Kanchanaburi, Thailand

As we initially arrive in Kanchanaburi, we quickly discovered that the hotel that we booked was miles away from the action and didn’t offer anything that we needed. The next day we spent finding new accommodation.  We rented motorbikes for the 4 days we were there so that we could explore anything we wanted! The first afternoon we decided to rent a kayak and grab some sun. 

 The next day we got up early and drove 65km to see Erawan waterfall, a 7 tiered waterfall. The drive turned out to be a little chilly and Lance did not appreciate the small road we had to drive on that was full of crazy drivers driving big tour busses, big trucks, vans, etc. He drove behind me and said there was over 20 times where he thought I was going to get hit!  We made it safely and enjoyed the trekking up to all the different levels of the waterfall.

Christmas Day: It’s hard being far away from home during the holidays…but it makes it a little easier when you are in a place with no snow and immense heat, which doesn’t remind you at all of home!  We decided to take our motorbikes out in the country and just drive until we found something neat! It was a beautiful day and a great drive! We found ourselves at a grounds with a few temples and a cave. Hesitantly, we decided to give this cave a try! We were the only ones there and we almost didn’t make it through because it was a bit eerie and there were times when you couldn’t see around the corner and you just never know what kind of things could be lurking around in caves in SE Asia! We made it back alive and decided to reward ourselves with massages! We had a lovely supper, in which some other fellow Americans joined in for some conversation!

Our trip back to Bangkok, where we were to meet Anne Waltner for the rest of our trip, was anything short of glamorous! The bus was 1 hour late and then took almost 2 hours longer than promised. We even randomly were told to get out of the bus and get into a different bus behind us!  Unwilling we listened and somehow still managed to make it to our destination! We relaxed a bit while we waited to head to the airport to meet Anne. Finally, after much anticipation and waiting, she arrived! It was almost 1am and of course when we got back to our hotel we were not ready for bed but buzzing with conversation! 

The long fall...and finally winter break!

Last break from school was October 19^th for fall break. Since that time our school has had many new things happen. Unfortunately there are still only 3 students. But, since then the 2^nd grade classroom has been decorated, the Library filled with books and creative wall decorations, the music and dance room received a large mirror, decorations and many instruments, and many other facelifts have helped make it look more like a functioning school. There also have been many brochures, emails, pamphlets and other marketing pieces created and distributed since then. Our school was a sponsor and had a booth at the Hanoi International Women’s Club Charity Bazaar in the end of November. This is a really neat event in which HIWC organizes all kinds of booths for vendors, schools and even a large area filled with booths from many countries represented in Hanoi. There were a large number of countries represented and many drinks and delicious foods to eat. Over 7,000 people attended and a large amount of money was raised for charity. We used this event as an opportunity to distribute flyers about our upcoming “Open Day” the next week. This event kept our school busy decorating and preparing for most of November. It yielded no immediate students, but will help us with next year’s enrollment. Anyway….after a busy November filled with curriculum work, decorating a school, creating marketing pieces, information packets, designing a website and teaching Monday evenings across the city and Wednesday after school….…….we were burned out and needing a break. It was quite obvious that we needed a break as we gained a more negative attitude toward Hanoi in November and December. It could be the constant overcast sky and occasional drizzle all winter long, or it could be the pollution (especially noticed on our Monday night drives across the city to teach a night ESL class), or it could be the constant honking and aggressive behavior on the streets, sidewalks, stores………….or more than likely it was all of the above. In the end, it was time for a break from Hanoi so that we could enjoy our time here and value the positive things it has to offer. 

Wednesday, December 19 was our last day of school before break and we didn’t waste any time messing around to get out of the pollution of Hanoi! We were on the first flight out of there that night! I had been telling Lance about the feeling that engulfs you right as you get off the plane in Bangkok….it’s like the humidity surrounds and swallows you! The first thing Lance said when we got off the plane was, “I now know exactly what you were trying to explain!”  We spent that night in Bangkok and then got up the next morning to take a bus to Singburi, the small town I used to live in, in central Thailand, where I taught for a year in a mini-English program. I already had 5 meals planned, because I wanted Lance to taste all the foods I ate day in and day out, and we were only going to be there for a little over a day! The first thing we did when we got there was to cross 3 of the foods off our list! After refueling with some great Thai food, we headed to Anuban School, where I taught.  It was great to see all my old students and Pat and James, who ran the program. I almost remembered all of their crazy names, such as Milk, Bonus, Copter, Big, etc! For supper that night I had Lance enjoy another treat I used to enjoy….Pizza Company Shrimp Cocktail pizza! Yes, sounds terrible, but it’s great! The sauce is 1000 Island and it has shrimp, tomatoes and pineapple!

We spent the next day driving motorbikes around to check out some big buddhas in the area and to see the great countryside. 

