Iceland

Click here to see the slideshow of my recent trip to Iceland!

Rick Steves: Ten Ways Iceland Can Kill You

An Exhilarating Ride

A friend who co-owns a tour company on Tinian offered to take me back to Saipan by boat, something that I have always wanted to do. I have this photo of Grandpa riding a boat around Tinian on a reconnaissance mission during World War II:

The expression on his face doesn't reveal how incredible the ride is across the open sea (by the way, my friend was able to identify exactly where Grandpa was - the spot visible in the background is called "Drop Coke" because the soldiers apparently dumped a bunch of coca cola bottles there after the war and now scuba divers can go there to see them). My videos provide a little more insight... This was truly one of the most exhilarating experiences of my life. It was frightening, but in an exciting and adventurous way. 

After we passed the point of Tinian, the waves got much bigger - too big for me to hold the camera (and my beer). Sometimes the boat landed in such a way that the salt water drenched my face. 

I felt so alive.

Travel poem

I've been vaxxed for
Every type of hepatitis,
Japanese encephalitis,
Typhoid, tetanus, flu or virus,
Preventatives for parasitis,
Running through my veins.

I could still get
'Pendicitis,
Some weird sickness spread-by-ISIS,
Pushed right through that dang no-fly list,
North Korean spies.

It's important, yes my life is,
But I'll not let a fear of crisis
(Or even rising airline prices)
Keep me from my dreams.

Hy Vong... a little Saigon Ink

While in Ho Chi Minh City, I decided to get a tattoo. I went to Saigon Ink, which was supposed to be one of the higher-end spots.


While I was waiting, I met a Vietnamese-American kid who was in town visiting his cousins and, unbeknownst to his parents back home, getting a sleeve inked. He was in so much pain that he looked like he was going to cry! I sat down and tried to distract him. It didn't work very well because he'd already been under the needle for four hours. My tattoo only took twenty minutes or so, so afterwards I took the kid out for a beer around the corner. He was barely old enough, but he needed a drink! We chatted for half an hour or so and then went our separate ways. I don't even remember his name. Just one of those brief interactions one has when traveling alone, but I treasure all of them.

As for the tattoo, I knew I wanted to get the Vietnamese word for "hope", but I did not have a design in mind. After discussing it a bit, the tattoo artist grabbed a calligraphy pen and came up with this:

And I thought it was perfect. 

Here I am with the tattoo artist, Jet Lee:

I live-streamed the process on Facebook. If you are interested, you can watch the video here. Oh, and at $35 USD, it was by far my cheapest tattoo.

Siem Reap: Day 4

I had a wonderful day touring some amazing ancient temples with my guide, Mr. Chheuy Hak Lao, owner of Angkor Travelers. Before I get to the tour itself, I want to give the highest recommendation for my lovely guide. His English is excellent, his knowledge of the temples and Cambodian history is  immense, and his pride and love of his country is infectious. My only regret is that I only hired Mr. Hak Lao on my last day. I really hope to have an opportunity to return and see all the temples with him. If you are planning to visit Siem Reap (and I really hope you are!), please make sure to hire Mr. Hak Lao. You will be glad you did.

Please click this link to view some of the photos and videos of this awesome tour. (I have a lot more on my camera, but I can't upload them until I get back to Saipan.) We visited Angkor Thom, the Last capital of the Khmer Empire, and Ta Prohm, the jungle temple (my personal favorite).

Thanks for reading!

Siem Reap: Day 2 (Angkor Wat)

Siem Reap: Day 1

Images of Hoi An

Please forgive the formatting errors.... blogger needs to update their app.

Red snapper at the table next to me

Pork dish from Morning Glory restaurant

Green beans from Morning Glory restaurant 

Lanterns for sale

Beautiful lanterns!

View from one of the bridges

Scooter time!

