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23 February 2012

Back to Saigon

Left Phuket, Thailand at 7;30AM this morning and arrived at my hotel in Saigon at 8:30PM this evening <-- included a 3+ hour layover in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It has been a long day and I'm happy it is over!
The Phamily left Phuket 4 Days ago. I look forward to seeing them sometime tomorrow.
I will be in Saigon until March 3rd - then I'm off to Langkawi Island, Malaysia for a week or so.

19 February 2012

Bangla Street "Boys" 1

Bangla street in Patong Beach is world-famous for it "honky tonk" bars, clubs, and sex shows - most are open to the street and have great live bands!. I and the Phamily visited Bangla street every night. Dragon Boy was fascinated by the transvestites roaming the street - like those shown in above pic.

Bangla Street "Boys" 2

More Bangla Street "Boys"!

Farewell Patong Beach

This is the Phamily and me having their final dinner at Patong Beach at my favorite restaurant there - "The Handlebar Restaurant". It caters to westerners, has great food, great/friendly service, comfortable atmosphere, and terrific 70s/80s music! I first visited Patong Beach 4+ years ago and have returned several times since. I have gone to this restaurant many times during my trips to Patong.

Infinity Pool

We spent a lot of time at the infinity pool on the 3rd floor of our hotel. This is Linh, her mother & Dragon boy in the pool. The beach is located in the far background - about a 10 minute walk from hotel.

Linh on Patong Beach

This is Linh "exposed to the sun". She "covered up" most of the time but still got a slight sunburn.

Lounging at Patong Beach

This is the Phamily "lounging" at Patong Beach. They found several things incredible about the beach: how "clean" the beach was (beaches in Vietnam have a lot of litter); how fine/white the sand was (Vietnam beach sand is very much "brown"); how comfortable the beach chairs/umbrellas were (they are shabby in Vietnam); the absence of "beach hawkers.

Many "Firsts"

The Phamily and I spent their last day at Patong Beach on the beach. This trip provided the Phamily with many first time experiences. Perhaps the most important of these being experiencing a free, democratic country for the FIRST time. They we amazed that they saw very few police or military.
I rented a jet ski because no one in the Phamily had ever been on one. Above pic is of me, Linh & Dragon Boy on jet ski. Linh's father rode with me later. They were amazed at how fast they were!

17 February 2012

Phuket by Tuk Tuk

Today, I and the Phamily hired a tuk tuk (pronounced tewk tewk) to explore Phuket Island. Driving the small, mountainous roads there are many "overlooks" of Phuket's world-famous beaches - like the above pic.

Big Buddha 1

The Big Buddha is a must see for anyone that comes to Phuket. It is located on the highest mountain on the island. He is very large and constructed of white marble shipped to Phuket from all over the world. It has been under construction for 20 years and will be completed in about 10 years. Amazing facial expression and sitting position <-- note position of arms/hands.

Big Buddha 2

I thought that Big Buddha deserved 2 pics from different perspectives. Btw - it's official name IS "The Big Buddha of Phuket!

My Favorite Critter

As many of you may know, I love all critter and elephants are my favorite. Thailand has many elephants and Phuket has what I would consider many given its small size. Here I am with an 11 month old baby. We spent a lot of time getting acquainted.

16 February 2012

Andaman Sea

I and the Phamily spent our entire first day in Phuket touring the tiny islands & atolls in the Andaman Sea near Phuket. These islands are primarily limestone & granite with major cliffs that are undercut by the sea. Few have beaches and most are covered with "jungles" that have never been touched by man - like those shown in above pic. Many also have large monkey populations. Btw - the water is crystal clear and has fairly healthy coral.

More Andaman Atolls

Here's another atoll. Note how sea undercuts steep cliffs.

Birds' Nest Soup

Many of the tiny Andaman Sea islands have large caves like this one where swallow nests are harvested <- sold by weight at prices higher than gold! Families actually live in this cave to "protect" their investments in constructing permanent bamboo scaffolding and the valuable birds' nests. The tour guide said that this one was included in the James Bond film "The Man With the Golden Gun".

Phi Phi Island

Phamily swimming at Phi Phi island. This is the island where the movie "The Beach was filmed. It has been a hot tourist destination since the movie was released (> 12 Years ago).

Swimming in the Andaman Sea

This is the Phamily swimming in the Andaman Sea at one of the several atolls we stopped at today.

Me & Phamily on Phi Phi Island

This is only pic of me during the day's activities - taken just after we arrived on Phi Phi Island.

15 February 2012

Saigon (Vietnam) -> Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) -> Phuket (Thailand)

Today, the Phamily (Linh, Long, Vinh & Thuy) & I traveled from Saigon to Kuala Lumpur to Phuket. Our journey began early this morning and we arrived at our hotel at Patong Beach on Phuket Island, Thailand about 7PM. Total miles = 1100 (1700KM), but with stopovers total travel time = 12 hours - ugh!
This was the first time any Phamily member had flown overseas. They were amazed at all the security check-points. In Kuala Lumpur we had to take a "train" to another terminal. This "rapid" tram was the first time they had seen or rode in a "train that moved so fast with NO driver"! Kuala lumpur was where they also saw/experienced their very first Starbucks! Also, soon after arriving in Phuket, Vinh (Linh's father) was detained by Thai police for lighting a cig before leaving the terminal building! <-- police let him go with a stern warning.
It was very nice to experience/share so many "firsts" with the Phamily!
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09 February 2012

Com Tam

It has been a while since I posted a blog dispatch. This is because not much has been happening. However, because many of you have asked several questions about Vietnamese foods, I decided to post this update.

Com Tam (pronounced "cum tum") is one of my favorite lunches or dinners. Com means "broken rice", which is just like regular rice but "broken" into smaller pieces resulting in a pleasant yet different texture than regular rice.

I am not sure what Tam literally means - but in this case it signifies "pork chop". It is normally served with a clear, pork-broth soup with "greens", and a small dish of cooked vegetables. The "dipping sauce" is mildly hot. It is normally served with Cha Da (iced green tea). All are delicious and only cost $2.39 as shown - including drink!