Island Paradise No.1

Since I made it through the bus ride, I decided it was time to relax for awhile and recover. What better place to then an island only accessible by boat on the Mekong River and no cars. Sounds good to me. 

Along the Mekong River

Luck was on our side after we disembarked the horrible bus. There was a boat that just happen to be going to Muong Ngoi Neua. Perfect! Laura and I somehow were the only people on this long boat down the river. The view was spectacular and it was all ours for a few hours.children played along the river bank and men were hauling in the days catch just as we docked at the port. 

Home sweet home for awhile

Only a few steps onto the island and we were greeted by bungalows with hammocks. Of course that is where we had to check into. It overlooked the river and the best part was that it cost $3 a night (that’s total between Laura and I). I knew from that moment we were going to stay awhile. Now there is one more thing the island does not have and that would be electricity. Generators run from 6:30pm to 9:45pm just for the important things. And no, the Internet is not an important thing. Oh well.

Boats on the river

As I walked down the street that first night the smells and sounds took me right back to Africa. The small town had one street running through with small shops perched on either side. Children and dogs ran up and down playing while mom and dad talked to the neighbors. Everyone knew everyone and you could feel it in the air. You could smell the meals being prepared over the fire just as the generators started their nightly buzz. 

Along the trek, rice patties

Given that the island is small, there is not a whole lot to do. The first day we decided to go trekking up to a cave and a local village. No one in town that claimed to be a guide would take us though because of the mud. No worries we can go on our own. Now the mud was pretty deep in some places but nothing we could not handle. We were able to wash it off in the river we had to wade across. It was beautiful. All around us there were rice patties and the mountains that rose out of nowhere. We found the cave but never the village. 

Cool side note: The cave was used as a home and shelter from the bombs for 12 years during the Secret War. Could you live in a small cave that long?

The celebration in town. Everyone was there.

We made lots of friends on the island. All were locals. The first was a guy named Saung who owned a tour company. We got to chatting and found out he was not leading tours right now because he was building a boat. He then asked if we wanted to help paint it. Sure. Why not? We had nothing else to do the next day. When we arrived promptly at 9am we were sent back to change cloths. We were no longer painting but going to attend a celebration of marriage and birth. Since it was Saung’s uncle, he invited us to join in. Now the Laos people know how to celebrate. The men had started on the Lao Lao (local whiskey) at about 6 that morning. We joined at 10am. Now it is extremely rude to refuse a glass when offered so I think Laura and I had about 7 glasses and boy was it strong. We did however make them pour half back into the bottle. Cannot have too much. We had to stop around noon but the party kept going. There was so much food and music. And we were the only outsiders invited. It was so much fun. 

Our other friend we made was a lady named Nang. She owns a restaurant with the best food in town. Every night we would just rave how good everything was. We kept going back for breakfast lunch and dinner. Her English was really good and she only learned it from the tourist. We would just sit and talk to her forever. One day we asked her about the monk alms in the morning and she invited us to join her the next day and she would show us. We arrived at 5:30am ready to go. But the monks slept in until about 6:30. Nang had prepared rice for us to give the monks and found a scarf for us to wear. It was interesting to be able to participate in this ritual with someone who does it every day. Most people experience this in Luang Prabang where there are hundreds of monks. There were only 6 on the island. She even made her husband ties photos for us. 

I'm ready for the alms.

Monks chanting a blessing after receiving the alms.

We spent most days reading, writing, hanging in the hammock or chatting with locals. After five days it was time to head on though. I really did not want to but knew we had to continue on our way. It was a perfect little relaxing retreat, just how I like it.             

How Did I Survive?

I have heard stories of buses getting stuck and the roads being bad, but I’m not sure there was much that could have prepared me for the bus ride to and from the Laos border.

Does this look like 4wheel drive to you?

It was only a two day journey but it felt like forever. The first day I left Sapa and headed to Dien Bien Phu only to arrive tired and sore ten hours later in a minibus with no shocks (remember my two falls – ouch). They are doing road construction the entire way and the only way to avoid the 24 hour bus ride from Hanoi and to keep from backtracking was to go through the north of Vietnam. Now when I say construction I don’t mean a pothole here and there, I mean they have torn up the entire road leaving mud and gravel. Do not forget it has been raining straight for days only making the mud worse. The good news is we only got stuck once and it was in gravel not mud. After a few minutes of pushing we were free to be on our way. Pulling into the bus station, I was so relieved to be off that uncomfortable bus. Little did I know that that was the good/easy/comfortable part of the journey. Oh no!

