Some context: Globally, there was the Covid-19 pandemic. Domestically, in the United States, we had social activism through Black Lives Matter movement and the election resulting in Biden’s victory over Trump. Locally, in California, we have been in “quarantine” for the majority of the year - staying safe from both the coronavirus and the wildfires.

I thought a good year end post could include the travel Cathy and I did, but we have a whole series of blog posts on that. There could also be a thing on quarantine activities (such as baking bread and gardening). Or things I have accomplished. But none of those things are everlasting. For interests change and accomplishments are superseded by future accomplishments.

So instead of recapping moments in time, I want to reflect on the revelations this year that have changed my outlook on life, forever.

Lifestyle Revelations:

Location - I could live anywhere; I could be a nomad; I can also settle down.

Early this year, we spent a month in Phuket. There, my primary activity was training in Muay Thai, which was as opposite of a life as this white collar professional from San Francisco could get. And it showed me that I could adapt to a different climate and different lifestyle, literally on the other side of the world. I could live there, or anywhere.

This year, we also lived a nomadic life while we traversed through Southeast Asia. We enjoyed being in different countries. We were on the move and always had the next destination. We learned to travel light and not have many earthly possessions. Indeed, I could be a nomad.

And then, of course, being grounded because of the pandemic… we settled down back at home. Doing so in a much more domesticated way than before. Like many others, we spent more time in the kitchen. And in our waking hours, mostly confined to our apartment. Home has never been so home-y. We have settled down.

My perspective has opened. I used to think that I could only be in the Bay, because that’s where I am most comfortable. Now, I realize I can adapt and be comfortable in many more ways. So even in choosing to stay here, I know I could do something else and be happy with it. Which is vastly different than being here just because I don’t think I’d be as comfortable or enjoy being somewhere else.. Because I could. So then it comes down to circumstance and choice, even if preferences aren’t as strong. One thing I can’t change as much though, is where my family is. And being close to them is important. So there’s that.

Diet - Keto & Intermittent Fasting

Keto is not a new idea, and probably has been trending up for a while now. This year, I figured I would give it a try. And it more or less worked, at least my version of it. While I haven’t been strictly on the ketogenic diet; I am about low-carb, low-starches, and avoiding sugar. But I cut myself a lot of slack, because I enjoy fruit. So while not strictly keto, my diet has been effective. I lost weight without anything more than casual exercise (recreational running), and kept weight off even during periods without exercising. 

Intermittent Fasting was an easy thing for me to do, just by skipping breakfast. I flirted with the one meal a day thing, but most days it’s nice to have a lunch break. And I’m not consistent about this either because there have been times I get the late night snack, or grab breakfast just to “fuel up” for a hike (really just that I want to eat that donut). This does work for me, because conceptually I understand it. Let the body get to the point where it can burn the reserve energy (more likely fat), and when paired with some fasted cardio, all the better. Again, no scientific method, and lots of cheat days. But it’s “worked”.

Since this works for me, I believe in it (for myself). And this is not just going to be a temporary diet, it will be my diet - how I eat on a regular basis. I do have an allowance for “cheating” though, enough to not feel deprived and to also enjoy some of the tasty things in life.

Exercise - Consistent and intentional exercise

My diet and exercise lifestyle has been working, because I am in the best shape of my life. And there’s this saying “muscles built in the gym, revealed in the kitchen”. I don’t have a six pack yet, but most of the muscle is there. I am stronger and faster than ever before. Waistline and thighs are smaller than ever. But perhaps, the best indicator of all the diet and exercise working is how I look in the mirror. Which is really a huge positive reinforcement for me. I look better so it encourages me to keep it up. And if I regress at all, then it reminds me to stop slacking. The downside is that I have a little bit of body dysmorphia - how I look matters to me and that can mess with me a bit psychologically.

Nonetheless, I have made a lot of progress on my fitness journey, so I will keep exercising. The exact regime might change, especially when I hit plateaus, but what will stay is the consistency and intentionality of exercise.

Farmer’s Markets and Food Values - humane, sustainable, ethical, local

I always cared about animals and the environment. Heck, I was president of the Endangered Species Awareness club in high school. Cathy is vegan, so I definitely sympathize with humane treatment of animals. It just hadn’t always factored into my eating habits because of a combination of factors - taste, convenience, convention, nutrition.

But what really clicked for me was watching the documentary “Kiss the Ground”. Its main point is that to save the environment, we need better farming practices. While that doesn’t directly relate to humane treatment of animals, it provided a motivation to reconsider what I eat.

So now, I take the time and energy to think about the food that I purchase to make sure it aligns with my values. I want food that is good for the environment, good for the animals, and good for the farmworkers. This means we look for labels that indicate organic, non-GMO, and humane (pasture-raised).

Practically, we have changed our grocery shopping habits. We buy most of our groceries at farmer’s markets. This helps to ensure that the food is local (reducing impact of shipping on the environment, and supporting the local economy). And by knowing the farms that we purchase from, we can use our money to vote for regenerative farming practices.

Not only are we able to shop for our values, but the food is much fresher, tastier, and nutritious. We hardly have any processed foods this way! When we made this switch, we were worried that shopping this way would be more expensive, especially when we factor in our special diets. But surprisingly, our grocery budget remained the same. But it surprisingly works out. By shopping mostly at farmer’s markets, we are able to avoid all the extra processed food and snacks that we would otherwise get at grocery stores. We spend the same amount on food, but it is much better for us and aligns with our values.

Data Science - better understanding, life-long learning

I won’t go too much into detail here, because much of this was covered in a previous post about Data Science Bootcamp. But really, I think I understand what data science is much more than before (and there’s still more to know, especially in different contexts). 

And most of all - I appreciate the value of life-long learning. When I was growing up, I avoided programming and didn’t want to become a software engineer because I heard that skills become obsolete quickly, and it requires constantly staying on top of the latest technology. That seemed like a silly proposition to have to keep learning just to keep a job. But now, I understand. The world moves forward, and to stay in place, you must move forward too. Not moving forward, is really moving backwards. And this applies in any domain, not just engineering. So I must continue to learn, and make that time and space to have a concerted effort around learning.

Doing things - Iterations and experience are key.

The other revelation I’ve had comes from doing projects and cooking. And that is the value of experience. There are some things you just can’t learn without experience. This concept of metis which I go in length on the data science post, is really fundamental to how I think about things now. To get better at cooking, I need to cook. And I need to cook a lot. Cutting the skin off a kabocha gets easier with more experience. Cooking over easy eggs just right requires a lot of repetition. 

This concept and value of iterations and experience leads to a simple bias - a bias to action. Just doing things is the way to do more things and to do it better. Nike really got it right - just do it.

Hairbands and Conditioner - these are necessities for long hair

This is my covid related revelation. Because I have been avoiding going to get my hair cut, my hair has gotten long. So I’ve faced issues I’ve never had before. Like my bangs getting extremely long and extremely annoying. They block my vision and keep touching my face. Wearing a hairband solves this problem.

Also, with long hair, it gets damaged and tangled (as opposed to short hair where all the potential problems are cut ahead of time). Conditioner helps keep the hair smooth. I really never understood the value of conditioner before. So I just wouldn’t use it. But now I do. And it’s nice.

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For The Record:

2020 Places visited - Thailand, Cambodia, Taiwan, Singapore, Vietnam, Hawaii, Bay Area

Accomplishments - Muay Thai training (one-month), Coursera Deep Learning Specialization, Metis Data Science Bootcamp, Rode a motorbike

Activities - Sightseeing, Hiking, Snorkeling, Cooking, Blogging, Running, Baking, Ice-cream making

Projects completed - Two family photo books, burpee button, personal expense tracker

Projects in progress - Portfolio website: College basketball prediction, fitness lifestyle, venmo analysis, body fat estimator (proof of concept)

Projects started - Professional Website, TipTap, burpee button v2, Body Fat Estimator

Books read - Too many to list

TV shows - Too many to track

Movies - Too many to track

Dreams and Data Science

I am in pursuit of a dream. That dream is data science. I’ll share a bit of the current state of the pursuit, but first I’d like to talk about the dream. 

Thinking about dreams, literally, the kind you have when you are asleep. Some dreams are more vivid than others. Some can be recalled very precisely when awake, and others not at all. The people in the dreams can be specific real life individuals or an amalgamation of a few, or can change from one to another. Same thing for the setting, it can be based on something real, or fake, and even shift from one moment to the next. All this to say, dreams can be vague and specific, static and fluid. Simultaneously opposite qualities, as is most of life, dreams (literal and figurative), data science, and my dream of data science.

Now a bit about data science. It’s not dissimilar from actuarial science or athletics. Broad categories that can mean many things. There are many different types of data scientists, actuaries, and athletes. As can be said about any category or label, it can be further defined and specified. It can tell you something, but not everything. Thus, it is simultaneously vague and specific.

A data scientist works with data and is a practitioner of science. Using scientific rigor, a data scientist seeks to understand, analyze, and use the data to develop insights, predictions, and at the extreme - scientific laws. (From how gravity works to how people behave to how games are played and won.) There are a vast many fields and applications - specialties, if you will - in the data science world. Like a dream, specific and yet vague.

Another thing about dreams - Literal dreams can be repeated or they can continue and even build from one thing to the next. So any one dream can be part of a larger dream, built on a sequence of (sometimes non-sequential) dreams. Figurative dreams are typically expressed as a result. Such as dreaming of owning a home. But the difference between a wish and a dream is that a wish is only the result that happens, and a dream is something that must be worked towards achieving — it can be made to happen. In essence, the pursuit of a dream is really part of the dream, because without the pursuit, a dream is just a wish. Therefore, dreams can be made of smaller dreams and smaller parts.

I once had a dream to study data science. This much can be said to have been accomplished through an intensive data science bootcamp.

The Data Science Bootcamp

So what’s a data science bootcamp, when data science is specific and yet vague? 

Well, a bootcamp is a new-ish form of education in which the entire program is condensed into a few short months. (Term borrowed from the more established military bootcamps, defined as a short, intensive, and rigorous course of training.) Bootcamps became especially in vogue for coding where software developers can quickly learn the basics of the trade, rather than study computer science at university. The success of these programs really comes with new industries where formal secondary education (e.g. universities) are slower to adopt contemporary curriculums. 

The data science bootcamp is focused on curriculum for the data science industry. Data Science requires a combination of computer programming, statistics, and some specific domain knowledge of the data. Practically it meant learning programming languages (Python, SQL) and other software[1]; machine learning and statistical techniques (regression, classification, unsupervised learning, deep learning); and exploring various specific domains such as Natural Language Processing.

The bootcamp I attended was Metis, which structured their curriculum around five projects. Their intention is to “combine traditional instruction in theory and technique with a real-world project-based approach.” The program is appropriately named after a Greek goddess of wisdom, Metis. And perhaps best description of the word metis, comes from William Eamon in his book “Science and the Secrets of Nature”:

“The Greeks called this type of knowledge metis, by which they meant the kind of practical intelligence based upon an acquired skill, experience, subtle wit, and quick judgment: in short, cunning. Metis, or cunning intelligence, was entirely different from philosophical knowledge. It applied in transient, shifting, and ambiguous situations that did not lend themselves to precise measurement or rigorous logic.”

I am very proud to have completed the bootcamp, and picked up some Data Science metis. This foundation is key to delve into the ever-evolving data science industry that is continually exploding with new techniques, software, and applications.

Frustrations at Bootcamp

I do have to admit - this bootcamp was one of the hardest things that I have ever done. There were so many moments of frustration, stress, and depression. 

An initial source of frustration was the machine learning vs. statistics perspective[2]. (Long story short: machine learning = predict the right thing; statistics = understand why). Having studied statistics in college, my natural leaning is as a statistician. However, this clashed with what I sensed from the bootcamp. The nature of the work, framing of the problems, and general attitudes were closer to machine learning. Once I finally recognized this, I was able to accept it and move on.

The biggest source of frustration was the fast pace and broad emphasis of the bootcamp. It pushed through materially quickly and broadly. The lectures served more as an introduction to the topics. And with the speed at which we moved from one to another, it was hard to go truly in depth and learn the material beyond what was necessary for implementation.

The quick turnaround in producing projects while learning the material induced a great deal of stress. It was a constant struggle between learning and doing. Time I spent learning more about what I was doing and how to do it, was time I was not spending doing the work. And the timelines were extremely aggressive.

Exacerbating the difficulty in learning the machine learning models, was my lack of programming skills. I spent most of my time fumbling around trying to figure out how to code or use certain software, rather than understanding the data, models, or developing insights and presentations.

All those things broke me down. Over and over. I stopped exercising, I binge-ate all the food, I binge-watched all the television. I would be moody. I was all encompassed, and for much of the time I was not the most pleasant person to be around. At one point, I was debating whether or not to drop out... 

And what made it even harder was the fact that it was all remote (due to covid). So it was much harder to make those bonds and commiserate with fellow students. Not that we didn’t support each other and help each other out. We did. It just was not as in depth as it would have been otherwise.

Why I Would Do It All Over Again

Yet - I would do it all over again. Once I accepted the bootcamp for what it was, and put aside my preconceived notions of how education should be, I truly appreciated the bootcamp for what it is and for the growth it pushed in me. Looking back, the growth achieved in just three short months was incredible.

First, it was necessary to see and feel the culture differences of machine learning and statistics. To understand that data science has room for both. And I could still learn data science skills while approaching things how I saw fit.

