Adventure '08

Hong Kong

2009-05-23T12:08:00.001-07:00

The Hong Kong Convention and Expo Center and IFC2 (the Batman building, see Dark Knight) at night.

International Finance Center Tower 2 from the Expo promenade prior to the Symphony of Lights. Symphony of Lights is a multimedia showthat combines light and sounds while featuring more than 40 buildings on both sides of Victoria Harbour.

Hong Kong Island skyline during the Symphony of Lights.

The Duk Ling tourist junk boat sails in Victoria Harbour on a foggy day in Hong Kong.

Shanghai 5

2009-05-10T13:13:00.000-07:00

Shanghai 3

2009-05-10T05:35:00.000-07:00

Shanghai 2

2009-05-10T05:32:00.001-07:00

Shanghai

2009-05-10T05:28:00.001-07:00

Worst photojournalist on the planet.

2009-05-02T01:21:00.000-07:00

I am the worst photojournalist on the planet. Why? Last night I was on my way to the theatre here in hong kong when I past a lot of police wearing surgical masks running into a hotel 2 blocks from where Iam staying. I did have my camera and it did occur to me that this was a photo opportunity. There were already a bunch of press camped out on the sidewalk in front of the building. Did I even take my camera out?let alone take a photo? No. This is why I am not a working photographer. This just illustrates why I need a career change. So far that is the only case of the virus in hong kong. They being overly cautious because of what happened with SARS. Just in case you have not read the reports the hotel is isolated. 200 guest and 100 workers will be quarantined for a week. Sounds like a great way to spend your holiday?

Photo Job or For Mrs. Robertson

2009-02-10T21:37:00.000-08:00

One year ago I was in New Zealand. Tonight I shot my first photo assignment since being laid off from the newspaper in Sept. of 2007. The shoot went really well. Thankfully. I had a very detailed photo assignment sheet. The most detailed photo assignment sheet I have ever gotten. I still had questions though being the first time I worked for this publication. My main concern involved how I would actually get the photos to them. Today I was given an email and an FTP site. It wasn't until I was already at the shoot did I get the username and password for the FTP site but I had it when I needed it. Since it had been so long since I had done a photo assignment it took me forever to write cutlines. It also didn't help that I turned in 24 photos. They told me to turn in as many as I wanted. They can pick. Well I guess if I had counted up how many they had specified on the assignment sheet I would have turned in 17. So I turned in 7 extra. I spent an hour shooting and two and half hours cropping, toning and writing cutlines. I putzed around a little bit too much on the some of the photos that I ended up not even using. I was getting too fancy with Photoshop. I decided against it. So what I turned it had minimal Photoshop fun. Hopefully they will use me again. I have facebook to thank for getting me the job. I would never have found the girl I went to high school with who happens to be an editor at the publication without facebook. The work was easy. I didn't have to wear an insanely ugly green shirt to do it. People actually wanted their photos taken. No one gave me the excuse that they were in the witness protection program as why they couldn't have their photo taken. So on a whole it was a good night. So I have babbled enough for now. The photos that I shot should be able to be seen on the web at http://www.stylelinemag.com by Thursday. Look for photos with a Shopaholic label. Thanks for reading.

animals 2

2008-09-11T21:21:00.000-07:00

Parrot at the hotel in the Whitsundays

Koala at the Australia Zoo

Kangaroo in the coolest animal enclosure in the world "Roo Heaven" at the Australia Zoo.

animals

2008-09-11T21:13:00.001-07:00

A crocodile is fed during the crocodile show at the Australia Zoo. AKA the Steve Irwin Zoo

Giraffe eats lunch at the Taronga zoo in Sydney. These giraffes have the best view in the world. That is the Opera House in the background.
A wallaby hanging out at the hotel on Long Island in the Whitsundays.

scenic australia

2008-09-11T20:57:00.000-07:00

Sydney Opera House

Harbor Bridge, Sydney

Maroochydore Sunset

Lake McKenzie on Fraser Island

Shipwreck on Fraser Island

Because I finally looked at a couple of the cards.

2008-09-11T14:12:00.000-07:00

It really was like Finding Nemo at the Great Barrier Reef. These pictures were taken from a boat like they used to have on the 20,000 leagues under the sea ride at Disney. But the reef is real.