38 people in a 25 passenger mini bus.....plus luggage

The plan was to arrive early to the bus station the next morning to make sure I got a good seat on the bus. There was no such thing. I did get an actual seat, however, there was zero leg room causing me to be in a ball position. I should not complain though considering I could have been much worse off. Laura had a man pushing/leaning really hard on her and a lady hugging her legs. Others I had met along the way had people sitting on their laps, sitting between seats on pointy objects or standing at a side-goggled angle. There were 25 seats in this minibus but the driver, who had to take a hit from his bong every time we stopped, thought it would be a good idea to see just how many people you can fit into a minibus along with luggage, produce and a giant stuffed teary bear. Just when you thought there is no way one more person could fit, we would stop for three more people. At one point an old lady was literally lifted and body surfed to the back. She was little so surely they could find a space for her. The total count Including the driver and conductor……38 people. Crazy and cozy! Eight hours of this, great!

The "road" in Laos

That was just on the inside of the bus, outside it got just a little bit worse. The path that we took, I cannot bring myself to call it a road, was nothing but pure mud carved out of the side of massive mountains. I’m talking sheer cliffs. The minibus was also top heavy due to all the produce. At one point, and I wish I was exaggerating, the bus hit a dip which was bigger than the driver thought and we about toppled over onto our side. Even the locals were scared and that is never a good sign. One lady was grabbing at Laura and me in fear. But hey, after coming down the mountain and crossing through, not over, a river the ride was smooth, yet still cramped.

The border crossing only took like an hour and the poor guys at the immigration office did get an extra 2 dollars from everyone for overtime since it was Sunday. Oh yeah and a dollar for checking our temp to make sure we did not have H1N1. Really!?!  At least i was not asked if I had life insurance like Laura was. They even wanted to see documentation. For the love!

Seriously?!?! This is the driver.

We never did get stuck in the mud and have to push the bus out. We even arrived to our destination 3 hours early with the driver higher than a kite. How’d that happen? Looking back I really do not know how I survived the journey. I just know I was thankful that the next few rides were going to be by boat. Welcome to Laos!

Falling Through Sapa

For the most part i consider myself a balanced and graceful person, but ever since I arrived in Southeast Asia, I’ve become the biggest klutz. I’m talking I trip all the time over the sidewalk, tree roots, small pebbles, and sometimes nothing at all. Now the biggest tumbles came in the beautiful mountain town of Sapa. 

The town of Sapa

Set in the high mountains, where the heat is gone and so are the crowds, Sapa is one of my favorite places so far. It was looking quite bleak when I first arrived. The rain and clouds had set in. There were suppose to be gorgeous views but the clouds were in the way. The first day I spent the morning trying to get warm because it was so cold there, well at least in comparison to everywhere else I had been so far. I wore all of my Lon sleeved shirts and warm pants I had with me. Then I had to do laundry. Let me make a side note that I hate doing laundry, especially here because it has to be done by hand. It is so much effort. I miss my washing machine and my dryer. It took the laundry 3 days to dry in Sapa because it was so wet. Everything is wet in Sapa including the stairs. Can you guess what happened next? On my way to dinner I took the wet stairs and then went flying down an entire flight. Did I mention they were granite? I’m ok just a bit bruised on my back. 

Our guide Chi and the beautiful place she lives.

One of the highlights was that there were local tribes called Hmong people. Their villages were close to town. On the second day the clouds finally broke and the sun was shinning. Laura and I were going to walk to one of the villages. On our way we met a lady named Chi who remembered our names from the day before at the bus station. She agreed to walk with us and take us to her village. The walk was stunning. We were finally able to see the rice patty terraces all over the mountainside. We were fortunate that we did not decide to take a bus with all the people. For $2.50 each Chi was an awesome guide. She even showed us some marijuana growing on the side of the road.

Look what I found on the side of the road.

At one point we did decide to take a short cut which was fine except remember it had rained for days on days straight and the short cut was through mud on the mountainside. This time I hit a mud slick and went tumbling down the mountain. As if I was not sore enough from yesterdays fall. Again I was lucky and did not break anything just a nice face plant into the mud. My camera took the worst of it. No worries I got up, dusted off and continued on to the village where we learned how indigo dye is made, which just happens to be the Hmoung people’s specialty. We were finally experiencing the cultural side of Vietnam that we had been waiting to see. We spent a few hours in the village with the people and then headed back to Sapa via motorbike (it took almost 2 hours downhill to get there, no way we were walking back uphill). 