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Coffee shop

Hoi An: Blue Clouds Homestay

Vietnamese coffee, brewed the traditional way

Breakfast: coffee, fresh fruit (mango, banana, pineapple), yogurt, muesli ($2)

Outdoor common area

Lobby / common area

Double room with private bathroom ($12/night)







Hoi An: Day 1

I arrived in Hoi An last night via airport transfer from Danang. I'm staying at a homestay called Blue Clouds which is about as basic as it gets. For $12 USD per night, however, I can't complain. I ventured out looking for dinner and found this cute spot:

The food was bland and flavorless, but I've been spoiled lately as far as food is concerned. Anyway, after dinner I felt like exploring some more, so I walked to "the ancient town," which is the main attraction for tourists. It's easy to see why - it was absolutely magical. Unfortunately, the cell phone pictures aren't great (if those on my camera turned out better, I'll update with those when I can upload them). There aren't any motorized vehicles in the ancient town, which is awesome. Walking around at night, you feel sucked into a time warp. I have expected the beautiful warrior girl from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon to leap across the rooftops (different country, I know).

A lantern shop

Entrance to the covered bride over the river

A coffeehouse/ juice bar called Cocobox

Is this a doggie god?!

Happy and sweaty!

It was a really beautiful night, and made me very excited to spend the next couple days in this lovely place!

Betsy Goes Southeast Asia

I hate China. Sure, my exposure to the People's Republic is limited to a few hours wandering around two of its monstrous airports, but I have nevertheless formed a very strong opinion. I will readily admit that my opinion is completely and utterly ignorant and has very little to do with the Chinese people themselves (in fact, it is based on little more than Chinese airport operations). A couple of hours ago, when I was on my third Chinese airline-operated flight of the day, I would have loved nothing more than to write an entire blog post naming all the reasons that I grew to despise China in less than a day. 

But then I saw Vietnam. 

Even from the sky, Vietnam sings to you. Quaint, colonial-style townhouses with red clay shingles dot the vast green landscape. Maybe hours of squinting to make out details through the heavy smog that envelops even rural areas in China has affected my vision, but I swear colors are more vibrant here. The streets of Hanoi are alive and lively, but leagues less chaotic than the bustling (and busting) urban streets in Delhi or Mumbai. Here, I could almost see myself driving. Almost. Never in India (although India, you know I adore you with your seven rows of cars, trucks, bicycles, mopeds, camels, and pedestrians squeezed into two lanes). 

It is only my first day (has it even been an hour?), but I know I am exactly where I should be right now. I have wanted to visit Southeast Asia since I was a kid, and Vietnam since I was in college. I expected disappointment. Instead, I'm amazed. I feel like a kid seeing the Magic Kingdom for the first time, not only being taken aback by how beautiful it is, but also realizing that dreams really can come true.

So, yeah, I'm gonna start blogging again.

Thanks for reading!

This is your brain on jet lag.

WARNING: Contains disturbing footage of incoherent traveler. Not suitable for all audiences.

I arranged a 24-hour layover in Narita, Japan, following a trip to San Francisco. Unfortunately, the extent of my arrangements was booking a bed at the airport capsule hotel. I did not plan anything else in advance, so I had no idea how to get anywhere. Also, it was a Sunday night and pretty much everything was closed. If you enjoy watching complete travel fails, this should give you a couple laughs.

After leaving my stuff in a locker at the capsule hotel, I faced my first obstacle: buying a train ticket from the airport to the town:

Eventually, I made it to Narita (although I only knew it was Narita because someone told me to get off at the first train stop). I exited the train station and just started wandering around the town looking for a temple my parents had told me to check out. I did not have a map. I guess I was relying on instinct?

An hour or so later...

(Apparently, I thought I spoke Japanese when I was talking to this woman. Apparently, she did too.)

Eventually, I did locate the entrance to the temple. By that point, it was around 10pm and the temple complex was dark and deserted. I did not climb the stairs to check it out. I just looked up at the darkness and shrugged before heading back to the train station.

Moral of the story? If you only have one night in a country where you don't speak the language, plan ahead.

Beach Videos

My Favorite Beach on Tinian (on the Planet, actually)

Enjoying a Really Low Tide with the Dogs at Obyan Beach, Saipan

Lovely Obyan Beach, Saipan

Exploring Obyan Beach with the Dogs