Truly, the goal of the project based, intensive bootcamp was to learn by doing. And I certainly learned more in a condensed time than I possibly could have otherwise. I learned about the machine learning models and all the basic data science skills. But more than that, I was able to practice taking a project from end-to-end. Formulating the problem; collecting, cleaning, storing the data; exploring the data, and building models, performing analysis and making visualizations; drawing conclusions, making presentations, and producing a webapp.

I also learned how to learn. This field is quickly changing, and needing to have the grit to figure things out and learn things on my own is crucial. This bootcamp forced me to learn how to seek information and learn for myself. This combined with asking for help, is how I would make progress. 

But perhaps the most valuable meta skill was understanding scoping and time management for a data science project. Understanding the process, having a feel for how long each step could take, when to reduce scope to move on... There is really only one way to develop this understanding — experience. The bootcamp provided that in spades.

Another big thing is that I have a much better sense for the field of “data science”. Which is hard because it is vague, and ambiguous and means different things to different people. I now have a sense for what those different things can mean. And much of “data science” has been demystified for me.

I wish I could go back in time to tell my past self how to prepare. I’d have told him to get much better at the programming in Python beforehand, to really practice and understand Git, and to read more about the data science field and what specific problems were being tackled. I would share what challenges and frustrations laid ahead.

But you know what, I don’t regret anything. I got so much out of the bootcamp. And even if I wish I was better prepared back then, I am now this much more capable and knowledgeable. I can continue to learn and work on data science projects. And hey, I now have four personal projects completed. That’s huge!

What’s next

I would say that I accomplished my dream of studying data science. And I would take it a step further to say that I accomplished my dream of being a data scientist.

But here’s another wrinkle to this tortured metaphor of dreams. What does it mean, when the dream is a state of being? To be a data scientist in a field that is continually advancing requires continuous growth and learning and practicing of data science. There’s still so much more for me to learn, not only to catch up (whatever that means), but to keep up when the field is still advancing. In other words, being a data scientist is not just a destination, but is the journey.

Here’s my commitment to the journey. I will keep on learning and will pursue different avenues of learning (structured, self-study, projects, employment). A few of my first next steps: Publish a data science website to showcase my portfolio; finish the fast.ai deep learning course; find a job where I can put my skills to use.

This is a dream that I will keep on catching.

BRB… job hunting and sciencing the data!

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[1] Just a ragtag list, note for myself, not all encompassing: Git, GitHub, SQL, pgAdmin 4, Google Cloud Platform, CLI, Heroku, Python (scikit learn, numpy, pandas, pyTorch, fast.ai, BeautifulSoup, matplotlib, seaborn), Tableau, etc…

[2] The single article that helped me reconcile my feelings was: https://www.svds.com/machine-learning-vs-statistics/ For pedantic clarification, I’m sure there are data scientists who align more with the statistician perspective. Though I do find the distinction and discussion of the differences helpful for those who feel a culture clash.

2020 threw our year in the blender, as it has for pretty much everyone. All in all, we’re doing great, and we count our blessings each day: the health of ourselves and our families, a safe space to shelter, a luxurious abundance of unstructured time, and sunshine here in California (when we’re not blanketed by smoke).

But we did give up something that meant a lot to us — our 2020 travels. With the way COVID unfolded across the US and around the world, we’ve long accepted the reality that our planned year of Capital-”T” Travel is off the table… indefinitely. We kissed goodbye to our flights to Portugal, our dreams of backpacking in South America, and our friends’ destination weddings. Our bookings refunds were redirected towards toilet paper and hand sanitizer. These were tough pills to swallow.

It took us months of bunkering down to reach a (groundbreaking, to us) realization… why don’t we simply travel our own backyard? Travel doesn’t have to involve flights, hotel rooms, foreign languages, passports, complicated itineraries, or even human contact. At its core, what I love about travel is the chance to see the world with fresh eyes, encountering new things, and realizing that there’s more out there than what I know. 

So we’ve decided to start a weekly tradition around traveling the Bay Area during COVID. Our rules are simple: Every Wednesday we leave the apartment and head into the wild. We spend the full day outside — jogging, walking, hiking, and soaking in nature. If we have work or calls, we take it from outdoors. To make things easier, we usually pack our lunch, snacks, and sunscreen, and leave a picnic blanket and tent in the trunk of the car.

We decided to term this “Wilderness Wednesdays.” I hope you enjoy my diary of where we went and what we did!

Golden Gate Park Strawberry Hill

In our inaugural Wilderness Wednesday, we decided to do something very, very approachable — spending the day in Golden Gate Park. Tons of people do this. And despite the fact that GGP is fifteen minutes from where we live, we haven’t spent substantial time there. Once we were inside the park, I was surprised at how large it was and how much time it would take to explore it fully.

In the morning, we went for a long run around the park to scope out potential picnic sites. We couldn’t explore the whole park due to its size, but decided to hang out around Strawberry Hill. Strawberry Hill is an island in the middle of man-made Stow Lake. It’s an artificial structure, yet feels completely natural, as home to a diverse ecosystem of plants, trees, birds, and butterflies. We climbed up to the waterfall and enjoyed panoramic views of the city from the top of the hill. We picnicked in the Golden Gate Pavilion, a pagoda on the water that was donated by sister city Taipei. 

(In case you were wondering, there are indeed strawberries growing on Strawberry Hill. Look out for them around the perimeter of the Golden Gate Pavilion!)

We chose to camp out in a small lawn just outside of Roman Bridge to Strawberry Hill, under a canopy of trees. It was empty there when we first set up, but we might’ve set a trend because a few families also decided to settle on that lawn later!

I left Golden Gate Park that day with a much greater appreciation for how large it is, and how much diversity it houses. It also provides a refuge for the diverse populace of SF... We saw a daycare with about a dozen kids walking in a line. Parents and caretakers there with their children. Dogwalkers, joggers, and working people taking conference calls while strolling underneath the cypress trees. I feel so fortunate that we have a connection to nature within the city, and am inspired to take advantage of it more often.

Rodeo Valley to Slacker Hill

We upped the ante the next week by driving north across the Golden Gate Bridge for a hike in Rodeo Valley. We took the Rodeo Valley Loop Trail, a moderate 6 mile loop that traversed valleys, cliffs, the coast, and forests. A lot of wildlife was visible that day, from songbirds and butterflies, to deer and rabbits. Parts of the trail were heavily forested with eucalyptus trees, and other parts were completely exposed along the coast. It was especially memorable to hike in the coastal mist on a sunny day because the sunlight diffused through the foggy atmosphere and everything was illuminated — our shadows completely disappeared!

At the end of the loop, we made a detour to climb Slacker Hill. I feel that “Slacker” Hill is a misnomer, since it was quite a climb to the top. But once there, the payoff is a beautiful panorama of the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, and the distant San Francisco skyline. There are thoughtful bales of hay placed so that hikers can sit and enjoy the view. 

We brought a picnic to eat at the summit. Allen was responsible for packing our burgers, but he forgot the bread. (Or was it purposeful to make the burgers protein-style?) We did our best to scarf down the burger ingredients before the wind could blow them away. It was still delicious, with a beautiful view and the satisfaction of having earned it!

Later we drove back to San Francisco to enjoy the Golden Gate Bridge from Baker Beach. The view of the Bridge is really beautiful. We ventured very far and found ourselves in the nude section, where there were still some nude sunbathers despite the wind blowing like crazy that day. We didn’t last long with the windchill — one day we’ll bring a tent!

Devil’s Slide to Gray Whale Cove State Beach

While hiking Slacker Hill, Allen made a comment about how he always wanted to try trail running, and I countered with why don’t we. So we set out to try it. Our primary consideration as absolute newbs is to find a beginner-friendly trail that is well-paved, yet still provides a modest incline and views to remind us that this is more than a jog through the park.

Devil’s Slide checked all our boxes. North of Half Moon Bay, this trail was formerly a section of Highway 1 that was decommissioned and replaced by the Tom Lantos tunnel. One lane of this former highway is dedicated to pedestrian hiking, and the other for cyclists. 

Once we arrived, it was clear why they closed this off from car traffic. Devil’s Slide is on the side of a steep cliff at risk of rockslide, with winding twists and turns, plus almost no visibility when covered in fog (which is half the time). It has a nine degree incline, which is perfect for cyclists whizzing down the coast, but less perfect for cars navigating this precarious stretch. Thanks to conservation efforts, the area is a hotspot for watching birds and whales on their migration patterns.

Since we were there during a heatwave, the fog burned off and the views were glorious. We did a quick jog up and down Devil’s Slide (but not gonna lie, we frequently stopped to take photos and admire the view).

Afterwards we walked ~7 minutes south of the Devil’s Slide south parking lot to Gray Whale Cove. This small (but massively underrated) beach is nestled between the more famous Montara State Beach to the south and Pacifica Beach to the north. To get there, you pretty much need to jaywalk Highway 1 to find the steep flights of steps that take you down to the cove. Once there, the trees and surf sounds obscure the highway traffic up above, and it’s incredibly peaceful. There was one group of surfers, some beach-goers, and a few dogs — pretty much nothing compared to the crowds at larger beaches nearby. We camped out there reading and sketching. I got a few sunburns on my legs.

On our way home, we grabbed food and drinks at the Taco Bell Cantina on Pacific Beach. This is reputedly the most beautiful Taco Bell in the word. It’s certainly the most beautiful Taco Bell I’ve ever eaten at, by a wide margin! This cantina is right on the beach, with outdoor seating in a deck overlooking the ocean. I imagine that the sunsets are spectacular from here! They serve beer and margaritas, which we definitely took advantage of on this hot beach day. 

What’s Next?

We definitely plan to keep this new tradition of “traveling” around the Bay Area outdoors on Wednesdays for as long as we can (a.k.a., while we’re both unemployed). Allen is great at coming up with ideas for new places to explore, and it’s fun every week to plan and anticipate where we will go next. 

Please let us know if you have recommendations for hidden gems around the Bay Area! Until next time!

BRB… chasing waterfalls

Right now we’re in limbo: desperately wanting to “get back to normal”, yet fearful of rushing into reopening without adequate testing and a solid plan. It’s a stressful time to be alive.

So to keep up our spirits, we compiled 19 things that we’re grateful for during this unprecedented time. We are all incredibly blessed, more blessed than we sometimes realize. Counting blessings reminds us of how much we have, and how much we have to give. If you relate to any of these, please consider checking out and giving back to an organization that helps those in need in that area.

Without any further ado, here’s our list!

Cathy’s List

19. Loved Ones - That my very close family and friends have stayed healthy and safe during this pandemic.

18. Basic Needs - Having basic needs met during this time when so many don’t. Shelter in place would be harder without a roof over our heads. (If you can relate, consider supporting the homeless. St. Vincent De Paul is our neighborhood’s shelter, and they can really use our help.)

17. Things Could Be Worse - Things could still be worse, as far as contagious diseases go. Could you imagine if ebola were a super-spreader? At least we don’t have to worry about compulsive blood vomiting!

16. Home - Without anywhere to go, I’m forced to slow down and really settle into my home and my neighborhood. I don’t think I’ve ever appreciated it more.

15. Art - Having time to dedicate to my artwork. (If you’re into fine art, check out MoMA’s free coursera classes, and consider buying a membership for when their doors open again!)

14. New Hobbies - Seeing many friends exploring new hobbies, making things with their hands, playing and relaxing, enjoying life.

13. Environment Benefits - The changes in consumption habits will help save the planet! I’m so inspired to hear about people gardening, upcycling, using less, and reducing waste where they can.

12. The Weather - Springtime is beautiful outside. Sheltering in place is easier with birdsong in the backyard.

11. Historical Significance - What a time to be alive! As a friend reminded me, this is one for the history books. And we’re living it.

Allen’s List

10. Health - Above all, I am thankful for my health. 

9. Family - Grateful for my family, who have been surprisingly pleasant to shelter-in-place with. I thought it would’ve been more frustrating, but it’s actually going pretty well. (Not everyone has loving families, and abusive families are exacerbated by quarantine. Learn more and spread the word about the national domestic abuse hotline.)

8. Friends - Whom I stay connected with via text, phone, instagram, zoom, line, hangouts, email and technology in general. 

7. Internet - For not only is it an endless supply of entertainment and information, it is truly a modern day utility.

6. Local restaurants - Appreciate having delicious food from a variety of cuisines; because we definitely need a changeup from the home cooked meals. (Consider ordering directly from small businesses, to cut out middlemen where possible. And gift cards are a great option to keep your favorite business afloat until their doors can open again.)

5. Amazon & Delivery People - It’s really great how easy it is to buy things and have them shipped to me. And while I know Amazon is the retail monolith that has its faults, it really is easy. (How much should we tip during a pandemic? This article presents a great perspective.)

4. Government and Scientists - For figuring out how to get us out of the crisis.

3. Time and Space - Having a simplified life with few distractions has forced me to evaluate what is important and what I want to do.

2. Cathy - Her passion for art is inspiring, and her support of me is energizing. She adds excitement to my days and serves as an outlet for all my thoughts.

Our Shared Number One

1. Frontline and Essential Works -  From healthcare to first responders, to plumbers, telecom, and other infrastructure workers. Thank you for working harder than ever so that we can curb the spread. Thank you for keeping the world running!

First and foremost - thank you to all the essential workers for doing what you do in the face of the pandemic. To the healthcare workers, grocery workers, delivery people, infrastructure maintainers, and all those in the food supply chain - thank you! Also, thank you to the public servants who are navigating the community through this crisis.

