Lunch at Loft

view from Chatuchak Park

It's good to be back in Bangkok for a few weeks. We are spending a few weeks back in the city to re-charge our batteries before heading back out to continue our year of adventure - this time in Laos! It's been a good few weeks - every day has been nice and rainy, and I've enjoyed the time sitting on the porch with a cup of tea as the monsoons storm all around me.

Ganesh shrine at Union Mall

The other day I had lunch with Geoffrey, my former boss. I remember back when I first arrived in Thailand. I was so intimidated by him! This serious and strict (or so I thought) old Englishman turned out to be a big joker and a good friend.

Geoffrey reserved our usual table by the window at Loft, the same table where we used to sit with the new teachers that we welcomed to Bangkok each year, and the same table where my mom and brother sat when we dined with Geoffrey around Christmastime. It's been so good to see him! The job just wasn't as fun without him, and maybe that is one of the reasons why I eventually decided it was time to try something different.

the view from our table at Loft

Anyway, it's been a nice time here in Bangkok, but it's almost time to head back out on the road again. Next stop: Vientiane! This time, I hope to make it all the way up to Luang Prabang, but we shall see what new adventures this next month has in store!

A Few New Projects: Bangkok Life Update

Hey guys, just wanted to write a quick post to share two new projects that I've been working on this week!

The last couple years when I've been back to visit the US, I've been really excited about visiting the country's national parks. Lately, I've gotten interested in Thailand's national parks too! I've started two blogs: one about Thailand's national parks, and one about US national parks and national monuments. If you have a few minutes, please head on over to check them out. They're still new, but I am planning on getting content up fairly regularly, especially on my Thai Parks blog!

THAI PARKS - my blog all about Thailand's excellent national parks

thaiparks.blogspot.com 

Did you know that Thailand has 147 national parks, and numerous other forest parks, national historical parks, and national marine parks? In fact, 20% of the country is maintained by the national parks department!

PARKS AND MONUMENTS - my blog about America's national parks

parksandmonuments.blogspot.com

And, as always, don't forget to visit my main travel website A COUPLE OF DESTINATIONS, where I share information and tips about travel throughout southeast Asia! This blog generally follows along on all of my adventures, so if you are following my personal blog here, you can learn even more about the places that I've been on my travel website.

acoupleofdestinations.com

as well as the food blog that Pinky and I started while we were in Vietnam, WORLD OF STREET FOOD

world-of-street-food.blogspot.com 

Strange Tales From a Vietnamese Supermarket

Going to a supermarket in another country is a really fun experience! Even if I don't plan on buying anything, it can be fun to look around, browse, and see what sorts of foods are available.

I went to a lot of supermarkets in Vietnam. We tried to live very cheaply while traveling there, which means that besides street food, we ate peanut butter sandwiches, oatmeal, boiled eggs, and things like that. In Hanoi, we shopped at the nearby Intimex. It was a small and narrow three-story supermarket  with slightly overpriced western essentials. I actually liked it a lot, but it was kind of expensive.

In Hue we mostly shopped at a tiny local shop just down the road from the guesthouse, where staples like bread, eggs, bottled water, and snacks were stacked up on shelves in the tightly-packed open-air shop. Some days we would walk a bit further to the Co-op Mart, or even the Big C, but those were on the other side of town.

In Da Nang we really loved the Vincom Plaza - a very nice upscale shopping mall with a great Vinmart Supermarket

Nha Trang also had a great Vincom Plaza, and we spent a lot of time there trying to keep cool as we walked this way and that through the city (it was roughly in the center).

In Saigon we shopped at the supermarket at Saigon Center, but it was quite expensive! Once or twice we walked a bit further to the local Vincom Plaza there too.

Ok, ok, but why am I telling you this? Well, I just thought it would be interesting to share some of the weird - or, more interesting, rather - things that I saw at these supermarkets. I don't ever want to judge any cuisine. I love trying new food! I'm not judging anything at all, just sharing some photos that I think you guys back home might enjoy!

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Check out these cool fruits! The ones in the middle are called custard apples, and the pink ones are dragon fruit, but I don't know the others.

Fresh bugs by the scoop!

Pre-packaged organs, insects, and octopus. Yum!!!

Off-Season in Jomtien

I've been back in Thailand for about two weeks now after my adventures in Vietnam. I'll be staying in Bangkok for about a month before heading off to experience Laos!

Our time in Vietnam was excellent... so much fun! But for the past two months we've been in the big city - Saigon or Bangkok. Pinky and I were very happy to be invited to Jomtien, a beach just south of Pattaya, by her family for a short trip outside of the city.

