Tet, One night in Bangkok and Graeme likes Soccer?

Chúc Mừng Năm Mới

Tet
Within days of arriving here, co-workers and newly found friends warned us that we had better book travel plans ASAP for Tet Holiday (Jan 29 - Feb 5) as flights, trains, buses all fill up.  We didn't fully understand it.  We eventually got around to planning a trip to Bangkok, Thailand (more on that trip later in the blog) with little problems.

So what is Tet?  Tet is the Lunar New Year in Vietnam.  Most are probably familiar with Chinese New Year?  That is what the Chinese celebrate for the new lunar year.  While at the same time, Tet is a bit different then the Chinese version, and with 10 times as many Chinese in the world compared to Vietnamese that would explain why most have heard of one over the other.

Happy New Year!

Tet is the most important celebration in Vietnamese culture.  The word is a shortened form of Tết Nguyên Đán which is Sino-Vietnamese for "Feast of the First Morning of the First Day". Tết celebrates the arrival of spring based on the Vietnamese variation of the Chinese lunisolar calendar, which usually has the date falling between the months of January or February.

But what does that mean?  How can we relate?  Well...several months prior to Tet plans go into action to turn certain streets into carnivals of flowers and street vendors.  Entire parks, malls, open spaces, etc. get transformed into impeccably beautifully manicured displays of flowers and traditional Vietnamese lifestyles.  In the week or so leading up to Tet everyone cleans their house like never before.  You want all old, "unlucky" dust, dirt and spirits to go away.  You throw away any dying or old plants and flowers.  You throw (or give) away old tattered clothing. You start to smile and say "Chúc Mừng Năm Mới" (Happy New Year!) to complete strangers as well as those who typically scowl at you during your daily routines.

Part of Tet is all about starting new with the new year and new luck....new outfits, new plants (always Yellow and Red signifying good luck), and new money.  You go around handing our Red Envelopes with "Lucky Money" in them - usually low denonimations handed to kids or workers/helpers how you come into contact with often.  You provide your housekeeping help with an extra month's salary in one of the envelopes as well.  The bills need to be brand spanking new and crisp as Peking Duck.  Going to the bank a week or more prior to Tet is a must or you may be left out to dry.  The money that they hand out is all brand new, the lines are long and the money doesn't last forever.







The other part of Tet involves going home and visiting and staying with your family.  "Home" as in where your heritage is.  The village or area your relatives are still living in.  It is a week of eating and drinking non-stop while visiting with family.  Imagine Thanksgiving that lasts 7 days straight!  With that said, cities like Ho Chi Minh City become ghost towns (no one is "from" HCMC).  Stores, restaurants, everything shuts down.  It's funny because you cannot get a straight answer out of any of them as to exactly which day the will close or re-open; it's all up to whenever the staff return and for Tet the workers have the say and come back to work whenever they please (hey, it's pretty much their only time off all year!).






For example, when we got back from Thailand I ran to the small supermarket in our building.  They are part of a larger chain so they were open, but, there was not one thing stocked in the cold section.  The tables usually stuffed with vegetables and fruits were bare and the beer pyramid, usually way overhead, was down to 2 boxes.  It took about 3 or 4 days for most stores and restaurants to get back online and in form prior to Tet.

Graeme's daycare had the Lucky Dragons come by and perform a dance.  Graeme thought it best to observe from inside behind a glass window while everyone else was outside with the dragons.  They also had a really cute parade (video is HERE ) where all the kids and staff dressed in their best áo dài (pronounced "A Oh Eye") - we were lucky to find one for Graeme at the local market for $2usd.  Graeme fared better with the parade and was super hyped that his Mommy was able to sneak away from work to check it out.

ONE NIGHT IN BANGKOK......

1991 all over again!

Americana....

 So what did we do to celebrate Tet?  Well, we left and went to a country that doesn't celebrate it!  Off to Bangkok, Thailand - mine and Graeme's first time, Erin's 3rd or 4th.  We stayed with an old friend of mine, roommates from college, Dave John.  He is married and has 2 wonderful kids, now living in Bangkok after having lived in several countries around the world over the past 15+ years.