74%

2008-07-05T00:38:00.000-07:00

Apparently I am not all doom and gloom. 74% was the percentage of time Kailey said I smile. That does seem a bit high. But it makes me smile anyway. I was feeling fragile the other day. So I changed my status on Facebook to Marla is in need of a hug. The next day I got a message from a friend I hadn't heard from in years who also commented on smiling.

I feel the need to share said message and photo:

I am sending a hug across the internet. Love your profile pic by the way. Hope this finds you smiling (that is how I always remember you).

The photo is of me frolicking in the Shire in New Zealand.

Post for Jessica

2008-06-10T17:53:00.000-07:00

I still have not gone thru my photos from my grand adventure. So these will have to do. These are what are on my computer. Jessica wanted me to update the blog. Ask and ye shall receive.

Fiji Sunsets

Me snorkeling at the reef, stinger suit and all.

Fire in the sky

2008-04-30T20:26:00.000-07:00

Sunsets 1

2008-04-30T20:09:00.000-07:00

Frasier Island sunset

a lighthouse, chocolate and a croc

2008-04-30T20:02:00.000-07:00

Byron Bay Lighthouse
Byron Bay lighthouse in the rain thru a window
Aisle o' chocolate. Australians love their chocolate. This is an aisle at the grocery store.
Crocodile on a stick. It didn't really taste like chicken more like lobster.
Me holding a baby croc. Yes its mouth is taped shut for a reason.

BEST HOT CHOCOLATE EVER!

2008-04-30T19:57:00.000-07:00

This is the best hot chocolate ever. In Brisbane they give you a little jug of warm whole milk and a glass of chocolate shavings. Mix and enjoy!
Susie mixes the best hot chocolate ever.
Because the best hot chocolate ever wasn't enough, I also had a piece of cheese cake. Tasty!

byron bay surf 2

2008-04-29T09:10:00.000-07:00

Byron Bay surfing

2008-04-29T08:47:00.000-07:00

At the end of my trip I learned to surf. Below are a couple of photos from my third surf lesson. I surfed in 3 different locations Byron Bay is in the photos.

more cairns

2008-04-29T08:43:00.000-07:00

Downtown Cairns

Green Island

The Reef

2008-04-29T08:27:00.001-07:00

Me in my stinger suit at the Reef. In March at the reef there are jellyfish and stingers. Hence the suit that makes me look like The Tick.
Look fish. There was an underwater viewing area. So you didn't even have to get wet to see fish.
Look coral. There was a semi submersible that took you around the reef so you could see more of the reef.

Post for Treeger

2008-04-29T08:13:00.000-07:00

All the photos on this post are from Cairns. That is where the Great Barrier Reef is. It rained every day I was in Cairns. It didn't rain all day but it rained part of every day.

From the top: Child chooses an avocado at Rusty's Market.

View of the pool at the Cairns Colonial Club Resort. (the "resort" was super ghetto)

A man weaves a wicker basket on a street in Cairns where he sells his wares.

Gift Shop in Cairns. Kangaroos even need umbrellas.

Native Show.

Me in my room at the ghetto resort before the tour started.

march 28 Maroochydore

2008-03-26T22:11:00.000-07:00

I am sick of Australia. It is an expensive version of the states. I am over spending $4 for a Coke. I am complaining sitting in an internet cafe looking at the ocean. yeah the weather is great even when it is raining. The people are nice for the most part unless they are in the service industry. The phone company isn't open on weekends or public holidays. Which is really convient when you get 5 days off for easter. And that is when my mobile phone decides to stop working.
So here I am bitching in my bathing suit and shorts after my walk on the beach. I have a little less than a month until I go home. Sadly I am counting the days. Not like I have anything to go home to. I am still unemployed. I will go back to living with my parents. Woo hoo. fun fun fun.
What the hell is with the malls in Australia having bankers hours? Really the mall closes at 5:30. Why would I make that up. There is also no wireless. They sell the computers and phones and such but you can't use them. I saw a $15 movie yesterday. It wasn't that good. But it gave me something to do. I was homeless. I couldn't find a suitable place to stay in Brisbane so I had to come to Maroochydore a day early. Just what I wanted to do. Get back on a bus.
I am complaining but I really am having a lot of fun. The reef is the coolest place on earth. Even in the rain it is amazing. Go see it before it disappears.
I heard the dumbest thing ever on monday. A girl on my last tour decided she wasn't going to take a surf lesson because "I know how to snowboard, so I will teach myself to surf" her words. I just turned to her and said "that is the dumbest thing I have ever heard"and laughed for about 15 minutes. I clearly won't be keeping in touch with her. She is an elementary school teacher. If I had kids I wouldn't want her to teach them.
Australians need their own culture. There is nothing truely Australian. We stayed at a farm the last night of my part of the tour. We Square Danced. The caller called it something else. But I know a square dance when I see one. If it weren't for the kangaroos I would have thought I was back in Texas. And that is not a good place to be.
I am just pissing myself off.
I am going to enjoy the ocean.

