Current Location…Osaka, Japan

For the past week I have been traveling in Japan and am currently in Osaka. I started my trip in Tokyo, which had the big city feel of Chicago combined with the lights and madness of Las Vegas.

From there I headed to Mt.Fuji. Even though I knew it was too cold to hike the tallest mountain in Japan, I was still hoping to get some nice views from town. However, the weather had another idea and it snowed the entire time I was there. The sky was filled with dense snow clouds and the ground was covered in a fluffy white blanket. Despite the freezing temperature I had a great time since I rarely find myself in snow filled situations.

This brings me to Osaka, a city just as lively as Tokyo but on a much smaller, more manageable scale. Tomorrow I will take a day trip to Kyoto to see some temples and shrines since it is only a 20 minute train ride away. Then I have a friend coming down from Tokyo to hangout some more while I am in Japan. There will be more stories and pictures to come when I arrive back in Ho Chi Minh City.

Published in: on January 22, 2012 at 8:49 pm  Comments (2)  
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Ah Khanh Blueberry Home Stay in the Mekong Delta

When traveling in Southeast Asia, a popular way to stay is in an authentic living environment called a “home stay”. A home stay is run by a local family who goes through great lengths to provide their guests with a relaxing and traditional experience. While in the Mekong Delta I stayed at the Ah Khanh Blueberry Home Stay during the Christmas weekend, which turned out to be the perfect time to stay because we were pretty much the only guests. There were several outside seating areas, tropical fruits growing and chickens running around to make me feel like I was getting to experience the “real deal”.

* This is the freeway we had to cross in order to get to the entrance to the neighborhood the home stay was in. The traffic in the Mekong was much less hectic than in Saigon.

* Walking through the neighborhood to get to the home stay.

* One of the dining areas.

* Some of the grounds surrounding the home stay. Most homes in this neighborhood have canals winding through their property.

* A sign pointing to the home stay. The little girl is the daughter of the owner.

*Our room, mosquito net and all.

* They told us these were blueberries, they don’t look very blue though.

* Honeybees

* Coconuts floating in the waterways next to the sidewalks by the home stay

*Chickens are a common pet in Vietnam

* A very large Jack Fruit

* Cocoa leaves

If you are interested in staying at the An Kahn Blueberry Garden Home Stay, please contact the manager Dong: ankhanvuondau@yahoo.com

Published in: on January 11, 2012 at 10:09 pm  Comments (4)  
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Another Big Buddha

After the snake farm we headed to “The Big Buddha” at a temple in the Mekong Delta. The temple’s architecture was built in the same fashion as Cambodian temples with ornate decorations and lots of shiny gold. This Big Buddha is one of three in Vietnam, the other are in Nha Trang and Da Nang. All three were designed by the same man who, at the age of 75, lives in Da Nang. The Big Buddha is the Happy Buddha, which represents – of all things- happiness.  I visited the Nha Trang Buddha a few months ago and was equally blown away by the size and beauty of  the Mekong Buddha.

* Me, my mom and the Big Buddha

* Happy Buddha

The grounds surrounding the temple were decorated with perfectly manicured gardens and several other buddha statues.

* This Buddha protects fisherman while they are away at sea

* A shrine made of rocks from the centrals regions pieced together with conrete

*Figurines inside the shrine

* On each piece of white paper, people have written the names of deceased relatives they wish to pray for

Published in: on January 6, 2012 at 5:35 pm  Leave a Comment  
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The Snake Farm

On our first day in the Mekong Delta, our tour guide took us to a snake farm. This farm is owned by the military and is home to thousands of highly poisonous cobras and vipers. These snakes are used to make anti-venom for those who are unfortunate to meet them in the dark, dank jungles of Vietnam. Rows of little concrete huts lined the walkways throughout the farm so it was easy to get up close and personal with some of the most deadly snakes in the world. At one point, a cage my mom and walked past had a very active cobra who actually hissed and lunged towards the cage door. Luckily it wasn’t a spitting cobra our guide informed us so there was nothing to be worried about. One of the most unsettling exhibits was an open enclosure filled with poisonous tree vipers, one side green and the other brown. The longer I looked at the trees the more I noticed vipers hanging from nearly every branch.

*Each little hut housed one or two snakes

*This guy did not like us

*How many brown vipers do you see?

*How many green vipers do you see?

The snake farm had several other animals as well, including ostriches, monkeys, guinea pigs and an enormous albino turtle.

Of course what snake farm would be complete without the infamous Snake Wine available for purchase. This is rice wine bottled with the carcasses of dead snakes. Traditionally this wine was intended for the macho men to drink in order to improve their strength and demonstrate their toughness. Now it is novelty item that can still be sold for a fairly high price. Some bottles may even contain dead scorpions and birds.

*Thirsty?

Published in: on January 2, 2012 at 2:11 pm  Comments (2)  
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