Our goal was to try everything on the brochure we were handed day one. (This is the compressed version.)

There were more than 20 dishes listed out that Penang was known for.  We almost made it through them all, and most were delicious!

In addition to all of the amazing food and drinks we consumed, we also had the opportunity to wonder around the city and check out all of the street art that is painted.

One day we were there, we made it out to the other side of the island where the national park is located.  We took a long (hot) hike to a lighthouse that gave us an amazing view of the coastline. We were also able to meet up with one of our friends from our island volunteering session! It was extremely hot during the hike, but the view at the end was worth the walk.

Most days were spent waking up early (usually between 6-7), walking around  to grab some breakfast and check out the street art, hiding in the A/C during the afternoons, then heading back out for dinner and more wandering.  It was too hot to be out in the heat of the day.

A couple of times throughout our stay, we ended up busing over to the mall to watch new releases. We couldn’t pass up $2.50 movies in a nice theater with winter cool A/C!

All in all, Penang was a great city that we enjoyed wandering throughout, slamming food, basking in A/C, and people watching.

Best,

Danielle and Grant

The post Penang – Food, Food, Food! appeared first on Quarter Life Excursion.

It was an easy ferry ride over and we reached the campground nestled in its own cove south of the main resort beach area. No dock, just jump off the front of the boat. Private beach: check. A pirate and Malaysian flag, hand painted signs all over the place, several bamboo structures, and tons of friendly people greeted us as we made our way to the reception counter.

We met the other volunteers (including a Danielle from California…this was about to get confusing) and the owners who all seemed like incredibly laid back people. We were given the rundown: the cafe and bar has to be manned, tents and bathrooms need to be cleaned, and labor needed to be completed. Easy. In exchange for our time, we were fed and housed for free for a month. Kickass!
 We learned that the couple who we would be replacing slept in the treehouse, which is also where we would be staying. It came equipped with three of the most massive geckos I had ever seen (later to be named Ali, Mercury, and Falsto).

In addition to geckos, there was much more wildlife walking, flying, or swimming around our campground. Giant monitor lizards, sea eagles, stingrays, and black tipped reef sharks were things that we saw daily. Vipers, territorial monkeys, and sea turtle tracks on our beach were special sightings. I had to continue to remind myself that we were staying in a rainforest, because some of these sightings became so commonplace. Turtles and amazing snorkeling: check and check.

We learned more about the island as we explored around. Long beach is a fairly dirty, party beach where nightlife (including crappy house music) can be heard well into the early morning. It makes for great sunrises though, as it is east-facing. Coral bay, on the west side of the island is a bit classier with nicer eating and resort options. We would walk over to coral beach for milkshakes and wifi as needed. Our beach was a 25 minute walk south of coral bay, on a beautiful path leading through the rain forest. This island is unique in the fact there is not a single car, truck, or vehicle of any kind on it. Boat taxis are plentiful however, and many times we could hear tourists screaming as the drivers tend to go as fast as possible between point A and point B. The fishing “village” on the south tip of the island, is is more like a local town.

Our days would be spent snorkeling, hammocking, hiking, exploring, kayaking, or relaxing as wanted.

A couple of times we made it to the fishing “village” for breakfast (always before 8 AM to snag local prices).

We also spent a day scuba diving, which is always awesome. One spot had horrible visibility so we spent the duration of our time diving through underwater caves. It was a lot of fun. The day we spent kayaking was great because we could spot good snorkeling areas as we were cruising over them.

Another highlight was putting up a volleyball net on our beach so we could play in the evening (the daytime was way too hot). While there, an Italian couple that were patrons-turned-volunteers, spent all day preparing for homemade pizza night (cheese included). We all ate way to much that night. They also taught us how to make homemade pasta and gnocchi!

And we ended up seeing the bioluminescent plankton! Check. Apparently, it is always in the water but there is so much light pollution on other beaches on the island it is impossible to spot elsewhere. For 4 or 5 nights in a row, around the new moon, we grabbed snorkel gear and headed to the beach. It was incredible to see the little bits of light spiraling around our moving body parts. The light from the stars in the sky and ocean were almost interchangeable. It was also hilarious to see grown adults flailing around as much as possible to disturb the plankton into glowing bright. Shouts of “You’re a wizard, Harry” were screamed. We were surprised to see fireflys floating through where the rainforest hits the beach. We were surrounded by points of light in the sky, ocean, and air around us. It was one of the most magical things I have seen.

