Koh Lanta to Penang Island

-Early bus, which went onto 2 ferries to Trang. Got bus to Hat Yai. PB+J sandwiches at convenience store-restaurant. Took bus to Georgetown- got lots of info from 2 British travelers.
-Walked past + back to the Hutton Lodge.
-Late night dinner at Maharaj Indian.

Koh Lanta

-Brought bike back - $80 in damage
-Lunch at Where Else? and then Thai massage on beach. Got pulled backwards onto the massage therapist like a pretzel
-Dinner at BeeBee's Village Kitchen inside of a tree hut...fun and delicious.

Koh Lanta

-Rented motorbike. Rode into village. Lunch in a pavillion.
-Rode motorbike down coast towards Mu Koh Lanta National Park. Road became dirt, big hill, construction crew dumping 6 inches of sand on the road. Lost control of the bike going up the steep hill. The bike, Sarah, and I fell over. Minor cuts on our legs. We were covered in dirt and sand - back to resort for showers.
-Biked south at sunset, ate at Blue Moon during a rain storm. Father and son served us a great meal.

Koh Jum and Koh Lanta Islands

-Headed up Koh Pu Mountain through a big tree farm (cashew trees?), hiked into jungle. Saw a monkey, couldn't find my way to summit, so headed back to resort for lunch.
-Longtail boat out to the ferry.
-Arrived in Koh Lanta. We had booked a terrible straw hut. After argument with the manager, we moved to a good bungalow at the Lantas Lodge Resort.
-Swam in ocean, and gave first aid to Sarah's injured toe.
-Pizza dinner at Mr. Wee's Pizza on beach.
-St. Patrick's Day - drinks at Where Else? in a boat-like table, then drinks at the Gecko during a big French bday party.

Koh Jum, Thailand

-Relaxed, went snorkeling to see coral and fish for a few minutes.
-Hung out at the beach bar for sunset, walked upstairs to the restaurant for dinner. Lots of Jenga.

Koh Jum Island

-Early bus to Krabi for ferry to Koh Jum/Koh Pu.
-Picked up by a longtail boat, and brought to Oon Lee Bungalows on the beautiful, remote island.

Phuket, Thailand

-Tuktuk ride to airport from a nice driver
-Flew to Bangkok. Flight to Phuket was delayed, and there was no food available in the gate area.
-Arrived in Phuket, checked into a historic hotel, with the 1st ever elevator in the area.
-Dinner at a funky, Chinese influenced cafe.

Chiang Mai

-Pancakes at Da Bakery
-Rode moto up to the top of Doi Sothep along winding mountain road.
-Walked around the temple with golden + jade Buddha statues.
-Drove towards Doi Inthanon mountain, but was too far away
-Lunch at Buak Haad city park.
-Sent a huge package of all kinds of stuff home to lighten my backpack.
-Rode to Wat Phra Singh to see temple.
-Rode to Wat Chedi Luang and had another "monk chat"
-After dinner at May Kaidee's, had massage from the same little Thai lady. This time she gave us some Thai fans. She told us a story about her Swiss boyfriend.

Chiang Mai

Rented motobike. Drove around the city moat. Went to a Tibetan Restaurant on Moon Muong Soi 6 near our guesthouse. Sarah drove the bike back.

Chiang Mai

-DA Bakery for breakfast, right across from our Guesthouse.
Day tour
- Orchid Farm
-Karen Hill Tribe Village (Padaung Tribe). Long neck women w/bronze hoops around their neck from age 6. Some had stretched out ears and black teeth.
-Lunch along the Mae Tang River (watching Elephant Riders).
-Whitewater rafting on the Mae Tang - low water season, got wedged into rocks many times!
-Dinner at May Kaidee's - met up with Gusta and Witney. Drove to Riverside Pub at the Ping River for some live Thai music and expensive drinks.

Chiang Mai

-Overnight bus kept stopping through the night, so little sleep.
-Walked around and found a guest house recommended by a guy from Israel while in Taipei.
-Long nap!
-Massage at little Thai lady's place - she served us fruit, tea and potato chips afterwards.
-Met up with Gustaf and Witney at the Night Bazaar

Bangkok

-Saw Democracy monument and the Royal Palace. Shopped for gifts at the Chatuchak Market. Shopped a bit on Khao San Road.
-Overnight sleeper bus to Chiang Mai.

