If I told you we found ourselves last night at a Havana-style party overflowing with mojitos, Cuban music, and Vietnamese dancing meringue in the street, would you think that the heat has finally melted my brain? Fear not, my brain is intact (barely), yet we found ourselves in just such a setting, watching in amazement as traffic stopped in both directions on a major street and hundreds of people (locals and tourists alike) gathered to watch the spectacle. I found myself (dead sober, by the way) pulled up on-stage (curse my blond hair!) by two Vietnamese guys clad in Caribbean get-up and palm-frond hats. A moment later I was dancing with a geriatric Aussie (who had jumped on-stage of his own free will), first something akin to the waltz, then to such classics as "YMCA," while ... read more

It's hard to believe that as of today, the 14th of November, we've been gone for one whole month already! At this point we are finally starting to feel like true vagabonds...the reality that "we're not going home" anytime soon has sunk in, and it's actually a pretty cool feeling. Everyone we've met while traveling that has been to or lived in New Zealand has nothing but wonderful things to say about it, making us quite eager to actually get there! We're probably three weeks away or so...still have two more cities to hit in Vietnam before crossing into Cambodia to see the famed Angkor Wat, then we'll begin making our way to New Zealand. Yesterday we did a truly touristy, un-Jeremy-and-Amy-like activity and went to the beach! We asked the hotel owner to call us ... read more

I would like to share this travel quote I read a few months back: "I believe that places, much like people, can be soul mates. There are destinations that have a spirit, an energy, and a pace that so perfectly mesh with your own that you feel simultaneously excited and at peace when you arrive." I have experienced this feeling twice before - once in Venice, Italy, and once in Budapest, Hungary. As of today, I can say whole-heartedly that I'm experiencing it for a third time, here in Hanoi. If we never come back, you will know where to find us. Send out the search team to every gelato cafe' and massage establishment in this city, and you're sure to find us. Two more days in this city has only solidified our love for it. ... read more

So picture the scene. You're floating on an 80-foot Oriental junk boat in the middle of a spectacular bay. Strange karst mountains covered with greenery shoot up out of the water all around you. The air is warm and moist and perfectly pleasant, a nearly full moon shining brightly overhead. And there you are, surrounded by fifteen drunk Europeans, downing cheap Vietnamese vodka and singing horrible karaoke at the top of their lungs to such songs as “Sweet Home Alabama,” “New York, New York,” and “Country Roads Take Me Home." And you’re not alone, as there are dozens of other junks in the same bay, all full of kararoke-singing tourists and way too much alcohol. Ah, welcome to Halong Bay. If you’ve followed our blogs of Yangshuo, the landscape here will not surprise you. The cliffs ... read more

Top 10 Sights 10. Oriental Plaza/Wangfujing Food Market, Beijing 9. The Bird's Nest Stadium, Beijing 8. Seven Stars Cave, Guilin 7. Terracotta Warriors, Xi'an 6. Forbidden City, Beijing 5. Summer Palace, Beijing 4. Light Show, Yangshuo 3. Dragon's Backbone Rice Terraces, Longji 2. Mountains of Yangshuo 1. Sherpa's Great Wall Top 10 Things We Will Miss About China 10. Really, really good yogurt 9. Cheap hostel breakfasts (usually including yogurt) 8. No tipping anywhere, for any service 7. Sniggering at the fashion statements 6. Strolling through the supermarkets and laughing at the funky flavors 5. Amazing architecture everywhere you look 4. The ability to hike/walk anywhere, anytime - no fences or "no trespassing" signs 3. Laughing at really bad "Chinglish" signs and menus 2. Real, actual, honest-to-goodness authentic delicious ... read more