Adventures Through Nature; By: Audra

Wow! These last three days have been filled with many explorations through the jungle outside of Chiang Mai. On our second day here, I went ziplining through the hills which was tons of fun. The next two days consisted of an overnight trek to a local village. I rode an elephant, whitewater rafted, bamboo rafted, and went on the most intense hiking trails of my life. My group slept in a bamboo hut with the locals. They also cooked dinner and breakfast for us, and I was able to spend some time playing with the kids there. The experience definitely opened my eyes to different life styles. I asked my guide about whether or not the kids went to school, and he told me they have a school but no teacher. Currently, the school is being used to house bunnies, which they eat.

Meanwhile, back in Chiang Mai, Christine has been exploring the city on "tuk tuks" and loving the open air. She also learned how to make seven classic Thai dishes in a full day cooking course!

Christine and I also decided to take advantage of the incredibly inexpensive custom clothes making opportunity in Asia. Christine had a dress made and I stocked up on dress shirts and a suit for my upcoming interviews with school principals.

This afternoon we head back to Bangkok in order to catch our morning flight back to CA. See you soon!

Arrived in Chiang Mai; By: Audra

After our twelve-hour overnight bus ride, we arrived in Chiang Mai (in northern Thailand). The bus entertained us with a screening of "New Moon," which Christine excitedly jumped for joy about when she learned the bus driver's choice...although only to be thoroughly disappointed by the bootlegged-copy which was in Spanish with Thai subtitles. Haha...Oh Thailand...So Christine slept for the rest of the night while Audra stayed up and "kept watch" (my mom will like that sailing-lingo!).

Here in Chiang Mai we'll be letting our separate interests split us up for a few days. I will going on a group trek in the jungle while Christine stays in town to take cooking and massage classes!

Off to Chiang Mai, Recap of Saigon! By: Christine & Audra

We leave for Bangkok tomorrow morning, we will be taking an overnight bus to Chiang Mai, Thailand. If we get robbed while we are sleeping, Christine will blame Audra.... But if Christine looses her backpack, that will be her own fault... :)

The last four days have been filled with some great times, and some sketchy times... We have taken taxis that have ripped us off, then tried to walk to avoid the taxis, only to be almost hit by seas of motorbikes. But our times here were filled with pleasant experiences as well. Yesterday, we took a private cooking class where we learned how to make banana lotus salad, carmelized pork in clay pot, steamed rice with ginger, and sweet and sour starfruit soup with clams. It was all so delicious and was a highlight of our trip so far... :)

The day before, we took a day tour out to the Cu Chi Tunnels where we were able to climb through tunnels that the VC built during the American War. It was quite the experience as we were able to walk through an authentic tunnel and see the Vietnamese perspective on the war.

Audra of course, has enjoyed a plethora of new tropical fruit. We went to a fruit stand and picked out every single fruit we had never seen or tried and are still working on sampling our selection.

Being in Vietnam was definitely an adventure. We learned many lessons and have had many great bowls of pho. See you Chiang Mai!

Love you all,
C & A

Adventurous Times in Saigon! By: Christine

Spent a relaxing last day in Phuket, I spent the last of my Thai Baht on an oil massage, then took the mini bus to the airport to catch our flight to Saigon! Flight went very well, and despite the many screaming children on our flight, we made it!

Got a bit lost on our way to the hotel, but nothing we couldn't handle. :) Found a cozy little hotel with two twin beds for Audra and I, and I passed out before my head even hit the pillow!

Oh, I forgot to mention I left my backpack in the taxi cab and we had quite the adventurous 2 minutes chasing after the cab, jumping in another cab, and basically riding in a high speed car chase while the taxi driver successfully hunted down the first driver! So... despite how much my mother would have LOVED to see me loose my bag as a valuable lesson learned, sorry to say mom, not this time!! My luck was just too good! :)

So excited for the food, I think that here I will finally get my fix for noodles satisfied! Okay, off to see the famous Ben Thanh Market!

