March 16, 2010 – Day 446 – Hue, Vietnam

Today we walked 20 kilometers. Why, you ask? Well, because….er….it was…hmm… all the way from downtown to the imperial tomb of Tu Doc.

Incense vender on our walk

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March 15, 2010 – Day 445 – Hue, Vietnam

Hue’s Citadel is like a smaller, more quaint version of Beijing’s Forbidden City. It’s a quiet complex with more ruins than standing buildings, compliments of some serious bombing during the Vietnam War.

Inside the Citidel

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March 3-4, 2010 – Day 433-434 – Phonsavan, Laos

First day we arrived and it was freezing!! Of course we were still in shorts since Vientiane was so warm. We rested a bit the first day and checked around to see how exactly we wanted to go about seeing the Plain of Jars.

Jars... on a plain

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March 1, 2010 – Day 431 – Vientiane, Laos

In the back of a tuk tuk we bounced and sped out of Vientiane to Buddha Park. About 26 km outside the city is a small park by the Mekong filled with numerous different styles of Buddha statues.

Budda feeling a bit grey

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February 23, 2010 – Day 425 – Luang Prabang, Laos

We walked to the top of Phousi Hill, the site of a very old wat that looks over the city. It was a nice breezy view—we could even see the puny airport from the top! It’s been pretty hot in Luang Prabang and it was a welcome chance to get out of the heat for a bit. We were so winded for climbing a few stairs that we had to go repair to our room to watch HBO. (What’s that you say? Burned out? Nooooo, of course not!)

Vew over the city

Stupa at the top

January 31, 2010 – Day 402 – Siem Reap, Cambodia

Sunrise is a busy time in Siem Reap. You would be surprised at just how many crazy foreigners are up and (mostly) dressed to see sunrise at Angkor Wat. You would be even more surprised that lazy folks like us did it too.

Angkor wat by moon light

January 30, 2010 – Day 401 – Siem Reap, Cambodia

Angkor Wat. Wow, what to say? It was spectacular, fascinating, beautiful, dusty, intriguing. It was also noisy and full of tourists and expensive. But it was worth those few irritations and (many) dollars to see such a historical jewel.

Inside the temples

January 6, 2010 – Day 377 – Bangkok, Thailand

With Latham’s approaching flight this evening, we decided to save some of Bangkok’s best of last. Today we went to the Grand Palace. When they named it, they really were not kidding!

Golden statue

January 4, 2010 – Day 375 – Ayatthaya, Thailand

The ruins of the old capital Ayatthaya are scattered across the now restored, modern city. Renting bicycles is a great way to get yourself around the city, using the extensive road system, a handy map from the rental folks, and a bit of caution when crossing the multi-lane highway that operates on the opposite side you might be used to. This is how we saw Ayatthaya’s ruins and it turned out to be a whole lot of fun.

In the ruins

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December 27, 2009 – Day 367 – Bangkok, Thailand

After a stout breakfast of eggs and toast, we set out for a walking tour of the city’s main attractions. We left Khao San district and headed for the sizable Democracy Monument.

Democracy Monument