I’m on a bit of a Southeast Asia kick today…so why stop. I posted about audio tours in Thailand, specifically Bangkok, but here is a site for the more logistically-minded. Those interested in Southeast Asia, in particular Thailand, Laos and Cambodia, will be very interested in this site called Travelfish. The site has very specific, traveler-scribed guides to these places, providing information on the best unspoit beaches, the best food, where to go in Laos to find “mist shrouded Lao mountains” and “luxury lodges for a hilltribe trek”. In some ways, I actually think the site is better than Lonely Planet, because for each place they actually provide listings and links to their recommendations. The site is well organized, well designed and chock full of good information. Worth a look.
Allure of Hanoi
Compared to most people, I’ve spent a fair amount of time in
Among the places at the top of my wish list is . Over the years, I’ve had a couple friends live there, and each came back with wonderful tales of a place of immensely beauty, delicious food and friendly people. And while Saigon would likely be my first stop, I have to say
Photo of the Day (8/4/06)
At first glance, these look vaguely like those formaldehyde-filled bottles in high school biology class. You know the ones, filled with little pig fetuses and other dead creatures preserved for generations of gawking students.
The notable difference, however, is that these bottles are meant to be tipped back and consumed. Yes, that is a dead cobra seen though the shimmery glass. And there are a couple of other creepy-crawly-slithering things thrown in for good measure as well.
Caffeineguy was kind enough to post this photo of Cobra Rice Wine, a delicacy in Vietnam, in our Gadling photo pool.
Hey Caffeineguy, why aren’t there any photos of you taking a shot? Wimp.
Word for the Travel Wise (07/28/06)
The other day while I was getting my eyebrows shaped I suddenly realized yet again how much of a melting pot America is and while travel abroad is dandy and all, that there is still a lot to learn from the people here. I believe all but eight words were spoken in the Vietnamese language by the staff around me. Hoping they weren’t talking about how out of control I let my bushy brows grow, I later requested some of their Vietnamese lingo knowledge for you guys here. I asked them what ‘to pamper’ or ‘to treat yourself’ would be in Vietnamese, but there was a slight debate on the word meanings there, so I stuck with the one listed below.
Today’s word is a Vietnamese word used in Vietnam:
tam biêt – (pronounced tam be-eh) good-bye
To continue learning Vietnamese online start with phrase list found at the NY Public Library. This Wanna Learn / Geocities page has some free words and phrases listed. It was one of few I could find online for free though you won’t get far. Rosetta Stone offers audio and web courses for a fee and there’s always the opportunity to take a Vietnamese language class in Hanoi, Vietnam with CIEE. For those flying through the country for just a few short days pick up the phrasebook.
Past Vietnamese words: Xe Ðap, xinh xinh, cam hut thuoc
Photo of the Day (7/28/06)
Redundantly titled, Old Guys in Saigon, today’s photo comes to us from CaffeineGuy. It’s a photograph of two old guys. In Saigon. Doing, I suppose, what old guys do. In Saigon.
If you’d like to be considered for our Photo of the Day, pay a visit to the Gadling Flickr site and upload your gems.