It was a great visit.  Little League games with the kids, dinner at home, leisurely trips to the mall.  An "adventure-less" travel adventure, if you will.  Catching up on old times, reacquainting and watching Graeme tear into toys that have not been touched in years (their kids are 12 and 9).  Graeme loved hanging, or at least trying, to hang with the older kids.  They have an incredible set up in an ex-pat compound with the kids friends freewheeling it about all over the neighborhood.  We managed one evening in Bangkok proper, dinner and some drinks at a network function for Dave's work, but this trip was more about grounding down versus grinding it out.

We bounced the last few days and took a drive south for a few hours to a resort area called Hua Hin.  The "Jersey Shore" of Bangkok kind of.  It's where those with a few extra bucks in their pockets can get away for a weekend, stay at a nice resort and get good beach and pool time in.

Swank

The Jersey Shore of Thailand...

Meanwhile, back on the ranch....

I am not quite sure how this happened.  I figured we could dodge the "soccer-parent" stigma by moving to SE Asia.  Maybe get him into đá cầu.  Apparently if you are USA born you are obligated as a parent to get sucked into the vortex that is Kids Soccer no matter where you live.  On Saturday mornings the Elementary Assistant Principle puts on a soccer practice for the EC and Kindergarteners....Graeme got invited because his son is also Graeme's age and thought they could keep each other occupied while the older kids ran drills.  Turns out, Graeme likes drills!  He is super engaged when having to listen to the coach, stand in line to wait his turn, and then let it rip.  However, his skill does not quite match his enthusiasm.  Here is a video clip of his first ever soccer drill (best in Full Screen):

Gotta love the hustle though!  He has since gotten better.  

One of the cuter things ever witnessed was when Graeme and his buddy went missing into the playhouse while the older kids ran 2-on-2 games.  When it came time for their turn we all yelled for them and the two of them came running out of the playhouse with helmets on.  The other team never knew what hit them (literally because these two rug rats never got going in the right direction!).

It's a great weekly routine, the coach does an incredible job with the kids and we usually end up across the street for smoothie's afterwards, so there isn't much to complain about!  Even if it gets me in closed-toed shoes more then I'd like to be, it is impossible to deny that Graeme and the kids have a blast running around outside.

Pele look out!

So now we own a soccer ball and spend many afternoons during the week practicing for Saturday morning.  I dred the day when he is old enough that I will actually have to run around to keep up with his soccer skills.  My soccer career as a youth lasted about 1 season before I realized running is not my thing....unless spinning red lights are close behind.









After Thailand we have a 6 week stint before the next big break, but we did find a weekend in late February to join Erin at a conference in Bangkok and Graeme and I are going to sneak back into Thailand for a few days with her.  We also have Erin's parents arriving mid March.  Our first visitors!!!

Please stay awake Graeme!

So we've been keeping busy doing the usual stuff most do anywhere.  Playdates, running errands, cruising on our Skoot bike, going to 5 grocery stores in one day to get what you need, etc., etc.

It's been kind of nice having a routine the past few weeks and looking forward to the same in the next several.  Christmas and Tet vacations were nearly back-to-back and even though travel is a main motivator for our time here it's nice to explore a bit near home and get a bit grounded.

Glad to hear our family and friends have finally seen some rain and snow in California (although not enough!) and feeling for our family and friends on the East Coast getting more winter then usual....more incentive to just come visit us!  It's been gorgeous with low humidity and blue skies and temps topping out in the high 80's to low 90's.  We did have a 3 week run of the coldest temperatures recorded here in decades where we had a few mornings as low as 68 degrees and afternoons only in the low 80's.   The thought!  Don't laugh, upcountry (a bit higher elevation so cooler temps) people actually died!  We are back on track though and able to spend way more time outside then before, thanks to the lower humidity.  So great to be able to hang out outside.

Again, we are always lurking on Skype, Whatsapp, Viber, Kik, Google Chat, etc...feel free to hit us up and say Hi!

Thanks to everyone for reading and your kind words of encouragement.  If you need help finding flights to visit please don't hesitate to ask!  Your bedroom awaits and it has the best sunsets views free of charge!

