Geo: 20.9691, 101.4Bumpy roads - literally. No, this is not some metaphor for a stage in our travel or the state of our marriage. This leg of our trip was characterized by long, hot, and very bumpy journeys. It was one after the other and even when we expressly requested air conditioned transportation, open windows was the vendors' interpretation of AC. And when we made assumptions about what kind of travel we were going on, boy, were we surprised! I guess that is what happens when you make assumptions (assume = make an ass out of u and me). Surprises go with Asia and less-travelled areas. In this part of northwestern Laos, not only is the infrastructure not here, the vehicles are more basic and you need to pay a lot if you want something better. ... read more

Geo: 22.3945, 104.056What a gift our trip to Sapa was! On our own again without our friend Mary, we arrived in Sapa by the night train from Hanoi at 5:30am to cool temperatures. Well, cool to us; they were nothing like the frigid (-35 degrees), snowy weather many of our friends had reported from home in Canada. Upon arrival at our hotel, Fansipan View, we immediately became friends with the manager, Thuyen and her Dutch friend Monique. Next thing we knew we were enjoying dinner seated in a circle on the floor surrounding a hotpot at Thuyen's sister's home acquainting ourselves with sisters, mother, brothers-in-law, nieces and nephews. How extraordinary was our time in Sapa, as we got to know Thuyen, her husband Quang and their baby daughter Anh Ngoc! After that lovely dinner, a couple ... read more

Geo: 17.6152, 106.316This was a trip well worth the effort of diverting from the beaten path of most visitors to Vietnam. The national park tour, our accommodations and the beauty of the surrounding rice paddies and villages made this a memorable stop.We had received an email from the Phong Nha Farm Stay with many instructions and information aimed at managing our expectations and ensuring we realized this was an out-of-the-way spot. Taking the very comfortable 5-hour train ride from Da Nang to Dong Hui and transferring to a car for another hour drive, we arrived in a tiny village. We crept our way down little lane ways until they opened to a stunning view of rice paddies on our right and a beautiful big and lively hotel on our left. People were obviously having fun and ... read more

Geo: 17.0849, 107.111I feel a sense of space and contentment. Warm breezes, a beach side hut, swimming in big waves, and delicious food everywhere we eat. Pho is the national soup, eaten at breakfast and other times of the day. The stock is the key. I've tried pho many times and had the best pho stock at a local, sand-floored restaurant here. It was absolutely amazingly delicious! Food in Vietnam is the best....We share laughter daily with the Vietnamese people - from our favourite corn vendor to the very friendly guy who works at the clothing store next door to us. Mui Ne is becoming the kite-surfing center in the world and we were mesmerized by the activity.Exhilaration.Above - colourful half moons dancing in the windBelow - speed, rooster tails of ocean sprayA graceful collection of ... read more

Geo: 10.61, 104.18Two very important parts of our lives and what do they have in common? Nothing except they are 'top of mind' in this blog entry. Read on…Kampot is described in our guide book as "…this charming riverside town with its relaxed atmosphere and a run-down French architectural legacy". What I experienced upon arrival was yet another dirty city but I warmed up to it. Feeling worn out from our gastrointestinal flu and disappointed by the discrepancy between the town we thought we were arriving at and the town we experienced, we found a beautiful place to stay on our second day; a quiet garden, a spacious clean room, a DVD player and a wide choice of DVDs and unlimited fruit shakes at our fingertips. I needed to close the doors on Cambodia so in ... read more