Taking a Bite Out of the Big Apple!

Last week Jonathan, Danielle and I took an amazing trip to NYC. We boarded a red eye flight Wednesday night from Reno and arrived in NYC 6am Thursday morning. We wasted no time, as we went straight to the subway and were in the city by 8am. After a quick bag drop in the hotel we hit the streets full speed. We squeezed in everything that we could. Short of falling asleep on the subway, I think we got our moneys worth. Some of the sites we were able to see were the Statue of Liberty, World Trade Center, Wall Street, Empire State Building (from top at night), 30 Rock (from top during day), Central Park, Times Square, and so much more. We also went to the Letterman show and a Broadway show called Million Dollar Quartet. It was interesting to experience such a big city lifestyle. One of the coolest things from a family historical point was looking up the ship manifest that our great-grandfather came over from Holland on in 1920 when we were on Ellis Island. It was amazing to see how all the immigrants in the late 1800s and early 1900s were welcomed to America. Although we wish we had more time, we were able to see most of the sites and look forward to a time when we can experience more of what New York has to offer.

Mt. Whitney Summit Hike!!!!

Climbing Mt. Whitney has been on my radar for the last 5 years. I could never seem to get a group together or secure the Permit which is the really tough part. But this year was different. In January Danielle, Aunt Ginger and I, decided to put in the for permit sometime in mid July. After talking to my buddy Adam we had 5 people that wanted in. We applied for the permit March 1st, it’s a lottery system. We were luckily enough to get a spot. I put 10 different days to maximize our chances and it worked.

Our permit was for July 12th – 14th. By the time July came around there was only 3 of us doing the trip. Danielle and Adam’s mom were injured. So on July 11th Aunt Ginger, Adam and I went to Whitney Portal Camp. On the drive down 395, we drove up Tioga pass and did a day hike at Saddlebag Lake just before the Yosemite entrance. We did this to get above 10,000ft and start to acclimatize to the elevation. After an hour we jumped back in the car to Lone Pine. Once we arrived in Lone Pine we picked up our Backcountry permit from the rangers station. They also gave us our WAG bags which will serve as our toilets for the 3 days. Once we were all set, we went up to our camp for the night Whitney Portal camp ground. We set up camp, had dinner at the Portal store, then head off to bed early. We had a big day ahead of us.

We awoke early to the sun rising. We weren’t in a hurry since we were doing the Whitney trail over three days. We planned on getting on the trail by ten. After taking our time packing up we went back to the Portal Store, and had a huge breakfast. If we would have known, we could have all ate one and still been stuffed. It was such a waste of food but the squirrels seemed fat from raiding the garbage cans. After a huge breakfast we all took our last trips to the bathroom. We were all hoping to empty out the intestines, so we wouldn’t have to bust out the WAG bag day one. I was able to not bust mine open until after dinner. I don’t think any of us made it to the next morning. Anyways after we were all relived we were on the trail. The total trip is 22 miles with a 6486 vertical foot climb. A lot of people do it in one day but it takes most 16 hours. We wanted to take our time and enjoy all the trail had to offer. We split it into 3 days. Day one we went from Whitney Portal to Trail Camp 6.3 miles 3675 vert. The trail was really well maintained and marked. We took it slow and steady and took a few breaks along the way. Lone Pine Lake 2.8 miles in was amazing it’s a small lake dammed in by huge boulders. Once we left we noticed it was starting to get cloudy. I stopped and covered my pack and got my rain gear ready. After another mile it started raining. It wasn’t bad since we were all ready. We just had to watch each step since it got slippery. After a few miles we were at Trail Camp. There was a break in the rain so we rushed to set up camp before it unleashed. Just after the tent was set up it started pouring. Adam didn’t bring a tent. So we all piled in my tiny backpack tent for a few hours until the rain let up. It was a little cramped but we played cards and tossed back and forth so our legs didn’t fall asleep. Just before night the rain stopped and the skies cleared. We rushed out of the tent and made dinner before it got dark. After a quick bite we were off to bed.

I awoke to the amazing colors of the sun turning the mountains a golden color. There were a lot of day hikers going past the camp as early as 5am to get up and back before dark. I got out of the tent a little early and explored the area and took some pics. When I returned Ginger and Adam were roaming the camp. We made breakfast, filtered our water used the WAG on last time. Then off to start the trail to the top. Today we were starting off on the toughest part of the trail 98 grueling switch backs. The switchbacks are only 2.2 miles but with 1620 vert. We took our time and took a few breaks to refuel. The snow run off was heavy and came straight down the trail in many spots. You had to tread lightly or you might slip on the slick rocks. We also had to go through a few patches of snow if it wasn’t hard enough. Once we made it to the top of Trail Crest we took a well deserved break. The next few miles were along the ridge gently rolling up and down. After the first part this seemed like a walk in the park. Once we arrived at the top you can see the Smithsonian Hut, I think Ginger thought it was a mirage. She didn’t think we were acutely there yet. We all signed the registry. This is how the Forest Service keeps track of how many people summated each year. Only 30% that start make it to the top. I was really proud of my group especially Ginger she did an amazing job. We stayed on the summit for about an hour. Taking photos and calling all our loved ones. Verizon should do a commercial up there. Anyone with AT&T couldn’t make a call. I let a guy borrow my phone. I should have charged him $20 bucks. After a rest we went back to trail camp and rest are abused bodies. I soaked in the freezing lake. I think it was the coldest water I’ve ever been in, no joke. We could have packed up and went all the way down. But we had already done 9.4 miles with 2811 vert up and down. There was no reason to push through it and not be able to walk the next day. We had dinner, played some cards then off to bed.

I again awoke to snap a few pics. I think the sunrise today was even better than yesterday. We all got up early today. I still managed to get another walk around the camp before we ate and packed up. Once we started hiking the 6.3 miles back to the car. Ginger was like a freight train heading down hill. There was no stopping her. Once the end was in site we could barely keep up with her. Before we got to the car we all decided to weigh our WAG bags and see who top shitter was. I’m sure everyone reading this has their money on me. You would have all lost Ginger was the winner or loser depends how you look at it.