I also want to acknowledge how fortunate and privileged we are. Through all the travel and interactions with people, we are healthy. Financially, we had already planned to take time off and thus were prepared for the lack of income. We recognize that there are many who are not in the same position. There are many suffering medically, economically, and or emotionally - and our hearts go out to them. Please let us know if you are impacted, and we promise to do what we can.

Lastly, to those who have been merely inconvenienced. You have my sympathies as well.

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Our original plans were to spend early March in China. That was scuttled, and instead we made a mid-Pacific stop in Hawaii instead. Then, we planned to attend a Bay Area wedding before going off to Europe. Neither of those happened.

This pandemic has literally grounded us. We are currently back at home. For better and worse, we arrived just in time for the Bay Area’s shelter-in-place order to be in effect. It’s reassuring to be with our families, yet scary to have landed right before the outbreak locally[1]. I truly did not feel the impact of COVID-19, until the pandemic hit home. Now, I have often used the phrase “hit home” figuratively, and never truly felt the meaning behind it until now when I meant it literally. The pandemic is here in the Bay and has changed life as we know it.

Thankfully, we are safe and bunkered down.

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Some notes on our experience traveling through Asia during the pandemic:

We were lucky. While we were in Asia, the pandemic did not impact too much. It was not serious enough at the time for mass quarantine. We knew the virus was spreading, and wore masks at the airport. But aside from that, travel was pretty normal. Only towards mid-February did sensitivity increase. When we were in Vietnam, we noticed posters that encouraged proper hygiene. We even saw hand sanitizers with anti-coronavirus labeling! Perhaps the most drastic action we experienced was one restaurant that stated it would not serve Chinese customers. (Note: there is a sizable Chinese population in Vietnam.) It was a popular restaurant with tourists, and luckily we were able to be seated. Not sure if they could tell we were American or thought we were Vietnamese, or simply did not enforce their policy. Either way, we were able to enjoy one of the best meals of the trip.

Things were different after we left. As the pandemic spread, countries went into lockdown. As of the time of this writing, AKA Thailand (the muay thai gym we trained at for a month) has closed operations. Cambodia’s tourist economy has completely dried up. Vietnam has just started to ease restrictions. All things considered, the countries we visited have handled the pandemic well. And truly, Taiwan is a leading example of how to respond to an epidemic.

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So what have we been up to? 

Theoretically, the lack of travel would give us plenty of time to blog and document the rest of our Asia trip. Truthfully, the blog momentum stopped once the travel stopped. The mindset shifted away from travel and the travel blog. (Don’t worry, though. We haven’t forgotten, and at some point we will wrap up with some posts on Central and South Vietnam, and Hawaii.) 

We have in other ways, been following through with our purpose - catching dreams.

Cathy’s update -

What would you do if you had all the time in the world and nowhere to go? This question confronted me as our bombastic 2020 travels were canceled and we ended up stranded at home.

For me, the answer came from my earliest passion -- making art. I was always a low-key art kid growing up, and I’ve also worked as a professional caricaturist since 16, drawing live at events. But everyone (myself included) viewed it as just a hobby. These days, it’s practically the only thing I feel like doing. So during this period, with all the time in the world, I’d like to see how far I can push myself artistically. I’ve been diving really deep into art. 

My typical day starts with yoga, then goes into a full day of painting and drawing in my “studio” (a.k.a. a corner of my parent’s living room). On a good day, I complete 3 original paintings start to finish, and also practice technical drills in the evening. I share my favorites to Instagram @bycatx.

The days are rounded out with daily walks, weekly Netflix parties, and down-sizing/selling the unloveds of my closet on eBay and PoshMark. 

Allen’s update - 

My days are divided between a variety of focus points - exercising, reading, personal projects, and professional development.

A lifetime goal of mine is to get a six pack. So I’m working on that. And you know, I’ve always thought that if my job was to get in shape (like some movie stars are), that I could get buff. Now there’s no excuses and I’m putting my body to the test. It’s a priority, and that’s what I’m doing. A month and a half later - I’m about 9 lbs lighter and can do 70 burpees in a row. (Started at 18, so it’s definitely a huge improvement.)

My 2020 resolution was to read a book a week. Currently at 8 books, so that’s woefully behind, but no worries. Will catch up once I shift more towards pageturners.

Like many in the Valley (and the world), I dream up startup ideas. There’s been one particular idea that has stuck in my mind for years now. So I figure the wantrepreneur in me might as well produce a proof of concept. It is a good way to learn some skills and understand more about “tech”. Already, I have a greater appreciation in the amount of thought that goes into UX/UI.

On the professional front, I am freshening up on my skills. The world of data is constantly evolving and it’s hard to keep up with the latest techniques while working a demanding full time job. So I’m enjoying the time and space to give education more attention.

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OK - now you may be wondering what is going to happen to this website.

We’re going to keep it going. We’ll continue to share our thoughts and perspectives, just on different topics. Less about travel. More local flavor, more lifestyle... Still catching dreams.

If you want to keep up with the latest updates - sign up for our mailing list below!

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Footnote:

[1] At first, I considered our situation ironic. We left Asia and returned to the U.S. We went from being in developing countries close to the initial outbreak, then returned to the most advanced country on the other side of the planet. However, reality is sobering. Our country has turned out to be facing one of the most dire situations. It really pierces through the emperor’s clothes that is American exceptionalism. We are no better, and in fact worse than many other countries. Still, I do have confidence we will get through this, and become better. We have to.

First off, when we started our trip, our bags were full - with just a tiny bit of leeway. Add in a few souvenirs (e.g. boxing gloves, “dreamcatchers”) and we suddenly found ourselves sitting on our luggages struggling for ten minutes at a time just to pack it all in. Not only that, we were way over the airline weight restrictions [1].

Although we had resigned ourselves to paying the extra bag fees for check-in luggage, the current situation was not sustainable. We were going to be on the move every couple days in Vietnam; the extra time and stress of packing would not be worth it.

So we decided to do what the Vietnamese do. Now, if you’ve ever seen Vietnamese people and their luggage, you know what I mean. We got a large cardboard box, filled it with our stuff, and shipped it home. 

It was amazing how much extra stuff we had. Yes, a few items were acquired in Thailand, but the vast majority of what we packed was plain unnecessary.

Here are some of the biggest offenders:

• A desk lamp (Cathy’s)

• A 400-page hardcover book (Allen’s)

• Game Boy Color (Cathy’s)

• Nintendo Switch (Allen’s)

• Clothes and shoes that were season-inappropriate, dry-clean only, or just plain uncomfortable (Cathy’s)

• Padded boxing gloves (Allen’s)

• Loose-leaf tea that, funny enough, we weren’t drinking on the go (Cathy’s)

• An extra umbrella... yeah, we packed an extra “just in case” (Allen’s)

Somehow, we managed to fill a box with 14kg worth of stuff. That’s 31 pounds! And that’s after the post office lady told us to take out electronics to avoid a hold-up with customs.

Now here’s the kicker… It cost us $215 to ship the box. And you know what, it was worth every Vietnamese Dong (or 0.0043 US penny). We no longer needed to lug around all that literal dead weight. Even better was the mental relief; packing would be stress free, knowing that all our stuff would fit easily.

And it suddenly made sense to us why Vietnamese check in cardboard boxes as luggage [2]. It’s actually not luggage in the traditional sense, but really items meant to be shipped one way. And instead of actually shipping it from Vietnam and paying a ton, might as well check it in on a flight over. 

Footnotes:

[1] Asian budget airlines sure know how to tack it on… that 7kg cabin bag limit is impossible.

[2] Must also acknowledge this is not a Vietnamese specific phenomenon. I’ve seen this with other people, but just from casual observation, I’ve seen this happen more with Vietnamese than any other people.

“No I haven’t. Where’s Ninh Binh?”

The staffer shrugged. “Oh, it’s a place I recommend that everybody go if they have the chance in Vietnam.”

I’m grateful for this gentle nudge because it acquainted me with the dark horse of our Vietnam journey and altered the trajectory of our travels. Ninh Binh was not on our radar as a place to visit. But a few Google searches later, I was convinced we needed to go there. Trains and hostels were booked in short order. Two days later, off we went! 

Every direction you turn in Ninh Binh looks like a scene ripped out of National Geographic. Ninh Binh is the land of treacherously steep limestone mountains jutting from the earth, centuries-ancient caves carved into stone, rivers swirling quick over the rocks, and lush rice paddies growing along the banks. There are fish in the waters; birds, dragonflies, and wild bees in the air. Water buffaloes, goats, and cows sedately chew grass along the roadsides. The scenery is simultaneously dramatic and peaceful.

Icing on the cake is that tourism in the area is catered towards DIY self-exploration type travelers (like us). It’s very easy to rent a bicycle or motorbike to drive around and take it all in by yourself. The attractions are not too far apart, and the country roads between them are scenic adventures in their own right. The roads are nice and peaceful, punctuated here and there by a traveler on two wheels (or maybe a herd of buffalo). Just bring a GoPro to record the ride, and you’re all set.

Keep scrolling for our photos and explorations!

Trang An Grottoes Boat Tour

Indisputably the highlight of our trip! I had to keep pinching myself, it was too good to be real life.

The Trang An Grottoes are an eco-reserve of 15k acres of mountains and flooded valleys. You can only visit by boat. Rivers wind through the towering limestone mountains, forming caves and natural wetlands. Between the mountain, cave, aquatic, and wetland ecosystems, this tour is a wildlife-lover’s paradise.

It is also historically and culturally significant. This region’s perilous limestone mountains and twisting rivers formed an impenetrable barrier to repel Mongolian invasions from the north. Some of the Vietnamese warlords who led the defense later retreated into the Trang An mountains for spiritual hermitage, making this region a religious center. Temples were built among the island-mountains of Trang An to worship and commemorate these leaders. These shrines, sitting by the river at the base of steep ancient mountains, are an emotionally stirring and awe-inspiring sight.

When we visited in Feb 2020, there were three boat routes offered with slightly different attractions; all three routes cost 250k VND per person and take 3 hours to complete. We dithered on which route to take, ultimately picking the route that included Dot Cave, a 1-mile cave tunnel. I had an amazing time, and I think we would’ve been just as impressed with the other routes too.

Hoa Lu Ancient Capital

Hoa Lu was the capital of Vietnam in the 10th century, pre-dating the Hue ancient capital. This city was a cradle of ancient Vietnamese civilization. In its heyday, the Hoa Lu citadel included defensive walls, palaces, temples, and shrines. Most of these structures have turned to ruin over the centuries. Today, only few vestiges of the ancient citadel remain. I nevertheless found it impressive to see the ancient gates surrounded and protected by the ancient limestone mountains.

Hang Mua

Hang Mua is technically a cave, but best known for the 500-stair hike that leads to a stone dragon on the summit. The views from the top were epic. On one side, we saw a panorama of the Ngo Dong river winding through the mountains and rice paddies. On the other side was the city of Ninh Binh off inthe distance. Of course, the biggest payoff was getting up close and personal with the stone dragon guarding the summit and the shrine of Quan Am (the Goddess of Mercy). Golden dragonflies swarmed around the mountain when we were there, lending an otherworldly mystique to this sacred place.

Funny story, Allen and I intended to hike Hang Mua pre-dawn and watch the sunrise from the summit. We actually woke up at 4:30am, pumped to do this. But little did we know, our homestay family had locked up for the night, and there was no way to get our motorbike out the gate. All dressed up with nowhere to go, we went back to sleep. We ended up going mid-day with the rest of the tourist crowd, and it was still a great experience.

Bich Dong Pagoda

Bich Dong ancient pagoda is fully nestled into the mountainside. You need to cross a river to reach the temple gate, which is overgrown with centuries-old Banyan trees. There are several pagodas inside this complex. One of the shines we visited was on top of a steep hike up the mountainside and inside a cave; the deities were protected within the cave and yet had the perfect view to overlook Ninh Binh valley. At the back of one of the temples, Allen and I scrambled up the limestone cliff (literally on all fours) for an even more amazing view of the mountain range from the summit.

Thung Nham Bird Park

The dark horse at the end of our dark horse trip ;) After two intense days, Allen and I were exhausted. We waffled about whether or not we had the energy to make it out to the Thung Nham Bird Park. I’m very glad we put on our adventure pants and went for it. 

The bird sanctuary is home to over 40 bird species, some of which are endangered and only found in this bird park. The bird populations are most active at dusk, when they return from throughout Ninh Binh valley to roost here. 

I’ll never forget the sunset rowboat we took to the bird sanctuary in the middle of the lake. It was magical to soak in the setting sun, the quiet splashing of the boat on the river, the chirping chatter of birds in the sanctuary, and the birds gliding overhead to return home.

In conclusion

Ninh Binh’s natural beauty stole my heart and took my breath away. It’s wild that I wasn’t even aware of this place until a fortuitous question and a serendipitous detour off the itinerary! 

I guess in writing this, I hope to put Ninh Binh on YOUR radar. It’s a place I recommend that everybody go if they have the chance in Vietnam.

Pro-tips for travelers:

• Travelers are better off staying in Tam Coc rather than inside Ninh Binh downtown. Tam Coc is a cute area, much more traveler-friendly (with lively restaurants, bars, and shops open late), not to mention closer to the main attractions.