Even though my days weren’t spent doing all that much, I still found myself wishing there was more hours in every day. The volunteers, patrons, and owners of the place were all really great people to talk to and I often spent an entire day sitting in the cafe chatting with whoever was down there. Rainforest Campground is beautiful, and attracts beautiful people in return. It wasn’t uncommon to hear about folks deciding to stay with us after wondering down to our beach randomly, or extending their stay by a week or so once they see what the place has to offer. We had so many laughs there as well as deep conversations about internal struggles, politics, and dreams. One of the volunteers led beach yoga sessions in the mornings. One patron painted a beautiful mural in our cafe. People were often seen meditating on the beach. Our place was magical. I’m going to miss Rainforest quite a bit. 

But, it was time to move on after a month. I feel grateful to have the memories I will take home from this place.  Hopefully we will meet again, Rainforest.

Danielle and Grant

The post Perhentian Island – Volunteering, Snorkeling, and Geckos appeared first on Quarter Life Excursion.

Kota Bharu is a little dull compared to some of the other places we had visited. Day one we attempted to walk through a few museums that we had researched in advance, only to find them completely closed. So instead, we wandered around the city to see the sights and people watch. We did find a delicious lunch restaurant and enjoyed being the only westerners at the tiny place we were eating at. Eventually, we made it back to our hostel to relax before more food!

We made a few hostel friends and ended up tagging along to the night market.  The food was alright, but the appeal of the night was chatting with fellow travelers who were out as long as we had been. The guys we met had similar interests and a love for traveling that we felt as well. We would soon notice more and more how different the westerners were in Malaysia. As a Muslim country, Malaysia attracts a different sort of person than any other southeast Asian country we had visited so far. I think the way alcohol is frowned upon (or completely banned depending where you go) is one of the main factors.  We hardly found the ‘partying type’ in Malaysia, which was fairly refreshing after a handful of obnoxious people we met on the trip at various points (the worst were the ones in the same dorm as you with no regard for the time of day, night, or level of noise they were making). Most traveling folks we met in Malaysia had more love for experiencing people or the culture than than a night out on the town. It was one of the appeals of the country.

The owner of the hostel were staying at was a really nice local guy and ended up inviting us to a beach barbecue with his friends the following day.

He supplied cheese-filled hotdogs (“what westerners eat”, right?) along with some Malaysian dishes made by his mom that were more to my taste.  While there, we chatted with the locals and learned a lot about the Malaysian culture.  Something that surprised us was the amount of racism that Chinese Malaysians felt from some of the Malay citizens as well as the government. On a lighter note, we also learned that it is illegal in the state we were in to buy or sell any sort of alcohol.  Apparently, the beer they were passing around comes from Thailand because it is cheaper/easier to cross the boarder than to find it elsewhere in Malaysia. Crazy.

All in all, it was the people that made Kota Bharu special for us.  The city did not have much to offer in terms of activities or sights, but the people we met were all so nice and friendly that I enjoyed my time there immensely. If you do go there, however, look up the cultural shows. They are quite cool apparently, but are only on certain days of the week (days we weren’t there unfortunately).

Onto our next volunteering opportunity: a month hanging out on a resort island. It’s gonna be rough… heh. Until then!

Regards,

Danielle and Grant

The post Kota Bharu – Markets, BBQs, and Photoshoots appeared first on Quarter Life Excursion.

The next day we started the homestead opportunity. The bus dropped us off in the middle of nowhere and we found our hosts happy to see us and hitched a ride with them on motorbike to their house. The scenic route took us though somewhere but I don't quite know where… And our only point of reference (until I turned on GPS seven days later) was the island across the way which was apparently where they shot the first season of Survivor.

To say our first day was a learning experience would be an understatement. After showing us our tent, which was fully equipped with falling coconut protection, we got straight to our first job: killing dinner. They wrangled up three chickens for us and killed them (with a bit of mess) and handed them off to us for plucking, gutting, and cleaning (the key is to pluck them before they get cold). As a happy carnivore I couldn't say no, or else I'd forever be a hypocrite, so I dove in with my hands and a knife, and learned a new skill.