I want to thank Ginger and Adam for an amazing trip. Without them it wouldn’t have been the same. Ginger is 54 and passed tons of people along the way. She is in amazing shape, congratulations Ginger.

Hopefully we will all do it again. Hopefully Danielle and Adam’s mom can make it next time.

Spain 2010 Madrid

Madrid was the final stop on our Euro trip. Once we got into town we decided to return the rental car. There isn't much need for a car in a well established city. Madrid has a great Subway and Bus system.We traveled all over the city on foot and Subway. We saw all the tourist spots and had a few great dinners.

On our return to the airport we decided to take the subway. Which would have worked great, but when we left the hotel they informed us they were on strike and no trains would be running for a few days. We decided to head to the station and see if we could catch a bus instead. In the end we walked a few miles to find the bus station that went to the airport. After waiting for the bus for 30 minutes with no sign of it. We had to jump in a taxi to ensure we wouldn't miss our flight. Once we arrived at the airport we had plenty of time. Our flight was delayed several hours which made for an extremely tight connection in Dallas. In the end we made it home with out any problems. We had an amazing trip and I hope I return to Spain again some day.

Spain 2010 Holy Toledo

As we were heading into Toledo. I had heard there was amazing architecture and a ton of churches. But we didn't know exactly were to stay or what to see. We only had one night so we had to make the best of it. Once we arrived we stoped at a few different hotels, but they were all sold out. They told us good luck but all rooms in the city are booked. I was bummed but we decided to park the car and at least explore the city and have dinner. As we were walking through the amazing narrow streets of Toledo we went into a few small hostels. After some persistence we luck out and found a room for the night. It was getting late so we had dinner and watched a World Cup match. We went to bed early and planned on getting up early and exploring the back streets of Toledo. We really only had a few hours to see the city and we made the best of it. We took a self guided walk I got out of the Spain Lonely Planet book. It took us through some of the most beautiful parts of the city. The phrase Holy Toledo came from this city. There are 79 churches and 1 cathedral. There is literally a church on every corner. If I ever spend time back in Spain, another day in Toledo is definitely justified.

Spain 2010 Alarcon and Windmills of La Mancha

Alarcon is a place most average tourists have never heard of. Danielle's great-grandfather on her mom's side not only shares the villages name, but also has roots from there, so she really wanted to visit. It was a few hours out of the way, but we made the trip worthwhile by stopping at a few other places along the way. Alarcon is a really small town with a river flowing into a big reservoir. There's a castle that has been turned into a hotel, a church and a dozen or so houses. It was a cute small village in the middle of farmland.

After Alarcon we made a few stops in other small towns. My favorite stop was at La Mancha. It is a group of old windmills out in the open plains. While we were there two bus loads of Japanese tourist pulled up. It was funny because I fit right in with them taking tons of pictures from every angle.

This day 6/26/2010 was Danielle's and my 6th anniversary. It has been the best six years of my life and I'm looking forward for all the years to come. Danielle, I love ya!

What I didn't know until a few months later was I got a photo speeding ticket on the same day. Around he the end of August I got a certified letter from Espana. When I opened it up it was a picture of us in our C3 cruising down the freeway. I was driving 101km in a 80km zone. It sucked, but nothing I could do about it. At least I was able to pay it online. It was for 100 euro, but since I paid in a timely manner they cut it in half, so it cost me 50 euro. At least I got a souvenir picture out of it!

Spain 2010 The Alhambra of Granada

Before leaving on out trip to Spain. I had very little time to research our trip. While visiting with Uncle Jim he had suggested that we must see the Alhambra of Granada. I had read a few things about it but didn't really know how amazing it was. The Alhambra was a fortress built by the Arabic in the 9th century. In the 13th/14th century it was converted into a Palace complex adjoined to a small town. After the Christan conquest of Granada the Mosque was converted into a Church. In the 18th century it was abandoned to thieves and beggars. In 1870 it was declared a national monument as a result of the huge interest stirred by romantic writers. It now enjoys a UNESCO World Heritage status.

In my experience it was truly amazing. The grounds were immaculately cared for. The Generalife Gardens were some of most beautiful I've ever seen. The Palacio Nazaries is definitely the highlight of the Alhambra. The rooms and courtyards are perfectly proportioned, with intricately molded stucco walls, beautiful tiling, fine carved wooded ceilings and elaborate stalactite like vaulting, all worked in mesmerizing, symbolic geometric patterns. When you buy your ticket for the Alhambra, which we did in advance over the phone, and is highly recommended. You have to chose AM or PM then you get 30 minute time slot to enter the Palacio Nazaries. They do this so you don't have to wait in lines and can enjoy the rest of the Alhambra while waiting for your window. The tile work and ceilings were what truly impressed me.

After six hours exploring the grounds we head out of town to cut the time of our drive towards Toledo tomorrow. We spent the night in Jaen and watch Spain win one of there world cup games. Watching the locals go crazy over the cup was a highlight of our trip. The whole city stooped and watched the game. It was a truly cool thing to see. I wish the USA had the passion of the worlds sport real Football.

Spain 2010 Benidorm, Calpe & Jalon Valley

On this part of the trip we stayed with Danielle's uncle Jim. He's lived in Benidorm Spain for the last 7 years. It is a huge crazy British tourist city, it has the second most skyscrapers to NYC crazy. Normally this wouldn't be the type of place we would even stay. But with Jim's local knowledge we were able to see some amazing places only 10 minutes away. His condo is amazing, it's on the top two floors of a high rise facing the beach. We stayed there for two nights and packed in a ton. He took us to a neighboring beach town Calpe which I really enjoyed it's a small fishing village. We then went to Jalon Valley which is a big wine producing area. We went to a winery were Jim filled up his Jugs for 2 euro. Danielle and Jim managed to taste most of the wines for free yea. We had lunch at a great family ran restaurant
La Piscina, then head back to Jim's place for a nap. We really enjoyed our time in Benidorm and it was great seeing Uncle Jim. Hopefully we'll make it back to visit again.

