Monthly Archives: December 2015

Happy Holidays!  Better late than never.

We met up with our friends, Christine and Paul, in Hong Kong on December 16th.  The city had a lot going on – some of it extremely fast-paced and at other times so tranquil and meditative.

We took a day trip to Macau, which used to be a Portuguese colony from the mid-16th century up until 1999.  It is a gambler’s haven with lots of casinos.  And although very small compared to Vegas, it generates the most revenue from gambling of anywhere in the world.  We were told that many of the HK residents make the trip to Macau for the shopping and better quality products, even milk which is imported from Europe due to poor quality in China.  The trip there and back alone was an experience.  It takes an hour by ferry but you go through customs.  And because of the casinos the ferries run 24 hours a day.  Although we were told that no one any longer speaks Portuguese you can still see the evidence with the street names and the beautiful stone sidewalks in places.  The day we were there visiting the church ruins we could hardly move because of the volume of people.

After 4 days in HK we flew into Hanoi, Vietnam.  Really enjoyed Hanoi, and although it’s quite hectic you don’t get the sense that people are rushing around like in HK.  The people are really lovely.  One day we took a little guided tour with an organization called Hanoi Kids.  They take you to sites of your choice or they will suggest a tour.  We picked The Temple of Literature, which is the oldest university in Vietnam (not running now) and the prison.  The two guides, Lee and Joy, also took us through the streets where the veggie markets were.  This was free; you only had to pay for their transportation back to where they needed to go.  The streets in the old quarter were absolutely fascinating.  You could buy pretty much anything – there was the “Christmas” street, the “bag” street, the “barber” street (Gary contemplated getting his hair cut on this street, right on the street), the “flower” street, “car mechanics” street, and the list goes on.  Speaking of streets, crossing the street was the greatest challenge but somehow we managed.  And no one actually wants to hit you (like in other countries) so they will do anything in their power to avoid doing so.  Whew! Temple of Literature with our young guides, Hanoi[/caption]

After 4 days in Hanoi we went to HaLong Bay for an overnight cruise on December 24.  It was absolutely magical, and it was a full moon which apparently hasn’t happened at this time of year for about 30 years.

We then flew a little further south and spent 3 nights in the beautiful village of Hoi An, one of many UNESCO sites in Vietnam.  This is the place where you can also have just about anything custom tailored.  The four of us could not resist.  You get measured one day and the next morning you go for a fitting and then you pick it up later that day.  We all couldn’t wait to pick up our linen clothing.  It was like Christmas presents.  Until we went to get fitted and nothing seemed to fit.  In the end we all had some clothing but unfortunately Christine wasn’t as fortunate (they really messed hers up and she didn’t take any of it).  The rest of us weren’t all that thrilled with ours either.  Oh, well, live and learn – we were all in the moment of it.  Then we went on to looking at some scarves and other clothing items already made, and our favourite label was “100% silk feeling”.  Before we had seen the label I was asking if it was real silk or nylon, and I was assured that it was Vietnamese silk.  I think we should have done a little bit more research, but oh well.

Here are some quirky Christmas pictures from our travels in general.We’re heading to Bangkok, Thailand on December 31st, so see you soon.

 

We arrived in Bali on November 30th after a short 3-hour flight from Australia, and as hot as it was in Indonesia (33C, with 80% humidity) , it was quite refreshing to be in a country that challenges what you are comfortable with, i.e the language (although most people speak at least a little English here), the culture, the driving (not us!), the bartering for goods, being asked if you want a massage, a taxi, a boat ride, food, etc., constantly.  And then on top of all that you have to watch where you’re walking so you don’t trip due to uneven sidewalks (or lack of sidewalks), or fall in any holes, or trip on wires………  Talk about sensory overload.  Did I say refreshing?

After having been in Western-world countries for the previous 2 1/2 months, we really welcomed the differences and challenges.  We started off in Sanur (southeast part of Bali), a quieter area than the west but the beaches weren’t as nice.  The Indonesian people are so kind and lovely, and they have a wonderful sense of humour.   One day after lunch on the beach one of the many “massage ladies” gave me a neck/shoulder/arm massage (there are so many women giving massages here – I imagine during busy times it must be a sight on the beach with all of the massage tables lined up for the full-body massages – it was quiet while we were here and I think business was hurting).  I just couldn’t barter this one and she didn’t ask for a certain amount so I just gave her way too much for Bali standards.  Anyway I got a great hug and a kiss and a lovely smile and I’m good with that.  What’s $10 out of my pocket (just so you know, you can get a full-body massage for less than $10).

Our hotel room in Sanur was simple but the exterior was so elaborate and lovely as you can see from the photo above – it looks palatial, but it really wasn’t.  The pool right outside, although not very cool, was very refreshing in the humidity.   We spent 4 days in Sanur, with a little side trip to the Seminyak beach area (crazy, busy party area – but fairly quiet the day we were there, and the beach is quite nice) and then went to Ubud for 4 days as well.

Ubud is inland and lush with lots of temples, and it’s the arts and cultural centre of Bali.  It was quite different from being in the area of beach resorts.  Green and lovely.  You may be familiar with Ubud if you read or saw Eat, Pray, Love.  I believe it may have made it more popular.  We visited 3 great temples just outside Ubud, but I wouldn’t visit the Monkey Forest Temple – no way, not me, NO MONKEYS, thank you.  Apparently they even have a medical clinic just outside the temple area – hmmmm.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here are some temples and rice terraces in and around Ubud:

Four days later we were on a “fast boat” (that’s what they call them) to The Gili Islands, which are right next to Lombok (another island almost the size of Bali) and approximately 1 hour from Bali.  This area is predominantly Muslim, and we found it all very interesting and really enjoyed our stay.  We were on Gili Trawangan (Gili T) which is the largest of the three northern Gili Islands, but still only 8 km around.  There are no motorized vehicles here, only bikes and cidomos which are horse-drawn carts.  I didn’t feel great about using one but we really had no other choice when we decided to change accommodation and couldn’t walk there with our luggage.  The small horses really get worked here.

We made it around the island on bikes one day and although an easy, flat ride, it was HOT, HOT, HOT!  I don’t think I’ve ever sweat as much as I did in Indonesia.  Did I say refreshing?

Here are a few more miscellaneous photos:

We enjoyed marking our 3-months away in Indonesia.  We’re heading to Hong Kong on December 15th to meet our Canadian friends, Christine and Paul (can’t wait to see you guys!), to join us on the next leg of our trip.  We’re then heading down to Hanoi, Vietnam and staying at the house of the sister of someone (Shannon) we know from Toronto.  Shannon’s sister, Kristi, has been so kind and generous in offering us her house while she’s in Toronto for the holidays.  Thanks Shannon for connecting us; and thanks so much Kristi!