As we toured the land the hosts showed us all the edible fruits, the open air showers, the private beach access, and the animals. We were told about all the local threats ranging from cobras, dengue fever, and local gossip. By the end of the homestead a week later, after hearing stories about travelers in dangerous situations the woman host reminded me of my parents in that they seem to want to scare me away from ever traveling again. Too bad for them however, because I'm way too stubborn and arrogant for that. ;P

That first night and every night to follow started with a delicious meal for dinner (she was a hell of a cook) and then Majong, which is kinda like a Chinese version of gin, but way faster. I was hell-bent on beating them at Majong, but I wasn't even close. Maybe next time.

Everyday went about the same. Wake up at 540 for a delicious and never repeated breakfast, then start work. Because it is very hot in the afternoons, we decided to do all of the work as early as possible. When they saw me the first day, the hosts were oddly excited. Apparently they hadn't had a tall guy in a long while. To take advantage, we spent all our time working on a new concrete house they are building. I welded rebar, casted concrete, and cut steel. Danielle helped as needed, but mostly fed animals, watered plants, built cages and planters, and caught chickens (after letting them all out by accident).

It was hard work, but once we were done we took some well earned R&R on the beach every single day. Not much life in these waters, but it didn't matter. We swam, lounged, and read the heat away.

We caught a solar eclipse while working one day. I looked up, noticed the sun was a crescent and had to do a double take. We looked it up a few days later, and it was in fact an eclipse. So awesome.

While out there (wherever we were…), we also enjoyed brilliant stars, playing with the dogs, watching the rooster and African guinea fight, ate as good as anyone can eat, cracked coconuts, and enjoyed some great conversation with two westerners that retried early and have created this nearly sustainable housing situation in the middle of Borneo to stretch their budget with a simpler and more disconnected lifestyle.

Now back to civilization… Sort of…

Grant and Danielle

The post Borneo Homestay – Volunteering, Building, and Beaching appeared first on Quarter Life Excursion.

To get to From Laos to Cambodia is a simple, yet surprisingly daunting task. Although the Laos-Cambodia border is not as scam ridden as the boarder Cambodia shares with Thailand or Vietnam, the scams are still there, as always. First, the passport service scam asks to help you across the border by taking your passport to get the exit stamp for you, usually asking for an extra 3-10$…we snuck by that one. The next, the exit stamp fee scam has the Laos border officials asking for a 2$ “overtime fee” (at 11am on a Monday…) to exit the country. Once the rest of our bus happily and ignorantly paid, we were stuck paying too. Next, the “health quarantine” is the first thing you see as you approach Cambodia. Apparently it costs 1$ if you don't have a copy of your vaccination card, but it's also free if you casually walk by. I would have stopped if they asked me to, but they just charged whatever tourists stopped at their booth first. As you can see in the picture below, the area is not intuitive. After walking around in circles for several minutes we realized we needed to literally walk across the invisible border and ask around until we hit the visa office. Officials are banking on the fact that tourists get tripped up in the area and fork out whatever extra “fee” is asked for by someone in uniform. Finally, after a quick and easy visa on arrival, we jumped in the bus, insisting on the bus with AC that we paid for and not the 3.5 wheeled van off to the side that they reserve for overflow. Four hours later, we landed in Siem Reap and started our adventures.

The first morning (and every day after that) we were up at 4:30 AM to beat the sunrise. We began our Angkor tour by paying $20 for a tuk-tuk escourt all day. Unlike Bangkok and much of Thailand, I actually trusted my tuk-tuk driver here, and I was stoked to find out he spoke English well and could shine a little light on the history of the area. We went to a lot of places on the first day, as we did the “short” circuit of temples. To start, we watched the sunrise at Phnom Bakheng, a temple on the only hill in Angkor. The tourist numbers were small and the view was gorgeous. After this, we went to Bayon, Baphon, Preah Palilay, Tep Pranam, the Terraces, Preah Pithu, the Twin Temples, Ta Keo, Ta Prohm, Banteay Kdei, and of course, Angkor Wat. Bayon Temple, the Temple of Faces, was Danielle's favorite of the day. The towers of the temple are covered in carved faces, (over 200 in the whole complex) giving the temple a very unique style. My favorite was Ta Prohm, or Tombraider Temple. This temple is very over grown, and the huge 200+ year old trees, reminds us that nature will be here even after we are long gone. Finally, Ankor Wat was, as promised, huge, impressive, awe-inspiring, and packed to the gills with tourists.