Spain 2010 Salou, Benicassim & Valencia

Again sorry for not posting anything for the last few months. I've had a lot of people asking to see the rest of our photos from Spain. I've broke them up into a few slide shows from city to city.

This first group is from were we left off posting. The photos are from the two days after we left Andorra.

We stayed two nights on the coast before heading to Danielle's uncle Jim's. The first night was in Salou which ended up being a British tourist city. The were puds every few buildings. It wasn't our favorite place but it was getting late and we just needed a place to crash.

The next stop was Benicassim which was a beautiful small beach front town. We spent a relaxing night at a nice beach front hotel. We did manage to get a few hours laying on the beach just relaxing in the sun. The next day we were heading to Benidorm to see Danielle's uncle. We stopped in Valencia for a quick tour of the city. I can't believe we managed to get in and out of the city with out getting lost. It was a huge city and we didn't have a map for it. I was a little tense but D gave me amazing directions.

Don't Give Up on the Blog!

First, let me send a million apologies for the lack of blog posts. Our summer has been extremely busy with working in the stores, tent sales, and trying to fit in sleeping and eating every now and again. School is back in session and life will finally slow down a bit. We will work on getting our camping pictures up from the beginning of August and caught up on everything else. We hope all is well with everyone out there. :-) Look for more posts soon!

Were home safe!!

Well we hit a lot of snags on the flight home. But we made it.

Leaving Madrid we were planing on taking the Metro. As we got to the station it was closed? There was a strike! We decided to try and catch the bus. It was about a mile walk so we rushed to the station. Once we arrived they said the airport bus no longer stopped there. We were striking out and decided to jump in a taxi. Once we got to the airport we found out the plane was delayed 2 hours due to weather. We were a little stressed since we only had a 1:50 layover in Dallas and had to clear customs. It looked like we might be stuck in Dallas for the night.

Once we landed in Dallas it took 15 minuted to open the door. No one from the airport was at the gate? That pissed off a lot of people. Once we got out of the plane we only had 30 minutes to get through customs and move from terminal D to A. It seemed imposable. We sprinted from the plane to customs. Grabbed our bags and rushed through. By the time we got through the lines our plane should have already left. We still decided to sprint to the gate. Once we arrived the plane was just pulling up. There was a 30 minute delay. We were so happy.

It was an amazing trip overall. I'm heading to work so I don't have time to write much. But I will do a blog and picture slide show on each city later.

Mountains to the Coast!

After breakfast, we drove into the extremely small country of Andorra. It is wedged in the middle of the Pyrenees in between France and Spain. The landscape is breathtaking. Located right above the tree line, it is the perfect location for ski resorts and rightfully so there is one on every turn of the road. We returned to Spain and headed down to the coast. The drive down reminded us a lot of California complete with its own Altamont Pass and windmills. The town of Tarragona had a little too much hustle and bustle of a regular city for our international driving skills, so we went a bit south to Salou. It’s mostly wall to wall hotels and a big tourist destination, but we are just staying one night. We are planning on continuing down the coast tomorrow.

Headed Out on the Road

We had a wonderful time on our NCL cruise. We spent the days exploring each port city and the night having good dinners and enjoying great live shows. The boat was more like a floating hotel and train all in one. We only spent one full day on the boat at sea. The rest of the time we were in Spain, Monaco and Italy. We got off the boat today, Sunday, spent the morning in Barcelona, then picked up our rental car. We wanted to see the Pyrenees mountains so we headed up towards France and Andorra. Its been a beautiful drive. We're staying the night in Le Seu d'Urgell which is about 5 miles from Andorra and 10 from France. Today we're going to swing through Andorra and France to check out a few ski resort towns and alpine lakes then start to head down towards the coast.

Speeding through Italy!!!

Over the last 3 days we've been criss crossing Italy. We hit Florence, Rome and today Naples and Pompeii. Its been an amazing trip so far. Internet is very expensive so here's a few pics. I'll do a slide show of each city when we get home. Were heading back to Spain tomorrow. Were stopping on the Island of Pala de Mallorca for 1 day before we head back to Barcelona. We've been loving the cruise but excited to get back on our own. The updates should be more often once we get to Spain.

Walking on the Rich Side!!!

We've left Spain on the Cruise and made our first stop in Monaco. It's an extremely wealthy town. Every car is a Ferrari, Bentley or BMW. We strolled the town then jumped on the public bus to go to the village of Eze. It is a beautiful town perched on the cliffs above the French Riveria. No time for details due to the lack of internet availability, but we'll do a more detailed blog later and of course more pics.

Touchdown in Spain

After around 26 hrs of flying, transfering planes, and sitting on a runway waiting out a thunderstorm, we are in Barcelona. We put our bags down and hit the town since it was already about 5pm by the time we got in. In a short time we were actually able to see a decent amount of the towm. Tomorrow we get on our cruise boat around 3pm, so we will try to pack in a full day before.

Adios amigos!

Tomorrow morning Danielle and I are jumping on a plane to Spain. Were spending are first night in Barcelona. Then going on a 7 night NCL Mediterranean cruise through Monaco, Italy and Spain. After the cruise we've got a rental car lined up. Were not sure of our exact destination but were sure it will be amazing. Check back for updates on our travels.

May Snow = Frozen Toes!

Our friends Mike and Siobain planned to get married on May 22nd quite awhile ago. No one thought it would snow 3 inches on us! The ceremony was outside and it just started to snow. Soon after getting inside for the reception, the snow started to pile up. It was beautiful, however, since I had a strapless dress on and open toed shoes, I was slightly blue. Not to worry, the whiskey shots took care of that! Congrats Mike and Siobain!

Mastering the Party

What better way to celebrate getting a Masters than to throw one hell of a party. And that's just what we did...! Thank you to all of our friends and family who came to celebrate with us.

