Ethan Dylan Siegel's Website

July 13. Greetings from Ho Chi Minh City! We haven't been able to update our website for the last three weeks in Vietnam. Before that, we were in Bangkok for about 10 days at the end of June. We're going to Cambodia on the 15th and then returning to Thailand to visit the northern hills and the islands in the south. It looks pretty certain that we'll be returning in the middle of September now, right before our airline ticket expires. Imagine that. Since we couldn't update the site with the Bangkok photos, we're doing so now and we'll post some Vietnam and Cambodia photos soon. So, let's talk about Bangkok. Bangkok is a cool city. It is jammed with 10 million people and is a mixture of centuries-old and modern buildings and customs. Obviously, it was incredibly different than the places that we have seen over the last three months. One of the guidebooks that we read said that Bangkok can and will offend most of your senses. This is true, if you let it. Bangkok is hot, humid, hectic, loud, aromatic (to put it nicely) and full of traffic like you wouldn't believe. None of this matters, though, because it is also full of temples (called wats), a million bustling markets, and really friendly Thai people. Have no doubt, there was quite a bit of culture shock when we first arrived, but by the end of our stay we knew our way around, were eating all sorts of different things and our senses were stimulated rather than offended. For our first few days, we toured some of the famous wats and the Grand Palace, as well as several smaller wats and a few buddhas, too. We also went for a long walk through the labyrinth that is Chinatown, which is really a giant market of long, twisting, narrow alleys. We did some shopping and met wholesalers selling everything from hand bags made out of used jeans to electronics made in China with the most incomprehensible instructions translated into "English." One travel iron stated "Is not necessary excess implement 30 minutes as 10 minutes exceed is active." We spent one evening in Patpong, which, in addition to being the red light district of the city, also has a night market. Everything was inexpensive everywhere that we went, even when people were trying to rip us off. Most meals were less than $5 per person, and many were in the $2 range. After a few days of being on our own, we met up with our friend Josh and his girlfriend Pookie (sorry Pook if that's not how you spell it!!!). Josh has traveled to Thailand several times and moved to Bangkok a few months ago. Pookie is a native Thai, so it was great to have both of them as guides. They showed us a really good time and we saw a lot of things that we probably would not have seen without them. They certainly took us to some great restaurants that we never would have found on our own (or been brave enough to try!). We learned that Pookie has a well-earned reputation for ordering dishes on the sly -- we would agree in English on 4 or 5 dishes, she would order in Thai, and the waitress would bring 7 or 8 different dishes. The Thais serve the food as it is ready, so the dishes kept coming every few minutes, and we were never quite sure when the food would stop arriving. In addition to eating, we went to Chatuchak market, which has got to be one of the biggest markets in the world and sells EVERYTHING. Souvenirs, clothing, shoes, furniture, pets and everything else you can think of. The market goes on for as far as the eye can see in every direction. It is notorious for being extremely hot, and it was even hotter than that. At one point, Lane thought she was melting like the witch in Wizard of Oz. We also took a few rides on the long tail boats, which are long, narrow boats that have an old automobile engine at one end, and a long drive shaft (about 12 feet) hanging off the back with a small propeller. There are canals, called klongs, in portions of Bangkok and the outlying areas, and long tail boats are the best way to get around. We took one long tail boat through a klong in and near Bangkok, and took another one to a farm outside of the city. We also traveled north out of Bangkok one day to Ayutthaya, which was a former capital of Thailand before being destroyed by the Khmers from Cambodia. The ruins there were fascinating, and we also got to see and feed some elephants. What was perhaps most striking about Bangkok was how the past and present coexist side by side. Large skyscrapers next to aging, bare homes on the klongs. Giant malls next to people in stalls selling goods the same way they have for hundreds of years. Vietnam was totally cool, too, but more on that later...We've broken up this update into two parts, so check out page two when you are done with page one. It should be easier for some of you to load the pictures this way. If a picture doesn't load, just right-click on it and select "Show Picture." We hope everyone back home is enjoying the summer! It's been hot here, but we see that it's been equally hot in NYC. We haven't wilted yet and are still healthy, energetic and loving our travels. Best regards to everyone!