New Look

I decided it was time to revamp my blog. So here's the new look. Tada!
Obviously I'm already failing at my blogging regularly thing, and for some reason trying to pretend that this post counts even though it's a) stating the obvious, b) has nothing to do with vietnam/asia/anything, and c) is lame. I'll have to write something super interesting next time to make up for this.

Thailand

We were finally able to do some travelling during our 2 week Tet vacation, so we decided to check out Thailand. Thailand is kind of like Vietnam's prettier, cooler, cleaner older sister. Or maybe cousin. Whatever, it's an awesome country that anyone who likes beautiful beaches, hip modern cities, excellent shopping and delicious food should check out. We couldn't help but compare it to Vietnam, and it pretty much ruled it every category save money - once you've gotten used to Vietnam's prices it's hard to handle anything else. Exactly how they stack up against each other I'm saving for another blog, but for now here's some pics.

Sorry I Suck

For some reason blogging regularly had become really difficult for me. But the Lunar New Year just passed not too long ago, and my resolution was to start being a better blogger. So look for more blogs in the very near future.

Teachers' Day

Yesterday was Teachers' Day which, unlike in America, is quite a big holiday over here. It is a day to thank and show respect to your teachers, and it's an important holiday to many people.

To celebrate the holiday students visit their current and former teachers, give presents (usually flowers), and - the best part of all - teachers get the day off to rest and relax. As a teacher I must say it makes you feel pretty special.

Things You Only See in Viet Nam

Cyclos

One of the "not to miss" things the tour guide books like to mention is taking a ride in a cyclo. A cyclo, for those who don't know, is basically a cart attached to the front of a bicycle. This is just one of the many ways that the guide books are way off. Would you want to take a ride in this?

In case you're wondering what's being loaded in there, well that's a big pile of grease. Dirt, bricks, various dirty building materials are all common cyclo cargo.

To be fair, the cyclos in Hanoi are a bit nicer, but to me there's something a little too lazy about having some poor guy cart you around town. And, strangely enough, the only people I've ever seen in them are fat, lazy looking tourists.

Snake Wine

Yummy.

Also available: monkey wine, bear paw wine, sea horse wine (just to name a few).