2010 Outstanding Thesis Award!

Call me a nerd, my student's did. Fine with me. It's nice to be recognized for all your hard work, not to mention getting this nifty piece of paper! Who knew a paper on sex education would win an award?

The Reasons Behind Our Lack of Posting

The following book is to blame for our lack of postings...



Apparently it works!

No, really. Life has been extremely busy since Jason got back from Asia. We started tackling some much needed home improvement items, watched a lot of playoff hockey, threw a graduation party, played a ton of softball, went to many Aces games, and attended snowy (May) wedding. While life has been busy and typically always is, we are working on a few posts now so we can share our pictures with everyone. Our goal is to have everything updated before we leave for Spain/Italy.

Hopefully you haven't given up on our blog!

DC Ken Block Gymkhana 3.0 Car Preview!!!

Rally car racing... Gymkhana... Ken Block... If any of those names ring a bell then you might be jealous of the event we were invited to on Tuesday night in San Francisco. Ken Block unveiled his new 2011 Ford Fiesta that he will be using to film his future Gymkhana 3.0 video. In 2008 Block rented out the El Toro airfield to practice his driving skills after the gymkhana series he was supposed to compete in folded. He had built a car specifically for the racing series and suddenly had nowhere to drive it. They put the video from the practice on YouTube and the rest is history. Over 30 million have viewed his display of insane driving skills and there will soon be more. This time, however, it will not be with a Subaru, but with his new sponsor, Ford. The 2011 Ford Fiesta that was revealed Tuesday night is a specific gymkhana car. It packs 650 horsepower (even though it is capable of 850!) and can do 0-60 mph in 2 seconds. The transition from Subaru to Ford is probably quite a change considering he has driven the AWD cars for so long. Block already did a test run in the U.K. in the new Fiesta and is pleased with its performance. Gymkhana 3.0 is due out in the summer, so check back here at www.porterstahoe.com. We will be sure to post the video as soon as it is released.

Home Sweet Home!

I’ve been home for five days now, and this is the first chance I’ve had to sit down and do a blog post.

The First day home I did stuff around the house and slept. Since then I’ve been working. I did manage to drive to San Francisco last night for a Party. VIP DC Party for Ken Block, Danielle and I had a great time. More to come on that in a future post. But to say the least it’s been busy.

Over the course of 3 weeks. I started in Vietnam went through Cambodia into Thailand onto Laos and then back to Vietnam. I took 2030 pictures. Was able to show Brad the real way to experience a country. Met a ton of great people. Especially Maya and Fridi from Denmark. If it wasn’t for them we wouldn’t have gone to Ko Chang. And Candice, Amy and Kevin from Canada. I spent the last half of my trip going through Laos and Halong Bay with them. It wouldn’t have been as fun without them. I went over budget. I planned on spending $200 a week but ended up spending $300 a week. Still not bad for how much land I covered and had a private boat for two days on Halong Bay.

South East Asia is a wonderful part of the world. I would highly recommend it for someone wanting to experience amazing beauty and culture. The people are some of the friendliest in the world. Laos tops my the list. They are very laid back, and rarely try to push you to buy anything. I would love to experience more of the country someday. But honestly as I type they were all amazing and hard to say one country was better than another. They are all unique in their own ways.

The highlights for my trip were The amazing Temples of Angkor for Cambodia. The stunning Island of Ko Chang for Thailand. The picturesque Tat Kuang Si Waterfall for Laos. And last but not least. The incredible Lan Ha and Halong Bay for Vietnam.

I meet a ton of people from all over the world. Most were from Europe, followed by Australia, New Zealand and Canada. But very few from the USA. If your reading this, please get out there and explore this world. In the scheme of things USA is just a drop in a bucket and there’s so much more to experience out there.

I’m not sure where trip will take my. But I know Danielle and I are going to disappear for a few weeks in June. This trip is up to her, she’s got a few things mocked up but nothing finalized yet.

Thanks to all that followed my blog. I miss and love you all. Hopefully you can join me on my next adventures.

These are a few of the 2030 pictures I took.

Keeping the streets of Ho Chi Minh City Clean, Vietnam

Bayon Temple, Cambodia

Angkor Wat, Cambodia

Fridi, Maya, Brad and I at our hotel Keereeele in Ko Chang, Thailand

One of the many amazing beaches and Islands off Ko Chang, Thailand

Happy New Year Lao style!!!

This was my soaking crew for New Year in Lao! Amy, Kevin, Candice and are Lao friends!

Tat Kuang Si Waterfall in Laos

Harbor off Cat Ba Island, Vietnam

Cruising in Lan Han Ba, Vietnam

Taking a break from Kayaking on a sandbar. Lan Ha Bay, Vietnam

Limestone spires in Halong Bay, Vietnam

My welcome Home sign from my sister, USA

Halong Bay Liveaboard!!

The last few days of my trip were spent floating on a boat in Halong Bay. The 4 of us chartered a boat from Cat Ba Island through Lan Ha Bay and Halong bay. It was a 2 day 1 Night trip. I hadn’t seen the sun since I got to Vietnam, and the forecast called for rain. I was bummed but still decided to do the live aboard, Since this was my only chance. When I awoke the morning we were leaving, it was sprinkling. I was expecting this to continue all day. To my surprise after about two hours on the boat the skies broke and the sun graced us. I was so excited. It instantly warmed up.

Our first stop was to kayak through a cave. We didn’t no exactly how big it was or if we had to turn around. The caption and cook had broken English and couldn’t help us much. After a few hundred feet, we saw light in the distance. When we came out of the cave there was a perfectly protected bay. We quickly saw another cave were we saw light on the other side. Again we were amazed by the perfect cove on the other side. This one was much bigger. The water was as flat as a lake. You could see little fish, jelly fish and urchins below. We Kayaked the whole bay from end to end. When we were done we had a great lunch. Anytime I’ve been on a boat the food has always been amazing. After lunch we did a little more Kayaking and went swimming on a secluded beach. We ended the night with an amazing dinner. They gave us the option to sleep in the cabin or on the roof. Since the skies were clear, we wanted to sleep under the stars. It was a little cold but we bundled up and sleep up top. We made it most of the night. But at 4:30 a storm rolled in and it got really windy. We decided to move into the cabin before it rained on us.