• Yes you can spend money on cushy resort hotels, but homestays are a solid option and a fraction of the price! The homestays are built out very much like hotels, with all the amenities and privacy. We stayed at Tam Coc Happy Home homestay, and highly recommend it.

• I highly recommend renting a motorbike for getting around, as it’s much faster (and less sweaty) than bicycle. We spent $100k VND per day, and carried around small bills to pay bike parking fees (typically $10-15k VND) at each major attraction. When you pay for bike parking, make sure to collect a ticket receipt otherwise they may charge you again ;)

• The streets are not brightly or consistently lit. This is dangerous if you’re on the road after sunset. I recommend accounting for the sunset times, and getting home before lights out. 

As US tourists visiting Vietnam half a century after the countryside was besieged by the US army, it’s impossible to ignore our shared histories. Vietnam is much more than a playground for American tourists. Vietnam is a country with a long history shaped by and involving my country too -- both as inspiration for its independence movement, then later as its antagonist.

In the past century, Vietnam went from being a protectorate of avuncular French colonialists, to being occupied by Japan, to being puppeteered and ravaged by the USA, to finally becoming the unified and independent state that it is today. Wartime is behind Vietnam, and today Vietnam is consistently ranked among the fastest developing countries in the world. Yes there is still poverty and corruption, but in light of recent conflicts, it’s astonishing how quickly Vietnam bounced back with patriotism, solidarity, and fierce pride in traditional cultures (embracing those of all its 54 ethnic groups).

I was fascinated by this twisty turvy narrative, which I pieced together across visits to the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and Museum, Hoa Lo Prison, Vietnamese National Museum, Women’s Museum, War Remnants Museum, and Cu Chi Tunnels. Allen and I also read The Sympathizer on the planes, trains, and buses of our voyage down the Vietnamese coastline; we were gripped by its mutli-faceted inquiry into Vietnamese/American history.[1] I highly recommend all these perspectives as eye-openers into modern history.

There were many things I didn’t know before exploring Vietnam these past two weeks. I’m grateful for how this time has broadened my perspectives on independence, communism, war, and the courage it takes to confront history. 

On Independence

For most of its history, Vietnam was not recognized as its own country. 

It’s difficult to appreciate the harsh conditions under which Vietnamese nationalism emerged. In the 19th century, Vietnamese dynastic sovereignty was eroded by the French military until all of Vietnam fell into the French Indochina in 1887. The French administration imposed harsh political and cultural changes; they developed a plantation economy for cheap export of tobacco, coffee, and rubber, while suppressing civil rights. Then during World War II, the Japanese occupation exploited Vietnam’s natural resources for the war effort, resulting in the Vietnamese famine of 1945 and two million deaths. Throughout, Vietnamese mandarins (bureaucrats) aided imperialists in subjugating their countrymen.

Faced with external oppressors and internal corruption, the Vietnamese were unified in their sense of crisis, but divided in what to do about it. Some nationalists believed in first kicking out the French and then organizing the country; they fought back violently in disorganized resistance plots that were easily dispatched by the French. Other nationalists believed in reforming Vietnam and then earning freedom from France; they developed public education programs around science, hygiene, and foreign language, but were also quashed by the French. Still others wanted to appease France, writing letters petitioning for better conditions. 

Communism emerged as the unifying answer to French oppression, domestic corruption, and vast economic inequality. Ho Chi Minh was the charismatic leader behind the movement, inspiring and unifying a critical mass of loyal nationalists with common goals and common vocabulary. To call these communists “diehard” would be an insulting understatement. These nationalists painted propaganda using their own blood in prison and composed patriotic poetry on their way to the guillotine. During the war, the countryside fasted one meal a day to save rice to feed the poor. They shared a vision of Vietnam’s independence that lasted through impossibly difficult decades. You have to respect and admire their resolve.

On Communism

It’s impossible to understate the role of the Communist Party and of Ho Chi Minh in leading Vietnam through decades of struggle. Western history critiques communist societies for lacking “basic human rights”: property, democracy, and unbiased education. Yet the more I learn more about Vietnam, the more I find myself asking “when it comes to liberty, the most basic of all rights, what exactly is so wrong with communism?”

In my read of the Vietnamese Declaration of Independence, communism is regarded less as a class struggle between proletariat and bourgeois, and more as a struggle between nationalists and foreign oppressors. The document is political, not economic. The philosophical tenet is to abolish exploitation and return sovereignty to the people. 

The opening lines of Vietnam’s Proclamation of Independence, composed and read by Ho Chi Minh in 1945, are as follows:

And it concludes:

On Anti-Communist Wars

It’s ironic that in the US, we refer to the conflict in Vietnam as the “Vietnam War”. Because Vietnam calls this period the “American War”.

Our tour guide in the Cu Chi Tunnels said that one of the most common questions Vietnamese ask themselves is, “Why did the Americans come here?” From their perspective, why would a world superpower spend $168 billion and send 9 million young men to fight the civil war of a third-world country 8,000 miles away? 

The truth is, I don’t know either.

I was born in the 1990's, two decades after the “Vietnam War'' ended and became a shadowy mention in US history. The US school system’s primary slant on Vietnam War history is about the anti-war, peace-sign, draft-burning demonstrations of the ‘60s and ‘70s. Leaving so many questions unasked and unanswered. Including, why did the US get embroiled in foreign conflict in the first place? How did this unpopular conflict escalate so heavily? How did we justify the massacre of innocents to our troops?

The textbook answer is that we were fighting the rise of communism in Asia. Which is a flimsy excuse to cover the extent of stupid things that America did while defending democracy and fighting communism:

• Violate the Geneva Accords by meddling in Vietnam’s elections to stand up a puppet government, and staging a coup d’etat to change out the leadership

• Engineer a civil war between North and South Vietnam

• Force relocation of millions of rural villagers into “strategic hamlets”

• Indiscriminately shoot up women, children, and elderly; torture, rape, maim and murder across the countryside

• Drop 7.5 million tons of bombs, the largest air campaign in US military history

• Deforest 4.5 million acres of jungle with dioxin (Agent Orange), exposing 4 million humans to toxic chemicals

• Continue supplying arms to South Vietnam for years after the US declared peace in 1973 and “pulled out” of the war

I don’t have any answer that can justify what happened in Vietnam. But I do know who stood most to benefit for the War on Communism:

• Lyndon B Johnson, who said, "I'm not going down in history as the first American President who lost a war." (1966)

• Robert Nixon, who said, “For the United States, this first defeat in our Nation's history would result in a collapse of confidence in American leadership, not only in Asia but throughout the world.” (1969)

• Military leadership promoted on the basis of body count, enemies and innocents alike; “If it’s dead, it’s Viet Cong.”

• Chemical companies Dow Chemicals, Monsanto, and others who profited from military herbicide contracts for 20 million gallons of Agent Orange and other herbicides

• The military and defense contractors profiting off some of the $11 billion spent on military operations during the Vietnam War

Whatever the reasons were, we were definitely wrong.

On Confronting History

Yes I know, history is written by the victor. And in the West, history written by communists is called propaganda. The Communist Party of Vietnam pumps all its pride, praise, and propaganda (definitely propaganda) into its legacy of communist unity and foriegn oppression. Armed guards stand motionless every 5 meters or so defending the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum from ideological attack (especially questions of Ho’s travels, authorship, and celibacy). 

There’s two sides to every story. The Communist Party also committed atrocities during the war. After their victory, they sent Southern soldiers into “re-education camps”. Even today, those whose parents supported the South cannot serve in the government. And the current regime is far from perfect -- poverty is still visible on the sidewalks, and police corruption is often the butt of jokes told by tour guides.

Nevertheless, I respect Vietnam for confronting their national history and telling their side of the story. For displaying the guillotines, stories, bomb remnants, and photographs documenting what happened.

It’s all the more important that Vietnam tells its own story, because no other nation can. US Courts rejected lawsuits from Vietnamese citizens for Agent Orange’s poisonous legacy of health problems (although they did settle the same claim by US veterans), and rejected data showing the magnitude of harm to Vietnamese people. The US will not admit the war crimes committed in Vietnam, because that would open the doors for lawsuits that could cost the government billions of dollars. And world history in general glosses over the tragedies that occurred in Southeast Asia.

It takes courage to talk about bad things with those who do not share your point of view. I’m grateful that recent history is on the tourism agenda in Vietnam because it inspires dialogues I otherwise would not have had. I believe this openness helped Vietnam heal from its unjust history. And I wish that a similar light were shed on other aspects of US history too.

In Conclusion

We can’t do anything about the atrocities that happened in Vietnam decades before we were born. But there is still war happening during our lifetimes. And, like Vietnamese of decades past, there are generations of Afghan and Iraqi children who learned to listen for the sound of bombs. It’s important to learn from the cost of warfare, and petition for peace during our lifetimes. 

In two weeks traveling across Vietnam, I find it remarkable how invariably welcoming Vietnamese people have been towards Allen and I, even when we say that we’re from the United States. We hear from locals that life goes on, that there’s optimism that tomorrow will be better than yesterday. And it genuinely does not feel like an empty platitude; people in Vietnam are industrious hustlers, from those employed in tourism, to the small business owners, to the farmers in the countryside. They have a fierce work ethic because they believe they can work towards a better life. 

I’m leaving Vietnam touched by the lessons I learned here and inspired by the spirit of resiliency and optimism.

Footnotes:

[1] Set as a flashback by a Viet Cong undercover agent, The Sympathizer explores the duality of North and South Vietnam, and of Vietnam-America events following the fall of Saigon. This novel is vivid and gripping, and I heartily recommend it to deepen appreciation for the complexity of American and Vietnamese/American history.

Hanoi Old Quarter is a dense labyrinth of meandering streets and back-alleys, with restaurants, bars, cafes, stores, tourist agencies, vendors, temples, and centuries-old trees all packed shoulder-to-shoulder and stacked one atop another. Space is at a premium in this old city where nothing goes to waste, so you see some very resourceful architecture as new structures grow up and around older ones to maximize the available space. 

Ancient temples speckle the city, jostling for space amidst the commercial and residential. We took a stroll one Sunday to see paper offerings burning in little containers on sidewalks all over the city (as well as little piles of trash aflame). The streets smouldered with incense smoke, and ash drifted everywhere.

Life unfurls on the sidewalk, the epicenter of business and leisure in Hanoi. Little ladies wearing straw conical hats peddle wares / fruits / bread on the sidewalk. Restaurants, bars, and cafes set up their own systems of plastic stools and tables to serve street food on the streets, literally. Some even go as far to set up portable stoves, cooking on the street. Storefronts wheel out their wares to set up outdoors. Technically, all this is illegal. Locals claim that every once in a while, someone yells “Police!” and all the operators scuttle their plastic stools and storefronts back indoors.

Allen points out that I’m romanticizing extremes that only exist due to under-developed city infrastructure. While this may be true, Hanoi captures my heart with the beauty of resilient people making their own way, “anything goes.” The way Hanoi evolved over its long history lends to a unique and chaotic charm that I’ve never experienced anywhere else in the world.

Keep reading for the experiences we enjoyed in Hanoi during our stay!

Food (OMG the food….):

• Tl;dr for this section: Everything in Hanoi is friggin delicious. The best bites are taken squatting on a shanty plastic stool on the sidewalk by no-name restaurants that only serve one dish. The shorter the stool, the better the food. I’m serious.

• Street Food Tour: Hanoi has a vibrant street food culture. We found a street food tour to be well worth the time and money because we got a local’s introduction to the cuisines, methods, and culture around Hanoi cuisine.

• Banh Mi 25: Every Hanoi tourist makes a requisite stop at Banh Mi 25 for the foreigner-friendly menu and delicious sandos. Interestingly, their kitchen and restaurant are across the street from one another, so the staff walks back and forth across the street couriering sandwiches.

• Pho Tin: Pho Tin is technically a small alley, and a motorbike literally drove through the restaurant when we ate there. An (unaffiliated) old man outside sells Chinese donuts, which I recommend buying to dunk into the pho broth. Life-changing.

• Bun Cha Dac Kim: Bun cha is a super-popular meal of fermented rice noodles dipped in fish sauce with beef. This bun cha restaurant was so successful that a copycat by the same name opened right next door -- go to the one on the right, that’s the authentic one.

• Cafe Giang: This unassuming cafe is the birthplace of egg coffee, which is a Hanoi specialty using whipped egg yolks in lieu of cream during the dairy shortages of the French War. The interior decor hasn’t much changed since the 1940s.

Cultural activities:

• Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and Museum, Hoa Lo Prison, The Vietnam National Museum: We visited several national / historical sites to make sense of Vietnam in the 20th century. This deepened our appreciation for the colossal hardships this country has overcome. I’ll save a more detailed discourse for a later blogpost, and just say here that Vietnamese modern history is mind-blowing and essential to appreciating the Vietnam of today.

• Women’s Museum: I felt a surge of emotion visiting this well-done museum full of women’s stories. Many of the museum’s artefacts were donated by their owners, along with their stories. Some stories in the Women in History exhibit detailing womens’ roles in the war brought me near to tears. 

• Ethnology Museum: Did you know that there are 54 ethnic groups in Vietnam? This museum celebrates the culture of these groups, going so far as to invite ethnic builders from each group to reconstruct traditional houses in the land outside.

• Temple of Literature: In Vietnam’s Confucian past, exams were held across the country every three years, and the top scholars were admitted to study at the Temple of Literature. Established in 1076, this picturesque complex is Vietnam’s oldest university.

• Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre: Water puppetry developed in the North Vietnam rice paddies. It’s a surreal experience to see puppets dancing through the water, especially accompanied by the haunting melody of the traditional Vietnamese monochord.

• Hanoi Opera House: The French built this remarkably ornate opera house during their occupation. Ironically, this was the site where Hanoi declared independence from French colonization. Worth passing by this beautiful and storied piece of architecture.

First, I’ll admit my ignorance. My knowledge of ancient civilizations is limited, gleaned mostly from popular culture. Through tourism I’m now slightly more educated, for I’ve learned about the Khmer empire, which dominated South East Asia for four centuries and is part of Cambodia’s esteemed history. Angkor Wat and the surrounding temples in the Angkor Archaeological Park remain as the everlasting achievement from the Khmer empire. 

I am reminded that empires rise and fall, that America’s current hegemony on the international stage is very recent and relatively brief. The Khmer empire was in power for much longer than the U.S. has even existed. It did not last, nor will America’s dominance — whether in my lifetime or after.

Another testament to the impermanence of any dominant social structure, is the changes of religion during the Khmer Empire itself from Hinduism to Buddhism, and back and forth. The same temples were used, with statues sacked and new ones put in place, and other thematic elements incorporated.

Nothing stays the same, the world goes on, and still we can each make our own legacy. (Even perhaps in the form of a blog.)

Besides the historical and cultural importance of Angkor Archaeological Park, there is so much to appreciate just basking in the atmosphere. I am amazed by the architectural mastery, natural beauty, and international preservation efforts. 

The sheer size of Angkor Wat is impressive, and it reaches ridiculous heights. Makes me wonder how they were able to engineer and construct such a large structure and also include so many intricate carvings. Granted, I’m sure the exploitation of many people contributed to the development, as was the case with other ancient marvels such as the Egyptian pyramids or the Great Wall of China. Still, the sheer manpower it must have taken is beyond my comprehension. And the other temples are magnificent in their own right, any of which is much more than I can fathom producing on my own or even organizing a group to do.

Over centuries, the temples were lost amidst the jungle that took over. And now, with proper care, some of the jungle was cleared to reveal the temples along with a nice scenic path to connect them all. It results in a natural environment for the temples to reside, so exploring the park is as much about appreciating the temples as bathing in the greenery.

The current preservation and restoration of the many temples is remarkable. At first, after going to Angkor Wat, I had the mistaken impression that the structures were all well kept and magically stood the test of time. While Angkor Wat still stands strong despite the obvious bullet holes from wartime, the temples were all in different states of ruin. Some stood the test of time, or were reconstructed earlier, and others acquiesced to mother nature whose trees are now intertwined with stone. There were even some temples that were just rubble and only enough reconstructed sections to aid the imagination of what the temple might have looked like. The crews in charge of restoration have a daunting task ahead of them; they must put together a 3-D puzzle using an incomplete set of puzzle pieces in the form of deteriorated stone fragments and having no image of the final product.

I came away with much respect and deep appreciation for UNESCO and the Cambodian government for their efforts to restore and maintain this wonderful park. It was fun to learn and admire, and experience the wonderment of discovering these temples for myself (along with the other tourists.)

Temple Rundown

Caught the sunrise at Angkor Wat

Allen flexes for the camera

Buddhas and people, facing every direction

Just your friendly tomb raiders posing for a pic!

Buddha peeking out through the roots

Cathy holding the sunset over the forest

• Small Loop: This is the “must do” route, which is the bare minimum if you only have one day in Siem Reap.

  • Angkor Wat — The most famous temple of them all! Go extremely early to snag a good spot to view the sunrise. Seriously, you need to camp out around 5-5:30am to get a decent view. Unfortunately, the “good” pool (the one on the left when you are facing the temple) was under construction, so we had to settle for the other pool for our sunrise reflection shots.

  • Angkor Thom and Bayon Temple — The distinctive element of Bayon Temple within Angkor Thom is the large Buddha heads adorned across the temple. It finally made sense why so many artworks feature a Buddha face comprised of many blocks.

  • Ta Keo — Smaller temple with very, very steep sandstone stairs. The payoff at the top is worth it!

  • Ta Prahm — This temple is overrun with wild growth. Trees have taken root on top of the stone, which make for an amazing juxtaposition of nature and man. This temple is also famous for being in the 2001 Tomb Raider movie starring Angelina Jolie. We subsequently watched this movie, and it was a fun action film.

  • Banteay Kdei — Also known as the "citadel of chambers", this temple consists of many small interconnected cells. The structures are mostly doorways amidst the ruin, which is pretty interesting to see.

  • Phnom Bakheng — This ancient Hindu temple is dedicated to Shiva the Destroyer. It’s also supposedly the best spot for watching sunsets over the forest. It is high on a hill, and you can see Angkor Wat in the distant southeast (but too far for a decent picture). HOWEVER, I do not recommend this place for the sunset. We arrived early to be among the 300 tourists allowed up for sunset (they limit entrance), but left before the sun actually set because it wasn’t that great a view, and with all the crowds it would be difficult to get a good picture.

Beautiful sunrise view from Pre Rup

Allen atop the temple ruins

Cathy behind the camera

Elephant!

Behind the camera at Ta Som

Arches for doorways

Temple in a small pond, within a big lake

Boardwalk posing

Finding peace between the doors

Rubble everywhere

• Big Loop: The Big Loop is less crowded, with smaller temples that are in more dilapidated states. It provides a more adventurous feel, and we enjoyed it more than the Small Loop.

  • Pre Rup — We arrived for sunrise to see the sandstone body of this temple glow golden. It was nice and peaceful, without all the crowds

  • East Mebon — A smaller temple, but nonetheless notable for having four enormous elephant statues and eight lion statues.

  • Ta Som — This temple also has many “strangler” trees. While not quite as iconic as Ta Prahm, the Ta Som temple is similar in overall vibe and much more peaceful, tucked away from the tourist hordes.

  • Neak Pean — This Buddhist temple was constructed in the middle of an enormous lake. We crossed a long boardwalk across the lake to reach the island, and it felt like being in a Legend of Zelda world. Swarms of different dragonflies - red, green, golden, and black - added to the mystic ambience.

  • Preah Khan — This one was interesting because the remains are mostly doorways, that all together form a cross when seen from a bird's eye view. The symmetry makes it a little disorienting and hard to discern which of the four paths from the middle to take to return to your starting point.

Protips: 

• There will be stairs, so wear comfortable shoes.

• Visit the temple loops in a counterclockwise fashion! Most tour groups travel clockwise (starting at Angkor Wat and driving clockwise), you can avoid the crowds that way. Also, Angkor Wat around 12-12:30 will be very empty, but the huge downside is that it will be unbearably hot. (We actually went once for the sunrise, then the next day around noon. And I’m glad we did both)

• Plan for three days to visit at a relaxed pace and avoid being in the park during peak heat (12-3pm). If you are well rested and not jetlagged, it’s possible to go through both loops in two days - though you will probably need a “double” day to double back into the park after a mid-afternoon break.

• There are many different ways to experience Angkor Wat. We had a car and tour guide for one day, then did the second day solo renting a motorbike. We strongly preferred the second day for the sense of adventure and the relaxed feel of being on our own. But ultimately, this depends on your travel style, so do your research:

  • Package tour with tour guide and transportation. Any of the travel companies on the street can arrange this for you, or your hotel, or you can find something online.

  • A la carte:

    • With or without a tour guide

      • With a tour guide - pick one up just for Angkor Wat, or find one for all of the temples.

    • Via car, tuk-tuk, motorbike, bicycle

      • Find a driver (tuk tuk or car) you like, and hire them for the day

      • Get a tuk tuk at each stop to take you to the next one

      • Rent your own vehicle (motorbike or bicycle)

• FYI for the runners — There is an annual Angkor Wat Half Marathon. So that could be a great activity to plan a trip around.

• We planned our trip based on other helpful travel blogs, so check them out for additional trip ideas:

  • https://www.wedreamoftravel.com/angkor-wat-3-day-itinerary/

  • https://loveandroad.com/best-way-to-visit-angkor-wat-sunrise-to-sunset-travel-guide-cambodia/

  • https://www.drinkteatravel.com/get-most-out-of-angkor-wat-visit/

Other observations about Cambodia:

• USD — While there is a local currency, transactions are mostly done in the U.S. Dollar. Except that instead of using coins for cents, the local currency is used with the conversion rate at 4,000 Cambodian Riel to 1 USD. Quite interesting, and also makes any transaction super complicated by adding in the currency conversion to make small change. For example, you can be quoted 65 cents for a bottle of water, then when you give them a dollar, you will receive 1,400 riel as change. It was quite odd at first, but I rationalized this as the dollar providing stable value, which is especially crucial for a developing country. 

  • More on that here: https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/is-it-time-for-cambodia-to-wean-itself-off-the-greenback/

• Challenges — Cambodia has its own challenges today, with a nominal democracy and de facto autocracy.

  • Corruption is high, where police are not trusted. At the motorbike rental shop, we were told to call the shop instead of the police if we got in an accident. Otherwise, the police would likely impound the bike and require bribes from us and the shop to resolve the situation.

  • Education is low. According to one of the locals, only 5% of Cambodians go to college. OECD reports that has gone up to 20% (as of 2014 report)

    • https://theaseanpost.com/article/cambodias-failing-education-system

  • On our way to the airport, the driver asked us a bit about politics (do you like Trump?) and gave us a chance to inquire about his thoughts on his government. He was honest in his critique and quick to point out that though they have “elections”, the same person always “wins”.  He hopes there may be a new government, and that there wouldn’t be as much corruption. Still, he made a point to say that he loves his country. 

  • Cambodia also has its own dark history, with massive genocide in the late 1970s. One of the “killing fields” is just 9 miles from the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh, and is now a tourist destination. While I think it is important to understand history, however dark, I think this might be a little too morbid for me to see in person. But we shall see, I do want to visit Phnom Penh one day, and perhaps then I will be brave enough to confront it head on.

• Parting thought  — Overall, in Cambodia, we met great people and experienced warm hospitality. I am fond of the Khmer people and culture. I sincerely wish them the best, and hope to see Cambodia continue its development.

• Kampuchea? — “The name ‘Cambodia’ is used most often in the Western world while ‘Kampuchea’ is more widely used in the East.” - Wikipedia

My farewell came with waterworks, since I had formed deep bonds on this island over a month living here. The Thailand leg of our journey was our experiment putting roots down somewhere, rather than just passing through. In this regard, we succeeded beyond our wildest imagination. 

Phuket, with its lush geography and capable population, became our home away from home. Thank you to the receptionist who casually repaired our motorbike mirror. To the family who cooked our dinner most nights. To our trainers who were always tripping us, then giving us a hand up. To new friends from around the world we crossed paths with. To the sandy shores that embraced us all.

These memories make it difficult to leave, but easy to say “we’ll be back”.

In the quiet moments between winding down our affairs and packing our bags, I tried to process what I learned from this experience. Here were my biggest eye-openers that I hope to bring back with me:

• We can make home anywhere: We were dubious about being able to settle down outside California, yet we did it for a month! While the Bay Area will always be “home home”, it was surprisingly effortless to acclimatize to a different part of the world. I am already nostalgic for the smell of ocean salt, street food carts, and motorbike wind in my hair. And the discomforts (broiling climate, rock-hard mattress, language/culture barriers) weren’t so bad after I embraced them. I learned that, as a human, I’m surprisingly resilient towards superficial “culture shocks”, and capable of putting down roots anywhere that I open my heart towards.

• There are people wayyy crazier than us out there: Back in the States, our decision to leave our jobs to travel seemed like a crazy lifestyle choice. Here in Thailand, our classmates are all unanimously 10x less traditional than us. We shared meals, blows, and boats with new friends who’ve ventured far off the beaten path, including: a professional mime, poker player, teenage MMA champ, illicit digital nomad, early retiree in their 30s, and Muay Thai fighter turned chakra healer. I was inspired by people of all nationalities and all walks of life who are catching their dreams. I learned from their stories that anything’s possible, and that sometimes the biggest risk is the risk you’re not taking. 

• Fitness as a lifestyle… I get it now!: I never used to exercise because I didn’t like getting sweaty (truth hurts). So, training 2-4 hours per day in the Thai swelter was uncomfortable at first. But I discovered something magical -- every day after I’ve drenched my shirt in sweat (only 5 minutes in), my brain decides that I’m as gross as I’ll ever be, and therefore nothing holds me back from giving it my all. The post-workout high is intoxicating and lasts all day. I’ve heard of the mythical fitness lifestyle -- people who “have to” train every day, same as eating and sleeping. I experienced that for a month, and it feels great! Allen and I have an intention to be more active more regularly, because it makes every other aspect of our days better. Let’s see how well we accomplish this in the rest of this year!

The final verdict and upshot of all our Thailand impressions is... we’ll be back. Whether that’s in one year or two, and for how long at a time, I don’t know. But we’ll definitely come back for the lifestyle we designed in Phuket (the training, beaches, and laidback productivity). Plus, now we’re way too invested in seeing how this corner of the world evolves over time!

Until next time, Phuket!!

The waters around Phuket Island are dotted with hundreds of islands, unique limestone rock formations, sea caves, lagoons, and coral reefs. There’s so much to see beyond our own shores, and we couldn’t resist making the trip. 

We spent three weekends island hopping around Thailand. Two of the excursions were booked through tour groups, and one was arranged by our AKA buddy and a local friend.

