The One Month in Asia Mark – A Quick Update

Walking on the beach under a full moon with the perfect temperature for both sea and air (81 F/27 C) was a great way to celebrate my first month of being in Asia.

On Jan. 18, I arrived in Singapore and though I spent only 2 nights there, I really liked the feel of Singapore.  People are friendly, it’s busy without being chaotic, clean without being antiseptic.  And having watched Crazy Rich Asians on the plane en route, I have to admit that I really enjoyed going to the rooftop bar at Marina Sands, just like they did in the movie.  Well, not really just like in the movie.  They had a fab party and I had an $8 coffee, but it was still pretty cool.

Since I love orchids, I also enjoyed the Orchid Gardens with 25 varieties of orchids in the Botanical Gardens, which I reached with the Hop On Hop Off bus.  And I am sure I would have enjoyed a Singapore Sling at Raffles had there not been a really long line each time I tried.  Still, it is a beautiful signature hotel and worth seeing.

From Singapore, I went to a noisy, crowded, polluted, loud Bangkok.  It took me a few days to almost get used to it.  My respite from being overwhelmed was taking time on the river, either to have lunch at a riverside restaurant or take the basic commuter ferry from one end to the other.   It gets so packed with locals and tourists that you have to plan your exit early or you miss the stop – as I did!

Other than the usual but still fantastic sights such as the temples and Grand Palace, a highlight was the Jim Thompson House.  Very central and in the middle of Bangkok, it is an oasis of calm and tradition.  Jim Thompson was an American architect who settled in Bangkok and had traditional Thai houses relocated to be his home.  He is also credited with launching the Thai silk industry and his silk was used for the costumes for the movie The King and I.  And the shop is much too tempting for someone who is traveling light!

From Bangkok, and with a few self-imposed hitches (like wrong flights and having to get a visa for Vietnam) I went to Hoi An in Vietnam.  I chose to stay by the beach at Ally Boutique Resort Hotel, which was a great introduction to the hospitality and helpfulness of the Vietnamese people. They also had a convenient shuttle to old Hoi An, the preserved old center.

On my first day, a woman told me she took the shuttle there every night, and I remember thinking that surely one night would be enough.  But once I went, I, too, took the shuttle every night.  I did make it once during the day when I went to the market as part of a cooking class, but the magic is at night, with all of the lights on the streets and in the store, the boats with lanterns and the reflections on the river and ponds.

The hotel had free bicycles, so I rode through the rice paddy fields, to the vegetable village, and to the An Bangh beach area.  Once I was checking other places to stay (for budget and curiosity) and I stopped at a small restaurant to have a Vietnamese coffee and ask directions.  The owner took me on her husband’s moto to the place, went in with me to help translate, and then waited to take me back to retrieve my bicycle at her restaurant.

I was also very happy to have Vietnamese coffee there.  Vietnamese coffee is strong but very smooth, and even though it somehow always tastes chocolatey, it really is just the coffee – or perhaps the influence of the condensed milk that they add, stirring vigorously.

One of my favorite things was to eat a mango cake that I bought from one of two women on the street in the old town.  The only mango thing about it is the shape, as the filling is actually nuts.  It’s a great dessert or filler until dinner – or both!

From Hoi An, I took the overnight bus to Nha Trang and stayed in a 29th-floor apartment with a fantastic view of the entire beach, particularly spectacular when I arrived at sunrise.

Nha Trang was definitely big-city after small Hoi An and I honed my street-crossing skills, timing the crossing between the motos and avoiding big vehicles.  Or they avoided me.  While I did actually use the crosswalks, they don’t mean anything to the drivers.  Although once, I thought someone had actually stopped and only after did I realize it was because they had a red light!

From Nha Trang, I took another bus to Nam Chau, paying at the hotel as I did in Hoi An and then was picked up by a shuttle which took me to the bus.  And they kindly stopped almost right in the front of the resort where I am staying.  Actually, they forgot and I had to yell to stop!!

And now I am at Nam Chau Boutique Resort where my days here begin with a run and some exercise along the beach and in the water, followed by some time in the sea, usually jumping waves (because I am in the season for it being kitesurfer’s paradise) and then swimming laps in the pool.

And then as I am here as part of a workaway program, (workaway.info), I volunteer in exchange for my room and three meals a day and enjoying the resort.  This is a great program to have a cultural experience and get to know people.  Mostly I help with and teach English, and take photos for social media.

I have just decided to extend my visa and stay an extra month here.  The people are really nice, the beach is beautiful and if the winds stay calm like tonight, the swimming will be even better!