Day 2 was a little mellower. The weather was rainy so we just did sight seeing. We did stop at two caves that were really cool. One of them was huge and it took us 20 minutes to walk through it.

Lan Ha and Halong were defiantly highlights of my trip. I would recommend it to all. Lan Ha bay was my favorite. It was cleaner and not as busy as Halong.

One more night then I’m heading back home. I’m glad I meet Candice, Amy and Kevin. I‘m glad I was able to spend the last 2 weeks of my trip with them. We did a lot of fun things together. And it helped us all keep our budgets down.

I’m looking forward to being home with Danielle. I Miss and Love her very much.

See you all soon!

Cat Ba National Park!

On my second day in Cat Ba. We did a trek in the national park. It was really thick rainforest. We were there miday and it seemed almost like night. The vegetation was so lush. We saw a ton of butterflys, a few snakes and lizards. One of the snakes was scary big. After the hike we went into a cave. It was 300m long. There were thousands of bats. It was crazy walking through. They would buzz pass your head, almost hitting you.

Today I'm off to do a two day trip on the ocean through Halong Bay. I've been looking forward to this. But I haven't seen the sun in a few days. And it's raining off and on. Hopefully I'll get a glimpse of the sun while I'm out on the water.

I wont have internet for a few days. I'll do a post when I get back to Hanoi Thursday.

Cat Ba Island!

Today I left early from Hanoi heading to Cat Ba Island. I went from a Bus to a Mini Bus to a Boat to another bus. It only took 5 hours so it wasn't bad. From what I've seen of the island is amazing. This is the part of Halong Bay, so there is tons of Limestone islands. The weather was overcast today. Hopefully it will clear up tomorrow.

Were going to do a hike in the National park tomorrow. Followed by a 2 day liveabord through the bay.

Four more nights before I'm heading home.

Tat Kuang Si Waterfall

On my last day in Luang Prabang. I packed in all I could. I again awoke at 5:30 to get a few more pics of the Monks. I then took a walk through the city and stopped by a few Wats. When the coffee shop opened at seven, I checked a few email and updated this blog. At 8:30 we went to the Tat Kuang Si Waterfall. I’ve read a lot of good things about it. But after seeing it I was amazed. It was better than I could have imagined. We walked all the way to the top. And went to a few hidden pools that Candice went to on her last trip to Lao. We were able to swim in a pool that was at the top of the waterfall. There was a few picturesque waterfalls flowing into the pool. After spending an hour or so there. We walked down passed a dozen or so falls. We went swimming in another pool that had a rope swing. We had to leave at 12:30 because we had a flight to Hanoi. If I could have, I'd have spent the whole day there.

On the way to and from the falls which was 32km from the city. We were soaked by all the locals throwing water for New Year. Luckily or Tuk Tuk driver had filled the back of the truck with water. We were able to retaliate. It was so fun catching people off guard.

I had a great time in Lao.

Time to get back to Vietnam for my last 5 nights.

I've been in Luang Prabang for the last day. It was another 8 hour bus ride. It would have been 45 minutes faster but the bus broke down 10 miles out of town. One of the belts broke but luckily they were able to replace it on the road. I was just about to jump into a Tuk Tuk when they fired it back up.

Once in town I was impressed by the well maintained neighborhoods. This was once ran by the French and you can still see it today in the buildings and many small cafes. Yesterday we awoke at 5:30 to go feed the monks. They don't work so they ask for food donations every morning. They walk the main streets which are lined with locals and tourist and collect there daily meals. They are given everything from rice to bananas and candies. It was a really cool site to see. There orange robes pop with color in the early morning light.

In the afternoon we went to some of the local Temples and Wats. As we were roaming the streets people were squirting us with water guns and dumping buckets on our heads. I read they have a huge water fight on Lao New Year. But I thought I was going to miss it, since New Year was on the 13th. I talked to a few locals and they said they celebrated it for a week the 10th-17th. After seeing a few of the Wats I decided to join in on the fun. I talked to the guys in one of the groups that soaked me. They invited me to join in the festivities, after dumping a bucket of water on me. The rest of the crew joined in. We ended up spending 3 hours there. It was so much fun. We loved getting the other tourist. We nailed a few Tuk Tuks with about 8 people in them. The Lao people were a little more cautious with the tourist, so they didn't expect it when we drenched them. It was a really hot day, it felt nice to cool off. We had buckets of water, as the people would ride by on there bikes we would soak them. As the sun went down, I was cold for the first time on this trip. Being wet for 3 hours chilled my core temp. I decided to go back and change.

I ended the night with a good dinner in the street market. You can get a great meal for about $1. After dinner I went to the Night Market. It was all hand made crafts. I bought a few souvenirs. I try to hold off until the last day or so. But I wanted to support the local crafts.

Today were are going to check out a waterfall. Then back to Vietnam. I fly into Hanoi this afternoon. I decided do the 45 minute flight, since the bus takes 24 hours. It cost a lot more but my time is worth something.

5 more night before I head home.

Vang Vieng!!

I spent the last few days in Vang Vieng, Laos.

I've been hanging out with three Canadians I meet Candice, Kevin and Amy. It's been nice splitting cost on hotels and transportation. We've been together the last 5 days, most likely I'll hang out with them for my last week it Asia.

Vang Vieng is known for a few things, first would be tubing the river. The second is rock climbing. I was able to do both in my time there.