That day, at the second to last temple, I twisted my ankle. Apparently this is extremely common because 10% of the folks in our hostel were limping with ankle wraps. Since I was injured, we took the next day off and enjoyed AC and hot pot for dinner.

Given the injury, we splurged and got another tuk-tuk for our second day exploring the ancient city. The start of the day, we caught the sunrise at Pre Rup, which was even better and less crowded than the first sunrise. After that, we visited Banteay Srei, which is a beautiful temple an hour away that is apparently so intricate that many scholars believe it had to have been designed by a woman. Luckily, we arrived early, because as we left dozens of Chinese tourist busses began unloading through the temple. As we maintained pace to stay ahead of the crowd, we visited Preah Khan, Neak Pean, Ta Som, and East Mabon. Learning from our mistakes the previous day, we brought our own lunch to avoid the outrageous cost for fried rice, and sat back with some tea as we talked about the government with the locals. For dinner that night we caved and bought pizza and ice cream. Real cheese and imported crusts quickly reassured us that we made the right decision.

The last day we went cheap, rented some surprisingly smooth bikes for 2$ each, and headed out for the sunrise as always. Today, however, we started by embracing the crowds and headed to Angkor Wat for the sunrise that gets even the sleepiest people up at 4:30am for its beauty. It was worth it. Although the left reflecting pool was packed to the gills, the right was not too crowded and we had a great view of the sunrise, the temple, and the reflection with only a few hawkers around.

After Angkor, we wanted to hit all the temples that we hadn't been to yet. We theorized that if it's not part of the typical short or grand circuit, maybe no one takes the time to visit. We visited brick temple, Bayon (again), Krol Romeas, and Banteay Prai. The last two were completely isolated, and we were free to photograph and screw around as we pleased. Next, we searched for the botanical gardens, which were a bust, and then we unintentionally mountain biked through the park on our shabby 1980's cruisers (equipped with baskets). After much delay and a few close calls with trees and sand, we finally found out last stop, Ta Nai Temple, which was awesome and fairly empty, as promised. After we finally found the road again, we headed back to relax in the AC. Before we left for Malaysia the next day, we treated ourselves to one more round of hot pot, and a beer with a friend Danielle hadn't seen since elementary school.

Siem Reap was incredible, and anyone making there way to Cambodia shouldn't miss it. Now on to Malaysian Borneo!

Grant and Danielle

The post Angkor – Temples, Ruins, and History appeared first on Quarter Life Excursion.

” …Anyway, I wanted to message you and thank you SO MUCH for the motion sickness pills. I decided to try one out today and it saved my stomach […] After screaming down the windy road and a third of the way through our drive, the passenger in the front seat started hurling out of the van. After that, every time we wanted to look at a view we had to look past the barf painted window. It was pretty gross to see but my stomach felt fine. Then about half way through the drive, the passenger behind us woke himself up by throwing up all over the van floor. It only took a couple of minutes for the vomit to trickle under everyone's feet because of the twists and turns. I did a mental check on my stomach and I STILL DIDN'T FEEL NAUSEOUS! It was incredible. I hope you never have to experience this, but if you do, know that those pills are magical.”

I wish I had a picture of the van, but we forgot to take one.

Needless to say, we were happy to stop in Luang Namtha. After getting off the van, the city immediately took us in. In the night market, across the street from the hostel, they served full rotisserie chicken with sticky rice and papaya salad (for two) for $5. We were happy. That night we played cards and searched for a guided overnight trek / homestay.

The next morning we left for the trek in a big group of twelve. We were a little disappointed, since we expected to go with a group of four, but since we got a big discount, we didn't mind. The hikes were short and easy with stellar views, but lunch on a banana leaf table was the best part of the day. Despite the easy hikes, we were accompanied by three Israeli princesses that complained with every uphill and moved at a snail's pace. Danielle and I are convinced that it was because they spent most of their energy talking to each other.