march 12 blue mountains

2008-03-12T00:00:00.000-07:00

The Three Sisters at the Blue Mountains. Another beautiful day in New South Wales. I walked really far. It was like 8 miles around. I am so sore right now. I take the train one stop because I am so sore. This was March 11.

march 12 sydney

2008-03-11T23:22:00.000-07:00

Today I ate lunch looking at the Opera House. Lunch was great but the view was fabulous. Judge for yourself. I also went to Manly Beach but the opera house is way cooler. The weather while I have been in Sydney has been perfect, minus one day, but beautiful otherwise. I am glad that I skipped winter.

feb 23

2008-02-22T16:58:00.000-08:00

My New Zealand adventure has ended and my Australian one has just begun. I arrived in Melbourne on Thursday without inncodent. It did take 3 hours to get thru customs. There were 6 international flights that came in at the same time. It was bittersweet to leave New Zealand. I actually made a lot of friends on my contiki. Yeah I know amazing I didn't hate everyone after 14 days. I was glad the tour was over just so I could get some sleep. The days following the tour finishing were no better for getting sleep. The day before leaving New Zealand Kailey decided she needed to get a tattoo. The only time she could be fit in was 9pm on wednesday. That would have been fine except that our flight was at 7:30am the next morning. The tattoo took 4 hours to finish. We didn't get back to the hostel until 2am. we were up at just after 4am to get to the airport the recommended 2.5 hours before the flight. Check out kailey's blog to see photos of the tattoo. http://peckandfind.com . I didn't see much of Melbourne yesterday because I needed to catch up on my sleep. Last night I did attend my first Australian Rules Football game. It was good fun. I have no idea what was going on but it was entertaining. It was also cheap. $15.50. You can't even step foot in a farm baseball game for that in the states let alone a pro game.
There is so much to write about it is overwhelming. I am still trying to process all that happend on tour. It is amazing that I didn't know those people even existed 3 weeks ago. The group was really good. The 16 of us left in Auckland after the tour ended went out to dinner. That never would have happend after my russia trip ended. We all continued to get together until kailey and I left. The second night there were 9 of us. The nine of us ended up stumbling into trivia night at an irish pub. We ended up coming in second. But we think we were robbed because the Emcee was friends with the guys who won. In any case it was fun and we cleaned up in all catagories except for sport. What the hell do 3 canadians, an american, 3 Brits, a german and 1 aussie know about cricket, aussie rules football, squash, soccer and rugby? We got a respectable 4 out of 10. We said good bye to 3 more that night.
That is all for now. I am going to watch some penguins on a beach tonight. It is a long drive.
More babble soon. Keep reading.

Feb 14 buyers remorse

2008-02-14T03:19:00.000-08:00

Hey loyal readers,

I know I haven't written anything lately. Internet access has been hard to come by and unfortunatley blogging is not high on the list of things to do when I get access.

So many things have happend that I should write about but I am just a tease and am writing now to apologize. I am tired. I will share the story of the hilarity that did ensue. Trust me hilarity did ensue. Wellington was an interesting place. More fun was had in Tapua. Today was Rotorua where fun was had to a lesser extent and on top of all that I didn't really write about Queenstown. Be patient my friends. All will become clear soon. Yeah right about as clear as mud.

