Week 46ish - Holidays

Happy 2010!
It's been awhile since we've updated our blog. Our first Holiday season in Vietnam went well. We were pleasantly surprised at how decked out the city was during Christmas-time. It was easy for us to find decorations, trimmings and even every luxury hotel in the city had a Christmas Day dinner with traditional Christmas fare and more.

We missed the cold and snow, but managed to get into the Christmas spirit just fine. We even put up a small tree (fake) in our flat. As it turned out, Ho Chi Minh City is insanely festive...

The downtown district would get jam packed w/mopeds, pedestrians and taxis.
It was a zoo every night... all for the lights

Dong Khoi Street is lit up for blocks and blocks

On Christmas Eve, I got pretty sick & just slept. Poor Betsye and Bax sat around all day & watched bootleg seasons of CSI-Las Vegas and LOST. We however had already bought $$$ tickets to the Sheraton Hotel's grand buffet dinner for the 25th. So around 6:30 pm, we were the first to arrive for our lavish Christmas meal.

Betsye & the Ghost of Christmas Flu
We both looked forward to a delicious "Western" feast

This was just a fraction of the dessert bar! Betsye was pleased

The Park's & the Sheraton Snowman

Betsye, Baxter and I also kept busy this season by helping with our local church Christmas program. Betsye sang in the choir (some in Viet), and Bax & I helped create the set (from scratch). It took several weeks but it was a lot of fun spending time with the Elders and the Senior missionary couple from Utah.

All from massive, blank pieces of cardboard.
Elder & Sister Jackson have the magic touch!

Bax was our back-up plan for a paint brush

Pictured: Elder/Sister Jackson, Elder Nguyen, Elder Dinh.

The Viet-missionaries were blown away by Pizza Hut! They would probably die if they ate a true Chicago deep-dish pie. . . a large pizza here is 12" inches.

"So far away"

Baxter trying to blend in as the black sheep

Final product. If you squint, you can see Betsye in the choir - center, back row

Betsye, Bax and I are very excited for the New Year and all the hard work, fun and surprises that are in store. Particularly, a new addition to the Park clan in July. So, we wish much health and happiness to you and your families in 2010.

Parents Visit

My parents visited us for 2 weeks in November. We visited Hanoi and Halong Bay and also toured Saigon. It was so much fun - and my parents loved everything there is to love about Vietnam. From food to culture to scenary, we had a fantastic time. Baxter was so happy to see my parents - he wouldn't leave my dad's side the entire visit! We are so grateful to them for making the trip so soon after our move and we can't wait for their next visit!

Johnny and my dad after a walk to the market - awesome fruit

Baxter glued to my dad the night they arrived

In front of the HCMC Opera House

Halong Bay
Fishing village - Halong Bay
Our cruise "junk" in Halong Bay - The Jasmine

There are over 1,600 islands in Halong Bay

On a hike on one of the islands

One of many cruise "junks" in Halong Bay - a popular way to visit the islands

View from the top of the caves

The caves in one of the islands

Johnny looking both handsome and bored during the cave tour - it was a cheesy tour, but I liked it!

So many great views from our junk

We hiked the top of this island - it looks small, but it was steep!

On deck of The Jasmine

It was chilly, but the fresh air was so nice after the craziness of Saigon and Hanoi

At a Buddhist temple (pagoda) in Hanoi

City Diner and our first Vietnamese Wedding

So we heard of a great American diner not too far from our apartment where Westerners can get a good burger or breakfast. We decided to check it out. We originally were going for an omelet or french toast, but ended up getting a burger and a Reuben. Needless to say, we haven't eaten that much since we left Chicago. It's hard to express in words what it means to find a really good Western eatery in Saigon. It's important, almost necessary, for us to eat Western every now and then, to have a good burger and fries fix. And then we're good for another month or so. Did I say yum?

Johnny's burger: "The King" (as in Elvis)

Awaiting the Reuben

My coworker, Hoa, invited us to her wedding reception. Apparently in Vietnamese tradition, the actually wedding ceremony is small and quick, and the reception is a huge party with a lot of people. I was expecting traditional Vietnamese dress for the bride and groom, but actually, they only wear the traditional dress for the engagement party, which is a big deal and very ceremonial. Nonetheless, Hoa looked gorgeous and so happy! The food was so amazing that I even ate chicken!

Enjoying the day.

Me and my coworker Ha

Johnny and I in front of the pool - the tables surrounded the pool. It was so hot, but it rained for awhile, which helped, and the hotel had lots of misters.

Me, Hoa, and Ha

District 9, Lotte Mart, Church

Just a little over two months since we've moved to HCMC and we're really loving it here. Every weekend, we explore a new district, new mega grocery store (yes, we're still nerdy foodies), or visit friends in other districts. Below are photos of the past few weekends. The common thread between all of our weekend explorations is the taxi. We never get bored riding in the taxi - there is always something (or many things) to look at out the window. Even our ride to and from church every week gives us plenty to observe and we try not to take anything for granted. We continue to be in awe at the constant, never slowing, never ceasing, hustle and bustle of this city. Some of the pics were taken on our IPhones, so some are smaller than others.

