A Little More of SE Asia

Well I’m now back from my month long trip to SE Asia and I wanted to be sure to say thank you to everyone and acknowledge some special people and places. Following thanks in no special order

To Lam - you have certainly changed my perspective by sharing so much of your country with me. Your smile, our great conversations, your willingness to help anytime, any place - from the guests at the Wink Hotel reception area to the couple at the top of Fansipan to ensuring I found the medical clinic in Da Nang for my rabies vaccination. I think I could write for days about you. I truly think of you as a friend and I look forward to the next time I see you in Vietnam. And if you ever visit the US, I will absolutely repay the hospitality. And a side note of thanks to Auntie Song who shared her day, home, and wine with me. I will never forget her.

To Minh, your former customer and now your friend. Both times I have been to Vietnam, you not only shared your country with me, you also shared your friends with me. From shopping to dinner to Vietnamese coffee to the night clubs. I am so grateful for it all. I can’t wait to see you during Tét in February when you will also share your family and home with me. Side note of thanks to An for carting me around on the back of your motorbike for a day. I promise to learn to ride one for when I come next time.

Mei Nguyen - you were a wonderful guide. You had so much information and I could feel your excitement every time you had something new to tell me. And our home stays throughout the Mekong Delta. To the people who shared their home, food, time, wine (!) and knowledge with me. Thank you so much, the Mekong Delta was an incredible experience.

To the people that I met along the way this last month. You became a part of my story by sharing both mine and your experiences with me. If we became Fb friends, it’s because I throughly enjoyed our time. Maivnyuam Thoj (I couldn’t tag you but you most definitely made an impact on my trip, even if a short time). And to Nadia and Viktor, the couple who watched the house and took exceptional care of Oliver and Shadow while I was gone. Thank you for all the updates and pictures. I tried to tag everyone but if I missed you, please let me know.

To the hotels that went the extra step -

The Aliana in Sa Pa - they were able to accommodate my extended stay as Super Storm Yagi pounded the northern coast of Vietnam. I hope they stayed safe during the subsequent mudslides.

The Alaya Resort in Ubud that went above and beyond. I don’t even know how to say thank you. From allowing me to storage my luggage so I didn’t have to cart it around for three days, helping me extend my stay to calling the doctor for a house visit for my scratch to checking in on me to ensure I was okay after receiving the vaccinations.

To the tour companies - Xuẩn Từ Vietnam Tours - throughout the planning stages, fielding all my questions and putting together two impeccable stays. They met and exceeded all of my expectations. You have amazing guides on your team.

Varada Borneo Tours - the entire crew was amazing. Ivend was an exception guide. I knew I had the best one when I saw his dreadlocks and he began walking barefoot throughout the forest on our hikes. And my skipper, cook, and deck hands, hands down, I had the best group. Side note of thanks to the admin team as they monitored my flights and alerted me to changes. They then helped me walk through those changes with the airline to ensure everything went smoothly. Oh yeah, and those three different ATMs ❤️

Borneo Adventures - a huge thank you for being flexible when I had to delay my trip because of the monkey scratch. And even more so when they adjusted my tour with overland travel and I asked for river travel. Accommodating my requests, I’m not sure any other tour company would have been so willing.

The hospitality of the SE Asian peninsula and islands was incredible and I know I will be back.

I’ve been back from my trip now for almost two weeks and I thought I’d share some of my more controversial takes. Numbers 3 and 9 could cause quite the stir 😂😂

What do you think?

1. Never fly AirAsia again - it’s the equivalent of Frontier or Spirit

2. Malaysia Airlines business upgrade - totally worth it

3. Deplaning conventions that we have come to expect in the US are not guaranteed here - people don’t wait for the rows in front of them to leave before pushing down the aisle

4. Headphones - hmmm what are those?

5. SE Asian food is second to none

6. Navigating SE Asia airports is so easy. Drop off to gate in 15 minutes. I experienced this in every airport I went to on this trip, domestic and international. Why can’t the US get this straight?!

7. Immigration auto gates are worth the time that you spend in advance securing visas.

8. Global entry - 5 ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

9. Reclining seats should only be allowed on long hauls and airplanes need to make sure those seats have enough space for the reclining.

10. Third party bookers are not always bad. Hotels dot com did not once disappoint me. The rewards program not only gave me cash off new bookings but also several upgrades throughout my trip.

11. Cultural adventures are better than nature.

12. Vietnam is still my favorite SE Asian country. Queue the tattoo

Hmm…and now where am I off to next?