For now here are a list of songs that we have played influential roles in the soundtrack of the trip:

How far we've come by matchbox 20

Baby got back by Sir Mix-a-Lot

Sweet Caroline- Neil Diamond (bum bum bum; So Good So Good)

Right About Now- Fat Boy Slim

Running Up That Hill- Placebo ft. Kate Bush

The way I are- timberland

Lover I don't have to love- Bright Eyes

Tiny Dancer- Elton John

Dani California- Red Hot Chili Peppers

Sweet Home Alabama- Lyndyrd Skynard

Throw Your Hands Up- some random aussie singer

Yeah well you get the idea.

thanks for reading.

more soon. really.

Feb 7 Hugh Jackman

2008-02-06T22:01:00.000-08:00

Kailey on the toilet at the bathroom cafe in Christchurch New Zealand.

Saw Hugh Jackman running thru the woods today in full Wolverine costume. Apparently he is shooting a movie of the same name as the x-men character. New Zealand is doubling as canada. I went on a tour of the National Park where Lord of the Rings was filmed. Many films are made there. Wolverine is just the latest one. So that was the highlight of the day.

I didn't sleep much last night. I was up playing pool all night with two boys. Age 19 and 21. We were having very inappropriate conversation for people who have just met. At 4am I realized these two boys might not know my name so I introduced myself. They didn't know my name. Not that should be a big surprise. So for hours of learning way too much about me they finally knew my name. So I had 45 minutes of sleep before my encounter with hugh jackman. I was not at my best. We were in a van it was much like being at a theme park seeing him. He was outside the window. It was like seeing a lion at the San Diego Zoo. Although Hugh Jackman is mch better looking. But I digress.

I have to go to dinner and prepare for tonights activities. more babble soon.

Feb 6 6'8"

2008-02-05T21:35:00.001-08:00

I did finally get my bag. It turned up at the hotel on Feb 3. The airline didn't know it was there but when I went to airport to see if I could just collect it myself the gate agent knew exactly where my bag was. Sadly I could not check in to the hotel until 3 in the afteroon. Anyway. I have "clean" clothes.

My New Zealand tour started in the rain. It is a large group 47 people. The tour manager is a 6'8" Aussie named Ollie. I am facinated by his size. I want to perch a top him like Marcia Warfield wanted to climb Magic Johnson.

I went Bungee Jumping today. I am too old I decided. I am going to be sore for days from the 43 meter fall. I have never been so glad I didn't eat lunch in my life.

This unfortunately going to be short. I am going to attach a photo. This is the Calise in Christchurch. Since I have internet here I will write more later. I know I keep writing that. Keep reading. I will keep writing.

feb 2 marla Christchurch luggage Sydney

2008-02-02T00:03:00.000-08:00

I arrived in Christchurch New Zealand at 10 pm on Feb 1. My luggage decided that it wanted to stay in Sydney. I am angry at my luggage. I know the airport was nice in Sydney but come on. So after filling out the paper work and sufficiantly making a scene I sans luggage went thru customs. I called the baggage claims number to see if they could give me any sort of compensation for their neglect. They said I would have to wait 24 hours. I responded "I have been wearing the same clothes for three days. I smell like Vietnam and Vietnam smells like shit" The poor customer service rep who was working friday night at 11:30pm said that the company could only authorize $40 australian after 24 hours. He was not really helpful. But really what could he do. So my first impressions of New Zealand are not good. Kailey thankfully was at the hostel to laugh at my dilema. At that point I could laugh at my dilema too. I was too tired to do much else.

So today Feb 2 Kailey and I went out on the town. Christchurch is a weird english like town that reminds me of the ski towns in northern Michigan. You know like those seasonal towns that are crowded in summer and school breaks where no one really lives. Being a Saturday in the Summer (yes souther hemisphere it is summer. It is past 9 and it is just getting dark now.) there were lots of street performers and random little art fairs around town. Just across from the hostel there was a man playing a fiddle with a puppet that also played the fiddle. The string was attached to the foot that he kept time with. Anyway.

We had coffee at a cafe called the Bathroom Cafe. We had coffee while sitting on a toilet. I am serious. there was a toilet paper roll for napkins. Granted we could have gone to Starbucks. there are a lot of Starbucks. But we had coffee on a toilet.