Hoà Bình, 

The Hawken's in HCMC
#thetaoofgraeme

Bali - Island of the Gods

Rainbow's over Balian

Bucket list item: Bali, Indonesia.  Growing up surfing on the East Coast then transplanting to Nor Cal later in life, the thought of surfing warm water waves with the backdrop of a volcanic island has always called to me.  Turning pages of surf magazines until they wore out, dreaming of making it a reality one day.  So many photo's of the pro's in "Bali".  The place seemed like it could only exist in a dream.  Flash forward to about 3 years ago and Erin and I were trying to book a trip there while she was pregnant with Graeme.  A "Baby-Moon" if you will....well, the doctors advised against it so we shelved the idea.

Sunset over Java

Since the first moment we knew we were moving to Vietnam we started planning our 3 week Christmas break to visit Bali.  Man, we could not wait!  Yes, we know Bali has a stigma now as being "played" or "used to be good 10 years ago", but we've been itching to go there for so long we didn't care.  It's Bali - how "played" could it be?  Island, sun, waves...no problem.  We stayed in 3 places, one week each.  A spot for me to surf, a spot to get our Zen on, then an island just off the coast to get our beach on.  We nailed 2 out of 3 right on the head...here's how it went......

Round 1:  Lalanglinggah aka Balian Beach

How fast can you eat that sandwich and get back out there???

We were flying blind.  No one we spoke to had ever heard of Balian Beach, let alone it's indigenous name - Lalanglinggah.  I booked it on the notion that it had the best chance of catching swell and seeing as how we were going to be in Bali in the off-season as far as waves were concerned I figured it was our best bet.  We booked a 2 story Villa (well, sort of a Villa - no kitchen) in the village 1 minute walk to the beach. I figured there is a beach there and Graeme and Erin would be set chilling while I surfed.  We arrived at night and in the morning headed to the beach...

If I could only teach him how to take the wax off...

Gringo move #1 - it's a black sand beach.  About the equivilant to having Graeme play in dirt that sticks to you and never comes off.  Gringo move #2 - it's a river-mouth break/beach.  It's the rainy season.  Bad things flow out of a river-mouth when it rains and they end up on the beach.  Not the best things to make sand castles with if you catch my drift.

Namaste with a view

So...what to do...what to do.  Aha!  A resort with a pool and a restaurant right at the river-mouth overlooking the surf.  We asked if it was cool to use the pool and they said of course!  Extra bonus - Yoga sessions in a thatched roof hut overlooking the surf.

2 Blondes in Bali

Super extra bonus - the first hour we were there we met another traveling family of 3 with a 3 year old little girl.  They were from Holland and while she only spoke Dutch and Graeme only spoke English they played thick as thieves for 7 days straight morning, noon and night.  So we went from no beach to play on while Daddy surfed to a spectacular pool, yoga and all day play dates!  Serendipity or just dumb luck...I don't care which but I'll take it!

In my mind this place is Shangri La.  The village is sleepy.  Some pretty basic accommodations (save for one kick ass 4 star resort that we poached the pool and spa for a day) with a few places to eat serving up Nasi Goreng any way you could imagine with ice cold $2 large Bingtangs.

Most of the people hanging here are Aussies that have been coming here for a long long time.  Most around my age and all very friendly and laid back.  They've surfed all over the world and at this point come to Balian to chill and catch a few waves while passing the time.

The wave itself is super fun.  It's never gonna get a cover on a surf magazine like other spots in Bali but it's on par, or even a little bit better then Trestles in Southern California.  For those non-surfers reading, Trestles is a world class, high performance wave in Orange County that attracts all the best surfers (as well as throngs of others) to show off their skills.  It's got a racy right with more of a bowly left.  On high tide a separate left comes to life on the inside just off the beach with a throaty tube - breaking in about 12 inches of water over rock. *disclaimer - for the surfers reading this, Balian is a well documented, recognized surf spot in Bali.  Very far from a secret.  I am not talking out of school here or publicizing anything that isn't already blasted out there.

Don't turn around or you will never get out of the water...

