Ha Long Bay

Over the weekend, the main doctor we are working (Dr. T) with took us on a day trip to Ha Long Bay.  The day started when Dr. T picked us up at our hotel with a private van/driver and a security guard (I think we got special treatment because we are at a military hospital). We hopped in the van and went down the street to eat banh cuon, which is yummy pork wrapped in fresh rice noodles. Of course, we couldn't say no so we pigged out :)

After breakfast, we began the long, bumpy journey to Ha Long Bay. Even though it is only about 90 miles away, it took us about 3 hours to get there. This is because the Vietnamese are crazy drivers and there are literally no rules to the road (think of buses passing rows of cars on a one lane road with oncoming traffic in sight). Traffic is terrible and many of the roads aren't in great condition.  We had a pit stop where we got some fresh sugar cane to munch on. We also picked up another doctor along the way.

[in front of our sweet ride]

We passed Ha Long City and went to some place where there were a bunch of Asian tourists but no white people so we felt like we were in the know with the inside scoop. Then, we rented a boat (a huge one! For just our small group of 6... We're so fancy!!) and began our tour of the bay.

Ha Long Bay is super breathtaking with many islands sprouting up from the water everywhere. Just cruising around felt magical. We stopped at one island and explored a couple of grottos which also felt pretty magical. Much of the caves were lit up by different colored lights which could have possibly come across as cheesy but didn't really because they were so cool. 

[grotto!]

After the caves (and many photos), we hopped back on the boat and it was lunch time! We saw some smallish crabs, shrimp, and clams on the table and thought that was it (yum! Seafood!). Little did we know that lunch was a full-on feast!  The food kept coming and coming and it was all delicious and fresh seafood: fish (friend in cakes, fresh grilled, and in stew), squid (fried and fresh), clams, fried spring rolls, French fries, steamed veggies... The works!!! And of course our hosts brought a small bottle of Hanoi Vodka an we kept toasting and sipping vodka throughout the meal. It was pretty much amazing. Also, J and I were stuffed and could barely move by the end of it. 

[lunch time! Seafood feast.]

Our cruise continued throughout the bay for a bit more and then we headed back to the shore. Although our trip was short (many people spend a couple of days exploring Ha Long Bay, spending the night on a boat), we got a nice taste of the scenery and enjoyed amazing company with our new Vietnamese friends!

[Ha Long Bay]

The trip home took about 3.5 hours. The plus side: we saw some monkeys at a random rest stop!

Overall, it was a fun and unforgettable day.

A lovely day in Hanoi

J and I had a pretty great day today. It started out pretty regularly with a strenuous morning at the hospital. We are working in the Department of Pediatrics where we get to round on/play with cute kids for brief periods of time since we don't know the language.

Things really picked up at lunch time (our favorite part of the day because we get to eat yummy Vietnamese food). Three of the doctors we are working with decided to take us to Pho Thin, a delicious pho restaurant where we may have had the best pho our lives. Next we hopped in a cab for some ice cream. So good!! Also, the ice cream scoops were perfect spheres and they were magical.

After lunch we went for a stroll around Hoan Kiem Lake, a small lake near where we are staying in Hanoi. We also got to tour Ngoc Son Temple in the middle of the lake. Overall, it was so lovely!!

Because the doctor we are working with was post-call, we got to go home after lunch! Woohoo!! J and I decided to take advantage of the free afternoon and tour the city. First, we walked over to the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum where we watched a bunch of military personnel march around a lot. We also popped into the Ho Chi Minh museum, which was filled with much symbolism such as "this exhibit represents a cave where Ho Chi Minh did some thinking and is also shaped as a human brain to represent such thinking." Overall, it was ok.

Goodbye Thailand, Hello Vietnam!!

After a traumatizing day in Bangkok, we are happy to report that we have made it safely to Hanoi and Hanoi is glorious.

But first, here is a brief overview of our day in Bangkok: 

First of all, Bangkok is super busy and there are a million people and taxis and tuk tuk's everywhere. Also, it was super hot outside and very dirty. Every single cab driver we encountered over-charged us and refused to take us where we wanted to go. It was super frustrating and we missed out on seeing some cool stuff as a result of this. Lame!!!

