A Little Bit of Drool

This is the infamous Pad Thai. Definitely a staple dish of our travels. So good.

As I sit on the floor of my current "home" in North Park, San Diego my heart throbs and my mouth begins to water looking at these photos. Boy do I miss the food in Asia!! And I miss my Mann!! Mary is all the way across the country from me and I don't like it, but I'm happy she's getting cozy with her Kate. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that she'll be able to pay me a visit while I'm home for a few weeks in New Hampshire at the end of the summer. She would love the farm!!

I feel like I'm still on the road since coming back to the U.S. I've been living at my wonderful sister Meaghan's place in North Park. She has an extra bedroom that she's generously allowed me to call home for now. It's weird not living back in my little Ocean Beach, but it's great to see another neighborhood of San Diego. There are a ton of awesome restaurants here that I can't wait to explore.

Next week I fly to Colorado to spend some time with Dakota, can't wait to see that little monkey! Ohh and I'll also be seeing String Cheese Incident perform at Red Rocks, which I'm sooo excited about (my 1st Red Rocks experience). Then Dakota and I fly to Diego in time for Alyssa to give birth to baby Avery. Then we fly back to Colorado August 6th and kick it until August 25th when we fly to New Hampshire for a visit. See what I mean about still being on the road?? Fortunately I've been able to pick up shifts at the Blue Parrot (my job previous to our Southeast Asia trip) and make a little money, which is awesome.

So let me get to the food section of this post. Below you will find photos of our favorite flavors of Asia:



Started out most mornings with a cup of coffee. Ohh and that white stuff at the bottom, yup that's sweetened condensed milk, delish!! Sooo bad, but yet so good!!


Most mornings breakfast was a bowl of noodle soup-- that's how the Vietnamese do. This photo is of veggie noodle soup on the island of Don Det in the region called Four Thousand Islands in Lao.


Here is a killer combo bite (strawberry, avocado and fresh baguette) you wouldn't think to pair up, but with the creative food genius of Mary there's nothing too weird for this girl. This photo was taken in the beautiful mountain town of Delat, Vietnam where they are known for growing berries and avocados are on every corner.


Speaking of a killer bite, this is where the drool fully drops from my mouth and onto my tank top. Here we have banh mi. I was obsessed with these in Vietnam. It's a baguette, with eggs, a little veggies, herbs, hot sauce and soy sauce. You can buy one on almost every street corner.


Banh Xeo-this is a savory Vietnamese specialty made of rice flour, water, turmeric, coconut milk stuffed with veggies and bean sprout then pan fried.


A great go-to meal was a plate of beautiful stir-fry veggies...the veggies cut with the zig-zag tool just taste better, got to find me one of those in the states.


Here Mary and I sip on freshly squeezed sugar-cane juice on a hot day in the park in Hue, Vietnam.


YEA YEA YEA we found banh bao an chay (an chay means vegetarian)!!!! We had been looking for this all over Vietnam. Banh bao is a dumpling that traditionally has pork or chicken, onions, eggs and veggies inside. We were dying of heat at this restaurant!! There were cities throughout Vietnam that had government order power outages daily to conserve energy and there was one while we dined at this place, I'll never forget how happy we were that we found banh bao an chay despite the sweat that clung from every pore of our bodies.


If you ever see pumpkin curry on a menu TRY IT...you won't be disappointed. Damn Good.


Here we have lettuce balls filled with noodles and veggies, yum! Eaten in Luang Prabang, Lao at the night market.


Another tasty treat we scored at the above mentioned night market, these were made with coconut.


<<<< COFFEE BREAK >>>>
This coffee is called Ca phe Trung. A meringue of whipped sweetened condensed milk and egg is whipped together and then poured over the coffee. It's a dessert-like brew that gives coffee a whole new twist--found at Cafe Pho Co in Hanoi, Vietnam.


The best pho of your life!!! Pho Real!


There was this street in Hanoi, Vietnam where the only thing that was sold up and down the whole street were these awesome fruit drinks. It's a glass with every fruit you can think of then filled with coconut milk and of course topped with...take a guess...sweetened condensed milk. You can sit on these tiny stools in the street and people watch while enjoying this taste bud tantalizer.


Since Vietnam was colonized by the French there are bakeries everywhere...and when in Rome...I mean when in Nam...so we did and we did it lots and lots...thank god for stretchy clothing =)



Ohh garlic nan, where have you been all my life??
Here is a delicious combo platter at an Indian Restaurant named Curry Walla. A great way to try a little bit of everything. I am now a huge fan of Indian food.


Another favorite of mine is MANGO STICKY RICE. Simply sweet sticky rice, with fresh ripe mango topped with coconut milk. Pretty much melts in your mouth.


Man do I miss coconuts!! Coconuts are everywhere in southeast Asia!! There is nothing more refreshing on a sweltering hot day than sipping on a fresh coconut, then scooping out the white meat inside with a spoon. In this photo we bought our own coconut and hacked into it with random tools at our bungalow in Koh Phangan.