This spot has a pretty weird dynamic.  The better the waves get here, the less crowded the break gets.  Weird, right?  Well because this spot picks up the most swell on the island, when the rest of the spots are really small or flat everyone starts driving around looking for a wave and usually end up here.  Once the swell picks back up they vanish to go get barreled at one of the better breaks you see in the mags - along with all the other surfers on the island.  This leaves me and my new found Aussie (and Dutch) friends to have Balian all to ourselves.  Not a bad deal.  The first few days the waves pumped and there were about a dozen of us just trading waves, chatting in the lineup, giving each other choice on the sets...really surreal stuff for a surfer coming from the States - especially California.  The swell dropped a bit and the vans started showing up.  Stuffed with Japanese surfers on overpriced tours, amped out of their minds and just paddling for any bump that showed.  Our lineup of a dozen or so trading waves turned into a mosh-pit of over caffeinated, wanna be sponsored surfers.  We let them have it.  While we sipped Bingtangs and watched the carnage, two days later the swell came back up and they all disappeared leaving us with our routine of sharing waves.

One thing I might have wanted to check on before booking was the shark factor.  Honestly it never crossed my mind.  But with in 15 minutes of paddling out for the first time I was talking with one of guys who surfs there alot and he was saying how he saw "the shark" the day before.  "The shark"???  Well, 6 attacks in the past 5 years at this spot - most likely a Bull Shark as it's been seen there before and they are notorious with river-mouths.  They like the garbage that comes out.  Problem is they are super territorial and bite out of aggression versus hunger.  The water had the clarity of chocolate pudding and the river current pushed you several hundred yards north when you jumped in so the paddle out was super long and lonely.  Add to that huge sting rays (with about 6ft wingspans) leaping out of the water once in awhile during this paddle (they come to the rivermouths to use the fresh water to get rid of parasites and they jump to shake them loose).  It was a pretty spooky spot to sit in the lineup at, but having some experience bobbing in the Red Triangle of Nor Cal I got through it....

Our days consisted of me surfing first thing with Graeme and Erin hanging at the pool.  I'd come in for a break and Erin would hit the yoga session.  Then lunch, surf, nap, surf, eat, sunset, sleep.  For 7 days straight.  Not a bad program if you can dial it in!







There isn't much else to do in Balian (not complaining).  On one of the smaller surf days we hit up the pool at the fancy resort on the other side of the village.  Pretty cool as you walk through a nature walk to get to it.  Erin and I both got cliffside massages overlooking the surf.  The best massages we've ever had with the best view and the were $16usd (including tip).

Balinese warrior

Angklung master in the making

How did Graeme adjust to the lifestyle?  Well, aside from his new Dutch playmate, he was on a first name basis with every single person in the village!  Locals, visitors, whoever.  People were coming up to him to say goodbye as they left and Erin and I had no idea who they were!  It seems no matter where we go he captures the spirit of whoever is there and they are automatically long lost friends that have rediscovered each other.  It is truly an amazement as well as a joy to watch and be a part of.













Balian Beach - we will be back.

To view all of our pictures from Balian Beach CLICK HERE.

Round 2:  Ubud

Eat, Pray, Grow Rice...

 If you go to Bali you usually end up in Ubud.  Most say that you HAVE to go to Ubud.  Ubud is the cultural center of Bali (as well as pretty close to the geographic center).  Rice fields upon rice fields, surrounded by volcanoes.  It's quite scenic to say the least.  This is where you can see first hand ceremonies in temples, indigineous dances by local villagers aged 6-14yrs old or purchase hand crafted original works of art, wood and clothing.  It's also known for great restaurants catering to many different cultures, as well as having that "mystical", "zen", "just-can't-put-my-finger-on-it" vibe. 

We spent Christmas week proper here in Ubud and I must say we nailed it by picking Swasti Eco Cottages as our spot to lay our heads at night.  In a jungle village adjacent to the Monkey Forest just outside of the busy town of Ubud, Swasti was amazing.  Great food - with the vegetables and fruits used grown on the property - great staff, great everything...

We also coincided it with a few other groups traveling from SSIS that were in Ubud for Christmas.  We got to spend some good time with them, including an incredible Christmas Eve gathering at Paul and Sepi Johnson's villa they had rented in the middle of a rice field.  Not a bad way to spend the holiday's.

Aping a monkey

A main attraction in Ubud is the Monkey Forest.  It's a series of temples in the jungle that Macaques have taken over.  We had to walk through it each time we went to town so we became very familiar with the monkeys.  The trick is to have zero food on your person.  I mean none.  I mean, not even a stick of gum forgotten in your pocket.  Otherwise be prepared to be accosted, have pockets unzippered and food taken.  It was amazing watching tourists get just ravaged by the monkeys because they had food in their bags or pockets.  I mean, there were signs in 3 different languages all over the entrances....good entertainment for us anyway.