Falling down the mountains of Sapa

That evening we spent hanging out with Chi and her cousin Xie. We had dinner and then walked around the market. Xie was remarkable. She could speak a little bit of probably 12 to 15 different languages that she had learned from the tourist. Did I mention she is 19? Wish I could do that. 

Overall, Sapa was amazing and the perfect way to end my time in Vietnam. I not only fell through Sapa I fell on love with it as well.   

Rice Terraces

Visiting Uncle Ho in Hanoi

What do you want to become of your body after you die? I can almost guarantee that it is not to be displayed for all the world to see. That is unless you are a narasistic person. Well Ho Chi Minh wanted to be cremated but because he was the revolutionary for Vietnam, other plans took place. You can now visit him on a daily basis if you wish. His body has been placed in a glass sarcophagus for all to see. Now you must get up early if you want to see him because at 10:30 am he is done receiving visitors. Once a year he goes to Russia for two months to have maintenance done on his embalming. I suppose this is like going to the hair dresser to get your roots touched up and your hair trimmed. It takes a lot to keep looking good, or in his case keep from decaying.  

Uncle Ho's Mausoleum

Now Vietnamese take this visit very seriously. There is a dress code: no knees showing, no shoulders showing, no cleavage showing. You are also not allowed to take in large bags, cameras and cellphones. Once in the mausoleum, there is to be no talking, no laughing or no pausing at any time. You must keep moving. In regards to the no laughing part Laura and I were sure we were going to be sent to jail, so the plan was to not even look at one another once inside. As my dad said it so eloquently, ” no Ho snickering.” which actually made it worse because that’s what was running through my head the whole time. Well that, along with “gross.” 

I get seeing mummies in a museum because they were never intended to bee on display, to go look at a man that has been dead a little over forty years is just strange. Not to mention he looked quite pale and a bit uncomfortable. 

I’m sure you’re asking why would we even go see Uncle Ho (this is what children call him), because we can and it was free. Does there need to be a better reason. So if you have only one day in Hanoi, I highly recommend going to visit Ho Chi Minh’s mausoleum. Let’s just say it is an experience.            

Be Prepared to Expect the Worst

Beautiful junk boats with their white sails open cruising the turquoise water is how most people picture Halong Bay, Vietnam. However, after talking with fellow travelers who have visited, they have a very different and negative idea. This stems from taking yet another tour. I have heard anywhere from wonderful to horrifying stories of these tours. If you want to see it in a short amount of time, then a tour is really the only way. Oh no! Not another tour!

So what to do? Yes, Laura and I went for it and booked another tour. What are we thinking? This time we were going to be prepared. How you ask? Expect nothing but the absolute worst and it is bound to exceed your expectations or at least meet them. 

For $50 each we embarked on a 3 day/2 night tour. 

Just a glimpse of the hundreds of tourist

Day1: We were promptly picked up from our overnight bus from Hue and deposited to the bus that would take us to Halong Bay. It takes about 3 hours to get there. Our first guide (yes first of many) purchased the permits and lead us to the junk boat. Junk is the proper name not an expression given by the tourist, although it does suit. Our first meal, lunch, was way better than we thought it was going to be. Everything is served family style and the table was covered in vegetables, fish, tofu, rice, spring rolls, and fruit for dessert. Nothing to complain about there. When we arrived to our first destination it was a beautiful set of caves that are thousand of years old. Now if it weren’t for the kitchy colored lights, millions of Asian tourist pushing you out of the way, and the it’s a small world-esq music, it would have been even more spectacular. Back on the boat we were informed that our tour was going to be reversed. This meant we would spend the first night on the island of Cat Ba and the second night on the boat because they had over booked. Fine with us. So we were dropped off at the harbor and took a 30 minute bus ride through a widely uninhabited island. Think Cast Away except with a paved road. The hotel was nice and air-conditioned, which is a luxury here. Dinner was just as good as lunch and the walk through town after was very pleasant. So far so good. 

A peak at the cove

Waiting for the boat to pick us up.

