1st Annual DaNang Sandcastle Competition

June 5, 2011 was the date of the first ever sandcastle competition in Da Nang. Sculptors from all over the world came down to the beach to carve out their creations. All for fun, no cash prizes, just sandy pride at stake. The event hosted carvers from America (Michigan, Cali, Oregon), Poland, Canada, Australia, England (Manchester, Brighton), and Vietnam.

The event started at 3:00pm with each team choosing their 2m area of sandy creative space, followed by quick scouring of the beach for shells, seaweed, bamboo, etc... anything that might come in useful in creating the ultimate sculpture. Teams worked relentlessly for two and a half hours, digging, molding, scraping, brushing, remolding, and decorating their seaside masterpieces.

Time was called at 5:30pm and the judges (Vietnamese crowd at the beach), cast their final vote for their favorites.

First place - Chinese Chess Board
Team Poland/America - Piotr and Angie

Second Place - Larue Castle
Team Manchester - Jo and Dave

Third Place - Man with the mustache
Team England - Sadie and Gemma

Honorable Mention

Mermaid
Team Australia/Vietnam - Paul and Ha

Sandman
Team Canada/Cali/Oregon - Alison, Eric, Sarah

Polish Castle
Team Poland - Dawid and Adam












Congratulations to all of the contestants! Everyone deserves a round of applause for their hardwork and creativity. Hope to see you all again next year at everyones favorite playground... the beach!

Jack of all Trades, Master of the Moto

I am convinced that Vietnamese people can fix anything! The ultimate handymen and women and jack of all trades; they can stop a leaky faucet, repair a broken fan, run a business from their living room, feed the neighborhood from their front porch, make paint from shells, and take apart and put back together a motorbike with their eyes closed and one hand tied behind their back.

Being considered a "jack of all trades" has always had a negative connotation. It implies that you like to dabble in bits of everything, but never achieve the expertise to be considered a master in any one area. The Vietnamese, however, have struck a balance between generalist and specialist. They are decently good at many many things, but they are great with a motorbike.

Now, as a case in point is their ability to start up any hunk of junk motorbike (like mine) with one quick flick of the wrist. I, for example, can stand there for 10 minutes trying to kick start my bike, following all of the rules I have been told by other Vietnamese; don't touch the gas, hold down the brake, and still nothing. Whereas, a Vietnamese person, man, woman, and child alike, will see me in distress, walk up to me, shoo me off the bike, and BOOM, the bike is running. It NEVER fails! I have yet to meet a Vietnamese person, who was unable to start my bike on the first try, not to mention with little or no effort at all. Every single time, the story is the same. I try and try and try to start my bike, frustation starts to set in, and like clockwork, along comes a little old Vietnamese man, or a teenage girl, or best yet, the 9 year old boy from the down street, smiling and saying "ok ok" as they kick the bike into gear and send me on my way.

Insanity

I am in relatively good shape and consider myself to be a healthy person. I usually go for a bike ride at least once a day, take a spin on my rollerblades or walk along the beach. However, as my swimsuit will tell you, this isn't enough to have me beach ready by April. Therefore, I have decided to go the insane route with Shaun T.

Beachbody Insanity Program is a 60 day intense cardio workout that guarantees results! The main reason I was drawn to this particular program is because it doesn't require any equipment, just a good pair of cross trainers. It is my intention to record my progress and share it with all my fellow bloggers, partly because I hope it will inspire others to get fit, buy mostly because it will keep me accountable :)

Today I started with the Fit Test, a 30 min. workout and warm-up to get you familiar with the program and record your beginning fit test results. Before I record my results, let me thank Shaun T. for making me well aware of how out of shape I am and for making me sweat like a hot stone sauna!

Here are my results for Day 1:

Switch Kick - 90
Power Squats - 43
Power Knee - 80
Power Jump - 20
Globe Jump - 6 *
Suicide Jump - 8 *
Push Up Jacks - 8
Plank Knee - 26 *

In comparison to the starting numbers of the people on the video, I thought I did OK. The areas marked with a * are the areas I need to work extra hard at to increase my numbers.
Overall, I feel good and I'm still sweating as I finish this entry. The fitness test did not scare me away from the program, but it motivated me to keep going and I'm looking forward to seeing my results improve with every workout.

Day 2
I started my workout at 7am with a 10 min. warm-up and 8 minutes of stretching. After the warm up and stretching, I did an 8 min. ab workout. This is not part of the insanity program, which I will complete later this afternoon. Thanks to my friend Cortny, I have the schedule of Insanity workouts, now I just have to wait for Piotr to download the videos onto my computer and I'm good to go.

Day 3
Plyometric Cardio Circuit
I had my ass kicked by the Plyometric Cardio Circuit yesterday morning. 40 minutes of kalistetic drills, repeated over and over, each time at a faster pace. Today, I am feeling extremely sore and will surely need to do some stretching. However, it is Sunday, the day of rest, so I will not be doing an Insanity routine today.