Graeme did learn the hard way, however, that it is not a good idea to kick rocks at monkeys.  He did so and then was, deservedly so, chased and hissed at by said monkey.  No contact but Graeme got the idea.

One day it was a bit rainy so we did some shopping in town.  We had heard of a great organic restaurant in a rice field that you have to walk into...it's on a loop hike.  If you enter the hike from one direction it's 8km to the restaurant.  If you go the other way it's 800m to the restaurant.  Not ones to let a little wetness get in our way, we headed off to the restaurant.  Looking at the map on their website we went to the entrance to the walk and started the journey.  I'm not exactly how long into the hike we were before we realized we had entered the wrong end of the loop or how long into it we realized it was too late to turn back.  Either way - we took the long road.  In the pouring rain.  Carrying a 2 (almost 3 at that time) year old.  In flip-flops.  In mud.  Across canal walls with raging waters on one side and 50ft drops on the other....it was daunting to say the least.

Graeme's face says it all....

One thing not to miss while in Ubud are the dances done by local village girls aged 6-14 yrs old.  Our resort held special dinners to showcase the "Kings Dance" (you can also see them in town at various temples).  It was amazing to say the least and I cannot put words to it or provide photos that do it justice.  The movements of their eyes, heads and hands alone are mesmorizing.  Truly a local treasure that we were lucky enough to get a glimpse of.

Click HERE to see all of our Ubud pictures.

Round 3: Nusa Lombongan

Hmmmm.....

OK. Here is the real scoop.  The scoop behind all of the FB posts, Instagrams and rosie colored Blogs.  You don't always hit it out of the park.  Sometimes things are not what you hoped for and you are forced to muscle through it or make quick decisions involving change.  Well, like I said earlier, we hit Bali on the head for 2 out of 3.  Nusa Lombongan was our dud.  

Looking forward to a "perfect crescent of white-sand beach" in Mushroom Bay (btw white sand beaches are not easy to come by in Bali) and staying at what was billed as a "perfect retreat" our expectations were high, especially after just having such an exquisite experience in Ubud at Swasti Eco Cottages.

We got off on the wrong foot as I got some sort of food poisoning upon arrival and spent the first 20 hours curled up in the fetal position until my innards decided to become out-ards.  We had a seperate bed for Graeme but they couldn't provide a mosquito net.  The first night he got mauled by the mosquito's and ended up in our bed the rest of the week.  Not sure how much better that was because our net was full of holes the size of apples.  The room was dirty and over half the guests over the course of the week got sick.  Note to self:  Don't ever stay at Tanis Villas again....

So what to do?  Stick it out?  Bail for another island?  We decided to give it a shot...we did happen to make some fun out of it but ultimately left a couple of days early and headed back to Bali.  The waters here were ridiculously clear, as we found out on a glass-bottom boat trip that Graeme decided to jump off and start his snorkeling career on.

I see Nemo!

We also trucked it - literally, on the back of a 1 cylinder pick-up sitting on a picnic bench bouncing 2ft into the air - to a great beach called "Dream Beach" with a nice resort that let us use the pool when Graeme got tired of the sand.

Look at this mop top!

Seriously, is that Nemo???

Click HERE to see all of our Nusa Lombongan Pic's.

I know this was a long one - and I've got another issue on deck (much shorter I promise!) as it's been a busy few weeks since we got back from this epic trip.

Graeme had an absolute blast in Bali as did his parents.  Making new friends, learning new ways to say "Hello", eating new foods and spending time in foreign lands with great friends, all add up to some excellent life experiences to add to the list.

Is it played?  Is it "not the same it was 10 years ago"?  Go there and find out...I think as you find your spots in Bali you will see it still has plenty of magic left in it and no shortage of having great experiences while mingling with the nicest people on the planet.  If you go and find it's not for you, well then, there are 14,999 other islands in Indonesia to explore!

As always, thank you so much for reading the blog and keeping us in your thoughts as we have you in ours!

Coming up:  Graeme takes on Soccer (or is it the other way around?), we learn what Tet is and visit with old friends in Bangkok....until then:

 Hòa Bình,

The Hawken's in HCMC

#thetaoofgraeme