Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Quiz Time!

This is the first edition of our South East Asia Fun Quiz. Tomorrow we hop the boat to Cambodia and bid farewell to Vietnam. Good luck and please use a number two pencil.

1. In this photo Mary is...

a. showing off hers guns for the camera.
b. navigating a real life level of Goldeneye.
c. in a North Vietnamese cave hospital.
d. enjoying our cheapest hotel room yet.



2. This little boy is...

a. the proud owner of the dopest rims in town.
b. the envy of all less spoiled children on Halloween night.
c. proof there are no driving restrictions in Vietnam.
d. All of the above


3. This is a picture of...

a. a blue boat owning, pointy hat wearing, Paddler's Convention.
b. Vietnamese bumper boats.
c. tourist canoe ride traffic jam in the Mekong Delta.
d. the last photo taken before a monkey stole our camera.


4. This establishment in Ho Chi Minh is a...

a. crazy bar.
b. crazy chillout.
c. crazy night club.
d. None of the above


5. This little guy...

a. had a few to many to drink.
b. is a good friend of our buddy Theodore.
c. turned blue from over consumption.
d. All of the above



6. This photo shows...

a. the awe inspiring beauty of Sandals Resort from their latest brochure.
b. Phu Quoc Island, where we spent the last eight days doing almost nothing.
c. our inability to resist including a cliche sunset pic.
d. Aaron unimaginably tan.



Answer key: 1: c, 2: d, 3: c, 4: d, 5: d, 6: b & d

Friday, November 6, 2009

Uncle Ho or Kernel Sanders, You Be the Judge

No trip to Vietnam is possible without constant exposure to billboards, posters and statues of the famous leader Ho Chi Minh. Likewise, we have found it difficult not to notice the abundance of Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants throughout the country. Could it be that Ho Chi Minh is actually the famous American colonel, Kernel Sanders?


And while you try to wrap your head around that one, please enjoy these photos taken in the city bearing his name.

Ho Chi Minh City as we cross the Saigon River


Dried squid is sold every night on the street. It is cooked on a grill, balanced on a bicycle, and served with hot chili sauce.


This is a bicycle and motorbike flat tire repair station. They can be found on street corners throughout the city.


Saigon online - "The green wire goes to red wire, right?"


Saigon Notre-Dame Basilica was built between 1863 to 1880 by the French and the statue of the Virgin Mary brought crowds of people when someone reported to have seen a tear fall down her right cheek in 2005.


I would need a break too if I had to clean these streets.


At night we walked to the park to watch people play Jianzi, aka Shuttlecock.



We will continue to ponder this puzzling question as we head for the Mekong Delta and the sandy shores of Phu Quoc Island.

I think I'm learning Vietnamese, I really think so...