Day 2: We woke up with plans for big adventures, but the rain quickly shattered that dream. We were suppose to go trekking up the mountains and along the ridge but since it was raining, we assumed it would be really, really muddy. No thanks. So I spent the morning lounging around and playing on the computer. When it was time for lunch, we ventured downstairs only to find that the table we were meant to join had eaten most of the food already. I’m sure it was quite comical as Laura and I hurriedly filled our bowls with whatever was left for the taking. Then it was time for kayaking, so we thought. Come to find out, our itinerary had been changed again. No kayaking, free time. As if we had not had enough of this already. So be it you know? There are much worse things than having to fill your time on a beautiful island. At 3 o’clock the bus came to pick us up and take us back to the boat. The second guide did forget to mention that we would be sitting at the dock for two hours waiting. Must have slipped his mind. It finally showed up. When we set anchor for the night in a peaceful cove, it was time to go swimming. I jumped off the three-story boat into the warm salt water. Perfect! We cleaned up for dinner and made sure to be there early. We did not want to have to fight for our food again. To top off the evening, we retired to the top deck and claimed some lounge chairs where we spent the rest of the night. We did not even pretend that we were going to sleep in the small stuffy cabin down below. Instead we slept under the stars and listened as the wind swept over the water. 

Such a beautiful place

Day 3: We awoke at 5:30 for sunrise over the bay, only to be greeted by rain again. But it was not going to ruin another day. Before breakfast it was finally time to go kayaking. I had been waiting for this. Sitting out in the water away from everyone and everything was so great. It was when you could really take in the majesty and beauty of Halong Bay. This moment was worth every penny and every run in with all the Asian tourists. By mid afternoon it was time to disembark our junk boat and head back for Hanoi. We did spend about two hours waiting for the bus but at this point what’s two more hours of sitting around. 

Kayaking on Halong Bay

In speaking with others that had endured the same journey, most were extremely upset with everything and hated most of the trip. Not Laura and I. We knew that even though it had its downfalls, it could have been much much worse. All in all we were very pleased. I know that if we had gone in expecting a top notch tour we would have been just as disappointed as the other tourist. However we were just happy our boat did not sink, the food was edible and there were no rats on the ship.   

Just remember it’s all about how you look at things!  

Too Much Shopping, Too Much Rain

The view from my lounge chair in Na Trang.

Yes this traveling stuff can be a bit tiring, which is why we must take time out and relax. During the short stop over in Na Trang, it was imperative I slow down a bit and take in the scenery. The bonus was it just happened to be a beach town with the horizon line resembling Hawaii. The clear turquoise water complements the  mountain backdrop perfectly. A great place to have a banana, pineapple, and mango smoothie and lounge on the beach for five hours under the warm sun. 

The Dress I Had Made in Hoi An & my Tailor

The next stop after my relaxing break is Hoi An. I took an overnight bus on which I passed out and awoke in the small quite town. Now Hoi An is known for having around 600 tailors that can make pretty much whatever you want from coats to dresses to a tux if you so need. After browsing a few shops, I found a tailor I liked (with good prices) and had a dress commissioned. The other thing this town is known for is it’s art, especially local oil paintings. So naturally I found like ten that I wanted, but there were two that I absolutely fell in love with. I had to choose because one they are about three feet square and two they are not the cheapest souvenirs you can get. I finally decided on a landscape with huts in the water with streaks coming from all directions to make it abstract. I cannot wait to hang this up at home.

Back to my dress. I returned the next day only to find that I loved it, so of course I had to purchase three more things. The dress is white with pink, purple, and silver drawn flowers. It fits loosely with a belt to cinch it at the waist. I love it!! It is just what I wanted. Sadly (and fortunately for my wallet) it was time to head on to the next town of Hue. 

The streets of Hue.

Up until this point I have been lucky with the weather, however that was about to change. Apparently a typhoon was coming through and even though Hue was not on the water, it defiantly was affected. It started to rain and rain and rain. The town turned into a lake overnight and the roads were under about eight inches of water. I attempted to go see the sights but it only rained harder once I reached the Citadel in the middle of town. Did I mention it was outside? By that point it was not really worth it. I headed back to a cafe and stayed put until the bus came. It continued to rain throughout the night and the next day and the next day. All I can say is thank God for ponchos!    

I'm ready to head out. Anyone think I look like a giant peep?

I’m Joining Hell’s Angels

It has been a dream of mine to ride a motorcycle for sometime now. Granted I do not have any idea how but that is beside the point. Well I’m pleased to announce that you better stay off the streets, I have learned. And I’m pretty good. 

No this is not a still shot. This is my flying by on Blaze.

In Dalat, Vietnam, after spending 2 days of walking around and not getting to see much of anything, it was time to event a motorbike. Yes we could have hired a guy to take us around on his bike but that was more pricey. Since we are all about the budget, and up for a little adventure, we wandered over to a lay that rents bikes and asked how much. She then asked “you good driver.” “Of course. Yes.” was our response. I have a feeling she started to regret her decision to rent them to us when we had to ask how they work and then I dropped my after a quick trial run around the block. Oops! 

