Ho chi minh and bia hoi

Today has been an eventful, chaotic day here in Hanoi and I am beyond grateful for the air conditioning in our hotel :)
Hanoi is loud, dirty, vibrant and energetic. We spent most of our morning in the Ho Chi Minh (Anne.... Remember our history song??) mausoleum, which geoff loved since he teaches a lot about Vietnam. After a big bowl of Pho ( who wouldn't want soup in 110 degree heat) and some more exploring we cozied up to plastic chairs for some bia hoi, which is the worlds cheapest beer at about $.25 a mug.
It is unbelievably hot here in Hanoi and between the heat, motor bikes and horns we are looking forward to a few days on a beautiful junk around Halong Bay. For now we'll go find another one of those $.25 beers.

Rainy day

A rainy day isn't so bad with beer, playing cards and our new friends Thai and Ti. It'll probably clear up soon to beautiful blue skies and crisp clean air.
Yesterday we had a beautiful morning on a boat and snorkeled over some amazing coral, but the weather turned and it was a bit of a show to get us back to shore, but we live to tell and it cleared for some sun bathing and drinks on land.

Today is our last full day on phu quoc and then we'll be off for some city time in Hanoi. we'll spend the rest of the day enjoying our beers, cards, new friends, $6 hour long massage & $4 mani/pedi on the beach. Not too bad for a rainy day!

Phu quoc, vietnam

Hello from Vietnam!
After a ridiculously long time flying we arrived at the sweetest Vietnam island where we are practically celebrities... Especially geoff! The people are so kind and interested in us. The island seems empty - very few tourists because it's the low season. We've had a few good down pours (it's pretty unreal) but all in all have had awesome weather.
We've spent the last 2 days scooting around the island, stopping when we see something worth a look (like a deserted beach or $.50 beer).
We are already in love with this country.


You'll have to excuse any errors in this message... I'm using my iPod touch!

And we're off

We're up early for a run and some brekkie to prepare for this crazy adventure ahead of us.... San Fran to Hong Kong - 14 hours.  Hong Kong to Bangkok - 3 hours.  4 hours of sleep in a Bangkok hotel then up early for a flight to Phu Quoc, Vietnam (with a layover in HCMC!)..... And then we will rest on the island for a bit.....  (Sigh.... Can't upload pics right now.)
Happy Summer everyone!

Just bein' lazy

Sorry friends, for not being a good blogger these days. I really want to post about our recent trip to Napa, my brother/sis and favorite nephew's visit, my love for my husband, the sun, my students and summer time. Soon. I promise. Meanwhile we prepare for our next big adventure ~ Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and Laos!

Sending x's & o's until then.....