consuming-raw-fish idea. However, thanks to this meal, I completely understand the appeal. It melts in your mouth. Melts! Regular tuna sashimi is pretty delicious, but I also really liked the whitefish and the herring roe. Sea urchin, however, has a weird crunchy texture that I don't really deisre to feel in my mouth ever again. But other than the sea urchin, Lunch #1 was quite satisfying.
Then, we walked for a bit, checking out the other restaurants in search of Lunch #2. After a while, we settled on this one restaurant directly across from where we ate Lunch #1, mostly because it was the only restaurant we saw that was absolutely filled with Japanese people. It was raining and kind of nasty and there weren't many people in the streets (or in many of the restaurants), but this restaurant was completely full (of locals, no less!), so in we went.
Unagi. Barbecued eel. This restaurant specialized in it, so we ordered one and sat down to wait. Again, I don't really order eel when I eat Japanese in America, unless it's on a dragon roll (which doesn't count, because then it has avocado and special sauce and doesn't really seem like eel), but now I understand. It melts in your mouth! How is it that the Japanese know so much about how to cook foods so that they are perfectly tender and fall to pieces on the tongue? Needless to day, we now know why all the locals were frequenting that specific restaurant, and we also know why they only serve one dish.
After this, we were feeling a little full, but it was only a little after twelve, and we didn't have to be back at the airport for a few more hours. Plus, we really wanted to sample more than two dishes. So, we walked a ways more and decided to eat tempura. Bad choice. Good tempura, but bad idea to eat fried food when we were already so full. The tempura itself was fantastic: veggies, fish and shrimp, all battered and fried to perfecton, with interesting seasoning and sauce to dip them in. But even though we split this meal (and the ones preceding it), we could barely finish the last bite. Fried foods are just a little too filling, especially when you're on your third lunch for the day.
So then we returned to the airport, stuffed and satisfied. I had accomplished everything that I had wanted to do in Japan during this day...eat delicious seafood. And it was delightful.
25 May 2010
Back to Boston
I don't even really like McDonald's very much, but our first meal back in the states was a Quarter Pounder with Cheese and Fries. And it was delicious.
Traveling for 20+ hours is rough, especially when your international flight is delayed, the line at immigration has hundreds of people, and you're transferring through O'Hare (uggh, O'Hare).
Mostly, though, the scariest part of the flight was when we arrived at the airport in Ho Chi Minh City to check in, and the attendant informed Liz that he wasn't seeing her name in the system. Mild panic attack right there. Thankfully, though, I had brought the receipt with me, so we dug that out and the attendant worked some magic and got her on the flight.
Then, going through Chicago, our international flight arrived an hour late, so we missed our connection, and getting through immgration and customs took at least an hour and a half. When we finally got through and went to the counter to re-check our bags, they also re-issued us our tickets for a new flight. But again, they couldn't find Liz in the system. So, I had a confirmed seat and she was flying standby, which was nervewracking.
We got our tickets at 5:30 for a 6:45 flight. Got to security about 5:45. Got through security at about 6:20. Sprinted all the way down the terminal at O'Hare, dodging in and out of people and suitcases, to the very last gate, where we arrived just as they called the final boarding call.
Thankfully, there was room on the plane, and Liz got her seat, but we had no time to even think about dinner. So when we landed in Boston at 10, we were starving. Hence, McDonald's.
Traveling for 20+ hours is rough, especially when your international flight is delayed, the line at immigration has hundreds of people, and you're transferring through O'Hare (uggh, O'Hare).
Mostly, though, the scariest part of the flight was when we arrived at the airport in Ho Chi Minh City to check in, and the attendant informed Liz that he wasn't seeing her name in the system. Mild panic attack right there. Thankfully, though, I had brought the receipt with me, so we dug that out and the attendant worked some magic and got her on the flight.
Then, going through Chicago, our international flight arrived an hour late, so we missed our connection, and getting through immgration and customs took at least an hour and a half. When we finally got through and went to the counter to re-check our bags, they also re-issued us our tickets for a new flight. But again, they couldn't find Liz in the system. So, I had a confirmed seat and she was flying standby, which was nervewracking.
We got our tickets at 5:30 for a 6:45 flight. Got to security about 5:45. Got through security at about 6:20. Sprinted all the way down the terminal at O'Hare, dodging in and out of people and suitcases, to the very last gate, where we arrived just as they called the final boarding call.
Thankfully, there was room on the plane, and Liz got her seat, but we had no time to even think about dinner. So when we landed in Boston at 10, we were starving. Hence, McDonald's.
