Blogs from Asia - page 14930

Okay... I really needed to put this in here. In one hour I leave for Hanoi. The BEST way to get there is to take a bus that takes 24 hours and is usually so full that they put little plastic stools down the aisles for people to sit on. There is no toilet, no food and most likely really loud, really bad music all night. And for this pleasure I get to pay $18. alternatives include a $135 flight or a series of buses that leave from "somewhere" for which I can't get a schedule and at any point along the way there may or may not be a bus and may or may not be a guesthouse. I am not pleased :(... read more

An interesting fact I picked up... Bangkok's real name is this tongue twister- try saying it for yourself: 'Krungthep mahanakhon amon ratanakosin mahintara ayuthaya mahadilok popnopparat ratchathani burirom udomratchaniwet mahasathan amonipiman avatansathit sakkathattiya witsanukamprasit' Meaning: 'Great city of angels, repository of divine gems, great land unconquerable, grand and prominent realm, royal and delightful capital city full of nine noble gems (not sure what these are, but hey), highest royal dwelling and grand palace, divine shelter and living place of reincarnated spirits.' And you thought we had long words in English- damn these Thai people can go on and on and on and on....hehehehe :) Somehow I think I'll stick to calling it Bangkok, or else I'll use up all my internet time every time I try to describe where I've been!... read more

On this particular day, Larry and I decided to go to Ueno Park to see the beautiful cherry blossoms that have recently blossomed here in Japan. The cherry blossoms are a VERY big deal here and everyone goes NUTS over them because they signify "new beginnings". Not only does cherry blossom season show that spring is here, but it also is the start of the new school year for children. We learned that once they bloom, they only last about a week or so, and so perhaps that is why everyone celebrates at such an extreme level...but either way, it all seemed a bit excessive to us. In the park, almost everyone brings these giant, blue tarps to put down on the cement and sit on (there is literally NO grass here), and then they all ... read more

What an incredible day. The weather was fantastic and boiling hot. I had no idea what the day would hold and James in his "wait and see" mode wasnt giving any of the suprises away either. The first suprise was breakfast in a lovely bakery on Koh Tao. We ate musuli, banana pancakes, and cake with smoothies and green tea...all the home comforts and western food that we normally cant afford. As you can all imagine it was my idea of perfect! We then went and picked up our bags and checked out of our accomodation and started walking along the beach. I had no clue as to the plan...still. James got a longtail boat and I thought for a minute that we might be going to the other side of the island but as we ... read more

The hostel (Evergreen House) we stayed in, in Jaipur, is FAB lovely garden and terrace cafe with lovely food!!! Its just so nice around here. At Bengali's insistence we went sightseeing! He had a whole itinerary planned out for us but we were quite happy to just mosy around. We went to the City Palace first. Located in the heart of the walled city, The City Palace Complex gives you an idea about the farsightedness of the founder of Jaipur Sawai Jai Singh. He left behind a legacy of some of the most imposing and magnificent architecture, art and craft structure in the city. Sawai Jai Singh built its many buildings but some of some of the structures were also built by later rulers and some of them are even dated in the in the twentieth ... read more