Johnny and I after dinner at our friends, the Szvoboda's. They live in a compound on a golf course in District 9. The first time we visited them, Sibylle, the mom, made authentic Hungarian goulash for us, and this time when we visited, I made them homemade lasagna. They have 9 kids, 6 currently at home. We love going to their house because a) and most important, there is always good food and great company b) there's plenty of space for Baxter to run off-leash c)they love Baxter . They are truly an amazing family and we love hanging out with them.

Johnny cutting some of the younger boys' hair. It was a flashback to Chicago 7th days, when some of the Young Men would come to our apt for a hair cut roughly every six weeks. Some things never change!
The lake at the compound where my friend Sibylle and I take Bax for a walk.

Sibylle w/Bax.

Baxter on our walk - he's a free man and runs around like crazy.

A pretty creek behind the villas.
Me, Sibylle, and her youngest, Laura - the three blondes in the branch!

Johnny in front of Lotte Mart/Lotte Cinema. This is a huge mall in District 7 with a fantastic grocery store full of Korean goods. We stocked up!Me on the fabulous walkway-escalator. We were on our way to the top level where amazing food court Korean food was waiting for us.

MSG, anyone? Yes, an ENTIRE aisle dedicated to MSG. It kind of gave me the weeby jeebies. This is pretty common in most grocery stores here. Last Saturday, we found the equivalent to Costco, it's called Metro Cash and Carry, needless to say, we were in heaven! Their MSG aisle was massive and also gave me the creeps. Maybe I'm missing something? Maybe MSG is just fine and not that big of a deal? Well, as long as I don't know it's in my delicious bowl of Pho or Bom Bo Hue, I don't care.

Johnny bowing to the ultra-fresh panchan (Korean side dishes). We bought a LOT and had to literally stuff them in our teeny fridge.

This nice Lotte lady in the produce section is cutting and packaging the stinky Durian for the customers. Fantastic! I'm buying packaged for sure. Hacking into the frozen Durian (Durians are best eaten frozen) in your kitchen is more trouble than it's worth. Unless it's with my mother-in-law. She makes it into a party!In front of our church. It's in a villa in District 2, or Anh Phu District. The church building is a beautiful house, and it's very large. I'm really impressed with how they converted it for church use. It's like it was meant to be! There is a guard 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Front of the church building.

The First Grooming

This past Friday night, we tried our hand at grooming Baxter for the first time.

It started out really well, and then Johnny let me have a try at cutting Bax's legs. I tend to get a little scissor happy, which is why I wanted to avoid participating in the actual grooming. I was just fine coddling Bax. I saw some longer pieces of fur, and mentioned to Johnny that maybe I could help with the trim. Much to Johnny's dismay, I started cutting too much fur on his left leg and couldn't stop. I felt like Edward Scissorhands. I was reminded of a time my freshman year of college when my friend asked me to give her a "trim," and I ended up butchering her hair - she was so sad. And thus it was with Bax's first groom. It started out as an innocent attempt to trim his legs, and then, it happened. I cut his skin at the elbow. Poor guy. He took it well, and of course I immediately blamed Johnny for letting me have the scissors. I don't know why. Probably guilt. Anyway, we took him to the vet Saturday morning and he is fine - no stitches needed. Bax is seriously an incredible dog. So patient and forgiving. Well, we'll see how he reacts at grooming session #2.

Bangkok Dangerous

Week 4
Bangkok is such a massive city! With 8 million people, it's clean, orderly, exotic and exciting to explore.

Bangkok is only a 1-hour flight from HCMC. Although Betsye was there for business (training meetings for 14 hours per day), Baxter and I took advantage of the time to sight see and get lost.

Betsye had training at the All Seasons Hotel, which is in the heart of the city. Here is a general map of Bangkok...
The food in Thailand is sensational. The fresh herbs, spices and flavors cannot compare to anything found in Chicago. Whether you're ordering street food from vendors, eating at top-class Thai restaurants or sending for room service, the "eats" are out of this world!

BBQ chicken, beef and other?!?

This vendor meant business. He was located steps from the rail station
and had a slew of people standing around eating his humble cuisine. Mmm mm good and all for $2 for 2 skewers!

Thailand is the land of temples. With Buddhism as it's dominant religion, Buddah statues, shrines, temples and architecture dot the rivers and land. There's also an amazing unsaid love and reverence for the Thai Royal Family. Pictures of the King & Queen are found in parks, on buildings-government and private, public spaces, shopping plazas, etc.

As a matter of fact, when I was at the Chatachuk market (day 3), the Thai national anthem was broadcast over the p.a. speakers and literally everyone stopped in their tracks & stood solemnly still until it finished (everyone except tourists like me - about one minute into the anthem, we quickly figured out we weren't in the twilight zone).

Beautiful temples everywhere!!