XOXO
Christine

Island Hopping By: Audra

Our last three days have been filled of island fun and adventure! Yesterday we went on a sea canoe trip to a cluster of islands off of Phuket. We literally had to lie down in the canoe (because the cave is too low to sit up) and then got to a beautiful lagoon with long-tailed macaques (for all of you non-anthropologists, a macaque is monkey). They were just feet from us! At night we went for a night canoe and saw the phytoplankton all lit up in the water like stars in the sky. So amazing! Today we went snorkeling and saw lots of bright fish. This evening, while out exploring, we stumbled upon the Phuket annual carnival, which added to our selection of amazing foods-- I had a banana nutella Thai pancake and Christine and I also got some more fresh fruit.

Tomorrow we head to Vietnam...more later!

Koh Mak! By: Christine

Left Bangkok early this morning (not without one last banana chocolate pancake from the corner food stand which is open 24 hours a day to accomodate hungry backpackers) to catch a flight to Trat, a small town in the south east corner of Thailand close to the border of Cambodia. We then took a ferry to the small remote island of Koh Mak. Our guesthouse is gorgeous and lies right on the beach! Today was spent resting and lounging around in hammocks... Our guesthouse restaurant serves some delicious food as well! Audra had Chicken Pad Thai and I enjoyed some delicious fresh scallops with garlic pepper dressing!

We walked the ten minutes it took to get into "town" and are off to enjoy some dinner.....

Tooodle Loooo!

XOXO,
Christine

Fruit, fruit, fruit! Mmmm; By: Audra

Today has been filled with lots of new fruit! We went to the floating market, which is where boats float around selling food and goods to shoppers who are also in boats. We tried lots and lots of new food-- especially all sorts of fresh fruit. I had coconut milk straight from the coconut (tasty and fun!). After the market the boat took us down the canal for a ride.

Tomorrow we're heading to an island for some relaxation (a nice change from our exhausting travel days!). There's no blue sky in Bangkok, but the island should solve that problem. My nature-quenching self is looking forward to a break from the big city!

Talk to you again soon!

I'm here! By: Audra

After about nineteen hours of flight time, I successfuly made it to Bangkok and connected with Christine just fine. Christine and I immediately jumped in on the day with a visit to the Grand Palace, which was remarkable with its ostentatious decor. We then walked through an outdoor market and took a ferry to another part of town (also with another market). One of the day's events including getting a FISH MASSAGE. Yes, literally, a fish massage (you put your feet in a pool of fish as they nibble!). I also got a fresh smoothie with starfruit from one of the street vendors where they blend the fruit right there in front of you. So...to sum up...Thailand is amazing. Having a great time and can't wait to explore some more!

Recap of first 3 days in Bangkok By: Christine

Sitting at our guesthouse anxiously awaiting Audra who should get here within the hour! Being in Bangkok by myself has definitely been an adventure!

The second day I met a woman from Switzerland and went to the famous Chatuchak Market... We spent hours there and never visited the same booth twice! Later that eveingin we went and explored Khao San Road which was filled with backpackers and international folks. Unfortunately her flight back home departed that evening!

Yesterday, I visited Jim Thompson's house (after a horrible taxi encounter and much wandering around). He was an American architect who moved to Thailand after WWII to start a silk trading company. He loved collecting antique art, and his houses which he literally had uprooted from Central Thailand were absolutely stunning!

I then headed up the canal to China Town but admit that the chlosterphobia of it all didn't allow me to make it that deep. But the food was amazing and there was tons of street food sold there that I've never seen and got to try for the first time. Including some delicious pink pomegranite juice... yum.

Today I wandered around Lumphini Park which reminds me of a less beautiful Central Park... Hopefully tonight Audra and I can visit the night market there!

Okay, off to write you all postcards!

XOXO Christine

Landed in Bangkok! By: Christine

After three flights, 2 layovers, 4 awful airplane movies, a night of sleeping in an airport chair, and hours later, I finally made it! The guesthouse I picked out is fantastic, lots of backpackers and young folks. The street food looks and tastes AMAZING! Really, most bustling I've ever seen.

Yesterday I got two massages-- they were fantastic and cheap! Loving Thailand! Now off I go to have fun!

Euphoria.... Once Again By: Christine

I promised that I'd be having too much fun in Maui to update my blog again before Bangkok, but today's euphoric events MUST be shared with my family and friends...