People ask me how it's been being back home. I say I miss the food most of all. We rarely ever spent more than $1 on a meal and it's all made super fresh right there in front of you. My travels were amazing and inspirational on many levels. I met some fantastic people and saw some breath-taking sights and shared the whole experience with one of the most beautiful beings I've ever known Miss Mary Mann.

And now I leave you with a poem:

A Suspended Blue Ocean


The sky

Is a suspended blue ocean.

The stars are the fish

That swim.


The planets are the white whales

I sometimes hitch a ride on,


And the sun and all light

Have forever fused themselves


Into my heart and upon

My skin.


There is only one rule

On this Wild Playground,


For every sign Hafiz has ever seen

Reads the same.


They all say,


"Have fun, my dear; my dear, have fun,

In the Beloved's Divine

Game,


O, in the Beloved's

Wonderful

Game."

-Hafiz

Sour cherry pie and a John Deere

East-bound once again, I arrived yesterday at the family farm of my dear friend Kate, in Vermont, where I'm staying for a while. The Asia Adventure has officially concluded, although we'll still be throwing up some final posts with some more of Dana's phenomenal photos. My time with Dana - traveling and living together, massaging each others hands, bickering, hugging, splitting veggie dumplings, doing yoga in cramped hotel rooms, sharing glutinous rice balls, and even, on one occasion, cutting each others hair topless - this time has also concluded.

Dana remains on the west coast, and has a great summer planned. And I'm here on the east, back in the land of clover, thunderstorms, fireflies, cabot cheddar, maple syrup and blueberries on the side of the road. I'm hoping to get a job writing in NYC or Boston. It's a scary and an exciting time. I have no idea what my life will look like in 6 months, or even 3. But I'm so glad that I have the lessons I've learned, traveling with Dana and especially attending Agama. I feel good, at least somewhat more prepared for life, or at least more able to hold on while the roller-coaster dips and weaves.

It's been real guys, thanks for listening.

If you want to keep reading things written by me, and especially if you happen to be, say, the Editor of the New Yorker (dream job), you can check out my website:
www.maryemann.com

Lots of love, Mary

Brave New Traveler

More, more, more on yoga, traveling, enlightenment, and learning how to deal with the real, no matter how painful, awkward, or embarrassing (usually the last):

http://www.bravenewtraveler.com/2010/07/07/battling-demons-at-a-thai-yoga-intensive/

Hope you all like it! I miss being in transit with my Sweet D already, and we've only been back for 5 days. She was an incredible travel companion, and remains an incredible friend. D-Money, prepare to be flooded with more texts and skype calls than you'll know what to do with!

Yoganonymous props

Can't get enough? Want to read more about what Dana and I did while traveling? Oh good, me too. Here is the first of a few links, giving a little more detail on our experiences:


http://yoganonymous.org/adventures-thailand/

(The attached photo is dedicated to Theresa Austin, who taught me how to bend like gumby and smile while doing it. Lots of love!)

Rain Drops On Roses

Dana: Wow...home in less than a week...kiiindaaa freakin out! Everyone is asking, "so how you feeling about coming home?" I'm feeling a medley of emotions, some nervousness, mixed with excitement, sprinkled with happiness. Half of me feels like it was only yesterday that I was packing up my house at the "commune" and saying goodbyes, while the other half feels like Thailand and the yoga program was forever ago! I feel like I've been in a time warp of sorts...time passes so differently when you're on the road...I've created new routines, set new goals for what I want in life and I hope to not lose momentum. In the words of Matthew Wilder:

Ain't nothing gonna break my stride
Nobody gonna slow me down, oh no
I got to keep on moving
Ain't nothing gonna break my stride
I'm running in a one touch ground, oh no
I got to keep on moving



Here are a bunch of photos to add to Mary's previous post and to catch you up:



Chicks, chicks and more chicks...our wild 3-hour "bus" ride to 4,000 Islands


The thunderous waterfalls/rapids of the Mekong Delta on Don Det


sweeeeeeet...we found a private beach of our own!


yup...just building some drip castles...what a cutie!


Now onto Cambodia and the magnificant wonder of Angkor Wat:

Yeha, we woke up at 3:30AM to catch the infamous sunrise...well worth it!


sun salutations anyone?


prize for the best comment suggestion here:


unreal


beauty in the palm of your hand


our 2010 Christmas card

I'm kind of freakin out about splitting up with Mary...I'm going to miss this girl!! Mary will be summering in the lush greens of Vermont this summer. For those of you who don't know Mary, let me just tell you what an amazing woman I have been blessed to share these past few months with. I'm a better person for knowing Miss Captain Mann Pants and inspired by her every day of our adventure. I loved Mary before our travels, but can say I've discovered a whole new meaning of this love and will never forget these memories we've created together. Mary you're stuck with me for a life time my friend!

Singing in the Rain, Siem Reap

Thunder is roaring as I type this, buckets of rain soaking the street food vendors to the skin. Girls on motorbikes squeal as they ride by, lashed by the water. Tuk tuk drivers seek shelter under the carriages attached to their bikes, calling out to the people dashing for shelter, "you want tuk tuk, or you want get wet?"