After that we mounted the bike and set off. Within in like 5 seconds I about took out Laura because she stopped right in front of me. Then I about hit a brick wall while I was trying to stop. But after that I was good. I got the hang of it and realizes when you break not to tense up, other wise you actually accelerate. Oh did I mention that we have to go through those scary Vietnam traffic circles? That took awhile to master. Motorbikes, cars, and bicycles coming at you from all different directions….YIKES!!! But by then end you would have thought we were locals on the bikes (well maybe if you were blind).

Our Trusty Motorbikes Blaze & Pirate

 
With the wind in our hair and the open road in front of us, you would have thought we were a motorcycle gang. My bike was named Blaze (obviously because it had flames on it) and Laura’s was Pirate. We spent the day driving from place to place and having an amazing time. we were unstoppable, that is until it looked like the sky was going to open up and pour down on us. Then we headed for home. I’m not entirely sure we could have rain to the mix and come out alive. No we did not kill anyone or hit anyone so I think it was a successful day. I’m pretty sure the guy was so shocked to see us and the bikes returned in one piece.  

It’s Tourist Time in Vietnam

What a Tourist!!!

Most places in the world let anyone with a US passport pick up their visa at the border, but not Vietnam. They require everyone to pick it up in advance, which meant I was forced to spent a couple of days in a quiet little beach town in the south of Cambodia while waiting for my visa. Life is hard sometimes isn’t it? Since the visa was squared away it was time to head to Vietnam on a sleeper bus. What’s that you ask. It is a bus with beds. Yeah I know it’s pretty awesome be use you can recline and stretch your legs and even sleep! When we arrived at the border at 6am all went smoothly for most. However there were a couple of people who had not done their research and did not have a visa. What did we do? We left them sitting at the border where they had to find their was back into town. 

I continued on into Saigon (or Ho Chi Minh City as it has been renamed). now in Vietnam the main form of transport is motorbike and there are really no road rules, so it can be chaotic and frightening just crossing the street. This is a skill you must master so that you don’t get killed and so that you can venturer further than the block you are on. After watching a few locals and getting the advice do not hesitate just go, I stepped out into the street fearing for my life. I made it though. There were some close calls and maybe a few angry drivers but I’m still alive to tell the tale. Did I mention you can not even find sanctuary on the side walks because the really impatient drivers think that is their own personal road way? 

There was not a lot that I wanted to see in the city except for a new memorial for the Vietnam War. Seeing how US history books skimmed over that particular part, I knew little about it and was interested to learn more. However, that did not happen. I did go to the memorial but it was not a complete picture of that time in history. Yes there were plenty of gruesome photos of what the US soldiers did and the aftermath of agent orange, but there was no background of how the United States got involved or why. Let alone the stats of US soldiers killed or how they were treated as POWs. Now it is from the Vietnamese prospective and I understand that but it defiantly just played the blame game. Instead of gaining understanding of what occurred, I left even more confused than I arrived. Perhaps if my nationality were different I would have not been so disappointed but being from the United States I know that we just did not say “hey it’s getting boring here. Let’s go join a war for some action.” it as both frustrating and disappointing.

Our Guide for the Mekong Delta

But on to other adventures for me. Now I am not a fan per say of an organized tour where you are herded from one tourist attraction to the next. But seeing that there was not a whole lot of time, chose to take a one day tour of the Mekong Delta. If I had gone on my own it would have been much more expensive and taken way longer. Let’s remember that you typically get what you pay for and for $8 I got to be a cheesy tourist.

The Horse Drawn Carriage

 

The bus picked everyone up from their hotel and headed out only to stop after 20 minutes for a “break” aka a shopping opportunity. Where we stopped was a places where they made the lacquered wood panels by hand. There is much more work that goss into these than I would have ever thought. After seeing how they are made of course there was an opportunity to purchase them for insanely inflated prices. Our next stop was the Delta where we took a 5 minute boat ride to an island where we were able to try local foods and drinks while being serenaded by the local opera. Again we had the chance to purchase the goodies. Next was the horse drawn carriage i.e. The donkey cart that took us to the coconut candy factory.