Bangkok and Kanchanaburi

-Bus tour to WWII Cemetery (Chung Kai)
-Bridge over River Kwai
-Lunch on floating house on River Kwai
-Sai Yok Noi waterfall, hiked to Buddha cave, Death Railway ride.
-Dinner at Ethos- apple crumble and chocolate cake!
-Got a bucket full of a cocktail next to D+D hotel.

Bangkok

Thai cooking class at Mai Kaidee's vegetarian restaurant. Met Steve and Gustaf from MN.
-Swam in the roof top pool in the hotel.
-Had my dentist appointment to fix my tooth, with a temporary plastic veneer.
-More street vendor food on Khao San Road.

Bangkok, Thailand

-Lunch at May Kaidee's veggie restaurant. Amazing Thai food.
-Found a dentist to fix my tooth (which had been missing for over a month)
-Sarah and I met up with a cool Italian dude named Allessandro for dinner.

Siem Reap to Bangkok

Bus to Poipet border town. Long wait on both Cambodian and Thai sides of the border.
-Arrived at Khao San Road in Bangkok. Got the last room available at D+D Hotel (rooftop pool).
-Falafel pita for dinner from a street vendor.
-Went to the Cave Bar, with an indoor rock climbing wall, and a live Thai band.

Siem Reap

-Rented mountain bikes. Went to Phsar Chas market and Singing Tree Cafe.
-Biked up to Angkor Wat, hiked up Phnom Bakeng. Biked to Ta Keo temple for sunset, but cloudy. Biked back to town in the dark.
-Dinner in old market area again. Had a ride in the "stellar" tuk-tuk back to hotel.

Siem Reap

-Long tuk-tuk ride to Kbal Spean
-Hiked to River of a Thousand Lingas
-Tuk-tuk brought us to Banteay Srei. Khmer music played by land mine victims. One man was playing a leaf as a musical instrument. It was awesome!
-On the tuk tuk ride back, there was a big accident just in front of us. Our driver just missed the truck in front of us, and we ran over a motorbike that was hit by the truck. The man driving the motorbike jumped off just at the last second, as the truck crashed into his motorbike. I was shocked that the man survived without injury.
-Dinner at Diamond Hotel, Khmer massage, drinks at Angkor What? and Temple Bar in the old market area.

Siem Reap

-Sunrise at Angkor Wat, along the East Causeway
-Explored the bas reliefs inside Angkor Wat
-Tuk Tuk to Angkor Tom - saw the amazing carvings of giant heads.
-Prasat Palilay temple in the jungle
-Took tuk tuk to the Pre-Rup pyramid temple
-Sras Srang lake - had Amok soup served inside of a coconut
-Bantey Kdei temple. Ran into Tim and Adam who we met earlier in the trip.
-Ta Prom temple - famous for the trees growing out of the stones.
-Sun setting over the Angkor Wat moat
-Met up with Tim in the old market area of Siem Reap.

Siem Reap, Cambodia

-Singing Tree Cafe - Monk Chat with 3 Buddhist monks.
-Mexican food at the Old Market area
-Traditional Khmer massage

Phnom Penh

-Woken up by construction at hotel. Switched to Indochine 2 - much nicer.
-Saw Royal Palace and Monument of Independence
-Visited Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (famous from "Killing Fields" story)
-Climbed Wat Phnom
-Boeung Kak Lake for sunset - covered by green plants, lakeside covered by hotels and houses.

Mekong River and Phnom Penh

-Slow boat to Cambodia, visited fishing village and Cham minority village.
-Dropped off by bus at a Mosque in Phnom Penh.
-Ended up at a crappy French hotel.

Phu Quoc Island and Chau Doc

Phu Quoc Island, Vietnam

Phu Quoc Island

-Ferry to Island
-Swimming in ocean, relaxing on beach, massage for $3, swimming in the pool, sunset over the ocean.

Cantho and Rach Gia, Vietnam

Tour of floating market in Mekong Delta.

Mekong Delta - Cantho

-Bus ride to delta
-Boat ride - got stuck in a small river full of mudskippers. Had to hike to lunch place. Took very tiny boats out to the main river. Got to wear conical hat!