[tuk tuk at night in Bangkok]

We did go on a boat ride through the canals (because every cab driver basically forced us into it), which was actually pretty cool (though overpriced, obviously).  It felt a little like we were at Disneyland on a combination of the Jungle Cruise and Pirates of the Caribbean, though much dirtier.

[I bought a souvenir from a lady in a boat along the way] 

After so many run-arounds by cab drivers, etc (by basically every inhabitant of Bangkok), we finally made it to Wat Pho, which is an amazing temple with a giant Reclining Buddha. We missed out on the Grand Palace and the Emerald Buddha because everyone is the worst. 

[giant Reclining Buddha at Wat Pho]

We did see multiple fake gem shops and silk shops. Scams!! So lame.

The best part of the day was when we went to this insane shopping mall and ate yummy cheap Thai food and then ran across an Anime festival where people were dressed as anime characters and the paparazzi was in full force. 

Also, there were dance performances of teenagers pretending to be famous K-pop bands such as Big Bang and it was amazing. Here is an example of Big Bang's work: http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=AAbokV76tkU&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DAAbokV76tkU

Luckily, we made it safely to the airport the next morning and made it to Vietnam with no problems. We are staying in an amazing hotel called Art Boutique Hotel in Old Town Hanoi where the people are super sweet and helpful. There is delicious street food everywhere. Obvious J and I are going nuts and eating like crazy. 

[Enjoying a welcome lemonade at the hotel]

Yesterday was our first day at the hospital and everyone here is super nice. We are working in the Department of Pediatrics.  I think it is safe to say that Vietnamese kids are SUPER CUTE. Also, they sent us to the hospital tailor yesterday to make us "doctors costumes" and as the largest person in Asia, my measurements dwarfed all others.  The pants were literally five inches too short. 

Okay. That's all for now. We'll be in Hanoi for another week and a half so there will be more to come. 

Phuket, Thailand

Well guys, it turns out Phuket is worth the two days of travel to get here. Overall, it has been awesome!  

Yesterday, we went on a "speedboat" (not really a speedboat) tour of the Phi Phi Islands (pronounced "pee pee," just as Phuket is pronounced "poo-ket"). It was so so.  No, not really. It was pretty much amazing!! Sadly, I do not have pictures accessible for the blog (Don't worry, obviously, I took a bunch of photos with my indestructible camera (thanks mom)), but here is a link to the tour website: http://www.andamanleisurephuket.com/gallery.php 

And yes, it really does look just like that in person.

It took us an hour by boat to get to the islands. Our fist stop was Bamboo island where we went snorkeling and explored the beach. The water was crystal clear and there were fish everywhere (sadly, the coral was a little dead due to "global warming" according to our guide, Mo (or maybe excessive tourism?), but there were still plenty of fish).

Next, we had lunch on Phi Phi island, followed by drive by tours of "Viking Cave" where they used to harvest birds nests for Chinese bird nest soup, and Monkey Beach.  We had to stay on the boat (we were a little sad about this, but I'm not sure if being closer to the monkeys would have made much of a difference... Plus I'm glad they didn't attack us which had happened to our friend, L's husband, when he had gone to Monkey Beach). Needless to say, the monkeys were pretty cute, even from afar.

Our next stop was Pi Leh Cove, which was an lagoon surrounded by cliffs on three sides with crystal clear emerald water.  We all decided to take a swim, which included a bunch of us jumping into the water from the roof of our boat (because, you know, YOMO... Ugh, I'm so embarrassed that I just wrote that, but honestly, J and I said that to each other before climbing to the roof of the boat to take the plunge). This swimming session was seriously SO FUN.  Sometimes basic swimming can be so awesome.

The final stop on our tour was at Maya Bay, which was where The Beach was filmed. The most impressive part of this was the sand, which was possibly the softest sand I have ever felt. Also, I guess the scenery was breathtaking, too.