21 May 2010
Spelunking
is only the greatest word in the English language. And speaking of caves, we saw the coolest one yesterday...Kong Lor Cave in Southern Laos. I thought that I was caved out after The Amazing Cave in Halong Bay and the Buddha Cave near Luang Prabang, but this cave puts all other caves to shame.
To fully experience Kong Lor, we took a boat up the river that carved this 7km (about 4 miles) tunnel through the mountain. Actually, we really didn't see much of the cave at all, because it was so dark. But I feel like we got a good idea of it...long and dark and cool, with bats. Basically...it's ginormous! And since we were going through it during the dry season, we got to sense it at its largest.
OK, so... at first, I didn't think it looked particularly scary, but that's because there were a whole bunch of people and boats milling around at the mouth. Once we got in our boat, and it was just us, our guides, and their headlamps, the cave got a whole lot spookier. And bigger. And blacker. And ghostlier. And like someone was going to cue the theme from The Twilight Zone.
I felt like I was on one of those dark rollercoasters at Disneyworld, and something was going to light up all of a sudden or jump out to scare me. Or like I was Indiana Jones, or in Redwall on a quest, or in Journey to the Center of the Earth (which, I guess, in a way, I was). Or riding the River Styx into the Underworld, or searching for the lost city of Atlantis...which, I think that if anyone were to ever find Atlantis, it would be found by traveling through a cave much like this one.
Because the river was so low, we had to hop out in a few places so our guides could push the boat over the shallow areas, which was nice because the water was so cold! At one point, we even hopped out of the boat to tour around one of the dry parts, which looked like something out of The Little Mermaid--all of the mites and tites were so nautical and cartoon-y looking.
Again, remember, this cave is completely undeveloped, and although Liz had a headlamp and our guides had headlamps, to walk at all in this cave was to trust my feet completely and just feel my way around. But the sensory deprivation made the whole experience that much more intense and awesome.
Finally, after about an hour going upriver, we approached the other mouth of the cave. We had to get out once to ford some rapids, and the water near the mouth was still warm from the sun. When we left the cave, I felt like Dante, emerging from the Inferno into Paradise, with the jungle and the mountains rising up on all sides, and everywhere surrounded by the sunshine and the beautiful blue sky.
Literally, it was paradise. We approached the shore, near a horde of lily-white butterflies, and as we landed, they shot into the air. They didn't fly off, though; rather, they floated there in the shadows, fluttering their wings.
Of course, we had to go back through the cave to get to our van, so after a little while, we hopped back into the boat and headed off. The trip back through the cave was much quicker, since we were going with the current. We saw one boat pass us with no tourists, just a dude, his lamp and his boat, which makes Liz and I think that people who live on one side of the mountains actually use the cave's passage to cross to the other side.
Imagine having 7km of pitch-black, ice-cold river as your regular commute!
To fully experience Kong Lor, we took a boat up the river that carved this 7km (about 4 miles) tunnel through the mountain. Actually, we really didn't see much of the cave at all, because it was so dark. But I feel like we got a good idea of it...long and dark and cool, with bats. Basically...it's ginormous! And since we were going through it during the dry season, we got to sense it at its largest.
OK, so... at first, I didn't think it looked particularly scary, but that's because there were a whole bunch of people and boats milling around at the mouth. Once we got in our boat, and it was just us, our guides, and their headlamps, the cave got a whole lot spookier. And bigger. And blacker. And ghostlier. And like someone was going to cue the theme from The Twilight Zone.
I felt like I was on one of those dark rollercoasters at Disneyworld, and something was going to light up all of a sudden or jump out to scare me. Or like I was Indiana Jones, or in Redwall on a quest, or in Journey to the Center of the Earth (which, I guess, in a way, I was). Or riding the River Styx into the Underworld, or searching for the lost city of Atlantis...which, I think that if anyone were to ever find Atlantis, it would be found by traveling through a cave much like this one.
Because the river was so low, we had to hop out in a few places so our guides could push the boat over the shallow areas, which was nice because the water was so cold! At one point, we even hopped out of the boat to tour around one of the dry parts, which looked like something out of The Little Mermaid--all of the mites and tites were so nautical and cartoon-y looking.
Again, remember, this cave is completely undeveloped, and although Liz had a headlamp and our guides had headlamps, to walk at all in this cave was to trust my feet completely and just feel my way around. But the sensory deprivation made the whole experience that much more intense and awesome.
