japan - train nightmare to kyoto

this is a late post - we got into kyoto on sunday, 8/5.  here is the story of how the nightmare started.

the plan was to take a train (1-1/2 hours) to tokyo, then from there take a bullet train (2 hours) to kyoto. plans don't always work out.  instead of getting off on tokyo exit, we got off one exit before and didn't know where we were.  on top of that, we had like a zillion bags and there's only 4 of us to carry.  i should have taken a picture of all of us standing in the subway with the bags.  the locals were staring at us like we were moving into their country.  we finally figured out where we were and got on another train, but since there were so many bags and we couldn't get everything in, stephanie couldn't make it and got left behind with two strollers and 3 bags.  so glad that i rented a phone at narita airport.  we got off on the next station and stephanie met us there.  locals are still pointing and staring.  before we got on the bullet train to kyoto, we had to come up with a plan on how to get all the bags on the train so it doesn't take off again. we had to do an assembly line and figured out who would take which bags and it worked. after 19-1/2 hours of travelling, we finally got to our destination - kyoto.

first class to kyoto - this was before the nightmare started.  we were all smiles.

love this pic of lianne - see her reflection?

vietnam - last day part 2

this is a common scene around vietnam

the guys in the green uniform are cops - i didn't want them to see me taking their pic, so i was kinda hiding.  ;)

having dinner with bac lanh - it's common that people just sit on the floor and eat

bac lanh loved having lianne and pierce around

i had mixed emotions going back to vietnam.  why you might ask?  i had several reasons - reason 1:  i do not like flying.  reason 2:  i didn't want to see the living conditions (the poverty level) as it will make me sad (i guess out of sight out of mind was my reasoning).  reason 3:  i didn't want to feel obligated to give all my relatives money.  don't get me wrong, i was planning to give money to my aunt, but i didn't want cousins, cousins of cousins expecting me to give them money).  if they did, they were disappointed.  

overal, i'm glad i went as i got to see my aunt again, whom i haven't seen for a while.  it did bring back some childhood memories, especially when i was at my aunt's house - memories of playing upstairs.  meeting some cousins for the first time (first for me anyways, as i do not remember some of them at all).  would i go back?  i'm not sure.  one thing that made me very sad was seeing the dogs.  most of them are skinny and looks so sad.  i just want to take them all home with me.  

going back to vietnam made me very grateful for my parents.  the sacrifices they had to make for bringing us here and i don't know how they did it, but they did and i will forever be grateful for them giving us the opportunity to have a better life here in the united states.  i love you very much mom and dad.  

vietnam - last day part 1

me and cousin hanh

hanh's shop - that's how you spell her name in vietnamese

hanh's shop is on this street

front of hanh's shop

lianne getting the royal treatment

love this wall paper - so cute!

pampering ourselves

co tu (another aunt, my dad's younger sister) and mom

if you order fish, they bring the fish out and you choose which one you want

cooked fish

vietnam - walking around town

we went to another market near bac lanh's (my aunt) house - it's not as big as ben thanh market, but it's a lot cheaper!  just like anywhere else, the further you are out of a main city, the cheaper things are.

initially i was not going to eat any street vendor food as you don't know what kind of water they use and i hear horror stories of people getting sick, etc.  but then i saw one of my other favorite dessert called che and all that went outside the window.  

there are tons of alleys and in some alleys people sell home made food.  they have little tables and chairs outside for you too.  and while you are eating, every now and then mopeds would drive by.  i saw one and noodles looked good so mom and i plopped down and had some.  again, water horror stories went outside the window.  it was delicious!  what i found interesting - they give you two extra slices of vietnamese sausage and wipes, if you use the wipes or eat the extra slices, they charge you more.  but if you don't touch it, they do not charge you.

this is the name of the  market - cho means market

lady trying to sell lotus seed - i thought she was selling coal at first

street vendor selling vietnamese dessert - it's so yummie!  the secret ingredient is the coconut (aluminum bowl to your right)

we got a variety of them - aren't the bags cute?

this is called xoi (yellow bean rice flavored with coconut) - mom makes it all the time at home

mom enjoying bun rieu (type of soup noodle) - see the plate of extra slices of sausage?

each bowl was $1 in US money 

lianne having fun at bac lanh's house

don't know what happend to pierce's pants - he must have gotten really warm.  thank god bac lanh have AC at her house.

vietnam - VIP treatment

tuan and stephanie got the royal treatment today - got their hair washed, massage, manicure, pedicure, and ear wax removed.  yep.  apparently getting your ear wax removed is a popular service in vietnam.

tuan getting the VIP treatment

getting ear wax removed

these are the apparatus they use to remove your ear wax 

pierce having fun with grandma

lianne got the VIP treatment too!

vietnam - mopeds

mopeds are everywhere in vietnam and it's chaos how they get around on them.  there are roundabouts, but everyone is in it all at one time.  you just have to fight your way with where you want to go. there are constant honking and i don't know how people can tell where the honking is from as you hear them all the time.  some intersections have stop lights, but most don't and cars and mopeds fight for right of way.  you can literally reach your arm out and touch the moped next to you.  mom, kristen, and i were brave enough to ride on them, but i couldn't imagine driving one.  i would be stuck on the street for days as i wouldn't be able to move.  i meant to take a picture of me sitting in traffic, but i was too scared to take my camera out.

kristen with cousin vinh

mom with cousin hau

me and cousin hau's son

vietnam - hanging out with relatives

my cousin hanh owns a flower and clothing shop in saigon.  this was our stop everytime we needed a break from the heat as the shop has AC.  hanh and her husband, vinh lives upstairs of the shop.

mom and cousin hau

tuan, cousin hai, stephanie, pierce

vietnam - tropical fruit

i was looking forward to eating all the tropical fruit and i am having my fill!  mangosteen, guava, logan, rambuttan and several more that i can't remember the names.  we have a fridge full and i will eat all of them before we leave for japan in a few days.  

mangosteen - left is before and right is what it looks like after you peel it.  i call it the cotton fruit.  

vietnam - ben thanh market

ben thanh market is a famous market in saigon.  you can pretty much find anything here.  only thing was that it was so hot and humid in the market.  after about 10 minutes, you just want to get the hell out of there for some air.  and that's exactly what happened - we were in there for about half an hour and according to kristen, it felt forever.  :)

rows and rows of merchants

one of my favorite fruit - durian

you choose the durian, they cut it up, you sample it, and then they put it in a container for you

lianne is mesmerized

fresh seafood

banh beo hue (glutenous little round things filled with dried shrimp and nuoc mam) - never had this type of food before and it was delicious

lianne trying on the rice picking hat

cousin hanh leading us around the market

vietnam - finally back

i'm officially a fan of xanax - took 2 pills from sfo to tokyo and 1 to tokyo to vietnam.  it relaxes me and didn't make me too drowsy.  16 hours later and i am in vietnam.  

we are staying at my cousin's apartment - she usually rents it out but the tenants moved out, so it was perfect timing.  apartment is on the 18th floor and it has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. 

reason for my trip to vietnam is to see my aunt.  she took care of my brother and i when we were little and i have not been back since i left when i was 7 years old.  i figure now is a good time as any.  

our apartment building that we are staying at

view from our apartment

mopeds everywhere!

my aunt bac lanh - last time i saw her was 34 years ago

one of my favorite fruit - rambuttan

market