We had some great people in our tour group including a fun British couple and a woman who looked like a middle-aged version of my granny. Granny decided to not wear any sunscreen and literally looked like a lobster by the end of the day.  Actually, something super striking about being here in Phuket is that 90% (if not more) of people are sporting ridiculous sunburns. It's as if no one has ever heard of sunscreen or skin cancer (I was the cool kid in my UV shirt and big hat in the Phi Phi's). Also, another fun fact is that there are a bunch of European tourists but hardly any Americans here.

So what I'm saying is that the Phi Phi islands were okay (incredible).

Luckily, we made up for yesterday's so-so day in paradise by RIDING an ELEPHANT today!!!! That's right, you guys. We rode an elephant!! And it was super fun!! Our elephant's name was Pancake and she was super sassy at age 18 years old. We mostly rode in the carrier on her back, but we also got to ride on her neck!! We also got to feed her some bananas. Overall, pretty great.

After our elephant ride, we went to a place called Pad Thai Shop, which looked like a random whole in the wall restaurant but was really the source of the best Pad Thai and Pad See Ew I've ever had. The noodles were made right then for us and the flavored were so fresh and delicious. 

We rounded off our day with some reading on the beach.

Rough life.

We are super sad to be heading back to Bangkok tomorrow morning after such a short stay in paradise.

We made it to Thailand!!

After 4 airports, 3 flights, almost 18 hours in the air, 8 hours in layovers, and 2 taxi rides, J and I have made it to Phuket, Thailand!! We are staying at the Hilton in Karon Beach and it is super beautiful.

Here are some highlights from the trip to Thailand:
- J and I lucked out big time and had an open seat between us on the 12 hour flight from LA to Beijing. The Dramamine worked wonders and we slept most of the way (after watching one of our new favorite movies, Pitch Perfect, of course).
- Beijing did not disappoint in terms of showing us how polluted it is as a city: the smog was so thick, it made the daylight look dim and dusk-like.
- We had 3 different "chicken and rice" meals on our 2 AirChina flights and now the smell of chicken and rice makes me feel kind of sick.
- J and I quickly learned that American rules of common line courtesy, such as waiting your turn in a line and not cutting do not exist in Asia. Every single boarding and deplaning event was a straight up free for all and if you aren't aggressive, you quickly get pushed to the back of the "line." Although it went against every bit of line etiquette we've ever known, we found that we had to cut in and hold our ground just to get on and off of the plane.
- We didn't realize we had to switch airports in Bangkok until we got there. Luckily, we had 6 hours to catch a cab and make our way across town.

Today we laid low, exploring the resort and chilled poolside (don't worry, I hid in the shade with plenty of SPF and my giant hat on while J was able to lounge in the sun... It is HOT out!). Our plan for tonight (if we can battle the jetlag with the 14 hour time difference) is to find some tasty Thai food in town... Yum!

Asia Trip!!!

As many of you know, I'm nearing the end of medical school. This of course means that it's time for a "last hurrah" trip before starting residency and losing all free time for good.*

So obviously, I'm going to Asia! (I'm actually en route as I write this on roughly hour 11 of 12 from Los Angeles to Beijing). I'm traveling with my medical school friend, J, and we will be gone until April 24th.

Here's the rest of our itinerary:

April 2-5: Phuket, Thailand
April 6: Bangkok, Thailand
April 7-20: Hanoi, Vietnam
April 20-21: Kyoto, Japan
April 21-24: Tokyo, Japan

I'll try to keep you updated along the way!

*My mom is quick to remind me that I've had "more last hurrah trips than anyone she knows." This may be true. My last one was to Honduras, France and Switzerland back in the summer of 2010. Since then, it's been a long three years of hard work, so I think I've earned this trip.

Fetch!!

For a while, I thought my sweet kitty, Queen Elizabeth, was a little "delayed."  Seriously.  She barely knew how to meow.  But now, she has developed a new skill and I can't stop bragging about it.

You guys, my cat fetches!!!!!!! YES!!

Also, I'm so sorry for posting two cat related posts in a row.  So embarrassing.