Sunday - Day of Rest
Today I went with two of my girlfriends for a body massage, facial massage and mask:)

Day 4
Cardio Power and Resistance
I started my workout today at 10am, but my goal is to be and at 'em at 8am and at the beach for a walk by 9am. Today's workout was tough...they all are. However, there were more 30 sec. breaks today, but I think the exercises where more challenging and Shaun T. really pumps up the pace of the workout. I have a hard time when it comes to the pushups because the sweat that drips off of me makes the floor slippery:) ha I'm in the process of finding a yoga mat (not easy to do in this city) and that should help eliminate the slip and slide routine I've got going. Not to mention, I plan on starting a yoga class in the next month:) Insanity Out!

Unofficial Day 5
Busy, busy day. I didn't have time to do Day 5 of the Insanity program, however, I did ride my bike to and from the market and a friends house. That's the extent of my workout for Day 5.

Official Day 5
Cardio Recovery
Today's workout was a nice break from the usual cardio routines. Recovery day = more stretching, slower moving exercises and more time to breathe:)
Hip Hop Abs
I added Hip Hop Abs to my routine. Shaun T. is the instructor, along with some good music and some crunch free moves. I only did the 6 min. abs video today because I didn't want to overdue it on my "recovery" day. My whole body is sore, a good sore.

Day 6
Pure Cardio
Sweat Factory 5000! Cardio, Form, Speed! Today's workout pushed me to the limit, but I made it to the end:) During the Level 2 exercises, which involve pushups, I find it easier just to focus on doing pushups and skipping the up down stuff in between. Hopefully, by month 2 I will be able to complete the full series involved in Level 2 drills.

Day 7
Plyometric Cardio Circuit
Today, Piotr decided to put Shaun T. to the test and joined me for the Plyometric cardio circuit. This is the second time I've done this routine, and it still managed to kick my ass...and Piotrs! I'm glad he did it with me so he can get a feel for how out of shape he is and be alittle more impressed by what I'm doing everyday:) Cam and Thinh stopped by just after we finished the workout and wanted in on the fun, so I did the Hip hop Abs routine with them:)

Week 2
Day 8
Cardio Power and Resistance
I feel great! My shoulder feels so much better every after doing these workouts and it is bothering me less and less in the evening. I think my endurance has gone up about 2%, but hey, its better than nothing. I feel more energized during the day and don't feel as tired at night. The only thing I would change about the workout is that there isn't a whole lot exercises specific to just abs. I'm starting the hip hop abs program, but its not an everyday thing (which it should be.) I've always been a healthy eater, but I'm even more conscience about my eating habits not that I've started the program. I'm trying to eat small meals about 5 times a day, lots of fruits and veggies and lean proteins. Lunch today: Tuna salad :)

Day 9
Pure Cario
I started off my workout today with the "Hips, Buns and Thighs" video, which is 25 min. long. Then I put on the Pure Cardio video, which is what the schedule calls for, but I only made it through just over half of the video. I'm heading down to the beach for a walk to cool down:)

Days 10-12
Done but not recorded

Week 3
Fit Test - Week 1 vs. Week 3

Switch Kick - 90 - 115
Power Squats - 43 - 48
Power Knee - 80 - 87
Power Jump - 20 - 30
Globe Jump - 6 * - 10
Suicide Jump - 8 * - 12
Push Up Jacks - 8 - 16 (mainly regular pushups)
Plank Knee - 26 * - 32

Been There Don Det

A photographic journal of our trip to Laos, 2011 - Tet Holiday.

Itinerary:
Da nang, Vietnam - Hue, Vietnam by sleeper bus
Hue, Vietnam - Savannahket, Laos via the Lao Bao Border
Savannahket - Pakse (1 day)
Pakse - Tad Lo (3 days)
Tad Lo - Pakse - Champasak
Champasak - 4,000 Islands (Don Det and Don Khong)
4,000 Islands - Pakse
Pakse - Da Nang (so we had hoped, unfortunately getting home wasn't that easy)
Instead... we went Pakse - Attapeau - LoBy Border - Hoi An - Da Nang

Lao MUST HAVES:
flashlight
loads of bugspray
sunscreen
sun hat
light scarf or shall
wet wipes/toilet paper
cotton clothing
headband
journal
watch
handsanitizer
first aid kit
hoodie
earplugs

Lao Bao Border
- $38 for Laos Visa
- Don't worry if you don't have a passport size photo with you, which we didn't, the immigration officer will gladly take one for you with his cellphone!! Legit?

The majority of houses in Laos, especially those outside the city, are built of wood and placed on stilts. My theory is that the area under the house provides shade from the intense heat. You will often see a hammock hanging and other means of seating under the house, along with other things that would normally be kept in garage.

I like taking photos of STOP signs from different countries.