Saigon/Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

-Cao Dai Cathedral - religion made up of many religions - statues of Jeses and Buddha together!
-Cu Chi tunnels - where the liberation rebels would hide and fight from
-Dinner at La Cantina - a Vietnamese "Mexican" restaurant.

Saigon/Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

-Ben Tra Market
-Presidential Palace aka Re-unification Palace
-Former US Embassy - where the dramatic helicopter air lift was
-War Remnants Museum - full of really disturbing photos from the war and the massacres

Saigon/Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

-All day bus ride to Saigon/Ho Chi Minh City
-Dinner and walk around the Backpacker Ghetto

Nha Trang

-After an all-night bus ride, walked around to find a hotel near the beach.
-Took a nap in afternoon
-Walked along the beach, and had pizza for dinner (after not eating for about 24 hours)

Hoi An, Danang, China Beach

-Danang Museum of Cham Sculpture
-Marble Mountains - temples and caves!
-China Beach
-Overnight bus to Nha Trang - had traveler's sickness on the bus! :(

Hoi An, Vietnam

-Traveler's sickness again
-Biked to the beach - got ripped off by 2 guys for watching our bikes
-Watched Michael Moore's "Sicko"...just great.
-Dinner in the old town in front of the river again.
-Bought the "Into The Wild" DVD for $1, and watched it back at the hotel.

-My Son Holy Land Tour - Towers and Temples built by the Champa people about 1,500 years ago.
-Biked around the market and the Old Town
-Lunch at Mango Rooms, in front of the river.
-Dinner at Friendship Restaurant, right in front of the river.
-Drinks at Treat Cafe.
-Picked up our custom-made clothing.

Hoi An, Vietnam

-Biked into the Old Town of Hoi An.
-Got measured for a custom-made Asian-style shirt at a tailor
-Saw the famous Japanese covered bridge
-Biked to Cui Dai Beach for dinner at Karma Waters

Hue, Vietnam

-Hue Citadel - many building were destroyed during the war.
-Toured 2 of the Emperor's tombs
-Thien Mu Pagoda - I saw the car from the famous photo of Thích Quảng Ðuc burning himself alive.
-Dragon boat back to Hue
-Valentine's dinner at Little Italy

Hanoi, Vietnam

-Walked to St. Joseph's Cathedral - beautifully aged.
-Lunch at Le Pub - Vietnamese tofu stir fry.
-Overnight bus to Hue.

Hanoi, Vietnam

-Walked to HSBC bank to retrieve my ATM/debit card, but they didn't have it yet
-Rented bicycle to ride around the city
-Saw the body of Ho Chi Minh at his mausoleum and then went to the Ho Chi Minh Museum
-Saw the Literature Temple, where they have a statue of Confucius.
-Returned to the bank to get my ATM card back.
-Dinner at Tamarind - traditional Vietnamese Pho soup.

Cat Ba Island and Hanoi, Vietnam

-Boat ride to "Junk" boat
-Boat ride through Ha Long Bay
-Bus ride to Hanoi
-Dinner with Sarah, Amy, and Brent at Tamarind

Ha Long Bay, Vietnam

-Kayaking in Ha Long Bay through caves and watching stone monkeys
-Boat trip to Cat Ba Island
-Hiking on Cat Ba Island to see Rusty's Vietnamese equivalent
-Lunch on a deserted island beach
-Afternoon movies
-Dinner at the hotel, drinks with Amy, Brent, and Khoa at Green Mango.

Ha Long Bay, Vietnam

-Bus ride to Halong
-Boarded the traditional-styled "Junk" boat
-Tour of an amazing cave with stalactites and stalagmites
-At night, watched the stars and other boats from the roof deck
-Slept on the Junk

Hanoi, Vietnam

-The HSBC ATM Machine ate my ATM card. Not fun!
Lunch at Tamarind Cafe and Dinner at Tandoor

Hanoi, Vietnam

-Traveler's sickness on Lunar New Year's Day.

Hanoi, Vietnam

-Dinner at Tamarind Cafe, excellent fruit juice and vegetable skewers.
-Le Pub for a beer
-New Year's Eve (Tet) Concert at the lake
-Fireworks over the lake

Taipei, Taiwan

Explored the Snake Alley Night Market area, plus the temple that is open at night.