We found out that almost all vehicles take gas under their hood! It was very strange! Also, it took about 20 times as long to fill up...I don't know if they don't have the same pressure or what!

Late afternoon we made our way to Lopburi to see my old friend Meghan. We had a great evening full of reminiscing and sharing new tales! The next morning we took off for Kanchanaburi.  

Hoi An...

The next part of our fall break travels entailed going to Hoi An, a quaint little town, filled with tourists who are there to get a few bags of clothes that are made especially for them! The streets are lined with shop after shop of beautiful jackets, dresses, suits and more.....where it is not hard to turn your head in want.

We arrived at out hotel, Hoanh Trinh and were greeted by a smile, hot tea and little biscuits! We had read good reviews of this hotel, but we were in for a delightful surprise! Whenever we came and went from the hotel we were said hello to (by name) or asked how our day was or greeted with a plate of fresh watermelon or a mango smoothie! They answered all our questions with a smile and gave us great recommendations. I have never had that excellent of service at a hotel in my life! The cost of the hotel was also something to smile about!

We took off our first night there in hopes of getting a few things made. After spending a significant amount of time at 1 shop, we then found out the price to make all these clothes we wanted. I think in the 2 years since I have been there, things have got more expensive with demand! Our good simple, Mennonite living conscious kicked in and we decided we could not pay that much. So....we decided to refuel before checking out more places. We stopped at this place called the Bale Well, where it had grilled pork that you wrapped with fresh veggies, herbs and a spring roll with rice paper. There was also an incredible sauce to dip in! They kept bringing us more and more. The ladies also enjoyed rolling them for us and then feeding them to us!

We kept on walking and found a store that was more in our price range. It's quite fun getting measured and picking from hundreds of materials to make something just for you!

The next day we rented motorbikes and cruised around. We stopped at the beach for a bit and drove and saw some of the countryside. I forget how cool the sound of the ocean waves crashing in on the shore was!

We spent our last full day there walking around the town, stopping at little shops (bartering for potential Christmas presents!) and at temples and historical places.

 We also found these tasty treats called hoanh thanh, a delectable treat of a wonton with diced shrimp, peppers, onions, pineapple and a superb sauce! We found ourselves going back for more! 

We also took a little boat ride (thanks to the restaurant lady who has a brother or cousin or something!), around the lake and saw some of the countryside and locals.  It was a nice couple days. Now off to Danang!

Danang and around....

We arrived in Danang after our last wonderful breakfast at our hotel in Hoi An. We came there with a mission….a mission to ride motorbikes all day, every day in search of the wonders Danang and the countryside had to offer!  After checking in we rented motorbikes straight away and were off on our first adventure to find this large Buddha statue and to ride up Monkey Mountain! Both were quite a glorious ride!

 We almost didn’t make it to the top of monkey mountain though because there were some monkeys that hopped across the road and I was too scared to drive by, thinking that they would jump out and attack me! My friend Jordan, who is bear trained and the works (she’s Canadian!), made me very worried about rabies! I really didn’t know it was such a bad thing or that there was a shortage of medicine! 

We came back and ate at a restaurant/bakery place that supports deaf people.  We had a great Vietnamese pizza!

The next morning we got up and drove to Ba Na Hills, about 45 kilometers away. Another great scenic ride. On the ride there, Lance made a local friend, who ended up driving next to him for about 10 kms, just chatting and asking questions! This was all good, until this cost us time and the last 3km or so we got caught in a rain storm! We were absolutely soaked! We waited it out at the bottom of the hill.  We were told we could bike to the top, but once we got there we were told otherwise! There is the world’s longest cable car to get to the top of the mountains – 5km long! We decided to take that and it was well worth the money! We ventured over the most dense, thick and beautiful mountains, with random waterfalls and big rocks.

  At the top, after traveling through these beautiful mountains where it was nothing but nature, we found ourselves at a resort with a place called Fantasy Land, which was a huge fun park. It was a little disturbing. There were also some big Buddha’s and other cool things to see fortunately.

A local fishing net....

The next day we got back on our motorbikes and headed out to find this beach shop that was supposed to have awesome food. It took us 2 hours, asking 8 different local people and turning around a few times to finally find it! It was worth the wait! This quaint little place tucked away had the BEST burgers and the BEST mango smoothies! The secret to the smoothies (the owner told me), was freezing the fruit and the yogurt! I will remember that one!  Then we ventured on to Marble Mountains, which was a bit of hiking, seeing statues, pagodas and some cool caves.

We also drove up to Hai Van Pass, which is just a beautiful winding road through the mountains.

The next day we slept in and slowly made our way to the airport to go back to Hanoi….vacation is over!!! Back to work!!!  It was a very well needed, refreshing break from the grind, pollution and over populated Hanoi!