I have to leave the room now. I have to go out. I am still fuming about the bag situation. More soon. If you want to read about todays activities read Kailey's post at http://peckandfind.com/

I will update with photos later.

feb 1 the sydney airport

2008-01-31T19:23:00.000-08:00

There are free internet kiosks at the sydney airport. The sydney airport is a pretty nice airport to be stuck at for 8 hours. I am sure there are people waiting to use the computer. I had Wagamama's for brunch. Wagamama's is a noodle place I used to eat at all the time in London. I have been wanting to eat there again for 9 years. That is a long time to want some ramen and fruit juice. But it was well worth my $18.50. Airport food is expensive. The vietnam airport was all new but there was not much to do while waiting for the plane. Although strangley the bathrooms were cleaner at the ho chi minh city airport than in Sydney.
I don't think I am going to be able to watch the superbowl at all. I think it starts at noon new zealand time monday. My tour starts monday afternoon. Oh well. I will be rooting for the pats anyway. 18 hour time difference is a bit much.
My last day in vietnam was uneventful. Ben and I went to the Ho Chi Minh City museum. The Museum was not very good. But it was only 1 usd. the building was nice. the exhibits were not. oh well. I have now fled that country. I will be in new zealand soon. No more taking my life in my hands when I cross the street. although the cars will be coming from the other way.
ok there really is a line to use the computer. keep reading.

jan 31 at the Vietnam airport

2008-01-31T03:27:00.000-08:00

stealing wireless is tough aintain't technology gtandgrand. waiting for plant in vietnamVietnam all for now

Jan 29 photos

2008-01-28T23:12:00.000-08:00

Because I love a Pagoda. Don't ask me which one it is because I don't know.

Hats and masks being sold in the Benh Tay Market.

New Years decorations being sold on the street across from Notre Dame Cathedral.

Boy with toy gun. This is what I think of when I think Vietnam.

A man buying lunch from a street vendor as seen from the second floor balcony.

jan 27 photos 1

2008-01-27T03:01:00.000-08:00

Happy Chinese New Year 2008. That bright spot to the right is the moon.

View of our boat from shore in the Mekong Delta.

Man painting New Years banner.

Detail of dragon inside one of the pagodas. Sorry no clue which one.

Ho Chi Minh City traffic from the ice cream shop window.

Badmiton is really big here. Sorry the quality isn't great. It is amuzing none the less.

Since it is Sunday I thought we would start with a little Jesus. Inside Notre Dame Cathedral.

jan 26

2008-01-26T00:55:00.000-08:00

Today my brother came in. The morning consisted of waiting for him at the airport. It was an eventful drive to get to the airport. There was a lot of traffice. Not a big surprise since there is always lots of traffic even at 9:45 on a Saturday morning. Our taxi drive took a lot of side streets and alleys. So on the way I saw dog being sold on the side of the road like beef. I thought they were pigs. But thuys mom assured me no they were dog. They were little dogs too. I am not sure how I feel about that. I don't have the cords for the camera or my card reader with me at the house so I can't post photos although it would be a perfect time to do so. We are going to dinner soon. Well we are leaving to go to dinner soon. SO I don't really have time to get them. Yes you needed to know that.
I have had to switch rooms at the hotel since my brother came in. Now I am in a windowless room that smells like terpentine. It seems to be a little quieter since it isn't on the street. I guess I will find out tonight. I am ready to leave this country. Only 5 more days.

jan 25

2008-01-25T07:05:00.000-08:00

The power goes out every night at the hotel just after 10pm. It is just one of the fun parts of Vietnam. It just came back on. The power wasn't out very long tonight. Which is good. The Internet also went right back on the longer the power is out the longer it takes for the wireless to come back on. I am all about the sharing.
Today I did something super exciting! I bought cheap shoes. Woo hooo! They are brown puma's. They maybe knockoffs. They are good knock offs and they were only 12 dollars. Although I was told I could have gotten them cheaper. But 12 dollars is a great price in my mind. We went to this fun mall type market place. I ended up getting the shoes on the street but the mall had everything. It was kinda like a real nice flea market. It wasn't very touristey I only saw one other white person there.
After shopping was lunch. The oranges here are green . Well the outside is. The inside looks and tastes the same. The oranges we got were super juicy. They are quality fruit.
again I am sorry there are no photos. I can't send photos from the iPod touch. Soon there will be photos. I added captions to the few phots I did post. Enjoy the babble. More soon. Keep reading.