Day Two: I took the metra-rail to the Chao Phraya River. The weather was so hot and humid, so I thought it would ideal for a river boat tour.

There were only four of us on the tiny boat (which moved freakishly fast). But we
managed to stop mid-river to find a floating 7-Eleven store... Thai style!

More temples. And kids playing in the river...

In addition to roaming the streets of Bankgok, I was told the "must-see" person (for men) in all the city is Sam Gulati. Gulati Fashions is a world renown tailor shop with 40+ years of experience making suits for Heads-of-State, global dignitaries, General Authorities, VIPs in the business world, including Joey Burton, and now me.

It was quite the experience and the suits and shirts are stunning.
If you're in the region, it's definitely worth the visit.

Day Three: The same friend, Joey from Chicago, recommended the Chatuchak market. This is one of largest outdoor markets in Asia. It's absolutely insane and orderly. You can buy silverware, artwork, furniture, clothing, puppies/snakes/scorpions, and everything else under the sun.

Rows and rows of animals... all shapes and forms.

In addition to the list of things to buy, food was in abundance. One of my favorites... shrimp tum-yum, peanut-garlic basil pork!

The other dish belonged to guy next to me

Also in abundance at the Chatachuk market was entertainment in all forms. Crowds and crowds of tourists and locals attend the market every Saturday and Sunday from sunrise to sunset.

Yeeeeee ha!

Here we see Thai cowboys playing blue grass music. It was strange but it sounded great!

World Renown Spinner

This guy is famous (you can tell by the newspaper cut-out next to the cans of condensed milk). He stands with scalding Thai cream coffee and literally spins around pouring the lava into a separate container. That's some S-K-I-L-L! Can't forget about dessert. Fresh coconut shavings mixed into fresh cream & ice, followed by a little flag and coconut juice.

LTD... Living the Dream, one bite at a time!

Day Four: Final day. No more training for Bets but she had a plane to catch. We didn't have much time that afternoon, but we managed to squeeze in a Big Mac. Not that Bets can remember the last time she had a McD's meal, but there she was, in Bangkok, enjoying her burger & fries. Unfortunately (or fortunately), there is no McDonald's in Vietnam. There's not much of any fast food other than KFC/Pizza Hut. We haven't tried them yet since there are so many amazing eateries in HCMC.

Thank goodness for quality control and global standardization. The fries were spot on!

So the customary sign for "thank you" in Thailand consists of the "wai". You place your hands together towards your chin and bow, followed by saying, "khub-kun", which means "thank you". It's so universal and natural to do when you're there... Even Ronald does it!

"Khub-kun" everyone!!

Weeks 2 & 3

So, after being (very) sick for two weeks and traveling to Bangkok for four days for work, we're finally able to update our blog! I'm not gonna lie, it was realllly rough the first few weeks. Being sick in a (very) foreign country is no picnic. Luckily, friends from church recommended some excellent international medical clinics and Johnny took great care of me. I'm so blessed to have such an incredible husband! I am feeling back to myself and am enjoying work and living here with Johnny and Baxter. Johnny will post a blog on Bangkok, as he was able to have fun and explore while I was tucked away in a conference room for 14 hours/day!

We have been asked to post pictures of our new place and neighborhood. As I mentioned in our last post, housing is very expensive. We were staying at Norfolk Mansion (which we can see from our new apartment), which was fairly pricey, so we wanted to find a temporary apartment for about six months until Johnny's company finalizes their business license. After about four days of looking, and three brokers later, we found this 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment . William, our broker, helped fix up our place - apparently our landlord thought the apartment was just fine with holes in the wall, gaps in the sink/tubs, and gaudy wooden paneling/decor. We saw "potential" and decided to take things into our own hands.

We have a corner unit on the 4th floor, so we have great views from our bedroom window. This is our street view.

The living room - we haven't really decorated yet.

Master bedroom - my favorite part is the built-in desk.

Bedroom #2 and Johnny's closet. :) Yes, we have to use both bedrooms to fit all of our clothes.

Our washer is in the kitchen. Very standard in apartments here. William built this great counter which covers the washer, so we just have to open the hatch when we want to use it. Not that we ever use it, since our apartment is "serviced," which means there's a maid who comes three times a week to do our laundry and clean.

The kitchen with our itty-bitty fridge. No wasted food in the Park home.

Another view of the living room and our tiny TV. We moved the bigger TV into our bedroom. We have a LOT of windows - I love the sunlight.

In the elevator.

Our apartment is kitty-corner to the neighborhood Pizza Hut. We haven't tried it yet. :)

Our street looking left. Very busy - always wakes me up when I walk to work.

There are tons of restaurants on our street. We will never go hungry!

Apparently, there is only one Irish pub in all of HCMC, and it happens to be directly across the street from our apartment, it's called Sheridan's. We haven't tried it out yet.

The front of our apartment building. Next door (to the right) is an amazing Pho restaurant. We've eaten dinner there a few times: two soups and shrimp spring rolls for $6 total!