Luang Prabang

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I’m at an internet cafe in Luang Prabang – it’s fun to see all the monks in their orange robes getting online at some of the other PCs. Laos is amazing, and Luang Prabang is very, very beautiful. And since the UNESCO World Heritage designation, tourism in Luang Prabang has been booming. It’s hard to believe how much things here must have changed over just the last few years… Starting with tourists like me sitting in internet cafes like this one. ;-)

The boat trip on Halong Bay was wonderful, as expected. We saw a floating fishing village, did some kayaking, and had a fun dip in the unbelievably warm water. Even though we knew that there were jellyfish lurking about – we’d seen a few from the deck of the boat. And sure enough, Em and I got stung, Em on both legs and me just across my right shin. Our guide prescribed some fresh lime juice and ice for the wound, and I followed that up with more fresh lime taken orally (in a couple of Gin & Tonics). Em didn’t have any G&Ts, but the stinging still faded pretty quickly. By the next morning, we were both pretty well mended…

Tomorrow, we’re off to Hanoi again, where we stay overnight, and then the next day we head to Nha Trang for a few days of scuba diving, and relaxing on the beach. Ahhhh.

Greetings from beautiful Sa Pa!

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I don’t have my camera/phone/PDA thingy with me, so I’ll skip the photo this time. And some day when I get back, I’ll figure out why the photo in my last post came out sideways. But the main thing is that Em and I are in Sa Pa, chillin’ at an internet cafe. We had a great couple of days (well, 1.5) in Saigon and the Mekong delta, then flew up to Hanoi to catch an overnight train to northern the Lào Cai station, from where a chartered bus took us to Sa Pa. We hiked (with a guide) down through the valley all day yesterday, and spent the night in a “homestay” – basically, staying in the home of one of the (“ethnic minority”) families in the village. The scenery is spectacular – the valley is between towering mountaintops, with rice paddies cut into them from about halfway up, and all the way down to the river at the bottom of the valley. And we managed to get in a couple of dips at the local swimming hole – a beautiful spot right below a waterfall, with crystal clear (and cold!) water. SOOOOOOOOO nice after hiking in the hot, humid jungle.

This morning, after breakfast, we hiked to a neighboring village to see another family’s home, and then back to the swimming hole until lunch. Then we hiked back out a little ways (just to the nearest paved road), where a car was waiting to take us back into town. We took showers at the local Handspan tour office (we booked the hike and homestay through them), and now we’re getting caught up on some e-mails before dinner, and the ride back to the Lào Cai station. Then it’s another overnight train, this time back to Hanoi, and then tomorrow morning it’s off to Halong Bay, where we’ll spend the day (and night) on a boat. After which we head (via Hanoi, again) to Luang Prabang in Laos. I’ll probably post again from Luang Prabang, since we’ll be there more than one day, and there ought to be plenty of internet access there…

At HKG, heading to SGN

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At HKG, heading to SGN

Originally uploaded by Dan Rochman

Me so JetSet. Photoblogging from gate 61 at HKG. Waiting to board, and remembered that I haven’t blogged in months – as usual.

Quick Updates:
– Burning Man was awesome
– We’re on our way to Vietnam!

So tired. Will post more from Vietnam. But props to HKG for having free Wi-Fi.

Hot Summer Nights

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Em and I had an *amazing* night out with friends last night. A bunch of us went to see the Outernational Music Tour (headlined by Thievery Corporation) at the Greek Theater in Berkeley, and the show was sweeeeeeeeeeeeeet. Just about the longest, hottest day of the year, too – so that even after dark, in the amphitheater, it was still nice and warm, with clear skies above. It was so nice out, in fact, that we couldn’t even go home after the show – all of us ended up heading over to Sharon & Joe’s place (they live near there), for a “let’s all eat ice cream on their awesome patio” afterparty. :D

In other news, my old pal Leslie (Weswie!) passed through town all-too-briefly with her Paul Paul (long story). They stayed here Thursday night, and we were able to get in a really nice dinner at Greens, but hopefully we’ll be able to see them on their home turf (near DC) sometime soon. And wow, did they ever get the hothot California weather. We tried to tell them that San Francisco is cold and foggy in the summer, and now our credibility is shot.

Now it’s time to go for our Saturday Stroll. Coffee (maybe iced coffee, given this heat wave), farmer’s market, second breakfast (ask a Hobbit), maybe a pedicure for Em, oh, and I need new shoes. Lazy Saturday, ya know. It’s almost 80 degrees (F, or 26C for you sensible people) in our apartment, and I’m lazy from the heat (ask David Lee Roth). Otka, on the other hand, is loving the heat. He’s clambering all over his terrarium, and waving his anntenae in time to whatever music I’ve got playing. That’s my boy. ;)

Today's Random Links

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Just because it’s late, I haven’t blogged in a long time, and I have 113 tabs open (!?!) in my other instance of Firefox…

Omnisio is a cool site/service – it allows you to create your own compilations of video clips (from YouTube and other such video sharing sites). My current favorite compilation shows the new Weezer video “Pork and Beans”, followed by all of the viral videos that it references – just in case you missed any. Oh, and you can also use Omnisio to sync up the slides from a presentation with (e.g.) actual footage of the presentation.

Second, and in a similar vein, Last.fm + YouTube is awesome. Give it a Last.fm user or artist, and it’ll start playing YouTube videos “related” to the resulting Last.fm stream – music videos, interviews, and the like. If you give it your own Last.fm username, you seasoned scrobblers can get your very own custom music video channel.

When you’re done with music videos, try cartooning. I love watching Peter Shin demonstrating how to draw Stewie Griffin. It looks ridiculously simple when he does it, but my attempts always come out looking pretty lumpy…

In Toronto

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Em and I went to see Morcheeba (with great opening act Federico Aubele) at The Fillmore last night with our friends Joe & Sharon. That was fun, but we didn’t get to bed until 1:00 AM, and then we were up at 4:30 AM, in a cab to SFO at 5:00 AM, and at Em’s mom’s place in Brampton some eight hours later. Exhausted and hungry, we made our customary pilgrimage to the Chalet Suisse, stuffed our faces, and then came back to Em’s mom’s and (also customary) passed out on the couch. After a little nap, we’ve been doing some errands, unpacking, settling in, and catching up. Now it’s time for real sleep, in a real bed…