Finally, after about an hour going upriver, we approached the other mouth of the cave. We had to get out once to ford some rapids, and the water near the mouth was still warm from the sun. When we left the cave, I felt like Dante, emerging from the Inferno into Paradise, with the jungle and the mountains rising up on all sides, and everywhere surrounded by the sunshine and the beautiful blue sky.
Literally, it was paradise. We approached the shore, near a horde of lily-white butterflies, and as we landed, they shot into the air. They didn't fly off, though; rather, they floated there in the shadows, fluttering their wings.
Of course, we had to go back through the cave to get to our van, so after a little while, we hopped back into the boat and headed off. The trip back through the cave was much quicker, since we were going with the current. We saw one boat pass us with no tourists, just a dude, his lamp and his boat, which makes Liz and I think that people who live on one side of the mountains actually use the cave's passage to cross to the other side.
Imagine having 7km of pitch-black, ice-cold river as your regular commute!
18 May 2010
Vientiane
For a capital city, it is completely dead. I don't think that I have ever seen a major city with so little traffic. Especially after all the craziness of Vietnam, it really feels dead. So we're only spending about 24 hours here, and we've already hit all the important sights...a couple wats, the Lao national monument, and two museums.
Several of the wats in Vientiane look brand new, or at least newly renovated, which is pretty neat to see. At the same time, though, there is something about their pristine-ness that really reminds me of DisneyLand...over-the-top and ephemeral. I tink it is the large amount of gold leaf used in the decorations.
Today we are traveling to the south of Laos to Tha Khaek, and from there, we are hoping to tour this creepy 7 km cave. Apparently it is so long, that you have to take a boat ride through it. Spooky! I keep singing, "Never smile at a crocodile," you know, because of the cave in Peter Pan. I can't wait!
Several of the wats in Vientiane look brand new, or at least newly renovated, which is pretty neat to see. At the same time, though, there is something about their pristine-ness that really reminds me of DisneyLand...over-the-top and ephemeral. I tink it is the large amount of gold leaf used in the decorations.
Today we are traveling to the south of Laos to Tha Khaek, and from there, we are hoping to tour this creepy 7 km cave. Apparently it is so long, that you have to take a boat ride through it. Spooky! I keep singing, "Never smile at a crocodile," you know, because of the cave in Peter Pan. I can't wait!
17 May 2010
The Best Laid Plans...
Due to the increasing violence/protests in Bangkok/the rest of Thailand, we have just decided to skip that country altogether, and we're spending the rest of our time in Laos!
We went to the Plain of Jars this past weekend, which was absolutely beautiful and very interesting. It's a bunch of giant stone jar-shaped monoliths just chillin' in a field. They're about 2000 years old, and no one really knows why they are there, although some speculate that they are funerary urns. Or, as the local legend tells it, they are flasks for storing rice wine for giants. I think that I prefer the latter explanation.
We're flying to Vientiane, the capital of Laos tomorrow, and then we're going to see what's up.
We went to the Plain of Jars this past weekend, which was absolutely beautiful and very interesting. It's a bunch of giant stone jar-shaped monoliths just chillin' in a field. They're about 2000 years old, and no one really knows why they are there, although some speculate that they are funerary urns. Or, as the local legend tells it, they are flasks for storing rice wine for giants. I think that I prefer the latter explanation.
We're flying to Vientiane, the capital of Laos tomorrow, and then we're going to see what's up.
13 May 2010
Look Ma, No Hands!
So i don't have an snl or Dr. Seuss reference for elephants, but I do have elephant jokes!!! just kidding. I won't waste blog space with those (yet)... And I swear that I will post pictures of all of these adventures as soon as I have access to a not-public computer that has usb drives.
Anyhow...we rode elephants today, and it was awesome! The place we went is a sort of conservation/rescue mission, but the elephants that we rode were domesticated. According to the literature, domesticated elephants are mostly used for logging, and compared to that, hauling around a couple of tourons (tourist/morons) and getting to play in the river is a pretty sweet deal. In fact, most of the elephants at Elephant Village (where we were) came from the logging industry (we think), and it seems like many of the mahouts have been with their elephants for a long time.
What was it like? Surprisingly easy. You ride on the back of their neck, and even though their shoulders kind of jostle you up and down, you can perch your knees on their ears and your feet on their shoulders and you basically ride it like you would a horse.
