Yesterday, we explored Halong Bay in kayaks. OK, maybe not ALL of Halong Bay as it is 1500 square kilometers with 2,000 stand alone limestone islands, called karsts. Known as one of the most picturesque place in Vietnam, Halong…
Our Two Month Travelversary!
Wow. Hard to believe we are at the two month mark, our two month “travelversary” so to speak. Our trip surely feels like it’s happening fast. (Didn’t I just write my one month blog?!) This month was so different from…
Impromptu Cooking Class, Hoi An – by Nathan
At the end of great day of biking around Hoi An, Vietnam, we ended by stopping at Tra Que Vegetable Farm and Restaurant for lunch. We started out with Vietnamese version of a grated green papaya salad with shrimp…
Fish and Chips Tour- Hoi An
What a fantastic day here in Hoi An, Vietnam. In order to give our family something to do in this city of cheap tailors and souvenir shops, we booked a tour called “Fish and Chips” which turned out…
Dunes of Vietnam and the Fairy Stream
Today, we did our first sightseeing since we hit Vietnam. After a busy 7 weeks of travel, it has been lovely spending the past few days on the beach, gazing out at the swaying palm trees, the rolling surf,…
The Floating Village of Kompong Phluk
Imagine being all surrounded by water, everywhere you look right outside your front door. To go anywhere, you must take pull the boat around and paddle. Going to school requires a 10 minute paddle. Need veggies for dinner? Better…
My first exorcism at Fukagawa Fudo Temple
Today, I went to my first exorcism. The Buddhist ceremony at Fukagawa Fudo Temple was one of the most fascinating hours of my trip so far. Viewers sat in rows behind the priest and when the chanting started, you could…
One Month of Travel – Update
I realized the other day that we are almost at the one month mark of our travels. In some respects, packing up and leaving Portland feels so distant but at the same time, the trip feels like it is flying…
Pretending to be Samurai
The past couple of days, we pretended we were samurai and nobles hiking the Nakasendo Trail. Many centuries ago, the Nakasendo Trail was a main thoroughfare between Japan’s old capital of Kyoto to Edo, the city currently known as Tokyo. …
Thousands of Torii Gates at Fushimi Inari Shrine
Today, I learned the color of vermilion. Apparently, this orange–red color is so disliked by evil spirits that many shrines and places of honor in Japan are painted in this bright orange color. Today, we went to Fushimi Inari shrine…