Coming Up

Hey! Guess what? On Monday night, Dad and I are going to Cambodia!!!

We will be getting to Bangkok via an overnight train, and then from Bangkok we'll be on a bus for around 4 hours. We will be going to where my mom and dad spent five months in a refugee camp in 1992. I am so excited! And, plus, I will get a week off from school! Although to do that I have to work over the weekend and on Monday, but oh well.

I will try to post while I'm gone, ok? If not, I'll see you in a 7-10 days! Bye!

Rachael, Rachael, Rachael of the jungle, WATCH OUT FOR THAT TREE!!

Hey! Guess what Dad, Mom, Erin, Eli, and I did yesterday? We went ziplining!!

It was a forty-five minute drive to where we were going. There were five other people there besides us, but we got separated into two groups. We first went to a beautiful waterfall. It was so beautiful, there were seven levels of it, and you had to climb very, very steep stairs to get to it.

After that we had a... sorta good lunch. Eli had a hard time with it, though, since he's vegetarian and it was all meat. Luckily, they had a dish for vegetarians, but it wasn't really enough.

Then it was time for the ziplining! We would be away for two hours, but first we had to wait a half-hour for the our harnesses to come! Grrr! Then, finally, we piled into the van and set off. We arrived at the place and we were shown how to zipline. Our brake was a piece of bamboo in the shape of the top part of a triangle. Ziplining was awesome! The rush of the wind, and the trees going past... yahoo! But at one point I braked too soon and came to a complete stop before I reached the platform. So I wrapped my legs around a handy nearby bamboo tree, and went hand-over-hand to the platform! It was fun!

I am so glad we went, we had such a great time! Join us next time on the Itinerant Ramblings show!

*Music playing in background as Itinerant Ramblings exits
'... Rachael, Rachael, Rachael of the jungle... Watch out for that tree!'*

History and Penicillin

Hey! I have a new subject in school! I think I told you that I used to have a history lesson, right? I was reading A Young People's History of the United States, by Howard Zinn. Well, that was so easy to me that Dad got me A People's History to the United States, also by Howard Zinn. This one is so much thicker than the other one, I think it's 688 pages, no counting the index and Author's note at the back. Phew! So, from now on, I will be reading a chapter a day of it.

Last night, Dad and I watched an interesting documentary on TV. It was about Penicillin, about the guys who first found it, and their work, and how it saved a lot of people's lives. You know, I think I took some kind of Penicillin when I had strep throat! It certainly helped me!

Well, I guess I should go now. Bye!

Guests

Hi!

Today Mom went out to Bangkok. Her friend Erin is coming to visit, and she's going to stay with her for a few days.

You know, we have had so many guests here! Kali and Bob and Sherri, Eli and Dylan, Mom, Kate, and now Erin! Whoever thought that so many people would come? I mean, we knew that people wanted to come, but we thought that they would change their minds. Also, why Thailand? Why not Israel? I have no clue. Maybe it's because Thailand is very touristy, and it has a lot of attractions in it. Like elephants!

Eli and Dylan are still not back yet. :( Oh, well, I now have a room to myself! I still miss them, though.

Well, it looks like a beautiful day out here! Mom and I went walking in the park early this morning and it felt so nice to be out! I also pet two cats there!

Happy Valentine's day, everyone! I forgot to say that last time.

Well, gotta go! Breakfast is ready!

Pictures

Hey! We finally uploaded the pictures from Mom's camera, so I have picked out a few that I really like. Here they are!


This is Mom and I with our tour guide Tuan (Two-on.). He was very nice, and spoke great English.



The picture on the right is from the performance I told you about. It is of a girl standing on trays of drinks that are balanced on a jug. She is rolling back and forth without spilling the drinks.

This picture is of Halong Bay. You see what I mean by the fact that the islands are everywhere?



The picture to the right is what you see on the streets all over Hanoi. People sitting on little kindergarten chairs and such! They're lucky they even have a place to set up their tables, since the sidewalks are used as motorcycle parking!




So, here are some of the pictures! I hope that you get a better idea of what Hanoi is like.

