http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/drofykceb/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from drofykceb en-us Thu, 07 Jan 2010 17:21:05 +0000 Thu, 07 Jan 2010 17:21:05 +0000 Yesterday I went running in the Bois de Boulogne.It was not easy to force myself out despite the sunny day and the fact that I was running behind on my necessary 9miler part of my marathon training. I had to enlist Liz and Alan my hosts to come with me for the first 3 miles.For those of you who know me the Bois de Boulogne was the scene of my concussion several years ago. I flipped over the http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/France/Ile-de-France/Paris/blog-452619.html Really I'm not trying to scare anyone off. Last week I watched a French comedian performing his show How to Become Parisian in One Hour. Some of his funniest bits were mockeries of American tourists in Paris but he was spot on about certain ways to act that are quite Parisian.For example when you go into a department store and not only don't get any service but get snubbed you should take http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/France/Ile-de-France/Paris/blog-452610.html When I worked at the U.S. Embassy in Paris I had a lovely daily commute.I walked across the street to the boulangerie on Boulevard de Port Royal swallowed some sort of sinfully calorific pastry and ducked into the metro. After sticking my ticket in the turnstile while attempting not to touch anything with my bare hands I would elbow my way past the other commuters to the edge of the platform. http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/France/Ile-de-France/Paris/blog-451191.html As I was jogging along the rue Francois Premier today on my way to the river I was halted in my tracks by the most gorgeous pair of boots.Anyone who knows my predilection for footwear and boots in particular will understand. I stood in the street soaked in sweat with my black running shirt dripping in the rain and ogled the supple brown leather exquisite craftsmaship and wondered how they http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/France/Ile-de-France/Paris/blog-450960.html This past week I had the joy and excitement of trying Pekingese Duck.I had seen these happy birds hanging in shop windows in Mong Kok with their crispy orange skins and wondered how they tasted.I went with a couple of friends to the Spring Deer restaurant in Kowloon to try it out.The place was as all popular local read Chinese restaurants are bright crowded and noisy. There was no subdued http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Hong-Kong/Kowloon/blog-414822.html I am leaving Hong Kong tomorrow to go back to the U.S. It was a difficult and very personal decision for me but I feel great about it and I look forward to continuing my travels when I have someone to travel with.In the meantime my secondtolast day here was anything but dull.It started on the Aqualuna one of the last remaining honesttogoodness junk boats in Hong Kong or as their web site http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Hong-Kong/Hong-Kong-Island/blog-417583.html You can buy just about anything in Hong Kong.And when I say anything I mean anything from hightech computer equipment to live slimy things to stuff that I can't even identify.There are several really cool markets that I checked out.The Flower Market Set on a the aptly named Flower Market Road this is a bustling street crammed with people all shopping for cut flowers flower arrangements and http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Hong-Kong/Kowloon/blog-407762.html Yesterday was the 4th of July which yet again I spent outside of the U.S.For previous 4ths I've gone clubbing in Egypt attended parties at the Ambassador's residence in Paris served barbecue for my neighbors in Germany watched F16s dogfight in Tunisia and this year I went out on a junk cruise.A junk boat is sort of a misnomer as it is really just a nice little yacht. You get together abo http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Hong-Kong/Hong-Kong-Island/blog-414823.html Once upon a time a married woman sold herself I assume as a servant or slave but who knows to pay for medical care for her fatherinlaw would any of you do that for an inlaw. Her husband was so lonely without her that he developed the recipe for a special kind of cake which he sold in order to buy her back.The recipe was for the traditional Chinese pastry known as Wife Cakes.Now I'm th http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Hong-Kong/Kowloon/blog-408381.html Ahhhhhhhh.......That's the sigh of relief that I exhaled as I landed back in Hong Kong's beautiful clean organized modern airport.That's the sound I made when I boarded the swift efficient Airport Express train into Central.That's the noise that escaped my throat when I stepped into the International Finance Center Building to meet my friend Travis.That's also the breath