Today I met the woman who is the understudy for the character Elphaba in the San Francisco production of Wicked (Broadway Musical)!!! It was by total coincidence and luck that we were introduced! When I found out, I nearly fainted. Anyone who knows me well knows how CRAZY I am for that show and that cast! We hung out for hours talking and chatting away.... I even shared with her that I knew all the lines to every single song from the play, then we preceded to break out into duet of the song "What Is This Feeling?" (her singing her part, me singing Galinda's... of course).

She even offered to take me backstage and show me the ropes and even watch as they "greenify" her (apply green makeup to her face, hands, and neck)!! AHHHHHHHHHH

Okay, well that's enough of my dorkyness for tonight... For all of you that wished me fun on this trip, FEAR NOT. These past two days have been epic.

See you in Bangkok! :)

Hangin' Loose By: Christine

Having a wonderful time in Maui! Landed safe yesterday, enjoying the incredible weather and the gorgeous villa we are staying at that is right on the beach... Athena (5 years old) is slowly teaching me how to swim and soon maybe I'll venture off to the deep end! Which for me, is the 5ft area of the pool... :)

Wigo family off tonight to dinner, so I got to hang out watching the incredible sunset and sea turtles that came afloat for a few mins. Also saw whales yesterday on our drive from the airport!

Okay, well off for a mai tai and a hot tub sesh! Aloha!

MAUI WOWIE!! By: Christine

Maui Wowie here I come!! So excited to leave for the airport in five hours to catch my flight to Maui! All my bags are packed I'm ready to go... Can't wait to join the Wigo family!

I have a nice 5 days there until I embark on my 20 hour journey to Bangkok. Unfortunately, Audra and I decided to cut Cambodia out of our itinerary.. The difficulties of road travel and crossing the border and our little time in East Asia were the deciding factors. But... we are now heading to Phuket, the most popular island destination of Thailand instead! It is compared to Vegas with all its bright flashing lights and crazy nightlife... It will be a great contrast to the little island we will be visiting also!

Here are some "Lessons Learned the Hard Way" that I picked up from a friend who visited Vietnam recently. Hopefully, these are lessons Audra and I will NOT have to learn!

1. Don't give passport to anyone except hotel staff. Even tour guides!

2. All wine in VN is bad.. (We'll let you know if this one is true..) :)

3. Don't use hackers (those who come up to you asking you if you need a taxi) ever. Meters in taxis should say price/kilometer. Call hotel in advance and ask how much cab ride should be from airport/train station to the hotel.

4. Bargain for 50% off everything. 15%-25% off fruits and water in markets.

5. Smiles USUALLY help.

6. Don't put bags in taxi trunk if you can help it, in case of a money dispute. Cab drivers will not give bags back until you pay what they ask!

7. Always ask hotels if they close their doors at night.

Hope to update soon!

It's getting closer!

Hello world! Audra here. I can't believe how close our trip is getting and am excited that Christine has set up this blog for all of you (are we up to 2 followers now? lol) to follow our adventure. So, continuing with Christine's top 5 idea, mine are...

1. CULTURE. This is broad, I know....but hey, I'm an anthropologist!
2. Elephants. I am determined to ride one!
3. Floating markets with fresh fruit that I've never tasted before
4. Asian desserts. Gotta please my sweet tooth!
5. Looking out the window on train rides :)

-Audra

Preparing for big trip!

Christine of "Audra and Christine", here! Just checking in to say a hello to the many followers we've got out there! (0, well 1 including me...) We are making the final preparations to leave to Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam! I'm making a quick 5 day stop in Maui then heading off to Bangkok! Audra will then meet me there!

Much of our "plans" entail us figuring things out when we are there, so this blog is to keep all of our friends and family in the loop as we travel throughout the 3 countries!

Top 5 Things that Christine is most excited about:

5. Reading and relaxation on the white sand beaches of Ko Chang (and Maui).

4. Really inexpensive massages... Hmmmm...

3. Riding an elephant.

2. Thai cooking class in Chiang Mai, (where the instructor replies to my emails via her iPhone).

1. FOOD FOOD FOOD!!! I will start fasting now, and will arrive more hungry than I have ever been so I can really taste anything and everything!! Be forewarned, most of the pictures I take will be of food, Audra can take pictures of all the sights and stuff... :)

Look forward to updating you regularly on our exciting adventure!