Monthly Archives: February 2013

The Many Faces of Angkor Thom

28 Thursday Feb 2013

Posted by in Asia, Cambodia

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Although Angkor Thom is not as well known as Angkor Wat, it is every bit as epic. Angkor Thom (translated as the “Great City”) was built in the late twelfth century by King Jayavarman VII as the capital city of the Khmer empire. It is a walled city with a surrounding moat.

There are four gates into Angkor Thom with the most scenic gate being the South Gate. The road leading to the South Gate is lined with many different sculptures – all with different expressions on their faces and in varying states of repair. Each gate is then crowned with four faces.

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Awed by Angkor Wat

27 Wednesday Feb 2013

Posted by in Asia, Cambodia

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On our first morning in Siem Reap, Cambodia, Mr. Selfish and I woke up at 4:30am. Our tuk tuk driver picked us up at 5:00am to take us to Angkor Wat for the legendary sunrise over the water. Unfortunately, we picked a cloudy day, and we couldn’t even spot the sun until hours later.

It was nevertheless an experience trying to jostle our way to the front despite the hundreds of other photographers, who wanted that epic photo. Even though we were all the way in the front and at a good angle, the photos were only mediocre due to the lighting and the massive amounts of construction being done on Angkor Wat.

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Intercontinental Danang: Where Myth Meets Luxury

26 Tuesday Feb 2013

Posted by in Accommodations, Asia, Travel Hacking, Vietnam

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When Mrs. Selfish and I were looking at Vietnam, we decided to visit the places we skipped during our honeymoon: Nha Trang, Dalat, and Hoi An.  Danang was more of an afterthought, the closest airport to the beautiful UNESCO heritage town, Hoi An, more than anything else.

After booking 5 nights in Hoi An, I started looking for a decent hotel to crash for 2 days in Danang. I settled on the Intercontinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort, the place “Where Myth meets Luxury,” according to their website. Given how ridiculous their tagline was, how luxurious could it be possibly be?

The answer was, without a doubt, the most luxurious place Mrs. Selfish and I have ever stayed or will ever stay.

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Visiting Heaven and Hell at Marble Mountain

25 Monday Feb 2013

Posted by in Asia, Vietnam

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Mr. Selfish and I only spent two full days in Danang, Vietnam. On our way from Hoi An, we visited Marble Mountain, which is a cluster of limestone and marble hills a little south of Danang. Marble Mountain contains tons of scenic views, caves, and Buddhist sanctuaries.

Marble Mountain 02Marble Mountain 03Marble Mountain 04JumpingMarble Mountain 05Marble Mountain 06

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Hoi An: Vietnam’s Foodie Capital

24 Sunday Feb 2013

Posted by in Asia, Food & Drinks, Vietnam

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Mr. Selfish and I have been all over Vietnam and accordingly have enjoyed the food throughout. However, I found Hoi An to have the best food in Vietnam by far. Aside from the regional specialties being amazing, I found the regular Vietnamese food to be better as well.

Mr. Selfish loves banh mi (Viet subs). We ate some in Saigon, Nha Trang, and Dalat, and they were so so. When he discovered that Anthony Bourdain had been to Hoi An and had recommended a banh mi shop (Tiem Banh Mi Phoung), he made certain that we went there our first day in Hoi An.

Hoi An Food 01Hoi An Food 02Hoi An Food 03Hoi An Food 04Hoi An 755

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The Hoi An Photo Tour

23 Saturday Feb 2013

Posted by in Asia, Vietnam

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Mr. Selfish and I took a two-day photography workshop when we were still living in Orlando. Since then, we’ve learned to take photos in manual mode. Mr. Selfish usually uses our Canon Rebel while I still use our Canon Powershot, which is a point and click but still has a manual mode. I also read “Understanding Exposure,” which is a great beginner’s book on photography.

Hoi An was the first place I saw that had a photography tour. Although I thought that the class may be a little basic for us, I convinced Mr. Selfish to sign up for it anyhow. I wanted to do the sunset tour. Unfortunately, it wasn’t available so we had to take the sunrise tour, which starts at 4:45am. It was early but we figured that sunrise photos at the fisherman village would be worth it. The weather wasn’t too cooperative that day since it was completely overcast but we still managed to take some nice photos.

First, we took a boat to the Duy Hai Fisherman Village. It was quite frantic since the fishermen were pulling in their catch from last night and there was lots (and I mean LOTS) of haggling over the prices for said catch. Mostly, the locals ignored us, and we took candid photos.

Photo Tour 02Fish and ConchPhoto Tour 06Photo Tour 10

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The Lessons Learned from the Tailors in Hoi An

22 Friday Feb 2013

Posted by in Asia, Vietnam

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Hoi An is known for its tailors. Competition is fierce since there are so many tailor shops in Hoi An. Mr. Selfish and I knew that we wanted to get some custom clothes made during our visit in Hoi An. Here’s what we learned:

1. Research what type of clothes you want made. Mr. Selfish and I found photographs of the clothes we wanted and put them on our iPhone. After we found the store we liked, we showed the store our photos and emailed them as well. I found a dress I liked but wanted it in red with white polka dots. Mr. Selfish had some dress shirts that he liked and also wanted a casual jacket made.

