Southeast Asia Takeaways

In the grand tradition of Top Ten lists, here's what we think you should know about Southeast Asia, and maybe a little bit about life in general:

10. Just eat it. Many fruits in Asia are very unfamiliar to what you may be used to. Don't bother to ask what it is...just try it. More than likely it's delicious. And besides, why do you need to know the name of what you won't find at home? It'll only be disappointing.

9. There is a system - you just can't see it. Our many interactions with airport employees, hotel staff, restaurant servers, tour guides, etc. taught us to just trust in their competence (something we're not used to doing at home). Even when it appears that no one knows what's going on, you'll find that it all works out...in the end. Don't freak out and pull the andon cord.

8. You can try, but you'll never understand the Japanese. God bless em, but we encountered Japanese tourists everywhere we went, and they never failed to baffle us. From the incessant photo-taking, mask-wearing, inefficient health screening, peace-sign posing, sun-avoiding, to the readily apparent repression, we're still just very confused.

7. Have a "vacation strategy." Wisam did an amazing job of segmenting our journey into sufficient amounts of what Arianne calls "active time" and "ass time." Play and rest, then play and rest some more. You don't want to be burned out, do you?

6. Thermal scanners are worthless. Truly. Look at Japan, and see #8.

5. Don't take it personally. Besides the US, it is perfectly acceptable everywhere else in the world to stare. Unabashedly. Join in - it's pretty fun.

4. Don't judge a person by their size. Small people can be a lot stronger than they look. Cases in point: the small Thai women that kicked our asses on the massage table, and Daht, our Sa Pa tour guide who basically ran up a mountain.

3. Take a culinary tour. Sampling the regional and national food (and drink!) is just as important, if not more than, the sightseeing part of the trip. Don't worry about the after effects...it's nothing a little Cipro can't handle :)

2. Listen to your instincts. The most rewarding adventures often have objectors at the outset. Both of our families questioned our ambitious trek, but we went ahead anyway and had an amazing time.

1. A friend you can travel with (and not want to kill by the end) is a rare treasure indeed. These are relationships worth tending and nurturing.


If you're headed to Southeast Asia, let us know! We have lots of opinions and recommendations!

Day 21....Homecoming

Unlike our journey into Asia, the flights were fairly uneventful. We made all of our connections and even got on an earlier flight from Atlanta to Boston, arriving safely (albeit in the 45-degree weather...that's Fahrenheit) around 8:30pm on 27 May.

Days 17-20: Ballin in Bali

After a few hours layover in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, we boarded another Air Asia flight for Bali, Indonesia. We arrived late at Nikko Bali Resort and Spa. In the morning we met up with our sectionmates (BD, Mel, Lauren, Emily, and Tzveta), who had been on their own Asia trek. We enjoyed frolicking in the sun and surf. That night we visited Uluwatu temple to watch the sunset and enjoy a cultural dance show. We finished up with a traditional family-style Balinese dinner.

The next day was more of the same: sun, surf, drink, ass-time. You get the idea. In the evening we went to Ku De Ta, an uber-hip outdoor restaurant and lounge right on the beach in Seminyak. As we approached the road barricades and security, I couldn't help but think this was the kind of place filled with Westerners that a terrorist might like to blow up. I tried not to think about it and had a great time with Wisam, drinking watermelon crushes and muching on quesadillas, gyoza, and edamame.

We departed for Singapore the next afternoon, in preparation for the 20 hours inflight back to Boston.

Click here: Complete Bali pics

Day 16: Angkor Wat and a Cruise Down "Shit River"

Shortly before sunrise, we met up with our personal tour guide for the day (I can't remember his name exactly, so I'll call him "Exquisite," the term he used to describe all of the temples and artwork, which is about right). Despite the cloud cover, the view was a magnificent sight to see, especially the reflection of the Angkor Wat entrance in the moat.



Exquisite suggested we also check out a floating village on Tonle Sap Lake, the largest freshwater area in all of Southeast Asia. Once on our tour boat, we learned that the citizens of the lake use it for everything: cooking, cleaning, fishing, travel...pee-pee and poo-poo. At that point, even us open-minded world travelers flinched. If there was any chance of catching malaria or some other rare disease in those shitty brown waters, this was it. Which basically took most of the fun and beauty out of the tour. Anyway, we also saw an unusual aquarium floating near the village.

After the tour we insisted on returning to the hotel to bathe and then promptly booked appointments at the nearby spa. Wisam received a massage and facial, while Arianne opted for some reflexology and a body scrub. Ahhhh...every day should be Cambodia spa day.

That night we met up with some HBS friends for a dinner at Hotel Le Paik and a Cambodian tasting menu. In the morning we would depart for our last port of call: BALI!!!