The homestay was in a local village tucked away in the jungle. Before we left, Danielle and I bought a bag of balloons and the kids could not have been more happy to play with them. After we tried showing them how to share and play games with the inflated balloons we gave them, most of them just took them and untied them so they could make noises and launch them around themselves. That night, we watched the kids play with the fire as we drank Lao Lao out of bamboo shot glasses and listened to Mumford and Sons. Eventually, the chill drove us inside for a very cold night's sleep.

The next morning was Chinese New Year (Tet) and we were greeted to the sounds of gun shots, or that's what I thought. Instead we found the children heating up fresh bamboo section in the fire, creating a pressure chamber, and then whacking them so they exploded. I have no idea how safe this is, but I would have adviserd all of them to wear safety glasses if they had them.

As we hiked out, one of the princesses (who I'm still surprised made it through the night) were pulled up the hills with a stick by the very patient guide (see picture below for proof). Since we weren't going anywhere quickly, Danielle and I hung back and helped the other guide with his English.

Again, lunch was the coolest part. We hacked down banana trees for a few layers of the outer stalk (it looked like and had the consistancy of pasta), the core of its stalk, and for the huge flower. With this, we made soup using big sections of bamboo as a pot. Lunch was served in two half sections of bamboo, repurposed as serving trays. We ate everything with sticky rice and spoons made with hand-folded leaves.

We got back to the city that night, and the next day was spent lazily waiting for laundry, reading, and posting to quarterlifeexcursion.com. We also got the worst massage I've ever paid for $5 for and spent a bit of time in a local sauna that could be decribed as a clamy concrete box. Ha.

Grant and Danielle

The post Luang Namtha – Night Markets, Jungle Treks, and Motion Sickness appeared first on Quarter Life Excursion.

Chaing Mai may, at this point, be the best place we've visited, especially since I could see myself moving there one day. Chiang Mai has a huge expat scene, mostly cyber nomads and yogis, but the presence of westerners hasn't destroyed it's charm. Chiang Mai still has all the delicious and cheap street food, as well as a scattering of local coffee shops and bars for the western palette. It has a temperate climate, at least in the winter, and it is surrounded by beautiful mountains that reminded us of being home in California. In the end, we spent three weeks there, way longer than anywhere else, and I wish we could have stayed longer.

Right away, Chiang Mai started off with excitement and energy. Day 1 we met up with Jessica and two friends, and after trying not to fall from flying hugs, we immediately started moving. Classic Jessica traveling. I love it.

First we went to Tiger Kingdom. We arrived and found the tigers playing and wandering around in a few adequate exhibits, but it was still a bit sad to see the caged animals. They were napping a lot of time, but the young ones were also chasing each other and playing with their toys. After paying the front desk, we were able to spend twenty minutes each with a group of babies (the size of a collie), teenagers (the size I expected them to be: big), and adults (freaking huge). After watching for a couple hours, everyone realized that they acted exactly like oversized house-cats. They played with huge strings, snuck around to scare each other, and slept most of the time. The company never let's small children in the exhibit, and after seeing a hungry tiger watching a toddler intently, I understood why.

That night we went to a Muay Thai fight with mixed results. The fights were really good, but three of the 7 fights were between local Muay Thai kids (

The next day included a trip to a elephant rescue. This place was truly amazing. They bought and rented elephants from their abusive owners who used them for circuses, basket tourist rides, and farming. Many of the elephants had scars from the abuse. Once in their new home however, they lived a simple life of bathing in the river, eating sugar cane, and playing with humans. This company, Happy Elephant Home, let the elephants decide the schedule, and if they didn't want to go in the river that day for example, too bad for us. Fortunately when we were there they did want to play, including the 1 year old elephant, and it was a ton of fun. We got to tease and feed them sugar cane (their favorite), jump in the mud with them, walk them around the preserve, and bathe in the river. A great experience, worth breaking the budget for.

That night we got a massage from Lila Massage, a company that helps licence and employ female convicts in and out of prison. Best massage so far. After that, it was time to Chang and chill.

The next day was spent on a day tour of the jungle, including a short raft through small rapids, hiking, bareback elephant rides, etc… A classic tourist day in Chiang Mai. That night we finally, after so much time in Thailand, went to a cabaret (“lady-boy”) show. It's was surprisingly classy and entertaining.

