reflections

as promised, we decided to think back on the past month and capture the little things that have made this trip so memorable for us. these are far from deep and in no particular order (and honestly, without much editorializing, might not even make sense to anyone other than us), but here goes:

best moments...

- sitting at sabai ba bar in krabi, thailand, in our tree house perch watching the sun go down with the most entertaining hits of the 80s and 90s playing in the background (e.g. Extreme "More Than Words")

- kim looking over at andrew during our vietnamese cooking class at brother's cafe in hoi an, and finding that while she had peeled her eggplant quickly and skillfully, andrew had absolutely massacred the poor thing

- fearing death as we crossed the streets in saigon for the first time

- hearing our wedding song (which, mind you, we don't think we've ever heard played on the radio in the U.S.) playing in the van going through krabi jungles, sitting in siem reap airport AND in our hotel room in koh samui

- making eye contact with at each other after our thai masseuses left the room, saying virtually in unison "that was torture" and laughing hysterically in hindsight

- sitting watching the sunset on the outside daybeds at X2 in koh samui...and andrew saying something that made kim cry in a good way

- dinner at mango rooms in hoi an, sitting in the upstairs balcony looking over the pristine river lit by candlelight and red lanterns

- kim's first game of pool at larry's bar over some large mugs of saigon beer

- our first night of private dining in our villa at X2 in koh samui, with votive candles all around and the sounds of our waterfall in the background

- meeting thia, our stark black elephant in cambodia, and enjoying feeling her prickly skin with our bare feet and she rode us down from the ancient temple

- deciding the best way to spend our last night in bangkok was to eat subway sandwiches, drink beer and watch our favorite show (the wire, in case you're wondering) in the luscious air conditioning of our hotel room

- realizing our swan boat was going to take us about 5 feet for every 5 minutes of exertion we put into pedaling that wretched thing, but doing it anyway

- enjoying the nighttime breeze and some cocktails at the rooftop bar on the 61st floor of the banyan tree hotel

superlatives...

- best restaurant: wild rice (hanoi)
- best buffet breakfast: duxton hotel (saigon)
- best hotel overall: X2 (koh samui)
- best sunset: krabi
- best tour guide: duong (hanoi)
- most likely to be a hot spot soon: danang
- best nighttime atmosphere: hoi an
- favorite beverage: vietnamese coffee
- best asian beer: chang
- weirdest experience: dr. fish "massages"
- best american indulgence: tie - subway sandwiches and KFC
- best souvenir find: michael aram knock-offs
- most overwhelming market experience: bin thay, saigon
- destination most likely to lure us back: X2
- best books read along the way: the help (kim); the god delusion (andrew)
>>note: we read ten books altogether and are happy to share our reviews on the others
- best massage: waree raksa hot springs (krabi)

reflections...

- january seems like the most perfect time to head to this part of the world. not only is the weather the best that it gets, but there have been almost no tourists despite the fact that it's high season. we think it's because everyone traveled for xmas/new years and aren't ready to hit the road again yet.

- kim should wear her hair curly more often. and ouidad is the best curly hair product ever made.

- as excited as we are to have our own kids someday, we like our resorts kid-free. peaceful sunsets aren't quite the same with wailing babies around.

- waking up to enjoy an extensive buffet breakfast every day is an amazing way to live; you just have to be willing to pay the lb piper.

- we're big fans of taking a month off to travel. and we wish life let that happen more often.

and... despite the amazing sights and food and scenery and relaxation that vietnam, cambodia and thailand have had to offer, the best part of the past month has been spending it together. believe it.