The day started very early at Bangkok's brand-new minibus terminal at Mo Chit.

Just a few hours later, we arrived in Pattaya, and took a songtaew 5km down the beach to Jomtien. Jomtien is quieter and much less developed than Pattaya City. While Pattaya has developed kind of a bad reputation (although nowadays it is becoming much more family-friendly), Jomtien is far more relaxed.

Even though we were just staying for the day, it felt so good to get away from the city. Even in Pattaya, the fresh air was noticeable. Years ago, when I first arrived in Thailand, my friends and I actually stayed in Jomtien when we visited Koh Larn on my first trip outside of the city.

It's the monsoon season here in Thailand - a season especially pronounced along the kingdom's coasts. It's the "off season", or "low season", meaning that now is the time of year when most tourists - foreign and domestic - avoid the beaches. Sure, it rains a lot, but it's also quieter and cheaper. To be honest, I've always loved the monsoon season in Thailand.

We were lucky that it didn't rain much that day, though! We had a very nice afternoon of walking along the beach and swimming in the pool at the condo where Pinky's family is staying for a little while. We had to get back to Bangkok, though.

It was a short visit - just a few hours, but so nice! I really feel so refreshed after a day trip away from the city. Don't get me wrong - I love Bangkok and wouldn't want to live anywhere else in Thailand. But every once in a while I need to get away to the provinces to relax, even for a day.

After a seafood dinner, we were on our way to the bus terminal, and just a few hours later, we were back in the Big Mango. It was a great day!

So Long, Saigon

Three months in Vietnam have nearly come and gone so quickly. It has been an amazing and life-changing experience, and I've grown and learned so much over the past twelve weeks. I'll miss the country, but I'm looking forward to being back in Thailand. I've had a wonderful time, but Bangkok, not Hanoi, Da Nang, or Saigon, is the city that feels like home.

I'll share some random photos of the city here while I tell a little about one experience that we had in Vietnam.

Saigon City Hall

Everything in Vietnam has really gone so smoothly. There have been plenty of chances for things to go wrong, but everything was really great! I've learned a few words of Vietnamese - mostly food words. I've learned how to navigate the streets of the country's three big cities. I've developed a taste for the food and a rich appreciation for the beautiful culture and ancient history.

city hall gardens

There was really only one big problem, but it was one that bothered us on and off for the entire trip.

cool colorful buildings

It was a very tricky problem regarding Pinky's passport and visa.

statue at a Saigon temple

Before leaving Bangkok, we had both applied for and been granted a three-month visa to Vietnam. Upon arrival I had no problem whatsoever, but the immigration officer didn't see the visa affixed into Pinky's passport, and stamped her in for the 30-day visa-free entry guaranteed to Thai passport holders. We didn't realize until it was time to leave Hanoi. On our last day in the capital, when we noticed the error, we hurried to the immigration office where an uninterested government officer lazily glanced at the passport, visa, and stamp, and told us "no problem" before passing the passport back to us. He admitted that the immigration officer had just made a mistake, and that we would be ok for three months.

US aircraft wreckage  - I saw a lot of this in every city

Relieved, we continued on to Hue. It wasn't until our last month that we began to get worried again. Sure, that guy said it was ok, but he didn't change the stamp, issue any kind of paperwork, or anything. All he did was say "no problem", and honestly, he really seemed completely bored by the problem altogether.

Communist statues are a common site

In Saigon, we again visited the Immigration Department. To our great relief. the officer assisting us, a high-ranking (two stars on her uniform) and very kind middle-aged woman again told us that it was no problem, and that the officer at the airport had made a mistake. We could just go ahead and purchase a visa extension for $10 if we were worried. We did just that.

inside a Vietnamese temple

Online, I've read horror stories about the corrupt Communist officials in Vietnam who basically extort bribes at the airport for problems like this. I absolutely did not find this to be the case. The government official that we met with was the most friendly, kind, and helpful type of person that we could hope for. She admitted that there was a mistake, reassured us that everything was ok, and even gave us an avenue to fix the error to reassure ourselves further. Big props to her! Everything went far better than we could have hoped for.

the streets of Saigon

The immigration officer at the airport leaving Saigon was a bit confused at first by the odd dates and stamps that had been added to random pages throughout Pinky's passport, but after a minute or two of conferring with his supervisor, stamped her out of the country, and we continued on our way. It was a very competent and professional experience. I'm really very impressed!

time to say "goodbye"

At the airport, heavy storms blew in, delaying us by a few hours. We arrived back in Bangkok after a 1hr20min flight just before midnight, barely making the last bus out of  the airport. I'm glad to be back, but I'll miss our time in Vietnam.