The next days slowed down after Jessica had shipped of to Pattayya, but that didn't stop us from visiting the “Grand Canyon of Chiang Mai”, which is basically an abandoned mine that had been filled with ground water. At first, it's about as exciting as it sounds, but after meeting Jo, the local lifeguard, we were quickly convinced to take the 25 – 40 ft leap into the water. It turned into a great day in the sun with our two new friends: Lenny and Michelle.

Such a long post…

Soon, we were able to meet Kanami and enjoy a day touring the city of Chiang Mai and it's dozens of temples. That night we walked through the Sunday Market, a typical outdoor market with loads of people and good food. There were so many great souvenirs here for cheap; too bad I wasn't leaving yet.

After this, we went to the North Gate Jazz Co-op for the first of many times. The first night, this place had a classic rock cover band, best I've seen (besides the Caverns in SB). The last night we were there, it was an Open Mic Night at the co-op, and they had local expats and locals with all different instruments jamming out with impressive skills. Hanging over the stage they had a great image of the King playing trumpet with the same angle as the iconic Luis Armstrong photo, and this brought the whole decor and feel of the bar together.

The final thing I can remember (besides the loads of food) is our awesome cooking class we took to learn the northern Thai style. To start, we cooked Khao Soi, the greatest soup ever. Ever. We also learned chicken chashew stri fry, pad see ew, different soups and curries, fried spring rolls, and fried bananas. I can't wait to utilize these skills in the kitchen back home.

Sorry for the long post, I hope you'll enjoy all the info and photos here and on Dropbox.

Grant and Danielle

The post Chiang Mai – Friends, Tigers, and Jazz appeared first on Quarter Life Excursion.

When we arrived in the city, we looked for a quick taxi ride to our hostel, but instead got a taxi with a fixed meter and got scammed out of $3 before we even knew where we were. Oh well, these are the lessons you learn quickly in every new city. In hind sight, we've learned not to trust any of the taxis in Vietnam, except for solid green taxis.

Day one was laid back. Besides dinner, we drank coffee and played cards till it was time to kick back with beer instead.

The next day was Danielle's birthday! We visited a millennium old university, a fine art gallery with some great silk art on the top floor, looked at the Soviet meets French meets Chinese architecture of the government buildings and The Ho Chi Mihn mausoleum, and finally went to a water puppet show.

The whole day was made complete with great food. Lunch was eaten on the ground with the local street vendors and dinner was a fine western meal at Green Tangerine.

The last day was spent eating and walking. That night we visited a collection of the local party hostels and rooftop bars for beers and merry making. It was Christmas Eve after all…

The food in Hanoi was absolutly unreal. Besides the normally absolutely delicious pho, bun bo, fried meat donuts, etc, we tried quite a few new dishes.

Bun Cha (a favorite of ours) is a dish that consists of individual plates of cold rice noodles, beef meat balls, fried spring rolls, greens, delicious broth, and a small personal bowl. You take all the ingredients, combine them in your bowl and add chili and garlic. Eat. Repeat. Enjoy.

If you ever visit this city, look up the local food and where to get it. We did our own unorganized food tour and it is worth the extra effort (walking from place to place). If you're eating fried rice here, you're doing it wrong.

Next up Cat Ba Island in Holong Bay.

Thanks for reading,

Grant and Danielle.

P.S. Sorry for the huge gap between posts with little communication. We post when we can (when Internet allows) and we are pretty far behind right now. I hope we can catch up during a rainy or laundry day soon.

The post Hanoi – Puppets, Cuisines, and the Holidays. appeared first on Quarter Life Excursion.

First up was Nha Trang. We had 7 hours between bus rides so we walked to an ancient, 600 year old Cham temple. The temple was interesting, but slightly belittled by the six gift shops on the temple grounds and it's location in the middle of a city with high rises well above its little hill.

The charm of Nha Trang came from a friendly local Easy Rider tour guide who sparked a conversation with us at a cofee shop. After the standard topics, he let us in on his view of the government, the facade of success put in front of tourists, the corruption keeping shops in and out of business and people in and out of jobs. Despite fractured English, this guy was a wealth of information from a local perspective. Thank you, [name removed].

After snagging a copy of East of Eden by Steinbeck from a mobile bookstore (shoutout to Aaron), we were off to Hoi An.

