Tam Cốc-Bích Động (by day)

good morning.






this makes me dizzy if I look at it for too long.
 



reflections eternal

Tam Cốc-Bích Động (by night)

Dave and I took a three-day motorcycle trip throughout Northern Vietnam. The four-hour journey started on Sunday took us south from Hanoi to Tam Cốc (or "three caves"). We had a rather hilarious night drinking "special water" with some tour bus drivers, a "very important" cop from Ninh Binh and a Dutch bar owner followed by a rather scenic and peaceful day along the Ngo Dong River.

The two-hour rickety boat ride down the Ngo Dong took us through the most incredible landscape dominated by rice fields, massive karst outcrops and through caves (with overhangs only about 2m above the water). Our boat rower, a woman in her early 50s, tried to swindle us into buying some of her embroidery but we had been warned.

I'll let the photos do the talking.


plotting

view from the road



I made a friend while DMS napped.


A "average-sized" Dutchman, a well-known cop who wouldn't stop hitting on me/making me drink, and the people's champion, David Marshall Stout.

Hanoi, Part 1

Hanoi is a bustling, vibrant city with a lot of people and even more motorbikes. Sorry to sound like a Lonely Planet guide ;). Truth be told, this old, dirty city is nothing like Seoul, South Korea. And that's probably the reason I loved it so much. Southeast Asia and Central Asia are like night and day. The former being much more raw (seems to be the buzzword in those parts), unorganized, cheap, loud, and teeming with foreigners. I understand why.

Vietnam has got to be one of the coolest places I have ever been. The food was incredible, the coffee out of this world, the people exceptionally friendly (and actually attempt to speak English!), and it's full of recent and very relevant history. History of which, I am ashamed to say, I didn't know much about. Thankfully with David as my personal tour guide I was able to learn a lot about the country and the Vietnam War.

Here are some photos from Saturday in Hanoi.


DMS and Bun Cha (yum)

motorbike taxi nap

best $1 meal I've ever had. Bun Cha is one of the most popular street foods in Hanoi. Charcoal-grilled pork meat balls, rice noodles, thinly sliced cucumbers, carrots, onions in a delicious broth.

Ming

street punks throwing cards


Duc and his girlfriend's son Ming. Might as well been his kid, he loved him so much. Duc is a Vietnamese-American journalist who moved back to Vietnam a few years ago. He opened a great coffee shop/gallery Tadiota where I spent many hours last week. He was gracious enough to allow us to stay at his INCREDIBLE house in the mountains for New Years Eve...pics to follow

44 Son Tay

A Vietnam Christmas

For Christmas-New Years this year I visiting my good dear friend David Marshall Stout in Vietnam. Dave had to work on Christmas so I spent the day/night wandering around Hanoi, sweating, getting a 75 minute massage for $8, drinking beers with some kids I met in the airport, being lost and mostly trying to avoid becoming roadkill by one of a bazillion motorbikes.

It was a strange feeling - being alone in a big, new (old, technically) city on Christmas.  I spent most of December lamenting the fact that I was missing Christmas, but when the day actually came it truly didn't feel like any other day.

(Reader Beware: there will be many MANY photos of the aformentioned 9 days.)


A packed airport on Christmas Day.

Christmas Eve

Despite Franklin's fiasco of waiting for the turkey for two hours, Christmas Eve was a success, even though my $22 pasta salad didn't get eaten (I made it, ingredients are just $$$$). We had party poppers and a white elephant exchange which resulted in a rather inappropriate photo shoot with a face mask.


Mashed potato dixie queen

white elephant

El Grooveshark

"Uhhhh...? What exactly do I do with this....it's the size of a diaper...."

Clark's Last Fish Place

This is our favorite meal in Korea. If you come I will take you :)



"bite your fuckin head off man..."

Clark's (Second to) Last Metropolis

Clark's Last Week :(

My homeboy is leaving for the good ole U.S. of A. after a two-week tryst in Thailand then off to Saipan for the remainder of the year. I'm bummin but had an awesome 5 months with him. Thanks for the job Griz...see you on the other side...


Clark and Hance

they are troopers albeit totally brats


Clark, Clara and Jenny


H's first Macker's cheeseburger in 12 years! woot.

Clark and Joan



cake and chopsticks.

what a crew.