The tubing is more like a wild spring break party. People from all over the world getting wasted. Jumping off zip lines and rope swings into the river. There is a bar about every 100ft. By the end of the day we had only went 200 yards down river. The tube rental was such a waste of money, you could walk or swam, the water was so low. I had fun though. I went on a few of the zip lines and swings. But I hit my foot on a rock off one of the swings due to the shallow water. After that I just hung out, I got a small cut on the bottom of the foot. No big deal but it's hard to keep it clean.

The next morning we went out with a guide for a half day of rock climbing. We went with a great company named Green Discovery. Our guide was Hoi, he was very knowledgeable and spoke great English. This is hot season in Laos. So we started early and went to a nice canyon, which was sheltered from the sun. There was limestone cliffs on both sides. One side was about
40ft and the other was about 60ft. There were a lot of fun routes. We did about six different climbs. None of them were to hard but all fun. I had never climbed limestone. I was amazed by how strong of a rock it is. There were tons of good holds that didn't look strong enough to support my weight, but they did. I would highly recommend climbing in Vang Vieng.

Today I took a 9 hour bus to Luang Prabang. I'll spend the next few days here. Then I'm flying to Hanoi. I'll spend 5 more days in Vietnam then back home. I'm having an amazing time on my trip but looking forward to being home with Daniele.

One week left.

Friendly Laos!

From what I've seen in my first day in Laos is impressive. I'm currently in the capital Vientiane. In most country's the capital has always been a tough city. The locals will try to pry open your wallet, to convince you spend money in there shop. But in Laos the locals are very friendly, and haven't once tried to hustle money out of me. I've also had quite a few locals including monks approach me to chat. I'm going to spend the next week moving up through Lao to Luang Prabang.

I'm looking forward to all the natural beauty and friendly faces.

Bangkok!

I'm going to go back a day on my post.

Originally I wasn't planing on coming to Thailand. But since Brad couldn't stay for the whole trip. Bangkok was the most economical place for him to catch a flight back to the states. We spent most of our time in Thailand on Koh Chang which was amazing, we did the post on it few days ago.

Bangkok is a great big city. The traffic is crazy, the tourist areas suck money out of your wallet at warp speed. But if you get a few blocks off the beaten path the prices drop in half. And the locals are very friendly. I only had 24 hours before I left to Laos. So I made the most of my time and walked all over the city. I tried checking out neighborhoods I didn't see in my last trip. I had a good dinner for $1.50 and saw a few Wat's.

Thailand has been all over the news with there political tension. We even got a few people from the states trying to urge us to skip Thailand. But as you all know the media likes to blow things out of proportion, especially the US media. Yes there is a huge political rally going on. But it was very peaceful it was only a few block from were we stayed. I walked through it a few times and people smiled as I passed. What they are protesting about doesn't concern tourist, And they know tourism is a huge part of the economy. They don't want to mess it up.

The short of this is, don't always believe what you see on the news. There's too many 24hr news stations that need to fill air time. The news media likes to run things into the ground.

In Laos!!

If you count the USA this is my 5th country in the last 2 weeks. It's been a little busy to say the least. I took the overnight bus from Bangkok to Vientiane and 13 hours later here I am.

I haven't had much time to check it out yet. But I did meet 3 Canadians on the bus. We all had very similar plans so we decided to share a rooms to save on cost. I might be traveling with them for the next week or so. It will be nice.

I'll post some pics tomorrow.

Enjoying the sun! Koh Chang Day 6-8

Its been a crazy and at the same time relaxing last few days. After we visited the temples of Angkor we took off in the morning to Thailand which was an interesting journey to say the least. There are a couple of ways to get to the Thai border either by bus or by taxi. The bus was said to take twice as long as the taxi so we opted to take the taxi. Now with a taxi there are two ways to do it, you can either rent the taxi for yourself or share the taxi with some other people traveling to the border. Since it was just the two of us we decided it would be cheaper to share the taxi, little did we know that when we signed up for this that they would be cramming ten (8 adults, 2 children) of us including the driver into a Toyota Camry for an hour and a half. More over no one that we were sharing the taxi with spoke a lick of English so it made the ride even that much more interesting. We were so cozy that at one point one of the ladies in the back seat with us fell asleep on Jason’s shoulder making for a pretty funny picture. Once we arrived in Poipet near the Thai border we were dropped off at a bus station around 2km from the border. Eagerly we got out of the taxi to stretch our legs. To get to the Thai border Jason and I hopped on a motorbike with all of our bags and the three of us drove the final leg to the border.
Once we arrived at the border we had to go through the Cambodian departure process. While we were in line we met a nice girl from Denmark “Maja” who was at the border to extend her Thai visa. We asked if she would like to share a tuk tuk to the bus station on the other side where her boyfriend “Fridi” was waiting. We had some loose plans to try to take a bus into Pattaya but after some discussion we decided to head with them to the island of Koh Chang. We managed to catch the final ferry to the island and stayed at the same hotel that they were staying at.
So to sum it up our journey from Siem Reap to Koh Chang went something like this:
A tuk tuk to the taxi station
A taxi to the bus station
A moto to the border
A tuk tuk to the bus station
A bus to the Chanthaburi
A bhat bus to the ferry
A ferry to the island
And finally a van to the hotel.
Needless to say we were quite tired at the end of the day.
We arrived on Koh Chang in the night. So when we saw it at first light we were amazed. The beaches are picture perfect, the sands, soft white and the water is just perfect. We walked the whole length of White Sand beach which was by our hotel. By midday we wanted to check out the rest of the island. We decided to rent Motorbikes as they only cost $7.50 for 24 hours. I wouldn’t normally rent motorbikes in Thailand but Koh Chang didn’t have much traffic so the riding wasn’t bad. We did have to ride on the opposite side of the road as back home. We did fine for the most part; once I found myself drifting to the wrong side of the road and had to make a quick turn back. Our first stop was Lonely Beach. It was a nice small beach tucked away from the road. It’s not very commercialized and had a lot of cheap backpacker accommodations. We ended up spending a few hours there. We went back to White Sand beach for the sunset and to go out to dinner with Maja and Fridi. We had a really nice dinner on the beach. There was a cool fire show in which one of the fire performers was maybe three years old, it was crazy. They put on an amazing show.
The next day we still had our bikes until 1pm so we decided to check out a few other beaches. First we went to Kai Bae beach which had a few picturesque beaches on deserted islands a few hundred yards off shore. It was low tide so we decided to walk to across to the island. Little did we know half way across there was a big reef system with coral, As a scuba diver I couldn’t keep walking and damage the coral that was older than me. We decided to turn back and only made it about half way. We then stopped by Koh Preah beach. It was once again out of a post card but I was worn out and decided to head back to the room. That evening we went back to Lonely Beach with Maja and Fridi for another chill BBQ on the beach.
We had an amazing time in Koh Chang. If you can ever make it out here, I would highly recommend it. The dollar still goes a long way here. You can get a top notch room for $50 a night.
Were now in Bangkok, it took us 9 hours on a Baht Bus, Ferry then a bus. As big and crowded Bangkok is I still rate this as one of my top cities. It has some of the best food and amazing sights.
Brads flying home tonight. I’m going to be solo for 12 days. I’ll be in Bangkok for one more night then off to Laos. I’m looking forward to relaxing on the Mekong river.
Hopefully I’ll have good internet in Laos so I can keep this blog updated. Check back in a few.