Hop #1: Phi Phi Islands

Many consider this to be a must-hop from Phuket or Krabi, and we whole-heartedly agree! 

The six Phi Phi Islands are nestled between Phuket and the Straits of Malacca. These islands were formed as seismic activity and lowering sea levels pushed coral reefs to the surface. Eroded by rain, wind, and surf, these reefs formed into distinctive limestone islands. This area within the Andaman sea is famous for its shallow turquoise waters, coral reefs, and abundance of seafood (Allen ate Andaman blue crab for his bday dinner). 

My greatest delight in Phi Phi island hopping was the snorkeling. Our boat made numerous snorkel stops around coves, beaches, and in the middle of the sea. Every time, we were blown away by the life teeming under the surface. The entire cast of Finding Nemo could be found here, and we even saw a baby (reef) shark!

As a close second, the Phi Phi beaches aren’t bad either :) Fewer people come here relative to Phuket because it requires a boat and a national park pass, so the atmosphere is less claustrophobic.

Protips: 

• Go easy on the dramamine (seasickness pills)!! Allen accidentally doubled the dosage and was in a comatose high for most of this trip :( It’s serious stuff, best to stick with ONE pill a day, and it usually kicks in within 30min.

• Pleaseee use physical rather than chemical sunscreen, since chemical sunscreens kill coral reefs (which grows at 2cm per year). The whiter, chunkier, and streakier the better ;)

• Beach shoes are worth the investment for water activities, since the edge of most Phi Phi beaches have small rocks and coral. Try to buy them inland at a night market or beach store, since you’ll get gouged at the docks.

Hop #2: Local Islands in Chalong Bay

Hands down our most memorable weekend, and we don’t even remember the names of the islands we visited. But we definitely will never forget the island lifestyle we tasted, with friends we will never forget.

We are indebted to our AKA mate, who rounded up a group to go island hopping. During her daily walks to and from the gym, she befriended a local who was willing to take us around on his boat. No further details were given. Luckily, we were open to adventure, so off we went! 

Our local guide’s name is Captain Picard. (OK not actually. But he was our captain just like Picard in Star Trek.) The man is nearly 60, and has the energy of someone half his age. His family grew up on Koh Lon, a tiny island next to Chalong Pier Phuket. Picard worked as a fisherman; now in retirement, he gives tours, raises fighting roosters, and smokes weed. Picard lives 10min away from us, and docks his boat just down the block from our apartment.

Picard and his grandson took our gaggle of friends out to sea. We followed the tide, docking at islands around our local Chalong Bay. Along the way, he introduced us to his friends/ family and demonstrated some impressive know-how:

• Climbing a coconut tree

• Chopping open a coconut and scoop its flesh with a shell wedge

• Smoking weed out of a sugarcane bong

• Returning puffer-fish to the ocean

• Removing the stinger from a stingray

• Making a fire with coconut husks 

• Grilling whole fish and lobster over said fire

• Having a damn good time

We experienced some once-in-a-lifetime’s aboard with our group of AKA friends. We barbeque’d an all-you-can-eat bonanza on the beach with fresh-caught lobster, fish, prawns, crabs, and veggies. We swam halfway across the ocean (not really, but it felt that way to me) following heavy techno bass to climb aboard a Russian party boat, drink Mai Tais, and ride their 3-story waterslide. We negotiated hardball with the bartenders and successfully doubled the number of shots in our cocktail buckets.

F, S, H, V, F, B, R, P, or Picard if you’re reading this, thank you for an incredible trip! We still think of you!

Hop #3: Phang Nga Bay

Phang Nga Bay national park is a shallow bay dotted with limestone islands and forested wetlands. It is home to some truly unique and incredible sights amongst the sea-caves, forests, and rocks. 

We picked a tour for the truly dedicated, with a 4:15am pickup to catch the sunrise and beat the crowds. It also worked out that our boat was mostly Russian (with their own Russian tour guide), so we monopolized the attention of the one English-speaking guide.

Here’s a rundown of sights we saw:

• The sunrise peeking through the misty islands from the middle of the bay

• A dense mangrove forest at the end of trekking a dark sea-cave tunnel

• The unique rock formation of James Bond island

• Kayaking right up to (and underneath) the sea-caves to see all the rock formations: we saw fish, turtles, Buddhas, and some pretty phallic stalagmites 

• Rock-climbed to the top of an island (this trek was featured on Survivor) for an “above the world” panorama of Phang Nga Bay

• Fell asleep under a coconut tree on a beach at Koh Yao Yai, a laidback and non-touristy island that resembles Phuket from the ‘70s

• Marine life! We saw many mudskipper fish, white egrets, and hawks enjoying the island life along with us

This weekend getaway also came with side-benefits: we visited a new country for me, renewed our 30-day Thai visas, scored a crazy cheap flight deal, observed Lunar New Year festivities, and enjoyed a “city” getaway from beach life. 

We only had 3 days and two nights, including travel time, and I think we did a good job packing in as much as possible.

In the spirit of the trip, here’s a speedrun through our highlights:

• Jewel — Aptly named, this is the jewel of the airport. It boasts a 40-meter waterfall, butterfly garden, walking trails, and daily light shows. Jewel sent a clear message that set the tone for our trip: Singapore is a country that takes everything over the top (airports included). No other airport can compete.

• Orchard Road — Malls, malls, malls. I counted at least six mega-malls on this strip. There were THREE Louis Vuitton stores within a 10-minute walk of one another. Every brand imaginable jostles for a location on Orchard Road. And where there’s shopping there’s food, and the food court restaurants were great. 

• Night Safari — The Singapore Zoo has a special program for nocturnal animals. And we saw them all! Tigers, lions, tapirs, elephants, bats, hippo, hyaenas, and more. We actually spent a good 4 hours walking around here, and exhausted all the zoo had to offer. Well worth it.

• Esplanade — Beautiful performance hall that looks like durian or bug eyes, and lights up like a jewel at night. Didn’t have time to catch a show, but there is plenty of free programming available.

• City Hall — Not just a city hall, but also Singapore’s supreme court, and a museum. These buildings are connected within a building that was built OVER THE BUILDINGS, forming a SUPERBUILDING. Another lowkey feature of this place is the two rooftop bars that offer a clear view of Marina Bay Sands.

• Merlion — Can’t go to Singapore and not get a picture with the Merlion.

• Chinese (Lunar) New Year Festival — We were lucky to be here for New Year. The festivities last two weeks, allowing us to catch the tail end. Singapore goes BALLS TO THE WALLS for holidays. The city erected a New Year theme park and inflated giant animal statues along major roads. Most shops and restaurants offered creative New Year specials. People wore lots of red. The atmosphere was palpable.

• Light Show and Fireworks — Another benefit to coming during New Year’s is the firework show over the water. And amazingly, the fireworks went off during the regularly scheduled Marina Bay Sands light show. We were lucky to get this two-for-one show and the view from an amazing vantage point from across the lake. 

• Clarke Quay — Singapore’s nightlife scene! Cute restaurants, bars, clubs, and arcades lit up the river. Too bad we were all too tired (and too old) to make the most of it. Still, we very much enjoyed walking through such a lively night scene.

• Gardens by the Bay — Of course we had to visit the major attractions: Cloud Forest and Flower Dome. Marveled at another(?!) indoor waterfall and enjoyed the flowers.

• Chinatown — Fun area with good food. If you want fresh durian, this is the spot. I tried durian for the first time and enjoyed it! (Allen’s still a hard no. No stinky tofu, no durian.)

And of course, the FOOD. We deffo over-indulged this weekend because Singaporean food is frickin irresistible:

• Al Alzhar’s — Calling all midnight snackers! This local hotspot never closes and was PACKED at midnight. Their menu was over 300 items long, but you honestly can’t go wrong with a roti prata.

• Joie — Vegetarian/Vegan fine dining. Food looks and tastes great. Their creativity took the menu and plating over the top. We were stuffed after six courses.

• La Pau Sat — Came for the hawker stalls and ate it all: satay skewers, hokkien mee, fish, chicken rice, carrot cake, dried noodles, stingray.

• Maxwell Food Court — More hawkers, more food! And a trip out to Hawker Chan for the now commercialized version of the first hawker stall to get a Michelin star.

Lasting impressions:

• For Westerners, Singapore makes for a great intro to Asia. It’s got culture, food, ease of transportation, and great English. (Of course Allen is partial to Taipei, but can’t deny Singapore either.)

• Singapore gives flight to fancy. It’s a beautiful, classy country that emphasizes art. The architecture, sculpture, and design is incredible. Even something as mundane as a skywalk is artistically designed to make getting from point A to point B a transcendent experience. Creativity has free rein to make anything possible -- a man-made waterfall in an airport? Supertree light-up sculptures with a restaurant on top? Construct an indoor cloud forest? Import sand from Indonesia to build a man-made resort island? Why the hell not!

• Food is great. It’s a fantastic mish-mash of Indian, Malaysian, and Chinese cuisine, as well as other cuisines around the world.

• “Shop, Eat, Repeat” could well be the mantra of Singapore! Malls are everywhere, and retail is ubiquitous. The commercial-ness felt jarring compared to Phuket, where the entire island’s daily GDP might not equal the daily revenue from one mega-mall on Orchard Road. It really put things into perspective when we returned to Phuket.

We left with eyes, bellies, and hearts full. As great as Singapore is, having great company makes the whole experience even better. Many thanks to Baofi for being such amazing hosts. 

The international hangouts must continue lah!

----

Singapore Protips:

• Bring a layer. The outdoor climate might be a sweltering tropic, but the indoor A/C is polar. Coming from Thailand, we actually found the outside heat bearable, but were surprised how chilly it felt inside, and nearly caught a cold between the dramatic temperature swings.

• Getting a 3 day tourist pass at an MRT station makes getting around very easy, as all the public transportation is covered. Don’t be scared to try the buses; they’re just as easy as the MRT, and nearly as frequent.

• Grab is the preferred rideshare app in Singapore, rather than Lyft or Uber. The app makes getting around very easy!

First and foremost, I am getting my ass kicked - mostly figuratively but also kinda literally too. It’s getting better, but there’s always a next level to get to and I’ll never stop getting my butt wiped. Anyway, I have attended three weeks of classes, with one week to go. So here’s my update: Part 3 of 3 — Injuries and Verdict.

Injuries: Couldn’t escape injuries - minor, annoying, and one that’s absolutely ridiculous.

Any serious physical activity is bound to result in a few minor nagging injuries, if not major ones. I had my share of injuries, but thankfully nothing serious enough to fully sideline me from training.

Bruises -

I got bruises on my shins and elbows. I was warned by a friend this might happen, and I didn’t understand until it happened. It wasn’t the result of anything drastic. Just the normal kicking and elbowing during typical training sessions. You see, normal people don’t use their shins and elbows, so we are weak in those body parts. And when you subject them to blunt force repeatedly, they will bruise. The good news is that after a while, shins and elbows will toughen up. It still hurts to kick with full force repeatedly, but I’m holding up much better these days.

Bruised ribs -

Having bruised ribs is one of the most annoying injuries. It hurt to put pressure on it. So any motion to lie down or get up would cause a bit of pain. Even worse, was that even coughing or sneezing would be too painful. I would have to hold sneezes halfway and prevent them from coming out. Seriously. It was that painful. Nonetheless, I had to continue on with my training. I took it as easy as I could, with partial push ups and taking a long time to go down and up for sit ups. Took about three weeks for a full recovery,

So how did this happen, you ask? Well… In one of the first classes, we learned a technique to counter a kick by catching the opponent’s leg, and then sweep their standing leg out to knock them on the floor. Cathy and I were paired to practice this with each other. Now normally during practice, you take it easy, and don’t actually take down your partner. Cathy didn’t understand this concept, and with her gung-ho attitude, she basically body slams me to the floor. There is also an art to protecting yourself, and I had no idea how to brace my fall. So I hit the ground real hard. This, my friends, is how you bruise your ribs.

Blisters - 

We are barefoot during training, so there’s a lot of friction on the feet. From stepping on the mats all day to twisting the foot for kicks. My baby soft feet just weren’t used to the rigors of Muay Thai. So they’ve blistered and calloused.

Sand toe -

OK, so this is not an injury that has a real term for it. So I made up the name - “sand toe”. I’m pretty sure this is an extremely obscure and rare injury. For you doctors out there, I’m even willing to bet that ICD-10 doesn’t have a code for this. If this has happened to anyone before, I’m sorry and let me know so we can laugh about it together. 

“Sand toe” is what happens when you have a popped blister on your toe, then sand enters through the hole, filling up the blister. 

Let me slow that down and spell out exactly how that happens:

1. You get a blister on your toe

2. The blister pops, resulting in a small hole

3. However, you leave the remaining blister intact, to protect the raw skin underneath that is still developing

4. You go to the beach, because the weather is great and who doesn’t love beaches

5. You enter the water, and with each wave sand is kicked up and slowly fills up the blister

6. Thus, lots of sand in your toe - “Sand toe”.

Sand toe, is a minor irritation at first, but becomes more and more painful. Every step is pressing sand to raw skin. The remedy: cutting out the blister to release the sand, then bandaging up the toe to protect the developing skin. Good news: full recovery is just a matter of days.

So yeah, that’s my weird freak injury. And if any medical professional has seen this injury before or knows its actual name, please share.

Photos of Sand Toe available upon request. Special thanks to “Doctor” Cathy for operating on my toe.