Lunch at the Propaganda Bistro

Our three months in Vietnam are drawing to a close. With being sick for a week and stuck indoors for much of the time due to the heavy monsoon rains, we feel like we haven't really got a feel for Saigon like we did with Hanoi. We agree that we like the city though. It's definitely very livable, and will be  even more so in the next few years once the city's new metro is up and running.

On one of our last days in the city, we walked to the city center area surrounding the cathedral. There are lots of international shops and businesses in that area, but one restaurant in particular had caught  our eye: the Propaganda Bistro.

The walls of the trendy bistro and cafe are decorated in brightly colorful murals reminiscent of Vietnam's iconic Communist Party posters that you'll see on billboards all over Hanoi and Saigon. It's a clever and kind of funny idea. The murals, depicting happy workers, farms, and industry, really are a work of art, and something quite representative of the modern Vietnamese culture.

Oh, and the food is good too! We sat down in the comfortable restaurant, and a waiter promptly brought us a bowl of peanuts to share. This was presently washed down with a nice cold Saigon Beer. I ordered a famous Vietnamese baguette sandwich, a banh mi, one of the dishes that I'll miss the most after I leave the country.

We've been eating mostly cheap street food (you can see all about that HERE), but occasioanlly we treat ourselves at a real restaurant. It can be a little pricey for our budget, but if it's cool and trendy like the Propaganda Bistro, I don't mind at all! It's fun to see another side of the country, one that embraces its past in a cool, modern way.

A Day at the Saigon Zoo and Botanical Gardens

There's something really strange about opening hours in Vietnam. Most government-run museums (i.e. all of them) are open in the morning, but then close for lunch hours from 11:30 until 1:30. It's super inconvenient for everything to be closed for two hours in the middle of the day, especially because most days are work days for us, and we try to keep super busy on our days off. It's even stranger, because although the museums are closed, the staff is still there to tell everybody that they have to wait until 1:30. It's annoying, but I guess everybody deserves a lunch break!

The other day we walked across the city to visit a few museums, but we arrived around 11:00, too late to be admitted to the museum before they closed. Stuck on the other side of town, we went to a cafe for a while, but eventually got bored and set out on foot to see what we could do to entertain ourselves. By chance, we happened to come across the nearby Saigon Zoo and Botanical Gardens!

The Saigon Zoo and Botanical Gardens was founded in 1865, and is Vietnam's oldest and largest zoo. It was commissioned by Admiral Pierre-Paul de La Grandière, commander of French Cochinchina, and contains over 125 different species of animals. While the zoo is definitely fun to visit, its the botanical gardens that are the most impressive.

The Saigon Zoo and Botanical Gardens was considered to be a pearl of French Indochina, one of the world's best and most extensive collections of exotic animals and plants.

The gardens are especially famous for their extensive collection of bonsai trees and orchids, all catalogued and collected from all across Asia. Although neglected a bit during the war, the gardens are once again the pride of Vietnam.

The zoo itself is huge, but nothing too impressive. The animals seem to be well-cared for, and the exhibits, while not super huge, are big enough that the animals have space to roam around a bit.

Just near the exit is a two-story pagoda, a memorial to those Vietnamese killed during the First World War. It's surrounded by beautiful flowers and lush gardens. It's tranquil and beautiful.

Tân Định Church: The Pink-est Church in Vietnam

So, as it turns out, Vietnam has more than its fair share of pink churches. Da Nang actually had two - one being the actual cathedral. Here in Saigon, we visited Tan Dinh Church, the third pink church that we've seen during our stay in Vietnam, but by far the pink-est.

Tan Dinh Church

The church is on the opposite side of the city center from where we are staying - near the Jade Emperor Pagoda. The church was built in the 1880s, and is the biggest church in the city after the cathedral.

front tower of the church

What's significant about the church, of course, isn't its history nor its size, but its color. The entire exterior is painted a bright, vivid salmon pink.

stained glass

The interior is a much lighter, softer baby pink as well, although we didn't stop by during the visiting hours when the sanctuary is open. Instead, we just walked around the outside admiring the beautiful and unique Romanesque church.

Every church that we've visited in Vietnam has been so beautiful, historic, and unique. They have been remarkably well-preserved and rebuilt throughout and following the war. Now, beautiful and impressive 19th century churches - a remnant of the French colonial period - are a feature of nearly every Vietnamese town and city.