Day 15: Angkor Thom and Siem Reap Or "Tomb Raider Restaurant"

We caught an early flight to Siem Reap Cambodia, the town closest to famed Buddhist ruins at Angkor. As the small puddlejumper touched down in the humid morning air, I noted the lack of major paved roads. Nonetheless, Mr. Sin, our "handler,"as Wisam has taken to calling the hotel staff that meet us at each airport, greeted us warmly and quickly ushered us to the hotel Pavillon DÓrient. We were welcomed with cool lemongrass tea and our own private tuk tuk (a motorbike towing a 2-seater rickshaw) and driver, Mr. Sai.



Mr. Sai gave us a pleasant tour of Angkor Thom and its many ruins and then carted us into town for lunch at the Red Piano, a second home for the cast and crew of Tomb Raider, starring Angelina Jolie. There is even a cocktail named for the actress. Arianne enjoyed a red curry while Wisam took down samosas and a banana fruit shake (her favorite so far). We then retreated to our hotel to escape the afternoon heat.


Later that evening, Mr. Sai drove us to the Foreign Correspondents Club for dinner. We wanted to get some rest in preparation for the early wakeup call to view Angkor Wat at sunrise.

Click here for Complete Cambodia pics

Day 14: Ho Chi Minh City Sightseeing or "Some Serious A$$ time"

Over breakfast we decided that the luxurious amenities of the Legend Hotel were just too good to pass up for another visit to a museum or a pagoda, and we had earned some rest prior to traveling on to Angkor Wat in Cambodia. Wisam declared May 20th "National Chillaxin Day," and Arianne happily agreed.

After a much-needed workout and some pool time, we headed to nearby Sushi Bar for lunch and then a siesta. Had sunset drinks at Saigon Saigon, a rooftop bar at the famed Caravelle Hotel, which apparently plays host to some aggressive sex tourism. Legend Hotel, where we stayed, does not allow "visitors"after 9pm, and we saw that policy strictly enforced. Later we took in a late dinner and some in-depth girl talk at China Temple before calling it a night.



Click here for Complete Saigon pics

Day 13: "Just-in-time delivery" Or HBS Douchebag strikes again

Had Wisam and I been a couple, our luxurious room and the surroundings at Ha An hotel would have provided a tempting backdrop for a very romantic stay. As it turned out, our drunken revelry the night before just made for a very restful sleep.

In the morning, we indulged in another delectable breakfast buffet, followed by what can only be described as a capitalist consumption feeding frenzy. Between scarves for ourselves and souvenirs for loved ones, we singlehandedly stimulated the Vietnamese economy. It was kind of disgusting actually, but really really fun.

We ran into our friend from the Hoi An flight, Sam, sitting alone in a cafe, drowning his sorrows in a Coca-Cola. When we asked how his night had turned out, he grimaced and revealed that his far-fetched plans with the beautiful Emma were foiled by some open-shirted, fake-n-baked, cocky Rico Suave...none other than HBS Douchebag (see Day 12 post). He lamented, "I just don't understand. We spent the whole day together. I helped her pick out a suit, we got massages and had a great dinner together, then we went to the bar where we saw you...then that guy swoops in and steals my girl." Sam looked confused when Wisam and I looked at each other and erupted into laughter. "We go to school with him," we responded. Sam searched our faces for some sort of confirmation that this dude had violated some international code of 'bro-hood. "Yup," we confirmed. "You were the victim of an international cock-block." He still looked sad, so we tried to give him a game plan for that evening, recommending that he book a room at our hotel, Ha An, which would be a very romantic locale to take a lady friend. I added, "Yea, if Wisam and I were a couple, there would have been a lot of sweet sweet lovemaking going on last night." It suddenly dawned on him that we were not, in fact, the lesbians he had suspected us to be and looked even more disappointed. But there was no time to console him. We wished Sam safe travels and went on our way.

The afternoon was jam-packed. We picked up Wisam's suit, I had a cute set of custom sandals made, and we did a second fitting for our dresses, while they promised to have the finished product ready by 4pm to deliver to our hotel. At almost 4:30pm, a woman on a motorbike delivered our package, and we headed to Danang to catch a 6pm flight to Ho Chi Minh City.

After nearly half an hour in a Saigon cab in rush hour, we arrived at the super-luxe Legend Hotel (motto: "Not a myth, but a legend." Baller!) in District 1. Really only pics can describe this place, which we will post. The hotel was a significant upgrade after some moderate "roughing it" in Hanoi and Sa Pa. The staff obviously thought we were homeless when we checked in wearing our sweaty Western tourist streetwear.

We freshened up and put on some decent clothes before grabbing dinner at steakhouse Amigos, where we dined on Argentinean filet mignon and some beef carpaccio. Another highlight: local Vietnamese beer 333. Shortly thereafter we snuggled into our comfy beds at Legend, in a room overlooking the busy Saigon River, illuminated with commercial watercraft by night.