Verdict:

I am so glad that I did this. Getting fit is great. Learning a martial art is great. (Yay for being slightly more capable of defending myself). This experience has been so wonderful. I will definitely be back at some point in the future. This will also kick start a more active lifestyle for me. When I finish this sabbatical, I will either continue learning martial arts, or join a gym, or both. 

First and foremost, I am getting my ass kicked - mostly figuratively but also kinda literally too. It’s getting better, but there’s always a next level to get to and I’ll never stop getting my butt wiped. Anyway, I have attended three weeks of classes, with one week to go. So here’s my update: Part 2 of 3 — Training Experience.

“Classmates”: I’m easily the least experienced person here.

If you’ve ever been to an Equinox gym and realized this is where all the fit people are… you take those people and bring them here, and they will think the same. The abs, the pecs, the muscles. I am genuinely inspired by the physique of everyone here.

There are professional fighters, amateur fighters, and then a handful of “tourists”. But even most of the tourists are in pretty decent shape.

Anyway - professional fighters! There’s Tyron Woodley who is a UFC fighter (though he hasn’t joined my class). There’s Manuel Kape, who just won the Rizin bantamweight title. He actually joined in on a couple classes. There’s also a couple others who are clearly professional, and hang out to train at the gym. They loosely attend class, but mostly do their own thing.

Amateur fighters are here as well. And while they are “amateur”, they could definitely beat up a regular Joe. They are in amazing shape, and train for actual fights. They know what they are doing and are very serious about improving their skill level.

Tourists should actually be classified into two groups. Most of the tourists actually have a martial arts background, training in either Muay Thai or boxing at home and then come here for a period of dedicated training. 

Then there’s just a few other tourists like me who want to get in shape. I came in out of shape, with no martial arts background at all. While I began feeling out of place at first, I’ve come to embrace it, and now I would consider myself a novice instead of a beginner. Recently, I’ve started to notice true beginners like I was, and realize I have come a long way.

And yet we are all “classmates”. We train with the same trainers at the same facility. The class structure is conducive to hosting us all and the trainers are really good about accommodating all skill levels at the same time. 

Structure of the class: From beginner to novice.

The first class I attended, I was basically Bambi - the baby deer who couldn’t even walk. I had no clue what was going on, and relied on the trainers specifically telling me where to go and what to do. And now, I’ve got it down. I know what to expect. 

There’s conditioning and stretching. Then we put on handwraps for shadow boxing. And after that, gloves come on for rotations on the kicking bags, punching bags, padwork with trainers, and sparring. (Shin pads come on for sparring.) Sometimes we also do clinching drills, other times we learn various techniques. We always finish with some more conditioning.

The class is usually split into three or four groups, based roughly on a mix of the following criteria: gender, experience, size, and fitness level. At first, I was always put with the beginners/girl group. Then, typically in the beginner/non-girl group. And at the latest class, I was finally upgraded to the second tier of the guys. Of course, lots of factors, based on who else showed up that day, but still signifies my improvement!

One really nice feature that I appreciate is that we end each class by doing a handshake line, where we each thank and shake hands with every trainer and classmate.

Coaches / Trainers: Real Thai trainers, real training experience.

All the trainers are really nice. When I first started, they took the time to help me wrap my hands. Then taught me how to do so myself.

Their English is just enough to be effective. They know the English names of all the basic moves, so they can call it out for me to perform. The accent did throw me off a bit at first. It took me a while to figure out that when they kept saying “Ba Lan”, they meant “balance”.  The other confusing phrase, “Ge Sum Dreen”, was really “Get Some Drink” and meant that it was a water break.

Nonetheless, the trainers are still very effective in teaching. They will slow down and break down various parts of the moves, so I can understand the technique. And when it took forever for me to figure out how to do the jumping knees exercise, a trainer knew how to take me through intermediary exercises to build the right rhythm and motions.

During group classes, we each get some one-on-one instruction with a trainer for padwork. After about a week of classes and pairing up with a few different trainers, I felt a connection with one particular trainer. In my head, I nicknamed him Smiles because he was always smiling. So I picked him as my personal trainer for private classes. Took a couple weeks to figure out his actual name is Wut - pronounced like Woot or Woosh (I’ve heard him called both ways).

Anyway, I really like him as a trainer. He is very patient in showing me how to perform the moves correctly. He also had a good balance of correcting technique while letting some things slide to keep up the rhythm of padwork.

He also attacks the crap out of me during crunch time. Literally. At the end of each private training, I do crunches and he takes a pad and slams it against my stomach. My abs definitely feel it, and it hurts so good.

First and foremost, I am getting my ass kicked - mostly figuratively but also kinda literally too. It’s getting better, but there’s always a next level to get to and I’ll never stop getting my butt wiped. Anyway, I have attended three weeks of classes, with one week to go. So here’s my update: Part 1 of 3 — Personal Progress.

Backstory: I’m here by chance, but it must be fate.

I was talking to a friend of a friend about taking a sabbatical/break from work; he suggested that I should train Muay Thai in Thailand. That’s what he would do if he were in my position. Without having put in too much thought on where/what I would do… the idea stuck. It’s pretty wild though, because I’ve never taken any martial arts class before, and I’m pretty much a couch potato. The most regular exercise I’ve gotten is running, but even that was sporadic after a bad case of tendonitis. The idea of getting fit seemed good, and why not do so by learning Muay Thai. So I looked up the gym he recommended, plans were made, and here we are. That was it. Sometimes life has a funny way of working out (pun intended).

Fitness: Making slow and steady progress.

One of my life goals is to get a six pack - at least once, so I can have picture proof. I think of it like a diploma; attaining it once counts for a lifetime. I was hoping a month of training might get me close, but in hindsight, totally not possible. Especially because I find reasons to eat poorly (e.g. Superbowl munchies, taking a mini-vacation in Singapore, or it’s hot and I want ice cream).

That said, I do feel much more fit than before. The scale doesn’t reflect it too much, and I’m optimistically thinking it’s just more muscle than fat. Perhaps the most telling sign of improvement is that I  have lost enough cheek fat to reveal dimples on both cheeks. I typically have a single dimple on one side when I’m on a good day. And absolutely none when I’m on a holiday or weekend binge. So it was a pleasant surprise to see not one, but two dimples! Yay for realistic and attainable gains. I’ll take the slow and steady progress.

Conditioning: This is so important, and I’m getting better.

My conditioning and stamina have improved greatly. All the drills really help, and just being active for the majority of the two hour class is great exercise. Not to mention, it is very hot here - usually in the 80s - and humid. So I’m constantly dripping sweat.

In a fight, it’s really crucial to have good conditioning. An actual combat situation requires a ton of energy and stamina. The amount of energy it takes to truly throw a punch or kick, and then string them together for a three minute round is just utterly ridiculous. We simulate this during the 1-on-1 trainer portions of class and it always tires me out. Even though I go at a slow beginner pace, it is such a great workout. And I’m definitely getting much better. I am able to string together longer sequences, attack with more power, and maintain better 

Coordination: Made pretty basic gains.

I can now jump rope properly. Not great, but when I first started, I could barely even get 10 skips in. Now, I can go for minutes at a time, and even switch the foot I’m jumping with.

Jumping Knee: This was a surprisingly hard thing for me to learn, because it requires jumping from one foot to the other while kneeing. I suppose it’s similar in a way to doing the “running man”. But for whatever reason my brain just couldn’t comprehend the motions needed to make it happen. But yes, I can do it now. 

Muay Thai skill: I’ve learned the basics and now trying to perfect them.

I know all the basic moves (to varying degrees of proper technique), and even some combos and counters. I’ve learned different ways to punch, elbow, kick, knee, and clinch. Even the defensive moves --  block, catch, parry, slip, duck, turn -- can have different execution methods.

It’s amazing though. The first step was just to learn what the moves were. And that took some time. Then the next step is how to perform them properly, which is an ongoing process. At first, I’d get plenty of comments on technique - such as which hand to pull down while kicking - and now it’s less and less.

By far, the hardest thing to learn for me is how to kick properly. There are so many things to get right, like foot placement, balance, proper pivoting with planted foot, and which part of the shin to hit with.

My favorite moves include spin elbow, body punch, jab and jab body. And of course the fun moves: “Superman” where it’s literally that jumping punch that you imagine Superman makes. And there’s also another where it’s attacking with the elbow by bringing it high up and swinging down. Unfortunately, I don't know the name of it because I only hear it in Thai and even then can’t quite pronounce it. 

Next up would be executing these skills in a fight. And I’m not there yet, far from it.

Fighting Ability: I will never get in a fight.

We have sparring sessions, to simulate fights and my major learning is that I should never ever get in a real fight. Never.

Reason number 1: My body just can’t handle it. Specifically, my left shoulder. I dislocated it many years ago, and now - if I try and throw a really hard left hook, it will pop out and back in a bit. And if anyone ever hit me there, it just simply can’t last.

Reason number 2: I am too slow. My reaction time is slow. My speed is slow. My thought process is slow. And I simply have no idea of what I’m doing. In order to fight, you have to think quickly, react quickly, act quickly. And I can do none of those things. Yes, it’ll get better with more practice and training. But I already know that I just don’t have that innate ability.

Notes about sparring sessions: I’ve matched up with experienced people, and they are great in that they take it easy and just let me feel things out. But still, I have no chance of actually hitting them, and they could destroy me at moment’s notice but hold back. Matching up with beginners is great, because they are like me and just trying things out, with no chance of hurting each other. The worst sparring partners are those who know just enough to be dangerous, but don’t know enough to hold back; they understand what they are doing and want to go for it, using all their skills, regardless if the opponent can defend or not. And that’s why having a mouthguard is so important. Definitely got punched in the face a few times, resulting in minor cuts on the inside of my lip.

Allen and I have been mixing up “beach days” where we explore different beaches after a morning of Muay Thai. This is an almanac of the beaches we’ve hung out at, as well as our impressions and photos of each. Enjoy!

The “Tourism” Category

Patong

Patong is the biggest, baddest beach in Phuket. It’s the first hit in the search results. Everyone goes there, and it shows -can barely see sand! A sprawling beach economy sprung up around Patong, with tourist groups pushing their deals and a busy market thriving off the constant influx. Daytime Patong feels too much like Disneyland for my taste. But the vibe after sunset is special, after the crazy crowds move elsewhere. 

We took a nighttime stroll between the oceanside crashing waves and the landside neon-lit music, and it was enchanting.

If you’re here at night, might as well go gawk at the Bangla Road red-light district. It’s full of nightclubs and bars hawking ridiculously cheap Chang beer, dancing girls, and tickets to “sexy” shows (or the more overtly labeled “fucking” shows). Not my cup of tea, but a unique setting that can’t be found back at home.

Sidenote: Security here is on point. I’ve seen more police in Patong than I’ve seen across the rest of Phuket combined. For good reason! There’s a perpetual tourist horde, many drunks. So, watch your valuables (bring only cash, leave ID at home) and wear a helmet on the bike.

Karon

Karon is the epitome of beach. It’s absolutely perfect. Angels would vacation here when bored of heaven.

Karon is an endless powdery sandbank that stretches as far as the eye can see. The sand is brilliantly white, the water is a rich turquoise, and the sky radiates blue.

This beach is slightly crowded, but overall manageable because tourists are spread across such a long expanse of beachfront. 

A serious contender for our favorite beach! 

Kata

Kata is a large beach with a wide expanse of sand forming a cove between two small peninsulas. I enjoyed that the area surrounding Kata felt low-retail, clutter-free, and resort-y.

The waves at Kata were exceptionally strong -- stronger than other beaches I visited. I felt one with the ocean (and with my fellow beach-swimmers) as wave after giant wave crested and pulled me into the undertow. These waves are strong enough to knock you down if you’re not careful, and it made swimming out into the ocean challenging.

Kata Noi

Kata Noi is right next door to Kata, similar in shape, and the smaller of the two. It’s a cute beach, with white sands and clear waters. Seems to be more of a family-friendly beach; we saw many families splashing about with floaties in the water. 

I really enjoyed how clear the water was in Kata Noi. Neck-deep in ocean water, I had a clear view to the sand ridges under my toes. I even found a 20 Baht bill on the bottom of the ocean, dove to grab it, and had chump change to buy a coconut!

We came to enjoy sunset on this beach, and filled our eyes on unobstructed views to the golden-pink-violet-indigo finale. There were fewer people at Kata Noi compared to Kata, and so we got better shots of the sunset.

The “Local-ish” Category

Nai Han

If we had to pick a favorite beach, it would probably be Nai Han!

While many tourists do visit Nai Han, it is more of a local beach and further off the beaten path. Nai Han forms a wide cove sandwiched between the sea and a stillwater lagoon. While not as expansive and grand as Karon, the sand/sea/sky is every bit as picturesque. And there are fewer crowds to share it with.

Our Muay Thai trainers brought us here for a grueling Saturday morning training. We probably wouldn’t have found our way here were it not for the Muay Thai training on the beach.

Also unlike the more commercial beaches, this beach is pristine and teeming with life. In some parts, you can see tiny fish circling your ankles if you look down.

Yanui

Also a tiny local beach, introduced to us by our Muay Thai trainers. Yanui is even tinier than Nai Han. It features some large rocks in the water (that are great to sit on and observe the ocean). It has a view of a small tree-dense island, and beyond that the Pacific Ocean. The driftwood branches on this little cove lend it a “castaway” flavor.

We unfortunately didn’t stay too long because I was completely beat from the hills and sand running.