jan 24

2008-01-24T08:42:00.000-08:00

Today I did a city tour. The wireless keeps going out so this is going to be short. It was a long day. It we an all day tor. It started with the war rememants museum. It is a wonder the Vietnamese don't hate Americans. Apparently we" the us soldiers from 68-75" indesciminately killed everyone. Women children old people forests. The museum was very interesting. Also it cost 1dollar American. There were 12 people on the tour. There were some French canadiens, swedes, two asian families from the states but it seemed that English was not their first language. The ages ranged as well two college guys, the swedes were late twenties as a guess, and 6 people intheir 50-60s. We went to a pagoda with giant statues. Not just at the alter they were everywhere. The pagoda was very ornate no one was praying today while we were their. Maybe too many tourists.
A side note Yes I heard Heath Ledger died. Drug overdose I read. I clearly have the Internet. I watched tennis today. Australian open mens semi. Nadal lost big. I watched random soccer at lunch man united beat some English premier league team. Sportscenter last night was the strangest sportscenter ever. There was not one mention of the super bowl, steroids, basketball, baseball or even hockey. The only American even mentioned was tiger woods. There was lots of tennis and soccer.
I am really tired. It was a long day. More babble tomorrow. Enjoy the randomness. Wait one more thing. This morning on the way to the tour I took a taxi. I don't think the driver started the meter because it was only 16,500 when yesterday the same taxi ride in a cheaper cab was 19,500. Which if you are doing the math at home it is about $1.50. It is 15,000 dong to the dollar. Ok that is really all.

jan 23

2008-01-23T03:11:00.001-08:00

I just wanted to post something. I am still having technical issues with the photos. Hopefully I will be able to post more soon. I hope also I will be able to fix the two posts with the photos. I will add caption information. Right now I can't get into them to edit them. But I digress.
The past couple days have been busy. I did a lot of touring. The 21st in the afternoon I went on a pagoda walk. I saw 4 pagodas. They all kinda looked the same after a while. All very beautiful. Yesterday I went to the Mekong Delta. It was very Apocolypse Now/Heart of Darkness. There was a little boat on a river if you haven't seen the movie or read the book. No one was shooting at me. And we weren't looking for a guy named Kurtz. We did have to worry about running aground. Apparently the river was a bit low and our boat was a little overloaded. At one point our group of 26 had to all move to the front of the boat. It was amuzing. I need to get into some A/C and eat. More babble soon. Keep reading.

day 4 jan 21 B

2008-01-21T02:51:00.001-08:00

Cyclists ride past New Years decorations in Ho Chi Minh City.

Detail of inside of the Cao Dai Holy See in Tay Ninh.

Followers of Caodaism pray during their afternoon service at the Cao Dai Holy See.

A street vendor serves a sandwich on the streets of Ho Chi Minh City.

A statue of Ho Chi Minh with child stands in front of City Hall in Ho Chi Minh City.

day 4 jan 21 A

2008-01-21T02:43:00.000-08:00

Ok I am having technical problems. These two are just a start.
Motorbikes in Siagon on Night 1 and my seat in Business Class from Taipei.