Hi

Hi! I'm baa-a-a-ck! Did'ja miss me? No? Aww, you hurt my feelings! *pouts*

I feels so good to be home! No having to worry about food ( We have a rule in traveling: Either cook it, peel it, or forget it. And that rules out most veggies and fruits!), clean toilets, ahh. Nice.

Eli and Dylan aren't back yet from their trip to Laos. I have to thank Eli for the use of his long underwear. It really kept me warm.

COUGHCOUGH! It seems that I have gotten a cold while I was in Vietnam. I am coughing and my nose is running like crazy!

Dad is planning to go to Cambodia soon, and I'm coming with him. The plan details aren't smoothed out, but I think we're stopping in Laos either on the way there or on the way back.

Well, gotta go! TTFN!

Museums

Hello! For our last few days in Vietnam, Mom and I decided to see some museums (yawn). Why do adults always think museums are fun for kids? Some are, like a Science center, but most of the ones about history and stuff like that are borrring!

The first one we went to was yesterday. We actually tried to see one other, Ho-Chi Minh's Mausoleum Complex, but it closed ten minutes after we got there, so we didn't really see it. Then we decided to go to another museum, one called the Vietnamese Museum of Ethnology. It was about the ethnic (tribal) groups in Vietnam. It talked about the different dress and ways of living, the different houses, and it had some good displays of artifacts. It was big, and we walked around 'till our feet hurt.

Today we again went to Ho-Chi Minh's Mausoleum Complex. Ho-Chi Minh's Mausoleum Complex is where the body of the beloved former leader is. "Despite the fact that his will requested cremation", the Vietnamese preserved his body and now it lies where all can see it. It is really cool, he looks like he is merely asleep and will wake up at any moment. Also, once a year, for three months, his body is sent to Russia for 'maintenance' :D.

Our next and final stop was the Women's Museum. The Women's Museum is a museum that honors the women soldiers who fought and helped other soldiers in the American and French wars. There were only two exhibits open. One was cool, it had artifacts and stuff from the war, but the other was not cool. There were all these posters on the wall, in Vietnamese, but with English translations (badly done) beside them. All the stories were essentially the same: A women is born into a very poor family. She grows up, marries, and has kids. She is too poor to support the kid's education, but then she finds a way. Her kids work hard, and they all get really good grades, and the family is better off, and they have a happy ending. Psh!

Oh, well. Tomorrow we fly back to Chiang Mai! Woohoo! See you then!

Vietnam: The Tour

Hello! Today Mom and I got back from our three-day tour!

The first day was a bit boring. There was a three-hour drive to Halong Bay, during which I got motion-sick! Then we got on our boat. There were two levels, not counting the top, on which were sun-chairs and tables. The first floor was where the rooms and the kitchen were located. The rooms were small, but they had a bathroom, and two beds. There was a window right above my bed, almost level with the water, and you could open it and let the sea breeze in! The only thing wrong with the room was that the bathroom door didn't close.

Our first stop was a cave. It was huge and very touristy, and it had colored lights in it that, I think, spoiled the natural beauty of the cave. We walked around for a while and then went back to the boat. Our other stop for the day was a port where people went kyaking. Mom and I didn't go, though, we didn't feel like getting wet and cold. Besides, I had to do my math (Dad will be happy that I'm keeping up with my studies, though I'm not as excited.). After the kyaking we went over to a big stretch of water where all these other boats are anchored, and that is where we anchored for sleep.

Perhaps I should tell you a bit about Halong Bay and the ocean that is nearby. There is a legend that goes like this:
"Once upon a time, soon after the Vietnamese people established their country, invaders came. The Jade Emperor sent Mother Dragon and her Child Dragons down to earth to help the Vietnamese people fight against their enemy. Right at the time invaders’ boats were rushing to the shore, the dragons landed down on earth. The dragons immediately sent out from their mouths a lot of pearls, which then turned into thousands of stone islands emerging in the sea like great walls challenging the invaders’ boats. The fast boats couldn’t manage to stop and crashed into the islands and into each other and broke into pieces. After the victory, Mother Dragon and Child Dragons didn’t return Heaven but stayed on earth at the place where the battle had occurred."
Ha Laong Bay is dotted with numerous islands, all covered with trees, and in some places you can see the veins of different rich earth in the cliff walls. It really is beautiful.