The “Not A Beach” Category

Promthep Cape

This is not a beach perse, but rather a craggy outpost with Phuket’s best sunset view. Promthep Cape is a little peninsula on the most Southwestern point of the island, with the most exquisite view of the sun setting into the Pacific Ocean.

This place has a magical aura when the sky blushes purple, the fishing boats silhouette against pink waters, and a gentle surf splashes against the rocky cliffs.

Make sure to arrive ~45min before sunset, since it’s a ~20min hike and you’ll want time to scout out a spot to sunset-watch. There are great views if you hike down onto the cape itself, but this requires good hiking shoes and some rock-scampering dexterity. Also, mind the mosquitos that come out at dusk!

Rawai

Rawai beach is technically a beach, but not for swimming. It’s a long rocky waterfront for docking boats along the southern coast. Similar to Promthep Cape, there are also sunset views to be had at Rawai, but none quite so magnificent. 

Rawai beach boasts many casual eateries right along the waterfront. It’s a laid back atmosphere to enjoy a local meal while observing the water or sunset. After dusk, the area lights up with string lights.

Chalong Pier

Also not a beach :) But worth mentioning this little pier on the Eastern side of Patong since it’s well-known for its fishing scene. 

Allen and I came here late on a Monday night. There’s a magic to late-night fishing. There’s a familiar feeling to all the fishermen silently casting their nets, chatting in hushed tones, and occasionally flicking to reel in a catch.

This took acclimatizing, especially when it came to daily life necessities! I was surprised about the things I took for granted. The initial discomfort faded quickly, and I’m now enjoying a lifestyle that is “home” in a different kind of way. 

Keep reading about the routines and logistics we developed while settling into Thailand.

Home

We are renting a room in Raya Rawai Place for a month, as part of the AKA travel package. Raya Rawai Place is similar to many other hotel-apartments in the area that offer long-term stays as well as nightly rooms. This humble room quickly became “home”. It’s clean and basic -- everything we need, and nothing we don’t. The staff are amazing and helpful for out-of-towners; one of the lobby staff even fixed our motorbike mirrors for us!

What this bare-basics room lacks in decor, it more than makes up for in location. We’re spoiled with a wash-n-fold laundry and hair parlor across the street, “massage by the blind people” on the corner, and our pick of restaurants / street vendors / convenience stores on the adjacent road. 

Transportation

Allen and I successfully learned to ride a motorbike here in Thailand! 

Motorbiking in Thailand is no joke. At first, it felt like playing Russian Roulette with our lives every time we cross the street. We see an accident every weekend. There’s a lot going on, between the cars, trucks, motorbikes, pedestrians, and fearless dogs and chickens sharing the road. For us, riding a motorbike is a two person job. Allen rides and I keep vigil from the back, both of us as jumpy as squirrels on amphetamine. 

Planning a drive is like planning a war effort. Before departing, we have a strategy session where we discuss: the route, the major landmarks, which turns are left vs right, which turns are protected vs unprotected, traffic conditions, direction of the sun, time of sunset/sunrise, which roads will be well-lit, which roads have all the drunk people, etc. etc. 

Through constant vigilance and staying the slowest vehicle on the road, we’ve safely traversed the island on motorbike! This freed us up to criss-cross the island exploring beaches, cafes, night markets, and more. It’s also a cheap way to travel; $4 in gasoline can power a weeks’ explorations on motorbike.

Food & Groceries

When it comes to food, it took a bit of trial and error to strike the right balance.

At the beginning, our food options were either overpriced and mediocre tourist restaurants, or local restaurants where we play “point-and-order” with the menu (every meal was a bit of a surprise).

These days, our diet is made up of:

• AKA Cafe: We eat here once per day because our package includes a meal! The food is good, convenient, and reasonably priced. This is our post-workout protein shake or lunch between training sessions. It’s also the location of choice to socialize with other trainees or get some work done. (I’m currently writing this blogpost from the AKA Cafe!)

• Mahattawat Restaurant: This is our default dinner, located a block outside our apartment, outside the Masjid Nurudde Neeyah - Bang Khon Thi Mosque. The home-cooked food is comforting and mouth-watering. The spice levels make us cry and die, then beg for more. The owner (we call her Boss Lady) recognizes us and greets us with a smile. A dinner for two comes out to ~$8.

• Night Markets: Night markets sprout up all over the island Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights. These are really fun places to sample a variety of different Thai snacks and small eats — from roti pancakes, to fresh Pad Thai, to fried grasshoppers, to rotisserie pigeons. The Phuket Weekend Market has the most abundance and variety of food I’ve ever seen (and this being said just after visiting Taipei).

• The “Coconut Man”: No, I don’t know his actual name. But I do know that his roadside coconuts beat others for flavor and value (20-30 Baht, or <$1). I like to make Allen take me to his stand on the small road outside AKA for the ultimate post-workout treat! 

• Groceries: We don’t cook here, but occasionally pick up fruits that we save in the fridge. Thailand is a big producer of luscious tropical fruits, and they sell dirt cheap in the markets.

• 7/11 Snacks: Finally, no Asia trip would be complete without sampling the local snacks at 7/11. We’re a big fan of “Snack Jacks” (pea-based crisps) and “Big Sheets” (big sheets of impossibly crunchy seaweed). Most of our snack budget goes towards various drinks (because it’s sweaty AF outside), and we fight over the Double Vitamin C shots in Peach-Lychee flavor. 

Water

We were very proud to figure out how to hydrate without bankrupting ourselves (and contributing to plastic waste). We refill our water bottles from two-gallon jugs we keep in our room and refill at a reverse osmosis water dispenser near our apartment. It takes sixteen cents to fill a two-gallon jug. We’re filling each 16oz bottle of water for TWO CENTS. 

This is key since we go through a LOT of water by training, beaching, and being hot sweaty messes every day. Possibly the biggest money-saving trick in our arsenal.

Another protip… rather than pay through the nose for Gatorade, we found $0.16 electrolyte powder from a brand called Dechamp sold at Super Cheap (a local convenience store chain), and mix our own. It could just be a placebo, but I swear this helps me push through training.

Laundry

Laundry is king when we sweat through two outfits a day, plus Muay Thai gear, plus beach towels. 

The vast majority of our laundry is supplied a wash-n-fold laundry across the street, where a weeks’ worth of laundry for both of us comes out to $3! This is DEFINITELY going to spoil us for when we return to the USA.

In between laundry days, we hang towels and sweaty workout gear on our sunny patio to prevent mold.

Daily Rhythms

Our daily life is a balance between training, exploration, and “work”. Generally, this is how it goes -- We wake up at 7am to greet the day with a grueling Muay Thai bout in the morning. Then we sip protein shakes and chit-chat with our AKA classmates at the Cafe until we’ve regained sensation in our legs. Then we take a quick shower and head out for an afternoon exploring! We either visit a new beach or a different coffeeshop where we get some “work” done (e.g., writing for the blog, processing photos, planning future trips, drawing studies, reading). In the evenings, we train some more and get dinner somewhere. Evenings are our time for errands, such as picking up supplies or refilling water. Sometimes we hang out with Muay Thai classmates we befriended. Sometimes I watch some TV (lately been watching Chinese dramas to improve my Chinese). We always sleep early to rest before training again the next day.

Life in Thailand is a smooth groove. It’s amazing that we’re able to do so much physical training, exploring this island paradise, soaking in the atmosphere, and also get light work done -- in a relaxed way without stress.

I’m part of the AKA Thailand Muay Thai training program for a month, and am baffled how I ended up here. 

The original plan was that Allen would enroll in a month-long martial arts program, and I would enroll in a month-long beach bum program. Yet somehow Day One came, and I found myself saying “I’ll join too” … All of a sudden I’m panting on the floor doing conditioning drills in the mid-afternoon swelter.

So then, WTF am I doing here?

Perhaps this is another instance of Allen’s bad influence or my impulsiveness. But I prefer to believe that sometimes the universe leads you somewhere and you just know you’re supposed to say yes. It’s a massive coincidence that life led us to travel, and a friend of a friend mentioned this place to Allen, and all of a sudden I’m here with a one-of-a-kind opportunity. The timing just feels right.

You don’t always get to choose your “perfect” opportunities. Life is unpredictable. But there is a “perfect” opportunity in every situation for the open-minded and opportunistic. Even if it doesn’t make perfect logical sense, these little opportunities can change the trajectory of a life.

Anyways, here I am!! I’ve signed up for 8+ hours of Muay Thai a week (which isn’t much considering Allen’s is at least double that).

This place is not my usual vibe. It’s an open air gym with two raised boxing rings and lined with punching bags. It smells like rubbery sweat and mountain breeze. The hills sing with the sounds of grunts, smacks, and pump-up music all day long. At sunset, the stadium lights flood on and the work continues.

The biggest cause for pause is how I am so physically out of my league. I count more abs on my shirtless classmates than is physiologically probable. They look like muscular anatomy models, if anatomy models could jab, punch, elbow, hook, knee, and jump-kick. 

I’m also intimidated by sparring with my (female) classmates. The first time I got punched in the eye, I nearly cried more out of shock than anything else. Since then, I’ve improved at keeping cool under pressure. I don’t get combat opportunities in everyday life, and never knew what it felt like to have someone coming after you swinging and kicking.

But I now do :) and anticipate seeing what other growth I can make this month.

Oyster Omelette (Oh Ah Jian), Braised Pork Rice (Lu Rou Fan), Turnip Cake (Luo Bo Gao)

Oyster Omelette

Oh Ah Jian, Taiwanese for Oyster Omelette, is one of my favorite street food. It combines a couple of my favorite foods: oysters and eggs. Just can’t go wrong.

Braised Pork Rice

Another classic. This simple dish simply hits the right spot. When done right, not only is the meat so savory, but the sauce drips into the rice and one can further enjoy that meaty flavor. Add an egg for extra goodness!

Turnip Cake

Been eating turnip cake since I was young! I usually eat this at dim sum, though readily available even at the freezer aisle from an Asian grocery store… hard to resist ordering in Taipei!

Pictured (starting from top left, going clockwise): Oyster Omeletter, Braised Pork Rice with Egg, Turnip Cake from Tian Tian Li.

Click on pic for link to restaurant.

Chinese Donut and Soy Milk (You Tiao and Dou Jiang)

The mandarin name for the Chinese Donut literally translates to Oil Stick. Doesn’t quite have a good ring to it. But say it in Mandarin, and it conjures the feeling of ultimate breakfast food. The greasy, crunchy, fluffy, stick of oily goodness is then paired perfectly with some warm soy milk to help wash it down. Fu Hang Dou Jiang, is the spot that all tourists go, and for good reason. The donut is consistently good quality. Go early (around 7-7:30) to avoid the worst line.

Pictured: Parts of a Chinese Donut and empty Soy Milk bowls, from Fu Hang Dou Jiang. (Sorry, too busy eating and doing Instagram stories to get a good picture)

Click on pic for link to restaurant.

Agei Tofu

A Dan Shui specialty. Agei Tofu is a vermicelli stuffed tofu, served in a rich sauce. It is pretty tasty and makes for a filling breakfast or snack.

Pictured: Cathy admiring this Agei Tofu before devouring it. This was from a shop in Dan Shui.

Stinky Tofu (Chou Dou Fu)

Stinky Tofu is a love it or hate it kind of dish. Cathy loves it and would argue that it’s fragrant, rich, and silky like ripe cheese.

Street vendors typically fry theirs. Pictured is the steamed variety, which is much more fragrant. I don’t care for either. Cathy got her fill!

Pictured: Steamed Stinky Tofu

Chicken Cutlet (Ji Pai)

What can be more extra than a large piece of Chicken. It just works. Find this at Ximending, or night markets. Hot Star so hot, it’s even made it stateside to Berkeley’s Asian Ghetto.

Pictured: Hot Star (one of many locations)

Click on pic for link to restaurant.

Vegetarian Tasting Menu @ Yu Shuan Ge

Cathy is vegan; while that limits her food options, we were delighted by the vegetarian tasting menu at Yu Shuan Ge. Not only is the food delicious, the presentation was creative and stunning as well

Pictured: One of the dishes from Yu Shuan Ge made to look like sashimi.

Snow Ice (Xue Hua Bing)

My absolute favorite dessert, snow ice has this amazing snow-like texture. It is by far better than the typical shaved ice. (The Korean version is known as Bingsu.) Find this at night markets or from the classic, Ice Monster.

Pictured: Coffee Sensation from Ice Monster (this is a chain from Taipei with two locations in the city, as well as many spots across China and Japan. Even one in Hawaii!)

Click on pic for link to restaurant.

Boba

Can’t talk Taiwan food without mentioning Boba, shorthand for Boba Milk Tea. (Though I still prefer the OG English translation of Pearl Milk Tea.) FYI - Boba is Taiwanese slang for boobs. So there you go!

Pictured: Me in front of Xin Fu Tang with the latest trend of Brown Sugar milk tea. I prefer the regular stuff, but it’s still good!

Wax Apple (Lian Wu)

Allen’s favorite fruit in all the world is the Wax Apple. It has such a silly English name, but that’s hardly my concern. It is sweet, juicy, and crisp, like an Asian pear but better.

Real pity that it is only available in tropical countries, and not permitted in the USA. Therefore, I overcompensate and eat as much as possible when I can.

Pictured: Stock photo from https://topologytravel.com/%E3%80%90useful-info%E3%80%91fruit-season-in-taiwan/