Hoi An is probably the quaintest city I've ever seen. Boats are wooden and colourful, storefronts are paneled and old fashion, and the streets are small with bright lanterns. Despite a continuous drizzle, the walk around the small town was refreshing and delicious as we snacked on fresh donuts and ate a local favorite called Cao Lau. Apparently it can only be made here because it requires a special noodle to be cooked in a water that can only come from a specific local well. I don't care if any of that matters, because it was legit. So good.

Since it was raining, we kept to indoor activities: cafes, Bahn Mi Queen, chicken rice, 10¢ beers, blind massages, and shop tours. All good and sometimes interesting.

After two days stuck indoors, however, I wanted to explode with all the stored energy I possessed. My god, I would hate to be an indoor cat. Once we got to Hue, we found things that guaranteed at least 8 miles of walking / day.

First we went to the Imperial City. A citadel built in 1804-ish. The outer layer of the wall surrounds half the current city. Within that is an old, ancient fortified castle, and within the citadel is the forbidden purple city. The old emperor's fort came complete with 5 temples, a lake, a garden, and a separate area for housing his mother and wife.

That night we had a nice meal on the river front and hung out with the family running our homestay. Southern Vietnamese say Northern Vietnamese people are colder and less friendly. I guess we aren't far enough north yet.

The next day, we ventured through the country by motor bike, in the rain to an old temple, a gorgeous cemetery, and two dramatically large emporer tombs. From one story, it seemed as though the emperors during the 1800s were simply French puppets, so they had time to build these awesome tombs and live there as a quick get away from politics. After seeing them, I'd like to go back for a get away too.

We started coming down with a bad cold at this point so we limped on the bus to Phong Nha that night and loaded ourselves with Advil, vitamin C, and B12, hoping for greener pastures. First time I've been home sick so far. There's nothing like a warm bed and not having to worry about travel when you're sick.

See you in Phong Nha for caves and hikes.

Cheers,

Grant and Danielle

P.S. How to get over a cold in 24 hours: Advil, Vit C, B12, copious amounts of super spicy pho, and even more hot, ginger-lime tea.

The post Hoi An & Hue – Rain In Quaint Cities appeared first on Quarter Life Excursion.

The first stop we made in the city was at an establishment called 100 Roofs Cafe. There we ordered an artichoke tea (delicious), but most importantly, wandered through an eccentric maze of various art pieces, staircases, dank rooms, and thresholds hardly big enough for me to get through. It was a labyrinth of the owner's mind and was overwhelming to get through at times. See pic below for an example of what was covering the walls.

After about a half hour of meandering around the cafe, we finally made it to the rooftop garden. We gulped fresh air and celebrated our success of finding the top.

We also stumbled upon a flower park which was pretty enough to walk through, but we couldn't help finding a tad creepy due to the lack of people. Oh, and the weirdo Viet-Mickey statues. Lay off the dope Micky!

One of the highlights of the time we spent there was eating traditional meats at a self-BBQ restaurant.We ordered chicken, beef, frog, goat, crocodile, and ……chicken feet! Our waiter kept asking us if we actually meant to order what we had said…pointing at his feet and waving his arms around like a chicken to get the point across that it was actually chicken feet. Once we had the dish in front of us he watched us grill it, and helped us out after we burnt the first one. He and some friends then stuck around to watch us eat it. It wasn't bad…although there is zero meat on it whatsoever. I think our friend Anna's face says it all. Our group closed the place down, and the waiters gave us each a couple shots of rice wine on the house at the end of it all. I think they liked us.

We also decided to hike up to Lang Biang mountain – 2 miles up a paved road and 1.5 miles out and 600m up a dirt trail. The view was completely worth the steep climb up the mountain. We enjoyed victory Oreos and bahn mis at the top with some locals, and then trekked down a random side trail to avoid pavement. One huge descent later, we found ourselves in a scene that reminded us of home.

The next day was full of pagodas and views. We even found a maze depicting hell at the bottom of one of them. We also visited the Crazy House, a sister establishment to the 100 Roofs Cafe. Apparently a couple built both of them. It was as strange as the former place we visited. We even spotted a vine lady having too good of a time with herself in public.

The final day in Da Lat was spent motorbiking from the main city through a few towns to visit a waterfall. The view of the fall was nice, but the ride there was killer.

After, we are off to travel north. As always, thanks for reading!

D & G

The post Da Lat – Big Adventures and Big Personalities appeared first on Quarter Life Excursion.