Sunday, September 28, 2008

Chiang Mai Night Market





Altough we found several street markets across Asia, this one had its own character: lots of local arts and crafts (instead of the cheap chinese stuff available everywhere else), amazing food and great people watching. Plus, the best of all, after you get tired of shopping, you can get a GREAT foot massage on the spot : )

Trekking in Chiang Mai






Chaing Mai, northern Thailand, besides being know for its great culinary, it is also a great place to explore the outdoors. We enjoyed a trekking + elephant riding + rafting day with some crazy local guides!

Wat Arun





The temple marks the re-emergence of the Thai capital after the Burmese invasion in the 18th century. The central tower is symbolic of Mt Meru, centre of the universe in Hindu and Buddhist mythology. It is a great way to enjoy the views of the river bank at 82m high.

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Wat Pho


The highly impressive gold plated reclining Buddha is 46 meters long and 15 meters high, and is designed to illustrate the passing of the Buddha into nirvana. The feet and the eyes are engraved with mother-of-pearl decoration, and the feet also show the 108 auspicious characteristics of the true Buddha.

The Grand Palace














If there is one must-see sight in Bangkok, it's the dazzling, spectacular Grand Palace, undoubtedly the city's most famous landmark. Built in 1782 -and for 150 years the home of the Thai King, the Royal court and the administrative seat of government, it continues to have visitors in awe with its beautiful architecture and intricate detail, all of which is a proud salute to the creativity and craftsmanship of Thai people.

Chilli, Fish Sauce, Sugar and Vinegar...






...will adjust the spiceness, saltiness, sweetness and sourness of your Thai dish. Most restaurant will provide that in your table, making the whole eating experience even more flavourful.
Also, don't let the simple cooking set up of the streets stalls turn you off; there are a lot of simple little street stalls that do a great job and their "busy" WOK pan will only add to the flavour.

We definitely LOVED Thai food! :)

Snapshots of Bangkok








Although sometimes you think all 10 million residents are driving around at the same time (either by car, bus or tuk-tuk); the flavour of the food, the uniqueness of its river ferries and its sumptuous temples make this capital a very exciting destination. Here are a few clicks.

Sunday, September 7, 2008

Marble Mountains, DaNang






The Marble Mountains are five marble and limestone hills south of Da Nang city. The five mountains are named under the five elements in Vietnam - metal, water, wood, fire and earth. 

The mountain we climbed had several caves and tunnels, including several buddhist sanctuaries and great views from its peak. 

The area is famous for stone sculpture making and stone cutting crafts, however rock stracting from the mountains were recently banned (and the marble is now coming from China).

We suggest a hike up to the mountains in the morning and a cold HaNoi Beer at the China Beach (across the street) for the sunset! 

Beach Day @ South China Sea





Cua Dai Beach and China Beach are a great excuse to spend a couple more days in Hoi An. 

Hoi An - a must visit in Vietnam










 Hoi An is a small city on the coast of the South China Sea, in the South Central Coast of Vietnam. In 1999, the old town was declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO as a well-preserved example of a Southeast Asian trading port of the 15th to 19th centuries, whose buildings display a unique blend of local and foreign influences, including French, Japanese and Chinese.

We stayed there for 5 days, and the old town was a great place to relax, eat great food and walk around. There are many charming restaurants and bars, beautiful art galleries, interesting temples and old houses, and amazing handcrafts (especially lanterns). Also, one of the biggest attractions are the local tailors, who make custom tailored clothes for a bargain! It is hard to resist...and, of course, we did not :)