Angkor Wat & Siem Reap

Yesterday morning we arrived in Siem Reap. We were dropped off at the bus depot and got a tuk tuk ride into town. We didn't know where to stay so we asked some travellers that were on the bus with us for a recommendation and they suggested Encore Angkor. We asked to be brought to the same hotel as them but when we got to the main street our tuk tuks went in opposite directions. We had no idea about where we were going but figured he was taking us to one of his friends hotels. Unbelieveable to both of us we actually arrived at the right hotel. The hotel is by far the nicest we have stayed in thus far. It is very peaceful and the hotel staff are very nice.

Once we got checked in we decided to get some breakfast. We started walking down the street but there was nothing we could find. We decided to walk back to the hotel and low and behold there was a restaraunt directly across the street. It had a sign for laundry service above it so it was a little decieving. Jason and I both ordered the omlette and bread with a couple shakes which came out to $4 total.

After breakfast we hired a tuk tuk driver for 2 days to take us on a tour of the Angkor Wat temples. On arrival we finally got our first view of the temple of Angkor Wat. This is the most popular of the temples of Angkor. It is 1/2 wide by 1/2 mile long. We spent a good 2 hours at this temple alone. The enormity and detail of the work done by the ancient Kymer is difficult to describe. After we were done with the Angkor Wat temple we visited at least another 8 temples that all had different and interesting characteristics. Wakling through the ruins and seeing the smiling faces on the sculptures of the Bayan temple was definitely a highlight. We took a break during the middle of the day to get some lunch and take a siesta in some hammocks they had in the restaurant. We finished off the day at a temple at the top of a hill to watch the sunset.

On day two we had to wake up a 4:30am to meet the tuk tuk driver ("Lucky") to get a ride back to Angkor Wat for the sunrise. Unfortunately the clouds blocked most of the sunrise so we were only able to get a couple pictures. We then headed off to Banteay Srei which was about 27km away. This wat ("temple") had some amazing carvings in the sandstone walls that has been preserved for the past 1000 years. We then headed back to the main temple area and hit a few more wats before calling it a day. We headed back to the hotel for some nice R&R in the pool.

Tomorrow we head to Thailand.

Phnom Penh Day 3

Yesterday we had a really busy day in Phnom Penh. I'm running a little behind on the blog so I'll make it quick. Or not.

We started the day going to the Killing Fields. It was really sad. Over 2 million people were murdered in Cambodia between 1975-1979. The Khmer Rouge took over the country, and forced everyone to back into the stoneage. If you didn't follow all the rules you were killed. No working, No smiling, no artistic ways, no education. No public jobs, only peasant manual labor, There were around 10,000 people killed at the killing fields, They were all bludgeoned to death, because bullets cost to much. There was a big Stupa were thay placed all the bones that were found there. Brad and I saw bones still in the dirt as we were walking around.

We then went to S21 were the people were jailed and tortured before they were brought to the killing fields. Again it was really sad. But a part of history that I hope never repeats it's self.

We finished off the day on a brighter note we visted the Royal Palace, It was breathtaking. Very similar to the one in Bangkok but worth the money.

We were taking the night bus to Siem Reap. Which left at midnight. This left us with some freetime. So we got a nice 90 minute Khmer Massage for $15. We have been doing a ton of walking around so our bodies were beat.

Were in Siem Reap now. I'll try to get a blog of today up soon.

Enjoying Phnom Penh!!

Yesterday we took the bus from Vietnam into Cambodia. The trip through customs was smooth and before we knew in we were in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. We arrived at about 2 got checked in then straight for lunch. I had a really good Chicken Curry with rice, Brad was craving a taste of home and had a Hamburger.

After lunch we just walked the town checking out all the markets and riverside. This town is a lot nicer than I was expecting. Granted we are staying in the nicer area along the river. While checking out the city, we ended up playing Frisbee with a handful of local kids for at least 30 minutes. It was a lot of fun, the kids were having a great time.

That night we needed to stay up late so we could get adjusted to the time and hopefully insure us a full nights sleep. We went out to a few of the restaurants and meet a nice couple from Germany. We ended up spending the night chatting about the orphanage they were teaching English at and scuba diving; he was an instructor so we swapped stories.

We are having a good time so far in Cambodia. Off to the Killing Fields today. I know this is going to be tough to see.

Day 1 - Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

After about 20 hours of airports and planes we landed in Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam. We were sitting up front so Brad and I were the first few off the plane. We went straight to the Visa on arrival area. We had to set it up in advance but there was no problem, it took about 5 minutes then off to customs. Which was a breeze. I grabbed some DONG out of the ATM then off to the Taxi's.