The second day was much more interesting. Mom, a whole bunch of people, and I went on a five kilometer hike up to the top of a hill. There was a tower at the hilltop which some people climber, but I didn't because it was very dangerous. After that we took a boat to an island called Monkey Island. We got to see the monkeys, and while Mom and other people climbed a hill, the tour guide Tuan (Two-on) and I climbed some rocks. It was fun! We slept at a hotel in Halong city.

Today we drove back to Hanoi. I slept in the car! I needed it, since both of us had gotten up really early the past two days,

My hour is almost up in this internet cafe, so I have to go. See ya!

Vietnam

Hi, everybody! We're in Vietnam!!! It's really cool here. I am writing this in an internet cafe, so I don't have much time.

Vietnamese is written with English characters, but it has little squiggly things over the letters, which indicates the tone. Vietnamese is a tonal language, just like Thai.

We are staying in a hotel in Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam. Yesterday we walked around for a bit, and then stayed in the hotel the rest of the day since everything is closed because of Chinese New Year. But last night was fun!

Last night we went to dinner, and then discovered that there was a thing going on at the street corner. There was a stage, and on it there was people preforming different acts. First was a beautiful lady that had a sparkle-y green leotard on, and parts of her arms and legs were painted with glittering paint. She did tricks on a hoop suspended around 15 feet (around 5-6 meters) above the stage. Next was a guy that sang some songs, we didn't really watch him. Then there were four young women that did different acrobatics. Next two guys who did flips and goofy things while working together as a team. Five women dressed in white followed, and the main one did tricks with multiple hula-hoops, even some that were on fire! Then there was a comedian, and after that four women. One of the women did cool balancing tricks, such as standing on a table with a barrel and five trays of drinks on top of that, and balancing without spilling the drinks or falling!

There were a couple more, but we were feeling tired from standing all this time, so we went home.

This morning we went out and walked around. We went to Lenin Park that was supposed to have a flower festival, but didn't. We got a ride with a bicycle rickshaw. A rickshaw is a bicycle, but instead of a front wheel there is a little bench over two wheels. A canopy is over the seat, and it keeps the riders dry in the rainy season.

On Sunday Mom and I are going on a three-day trip to Halong Bay and Cat Ba Island. We will sleep on a boat. I can't wait!

I have to go now. I will try to update again after we return from Halong Bay. See you then!

The Cooking Class (2)

Hello! Eli, Dylan, and I just got back from the cooking class. It was awesome!

The class is situated on an organic farm 17 kilometers (around 10 miles) outside the Old City. They have a cooking class every day.

The first place we went to was the local market, and there our teacher explained about cooking rice, making coconut milk/cream, and Thai seasonings. We also picked which dishes we wanted to make. The choices were:
(Curries)
Green curry with chicken/tofu, red curry with chicken/tofu, yellow curry with chicken/tofu,

(Soups)
Tom Yam soup with shrimp/tofu, Chicken/tofu in coconut milk, Thai veggies soup,

(Fried noodles and salad)
Fried chicken/tofu with cashew nuts, Papaya salad, Fried chicken/tofu with basil leaves,

(Vegetarian)
Vegetarian spring rolls, Pad Thai fried noodles with tofu, Stir fried big noodles with tofu,

(Desserts)
Bananas in coconut milk, Mango with sticky rice, and Pumpkin in coconut milk.

We could choose one out of each category. I chose: Red curry with chicken, Chicken in coconut milk, Stir-fried tofu with cashew nuts, Spring rolls, and Mango with sticky rice. What I really liked about that place was that everything was vegetarian-friendly.