that slowly hissed out http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Hong-Kong/Hong-Kong-Island/blog-414368.html I haven't been feeling well the past couple of days. I had to cancel a trip to the Perfume Pagoda which despite what some may think is a religious shrine and not a perfume factory I also had to cancel a Vietnamese cooking class that I scheduled where I would have learned to make nems fresh spring rolls. Yesterday as I was sitting on the front porch of the hostel and smoking a cigaret http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/Red-River-Delta/Hanoi/blog-413946.html I have a confession to make.This is the longest I've ever traveled by myself and definitely the longest I've ever backpacked by myself.I am learning all sorts of things about solo travel and about myself the primary one being that I don't think I like traveling alone. Case StudyYesterday evening I began the journey back to Hanoi which necessitates a onehour minibus trip through the mountains http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/Red-River-Delta/Hanoi/blog-413160.html Today is my last day in Sa Pa tonight it's the night train from Lao Cai back to noisy crowded hot Hanoi.I spent my leisurely last day by taking a walk. I picked a road and followed it out of town for over an hour. It was a rewarding way to go.All the scenery nearby is beautiful so that did not disappoint. The locals were not trying to sell me anything so instead I got a lot of nice smiles and http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/Northwest/Sapa/blog-413021.html I would like to counteract some of the negativity that may have come across in my last few blogs by telling you about some nice experiences I've had with the people of Vietnam these past couple of days.I absolutely believe that my view of the place has been colored by a couple of negative experiences especially getting sick but of course there have been many wonderful onceinalifetime moment http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/Northwest/Sapa/blog-412814.html What oh what to do on a rainy day in a mountain hill stationI've been perfectly happy to do absolutely nothing. Illness and exertion in equal measure have caught up to me and I slept in took a nap and plan on going to bed early again tonight.But I thought that I might offer some advice and some more photos especially for those of you contemplating a trip like this.One of the most intimidatin http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/Northwest/Sapa/blog-408101.html Have you ever been on safariUp until today I had not. But I signed up for a oneday trek through the hill tribe region around Sa Pa and a human safari was what I got.They keep them in their natural habitat but Black H'mong and Red Dao minority tribes have become tainted by tourism and conditioned to respond to the influx of dumb foreigners with too much money I include myself in that categ http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/Northwest/Sapa/blog-412115.html So far Sa Pa is blowing Hanoi out of the water.For starters the scenery is dropdeadpickyourjawbackupofftheground gorgeous. But mainly it's the fact that the people here are so much more friendly than anywhere else I've been so far.As I was wandering through the Sa Pa market today gazing at tantalizing but for me forbidden piles of greens herbs and vegetables a typical group of H' http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/Northwest/Sapa/blog-411814.html Tonight I went to see a performance of traditional Vietnamese water puppets.These are not unfortunately puppets made out of water. That would be much too cool. They are in fact puuppets that play around in the water and are manipulated from below with beams by puppeteers hidden behind the stage but still kneedeep in water.It's easy to see how this form of entertainment evolved here. Lookin http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/Red-River-Delta/Hanoi/blog-411427.html We pulled up Saturday morning to our private beach in Ha Long Bay. As you can see it was really lovely.It was also really really minimalist.For sleeping accommodation you had a choice of tent tarp spread over a hard board or hammock. All were equipped with mosquito netting but that was about it.On the island there was little to do but swim and bake in the sun but there were watersports su http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/Red-River-Delta/Halong-Bay/blog-411164.html I want to share with you an absolutely magical moment that occurred while I was in Ha Long Bay this past weekend.It was Saturday night. The stars were all out in a clear moonless sky and the water in our beach cove was as smooth as glass. I was standing about chestdeep in the sea and waving my arms around under the water.As I did so thousands of bioluminescent plankton emitted sparks of bright http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/Red-River-Delta/Halong-Bay/blog-411163.html