(please note that this post was written on my iPad which difficult edit. Sorry if it looks strange!!)
Hi Everyone!
I’m writing to you from way up north of Thailand in Chaing Mai!
Our trip has been great so far with a few bumps in the road which is to be expected, I think, when traveling with little itinerary.
The trip started with a completely shocking and amazing proposal from D, which I of course said yes! He got me good though!
Here is the short version (kind of): About 25 minutes prior to us having to leave for the airport D went upstairs to change and check a few things before leaving. After about about 15 minutes he called down to ask if his shoes were down near me. Little did I know, but this was his attempt to get me upstairs. Unfortunately, I didn’t fall for it and told him yes and left it at that.
His next attempt was to ask for, I think, a bandade but I told him to just get it when he came downstairs again. After two failed attempts to get me upstairs he didn’t try again and after about five more minutes I decided on my own, that I should go check on him and make sure everything was ok.
When I opened our bedroom door, D was standing in the restroom looking a little frazzled. I asked him if he was ok and he said he was just nervous. Assuming he meant for the trip I didn’t think twice.
He asked me if I would double check that he packed the sunblock in his backpack and I replied by saying “babe, you did. I watched you, remember?” He got even more frazzled and said “could you just check!” I rolled my eyes knowing well that the baggy containing the two SPF’s were sitting right on top where he put them.
I walked over to the bed and flipped open the top of D’s backpack and low and behold, there they were, sitting right next to a little baby blue box with a pretty white bow.
I stood there for a moment cofused. My first thought was, shoot, he’s going to ask me on our trip and forgot to hide the box!
Then reality sunk in and I looked at D, who has a big big smile on his face, then looked back at the box, then back at D. Holy $&@#! He is asking me right now!! I looked at him all wide-eyed and he walked over to me right as both dogs barged in the room. David got down on one knee and asked me to be his wife.
As if on cue, the dogs got all excited, barking and jumping up and down along with me, D stood up and I said yes!
That my friends, was the perfect way to begin our adventure!
And an adventure it has been.
After a 15 hour long flight of me starring at my ring and writing Amanda Moore a million times on paper,
wearrived in Ho Chi Minh City on Friday, February 17th. rather jet-lagged, we found our way out into the 85 degrees plus 90% humidity and into a taxi to take us to our hotel.
It was fun watching D view the culture in this part of the world for the first time. I lived in Taiwan for eight months and knew somewhat what to expect. The bright billboards, millions of scooters, everyone honking. Sensory overload!!
Once we got to our hotel we waited while they scrambled to get our room ready. We decided while we ate a little lunch that we would walk around a bit and then settle in for the night with a relaxing couples massage before we go to bed and wake up the next morning for another plane right to Hoi An, in central Vietnam.
At 7pm, D and I were fast asleep, only to wake up at 2:30am wide eyed and ready for the day!
As we boarded the plane for Da Nang, both D and I had a few regrets not staying longer in Ho Chi Minh City but we were excited to see what this touristy town up north had to offer.
As we flew into Da Nang I starred out the window as we approached the cloudy and rain covered city. I tried not to think about what we had just left and instead pumped myself up for what we were about to experience.
Then we stepped off the plane and it was cold.
I told myself to suck it up and just take it all in. Little did I know, D was thinking the same thoughts.
We shared at cab with two Canadians we briefly encountered at the airport and drove the 30 minutes to Hoi An, the little city known for all it’s tailor shops where you can pretty much have whatever your hearts desired made.
With no place to stay, the cab dropped us off in front of the hotel the Canadians were staying at. We bid them fair well and began our journey in search of a room to stay for the night.
Right off the bat both D and I got a weird feeling about Hoi An. At first I thought maybe it was the fact that it was raining and cool and I was longing for warmth and sun but as the day went on both of us realized that it was the combination of the weather and the lack of authenticity due to how much it was built around tourism. It wasn’t exactly what we were looking for.
So, we booked a flight out the next morning. To the island of Phu Quoc off the coast of Vietnam and Cambodia.
A decision that proved to be the right one the minute we landed in the little, tiny plane and stepped foot out into the warm humid air on that itty bitty runway.
As we drove to our hotel both D and I had smiles that spread across our whole face. The streets were lined with food stalls of fresh fruit and fish. Wild dogs ran along the street as the residents went about their morning in the many markets.
We were exactly where we wanted to be…
Stay tuned for more of Phu Quoc and Chaing Mai as our SE Asia adventure continues!