We ended up getting a ride on a metered Taxi which ended up costing us about $10 usd for the 20 minute ride. Not bad but I'm sure we paid way to much. We got dropped off in the Pham Ngu Lao Area. The traffic made the bay area look like a Sunday stroll. The motorcycle to car ratio is crazy, I'd guess 100 motocycles to each car, It's a area of mixed hotel's shopping and resturants. We headed to a place I had read about in the Lonley Planet. Once we found it, they had informed us they were sold out, but would bring us to there other hotel. Within a minute were were on the back of Motorcycles zooming through the streets. It was a short ride, but a good experince to start off the trip. We took a look at the room and it wasn't bad but we wanted to look around. We ended up walking off and the next place we checked out was Duc Voung Hotel. It was a little more but twice as nice. We took the room for $22 a little more than my budget but Brad and I split it. The room has A/C, breakfast and free WIFI.

After throwing our bags in the room we were off to explore the city. It was only 11AM so plenty of time to see the highlights off the city. We walked to Reunification Palace which was where the first Communist tanks crashed through the gates and Saigon surrendered to the North. We took a quick look then off to lunch. Then off to the War Remnants Museum, It gave me a totally different perspective on what I thought about the war. It was really sad. We then walked around and went to a few markets and got pitched everything in this country. No purchases though. I don't want to carry anything extra for the next 3 weeks. There's a big Notre Dame Cathedral that was built in 1877. We took a few pics then started to head back to the room at about 6.

We had plans to rest then go back out for dinner. But we both ended up sleeping and not waking up until about now 1am. I decided to do a blog post then back to bed.

Were going to start to head to Cambodia in the morning. We saw the highlights of the city so time to move on. Brad is flying out of Bangkok so we are in a hurry to get going.

Please check back for more.

All packed up and ready to go!

I'm all packed up and ready to head to the Airport. This is all of my luggage for the 3 week trip. I only bring the necessities. I have a few sets of clothes. I only bring synthetic material clothes, since they don't hold odor or sweat like cotton. Each set gets worn a few times then it's washed when needed. I can get a load of laundry done for about 50 cents. At that price no need to overload a huge suitcase that you'll have to carry halfway across the world. Having this small bag also makes it so I can carry it on to Flights and Buses. It would suck to lose your bag when overseas so this is a way to help prevent it.

I'm flying out in a few hours. First I'm heading to San Jose and going to spend the evening with my dad and family. My flight to Vietnam leaves San Francisco at 1:05 am so I have plenty of time. The flight with a layover in Taiwan is about 20 hours. Not the longest flight I've been on but still a journey.

Check back for more updates on my trip.

South East Asia Here I Come!!!

On Wednesday I will be taking off for another adventure in Asia.

This trip I will have my friend Brad with me on the first half. We are starting off in Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City. Brad is going to be flying home out of Thailand, Bangkok on April 4th. And I'm going to be flying home out of Vietnam, Hanoi on April 16th. That's all we have planed. Everything else we will figure out along the way.

Most of my friends and family think this is crazy. But I love the split second decisions about were to go and stay. I have a rough idea on what I want to see. All other things will fall in place along the way. A few of my highlights that I want to hit are the Temples of Angkor in Cambodia, Halong Bay in Vietnam, floating down the Mekong river in Laos and a list of others things.I'm going to be updating every few days along the trip.

Please check back for amazing pictures of Asia.

Sunshine to Shoveltime

One Sunday to the next couldn't have been any more different. Valentine's Day was bluebird, perfect temps. The very next Sunday we awoke to find two feet of snow outside. On Saturday we went to dinner with my Aunt Ginger, Janet, Great-Grandma Margaret, and Brad to celebrate my Great-Grandma's 86th birthday. It started to snow, but it wasn't sticking. The forecasters had called for up to two inches on the Valley Floor, so we figured it would change over night to snow and give us a little dusting. WRONG. After dinner we went to the Grand Sierra to catch up with some of Danielle's past co-workers. We were only there for about an hour and three inches had already built up on the car. There were people outside the hotel playing in the snow. They were from Miami and had never in their lives seen snow. They were beyond excited to be playing in it in just shirts and shorts. We drove home - slowly. When we got up in the morning we found a nice surprise of around twenty four inches of snow. Luckily the snow fell so fast the roads didn't have much time to cool down from the prior week's heat. The roads were surprisingly in decent shape. Just as two feet of snow can fall, the rain can come and melt it all away. Over the next four days all of it was gone.

Valentines Weekend

I've been really busy with work the last few months, so I had to make sure this Valentine weekend was perfect.

Saturday we awoke, had breakfast, then off to the gym. We took a class called 24 Lift which is a 1hr class of non stop sets with dumb bells and a barbells. By the end you are beat.

After class we had a sandwich then showered up to go out. We went and saw "Valentine's Day" the movie. It was packed with couples out on their Valentines day dates. We were running late so Danielle let me out so I can get a seat while she parked the car. I felt a little funny buying a ticket for one to a chick flick on Valentines day. It was kinda funny, I got a few strange looks. Danielle said she felt the same when she came in. The movie itself was great. It was shot in a few different views and tied all together at the end. There were also a ton of popular actors/actresses in it.

To complete the day we went to our favorite Sushi restaurant, Sushi Moto for dinner.

Valentine's day I woke up early and made Danielle's favorite breakfast, Crepes. We needed to store up energy for our afternoon of Cross Country skiing. This was our first time ever trying it. We decided to go to Donner Summit to the Clair Tappaan lodge. They have 12km of trails which head up towards the backside of Boreal. Went rented our gear and headed out. We had a lot of fun and made fools of ourselves at the same time. We each crashed a few times. Cross country skis suck for going downhill, or maybe it was just us. My binding was cracked on one of the skis so the ski kept popping off which didn't help. It was still a great time and I'd do it again. I want to try Skate Skiing next time.

After skiing we went and got massages to help with all the pains from crashing and the Lift class yesterday. The weekend was wonderful. Back to work tomorrow. Here are some pics of Danielle being a goofball. :-)