The food was awesome! We made the first three dishes, and then ate lunch. Then there was an hour-and-a-half break, during which I pet the cats! There were two of them- one was a female, and she was cream-colored with black ears, mask,paws, and shading on her back. She looked to be part-Siamese, but she was strangely quiet. Her name was 'Sky' in Thai. The other one was a fat orange tabby female that had the softest fur! her name meant 'Fat'!

After the lunch break, we made the other dish and dessert. You had the option of taking it home.
Then the long day was over, and we took the half-hour to 45-minute ride home. It feels good to be back here, although I had a great time.

And, remember, starting tomorrow I will be gone for ten days! I will try to post at least once while I'm in Vietnam, but I can't promise anything. Juicy writing when I get back! See ya!

-Itinerant Ramblings.

Vietnam

As you may have heard, on Thursday, mom and I are going to Vietnam!

Vietnam is a country that runs along the coast of the South China Sea. Vietnam has long been a country of many wars. In 1858, one began "with a joint military force from France and a Spanish colony in the Philippines storming Danang. By 1883 the French imposed a Treaty of Protectorate on Vietnam."

"In WWII, there was only one group that significantly resisted Japanese occupation- the Viet Minh. When WWII ended, Ho Chi Minh declared Vietnam independent. "Soon after there was yet another war with the French. "When Ngo Dinh Diem , the leader of the Southern zone, refused to hold the 1956 elections the Ben Hai line became the border between North and South Vietnam. When Hanoi ordered the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) to infiltrate the South in 1964, the situation became desperate. The USA committed it's first combat troops a year later."

"Saigon surrendered to the NVA on April 30th 1975. Vietnam's reunification meant relief from more than a century of repression, but it was soon followed by another large-scale internal repression. Hundreds of thousands of southerners fled Vietnam ."

"The lingering effects of the 1997 Asian economic crisis, as well as outbreaks of the Asian influenza (bird flu) in 2004 and 2005 have meant sluggish growth in the tourism department. Although the government still appears unreconciled over the direction of economic and political reform, Vietnam is slowly opening to globalism. "

In Vietnam, we are planning to travel in the north, in the capital and other like places. I will try to blog while I am there, but I can't promise. We will return at around the 14th of February(i think). See you then!

P.S.- Giants Rock! (that was my dad, he made me put this on here.)

Hi...

HAPPY... uhh... SUPER-BOWL! Yippee to all you fans out there. Dad, Eli, and Dylan got up at 5:30am today to watch the Super-bowl. Well, they really wanted to see it! They should be back any minute now.

This weekend I mostly hung around at home. Mom, Eli, and Dylan went to the zoo and up to Doi Suthep! The reason I didn't go is because I cannot stand zoos! I hate the way they put the animals into too-small cages and make them do tricks so the tourists can gape at them! The only kind of zoo I can stand is a free-range zoo, or reserve, where the animals just roam around and do whatever they want.

The stupid dog is barking outside right now and I can't concentrate! Grr!
Err, that came out of nowhere!

Mom has been busy planning the trip to Vietnam! Everyone is going except Dad. I am really excited!


E-R-R-O-R! E-R-R-O-R!

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Eli, Dylan, and the rain

My brother Eli is here with his friend Dylan!!! I am really happy. I have missed my brother a lot.
They flew into Thailand at around 3:45pm Thursday afternoon. We ate at the Japanese resturant for dinner. I'm sorta worried about what Eli's going to eat since he's vegetarian. Luckily, there are some vegetarian places around town.

It started raining while we were at dinner! I mean, this is the dry season, but you can try telling that to the weather.

Last night we went over to the night market. The rain slackened off, thankfully. Eli and Dylan bought a lot of stuff. We got a roti! (A roti is a sweet, a fried pancake sorta thing, and you can choose toppings like chocolate and bananas. It's really good!) Since our feet and legs were hurting, Mom and I got a half-hour feet/legs massage. When we got done, it was almost 10:45! So we immediately got a taxi home and went to bed.

This morning I got up early, since we were going running. It was raining again! We decided why not, and went running in the rain! It was quite fun, although we got wet.

Well, I gotta go! Breakfast is ready!