Yum! The Coconut Candy Drying

Again samples along with buying more was an option. After one guy went through the sample line like it was a buffet, we took a paddle boat trip through the interior of the island, complete with the tourist hats. We finally sat down for lunch. The best part was when we were offered bikes and were told that we could explore the island of Ben Tre on our own. Laura, myself and a friend jumped at this opportunity while the rest of the group chose to sit at the restaurant. How boring. Off we went. It was beautiful and we got lost just a little bit. But it was so nice to not be in a big group were everyone had to do and go all together. My assessment- no more organized tours.

Exploring the Island of Ben Tre. I'm in the front.

1000 Steps & A Bamboo Train

Humidity oh how I hate humidity! If you think the south of the states is bad you ain’t seen nothing yet. I can be just standing in Cambodia and feel like I just stepped out of the shower. Did I mention that this is like at eight am? So to be climbing up the side of a mountain seems just lubricious. But the day must go on so up the mountain I go. 

Steps to Sampeau

Step by step I am having a hard time just walking up. I cannot imagine the workers having to haul all of the stone to not only make the path but also the temples at the top. However it was stunning from the top. There was also a place called the lost world that contains caves which were use for hiding out in times of war. It felt like I had yet again been transported to another place and time. The vines draped the hidden gorge like the amazon jungle. Three caves were all obscured from view until I was right upon them. Think for a moment Jurassic Park wirh all of the lush foliage minus all of the dinosaurs.   

Into the Lost World

Cave in the Gorge

Being the adventurer that I am, I chose not to hire a guide to show the way. How hard can it be to find the top of a mountain with a temple on it? Plus I am that cheap. Come on people we must think of the budget at all times. In the long run, I should have hired a guide because I never did find the killing cave where people had been bludgeoned to death and then tossed in from a skylight above. So all I missed out on was a cave full of skulls and bones. 

At the Top

At the top I was able to watch a ritual that was being performed to budda. I sat silently and watched monks and followers chant and dance as they offered up prayers. This is defiantly not the religion for me but it was calming to be able to experience this in their sanctuary. 

The fun must go on. Who can tell me what a bamboo train is? No it’s not quite what you are imagining. Think of it as a bamboo platform about 10 feet by six feet with an outboard motor going through the floor to the axle. Now considering that there is only one line of track and about twenty or so trains, there poses the problem of how do they all manage to run on it. Well let me give you the answer. They dissemble which ever train has the least amount of people and cargo on it. That’s right. They literally take the train apart and put it off to the side so the other can pass by. Then it is reassembled and back on it’s way. Pretty cool. The locals use this to get their produce to the markets. The tourist use this for a beautiful scenic ride through the countryside. I’m not going to lie here even though it was touristy it was really fun.     

Riding the Train

The Train Tracks

The Next Top Chef is …. Me!

Ever seen Top Chef? You better start watching if you haven’t because I’m pretty sure they are going to be calling and begging me to come on the show. Especially after they get a taste of my egg rolls.

So to switch things up a bit from all the temple viewing, I took a traditional Khmer cooking class from Toot, the head chef at Nary restaurant in Battambang Cambodia. We strolled to the market to get fresh produce that had been locally grown. It was all fun until we had to watch a lady beat a fish to death. I could have done without that. I have also come to the conclusion that if stranded on a deserted island I would most defiantly be reliant on the vegetation. 

After picking up lemongrass, eggplant, tomatoes, fresh paprika, coconut, garlic, and about twenty more items, we headed back to prepare our three course meal. Six other people were in the class and we had the option of what to cook. I opted for the fried pork spring rolls, green chicken curry, and beef lok lok.

Chef Lauren Hard at Work

First the preparation. You know how you can go to the store and pick up the curry powder in the spice isle and the coconut milk in a can. Well come to find out it takes like fifteen things to make that powder. From fresh you have to use a mortar and pestle to grind down everything into a fine paste. Then for the coconut milk you take shavings from a fresh coconut, pour hot water over the top, and squeeze squeeze squeeze to make it into milk. Nothing like a little hard work for a meal. It’s a goo thing we started three hours before we planned on eating. 

From there things got a bit simpler, prepare the sauce for lok lok, mix the ingredients for the spring rolls, than wrap in rice paper, and finally cook everything. It was a very long process but totally worth in the end. 

Now I don’t mean to toot my own horn or anything but the food was AMAZING!!! And that’s coming from some fortunate fellow that got to try my spring rolls. He had been traveling all over Thailand and Cambodia, hand said this was the “BEST” spring roll he had ever had. So when I get back expect a dinner party featuring my new skills. Until then you will just have to dream about it.        

Dinner is Served