When we first arrived, we took a short walk in a seat on the elephant's back. Our elephant was named Mae San, and her mahout (owner) Pan. Riding in the seat was actually a bit scary at times, because it just was, but on this ride, we went down to the river, and in the river, Mr. Pan turned to me and asked if I would like to ride on her neck. Umm, of course. So we switched places. And riding on her neck was soo wonderful. Scary at first, because of the wobbliness, but I was sitting on an elephant's neck! Her ears were flapping against my legs and she was curling her trunk and splashing water around!! Then, after a while, we switched and Liz got to ride on her neck.
We got back to the main camp (which is actually pretty spiffy--kind of reminded me of a new exhibit at the Sedgwick County Zoo), and learned how to command an elephant, Mae Uak. Bai--go; How--stop; Sie--left; Qua--right; Dun--back up (I'm guessing at the spelling here). Sung--I want to get up (so the elphants lifts his front leg and you use it as a step to hop on her back). Hep--I want to get down, so the elephant knows you're hopping off. A short ride bareback around the main camp (alone!) where we got to feed her some sugarcane, and then lunch.
After lunch, we rode bareback style--one person to an elephant, with the mahout--down to the river to bathe the elephants. And by bathe, I mean that we basically went swimming with elephants! The elephant that I was on this time was Mae Pua, and her mahout's name was Lam. Mae Pua was a feisty little bugger. She took her time on the bank of the river, but once she was in the water, there was no stopping her. She particularly enjoyed ducking under the water (and bringing me along with her!). To bathe her, we splashed water on her head, and i used a brush to scrub at her skin. Not sure how effective my scrubbing was. Her skin was pretty thick and grimy, but I think that she liked the way it felt. Also, she liked the dunking.
Halfway through, Liz and I switched elephants, so I was back on Mae San with Pan. And once Liz got on Mae Pua's back, there was no stopping the dunking. up and down and up and down they went, so Liz got soaked. But the mahouts were sort of egging Mae Pua on, I think, because each time she dunked her head, they laughed uproariously.
Anyhow, we finished bathing after a while, and took the elephants back to their food station. Then we went on a boat ride down the river to end the day, which helped us dry off a bit. Also, it was gorgeous.
OK, I can't resist: What's grey and lights up? An electric elephant!
What's the difference between an elephant and a plum? Their color!
What did Tarzan say when he saw the elephants coming down the path? "Here come the elephants down the path!"
What did Jane say? "Here come the plums!" (She was colorblind).
Anyhow...we rode elephants today, and it was awesome! The place we went is a sort of conservation/rescue mission, but the elephants that we rode were domesticated. According to the literature, domesticated elephants are mostly used for logging, and compared to that, hauling around a couple of tourons (tourist/morons) and getting to play in the river is a pretty sweet deal. In fact, most of the elephants at Elephant Village (where we were) came from the logging industry (we think), and it seems like many of the mahouts have been with their elephants for a long time.
What was it like? Surprisingly easy. You ride on the back of their neck, and even though their shoulders kind of jostle you up and down, you can perch your knees on their ears and your feet on their shoulders and you basically ride it like you would a horse.
When we first arrived, we took a short walk in a seat on the elephant's back. Our elephant was named Mae San, and her mahout (owner) Pan. Riding in the seat was actually a bit scary at times, because it just was, but on this ride, we went down to the river, and in the river, Mr. Pan turned to me and asked if I would like to ride on her neck. Umm, of course. So we switched places. And riding on her neck was soo wonderful. Scary at first, because of the wobbliness, but I was sitting on an elephant's neck! Her ears were flapping against my legs and she was curling her trunk and splashing water around!! Then, after a while, we switched and Liz got to ride on her neck.
We got back to the main camp (which is actually pretty spiffy--kind of reminded me of a new exhibit at the Sedgwick County Zoo), and learned how to command an elephant, Mae Uak. Bai--go; How--stop; Sie--left; Qua--right; Dun--back up (I'm guessing at the spelling here). Sung--I want to get up (so the elphants lifts his front leg and you use it as a step to hop on her back). Hep--I want to get down, so the elephant knows you're hopping off. A short ride bareback around the main camp (alone!) where we got to feed her some sugarcane, and then lunch.
After lunch, we rode bareback style--one person to an elephant, with the mahout--down to the river to bathe the elephants. And by bathe, I mean that we basically went swimming with elephants! The elephant that I was on this time was Mae Pua, and her mahout's name was Lam. Mae Pua was a feisty little bugger. She took her time on the bank of the river, but once she was in the water, there was no stopping her. She particularly enjoyed ducking under the water (and bringing me along with her!). To bathe her, we splashed water on her head, and i used a brush to scrub at her skin. Not sure how effective my scrubbing was. Her skin was pretty thick and grimy, but I think that she liked the way it felt. Also, she liked the dunking.