I wanted neither actually, as this day is a break in the middle of three days cycling around the temples of Angkor with my sweet D, which means a days respite from the sing-song pleas of tuk tuk drivers, kids selling bracelets, handsome young students selling books, and women trying to get me to buy cold drinks even while a very large quantity of "cold drink" is pouring from the sky. At this point in our temple self-tour yesterday, Dana and I were drenched, taking shelter under an awning across from an ancient temple, staring at it's grandeur while waiting for the deluge to stop. "You should say 'hot drinks' instead" advised Dana. The woman laughed, and stopped hassling us.

But when it began to rain today, I was much better situated, reading by Siem Reap River, and was able to run to the nearest awning which, la dee da, just happened to be an internet cafe. Yes, fate has brought me to you, people.

We arrived in Cambodia from Laos a few days ago, on an all day bus ride and interminable wait at the border crossing, where I drank a Cambodian coffee that made me feel all loopy. Jeff, our cross-the-aisle bus friend, let me in on the tip that there is often lithium in the Cambodian water. Hmm...

Laos was truly beautiful, and went by much to fast. From the slow, sweet neighborhood feel of Luang Prabang, where it seemed that we ran into every traveller we'd met on the road (incredible how unlonely the world is for those of us using the same Lonely Planet guidebook - or as we say, the Bible), we went to Vientienne, where there was nothing much to do. So we hopped the next flight down to Paxse, from which we squeezed into a tuk-tuk with a load of locals, three other tourists, two bags of live fish and three crates of ducklings for a three hour ride to a little village on the Mekong. We bought tickets to cross on a slender, tippy wooden boat, and landed on Don Det, an island at the south of a chain of 4,000 tiny islands.

Don Det and it's neighbor Don Khon were beautiful and peaceful, idyllic, and we slowed down our pace to cycle around the islands, stopping at waterfalls, swimming at beaches we had all to ourselves, watching the local kids play a weird sandal-throwing game we never figured out, eating incredible Indian meals served by mincing ladyboys, and talking about our plans. After months of trying to be in the present, and mostly succeding largely because we're seeing so many new and wild things, we're both having to make plans for the future.

Yup, Sweet D & I are coming home. We have only a few more days here in Siem Reap and then Bangkok, and, by the magic of time zones, we leave here, and arrive in LA, the night of the 30th.

So we'll see you all soon! Thanks for reading and being a part of our trip. We love you all.

Utopia with My Mann

Dana: Hello dear ones! I write to from Laos, it has been a while since I last wrote, so I'll catch you up on some of the latest.

We traveled from the south of Vietnam to the north. Vietnam is an exciting country full of culture, beautiful sights, delicious food and lots to do. We just spent the past 1.5 weeks traveling around Hanoi (the capital of Vietnam), touring Halong Bay on a junk (a junk is Chinese style sailboat with big beautiful sails designed in ancient times), trekking around Sapa and exploring the quiet city of Luang Prabang (Laos) for a few days. Tonight board a bus heading to Vientiene (capital of Laos) for 9 hours.


Deep thoughts with Captain Mann Pants


Sun setting in Halong Bay


Vietnam Crack...we are sooo hooked...(daily breakfast)


Dinner tonight is the best pho you've had in your life...coming right up!


...and for dessert, exotic fruit you can imagine with chilled coconut milk...yum!


Leaving Vietnam...you've been good to us! Here we come Laos!


Beautiful temples in Laos

Yesterday we rented a motorbike and explored some beautiful waterfalls. It is pretty damn hot here in Laos, the cool refreshing water of the falls was magestic to say the least! Traveling with Mary is always an adventure...and of course we had one on the way to the waterfalls. One of the down sides to not taking a tuk-tuk (a taxi of sorts) is that you don't know where you're going 100%, but there are so many upsides to renting your own bike that it was of no question to us once we found out how cheap it was.

Excited to be on bikes again!!

Just our luck we took one wrong turn (the sign did have an arrow pointing saying this way to the falls) and found ourselves off-roading on the motorbike. It was pretty funny! We ditched the bike and decided we'd be better off walking the "rest" of the road. We were so excited when we caught sight of a human being coming our way. He confirmed that we were going in the right direction, with no use of english. After not finding any waterfalls and only getting more and more hot we decided to head back out the road, where we found the main entrance only 1 minute up the road...

On our walk in the wild we came across some beautiful cows...but no waterfall



The majestic falls...worth it all!


Swim spot


nature and all its beauty...


Since Mary and I don't mess around when it comes to food and eating proper...we found some local goat cheese from a farm in Vang Vieng and fresh baguettes and made ourselves a little picnic out all the falls. A special shout-out goes to you Penny...you worked on a goat farm in Vang Vieng right?? And Paul...Mary said eating the cheese and bread with fruit made her think of you.

Gotta run now...heading to Utopia with my Mann