day 3 Jan 20

2008-01-20T03:20:00.000-08:00

Today I went on a tour. It started really early in the morning. Well 8:30am. I was up at 6:15am. I thought I was on vacation. I played viet cong soldier today. I crawled thru some tunnels and popped out a secret exit/entrance. (I never said I could spell) I would love to attach a photo but my card reader is at the hotel and I am not there presently. So photos will come soon I promise. After crawling around in the dark and learning about war our wee tour group, 6 of us, went to the caodism holy see. This is a crazy religion that encompasses all faiths and strangley prays to victor hugo. I don't really understand. But this church was insanely colorful. It was pink and turquois. Again photos to come. Really maybe tomorrow. After all this manic sight seeing. I swear we were running around the cu chi tunnels. Really that is there name I am just not that creative to make it up. We were taken to lunch which was a 7 course vietnamese meal. The food was westerned down. That means the food was super bland. Not spicey in any way. It was still quite good. It was also nice that it was included in the price of the tour. Dessert consisted of fruit I had never seen before along with some old stand bys like watermelon and pineapple. After this giant lunch we made our way back to Ho Chi Minh City. It was a long drive since it was rush hour. I didn't really expect there to be a big rush hour since it is Sunday but I guess I was wrong. It took us 2.5 hours to go 100km. Which to all you Americans is about 60 miles. There was construction, traffic, goats, farm machinary and water buffalo to contend with.
After leaving the tour group I needed a walk. The mini-bus I had been sitting on all day was not all that comfortable. So I ended up at church. Not really on purpose but yesterday when I was there it was closed. Today mass happend to be taking place. I had never been to a vietnamese mass before. Being in Springfield all those years you think I would have been to one. but no. And I digress. The church was disappointingly not that ornate inside. It was ok but it was nothing like Notre Dame in Paris for which it gets its name. So after about 15minutes of mass I decided I needed to go shopping. Well at least walk thru the market again. This afternoon the market was less crowded so it was not at overwhelming. Still after about 15 minutes everything looks the same. I decided to try to walk back to district 5, that is the part of the city where I am staying. I was going to try to do this by memory. I didn't have the big map with me. It turned out I was only like 3 blocks off track but I was confused and it was getting dark. So I went into a hotel and caught a cab. The taxi took me back. The just over 1kilometer ride cost me $1. It aint NYC. that is for sure. that was with a tip and everything. Ok that is more than enough babble. I really will post photos soon. Photos will be way more interesting than my babble. Keep reading.
Marla

day 2 jan 19

2008-01-18T22:43:00.000-08:00

It is really hot here. I am all sticky. I just wanted to share. It was hot and humid at 8:30am. anyway enough about the weather. There was sightseeing to be done this morning. We took a cab to the tourist section of Ho Chi Minh City. The city is being decorated for New Years. So there are tons of red lanters, yellow birds (I don't know what kind) and dragons lining the streets. Lunar New Year you know? I bought a tour for tomorrow. My sister in-law and I are not getting along. (big surprise, sense the sarcasm) So the less time I have to spend with her the better. I will tell you all about tomorrows tour after the tour. Today we saw the Post Office, the outside of Notre Dame cathedral (yes like the one in Paris but not on the river), the reunification palace, city hall, and the big market. Crossing the street is really an art form. You walk slow so that the cars and motorbikes can swerve around you. They dont stop. Again sorry there are no photos to accompany this entry. use your imagination it will be better anyway.
I have been eating so much food I would normal not eat. Mainly pork. But a girl has to eat. The food is spicy. The food is good though. I am so hopped up on caffeine. Too much coffee and Coke.
I had a very non tourist trip yesterday. I met my sister-on-laws niece. She was born 4 days ago. Mom and baby were still in the hospital. So I went to a communist hospital. I will never think that hospital conditions in the US are bad again. Thuy's sister in law had her own room only because both families are well connected and know people. Normally thuy was saying there could be up to ten people in the room she was in. I am not sure how that was possible unless they start stacking the beds and there was no room to walk around. The baby was very cute and seemed to have all her limbs.
This seems to have gotten away from me. I am done babbling. Thanks for reading. More to come. Marla

Day 1 Jan 17-18

2008-01-17T21:50:00.000-08:00

Greetings from Ho Chi Minh City! It has been a long 2 days. There have been many hours sitting on an airplane. I watched 4 movies and still slept for 6 hours. If that gives you an idea of how the flight was. I actually saw a movie I hadn't seen yet on the plane. Jane Austen Book Club. It is a good chick flick. Yeah you get movie reviews too. It was pretty true to the book. Which is always good. I did get upgraded to Business class on the flight from taipie to vietnam. That was nice. Those seats are so much bigger and I got to sit in the upstairs in the 747. I have never been in the upstairs. It is such a fabled section.
Ho Chi Minh City is interesting. People drive by honking their horns. There are no real lanes. It is very frightening. It is a miracle we didn't die on the way to thuy's mom's house.
That is really all for now. More babble soon. Sorry no photos. Maybe next time.

San Francisco 1

2008-01-14T17:24:00.000-08:00

Today I was in San Francisco. It is not as exciting as what will be to come but it is a start. I was a big tourist today. Palace of Fine Arts and The Golden Gate Bridge. It was nice and sunny.

Pre-trip

2008-01-12T10:07:00.000-08:00

Hey kids,
This will be my blog for the trip. I leave tomorrow for San Francisco. I may post from there.
OK. There are still many things I need to do before I leave.
I will keep you posted.
Marla