Halfway through, Liz and I switched elephants, so I was back on Mae San with Pan. And once Liz got on Mae Pua's back, there was no stopping the dunking. up and down and up and down they went, so Liz got soaked. But the mahouts were sort of egging Mae Pua on, I think, because each time she dunked her head, they laughed uproariously.
Anyhow, we finished bathing after a while, and took the elephants back to their food station. Then we went on a boat ride down the river to end the day, which helped us dry off a bit. Also, it was gorgeous.
OK, I can't resist: What's grey and lights up? An electric elephant!
What's the difference between an elephant and a plum? Their color!
What did Tarzan say when he saw the elephants coming down the path? "Here come the elephants down the path!"
What did Jane say? "Here come the plums!" (She was colorblind).
12 May 2010
Nuoc Ngoai Cooks!
That's pronounced Nook Noo-eye, and it means foreigner in Vietnamese. It is also probably one of my most favorite words outside of the English language. Liz and I have been using it all the time to refer to ourselves and other foreigners (especially all the British gap year students who are travelling here before they go to college in the fall--there are loads of them).
My first Asian cooking experience was in Can Tho, with one of Liz's friends, Nhan (pronounced Nyong). She taught us how to make Banh Xeo, a type of pancake-y omelet thing that you wrap in lettuce leaves and dip in fish sauce (a sauce made from fish and probably msg) Banh Xeo is delicious, but very time-consuming to make.
Our first few turned out great, but as we continued cooking, they turned out sloppier and sloppier. Oh well. They still tasted great.
Second Asia cooking experience: A full-day cooking class in Laos! One of the best decision of my life was to take this course. We toured the market in the morning, led by our guide/chef/teacher extraordinaire: Phia. Then, went back to the Tamnak Lao Restaurant, where we were taking the course, and learned how to prepare 5 different Lao dishes (all of which were quite tasty, with lots of different flavors), sticky rice, and Lao chili paste. Their chilis are really hot, but they add 20-30 cloves of garlic and 3 tablspoons of sugar to the paste, so it actually isn't too spicy, just very very zesty and delicious.
Afterwards, we were so full, that we climbed up a mountain to watch the sunset. which was beautiful. but we're still full.
Tomorrow: Heffalumps and Woosels!
My first Asian cooking experience was in Can Tho, with one of Liz's friends, Nhan (pronounced Nyong). She taught us how to make Banh Xeo, a type of pancake-y omelet thing that you wrap in lettuce leaves and dip in fish sauce (a sauce made from fish and probably msg) Banh Xeo is delicious, but very time-consuming to make.
Our first few turned out great, but as we continued cooking, they turned out sloppier and sloppier. Oh well. They still tasted great.
Second Asia cooking experience: A full-day cooking class in Laos! One of the best decision of my life was to take this course. We toured the market in the morning, led by our guide/chef/teacher extraordinaire: Phia. Then, went back to the Tamnak Lao Restaurant, where we were taking the course, and learned how to prepare 5 different Lao dishes (all of which were quite tasty, with lots of different flavors), sticky rice, and Lao chili paste. Their chilis are really hot, but they add 20-30 cloves of garlic and 3 tablspoons of sugar to the paste, so it actually isn't too spicy, just very very zesty and delicious.
Afterwards, we were so full, that we climbed up a mountain to watch the sunset. which was beautiful. but we're still full.
Tomorrow: Heffalumps and Woosels!
11 May 2010
Luang Prabang: The Land of the Wat
Is only the most awesome place ever. So laid back and relaxed, but with a ton of nature-y stuff to do. It actually reminds me a bit of Pecos: kind of a sleepy backwater town, but in this absolutely gorgeous setting.
Yesterday we just wandered around the town and went into and out of a bunch of wats (buddhist temples), visited the Royal Palace Museum, and saw the Royal Ballet perform a series of traditional Lao dances in the evening, which was really beautiful.
Today we rented bikes and rode around the town, and then in the afternoon, we visited the nearby Kuang Xi Waterfall and went swimming there. So beautiful and so refreshing. The water was really cold and the falls had several layers, some of which were pools where you could swim, others which were strictly falls. Some people were jumping off the waterfall into one of the pools, or jumping off a rope swing (stupid!), but Liz and I just stayed in one of the wading pools.