The mysterious "egg" fruit. Looks like a mix between a mango and an egg, and has a taste similar to that of a cooked sweet potato. It was given to us by the owner of the guest house we stayed at in Savannahket. I have never had anything like it in my life, but I loved it! Unfortunately, I am yet to find another one. Google tells me its called Tiessa and originates in the Phillipines.

Savannahket by bike!
- Bike rental 10,000 kip ($1.20) per day

Best meal in Savannahket! Dinner on the raft house (heuan phae), a floatable restaurant on the banks of the Mekong. These restaurants are known for their Khao pan, which is lettuce or cabbage wraps werved with fish, veggies noodles and a spicy sauce. The fish was delicious! White, flaky, and stuffed with lemon grass for the perfect flavor!

Laos Cemetary

Just like Piotr, the Laos people love watermelon! We happened upon this huge bag of watermelon seeds (which, i might add, are very tricky to eat) and drove past a huge watermelon market! I've never seen so many watermelons!

Tuk-Tuk to Pakse. Tuk-Tuk's are the Laos version of a taxi named after the tuk tuk tuk tuk sound they make.

From Pakse, we went to Tad Lo, a small village about 30 km away. However, the bus we took to Tad Lo dropped us just short of the village. Instead of walking 2 km with our bags, we decided to hop in this "vehicle" and ride there in style :)

The most memorable part of Tad Lo were the village children. From the moment we got there we were showered with attention from these 4 adorable little faces. They would follow us around the village holding our hands and giggling at everything we said.

Tad Lo is something of a budget traveler's paradise. We stayed at Mama Pap's guesthouse for 20,000 kip per night = $2.50. Tad Lo is named after a series of three falls, Tad Suong, Tad Lo and Tad Hang. Tad Hang is the first set of falls and the one closest to our guesthouse. It is the smallest and gentlest of the three, but has the best opportunity for taking a dip. Piotr and I went swimming only once because the water was soooo cold. However, the people of Tad Lo use the waterfalls as their shower. Just after 5pm, you will see groups of women and men meeting at the falls for their evening shower.

Yes, I did catch 2 goats in the act!

Animals walk freely around the village of Tad Lo. It's totally normal to be walking home and run into a couple of pigs, cows, roosters, dogs and if you're lucky an elephant!

After 3 days in Tad Lo it was time to continue our journey south to the city of Champasak. A trip that should normally take just over an hour, took us five thanks to this lovely vehicle! The driver stopped 3 different times to try and get a wheel fixed, this took over an hour, and landed us right back at the bus stop! Not to mention, the glorified tuk-tuk could only handle speeds of around 40 miles per hour.

We arrived to the ferry at dusk, after what felt like an eternity on the tuk-tuk. The sky was beautiful that night. For a moment, before the light disappeared into the night, everyone forget there frustrations and irritations of the long ride, and were overtaken by the calmness around them.

Champasak

Champasak is home to a ruined Khmer temple known as Wat Phu. The temple dates back to the 5th Century, but the surviving structures date back to the 11th - 13th centuries.

We only stayed one night in Champasak. After seeing the Wat Phu temple, we hired a guy to take us by minivan to the 4,000 Islands, a 2 hour trip by car. We had had enough of buses that take 5 hours longer than they should!

Our days on the island were spent chilling in hammocks, reading and playing cribbage. Our bungalow was right on the river with a beach front. However, we never made it swimming while there.

The 4000 Islands or Si Phan Don are a collection of islands in the Mekong River, in the far south of Laos. On the boat ride over to the island, you start to get an idea of why they are called 4000 Islands - there are tiny little islands everywhere! Some big enough for just one tree.

There are two big islands where people live, Don Det and Kon Khong. We stayed on the island of Don Det. The islands are very similar, the only difference is that you have to pay 20,000 kip to enter the island of Don Khong and it felt a bit more crowded. Overall, the islands are very chill, and there are lots of tourists.

Everything on the island is catered to tourists and their ideas of a good time.

Happy Bar Menu

Hangover Breakfast
2 eggs any style, Garlic Bread, Cheese
French Fries, Coke or Pepsi
Fruit Salad, Parcetamol, Valium

Cruisin to the waterfall!

The main tourist attractions in Laos are its waterfalls. The Khonephapheng is the largest waterfall by volume in all of Southeast Asia.

The monks walk around the city every morning collecting food for the day. They always maintain a single file line, even when they are not receiving food.

Monkey Business

On our last day in Don Det, right before leaving the island, we said good bye to our friend Curious George. George spent his days tied up to tree near our bungalow, checking out the passerbys. Piotr was the first to meet and greet the monkey, who calmly jumped on top of Piotrs arm and sat there like a good little monkey. When it was my turn, the monkey jumped onto my arm and hung from it, just long enough to steal the chapstick I had in the outside pocket of my purse. Before I realized what was going on, the monkey was off my arm and back on the tree...eating my chapstick!

And that was the end of our trip to Laos... Been there Don Det!