Taipei, Taiwan

- My Tooth Fell Out and an Ugly Super Bowl for the Patriots!

Kaohsuing and Taipei, Taiwan

Took the high speed train to Taipei. It only takes 2 hours to get all the way across the country!

Tainan City and Kaohsuing, Taiwan

-Explored the Confucian Temple in the morning, with people doing martial arts and some sword fighting practice.
-Took the train to Kaohsuing.
-Explored the night market and got a massage for $6.

Sun Moon Lake and Tainan City, Taiwan

-Morning row boat trip out to the tiny island in the lake.
-Bus ride, then high-speed train to Tainan City.
-Saw some of the many temples in the ancient capital.
-Also saw the Dutch fort.

Sun Moon Lake, Taiwan - Dongpu Hot Springs

Sun Moon Lake, Taiwan - Mt. Shueishe

I hiked to the top of Mt. Shuieshe, which is 6755 feet high.

Sun Moon Lake, Taiwan

4-hour bus ride to Sun Moon Lake, largest lake in Taiwan.
-Checked into a luxurious hotel near the beautiful lake.
-Took a walk around part of the lake.

Taipei, Taiwan

Taipei, Taiwan

National Palace Museum - all the best relics from China. Plus a guided tour from an employee from Belgium.
-Taipei 101 skyscraper at night - the world's tallest building.

Taipei, Taiwan

-Saw a large Confucius religious group walking through the streets in the rain. The leader had clogs on his hands, and kept falling to the ground and bouncing like a worm. Crazy!

Taipei, Taiwan

-Bus ride over longest suspension bridge in the world
-Flight to Taiwan
-Shihlin Night Market

Hong Kong and Ngong Ping

-Po Lin Monastery for lunch.
-Cable car ride with Chinese family and Australian family singing back and forth.
-Temple Street Night Market in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong

-Tai Chi class in the morning at the harbor
-Museum of History, Museum of Science, Space Museum, and Black Holes Omnimax Theater.
-Skyscraper Sound and Light Show at the Avenue of Stars.

Hong Kong

Star ferry to Hong Kong Island
-Longest escalator in the world
-Peak Tram to the "Peak"

Guangzhou, China and Hong Kong

-Woke up at 4 AM to watch the internet for updates on the Patriots-Chargers score
-Changshou Lu market area and Hua Lin Temple.
-Train ride to Kowloon, Hong Kong

Guangzhou, China

-Chen Clan's Academy and Temple
-People's Park - live music, Chinese hackey-sack
-Beijing Lu Pedestrian Mall to the Pearl River

Hangzhou and Guangzhou, China

-Flight to Guangzhou
-45 minute walk to Lilac Hotel
-Dinner at Refreshing Vegetarian Restaurant

Hangzhou, China

-Six Harmonies Pagoda (Lin He Ta) - 13 stories tall
-Walked along the 100 mini-pagoda trail

Hangzhou, China

-The amazing Lingyin Temple - 80 ft tall Gold Buddha, mountain side sculptures
-Curry dinner and movies at the hostel

Shanghai and Hangzhou, China

-2 hour plus wait at the Shanghai Railway Station for train tickets - all because of Winter Festival
-Lunch in the French of Shanghai
-Saw location of 1st Congress of China's Communist Party

Shanghai and Zhou Zhuang, China

-Saw the amazing Zhou Zhuang water town with a couple of Canadian teachers

Shanghai, China - The Bund, River Cruise, Yu Yuan

Shanghai, China - People's Square

Wuhan, China

Xi'an to Wuhan, China

-Took a 14-hour train ride from Xi'an to Wuhan!

Xi'an, China - Bell Tower and Muslim Market

Xi'an, China - Terra Cotta Warriors

Xi'an, China

Beijing - Summer Palace

Beijing and Simatai - The Great Wall of China

Beijing - Mao, Temple of Heaven, and Fernando

Beijing - Tian'anmen Square and Acrobatics Show

Beijing, China

Dalian, China Night Train

Dalian, China

-Renmin Square at night - Olympic displays
-Noah's Lost Ark Bar for pizza and live music