Tomorrow we have our cooking class and we're going to wake up early to watch the monks walk.
Yesterday we just wandered around the town and went into and out of a bunch of wats (buddhist temples), visited the Royal Palace Museum, and saw the Royal Ballet perform a series of traditional Lao dances in the evening, which was really beautiful.
Today we rented bikes and rode around the town, and then in the afternoon, we visited the nearby Kuang Xi Waterfall and went swimming there. So beautiful and so refreshing. The water was really cold and the falls had several layers, some of which were pools where you could swim, others which were strictly falls. Some people were jumping off the waterfall into one of the pools, or jumping off a rope swing (stupid!), but Liz and I just stayed in one of the wading pools.
Tomorrow we have our cooking class and we're going to wake up early to watch the monks walk.
09 May 2010
I'm On A Boat! I'm On A Bo-at!
Everybody look at me 'cause I'm on a...you know the rest. Halong Bay was the most amazing experience of my entire life. I can't post pictures now, but the islands were beautiful. Limestone boulders which shot straight out of the water, covered in lush green foliage. So surreal. Jade green water. A little overcast, but that was ok, because there was a little mistake with the boat, and they ended up giving us only the most awesome boat ever.
In a word: luxurious. We were pampered. They gave us cool, damop cloths and orange juice right when we got on the boat, then orange slices later. There was a beautiful wide deck with gorgeous, woven bamboo furniture. Classic, understated opulence.
A 6 course lunch, and a nine (count 'em--NINE!)course dinner: pumpkin soup, papaya salad, french fries, crab, shrimp, prawns, fried rice with stir-fried pork and green beans, and an apple for dessert. All the fish was perfectly fresh and so tasty. We felt like royalty.
Seriously, it was a most awesome boat, and I would highly recommend the cruise to anyone who was even thinking about visiting Vietnam. So delightful.
In a word: luxurious. We were pampered. They gave us cool, damop cloths and orange juice right when we got on the boat, then orange slices later. There was a beautiful wide deck with gorgeous, woven bamboo furniture. Classic, understated opulence.
A 6 course lunch, and a nine (count 'em--NINE!)course dinner: pumpkin soup, papaya salad, french fries, crab, shrimp, prawns, fried rice with stir-fried pork and green beans, and an apple for dessert. All the fish was perfectly fresh and so tasty. We felt like royalty.
Seriously, it was a most awesome boat, and I would highly recommend the cruise to anyone who was even thinking about visiting Vietnam. So delightful.
05 May 2010
I Ate a Fetus!
It was a duck fetus, but yeah...tasted like a gamey hard-boiled egg. I have also eaten snails, snake, pig's ear, coconut jello, sugar-cane juice, and an avocado smoothie (which was delicious--very light and sweet--they add a ton of sugar).
Snake tastes like fish, but the skin is really tough and rubbery. Snails are super-slimy and very chewy. Here are pictures. Enjoy!
Snake's on top, snails and duck fetus on bottom. Did it make you gag?
Snake tastes like fish, but the skin is really tough and rubbery. Snails are super-slimy and very chewy. Here are pictures. Enjoy!
Snake's on top, snails and duck fetus on bottom. Did it make you gag?
04 May 2010
Pagodas and Yertle
Vietnam is apparently full of pagodas. So far, I have only seen one, but it was pretty cool. Lots of incense, which actually made it smell really nice, as opposed to musky, like incense normally smells. And all the smoke from the incense had blackened all the statues. And the statues were over 10 feet tall and really scary-looking, like this guy:
And, there was a turtle pond outside, with at least a hundred turtles. There was only one ramp out of the pond where the turtles could rest and bask in the sun and it was chock-full o' turtles.
Just looking at this picture makes me think of Dr. Seuss..."On the far away island of Salamasond, Yertle the Turtle was king of the pond. A nice little pond, it was clean, it was neat. The water was warm. There was plenty to eat. The turtles had everything turtles might need, and they were all happy, quite happy indeed. They were, until Yertle, the king of them all, decided the kingdom he ruled was too small. "I'm King!" said Yertle, "Of all that I see, but I can't see enough, that's the trouble with me." I would write more, but that's all I can remember off the top of my head, and y'all know what happens.
03 May 2010
'Nam Needs Some New Infrastructure
A nice, typical electric pole in Vietnam. So overloaded with wires that it looks like it might fall down. This one's for my dad, Mr. Engineer. I figure it'll give him a bit of a heart attack.
Just one of many crazy sights that you would never see in the states.
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