Green Dressphoto (2)Jacket

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Vietnamized in Hoi An’s Old Town

21 Thursday Feb 2013

Posted by in Asia, Vietnam

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Mr. Selfish and I learned that Hoi An was the first site of Chinese settlement in southern Vietnam. The ethnic Chinese played a large role in Hoi An’s Old Town, particularly the construction of the many assembly halls and temples there. Today, there is approximately 1,300 ethic Chinese living in Hoi An, which has a population of around 75,800.

In Hoi An’s Old Town, you can buy a ticket that allows you to visit five out of the sixteen attractions there. These attractions range from temples, assembly halls, museums, handicraft centers, and orphanages. We primarily chose to visit the temples and assembly halls.

Mr. Selfish and I learned a new phase while visiting the assembly halls and temples – “Vietnamized.” Apparently, the ethnic Chinese and Vietnamese get along quite well in Hoi An because the ethnic Chinese have been Vietnamized, which means that they have been assimilated to the point that they even speak Vietnamese to one another in private. We first noticed the term Vietnamized at Quan Cong’s Temple where the Chinese general to whom the temple is dedicated was Vietnamized.

Quan Cong TempleHoi An 14Hoi An 15Hoi An 17Hoi An 18

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Market Tour and Cooking Class in Hoi An

20 Wednesday Feb 2013

Posted by in Asia, Vietnam

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Mr. Selfish and I certainly enjoy taking cooking classes. Initially though, I wasn’t too sure whether I wanted to take a cooking class in Hoi An. However, after a few days of eating the food, I knew that we had to take one. The food in Hoi An is very different from the southern cuisine from Saigon.

We signed up for a cooking class with Van from Green Bamboo Cooking School, which is the highest rated cooking class on Trip Advisor. The class includes a market tour to buy ingredients and, more importantly, allows each of participant to choose from over sixty dishes to make.

Mr. Selfish and I had previously walked through the Hoi An market and were a little overwhelmed by the selection of produce and meat. It was nice to have Van take us around and show us the ropes. We started in the food stalls area where people were dining on their breakfast. Then, we went to the fruit and veggies area, where we sampled some fruit and Van pointed out the veggies we would need for our dishes.

Cooking in Hoi An 01Cooking in Hoi An 02Cooking in Hoi An 03GreensCooking in Hoi An 06Van Buying IngredientsCooking in Hoi An 12

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Taking in the Beauty of Hoi An

19 Tuesday Feb 2013

Posted by in Asia, Vietnam

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Mr. Selfish and I spent five nights in Hoi An, Vietnam. Hoi An is a UNESCO heritage site, and I can see why. Not only is there a lot of culture and delicious food in Hoi An but the city itself is quite scenic.  I took so many photos of Hoi An and still can’t decide which one is my favorite.

The canal in Hoi An provided for endless photo ops. In particular, the children selling paper lanterns to tourists to float down the canal were excellent subjects. Also, the hanging lanterns all over the old town were quite picturesque as well.

Hoi An 01LanternsHoi An 04Hoi An 05

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Delightfully Kitschy in Dalat

17 Sunday Feb 2013

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On the rest of our day tour of Dalat, Mr. Selfish and I went to the kitschier attractions. It’s a good thing that I enjoy kitschy and the photo ops that follow. Mr. Selfish begrudgingly came along and snapped photos of me.

First, we went to the Valley of Love, which I thought was going to be a scenic lush valley. In actuality, the Valley of Love is a cheesy theme park-esque place where honeymooners come to take photos.

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Visiting the Pagodas and Temples in Dalat

16 Saturday Feb 2013

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Mr. Selfish and I signed up for a day tour of Dalat, during which we were able to choose eight attractions to visit. Half of our attractions ended up being pagodas or temples. Our tour guide noted that we wanted to see lots of pagodas and pagodas and asked me if I was Buddhist. I replied in the negative but told him that I wanted to visit them because I thought they were beautiful. I was proven correct that day in Dalat.

First, we went to the Linh Phước Pagoda, which is a relatively modern pagoda that was constructed in 1950. It was quite beautiful, especially because it was a bright, sunny day. Many of the designs and creatures are made from beer bottles. Mr. Selfish opted to climb the tower whereas I stayed below. It wasn’t due to laziness but because the photo ops are better that way.

Dalat 01TowerDalat 04Dalat 05Dalat 06Top and Below

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Double Take in Dalat

15 Friday Feb 2013

Posted by in Asia, Food & Drinks, Vietnam

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Mr. Selfish and I spent a lovely six weeks in Paris. Every now and then, I look back and think about how great those six weeks were. I miss Paris now and would go back in a heart beat. I therefore looked forward to visiting Dalat, Vietnam – especially because it has a miniature Eiffel Tower. Although you can’t go up it, it was still nice to behold.

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The Russians Are Coming . . . to Nha Trang!

14 Thursday Feb 2013

Posted by in Asia, Vietnam

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Mr. Selfish and I had originally planned to spend an entire week in Dalat, but after hearing that there wasn’t much to do in Dalat, we decided to split up that week with another location – Nha Trang. I had heard that Nha Trang was primarily a beach town and that there would be good diving there.

Little did I know that the Nha Trang airport has a direct flight from Russia and that the entire town is swarming with Russians. It was kinda surreal seeing Russian on so many signs and menus in a Vietnamese town.

Nha Trang 01Nha Trang 02Nha Trang 03

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