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Caribbean - just a few shots taken midday on the streets of St.Thomas USVI.  

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All pink everything - love the colors of the Caribbean!  Here are a few images just from an afternoon walk around the neighborhoods of St.Thomas.  

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The Carribean - we decided to take a trip to the Virgin Islands to take photos of tropical paradise.  Luckily, it was the off season so we weren't inundated with too many cruise ship passengers.  And we stayed with locals so we saw a lot of the hidden beaches and crazy local markets.  

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Vietnam 

Luckily, we made fast friends with a few wonderful people in Vietnam. We were invited to their homes, they showed us the best secret street food spots and helped us navigate the tangle of motorbikes and chaos that is Vietnam. We will especially miss our friend Yen who took us under her wing and even took a day off work to guide us all over Saigon by motorbike. The generosity, sense of humor and fun-loving nature of the people in Vietnam was really amazing.   

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6 hours in Tokyo 

We opted for a strategic long layover in Toyko on the way home from Saigon.  From the airport we headed straight to the Tsukiji Market to try to catch a glimpse of the most amazing and largest fish market in the world.  It was unbelievable to see tuna heads as big as black labs and a HUGE warehouse full of fish and fish parts with absolutely NO "fish" smell.  Of course we headed out to try food and managed 3 sushi spots, beef on rice, ramen, dried grasshoppers, what looked like an egg popsicle and a whole lot of sake.  The experience only made me want to get back on a plane to Tokyo tomorrow.  

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Vietnam

In looking through my photo library, I realized I had a few more "post-worthy" pics... so without rhyme or reason, I thought I would add these to the mix.  

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Hanoi

Today we walked all over Hanoi - the alleyways are packed with street food vendors and the markets filled with beautiful produce and fresh flowers.  This is quickly becoming the favorite city in Vietnam. 

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Hanoi - day 1

We headed to Hanoi today, the largest northern city in Vietnam.  So far we are loving the culture and food.  You can see a huge French influence in Hanoi as compared to Saigon, it is a very unique and beautiful place.  

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Saigon by motorbike... 

We rode the scooter all over town today looking for the most delicious bahn mi and other Vietnamese snacks.  I thought I would take pics from the scooter because the streets here are insanely crowded and a motorbike is used like a box truck...  We've witnessed people carrying window panes, propane tanks, huge bags of rice, live ducks and cross sections of freshly killed pigs... and even a family of 5!

Babies and dogs are just everyday passengers without helmets.  

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Saigon

With a wide smile our new friend Yen said "tonight let's ride motorbikes to my favorite local spot for delicious Snails" you think "Saigon, night, motorbikes, snails... what could possibly go wrong?"   

We had a crazy but fun night on the town with Yen and tried all kinds shellfish including snails, clams and even a bbq conch that came to the table still sizzling.  Then Yen took us to her 'hood where we visited a night market, met her two roommates and ate a durian and egg yolk festival cake from her home town in the Mekong Delta.  

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Saigon

Thank you to Vinh and his family for an amazing meal and hospitality.  We shopped at the market and then helped his mom prepare lunch at their home.  It was fantastic to have the opportunity to see a real glimpse into everyday Vietnamese family life and food.  Complete with a goose in the foyer.  

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Saigon

We made it back to Saigon on the last flight out of Hue before the Typhoon   hit the region.  Today we had the good fortune to spend the day in a more remote district of Saigon with a local family.  

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Still in Hue while the town prepares for a typhoon.  Checked out some regional dishes this morning by scooter… now we are hunkering down in the hotel and crossing fingers we will still be able to fly out of Hue tonight… 

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Hue, Vietnam 

We flew from Saigon to Hue to check out the food of central Vietnam.  For efficiency's sake, we rented a scooter and took to the streets like locals.  After 3 or so miles of riding around, we got a flat tire.  Eric, the industrious traveler, got the tire fixed along the Perfume River while I checked out the local market and ate fried bananas, which seem to be a favorite.  The food is not for the faint of heart, we definitely had some intestine dishes, blood cake and liver (not pictured) as well as a dish (at the top of the page) whose texture was basically ghostbusters' slime.  Very interesting stuff so far... 

We planned to take our scooter to the countryside for the next couple days, but the Typhoon has thrown a wrench in our plans... we are attempting to head back to Saigon tomorrow night instead. 

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Saigon,

cute kid on the street buying something from a mobile candy shop of sorts... and an "everything" bahn mi being created.  pate, butter & mystery meat for days all on a baguette warmed over a charcoal fire. 

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Day 1 - Saigon continued... 

Still on the search for the most delicious street snacks Saigon has to offer...  highlight so far was a delicious bun thai soup and a salad of quail egg and fresh herbs served in a lavender-colored plastic bag...  

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Day 1 - Saigon 

We took a trip to the market by our hotel.  The sights, sounds, and smells are incredible.  The warm rainy weather is actually enjoyable and the plastic ponchos ever-so fashionable.